I heard that the Bulbasaur population is bouncing back in Kanto! That’s great! I love the little guys!

It is, in part thanks to more aggressive anti-poaching practices in the region. Remember, everyone: if you must obtain a bulbasaur from a person, be sure to do so only from a certified breeder, shelter, or pokémon professor.

That having been said, I quite agree with you on the subject of bulbasaur, but perhaps I’m a little biased. Other than eevee, I maintain that bulbasaur is the best starter, and anyone who disagrees would be welcome to meet the fully evolved starter with the best disposition I’ve ever met.

Bill, your venusaur is that well-behaved because it’s unconscious for half the day and eating for the other half. —LH

Resting, Lanette. He’s just resting. It’s not easy being a guard pokémon. —Bill

Considering you live in a remote corner of Kanto? I’m sure it isn’t. —LH

Kanto Starters I: Bulbasaur

bills-pokedex:

@psychms: I just noticed you haven’t written about any of the regional starters! Can you tell us about your most memorable experience with a starter Pokémon (or its evolutions)?

Ah, keen observation! Starters are a bit special to a researcher, as we tend to associate them with new beginnings while maintaining our status as a ridiculously sentimental breed of people. In particular, I must say I’m closest to the Kantonian starters, in part because I consider one of my home regions to be Kanto and in part because, despite beginning my journey in Johto, my starter was a bulbasaur. While I could go on and on about the bulbasaur line, I hardly think it would be appropriate to only cover it and not the other two families. Thus, consider this to be part one of a three-part series.

Bulbasaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 1
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Kanto. Many people believe that out of the three, bulbasaur is the easiest to raise, as bulbasaur are more docile than the other two, the species’ offensive and defensive traits are balanced, and a grass-type has more of an advantage against the earliest Kantonian gyms than a fire- or water-type. However, while all of this is true, such advice frequently forgets any word on what to do when you have a pokémon that learns Leech Seed, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder all basically at the same time. On that note, should you be a new trainer who finds himself with a rambunctious bulbasaur who enjoys showering you with “affection,” be sure to carry full heals. A lot of full heals. Do not buy anything but full heals until your bulbasaur evolves. You will thank me later.

Ivysaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 2
Entry: The evolved form of bulbasaur, by battle experience. As it nears evolution into a venusaur, an ivysaur’s blossom grows larger and more fragrant to the point where it naturally emits a sweet, spicy fragrance strong enough to be detected from a distance. Thus, an ivysaur is the easiest among the three middle-evolution starters to evolve, not only because the weight of the bulb makes each ivysaur more eager to battle (in order to gain the strength needed to support its own flower) but also because the scent emitting from the blossom happens to be the exact kind of aroma that draws pokémon towards one in droves. That said, while ivysaur are still among the easiest pokémon to train, new and mediocre trainers should be warned that preventing an ivysaur from battling is nearly impossible and that many of your days may be spent being dragged through Viridian Forest by a charging ivysaur chased by a horde of beedrill.

Venusaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 3
Entry: The evolved form of ivysaur, by battle experience. A venusaur’s evolution is among the most beautiful to occur within the pokémon world. When the time comes, an ivysaur will seek the sunniest clearing in a forest, crouch within beams of sunlight, and allow its flower to grow and bloom. Petal by petal will open, and its fragrance will become more intense and aromatic. The power of this sight and the soothing nature of its signature perfume will rejuvenate an observing trainer just as much as the venusaur experiencing it, which is worth it to note as a warning to both. While you may be tempted to run forward and embrace your long-time pokémon partner in a rush of mutual pride and elation, note that your venusaur has gone from being 29 pounds to over 220 and that it will use all 220 to affectionately tackle you before realizing that it is no longer the size and weight of a large dog.

Mega Venusaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 3+
Entry: The advanced form of venusaur, via venusaurite. Important safety tip for people who train venusaur: everything about venusaur becomes more powerful when it’s mega evolved. This includes its defensive capabilities, the destructive power of its distance attacks, the potency of its pollen, the calming effects of its spicy floral scent, and most importantly, the damage it can do to the human body if you’ve failed to teach your venusaur that it is no longer the size and weight of a large dog. Use your venusaurite with caution, preferably after you get it to forget how to use Tackle.

On multiple occassions my ivysaur has shown interest in evolving into venusaur (he gets excited when the subject comes up) but when the time came to evolve, he resisted. This has happened 3 times and I don’t know how to ask whats wrong, I have tried showing my support as best as I can. Can you think of any reason he would do this?

Sometimes, excitement over the subject of evolution isn’t excitement over evolution itself but rather excitement towards an evolved form. Think of it like this. Many of us have heroes, people who are more advanced that we are in our respective fields. However, not all of us want to literally be those heroes. Rather, we all have our strengths and weaknesses, and sometimes, we embrace or prefer ourselves as we are. (For example, I may idolize Professor Oak as many researchers my age do, but none of us want to literally be him. I for one would not want to change anything about myself; I simply want to use this skills I already have or will develop on my own to be as great a researcher as he is.)

In much the same way, it’s very possible that your ivysaur doesn’t actually want to evolve. He may simply idolize venusaur (or even a specific venusaur) for their power. It may be worth it to try to communicate with him in order to see if this is the case, but if you still can’t quite understand him, try training him to use similar abilities to a typical venusaur. For example, try working on increasing the power of his Solar Beam (or work on teaching him that move) until it’s just as powerful as that of his evolved form. Teach him new, powerful techniques. Find things he may be able to do as an ivysaur that he wouldn’t as a venusaur (he’s smaller and lighter, for one) and incorporate that into his battle style. It is, in other words, all about helping him grow and fulfill his wish to be as excellent a battler as something most definitely stronger than he is so that, perhaps, he’ll feel as if he’s living up to his idol’s standards.

If, however, his behavior isn’t because he idolizes venusaur, it could simply be that he’s indecisive on the matter, but the extra training will give him time to settle on what he would like to do.

Best of luck to you and your ivysaur, anonymous!

My venusaurs flower is a yellow color. He’s not sluggish or anything and is as happy as ever. Is it normal for venusaurs to have different colored flowers?

Well, it’s a complicated sort of normal, anonymous. It seems you were lucky enough to come across the shiny variation of venusaur, so while it’s perfectly fine to have a yellow one, it’s extremely rare.

Unless, of course, the leaves are drooping or the flower is brown along the edges. If that’s the case, then please water your venusaur; he’s wilting.

Kanto Starters I: Bulbasaur

@psychms: I just noticed you haven’t written about any of the regional starters! Can you tell us about your most memorable experience with a starter Pokémon (or its evolutions)?

Ah, keen observation! Starters are a bit special to a researcher, as we tend to associate them with new beginnings while maintaining our status as a ridiculously sentimental breed of people. In particular, I must say I’m closest to the Kantonian starters, in part because I consider one of my home regions to be Kanto and in part because, despite beginning my journey in Johto, my starter was a bulbasaur. While I could go on and on about the bulbasaur line, I hardly think it would be appropriate to only cover it and not the other two families. Thus, consider this to be part one of a three-part series.

Bulbasaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 1
Entry: One of three pokémon traditionally offered to new trainers at the beginning of their journeys in Kanto. Many people believe that out of the three, bulbasaur is the easiest to raise, as bulbasaur are more docile than the other two, the species’ offensive and defensive traits are balanced, and a grass-type has more of an advantage against the earliest Kantonian gyms than a fire- or water-type. However, while all of this is true, such advice frequently forgets any word on what to do when you have a pokémon that learns Leech Seed, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, and Sleep Powder all basically at the same time. On that note, should you be a new trainer who finds himself with a rambunctious bulbasaur who enjoys showering you with “affection,” be sure to carry full heals. A lot of full heals. Do not buy anything but full heals until your bulbasaur evolves. You will thank me later.

Ivysaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 2
Entry: The evolved form of bulbasaur, by battle experience. As it nears evolution into a venusaur, an ivysaur’s blossom grows larger and more fragrant to the point where it naturally emits a sweet, spicy fragrance strong enough to be detected from a distance. Thus, an ivysaur is the easiest among the three middle-evolution starters to evolve, not only because the weight of the bulb makes each ivysaur more eager to battle (in order to gain the strength needed to support its own flower) but also because the scent emitting from the blossom happens to be the exact kind of aroma that draws pokémon towards one in droves. That said, while ivysaur are still among the easiest pokémon to train, new and mediocre trainers should be warned that preventing an ivysaur from battling is nearly impossible and that many of your days may be spent being dragged through Viridian Forest by a charging ivysaur chased by a horde of beedrill.

Venusaur
The Seed Pokémon
Type: Grass/Poison
Official Registration #: 3
Entry: The evolved form of ivysaur, by battle experience. A venusaur’s evolution is among the most beautiful to occur within the pokémon world. When the time comes, an ivysaur will seek the sunniest clearing in a forest, crouch within beams of sunlight, and allow its flower to grow and bloom. Petal by petal will open, and its fragrance will become more intense and aromatic. The power of this sight and the soothing nature of its signature perfume will rejuvenate an observing trainer just as much as the venusaur experiencing it, which is worth it to note as a warning to both. While you may be tempted to run forward and embrace your long-time pokémon partner in a rush of mutual pride and elation, note that your venusaur has gone from being 29 pounds to over 220 and that it will use all 220 to affectionately tackle you before realizing that it is no longer the size and weight of a large dog.