Taking only half of the tree's life force, that was Ash's goal this time.
If it had been Team Rocket, or even an ordinary human with enough power, they would have undoubtedly drained every last drop of energy from this ancient tree.
And if that happened, the Mysterious Garden would wither away. No longer would Bulbasaurs come here to undergo that miraculous evolution shrouded in mystery.
This was what Venusaur had always feared.
He had discovered the Source of Life within the great tree first, but it did not belong to him.
He could neither take it away nor store it. All he could do was allow its life energy to radiate freely.
To protect it, Venusaur had used the power of the life source mixed with his own toxins to weave illusions around the area, putting any human or Pokémon who wandered near into a dreamlike trance. It was the only way to hide the garden's existence.
But despite his efforts, humans eventually found the place, and as he'd predicted, one came seeking the Source of Life itself.
Still, this visitor was different. The human claimed he would take only half of the life force, leaving the other half to recover in five years.
Five years was hardly anything for the Venusaur line, a fleeting moment in their long lifespans.
Yet, could the word of a human really be trusted? Would the source truly recover?
Even so, Venusaur could feel something unsettling. The human before him exuded a pressure unlike anything he had ever felt. It wasn't just the strength of his Pokémon, the power came directly from the human himself.
And that power made Venusaur uneasy. If they fought… he might not even win against the human alone.
It was a bizarre feeling. Humans were supposed to be fragile creatures, capable of commanding Pokémon, yes, but not possessing supernatural power themselves.
Yet the danger radiating from Ash was undeniable. That was the only reason Venusaur hadn't outright refused him.
In the wild, strength dictated everything. The fact that this human possessed such power yet chose not to take by force already proved his restraint.
After a long silence, Venusaur finally spoke.
"Venusaur! Let your Bulbasaur fight me. If he wins, the Seed of Life shall be yours to command."
Ash and Bulbasaur both froze, stunned.
They hadn't expected Venusaur to set such a condition, to have Bulbasaur battle him directly? Wasn't that pure bullying?!
On the surface, it was an utterly unfair match.
But Venusaur's intention was clear, this was an indirect refusal.
He didn't truly want to relinquish the Life force, but turning Ash away outright carried risks. He didn't know how far this mysterious human's strength extended.
So this was his compromise, a seemingly fair condition that was, in truth, nearly impossible to meet.
Only a member of the same evolutionary family could challenge him for the Life Force, and among his kind, that was a sacred rule.
Reasonable on paper, yet absurd in practice. That was Venusaur's open strategy.
Of course, such a ploy would never work on greedy villains, they would simply take what they wanted.
But Venusaur had read Ash's character well. This kind of open challenge worked perfectly on someone like him.
If Ash's Bulbasaur lost, then Venusaur could rightfully keep the Seed of Life.
Yet Venusaur had misjudged one thing, the true strength of Ash's Bulbasaur.
"Alright," Ash said decisively, snapping his fingers. "We'll do it your way. Shall we fight here?"
That calm, confident response caught Venusaur off guard. He looked again at Bulbasaur and sensed something unusual.
This Bulbasaur's power was indeed remarkable, stronger than any of the Ivysaurs surrounding them. None among his kin could match the little one's vitality.
Even so, the difference between their levels was immense.
Bulbasaur's odds of winning were less than thirty percent, probably closer to ten.
Still, if this human wanted to chase such faint hope, Venusaur would grant him the chance.
"Venusaur!"
With a mighty roar, Venusaur signaled for the surrounding Ivysaurs to move aside. They shuffled back, clearing a vast open space at the heart of the garden, larger even than a Gym battlefield.
Ash handed his backpack to Misty. "Hold this for me."
There was a Togepi Egg inside. If it got shaken during the battle, things could get complicated.
"Bulbasaur, you ready?"
"Bulba!"
Bulbasaur leapt forward, eyes shining with determination. This might be his final battle as a Bulbasaur, and he would make it one to remember.
"Pika Pikachu!!"
Pikachu cheered from beside Misty.
Bulbasaur extended one Vine Whip and gave Pikachu a thumbs-up. He wouldn't lose.
"Bulba!" Let's begin!
"Go, Bulbasaur!"
Ash's voice rang out as he closed his eyes, channeling the power within.
Aura resides in my heart!
A surge of brilliant blue light flared from his body, flooding into Bulbasaur like a river of energy.
In an instant, Bulbasaur's aura ignited, the air around him rippling with power as his strength skyrocketed.
Ever since receiving the tree's life force earlier, Bulbasaur hadn't evolved, but his entire physique had been transformed. His natural vitality and stats had soared.
Before this transformation, Ash's Aura Power could boost him at most to a certain level. But now, Bulbasaur's endurance had evolved to another level, enough to withstand the amplification of a full major tier!
Venusaur, standing opposite, had originally intended to hold back and allow Bulbasaur to make the first move out of courtesy.But as soon as he felt that overwhelming wave of power radiating from the little Pokémon, his pupils constricted.
What in the world…?
Just moments ago, this Bulbasaur's strength had been a fraction of his own. How had it suddenly risen to nearly match him?!
It made no sense. Even with the nourishment of the force, Venusaur himself had needed years to cultivate his strength to this level.
Yet this unevolved Bulbasaur had done it in the blink of an eye!
"What kind of monster are you raising, human…?" Venusaur thought, his vines twitching nervously.
Meanwhile, Ash was completely composed, his sharp eyes assessing the battlefield.
"The opponent's also Grass-type. Using Sunny Day or Grassy Terrain would only strengthen him further. And Grass-type attacks only deal a quarter of their usual damage to Venusaur."
He raised a hand slightly, his tone calm and strategic.
"So the best path… is Poison!"
He wasn't charging in recklessly.
The lessons from the experts in the chat group had stuck with him well, if he acted impulsively now, all that guidance would be wasted.
His opponent was an evolved form of the same species, superior in base stats across the board. But with their levels nearly equal, this battle came down entirely to technique and timing.
In this scenario, triggering a terrain effect would be suicidal, it would boost Venusaur far more than Bulbasaur.
So the rule was simple: don't let Venusaur establish the terrain, and don't use one yourself.
"Bulbasaur-Sludge Bomb!"
Bulbasaur launched himself into the air, seed glowing with venomous light.
He spun midair, aimed down, and unleashed a massive blast of dark-purple sludge toward the massive Venusaur below!
"Venusaur!"
Venusaur roared, slamming his forelegs into the ground.
In an instant, countless vines erupted upward like a forest of serpents, thick and bristling with thorns, each one sharp enough to pierce stone.
The ultimate Grass-type move, Frenzy Plant!
But this Frenzy Plant was far more savage than the version Bulbasaur had used before.
Bulbasaur's own technique focused on binding and control, while this one was pure devastation, a weaponized storm of thorns meant to tear through anything in its path.
The twisting vines shot upward, intercepting the raining venom.
However, Grass-type moves were notoriously vulnerable to Poison.The moment the toxic sludge splashed across the vines, sizzling corrosion spread outward, melting green tendrils into decayed mush.
Still, more than half of the barbed vines survived, surging forward toward Bulbasaur like a living tidal wave.
"Dodge it with Vine Whip!" Ash commanded, his voice steady as ever.
Bulbasaur was still midair, dodging conventionally was impossible.But Ash's calm confidence sparked something in him. He looked around, there was a springboard right beneath him.
As the Frenzy Plant surrounded him, Bulbasaur shot out two Vine Whips, snapping them against the oncoming vines. The elastic force rebounded through his body, launching him sideways in a graceful spin.
The Frenzy Plant lashed at him from all directions, but Bulbasaur twisted through the air like a leaf caught in the wind, each motion light, precise, and beautiful.
Not a single vine managed to graze him.
Venusaur stood frozen, his massive eyes widening in disbelief.
That enormous, sprawling Frenzy Plant, his signature move, couldn't even touch the little Pokémon.
'What kind of joke is this…?!'
How...how could the opponent be dodging like this?!
Every time Venusaur's vines lashed out, Bulbasaur seemed to move just before the attack landed, always one step ahead, always outside the strike zone.
It was as if the little Pokémon could see the future.
For nearly a full minute, the emerald forest of vines whipped and tore through the air, yet not a single one brushed against Bulbasaur's body.
Finally, the duration of Frenzy Plant ended.
The thorn-covered vines wilted back into the ground, and the once-roaring battlefield fell silent, save for Venusaur's labored breathing.
Even for a Professional-tier Pokémon, that move consumed an enormous amount of energy.
And for all that effort… it hadn't hit once.
To Venusaur, that was humiliating.
Bulbasaur, meanwhile, landed lightly as the last of the vines dissolved beneath his feet. The seed on his back was already pulsing with venomous energy, gathering power for the next strike.
"Sludge Bomb!"
Ash's sharp command cut through the air. Poison was still their best option; anything else would barely scratch that thick hide.
Bulbasaur leapt once more, twisting midair as the seed on his back opened like a cannon. A surge of dark-purple toxin erupted outward, hurtling straight toward Venusaur!
This time, Venusaur couldn't dodge, or even move.
Frenzy Plant, while devastating, had a price. After unleashing it, the user was left in a brief but complete state of immobility.
Trained Pokémon could sometimes shorten this recovery window through discipline and control, but a wild Pokémon like Venusaur rarely bothered.
That was the difference between having a Trainer… and being alone.
The sludge splattered across Venusaur's body, sizzling as it spread. Thick purple poison bubbled and hissed against his skin, and a guttural growl of pain tore from his throat.
But there was nothing he could do except endure the burning corrosion.
"Keep going! Another Sludge Bomb!"
Ash didn't give him a moment's respite.
As Bulbasaur landed, he inhaled sharply, then fired again, the second volley of toxin blasting across the clearing.
Venusaur was still locked in his stiff state; the attack hit cleanly, coating him once again in poisonous sludge.
Only after this second hit did Venusaur finally regain control of his body.
Rage flared in his eyes.
He roared furiously, extending six thick Vine Whips from the petals on his back, lashing them in every direction toward Bulbasaur.
He'd seen Bulbasaur's acrobatics earlier. If dodging was his strength, then he would simply trap him, surround him completely!
But as the six vines danced wildly through the air, Bulbasaur once again darted and weaved between them like a flickering green shadow.
Not a single lash landed.
Ash smirked. "My Bulbasaur dodged your Frenzy Plant just now. What made you think Vine Whip would work?"
Venusaur froze mid-attack, his massive mind blanking for a moment.
That actually made sense.
If that enormous, wide-area Frenzy Plant couldn't catch him, then how could a few slow-moving vines possibly do so?
Under Ash's Aura-powered guidance, Bulbasaur's movements were fluid and precise. Every strike Venusaur launched appeared sluggish in comparison, he was being toyed with, unable to even touch his opponent.
At this point, even if Bulbasaur was low level, Venusaur would still be completely outmaneuvered.
Ash raised his hand sharply. "Bulbasaur! Use Vine Whip, flip him over!"
"Bulba!!"
Bulbasaur sprang into motion, his body a blur. Four gleaming green vines shot from his sides, coiling tightly around Venusaur's massive legs before the larger Pokémon could react.
Then Bulbasaur braced himself, muscles tensing, and with a roar, he heaved.
The vines snapped taut, and the colossal Venusaur was lifted off the ground!
Then;
BOOM!
Venusaur's enormous body slammed into the earth with a thunderous crash.
...
Stones PLzzz
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