"Wow! It's so beautiful! Hehe! I'm going to enter Contests from now on too!" (＾▽＾) May said, holding Ash's Ribbon.
"Ugh, big sister, how many times have you said that already!" Max complained, covering his ears.
"Hmph! Mind your own business!" May retorted, but then suddenly, "eheheh... (?◇??)? Ahhh!"
"What's wrong, May?" everyone asked, rushing over.
"S-something just suddenly appeared in front of me! L-look over there!" May pointed to a bush.
Everyone looked over and saw a large red bug crawling into the bush.
"It's just a Wurmple! May, don't you like Beautifly? One of Wurmple's evolutions is Beautifly!" Ash explained.
"What, it can evolve into Beautifly?! On second thought, it's kind of cute! Okay! I'm going to catch it." (?) May didn't hesitate and chased after it as soon as she heard it could evolve into a Beautifly.
"Hey, wait up, May! I'm not done talking yet! A Wurmple isn't guaranteed to evolve into a Beautifly!" Ash shouted, but May was too far away to hear him.
"It's too early for lunch. How about we take a break here for a bit?" Brock suggested, watching May run off.
"I agree!"
Ash, meanwhile, used his Aura and sensed a special energy.
"You guys rest here! I'm going to go check something out over there." With that, Ash and Pikachu ran in the opposite direction from May.
"Hey, Ash! Seriously!"
Ash followed his Aura and came to another part of the forest.
"Pika~" Pikachu pointed to a Pokémon under a tree.
There was a golden Cascoon resting under the tree. It became wary when it saw Ash.
"Gasp~ A shiny! And Cascoon definitely evolves into Beautifly!" Ash said, overjoyed.
[Cascoon (Shiny)]
[Gender: Female]
[Type: Bug]
[Ability: Shed Skin]
[Strength: Late Normal-Level]
[Moves: Harden, String Shot, Bug Bite, Poison Sting, Tackle]
[Tera Type: Bug]
"Alright! I'm going to catch you! Go, Pikachu! Finish it with Quick Attack!"
"Pika!" The Cascoon immediately fainted.
Ash threw a Poké Ball, successfully catching it, and it was immediately transferred to Professor Oak's lab.
While Ash had a smooth journey, May was having a battle of wits with Team Rocket.
At Professor Oak's lab, "Oh? Ash sent me another Pokémon. It seems his journey is going well! Let's see what it is."
After sending it out, Professor Oak took a look. "Oh! It's just a golden Cascoon! I'd better prepare some course materials for my class... Wait, a golden Cascoon?!" (?) "Heh heh, don't move! The study of shiny Pokémon evolution begins now!"
Cascoon: Ah! Who's this weird old man?! Help!
Ash returned to the campsite and found a guest, a man named Ichiro Zema.
"Hey, Ash, you're back. What were you up to?" Brock asked, confused.
"I went and caught a special Pokémon!"
"Huh? A special Pokémon! I want to see! What is it?" Max said, excitedly looking at Ash.
"Hehe, it's a secret! It's already been transferred back to Professor Oak's lab!"
"What?! Tell me!" Max ran up to Ash, pleading.
"Get away from me. I'd only tell you if you were a girl." Ash pushed Max away, a little grossed out.
Ash then introduced himself to Ichiro Zema, and they had a battle!
Phanpy, Taillow vs. Ariados, Yanma.
Ichiro Zema's Pokémon were all Early Elite-Level. However, in the same tier, Ichiro was completely overwhelmed. Brock then invited Ichiro to eat lunch with them.
"Everyone, I'm back! And I caught a Wurmple!" May said happily, jumping out.
"Way to go, May!" The group congratulated her.
Just then, everyone noticed a person who looked exactly like Ichiro Zema walking behind May.
"Woah, they're identical!" May shouted in shock.
"Brother, I didn't know you were back!" the man with May said.
It turned out they were twin brothers. One had been traveling while the other had been protecting the forest, and now they had decided to switch.
"Great! Now that we're all here, it's time for lunch!" Brock suggested.
"I agree!" x5
"Come on out! Torchic, Wurmple, time to eat!"
[Wurmple]
[Gender: Female]
[Type: Bug]
[Ability: Shield Dust (Cannot receive added effects)]
[Strength: Mid Normal-Level]
[Moves: Tackle, String Shot]
[Tera Type: Flying]
Soon, a shocking scene unfolded: the Wurmple was a huge eater. After it finished, it just fell asleep!
"This Wurmple has a lot in common with my big sister," Max quipped.
"What are you talking about? Well, I guess I have to agree!"
Everyone: (??)...
After saying goodbye to the Zema brothers, the group continued their journey.
Meanwhile, Team Rocket, who had lost the competition with May, was on a tree branch above a cliff. Jessie also successfully caught a Wurmple.
On the road, Ash explained Wurmple's evolution to May.
"What?! It's not guaranteed? Isn't evolution always the same?" (w?w) May's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Not always. While most are, some have branching evolutions. For example, Eevee has eight different evolutions, and there are different regional evolutions too. Wurmple is one of those," Ash said, pulling up a picture of Dustox on his Pokédex to show May.
"What?! That's the complete opposite of a Beautifly!"
"That's why you should have just caught a Cascoon or a Beautifly, big sister!" Max said, exasperated.
"So, May, if your Wurmple evolves into a Silcoon, would you abandon it?" Ash asked.
May took a deep breath. "No. No matter how it evolves, it's still my Pokémon!"
Ash and Brock exchanged smiles. Even though Ash knew May's Wurmple would evolve into a Beautifly, who knows what the future holds?
"Don't worry, May! Since your Wurmple eats so much, it'll most likely evolve into a Cascoon," Brock said, trying to comfort her.
His words seemed to make May feel a little better, but it seemed she wouldn't be able to fully relax until she saw her Wurmple evolve.
With Rustboro City as their destination, Ash's group finally arrived.
They first went to the Rustboro City Observation Tower, standing on the observation deck and looking out over the city.
"Wow~ This is amazing! It's so beautiful!" May exclaimed.
After everyone had seen enough, Brock was the first to speak. "The Rustboro Gym should be nearby!"
"Really! Alright! The Rustboro City Badge is mine! Let's go!" Ash shouted.
As Ash and his friends walked out of the exit, Max suddenly found a Poliwag under a long bench, looking around as if it were lost.
"Hey! If you're in trouble, I can help you," Max said, crouching down with a gentle smile and opening his arms to the Poliwag.
The Poliwag looked at Max, and after a moment, it slowly came out from under the bench. Max picked it up.
"Way to go, Max!" everyone praised.
"Oh, it was nothing," Max said modestly, then turned back to the Poliwag. "I'm guessing you're lost."
Just then, Max noticed something tied to the Poliwag's tail. "Huh! What's this?"
At that moment, a young girl with blue clothes and two braids walked up. "Poliwag! Thank goodness, we've been looking for you everywhere."