Clap! Clap! Clap! "Ash, it's been a long time. I can't believe how strong you've become!"
At that moment, a round of applause and a familiar voice came from the forest.
"Brock! What are you doing here? I thought you went home?" (⊙o⊙) Ash knew Brock would appear, but he didn't expect it to be this soon.
"I heard a huge explosion just now, so I came over to check it out! And even though I went home, I couldn't stay still. I heard from Professor Birch that you were on your way to Rustboro City, so I came to find you." Brock walked out of the forest. "It's been a while, Ash, Pikachu!"
"Pika Pika~" Ash and Brock shook hands!
Ash's Pokémon also greeted Brock. All of them were familiar with Brock except for Eevee!
"It's good to see you, Phanpy! And Pidgeot, it looks like Ash brought you back! Is this a new Eevee? It's well-raised! And this Torchic is great too!" Brock greeted each of the Pokémon one by one.
"So, that means we can travel together again, right!" Ash said.
"Yeah, I'm glad to have you back."
"Me too! By the way, these two are May and her brother Max. They're new trainers traveling with me. That Torchic is May's starter Pokémon. And, their dad is Norman from the Petalburg Gym." Ash introduced the siblings to Brock. Then, he introduced Brock to them. "This is Brock, my former travel partner whom I told you about. His goal is to become the world's best Pokémon Breeder."
"I'm still learning! It's nice to meet you, May, Max! Is your goal to become a Gym Leader?"
"Oh! No, I haven't really decided on a goal yet!" May said, scratching her head.
"It's nice to meet you! I don't have a Pokémon yet," Max said, sounding a little down.
"Even without a Pokémon, my brother is still determined to become a Gym Leader." Brock crouched down and patted Max's shoulder in encouragement. "That's why I left my Onix and the others at the Gym. My only partner right now is Forretress."
"Okay!" Max's mood brightened, and he nodded in response.
"By the way, Ash, what was that move you just used? It was so powerful!" Brock asked, puzzled.
"Yeah, yeah!" The siblings looked at Ash with anticipation as well.
"Haha! That's a Z-Move, a battle system from the Alola region. It's only widely used in Alola and is very rare in other regions," Ash explained with a smile.
"I see!" Everyone nodded in understanding.
Suddenly, May spoke up. "Um, I heard Ash say your cooking is really good, so..." ?((???))? May's face was full of hope. After all, who would eat a cold bento when they could have a hot meal?!
"Haha! Let's go! I made some rice balls, but they're probably not enough for all of us. I'll make a stew too!" Brock said, leading Ash and the others to where his luggage was.
"Hooray!" ヾ(^▽^*))) May jumped for joy.
"Oh no! My rice balls! They're gone!" Brock exclaimed.
"Could a wild Pokémon have stolen them?!" May wondered.
"How could that be? Well, no matter, I'll start the stew first!" Brock frowned, then shook his head. He took out a pot and ingredients from his backpack and started a fire to cook.
During this time, Ash sent out Taillow to treat it.
"Siba~" Ash sprayed the *Potion* on Taillow.
Brock came over, looked at Taillow's injuries, and said, "It's fine! Ash, you've grown a lot!"
"Everyone grows up eventually!" Ash said, scratching his head shyly. He then turned to Taillow. "It's a pleasure to have you, Taillow!"
"Siba~" Taillow raised its right wing to show it was ready.
At that moment, a flock of Taillow flew over and was about to attack them.
"What's going on? What do the Taillow want?" May quickly hid behind Ash, scared.
Ash's Taillow flew in front of the flock, trying to reason with them.
"It's no use trying to talk them out of it, Meowth!" Meowth's voice came from a distance!
"Is that? It can't be them?" Brock said, in disbelief. They had come all the way to Hoenn and still hadn't shaken them off!
Ash nodded to Brock. "You're right! It's them, the Team Rocket trio!"
"Wahahahaha~" Jessie, James, and Meowth appeared, laughing.
"It's you three again." (＃－.－) Brock said, exasperated.
"Since you asked..." (Team Rocket's motto)
"From today onward, these Taillow are officially part of our team," James said proudly, looking at the four trainers.
"The Taillow's unyielding, indomitable spirit..."
"...is the very soul of Team Rocket."
"That's right, Meowth" "Wobbuffet"
"Alright, all you Taillow, for the sake of rice balls, do your best! Take them down!" Jessie pointed at the four trainers, commanding the Taillow to attack.
"Rice balls! You mean you took the rice balls I left here?! Unforgivable!" Brock glared furiously at the Team Rocket trio.
While Brock was in a standoff with Team Rocket, the Taillow surrounded Ash and his friends.
"Siba Siba Siba~" xN
...
Ash took out a few cans of Pokémon food and gave them to the Taillow. "Here, here! Don't rush, there's enough for everyone!"
The Team Rocket trio looked at each other, stunned.
"No way!" "They're betraying us for food!"
"Hmph! Team Rocket, you can't beat us when it comes to food! Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaaachuuu"
Pikachu released a yellow bolt of electricity that hit Team Rocket.
Boom! "This feeling again!" "Wobbuffet... (´・ω・｀)"
Afterward, Ash and his friends said goodbye to the flock of Taillow. After eating the lunch Brock had cooked, they continued their journey toward Rustboro City.
---
Petalburg Woods was still very large. Along the way, Ash and his group met many other trainers. Not surprisingly, they all became Ash's "experience packages"! This not only helped the three small Pokémon grow but also increased Ash's points, a win-win situation that made him very happy!
"Taillow, use Wing Attack!" "Siba~"
This time, Ash sent out his newly caught Taillow, and the opposing trainer used a Beedrill!
Whoosh! Taillow flew right in front of Beedrill, which fell to the ground with swirling eyes, defeated!
It would have been strange for a Bug-type Pokémon at the Peak Normal-Level not to be defeated by a Flying-type Pokémon at the Elite-Level!
Taillow flew to Ash's shoulder, and Ash walked over. "Is your Beedrill okay?"
"It's fine," the trainer said after helping it up and checking on it. "Thanks to you, I've gained some great battle experience."
The two extended their hands and shook hands.
After saying goodbye, the group continued on their way!
"Being able to shake hands enthusiastically after a battle—that's the feeling of youth!" May exclaimed as they walked.
"Battling and forging friendships—that's what Pokémon battles are all about," Brock explained.
"Exactly! May, you should try it. I'm sure you'll love the feeling!" Ash suggested.
"Pika!" Just as the group was about to leave Petalburg Woods, Pikachu suddenly cried out, pointing in one direction.
Swoosh! A Pokémon with a huge body size leaped out of the bushes!
To be continued...