Just as Ash was about to speak to Bulbasaur, the girl returned with hot tea and handed a cup to Ash and Brock. Ash set his thoughts aside, accepted the teacup, and thanked her.
"Excuse me... May I know your name, beautiful lady?" Brock asked, taking his teacup.
He tried to reach for the girl's hand, which startled her, causing her to step back repeatedly. Bulbasaur positioned itself protectively in front of her, glaring at Brock.
"Brock, stop doing things that could be misunderstood!"
Misty emerged from the bedroom, now dressed, and shouted at Brock in annoyance. Turning to the girl, she added, "I'm sorry; Brock didn't mean any harm; that's just how he is."
The girl remembered Misty's earlier explanation and felt somewhat reassured, but she still kept her distance from Brock, edging closer to Misty.
Sighing at Brock's awkwardness, Ash couldn't help but think how such behavior would never win him the affection of any beautiful lady.
"Thank you..." The girl, Melanie, handed the remaining teacup to Misty. After Misty accepted it with a smile, she asked the question that had been on Brock's mind.
"By the way, I haven't asked your name yet. My name is Misty; what about you?"
"My name is Melanie," the girl replied. However, before she could finish, Brock, excited upon hearing her name, knelt down on one knee, sliding closer to her.
"So this beautiful big sister is named Melanie? What an honor to know your name! It's just like..." But before he could finish, Bulbasaur swiftly used Vine Whip, lifting Brock into the air.
"Ahahaha..." Melanie giggled at the sight, feeling embarrassed but also relieved, realizing that Brock had no ill intentions; he was just genuinely odd.
---
After a short while, everyone sat in the living room sipping hot tea, discussing how Melanie came to live in this small house.
Melanie was from a nearby village. After rescuing an injured Pokémon, she discovered that many others had similar plights. So, she built this hut to care for these injured creatures.
Eventually, she realized that, in addition to the injured Pokémon, many had been abandoned or betrayed by their trainers, a situation far graver than those who were merely injured.
Bulbasaur was one such Pokémon, abandoned by its trainer under unknown circumstances. When Bulbasaur arrived here, it found Melanie caring for the other Pokémon and decided to stay,
dedicating itself to protecting the injured and Melanie, the kind-hearted human.
Bulbasaur refused to let any humans disturb this peaceful place, which is why it confronted Ash and his friends when they approached.
"The Pokémon abandoned by humans..." Brock held his teacup, falling into silence. This was the last thing he wanted to witness as he aspired to be a top breeder.
It might be due to a Pokémon's shortcomings or a trainer's lack of understanding. After some trainers catch Pokémon, they may abandon them if they no longer feel a connection.
In the games, this happens daily. Countless Pokémon hatched from eggs are discarded by trainers, which is standard in a game but seems harsh in reality.
Everything in the game is just data, yet Pokémon in real life are sentient beings with emotions. No one would feel good about being cast aside.
Ash sighed inwardly at Bulbasaur's seemingly indifferent demeanor. This kind of issue was difficult to tackle; it stemmed from some people's actions, and he alone couldn't change it.
The Pokémon League had introduced laws to combat this, but sadly, it couldn't completely prevent such behavior. Some trainers would still secretly release their Pokémon into the wild, making it hard for the League to monitor everything.
"Pikapi..." Pikachu approached Bulbasaur, trying to communicate, but Bulbasaur ignored it completely, choosing to close its eyes instead.
"Are there many Pokémon like this here?" Misty asked eagerly.
"Not many, but there are seventeen Pokémon, not counting Bulbasaur, along with a few others that were caught and chose to leave..." Melanie explained softly.
"There's just one problem at the moment..." Melanie hesitated before speaking again.
"What kind of problem? Can we help?" Brock offered immediately. The kind-hearted girl had touched his heart; he realized he genuinely liked her for more than just her looks.
Melanie looked at Bulbasaur, deliberating for a moment before whispering, "Most of the Pokémon who stayed here were caught, but they're unwilling to leave and see the outside world."
She didn't mean this because she couldn't care for the Pokémon; she wanted them to regain hope, muster courage, and step out of their comfort zones.
If they got hurt, she would welcome them back.
However, the problem was Bulbasaur!
Thanks to Bulbasaur's protection, no outsiders or aggressive Pokémon disturbed the area, which led these Pokémon to become lazy and unwilling to return to the forest.
Melanie wanted to see them venture out and rediscover their own lives.
Brock nodded in agreement after hearing her explanation. This was indeed a good approach for the Pokémon. An overly comfortable environment could hinder their growth.
Bulbasaur lay with its eyes shut, appearing asleep, but its ears twitched occasionally, clearly hearing Melanie's words while pretending not to.
From Bulbasaur's perspective, as long as Melanie didn't address it directly, it could act as though it didn't know, allowing it to stay there forever with someone to accompany it and many friends.
It... hated being alone...
---
Adios