Pokémon: Newborn Ash Ketchum – Starting from Hoenn region

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Long time no see, Ash! I didn't expect you to become so powerful!"

At this time, a burst of applause and a familiar voice came from the forest.

"Brock! Why are you here? Didn't you go home?" Ash knew that Brock would appear, but he didn't expect it to be so soon.

"I just heard a loud noise, so I came over here to have a look! Although I'm back home, I still can't calm down. I heard from Professor Birch that you, Ash, are on your way to Rustboro City. So I chased after you," Brock walked out of the forest. "Long time no see, Ash! Pikachu!"

"Pika pika~" Ash and Brock shook hands!

Ash's Pokémon also greeted Brock. Except for Eevee, the other Pokémon were very familiar with him!

"Long time no see, Phanpy! And Pidgeot too. It seems Ash has brought you back! Is this the Eevee that he just caught? Is he well-trained? This Torchic is also pretty good!" Brock greeted the Pokémon one by one.

"So, we can travel together again, right?" Ash asked.

"Yes, then please take care of me."

"I will! By the way, these two are new trainers—May and her younger brother Max—who are traveling with me. That Torchic is May's first Pokémon. Their father is Norman from the Petalburg Gym."

Ash introduced the May siblings to Brock and then introduced Brock to them.

"This is Brock, the former travel companion I mentioned before. His goal is to become the world's number one Pokémon Breeder."

"I'm still learning, please take care of me! May, Max! Are you planning to become Gym Trainers?"

"Ah! I haven't thought about my goal yet!" May scratched her head.

"Please give me some advice! As for me, I don't have any Pokémon yet," Max said, sounding a bit down.

"Even though my younger brother doesn't have Pokémon, he is still determined to become a Gym Trainer," Brock squatted down and patted Max on the shoulder to encourage him. "So I left my Onix and the others at the gym. Now my only partner is Forretress."

"Yeah!" Max regained his confidence and nodded.

"By the way, Ash, what was that move you just used? It was so powerful!" Brock asked curiously.

"Yes, yes!" May and Max also looked at Ash expectantly.

"Haha! This is the Z-Move from the Alola region's battle system. Right now, it's mostly used in Alola and is rarely seen in other regions," Ash explained with a smile.

"I see!" Everyone nodded.

At this moment, May suddenly said, "Well, I heard Ash say that the food you cook is delicious, so..." May's face clearly showed that she was hoping for some hot food instead of a cold bento!

"Haha! Let's go! I made a few rice balls, but they aren't enough for everyone. I'll make another stew!" After Brock finished speaking, he took Ash and the others to the spot where he kept his luggage.

"Alright!" May jumped up happily.

"Ah~ Why are the rice balls I made missing?!" Brock shouted.

"Could they have been stolen by wild Pokémon?" May asked.

"How is that possible? Forget it, I'll make soup first!" Brock frowned and shook his head, then started cooking with a pot and ingredients from his backpack.

Taking advantage of this time, Ash released Swellow to treat it.

"Swellow~" Ash sprayed medicine on Swellow.

Brock walked over, looked at Swellow's injuries, and said, "Well! There's no problem anymore! Ash, you've really grown a lot during this time!"

"People always grow up!" Ash scratched his head in embarrassment, then turned to Swellow and said, "Please take care of me, Swellow!"

"Swellow~" Swellow raised its right wing to indicate that it was okay.

At this moment, a group of Swellow flew over and seemed ready to attack Ash and the others.

"What's going on? Why are these Swellow attacking?" May quickly hid behind Ash in fear.

Ash's Swellow flew up and tried to communicate with the wild Swellow.

"No matter how much you try to talk, it's useless, Meowth!"

Meowth's voice came from far away!

"Is it them?" Brock said in disbelief. They had traveled all the way to the Hoenn region and still hadn't gotten rid of them!

Ash nodded at Brock. "That's right! It's them, Team Rocket!"

"Wahaha~" Jessie, James, and Meowth appeared, laughing.

"Why are you guys here again?" Brock said speechlessly.

"Since you..." (Team Rocket's usual introduction)

"Starting today, these Swellow have officially joined our team," James said proudly.

"The Swellow's unyielding and unrelenting fighting spirit."

"The true soul of Team Rocket."

"That's right, Meowth~" "Wobbuffet~"

"Okay, everyone, if you want to eat rice balls, get rid of them!" Jessie ordered the Swellow to attack.

"Rice balls! Did you steal the rice balls I left here? That's unforgivable!" Brock glared at Team Rocket.

While Brock was confronting Team Rocket, the wild Swellow surrounded Ash and the others.

"Swellow~ Swellow~ Swellow~"

Ash held out a few cans of Pokémon food and offered them to the Swellow. "Come on, don't worry! There's enough for everyone!"

Team Rocket looked at each other awkwardly.

"No way!"

"They betrayed us for food!"

"Hmph! Team Rocket, can you compete with us when it comes to food? Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"Pikachu~"

Pikachu released a bolt of yellow electricity that struck Team Rocket.

Boom!

"Looks like Team Rocket's blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet~"

Afterward, Ash and the others said goodbye to the Swellow. After eating the lunch made by Brock, they continued toward Rustboro City.

---

The Petalburg Woods were still vast. Along the way, Ash and his team met many trainers. Unsurprisingly, they all became Ash's training partners! Not only did this help his three little Eevee grow stronger, but it also increased his points—killing two birds with one stone!

"Swellow, use Wing Attack!"

"Swellow~"

Ash's newly caught Swellow battled against a Beedrill.

With a swift motion, Swellow struck first, and Beedrill fell to the ground with its eyes spinning—it was unable to continue fighting!

An ordinary high-level Bug-type Pokémon wouldn't stand a chance against an elite-level Flying-type Pokémon!

Swellow landed on Ash's shoulder, and Ash walked over. "Is your Beedrill okay?"

"It's fine." The opposing trainer helped Beedrill up and nodded. "Thanks! I gained some great battle experience."

The two shook hands and became friends!

After saying goodbye, the group continued their journey.

"Being able to shake hands with an opponent after a battle—this is the feeling of youth!" May sighed.

"Building friendships through battles—that's what Pokémon battles are about," Brock explained.

"That's right! May, you should try it. I believe you'll like this feeling!" Ash encouraged her.

"Pika!"

Just as they were about to leave the forest, Pikachu suddenly cried out in alarm.

"Huh?"

A giant Pokémon jumped out of the grass!

To be continued…

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