Pokémon: Newborn Ash Ketchum – Starting from Hoenn region

Pokémon: Newborn Ash Ketchum, Starting from Hoenn

A robotic hand extended towards Pikachu, its cold metallic fingers aiming to snatch the little Pokémon.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash commanded without hesitation.

Bang! The powerful move struck the robotic arm, instantly breaking it apart and sending its pieces flying.

Ash, having the ability to sense Aura, had already detected the familiar energy signature of Team Rocket lurking nearby. He had been on high alert from the start.

"What?! How did this happen?" Jessie shouted in shock.

"This isn't how it was supposed to go!" James added, equally surprised.

"Meowth! Didn't you say catching Pikachu this time would be foolproof?" Jessie demanded.

"Well, the anti-electricity measures were foolproof, but I didn't expect the twerp to play his cards differently this time, meow!" Meowth groaned, clearly frustrated. Wasn't Pikachu supposed to fire off Thunderbolt first like it always did?

"It's time to finish this once and for all!" Ash declared. "Swellow, come out and use Wing Attack!"

His Swellow shot into the sky, its wings glowing with energy before slicing through Team Rocket's hot air balloon.

"Ahhh! We haven't even finished our lines yet!" Jessie wailed.

"We still had one more to say!" James lamented.

"This is so frustrating!"

"Wobbuffet~!"

As Team Rocket blasted off into the sky, their voices faded in the distance.

---

After bidding farewell to the young trainer Archie, Ash and his friends continued their journey toward Kanaz City.

"Hey! Wait for me!" May panted as she struggled to keep up. "I... I can't go on anymore. Can we take a break?"

"Really, sis?" Max turned around with a helpless expression. "Didn't we just stop for a rest a while ago? Your stamina is seriously lacking!"

Brock and Ash exchanged amused looks. They had taken multiple breaks along the way, and if it weren't for those, they would have already arrived at their destination by now.

"But I'm really exhausted!" May groaned, plopping herself onto the ground stubbornly.

"Honestly, May, you should start exercising more," Ash said with a sigh.

"Pika~" Pikachu nodded in agreement, supporting Ash's words.

"Hmm, let me check," Max said, pulling out his PokéNav and scanning the area. "There's a Pokémon Center nearby!"

The moment May heard those words, her exhaustion vanished. "Pokémon Center? That means food!" she cheered, her eyes sparkling.

But someone else was even more excited than her.

"Pokémon Center?! For Miss Joy— no, wait, for the food!" Brock shouted, grabbing May's arm and dashing ahead at full speed.

"Hey! Wait a second!" May protested, breaking free from Brock's grip. She took a few steps back, but as she did, something sharp pricked her back.

"Ah! That hurts!" she cried, turning around.

Ash quickly stepped forward, examining what had caused her discomfort. Sticking out of the tree trunk was a broken net.

"This..." Ash pulled the remains of the net from the tree and observed it carefully. "This is a capture net used by Pokémon poachers. These aren't sold to ordinary trainers." His expression grew serious. "That means there are Pokémon poachers nearby. We should be careful."

"Poachers?!" May exclaimed angrily. "How could anyone be so cruel?"

"Either way, let's head to the Pokémon Center first. Maybe we can find some information there," Brock suggested.

"Yeah!" The group nodded in agreement and picked up their pace.

---

As soon as they arrived at the Pokémon Center, they were greeted with a warm smile.

"Welcome!" Nurse Joy said cheerfully.

"Ah~ Miss Joy!" Brock's eyes sparkled with admiration as he ran forward.

But just as he was about to reach her, May stepped in, pushing him aside effortlessly. Brock stumbled backward, heartbroken, as he silently wiped away imaginary tears.

"Miss Joy, have you recently moved here from Oldale Town?" May asked curiously.

"Huh?" Nurse Joy tilted her head in confusion.

"May, you've got it all wrong," Ash chuckled. "Nurse Joys all over the region look the same."

"Exactly!" Max grinned, pulling out a small notebook. He flipped to a page displaying a collection of identical photographs.

"Ahh! They're all the same!" May gasped, her eyes widening in shock.

She truly lived up to her role as the female lead who made the same mistakes Ash once did.

"You must have mistaken me for my cousin," Nurse Joy said kindly.

"No, it's because you're too naïve!" Brock interrupted dramatically. He grabbed her hand and declared, "I can tell! Among all the Nurse Joys in the country, your bangs are exactly one centimeter longer than the others!"

Everyone: (??w???)

"Amazing!" May looked at Brock in admiration.

"This isn't something to be proud of, sis..." Max muttered with a sweatdrop.

At that moment, Officer Jenny entered the Pokémon Center with her Growlithe.

"Ah~ Officer Jenny!" Brock immediately switched targets. "I can tell that among all the Officer Jennys in the country, your eyelashes are 0.5 centimeters longer than the others!"

"Uh... really?" Officer Jenny blinked. "Even I didn't know that."

"No way! Even the Officer Jennys?!" May gawked in disbelief.

"Yes, sis!" Max flipped another page in his book, revealing an entire section dedicated to Officer Jenny's photos.

"I'm sorry, but I have an important matter to discuss," Officer Jenny said, pushing Brock away. She turned to Nurse Joy. "Have you come across any recently injured Pokémon or ones that were transported under suspicious circumstances?"

"No, why do you ask?" Nurse Joy replied.

"Because poachers have been very active around this area lately," Officer Jenny explained.

"What?! Poachers?!" May and Max exclaimed together.

She then pulled out a wanted poster and showed it to them.

"Based on the evidence, we believe the culprit is Pokémon Hunter Aaron. He's notorious for his cruelty toward Pokémon," Officer Jenny said, her voice filled with anger.

Ash handed her the broken net he had found earlier. "We found this in the forest on our way here."

"This... this is definitely a capture net used by poachers!" Officer Jenny's eyes widened. "Can you take me to where you found it?"

"Of course!"

Ash and his friends led Officer Jenny back to the site where they had discovered the net.

"It looks like the poachers immobilized the Pokémon before capturing them," Officer Jenny observed, frowning.

Suddenly, Max pointed at the ground. "Look over here!"

Everyone turned their attention to the area Max indicated. Tire tracks ran through the dirt, still fresh.

"This must be from the poacher's vehicle!" Officer Jenny concluded.

"That means they're still nearby!" Brock added.

"Swellow, Pidgeot, go scout from above!" Ash released his flying Pokémon while simultaneously using his Aura abilities to search for any traces of Team Rocket.

The group hurriedly followed the tire tracks in pursuit of the poacher.

---

Meanwhile, on the other side of the forest, Team Rocket was busy discussing their latest scheme when Meowth suddenly lost his footing and tumbled down a slope.

"Ahhh! Help, meow~!" Thud!

He landed with a loud crash, groaning in pain. But as he looked up, his expression turned to shock.

"W-What the heck is this?!"

Meowth had accidentally uncovered a hidden cage—inside were dozens of Ekans, all trapped.

"Ekans?!" Meowth's eyes widened in horror.

Right then, a jeep pulled up, and a man with green hair stepped out. He sneered at them.

"What do you think you're doing with my prey?"

To be continued...