After sensing the changes in its body, Venusaur finally understood why Aerodactyl was stronger than itself.
"'What are you muttering about? Even without that, I'm still stronger than you.'" Aerodactyl rolled its eyes and said speechlessly.
"Venusaur, I understand your difficulties. You evolved into Venusaur through your own efforts, so you hope to help your companions with your own strength. But think about it from another perspective—those Ivysaur that only evolve after receiving your natural blessings, can they really grow into strong warriors?"
Red's words seemed to pierce Venusaur's fragile heart. Venusaur glanced at Red beside it with a conflicted look, then lowered its head and fell into thought.
Seeing Red "scolding" their king like this, several Ivysaur ran angrily to Red and let out questioning growls at him.
"Roar—"
Seeing this, Aerodactyl let out a fierce roar. Its serrated teeth reflected light with a cold gleam, like a life-taking chainsaw capable of easily ending Ivysaur's lives.
Frightened by Aerodactyl's oppressive aura, the Ivysaur trembled all over, completely losing their earlier bravado. They had thought Aerodactyl would be temporarily fatigued after battling Venusaur.
Unfortunately, reality was not what they had imagined. Seeing Aerodactyl's flame-burning teeth approaching, the Ivysaur hurriedly hid behind Venusaur, their bodies shaking uncontrollably.
"'This is the strength gained from your blessings?'" Aerodactyl said disdainfully, urging Venusaur to face reality.
"'It might sound unrealistic, but I vaguely feel that my master's younger brother's Bulbasaur could be even stronger than these Ivysaur that evolved through your blessings.'"
Venusaur wanted to refute this, but recalling something, it ultimately fell silent—neither denying nor agreeing.
"Ash, catch!"
Red took out a strange stone from his pocket and tossed it toward Ash.
"Brother, don't throw things so suddenly!"
Ash shouted, quickly reaching out to catch it just in time, avoiding getting smacked in the face.
"This is an Everstone. I anticipated that Bulbasaur might choose not to evolve, so I brought it along. As long as Bulbasaur carries the Everstone, it won't evolve or be forced to change form."
Red explained to the confused Ash, signaling him to give the Everstone to Bulbasaur.
"That's great! Now Bulbasaur won't have to suppress its instinct to evolve every time," Ash said happily as he ran over and handed the Everstone to Bulbasaur.
After receiving the Everstone, Bulbasaur let out a relieved breath. Finally, it could relax. To prevent the bud on its back from blooming, Bulbasaur had been sweating as it suppressed its urge to evolve. Thankfully, the Everstone freed it from that suffering.
"Venusaur, let Ivysaur and Bulbasaur have a battle. The outcome will determine whether your actions truly have meaning. I don't want you to carry regrets before you travel with me."
After hearing Red's words, Venusaur instructed one Ivysaur to step forward. For fairness, it chose one with above-average strength, but in Venusaur's eyes, this Ivysaur was more than enough to defeat Bulbasaur.
Seeing that its opponent was Bulbasaur, the chosen Ivysaur showed a look of disdain. In its eyes, Bulbasaur was just weak.
Angered by this contempt, Bulbasaur immediately lashed out with Vine Whip. Two vines extended from the seed on its back, whipping toward Ivysaur.
Ivysaur responded in kind, extending four vines from its bud. Not only did it block Bulbasaur's attack, but the remaining two vines struck Bulbasaur hard.
"Bulbasaur, hang in there! Don't forget our promise—we'll grow stronger together, and you'll become the strongest Bulbasaur!"
Ash and Pikachu shouted desperately, cheering it on.
"'Looks like your guess was wrong,'" Venusaur said slowly, secretly relieved that its long-held beliefs weren't entirely mistaken. Although granting power could lead to forcing growth in many Bulbasaur, in Venusaur's view, most wild Bulbasaur couldn't evolve on their own and had no choice but to rely on its help.
"'Just wait and see. I feel like the sun is about to rise,'" Aerodactyl said calmly, leaving Venusaur puzzled as it pondered the meaning.
("Could it be that this little one has mastered it?!")
The dazzling sun rose from beyond the mountain, its warm light spreading across the land and breathing new life into the once-quiet world.
Under Venusaur's astonished gaze, the seed on Bulbasaur's back began absorbing sunlight, like a cannon ready to fire.
Ivysaur stared in disbelief. It couldn't understand how Bulbasaur, a mere "ordinary" one, could master Solar Beam when it itself could not.
Taking advantage of Ivysaur's momentary distraction, Bulbasaur struck. Two vines lashed out, binding Ivysaur and lifting it into the air.
Confused by Bulbasaur's change, Ash pulled out his Pokédex. "Solar Beam, Bulbasaur's strongest move. It gathers light to unleash a devastating attack."
"Strongest move?!"
Ash exclaimed in shock, then looked at Bulbasaur with excitement.
"Alright! To prove our strength—Solar Beam, fire! Defeat Ivysaur!"
As Ivysaur struggled helplessly, Bulbasaur released the beam of light from its back, the blazing attack striking Ivysaur head-on.
In an instant, Ivysaur went limp and fell to the ground, eyes spinning as it lost the ability to fight.
"'My thinking was too naive… I thought I could make them stronger, but instead I was forcing their growth…'"
Venusaur murmured dejectedly, unable to face its long-held beliefs, which now felt like a self-deceiving joke.
"'I remember meeting a depressed Ghost-type Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory. Something it said left a deep impression on me—it suits you well right now.'"
Aerodactyl spoke leisurely, recalling the Thousand-Year Gengar gloomily drawing circles in a corner, along with Professor Oak occasionally muttering nearby.
"'Hm? What was it?'" Venusaur asked in surprise, not expecting Aerodactyl to comfort it.
"'Recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is the greatest good.'" Aerodactyl said, offering reassurance. As a leader of its kind, it could understand Venusaur's feelings. But in the harsh ancient world, helping the weak was often just to satisfy cheap vanity.
Just as Aerodactyl could abandon its tribe without hesitation—in its eyes, personal strength was the foundation of survival, while the tribe was merely a shackle that bound its freedom to soar.
"'Besides, I don't think you were entirely wrong. There are plenty of those lacking talent—if these little ones didn't receive your blessings, they might never transform even until death.'"
Seeing Venusaur's depressed state, Aerodactyl softened its tone, offering a few words of comfort so Venusaur wouldn't remain trapped in its distress.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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