NOVEL NEXT Chapter 45: Bulbasaur part - 2
Ethan sat cross-legged in his small, modest room at the Pokémon Center, fiddling with the Poké Ball that contained his newest capture—the mischievous Bulbasaur. Sylveon lay comfortably on the bed, its ribbon-like feelers curling lazily.
"So," Ethan began, glancing at Sylveon, "what do you think? Should we let the troublemaker out now? Maybe get him used to the team?"
Sylveon tilted its head, giving a noncommittal chirp.
Ethan sighed. "Yeah, I don't think he's going to make this easy, but we might as well rip the Band-Aid off."
He pressed the button on the Poké Ball, and with a flash of red light, Bulbasaur materialized in the middle of the room.
At first, the Grass-type blinked, disoriented. Then the realization struck—it was no longer free. It had been captured.
Bulbasaur's bulb drooped slightly, its usually cheeky expression replaced by one of sorrow. Its large eyes seemed to glisten as it looked around the unfamiliar room. The weight of its situation was sinking in fast.
Ethan watched the shift in mood, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey, don't look so down. It's not the end of the world. You're part of the team now."
Bulbasaur's sorrow quickly morphed into anger. It let out an irritated growl, its bulb shaking slightly as if to convey its frustration. Then, without warning, it bolted toward the door, vines sprouting from its bulb to try to open it.
"Whoa, hold up!" Ethan said, quickly recalling Bulbasaur back into its Poké Ball.
He stared at the ball in his hand, exhaling slowly. "Well, that went about as well as I expected."
Sylveon lifted its head, giving Ethan a look that seemed to say, Told you so.
Ethan rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's try this again."
He released Bulbasaur once more.
The Grass-type reappeared, but this time its demeanor was different. It stood still, staring at Ethan with a mixture of betrayal and defiance. Its bulb quivered slightly, but it didn't make another run for it. Instead, it glared at Ethan with narrowed eyes, its expression saying, What do you want from me?
Ethan knelt down, trying to meet Bulbasaur at eye level. "Listen, I get it. You're mad. I'd probably feel the same way if I were you. But running away isn't going to help. Why don't we try to work this out?"
Bulbasaur didn't seem to care for Ethan's reasoning. Its vines shot out again, this time aiming directly at Ethan.
"Wait, what—oh shit!" Ethan yelped, ducking just in time to avoid being smacked in the face by a Vine Whip.
Bulbasaur didn't stop there. It launched a flurry of attacks, its anger driving it to go all out.
Ethan scrambled across the room, narrowly dodging each strike. "Calm down! I'm trying to help here!"
Sylveon, still lounging on the bed, watched the chaos unfold with a bemused expression.
"Don't just sit there!" Ethan shouted, ducking under another Vine Whip.
Sylveon yawned and finally hopped off the bed, casually inserting itself between Ethan and Bulbasaur. It let out a soft chirp, its feelers gently nudging the angry Grass-type.
Bulbasaur hesitated, its vines retracting slightly. It glanced at Sylveon, then back at Ethan, as if weighing its options.
Ethan took the opportunity to catch his breath. "Okay, okay. You've made your point. You're upset. I get it. But can we talk about this like civilized beings?"
Bulbasaur let out a low growl but didn't attack again. Instead, it turned away from Ethan, its bulb drooping once more.
"Hey," Ethan said softly, taking a cautious step forward. "I'm not your enemy, okay? I know we didn't exactly start off on the right foot, but I promise you'll be better off with me. You've got potential, and I can help you unlock it."
Bulbasaur didn't respond. It stood there for a moment, its back to Ethan, before turning its head slightly to glance at him.
Ethan took the gesture as a small victory. He knelt down again, holding out his hand. "What do you say? Truce?"
Bulbasaur hesitated, its eyes flicking between Ethan's hand and his face. But instead of accepting the gesture, it let out a small huff and retreated back into its Poké Ball on its own.
Ethan blinked, staring at the now-closed ball in his hand. "Well, that's... progress? I guess?"
Sylveon hopped onto Ethan's shoulder, letting out a soft, encouraging chirp.
Ethan sighed, placing the Poké Ball on the table. "This is going to be a long journey, isn't it?"
He flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. "I've dealt with stubborn Pokémon before, but this guy takes the cake. Still... I'm not giving up. We'll figure this out. Eventually."
As he drifted off to sleep, Ethan couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "It's gonna be difficult, but hey, I've got Sylveon. What could possibly go wrong?"
Sylveon, curled up at the foot of the bed, let out a soft trill, its expression saying, You have no idea.