Pokémon, Ash's art style is off!

"These are Bulbasaur's footprints."

Ash took a few steps forward and then squatted down again.

"Here, the footprints are initially deep and evenly spaced, indicating that it walked very slowly."

"And look over here—"

He pointed to a patch of messy marks next to him with his finger.

"There's a small patch of grass here that's been flattened, and it's facing backwards, which means it suddenly stopped and even took a step back. That's a sign of alertness."

"So...so what?"

Xiao Zhi continued walking forward, analyzing the situation as he went.

"Then look at this area—suddenly there are more footprints, and it's not just one of them."

"Judging from this, there were at least four or five different Bulbasaur here at the time."

He pointed to several sets of marks on the ground, evenly spaced and aligned in the same direction.

"So it went visiting with its new friends?"

Xiao Gang pondered.

"Judging from these footprints, although Bulbasaur was somewhat resistant at first, it eventually followed along."

Xiao Zhi stood up and looked into the depths of the forest.

"There shouldn't be any major problems."

The three followed the footprints forward.

The footprints passed through a thicket, crossed a shallow stream, and then turned into a narrow forest path.

Ash's pace quickened, and while Brock and Misty could keep up at first, they were eventually jogging.

"I said... Ash... could you slow down a bit..."

Xiaoxia called from behind.

Xiao Zhi didn't even turn his head.

"The footprints are still fresh; they should be up ahead."

"But we can't keep up!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Zhi suddenly stopped and turned around.

"Can't keep up? You should have said so earlier!"

"I'll lead you all away!"

"and many more--"

"Need not--"

Xiaoxia and Xiaogang spoke at the same time, but it was too late.

Xiao Zhi had already tucked Xiao Gang and Xiao Xia under his armpits, one in each hand, like carrying little chicks.

"Pikachu".

Pikachu perched on Ash's shoulder and gently patted Brock and Misty's heads with its little paws.

Compassionate eyes.

Silly child, it's too late.

Then he quietly gripped Ash's clothes tightly.

......

Meanwhile, deep in the woods.

After passing through the increasingly dense forest and climbing over a low slope, Bulbasaur was half-pushed and half-carried by several of its kind, and finally arrived at the place where it was "preaching".

As a knowledgeable frog, it originally thought that the so-called "preaching" was...

It was just a dozen or so frogs huddled together chatting.

Everyone basked in the sun, swung their vines at each other, and exchanged their experiences with photosynthesis.

Maybe we can even get some delicious tree fruits.

but--

When it used its vine whip to push aside the last patch of bushes and the view suddenly opened up before it, it froze.

The entire valley was at least ten times larger than it had imagined.

No, it must be twenty times.

The valley is shaped like a giant bowl, with gently rising hillsides all around, densely covered with...

Bulbasaur.

Big and small, female and male.

Looking around, there are at least several hundred of them.

Hundreds!

Bulbasaur, with its excellent lung capacity, gasped.

In its entire life, from the moment it hatched from the egg until now, it has never seen so many of its kind!

No, that's not right. It should be said that it never imagined there were so many Bulbasaur in the world.

It's likely that all the Bulbasaur from the Kanto region are here.

But what truly captivates its gaze is the very center of the valley.

There is a dead tree there.

The bark was cracked, and the grayish-white cracks were covered with moss and lichen.

The trunk was so thick that it would take three or four people to encircle it, and the bare branches stretched towards the sky.

And beneath that withered tree lay a massive figure.

A Venusaur.

Its eyes were closed.

Not moving at all.

His breathing was steady.

With each rise and fall, even the grass blades on the ground would gently bend down and then slowly stand up again with its breath.

This Venusaur is twice the size of a regular Venusaur.

Although it was less attractive than me, the flower on its back was extremely beautiful.

The petals were layered upon each other, and the stamens emitted a faint fluorescence, making it hard to look away.

The Bulbasaur that led the way consciously found a spot that wasn't too far away and sat down quietly, afraid of making any unnecessary noise.

The leader pointed to the center with its vine whip and mouthed something to Bulbasaur.

Although it didn't speak, its meaning couldn't be clearer.

Look, this is the legendary ancestor.

Bulbasaur swallowed hard.

In his turmoil, he almost couldn't suppress the evolutionary light emanating from his body.

Sensing that a frog was about to evolve, Venusaur's eyelids twitched slightly.

Just as Bulbasaur was about to evolve, a loud roar drew its attention back.

"Bulbasaur—! Are you there—?!"

That's Ash's voice.

Bulbasaur shuddered, and the light of evolution instantly receded.

At the entrance to the valley.

Upon seeing the scene before him, Xiao Zhi suddenly stopped, his shoes carving two deep furrows in the mud.

Put Xiaogang and Xiaoxia down from your hands.

Without any warning, the two of them bent over almost simultaneously, braced themselves on their knees, and gagged several times.

"vomit--!"

Xiaoxia burst into tears.

"Thank goodness I haven't eaten yet... otherwise, it would have been a waste of my food!"

"Same feeling..."

Xiao Gang's face turned pale.

As if sensing the strange atmosphere, the two subconsciously looked up.

This glance had a significant impact.

The entire valley was densely packed with Bulbasaur.

Hundreds of Bulbasaur turned their heads in unison, their hundreds of eyes like hundreds of small lanterns, focusing on the three people at the entrance.

"seed?"

Is someone calling you?

"seed……?"

Is that you? Aren't you a Bulbasaur too?

"seed?"

A familiar face? I feel like the one leading them looks kind of nice to me.

The hushed discussion spread, but the Bulbasaur family was, after all, a well-trained group.