"Venusaur!"
The Venusaur that walked out of the tree hollow stood atop a massive tree ring ahead, letting out a kingly roar toward the Bulbasaur below. The Bulbasaur all fell silent and looked up at their king.
"It's a Venusaur!" Ash exclaimed excitedly, quickly pulling out his Pokédex. "Venusaur, the Seed Pokémon, the evolved form of Ivysaur. It often stays still in sunny places—some believe it's performing photosynthesis."
"Strange, where's my Bulbasaur?" Ash wondered.
"Right, your Bulbasaur has a bandage on its forehead," Misty reminded him.
After searching for a while, Ash finally spotted one standing at the very back, looking around in confusion, a bandage on its forehead—it was his Bulbasaur.
Just as Ash was about to call out loudly, Red covered his mouth.
"Ash, we're uninvited guests here. Keep it down."
"Venu—"
"Saur—"
Following Venusaur's roar, the Bulbasaur below gazed up at it with admiration and began to sing along with its rhythm. Only Ash's Bulbasaur stubbornly refused to open its mouth, lowering its head in resistance.
"Venusaur!"
After the singing portion of the ritual ended, Venusaur released the power of nature, helping the Bulbasaur in front begin to evolve. Pollen drifted down from the flower on its back.
As the pollen entered the bulbs on the Bulbasaur's backs, the bulbs gradually bloomed into pink buds. From the base of the buds grew four green leaves resembling banana leaves, spreading in a cross shape—extending upward, backward, and to both sides.
With a dazzling white light, many Bulbasaur changed in size, gradually evolving into Ivysaur.
"Ivysaur, the Seed Pokémon, the evolved form of Bulbasaur. It carries a large bud on its back."
As the evolution ritual concluded, Venusaur and the Ivysaur prepared for the next part of the festival—praising the nature that granted them strength.
"This is an evolution festival!" Ash said, fascinated.
"Whether Bulbasaur is more plant or animal has always been debated. But life can't be sustained without both aspects," Brock sighed.
"Everyone depends on each other," Misty added.
"They might symbolize all life on this planet," Brock murmured.
"Bulbasaur… did mine evolve too?"
Ash suddenly realized and turned to look at his Bulbasaur.
"Unfortunately, Ash, it seems your Bulbasaur doesn't want to evolve," Red said calmly.
"Why not?" Ash asked in confusion.
Under the gazes of Red and the others, as well as Venusaur and the Ivysaur, Bulbasaur was drenched in sweat, struggling against the changes in its body. It suppressed the growth of the bulb on its back and resisted the faint glow emerging from within, stubbornly refusing to evolve.
The Bulbasaur that chose not to evolve immediately stood out as an anomaly, drawing the attention of the king Venusaur and the Ivysaur. Venusaur glared at it and roared: "Since you've come here, whether you evolve is no longer your choice!"
"I don't want to evolve! I won't hurt Ash! I don't need this kind of charity power!" Bulbasaur shook its head in refusal.
"You ungrateful!" Venusaur roared. This was the first time it had encountered a subject daring to defy it, and as a king, it felt anger rise at Bulbasaur's stubbornness.
The other Ivysaur, seeing Bulbasaur defy Venusaur, also began to glare at it with hostility.
"They all seem angry at Bulbasaur!" Ash said.
"Not just seem—your Bulbasaur is too stubborn. For those who challenge the king's authority, these Ivysaur won't show any kindness," Red explained.
"Stop!"
When Ash saw Venusaur use Vine Whip, he rushed forward and stood in front of Bulbasaur, trying to take the attack for it.
But the familiar pain never came. Ash opened his eyes in confusion and saw that Red, riding Fossil Aerodactyl, had blocked the attack for him.
"This thing is—?!" Ash exclaimed in shock, unable to believe Fossil Aerodactyl had saved him.
"Don't worry. After some time at Professor Oak's Laboratory, Fossil Aerodactyl has adapted to modern Pokémon food. It's not as bloodthirsty as before," Red explained.
(Though that might not be the case in battle…)
Because of the friendly Power of Viridian emanating from Red, Venusaur chose not to continue attacking and withdrew its thick vines.
Although it felt a certain affinity toward Red personally, Venusaur and the Ivysaur still rejected the uninvited Ash and his group, casting hostile looks at them.
"I'm sorry. We shouldn't have come in without permission. But this Bulbasaur is our friend. Are you all angry because it refuses to evolve?"
"If it's caused flaws in the festival, then as its friend, I apologize! But think about it—there's no need to force it to evolve right now, is there?"
Ash tried to explain Bulbasaur's reasons, but as a king, Venusaur had no intention of listening. Instead, it used its power of nature to revive a withered tree behind it, demonstrating to Ash and Bulbasaur that evolution was the only path to strength.
"Wow, it can control nature!" Brock said in shock.
"That's the power after evolving?!" Misty added.
"No, this isn't something ordinary Venusaur can do. It just means this Venusaur has the talent to wield nature's power," Red explained.
Venusaur displayed the might of nature to Bulbasaur, but Bulbasaur felt no admiration for it and remained stubbornly firm in its beliefs.
"I'm sorry, Bulbasaur. I heard you were about to evolve and got so excited…"
Ash looked apologetically at Bulbasaur, then turned to Venusaur and the Ivysaur.
"Everyone, I want to respect Bulbasaur's feelings. How it chooses to live is its own freedom."
An annoyed Venusaur ignored Ash's words and used Vine Whip again, deciding to teach Bulbasaur a lesson. Just as the thick vine was about to strike, Fossil Aerodactyl intervened with a Wing Attack and blocked it.
"Venusaur, I admire your strength. Become my partner!"
Red extended his right hand, inviting Venusaur to join him.
But as a long-standing king, Venusaur would not agree so easily. Although it felt affinity toward Red due to his Power of Viridian, it would not let that cloud its judgment. To capture Venusaur, one had to prove their strength.
"Fine. I don't want you to underestimate me either. Let Fossil Aerodactyl test your strength!"
With that, Red leapt down from Fossil Aerodactyl, preparing to command it in battle against Venusaur.
"Fossil Aerodactyl, use Wing Attack!"
Fossil Aerodactyl vanished instantly, reappearing before Venusaur. Before Venusaur could react, its glowing wings struck decisively.
"Venusaur!"
Venusaur cried out in pain, then spat out a massive seed from its flower, using Seed Bomb.
The giant seed exploded upon hitting Fossil Aerodactyl. Fortunately, Fossil Aerodactyl used Wing Attack in time to reduce the damage, avoiding serious injury.
Venusaur exhaled heavily. For some reason, using Seed Bomb seemed to consume twice the usual stamina, making it sense something was off.
That's right—this was the effect of Fossil Aerodactyl's newly stacked second Ability: Pressure.
With this Ability, Fossil Aerodactyl imposed pressure on its opponent, doubling the stamina cost of their moves, fully displaying the dominance it once held as the king of the ancient skies.
Not only did Venusaur feel this pressure, but even the watching Ivysaur were subtly affected, their breathing growing heavier.
"Fossil Aerodactyl, use Stone Edge!"
Sharp stone blades floated around Fossil Aerodactyl, then shot rapidly toward Venusaur under its command.
Seeing this, Venusaur immediately used Razor Leaf. Two heavy leaves launched from its back, slicing through the stone blades like great blades and even reaching Fossil Aerodactyl.
But Fossil Aerodactyl remained calm, using Fire Fang. Its flame-coated fangs shattered the leaves, burning them to ashes in an instant.