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I am so sorry that I cannot offer any help beyond saying that**

Mizuro: *sweat drops* Geez. You sure took your sweet time on this one.

Ohirume: *sighs* I know. I know. I was having trouble finding time to write.

Omega: *raised brow* Yeah, but two extra weeks?

Ohirume: *grumbles* Give it a rest, Omega. I already feel bad enough, as is.

Illavera: *chuckles before looking at Faux* Anyway, what's up next?

Faux: *smiles* The day Togepi hatches. *perks up and frowns in confusion* Wait a minute…

I don't own Pokémon or Ben 10.

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Over The Frenzied Wall

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Continuing on their journey, Ash and co. stopped at a small-town Pokémon Center to rest for the night and for regular checkups. Which included getting a professional to make sure everything was alright with Togepi. Speaking of, the Spike Ball Pokémon was looking around the building curiously as Misty held him.

"Here." Ash said as he held out his ID.

Nurse Joy smiled and looked at the device, "Thank you, Mr.-" She stopped, perked up, and looked at the trainer in surprise, "Wait? You're Ashton Ketchum?"

Everyone else perked up in surprise. Except Soot, who sweat dropped while deadpanning.

Ash sweat dropped, 'Oh boy…' "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

Joy smiled, reached under the counter, and pulled out a sticky note, "Professor Oak called and asked that you call him when you get a chance."

Soot sighed in relief, "Oh thank Arc. I almost thought it was a Phantom Child thing."

Nurse Joy looked down at Soot in surprise.

Electra -who was in her Raichu tee- perked up and looked at the nurse in surprise, "Professor Oak?!" She smiled brightly as her tail wagged.

Togepi blinked in confusion, "Who?"

Ash smiled and nodded, "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll call him right away."

Nurse Joy snapped out of it and smiled back, "It was no trouble." She pointed to the side, "The phones are right over there, by the way."

Ash nodded, "Thanks." He started walking over to one of the phones. Everyone else followed.

As they did, the nurse looked down thoughtfully and mumbled, "Phantom Child… where have I heard that before?"

Ash picked up the receiver and started dialing. After the first ring, Oak appeared on the screen.

The professor noticed and smiled, "Hello, Ash. Hello, Soot. It seems my message finally reached-" He tensed up when he saw the Gym Leaders. "you, Brock, and Misty." 'Just once I'd like to ask about those new forms.'

Brock smiled, "It's good to see you, Professor Oak."

Oak smiled, "Likewise."

Electra jumped down and smiled excitedly, "Professor!"

The old man blinked in surprise before smiling, "Well, hello again, Electra. You seem to be doing well."

"Yeah!" She said happily before sitting down in front of the camera; tail wagging excitedly, "There's a lot more I wanted to talk to you about."

Soot snickered and translated.

Oak held up a hand, "We can get to that in a bit." He looked at Ash; still smiling, "So how have things been since I last called?"

"Pretty good." Ash said; still smiling, "Primeape's working on Thunder Punch and Brick Break, and Aerodactyl's working on Fire Blast." He looked at and pet the Electric-type on his shoulder, "And Pikachu, here, cracked Signal Beam a while back."

Pikachu grinned and held up a V-sign.

Ash looked at the camera again, "Everyone else has made a lot of progress in basic training."

Oak sweat dropped, 'So he's either been training or the new forms have that wide of a move set.' He groaned internally, 'Hopefully the next call can be a private one.' He smiled again, "Well, it's sounds like you've been doing a fine job in your trainer career."

Soot grinned, "Dad's not the only one." She nudged her head towards the Water-type trainer, "Just a few days ago, Misty won the Queen of The Princess Festival Contest. During which, her horsea evolved. Also, the egg hatched."

Oak looked at Misty, "Well congratulations on-" He stopped as his eyes widened in shock, "What the- Misty! Is that a togepi?! He is what hatched from the egg?!"

Ash and Soot blinked in surprise.

Misty smiled and held the Fairy-type up, "Yeah." She smiled and hugged him, "Isn't he just the cutest?"

"Toge toge priiii!" Togepi cried out happily as he nuzzled Misty.

Oak blinked in shock, "It- it's more than that, Misty. Togepi are very rare Pokémon that aren't even supposed to be indigenous to Kanto. Finding any of their evolutionary line in the wild is one thing, but an egg? Especially in a place like Grandpa Canyon? It's … I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing him right now."

Misty and Togepi looked at the man in surprise, shared a look, and looked at the screen again.

"Really?" Misty asked.

Soot looked up at her, "Yeah. They're catalogued as a Johtonian species." She raised a brow, "Which is actually kind of weird since most wild sightings are in Hoenn."

Ash shrugged, "I've stopped questioning it at this point. Not the craziest thing that's happened to us."

Samuel sweat dropped, 'Trust me, I know.' He smiled again, "Regardless, it sounds like things have been going very well for-"

"Koh!" Krabby called out as he jumped in front of the camera.

"Gah!" Electra cried out as she jumped back. She blinked in surprise before sighing in relief, "Oh, Krabby. It's just you."

Ash smiled, "Hey, Krabby. How have you been?"

"Been good." Krabby said happily before taking on an excited expression, "The lake here is huge! It makes that hot spring we were at look like a freaking puddle!"

Soot snickered, "Told ya." She translated for the others.

Ash smiled, "Yeah, I here ya. It is pretty cool." He raised a brow, "How have the tauros been?"

Krabby shrugged, "Well, they haven't been causing trouble, if that's what you mean." He sweat dropped, "Though their frequent stampeding can be a bit … much."

Soot sweat dropped, "You're gonna wanna get used to that. To tauros, stampeding is practically a way of life."

"Ah…" Krabby said. He shrugged, "Eh, whatever." He looked at Ash, "By the way, I filled them in on the whole watch thing." He sweat dropped, "Most didn't believe me, and the rest heard about Soot and think you really are the Phantom Pokémon."

Soot snickered. Brock, Misty, and Oak looked at her curiously; expecting her to translate.

Ash glanced at her before looking at Oak, "So did you mainly want us to call so you could check up on us?"

Oak perked up and looked at him, "Not exactly. I'm actually calling because of the new Pokédex upgrade."

Ash blinked in surprise, "There's a new upgrade?" 'Weird. I didn't see anything like that in the software.'

The professor smiled and raised a finger, "Well, really, it's a database update. It should have information about recent discoveries and even a new voice."

Ash smiled, "Oh, cool. How do I get it?"

The professor pointed downward, "Just put your Pokédex in that slot and I'll take care of the rest."

The trainer pulled out his device and placed it into the slot before it slid inside completely. Electra stared in awe as it did. Oak looked down and could be heard typing away on a keyboard.

After a few more seconds, Oak smiled and looked back at the group, "Alright, done."

Ash's Pokédex slid back out of the slot.

Ash took it and held it up, "Thanks Professor."

Oak smiled back, "It was no trouble." He looked at the female Mouse Pokémon, "Now, I believe you had some questions, correct?"

Electra smiled brightly and sat down again; tail wagging, "Yeah. So how does that slot thing on this phone-"

Everyone perked up when they heard a gasp and looked back towards the front desk.

Nurse Joy ran up to them and smiled excitedly, "That's where I've heard the term 'Phantom Child' before!" She pointed at Ash, "You're that prodigy who founded Inheritance!"

Everyone else tensed up and glanced at Ash and Soot.

Ash's eye twitched as he smiled awkwardly, "yup…"

Soot sighed and mumbled, "I have only myself to blame, this time."

.

**Short Skip**

After all of that was over with, everyone moved over to a table for lunch. Well, almost everyone.

Electra was still talking with Oak on the phone as Soot translated for her. Right now, Oak was explaining -in heavy detail- how a refrigerator worked. Though, he would occasionally glance off to the side to read from a page he pulled up on another computer.

Electra laid on her stomach with a bright-eyed smile as she listened to the professor's every word; never taking her eyes off the screen.

Soot had almost fallen asleep five times. The only thing that kept snapping her out of it were Electra's follow-up questions.

Misty currently held Togepi as he drank from a bottle. Everyone else ate.

Once it was empty, Misty pulled it away and smiled, "There we go."

"Pri!" Togepi cried out happily. He yawned before he started rubbing an eye tiredly, "Toge…"

Misty smiled softly and started petting him, "Go ahead and sleep, sweetie. We're not going anywhere for a while."

Togepi looked up at her and smiled before yawning again. His head spikes folded into his shell as he dozed off, "Night meema."

Pikachu and Clefairy looked over and smiled softly.

Brock smiled softly as well, "It looks like Togepi's doing well."

Misty nodded; still smiling, "Yeah. And Nurse Joy said he was just fine."

Ash smiled, "I'm not surprised. You took great care of his egg from the moment you found him."

Misty smiled softly, "Thanks." She looked out the window, "This past week has been crazy. I mean, winning the Princess Festival Contest. Horsea evolving." She petted her sleeping Fairy-type, "Togepi hatching."

Pikachu cleared his throat, "And let's not forget Team Rocket finding out about Ash's 'special power'." He said using air quotes.

Ash frowned, "Yeah…" He translated for Brock and Misty.

Misty sweat dropped; deadpanned, "Okay, so not everything was good." She smiled again, "But still, so much has happened in so little time."

Ash chuckled, "Yeah. I hear ya. I'm still kind of shocked that Horsea managed to evolve as soon as-" He stopped, perked up, and his eyes widened. He groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose; catching everyone else's attention, "Freaking Yvel. Why didn't I think of this sooner?" He pulled his bag closer, opened it, and started digging around.

Brock, Misty, Pikachu, and Clefairy looked at Ash in confusion. Togepi continued sleeping soundly.

After a few more seconds, Ash smiled, pulled out a light blue oval scale with a yellow tip, and placed it on the table.

Misty's eyes widened, "The-" She flinched and glanced at Togepi before whispering harshly, "The Dragon Scale!" She looked at Ash, "From Maiden's Peak!"

Ash smiled and nodded, "Yup. And-" He reached into his bag again, pulled out a metal cylinder with a ring etched around it, and placed it on the table.

Brock stared at the item in shock; also whispering, "A Metal Coat?!"

"Also Maiden's Peak." Ash said; still smiling, "You guys should be able to use these for Onix and Seadra."

The pair looked at Ash in shock.

"W- wait" Misty stuttered, "seriously? You'd just give them to us?"

Brock frowned, "Ash, these items aren't that easy to come by."

Ash smiled and propped his head up with a fist, "Yeah, but what would I use them for? Some form I don't have yet? A Pokémon who hasn't joined my team yet? Sell them for a little extra cash?" He grinned, "I think you two will get a lot more use out of them than I will anytime soon."

The Cerulean and Pewter trainers continued staring at their friend in surprise. They each shifted to a soft smile.

Brock took the Metal Coat and held it up, "Thank you, Ash. I'll ask Onix what he wants to do when I get the chance."

Misty nodded and took the Dragon Scale, "Same. Thanks."

Ash smiled happily, 'Still have to figure out what to do with that Dusk Stone, though.'

"Brock!"

Everyone perked up and looked over as Electra waved her forepaws from the floor. Brock reached down, picked her up, and placed her on the table.

Electra smiled at her trainer, "Thanks."

Misty looked at the Electric-type, "How'd it go with the professor?"

Electra looked at her with a bright-eyed smile, "In-" She stopped upon noticing Togepi and started whispering excitedly, "Insane! He told me about so much awesome stuff that I'm still having trouble wrapping my head around it all! Did you know how many kinds of metal there are?!"

Pikachu and Clefairy shared a confused look and shrugged.

Her tail started wagging, "It was so cool!" She looked down sadly with her ears drooping, "And then someone else called him and he had to hang up."

Ash translated.

Brock smiled sadly and pet her, "Hey, don't worry. We'll talk to him again at some point."

Misty raised a finger, "Or maybe even meet up with him in person. It's happened before."

Electra perked up and looked at Misty in surprise. She smiled brightly as her tail wagged.

Ash chuckled. He perked up upon noticing something and looked at Electra, "Wait. Where's Soot?"

Electra snapped out of it and looked at Ash in confusion, "Huh?" She pointed back, "She's right-" She stopped and blinked in surprise, "Uh…"

Everyone followed her gaze towards the phone and found Soot lying on the floor and snoring. A few other trainers were looking at her in confusion.

.

*Another table

Jessie, James, Meowth, and Growlie sat around a booth on the other side of the room. The humans and Scratch Cat Pokémon each held a newspaper to cover their faces as they eavesdropped. Jessie and James were back in their street clothes, and Growlie joined James behind his paper.

James frowned, "Great. Looks like that egg hatched a chapter early."

Growlie looked at his trainer in confusion.

Meowth sighed, "In otha words, da Togepi chapta's kaput." He glanced to the side sourly, "Not like da fake eggs would work at dis point."

Jessie frowned, "So what? The chapter's over already?"

James reached back, pulled out his book, and opened it. He smiled, "Actually, no. It looks like we're jumping straight into the Bulbasaur Garden one after this."

Meowth shrugged, "A'right fair."

Growlie looked around at the tRio blankly, "I, uh- what?"

Faux: Okay, that makes more sense.

Omega: *flips page* Bulbasaur Garden… *looks over page before jerking* Holy ****, that's a low score! *raises brow* Or … high score?

Mizuro: *looks at page and blinks in surprise* Woah, just a negative 21. Impressive.

Nuevo: *sweat drops* Is that really a good comparison?

Omega: The Pikachu Tribe one only got a negative 7.

Nuevo: … wow.

.

*A few days later

"Rhyhorn, I choose you!"

"Bulbasaur, take the field!"

The pair of pokéballs burst open as the Ground/Rock-type and Grass/Poison-type appeared on either side and stared down their opponent.

Misty, Brock, Soot, Pikachu, and Clefairy stood off to the side as they watched and Togepi watched curiously from Misty's arms. Electra wore her purple and dark gray jacket and white belt and was messing around with her hand mirror while sitting next to Brock; paying little attention to the battle.

The hiker who challenged Ash wasted no time and called out, "Rhyhorn! Take Down, now!"

Ash held out a hand, "Jump with Vine Whip!"

Rhyhorn charged towards Bulbasaur immediately. Bulbasaur responded by bringing out his vines and pushing off the ground and to the side. Rhyhorn shot past as his attack missed.

"Razor Leaf!" Ash called out.

Bulbasaur landed, quickly turned to face his opponent, and unleashed a large swarm of sharpened leaves. Rhyhorn looked back and their eyes widened before the Grass-type move struck.

"Rhy!" Rhyhorn cried out.

The hiker grimaced, "Ah! Rhyhorn!" He glared and held out a hand, "Use Rock Blast!"

Ash swept a hand to the side, "Counter with Hidden Power!"

Rhyhorn glared as their horn lit up white. Two rings made of small, glowing white rocks appeared and spiraled around Rhyhorn in an X-fashion. Bulbasaur glared back as a cluster of the pseudo-Psychic-type attack formed all around him.

Both attacks flew forward and hit each other shot-for-shot; setting off a string of explosions. A large cloud of dust covered the field; hiding either side from each other.

"Now, Hidden Powder!" Ash called out.

The hiker stared in confusion, 'Hidden Powder?' He shook it off and glared, "Dodge it!"

A single Hidden Power sphere tore through the dust and shot towards rhyhorn. The Spikes Pokémon jumped to the side as the sphere shot by them.

Ash and Bulbasaur smirked, 'gotcha.'

Hidden Power detonated in midair and a blue mist washed over Rhyhorn.

The hiker's eyes widened in shock, "What the Yvel?!"

Misty and Pikachu smiled excitedly, "Alright!"

Electra looked back curiously, and her eyes widened in shock, "Wha- What the?! What just happened?!"

Soot grinned, "A combined move. He formed Hidden Power in his bulb around a charged Sleep Powder. You can see the result."

Brock smiled and crossed his arms, "And by the looks of it, he got the move to detonate prematurely so the spores would still spread if he missed."

Togepi smiled brightly, "Coooool!"

Electra blinked in surprise, "Y- yeah…"

The hiker looked at the spectators in shock before looking at the cloud. The spores faded away a moment later to reveal rhyhorn lying on their stomach and snoring.

The hiker gulped, "Oh crag."

Ash held out a hand, "Razor Leaf! Finish it!"

Bulbasaur smirked, "Done!" The swarm of leaves shot forward again and barraged the sleeping Ground/Rock-type.

The attack stopped a moment later to reveal Rhyhorn in the same position; this time with their eyes swirling.

The hiker frowned and slumped forward, "Aw man."

Pikachu and Clefairy ran over to Bulbasaur. Soot followed them calmly.

"Way to go, Bulbasaur!" The Fairy-type cheered.

The Electric-type smiled and clenched a fist, "You completely destroyed him."

Ash walked closer and kneeled down in front of Bulbasaur, "Yeah, nice work out there. "

Bulbasaur looked up at Ash with a grin, "Well, it's like I said, I learned from the best."

Soot smiled and translated.

Ash chuckled and petted Bulbasaur, "Yeah, yeah."

The hiker held out a pokéball to his unconscious Pokémon, "Return, Rhyhorn." The Spikes Pokémon disappeared into the red beam. The man put the ball away before walking up to Ash, "I've gotta admit kid, that bulbasaur really is something." He held out a hand, "It was a good battle."

Ash stood back up, smiled, and shook his hand, "Thanks. Rhyhorn was pretty tough, too."

The hiker turned to leave and waved, "See ya around."

Misty waved, "Take care."

Togepi looked up at Misty before waving at the man as well, "Take care."

Pikachu smiled after he left, "He was nice."

Bulbasaur smiled, "Ye-" He tensed up and shivered before looking around in confusion.

Soot noticed and looked at him in surprise, "Hey, you alright?"

Everyone else looked at him.

Bulbasaur perked up and looked at them, "Uh, yeah." He brought out a vine and put it on his head, "I just got this weird feeling for a moment."

Clefairy raised a brow, "Weird feeling?"

Ash glanced at her before looking at his Seed Pokémon again, "Maybe we should get you to a Center and make sure this isn't something to worry about."

Bulbasaur looked at him and nodded, "Yeah. Sounds good."

.

*Pokémon Center

Nurse Joy heard the front door open and looked back with a smile, "Welcome. How can I help" She stopped and perked up in surprise when she saw a trainer with a pikachu and clefairy on his shoulders and a bulbasaur in his arms, "you…" 'How is he carrying all of those Pokémon so easily?'

Ash walked to the counter and placed Bulbasaur on it, "My bulbasaur. Could you give him a checkup?"

Soot propped herself up against the counter and frowned, "He said he was feeling weird earlier. We wanna make sure it's nothing bad."

Joy looked at Soot before looking at Bulbasaur. She placed a hand on his bulb, "Hmm."

Ash frowned, "Well?"

Joy looked at him, "If it's what I think it is, they should be fine." She picked up the Grass/Poison-type, "But I won't know for sure until I examine them."

Ash nodded, "Thank you." He looked at Bulbasaur and smiled softly, "I'm sure it's nothing bad. You'll be fine."

Bulbasaur nodded back while frowning, "I hope you're right."

The nurse smiled softly before turning and walking towards the back room.

"Excuse me."

Ash and all of the Pokémon perked up and looked over to find Chansey looking at them with a kind smile. Brock and Misty noticed and looked as well.

She looked at Soot, "You can speak human, right? Could you please tell your trainer that if you all need anything, then you can just ask me?"

Ash smiled, "Actually, she won't need to translate." Chansey jerked and looked at him in surprise.

Pikachu snickered, "Yup. He can understand you."

Clefairy smiled, "And us."

Chansey blinked in surprise, "W- wow." She shook it off and looked at him, "Um, well like I said. If you need anything, just ask."

Ash smiled and nodded, "Thank you." He looked back at the Gym Leaders and translated.

Misty smiled at the Egg Pokémon, "Thanks, Chansey."

Brock smiled as well, "We appreciate it."

Togepi noticed something off to the side and looked over. He smiled brightly and pointed, "Meema! Meema! Look!"

Misty looked down at him in confusion before looking where he was pointing. On the counter, a vase full of red flowers began blooming on the spot.

The Cerulean trainer blinked in surprise, 'Flowers?' She smiled and petted the hatchling, "They're pretty. Aren't they, Togepi?"

Togepi smiled up at her, "Yeah!"

.

**Short Skip**

While Bulbasaur was in the back, the group moved over to a few couches in the lobby. Misty was playing peek-a-boo with Togepi as Electra watched them curiously. Every so often, when Togepi laughed, the female Mouse Pokémon would look down at her forepaws, back at the pair, and raise a brow in confusion.

For the first few minutes, Ash did nothing but tap his foot and frown worriedly as he waited for Bulbasaur to get back. Pikachu, Clefairy, and Soot huddled around him to try and comfort him.

Brock watched worriedly before perking up and calling Chansey over. He asked her if she had any advice in Pokémon healthcare, not so subtly nudged his head towards Ash, and asked Ash to translate; snapping the trainer out of it. Thankfully, Chansey caught on and happily agreed. Pikachu, Clefairy, and Soot smiled at the breeder softly when he did.

Everyone perked up as the door to the back opened again. Nurse Joy walked through with Bulbasaur by her side.

Ash immediately ran over and kneeled down in front of Bulbasaur, "What'd she say?"

Everyone else hurried over. Chansey walked towards the back.

Bulbasaur looked up at him, "She said it's nothing bad." He raised a brow, "But she still hasn't told me what it is."

Pikachu and Clefairy sighed in relief.

Soot translated before smiling, "That's good to know, at least."

Misty nodded, "Yeah."

Ash looked at Joy, "So what is going on with him?"

Joy smiled happily, "It's simple, really. Your bulbasaur's getting ready to evolve."

Bulbasaur flinched and looked at her in shock. Everyone else perked up in surprise.

Ash blinked, "Wait, really?"

Soot looked up thoughtfully, "Actually, that kinda makes sense. He's been training like Yvel for a while now."

Misty raised a brow, "But how can you tell he's getting ready to evolve? I thought bulbasaur evolved on their own."

Joy looked out a window before walking over to it and gesturing for the group to follow, "Come look."

Ash picked up Bulbasaur again and Pikachu, Clefairy, and Electra took back their spots on their trainers before everyone followed Joy. They came up to a window overlooking a large garden of flowers. All of which began blooming on the spot.

Clefairy, Electra, and Togepi smiled brightly at the sight.

Pikachu and Bulbasaur blinked in surprise, "Woah."

Ash and Soot blinked as well, 'What the Yvel?'

Misty smiled, "Wow, it's just like last time."

Brock looked at her in confusion, "Huh? What do you mean, Misty?"

"A little bit after we got here," Misty said, "Togepi saw a vase full of flowers burst into bloom."

Everyone glanced at her curiously before looking out the window again. After a few minutes, some sparkling specks flew up from them.

Togepi's smile brightened even more, "Sparkly…"

Ash stared curiously, "Is that pollen?"

Nurse Joy smiled at him, "You have a good eye." She looked at the garden again, "Around this area, there's a special garden that bulbasaur come to in order to evolve. It's like a festival where they gather from all over the world."

"Oh." Soot said with a smile, "that's where we are."

Brock looked at her, "So you do know about this place?"

Ash looked at him, "Well, we've heard of it, at least. Most people just call it the 'Mysterious Garden'. Humans aren't allowed there, so we didn't dig too deep into a location."

Joy glanced at him and smiled upon hearing that.

Misty blinked in confusion; still looking at the flowers, "So bulbasaur need to go to that garden in order to evolve?"

Ash smiled, "Technically, no." He raised a finger, "Bulbasaur release a potent pollen when they evolve into ivysaur and even release small amounts when they're close to evolving. The standing theory is that it works the other way around and that they gather here for the sake of the forest."

Soot smiled, "It's been going on for so long that the bulbasaur line gained the ability to temporarily suppress their evolution."

Joy smiled and nodded, "Right. That pollen is the reason why all of the flowers are blooming right now. It's from the bulbasaur and ivysaur making their way there. Once the festival starts, even more plants all around the forest will begin to grow."

Electra smiled, "Wow. To think we got here so close to the festival."

Pikachu sweat dropped while smiling, "Yup. Life as usual."

Clefairy looked at the Seed Pokémon in Ash's arms excitedly, "Isn't that great, Bulbasaur? You're gonna evolve."

Bulbasaur looked at her and smiled nervously, "Y- yeah … great." He looked out the window again and frowned.

Ash and Soot looked at Bulbasaur before sharing a look.

.

*Later that day; around sunset

Shortly after all of that, the group got the rest of their Pokémon checked up, rented a room, and decided to go to bed early. Bulbasaur remained outside of his pokéball for the night. Though, he couldn't sleep.

After everyone else seemed to fall asleep, Bulbasaur snuck out of the room. He didn't notice someone glancing at him as he did.

The Grass/Poison-type made his way out of the Center and found a large cliff overlooking a lush forest. The pollen could be seen blowing in the breeze. He looked around at the pollen and sighed.

"Bulbasaur."

Bulbasaur perked up in surprise and looked back to find his trainer in mightyena form. He blinked in surprise, "Ash? Hey, what's up?"

Ash walked closer and sat down next to him, "I could ask you the same thing. You left without saying anything."

Bulbasaur frowned and looked back out over the cliff, "Sorry. I just wanted some time alone to think."

Ash frowned, "What about?"

"Nothing much." Bulbasaur said; still looking ahead, "Just … life as an ivysaur, I guess."

"You don't sound happy about that." Ash said; still frowning.

Bulbasaur didn't respond.

"Bulbasaur," Ash asked, "do you want to evolve?"

"Well …" The Seed Pokémon said, "I mean … evolving is something that comes naturally to my kind. Even with this festival, we don't have the leniency of item-based evolutions. Not to mention, it'd help you a lot-"

"That's not what I asked." Ash interrupted as he placed a paw on his bulb.

Bulbasaur perked up and looked at the Bite Pokémon in surprise.

The Dark-type smiled softly, "I asked if it's what you want. Not if you think it's supposed to happen. I want your opinion and yours alone."

Bulbasaur stared in mild awe before chuckling softly, "Right. I almost forgot what kind of trainer I had." He looked up thoughtfully, "I'm honestly not sure. I've thought about evolving in the past, but-" He frowned and sighed, "I don't know if I actually want it." He perked up and looked at Ash, "Wait. Didn't you say you evolved before?"

Ash chuckled sheepishly, "Well, once. Just my eevee form." He smiled, "I may have decided because of mom's whole 'baby eevee' routine, but I had thought a lot about evolving before that. I really wanted to know what it would feel like. It was … exhilarating." His smile saddened as his ears drooped, "But also frightening."

Bulbasaur frowned, "Frightening?"

Ash nodded; still smiling sadly, "It was like this huge surge of energy built up inside and smothered me. I'd never felt anything like it before. It didn't feel dangerous or threatening, but there was just … a lot." He looked up thoughtfully, "Still, sometimes I wonder if that was because of how young I was. That my human mind just wasn't prepared for it back then. If I tried evolving now-" He perked up and shook it off, "Sorry. Sorry. This isn't about me."

The Bite Pokémon looked at the Seed Pokémon with a kind smile, "The point is, the choice is all yours, Bulbasaur. If you want to evolve, I'll be there for you through the whole thing and help you adjust. If you decide against it, I'll get you an Everstone like Squirtle."

Bulbasaur smiled softly, "Thanks." He looked back out into the distance, "But, right now, I think I just need some time to think it over."

Ash nodded with a small smile, "Got it." He lied down, "But I hope you don't mind if I stay out here with you. I know you can take care of yourself, but I still don't want you out here all on your own."

Bulbasaur looked at Ash in mild surprise before smiling softly, "Sure." He looked back out at the field with a calm smile.

Ash smiled as well and followed his gaze. The pair sat in content silence as they took in the view.

Until Bulbasaur perked up and looked at Ash in surprise, "Wait, since when did Squirtle have an Everstone?"

Ash looked at him in confusion, "He didn't tell you? He stole one back when he was in the Squirtle Squad. He's had it in his shell ever since."

Bulbasaur blinked in surprise, "huh…" He looked back out at the forest below … and then looked at his trainer with a raised brow, "Seriously?"

.

**Time Skip**

It had been over an hour since Ash and Bulbasaur moved outside. The sun had set a short while ago. During that hour, Ash timed out five times and had to repeatedly run off into a bush to change to and from mightyena and human. It got a small chuckle out of Bulbasaur a few times.

Ash was currently sitting back against a tree next to the shrub as he waited for the watch to finish cooling down.

He looked up between the leaves at the darkened sky, 'It's getting late. We should probably head inside after the next-'

"Saur? Bul- Bulba!"

Ash flinched and looked back in shock, "What the-" He perked up when he heard the watch beep and looked to find it green again.

Not wasting any time, Ash sprung up the dial, spun it to find mightyena, slammed down, and flashed green to emerge in the Dark-type form. He jumped through the bush and glared at the assailant.

Ash stopped glaring and stared in shock when he found Bulbasaur being held up by Vine Whips from six other bulbasaur. The presumably wild ones were looking back at him in surprise.

Bulbasaur looked at his trainer in a panic, "Ash!"

Ash glared furiously and moved into his fighting stance, "Let him go!" He started growling and his eyes narrowed slightly as Intimidate activated.

Two of the wild bulbasaur tensed up slightly. The other four glared back.

One of the four glanced at the others. Two of them nodded, let go of Bulbasaur, and jumped in front of the others defensively. The remaining ones stayed back and watched.

The bulbasaur on the left charged forward with Tackle. The right one brought out their vines again and shot Vine Whip towards Ash.

Ash glanced between them for a split second before charging the Tackling one. He opened his mouth as an icy mist started coming out and he lunged.

Left's eyes widened before they stopped and jumped to the side to dodge Ice Fang. Right's Vine Whip swerved around in an attempt to hit Ash in the side.

Still approaching the ground, Ash cut off Ice Fang, formed and detonated a pair of Hidden Power on each of his pads, and shot back.

Ash's opponents stared in shock as Vine Whip hit it's user's teammate.

The wild bulbasaur -the one supposedly in charge- stared in shock, "What the Yvel?!"

Bulbasaur grinned, "Alright, Ash!"

The Bite Pokémon landed back on his paws and glared again. At the same time, the bulbasaur struck by Vine Whip recovered and ran back over to their partner.

The pair shared a look and nodded. They glared at Ash again as they unleashed a huge swarm of Razor Leaves. The Dark-type smirked and unleashed a swarm of Hidden Power in response.

Razor Leaf tore through the green spheres and detonated them immediately; dispersing the Leaves and kicking up a cloud of dust. Another set of explosions went off from inside the cloud cover.

The battlers' eyes narrowed as they prepared for the oncoming attack. They perked up and stared at the cloud in confusion when it never came. The dust cleared and all of the bulbasaur's eyes -minus Ash's- widen in shock.

The mightyena was nowhere to be seen. The battlers started looking around worriedly.

Bulbasaur's eyes narrowed, 'Smokescreen … pointless explosion … vanished on the spot…' His eyes widened in realization, 'Wait! He's-' He looked up into the sky and grinned.

The leader noticed Bulbasaur's expression and followed his gaze. His eyes widened in pure shock, "Wha-"

"HEY!"

The battlers flinched and looked up to find Ash falling down towards them. Before they could react, Ash inhaled and screamed an Ice Fang boosted Hyper Voice down on them.

"SAAAAAAAAUR!" Left and Right cried out as the freezing sound waves washed over them. When it stopped, they collapsed to lie on their stomachs and shivered.

Ash landed back on his forepaws and walked up to his collapsed opponents.

He looked at either of them before sitting down, "If you're not planning to give up, my Hidden Power is Grass-type." A green sphere from the attack appeared on either side of him, "So, the knockout won't hurt too much."

The two wild Grass/Poison-types stared in surprise before sharing a look. They frowned and nodded before looking at the Dark-type, "We-"

The pair stopped and stared in shock as a splash of blue powder slammed into the Bite Pokémon's face. They looked back at the attacker; still in shock. Three of the other bulbasaur looked at the attacker in shock as well.

"Ash!" Bulbasaur cried out worriedly.

The blue dust faded to reveal the Bite Pokémon trembling where he stood. He glared at the attacker drowsily as he fought to stay awake, "Ch- cheap … sh- shot." He collapsed to lie on his stomach but continued trembling.

The bulbasaur in charge smirked and turned around, "Let's go."

The three other bulbasaur holding up Bulbasaur shared a glance before walking along with him. The two that were battling Ash trudged along after them. Though, they glanced back at the trainer for a moment.

"Ash!" Bulbasaur cried out, "Ash!"

Ash looked at him and held out a forepaw as the others took him away, "B- Bulba" He passed out, "saur…"

"da…"

"Dad."

"DAD!" Soot shouted, "Wake the Yvel up already!"

Ash gasped and his eyes shot open as he quickly pushed himself back up. He looked to find himself back in human form and his friends all looking down at him. Also, Chansey was staring at him in slack jawed shock. Thankfully Joy wasn't present.

"Wha-" Chansey stuttered, "Bu- how-"

Misty patted the Normal-type on the back, "We'll explain later."

Brock moved closer and held out a hand, "Are you alright, Ash?"

Ash looked at him in confusion before taking his hand and pulling himself back up, "Y- yeah." He put a hand to his head, "What happened?"

Pikachu frowned, "We thought we heard a battle and just found you unconscious."

Clefairy frowned and looked around, "And where's Bulbasaur?"

Ash looked at her in surprise, "Bulba-" He jerked as his eyes widened, "Bulbasaur!" He looked at the others in a panic, "Bulbasaur's been kidnapped!"

Everyone else's eyes widened in shock, "WHAT?!"

.

*Later; in the forest

Everyone ran through the thick forest as Soot led the way. She managed to pick up the bulbasaurs' scent. They came up to a fork in the tree line.

Clefairy looked around worriedly, "Which way now?"

Soot sniffed the ground before tensing up and sneezing. She stuck her tongue out, "Ugh. The pollen's getting denser." She exhaled heavily before shifting her eyes to their Inherent state and negating her sense of smell.

Ash sniffed the air before grimacing and putting a hand over his nose, "We won't be able to follow a scent with this."

Pikachu gritted his teeth, "Crag."

Brock, Misty, Electra, and Togepi frowned worriedly before the Water trainer asked, "So how are we supposed to find-"

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!"

"Growlie, return!"

Everyone flinched and looked up as the Rockets flew into the sky. James's Fire-type was in the midst of disappearing into the red beam.

Togepi looked up at Misty in confusion, "Meema, why were those humans flying?"

Everyone except Soot pointed down the right path; deadpanned, "That way."

Soot looked up at the Spike Ball Pokémon, "We'll explain later."

The group ran deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes, Electra perked up and pointed ahead, "Hey! Look at the pollen!"

Ash glanced around and nodded, "It's all coming from up ahead! And it's even denser than before!"

Brock smiled, "Perfect! If we just follow the streams of pollen, we should be able to find them!"

Misty smiled too, "We might even find the garden!"

Soot perked up as her ears twitched before she looked to the sides. She immediately grimaced, "Oh crag!"

Everyone else flinched and looked as well. They all stared in shock as countless bark-colored vines moved through the trees on either side of them.

"What's going on?!" Misty asked worriedly.

Ash grimaced, "Thin, bark-style Frenzy Plant! It trades the spikes for a lot more range and versatility!"

Soot's eyes narrowed, "Meaning there's a powerful Grass-type nearby!"

Brock looked ahead and grimaced, "Crag! And they're trying to block us out!"

Everyone else looked ahead to see the Grass-type attack weaving into a massive wall ahead of them.

Ash glared and gritted his teeth, "Pikachu! Clefairy! Down!"

The shoulder riders flinched slightly before jumping down from their trainer.

As soon as they did, Ash brought up the watch, spun it, and immediately slammed it back down. The green light burst out and faded to reveal Overheat glaring and still running at the vines. Electra's eyes widened at the sight and Togepi's jaw dropped. Everyone else looked at the creature in surprise.

Once he was far enough away from the others, Overheat flipped once, stuck his foot out, and held his hand back as a high-powered flame jet erupted from his palm. A veil of fire covered the fire creature as he shot forward in what could only be described as a Blaze Kick powered up by Extreme Speed and Flame Charge.

A mass of flames exploded outward from the impact; forcing everyone to cover their eyes in response. Though, technically, Misty covered Togepi's eyes.

After the light died down, they all looked back to find that the Frenzy Plant had been completely annihilated in the blast. What's more, all of the surrounding trees, bushes, and ground were on fire. All of the pollen in the area had also been burned up in the blast. More started flowing in in a matter of seconds.

Overheat stood on the other side of where the wall was.

Luke: *paw to chin* That seemed more like a 'through' than an 'over'.

Ohirume: *shrugs* Yeah. The title's more about the reference.

Illavera: I knew it sounded familiar!

Pikachu stared in awestruck shock, "woah…"

Clefairy was speechless.

Soot deadpanned and sweat dropped, "Flashy as ever, I see." She shook it off and glared, "Dad! The fores-"

She was cut off as Overheat held his hands out to his sides. The surrounding flames shifted and warped awkwardly before stretching over to the flame-headed being's hands. The forest fires all began weakening as a result.

Soot deadpanned again, "Never mind."

After the fires had been completely extinguished, Ash lit up green again and reemerged as himself. He looked back at the others, "Come on!" He ran ahead again.

Pikachu and Clefairy snapped out of it and jumped onto Soot's back as she charged after Ash.

Brock, Misty, Electra, and Togepi all just stared blankly.

Electra blinked in surprise, "So that's Overheat."

"Y'know," Misty said in a daze, "sometimes I forget that Ash can just do stuff like … that."

"Yeah." Brock replied; equally dazed, "You really think we'd be used to it by now."

Togepi stared blankly, "Th- that- that was-" He smiled excitedly, "Awesome!"

The humans and Electric-type jerked and looked at the hatchling in surprise.

.

**Very Short Skip**

Everyone stared in awe as they looked over the cliff. Below them was a gigantic field of grass with a massive leafless tree on the other side of the area. The tree had a large opening in the front and a giant tree stump sitting before it. Over a hundred bulbasaur could be seen sitting in front of the tree.

The pollen was pouring out of the field and scattering in all directions.

"The mysterious garden…" Brock muttered, "woah…"

"Insane." Electra followed, "The tribe grounds have nothing on this."

Soot sweat dropped, "Yeah, but I kind of thought there'd be more flowers … or any flowers."

"Same." Pikachu said with a raised brow.

After a second, Ash flinched and dropped to the ground, "Get down. Humans aren't supposed to be seen here, remember?"

Misty and Brock jerked, put Togepi and Electra on the ground -respectively-, and got on the ground as well, "Right."

Soot lied down too, and the rest of the Pokémon sat next to their trainers.

A large concentration of pollen came from the Seed Pokémon and started moving towards the tree.

"Bulba bulba, bulbasaur. Bulba bulba, bulbasaur." The bulbasaur chanted. It continued as such.

Togepi tilted in confusion as Electra tilted her head for the same reason. Pikachu Clefairy, and Soot blinked in surprise.

Misty noticed and looked at Soot, "What are they saying?"

"Nothing." Soot said with a raised brow, "I guess it's like the jigglypuff song thing."

Misty sweat dropped, "oh…" She looked back towards the garden and her eyes widened, "Woah."

Everyone else stared in awe as the old tree began growing in both size and foliage. Pink flower buds appeared and began blooming in a matter of seconds. The chanting continued as the tree and flowers grew even more.

Electra stared in awe, "Insane…"

Clefairy and Togepi smiled brightly, "Pretty."

Brock smiled, "Wow. That pollen really is something."

Soot smiled, "Right?"

Ash barely paid attention to the tree as he looked around the field intently. He perked up and smiled, "Bulbasaur."

Everyone else looked at him before following his gaze. They found Ash's bulbasaur looking around the garden worriedly.

Misty blinked in surprise, "You're right."

Brock stared in surprise, "Huh. I wasn't sure I'd be able to tell the difference."

Soot glanced at them with a smirk, "Yeah. Nice little side effect from seeing things through a Pokémon's eyes."

The Gym Leaders looked at her in surprise before sharing a look and smiling.

Ash smiled softly before looking at Bulbasaur. He made a finger gun with his right hand and brought out the claws before pointing down towards Bulbasaur.

Everyone except Soot and Togepi looked at him in surprise. Togepi looked at Ash's hand in shock and then started looking back and forth between his and Misty's. Soot glanced at Ash before looking back at the festival curiously.

"What are you doing?" Brock asked.

Ash's eyes narrowed as he aimed, "Just getting his attention."

The claw fired from his pointer finger.

Bulbasaur perked up when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye and looked at the spot next to him. His eyes widened at the sight of the green claw tearing into the ground and he glanced back. The Seed Pokémon smiled happily upon seeing everyone looking back at him and lying on the cliff.

Ash smiled and gave a thumbs up. He put a finger to his lips, held a hand up and pushed downward, motioned for him to come, and held up a hand before clenching it into a fist.

Bulbasaur smiled determinedly, 'Lay low and try to sneak back unnoticed.' He nodded and looked back ahead.

Ash smiled and retracted his claws.

Misty looked at Ash in confusion, looked down at Bulbasaur, and then glanced back at Ash, 'The Yvel was that about?'

The chanting and tree growth continued. Soon, a loud stomping could be heard coming from the tree. The group's eyes widened as a venusaur exited the now flourishing tree. The chanting died down as the bulbasaur all either smiled or stared in awe at the fully evolved Pokémon.

Bulbasaur blinked in surprise, 'Has he been in there this whole time?'

Venusaur walked up onto the tree stump before calling out, "SAUUUUUUUUUUR!"

"SAUUUUUUUUUUR!" The other bulbasaur called out in response.

"SAUUUUUUUUUUR!" Venusaur called out again.

"SAUUUUUUUUUUR!" The bulbasaur followed suit.

This continued as such. Bulbasaur glanced around and started backing up slowly.

One by one, the bulbasaur began lighting up white as their evolution began. The glows faded momentarily as the ivysaur emerged.

Venusaur looked around at the evolving Pokémon and couldn't help but crack a small smile. He stopped and perked up in surprise.

Bulbasaur was currently looking around the not-terribly-steep cliff, 'Okay, if I just Vine Whip up to that branch, it should get me in range to-'

"Hey!"

Bulbasaur jerked upon recognizing the -albeit deeper- voice and looked back.

One of the ivysaur -the one who led the group that kidnapped him- glared angrily. The rest of the ivysaur were looking at him in confusion, annoyance, or concern. Venusaur looked at him with an unreadable expression.

Ivysaur continued glaring, "What do you think you're doing?!"

"I'm going back to my trainer." Bulbasaur responded matter-of-factly.

Ivysaur gritted his teeth, "This festival is about our kind evolving! If you're here, you have to evolve!"

Bulbasaur glared back, "I was dragged here aga-"

Ivysaur stepped forward, "I don't want to hear your excuses! Evolve now or else-"

"Young one." Venusaur interrupted while glancing at Ivysaur; causing the Grass/Poison-type to tense up. The fully evolved Pokémon looked at Bulbasaur, "Refusing to partake is not something we can accept easily. This festival has gone uninterrupted for lifetimes upon lifetimes."

Bulbasaur looked at him in mild surprise before frowning, "Look, I understand. This is a really meaningful event for our kind." He shook his head, "But I'm sorry. I just don't want to evolve."

"Stubborn little…" Ivysaur grumbled before bringing out his vines, "I'll teach you!" The Vine Whip shot forward.

Venusaur and the other ivysaur stared in surprise as he did. Bulbasaur tensed up before glaring and moving into his fighting stance.

Their eyes all widened in shock when a Flamethrower shot down to intercept the Grass-type attack.

"Saur!" Ivysaur cried out as he retracted his Vine Whip.

The flames died down and dispersed to reveal a ponyta, with a green symbol at the base of their neck, standing between Bulbasaur and the others. A pikachu and clefairy jumped down from his back and stood on either side of him. All three glared at the group of Seed Pokémon. Bulbasaur smiled.

"What the Yvel?!" One of the ivysaur blurted out.

"Where did they come from?!" Another said in shock.

Venusaur stared in surprise, 'A ponyta? Is that what happened to the barricade?' He shook it off and his eyes narrowed, "What is your business with this young one?"

Ash looked at him, "We're his teammates."

Ivysaur blinked in confusion, "Teammates?" His eyes widened in shock, "Wait! What?!" He glared, "You led a trainer here?!"

Ash glared at him, "There aren't any humans in the area. Our trainer sent us hear -alone- to get Bulbasaur back."

One of the bystander ivysaur looked at a female next to him with a raised brow, "Hey, is it me or does that ponyta sound just like that mightyena we battled?"

She looked back at him; deadpanned, "Don't be stupid, sibling."

Ivysaur glared again, "If that's true, then you should be on our side! We're trying to make this hatchling evolve! Your trainer obviously wants the same!"

Pikachu glared back, "No, he doesn't!"

Clefairy nodded while also glaring, "All he wants is for Bulbasaur to be happy!"

Ash glared as well, "Whether or not Bulbasaur evolves is for him to decide! If he doesn't want to, then we're sure as Yvel not gonna let anyone force him!"

Bulbasaur looked at the trio and smiled softly.

Venusaur's eyes narrowed slightly, "hm…"

Ivysaur glared back, "You expect us to believe that?! All trainers care about is-"

"Wait." Venusaur said.

The surrounding ivysaur looked at him in surprise.

The fully evolved Seed Pokémon looked at Ash, "You're telling the truth, aren't you? You believe your trainer only has this young one's feelings in mind."

The Fire-type's glare intensified, "I don't believe it. I know it for a fact."

Venusaur stepped down from the tree stump and started walking forward, "Then allow me to test that resolve."

The wild Grass/Poison-types' eyes widened in shock.

"E- elder…" Ivysaur muttered.

"A battle, huh?" Ash asked before smirking, "Fine. If that's what it'll take to prove my point."

Pikachu smirked, dropped to all fours, and got into his fighting stance, "Yeah! Let's do this!"

Clefairy got into her fighting stance as well, "We'll win for sure!"

Ivysaur glared again.

"Hold on, guys." Ash jumped in; catching Pikachu, Clefairy, and Bulbasaur's attention. He started walking forward, "The battle's going to be a one on one."

Pikachu blinked in surprise and moved back to his hind paws, "Are you sure? He looks pretty tough."

Clefairy frowned, "Are you sure you can win?"

Ash moved into a fighting stance, "Not sure." He smirked, "I guess we'll have to find out."

Venusaur gave a small smirk, "I suppose we will." He moved into his fighting stance as well, "I ask, however, that we keep the damage to our surroundings at a minimum. This garden still means a lot to our kind. We do not wish to see it damaged too severely."

Ash nodded, "Understood." 'Aim carefully with Flamethrower and keep the range low.'

Everyone else in the area moved back to make room for the battle. Though Bulbasaur shot a wary glance at Ivysaur.

The opponents stared each other down intently as they thought over their first moves.

After a second, Ash kicked off and charged forward. A large cloak of fire surrounded him as his speed increased.

Venusaur's eyes narrowed before they dug their claws into the ground. The leaves around his flower moved upward slightly. Ash's eyes widened at the sight.

The Fire Horse Pokémon broke out of his Fire-type attack and shot high into the air immediately. Right as he did, Venusaur's leaves spread out as a massive tremor shot out from him. Earthquake missed as the ponyta sprang up from Bounce.

Venusaur looked up at Ash curiously, 'He recognized my Earthquake immediately?' He smirked, 'Impressive. Not a lot of Pokémon recognize-'

'Non-impact, pulse-style.' Ash thought while staring down at his opponent in surprise, 'Freaking Yvel, that's a rare one.' He sweat dropped, 'Thank Arceus he at least has a tell.'

Ash held out his forelegs and plummeted back towards the ground; on a direct collision course with Venusaur. Venusaur stared intently as the Fire-type approached.

'Now!' Eight vines appeared from Venusaur and shot towards the Fire-type.

Ash's eyes widened in shock, 'Eight of them?!'

He could do nothing as Vine Whip intercepted and wrapped around him. Venusaur threw Ash back.

Ash inhaled deeply before shooting out a small yet high-powered Flamethrower. The flames propelled him to backflip once and right himself. He landed on his hoofs and skidded back to a halt.

The ivysaur all stared in shock and Pikachu, Clefairy, and Bulbasaur smiled happily.

Venusaur stared in surprise before he smirked again, "Impressive." He moved up to his hind legs and cried out, "Try this!" He stomped on the ground forcefully. A massive cluster of familiar looking, brown vines burst out of the ground all over the field and shot towards Ash.

Ash gritted his teeth, "Crag!" He charged forward and started up another Flame Charge.

.

*Cliff edge

Soot frowned as the battle continued, "Dad has his work cut out for him, this time."

Togepi frowned, "But why? Couldn't he use that super strong Overheat thing like before?"

Soot looked at the Fairy-type in confusion, "What? Dad's ponyta form doesn't know-" She stopped and deadpanned, "Oh wait, you mean the freak." She looked back down at the garden and frowned, "Overheat or any of the other non-Pokémon aren't an option for this. Dad swore a long time ago that he'd never use any of them to fight a Pokémon unless someone's life was at stake."

Brock looked at her in confusion, "What? But what about earlier when-"

"That was different." Soot responded; deadpanned, "He was blowing up a long range move acting as a barricade, not attacking a Pokémon directly." She looked back at the battle, "At least, that's enough of a difference in dad's eyes."

Misty perked up and looked at Soot, "Wait, what if he used mightyena? Didn't you say that that's Ash's best form?"

Ash shot into the air with Bounce again. Venusaur's Frenzy Plant followed at an alarming rate, reached over Ash, and swatted him to the ground; leaving behind a crater. Everyone flinched.

Soot frowned worriedly, "Honestly," She looked at the Gym Leaders, "I don't think it'll make a diff-" She stopped and perked up when a bright light burst out from the field below.

Everyone -both above and below- looked towards the crater and their eyes widened.

"Did-" Misty stuttered, "Did Ash just-"

Soot stared in pure shock, "Uh … y-yeah. I stand corrected."

.

*Battle

Venusaur and the ivysaur all stared in shock as Ash slowly walked out of the crater. Pikachu and Bulbasaur stared at their trainer in awestruck shock.

"W- woah…" Pikachu muttered.

Clefairy stared in bright eyed awe, "So awesome."

Ash took a deep breath ending in a relieved sigh with a puff of flame. He looked over his body, smiled, and muttered to himself, "What do you know? It wasn't so bad that time." The rapidash looked at Venusaur with a smirk, "Now then."

Ash shot forward with another Flame Charge. Venusaur gritted his teeth and stomped on the ground again. The Frenzy Plant vines burst out and shot towards Ash again.

Ash smirked, canceled Flame Charge, and jumped towards one of the vines. Venusaur's eyes widened as Ash jumped off the vine and shot toward another. He continued shooting around from vine to vine; getting a little closer with each jump.

Venusaur watched in shock; struggling to keep his eyes on the Fire-type, "What is this?!"

The ivysaur all stared in shock as well.

Pikachu smiled excitedly, "I get it! He's using Bounce on the vines to jump around!"

Bulbasaur smiled as well, "And with all those Flame Charges boosting his speed, Venusaur can't keep up!"

"You can do it!" Clefairy cheered.

Ash landed on one more vine, jumped again to shoot straight at the fully evolved Seed Pokémon, and ignited another Flame Charge. Venusaur had no time to respond.

"SAUR!" Venusaur cried out as Flame Charge struck.

"Elder!" A handful of the ivysaur cried out in alarm.

Wasting no time, Ash landed and pointed his horn at Venusaur. His mane flared out and moved to form a large fireball on the tip of the horn. The Fire-type attack detonated and engulfed the battlers in a massive cloud of smoke.

Everyone stared in stunned silence.

Except Soot, who deadpanned, "Okay now that form knows Overheat." She perked up and blinked in surprise, 'Wait, how did he manage to learn that upon evolving?!'

Ash shot back out of the smoke cloud and landed with a skid. He moved back into his fighting stance and glared at the cloud. The smoke cleared to reveal Venusaur panting lightly while looking at Ash in shock.

After catching his breath, Venusaur smiled at Ash, "I admit, your trainer has taught you well. I haven't been in a battle like this in a long time."

Ash blinked in surprise before smiling back, "Thanks. You're not so bad, yourself." He smirked determinedly, "But flattery won't make me hold back more than I already promised."

Venusaur smiled determinedly, "I'd be disappointed if it did."

Venusaur's eyes widened as a swarm of pink flower petals flew from his leaves and formed a tornado around him.

Ash smirked, 'Petal Blizzard, huh?' He pointed his horn upward as another Overheat formed. Albeit, slightly smaller than the previous.

The battlers prepared to fire when … a round of laughter rang out.

The ivysaur all flinched and started looking around in shock. Venusaur's Petal Blizzard faded out of existence as he looked as well. Ash and his Pokémon tensed up upon recognizing the voices. They groaned and glared upward in annoyance.

Venusaur looked at them in surprise before following their gazes. He grimaced when he saw a large balloon flying in front of the moon. Two humans were standing in the basket and looking down at them with wicked smirks.

Ivysaur looked up at them and his eyes widened, 'What?! How did they find us?!'

Ash's eyes twitched; still deadpanned, "Of course…" His Overheat dispersed.

"Prepare for trouble!" The red haired one said while holding up a hand.

"And make it double!" The blue haired one said with an outstretched arm.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to-"

"NOW!"

Jessie and James blinked in surprise, "Huh?" They looked down and grimaced at the sight of a black and purple sphere, red laser, and white beam of energy shooting towards them.

James grabbed the cord to the burner and yanked it. Shadow Ball and the Water-typed Hidden Power shot past as the balloon floated upwards. The Rock-type one lost power and faded away a few feet before it would've hit.

Growlie popped up and looked around frantically, "What happened?!"

Meowth jumped onto the edge of the basket and looked down at the cliff. He perked up in mild surprise when he saw Soot and a viridian eyed pikachu glaring at them; the latter with a paw pointing at them. Electra frowned worriedly at seeing the attacks miss. Togepi was looking at Misty in bright eyed awe.

Brock sweat dropped; paw still outstretched, 'I may need to work on my range.'

Soot gritted her teeth, "Crag." She laid down, "Togepi, Electra climb on!"

Electra jumped onto her back immediately. Togepi blinked in surprise before looking at Misty.

The Cerulean girl smiled softly and petted him, "Don't worry. I'll be right behind you."

Togepi smiled and nodded before climbing onto the Bite Pokémon. Soot stood back up, jumped onto the slope, and started sliding down. Brock and Misty ran after her.

Bulbasaur blinked in surprise while watching the others approach. He looked at Pikachu and whispered, "How did they change if Ash is down here?"

Pikachu looked at him, "Ash gave them each a Lens before we came down."

Bulbasaur nodded, "Ah."

The group landed and Electra and Togepi jumped down from Soot. Togepi ran back over to Misty immediately.

Soot ran up to Ash, "D-" She tensed up and smiled nervously, "m-meema." She shook it off and looked at him, "Are you okay?!"

Ash smiled softly and nudged his head against hers; minding the horn and fire, "Don't worry, sweetie. I'm fine."

Soot glanced at him harshly and mumbled, "Don't call me sweetie."

Ash snickered.

Venusaur looked at the pair in surprise before focusing on Ash, "This mightyena is your hatchling?"

Ash smiled back at him, "Yeah. Her name is Soot."

Soot grinned at him, "Hey. We were watching the battle from the cliff. You're pretty tough, by the looks of it. "

Venusaur blinked in surprise before smiling again.

"What the Yvel is going on here?!" Ivysaur shouted; catching everyone's attention. He brought out a vine and pointed it at the newcomers, "Where did you all come from?!" He glared up at the balloon, "And more importantly, why are there humans here?!"

Ash looked at him, "I'll explain later." He glared up at the balloon, "But, right now, we need to stop those guys. They're criminals who kidnap Pokémon."

Ivysaur glared at Ash, "And you led them here?!"

Ash glared at him; flames growing as he did, "We weren't followed!" He settled down and looked at Venusaur determinedly, "But seriously, we need to stop them before-"

"Too late!" Meowth shouted; catching their attention.

The bottom of the balloon basket opened and a massive funnel with a deflated bag attached came out.

Jessie smirked wickedly and looked at her teammates, "Hit it!"

James smirked as well, pulled out a remote, and flipped a switch, "Suction on!"

The vacuum whirred to life and began pulling the ivysaur upward. All of them cried out frightenedly as they were lifted.

Venusaur grimaced and stomped the ground. Countless brown vines burst from the ground and wrapped around most of the ivysaur. Some had to grab the Frenzy Plant with their own vines.

Soot shifted her eyes and phased her claws into the ground. Misty noticed and led Togepi over to Soot for cover. Clefairy followed suit.

"AH!" Electra cried out as the machine began lifting her into the air.

Brock stared fearfully, "Electra!" He jerked as he lost his footing as well, "Woah!"

Pikachu glared before reaching out to grab Brock's paw, lighting up his tail, and jamming it into the ground, "Gotcha!"

Ash reached out and bit down on Electra's bag. She looked back at him in surprise before smiling.

Ash smirked and reached around to place her on the ground close to him. Electra clung to his leg immediately. Bulbasaur already had a vine wrapped around Ash's leg.

"I don't like this!" Togepi cried out while clinging to Misty.

Misty glared at the balloon and held out a paw, "Take this!" She charged another Hidden Power and fired.

Meowth noticed the attack approaching and smirked. The 'Water-type' attack struck the side of the vacuum. It held strong with nothing more than a scuff mark.

Misty's eyes widened in shock, "What?!"

Meowth laughed, "Nice try, twoips! Ya gonna need somet'in twice as strong ta beat dis t'ing!"

Soot glared at the Rockets, "Freaking Yvel, really?!"

"Ash!" Clefairy cried out, "Do something!"

Ash glared up at the balloon, "I can't! Overheat would just get sucked in and burn all of the ivysaur! And Bounce would just put more of us in danger!"

Pikachu gritted his teeth, "Crag!"

Venusaur grimaced as he struggled to hold his attack. Some of the vines were starting the lose their grip.

Bulbasaur noticed and his eyes widened. He glared up at the balloon before looking down in frustration, 'Come on. Come on! Think!' He closed his eyes, 'There's gotta be something!' He didn't notice the sun rising in the distance.

Ash glanced down below his neck, looked across at Venusaur, and then looked up at the vacuum. He gritted his teeth, 'I don't have another option, do I?' He took a deep breath before reaching down to the watch's symbol.

"Woah!" Bulbasaur blurted out.

Everyone flinched and looked at him. Small, glowing particles could be seen coming down from nowhere and entering the bulb on his back. Bulbasaur stared at the plant in shock.

Soot's eyes widened, "You did not learn that just now!"

Bulbasaur looked at her; wide eyed, "I'm just as shocked as you!"

Electra raised a brow, "Sorry, but what is that?"

Ash just stared in awe. He perked up and looked over the vacuum intently, 'Twice as-' He looked at Bulbasaur with a determined smirk, "Bulbasaur!"

Bulbasaur glanced at him before looking at the machine. He smirked, "Got it!" He continued charging and his bulb started glowing yellow.

James blinked in confusion, "Hey, what's the twerp's bulbasaur doing?"

Jessie raised a brow, "Charging an attack?" She smirked, "Didn't it hear Meowth before? A wimpy little Hidden Power won't do anything."

Growlie looked over the edge and his eyes widened as he recognized the attack, "Oh no."

Meowth looked at him in confusion, "What's up?"

The Fire-type looked at the Normal-type worriedly, "You said they'd need a move that's twice as strong as Hidden Power to destroy the vacuum, right?"

Meowth raised a brow, "Uh, yeah? But dat's just anotha Hidden Powa … right?"

Growlie sweat dropped and looked down at Bulbasaur again, "Yeah, 'fraid not."

Bulbasaur grinned, "Ready!" He aimed the tip of his bulb at the balloon.

Ash grinned and shouted, "Now, Solar Beam!"

"HA!" Bulbasaur called out as a massive green energy beam erupted from his bulb.

The tRio stared in shock as the Grass-type attack approached.

Jessie gulped, "Oh…"

"Uh, James?" Growlie asked.

"Yup." James said as he held out a pokéball and returned the Puppy Pokémon.

Meowth glanced at where Growlie was and sweat dropped, 'Almost wishing I could have that option.' He looked back at the Solar Beam, 'Almost.'

The beam struck and tore through the machine like paper. It and the balloon exploded violently.

"We're blasting off again!" The tRio shouted as they flew into the distance.

The vacuum bag was thrown away from the blast and plummeted to the ground.

Ash's eyes widened before he glared, "Everyone! Propulsion techniques! Slow it down!"

Misty, Soot, Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Brock caught on and glared as well, "Right!"

Clefairy ran over to grab Togepi's arm and led him away, "Come on! We need to give them space!"

Togepi blinked in surprise as he followed. Electra ran after them.

Ash held up his head as a fireball formed at the tip of his horn. Misty held her paws together as the white ball of energy formed. Brock held his paws out as they lit up red. Soot opened her mouth as a Shadow Ball with an orange core formed. Pikachu's paws lit up with a rainbow energy and his cheeks started crackling. Bulbasaur formed a Hidden Power on his head.

Everyone stared intently as they held their attacks and waited. Venusaur stared in surprise and deactivated Frenzy Plant. The ivysaur in his hold were lowered to the ground in the process. Some of them looked at the group curiously as well.

"NOW!" Ash shouted.

Everyone fired towards where the bag was landing.

Soot's attack shot ahead fastest and out sped the others. The Dark-type smirked as she jumped up to her hind paws, formed a regular Shadow Ball in each forepaw, and threw them ahead with a boost from Sucker Punch. She fell back to all fours right after.

The Ghost-type attacks swerved around the enhanced one and hit each other just in front of it. The faux Will-O-Wisp shot backwards from the blast.

Venusaur's eyes widened in shock, 'What the Yvel?!'

The rest of the attacks connected with the Shadow Ball just below the bag and everything detonated. The resulting blast shot all throughout the garden; forcing everyone in the clearing to turn away. Brock, Misty, Electra, and a handful of ivysaur were knocked back from the wind blast. Clefairy stood her ground with a Dazzling Gleam around her and Togepi; shielding him in the process.

The blast caused the bag to stop in midair for about a second; just a foot above the ground. The whole thing plopped down about a second later.

Ash, Soot, Pikachu, and Bulbasaur sighed in relief and relaxed. The other three Electric-types groaned and got back to their hind paws. Clefairy cut off Dazzling Gleam and sighed in relief as well.

Togepi ran over to Misty and looked at her worriedly, "Meema!"

Misty smiled softly and petted him, "Meema's just fine, sweetie. Don't worry."

Togepi smiled and hugged her. Clefairy smiled before moving back over to Ash.

Pikachu shot towards the bag with Quick Attack, jumped, and sliced the topmost part of the bag with Iron Tail. The whole thing deflated slightly and most of the ivysaur began climbing out. The last few were unconscious and had to be carried out by the others.

Venusaur walked over hurriedly and looked at the knocked-out ones worriedly, "Are they okay?"

Brock shot over with Agility and looked over each of the fainted. After checking the last one, the breeder smiled and looked at Venusaur, "It's alright. Seems like they just fainted from the excitement. They should wake up soon enough."

Venusaur looked at him in surprise, "You can tell that easily?"

Brock stared in confusion before tensing up, 'Oh crag! Right!' He smiled nervously, "W- well, my trainer's a breeder. I learned a lot by watching him."

Venusaur looked at Ash in surprise, "A breeder trained you to battle like that?"

Ash chuckled, "Different trainer. His and mine travel together."

Venusaur nodded, "Ah. That actually explains why there's nine of you." He smiled at Brock, "Thank you for checking."

Brock smiled, "You're wel-" He stopped and flinched when he heard a familiar beeping.

He and Misty looked down at the disks on their chests before sharing a look.

Ash looked at Venusaur, "Excuse us." Brock and Misty jumped onto his back before he ran up to the cliff and Bounced over it.

"Guys!" Misty shouted, "Keep an eye on Tog" A green flash erupted above the cliff, "epi until I get back!"

"Got it!" Clefairy called back.

Togepi frowned.

Pikachu noticed and patted him on the back while smiling softly, "Hey, don't worry. Misty'll be back soon."

Venusaur looked at Soot in confusion, "What was that?"

"Too long a story to get in to." Soot said in a bored tone before yawning.

.

**Short Skip**

After the festival's official end, the newly evolved Grass/Poison-types began leaving the garden. Some running up to older ivysaur and/or venusaur who showed up moments ago. Some walking off into the forest. A few making their way up the cliff en route to the Pokémon Center. And the last few staying behind to see the others off. Ash and co. did the same as they stood next to the last group.

'So not all of them were wild.' Brock thought, 'Go figure.'

Venusaur smiled softly as he looked up at the cliff. He looked at the group, "I cannot thank you all enough for what you've done. Had you not been here, nearly all of us might've been taken."

Misty smiled at him, "We were happy to help."

Pikachu sweat dropped while smiling nervously, "Still, sorry about barging in before."

Clefairy mimicked Pikachu, "We were just trying to get Bulbasaur back."

Venusaur frowned, "That is actually something I've been wondering." He looked at Bulbasaur, "If you never intended to evolve, why did you attend the festival?"

Everyone in the group perked up in surprise. Ivysaur tensed up and started sweating.

Bulbasaur blinked in surprise, "W- wait what? You mean coming to this was optional?"

Venusaur raised a brow in confusion, "Well, yes. Why would it not be? It's not possible for all of our kind on the planet to attend and we can't evolve prematurely."

The rapidash glared at Ivysaur, "Well apparently, he didn't get the memo. He led a group to kidnap Bulbasaur and blindsided my other hatchling with Sleep Powder during a battle." His glare intensified, "That he wasn't a part of."

Ivysaur flinched and grimaced. Five other ivysaur tensed up fearfully.

Venusaur stared in shock before glaring at Ivysaur, "You did what?!"

Ivysaur flinched and looked at Venusaur worriedly, "Y- you said to bring all of our kind here."

Venusaur's glare intensified, "My instructions were to inform our kind of the festival and lead them here if they agreed! Not to kidnap them! And to perform such an underhanded act during a battle?!" He sighed and looked at the lesser evo in disappointment, "It appears I've taken your training and discipline far too lightly, hatchling."

Ivysaur stared in shock before looking down shamefully.

Venusaur looked at Ash, "And the others? You said a group was accompanying him, correct?"

Bulbasaur looked around at the group of other ivysaur. The five in question looked at him worriedly. The unevolved Seed Pokémon frowned sympathetically.

Ash glanced at Bulbasaur before looking at Venusaur with a kind smile, "I think we can let that part slide. My hatchling said that they only seemed to be following orders. That and that they hesitated to keep listening to him after the whole Sleep Powder thing."

Bulbasaur smiled and nodded, "I can vouch for that."

The quintet looked at them in surprise before smiling happily or sighing in relief.

Venusaur noticed before looking back and shouting, "You heard them! The rest of you are off with a warning!" He glared, "But you will not receive the same leniency a second time! Do not let this happen again!"

The ivysaur flinched and cried out, "Yes Elder!"

Ash sweat dropped while smiling sheepishly, 'Some warning…'

"Wait a second." Misty said; catching Venusaur's attention, "If you weren't actually going to force Bulbasaur to evolve," She pointed at the Fire-type, "then why did you challenge Ash to a battle?"

"Partially, it was to test his resolve and understand his trainer better. A battle can tell a lot about a being." Venusaur said before looking at Bulbasaur, "But I also intended it to be a display of power. I hoped it might convince you to reconsider evolving."

Soot deadpanned, "So you wanted to show off."

Venusaur sweat dropped, "That is also accurate." He looked at Ash, "But I admit, your battling skills, prowess, and even leadership were far beyond expectation. I am still struggling to comprehend some of your tactics." He looked at Pikachu, Clefairy, and Bulbasaur, "Whereas your teammates figured them out almost instantly."

The Electric-type and Fairy-type perked up in surprise and shared a look. Bulbasaur smiled.

Venusaur smiled at Ash, "If your trainer is this adept and still cares for you enough to let you deny evolution, then any doubts I had about them were beyond unjustified."

All of the ivysaur looked at the fully evolved Seed Pokémon in surprise. The group snickered.

Ash smiled sheepishly and sweat dropped, "Um, thanks… We'll be sure to let him know."

Venusaur perked up in mild surprise, 'Let him know?' He shook it off and smiled, "Very well." He looked at Bulbasaur, "And the offer to evolve still remains. I can tell you're ready." He smiled kindly, "But rest assured, no one here will try to force you to do so."

Bulbasaur smiled sadly, "Thank you, but my mind's made up. I don't want to evolve." His smile brightened a bit, "At least, maybe not yet." He looked at Ash, "I might decide to one day. But for now, I like myself the way I am."

Ash smiled and nodded, "Sounds good." 'Everstone, it is.'

Ivysaur grumbled. Venusaur shot him another harsh glare; making him flinch.

Venusaur looked at Bulbasaur with a kind smile and nodded, "Very well." He brought out a vine and stretched it out to him, "I wish you luck in the future."

Bulbasaur smiled, brought out his own vine, and shook it with Venusaur's, "Thank you."

.

*Pokémon Center; the following morning

Pikachu blinked in surprise, "So you've actually had that thing since we met?"

Squirtle sighed and looked at the Electric-type, "Yes. I have had it for that long." He looked at Bulbasaur, "How much longer do we have to do this? It's boring."

Bulbasaur glanced at him; deadpanned, "Can you please just be patient? Ash'll be back soon enough."

Squirtle sighed in annoyance, "fine…"

Bulbasaur was lying on the ground with Squirtle's Everstone sitting on the back of his neck. Squirtle leaned back against him as he kept a hand on the rock.

Bulbasaur's 'evolution warning' -as they decided to call the 'weird feeling'- had been happening much more frequently since he woke up. So, Ash changed to Quick Attack and ran off to find a place to buy one. That was about a half hour ago. Squirtle sharing his stone was the temporary fix until their trainer got back.

Brock and Misty kept an eye out for Ash, with Electra on his shoulder and Togepi in her arms; respectively. Pikachu and Clefairy kept the Water and Grass starters company and made sure Squirtle wouldn't take his Everstone back too soon.

And Soot was busy explaining Ash to Chansey. She also decided to hold off on the whole 'male chansey form' thing until Ash got back to prove it.

A few minutes later-

"AH!" Ash cried out.

Everyone flinched and looked over right as the trainer tumbled along the ground and stopped in front of them. He pushed himself to lie on his back and groaned.

Soot blinked in surprise before smirking, "Let me guess, Quick Attack heard the beeping and didn't wanna slow down."

"yup…" Ash muttered.

Misty walked over and held out a hand, "I gotcha."

Ash took her hand and hoisted himself back to his feet, "Thanks."

Bulbasaur stood up and looked at Ash, "Did you get it?"

Ash looked at him, smiled, and pulled the rounded stone out of his pocket, "Yeah. I had to run all the way back to Stone Town to get one. Mikey and his brothers are doing well, by the way."

Brock smiled, "That's good."

Ash walked over to his Grass/Poison-type, knelt down, and handed the rock to him, "Here."

Bulbasaur smiled and reached out a vine to wrap around the evolution suppressing item.

"Alright." Squirtle said happily before taking his Everstone and placing it back into his shell. He smirked and slung an arm across Bulbasaur's bulb, "Well bud, allow me to officially welcome you to team 'no evo'."

Bulbasaur chuckled, "Very funny." He placed his own stone where the other one was and wrapped the rest of the vine around the base of his bulb. He managed to glance at it and smiled softly before looking up at his trainer, "Ash, thank you for this. Really."

Pikachu smiled and translated.

Ash smiled and gave a thumbs up, "What are friends for?"

Bulbasaur smiled back.

.

.

Ohirume: The new comment response will be posted on "Random-ish stuff on the side" on 12/17/2020 at approximately 11:00 p.m. Central Standard Time.

Omega: Also, in case you didn't check the updated description for the story, from now on all Pokémon Trix chapters are also going to be posted on DeviantArt under the username Ohirume1.

Ohirume: "Ohirume" was taken.

Seishin: So next time the website starts being stupid -and there will be a next time- and you get an alert about a new chapter, head over to DeviantArt until the issue is resolved.