Pokémon: Newborn Ash Ketchum – Starting from Hoenn region

"Look! That's Treecko Forest! Are we finally here?" Max pointed excitedly toward a group of Treeckos gathered near an ancient tree. Max had always admired Treecko, but thanks to his past experiences, he often got pecked by Torchic whenever he got too close to Pokémon.

Ash's eyes lit up with excitement. "Alright! This is a great opportunity. I'm going to catch one!"

With that declaration, Ash immediately ran toward the Treeckos without a second thought.

"Hey, Ash! Wait for us!" May called out.

Using his Aura abilities, Ash quickly moved through the dense forest, effortlessly weaving between the trees. Meanwhile, May, Brock, and Max struggled to keep up. After a while, they lost sight of him completely.

"This is bad… We should take a break," May suggested, panting heavily.

"Yeah, I agree," Brock nodded after noticing that Ash and the Treeckos were nowhere in sight. The three of them decided to rest for a while.

On the other side of the forest, Ash continued chasing after the Treeckos until he suddenly slid down a slope, landing in a deep pit. Looking around, he noticed a gigantic ancient tree standing at the center, though it looked withered and lifeless.

Before Ash could react, a sudden movement caught his eye. Whoosh!

A small branch stabbed into the ground right where he had been standing a moment ago. Looking up, he spotted a Treecko perched on a branch, chewing on a twig while staring at him with a challenging expression.

Ash quickly pulled out his Pokédex:

> Treecko – The Wood Gecko Pokémon

Type: Grass

Ability: Overgrow (Boosts Grass-type moves when HP is low)

Strength: Elite (Early Stage)

Moves: Quick Attack, Pound, Leer

Ash frowned. "An elite-level Treecko? That's pretty strong! But… why doesn't it have any Grass-type moves?"

He couldn't understand why such a high-level Treecko had such basic moves. However, he quickly shook off his thoughts—what mattered now was catching it!

"Treecko! I want to battle you!" Ash pointed at the Pokémon with determination.

"Pika!" Pikachu cheered.

Treecko jumped down from the tree, ready for battle. But just as they were about to begin, a group of Treeckos suddenly appeared, led by an elder Treecko. The elder scolded the younger Treecko in their language, but the young Treecko refused to back down, arguing fiercely.

After a heated exchange, the young Treecko turned away and left alone, ignoring the rest of its kind. The other Treeckos sighed and dispersed.

Pikachu tilted its head in confusion. "Pika?"

"Let's wait here for a bit, Pikachu," Ash said, crossing his arms. As someone who had seen this story before, he already knew what was about to happen.

Sure enough, after some time, the same Treecko returned, carefully dragging a large leaf filled with water. It slowly poured the water onto the ancient tree's roots, clearly trying to revive it.

Ash watched in admiration. "So that's it… This Treecko doesn't want to give up on the old tree, even though it knows it's dying."

Pikachu nodded, also moved by the sight.

"Treecko, let us help you!" Ash said.

"Pika!" Pikachu added.

Treecko hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Just as they started working together—

Boom!

A loud explosion startled them. Looking up, they saw Team Rocket arriving in their signature hot-air balloon.

"Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

Jessie and James began their usual introduction, but Ash was already annoyed.

"You guys again?! What do you want this time?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jessie smirked. "This time, we're not after Pikachu—we're here for the Treeckos!"

"That's right!" James added. "These little grass lizards will fetch us a fortune!"

"Meowth, that's right!"

Before Ash could stop them, Team Rocket launched a net, capturing multiple Treeckos, including the elder one!

Treecko growled angrily, clenching its tiny fists. It wasn't going to let this slide!

"Don't think you can get away with this! Go, Corphish!" Ash sent out his Pokémon.

"Corphish!" The orange crustacean appeared, snapping its claws eagerly.

"Haha! You're too late, twerp! Go, Cacnea!" James released his Pokémon.

The moment Cacnea appeared, it turned and hugged James tightly, making him scream in pain.

"Not me, you idiot! Attack them!"

Cacnea finally let go and launched Pin Missile toward Treecko.

"Dodge it, Treecko!" Ash called out.

Treecko nimbly leaped into the air, avoiding the attack with ease.

"Now, Pikachu, Thunderbolt!"

"Pika—CHUUU!" Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt, shocking Team Rocket's balloon.

"Treecko, use Quick Attack to cut the net!"

Treecko moved like a flash, slicing through the net and freeing its fellow Treeckos!

"Ahhh! We're blasting off again!"

Boom!

With an explosion, Team Rocket disappeared into the sky.

With the Treeckos now safe, they all turned toward the ancient tree, pushing against it, as if trying to keep it from collapsing. Even though they knew it was too late, they still wanted to do their part.

As the sun fully rose, the giant tree finally split apart completely, leaving behind only a single seed glowing with a faint green light.

Ash walked up and picked it up. "Treecko, this is a Miracle Seed. The ancient tree left this behind as a gift to thank you."

Treecko looked at the seed before placing it against its chest, accepting it with a determined expression.

Ash smiled. "Alright, Treecko. We still have a battle to finish!"

Treecko nodded.

"Let's go! Phanpy, I choose you!"

"Phanpy!" The tiny elephant Pokémon landed with a cheerful cry.

The battle began, with Treecko using Quick Attack while Phanpy countered with Iron Head. After a fierce exchange, Phanpy finally knocked Treecko back with a powerful Rollout attack.

Treecko got up, panting but smiling. It had finally made its decision.

Ash pulled out a Poké Ball. "Treecko, do you want to join my team?"

Treecko hesitated for a moment, then looked at the elder Treecko, who gave it a nod of approval.

Finally, Treecko smiled and stepped forward, tapping Ash's Poké Ball.

Ding!

The Poké Ball shook once, then stopped. Treecko was caught!

"Alright! I caught a Treecko!" Ash cheered, holding up the Poké Ball triumphantly.

"Pika!" Pikachu clapped excitedly.

With a new companion on his team, Ash and his friends continued their journey toward Rustboro City.

To be continued…