Budew and Lotad

It was a quiet sunny morning. The air still had a chill to it, although the snow had all disappeared. In the pond, the ice was mostly gone. Spring was a little ways away, so they just had to endure a little longer. Then the harsh Sinnoh cold would be eased.

By the shore of the pond, a Budew was crouched behind the wind shelter of a rock. He had hibernated for most of the winter, but he really needed the sun. The yellow bud on top of his head was closed, so that he had the maximum amount of sun-absorbing green was exposed. But should the temperature drop, he would be at risk of freezing to death. This was a dangerous time of the year.

A small splash came from the pond. "Hey, Budew. It's been a while."

He looked over to see a large cupped lilypad floating on the pond. Mostly floating. The closest part was lifted up, showing a pair of round eyes on a dark blue face. Budew bowed. "Hey Lotad. Doesn't seem that long. I spent most of it sleeping."

"I spent most of it frozen and sleeping."

The flower Pokemon shivered at the thought. "Ugh. I couldn't stand that. I was in a hole in the ground."

By a twin pair of ripples, he could tell that Lotad was shrugging. "It's not too bad to me," she said. "You wanna play now that we're both awake?"

"No, thanks. It's still too cold for me. The sun's not warm enough for me to open my bud and be active."

"I see. We can just chat."

"About what?" He tried not to sound cross; Lotad had been a good friend of his last year. However, his kind did not appreciate winter. Not even the very tail end of it. As she said, since she lived in water, her kind could tolerate winter.

"I dunno, just stuff. I know! When do you plan on evolving?"

Budew sighed. "I don't know when. I can't say when."

Lotad's lilypad tilted up, showing her curious face. "Why not?"

"Among the Budew, we are told that in order to evolve, we must find a day so wonderful that the sun shines within us. Only then can we turn into a Roselia."

"Until the sun shines within you? Wouldn't that be painful? The sun is supposedly a great big ball of fire."

He fluffed the small petals that hung below his face. "It's not literal. It's some kind of riddle we must solve. I guess we have to get smarter to evolve. But I haven't gotten that smart yet."

Lotad paddled closer, but not onto the shore. She had never come out of the clear pond because of her lilypad. According to her, it hurt to hold it up for long out of water. "That's tough. I've gotta find some rock apparently, but not until much later. My first evolution just comes with time, I think this summer."

"I have to find a rock for my later evolution too."

"Oh. Sorry to bring it up, then."

"It's no trouble. Maybe you can help me figure out this riddle. I don't think today is a wonderful enough day, though. Too cold."

Then there came a rumble of a vehicle. Lotad dropped her lilypad to hide. Cautious but more curious, Budew turned to the nearby road. There was a white van coming to a stop by the pond. The driver's door opened to release an old human man who was on the portly side, with a short gray beard. A thick wool sweater and hat protected him from the weather. "Such a nice brisk morning," he said. "Lucas, are you ready for the day's work?"

"Yes, Professor Rowan," a voice called from the back of the van. There was a boy back there in a red coat, getting something out of their vehicle.

"It's just a couple of humans," Budew told his friend. "They don't seem that bad."

"You sure?" She tipped her pad up and peeked out at them.

The boy came around the van holding onto two black suitcases. He set them down, then yawned. "Oh… 'scuse me."

"Up a little late watching the Championship Battles?" Rowan teased.

Blushing, Lucas twisted his red cap. "Well, umm…."

The older man laughed. "It's fine. Quite an exciting battle, wasn't it? Cynthia's not going to give up her title easily."

"No she isn't," the boy agreed. He went back to the van for more items. "And she has some amazing Pokemon, doesn't she? I keep wondering where she got them, like the Spiritomb."

"The ones she has are all native to Sinnoh. Once you get to exploring, you could find them." Rowan went to help, taking a folding table out of the van. "Then again, she was once one of my assistants, just as you are now. We could ask her where she got them. So which one of my starters do you want? You can have any of the three you'd like."

"Oh, um… I dunno. I'm still thinking about it."

"What're they doing?" Budew wondered aloud. "The humans who want battles usually don't have this much stuff with them."

"I think I know this deal," Lotad replied. "They take you over to their little station there and give you a treat."

"They give us a treat? And don't capture us for good? That sounds fishy."

She caused ripple-shrugs again. "Well you do have to let them take you peacefully, if temporarily. And they examine and measure you for some reason. I got the thingie on my leg from them." Raising her left front paw up, she showed off the small metal strap that was attached there.

"But why?"

"I dunno. They're scientiffs, or something like that."

"So, do you think we'll run into that vicious red Gyarados that people are talking about?" Lucas asked, a tone of worry in his voice.

"What?" Lotad squealed. "There's a Gyarados in this lake? Where?" She dropped her pad back on the water surface and turned about in a fright.

Rowan smiled and shook his head. "I doubt it. I doubt it actually lives here. For you see, a mysterious Pokemon is said to live at the bottom of this lake, a Pokemon that is renowned for being a master illusionist. It's one of the local legends of this region. I would like to find proof of this legend some day, either to validate or disprove it."

"What'd he say?" Lotad asked, shyly bringing her pad up.

"He doesn't think there's a Gyarados around," Budew replied. "But he suspects the daydream maker who lives on the bottom of the lake."

"Oh. I've looked in that cave, but have never been able to enter it. It's weird like that."

Once the humans had their equipment arranged, Rowan handed Lucas a small cloth bag that smelled wonderful, like spiced berries. "Okay, now you need to go round up some specimens. This bait should keep them calm and lure them into following you. But if they act aggressive, stay back and just tell me what kind it was."

"What kind of Pokemon should I get?" Lucas asked.

"Whatever's around that'll cooperate." He pointed to the side of the pond where Budew and Lotad were. "There's a pair there that's been observing us set up. Try getting them to come over."

The boy looked at them. "A pair? I only see a Budew and their pollen always makes me sneeze."

"It won't bother you this time of year. Look more carefully."

"What should we do?" Budew asked.

"Don't worry about it," Lotad said, showing her left paw again. "They should treat us nice, if they're like the last guys who did this."

Lucas walked up to them, slowing as he got close. "Hi Budew. It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you. We just want to see you for a…" his eyes had been wandering between looking at the rosebud Pokemon and looking at other things: the grass, the rock, the water. Then he saw the eyes underneath the lilypad. "Oh, it's a… I'm not sure, but it's in the water."

"That would be a Lotad," Rowan called over. "But it won't come out of the water on its own. Try catching it with your hands."

"Um, okay." He came to the pond and stepped in. He wore black boots and gloves, Budew noticed. "Hey, could I... take you out for a bit, little Lotad? It'll be okay. You can come too, Budew."

"Mind the lilypad," Lotad said, then swam closer so Lucas could pick her up. The boy did so, stumbling a bit when he had her weight fully. As he took her to the table, Budew shook himself, then hopped after them.

"This lilypad weighs more than the rest of its body," Lucas said as he placed her on a plastic mat on the table.

"That's why they live in the water," Rowan said. "Their ancestors and the rest of their evolution line come out of water easier… hmm, seems this one's been tagged already."

Budew hopped onto an extra chair in time to see the old man use something on Lotad's arm thingie. "How'd you know it was a Pokemon?" Lucas asked.

"The lilypad," he answered, tapping it. "You don't see those plants this time of year. This one just came out of hibernation, most likely. Her friend too." Rowan paused, then ran his hand along Lotad's pad. "And the pad itself is a whole circle. The next stage for this Pokemon, Lombre, has a small wedge in the lilypad, so it can be identified even while underwater. And the Lombre's body is larger and stronger, able to support the pad. She can't. Take the notes quick so we can get her back."

"Right." As Lotad said, they took measurements and observations. Then they gave her a savory smelling bread they called a poffin. Once she was finished eating it, Lucas took her back to the pond.

Then Rowan offered his hand to Budew. "Did you want a turn? It doesn't take long, as you've seen."

Once Lotad was in the water, it was obvious that these humans had no intentions of keeping them. It still seemed kind of fishy, but at least harmless. Budew hopped onto the man's hand and let himself be examined. At the end of it, he got a poffin treat and a 'tag' metal thingie attached to his right leg. Then they let him return to the pondside, where his friend was waiting.

"See?" she said. "That was it. Humans aren't that bad. Strange, yes, but not bad."

"At least most of them are like that," Budew replied. Rowan and Lucas stayed for several hours, making observations and giving other Pokemon tags. Then, as another pair of young humans came into the pond's area, the scientiffs packed up and left.

...

Budew Diamond entry: Over the winter, it closes its bud and endures the cold. In spring, the bud opens and releases pollen.

Sapphire entry: Lotad is said to have dwelled on land before. However, this Pokemon is thought to have returned to water because the leaf on its head grew large and heavy. It now lives by floating atop the water.

Scientiffic information is important to me. Mostly. But I'm more of a fantasy fan than a sci-fi fan.