Looking at the flock of Taillow that had temporarily stopped attacking, Brock finally let out a small sigh of relief.
“Once Ash defeats that Taillow and earns its acknowledgment,” he explained calmly, “this situation should settle down.”
“Huh?” May blinked in confusion.
“Why?”
Brock smiled patiently at the novice Trainer.
“In Pokémon battles, especially capture battles, strength alone isn’t what matters.
What truly matters is earning a Pokémon’s recognition.”
He gestured toward the flock circling overhead.
“Wild Pokémon groups have their own rules.
Since the other Taillow stopped interfering, it means they’ve already accepted this as an honorable one-on-one challenge.”
May nodded slowly.
“I think… I understand.”
Max clenched his fists excitedly, unable to hide his anticipation.
“This is amazing!
It’s my first time actually seeing someone catch a Pokémon in person!”
At that very moment
“Taillow!”
The crimson-potential Taillow suddenly moved.
Wrapped in white light, it accelerated forward with Quick Attack, streaking through the air like a bullet as it charged directly toward Pidgeot.
Ash’s eyes brightened further.
That fearless attitude only made him appreciate the Taillow even more.
“Pidgeot, use Quick Attack too!”
“Pidgeooooot!”
Pidgeot instantly burst forward.
BOOM!
The two Flying-type Pokémon collided head-on in midair.
The shockwave stirred up dust and leaves throughout the clearing.
However, despite Pidgeot deliberately holding back its power, the enormous difference in strength was still obvious.
Taillow was blown backward immediately.
CRASH!
Its body slammed hard against a nearby tree trunk before sliding painfully to the ground.
“Taillow!”
The surrounding flock cried out anxiously.
Yet even then, the injured Taillow slowly forced itself back to its feet.
Its breathing had become ragged.
Sweat dripped from its body.
Its wings trembled from the impact.
But the determination in its eyes never weakened.
May covered her mouth in shock.
“It still wants to fight?”
Ash smiled faintly.
Now he liked it even more.
“This stubborn spirit really suits you, Taillow.”
Then his gaze sharpened.
“Pidgeot, finish it with Wing Attack!”
“PIDGEOT!”
Pidgeot’s wings glowed brilliantly white as it swept downward.
Taillow tried to counterattack one last time, but exhaustion had already reached its limit.
BANG!
Pidgeot’s glowing wing struck Taillow directly and pinned it firmly to the ground.
The little bird Pokémon struggled fiercely for several seconds before finally losing the strength to continue resisting.
Ash immediately seized the opportunity.
“Now!”
He threw a Poké Ball forward.
The Poké Ball struck Taillow cleanly and opened instantly, turning the exhausted Pokémon into a beam of red light.
Shake.
Shake.
Shake.
Ding!
The button in the center clicked.
Capture successful.
“We caught it!”
May and Max shouted excitedly at the same time.
Although neither of them had captured the Pokémon personally, witnessing the moment firsthand still made their hearts race with excitement.
Ash walked forward calmly and picked up the Poké Ball containing Taillow.
A smile appeared on his face.
From today onward, he officially had his first Hoenn-region partner.
Above them, the remaining Taillow flock circled the clearing silently for several moments.
Then, one after another, they flew back into the depths of Petalburg Woods.
The crisis had finally ended.
Afterward, Brock quickly began treating the injuries of both Taillow and the rescued Combusken.
With Brock’s experience as a Pokémon Breeder, the treatment process proceeded smoothly.
Taillow recovered rather quickly after receiving medicine and rest.
However, Combusken remained unconscious for quite some time.
Only after everyone had finished lunch did it finally begin to stir awake.
“…Busken…”
The Fire-type Pokémon slowly opened its eyes.
Unfortunately, the moment Brock or Max tried approaching it with food, Combusken immediately became hostile.
“BUSKEN!”
Fwoosh!
Hot flames burst from its mouth, forcing everyone to retreat hurriedly.
“It’s way too cautious…” Max said worriedly.
May quickly took out her Pokédex.
“Combusken, the Young Fowl Pokémon.
The evolved form of Torchic.
It strengthens its legs and thighs by running through fields and mountains.
Its powerful legs can unleash ten kicks in one second.”
May’s eyes sparkled.
“So this is Torchic’s evolved form… It looks so cool!”
“Most likely, it’s a wild Combusken,” Brock analyzed thoughtfully while stroking his chin.
“If it belonged to a Trainer, it wouldn’t be this distrustful of humans.”
Ash nodded quietly beside him.
Then he suddenly looked toward May.
“Why don’t we let Torchic try approaching it instead?”
“Huh?”
Ash explained calmly, “It may distrust humans, but Pokémon usually lower their guard around members of the same species or evolutionary line.”
May hesitated slightly while looking at Combusken’s sharp eyes.
“But… what if it attacks Torchic too?”
“Don’t worry,” Ash replied reassuringly.
“Pikachu will go with it.”
“Pika pika!”
Pikachu immediately patted its chest confidently.
May finally nodded.
“Okay… Torchic, Pikachu, I’m counting on you!”
“Torchic~!”
Pikachu carried a bowl of Pokémon food while Torchic carefully held several Oran Berries meant to restore stamina.
The two slowly approached Combusken together.
This time, although Combusken remained wary, it did not attack.
Pikachu and Torchic gently placed the food nearby before trying to communicate with it.
“Pika pika…”
“Torchic torchic~”
Unfortunately, Combusken still showed no intention of responding.
After several failed attempts, Pikachu and Torchic returned dejectedly.
Ash smiled softly and rubbed Pikachu’s head.
“You did great, Pikachu.”
“Pika…”
“And Torchic worked hard too.”
May immediately understood what Ash meant.
A Trainer should never ignore a Pokémon’s efforts.
Even if the result was unsuccessful, encouragement was still important.
May picked Torchic up happily.
“You worked really hard, Torchic!
You did an amazing job!”
“Torchi~!”
Torchic rubbed affectionately against May’s chest while chirping happily.
Ash watched quietly.
Building trust between Trainers and Pokémon was extremely important.
Without emotional bonds strong enough to support commands, many Pokémon would eventually stop listening once they became stronger.
Fortunately, May seemed to possess excellent compatibility with Pokémon naturally.
After helping Brock clean up the dishes, Ash brought everyone to a more open area within the forest.
It was time for training.
The moment Max heard that training was beginning, he rushed over immediately with sparkling eyes.
May, however, looked somewhat nervous.
Sensing her thoughts, Ash smiled slightly.
“Relax.
Different stages require different training methods.”
He glanced toward Torchic.
“You and Torchic are both beginners, so your training won’t be too intense yet.”
May instantly relaxed.
“That’s a relief…”
Ash first turned toward Pidgeot and released Taillow from its Poké Ball.
The newly captured Taillow immediately stared at Ash proudly, though its injuries had not fully healed yet.
Ash crouched slightly and spoke calmly.
“Taillow, for now, Pidgeot will help train you.”
“Taillow!”
Then Ash looked toward Pidgeot.
“If possible, start by helping it improve control over Aerial Ace and teach it how to generate larger wind currents for future Flying-type techniques.”
“Pidgeot~”
Pidgeot nodded confidently.
Having once led flocks of Pidgey and Pidgeotto in the wild, it possessed plenty of experience when it came to teaching Flying-type Pokémon.
Ash trusted it completely in this area.
Next, Ash crouched beside Pikachu.
“As for you…”
“Pika?”
Ash’s expression became thoughtful.
Although Pikachu had already mastered Iron Tail, its close-combat options were still too limited.
Against agile opponents specializing in melee combat, Pikachu often struggled during exchanges.
Ash remembered several difficult battles from the past.
Especially powerful Pokémon that excelled in hand-to-hand combat.
That weakness needed to be corrected.
“I want you to begin strengthening your forelimbs further,” Ash explained seriously.
“Pika?”
“We’ll start with movement training and ground-impact exercises first.”
Ash’s eyes gradually sharpened.
In this world, most Trainers focused entirely on Pokémon moves and raw power.
Very few studied combat principles beyond standard battle systems.
But Ash was different.
He believed battle techniques, movement efficiency, muscle control, and close-range combat principles could also dramatically increase a Pokémon’s strength.
If fighting styles and physical combat concepts could be integrated into Pokémon battles
Then Pokémon like Blaziken, Sceptile, Infernape, Lucario, and even Pikachu could unleash far greater close-range power than ordinary Trainers imagined.
Ash was already beginning to look forward to that future.