That night, in the lobby of the Pokémon Center in the mountains, Gary Oak sat in a chair by the glass, holding a cup of coffee. Arcanine lay quietly at his feet, cradling Togepi's egg. Eevee curiously widened its eyes, watching the colorful trails of pollen dancing in the monsoon winds outside. Wherever the shimmering trails passed, flowers bloomed in abundance, transforming the entire mountain area into a vibrant garden.
"The power to change nature~ Tsk tsk," Gary marveled.
"With such immense energy, it's probably not just a simple opponent," Lorelei remarked, her glasses glinting with wisdom under the moonlight.
"No worries; it's good to greet this Venusaur," Gary replied as he stood up, and behind him, Charizard put down its bottle and followed suit. As the top Fire-type Pokémon of Gary's team, this task was meant for him alone.
"Be back soon~" Lorelei waved from the entrance without following them. Since it was Gary who wanted to capture a Pokémon, all a good woman needed to do was wait for his triumphant return.
With Charizard by his side, Gary stepped deeper into the forest.
Following the guidance of the pollen, Gary arrived at a row of dense trees. The trees stood in an orderly fashion like a wall, hinting at something extraordinary behind them.
"Whoa!" A vine whip cracked against the ground as Gary halted in his tracks. Pat-pat-pat~ Footsteps echoed around him as six or seven Ivysaur emerged from the woods, blocking his path.
"Ivy- Saur!" (Leave here, stranger; this is a warning, not a request!) The lead Ivysaur spoke aggressively.
"Roar!" Charizard stepped forward, flames flaring up on its tail! Boom! The intense heat made several Ivysaur instinctively take two steps back.
"Everyone stay calm; we mean no harm." Activating Viridian Power, a green aura slowly radiated from Gary, calming the surrounding Bulbasaur. Instantly, they all showed relaxed expressions, and even the lead Bulbasaur eased its guard.
"Da Ni!" A deep voice came from afar as Bulbasaur nodded and extended a vine to tug at Gary's arm.
"You mean to say you want to take me to see your leader?" Gary asked with a smile.
"Da Ni~" The Ivysaur nodded. A line of Ivysaur formed and led Gary and Charizard forward.
As they passed through the lush forest, they arrived at a vast grassy area. In the center stood an ancient tree so large that it would take dozens of people to embrace it together. Approaching the front of the ancient tree, slight tremors could be felt from within its massive hollow trunk.
A gigantic Venusaur slowly emerged before Gary.
"Wow~" Gary couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. A normal adult Venusaur is about three meters long and two meters tall. However, this one before him was nearly five meters long and over three meters tall—a true giant! Charizard's expression turned serious as it tensed up, ready to unleash its full power at any moment.
"Da Nai~" The giant Venusaur glanced lightly at Charizard before pulling out a massive leaf from its back. In the center of that leaf was a golden liquid that smelled incredibly sweet with some bubbling effervescence. Curious, Charizard extended its tongue and took a lick. Instantly, its eyes lit up—nectar wine! What a treat! Receiving the leaf, Charizard sat down and began drinking heartily.
Gary chuckled helplessly; no wonder this Venusaur was the leader—it knew how to handle social situations well!
"Da Nai Da Nai~" The giant Venusaur approached Gary, revealing a slight smile. Whether it was an illusion or not, Gary felt an air of kindness emanating from it—
"Young child of the forest, have you come seeking companions?" The voice of Venusaur echoed in Gary's mind. Feeling relaxed now, he sat beside Venusaur.
"Yes! Everyone says you are the best Venusaur, so I came." Taking advantage of this moment, Gary pulled out his Pokédex:
Venusaur (Ruler—Elder Forest Guardian)
Qualification: Semi-Champion
Ability: Overgrow
Level: 99
Height: 3 m
Weight: 150 kg
Skills: Solar Beam, Synthesis, Body Slam, Take Down, Petal Dance, Leaf Blade, Earthquake, Toxic Spikes, Light Screen, Energy Ball, Sunny Day...
Wow! Gary's mouth twitched at seeing those stats; this Venusaur in its prime could probably rub him into the ground!
"Young child of the forest," said Venusaur, now lying beside him. "I have grown old; my greatest role is guiding these children along their evolutionary paths. So regrettably... I may not be able to leave with you." Lying next to him was this giant Venusaur, filled with both satisfaction and regret in its heart.
From deeper within the forest came dozens of curious Bulbasaur, surrounding their leader as they nestled on the grass. All around them glowed with evolution light as they prepared for their transformations into new Ivysaurs and eventually new Venusaurs. Soon enough, these newly evolved Pokémon would form new groups and continue their life cycles in various forests across the land.
"Doo doo doo doo~ Doo doo~ Doo doo doo~ Doo doo doo doo~" A melodious flute sound resonated from Venusaur's breath. All surrounding Bulbasaur swayed gently along with it while showing peaceful expressions on their faces.
Charizard let out a burp and promptly fell asleep...
In this tranquil incredible garden filled with singing Venusaurs, along with harmonious little ones like Bulbasaur, Gary found himself losing interest in capturing Pokémon. At this moment, he didn't want to disrupt such a comfortable atmosphere either.
As the flute melody faded away and all but Gary and Venusaur drifted into sweet slumber...
The elder Venusaur gazed lovingly at its kin before gently extending a vine to pick up one little Ivysaur, placing it before Gary.
"What is this?" he asked curiously.
"Please wait for me~" The elder smiled softly as it stood up. Suddenly, vibrant green light began emanating from its flowers...
Buzz~ Buzz~! Under this green energy's influence, several buds on nearby Ivysaur's backs began flashing rhythmically. Drip—A drop of golden nectar fell from one flower onto a bud below it.
Buzz! A verdant aura enveloped that little Ivysaur, causing its bud to explode with brilliant light.
"It evolved!" exclaimed Gary, eyes wide open in amazement. A robustly built new Venusaur appeared before him amidst soft white radiance.
"Da Nai~" The newly evolved Venusaur gazed adoringly at its elder counterpart. As the green glow faded away from around it and its elder grew slightly weaker while looking toward Gary, it spoke softly:
"Child of the forest—this is my offspring. I have allowed it to inherit my natural powers; even if it cannot match your Charizard's strength right now—it is still an exceptional Pokémon."
"Will you accept it?" Looking into the hopeful eyes of elder Venusaur, Gary's heart stirred slightly. This elder seemed aware of its uniqueness; thus it willingly sacrificed some vitality just to entrust its child into his hands?
"Of course! As long as it wishes for me to be its trainer—I will treat it like family," he nodded earnestly.
The newly evolved Venusaur, understanding what had just transpired between them and its mother walked forward and gently touched foreheads with her. Having completed their farewell ritual with each other, it approached Gary, nodding solemnly yet resolutely.
Reaching out to pet its large head brought forth feelings of gratitude within him; he never expected to acquire such a special Pokémon through this means! With elder Venusaur's legacy passed on—the new Venusaur would serve as an excellent foundation for future growth as well!
"From now on—I'll rely on you!" Taking out a Poké Ball gently pressed against Venusaur's forehead,
It transformed into red light that entered his Poké Ball—officially joining his team!
"Da Nai~" Elder Venusaur squinted happily; following alongside a trainer blessed by nature seemed like an ideal fate for its child!
With slow steps backward toward deeper tree hollows without looking back—Elder Venusaur departed while watching over sleeping little ones around them as Gary stood up beside Charizard once more.
"Let's go home now!" he said softly while turning away from this magical garden filled with beauty...