After observing them for a while, Itsuki eventually fixed his attention on a Bulbasaur that had just wandered out of the basin.
Perhaps because no outsiders had entered this place for a very long time, the Bulbasaur appeared completely relaxed.
Every so often, it extended its Vine Whip to pluck a Berry from a nearby tree before casually popping it into its mouth.
Before long, it had wandered quite some distance away from the rest of its group.
Seeing this opportunity, Itsuki didn't hesitate.
He carefully began approaching it, moving as quietly as possible to avoid making any unnecessary noise.
There was a reason he had chosen this particular Bulbasaur.
It was simply the safest option.
If he ventured too deeply into the basin, he might cause the gathered Bulbasaur to panic.
And if that happened, they could easily swarm him and attack all at once.
Getting surrounded by an entire colony of Bulbasaur would be a disaster!
That would hardly be worth the risk.
Meanwhile, the Bulbasaur remained completely unaware of the approaching danger.
However, once Itsuki got close enough, he didn't choose to launch a sneak attack.
Instead, he stepped directly into its line of sight.
Hearing the sudden movement and seeing a human unexpectedly appear before it, Bulbasaur was initially startled.
But almost immediately, it bent its four legs and assumed a battle stance!
Two long vines suddenly shot out from the bulb on its back.
They whipped wildly through the air, seemingly attempting to intimidate Itsuki!
Their gazes met.
Itsuki raised a hand, signaling Ralts to step forward.
Ralts obediently moved several steps ahead.
Upon seeing Ralts, Bulbasaur seemed to realize what was happening.
"Bulba! Bulba!"
It repeatedly cried out, its gaze instantly becoming sharp and focused!
"Ralts, use Confusion!"
At Itsuki's command, Bulbasaur's body was suddenly enveloped in light.
As though struck by an invisible force, it was lifted straight into the air!
However, after its initial panic subsided, Bulbasaur refused to surrender despite the continuous damage it was suffering.
Enduring the pain and unable to move its body, it extended its vines and lashed them fiercely toward Ralts!
Naturally, Itsuki had no intention of letting Ralts take the attack head-on.
"Use Teleport!"
Through the red horns on its head, Ralts could keenly sense Itsuki's emotions.
Combined with their extensive battle experience together, this allowed it to react almost instantly.
In fact, before Itsuki had even finished speaking, Ralts had already activated Teleport and vanished from the spot!
Smack! Smack!
The vines struck the ground, scattering countless blades of grass into the air!
And when Ralts reappeared, it was no longer standing in front of Bulbasaur.
Instead, it had appeared directly behind it!
With a wave of its hands, Ralts sent Bulbasaur flying sideways.
Bang!
Bulbasaur slammed violently into a tree trunk before slowly sliding down to the ground.
'That hurt!'
And with such relentless attacks, Bulbasaur had absolutely no way to fight back.
Letting out a cry of pain, Bulbasaur shook the bulb on its back.
Immediately afterward, a seed roughly the size of a peach pit shot out from within, flying straight toward Ralts!
Although this was his first time witnessing the move in person, Itsuki recognized it immediately.
'Leech Seed!'
'A move that drains the opponent's energy!'
"Ralts, dodge it!"
At his command, Ralts once again used Teleport to evade the attack.
However, just as Ralts reappeared, Bulbasaur suddenly rushed forward and threw its entire body toward it!
'Oh, I see!'
'So this little guy knows how to predict its opponent's movements, huh?!'
Unfortunately for Bulbasaur, Itsuki didn't even need to issue another command.
Its body was once again enveloped in a mysterious glow.
In the very next instant, it was hurled backward at an even greater speed than before!
Bang!
Bulbasaur crashed into the same tree once again!
The impact was so powerful that it actually left a visible dent in the trunk!
This time, Bulbasaur could no longer endure the damage.
It completely lost consciousness.
Seeing this, Itsuki calmly took a Poké Ball from his waist and threw it toward Bulbasaur.
A beam of red light enveloped the unconscious Pokémon and drew it into the ball.
The Poké Ball shook slightly.
A short moment later—
Click!
The button on its front went dark.
'Got it!'
A flash of delight appeared in Itsuki's eyes.
Overall, the battle had been relatively easy.
There hadn't been any real difficulty.
And only now did he finally allow himself to relax.
Although the battle might have looked simple, this was still his very first time catching a wild Pokémon.
Naturally, he couldn't help feeling excited!
In the distance, several Bulbasaur had already been attracted by the sounds of battle and were looking in his direction.
Before they could approach, Itsuki hurriedly picked up the Poké Ball and retreated to his previous position.
However, he didn't immediately leave.
Instead, he took out his phone and snapped several photographs of the Mysterious Garden.
Only after satisfying himself with the pictures did he finally depart.
He retraced his steps through the forest.
Although he was traveling along the exact same path, his mood was completely different from when he had arrived!
Even his footsteps seemed noticeably lighter!
By the time he finally emerged from the forest several hours later, the moon was already hanging high in the sky, surrounded by countless twinkling stars.
'So much time has passed just going back and forth...'
Moonlight illuminated the earth.
Using the faint light to guide him, Itsuki spread out his sleeping bag.
Meanwhile, Ralts gathered a few branches and brought them over.