"Ralts, use Confusion!"
As Ethan commanded, Bulbasaur's body was suddenly engulfed in light, as if struck by an invisible force, and lifted into the air! After its initial panic, and while continuously taking damage, it didn't surrender. Enduring the pain, and unable to move its body, it fiercely whipped Ralts with its Vine Whip!
Ethan naturally wouldn't let Ralts take the hit.
"Use Teleport!"
Through the red horn on its head, Ralts could keenly sense Ethan's emotions. Combined with their long battle experience, Ralts had already used Teleport and vanished from its spot even before Ethan finished speaking.
Whap! Whap!
The Vine Whip struck the ground, sending countless bits of grass flying! When Ralts reappeared, it was no longer in front of Bulbasaur but behind it!
As Ralts waved its hands, Bulbasaur's body flew sideways. With a thud, it slammed hard into a tree trunk before slowly falling to the ground. The pain was intense. This continuous assault left Bulbasaur completely unable to defend itself.
With a cry of pain, Bulbasaur's back bulb quivered, and then a peach-pit-sized seed flew out, heading straight for Ralts! Though he was seeing it for the first time, Ethan immediately recognized it as Leech Seed, which drains the opponent's vitality!
"Ralts, dodge!"
At his command, Ralts used Teleport again to avoid the attack. When Ralts reappeared, Bulbasaur suddenly charged forward, slamming its body into Ralts.
So that's it! It seems it has some foresight too!
However, this time, without Ethan even needing to speak, Bulbasaur's body was again enveloped in light. The very next second, it was sent flying backward even faster than it came, crashing into the large tree again!
Bang!
The impact even left a dent in the tree trunk! At this, Bulbasaur could no longer endure and completely lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Ethan calmly took a Poké Ball from his waist and threw it at Bulbasaur. Red light surrounded Bulbasaur and drew it into the Poké Ball. The Poké Ball wobbled slightly, and after a short while, with a soft click, the light on it dimmed.
Success!
A hint of joy flashed in Ethan's eyes. Overall, this battle was quite easy, with no real difficulty. Only then did the apprehension he felt finally subside. Although it seemed simple, it was his first time catching a wild Pokémon, so he was quite excited.
In the distance, several Bulbasaur had been drawn by the sounds of the battle and were peering toward them. Taking advantage of the fact that they hadn't yet arrived, Ethan picked up the Poké Ball and quickly retreated to his original position. He didn't choose to leave immediately. Instead, he took out his phone and snapped a few photos of the Mysterious Garden before leaving contentedly.
Returning along the same path, the road was the same, but his mood was utterly different from when he arrived! Even his footsteps seemed lighter! Several hours later, when he emerged from the forest, the moon was high in the sky, and stars twinkled. The round trip had taken longer than he expected.
Moonlight illuminated the land. Using the faint glow, Ethan laid out his sleeping bag, and Ralts also brought back some branches. Once the campfire was lit, the scorching flames not only dispelled the surrounding chill but also brought a touch of brightness to the night.
Taking a set of cooking utensils from his backpack, Ethan set up a pot stand, then took out canned instant rations, preparing a warm, simple meal for himself and his two Pokémon. The enticing aroma wafted gently into the distance with the breeze. Although he wasn't skilled in cooking, heating a can was no difficult task.
Once everything was ready, Ethan finally opened the Poké Ball and released Bulbasaur. A few hours of rest had already restored most of Bulbasaur's stamina, but upon seeing Ethan, it still instinctively retreated a step, its eyes still full of caution.
"Are you feeling a bit unfamiliar with the current environment?" Ethan looked at it and smiled faintly, then said softly, "Bulbasaur, I'm truly sorry about earlier. But I want to welcome you to my little family. From now on, please take good care of us."
Saying this, he placed a plate of food in front of Bulbasaur.
A tempting aroma drifted from the food in front of Bulbasaur. Its nose twitched, and its mouth immediately began to water. It was no wonder; when had a wild Pokémon ever smelled the aroma of human food? It was almost impossible to refuse. Bulbasaur, seeing such food for the first time, was deeply captivated by the steaming bowl of vegetable soup before it!
Ethan smiled silently at this. Anyone who had tasted this canned food knew that, whether or not it tasted good, at the very least, it smelled incredibly delicious! Perhaps unable to resist its hunger, or seeing Ralts eating quite elegantly, after much hesitation, Bulbasaur finally lowered its guard and began to eat heartily.
The next morning, after breakfast, Ethan followed the path he came from back to Vermilion City and to the Sakuragi Institute.
Upon seeing Bulbasaur by Ethan's side, everyone, including Koharu, was greatly surprised. Renji, in particular, eagerly asked, "Bulbasaur? You really caught it? Was it in that Mysterious Garden?"
Ethan took out his phone and transferred all the photos of the Mysterious Garden to Professor Sakuragi. Professor Sakuragi opened the photos on his computer, and then several heads gathered together, scrutinizing them and exclaiming in wonder.
"This valley is truly beautiful!"
"So many Bulbasaur and their evolved forms. Is this the Mysterious Garden?"
"Look at that big tree; it must have been there for thousands of years, right?"
After a thorough browse, Professor Sakuragi pushed up his glasses and turned to Ethan. "It seems there's one more person who has discovered the Mysterious Garden. And this validates our hypothesis: the Mysterious Garden is indeed in that forest. From the photos you've taken, it appears to remain pristine, which is undoubtedly the best environment for Bulbasaur to live and reproduce."
As he finished speaking, he smiled again, "But I think, regarding this secret, not only should we not publicize it, but we should let it remain that way."
"I think so too," Ethan nodded in agreement. "Although I am a Trainer and I caught a Pokémon there, from the Pokémon's perspective, this hidden habitat should indeed be kept quiet and undisturbed by more people."
To hear such words, Professor Sakuragi looked at Ethan with newfound respect! Since their ideas aligned, they tacitly dropped the topic of the Mysterious Garden.
Renji then looked down at Bulbasaur. "This Bulbasaur looks very sturdy. I bet its strength is quite high, right?"
Though he was only a researcher, he had a Magnemite named François and enjoyed watching Pokémon battles. Among everyone at the institute, he paid particular attention to Pokémon strength.
"That's right." Ethan squatted down and stroked Bulbasaur's forehead. "This Bulbasaur is indeed very strong. It took quite a bit of effort to catch it. And on our way back to Vermilion City this morning, we even encountered a challenge from a Youngster. It took on two Pokémon at once, defeating a Diglett and a Marowak consecutively. Thanks to them, my bond with Bulbasaur has grown even closer!"
"Oh?"
Hearing him, Renji didn't know whom to praise first.
He just caught it and already used it to defeat a challenger? Should he praise the Bulbasaur for being truly formidable, or should he praise its Trainer for excellent command?
At this moment, Professor Sakuragi also approached Ethan. He looked at Ethan and said solemnly, "Mr. Ethan, I actually have something I'd like to ask of you."
Seeing Professor Sakuragi's serious expression, Ethan was quite puzzled.
"Professor, please don't be so formal. Just tell me what it is. I'll help as much as I can."
"It's not that serious," Professor Sakuragi chuckled. "Through what just happened, I've realized you are truly exceptional. Not only can you discover secrets that ordinary people can't, but you are also calm, composed, and considerate of Pokémon. Perhaps there's a truly remarkable talent hidden within you. Therefore, might I ask you to serve as a Special Research Fellow for our institute?"
"Special Research Fellow?"
Thinking Ethan might not understand the position, Professor Sakuragi began to explain. "It involves encountering, interacting with, and communicating with all sorts of Pokémon across this planet during your travels, and then deepening our understanding of Pokémon together, discovering secrets hidden throughout the world! What do you think? Doesn't that sound interesting?"
Well…
Ethan paused, not finding anything wrong with it. It was just that… he distinctly remembered that in the anime, Ash and Go had also served as Special Research Fellows for the Sakuragi Institute. Now, had he taken their place, achieving it first?