Bulbasaur didn't respond, its head slightly lowered, looking as if it didn't know how to explain. It wasn't that it didn't want to explain, but simply because it didn't speak human language and didn't know how to articulate.
"Is it because, when you were with Squirtle Squad, everyone was a weak Pokémon?~"
"You're worried that after you evolve, they'll be afraid of you and distance themselves from you?" Ash looked at Bulbasaur, who remained silent, and lowered his head, which had been looking at the sky, to gaze at it.
Bulbasaur looked up at Ash in surprise when it heard his words. It hadn't expected Ash to be able to see into its inner thoughts.
Indeed, it could have evolved a long time ago. The energy accumulated in its body was completely sufficient, but everything was as Ash had said.
It didn't just protect those Pokémon; it also understood what those Pokémon had been through. So, whether physically or mentally, it was protecting them.
Some of the Pokémon there had been hurt by humans, but most were abandoned by trainers because they were too weak.
Evolution meant becoming stronger, so it worried that after it evolved, the changes in its power and size would make the Pokémon there afraid of it and distance themselves from it. That's why it had always been unwilling to evolve.
"Bulba!!!"
Bulbasaur responded. Ash was just making a guess based on his own thoughts, and this guess was based on his feelings.
He seemed to possess some mysterious power. Although it wasn't like telepathy, it seemed to allow him to follow an intuitive feeling, thereby understanding the Pokémon's inner thoughts.
It was similar to a sudden whim, thinking of something and just saying it, only to find out later that it was actually correct.
"Actually, you don't need to worry. They can all feel your protective heart and won't distance themselves from you just because you've changed your appearance."
"Those who would distance themselves from you at a time like this aren't worth protecting. On the contrary, becoming stronger allows you to protect more of what you want to protect," Ash said, looking back at the sky calmly.
"That's just my personal opinion, don't take it too seriously!" Ash was simply a little emotional.
There were advantages to evolving and advantages to not evolving, so there was no need to dwell on it too much.
"Bulba!!!"
At that moment, Bulbasaur looked at Ash, then suddenly jumped down from the tree stump. Ash looked on, and then, under the moonlight, it tilted its head back and let out a cry.
"Huh??"
Bulbasaur's body suddenly emitted a clear light. No longer suppressing the power within its body, Bulbasaur was engulfed in the light.
The light illuminated the surroundings, also attracting Brock and Misty, who were preparing to rest. The two quickly came to Ash's side.
"What happened?" Misty asked in surprise, looking at the light before them.
"This light is!!" Brock looked at the light in front of him, and although an incredible expression appeared on his face, he knew what this light represented.
"Evolution?!"
Brock wasn't surprised to see an evolution, as evolution wasn't a strange thing for trainers. He was surprised that Bulbasaur had only been captured by Ash for less than a day, and it had already evolved?
Within the light, Bulbasaur's body gradually changed. Its size, which was originally slightly larger than Pikachu's, suddenly surged.
At the same time, one could clearly see the garlic-like seed outline on its back slowly expanding and gradually unfurling, forming an elliptical shape within the light.
"Boom!!!"
The light dissipated, and a brand-new figure appeared before everyone. Its size increased from its original 0.7m to over 1m.
Its body color changed from its original green to greenish-blue, and it still had patches of bluish-green markings on its body.
Most strikingly, four banana leaf-like petals extended from its back. Above the leaves, a cluster of vibrant red flowers bloomed.
These flowers were still in the budding stage, exuding a sweet and fragrant, refreshing aroma. This was Bulbasaur's evolved form, Ivysaur.
"It evolved into Ivysaur so quickly?" Misty was equally surprised. It had only been caught for less than a day. This was too fast, wasn't it?
"Yeah! It hasn't even battled yet. Ash, how did you do it?" Brock was also surprised. It had evolved without even a single battle. He had never seen such a thing before; it was truly incredible.
"It has nothing to do with me. Actually, Bulbasaur itself accumulated enough energy from protecting the Squirtle Squad before."
"It was actually worried that after it evolved, the changes in its power would make the Pokémon there afraid of it and distance themselves, so it had always been unwilling to evolve." Ash walked over to Ivysaur after hearing this and gently stroked its head.
"So that's how it is. What a responsible and considerate child!"
Misty was also very moved. Whether human or Pokémon, such a responsible and considerate personality always made people feel good.
"But it's still because of Ash, right? Because Ash, you understood Bulbasaur's unwillingness to evolve when it was with the Squirtle Squad, so now that it doesn't need to protect them anymore, it also responded to your wishes!"
Brock, however, didn't think it was solely Bulbasaur's reason. He believed it was more because Ash sincerely tried to understand Bulbasaur's inner thoughts that Bulbasaur was willing to open up.
"Perhaps! Just follow your heart!" Ash said calmly, stroking Ivysaur's forehead after hearing this.
Actually, he was also very moved. In the anime, Bulbasaur was absolutely unwilling to evolve, and eventually used its evolutionary power to learn Solar Beam. Ash hadn't expected that a casual remark would make it evolve.
"Although I just said it today, I want to say it again now: please take good care of Ivysaur from now on!"
"Bulba!!"
After evolving, Ivysaur's voice became deeper, and it also gained more presence.
After evolving, its power naturally became stronger. And with Ivysaur, the upcoming battle against Vermilion City Gym Leader, with Ivysaur fighting the Electric-type gym, would be much easier.
P.S.: Does anyone else feel like the middle stage, Ivysaur, is the best-looking among Bulbasaur's three forms?
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