“Busken!”
Treecko dragged another broad leaf filled with water from the spring and carefully poured it around the roots of the ancient tree.
After repeating the process countless times throughout the night, it finally paused.
Unable to suppress its curiosity any longer, it looked toward Ash, who had been helping it the entire time.
“Treecko?”
Ash wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled when he noticed the Grass-type Pokémon staring at him.
“You’re wondering why I’m helping, aren’t you?”
Treecko blinked.
Ash turned his gaze toward the enormous withered tree.
“Because you’ve been protecting it until the very end.”
He gently placed a hand on the rough bark.
“Nature is incredible.
This giant tree didn’t just raise you and your family.
Throughout its life, it provided shelter, flowers, fruit, and nutrients.
Over countless years, it became the foundation of an entire ecosystem.”
A gentle breeze passed through the forest.
Both Ash and Treecko understood the truth.
This giant tree had already reached the end of its life.
Yet Treecko had refused to abandon it.
Night after night, it carried water from the stream, desperately trying to preserve what little life remained.
Ash couldn’t help but feel moved by that determination.
“Even when a tree dies, it doesn’t truly disappear.”
Treecko looked up.
Ash continued softly,
“It returns to the earth.
It nourishes new plants.
It becomes part of the forest it helped create.”
“The end of one life often becomes the beginning of another.”
The moment those words left his mouth
CRACK!!!
A tremendous sound echoed through the forest.
The giant tree split down the middle.
Morning sunlight streamed through the opening, illuminating the entire clearing.
“Treecko!!”
Treecko cried out in alarm.
The crash awakened Brock, May, and Max, while the nearby Treecko tribe quickly emerged from the forest.
Ash approached the fallen trunk.
Among the shattered wood lay a single healthy seed.
Carefully picking it up, he handed it to Treecko.
“This is the future it left behind.”
Treecko stared silently at the seed resting in its hands.
Several moments passed.
Then its expression gradually softened.
The sadness remained, but the burden seemed lighter.
Finally, Treecko stepped forward and extended its hand toward Ash.
Ash’s eyes widened.
“You want to travel with me?”
“Treecko!”
Treecko nodded firmly.
A bright smile appeared on Ash’s face.
“I’d be honored.”
After helping Treecko plant the precious seed beside the fallen tree, Ash gently touched a Poké Ball to its forehead.
Red light flashed.
Click.
The capture succeeded instantly.
Treecko
Gender: Male
Level: 12
Type: Grass
Ability: Overgrow
Base Stats: 310
Potential: Light Blue
Known Moves: Pound, Quick Attack, Absorb, Pursuit
“I can’t believe it!
Big Brother caught Treecko!”
Max jumped excitedly.
May smiled brightly.
“And now Brock has another Pokémon to cook for!”
Brock laughed helplessly.
“Looks like I’ll need to make a few adjustments to the menu.”
After breakfast, Ash allowed Treecko to say a proper farewell to its tribe.
There had never been any real conflict between them.
The tribe only wanted Treecko to leave the dying tree behind and migrate with the group.
When Treecko finally returned, its expression was much lighter.
The misunderstanding had clearly been resolved.
“Combusken, Flamethrower!”
“Busken !”
BOOM!
“Quagsire!”
A blast of flames exploded against the Water Fish Pokémon.
The unfortunate Quagsire spun through the air before crashing into the ground.
It was unable to continue battling.
Brock stepped forward.
“Quagsire is unable to battle!
The winner is Ash!”
The trainer opposite them looked devastated.
Brock quickly treated Quagsire’s burns with medicine.
May crossed her arms smugly and looked at Max.
“Didn’t you say Combusken couldn’t win because of the type disadvantage?”
Max protested immediately.
“But Quagsire is Water and Ground-type!
That’s a huge advantage!”
“But Ash is Ash!”
May declared confidently.
“And Combusken is awesome!”
At this point, her faith in Ash had become almost unconditional.
Since arriving at this Trainer Camp, Ash had already achieved a thirty-match winning streak.
As his reputation spread, more and more Trainers challenged him every day.
Unfortunately for them, most left disappointed.
During lunch, Ash reviewed everyone’s training schedule.
“Combusken, you’ll handle most battles this afternoon.”
“Busken!”
“Taillow and Ralts will take turns participating too.”
“Ralts~”
“Taillow!”
Ash then turned toward Pikachu and Pidgeot.
“You two can rest today.
You’ve worked hard helping train everyone these past few days.”
“Pikachu!”
“Pidgeot!”
Both Pokémon shook their heads modestly.
Max then raised his hand.
“What about Treecko, Big Brother?”
Ash looked toward his newest partner.
“Treecko stays with me today.”
He had already planned Treecko’s development route.
The first priority was Absorb.
It wasn’t just useful for recovery.
Later, it could become the foundation for learning stronger Grass-type techniques like Mega Drain and eventually Giga Drain.
The second priority was developing ranged attacks.
Treecko’s current moves focused almost entirely on close combat.
Ash intended to eventually guide it toward mastering Bullet Seed.
As for Treecko’s current level?
That would naturally improve through battles and training.
“TORCHIC!!!”
A terrified scream suddenly echoed through the camp.
May immediately jumped to her feet.
“That’s Torchic!”
Everyone rushed toward the source of the noise.
What they saw caused May’s face to turn pale.
A large Seviper had wrapped itself around a branch.
Its sharp fangs gleamed menacingly.
Balanced precariously on its blade-like tail was a terrified Torchic.
“Torchic!”
May cried out anxiously.
“What are you doing to my Torchic?!”
Max immediately hid behind Ash.
“Big Brother, that’s a Seviper!”
Suddenly
A green figure dropped from above.
Treecko slammed directly into Seviper’s head.
BANG!
The impact forced Seviper backward.
Torchic was thrown into the air.
“Ralts!”
“Ralts~!”
Blue light erupted from Ralts’ eyes.
Psychic energy caught Torchic safely before it could hit the ground.
May immediately hugged her Pokémon.
“Thank goodness!”
Meanwhile, Seviper recovered quickly.
With an angry hiss, it released a cloud of poisonous smoke.
“Smoke Screen!”
The area was instantly engulfed in darkness.
“Taillow!
Use Wing Attack to clear it!”
“Taillow!”
Powerful gusts scattered the smoke.
Visibility returned.
But Seviper had already wrapped itself around Treecko.
Its tail glowed with a sinister purple light.
Poison Tail!
“Treecko!”
May shouted.
“Ralts!”
Psychic energy surged forward.
Although Ralts couldn’t completely stop Seviper, it managed to delay the attack for a brief moment.
That was all Ash needed.
“Taillow!
Wing Attack!”
“Taillow!”
Taillow dove from above.
Its wings shone white as it struck Seviper directly in the neck.
Seviper cried out in pain.
Realizing it was outnumbered, it immediately released Treecko and retreated into the forest.
Within seconds, it vanished into the undergrowth.
“Are you okay, Treecko?”
May and Max rushed over.
Treecko nodded.
However, its eyes remained fixed on the direction Seviper had escaped.
Its fists were tightly clenched.
Ash walked over while carrying Ralts.
“You want revenge, don’t you?”
Treecko didn’t deny it.
Ash smiled.
“That’s normal.”
“Right now, Seviper is stronger than you.”
“But today you protected your friend despite knowing that.”
Ash placed a hand on Treecko’s shoulder.
“That’s something to be proud of.”
“Let’s keep training.”
“The next time you meet Seviper, you’ll be strong enough to defeat it yourself.”
Treecko stared silently into the forest.
Finally, it nodded firmly.
Training resumed shortly afterward.
Ash stood beside Treecko and began explaining.
“Grass-type energy is full of vitality.”
“Feel the energy inside your body.”
Treecko listened carefully.
“Now imagine drawing in additional energy from the world around you.”
Ash pointed toward Pidgeot.
“If your own energy is one cup of water, and the energy around you is another cup…”
“Then combine them.”
“Make the external energy become your strength.”
As Treecko practiced, Ash quickly recorded observations in his notebook.
Many Grass-type Pokémon naturally possessed exceptional control over life energy.
With proper guidance, they could often learn advanced techniques surprisingly quickly.
Ash firmly believed that knowledge was power.
Many Pokémon enthusiasts spent decades studying battles, Pokémon behavior, move mechanics, and training methods.
While they lacked practical experience, their accumulated theories were often astonishingly detailed.
After all
Many Champions only became Champions in their twenties.
But countless fans had spent over twenty years studying Pokémon.
“How’s training going, May?”
Ash eventually walked over.
Combusken was currently acting as a moving target while Torchic repeatedly fired Embers.
Unfortunately, none had connected.
May scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Not very well.”
Then she smiled.
“But Torchic’s Ember is getting faster and stronger!”
Ash nodded approvingly.
“That’s excellent progress.”
Nearby, Max watched everyone training with envy.
“I really want my own Pokémon…”
Ash chuckled.
“Actually, it’s possible for someone else to catch a Pokémon for you.”
Max’s eyes immediately widened.
“Really?!”
“Let me finish.”
Ash raised a finger.
“First, you must have permission from your guardian.”
“Second, the Pokémon must accept you.”
“Third, you must be capable of caring for it properly.”
“I can do that!”
Max shouted instantly.
Unfortunately
May grabbed his ear.
“No, you can’t!”
“Ow!
Sister!”
“What if you become someone else’s burden?”
Ash quickly intervened.
“Alright, enough.”
Then he smiled at Max.
“Right now, focus on learning how to care for Pokémon first.”
“You should spend more time helping Brock.”
“Learn feeding schedules, treatment methods, grooming, and training support.”
“When you eventually get your own Pokémon, you’ll already know how to take care of it.”
Max’s eyes sparkled.
“I understand, Big Brother!”
Without another word, he sprinted toward Brock.
Ash watched him leave and couldn’t help smiling.
Looks like another hardworking helper had officially joined Brock’s team.
Max the model worker was now online.