Ten minutes later, the group finally broke through the jungle, and the moment they stepped out, their view opened wide.
The claustrophobic maze of trees gave way to an immense clearing.And upon that clearing...
Countless Bulbasaurs.
Everywhere they looked, the small green Pokémon were gathering. Even more emerged from the surrounding forest, one after another, as if drawn by an invisible call.
"How spectacular…" Misty whispered, her voice full of awe.
The sight of so many Bulbasaurs in one place was breathtaking.As one of Kanto's three starter Pokémon, Bulbasaur was rare enough in the wild, but here, there were hundreds, perhaps thousands, all gathered together in silent harmony.
There were only Bulbasaurs, no Ivysaurs, no Venusaurs.It seemed that while this sacred place called to the Bulbasaur line, only those in their unevolved form were permitted to enter.
That must be why Champion Ash told him never to evolve his Bulbasaur.
If it had evolved, not only would it be barred from gaining Xerneas's blessing, it wouldn't even have been allowed entry to this place.
Ash's Bulbasaur had already joined the gathering. The haze in his eyes cleared the moment he stepped into the clearing.
He blinked and looked around, alert yet confused.
Where was his Trainer?
'Don't worry, Bulbasaur,' Ash's calm voice echoed in his mind. 'I'm right behind you. Go with them for now, I'll come if anything happens.'
Hearing that, Bulbasaur relaxed, the tension in his body fading.Only his Trainer could speak to him like that, unmoved even by the hypnotic illusions they'd passed through.
Since his Trainer was watching, Bulbasaur could safely let himself be guided by instinct.
Reassured, Ash turned his attention to the clearing itself.
Despite being called a "garden," it wasn't one in the usual sense.It was simply a vast open space, dominated at its center by a single, withered tree.
No flowers. No vines. Just that ancient husk of a tree, lifeless yet oddly dignified.
The so-called "Mysterious Garden" was likely named by outsiders who had never seen it, those who'd merely guessed its form from the dense vegetation that surrounded it.
Ash and his friends were, in fact, the first humans to ever witness the true Mysterious Garden.
As the minutes passed, fewer and fewer Bulbasaurs arrived, until finally the clearing grew still. Then, something changed.
The withered tree at the center began to stir.
Its dead bark cracked open.
Sap pulsed through its veins once more. And in an instant, the entire trunk came alive.
Countless blossoms erupted from its branches, painting the night in a sea of color.
Before their eyes, the ancient tree had fully revived, a miracle of pure life.
Then, from the heart of that giant tree, a massive figure slowly emerged.
When it stepped fully into view, it lifted its head and released a mighty roar that shook the heavens.
Thick limbs, green hide, a blooming flower upon its back.
Venusaur, the final evolution of Bulbasaur!
It was the very incarnation of nature's power, and the miracle just now had been its doing.
"Venusar!!"
Venusaur's thunderous call echoed through the clearing.
Every Bulbasaur present responded in kind, their voices overlapping in a chorus that filled the night air.
From above, Ash and his friends could see the breathtaking spectacle, hundreds of Bulbasaurs crying out in unison to their evolved guardian.
And as their cries reached their peak, the bulbs on their backs began to glow, softly at first, then brighter and brighter, until the entire clearing was bathed in a gentle green light.
The glow of evolution.
Just as Nurse Joy had said, within this place lay a miraculous power that could trigger every Bulbasaur's evolution into Ivysaur.
Yet this wasn't a normal evolution. It carried something deeper, an infusion of vitality that enhanced each Bulbasaur's very potential.
But among them all, one Bulbasaur stood apart.
Ash's Bulbasaur.
While every other Bulbasaur surrendered to the call of evolution, his resisted.
He remembered Ash's promise, to help him achieve a perfect evolution.
Even though every instinct told him this transformation was blessed, even divine, he clenched his vines and fought against it.
I will not evolve until my Trainer is by my side.
His determination shone stronger than the light of the garden itself.
Meanwhile, Ash, observing from above, activated his Aura Vision to study the flow of energy.
It wasn't Venusaur that had caused the miracle, it had merely emerged from within the great tree.
The tree itself was the true source, housing a reservoir of immense life energy, far beyond even Ash's own Aura.
That power was unmistakably divine.
So this is Xerneas's life force…
As Venusaur roared, waves of radiant vitality surged outward from the blooming tree, flowing into every Bulbasaur in the clearing, his own included.
It wasn't just catalyzing their evolution, it was rewriting their very essence, awakening dormant potential within their hearts.
It was the same principle as when the Rainbow Feather had elevated Charmander's potential to a higher level.
Ash couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
Truly worthy of a deity's power, even if this wasn't the god itself, merely a fragment of its blessing was enough to reshape life itself.
The ceremony continued smoothly. One by one, the Bulbasaurs' bodies glowed and transformed, their buds blossoming into lush leaves as they evolved into Ivysaurs.
All except one.
"Venusaur!!"
With a commanding roar, Venusaur called for silence.
Instantly, the newly evolved Ivysaurs parted to form a path, revealing the lone unevolved Bulbasaur standing before their leader.
The sight was almost jarring, the only Bulbasaur left among hundreds of Ivysaurs.
Venusaur's gaze darkened. Everyone else had evolved, basking in the glory of the ceremony, so why hadn't this one?
Every year before, the ritual had gone perfectly. Why was there a problem now?
Venusaur's booming cry shook the clearing. It wasn't just a roar of dominance; it carried irritation.
Why haven't you evolved?!
"Bulba!"
I will only evolve when my Trainer arrives!
"Venusaur? Venu!!" Trainer? Humans can't enter this place!
"Who said humans can't enter?"
A clear voice rang out.
Sliding down from the high ridge, Ash landed beside Bulbasaur in a smooth motion. Behind him, Misty and Brock appeared in flashes of light, brought down safely by Gardevoir's Teleport.
Venusaur's eyes widened.
"Venusaur!!" Human, how did you get in here?!
For countless years, no human had ever set foot inside the Mysterious Garden. The protective enchantments that blanketed this sanctuary were flawless, an impenetrable veil between man and miracle.
And yet, today, a human stood before him.
"There's no need to explain how I got in," Ash said calmly. "No one else could follow even if they tried. And I promise, I won't reveal the existence of the Mysterious Garden to anyone."
He raised his hand in a solemn oath, his tone steady.
But this Venusaur was no ordinary Pokémon.
His eyes gleamed with intelligence, and though he heard Ash's vow, the suspicion in his gaze didn't fade.
He knew better than anyone the magnitude of the power dwelling in this place, the energy that allowed Bulbasaurs to evolve so miraculously.
Long ago, he had been the first to discover the Mysterious Garden. The life force within the sacred tree had nurtured him, pushing him to evolve into Venusaur in mere years.
For a wild Pokémon, such growth was unheard of.
Normally, only two paths existed: decades of accumulation, or an extraordinary stroke of luck.
To reach such strength purely by innate talent, in just a handful of years, was nearly impossible.
In this world, most Pokémon understood one truth: humans possessed the power to unlock their hidden potential.
That was why defeated Pokémon, once captured and healed, often chose to remain with their Trainers willingly.
Poké Balls didn't brainwash, they connected.
If the Trainer was kind and capable, betrayal was rare.
This Venusaur, however, had achieved what few wild Pokémon could, he had found power on his own. And from that day forward, he had sworn to guard this sacred place from humanity's greed.
To him, humans were dangerous, curious, ambitious, and insatiably covetous.
If the existence of the Mysterious Garden were exposed, even his strength would never be enough to defend it.
High level Pokémon could thrive freely in the wild.
But before those top-tier human Trainers, the Champions and Elites of the world, even such Pokémon were helplessly outmatched.
Over the years, although rumors of the Mysterious Garden had spread among humans, no one had ever truly found it.
Yet today, for the first time in history, that unbroken record was shattered.
As the saying goes: if you walk by the river long enough, your shoes will eventually get wet.
Venusaur had spent years gathering Bulbasaurs from all around, and though he had hidden the Garden behind powerful barriers and illusions, it was inevitable that one day, someone would find it.
"Venusaur !" Human, what is your purpose here?!
Ash met his gaze calmly. "My Bulbasaur followed the call and came here. Of course I had to follow.
But actually," he admitted, "I've known about the Mysterious Garden for some time. My reasons for entering are twofold: first, to see what kind of miraculous power can make Bulbasaurs evolve, and second, to help my Bulbasaur draw out that power to its fullest."
He crouched down, gently rubbing Bulbasaur's head.
Bulbasaur let out a contented cry, leaning affectionately against his Trainer's hand.
Seeing this, Venusaur's suspicion wavered slightly.
A human who shared such a bond with his Pokémon couldn't be entirely bad.
Still, the latter part of Ash's explanation kept him wary.
"Venusaur?" What do you mean by 'helping Bulbasaur maximize its power acquisition'?
Ash rose to his feet, his eyes drifting past Venusaur to the great blooming tree at the center of the clearing.
"Exactly what it sounds like," he replied evenly. "You're channeling the life force stored in that tree, but with your current strength, you can't fully release or guide its power."
He took a few steps closer, speaking as though explaining a natural law.
"That tree behind you is usually withered, but once a year, it blooms. When it does, you draw out the life force it's gathered over the year and distribute it among the Bulbasaurs who gather here."
"If you were to absorb that energy alone, your strength would be far greater than it is now. Venusaur, you're truly selfless."
His tone was genuine.
Pokémon were, by nature, altruistic creatures.
Even without reason or reward, they would share their blessings with others of their kind.
Humans, Ash thought quietly, were rarely so pure.
"However," he continued, "by dividing the life force like this, you end up wasting a great deal of it. Yes, the Bulbasaurs evolve, but at least half the energy dissipates in the process."
Venusaur's expression grew grim.
He had long known the flaw in his method, but there was little he could do.
Even if he absorbed the life force himself, his body could only take in about thirty percent before reaching saturation.
That was why he had decided to share it with his kin, to at least raise the total amount that could be used.
But as the years passed, the portion he could personally absorb dwindled to less than ten percent.
So when Ash said that Venusaur could have been much stronger if he had kept the energy for himself, he was right.
"Venusaur?" Then what do you intend to do?
Venusaur's tone carried suspicion once again.
The life force of the tree had already been spent on the mass evolution. Though the branches still glowed faintly, that radiance was only temporary, the bloom would soon fade, and the tree would once again wither.
So where, he wondered, did this human intend to draw power from now?
Ash's gaze never left the sacred tree. His next words came slowly, each syllable deliberate:
"I hope you can grant me half of the tree's core life force, its root essence."
He paused for a moment before continuing, his voice calm but firm.
"I know what that means. If you agree, this tree will take an extremely long time to recover its strength."