Morning sunlight filtered through the gaps in the tent, shining in at an angle.
The spots of light fell on Roy's face, warm and cozy.
He rolled over, his arm habitually reaching out to the side.
He touched a soft body.
Misty was lying on his chest, her chin resting on his collarbone, her eyes wide open, staring at him.
"Hm? ... Are you awake?" Roy mumbled groggily.
"Mhm." Misty replied softly, her fingers tracing circles on his chest. "I've been awake for a while."
Roy smiled with his eyes closed, his palm rubbing her back.
They had been tossing and turning until midnight last night.
Based on past experience, Misty would definitely sleep in the next morning after such shenanigans.
But today was different.
Although Misty's body was still soft, she had woken up early.
Because she was thinking about Togepi.
After releasing the thoughts on her mind, her attention returned to Togepi.
That was the first baby she had hatched with her own hands.
"Why are you up so early today?" Roy opened his eyes and looked at her.
Misty pouted: "I missed Togepi."
After saying that, she lay back down on Roy's chest, unwilling to move.
Although she was awake, she still wanted to lie on Roy for a while longer.
It was warm and very comfortable.
Roy didn't urge her to get up; he hugged her waist with one hand and gently patted her bottom with the other.
The two of them stayed there quietly for a while.
Outside the tent, bird calls echoed one after another.
The sunlight was getting brighter.
As Misty lay there, her body suddenly stiffened slightly.
She tilted her head and stared at the clothes Roy had placed to the side.
"Hm?"
She squinted.
"Roy." She lowered her voice and gently poked Roy's chest with her elbow.
"Hm?" Roy was still keeping his eyes closed.
"I see your pants moving."
Roy opened one eye and looked at her: "What pants are moving? I haven't even put on my pants yet. Are you using some kind of code? Do you want to do some morning exercise?"
While speaking, he reached out to hug her waist.
Misty slapped his chest with a smack: "Hey! You have no sense of propriety! Wasn't last night enough?"
Roy chuckled.
"I'm being serious with you!" Misty glared at him, then pointed to the side, "Look at your pants next to you, they really are moving!"
Seeing that she didn't look like she was joking, Roy turned his head to look.
The pants draped in the corner of the tent.
They were indeed moving.
The pocket area of the pants was bulging and sinking.
It looked like something was arching back and forth inside.
Roy raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
He reached out and pulled the pants over.
The thing in the pocket was still moving, and he could feel a slight vibration through the fabric.
Roy reached his hand into the pocket and felt around, pulling out a few poké balls.
One of them was vibrating slightly.
A faint green light was glowing on the surface of the ball.
It was flashing on and off.
It looked like the rhythm of breathing.
Roy picked up this poké ball and brought it close to his eyes to examine it carefully.
It was the poké ball of Venusaur.
"Venusaur?" Misty also leaned in to look, "Why is its poké ball moving?"
"I don't know." Roy frowned, "This is the first time I've seen this situation."
The green light inside the poké ball was getting brighter.
The amplitude of the vibration was also getting larger.
It felt like the Venusaur inside was restless.
"Let it out and see." Misty said.
Roy nodded.
He and Misty exchanged a look, then quickly put on their clothes, pulled back the tent curtain, and walked out.
The morning air carried a hint of chill.
Delia was already up and preparing breakfast by the campfire.
Eevee and Pikachu were also awake, chasing and playing next to the camp.
Togepi was lying on Eevee's fluffy big tail, tilting its head to watch the two little guys play.
Hearing the movement, Delia looked up.
"Good morning." She smiled, then noticed Roy holding a poké ball with an odd expression, "What's wrong?"
"Venusaur's poké ball is acting abnormally." Roy said, pressing the button on the poké ball.
A red light flashed.
Venusaur was released.
But the moment it came out, everyone was stunned.
Venusaur didn't stand firmly on the ground as usual.
It collapsed directly onto the ground.
Its four legs were weak and couldn't support its body.
Its huge body was trembling slightly.
"Venusaur..." Its Growl was listless, sounding very weak.
"What's going on?" Delia put down what she was holding and hurried over.
Misty also stepped forward and squatted down to look at Venusaur.
She examined it carefully.
There were no scars on Venusaur, nor any signs of having battled.
But its state was clearly wrong.
It looked listless all over.
Most striking was the large flower on its back.
That huge, originally bright and full flower was currently drooping slightly.
The edges of the petals were faintly glowing with a pale green light.
That green light wasn't a normal color.
Instead, it was an unnatural radiance, as if energy had been forcibly mobilized by something.
The light was flashing on and off.
It was exactly the same as the reaction of the poké ball earlier.
"What happened to Venusaur?" Misty reached out and touched Venusaur's head.
Venusaur feebly rubbed against her palm.
Even the strength of its rubbing was much lighter than usual.
Delia squatted down and carefully checked Venusaur's condition.
Although she wasn't a Pokemon doctor, she had been traveling with Roy for so long that she still possessed basic observation skills.
She pried open Venusaur's eyelids to take a look, then touched the petals on its back.
"No external injuries, and its body temperature is normal." Delia frowned, "But its condition... it's like its stamina has been drained by something."
Misty tilted her head and thought: "That's not right, Venusaur was eating just fine yesterday."
She looked at Roy: "Roy, what did you take Venusaur to fight yesterday? Was it bullied by some powerful wild Pokemon?"
"How is that possible?" Roy shook his head, "Who among the wild Pokemon around here can even beat Venusaur?"
This wasn't him boasting.
Venusaur was currently level 52, which was definitely an overlord-level existence in this area.
And its strength wasn't just for show; it had been earned through real battles.
Roy squatted down and pressed his hand on Venusaur's forehead.
He closed his eyes.
Aura was released and penetrated into Venusaur's body.
The power of Aura circulated through Venusaur's body once, and the feedback made Roy's brows furrow even tighter.
Venusaur's body was indeed very weak.
The energy circulation in its body was in chaos, as if it had been interfered with by some external force.
But strangely, there were no external injuries, nor signs of poisoning or illness.
In yesterday's battle, Venusaur hadn't been injured at all.
And it hadn't encountered any abnormal situations.
"I can't find anything." Roy withdrew his hand and shook his head, "There's nothing wrong with its body, but it's just weak."
"Then what should we do?" Misty was anxious.
Although she didn't interact much with Roy's Pokemon, they were companions traveling together, and seeing Venusaur like this made her feel anxious too.
Delia, however, was very calm. She turned and walked to the luggage, found the map, and spread it out to look.
"Roy, there seems to be a Pokémon Center nearby." Delia pointed to a mark on the map, "It's about three kilometers to the east."
Roy glanced at the map and nodded.
"Alright, let's go to the Pokémon Center first to check it out."
He took out the poké ball and recalled Venusaur.
The green light on the surface of the ball was still flashing, showing no signs of weakening.
The three of them quickly packed up the camp.
Misty ran over to pick up Togepi from Eevee's tail, carefully holding it in her arms.
Eevee and Pikachu were also recalled into their poké balls.
Delia packed up the breakfast simply, ready to eat on the road.
Ten minutes later, the three of them set off.
Roy walked in the front to clear the way, Misty held Togepi in the middle, and Delia walked at the very back.
The path in the forest was winding, and the sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, dappled and mottled.
Misty looked down at Togepi in her arms as she walked, the little guy was opening its big eyes and looking around curiously.
"Be good, baby." Misty coaxed softly, "We are taking Venusaur to see a doctor, you have to be good."
Togepi tilted its head and made a milky sound.
Misty's heart melted at its sound.
If not for the current situation, she would definitely have hugged Togepi and kissed it several times.
Roy walked in front, his mind also mulling over Venusaur's situation.
He had indeed taken Venusaur out to level up yesterday.
But he had only fought ordinary Pokemon, which couldn't possibly have caused any damage to Venusaur.
And that kind of green light...
It didn't look like a sign of injury or poisoning.
It was more like some kind of resonance.
As if the energy in Venusaur's body was being pulled by something and drawn outward.
This feeling was very strange.
After walking for about half an hour, the forest began to thin out.
An open space appeared ahead.
A building with a red roof and white walls was situated in the center of the open space.
Pokémon Center.
Roy quickened his pace and walked over, pushing open the door.
The hall was very quiet, with almost no one there.
Nurse Joy was sitting behind the counter organizing data, and when she heard the door open, she looked up.
"Welcome to the Pokémon Cen..." She stopped halfway through her sentence, saw Roy walking over in a hurry, and immediately switched to work mode, "What happened to your Pokemon?"
"My Venusaur's condition is not right." Roy placed the poké ball on the counter, "It was fine last night, but this morning it was listless, and the flower on its back is glowing."
Nurse Joy took the poké ball, glanced at the green light on the surface of the ball, and her expression changed slightly.
But she didn't say much, just nodded: "Alright, I will check it immediately. Please wait a moment, the three of you."
After saying that, she turned and walked into the examination room.
The door closed.
The three of them sat down on the bench in the waiting area.
Misty sat next to Roy holding Togepi, and Delia sat on the other side.
"Don't worry." Delia said softly, "Nurse Joy will find out."
Roy said "Mhm" and leaned back on the chair.
He wasn't particularly worried.
Venusaur's vital signs were stable, so there was no life-threatening danger.
But it was an unknown situation after all.
After waiting for about ten minutes.
The door to the examination room opened.
Nurse Joy came out, holding Venusaur's poké ball in her hand.
The expression on her face wasn't solemn, but carried a relieved smile.
"Sorry to have kept you waiting." Nurse Joy walked behind the counter and placed the poké ball on the table, "Your Venusaur has no major problems."
"Then why was it like that?" Misty asked impatiently.
Nurse Joy smiled and explained: "This is a characteristic of this area."
She tapped a few times on the computer, pulled up some data, and turned the screen to Roy and the others.
"There is a very special place in this area called the Mysterious Garden."
Roy and Misty both leaned over to look at the screen.
Delia also leaned forward slightly.
The screen showed a regional map, with one location marked.
"Mysterious Garden?" Misty repeated the name.
"Yes." Nurse Joy continued, "It is a mysterious place that only appears in certain seasons. Recently, it is the flowering season, so the Mysterious Garden has appeared."
She pointed at the mark on the screen with her finger.
"There is a magical power in this garden that mobilizes the power of all Venusaur in the vicinity to provide a help to the surrounding trees and flowers to bloom, and also provide a help for Bulbasaur and Ivysaur to evolve."
Roy raised an eyebrow: "So Venusaur was affected by the power of that garden?"
"Exactly." Nurse Joy nodded, "Your Venusaur is very strong, so its sensing range is relatively large. Even from a distance, the energy in its body was partially mobilized by the garden's power. This is not a bad thing; it's just a temporary weakness caused by energy resonance. Once the flowering season passes, or after leaving this area, its condition will recover."
So that was it.
Roy breathed a sigh of relief.
It was good that it wasn't sick.
Misty also breathed a sigh of relief, looking down to touch the head of Togepi in her arms: "It's okay, it's okay, Venusaur is fine."
Togepi shook its body happily.
A relieved smile appeared on Delia's face as well.
Just then, a crisp system notification sound suddenly rang in Roy's mind.
[Ding! Triggered Quest — Mysterious Garden Challenge: With Venusaur as the main focus, you can use up to three Pokemon to challenge the Venusaur leader of the Mysterious Garden, and persist for 30 minutes.]
[Quest Reward: Venusaur Level +3, Venusaur Legendary Item — Double Flower: After Venusaur uses it, an incredible positive change will occur.]
...
Hearing the system's notification, Roy felt a stir in his heart.
Mysterious Garden.
He knew a little bit about this place.
In that garden, there was a particularly powerful Venusaur, completely different from ordinary Venusaur.
That Venusaur controlled the entire Venusaur race in this vast forest.
It even influenced part of the ecology of this forest.
It could be said to be a small regional deity in this forest.
Although he didn't know its specific level.
But the quest given by the system just now was to persist for thirty minutes.
Not to defeat, not to beat.
It was to persist.
This spoke volumes.
If it were just an ordinary strong enemy, the system quest would certainly require defeating or winning.
But the objective of this quest was to survive under its attacks for thirty minutes, which was enough to show that the combat power of this Venusaur leader might far exceed his current understanding.
And the system also allowed him to send out three Pokemon.
Three against one.
And still only need to persist for thirty minutes.
Roy calculated in his heart that if his three strongest Pokemon went up together, plus his Aura and Psychic assistance, it would be almost impossible for an opponent of the same level to withstand their joint attack.
But now the situation was reversed.
The opponent was taking on three, and he only needed to persist?
This meant that the Venusaur leader was exceptionally powerful, possibly possessing an abnormal size, plus a super high level.
The quest difficulty was not low!