Chapter 9: Village Hidden in The leaves🥷! Bulbasaur
Right now, Lyra, Misty, and Brock were having trouble navigating through a pathless forest.
"Mew, you need to learn how to read a map correctly! You even have the X-Dex with you; how can we still be lost?" Misty complained.
"Excuse me, Misty! But you guys know I have no sense of direction. Besides, you were looking at the map with me earlier," Lyra replied bluntly.
Misty and Lyra were about to start an argument when Brock cut in. "Okay, that's enough," he said, breaking it up. "Come on, we're all tired. Let's take a break and then we'll figure out what to do. Okay?" Lyra and Misty had no choice but to agree.
They took a break by a very small stream. Suddenly, Misty spotted a Pokémon by the water. "Hey look, a Pokémon!" she whispered.
The Pokémon resembled a blue plant bulb with a round body, beady red eyes, and five oval, root-like feet. Five large, green leaves sprouted from its head.
Oddish, the Weed Pokémon.
It often plants its root feet in the ground during the day and sows seeds as it walks about at night.
"I'm going to catch it!" Misty said.
Lyra looked at Pichu and Pikachu, then back at Misty. "Really?" Lyra raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that's a Grass-type, not a Water-type, right?"
"I know it's not a Water-type," Misty said, "but it's so cute! I'm catching it. Go, Seel!" The white sea lion emerged from its Poké Ball.
"Use Aurora Beam on that Oddish!" A rainbow-colored beam shot from Seel's horn, hitting Oddish directly. "Now, use Headbutt!" Seel slammed into the Oddish, knocking it out. "Yes! Okay, go Poké Ball!"
Just as Misty's Poké Ball was about to hit Oddish, a vine whipped out of nowhere and whacked the ball away. "Hey! What happened?" Misty cried in shock.
A wild Bulbasaur emerged from the bushes, standing in front of the Oddish and protecting it with a fierce glare.
Bulbasaur, the Seed Pokémon.
It bears the seed of a plant on its back from birth. The plant sprouts and grows along with it.
The wild Bulbasaur used Vine Whip to knock Seel back. "Oh no, Seel!" Misty said, running over. "Are you okay?"
Bulbasaur was about to attack again, but Pichu and Pikachu jumped in front of Lyra. "Pipikapipikapikachu!" (Don't even think about attacking Lyra!) Pikachu warned.
Lyra looked at Bulbasaur and Oddish and smiled, waving goodbye to them. She told Pichu and Pikachu it was okay. Bulbasaur stared at her in shock; most trainers would have forced a battle, but she just let them go. He noticed her Pokémon were incredibly protective of her. After Bulbasaur and Oddish ran off, the group continued on.
Soon, they came to a wooden bridge. "That's odd," Brock said, raising an eyebrow. "This bridge doesn't appear on the map."
"Should we cross?" Misty asked.
"I think we should," Lyra answered. "Someone might be living on the other side who can help us."
As they started to cross, the bridge proved to be unstable. They hung onto the ropes, but suddenly a massive gust of wind rocked the structure and the ropes snapped!
Everyone screamed. Lyra managed to grab a remaining rope tightly, with Misty grabbing onto Lyra's leg. Brock grabbed a rope too, but he lost his grip and fell into the river below. "Oh no! Brock!" Lyra shouted.
"Quick, Mew! You have to pull us up fast!" Misty yelled.
"Easy for you to say," Lyra mumbled. With a surge of strength, Lyra managed to pull herself, the electric duo, and Misty up onto the cliffside.
"Phew, that was close," Lyra sighed, wiping sweat from her face. They immediately set off to find Brock. However, the path was filled with traps. Lyra and Misty—mostly Misty—kept falling into holes.
"This is ridiculous!" Misty yelled after Lyra helped her out of another pit. "What is going on?"
"I think these traps are here for a reason," Lyra replied. Suddenly, they were caught in a net tied to a tree. While hanging there, they heard a familiar voice.
"Ahoy there!" It was Brock. He cut the rope with a hunting knife. He explained that a beautiful girl had rescued him from the river and led them to a cabin. There, they met Melanie, who tended to injured or abandoned Pokémon.
Melanie explained that the traps were to keep trainers away from the Hidden Village. Lyra understood, though she wondered if traps would really stop poachers or thieves.
Her instincts were right. Team Rocket had found the village. Using specialized "trap-vision" glasses James had stolen from the Rocket lab, they were bypassing the defenses.
Back at the cabin, Misty apologized to the Oddish from earlier. "I'm sorry for scaring you. Melanie told me you were abandoned because your trainer thought you were weak." Oddish forgave her, but Bulbasaur suddenly tackled Misty, growling.
"I apologize for Bulbasaur," Melanie said. "He's the village bodyguard and doesn't trust trainers."
"Don't worry," Brock said, looking at Lyra. "Her Pokémon are the same way. Lyra's middle name is 'Mew,' and her Pokémon—like Pichu and Pikachu there—won't let anyone threaten her. They've even shocked poachers for pointing a gun at her." Bulbasaur was stunned that a Pokémon could be so devoted to a human.
Suddenly, Team Rocket's balloon appeared overhead. "We're here for the Pokémon!" Jessie shouted. They lowered a massive vacuum hose and started sucking up the village residents.
"We have to get them to safety!" Lyra shouted. She grabbed a Staryu and helped Melanie and Misty herd the Pokémon into the cabin. She saw Bulbasaur struggling against the wind and reached out a hand to pull him inside just in time.
Bulbasaur climbed onto the roof and whipped the hose with his vines. Lyra called out, "Butterfree and Beautifly, I choose you! Use Whirlwind!" The two butterflies combined their power into a massive tornado that sent Team Rocket's balloon spinning away.
"Team Rocket's blasting off again!" they screamed.
Once things settled, Melanie turned to Lyra. "I want you to take Bulbasaur with you. It's time for him to see the real world." Lyra was shocked but accepted, asking for a match first.
Lyra chose Riolu. "Riolu, use Quick Attack!" Riolu tackled Bulbasaur, but he countered with Razor Leaf. "Riolu, use Protect!" A green orb shielded her. "Now, let's try your new egg move... Blaze Kick!" Riolu's leg erupted in flames, and she delivered a powerful kick that knocked Bulbasaur out. Lyra caught him, and the ball was sent to Professor Oak.
"Thank you, Riolu! And congrats on Blaze Kick!" Lyra said. Suddenly, Riolu began to glow and grow. She became taller, developing a black mask and a spike on her chest.
"Oh wow! You've evolved into Lucario!" Lyra exclaimed.
Lucario, the Aura Pokémon.
The evolved form of Riolu. By sensing the aura of its opponents, Lucario can read their thoughts and movements.
Type: Fighting/Steel
New Moves: Metal Claw, Detect, Extreme Speed, Close Combat, Dragon Pulse, Metal Sound, Bone Rush, Calm Mind, Heal Pulse, Shadow Ball, Substitute, and Dark Pulse.
"Thank you, Lyra," Lucario communicated with a smile.
Misty caught the Oddish, and Brock caught a Weepinbell that had grown fond of him. With their new friends, the group bid Melanie farewell and set off once more for Vermilion City.
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1. I thought that Misty should have gotten Oddish, since it bonded to her in the Hidden Village episode. Don't worry though, this will be the only non-water type she'll get, apart from Togepi. Who knows I might give her more.
Thank you for reading this chapter!
See you in the next episode of Pika Ball Z! ⚡