The Second Pokémon, Bulbasaur

"Ralts, use Confusion!"

At Xia You's command, Bulbasaur's body suddenly became surrounded by light, as if struck by an invisible burst of energy, and it flew straight up into the midair!

Yet after its initial panic, and while continuously taking damage, it chose not to surrender. Instead, enduring the pain while unable to move its body, it lashed out fiercely at Ralts with a Vine Whip!

Naturally, Xia You had no intention of letting Ralts take that attack head-on.

"Use Teleport!"

Through the red horn on its head, Ralts could keenly capture Xia You's emotions. Bolstered by long battle experience, even as Xia You's words barely left his lips, Ralts had already used Teleport, vanishing from its spot and disappearing without a trace.

Snap! Snap!

The Vine Whip lashed the ground, kicking up countless shards of grass!

And when Ralts reappeared, it was no longer in front of Bulbasaur, but right behind it!

As Ralts waved its arms, Bulbasaur's body flew off to one side, and with a thud, it slammed heavily into a tree trunk before slowly sliding down.

It hurt terribly.

Moreover, this kind of continuous onslaught left Bulbasaur completely powerless to parry.

Crying out in pain, the bulb on Bulbasaur's back quivered, and instantly a seed the size of a peach pit flew out from within, heading straight for Ralts!

Although it was the first time he had seen it, Xia You recognized it at a glance as Leech Seed, a move capable of draining an opponent's stamina!

"Ralts, dodge!"

At his voice, Ralts used Teleport once more to evade the attack.

Yet when Ralts reappeared, Bulbasaur lunged forward abruptly, slamming its body hard into it.

So that was it!

It seemed it could pull off a bit of prediction, too!

Yet this time, before Xia You even had to speak, Bulbasaur's body was once again enveloped in light-only for the next second to send it hurtling backward through the air at an even faster speed than when it charged, crashing once more into that large tree!

Thud!

Under the impact, the tree trunk even developed a dent!

And at that, Bulbasaur could no longer endure, losing consciousness entirely.

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

Red light enveloped Bulbasaur, pulling it into the Poké Ball. The Poké Ball wobbled slightly, and after a short moment, accompanied by a soft click, the switch immediately went dark.

Got it!

A trace of joy flashed in Xia You's eyes.

Overall, this battle had been quite relaxing and held no real difficulty.

Only then did the heart he had been holding in finally settle back down.

Despite how simple the battle might have seemed, after all, this was his first time catching a wild Pokémon, so he was still quite excited.

In the distance, a few other Bulbasaurs had been drawn by the sounds of the fight and were peering over toward this spot.

Taking advantage of the moment before they arrived, Xia You picked up the Poké Ball, quickly retreated, and returned to his previous position.

Passing by, he chose not to leave immediately, but instead took out his phone and snapped a few photos of the Garden of Mystery, only then leaving the place with a sense of satisfaction.

He retraced his steps.

It was the same path, but his mood was worlds apart from when he had arrived!

Even his steps seemed to have grown light and nimble!

And when, several hours later, he finally emerged from the forest, the moon hung high in the sky, and the stars were twinkling.

Going and returning, it had turned out to be such a long ordeal...

Moonlight illuminated the earth. With the aid of its faint glow, Xia You laid out his sleeping bag. Ralts had also gathered some twigs, and once the campfire was lit, the scorching flames not only chased away the surrounding chill but also brought a touch of brightness to the night.

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

The rich aroma drifted gently away on the breeze.

Although he wasn't skilled at cooking, heating up cans was hardly a difficult task.

When everything was ready, Xia You finally opened the Poké Ball and let Bulbasaur out.

Hours of rest had restored most of Bulbasaur's stamina, but upon seeing Xia You, it still hurriedly stepped back, its eyes remaining filled with caution.

"Finding the environment a bit unfamiliar?" Looking at it, Xia You smiled slightly, then said softly, "Bulbasaur, I'm really sorry about earlier, but I still want to welcome you to our little family. So, from now on, I'll be counting on you."

With that, he offered a plate of food, placing it right before Bulbasaur.

An enticing fragrance drifted past Bulbasaur.

Sniffing with its nose, Bulbasaur immediately began to salivate.

And no wonder-when had a wild Pokémon ever smelled the aroma of human food?

Virtually unable to resist, and seeing such food for the very first time, Bulbasaur found its gaze deeply drawn to the steaming vegetable chowder before it!

At this, Xia You smiled in silence.

Anyone who had ever tasted this canned food knew that regardless of whether it was delicious or not, at the very least, its aroma smelled utterly appetizing!

Perhaps unable to bear the hunger in its belly, or perhaps seeing Ralts eating so gracefully, Bulbasaur finally lowered its guard after long hesitation, crept up to the food, and began to eat heartily.

Early the next morning, after breakfast, Xia You followed the road he had taken and returned to Vermilion City, heading back to the Cerise Laboratory.

Upon seeing the Bulbasaur at Xia You's side, the others-including Chloe Cerise-were all filled with amazement.

Ren, in particular, asked impatiently, "Bulbasaur? You actually caught it? Was it in that Garden of Mystery?"

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

Professor Cerise opened the pictures on his computer, and instantly several heads crowded together to inspect them closely, marveling out loud.

"This valley is truly gorgeous!"

"So many Bulbasaurs and their evolved forms-is this really the Garden of Mystery?"

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

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

"It seems yet another person has discovered the Garden of Mystery. Moreover, this helps verify our deduction: the Garden of Mystery really is located within that forest. Judging from the photos you took, that place still maintains its pristine ecology, which is undoubtedly the best environment for Bulbasaurs to live and thrive in."

As his voice trailed off, he smiled again. "However, I think that rather than spreading the secret, we should let it remain as it is."

"I think so too," Xia You nodded in agreement. "Although I'm a Trainer and caught a Pokémon there, from a Pokémon's perspective, this secluded habitat really ought to be kept quietly undisturbed by more people."

Hearing him say such things, Professor Cerise viewed Xia You in a completely new light!

Since their thoughts aligned, everyone tacitly dropped the subject of the Garden of Mystery.

Ren lowered his head then, looking over at Bulbasaur.

"Judging by how sturdy this Bulbasaur's body is, its strength must be quite impressive, right?"

Don't let the fact that he was a researcher fool you-he owned a Magnemite named Françoise, usually enjoyed watching Pokémon battle tournaments, and within the laboratory, he was the one who paid the most attention to Pokémon strength.

"That's right." Xia You squatted down and stroked Bulbasaur's forehead. "This Bulbasaur really is formidable. It took quite a lot of effort for me to catch it, and on our way back to Vermilion City this morning, we even ran into a challenge from a Youngster. It took on two opponents back-to-back, defeating both a Diglett and a Marowak! Thanks to them, the bond between me and Bulbasaur has grown even closer!"

"Oh?"

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

Having just been caught, it was already used to defeat a challenger?

Should he praise the Bulbasaur for genuinely being tough, or should he praise its Trainer for exceptional command?

At this point, Professor Cerise also walked over to Xia You.

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

Seeing Professor Cerise look so formal, Xia You felt quite puzzled.

"Professor, no need to be formal. Just go ahead and ask; if it's within my power, I'll definitely help."

"It's nothing that serious," Professor Cerise laughed. "Through what just happened, I've realized that you truly are extraordinary. Not only can you uncover secrets that ordinary people fail to notice, but you're also calm and composed, and you know how to think on behalf of Pokémon. Perhaps you really do harbor some remarkable talent hidden inside you. Therefore, would you be willing to serve as a Special Researcher for our laboratory?"

"A Special Researcher?"

Thinking that Xia You didn't understand the position, Professor Cerise offered an explanation.

"Meeting, encountering, and interacting with all sorts of Pokémon across this planet during your travels, then deepening our understanding of Pokémon together and discovering the secrets hidden all over the world! How about it? Doesn't it sound interesting?"

Well...

Xia You was slightly taken aback, though he didn't find any reason to object.

Only...

He clearly remembered that in the anime, Ash and Goh had also served as Special Researchers for the Cerise Laboratory. Had he beaten them to it by stepping up first?