Chapter 4: 4. Chapter 4: The Second Pokémon, Bulbasaur

Chapter 4: The Second Pokémon, Bulbasaur

"Ralts, use Confusion!"

At Xia You's command, Bulbasaur's body was suddenly enveloped in light. It was as if it had been struck by an invisible force, sending it flying into mid-air!

After the initial panic, and while continuing to take damage, it didn't choose to surrender. Instead, enduring the pain while unable to move its body, it lashed out fiercely at Ralts with its Vine Whip!

Xia You naturally wouldn't let Ralts take that attack head-on.

"Use Teleport!"

Through the red horn on its head, Ralts could keenly sense Xia You's emotions. Bolstered by long-term combat experience, Ralts used Teleport the very moment the words left Xia You's mouth, vanishing from the spot without a trace.

*Snap! Snap!*

The Vine Whip lashed against the ground, kicking up countless grass clippings!

When Ralts reappeared, it was no longer in front of Bulbasaur, but behind it!

As Ralts waved its hands, Bulbasaur's body was sent flying to the side. With a loud *bang*, it slammed hard into a tree trunk before slowly sliding down.

It was just too painful.

Moreover, this barrage of attacks left Bulbasaur with no room to counter.

Letting out a pained cry, the bulb on Bulbasaur's back shook. A seed the size of a peach pit flew out, heading straight for Ralts!

Although it was his first time seeing it, Xia You recognized it instantly: it was Leech Seed, a move that drains an opponent's stamina!

"Ralts, dodge!"

Following his voice, Ralts used Teleport again to evade the attack.

But as Ralts reappeared, it saw Bulbasaur suddenly lunging forward, slamming its body into it with great force.

*I see!*

*It seems it knows a thing or two about predicting moves!*

However, this time, even before Xia You could speak, Bulbasaur's body was once again enveloped in light. But the next second, it was sent flying backward at an even faster speed than it had come, crashing into that same large tree once more!

*Bang!*

The impact even left a dent in the tree trunk!

This time, Bulbasaur could no longer endure it and completely lost consciousness.

Seeing this, Xia You calmly took a Poké Ball from his waist and threw it at Bulbasaur.

Red light enveloped Bulbasaur and pulled it into the Poké Ball. The ball wobbled slightly, and after a short while, with a soft click, the switch went dark.

Success!

A flash of joy crossed Xia You's eyes.

Overall, this battle had been quite easy; it wasn't difficult at all.

Only then did he finally let his guard down.

Even though the battle seemed simple, it was his first time catching a wild Pokémon, so he was still quite excited.

In the distance, several other Bulbasaurs had been attracted by the sounds of the fight and were peering over.

Before they could arrive, Xia You picked up the Poké Ball and quickly retreated, returning to his previous position.

Passing by, he didn't choose to leave immediately. Instead, he took out his phone, aimed it at the Mysterious Garden, and snapped a few photos before leaving, feeling satisfied.

He returned the way he came.

It was the same path, but his mood was completely different from when he had arrived!

Even his footsteps seemed to have become lighter!

When he finally emerged from the forest several hours later, the moon was already hanging high in the sky, surrounded by twinkling stars.

Going and coming back—it had taken so much time...

The moonlight illuminated the earth. With the help of the faint light, Xia You spread out his sleeping bag. Ralts also gathered some branches. Once the campfire was lit, the scorching flames not only drove away the surrounding chill but also brought a touch of brightness to the night.

Taking a set of cookware from his backpack, Xia You set up a pot stand and took out canned instant rations to make a hot, simple meal for himself and his two Pokémon.

The aroma wafted out, drifting gently into the distance with the breeze.

Although he wasn't a master chef, heating up canned food wasn't exactly difficult.

Once everything was ready, Xia You opened the Poké Ball and released Bulbasaur.

A few hours of rest had allowed Bulbasaur to recover most of its stamina, but upon seeing Xia You, it immediately took a step back, its eyes still full of wariness.

"Are you a bit unfamiliar with your current surroundings?" Xia You looked at it, smiled slightly, and said softly, "Bulbasaur, I'm sorry about earlier, but I still want to welcome you to my little family. From now on, please take care of me."

As he spoke, he placed a plate of food in front of Bulbasaur.

The enticing aroma drifted past Bulbasaur.

It sniffed, and saliva immediately began to pool in its mouth.

It was no wonder; when would a wild Pokémon ever smell the aroma of human food?

Almost unable to resist, and seeing such food for the first time, Bulbasaur was deeply drawn to the steaming vegetable soup in front of it!

Xia You smiled silently at this.

Anyone who has tasted this kind of canned food knows that, regardless of whether it's delicious or not, at the very least, it smells very appetizing!

Perhaps unable to bear the hunger in its stomach, or perhaps seeing that Ralts was eating very elegantly, after hesitating for a long time, Bulbasaur finally let down its guard, moved toward the food, and began to eat heartily.

...

The next morning, after breakfast, Xia You followed the path back to Vermilion City and returned to the Cerise Laboratory.

Seeing the Bulbasaur by Xia You's side, everyone, including Ren, was greatly surprised.

Ren, in particular, couldn't wait to ask: "Bulbasaur? You really caught it? Was it in that Mysterious Garden?"

Xia You took out his phone and transferred all the photos of the Mysterious Garden to Professor Cerise.

Professor Cerise opened the photos on his computer, and several heads crowded around to look closely, all of them clicking their tongues in wonder.

"This valley is truly beautiful!"

"So many Bulbasaurs and their evolutions—is this really the Mysterious Garden?"

"Look at that large tree; it must have been there for thousands of years, right?"

After browsing through them carefully, Professor Cerise pushed up his glasses and turned to look at Xia You.

"It seems there is one more person who has discovered the Mysterious Garden. This also validates our hypothesis: the Mysterious Garden is indeed in that forest. Judging by the photos you took, it remains in its original, pristine state, which is undoubtedly the best environment for the life and reproduction of Bulbasaur."

After saying this, he laughed again: "However, I think that for this secret, not only should we not spread the word, but we should ensure it stays that way."

"I think so too," Xia You nodded in agreement. "Although I am a Trainer and caught a Pokémon there, from the perspective of the Pokémon, this hidden habitat should indeed be kept quiet and undisturbed by more people."

Hearing him say this, Professor Cerise looked at Xia You with newfound respect!

Since they were in agreement, everyone tacitly stopped discussing the topic of the Mysterious Garden.

Ren looked down at Bulbasaur.

"This Bulbasaur looks very sturdy; its strength must be quite high, right?"

Even though he was just a researcher, he had a Magnemite named François and usually liked to watch Pokémon battle tournaments. In the laboratory, he was the one who paid the most attention to the strength of Pokémon.

"Yes," Xia You crouched down and patted Bulbasaur on the forehead. "This Bulbasaur is indeed very powerful. It took quite a bit of effort to catch it. And on our way back to Vermilion City this morning, we were challenged by a Youngster. It fought one against two, defeating a Diglett and a Marowak in succession. Thanks to them, my relationship with Bulbasaur has become even closer!"

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Ren didn't know who to praise first.

It had just been caught, and it had already defeated a challenger?

Should he praise the Bulbasaur for being truly powerful, or should he praise its Trainer for his excellent command?

At this moment, Professor Cerise also came over to Xia You.

He looked at Xia You and said solemnly, "Mr. Xia You, actually, there is something I would like to ask of you."

Seeing Professor Cerise's expression so formal, Xia You was very puzzled.

"Professor, please don't be so formal. Just tell me what it is. As long as it's within my power, I will help."

"It's not that serious," Professor Cerise laughed. "Through what happened just now, I've discovered that you are truly unique. You are not only able to discover secrets that ordinary people cannot, but you are also calm and composed, and you know how to look out for Pokémon. Perhaps you really do have some incredible hidden talent. Therefore, would you be willing to serve as a Special Research Fellow for our laboratory?"

"Special Research Fellow?"

Thinking Xia You didn't understand the position, Professor Cerise explained.

"To meet, interact, and communicate with all kinds of Pokémon on this planet during your travels, and then work with us to deepen our understanding of Pokémon and discover the secrets hidden all over the world! How about it? Doesn't that sound interesting?"

Well...

Xia You was stunned, but he didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

It's just...

He clearly remembered that in the anime, Ash and Goh had also served as Special Research Fellows for the Cerise Laboratory. Now, had he taken the first step and done it ahead of them?

(End of chapter)