The excitement of catching Taillow hadn't fully faded when three crisp claps echoed through the forest. Right after, a voice so familiar it was unmistakable pierced through the leaves, reaching everyone's ears clearly: "Ethan, it's been a long time! I didn't expect you to become so strong!"
"That voice is..." Ethan spun around, his eyes wide with surprise and his pupils slightly dilated. "Brock!" He had known Brock would rejoin the traveling group eventually, but he hadn't expected to run into him so soon, let alone have him pop out of the forest at this exact moment.
May and Max turned curiously toward the source of the voice. A tall figure in a green jacket stepped out from the thick trees—it was Brock, the traveling companion Ethan had mentioned before. A familiar, gentle smile was on his face, and he held a small hiking pack; he had clearly just arrived from a long trek.
"What are you doing here?" Ethan rushed forward, his voice full of pleasant surprise. "Weren't you back home helping to manage the Gym?" He remembered that when they said goodbye, Brock mentioned needing to return to his family for a while. He hadn't expected him to catch up so quickly.
Brock scratched his head and laughed, explaining: "While I was traveling through the forest, I suddenly heard a huge explosion coming from this direction. I was worried a trainer might be in trouble, so I ran over to check. As for being home..." He gave a helpless smile, a spark of longing for adventure in his eyes. "I made it back, but my heart just wouldn't settle. I felt like something was missing. Later, I heard from Professor Birch that you were on your way to Rustboro City, and I couldn't hold back anymore. I packed a light bag and came after you."
At this, Brock's gaze fell on Ethan and the Pikachu on his shoulder, his smile becoming more sincere: "Long time no see, Ethan, Pikachu!"
"Pika-pika~!" Pikachu chirped excitedly, jumping down from Ethan's shoulder to Brock's feet, rubbing its cheek against his pant leg. Pikachu held deep affection for this former traveling companion.
Ethan stepped forward and shook Brock's hand firmly, patting him hard on the shoulder. "Long time no see, Brock! It's great to be traveling with you again!" As their hands met, memories of their past travels flooded back—the adventures, the Gym challenges, and the hardships they overcame together felt like they happened only yesterday.
"Oh, by the way, my partners missed you too!" Ethan said, pulling Poké Balls from his bag and releasing all his Pokémon except for Eevee. "Come on out, Phanpy, Pidgeot, Taillow!"
In flashes of red light, the three Pokémon appeared on the ground. Seeing Brock, Phanpy immediately gave a joyful cry: "Uwoo~!" It trotted on its short legs to Brock and rubbed its trunk against his palm. Pidgeot spread its wide wings, circling once above Brock's head with a clear cry, its eyes full of affection. Even the newly caught Taillow, sensing the relaxed atmosphere, curiously observed Brock with a soft "siba~" sound.
Among these Pokémon, except for Eevee and Taillow, Phanpy and Pidgeot had traveled with Brock before and were very familiar with him. Only Eevee stood quietly by Ethan's side, its amber eyes filled with a mix of caution and curiosity as it silently observed this stranger.
"Haha, long time no see, Phanpy!" Brock knelt down, gently stroking Phanpy's head, then looked up at Pidgeot in the sky with relief. "And Pidgeot, it looks like Ethan brought you back! I'm so glad to see you're doing well." His gaze then fell on the Eevee by Ethan's side, a look of admiration flashing in his eyes. "Is this the Eevee you just caught? It's been raised well; it's in excellent condition!"
Then, he turned to the Torchic beside May and nodded. "This Torchic is very energetic too; it has a lot of potential!" As someone aspiring to be the world's number one Pokémon Breeder, Brock had a sharp eye for a Pokémon's condition.
"They missed you too, Brock," Ethan said with a smile. "Eevee is a bit shy around strangers, but it'll get used to you."
Brock stood up and gave Eevee a gentle smile. He didn't rush to approach it, but offered a greeting from a distance: "Hello there, Eevee. I'm Brock. We'll be partners from now on; I look forward to working with you."
Eevee blinked softly. It didn't respond, but the wariness in its eyes clearly lessened.
"So, that means we can travel together again, right?" Ethan's eyes sparkled with anticipation. Having Brock around meant not only a reliable partner but also his delicious cooking—the mere thought made him happy.
"Yeah!" Brock nodded firmly, a bright smile on his face. "I'll be in your care again!"
"I should be saying that to you!" Ethan waved it off with a laugh, then remembered May and Max. He stepped aside to introduce them. "By the way, Brock, let me introduce you. These are rookie trainers traveling with me, May and her younger brother, Max. That Torchic is May's starter Pokémon, and their father is Norman, the Leader of the Petalburg Gym."
Then, he turned to May and Max, pointing to Brock. "May, Max, this is Brock, the friend I told you about. Not only is he a powerful Gym Leader, but he's also an incredible Pokémon Breeder. His goal is to become the best in the world."
"Hello! I'm May, nice to meet you!" May stepped forward with a polite bow and a smile. She had heard Ethan talk about Brock and knew he was a reliable partner, so she was full of expectation.
Max followed suit, bowing just like May, his voice full of respect: "I'm Max, nice to meet you! Even though I don't have my own Pokémon yet, my goal is to become a powerful Gym Leader!" When mentioning his goal, Max's eyes shone with determination.
"Hello to both of you!" Brock smiled warmly and nodded. He knelt down to pat Max's shoulder encouragingly. "Having a goal is a good thing! Even if you don't have a Pokémon now, if you persist, you'll eventually meet your partner. I used to help out at a Gym too before I started my journey. To focus better on my Breeder training, I left Onix and the others at the Gym; my only partner right now is Forretress."
With that, Brock pulled out a Poké Ball and tossed it. In a flash of red light, a silver, wheel-like Pokémon appeared on the ground. "Come out, Forretress, and say hello to everyone!"
"Forret~" Forretress gave a low cry and rotated its body slightly as a greeting.
Max looked at Forretress with curiosity, pulling out his notebook to jot down notes: "Forretress, Bug and Steel type, the Bagworm Pokémon, evolved from Pineco..."
Seeing Max's serious attitude, Brock couldn't help but laugh. "It seems you really love Pokémon; that's the first step to becoming a great Trainer!"
Hearing the praise, Max's face lit up with a happy smile, and his previous gloom about not having a Pokémon vanished. He nodded hard: "Mhm! I'll definitely work hard!"
Just then, Brock seemed to remember something and turned to Ethan with doubt in his eyes. "By the way, Ethan, that loud noise I heard earlier—was that you battling a Pokémon? I saw a brilliant white light from a distance; it seemed incredibly powerful. What move was that?"
"Yeah, exactly!" May and Max chimed in, their eyes gleaming. The shocking scene of Ethan using a Z-Move was still fresh in their minds, and they were dying to know what it was.
"Haha!" Ethan grinned proudly, teasing them for a moment before explaining: "That is a special battle system from the Alola region—a Z-Move!"
"Z-Move?" Brock, May, and Max asked in unison, looking bewildered. They had never heard the name before.
"That's right!" Ethan nodded. "A Z-Move is a powerful move released through the cooperation of a Z-Ring and a Z-Crystal. Every Z-Move has world-shaking power. This system is widely used in Alola, but few people in other regions know about it, and even fewer can use it."
Ethan lifted his wrist, revealing the Z-Ring. It was black and embedded with a crystal-clear Z-Crystal that sparkled under the sun. "This is the Z-Ring. To use a Z-Move, you need this and the corresponding Z-Crystal. Plus, the Trainer and Pokémon must share a deep bond to trigger it successfully."
"I see!" Brock realized, his eyes full of wonder. "For such a battle system to exist... it's amazing! It seems Alola has much for me to learn." As a Breeder, he was curious about all new ways of battling and raising Pokémon.
May and Max were also dumbfounded. May couldn't help but say, "Wow! That sounds so cool! I want to see the power of a Z-Move again!"
"I'll show you when the chance comes!" Ethan replied with a smile.
Suddenly, May remembered something. She looked a bit embarrassed and approached Brock shyly, looking at him with pleading eyes: "Um... Mr. Brock, Ethan told us before that your cooking is delicious, so..."
Her voice trailed off, but her eyes grew more hopeful. Ever since they started the journey, she had been eating cold lunches and was desperate for a hot meal. At the thought of Brock's cooking, her stomach gave a loud "growl."
"Haha! No problem!" Brock agreed readily with a confident smile. "I actually prepared a few rice balls for lunch, but with more people now, it won't be enough. Since I brought my pot and ingredients, I'll make a hot stew for everyone!"
"Yay!" May jumped for joy, her smile as bright as a flower. "Thank you so much, Mr. Brock!"
Max also said happily, "Great! Finally, a hot meal!"
"Follow me, my bags are in a clearing just ahead," Brock said, turning toward the deeper part of the forest.
Ethan, May, and Max followed immediately, with Pikachu and the other Pokémon trailing happily behind. Eevee hesitated for a moment before following too; it could feel the warmth of the group, and its guard lowered further.
After walking for about ten minutes, they reached an open clearing. A picnic cloth was laid out next to a large hiking bag.
Brock walked over, opened the bag, and started rummaging through it. "Let's see, where did I put those rice balls..." But after searching for a while, his expression turned to confusion. "Strange, where did the rice balls go?"
He searched the bag thoroughly again, even dumping everything out, but the rice balls were nowhere to be found. "Impossible, I clearly put them in here!" Brock frowned, looking perplexed.
"Could they have been stolen by a wild Pokémon?" May guessed. "There are so many Pokémon in the forest; maybe one liked the smell of rice balls and took them."
"It's possible." Brock nodded and shook his head helplessly. "Well, if they're gone, they're gone. Luckily I brought enough ingredients; I'll start the stew for everyone first!"
Brock stopped worrying about the rice balls and took out a small pot, a portable gas stove, and various ingredients. His movements were expert; he quickly started the fire, set the pot, and began prepping the food.
Watching him work, May couldn't help but sigh in admiration: "Mr. Brock, you're amazing. You brought so much stuff and you're such a good cook."
"Haha, after traveling for a long time, you learn what to bring," Brock said with a smile. "Besides, making delicious food for my partners and Pokémon makes me happy."
While Brock was busy, Ethan took out Taillow's Poké Ball. Although the battle hadn't seriously hurt it, there were still some scratches. "Taillow, let me treat those for you."
"Siba~" Taillow chirped obediently and stood still.
Ethan took a Potion from his bag and sprayed it on Taillow's injured wing. The cooling sensation made Taillow squint its eyes comfortably, letting out a soft cry.
Having finished prepping the ingredients, Brock saw Ethan treating Taillow and walked over. He checked the injuries and nodded. "The wounds aren't serious; they'll heal quickly with the Potion. Ethan, you've grown a lot lately. Not only are you stronger, but you're also much more careful when taking care of your Pokémon."
"People grow up, I guess." Ethan scratched his head, looking a bit bashful. "And taking care of my partners is a Trainer's responsibility."
He turned to Taillow and said gently, "Taillow, we're partners now. Let's do our best!"
Taillow nodded vigorously, flapping its wings and letting out a loud cry: "Siba~!" as if responding to Ethan's words.
Just then, a chorus of "siba~ siba~" cries came from the distance, getting closer. Everyone looked up to see a flock of Taillow—about a dozen of them—flying out from the deep forest. Their eyes were filled with anger as they dived straight toward Ethan and the others.
"What's going on?" May was startled by the sudden flock and hid behind Ethan, looking scared. "Why are these Taillow attacking us?"
Max also nervously clenched his fists and hid near Brock, quickly recording in his notebook: "A flock of Taillow. They usually move in groups and are very territorial. Did we wander into their territory?"
(End of Chapter)
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