PS2 redirects here. For the Nintendo 64 game, see Pokémon Stadium 2.
PS001 : A Glimpse of the Glow
Red, Green & Blue arc
PS003 : The Secret of Kangaskhan
Bulbasaur, Come Home!
PS002.png
VS ゴーリキー
VS Goriky
Info
Shogakukan full volume Chapter 2 in Vol. 1
VIZ Media monthly issue Chapter 2 in Mysterious Mew
VIZ Media full volume Adventure 2 in Vol. 1
Series Pokémon Adventures

Bulbasaur, Come Home! (Japanese: VS ゴーリキー VS Goriky) is the second chapter of the Pokémon Adventures manga.

Plot

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

When Red enters Professor Oak's Laboratory, in hopes that the professor would teach him how to be a great Pokémon Trainer, he finds a dark, empty laboratory filled with hundreds of Poké Balls containing Pokémon. In one of the Poké Balls, he finds on a table is a Bulbasaur. Amazed by a Pokémon he has never seen before, Red shows the Bulbasaur to Poli, while both are still in their Poké Balls.

Bulbasaur becomes frightened of Poli, just as Professor Oak arrives and mistakes Red for a thief trying to steal the laboratory's Pokémon. Oak rushes up to him and accuses Red of stealing, which sends the startled Red tumbling back into a table, and the jolt accidentally releases a number of the laboratory's Pokémon from their Poké Balls. Oak is furious at Red, and just as Red is about to say that he didn't mean to, a Pidgey flies overhead and excretes on Professor Oak's face. Oak orders Red to return all of the Pokémon to their Poké Balls. After a while, Red manages to catch most of them.

A few Pokémon are still missing, and Professor Oak hopes that none have escaped the laboratory. Red says that he'll get them back too, but Oak stops him and accuses him of being a thief again. Red denies it and apologizes for entering uninvited but insists on getting them back. However, Professor Oak tells him that it is late and the sun is starting to set. Red says that he is not giving up and rushes outside. Oak follows him on a bicycle, insisting that Red will never find them unless he helps Red identify the missing Pokémon, and adding that he'll turn Red in after they find them.

The duo reach Viridian City where they find one of the laboratory's Pokémon, a Meowth, which Red manages to return to its Poké Ball. Red remarks that the last missing Pokémon should be the Bulbasaur, which they find shortly after. Frightened, it runs away into the closed Viridian City Gym with Red and Oak chasing after it. The inside of the Gym is dark and covered in cobwebs. Red bumps into a statue of Giovanni as Professor Oak spots Bulbasaur standing next to the Gym's wall.

Professor Oak tries to persuade Bulbasaur to come, but Bulbasaur attacks him with a Tackle. Oak winces in pain as he argues back that he is supposed to be Bulbasaur's owner, implying that Bulbasaur should listen to him. Red steps in front of Oak and tries to comfort Bulbasaur, saying that it's alright to be nervous at being in the outside world, that he understands how Saur was kept separate from the other Pokémon in the lab and only ever saw Professor Oak.

Bulbasaur quickly warms up to Red. As Red pets him and offers him something to eat, a Pokémon cry echoes in the Gym. The group looks up to find a wild Machoke that somehow found its way inside, and it suddenly attacks Red. Bulbasaur snares the Machoke from behind with a Vine Whip to stop its fist from hitting Red. Red is amazed and asks Oak what Bulbasaur's best move is, but Oak has fainted from shock. Red then realizes that Bulbasaur has a bulb on his back and quickly wonders if the bulb can be helpful, but Machoke attacks again.

Red notices a small ray of sunlight shining through the closed window shades. Hitting on an idea, he quickly opens the shades and allows the sunlight to shine inside. Bulbasaur's bulb begins to collect the sunlight and shines, releasing a powerful Solar Beam and knocking Machoke out instantly. Professor Oak awakes and asks Red if he knew about Bulbasaur's Solar Beam, but Red admits that he only knew that sunlight is transformed into energy by plants, and thus assumed that it would help Bulbasaur. Oak laughs, surprised that Red figured it out on his own.

Professor Oak congratulates and rewards Red by allowing him to keep the Bulbasaur. Red is overjoyed. Now that their work is done, Red clarifies that he didn't break into Professor Oak's laboratory, he merely came to learn how to be a better Pokémon Trainer. In response, Professor Oak poses a question to Red: what does it take to be great? Red ponders this and Oak answers that it's what is in his heart that counts. He comments that Red's connection with Bulbasaur during battle was remarkable. He tells Red that this is what he needs to become a great Trainer.

Major events

For a list of all major events in the Pokémon Adventures manga, please see the history page.
  Spoilers end here.  

Debuts

Pokémon debuts

Characters

Humans

Pokémon

Trivia

Errors

  • When Professor Oak is talking to Red about being a Pokémon Trainer, he calls him by name. However, shortly afterwards Oak doesn't seem to know Red's name.

In other languages



PS001 : A Glimpse of the Glow
Red, Green & Blue arc
PS003 : The Secret of Kangaskhan
  This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.