"Bulbasaur, you're back! These three are…"
"My name is Ash, I'm from Pallet Town. This is Misty, from Cerulean City, and Serena, she's from the Kalos Region."
"Hello... My name is Melanie, and I'm the caretaker of this nursing home. What brings you here?"
In response to Melanie's question, Ash explained his purpose directly.
He wanted to catch Bulbasaur,
But Bulbasaur had refused to go with him because he wanted to protect the Pokémon sanctuary.
"So that's how it is…"
"Ms. Melanie, if you need Pokémon to protect this sanctuary from bad people, I can report it to the Pokémon League and have this place officially registered as an outdoor nursing site. The League can send people to guard it."
Right now, Ash also held some influence within the League.
Although not as a full-time Trainer, but as a researcher,
He still had authority and credibility.
If he made a request to establish a rescue point here,
The League would not object.
Melanie was momentarily stunned, clearly not expecting Ash to take Bulbasaur's wish so seriously.
But she still shook her head.
"There's no need. This nursing home is just something I started on a whim."
"Bulbasaur has been helping me, and I'm truly grateful to him."
"But I know this isn't good for his future growth."
"If Bulbasaur stays here forever, he'll never grow stronger."
"So... Bulbasaur, if you like this boy named Ash, then you should go with him."
"Don't worry about me. The reason I built this place was to help every injured Pokémon as best I could."
"But if my infirmary ends up hindering a Pokémon's natural growth, then I would rather it not exist."
Melanie's words left Bulbasaur silent.
Rationally, he knew she was right.
If he continued to stay here, he would never truly grow.
And following Ash...
He had already felt it from the moment he tasted Ash's food.
Ash was definitely no ordinary Trainer!
That food alone was immensely beneficial for his growth.
So the difference between staying here and going with Ash—
Was like heaven and earth!
But emotionally,
He still felt reluctant to leave Melanie after spending so much time together.
Just then, Team Rocket appeared!
Once again, they were driving a giant machine and began wreaking havoc.
At first, Bulbasaur fought them alone.
But against Team Rocket's powerful vacuum device, he was nearly defeated!
Then Ash sent out Frogadier.
Two swift cuts from Frogadier sent the trio and their machine flying into the sky!
Their defeat once again rewarded Ash with a purple entry.
To be precise, that entry came from Meowth.
The cat who brings wealth is still the cat who brings wealth!
"Dana! Dana Dana!"
Bulbasaur looked at Frogadier, who stood ready in front of Ash, and his eyes became determined.
He then walked up to Ash and let out a firm cry.
He wanted to become stronger! He didn't want to stay weak and trapped!
If he continued to be a frog in a well,
Then when facing stronger enemies again, he would only end up defeated, unable to protect anything!
Team Rocket's attack had completely made up Bulbasaur's mind to follow Ash.
"You won't regret this decision. I'll train you to become the strongest Bulbasaur in the world!"
Ash squatted down and gently patted Bulbasaur's warm head, letting out a relieved breath.
Misty glanced at Serena and whispered, "Team Rocket actually did something good this time. Without them, Bulbasaur might've stayed conflicted for much longer."
"Yeah, but something still bothers me…"
"They've been blasted away so many times, yet every single time, they show up again perfectly fine! Falling from that height should've left them injured, if not worse."
"But every time we meet them, the trio's full of energy again…"
Hearing this, Misty also went quiet.
It was true—those three were knocked away by Ash almost every time!
And not just lightly. They were literally sent flying into the sky!
Falling from that height...
Forget people,
Even Pokémon might end up paralyzed!
But those three always showed up again, alive and well, like indestructible cockroaches.
Who in the world were they really?
...
After Ash caught Bulbasaur, the three continued on their journey to Vermilion City.
With the addition of their new companion,
Ash began researching recipes specifically suited for Bulbasaur's diet.
As the number of Pokémon increased, so did the number of meals he had to prepare.
But this wasn't difficult for him.
After all, Ash's endurance and physical strength were superhuman.
With Misty and Serena helping him, meal preparation time was usually under half an hour.
That said,
The most suitable place for Bulbasaur was probably Professor Oak's laboratory.
After all, it was full of flowers and trees—perfect for Bulbasaur to use his Growth of All Things ability.
But for now, Ash wanted to personally build Bulbasaur's foundation first.
Every tall tower starts from solid ground.
The group traveled for another two days.
Finally, they neared a wild Pokémon Center.
At that moment, Ash, using his waveguide to scout ahead, sensed a faint, weak energy signal nearby.
So, instead of heading directly to the Pokémon Center, he led the girls toward the source.
"…Ash, are you sure there's a weak Pokémon here?"
"My waveguide doesn't lie. Hasn't it been right all along?"
"But this place looks so remote…"
Before Misty could finish her words, Ash parted some bushes—
And there, lying quietly on a rock, was a small dragon Pokémon with a dim flame flickering on its tail.
"Little... Charmander?!"
Misty gasped in surprise.
What kind of incredible luck was this?!
First they'd met a Bulbasaur, and now a Charmander?!
Even though these Pokémon were given to new Trainers as starters,
They were incredibly rare to find in the wild!
And somehow, they had encountered two of them in such a short span of time!
That was beyond unbelievable!
(End of the chapter)