As it turned out, the pit the gang had fallen into was only the first of several traps they encountered. They would go on to encounter several other pitfall traps, as well as various snares and nets.
"These traps are really getting annoying," Sam said as the gang struggled to escape from the next they were now caught in.
"Pika."
"Don't worry, we got this," said Ash. "Right, Krabby?"
Krabby chirped in reply as he crawled around the net, snipping at it with his pincers as he moved. It wasn't long before the group was able to move again.
"Ahh!" Mikaela said as she shook the net off her body. "It feels so good to be able to move again!"
"Eeevv!"
"Yeah," Meowth said as he got up. "I really hope we don't run into any more traps."
"Knowing our luck, I doubt that will happen," said Sam.
Ash sighed as he looked around, wondering why there were so many traps in the area. At first he'd thought that it was one of Team Rocket's plans. Given how often they ended up encountering them, it sort of made sense. However, he had a feeling that the criminal gang would have attacked them much earlier if that had been the case; how many times had they been trapped and vulnerable today? Wouldn't have Team Rocket taken every single one of those times to attack them?
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden sound.
"Odd?"
He turned around and was greeted by the sight of a small blue Pokémon with a round body and some green leaves sticking out of its head.
"Whoa!" he said excitedly. "An Oddish!"
He quickly reached into his pocket and scanned it.
"Oddish, the Weed Pokémon. Oddish often plants its root feet in the ground during the day and sows seeds as it walks about at night."
"Cool," he said as he put his Pokedex away. "Hey, Meowth! Let's catch it!"
"Yeah!" the feline said as he rushed to his trainer's side. "We're getting a new partner today!"
"Odd?!" Oddish said in alarm as the pair rushed up towards it.
"Use Fury Swipes!"
"Take that!" Meowth said as he rushed at Oddish and began to scratch it furiously. Oddish cried out in pain as the attack hit.
"Yeah!" said Ash. "Now Iron Tail!"
"Okay!" Meowth said as his tail turned hard as steel. He then swung it at the terrified grass type…
Only for it to be grabbed by a pair of vines.
"Wha-" Meowth said as his tail struck the ground where the weed Pokémon had been just a split second ago. "What happened?!"
"Saur!"
Meowth and Ash looked in Oddish's direction and saw a small, squat Pokémon with a large bulb on its back.
"What's that?" said Mikaela.
"That's a Bulbasaur," said Sam. "It's one of the starters in Kanto."
Ash's eyes widened as he saw the new grass type approaching them.
"No way! What's a Bulbasaur doing out here?"
The Pokémon in question glared at the gang as it pulled Oddish closer.
"Saur! Saur! Bulbasaur!"
With that, Bulbasaur retreated back into the bushes, carrying Oddish with him. Meowth raised an eyebrow and looked up at Ash.
"He told us to get out of here, or he'll force us out."
Ash frowned at this. First the traps, and now a Bulbasaur who basically ordered them to leave? What was going on?
"I think someone really doesn't want us to be here," said Maria.
"It sure looks that way," said Sam. "The only question is why."
"Maybe the Pokémon have a secret society in these woods," said Mikaela. "And they set up these traps to keep humans out to prevent anyone from finding out about them!"
"I don't think that's what's going on," said Maria.
Ash scratched his chin. He didn't know what was going on, but he wanted to find out.
"Well, I want to know who's doing all this, and why. What do you guys say?"
The rest of the group looked at him, then looked at each other. They then grinned and looked back at him.
"I do think that would be the best course of action," said Sam.
"Pika."
"Yeah!" said Mikaela. "I wanna find the secret Pokémon society!"
"Vee!"
"... We're not going to find that," said Maria. "But I still want to learn more!"
"Rattata!"
Finally, Meowth climbed up onto Ash's shoulder.
"You heard 'em, Ash. Let's solve this mystery!"
Ash grinned and gave his friends a thumbs up.
"Then let's go solve this mystery!"
With that, the group set off.
…Only to fall into another pit trap.
"Ack!" said Meowth as they landed. "Not this again!"
"You've got to be kidding me!" said Sam.
"Pika."
The gang groaned as they got back up, then looked around as they regained their bearings.
"Alright, we've done this before," said Ash. "We've fallen into plenty of these traps today, so it shouldn't be too hard."
"Yep," said Mikaela as she grabbed a Pokeball. "We got this."
With a flash of light, Kakuna was released from its Pokeball. The bug type let out a long strand of string that attached itself to the opening of the hole. Mikaela grinned as Eevee and Kakuna jumped onto her shoulders, and grabbed onto the string.
"Hold on tight!" she said as she began to climb out of the pit. Before long she was nearly at the top.
"Almost there!" she said as she swung her legs around to reach the top. She then pulled herself upwards and rolled onto the ground. Her Pokémon then jumped down onto the ground, happy to be on the surface.
"Vee!"
"Kuna."
"Yeah!" said Mikaela. "We made it guys!"
She then paused for a moment to catch her breath. As she sat on the ground, she didn't notice the figure approaching her.
"Um, excuse me?"
Surprised by the voice, Mikaela turned around to find a young woman with blue hair looking at her.
"Oh, hi there!" she said with a grin. "Are you looking for the secret Pokémon society too?"
"What?!" the woman said. "No! I'm-"
"Oh my gosh! Bulbasaur is back!"
Indeed, the Bulbasaur was standing next to the woman, growling at Mikaela. Then, to Mikaela's surprise, the blue haired woman looked downwards at the seed Pokemon and patted it on the head.
"Calm down, Bulbasaur. I don't think they're hostile."
Bulbasaur stopped growling, but it kept glaring at Mikaela. The brown haired girl looked back at Bulbasaur, then to the woman.
"So, are you part of their secret society?"
After the rest of the group had emerged from the pit, the woman, who had introduced herself as Melanie, led them through the woods, allowing them to avoid any more traps. Before long they reached a clearing that was filled with all sorts of Pokémon, as well as a large pond and a cabin.
"Whoa," said Ash as he took the sight in. "What is this place?"
"Well it sure doesn't look like a secret Pokémon society," said Mikaela. "Though there are a lot of Pokémon here."
"That's because this isn't a secret society," Melanie explained. "Although I guess it is meant to be secret, in a way."
"What do you mean?" said Maria.
"Well," said Melanie, "this is a Pokémon sanctuary. It's a place where sick or injured Pokémon can recover in peace."
"Ooh!" Mikaela said as her face lit up. "A Pokémon sanctuary? That is so cool!"
She then looked around at the Pokémon that were resting around the area.
"They all look really happy here," she said. "You've been doing a pretty good job!"
"Vee! Eevee!"
"Oh," Melanie said in surprise. "Why, thank you. I take great pride in being helpful to the Pokémon that come to my hidden village."
"Yeah, I can see that," said Mikaela. "I'm training to be a Pokémon Breeder, so I know this kind of stuff."
"Eevee!"
"I see," Melanie said as she looked at the brown haired girl. "It certainly shows. Your Eevee is clearly very happy."
"No, that's just how Eevee is," said Sam. "I don't think he's physically capable of not smiling."
"Pika."
Melanie stared at Sam, then stared at Pikachu's expression.
"I… guess your Pikachu doesn't smile much?"
"Nope."
Afterwards Melanie began to show the gang everything she did to care for the Pokémon in the village. From bathing them, to tending to their wounds, to preparing their food, and making sure they didn't try to fight one another.
This last one had Ash a bit confused.
"Why don't we want them to battle each other?" he asked. "Don't Pokémon get stronger by battling?"
"Yes, they usually do," said Melanie. "However, this is a place where Pokémon are healed from sickness or injuries, and the stress of battle and fighting would make it harder for them to do so."
"Interesting," said Maria as she walked closer. "Personally, I don't like to see Pokémon get hurt. So I try to avoid getting into battles, and if I do I try to prevent hurting Pokémon."
"Really?" said Melanie. "That's rather admirable. There aren't too many trainers who go out of their way to avoid harming Pokémon like that."
Maria smiled happily at the encouragement.
Unbeknownst to the group, the village was being observed by far less friendly eyes.
"So, that is the hidden village," said a feminine voice. "So full of Pokémon just waiting for us to take them."
"Totally," said a male voice. "I can already imagine the promotion we're going to get from this heist!"
"We'd better get ready, then," the female voice said. "Let's prepare the attack, Bugs!"
"I told you, my name is Butch!"
As Ash and Meowth set out several bowls of Pokémon food, they caught sight of Bulbasaur and Oddish sitting near the pond. Wishing to clear up any hostility that may have existed beforehand, they decided to approach them.
"Hey guys," Ash said as he came closer. "How are you doing?"
Oddish squeaked and backed away, fearful of the raven haired trainer and his starter. Bulbasaur, on the other hand, stepped forwards, growling with hostility.
"Hey, calm down," Meowth said as he raised his paws up. "We just want to talk."
Bulbasaur gazed at Ash with suspicion, clearly unwilling to trust him, while Oddish hid behind the larger grass type. Sensing that Bulbasaur didn't seem too keen on trusting humans, Meowth stepped forwards.
"Hey, my trainer and I don't want to scare you guys," he said. "We didn't know that this was a sanctuary, and we were really excited about getting a new buddy for our team."
"Bul?"
"Yeah," said Ash. "We're sorry we got you two scared like that. But we don't want to get off on the wrong foot, so… maybe we can start again?"
Cautiously, Ash stretched out his hand. Bulbasaur looked at it with suspicion, then began to speak.
"Bulba, bul bul. Bulbasaur."
"He says that he's the strongest Pokémon living in this village, so it's his duty to protect all the other Pokémon who stay here. So if you try to catch any of them, he'll make you pay."
Ash couldn't help but grin at this news.
"So you're the one who protects everyone else, huh? You're a pretty brave Pokémon, aren't you?"
While it was hard to tell, it seemed to Ash as if Bulbasaur's glare had softened ever so slightly.
"You know, any trainer would be lucky to have a Pokémon like you on their team."
He then walked away, while Meowth stayed behind. Bulbasaur watched as they left, though there was perhaps just a bit less hostility in his eyes.
"Odd?"
Bulbasaur shifted his gaze towards Oddish, who seemed apprehensive.
"Bulba, bulb," Bulbasaur said.
"No, he really meant it," said Meowth. "Say what you want about Ash, but he's a real genuine trainer. And he really meant it when he said you'd be a great partner."
Bulbasaur didn't respond, as he looked downwards with a contemplative look on his face. Oddish looked at its fellow grass type worriedly, unsure of what to think.
They then looked at another one of the humans, who was humming as she and a strange black Rattata set out food bowls on the ground.
"Hola," she said as she approached them. "Are you hungry?"
Oddish and Bulbasaur stared at Maria, unsure of what she would try to do.
"Relax, guys," Meowth said. "Maria is the sweetest girl you'd ever meet. She wouldn't hurt a Cutiefly."
The two grass types still seemed cautious, but they didn't regard Maria with hostility. The blonde girl smiled as she placed two food bowls in front of them.
"Here," she said. "I bet you're hungry."
Carefully, Oddish approached one food bowl and began to eat. Bulbasaur was slightly more hesitant, but he soon walked up to his bowl and ate as well.
"I know we can be scary sometimes," she said. "And I know that Ash was a bit too excited to try to catch you. But we really just want to be friends."
"Ratta, tatta!"
Oddish looked up at Maria with a frown on its face.
"Odd, Oddish Oddish."
"Oddish says that Pokémon trainers are scary," Meowth translated. "Also, she really doesn't like battling, and she doesn't want to hurt other Pokémon."
"I see," said Maria. "I know that a lot of other Pokémon like to battle with each other to get stronger, but that doesn't mean that it's wrong to not want to get into battles."
She then slowly reached out to Oddish and patted it on the head. The weed Pokémon winced slightly as she felt the blonde girl's hand stroking her, but didn't back away.
"And personally, I don't like to see Pokémon get hurt either. So I understand why you don't want to battle."
With a smile, Maria got to her feet and walked away. Ratty started to walk away as well, but he stopped briefly and looked back at Oddish.
"Rat, Rattata!"
He then rushed off to reach his trainer. Oddish stared at the pair as they left, now deep in thought. She then turned her gaze towards Bulbasaur, unsure of what to do.
"Have you… ever thought about what it would be to have a trainer?" Oddish asked.
"What?!" Bulbasaur said in shock. "Why would I ever want to have a trainer?! You know how awful trainers are!"
"These ones are pretty nice," Oddish replied. "I mean, the one with the weird Meowth is kind of scary, but I don't think he's that bad. And the blonde one with the straw hat is really friendly."
Bulbasaur considered this.
"You aren't… thinking about going with her, are you?"
"I mean, you're thinking about the Meowth guy, aren't you?"
Bulbasaur huffed.
"I'm just keeping my eye on him," he said simply. "I don't want him to try to catch anyone."
"But he hasn't tried to catch anyone," Oddish pointed out. "Do you really think he's that bad?"
Bulbasaur opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a sudden gust of wind that swept through the whole village. Oddish squeaked as she was lifted into the air, but the larger grass type reached out and wrapped a vine around her. He then used another vine to grab a sturdy-looking branch on a nearby tree.
"Hold on!" he shouted as he struggled to avoid slipping. However, the branch that Bulbasaur had wrapped his vine around was not as sturdy as it had appeared at first glance, and it suddenly snapped. The two grass types cried out in horror as they were carried off by the winds.
Fortunately, something grabbed them before they could be dragged away.
"I got you!"
The pair looked around, and their eyes widened as they saw Ash holding on to them.
"Are you guys okay?" he asked.
Bulbasaur didn't answer. He was stunned at the fact that the raven haired trainer had stepped in to prevent him from being dragged off. And as he looked around, he could see that Oddish was just as amazed.
"What's going on?!" said Meowth. "Why are we getting blown away like this?!"
"Look!" Maria shouted. "Up there!"
The gang looked up and saw a huge platform floating above them with the help of several large propellers. In addition, there was a large tube beneath the platform which was rapidly sucking in air, drawing in everything around the area.
More worryingly, however, was the familiar R symbol written on the platform.
"What is that?!" Melanie said in alarm.
As if to answer her question, sinister laughter began to echo through the area as a familiar pair of figures emerged from the platform.
"Prepare for trouble!" a blonde woman began.
"And make it double!" a green haired man continued.
"Here's our mission, so you better listen!" they said together.
"To infect the world with devastation!"
"To blight all people in every nation!"
"To denounce the goodness of truth and love!"
"To extend our wrath to the stars above!"
"Cassidy!"
"And Butch, of course!"
"We're Team Rocket, circling Earth all day and night!"
"Surrender to us now or you will surely lose the fight!"
"Raticate!"
Ash's eyes widened, then he glared at the invaders.
"Team Rocket!" he yelled. "What do you think you're doing?!"
"What do you think?" said Cassidy. "We're here for the Pokémon of the Hidden Village, of course!"
"So if you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you let us take them!" said Butch.
"Oh no," said Melanie, "We can't let those criminals get away with this!"
"And we won't!" said Ash as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Spearow! I choose you!"
With a burst of light, Ash's main flying type emerged. While she struggled to fly for a moment due to the wind, she quickly straightened herself out.
"Spearow!" said Ash. "Use Aerial Ace!"
"No you don't" yelled Cassidy. "Raticate! Hyper Fang!"
"Raaat!" the mouse Pokémon yelled as it rushed forwards with its teeth bared. Spearow realized what was happening and tried to cancel its attack, but she was going too fast and slammed into her opponent. Raticate winced in pain at the impact, but held steady as it bit down on the tiny bird Pokémon.
"Speeear!"
"Spearow!" Ash called. "Free yourself with Steel Wing!"
Spearow coated her wings in metallic energy and slammed them into Raticate. The larger normal type cried out, which allowed Spearow to slip out of its jaws and fly free once more. She then slammed her metallic wings into her opponent one more time for good measure.
"Don't let that chicken push you around like this!" yelled Cassidy. "Take it down now!"
"Raaat!"
While the battle continued, the rest of the gang looked up at the platform as they struggled to keep the Pokemon of the village from getting sucked in.
"We can't keep holding these Pokémon in place forever," said Sam. "We need to shut that thing off!
"Pika."
"But how are we going to do that?" said Maria.
"Oh, that's easy," said Mikaela. "We just need to plug it up!"
She then grabbed a Pokeball and let out her Kakuna.
"Hey Sam? Can I borrow one of your birds for a moment?"
Sam looked at her in surprise.
"Uh sure?" he said as he let Rowlet out. The Alolan grass type struggled against the wind for a moment before grabbing on to Sam's head.
"No, not him!" Mikaela said as she held up Kakuna. "I need you to take this guy up to that flying machine!"
"Row?"
"Yeah," said Sam. "I think Mikaela has a plan of some sort."
"Chu, chu."
Rowlet seemed confused, but accepted his trainer's words. He jumped down onto Kakuna's head and grabbed him tight, then flew upwards towards Team Rocket. The grass quill Pokémon struggled for a moment as the machine threatened to suck him in, but he was able to stay aloft, if only just.
"Now, Kakuna!" yelled Mikaela. "Plug it up with String Shot!"
Kakuna chirped as he began to spray his string at the tube. Due to the tremendous suction force, the string was able to hit its target easily, and within a few seconds the strength of the winds seemed to decrease significantly.
"It's working!" said Sam.
"I knew it would!" said Mikaela.
"Vee!"
Soon the tube was entirely covered in string, and the Pokémon of the village were able to relax as the winds died down. Realizing that something was amiss, Cassidy and Butch looked downwards.
"Hey!" said Cassidy. "What do you twerps think you're doing?!"
"Well, duh," said Mikaela, "We're stopping you!"
"Vee!"
"Awesome!" said Ash. "And now it's time to deal with you guys! Aerial Ace, Spearow!"
"You too, Rowlet!" said Sam. "Aerial Ace!"
The two flying types rushed at Raticate, slamming it so hard it was sent flying into the rocket duo."
"Ack!" Cassidy screeched as her Pokémon collided with her. "Watch it, Raticate!"
"Raaat…"
"This is ridiculous!" said Butch. "This whole fiasco can't get any worse!"
As if to prove him wrong, it was at that moment that alarms began to sound as the platform glowed red. With the suction device no longer able to do its job now that it was obstructed, the entire machine was starting to overload.
"Whyyyyy?" Butch moaned.
Sensing an opportunity, Bulbasaur cried out as he summoned a large number of sharpened leaves. He then shot them out at the platform, dealing massive damage to it. This, combined with the suction malfunction, caused the entire machine to explode.
"This was supposed to be such an easy mission!" Cassidy screamed as they were launched skywards. "How could we screw it up like this?!"
"It's those stupid twerps," said Butch. "They're the ones doing this to us."
"Raticate…"
"We're blasting off again!" they cried as they flew off into the horizon.
Ash smiled as Spearow flew back down to perch on his shoulder.
"Great job, Spearow," he said as he stroked her feathers. "You showed team Rocket!"
"Spear, Spearow Spearow Spearow," Spearow replied.
"She said that she knows," said Meowth, "and she expects extra soy sauce on her dumplings tonight."
Ash chuckled nervously as he remembered how picky Spearow was when it came to food. He then looked down at Bulbasaur.
"That was amazing, Bulbasaur," he said with a grin. "You really are a great protector for this village."
"Bulbasaur?"
"Of course he means it," said Meowth. "Look at how you helped Oddish back there. Or how you stopped Oddish from getting sucked up! You're amazing!"
Bulbasaur seemed unsure, but he no longer seemed to regard the boy or his friends with hostility. And so he cautiously brought forth one of his vines and offered it to Ash.
"See?" Ash said as he reached out and shook the vine. "We can be friends too!"
"Bulba."
With a big smile on his face, Ash looked up to see Mikaela hugging her Kakuna.
"You were awesome, Kakuna!" she said. "You totally showed Team Rocket!"
The cocoon Pokémon didn't reply. Instead, his body started to glow.
"Oh my gosh!" Mikaela said excitedly. "You're evolving!"
Within a few seconds the bug type had morphed from a cocoon shape into a winged insect with several drill-like appendages. As the glow dissipated a black and yellow Pokémon with red eyes was revealed.
"Beedrill!"
"YOU DID IT! YOU EVOLVED!"
"Eevee!"
The rest of the group watched happily as Mikaela hugged her newly evolved bug type. Ash in particular pulled out his Pokedex and scanned the newcomer.
"Beedrill, the Poison Bee Pokémon. Beedrill flies at high speed and attacks using the large venomous stingers on its forelegs and tail."
"Man, that's so cool," he said as he put the device away. "It's always great to celebrate together with your Pokémon!"
Bulbasaur looked up at Ash, deep in thought.
The gang had greatly enjoyed their time in the hidden village, but it was time for them to move on.
"Well, Melanie," said Ash, "it was a lot of fun seeing how you take care of all the Pokémon in this village."
"Yeah," said Maria. "It's so nice for the Pokémon here to have someone like you to take care of them."
"Ratta!"
"Of course it is," said Mikaela. "I learned so much stuff that will help me be a great breeder!"
"Eevee!"
Bulbasaur and Oddish watched as the group prepared to move out. Even though they had only known them for a short while, they felt a connection forming that they could not ignore. And it was about to slip away forever.
And the smaller grass type was not letting that happen.
"Oddish!"
The group looked down as the weed Pokémon rushed up to Maria.
"Oddish?" the blonde girl said in surprise. "What are you doing?"
"Odd, Oddish Oddish!"
Seeing his smaller companion's determination, Bulbasaur made up his mind.
"Bulba!" he cried out as he made his way towards Ash. "Saur, Bulbasaur!"
"What?" said Ash. "What are you saying, Bulbasaur?"
"Oddish, Odd!"
"Bul, Bulbasaur!"
Meowth watched, amazed by what he was hearing. He then looked up at his friends.
"Bulbasaur and Oddish want to join you two," he said. "They've always been worried about bad trainers, but they know that you two are good ones, and that you'll both be good for them!"
Ash and Maria looked down at the two grass types, amazed by what they were hearing.
"Well," Maria said as she bent down to Oddish with an empty Pokeball in her hand, "if that's how you feel, then welcome to the team!"
"Rattata!"
Oddish smiled and pressed her leaves against the Pokeball's button, getting sucked in easily. After a few shakes, the ball sparked, indicating a successful catch. Happy to see this, Maria opened the Pokeball, letting Oddish come back out.
"Oddish!" Oddish said happily as she jumped into her new trainer's arms. Maria smiled at this display of affection, and her friends smiled as well.
Ash, however, seemed just a bit less certain.
"What about the village?" said Ash. "Don't the Pokémon need you to protect them?"
"Well, that's how it's always been," Melanie said as she walked up to them. "The Pokémon in this village have been kept safe by Bulbasaur's actions. However, many of them have become complacent due to Bulbasaur's presence, and they've stayed long after they're fully healed because they want to stay protected by Bulbasaur forever."
"Well, that's not right," said Mikaela. "Pokémon need to live in their own habitats. They can't stay here forever!"
"That's exactly right," said Melanie. "And furthermore, Bulbasaur's growth has been stifled by living in this village for so long. It's just not big enough for him to reach his full potential. I think he needs a trainer like you to take him around the world and help him become the Pokémon he's meant to be."
Ash took a moment to process everything Melanie had just told him. Bulbasaur was already an amazing Pokémon, strong and brave enough to protect all the Pokémon in the hidden village. The idea that he could be so much more was… kind of amazing.
"You want to become stronger, huh?" he said as he bent down to meet the seed Pokémon. "Well, we can certainly help with that!"
"Bulba!" Bulbasaur said as it bounced backwards. "Bul-Bulbasaur!"
Meowth blinked, then turned towards Ash.
"He says that if we can beat him in a Pokémon Battle, he'll join us!"
Ash grinned as he got into a fighting stance.
"Alright, you're on!" he said. "Meowth, Fury Swipes!"
"Yeah!" said Meowth as his claws emerged. "Take this!"
He pounced on Bulbasaur and began to swipe furiously. Bulbasaur grit his teeth as he felt his opponent slash at him, and let loose a pair of vines, slamming into Meowth and knocking him backwards.
"Bulba!" the grass type barked as he unleashed a flurry of sharpened leaves flying towards his opponent. Meowth yelped as the Razor Leaf attack hit him.
"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!"
"Try to slash at those leaves!"
"Okay!" Meowth said as he used Fury Swipes directly on his opponent's move. While there were too many leaves coming his way for him to get them all, he was able to slash at enough leaves to avoid getting damaged further.
"Now use Iron Tail!"
"Got it!" Meowth said as his tail turned hard as steel. He then rushed towards the seed Pokémon, ready to slam into him.
Bulbasaur, however, had other ideas. He shot out his Vine Whip and grabbed Meowth, lifting him into the air.
"Agh!" Meowth said as he was lifted upwards. "Let me go!"
Ash grit his teeth. Bulbasaur was a clever opponent, and he was giving them a rather significant challenge.
On the other hand, it would be all the more rewarding once they finally added him to their team.
In the meantime, he had an idea.
"Meowth!" he yelled. "Fury Swipes on the vines!"
Wincing, the scratch cat Pokémon slashed at the vines. In an instant, Bulbasaur's vines released him as he yelped in pain.
"Swing now, Meowth!"
Fortunately, the Iron Tail hadn't quite dissipated yet, and as Meowth fell, a grin spread across his face. As he fell, he swung his tail downwards, striking Bulbasaur with great force.
"BUUUL!" the grass type cried out in pain. But Meowth and Ash weren't done yet.
"Finish it with Fury Swipes!"
"Take this!" Meowth yelled as he slashed ferociously, dealing massive damage to his opponent. Finally, the grass type collapsed, exhausted from the battle.
"Ready, Ash?" said Meowth.
"You bet!" Ash said as he grabbed a Pokeball. "Pokeball, go!"
He launched the ball at the defeated grass type, who offered no resistance as he was sucked in. Ash and his friends watched for a few moments as the ball shook for a couple of seconds.
Then, they all grinned as sparks came out as it stopped moving.
"Yeah!" Ash said as he ran up to the Pokeball. "I just caught Bulbasaur!"
"We sure did!" said Meowth.
Ash took the Pokeball in his hands, before opening it to reveal Bulbasaur.
"Bulba, Bulbasaur!"
"Yeah, you were amazing," Ash said as he pet Bulbasaur. "And I know you're gonna get even better!"
"Bulba! Bulbasaur!"
The two smiled at each other, then looked towards Melanie, as well as the rest of the Pokémon of the hidden village.
"Well, Bulbasaur," she said, "it was great to have you as our protector. I hope you grow even stronger with Ash!"
"Bul, Bulbasaur Bulbasaur!"
"He says he'll do that," said Meowth. "And he says it was an honor to protect the hidden village for as long as he did."
Melanie smiled happily, and the Pokémon waved at Bulbasaur. Ash then looked over at his friends, who were smiling at the display of affection from the Pokemon.
"Well," said Ash, "It's time to go, Bulbasaur."
"Bul," Bulbasaur said before turning to his old friends one last time. "Bulbaaa!"
"Oddish!" Oddish said as she waved her leaves at the village Pokémon. "Odd!"
"Goodbye, my friends!" Melanie said happily. "I hope you'll grow stronger than ever with your trainers!"
"Yeah, they will," Ash said as he turned away. "Good bye, guys!"
"Bye!" the rest of the group said.
"Good luck!" said Melanie.
With that, Ash and his friends set off, leaving the hidden village behind alongside their two new friends. It had been a rather unexpected detour, but one they had enjoyed nevertheless.
"So, are you excited about joining us on our journey, Bulbasaur?" Ash asked Bulbasaur.
"Saur, Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur said happily.
"Well, I'm glad to have you and Oddy along," said Maria. "Right, Oddy?"
"Oddish, Odd!" Oddy said, happy with her new trainer.
"You sure like giving your Pokémon names, huh Yellow?" said Mikaela.
"Eevee!"
"It's Maria," said Maria. "And yeah, I think it helps us bond better."
"Ratta!" Ratty said, clearly agreeing with his trainer.
"Well, if it works for you, then go for it," said Sam.
"...Chu."
With that, the group continued walking forwards, hoping that wherever their adventure took them next, it would be just as fruitful and exciting as this day had been.
…And then they fell into another pit.
"ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" Sam yelled.
A/N: Well, there we have it! Bulbasaur has joined Ash's team! And he's not the only one who has a new Pokémon!
I know that there was the whole idea that the Pokémon of the hidden village weren't supposed to be caught, but I still think it was odd that Misty never got to catch Oddish. I mean, it certainly seemed like there was a bond that was forming between them. But in any case, since Misty isn't around, Maria gets that chance instead. And finally, Mikaela's team gets just a bit beefier!
Also, since Jessie and James are still recovering from the lighthouse thing, Cassidy and her partner are here instead.
Anyway, The next chapter is gonna be a big one. I have big plans for Ash's next Pokémon!
