Nurse Isabelle and the Kanto Pokédex: the Diary of a Travelling Nurse

#002 Ivysaur

#002 Ivysaur – Rewritten 01/09/16

Ivysaur, the Seed Pokémon. The evolved form of Bulbasaur. When the bulb has grown even bigger, its weight now prevents Ivysaur from standing on its hind legs and forces its legs to grow sturdier. When its flower is ready to bloom, it gives off a distinct, strong, sweet-smelling aroma and starts swelling. Ivysaur will also start spending more time in the sunlight in preparation for its upcoming evolutions. Exposure to sunlight adds to the strength of both Ivysaur and its plant, so a garden is a must when you own one of these Pokémon. Just as with Bulbasaur, Ivysaur are rare in the wild, as many are in captivity. – Nurse Evergreen.

It was like Bulbasaur had never been outside in his entire, young life. The little, ecstatic grass-type's attention span has hit an all-time low. One moment, he was stomping his little paws to see how the grass bent and straightened underneath him. Another moment, he dashed forward to smell some shrubbery that he and Nurse Isabelle passed on their way through the gardens of Professor Oak's. The sun was still shining as pleasantly as it had that morning and all was calm, so Isabelle found it easy to share in her newly adopted Pokémon's happiness.

These fields were filled with the Pokémon owned by the trainers under Professor Oak. He would store and care for the Pokémon they weren't using and in exchange, he could study them all. The trainers that received their Pokémon from a Pokémon centre sent their Pokémon to said centre, where they were cared for when they were not with the trainer.

When they neared the outer edge of these seemingly endless fields, cries of distress could be heard. Quickening their gait, they encountered the backside of a Pokémon that looked similar to Bulbasaur. The hint of red inside the bulb as the first petals had already opened revealed it as an Ivysaur.

This Ivysaur had gotten himself in quite a predicament; possibly lured by the sounds and smells of the town, he seemingly had tried to crawl underneath the wooden fence that surrounded the place. However, the big bulb on his back could not fit under and now the pudgy thing was stuck.

With a little giggle, Isabelle leapt nimbly over the fence and knelt down in front of him, stroking his frowning face gently.

"It's okay, sweetie. We'll get you out," she cooed at him. "Bulbasaur, could you wrap your vines around his body? When I give you the signal, I want you to pull."

"Saur!" That sounded like an affirmative. Isabelle gently placed her hands on where his shoulders would be.

"Now, Bulba!" As Bulbasaur pulled and Izzy pushed, Ivysaur slid free from the fence, dragging some dirt along with him. As Ivysaur stood up and shook himself, Isabelle gently inspected his bulb for damage. Luckily, there was none. The flower was entirely intact. Only Ivysaur's pride seemed to be dented. Isabelle did notice that Ivysaur's skin was a darker colour than her own Bulbasaur's. She wasn't sure whether this came through evolution or that this was merely a variation among their kind.

As soon as Izzy let the Ivysaur go, the bigger grass-type greeted her own starter excitedly. They talked to each other in their gruff voices, still adorable with young age. Occasionally, they looked at the young nurse with something that resembled a grin. It was very fun to see that even Pokémon could have friends.

Sitting on the offending fence, Isabelle brushed her white trousers off, scratching some at the grass-stains. Her pale pink shirt was unharmed, though. While she didn't wear a uniform, the colour scheme was meant to remind one of the customary outfit the nurses at Pokécentres wore. Instead of the dainty slippers, she wore comfortable sneakers that followed the same colour pattern.

Isabelle watched as Bulbasaur conversed with what seemed to be a close friend as she played with the Pokédex she had received. She scanned the Ivysaur and typed a tiny remark about this Pokémon's slightly darker hide. Izzy hoped that if she kept this up in a neat fashion, her work would be of use to Professor Oak, who had been so kind to give the remaining Bulbasaur to her.

She allowed them to play a little and catch up before calling Bulbasaur back. The sun had started its descent and the sky had gone from a light blue to shades of orange and purple. Her starter hobble-ran his way over to Izzy, rubbed his head affectionately against her leg, and cried out a farewell to the Ivysaur, who returned back to the lab for food time.

Rubbing Bulbasaur's head lovingly, Isabelle lifted him over the fence and set out back to Pallet town, where they would spend the night before heading out on a new day of their adventure.