Chapter 125: The Evolution of the Two
Pikachu ultimately won the grand melee. Despite Charmeleon being close in strength to Pikachu, Pikachu still had the upper hand. After defeating the other five Pokémon, the two engaged in a final showdown.
Charmeleon performed admirably, even managing to suppress Pikachu for a time with Dragon Breath and Flamethrower. However, Pikachu held a speed advantage and, seizing an opportunity when Charmeleon was exhausted, counterattacked and emerged as the victor of the first melee.
"Did you see that?" Misty, who had taken the first eliminated Starmie to observe the conclusion, spoke. Although Starmie had been eliminated first, its injuries were minor, allowing for a quick recovery.
Witnessing the battle between Pikachu and Charmeleon, Starmie recognized the gap between itself and the two. Despite all three being at the elite level, Pikachu and Charmeleon performed as if they were elite-level by nature.
"We have to keep working hard in the future to avoid falling too far behind them!" Misty addressed Starmie, having noticed a hint of complacency in her Pokémon.
"Star!" Starmie responded softly, but with a newfound determination in its voice.
After a day of rigorous training, Ash and Misty recalled their Pokémon and returned to the Pokémon Center for treatment. In the evening, they explained battle tactics and strategies to the Pokémon, emphasizing key points to remember.
However, Bulbasaur's mind was elsewhere during the tactical discussion, its gaze frequently drifting towards Charmeleon with a hesitant expression.
Ash, who was closely observing the Pokémon, noticed this and quickly discerned Bulbasaur's thoughts.
Following the tactical explanation, Ash, instead of sleeping, took Bulbasaur's Poké Ball outside and released it.
"Bulba...?" Bulbasaur looked at Ash in confusion, unsure why it had been called out alone so late at night.
"It's nothing, I just wanted to chat with you..." Ash stroked Bulbasaur's head, sat on a bench, and gazed up at the moon hanging in the sky. "During the tactics discussion, you kept looking at Charmeleon, lost in thought. What were you thinking about?"
"Bulba..." Bulbasaur was taken aback, then lowered its limbs and climbed onto the bench beside Ash. Its eyes filled with uncertainty as it responded softly.
"Were you contemplating evolution...?" Ash nodded slightly upon hearing this, confirming his suspicion that Bulbasaur was indeed hesitant about evolving.
"Under normal circumstances, evolution is the optimal choice, as it grants you greater species strength, allows you to break through level limitations more easily, and accelerates your strength gains compared to remaining unevolved." Ash explained to Bulbasaur.
"However, not evolving isn't a major issue either.
Some Pokémon choose not to evolve and still become powerful through their own efforts.
It simply requires more effort and time."
Indeed, in the anime, there were numerous examples of Pokémon that hadn't evolved but possessed extraordinary strength.
However, Ash didn't mention to Bulbasaur that nearly all powerful Pokémon, especially those nearing legendary status, had undergone evolution.
The reason these Pokémon were considered quasi-legendary was due to their final evolved forms possessing exceptionally high species strength, granting them greater power than ordinary Pokémon at the same level.
Unaware of this, Bulbasaur became even more conflicted after hearing Ash's analysis. It desired to become stronger quickly but was reluctant to change its current form, feeling that evolution would somehow make it less itself.
"Think it over carefully. My personal recommendation is to evolve, but ultimately, I respect your decision." Ash patted Bulbasaur's head and returned it to its Poké Ball, allowing it time for introspection.
The next day, they resumed the previous day's training regimen, pushing their limits in the morning and honing their moves.
In the afternoon, they engaged in another grand melee. This time, having learned from their previous experience, the Pokémon didn't rush into battle but instead formulated strategies.
Misty's Staryu was the first to be eliminated, followed by Pidgeotto, then Starmie, then Beedrill. The final four remaining were Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Pikachu, and Charmeleon.
Despite her two Pokémon being eliminated early on, Misty was satisfied with their performance.
The previous day, her Pokémon had occupied the bottom two spots, but today, Starmie had shown significant improvement, breaking away from that ranking and securing third from the bottom.
Beedrill, in fifth place, was only a few seconds behind Starmie. Had Starmie held on a little longer, it might have claimed the fifth spot instead.
Bulbasaur teamed up with Squirtle to battle Pikachu and Charmeleon, who still fought independently, with Charmeleon particularly eager to defeat Pikachu.
Under the attacks of Pikachu and Charmeleon, Bulbasaur and Squirtle persisted. They felt like a small boat in a vast sea, at risk of being submerged by the waves at any moment.
"Jenny!" After once again joining forces with Bulbasaur to resist the Flamethrower, Squirtle finally broke through, letting out a roar as a colorful light enveloped its body.
The sudden evolution startled the other Pokémon and surprised Ash and Misty.
When the colorful light receded, the evolved Wartortle appeared before everyone. It had broken through to the elite level!
Bulbasaur stared blankly at the excited Wartortle. Wartortle's evolution deeply touched it, especially the power it sensed from its comrade. This inspired Bulbasaur to make a decision.
"Bulba!" With a roar, Bulbasaur no longer suppressed the power within its body but released it completely, and a colorful light enveloped it as well.
"Bulbasaur is evolving too?!" Witnessing this scene, Misty couldn't contain her surprise, exclaiming as the two Pokémon evolved one after the other.
When the colorful light merged into its body, the evolved Ivysaur emerged.
"Wartortle!" Wartortle expressed joy for Bulbasaur, or rather, Ivysaur.
"Ivyysaur!" After adapting to its new body, Ivysaur, now at the elite level, couldn't help but let out a happy cry in response to Wartortle. It realized that evolution wasn't a bad thing after all!
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Adios guys just had my exams postponded so tmrw don't expect I will be back on saturday