However, in the midst of this tranquil afternoon, Venusaur suddenly sensed something amiss. It halted, using its keen perception to probe the surroundings. Soon, it detected a mysterious and powerful aura.
Given Venusaur’s strength and age, no other Pokémon should have dared to provoke it. After all, few could defeat it, and those stronger had no desire to tangle with a Pokémon nearing the end of its life. If it chose to fight to the death, dragging you down with it before passing, that would be a miserable fate.
Yet fate seemed fond of surprises. Following that mysterious and powerful aura, Venusaur arrived at the spot. Suddenly, its gaze was drawn to a gleaming object.
Drawing closer, it turned out to be a Legendary Beast Crystal, and a rare Grass-type one at that. Venusaur carefully picked up the crystal, sensing the immense power of a legendary beast within it.
Its heart stirred, but it quickly shook its head. It was already old; even consuming this crystal would only extend its lifespan slightly, without granting a qualitative leap in strength.
The reigning Venusaur did not keep the crystal for itself. It thought of its clan, of the young and promising successors.
Thus, it decided to gift the Legendary Beast Crystal to the two quasi-Elite Venusaur in the clan—a devoted couple second only to itself.
The Venusaur couple received the crystal with tears of gratitude. Following Venusaur’s instructions, they consumed the miraculous crystal together.
Amazingly, the crystal’s power did not directly enhance their strength but mysteriously converged into their Pokémon Egg.
As time passed, the egg finally hatched into a Bulbasaur. This Bulbasaur was extraordinary, radiating a dazzling light as if born with astonishing talent and potential.
The other Pokémon in the clan gazed at this tiny life in awe, as if seeing hope for the future.
The reigning Venusaur watched the remarkably gifted little Bulbasaur, its heart filled with satisfaction. It knew its choice had been right. The power of the Legendary Beast Crystal had not been wasted; it had successfully sustained the clan’s strength and prosperity.
From then on, the little Bulbasaur grew strong under the clan’s care. And the reigning Venusaur continued to silently guard the clan in the forest. Though its form grew increasingly aged, its wise eyes forever gleamed with light. It watched the clan thrive, its heart brimming with pride and contentment.
Fate always loved to play tricks. Though the Bulbasaur was well-protected by the clan, perhaps the title of forest overlord had been worn too long. Since no one or any Pokémon dared to enter their territory, the Venusaur tasked with watching the Bulbasaur grew somewhat lax.
One day, while playing with its peers, the Bulbasaur—despite being newly hatched—naturally became the leader among the weaker Bulbasaurs due to its outstanding talent and high status. They gathered to play hide-and-seek.
Previously, as the leader, it had been the seeker, hunting the other Bulbasaurs. But this time, it found it boring and decided to do the opposite: hide itself and let the others seek. To avoid being found, it resolved to hide far away. Little did it know, danger was creeping closer.
Wang Jian, a seasoned jungle bounty hunter with over thirty years of experience, was known in the bounty world for his ruthlessness and cunning. Though he had been a bounty hunter for three decades, his most talked-about skill was his uncanny ability to conceal himself. Relying on this, he could complete most missions.
He owed this ability to a Kecleon he had accidentally captured over twenty years ago. Though the Kecleon’s talent wasn’t even Green-tier, it had a unique gift: While invisible, as long as it didn’t use energy-based moves, Pokémon one tier stronger couldn’t detect it. Currently, this Kecleon was Deep Yellow-tier, Level 40, so as long as he was careful during missions, no Pokémon below Gym level could spot it. Even Gym-level Pokémon might miss it if they weren’t vigilant.
With this Kecleon, Wang Jian had completed many tasks, amassing wealth and resources. Now in his fifties, thanks to the resources the Kecleon brought, he owned a Gym-level Shiftry, an Elite-level Rapidash, and several high-level Pokémon.
Feeling his age, Wang Jian sensed he wouldn’t last much longer in this line of work. He planned to pull off one big job recently, make a fortune, and retire.
So, he set his sights on the clan of the Spring Forest overlord Venusaur. He knew that due to the overlord Venusaur’s deterrent effect, the area had been trouble-free for a long time. Thus, though the overlord Venusaur was powerful, it was also complacent.
Wang Jian saw an opportunity. He spent time preparing supplies and investigating the overlord Venusaur’s information. After a period of preparation, a week ago, he was ready.
Using the Kecleon’s ability, he carefully made his way to the edge of the Venusaur clan’s territory deep in the forest. Though this was the core area, the vicinity of the Venusaur territory had few other Pokémon. In fact, as long as he didn’t venture further into the territory, it was relatively safe here.
Still, Wang Jian knew he couldn’t linger too long. If discovered, he’d likely die horribly. He dared not be careless, applying scent-neutralizing potion every two hours. He only sent the Kecleon to scout, staying put himself and minimizing movement. No movement meant less chance of exposure.
After scouting, the Kecleon returned and reported to Wang Jian. Though he couldn’t fully understand the Kecleon’s words, he grasped the gist. The Kecleon had found a Bulbasaur that seemed to hold high status. The other Bulbasaurs were barely guarded. But this Bulbasaur was different: not only did all the other Bulbasaurs obey it, but it was also watched by two Venusaur.
This was unusual. Even within the overlord’s own territory, it had Venusaur protection. Wang Jian knew this Bulbasaur was no ordinary one—its talent must be exceptional. He understood that in this overlord Venusaur’s clan, even a Green-tier Bulbasaur wouldn’t receive such treatment. So, this Bulbasaur either held a very high status or had at least Cyan-tier talent.
At this thought, Wang Jian was thrilled. Cyan-tier talent! If he could capture this Bulbasaur, it would be worth at least fifty million. That would be his retirement fund.
But the Bulbasaur was so tightly guarded; he had no chance to act. Even if he forced a grab and snatched the Bulbasaur, he probably wouldn’t get far before the overlord caught up and crushed him. That was a Champion-level Pokémon—one move could turn him to ash.
A direct snatch was no good. For a moment, Wang Jian couldn’t think of a good plan.