Pokémon: A New Ash, Starting from Hoenn

"Look, it's Treecko! Are we in Treecko's forest?!" Max shouted excitedly, pointing at the group of Treecko nearby. Max adored Treecko—and had the peck marks from Torchic to prove it.

"Yes! What a lucky find! I have to catch that Treecko!" Ash grinned and dashed off after them.

"Wait, Ash! Hold up!" May called out, but Ash was already weaving through the trees, using his Aura to move swiftly through the forest. The others struggled to keep up—and eventually lost track of him entirely.

"Ugh, I'm exhausted. Let's take a break," May panted.

"Yeah, we've lost sight of Ash and the Treecko anyway," Brock agreed, scanning the area.

The three took a quick rest while Ash pursued the Treecko further, eventually arriving at a massive pit. Sliding down the slope, he spotted a towering tree in the center—completely withered, barely clinging to life.

Whoosh! Ash instinctively stepped back as a branch speared the ground where he'd been standing.

Looking up, Ash's eyes sparkled. A lone Treecko stood confidently on a high branch, a twig in its mouth, staring him down.

[Treecko – Male]

Type: GrassAbility: Overgrow (Powers up Grass-type moves when HP is low)Strength: Elite (Early Stage)Moves: Quick Attack, Pound, LeerTerastallization Type: Grass

Wow, Ash thought. This Treecko's pretty strong for the wild, but it's odd… no Grass-type moves? Still, this has to be that Treecko—the one that once stood up to the Nightmare Pokémon in Hoenn!1

"Treecko, I'm going to catch you!" Ash called, stepping forward.

"Pikachu~!" Pikachu joined him with a determined spark.

"Treecko!" The Pokémon leapt down from the tree, ready to battle—but before they could begin, a group of Treecko appeared, along with an elder Treecko who stepped forward to confront him.

An argument broke out between the younger Treecko and the elder, heated and emotional. In the end, the lone Treecko turned and walked away, rejected by the group. The others followed the elder and dispersed.

"Pika…?" Pikachu tilted its head in confusion.

"Let's wait," Ash said calmly. I know what's coming.

Sure enough, a short time later, Treecko returned, dragging a massive leaf filled with water. Carefully, it poured the water over the withered roots of the dying tree. Even if the others had given up on saving the tree, Treecko couldn't. It just… couldn't.

"Treecko, let us help!" Ash offered.

"Pikachu!"

"Treecko!" The Pokémon nodded at last, and together with Ash and Pikachu, they began watering the tree.

Suddenly, a loud noise broke the calm. A net flew down, capturing a group of Treecko. Team Rocket was back—this time with a hot air balloon full of stolen Pokémon.

"You again?!" Ash glared.

"If you're gonna interrupt us—at least let us say our lines!" Jessie yelled.

"We'll skip Pikachu for now, but we're taking these Treecko!" James declared.

"You're not getting away with this. Go, Taillow—show me what you've learned! Use Steel—"

"Treecko!" Treecko stepped in front of Ash, signaling that it wanted to handle this.

Ash met its eyes and nodded. "Alright, go for it, Treecko!"

"Hmph! Cacnea, go!" James sent out his newly caught Pokémon, who immediately spun and gave James a spiky hug.

"AHH! Not me, over there! Use Pin Missile!"

[Cacnea – Male]

Type: GrassAbility: Sand Veil (Raises evasion in sandstorms)Strength: Elite (Mid Stage)

"A new teammate, huh? Treecko, Quick Attack—get on the balloon!" Ash shouted.

"Treecko!" The nimble Pokémon dashed up the rope, dodging Pin Missile with ease.

"Just dodging won't help. Cacnea, use Pin Missile again!"

"Wait—Meowth, no!" But it was too late. Cacnea's attack burst the balloon wide open.

"Treecko, feel the Grass energy in your body! Focus—condense it into a blade. Go, Leaf Blade!"

Treecko closed its eyes, channeled the energy, and formed glowing green leaves. With a mighty swing, it cut the net, freeing the captured Treecko.

"Nooo! This is the worst!" Team Rocket screamed as they blasted off once again.

"Wobbuffet~!"

Thanks to Ash and Pikachu, the Treecko reunited. But suddenly, a loud crack echoed through the forest.

The ancient tree—already near collapse—split from the roots upward and began to fall apart.

"Treecko!" The brave Pokémon stood frozen, devastated.

"Pikachu…" Pikachu's ears drooped.

The group of Treecko rushed in, trying to push the massive trunk back together. Even though they knew it was hopeless, they refused to give up.

Then, the morning sun broke through the trees. Bathed in golden light, they all stood and watched as a vision played before them—the story of the mother tree, growing from a seed and nurturing the forest for generations.

"So… this tree was the heart of the whole forest," Ash whispered. "It's amazing."

He turned to Treecko. "Don't be sad. The tree may be gone, but the forest it raised is still here. It'll live on through all of you."

"Pikachu~!"

As the sun rose fully, the ancient tree split apart completely—leaving behind only a single shining seed.

"This is for you, Treecko. A final gift from the giant tree," Ash said, picking up the seed. "It's a Miracle Seed—it'll boost your Grass-type moves."

"Treecko!" The Pokémon accepted it and held it close.

"Now then… Treecko, let's finish the battle we started earlier."

"Pikachu!"

"Treecko!"

Ash sent out Phanpy.

Treecko dashed in, glowing white.

"Phanpy, use Iron Head!"

Bam! They clashed and recoiled.

Treecko recovered and launched a Leaf Blade.

"Phanpy, Protect! Then Rollout!"

Treecko was hit!

But it retaliated with its tail—another Quick Attack.

"Time to finish this! Phanpy, use Take Down!"

CRASH!

"Treecko!" It flew backward and hit the ground.

Sparkle! Phanpy glowed—it had reached Elite level!

"That was great, Phanpy!" Ash praised before turning to Treecko. "So, what do you say? Want to join my team?"

Treecko hesitated.

At that moment, the elder Treecko stepped forward. The two exchanged a few silent words. Then, Treecko looked at Ash and nodded.

"Welcome to the team, Treecko!" Ash beamed. Even though he knew this would happen… nothing beat hearing it for real.

He tossed a Poké Ball. With a ding~ Treecko was caught.

"Yes! I caught Treecko!""Pikachu!""Phanpy~!"

"ASH!" Brock, May, and Max came running, breathless.

"You caught Treecko?!" Max gasped.

Ash nodded and turned to Pidgeot. "Thanks, buddy. I'll send you back to Professor Oak's for now. I'll call you back when it's time to challenge Rustboro Gym."

"Pid~" Pidgeot nuzzled Ash before disappearing in a flash of light.

Ash's team was now full. With Treecko joining the party and Pidgeot temporarily sent back, the journey toward Rustboro City continued!

To be continued…