Deep within the forest, the two sides were already locked in a fierce battle, as if they were about to tear each other apart.
At this moment, the protagonist Wen Qi, who had been absent for a long time, was deeply entangled in thought, pondering how to handle this Bulbasaur.
The Bulbasaur had already woken up, its big eyes fixed on Wen Qi, who was struggling with his dilemma.
"How strange, this person seems really conflicted inside!"
The Bulbasaur could roughly sense Wen Qi's emotions.
Wen Qi also noticed the Bulbasaur staring at him and thought to himself:
"A Bulbasaur with such exceptional talent, I must capture it no matter what. If I miss this chance, it would be a terrible loss."
So, Wen Qi said to the Bulbasaur:
"Little one, do you want to come with me? Be my partner, how about that?"
"What's a partner?"
The Bulbasaur blinked, asking with a hint of adorable confusion.
"It means living together, keeping each other company, and growing together. If you become my partner, there'll be plenty of delicious food too."
"Really? Like that cube I had before? That was so tasty."
"Of course, there will be. If you come with me, you can have whatever you want in the future."
At this point, the Bulbasaur looked a bit conflicted. If it agreed, it would miss its family and Grandpa back home; if it didn't, it would miss Wen Qi's food, not to mention the power of the Everstone within him.
The Bulbasaur actually liked Wen Qi quite a bit. Though it had been a little tsundere when they first met, that was just its nature.
But toward Wen Qi, the Bulbasaur held considerable fondness.
After hesitating for a long time, the Bulbasaur poured out all its doubts to Wen Qi.
In truth, even if the Bulbasaur hadn't said anything, Wen Qi knew that capturing it would require a trip into the forest. Without the consent of the Venusaur, even if he succeeded in capturing it, there would surely be trouble down the line.
"Little one, don't worry. Even if you come with me, you can still go home when you have time. We can go see your Grandpa later, okay?"
"What do you think?"
Hearing Wen Qi's words, the Bulbasaur's gloomy mood instantly brightened, and it chirped excitedly:
"Bulba, Bulba..."
Wen Qi hadn't expected the capture to go so smoothly. In truth, the Bulbasaur had long wanted to venture out, and this situation was only natural.
Wen Qi took out a Poké Ball, intending to capture the Bulbasaur, but after several attempts, he found that he couldn't get it inside.
Wen Qi was baffled:
"That's strange. Why can't I capture a Pokémon?"
With no other choice, Wen Qi tried to bring the Bulbasaur into his small world.
As the Bulbasaur stepped into Wen Qi's small world, an indescribable sense of comfort instantly enveloped it.
The air here seemed to carry a unique freshness and warmth, and with every breath, its body felt utterly relaxed and at ease.
The gentle moonlight fell softly upon it, like a tender caress, providing just the right temperature, making every cell of its being bask in delight.
The ground beneath its feet was soft and springy, as if it were a custom-made comfortable carpet.
The Bulbasaur could feel the vibrant life force within the earth, resonating wonderfully with its own vitality.
The scenery around was breathtaking—lush trees, thriving flowers and grass, a riot of colors and intoxicating fragrances intertwined, creating a dreamlike world.
In this small world, the Bulbasaur felt as if it had merged with the entire environment. Every detail brought it immense peace and ease.
It was like returning to the most natural, most comfortable home, where all fatigue and stress gradually faded, leaving only pure joy and tranquility.
Wen Qi, seeing the Bulbasaur's contented expression, understood that it would at least be reluctant to leave him now.
With that thought, Wen Qi inexplicably opened the Poké Ball, and this time, he successfully captured the Bulbasaur.
It turned out that the earlier failure to capture it was because the Bulbasaur hadn't truly acknowledged him yet—it had only agreed to be his partner.
But now, having seen Wen Qi's power and this wonderful place, the Bulbasaur had genuinely accepted him, allowing for a smooth capture.
Just then, the system's voice rang out:
"Congratulations, host, on completing the hidden quest: First capture of a blue-tier Pokémon. Reward: 100,000 points, Intermediate Everstone Power, and three portions of Life Essence."
Wen Qi was overjoyed. Setting aside the 100,000 points, the Intermediate Everstone Power alone thrilled him to no end.
Previously, with the Basic Everstone Power, he could only understand Pokémon speech and communicate with them, and his healing abilities were very weak.
Now, with the Intermediate Everstone Power, he could communicate more deeply with Pokémon, and his healing abilities had greatly improved, roughly equivalent to a level-40 healing Pokémon.
What delighted Wen Qi most was that with the Intermediate Everstone Power, he could now complete the final step of Mega Evolution with his Scizor.
That was the greatest joy for Wen Qi. As for the Life Essence, he initially had no idea what it was.
Later, through the system, he learned that it was a fantastic item. Life Essence was like a universal remedy—every Pokémon needed it, whether to enhance talent, boost levels, or heal.
In other words, it was an enhanced version of various essences.
In the shop, it cost about 20,000 points per portion.
Seeing that price, one could tell how precious this treasure was.
Perfect, his Turtwig could use it, and his Dratini was about to evolve. Combining this with the Dragon Essence he already had would help them grow faster.
The last bottle would go to his Scizor. Since Scizor was currently the strongest, it might break through to the Gym level with this, allowing it to better protect him.
Wen Qi estimated that if he didn't have Gym-level strength when visiting the Bulbasaur's family, he might not be able to take the Bulbasaur with him.
When Wen Qi realized the Bulbasaur was still trapped in the Poké Ball, he quickly released it.
The Bulbasaur looked a bit displeased when it came out.
It had been suddenly confined to a small space, which, though comfortable, was nothing compared to the vast world it was used to.
As soon as it saw Wen Qi, the Bulbasaur turned its head away, clearly still sulking and unwilling to acknowledge him.
Seeing this, Wen Qi patiently explained the situation and gently soothed it.
After all, the Bulbasaur was still a "child" and easily appeased.
Soon, it forgot its displeasure and began playing with the nearby Turtwig.
Both of them harbored the power of legendary Pokémon within them, which drew them to each other.
Despite their differences in level and size, that didn't stop them from becoming playmates.
The Turtwig also forgot its earlier irritation with the Bulbasaur, letting it climb all over its massive body. Their friendship deepened through their play.