Chapter 42

They were relieved to see a small town with a Pokémon Center, and though it wasn't a very big one, it was a good place to stop and rest, even if it was just for a little while. So when they went into the temperature-controlled building, they immediately went to the front counter to have Nurse Joy check on their Pokémon, and Ash presented his Pokédex as usual as a form of identification. However, the pink-haired nurse didn't take it, and instead smiled.

"Is your name Ash?" she asked while Brock stared star-struck as he usually did at the nurse who barely looked in his direction.

"Yeah," he responded, and watched as she reached behind the counter and took out an electronic note card.

"I have a message for you."

"For me?" he repeated, and opened the card once he had taken it from her. Inside were three holographic images of Professor Oak that moved when the card opened up.

"Greetings, Ash. It's Professor Oak. Give me a call when you get a chance." His recorded message electronically came out of the note card upon being opened.

"It's from Professor Oak." It had been a while since he had called Professor Oak, opting to typically call his mother when he got to a phone. Since he hadn't captured any Pokémon or won any Badges lately, he just didn't feel the need to call. Not to mention it had been quite a while since the pair had access to a phone anyway. But, deciding to accept the professor's request, Ash and Brock headed over to the video phones and the Pallet Town native dialed in the Pokémon professor's phone number. "Let's see... Professor... I hope he's around." He plucked the receiver from its holster and pulled it against his ear as the number was finished being punched in, and ringing came up on the other side. After only a couple rings, the gray-haired professor who had given Ash his starter Pokémon appeared on the screen. "Hi, Professor Oak! It's Ash!"

"Hello there, Ash!" he greeted. "I suppose my message finally found its way to you."

"Yeah!"

"How is everyone? How is my old friend Wartortle doing? Well, I'm guessing."

"Yeah, he's well, and everyone else is, too," Ash replied while Brock waved in the background.

"I'm glad to hear it," the professor replied. "Well, they say no news is good news, but I do wish you'd let me know how things are going now and again." A flash of purple movement down below seemed to draw Professor Oak's attention, and he frowned and shoved it away and out of the camera.

"I know. We've been kind of busy, er..." Ash began, but trailed off when another voice could be heard.

"Muk, mukkk..."

"C'mon, cut that out..." Professor Oak scolded quietly, but then a slimy, sludge-like Pokémon crawled up his shoulder and enveloped him, trying to reach for the receiver in his hand. Ash could only laugh at the antics of his Pokémon.

"My Muk seems to be doing okay," he observed as Muk's massive size forced Professor Oak forward on the desk as it called down at the older man.

"Taking care of it hasn't been so easy," the professor admitted, and tried to keep the Poison Pokémon at bay with his arm, but its sludgy form only folded around the appendage. "Will you behave?! Ugh, I hope the next Pokémon you send will be easier to manage..."

"I hope so too, Professor..." Ash replied with a frown. "But I haven't caught any new ones."

"Well, make sure the next ones aren't so mucky..." These were the last words he said before Muk's body fully enveloped him. Escaping from Muk's backside, it was his turn to lay over the Sludge Pokémon in order to look into the camera. "I almost forgot: have you heard about the new Pokédex upgrade?"

"Pokédex upgrade?" Ash parroted with a single raised eyebrow. "No, I haven't."

"Well, now you can get details on all the latest Pokémon discoveries!" This brought an excited grin to Ash's face.

"Wow! How can I get it?!" The professor pointed down to the bottom of the screen.

"Just put your Pokédex into that slot, and I'll do it." He pressed a few buttons on his end, and the slot in the front of the video phone opened up. "Once upgraded, your Pokédex will have an upgraded database, and even a new voice!"

"All right!" Using his free hand that wasn't holding the phone's receiver, he fished his Pokédex out from his jacket pocket and pushed it into the drive, and the computer pulled it in the rest of the way. "I'm putting it in right now!" The screen cleared of the professor's face, and instead, a cartoon image of his face showed up, with multiple arrows traveling towards a cartoon Pokédex. After a few moments of silence, the screen changed once again to flash a red 'OK!', and it flashed back to Oak.

"Okay, it's all done," he said, and the Pokédex was spit out again into Ash's waiting hand.

"Gee, thanks!" When he put his Pokédex back in his pocket, Professor Oak and Muk were smiling at the camera, with the older man resting on Muk's head, but a single arm could be seen waving.

"Okay, no time to lose. Go capture more Pokémon, and collect new Badges, too!"

"Professor... we're on our way right now!" Ash assured the man, flashing him a peace sign, and the screen went black. "Uhhh, where were we on our way to, again?"

"I dunno," Brock replied with a shrug. "We never really figured that out. We've just been kinda traveling and hoping to stumble across a Gym."

"A lot of good that's done us..." the black-haired boy sighed. "Well, that will at least be something to look at while we're eating! I'm starving!"

o 0 o

Unfortunately, the Pokémon Center was so small that it didn't have a cafeteria of its own, so while they were waiting to get their Pokémon, Ash and Brock decided to find a restaurant to eat in. It didn't take much searching to find a restaurant with a Magikarp as their mascot called the 'Family Restaurant Magikarp', and after shoveling down a huge meal, they were both sipping on the rest of their fountain drinks while looking at a large map sprawled out on the table.

"Where to next?" Ash asked, his voice filled with newfound inspiration now that they had talked to Oak.

"What about Cinnabar Island and the Cinnabar Gym?" Brock suggested, pointing to a lone island towards the south of the Kanto region.

"The Cinnabar Gym..." the Pokémon Trainer muttered.

"Yeah. During my days as a Gym Leader, I heard about it and that it's got a pretty powerful Gym Leader." That was enough convincing for Ash, and a determined smirk drew his lips upward and his eyebrows down.

"Okay. Look out Cinnabar Gym! I'm coming for your Badge!"

o 0 o

Being in civilization was a nice little break, but with a destination now in mind, Ash couldn't wait to be back on the road. And that particular road took them up into the thick forests of the mountains. It was along here that the pair found a giant mountain man who asked if they were Pokémon Trainers, and then challenged them to a battle. Eager to get as much training in as he could before his next Gym battle, Ash hastily accepted. As Brock stood off to the side, the two Trainers face each other and drew their Poké Balls at the same time.

"Rhyhorn, I choose you!" the hiker called.

"Bulbasaur, I choose you!" Ash declared, twisting his hat backwards as he threw out his ball. Both Poké Balls opened at the same time, and as did both Pokémon. While Bulbasaur appeared with a throaty cry, Rhyhorn's appearance easily overshadowed the Grass-type, as when it formed in the air, it crashed onto its feet with the impact that made the ground quiver beneath their feet.

The hiker was the first to call out his attack, his fiery determination flashing in his dark eyes. "Rhyhorn, Take Down now!" The Ground and Rock Pokémon bounded forward, and each of its footfalls shook the ground even more powerfully than before. This was enough to make Brock cry out in fright and wrap his arms and legs around the tree nearest him as he cried out to Ash.

"Get out of its way! Rhyhorn's Take Down move is like getting hit by a tank!"

Ash didn't heed his warning, and countered with his own attack. "Bulbasaur, go! Leech Seed, now!" Bulbasaur raised its hind legs up to aim its bulb at Rhyhorn, but the huge Pokémon that was its opponent was faster than it anticipated, and before it could initiate the attack, Rhyhorn collided with Bulbasaur, sending the Grass Pokémon flying behind it. Ash's heart leaped in his chest when he saw how hard the impact was. "Bulbasauuurrr!"

"Oh, no!" Brock exclaimed as Rhyhorn skidded to a stop in front of Ash, and the Spikes Pokémon glanced its beady eyes back as Bulbasaur rolled upon hitting the ground. Shakily, it stood up and grumbled to itself, and when it turned around, it had a huge welt on its forehead from where Rhyhorn had hit it.

Ash's mouth opened with horror as he saw the condition his Pokémon was in, and frowned before pulling out Bulbasaur's Poké Ball and pointing it at his Pokémon. "Bulbasaur, return!" But as the red recall beam shot out of the center button, Bulbasaur leapt out of the way of it, and it fizzled uselessly in the grass. The Pallet Town native gave a confused look, and Bulbasaur shook its head stubbornly. "What are you doing, Bulbasaur?! Return!"

"Bulbasaur is determined not to give up the battle 'til it wins!" Brock observed as he climbed down from the tree now that it was safe to do so. Seeing this, Ash's opponent laughed and the ground quaked once again as Rhyhorn turned around and purposefully shook the ground again in an attempt to intimidate Bulbasaur.

"You must be a lousy Trainer, kid," the mountain man commented with his hands on his hips. "It won't even listen to 'ya." He then locked eyes with his Rhyhorn and pointed at the Seed Pokémon, telling it to attack again. Rhyhorn clawed at the ground before bounding forward once again.

Since Bulbasaur refused to be recalled, Ash decided to respect its decision. "You can do it, Bulbasaur! Razor Leaf!"

Determination burned in its red eyes, and it let out a loud cry and leaped high into the air. A spinning flurry of leaves spiraled out of the opening in Bulbasaur's bulb, and this time the attack hit its target. The double-effective attack hit Rhyhorn and took the Pokémon off its feet as the leaves stuck into its rocky hide. While it stumbled on its back legs, Bulbasaur reached and struck out with a Vine Whip attack, striking it in a way that Rhyhorn spun like a top around and around until it collapsed on the ground in a dizzy state. With his Pokémon defeated, the hiker rushed up to his Pokémon and knelt down beside it. "Rhyhorn!"

"All right!" Ash cheered, pumping his fist in the air with a smirk. When the giant of a man brought his Rhyhorn back into its Poké Ball, Ash twisted his hat back around and his opponent smiled beneath his beard and looked down at the younger Pokémon Trainer.

"You sure chopped me down to size, kid," he complimented. "Your Bulbasaur's great!"

"Thanks. Your Rhyhorn isn't so bad, either."

"Bulbasaur can never settle for being second-best, can it, Ash?" Brock added with a chuckle. The grin didn't falter from Ash's face as he peered around the hiker to look at his Pokémon.

"That's the way to win, Bulbasaur," he told it, but then his smile quickly faded when he saw his Pokémon. The Grass-type Pokémon was covered in sweat, and its whole body was shivering. It grumbled quietly in concentration, but then collapsed onto its stomach as if its legs no longer had the strength to hold it up. "Is something the matter, Bulbasaur? A-are you feeling sick?" Bulbasaur didn't reply, but the bulb on its back started to flash an iridescent blue color, and Ash gasped at the sight.

"Bulba... Bulba..."

"Bulbasaur!"

o 0 o

It was lucky that there was a Pokémon Center in the mountains here, but they didn't reach it until nightfall. The Pokémon Center was small, and looked like a large wooden cabin that would have probably been taken as such if it wasn't for the large wooden 'P' that was painted red above the front doors. But his focus was mostly on his Bulbasaur, so Ash and Brock hurried into the lobby while he cradled his Pokémon in his arms. The entire time that they headed there, its bulb flashed blue like a firefly's light, and each time it did, Bulbasaur's whole body seemed to shiver and tense up.

"Something is really wrong with my Bulbasaur," Ash told the Nurse Joy who was working behind the counter. Seeing the state that it was in, she called for Chansey to retrieve a stretcher, and as it did, the Pokémon nurse looked over the Grass-type when Ash put it up on the counter. "I think it must be sick." Nurse Joy hummed in thought as she observed Bulbasaur, and when its bulb shimmered, her blue eyes flickered over to it.

"I wonder if this Bulbasaur is..." she trailed off, mostly to herself.

"Please, you've got to save it; no matter what! Please, Nurse Joy!" Ash begged, slamming his hands down on the counter and lowering his head as his voice quivered.

The pink-haired nurse scooped up his Pokémon in her arms and transported him to the stretcher to her right. "I can't make any promises until I examine it," she began, and smiled reassuringly at him once it was safely out of her arms. "But I'll do whatever I can." Her and Chansey then pushed Bulbasaur into the emergency room entrance behind the counter, and Ash could only watch helplessly with his eyes glued to his Pokémon as it disappeared behind the door.

"It's got to be okay..."

They went around and Ash pressed his face against the glass window that looked into the E.R. Joy immediately got to work and stuck various wires attached to suction cups to Bulbasaur's body – both the bulb and its actual body. She looked at the readings on her computer and compared them to a few charts while her and Chansey worked as a team and spoke back and forth to each other.

A half an hour passed before the display light to the emergency room flicked off, and the Pokémon nurse exited the small room alone while Chansey placed a bandage over Bulbasaur's head where it had been hit by the Rhyhorn's Take Down attack.

As soon as Nurse Joy shut the door behind her, Ash was in front of her. "Joy! Is my Bulbasaur gonna be okay?"

"You don't have to worry about your Bulbasaur, Ash," she told him confidently as she folded her hands in front of her apron. "It isn't sick at all – it's just getting ready to evolve!" Right away, all the anxiety that filled his chest evaporated instantly, and was replaced with excitement – which showed from the grin on his face.

"Evolve?!" he exclaimed. "Oh, I can't believe it! Bulbasaur's gonna evolve!"

"You shouldn't be surprised," Brock said. "That mountain man said Bulbasaur was strong, and that's because you've done such a great job training it!"

"Right!" Ash nodded and laughed happily before turning back to Joy. "So, how long is it going to be 'til the big evolve-o-rama?!"

"Let me see." Strangely enough, instead of going back into the E.R., she walked toward the window that looked out into the forest that surrounded them. Though it was dark outside, the light could be seen coming from the moonlight above. They followed close behind and looked through the glass.

"Wow, the flowers are blooming!" Brock said in awe, and Ash let out a breath in amazement. Right before their eyes, the lawn became covered in flowers that burst into bloom immediately, spreading and covering the grass with colors of all kinds.

"Hey, look! The flowers are sparkling!" the Pallet Town Trainer commented. Once all the flowers had bloomed, they started to release pollen that sparkled beautifully in the moonlight. It was almost as if they were releasing diamonds and letting them sparkle in the wind.

"They say that at a certain time of the year, Bulbasaur gather together from all over the world for the festival where they evolve," Nurse Joy explained. "No one knows why they choose that time – it's different every year. But it seems to have something to do with the alignment of the planets and the phases of the moon."

"It looks like we got here at just the right time for the festival," Brock noted as all the sparkling pollen started floating in the same direction somewhere in the forest.

"Have you ever heard of the Mysterious Garden?" Nurse Joy asked.

"The Mysterious Garden? Cool name."

"Yes. But since no human being has ever seen the garden clearly, most people think it's nothing but an illusion."

"The Mysterious Garden... I want to see that!" Ash said, his eyes sparkling as much as the pollen the flowers outside were producing.

o 0 o

The Pokémon Center was so small that the only rooms that were available for the night were accommodated with two bunk beds. Deciding to spend the night since it was already so late, Ash and Brock went to bed after the long day. Since they had an extra bed, Ash brought out his Wartortle, and let it have the bottom bunk after the Pallet Town Trainer called the top. It didn't take long for the dark-haired Trainer to fall asleep, and his thoughts were filled with his Bulbasaur evolving into Ivysaur. Bulbasaur was already a powerful Pokémon, and with its power doubled from its evolution, he was sure to win his next Gym Battle no matter what.

While it was a restful night of sleep for Ash and Brock, Wartortle's ears twitched at the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Blinking the sleep from its eyes, the Water-type Pokémon looked up to see the shadow of something small walking down to the front of the Pokémon Center. "Wartor?" Sitting up in the bed, the Turtle Pokémon tried not to make too much noise as it got up and peeked its head around just in time to see a green bulb and a blue behind turn the corner and disappear. "Wartortle..."

Wartortle followed after Bulbasaur all the way to the front door, and the Grass Pokémon used its vines to open the front door and walk out. The air still had the chill from the night before, and it was heavy with dew. As Wartortle walked through the dewy grass, droplets of water stuck to its legs. The moon still hung high in the air, though the sky was shades of pink as the morning sun threatened to end the night in barely any time at all. When Wartortle finally caught up to Bulbasaur, it found the Grass-type sitting at the end of a grassy field overlooking the forest below. It let out a sad sigh and its red eyes were planted on the ground. Pollen sparkled and danced through the air from all over, but it all seemed to be going in the same direction. "Bulba..." Bulbasaur sighed, and was surprised to hear Wartortle approach.

"Wartor?" it greeted lightly. Bulbasaur wasn't shocked, but merely glanced over at the Water Pokémon.

"Bulba," it responded.

"Wartor-Wartor, Wartortle. Wartor Wartor."

"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur responded sadly, once again looking back down at the grass between its claws. "Bulba, Bulbasaur-saur. Bulba, Bulbasaur saur! Bulbasaur!" Bulbasaur got so worked up in its response that it stood, but Wartortle merely patted its back calmly, and Bulbasaur sat back down once again.

"Wartor War."

Bulbasaur smiled at its teammate. "Bulba, bulbazaur zaur."

"Wartortle!" Wartortle smiled back and gave a nod at the thanks it received. The smile on Bulbasaur's face slowly faded and it looked back up at the moon.

"Bulba..." Suddenly, four vines shot out from the shadowy darkness of the forest, each of them wrapping around Bulbasaur's four appendages, and pulled it in where they had come from.

"Wartor-tortle!" Ash's starter Pokémon exclaimed, eyes widening as Bulbasaur was taken off its feet and dragged backwards.

"Bulba-SAAAUUUURRRR!" the Grass and Poison-type screamed, and was lifted high into the air as the kidnappers became known. Six Bulbasaur stepped out from the forest, and barely gave a glance to Wartortle. When Bulbasaur began to struggle, two of the Bulbasaur sent out two more vines and wrapped them around Bulbasaur's neck and torso in order to stop it from wiggling too much, and with their victim secure, they all chanted and headed off into the forest from where they came from.

"Wartor!" Wartortle shouted, and hurried after its friend. The Bulbasaur all chanted as they marched through the forest, and though they were fast, Wartortle was easily able to keep pace with them. "Wartor War!" it called after them, grabbing the attention of one toward the back. It glanced backward at it, and when it saw it pursuing them, it extended another Vine Whip and this time, used it to attack Wartortle. Wartortle jumped out of the way of this one, but the Bulbasaur struck out again in a sweeping motion, knocking the Water-type off its feet and to the ground. Angrily, Wartortle stood up and took in a deep breath to fire a Hydro Pump, but Ash's Bulbasaur called out.

"Bulba!" it called, and Wartortle stopped and looked up at it. "Bulba! Bulbasauurrr! Bulba! Bulbasaaauurrr!" Its voice carried until they all disappeared into the forest. Determination drew down on Wartortle's brow – Bulbasaur wanted it to get Ash. Whipping around, it fled to the Pokémon Center as fast as it could.

o 0 o

Meanwhile, back at the Pokémon Center, Ash was completely ignorant to the events going on outside, and his smile was spread from ear to ear as his dream played out behind his eyelids. "That makes a thousand Badges!" he said aloud, but was suddenly snapped awake when cold water washed all over his bed and soaked his clothes to his body. He let out a cry and almost stumbled off the top bunk, and would have as well if his foot hadn't caught onto the ladder. As he hung like a sheet left out to dry, Brock stirred and sat up. "What's the matter, Wartortle?"

"Wartor! Wartor!" Wartortle exclaimed frantically, and got down on all four of its legs and hunched its back. Immediately, Ash wedged his foot out of the ladder and tumbled to the floor before getting back up on his feet.

"You mean something happened to Bulbasaur?!" Wartortle pointed at its Trainer to tell him he was correct, and Ash hurried out toward the E.R. without even putting on his jacket or hat to check on the Grass-type. Much to his surprise, Bulbasaur was gone. "H-hey! Bulbasaur isn't in the room!" At this time, Brock caught up with him, and he hadn't even put on his own vest either. The Pokémon Breeder gasped at the revelation, and Ash whipped his head over to Wartortle. "Wartortle, what happened?! Do you know where it went?"

"Wartortle!" his starter Pokémon nodded, and after both boys put on their shoes and over-shirts, they hurried outside after the Water-type. With Wartortle in the lead, the three rushed down the path in the woods that Bulbasaur had been brought down, and they followed this path for some time before coming across a fork that led left or right.

"Which way, Wartortle?" Ash asked his Pokémon. The Water-type didn't have a good sense of smell, but its ears twitched as it listened through the forest. Luckily for them, the woods was dead silent, so Wartortle's ears were able to pick up on something that they couldn't hear.

"Wartor!" the Water-type cried, pointing to the right path.

"Hurry!" Brock urged, and they all followed Wartortle's direction. But as the sun started to come up more, they all noticed something glittering above them and following the same direction they were. "This way! Follow that stream of pollen!" the Pokémon Breeder pointed out, and Ash's face brightened.

"It should lead us straight to Bulbasaur!" Just as the words left his mouth, his jaw fell open at what he saw on either side of them. It was if the whole forest had come to life! Vines and trees were moving about on their own, and even Brock cried out when they started to reach out toward them and extended to a certain point on the path ahead.

"This whole forest is going crazy! Look! Those vines are trying to block our way!" Individually, the vines weren't strong, but they seemed to know this, and was quickly coming and tangling around together to form a sturdy wall.

"There's no way a bunch of stupid vines are gonna stop me from rescuing Bulbasaur!" Ash called with determination, and him and Wartortle picked up speed to beat them. The vines were quickly closing in the center of their wall, and there was only one way to get through. "Dive through!" Giving a mighty leap, he dove forward and made it through. Wartortle was close behind him, and he heard its shell clatter on the ground as it landed. Brock was the last one to go through, and he grunted as he hit the grass and dirt with his arms tucked protectively to his chest as the vines sealed them in. "That was a close one."

Both party members stood up, and Brock looked up at the pollen still wafting through from the sky. "Now I'm beginning to understand why nobody's seen the Mysterious Garden before..."

"Wartor!" Wartortle cried, sounding like it was calling from a distance.

"What is it, Wartortle?" The Pokémon Trainer's eyes scanned to find his Pokémon, and the Water-type was at the end of the path. When they caught up with it, they saw it really was the end of the path, and a steep slope overlooked a massive field that had a large, dead tree in the center of it. This seemed to be where all the glittering pollen was gathering, and it was also where all the others were gathering as well. "Wow! This must be the Mysterious Garden!" The field was covered in dark green bulbs, each of them belonging to a Bulbasaur. There had to have been at least fifty of them, and the night air was filled with their chanting as they sang to the moon above.

It seemed that they had also arrived just in time, because miraculously, the large tree in the center began to flourish. Its dead branches extended to the sky before their very eyes and sprout little red leaves. All of the pollen that was collecting over it and merging with the tree seemed to make it shimmer like a diamond.

Just like how the top of the tree was flourishing, so were the roots, which in turn was causing the meadow to bloom in flowers much like how they saw the grass around the Pokémon Center. It was such a beautiful scene to see, and they were amazed to think they were the only humans who had ever seen this. "That's neat!" Ash said in amazement as the flowers opened their petals before them.

Once everything had stopped blooming and sprouting, a loud banging sound that sounded like a giant hammer coming down on the ground repeatedly echoed through the forest. The sound made Ash's eyebrow raise in questioning, and none of them were sure where it was coming from. "What's that banging sound?" the black-haired Trainer asked aloud. They didn't have to wait for very long, when after a few moments, a huge blue Pokémon with a large flower blooming on its back came stomping out of the center of the hollowed-out tree in the middle of the meadow. The Pokémon walked on all fours and climbed up onto the tree stump in front of the tree. It was almost as if it were a throne of sorts. Upon seeing the new Pokémon, the Bulbasaur stopped chanting and all turned to look at it. With powder still drifting through the air, the huge Pokémon threw its head back and called out.

"SSAAAAAAUUUUURRRR!"

"Look, Brock! It's a Venusaur!" Ash said excitedly, and took out his Pokédex to learn more about it.

"Venusaur, the final form of the Bulbasaur evolution. This Seed Pokémon soaks up the sun's rays as a source of energy."

Brock hummed in thought even before Ash closed the cover of the Pokédex and crossed his arms. "But that kind of behavior makes it sound like a plant."

"I don't see my Bulbasaur any place around here," Ash stated, remembering the whole reason that they had come here in the first place. His eyes scanned around the area, looking at each of the Bulbasaur that littered the field. He had to keep a lookout for a Bulbasaur with a bandage on its head. But eventually, it was Wartortle that found it, and his Pokémon jumped up and down excitedly and pointed down. Toward the back of the field, Ash's eyes fell upon his Bulbasaur. It was looking around with a strange fearful look in its eye that Ash had never seen in the brave Pokémon. But he could tell his Pokémon was trying to stay strong. "Hey, there it is. Hey! Over here, Bulba-" He waved an arm up and began to yell, but Brock quickly clamped his hand over Ash's mouth and pulled him backward out of sight.

"Hey, don't forget: human beings aren't supposed to be here!" Brock whispered to him.

"Oh, right..." the Pokémon Trainer muttered back, and looked forward as the festival began.

Once again, the Venusaur called out, but this time, the Bulbasaur copied it. They went back and forth a few times, with the only one not participating was Ash's Bulbasaur. Ash kept his brown eyes locked on his Pokémon, and watched as it looked back and forth at the other Bulbasaur and then lowered its head. Finally, Venusaur let out one last cry, and when the Bulbasaur responded, their bodies began to glow as blue as Bulbasaur's bulb had earlier that day. When the glow around their bodies faded, it only remained on their bulb's, and the pollen drifting in the air began to pour into the center of the bulb. One by one, the bulb turned white once it gathered enough pollen, and this glow extended out to the animalistic bodies of the Grass Pokémon as evolution began. The plants on their back rose upward, and the leaves fell down, and when the glow faded, another Pokémon stood in the Bulbasaur's place – one looking a lot like Bulbasaur but with a pink flower bulb on its back.

"Ivysaur!" the Pokémon chanted as they appeared one by one.

"All right!" Ash grinned, and scanned this Pokémon with his Pokédex as well.

"The Seed Pokémon, Ivysaur. Bulbasaur's evolved form. The bulb on its back absorbs nourishment and blooms into a large flower."

Once again, Venusaur called out to the sky, but this time, it more sounded like a song instead of a loud cry. The Ivysaur that had evolved soon joined in, like a chorus, while the others who had yet to evolve continued to absorb pollen enough pollen to do so. "This must be their evolution festival," Ash deduced.

"For a long time, people have disagreed whether Bulbasaur is an animal-type Pokémon, or a plant-type. If either plants or animals disappeared from the planet, life wouldn't go on," Brock said. Wartortle looked on with a big smile on its face. "Maybe the Bulbasaur are a sign that all life here is connected."

"Maybe you're right," Ash mused, and looked toward the back of the field. "I wonder if my Bulbasaur is gonna evolve, too." But Ash let out a cry when his eyes fell upon the spot where his Bulbasaur was standing, and this drew Brock's attention that way as well. Bulbasaur's body was flashing blue like the others had, but like it was doing before, its body was tensing up and it was shivering like it was sick. "W-why is it doing that?"

Brock was quiet for a moment as he studied it, and then he finally spoke up. "It looks like it's trying not to evolve." Wartortle looked up at the pair and nodded its head. It was what they had been talking about on the hill earlier that night.

A loud crashing sound pulled their attention to the Venusaur in front of the giant tree, and they saw the Pokémon had stepped one of its feet off the stump and slammed it onto the ground. All the other Ivysaur were also turned and looking in one direction, and all their eyes were locked on one thing: the lone Bulbasaur among them, Ash's. "Saaauuurr!" it cried as the Ivysaur parted so Venusaur and Bulbasaur would be able to look at each other.

"Bulba!" his Pokémon stood bravely despite trying to hold back its evolution.

"Venus, Venusaur!"

"Bulba, Bulbasaur!"

"Venusaur, Venaaaasaur! Venusaur!" It sounded like the two were arguing back and forth, and that Venusaur was starting to lose its temper.

"Bulbasaur! Bulbasaur Bulba-Bulbasaur!" The little Seed Pokémon yelled back and shook its head back and forth, but Venusaur wasn't taking no for an answer and stomped its foot once again.

"Venusaur! Venu-saaaauuuuuurrrr!"

"Ivysaur!" the other added. Bulbasaur's eyes flickered to the others, and it knew it was greatly outnumbered.

"I wonder why the others are getting so angry..." Ash muttered, every fiber of his being wanting to go out and support his Pokémon.

"Bulbasaur's even more stubborn than you," Brock jabbed playfully, but tension soon filled the air when Venusaur let out a cry and sent two large vines out from underneath its flower and out at Bulbasaur. That was enough, and Ash yelled out and jumped down the slope.

"Heeey!" he yelled, acting purely on impulse. Wanting to protect its Trainer, Wartortle called out and slid down on its back after him. "Leave it alone!" As Venusaur's vines came down where Bulbasaur was, Ash hurried in front of his Pokémon and held out his arms protectively. The powerful Vine Whip attack came crashing down on Ash's shoulders with great force, though Venusaur instinctively held back when it saw the human standing between it and Bulbasaur. Nevertheless, when the vines came down on Ash, his body seized up in pain and he let out a loud cry and pinched his eyelids together.

"Wartor-war!"

"Bulbasaur!" Both of his Pokémon cried out in horror upon seeing their Trainer hit by the attack, but Ash steadied his shaking body and turned around, opening up one eye and grinning a toothy grin down at his Bulbasaur.

"Are you okay?" Brock called, running up after sliding down the dirt slope after him.

"Veeeeeeenn..." the Seed Pokémon grumbled upon seeing the humans, and the Ivysaur also tensed up and a murmur flooded through the field as all eyes drew to them.

"I... don't think they're too thrilled..." Brock whispered, taking a step back as the Ivysaur all took an intimidating step forward. Venusaur looked livid, and it huffed its body up and down.

"Venu-zaur!" it yelled.

"Sorry we broke in on your festival," Ash apologized, and gestured back to his Bulbasaur. "But the Bulbasaur you're angry at is my friend!"

"Bulba?"

"The reason you're so mad is because it doesn't want to evolve, right?" The Ivysaur all nodded. "You probably feel like it ruined your festival, and I'm very sorry about that. But if Bulbasaur doesn't want to evolve yet, I don't think you should have the right to force it to!"

Venusaur looked to the sky and called out loudly, and Ash instinctively flinched thinking it was going to attack again, but instead, it released a spray of glittering pollen from its flower on its back up into the tree behind it, and the whole tree started to bloom beautiful red flowers all over the once-dead branches. "Oh! They're manipulating nature!" Brock smiled down at Bulbasaur, but the Grass Pokémon simply turned its head away stubbornly. Now it was Ash's turn to smile down at his Pokémon, and he knelt down in front of it and rest his arm on his knee.

"Sorry I got so excited about you evolving without even thinking about whether you wanted to do it or not."

"Bulbasaur..." his Pokémon smiled back. They exchanged this for a moment before Ash turned back to the Ivysaur and Venusaur.

"Now look: you can't just force Bulbasaur to do what you want!" he told them. "Bulbasaur has a right to decide when it's ready to evolve."

Venusaur closed its eyes and let out a huff of annoyance before opening them again. This time, its eyes were blood-shot with anger. "Venu-SAAAAAUUUURRRR!" it yelled, and they all flinched back as all the Ivysaur lowered their heads and vines sprouted from underneath their bulbs and shoot at the four of them.

But suddenly, Bulbasaur jumped out and protectively stood in front of Ash and opened its mouth wide. "BULBAAAAAA! BULBAAAAAA!" It lowered its head and raised its bulb just as the sun started to peek out over the mountains in the distance, and glittering sparkling energy started to flow from the sun's direction into Bulbasaur's bulb. Ash observed this with furrowed eyebrows, and all the Ivysaur stopped in their tracks.

"What's that?" Ash questioned and fished out his Pokédex once again.

"SolarBeam, Bulbasaur's strongest attack. Light is collected and formed into a powerful beam with intensive force."

"Like a super-strong sun beam!" Ash smiled. "I didn't know you could do that!" Bulbasaur grinned up at its Trainer and nodded. "Okay! Bulbasaur, get ready to use your SolarBeam!"

"Bulba! Bulba-bulba-bulba-bulba-bulba-" Bulbasaur began to chant as its bulb began to glow gold once it had collected enough sunlight, and Ash pointed high in the air.

"Fire the SolarBeam!"

"SAAAAUUUURRR!" Bulbasaur let out one last cry before the glow faded, and a powerful blue beam of energy shot out from the center of its bulb and high into the sky. The Ivysaur and even Venusaur all looked up at the Grass-type attack with their mouths slightly open, and even Ash and Brock were amazed at its power and intensity.

"Smoking..." Ash whispered in amazement as the light beam seemed to light up the whole meadow. Finally, when the attack faded, the Ivysaur all retracted their vines in fright, but Ash's mouth spread into a grin and he kneeled down and put his hands on his Pokémon's bulb. "Great job, Bulbasaur!"

"Bulbasaur!" his Pokémon replied.

"You're the greatest!" Brock added excitedly. But their celebration was short-lived when Venusaur stepped off its throne and stomped heavily on the grass itself. Everyone was quiet, and Ash held his Pokémon protectively at his side as he stared at Venusaur's eyes. It was hard to read its hardened face, but then a single vine reached out from under its flower and extended toward Bulbasaur. Both Ash and it flinched, but it stopped just inches away from Bulbasaur, and when they looked back at Venusaur, it was grinning at them.

"Venu-saur..." it said to them with a happy nod. Both Pokémon and Trainer gave a relieved laugh, and Bulbasaur extended its own vine and curled it around the larger one similar to a handshake.

"I guess Venusaur finally understands," Brock stated with glee as his fists fell on his hips, and Wartortle gave a relived sigh of its own.

o 0 o

Heading back the way they came, the vine wall that they had jumped through just some time before untangled itself and the roots all receded back into the forest where they had come from. With Bulbasaur at their side, Ash and Brock took a step forward to leave, but the Pokémon Trainer couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. So, he turned around and he gasped at what he saw. "H-hey. The Mysterious Garden!"

Brock craned his neck around as well, and though the morning fog was thick, the shadows of the newly-evolved Ivysaur and Venusaur stood out among it. Looking back at the group of Grass Pokémon, the Pokémon Breeder smiled. "I'm sure glad we were here to see it."

"Good-bye, Venusaur and Ivysaur!" Ash called as he waved his hand high above his head. The Grass Pokémon didn't respond, but simply turned around and walked away.

"See 'ya later!" Brock added.

And beside them, Wartortle and Bulbasaur exchanged glances and gave each other a big grin.

-end-

Ash:

Party:

Wartortle (Poké Ball)

Moves: Skull Bash, Dig, Hydro Pump, BubbleBeam

Pidgeotto (Poké Ball)

Moves: Gust, Quick Attack, Whirlwind, Wing Attack

Bulbasaur (Poké Ball)

Moves: SolarBeam, Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Leech Seed

Charmander (Poké Ball)

Moves: Flamethrower, Fire Spin, Skull Bash, Ember

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Mankey (Poké Ball)

Moves: Thrash, Mega Kick, Scratch, Seismic Toss

At Professor Oak's Lab:

Muk (Poké Ball)

Moves:

Tauros (Safari Ball)

Moves:

Krabby (Poké Ball)

Moves: ViceGrip

Badges:

Boulder Badge

Cascade Badge

Thunder Badge

Marsh Badge

Rainbow Badge

Soul Badge

Brock:

Party:

Onix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tackle, Bind, Dig

Geodude (Poké Ball)

Moves: Seismic Toss, Tackle

Zubat (Poké Ball)

Moves: Whirlwind, Supersonic

Psyduck (Poké Ball)

Moves: Tail Whip, Water Gun, Disable, Confusion

Vulpix (Poké Ball)

Moves: Fire Spin, Flamethrower, Agility