1Hello amazing people! Sorry this took so long, finals have come and gone. The buildup for this story took longer than I intended, but we'll finally be heating things up next chapter! Review, follow, and ENJOY!
The first thing Bulbasaur noticed was that he had emerged from a little-known path leading behind Whiscash Lake. He also noticed that there were two small Pokemon standing on a flat rock island in the middle of the lake. A Whiscash floated in the water in front of them.
The smallest, a Caterpie, noticed him first. "Bulbasaur!" He cried with joy, and all of them turned to look at him. The old Whiscash turned his flat back towards the two kids. "Hop on, everyone!" He cried, and before he knew it Caterpie, Metapod and Whiscash were were swarming Bulbasaur at the edge of the lake where he stood.
"Bulbasaur, you're okay!" Caterpie chirped.
"Welcome back, youngster." The old whiscash smiled.
"I hope you're feeling okay." Metapod crooned.
Bulbasaur stumbled back from the overflow of affection momentarily. "Th-thanks, guys." He croaked, but even as he said so the conversation seemed… off. Nobody would look at him directly, and they were dipping their words in a thick covering of sugar gummies.
Bulbasaur stumbled through the square with deaf ears. He hated the sunshine, so bright and happy…
"Welcome back, Bulbasaur!" Wigglytuff cried.
"Ssoo pleased to see you." Persian purred, sidling up to him. "I want you to understand that all your teams savings have been guarded like a precious egg." The cat's sly eyes twinkled friendly.
"Bulbasaur, we've been saving up apples for your team!" The Kecleon brothers cried in unison from their counter. Gulpin mentioned something, but Bulbasaur was no longer listening.
Suddenly a shadow blocked his way.
"I'm terribly sorry, Bulbasaur." Kangaskhan rumbled soothingly. "Alakazam told us the minute you'd arrived." She patted the large green bulb on his back and trundled away, her baby sucking its thumb in her pouch.
Bulbasaur simply nodded numbly and crossed the bridge that hung over the gurgling stream. Sala had loved the sound of that stream…
Voices up ahead cut him out of his melancholy, and Bulbasaur stopped and looked up sharply. Crowded around Sala's thatched roof hut were about nine different Pokemon. All conversation ceased when he came into view.
All of their small rescue team lined up quietly, allowing Bulbasaur passage into the hut. They stroked his scales and murmured soothing condolences. At one point their Poochyena, whom Sala had nicknamed "Yena," broke down in tears and was silently led away.
Bulbasaur thanked each of them numbly and settled into the straw bed of Sala's… no, his hut. It was all too much to comprehend. Time had flown so fast- he hadn't even been awake for most of it. Eventually his team dispersed; all except Zaggy.
The zigzagoon smiled softly and came to sit beside him. Bulbasaur tried to shoo her away, but she refused to budge, and eventually Bulbasaur fell deep in sleep.
The first thing he noticed on waking was that the roof, untended for many months, had started to leak. Rain drummed steadily outside the windows, and Bulbasaur grunted and stretched out a long, slender vine to drag a bucket under the dripping roof.
The door opened and Zaggy entered soaked through. She stopped and thoroughly shook out her tan-and-brown fur.
"Welcome back. I was just chasing away the neighbors." She grinned mischievously. Bulbasaur stared, his vine still stretched. He quickly recovered his gaping mouth and grabbed the bucket he's been going for.
"Yeah, I know, I don't leave my home very much." Zaggy chuckled lightly. "But I was appointed by the team to guard you."
"Uhh… guard me from what, exactly?" Bulbasaur questioned. He shook his head lightly. The nostalgically familiar environment was making him dizzy. Suddenly, the windows flashed and were immediately followed with a deafening clap. Howls rose from the town square, and the sudden high wind threatened to sweep away the hut.
"From that. Quickly!" The zigzaggoon dashed from the little shack and left Bulbasaur racing to catch up.