Chapter Text
[Pikachu Fan Club]
Ash: Bulbasaur’s being really stubborn today
Leon: Bulbasaur is?
Alder: bulbasaur
Alder: stubborn
Lance: Okay…
Diantha: Stubborn how?
Ash: We were in a battle just now against a guy and his Rhyhorn, right? And the Rhyhorn was really fast so I was gonna swap out Bulbasaur for Tauros
Alder: makes sense
Lance: You were going to.
Ash: Yeah, but when I tried to call Bulbasaur back he completely dodged the light from his Poké Ball!
Cynthia: Bulbasaur refused to stop battling?
Steven: The same Bulbasaur who once used his vines to restrain Cubone when she wouldn’t take a break from practicing with bonemerang?
Ash: Yes!
Alder: You might want to consult with Nurse Joy.
Diantha: How’d the rest of the battle go?
Ash: It went great! Bulbasaur was able to restrain Rhyhorn with leech seed and then finished it with razor leaf!
Lance: Good strategy.
Ash: The top of his bulb started glowing slightly during the battle though. Is that normal?
Steven: Does he still have his everstone?
Ash: Yeah, I made sure it was still in place
Steven: No. That’s not normal
Alder: You should really consult with Nurse Joy.
Ash: We’re on our way to a Pokémon Center now
Lance: How is Bulbasaur doing?
Diantha: Yeah, does he seem hurt?
Ash: No, he’s fine
Ash: He’s still refusing to go into his Poké Ball, though
Leon: Maybe he’s decided to stay out of it like Pikachu does?
Alder: Pikachu could’ve convinced him.
Ash: Hang on, the top of his bulb just glowed again
Cynthia: That really doesn’t sound normal
Diantha: Did it hurt Bulbasaur?
Ash: No, I don’t think so
Ash: He does look frustrated, though
Steven: And you’re sure his everstone is in place?
Ash: Positive
Steven: Strange
Ash: We’re at the Pokémon Center now. I’ll let you know what Nurse Joy says
[Pikachu Fan Club]
Ash: Steven, are you sure Bulbasaur’s everstone is keeping him from evolving?
Steven: Positive
Diantha: As long as it’s a real everstone, it should be working
Ash: It’s just, Nurse Joy says that normally a Bulbasaur with a glowing bulb is a sign that it’s almost ready to evolve
Alder: Didn’t you say it was only the top of his bulb that was glowing though?
Ash: Yeah, only where the tips of his petals touched
Lance: That’s not what happens when a Bulbasaur is evolving.
Cynthia: Plus with an everstone Bulbasaur can’t evolve
Leon: Which is good since Bulbasaur doesn’t want to evolve
Cynthia: Right
Ash: Nurse Joy says that there’s a bunch of Bulbasaur that live nearby. They have an evolution festival tonight where any Bulbasaur that’s ready will evolve. She thinks that maybe whatever happens at that festival is effecting Bulbasaur and almost triggering evolution, but his everstone keeps stopping it
Alder: That’s an out there theory.
Diantha: You have a better one?
Alder: Touché.
Leon: But he’s right though
Ash: Whether that’s the case or not, Nurse Joy wants to keep Bulbasaur overnight for observation
Lance: That’s a good idea.
Cynthia: I’m sure whatever’s going on with Bulbasaur, Nurse Joy will figure it out
Lance: Of course she will.
Cynthia: I have to admit, Alder’s right. Bulbasaur can’t be picking up some kind of evolution signal. No Pokémon can even start to evolve with an everstone
Steven: Well…
Cynthia: Well?
Alder: Well what?
Ash: Do you know what’s going on with Bulbasaur?!
Leon: Is it really possible for a Pokémon to evolve with an everstone?
Steven: Kadabra can evolve even when holding an everstone. No one knows how it’s possible, but there is a precedent
Diantha: You’re saying Bulbasaur might actually be about to evolve
Steven: There’s a non-zero chance
Ash: But he doesn’t want to evolve!
Lance: Bulbasaur will be fine. Even if the festival is making him evolve past an everstone, he can still stop it from happening himself.
Alder: And he’s with Nurse Joy. She’ll take care of him.
Ash: I know
Ash: I’m still worried
Leon: Bulbasaur will be fine
Cynthia: He will be!
Ash: Yeah
Ash: Yeah, he will
[Pikachu Fan Club]
Ash: Bulbasaur’s gone!
Leon: What?!
Diantha: What do you mean gone?
Ash: I was in the room with him and we both fell asleep. I just woke up and he was gone! His bed’s empty and the window was open
Lance: Do you think he ran away?
Ash: Why would he?
Leon: Bulbasaur would never run away!
Alder: I can’t see him running away.
Ash: I’m looking around now
Cynthia: What if it’s not that Bulbasaur ran, but he was taken?
Steven: Team Rocket?
Cynthia: That is their style
Ash: They hardly ever try anything at night
Diantha: True
Ash: I found a trail of pollen floating into the forest. It looks like one end of it’s leading toward the Pokémon Center
Lance: Bulbasaur can release pollen if they want to.
Leon: Bulbasaur must’ve left the trail so Ash could find him!
Ash: Have you guys ever seen moving trees?
Cynthia: Moving… trees?
Ash: Moving trees
Alder: Moving trees.
Ash: Moving trees
Lance: Like a Sudowoodo?
Diantha: Or a Trevenant?
Ash: No. Just trees. Trees that, as soon as I got too close, started moving and stretching into a wall that I’m sure extends around this entire part of the forest
Steven: That’s… huh. That’s new
Leon: That sounds cool!
Cynthia: There’s probably a Pokémon nearby that can manipulate plant life like that
Lance: This wall you mentioned. Is it blocking you from Bulbasaur?
Ash: I really don’t want to think about that
Alder: Fair.
Ash: I managed to get through to the other side of the wall before it finished forming completely
Ash: This is where the pollen was leading
Ash: Bulbasaur has to be around here somewhere
Leon: That makes sense to me!
Steven: Where else would he be?
Diantha: You’ll find him
Cynthia: Knowing Bulbasaur, he’ll probably find Ash
Ash: Hang on, I think I found something
Ash: Oh, wow
Lance: What is it?
Cynthia: What did you find?
Ash: It’s a really big garden full of Bulbasaur. I can’t even count how many there are
Steven: The Bulbasaur evolution festival
Leon: Your Bulbasaur has to be there, right?
Ash: I’m looking now
Lance: Don’t interrupt the festival! Don’t even let the other Bulbasaur see you!
Ash: Why?
Lance: They’re going to want privacy for this. They won’t like that you’re there.
Cynthia: They’re right, Pokémon can get very territorial at things like this
Steven: Was Bulbasaur still wearing his everstone collar at the Pokémon Center?
Ash: Yeah, he was
Steven: Then he should be fine until the end of the festival, and then you can approach him when the crowd disperses
Leon: But Steven, you said that the festival might make Bulbasaur evolve anyway! What if that does happen?
Steven: Bulbasaur can still stop the evolution on his own, it’ll just be taxing
Ash: But Bulbasaur shouldn’t be paying taxes!
Cynthia: Amen
Alder: You’re not wrong.
Lance: The festival shouldn’t take too long. Bulbasaur will be fine and back with you soon.
Ash: A Venusaur just walked out of the tree in the middle of the garden
Diantha: It’s starting
Ash: All the other Bulbasaur are evolving
Leon: All at once?
Cynthia: That sounds like a sight to see
Ash: It looks a lot like the stars, but here on the ground. Close enough that I could reach out and touch one
Steven: Definitely a sight to see
Cynthia: Now I want that as a painting
Ash: I’ve never seen anything like this before. Hundreds of Pokémon evolving at once… I can practically feel it. It’s almost like I’m drowning in a warm hug
Alder: That sounds beautiful.
Ash: Yeah. It is
Ash: Hang on, not every Bulbasaur is evolving
Lance: You found your Bulbasaur?
Ash: He’s the only one not evolving
Steven: How does he look? Does he look like he’s fighting back an evolution?
Ash: No. He’s frustrated and defiant, but he’s nowhere close to evolving
Leon: Good!
Diantha: His everstone is working
Alder: That’s good to hear.
Ash: They’ve all finished evolving now
Cynthia: Except for Bulbasaur
Ash: Yeah…
Diantha: Is everything okay?
Lance: Ash?
Ash: All the Ivysaur and Venusaur are staring at Bulbasaur. They’re arguing about something
Leon: Are they mad that he didn’t evolve?
Steven: Wait, it’s an evolution festival! Evolution!
Cynthia: They won’t be happy that Bulbasaur didn’t evolve
Diantha: How did we miss this?
Lance: Ash, forget what I said earlier. Get Bulbasaur out of there!
Ash: Bulbasaur!
Leon: What’s going on?!?!
Diantha: Is everything okay?!
Steven: What happened?!
Alder: Ash?
Lance: Do I need to call Officer Jenny?
Cynthia: Give it ten minutes. If Ash doesn’t respond, make the call
Lance: I’ve already got the number dialed.
Alder: Good.
Leon: Lance? Do you know a lot about Venusaur?
Lance: Not much. I never trained one myself. Most of what I know is from reports from the breeders who supply Professor Oak with Bulbasaur.
Leon: So if I asked how you think a Venusaur would react to a Bulbasaur refusing to take part in a ritual like this?
Lance: I could only guess.
Steven: I don’t think it would be very good
Cynthia: Bulbasaur is an outsider here. I don’t think that’s a point in his favor
Alder: Unless Venusaur just decides not to bother with him.
Leon: But Venusaur already forced Bulbasaur to join the festival in the first place
Diantha: Are we sure that was Venusaur?
Leon: Who else could it have been?
Cynthia: Team Rocket?
Lance: I can’t imagine Team Rocket would kidnap Bulbasaur and take him to an evolution festival.
Cynthia: True
Ash: But they would attack that festival!
Steven: Hypothetically, right?
Ash: They have a giant vacuum on their balloon and they sucked all the Ivysaur up into a net!
Leon: Not good!
Lance: Is Team Rocket still there?
Ash: Venusaur’s used vine whip to grab their balloon and hold it back, but it’s taking all she has just to keep Team Rocket from escaping. She can’t rescue the Ivysaur
Diantha: Can you get them out of the net?
Ash: We’re trying, but they’re too far away. Bulbasaur can’t reach them with his vines, and razor leaf can’t cut through the net at this distance
Steven: Could one of your other Pokémon help? Maybe Pidgeot or Aerodactyl?
Ash: I don’t have anyone else with me
Leon: You don’t?!
Lance: Why not?!
Ash: My Poké Balls and Pikachu were in the bedroom at the Pokémon Center, and when I saw that Bulbasaur had just disappeared I just ran!
Leon: Okay, fair
Alder: There’s gotta be something Bulbasaur can do.
Cynthia: Maybe he can run up Venusaur’s vines to get closer to Team Rocket?
Ash: The top of his bulb is evolving again
Steven: He’s not actually going to evolve, is he?
Ash: He can’t be. He still has his everstone. I mean, Venusaur did try to take it off, but she didn’t manage it before I stopped her
Lance: Whatever’s going on, Bulbasaur’s trying something.
Leon: It’s gonna work!
Alder: Let’s hope so.
Cynthia: Come on Bulbasaur! You can do it!
Ash: Woah!
Diantha: Good woah or bad woah?
Ash: Do any of you know what a green beam shot out of Bulbasaur’s bulb is?
Steven: Sounds like a solar beam to me
Lance: That’s definitely solar beam
Ash: Well, Bulbasaur learned solar beam!
Leon: Good for him!
Alder: We’re proud of him.
Ash: He’s very proud of himself, too
Cynthia: Say, do you think that’s why his bulb kept glowing earlier? He kept trying to perfect solar beam?
Alder: That sounds more likely than the evolution festival overpowering an everstone.
Steven: Yes it does
Lance: Speaking of, how are the Ivysaur? I assume Bulbasaur saved them with solar beam.
Ash: Yeah, he tore the net open and sent Team Rocket blasting off
Leon: Good job, Bulbasaur!
Ash: Venusaur and the Ivysaur are letting us go now
Ash: We’re on our way back to the Pokémon Center
[Pikachu Fan Club]
Ash: Does solar beam always take so long to charge?
Lance: Usually.
Alder: depends on the sunlight
Alder: why
Ash: Bulbasaur’s been showing off solar beam for the others, and it just takes him a bit to get it charged each time
Cynthia: Each time? How many times has he used it?
Ash: Uh
Ash: A lot?
Ash: Aside from Aerodactyl, they all really like solar beam
Diantha: That’s understandable
Leon: Solar beam’s a great attack
Ash: Charmander especially
Ash: I think he loves the way the beam looks
Cynthia: It can be quite beautiful
Kate: Got my phone back.
Leon: Kate!!!!!!
Cynthia: You’re back!
Alder: welcome back
Lance: Good to hear from you.
Diantha: Are you okay?
Steven: What happened yesterday?
Ash: Only just now?
Ash: Wow, your phone takes a lot longer to reappear than mine does
Kate: To be fair, it probably reappeared last night, but after everything by the time I got to Haruba just about the only thing I could do was fall into bed. Of course, I couldn’t do that because someone somehow found a Gigaremo and managed to not only accidentally use it to make all the Pokémon in town Shadow Pokémon, but they were also somehow making espresso with it! I had to take care of that before I could do anything else.
Steven: They made an espresso machine out of a Gigaremo?
Leon: Huh
Ash: What’s espresso?
Ash: I’ve heard the word before but I never knew what it was
Lance: Don’t worry about it.
Cynthia: Don’t worry about it
Alder: Don’t worry about it.
Ash: Okay
Ash: So Kate, how did you do on the Wailord thing? How did you rescue him?
Kate: It’s a long story.
Lance: And why did you throw your phone away?
Kate: It’s a longer story.
Steven: What are you doing right now?
Kate: Crossing the desert and going to Hippowdon Temple to find Keith.
Diantha: Do you have Voice Chat on?
Kate: I do.
Diantha: You can tell us the stories on your way over. And then, once you’re done, we’re going to be having words about why it is never appropriate to throw away your only means of communicating with us, young lady