Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Ash! It's been a while—I didn't expect you to be this strong already!"
A familiar voice echoed from the forest, accompanied by a round of applause.
"Brock! What are you doing here?! I thought you went home!" Ash exclaimed in surprise. (⊙o⊙) He had expected Brock to show up eventually, but not this soon.
"I heard a loud noise nearby, so I came to check it out. I did go home for a while, but I couldn't sit still. Then I heard from Professor Birch that you were heading toward Rustboro, so I came chasing after you!" Brock emerged from the trees with his usual calm smile. "Long time no see, Ash. Pikachu!"
"Pika Pika~!"Ash and Brock shook hands, and Pikachu cheerfully greeted their old companion.
Ash's other Pokémon also ran up to greet Brock—except Eevee, who eyed him cautiously as the newcomer.
"Phanpy! And even Pidgeot! Looks like you brought back some of your older teammates!" Brock said, pleasantly surprised. "And this Eevee must be new—you're raising it well. And that Torchic looks great too!"
Brock greeted each Pokémon with a practiced eye and warm voice.
"So… we're traveling together again, huh?" Ash asked, already smiling.
"That's right," Brock nodded. "Let's make it another good one!"
"Count me in too!" Ash said. "Oh, right—these two are new Trainers traveling with me. This is May and her younger brother, Max. That Torchic is May's starter Pokémon. Also, their dad is Norman—the Gym Leader of Petalburg City."
Ash then turned to introduce Brock to the siblings. "And this is Brock, my old traveling companion. He's working to become the world's greatest Pokémon Breeder."
"I'm still learning," Brock said humbly. "Nice to meet you, May, Max. So—do you two want to become Gym Leaders too?"
"Ah! Uh… I haven't decided yet!" May scratched her head, flustered.
"Please guide me well!" Max added quickly, though a little shyly. "I don't even have a Pokémon yet…"
"Even without a Pokémon, your passion is what matters." Brock knelt beside Max, giving him an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Keep studying hard and your chance will come."
"Oh, and I left most of my Pokémon back at the Gym. Right now, I'm just traveling with Forretress."
"Mm!" Max perked up a little and nodded.
"By the way, Ash—what was that move you used earlier?" Brock asked curiously. "It looked amazing!"
"Yeah, yeah! That attack was crazy!" May and Max leaned forward with eager eyes.
"Haha! That was a Z-Move—it's part of the battle system from the Alola Region. It's mostly used there right now, so you don't see it often elsewhere." Ash explained proudly.
"Oooh~!" Everyone nodded in awe.
Then, May suddenly remembered something. "Um, Ash mentioned earlier that Brock's cooking is really good… soooo..." ⁂((✪⥎✪))⁂ She gave Brock her most hopeful, sparkly-eyed expression. Who wants cold bento when you can eat something hot?
"Haha, alright! I brought a few rice balls with me, but they're definitely not enough for everyone. I'll cook up some stew!" Brock chuckled and led them to where he'd stashed his gear.
"Yay!" May cheered, practically skipping.
"Wait a sec… where are my rice balls?!" Brock suddenly cried out.
"Could they have been taken by wild Pokémon?" May offered, eyes wide.
"Ugh… seriously?!" Brock groaned. "Never mind—stew it is."
He shook his head and began pulling ingredients and a pot from his backpack to start cooking.
Meanwhile, Ash released his newly caught Taillow to treat its injuries.
"Siba~" Taillow chirped as Ash gently sprayed Potion on it.
Brock walked over to check. "Hmm. Looks like he's okay now. You've really grown, Ash."
"People grow, y'know?" Ash replied sheepishly. Then he turned back to Taillow. "Looking forward to working with you, Taillow!"
"Siba~!" Taillow lifted its right wing in response.
Just then—a loud fluttering sound.
A flock of wild Taillow suddenly swooped down and surrounded them, eyes fierce and wings flaring!
"What's going on?! Why are they attacking?!" May squeaked and quickly hid behind Ash.
Ash's Taillow flew up to intercept them, trying to talk them down.
"Save your breath, Meowth!" a voice rang from the trees.
"Oh no…" Brock muttered. "Don't tell me it's them again?"
Ash nodded with a sigh. "Yup. Team Rocket."
"Wahaha~!" With their usual dramatic flair, Jessie, James, and Meowth popped out of the bushes, laughing.
"Ugh, not you again." (#－.－) Brock groaned.
"Since you asked—prepare for trouble…""…And make it double!"(You know how the rest goes.)
"From this moment on, these Taillow are officially under our command!" James announced proudly.
"Their unyielding spirit… their refusal to back down… THAT is what defines the soul of Team Rocket!"
"That's right, Meowth~!""Sonansu~!"
Jessie pointed dramatically. "Alright, Taillow! For the sake of the rice balls—attack!!"
"Rice balls?! You stole my rice balls?!" Brock's eyes flared. "Unforgivable!!"
While Brock glared at Team Rocket, the flock of Taillow rushed toward Ash and the others.
"Siba~! Siba~! Siba~!"Taillow cries echoed through the clearing.
——
Moments later...
Ash was casually handing out cans of Pokémon food.
"Alright, alright, don't push! There's plenty for everyone!" he said, distributing food to the wild Taillow.
Team Rocket looked on, frozen.
"No way…""They betrayed us over food?!""Seriously?!""Sonansu…"
"Hmph! You guys can't compete with this! Pikachu—Thunderbolt!"
"Pika—CHUUU!"
BOOM!
"What a nasty feeling~!""Sonansu~!"
With Team Rocket once again blasting off, Ash and the others waved goodbye to the Taillow, enjoyed Brock's hot lunch, and continued their journey toward Rustboro City.
Later in Petalburg Woods…
The woods were still vast, and along the way, Ash's group ran into several Trainers. Without exception, they all ended up as experience points for Ash!
It was a win-win—Eevee got stronger, and Ash earned battle points. Everyone was thrilled.
"Taillow, use Wing Attack!"
"Siba~!"
Ash's newly caught Taillow swooped down, slamming into a wild Beedrill used by a passing Trainer.
Beedrill's eyes spun as it collapsed, unable to battle.
Honestly, a Normal-tier Bug-type against an Elite-level Flying-type? That Beedrill never stood a chance.
Taillow landed neatly on Ash's shoulder as he walked over. "Is your Beedrill okay?"
"He'll be fine," the Trainer replied, smiling. "Thanks for the battle—I learned a lot."
They shook hands like old friends before parting ways.
"Being able to shake hands like that after a battle…" May said with stars in her eyes. "This is what youth should feel like!"
"Making friends through battle—that's what Pokémon is all about," Brock added wisely.
"That's right!" Ash nodded. "May, you should try it sometime. I think you'll love the experience."
"Pika!" Pikachu suddenly let out a sharp cry and pointed toward the bushes.
SWOOSH!
A huge Pokémon suddenly burst out of the tall grass!
To be continued…