Chapter 8 – Bulbasaur And The Hidden Village
A few more days passed as Ash and his friends were wandering through the forest and they were wading through overgrown, wild grass that reached all the way to their waists.
"Don't worry. I'm positive this way will take us back to the path," Ash reassured the gang while glancing over his shoulder.
"Positive, huh?" Brock scoffed incredulously.
"That's what you said an hour ago," Misty whined. "I'm tired."
"And my nose is getting really itchy," Rhonda whined while rubbing her nose rapidly and deeply with loud sniffles.
The heroes then stopped in the middle of a large sea of grass as Misty shot a withering look at Ash.
"Phew! I told you to stick to the main road, but you had to take a shortcut."
"I took a shortcut?" Ash scoffed with a snarl. "It was you who said to go this way."
"Ha! If I was leading, we wouldn't have gotten lost like this," Misty snapped abrasively.
"Who says we're lost?!" Ash protested while shooting a fiery glare at Misty.
"Listen, genius, if you don't know where you are or where you're going, that means you're lost!" Misty shot back argumentatively.
"Chill, chill!" Brock interjected, trying to keep the peace between the two warring trainers.
"All right, but remind me to yell at you some more if we ever get to Vermilion City," Misty sighed reluctantly while crossing her arms, deciding to let the argument go for the time being.
"Let's say that we don't and shut the hell up for the rest of the journey," Rhonda interjected with an exasperated groan.
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"Time for a break," Ash declared as he and the others sat down in an open clearing as the sounds of birds squawking and shrieking filled the air.
Ash then suddenly noticed something from the peripheral of his vision as he got up and turned his head to see a small purple plant-like Pokemon drinking peacefully from a stream.
"Oh, wow, a Pokemon!" he exclaimed as he then took out his Pokedex.
"Oddish. This Pokemon is typically found roaming the forest, scattering pollen as it walks around."
"Oh, great. A new Pokemon to aggravate my allergies even more," Rhonda growled while shooting a wary glare at the new Pokemon.
"I'll catch it," Ash declared as he then reached into his pocket for a Poke Ball when Misty suddenly interrupted him.
"Hold it!" she yelled as she rushed over to the Oddish.
"What for?" Ash demanded angrily.
"Because I'm going to catch that Pokemon," Misty informed him determinedly.
"Aw, no way, Misty. I saw it first!" Ash protested while clenching up his fists irately.
"But we found it around the water and water is my specialty," Misty argued.
"Are you sure about that, Misty?" Katie frowned as she studied the Oddish more closely. "It looks more like a grass Pokemon to me. It might also be a poison type, judging by the color of its skin."
The Oddish then dashed away from the stream as it ran deeper into the forest clearing.
"Go, Starmie!" Misty yelled as she then tossed the Poke Ball into the air and summoned Starmie.
Starmie then landed right in front of Oddish, blocking its path. Oddish then suddenly stopped and panicked as it dashed away from Starmie frantically.
"Water gun, now!" Misty ordered.
Starmie then shot out a huge blast of water as it sent the Oddish spiraling high into the air.
"Now that's the way to spray. Tackle it, Starmie!" Misty beamed excitedly.
Starmie then spun into the air as it then slammed right into Oddish, knocking it to the ground.
"That weakened it. Got to catch it now," Misty smirked in satisfaction as she then tossed the Poke Ball right at Oddish. "Poke Ball, go!"
But then Misty was shocked as something knocked the Poke Ball away and sent it flying into the air.
"Uh oh," Misty stammered.
"Wow," Ash murmured in amazement.
The Poke Ball then landed on the ground with a soft thud as a strange green plant-like Pokemon with short, pointy ears and a wide mouth and standing on all four legs approached them cautiously.
"Whoa?! What's that?" Ash exclaimed in astonishment.
"I think that's Bulbasaur," Katie whispered in awe.
"Just like the one I had!" Luthor exclaimed excitedly.
Bulbasaur then growled at him menacingly as Ash's eyes shined with even more excitement and delight.
"Wow! I can't believe it! A Bulbasaur!"
Bulbasaur then charged right at Starmie as it knocked it away, sending it flying right into Misty's arms.
"Oh! Oh, Starmie, are you okay?" Misty whimpered fearfully as Starmie collapsed into her arms and she held it.
"Now it's my turn to try," Ash declared resolutely. "Bulbasaur is mine!"
He then held up his Poke Ball and flung it into the air.
"Butterfree, I choose you!"
Butterfree then emerged from the Poke Ball as it was gliding blissfully in the air.
"Butterfree, Sleep Powder!" Ash yelled.
Butterfree them released a soft cloud of white glittery mist from its wings and aimed it right at Bulbasaur. However, Bulbasaur managed to avoid it and then blew out a huge gust of wind from its mouth, sending it flying right towards Butterfree instead. Butterfree's eyes then suddenly drooped as it then staggered and dropped to the ground.
"Ah, come on. Hang in there, Butterfree!" Ash groaned in frustration as he saw that Butterfree was struggling to stay awake.
Butterfree then fluttered its eyes open and tried to regain its bearings, but just as it was getting up to its feet, Bulbasaur charged right at it and knocked it straight into the air.
"Oh, no," Ash groaned.
The Oddish then ran away as it dashed right into the tall grass and disappeared right along with the Bulbasaur.
"Oh, the Bulbasaur," Ash whined as he was upset at having lost the chance to catch Bulbasaur. "It's not fair! I want it!"
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A short time later, Ash and his friends were approaching an old wooden bridge as they were preparing to cross it.
"Heh, I'll bet that there are Bulbasaur all over this place," Ash cackled haughtily as the heroes started to walk on the bridge.
"Well, at least we're not surrounded by a whole lake of lava this time," Katie quipped while looking down at the raging and churning waters below anxiously.
Rhonda gulped and shuddered fearfully as the memory of their fateful trek to the tower where Princess Fiona was being held quickly flashed in her mind.
"But where is this place?" Misty asked as she was looking down apprehensively at the bridge.
"I can't find this bridge on my map," Brock said as he was studying his map quizzically.
Just then, a huge gust of wind blew in as the bridge began to rock and sway unsteadily.
"Oh no, this can't be good," Rhonda groaned as she clung on to both sides of the bridge fearfully.
"Not again!" Katie wailed.
One of the railings of the bridge then snapped apart as the bridge buckled and started to tilt dangerously to the right. The heroes nearly lost their footing as Ash grabbed onto the other railing with the others clinging onto him and their friends tightly.
"Hang on!" Yuki yelled shrilly as she held on to Shirley's leg desperately.
However, Brock had lost his grip as he then fell off the bridge and tumbled right into the water.
"Brock's falling!" Ash yelled.
"Brock, no!" Rhonda screamed as she watched Brock disappear right into the raging rapids as he was then being swept away.
"We got to save him!" Shirley pleaded.
"Ash, you have to pull us back up! It's our only chance!" Misty wailed shrilly.
"I can't!" Ash groaned.
"Yes, you will!" Just pull as hard as you can!" Misty insisted.
"On me!" Mitchell yelled as he climbed onto the others first and then made it onto the bridge before he began pulling up the others to safety one by one.
"Hang on!" he hollered as he pulled up Yuki and Shirley and the girls then raced over to the other side in pure desperation and terror.
Katie then let out a loud, terrified shriek as she felt her grip began to slip and loosen.
"Help!" she cried as she glanced down at the river below fearfully. "I'm slipping!"
"Don't worry, Katie! We got you!" Jasmine reassured her as she tightened and held her grip firm and pulled Katie closer to her while Luthor also climbed onto the bridge and he and Mitchell helped both girls up.
Then as Jasmine and Katie made a mad dash for the other side, Luthor and Mitchell also helped Rhonda, Ash and Misty up as they all scrambled to join the others before the bridge completely fell apart. Then once everyone was finally safe, they all fell to their knees as they stopped to catch their breaths.
"Jesus Christ that was harrowing," Rhonda gasped heavily.
"Phew. I'm totally wiped out," Ash panted in exhaustion.
"We can't rest now. We've got to find Brock," Misty retorted urgently.
"Right," Ash concurred.
"I hope he's not lying dead on a shore somewhere," Katie added as she and Jasmine exchanged bewildered and apprehensive glances.
Sometime later, Ash, Misty and the others were racing along a rocky path as they were scanning the river in search of Brock. Just then Misty let out a scream as she tripped and fell into a hole.
"Whoa. How'd you get down there?" Ash asked as he walked over to where Misty was and saw her sitting at the bottom of the hole.
"I fell in! How else?" Misty snapped while rubbing her behind sorely. "What's a trap doing here?"
"It seems pretty strange," Ash mused.
"Just help me out, quick!" Misty screamed while waving her hands out frantically.
"This is just not our day," Ash groaned while peering down at the hole.
"Pika," Pikachu nodded.
A short time later, Ash and the others resumed their search for Brock as they continued to walk along a winding path near the river.
"Brock? Hey, Brock!" Ash bellowed.
"Think he washed this far downstream?" Misty asked.
Just then Misty's foot touched a stray branch sticking out of the ground as a net suddenly popped out and hauled them up to a nearby tree.
"What the hell?!" Rhonda sputtered in shock and disbelief upon realizing that they were now suspended in midair.
"Hey, how'd we get up in a tree?" Ash demanded indignantly.
"It's another trap! Do something!" Misty wailed.
"What can I do?" Ash inquired.
"Try wiggling. See if the net will open," Misty suggested.
Misty and Ash then began rocking the net back and forth as they tried desperately to break free.
"Oh!"
"This is so dumb!" Ash griped.
"You got any better ideas, let's hear 'em!" Misty shot back angrily.
"Quit squishing me, Luthor!" Katie whined as she felt herself being pinned onto the left side of the net. "I can't breathe!"
"Why don't you stop poking your foot in my butt?" Luthor snapped irascibly, feeling himself being sandwiched in between Jasmine and Shirley.
"I'm not poking your foot in your butt!" Katie shot back irately.
"Pi! Pika, Pi!" Pikachu shrieked in terror.
"Bulbasaur!"
Ash and the others then looked down to see Bulbasaur glaring up at them from below.
"Huh? Bulbasaur?"
"Saur, Saur," Bulbasaur growled softly as he slowly backed away and then turned to leave.
"Hold it there, Bulbasaur! Now I want a match!" Ash yelled as he continued to thrash and kick wildly in the net.
"Now you're wiggling too much! Ouch, you kicked me!" Misty whined petulantly.
"Oh, Bulbasaur!" Ash exclaimed.
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Meanwhile, several miles away, Team Rocket was hiding in a pair of bushes on the other side of a hill.
"The villages we're looking for should be on the other side of that bridge," Jessie mused as she and James were holding pairs of binoculars.
"Let's just hope the rumors are true," James whispered.
"Just wait and see what Team Rocket's got planned for you, you delicious little village," Meowth snickered evilly as he popped in between James and Jessie.
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"Gee, I wonder what happened to Brock," Ash sighed as he and the others were still trapped in the net.
"I wonder too," Misty replied softly.
"Maybe the river carried him far away, all the way to the ocean," Ash surmised. "Then some pirates spotted him and brought him aboard their ship. And one of the pirates has a wooden leg."
"You have a crazy imagination," Misty retorted incredulously.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu squeaked.
"Then came the storm," Ash added while narrowing his eyes with a knowing, mischievous gleam.
"Ahoy!" a male voice yelled as Ash and Misty looked down to see Brock staring up at them.
"Hey, Brock!" Ash yelled.
"Where have you been, man? We thought you was dead, bro!" Luthor shot back in amazement.
"Or swept away far into the ocean!" Katie yelled shrilly.
"What are you doing up in that tree anyway?" Brock asked.
"Some lunatic apparently thought it was a brilliant idea to set up an inconspicuous trap for unsuspecting travelers," Jasmine snapped tersely. "And we were the unlucky ones that walked right into it."
It wasn't long before Brock sliced off the rope with a hunting knife as the net plummeted down swiftly from the tree and crashed straight to the ground. Ash and the others sat there with dazed and stunned looks on their faces.
"Thanks, but maybe next time, you could let us down a little more gently," Misty quipped.
"Yeah, sure. Sorry," Brock apologized while rubbing his head sheepishly.
"We've been looking all over for you," Misty explained.
"We saw you fall into the river. Then what happened?" Ash asked quizzically.
"Well, I was being washed away in the rapids," Brock explained.
Brock was thrashing and fighting to stay afloat in the water as the rapids carried him further downstream. Just then someone grabbed his hand and held on to him.
"I've got you. Just hold on," a young woman assured him as she pulled him up from the river and onto the ground.
Brock then stopped to catch his breath while leaning on his hands and knees before he glanced up at the girl who had just saved his life. She had dark bluish black hair that was tied up in a braid with a light green bow tied at the end and a red hair-band on top of her head.
"The girl who saved my life was incredibly beautiful."
"Hm, a beautiful girl, huh? That's even better than pirates. Unless, of course, she was really a pirate in disguise," Ash retorted while crossing his arms haughtily.
"That actually would be pretty cool," Rhonda admitted with a smile.
"Maybe it's time to get a reality check," Misty retorted tersely, prompting Ash to laugh sheepishly.
A short time later, Brock led them to a small rustic village with a cabin where a young girl was being surrounded by Pokemon. The girl then looked up to see the heroes while getting up to her feet.
"Oh!"
"Melanie, this is Ash and Misty. And this is also Rhonda, Katie, Luthor, Jasmine, Shirley, Yuki and Mitchell," Brock announced as he gestured over to his friends.
"Hello," Ash said.
"So you're Brock's friends. He told me all about you," the girl beamed happily.
"Great," Misty smiled as she then noticed that all of the Pokemon were relaxing and eating their fill. "Wow, look at that! Do all those Pokemon belong to you?"
"Oh, no," Melanie answered.
Brock then knelt down next to a Paras and petted it on its head gingerly. "This is a place where Pokemon are able to rest and relax."
"Like summer camp?" Ash quipped.
"Well, sort of, but all year long," Brock explained. "You see, when Pokemon get abandoned or injured, they can come here. Melanie takes care of them until they feel better. Then they leave."
"So this is a Pokemon Center and Melanie is a Pokemon doctor," Misty surmised.
"Oh, no. I'm not qualified to be a Pokemon doctor," Melanie shook her head.
"This is more like a Pokemon health spa," Brock interjected.
"Huh?" Ash and Misty gawked at her with confused and puzzled faces.
"Here, the Pokemon don't battle with one another," Melanie explained. "They relax and try to enjoy themselves until they've recovered."
"Cool," Misty quipped.
"Melanie collects plants to use for medicine," Brock added as he rejoined the others. "She knows all about which plants can help a Pokemon feel better or grow stronger when it's too weak."
"So you and Melanie both love to take care of Pokemon," Ash replied.
"We do," Brock agreed while gazing at Melanie with an entranced and besotted look in his eyes.
"Well, it looks to me like there's something else Brock might love," Misty retorted with a teasing grin on her face, prompting Brock's face to flush a deep shade of red.
Brock then flew into a furious rage as he then rushed over to Misty and quickly covered her mouth to shut her up.
"Be quiet! She might hear you!" he hissed sharply as Misty struggled to break away from his grip.
"I wonder who put that net up in that tree," Ash pondered softly to Misty.
"Probably the same person who dug the hole that I fell into," Misty replied.
"I'm sorry. I was the one who set those traps," Melanie apologized as she approached the others. "I wanted to catch Pokemon trainers before they reached the village. Since you got caught, I guess they really worked."
"But why?" Misty asked.
"There are so many injured Pokemon here. I have to protect them," Melanie answered pithily.
"So the bridge was a trap too," Ash concluded.
"Yes," Melanie replied.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
Meanwhile, Team Rocket was creeping along the side of the bridge while hanging on to the railings as they were trying to get to the other side.
"Across this bridge lies a lifetime supply of Pokemon," Jessie cackled.
"How are we ever going to carry them all?" James asked.
"Don't worry; we'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Meowth reassured them.
Just then, the other railing snapped apart as the other half of the bridge was swinging over to the other side with Team Rocket desperately clinging to it. Then once the bridge slammed onto the rock face, Team Rocket lost their grasp as they plummeted straight into the water with a scream.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
"I promised Melanie that we wouldn't catch any Pokemon here," Brock informed the others.
"And did you seal that promise with a kiss?" Misty retorted with a gleeful, teasing smirk.
Brock then slammed his fist right onto her head, prompting her to cry out in pain.
Misty then held her head sorely while glaring angrily at Brock with a scowl.
"So that must mean you really do love her," Misty continued to egg him on and Brock slammed another fist into her head again.
"Ow!"
"Well I guess I'll have to keep your promise," Ash retorted glumly as he watched Misty seethe in pain from Brock's vicious beating.
"Only bad guys try to capture sick Pokemon," Misty declared audaciously.
"But are those traps tough enough to keep robbers away from this place?" Ash inquired anxiously. "I mean, you'd have to be pretty stupid to fall into one of those holes."
"Hey!" Misty snapped.
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Meanwhile, a loud scream echoed in the air as Team Rocket had somehow fallen into a deep and massive hole.
"This is the third hole we've fallen into," Jessie scowled furiously. "How come nobody ever falls into our traps but we always fall into theirs?"
"Well, this one was very cleverly hidden, well made and…" James began but then Jessie interrupted him with a sharp retort.
"I'm glad you're enjoying it so much!"
"Meowth!" Meowth yowled.
A short time later, Team Rocket had finally managed to get out of the hole and they were walking briskly through the forest when suddenly they were caught in a net and hanging from a tree. The villains then struggled and fought to break free.
"Help me out! Help me out!" Meowth cried.
"Get us out of here!" James wailed.
"Ouch, my tail! Let go! Stop pulling my tail!" Meowth wailed.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
Meanwhile, Brock was scooping up some water from the river as he then splashed some on Staryu, who quickly shook it off its body.
"Do you feel any better yet, Staryu?" Ash asked.
"Sorry about what happened in the forest," Misty said apologetically to Oddish.
"Oddish," Oddish murmured.
"I shouldn't have surprised you like that, heh. You must've been so scared," Misty continued softly in a gentle voice.
"Oddish," Oddish nodded, staring blankly at Misty.
"Melanie told me that your old trainer got rid of you. Was it really because he thought you were too weak?" Misty questioned it earnestly.
Oddish nodded again.
"You know, some trainers can be insensitive. But not all of us are mean like that," Misty explained as she then giggled softly before petting Oddish's head lovingly. "You just need to find a trainer who understands you. Anyways, I'm sorry for what I did and I hope we can become friends."
At this her voice broke as tears came to her eyes and she quickly wiped them away. Oddish gazed at her sadly with a sympathetic expression.
"Oddish…"
Oddish then used the tip of its leaf to brush away Misty's tears as Misty gawked in surprise and astonishment.
"Huh?"
"Oddish, Oddish," Oddish babbled softly.
"You're sweet, Oddish. I am so sorry," Misty sighed morosely while still wiping the tears from her eyes. "All I think about lately is winning. I hope I'm not becoming heartless."
"You were always heartless," Ash suddenly interjected with a smug smile, prompting Misty to quickly stand up with a dirty, withering glare.
"Mind your own business!" Misty snarled indignantly.
Just then Bulbasaur charged right at Misty and tackled her right into the ground, startling Ash.
"Hey, what the hell, Bulbasaur?" Rhonda snapped angrily.
Just then, Bubba emerged from Luthor's Poke Ball as it rushed right at Bulbasaur and growled at it sharply with narrowed eyes.
"Bulbasaur…" Bulbasaur growled back, whipping out its vines menacingly while folding its ears back.
"Ivysaur…" Bubba hissed softly with his leaves bristling threateningly.
"Hey, it's rude to tackle people!" Misty scolded it sharply.
"She's right," Ash retorted firmly.
Bulbasaur then dug and scraped its feet across the ground as it continued to growl and hiss at Ash menacingly with a threatening snarl.
"I know. You're just mad because I was going to beat you," Ash retorted fiercely while holding up his fist. "But you chickened out and ran off."
"That must be it," Misty interjected.
"Then let's see how tough you really are," Ash declared boldly, prepared to challenge Bulbasaur.
"Please, wait, please wait," Melanie pleaded as she quickly raced over to Bulbasaur and Oddish and shielded them from Ash.
"Huh?"
"Bulbasaur is only trying to protect Oddish," Melanie explained.
"Well, I get that, but Misty wasn't doing anything bad to Oddish. She was just talking to it," Rhonda shot back fiercely with narrowed, pointed eyes.
"Bulbasaur volunteered to guard our whole village," Melanie continued to explain.
"Huh?" Ash and Misty chorused in astonished and baffled voices.
"It protects all the injured Pokemon whenever enemies try to attack them," Melanie added.
"Oh," Ash and Misty exchanged understanding and knowing glances at each other.
"Bulbasaur is the bravest and most loyal Pokemon I know," Melanie continued while closing her eyes and clasping her hands to her chest.
"So that's why Bulbasaur attacked me," Misty quipped. "It must've thought that I was taking Oddish from the village."
Ash then heard some low gibberish, muttering sounds as he looked down to see Bulbasaur pushing and straining against his legs.
"Now what?" Ash sighed exasperatedly.
"Bulbasaur doesn't like Pokemon trainers. It wants you to leave the village now," Melanie informed him.
"But we're not here to capture Pokemon. We want to help you," Misty insisted.
"It's true, Bulbasaur. These are our friends," Melanie replied softly to Bulbasaur as she tried to get it to listen.
Bulbasaur then kept on grunting as it continued to push and shove against Ash's leg.
"Bulbasaur was worried about the other Pokemon, so it decided to be the village bodyguard. Now, that's what I call bravery," Ash murmured in an astonished and impressed voice. "It would be great to have a Pokemon like that."
Just at that moment, a large gray dome-shaped balloon emerged from the clouds as it was hovering over the village.
"To protect the world from devastation!" Jessie yelled.
"To unite all peoples within our nation," James declared.
"To denounce the evils of truth and love."
"To extend our reach to the stars above."
"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light."
"Surrender now, or prepare to fight."
"That's right," Meowth chimed.
"We've said our lines. Time to attack the village," Jessie gushed excitedly.
"Those village idiots thought that their measly traps would stop us," James scoffed in a disdainful voice. "They thought they had the home team advantage."
"No such luck. We're the home team now," Jessie smirked evilly.
"I congratulate myself for this brilliant scheme," James bragged with a smirk while holding a rose close to his face.
"Don't forget, I suggested tying balloons on the stadium roof," Meowth interjected.
A loud, distorted and warbling sound echoed across the sky as the heroes glanced up at Team Rocket's balloon.
"Fuck me…" Rhonda groaned with a dismayed expression, hanging her head.
"Those meatheads, again?!" Luthor groaned exasperatedly.
A large shadow then covered the area as Ash and the others let out loud cries of surprise and astonishment before the balloon plummeted right onto the ground and landed just a few feet away from them with a loud thud.
"Here we go again," Ash exhaled sharply.
"Today only at Jessie Stadium," Jessie declared proudly as she, James and Meowth were standing on top of the balloon. "It's the Team Rocket Pokemon challenge."
"The flying stadium was my idea," James retorted with a smile.
"Oh, heh," Jessie laughed with a sheepish grin.
Just then a large vacuum hose emerged from the balloon as it then landed on the ground and started sucking in huge amounts of air.
"All Pokemon are invited to enter the stadium," Jessie cackled.
"Step right up," James smirked deviously.
"Yeah, we're not hosing you," Meowth retorted sardonically before hesitating a little. "Well, maybe we are."
"Hang on, guys!" Katie screamed as she and her friends hung on desperately to the ground while clinging tightly to the grass in order to avoid being sucked in by the vacuum.
"Hang tight, buddy!" Luthor hollered as he wrapped his arms around Bubba tightly, not willing to let him go.
"Bubba!" Bubba wailed while snuggling close to Luthor's chest.
Staryu then struggled to hold firm to the ground while fighting against the full strength of the force of the wind as Ash rushed over to it and grabbed onto it tightly.
"They never run out of ideas, do they?" he groaned.
"Hurry! Everybody get in the cabin!" Brock bellowed as he beckoned for everybody to flee into the cabin.
Katie then let out a terrified, panicked shriek as she was suddenly floating and levitating into the air and Rhonda was grabbing onto both of her hands tightly even as the vacuum was threatening to pull and yank her right out of her grasp.
"Hang on, Katie…" Rhonda grunted as she mustered all of her strength to maintain her hold on her friend even as she was becoming overwhelmed by the fierce blowback of the machine.
"I can't… hang on… much… further…" Katie grunted in a strained and weary voice as she then quickly slipped out of her grasp and she was about to spiral right into the air and towards the oncoming path of the vacuum when suddenly another hand caught her right in the nick of time.
"Jasmine!" Rhonda hollered at the top of her lungs as she glanced over to see Jasmine pulling and clutching onto Katie tightly by her right arm.
"I got you, guys!" Jasmine yelled shrilly as she and Rhonda were finally able to slowly but surely wrest Katie away from the vacuum's powerful and all-consuming grip and whisk her away to the safety of the cabin.
"Wait! No, Oddish!" Misty yelled as she tried to grab Oddish but it quickly slipped away from her as it was hurtling straight for the vacuum.
Luckily, a vine caught it and wrapped it around tightly in its clutches before pulling it away from the vacuum, revealing that it was Bulbasaur.
"Bulbasaur!"
"Bulbasaur!" Misty yelled as Ash then handed Staryu off to her.
"Take Staryu!" he exclaimed as he then rushed over to Bulbasaur and Staryu with the two Pokemon straining to break free from the vacuum's wind blast.
"Keep going, Bulbasaur!" Ash bellowed as he pushed Bulbasaur along while straining and grunting as much as possible.
Finally Ash was able to get Bulbasaur and Oddish safely into the cabin as Misty closed the door quickly on them.
"That rotten little pest. He's always ruining our flawless plans," Jessie scowled furiously.
"Not this time. He's gathered them all in one place for us," James declared boldly.
"Our super vacuum will suck them up!" Meowth exclaimed excitedly.
The vacuum then turned its focus towards the cabin as it tried to dismantle and tear apart the building with its sheer force of power.
"Let's go, team! To steal them is our dream!" Team Rocket cheered while waving their fans together. "Let's go, Rocket! Put Pokemon in our pocket!"
"Let's hope the cabin doesn't completely collapse on us," Katie whimpered as she and the rest of the team were lying on their stomachs while shielding themselves with their arms and bracing themselves for the inevitable.
Just then, Bulbasaur emerged out of the cabin and scampered onto the rooftop as it then shot out its vines and started to smack the vacuum away.
"Pidgeotto, I choose you!" Ash bellowed as he then tossed out his Poke Ball and summoned Pidgeotto.
"Pidgeotto, Gust attack!"
Pidgeotto then summoned a huge gust of wind as it spiraled and hurtled straight for the stadium-shaped balloon.
"And the tornado's winding up," James said as he was stretching his arms out as if he was getting ready to throw a pitch at a baseball game.
"But will it strike us out?" Jessie stammered nervously as she saw that the tornado gust was advancing closer to them.
"There goes the whole ballgame," Meowth groaned in dismay.
The tornado then swooped over to them as it sucked them right up and carried them away in a flash. Team Rocket then started screaming and hollering for their lives as they found themselves spinning and rotating in the air wildly.
"The home team really got blown away," James wailed.
"So what are we going to do now, challenge them to wind-surfing?" Meowth retorted sarcastically.
Team Rocket then continued screaming and yelling loudly as the stadium-shaped balloon was slowly levitated into the air and then was swiftly blown away.
"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" Meowth hollered as Team Rocket then vanished into thin air in a blink of an eye.
"Is everyone feeling okay?" Melanie asked as everyone soon got out of the cabin with the danger now passed.
"I just had the wind knocked right out of me," Ash retorted sardonically.
"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur beamed happily.
"This village is well-protected with Bulbasaur here," Ash replied with a proud smile with his arms folded across his chest.
"Ash, don't you agree that Bulbasaur would be an excellent addition to your team?" Melanie offered.
"Oh, yeah, would he ever!" Ash beamed happily.
"I think Bulbasaur should go with you," Melanie proposed as Ash gawked in surprise at Melanie's request.
"Bulbasaur stayed here to protect the weaker Pokemon," Melanie continued as she picked up Bulbasaur gently in her arms. "But this village is too small. The bulb on its back can't grow. It needs to go out into the world now and I know you'll take good care of it."
Ash then stared at her uncertainly as Melanie turned to face him with a confident and optimistic look in her eyes.
"Please do me this favor. Take Bulbasaur with you on your journey. He'll be a good companion."
"But what will happen to the village without Bulbasaur?" Misty asked anxiously.
"Yeah, who's going to protect you?" Brock demanded.
"It's true that Bulbasaur has done a great job, maybe too great a job," Melanie concurred while lowering her head and closing her eyes pensively. "You see, these Pokemon shouldn't remain in this village forever and ever. After they recover, the Pokemon are supposed to leave. But it's too safe here, so none of them wants to go away. They don't want to return to the outside world."
"Oddish…" Oddish glanced down at the ground sadly.
"But I think it's important that all of them return to the wild. That's where Pokemon belong. And hopefully, someday, they'll find good trainers like you. Of course, taking care of sick Pokemon will always be my mission but I know that my job isn't finished until they return to where they came from, so it's the day a Pokemon leaves that is most rewarding to me."
"Melanie, I…" Brock stammered.
"So you see, it's time for Bulbasaur to leave here. Please take it with you. It won't be a burden, I promise," Melanie pleaded. "Bulbasaur still has a lot of growing to do. I want it to be in a place where I'm sure it can grow strong and happy. I'm sure that place is with you, Ash."
"Well, if you really want me to," Ash replied with a soft smile.
"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur growled as it glanced up at Melanie expectantly, prompting Melanie to giggle softly.
"What did it say?" Ash asked quizzically.
"Bulbasaur will join you on one condition. It wants to battle you in a Pokemon match," Melanie answered. "Right, Bulbasaur?"
"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur nodded.
"Ha! If you want a match, you'll get it!" Ash cheered determinedly while pumping his fist into the air.
"Oh, please let me battle with Bulbasaur," Misty begged. "Please? Pretty please?"
"Me too!" Rhonda pleaded.
"No way," Ash retorted sternly.
TLSTLSTLSTLS
A short time later, Pikachu and Bulbasaur were standing out in the open as they were facing each other down.
"Pika…"
"Bulbasaur…"
"Pikachu, go!" Ash yelled.
Pikachu then charged right at Bulbasaur as Bulbasaur whipped out its vines at Pikachu; however, Pikachu was able to dodge them swiftly as he kept on charging right at his opponent. Bulbasaur then lunged right at him and tackled him into the air, causing Pikachu to shriek shrilly in agony.
"Pikachu! Look out, Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
A bruised and battered Pikachu strained to get up to his feet, only for Bulbasaur to rush right at him again as it knocked him straight into the air again.
However, Pikachu was able to regain his bearings as he lunged right at Bulbasaur and then tackled it straight on, sending it flying and landing on its back. Bulbasaur then launched out its vines again as it wrapped them around Pikachu and began to slam him on the ground repeatedly.
"Ah! The Vine Whip is Bulbasaur's special move!" Misty exclaimed.
"Crap!" Rhonda groaned. "Now what?"
Ash then watched Bulbasaur continue to smack Pikachu down on the ground repeatedly as an idea soon came to him.
"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu then unleashed a huge bolt of electricity as he then stunned and electrified Bulbasaur thoroughly, causing it to roll over onto its right side in a daze.
"All right, Poke Ball, go!" Ash yelled as he then tossed the Poke Ball at Bulbasaur and Bulbasaur then disappeared right into the ball.
The ball then landed on the ground as it began twitching and shaking furiously with its red light shining, with everyone holding their breaths in anticipation. Rhonda and her friends then exchanged apprehensive and nervous glances at each other as they continued to stare at the Poke Ball intently. Finally it stopped moving as the red light faded away, signaling that Bulbasaur had officially been caught.
"We did it! We caught Bulbasaur!" Ash cheered as he then held up two fingers in the air.
"Pikachu!" Pikachu cheered as he also copied Ash.
"Bulbasaur, I'll miss you," Melanie sighed sadly.
A short time later, the gang was now preparing to leave as they were getting ready to resume their trek back into the forest.
"Have a safe trip," said Melanie.
"I promise to take good care of Bulbasaur," Ash vowed.
Melanie then knelt down to pet Bulbasaur on its head gently.
"Bulbasaur, thank you for watching over us," she beamed with a smile.
"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur growled.
"Uh, Melanie, I've been thinking," Brock stammered with his face blushing as he approached Melanie.
"Yes?" Melanie gazed at him expectantly.
"Well, since Bulbasaur is leaving, I wouldn't mind staying and helping you out," Brock offered.
"It's very kind of you but we'll be okay," Melanie replied with her smile widening. "I wouldn't want to keep you from all of your wonderful adventures."
"Oh. Yeah, I guess you're right," Brock laughed sheepishly while tilting his head to the left.
"Goodbye, Melanie," Ash waved goodbye as he and the gang started walking away from the cabin.
"Goodbye. Good luck," Melanie replied as she also waved goodbye.
"Bulbasaur," Bulbasaur growled softly as he took one last look at Melanie.
"Don't worry, Bulbasaur. You'll see your friends again," Ash reassured him. "As soon as the Pokemon feel better, they'll leave this village too."
"Take good care of each other. Bye, bye!" Melanie hollered as she continued to wave goodbye to the gang.
Brock looked over his shoulder sadly with a sigh.
"So what did Melanie say when you told her you loved her?" Misty questioned him with a mischievous grin on her face. "Did you kiss her goodbye?"
"That's enough stupid questions!" Brock snapped as he covered her mouth with his hand. "Would you please stop embarrassing me already? You know, okay, she's cute, I understand that!"
"Did I miss something? What's going on?" Ash asked while cradling his head with his hands as he watched the bizarre exchange between Misty and Brock play out.
"Thanks for saving me, Jazz," Katie expressed her gratitude to Jasmine with a tender smile.
"No problem, Kate," Jasmine replied while returning Katie's smile. "I'd do anything for you."
"Really?" Katie gawked in surprise and astonishment, not having expected to hear that kind of response from her.
However, Rhonda was watching the interaction between Katie and Jasmine with a jealous, angry scowl darkening her face.
"Hey, Rhonda, you okay?" Shirley asked.
"Y-Yeah! Yeah, I'm fine!" Rhonda laughed nervously with her expression quickly changing while trying to cover up and mask her true feelings.
However, Shirley couldn't help but be unsettled and troubled by the strange look on Rhonda's face as she continued to watch her intently.