Wen Qi had come here with the original intention of handling the Bulbasaur matter. Now that he had been discovered, he simply released the Bulbasaur from that small world.
The Bulbasaur had been sound asleep in the small world, completely unaware that its surroundings had changed. Even after being let out, it continued sleeping, snoring softly, oblivious to the shift in its environment. The Venusaur boss stared at the sleeping, snoring Bulbasaur, and the joy it had felt upon seeing it was instantly shattered by those snores. Wen Qi noticed that the Venusaur boss’s expression upon seeing the Bulbasaur shifted from delight to helplessness within seconds, changing several times.
The Venusaur boss thought to itself: “This little grandson of mine sure has a carefree heart. How did I never notice he was this lazy before?”
Just then, the sleeping Bulbasaur seemed to dream of something terrifying and jolted awake. Still groggy, it looked around in confusion. It saw its new master Wen Qi, its big brother Torterra, a strange red Pokémon, and the massive Venusaur. After glancing around, it intended to go back to sleep, but as it closed its eyes, it suddenly remembered who that familiar giant Venusaur was—it was Grandpa. Realizing this, it quickly opened its eyes again, took a closer look at its surroundings, confirmed this was its home, and spotted Grandpa beside it.
This experience left the Bulbasaur’s heart filled with exhaustion and sorrow. When it saw its long-unseen Venusaur grandpa, it felt as if all its pain had found an outlet to pour out. The Bulbasaur excitedly leaped over to its Venusaur grandpa, its small eyes glistening with tears, its tendrils trembling slightly, as if silently telling an endless tale of hardship.
Seeing the Bulbasaur in this state, the Venusaur boss gently lowered its head and used its broad leaves to softly stroke it, as if conveying comfort and strength. The Bulbasaur began to recount its past experiences to its Venusaur grandpa: how it had gotten lost in a deep, dense forest, how it had struggled to climb steep, treacherous cliffs, and even how it had been injured in an unexpected battle. The Venusaur boss listened patiently, its eyes full of understanding and sympathy. It thought to itself: “Poor child, you’ve endured so many trials.” At the same time, it said aloud: “Every challenge is an opportunity for growth, and every hardship is a test to temper your will.”
As the Bulbasaur listened to its Venusaur grandpa’s words, the grievances it had accumulated over many days gradually faded, replaced by anticipation and courage for the unknown journey ahead. Wen Qi watched the warm exchange between the Venusaur and its grandchild from the side, feeling happy for the Bulbasaur as well. However, he hadn’t forgotten the purpose of his visit. So, he cleared his throat a couple of times.
Only then did the Venusaur and the Bulbasaur realize there was someone else nearby. The Bulbasaur felt a bit embarrassed, but the Venusaur boss, being older and thicker-skinned, didn’t mind. The Venusaur spoke: “Mr. Wen Qi, I am extremely grateful to you for bringing my little grandson back. What kind of reward would you like? If you think some of my clan’s Bulbasaur are good, feel free to take a few—I won’t mind at all.”
Upon hearing the Venusaur boss’s words, a glint of cunning flashed in Wen Qi’s eyes, and he asked, “Really? Any Bulbasaur at all?”
“Of course. Though I’m old, my word is still law in the clan. You can have whichever one you want,” the Venusaur boss replied without hesitation.
That was exactly what Wen Qi was waiting for. He broke into a mischievous grin. Seeing this, the Venusaur boss suddenly felt a bad premonition rising within it.
“Since Venusaur, you’re so generous, I won’t hold back. I want the one right in front of you,” Wen Qi said.
“What? No! Don’t even think about it, you bastard. Just because you brought back my little grandson doesn’t mean you can take him away—no way!” The Venusaur’s once kind expression instantly twisted into a furious glare, and it roared loudly.
Wen Qi simply stood there quietly, watching the Venusaur boss roar until it grew tired. Only then did Wen Qi speak slowly: “Venusaur, you just said I could choose any Bulbasaur. What’s wrong with me picking the one in front of you? Besides, I’ve already caught it. I only came here to inform you.”
Hearing that Wen Qi had already caught its little grandson, the Venusaur boss immediately looked at the Bulbasaur, its eyes filled with disbelief. It thought to itself: “This little grandson of mine has always been proud and aloof—how could he be caught so easily?” So it asked, “Little grandson, did this person do anything bad to you? If you were threatened, you can tell Grandpa now.”
The Venusaur boss fully expected the Bulbasaur to say it wasn’t voluntary, but to its great disappointment, the Bulbasaur said, “Grandpa, I chose to follow this human willingly. He didn’t bully or threaten me. He’s been really good to me, giving me lots of delicious food, and I really like the aura he carries.”
The Venusaur was now utterly frustrated, racking its brain but unable to figure out what kind of spell this human had cast on its little grandson to make it willingly get caught. Thinking about this, the Venusaur boss’s mood soured completely. Its large eyes fixed on Wen Qi, as if it wanted to tear him apart with its gaze alone. Wen Qi felt a chill run down his spine under that stare, his skin crawling with goosebumps.
But if Wen Qi didn’t give the Venusaur boss an explanation, he probably wouldn’t make it out of this valley today. “Venusaur, I truly like your little grandson, and I really haven’t threatened him. Our meeting must have been fate—otherwise, with the forest so vast, why would I have found him?”
Hearing Wen Qi say it was fate, the Venusaur began to believe it a little, especially since its little grandson’s current excellence stemmed from the time it had found that divine beast crystal. Thinking of this, the Venusaur boss’s expression softened considerably. Still, it couldn’t just hand over its little grandson based on Wen Qi’s claim of fate. No matter how it thought about it, it couldn’t bear to part with him. Its little grandson—though the Venusaur didn’t know exactly how good its potential was, it was certain it was better than its own, far better. It was nearing the end of its life, and this Bulbasaur was the hope of the clan. How could it let Wen Qi take him away? With these thoughts, it felt it still couldn’t allow it.
Wen Qi also noticed that the Venusaur boss was deeply conflicted. It seemed it still didn’t want him to take the Bulbasaur. Wen Qi understood that taking the Bulbasaur away so easily was impossible.