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Bulbasaur, Come Home!

VS ゴーリキー

VS Goriky

Info

Shogakukan full volume	Chapter 2 in Volume 1
VIZ Media monthly issue	Chapter 2 in Mysterious Mew
VIZ Media full volume	Adventure 2 in Volume 1
Series	Pokémon Adventures

Other

Location

Professor Oak's Laboratory Pallet Town Viridian City Viridian Gym

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.

After ringing the doorbell to Professor Oak's Laboratory multiple times, Red finds the door unlocked. He enters in hopes that Professor Oak will teach him how to be a great Pokémon Trainer, but it is dark and empty, aside from hundreds of Poké Balls containing Pokémon. In one of the Poké Balls, he finds 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 computer button, causing a number of the laboratory's Pokémon to be released 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, worrying Professor Oak that they have escaped the laboratory. Red prepares to go after them, but Oak stops him and yet again accuses him of being a thief. Red denies it and apologizes for entering uninvited, but insists on getting them back. Professor Oak warns him that it is too late in the day, but Red refuses to give up and rushes outside. Oak follows him on a bicycle, insisting that Red will never find them unless he helps 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 Oak does not seem keen to find. Red manages to spot it, but frightens it, prompting it to run away into the closed Viridian City Gym. The inside of the Gym dark and covered in cobwebs. As the two enter, Red discovers 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 it 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, the Gym door opens. The group looks up to find a wild Machoke in the Gym, and it suddenly attacks Red. Bulbasaur snares the Machoke from behind with a Vine Whip to stop its fist from hitting Red. Amazed, Red 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 it 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. Soon after, Professor Oak awakens 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, telling him this is what he needs to become a great Trainer.

Professor Oak then gives Red a Pokédex and explains its function. He suggests for him to visit the Viridian Forest to find Pokémon he has never encountered before. As Red nears the forest, he realizes that because he was in such a hurry, he did not bring many Poké Balls. With Poli and his new Pokémon Saur at his side, he is confident he will be able to "catch 'em all."

Major events

• Red meets Professor Oak.
• Red receives a Bulbasaur from Professor Oak and nicknames him Saur.
• Red receives a Pokédex from Professor Oak.

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

	Spoilers end here.

Debuts

• Professor Oak

Pokémon debuts

• Bulbasaur (Red's)
• Kakuna
• Pidgey
• Caterpie
• Metapod
• Rattata
• Poliwag
• Tentacool
• Weedle
• Meowth
• Machoke

Characters

Humans

• Red
• Professor Oak
• Giovanni (bust)

Pokémon

• Poliwhirl (Poli; Red's)
• Bulbasaur (Saur; Professor Oak's; given to Red)
• Kakuna (Professor Oak's)
• Pidgey (Professor Oak's)
• Caterpie (Professor Oak's)
• Metapod (Professor Oak's)
• Rattata (Professor Oak's)
• Poliwag (Professor Oak's)
• Tentacool (Professor Oak's)
• Weedle (Professor Oak's)
• Meowth (Professor Oak's)
• Mew (Adventures; flashback)
• Machoke

Trivia

• This chapter is included in The Best of Pokémon Adventures: Red.

In other languages

This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.