After sensing the changes occurring in its body, Venusaur finally realized why Aerodactyl could be stronger than itself—the ability to stack multiple powers was beyond its comprehension.
'What are you muttering about? Even without it, I'm still stronger than you,' Aerodactyl rolled its eyes and said with characteristic bluntness.
"Venusaur, I understand your difficulties," Red said, his voice gentle but penetrating. "Because you evolved through your own efforts alone, you hope to help your companions through your own power. But think about it from their perspective—can these Ivysaur who evolved only after receiving your natural blessing really grow strong?"
Red's words seemed to pierce Venusaur's vulnerable heart like a blade. The ancient sovereign glanced at Red with difficulty, ultimately choosing to lower its massive head in contemplation.
Seeing Red "lecture" their king in such a manner, several Ivysaur angrily charged forward, roaring at him in indignant protest.
"Roar—!"
Seeing this insubordination, Aerodactyl let out a bone-chilling roar, its serrated teeth gleaming white in the moonlight like a deadly chainsaw that could easily end their lives.
The Ivysaur were instantly terrified by Aerodactyl's overwhelming presence, trembling uncontrollably as their previous arrogance evaporated. They had foolishly assumed that after battling Venusaur, the Sky King would be temporarily fatigued.
Unfortunately, the scene unfolding before them shattered that delusion. Seeing Aerodactyl's flame-wreathed teeth approaching, the terrified Ivysaur immediately scrambled behind Venusaur, their bodies shaking involuntarily.
'This is the strength gained after receiving a blessing?' Aerodactyl said with withering disdain, urging Venusaur to face reality. 'Though it seems unlikely, I have a feeling that Master's brother's Bulbasaur might be stronger than these Ivysaur who evolved only through your grace.'
Venusaur was about to refute the claim but then remembered something that gave it pause, ultimately choosing silence—neither refuting nor agreeing with the harsh assessment.
"Ash, catch!" Red called out, taking a peculiar stone from his pocket and tossing it toward his brother.
"Big Brother, don't be so sudden!" Ash yelped, but fortunately managed to extend both hands in time to catch the stone, avoiding an embarrassing collision with his face.
"This is an Everstone," Red explained to the confused Ash. "I anticipated that Bulbasaur might choose not to evolve, so I brought it along. As long as you place the Everstone on Bulbasaur, it won't evolve or be forced to change form."
He signaled with his eyes for Ash to give the Everstone to Bulbasaur.
"That's perfect! This way Bulbasaur won't have to suppress its evolutionary instincts anymore," Ash said joyfully, excitedly running to his partner and presenting the stone.
After receiving the Everstone, Bulbasaur let out a deep, relieved breath. It could finally relax properly. To prevent the seed on its back from blooming, Bulbasaur had been constantly sweating while suppressing its desire to evolve. The Everstone's arrival freed it from this torment.
"Venusaur, let Ivysaur and Bulbasaur have a battle," Red proposed, his tone carrying the weight of a challenge. "The outcome of this fight will determine whether your actions have meaning. I don't want you to have regrets before traveling with me."
After hearing Red's words, Venusaur instructed one of its subjects to step forward. For fairness, the chosen Ivysaur possessed above-average strength, but in Venusaur's estimation, this should be more than sufficient to defeat a mere Bulbasaur.
Seeing that its opponent was the unevolved Bulbasaur, the selected Ivysaur inevitably showed a contemptuous smile. After all, in its eyes, Bulbasaur was just a little brat with temporarily insufficient strength.
Seeing such blatant disrespect, Bulbasaur's anger flared, and it immediately launched into action with Vine Whip. Two vines extended from the seed on its back like living whips, striking toward Ivysaur's body.
But Ivysaur countered with its own Vine Whip—four vines extending from the bud on its back. Not only did they block Bulbasaur's attack, but the remaining two vines continued their assault, heavily lashing Bulbasaur's smaller form.
"Bulbasaur, hang in there!" Ash and Pikachu shouted desperately, their voices carrying across the garden. "Don't forget our promise—we're going to get stronger together, and you must become the strongest Bulbasaur!"
'It seems your guess was wrong,' Venusaur said with quiet satisfaction, secretly breathing a sigh of relief. Perhaps its long-held beliefs weren't entirely misguided. Although the consequence of granting power caused most Bulbasaur to grow too quickly, most wild Bulbasaur couldn't evolve through their own strength and had to rely on Venusaur's power—this was an unavoidable reality.
'Just wait and see,' Aerodactyl said calmly, its ancient eyes scanning the horizon. 'I feel the sun is about to rise.'
This cryptic statement puzzled Venusaur for a moment as it pondered the meaning behind Aerodactyl's words.
'Could this little one have mastered it?!'
The brilliant sun crested the mountain peaks, warm golden light spreading across the earth and bringing new vitality to the previously quiet land.
Under Venusaur's increasingly surprised gaze, the seed on Bulbasaur's back began absorbing the sunlight with intense focus, like a cannon preparing to fire.
Ivysaur stared at Bulbasaur with complete disbelief, unable to comprehend how an "ordinary" Bulbasaur could master Solar Beam when it couldn't even grasp the technique itself.
Due to a moment of shocked distraction, Bulbasaur seized the opening. It extended two vines to strike Ivysaur's body, then bound the evolved Pokémon and suspended it helplessly in mid-air.
Not understanding Bulbasaur's sudden transformation, Ash quickly consulted his Pokédex: "Solar Beam, Bulbasaur's strongest move. It gathers light to launch an attack—a devastating technique with tremendous destructive power."
"Strongest technique?!" Ash listened to the description with amazement, then looked at Bulbasaur with renewed excitement.
"Alright, to prove our strength, Solar Beam is ready to fire—defeat Ivysaur!"
Under Ivysaur's struggling gaze, Bulbasaur unleashed the concentrated beam from its back. The scorching ray of pure solar energy struck Ivysaur's body with devastating precision.
In an instant, Ivysaur's body went completely limp, then collapsed to the ground with swirling eyes, having lost its ability to battle.
'My thinking was too naive,' Venusaur said in a dejected voice, unable to face the reality that its long-held beliefs had been nothing but self-serving delusions. 'I thought I could help them become stronger, never imagining it would actually be counterproductive...'
'I remember meeting a depressed Ghost-type Pokémon at Professor Oak's lab,' Aerodactyl said thoughtfully, recalling the ancient Gengar drawing circles in the corner while Professor Oak muttered nearby. 'That guy said something that left quite an impression on me, very suitable for your current situation.'
'What did it say?' Venusaur asked in surprise, not expecting Aerodactyl to offer comfort.
'To know one's mistakes and correct them—there is no greater good,' Aerodactyl said with unexpected wisdom. As a former clan leader, Aerodactyl could understand Venusaur's feelings, but in the cruel environment of ancient times, helping the weak was often just vanity disguised as virtue.
Just as Aerodactyl had abandoned its clan without looking back—in the Sky King's eyes, personal strength was fundamental to survival, while the clan was merely shackles restricting its flight through the heavens.
'Besides, I don't think you did much wrong,' Aerodactyl continued, softening its tone. 'After all, there are many with insufficient talent. If these little ones don't absorb your blessing, they might never evolve at all.'
Seeing Venusaur's continued melancholy, Aerodactyl offered this final comfort, hoping to ease the ancient sovereign's troubled heart and allow it to move forward without the burden of regret.
[Chapter Complete]
***
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