"Venusaur!"
The Venusaur that emerged from the tree hollow stood majestically on the giant tree ring, letting out a commanding roar toward the Bulbasaur gathered below. The assembled Grass-types looked up at their sovereign with reverent silence.
"It's Venusaur!" Ash said excitedly, quickly pulling out his Pokédex. "Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon, the evolved form of Ivysaur. It often stays motionless in sunny places, and some speculate it's performing photosynthesis."
"Strange, where's my Bulbasaur?" Ash asked, scanning the crowd.
"Oh right, your Bulbasaur has a bandage on its forehead," Misty reminded him.
After searching for a moment, Ash finally spotted a lone Bulbasaur standing at the very back, looking around confusedly, with a white bandage wrapped around its forehead—this was unmistakably Ash's partner.
Just as Ash was about to call out loudly, Red immediately covered his mouth. "Ash, we're uninvited guests here. Keep it down."
"Venusaur—"
"Bulba—"
Following their king's roar, the Bulbasaur below looked up longingly at the Venusaur on stage, joining in harmonious song with their sovereign's rhythm. Only Ash's Bulbasaur remained silent, resistantly keeping its head down.
"Venusaur!"
After the ceremonial singing ended, Venusaur released waves of natural power to help the Bulbasaur begin their evolution. Golden pollen drifted from the massive flower on its back, sparkling like stardust in the moonlight.
The drifting pollen entered the seeds on the Bulbasaur's backs, and the seeds gradually bloomed into pink flower buds. Four leaves resembling banana fronds grew from the base of each bud, spreading in a cross pattern toward the head, back, and both sides of their bodies.
With brilliant white light emanating from their forms, the many Bulbasaur's bodies transformed, gradually evolving into Ivysaur.
"Ivysaur, the Seed Pokémon, the evolved form of Bulbasaur. It carries a huge flower bud on its back," Ash's Pokédex announced.
With the evolution ceremony complete, Venusaur and the newly evolved Ivysaur prepared for the next part of the festival—praising the nature that granted them power.
"This is an evolution celebration!" Ash said, enchanted by the mystical scene.
"The question of whether Bulbasaur are plants or animals has been debated since ancient times," Brock reflected thoughtfully. "Living beings can't maintain life if they lack either aspect."
"Everyone depends on each other," Misty agreed, her voice soft with wonder.
"They might be like symbols of all life on this planet," Brock murmured.
"Bulbasaur, did my Bulbasaur evolve too?" Ash suddenly realized, turning to look at his partner.
"Unfortunately, Ash, it seems Bulbasaur doesn't want to evolve," Red said with quiet understanding.
"Why is that?" Ash asked, puzzled.
Under the collective gaze of Red's group, Venusaur, and the newly evolved Ivysaur, Bulbasaur was sweating profusely, struggling to resist the changes in its body. It fought to prevent the seed on its back from growing, continuously suppressing the faint evolutionary light emanating from within, stubbornly refusing to transform.
By choosing not to evolve, Bulbasaur had become an anomaly, drawing the attention of King Venusaur and the many Ivysaur. Venusaur fixed its ancient eyes on the defiant Grass-type and roared, 'Since you've come here, evolution is no longer your choice!'
'I don't want to evolve! I don't want to hurt Ash! I don't need this kind of forced power!' Bulbasaur shook its head in firm refusal.
'You ungrateful little brat!' Venusaur roared, its voice echoing through the garden. This was the first time the ancient king had encountered a subject who dared to defy its will, and Venusaur was momentarily enraged by such unprecedented stubbornness.
The other Ivysaur, seeing Bulbasaur dare to contradict their sovereign, cast hostile glances at the defiant Pokémon.
"Everyone seems angry at Bulbasaur!" Ash observed with growing concern.
"Not 'seems'—they are," Red explained calmly. "Your Bulbasaur is challenging the king's authority. These Ivysaur won't show any kindness to someone who dares defy their leader."
"Stop!"
When Ash saw Venusaur raise its thick vines in preparation for Vine Whip, he quickly ran in front of Bulbasaur, wanting to shield his partner from the attack.
But the expected pain never came. Ash opened his eyes in confusion to find Red mounted on Aerodactyl, having blocked Venusaur's assault.
"What is that?!" Ash exclaimed in surprise, unable to believe that the ancient predator had saved him.
"Don't worry," Red explained, his voice steady. "After this time at Professor Oak's lab, Aerodactyl has adapted to modern Pokémon food and isn't as bloodthirsty as before."
'Though that might not be the case when battling opponents...' he thought privately.
Because of the gentle Viridian Power emanating from Red, Venusaur chose not to continue its attack and voluntarily retracted its thick vines.
Although showing respect toward Red personally, Venusaur and the Ivysaur still felt hostility toward Ash's group for their uninvited intrusion, casting disapproving glances at the three humans.
"I'm sorry, we shouldn't have barged in uninvited, but this Bulbasaur is our friend," Ash said earnestly. "Are you all angry because Bulbasaur doesn't want to evolve? If it's causing problems with the festival, as its friend, I apologize to everyone! But think about it—there's no need to force it to evolve right now."
Ash tried to explain his Bulbasaur's reasons for refusing evolution, but as king, Venusaur wouldn't listen to a human's words. Instead, it demonstrated its power by using natural energy to restore the withered tree behind it, proving to Ash and Bulbasaur that evolution was the only path to true strength.
"Wow, it can control nature!" Brock said in amazement.
"To have such power after evolution!" Misty agreed, awed by the display.
"No, this isn't an ability ordinary Venusaur can master," Red corrected. "It only shows this particular Venusaur has the rare talent to control natural power."
Venusaur demonstrated the force of nature to Bulbasaur, but the small Grass-type felt no longing for this power and stubbornly maintained its own beliefs.
"I'm sorry, Bulbasaur," Ash said, looking apologetically at his partner. "I heard you were about to evolve and got so excited about it."
He then turned to address Venusaur and the Ivysaur with heartfelt conviction. "Everyone, I want to respect Bulbasaur's feelings, because how it chooses to live is its personal freedom."
The displeased Venusaur had heard enough. It lashed out with Vine Whip, deciding to properly discipline the defiant Bulbasaur. Just as the thick vine was about to strike, Aerodactyl intercepted it with a powerful Wing Attack.
"Venusaur, I greatly admire your power," Red said, dismounting from Aerodactyl and extending his right hand in invitation. "Become my companion!"
But having long held the position of king, how could Venusaur easily agree? Although it felt kinship with Red, who possessed Viridian Power, this couldn't override the ancient creature's pride. To capture Venusaur as a companion, Red would need to demonstrate the strength to conquer it.
"Very well, I don't want you to underestimate my abilities either," Red said with quiet confidence. "Let Aerodactyl show you what the Sky King can do!"
With that declaration, Red prepared to command his ancient partner in battle against the garden's sovereign.
"Aerodactyl, Wing Attack!"
Aerodactyl's figure vanished in an instant, suddenly materializing in front of Venusaur. Before the Grass-type could react, wings glowing with silver energy struck its massive form with devastating precision.
"Venusaur!"
The king cried out in pain, then retaliated by spitting a massive seed from its flower pistil—Seed Bomb.
The explosive projectile detonated against Aerodactyl's body in a violent blast. Fortunately, the ancient flyer quickly used Wing Attack to disperse part of the explosion's force, avoiding serious injury.
Venusaur breathed heavily, confusion flickering in its ancient eyes. For some reason, using Seed Bomb had consumed twice the usual stamina, making it sense something was fundamentally wrong.
That's right—this was the effect of Aerodactyl's newly acquired second ability: Pressure.
With this ability, Aerodactyl could impose psychological pressure on opponents, causing double energy consumption for their moves. This ability fully displayed Aerodactyl's aura as the Sky King of ancient times.
Not only did Venusaur feel the crushing weight of this presence, but even the watching Ivysaur were subtly affected, their breathing gradually becoming labored under the ancient predator's intimidating aura.
"Aerodactyl, Stone Edge!"
Sharp stone blades materialized around Aerodactyl, then under its precise control, they launched toward Venusaur's position like guided missiles.
Seeing the incoming barrage, Venusaur responded without hesitation, using Razor Leaf. Two massive leaves shot from its back, cutting through the stone projectiles like great swords, even reaching Aerodactyl's vicinity.
But Aerodactyl showed no panic, calmly countering with Fire Fang. Its razor-sharp teeth, wreathed in flames, bit through the leaves and reduced them to smoldering ash.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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