Ashlyn and Tesla were on the ship to the Hoenn region. Both of them were enjoying the wind gently blowing against them.
"I can't wait till we start our journey in Hoenn, Tesla." Ashlyn said.
"Raichu, rai. (Neither can I, Ashlyn.)" Tesla said.
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By the afternoon, the ship docked, and Ashlyn and Tesla took their first step into the Hoenn region.
"Rai raichu? (Where do we go first?)" Tesla asked Ashlyn.
"We need to go and see Prof. Birch in Littleroot Town," Ashlyn replied, "and we're in Littleroot town now."
She took out her Rotom Phone and asked which route is the quickest way to Prof. Birch's lab. Luckily Rotom gave her an easy direction. Ashlyn brought out Comet to help her get to the lab faster. She felt like Comet deserved to ridden for a little bit. Prof. Oak already had put the saddle on him before she got off the boat.
Ashlyn mounted onto Comet and they headed towards Prof. Birch's lab.
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Comet went at a steady pace as they went along the path to Prof. Birch. Ashlyn clearly remembered the Hoenn Region professor. When they first met, he was very thrilled to teach her about the Hoenn Region Pokémon. His excited expression made her giggle at the memory.
At that moment, she sensed someone coming up behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw a brown-haired girl, wearing a red outfit, riding on a bike.
"Hi there!" Ashlyn greeted.
Ashlyn gently pulled on Comet's reins to stop as the girl stopped alongside her. Then Ashlyn recognized the girl in front of her. It was May, daughter of Norman the Petalburg Gym Leader.
"Oh hi." May greeted back, "Are you going to see Prof. Birch?"
Ashlyn nodded, "Yes I am. By the way, I'm Ashlyn Ketchum. This is Tesla and Comet." She gestured to her Raichu and shiny Rapidash.
"Raichu!" Tesla greeted and Comet neighed in greeting.
"Who might you be?" Ashlyn asked.
"I'm May. I'm a new trainer that heading out today." May replied.
"A new trainer, huh? You must on your way to Prof. Birch as well, right?" Ashlyn questioned.
May nodded, "Yeah."
"Well, let's get going then." Ashlyn declared.
Then the two went on a steady pace.
"So what starter Pokémon are you going to pick?" Ashlyn asked.
"I'm not all that sure." May replied, nervously.
"Well, I'm sure you'll find the one you want." Ashlyn assured her.
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Ashlyn, Tesla, Comet, and May soon reached Prof. Birch's lab. When they got there, they were greeted by Joshua, one of Prof. Birch's assistants.
"Hello, you must be May and Ashlyn I presume?" He asked.
Ashlyn nodded, "Yes, I'm Ashlyn."
"And I'm May. Is Prof. Birch here?" May asked.
"He has an emergency in the mountains, but he asked that you wait here for him." Joshua replied.
"Oh, then I'll go find him." May decided.
Ashlyn quickly grabbed her arm before she could take off, "Hold it. I have an easier way to find him." She turned to Joshua, "Do you have something that might have Prof. Birch's scent on it?"
"I think I do. Why?" Joshua asked, curious.
"I have a Pokémon who's a great tracker." Ashlyn replied.
"Good, I'll be right back." Joshua said before he went back into the lab. Then he came back out with a slightly dirty lab coat, "I think this might have his scent on it."
"That'll do." Ashlyn took out a Pokéball, "Come out, Romulus!"
"Rarf!" Romulus the Dusk Form Lycanroc appeared.
"Romulus, we need to find Prof. Birch. Can you try and find him?" Ashlyn requested.
"Rarf! (No problem!)" Romulus smiled.
Joshua held the dirty lab coat in front of Romulus who took a long sniff. Then he smelled the ground and started to walk off.
"Rarf!" Romulus said.
Ashlyn smiled, "Romulus has his trail."
"Alright, let's go." May said.
"Lead the way, Romulus." Ashlyn requested.
Romulus nodded and the two girls followed after the Wolf Pokémon.
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The two were still following Romulus, who was following Prof. Birch's scent, through the forest.
"Help!" a male's voice called out in front of them.
They stopped at the edge of the cliff leading down to a small clearing in the trees. In the area, they saw a tall, heavily built man who was holding onto a tree branch. He has short, slightly wavy brown hair, a squarish face with a beard and dark eyes. He wears a navy-blue T-shirt under a white lab coat, khaki shorts with a black belt and tan sandals on his feet. There were three Pokémon growling at him from below. Ashlyn knew that this man is Prof. Birch.
The Pokémon is a quadruped Pokémon similar in appearance to hyenas and canines. Its body is primarily gray with a black face and throat, paws, and belly. Its eyes are red with yellow sclerae, and it has a red nose. Its lower jaw has two pointed teeth sticking out. The fur at the base of its tail is rumpled and shaggy. They also have gray paw pads on its three-toed paws.
Ashlyn quickly took out her Rotom phone and scanned the Pokémon:
[Poochyena, the Bite Pokémon. Poochyena is the pre-evolved form of Mightyena. Its biting strength is superior to other Pokémon and has the endurance to chase opponents down until completely exhausted.]
"Professor Birch?" May questioned in surprise.
"Oh, May, Ashlyn! You two have perfect timing! Open that bag over there." Prof. Birch said, gesturing with his head towards a brown side bag near the edge of the small cliff.
May walked towards the bag being careful not to slip and she grabbed a Pokéball from inside.
"Here goes!" she tossed the Pokéball into the air and a red light appeared from the center.
A Mudkip appeared from the light and looked up at May. Mudkip is a small, amphibious, quadruped Pokémon. It has a blue body with a light-blue underside. It has a large head with a blue fin on top and a light-blue tail fin. It has black, beady eyes and orange, star-shaped gills on its cheeks.
Ashlyn kept her phone out and scanned Mudkip.
[Mudkip, the Mud Fish Pokémon. Mudkip uses the sensitive fin on its head to take radar readings of its surroundings.]
"That's great! A Mudkip!" Professor Birch called out.
"That's good. . .now what should I do?" May asked unenthusiastically.
Ashlyn and her Pokémon sweat-dropped.
"Call out one of its attacks!" he called out again, looking for a way down the tree.
"What are its attacks?" May questioned.
"Just say, 'Use Water Gun now'." Professor Birch replied.
May turned to look at the Mudkip and then pointed at it, "Use Water Gun now."
The Mudkip used the Water Gun right in May's face, soaking her hair and making her hair go limp, "Was that supposed to happen?" she questioned, sighing.
"Let me try." Ashlyn pointed at the Poochyena trio, "Mudkip, use Water Gun!"
Mudkip followed where Ashlyn was pointing and used water gun at the Poochyena trio. Two of them ran off while one stayed behind and turned to Ashlyn and her Pokémon.
"So this Poochyena wants to fight, huh? Alright, Tesla Thunderbolt!" Ashlyn ordered.
Tesla let out her electrical attack and it shocked Poochyena and caused it to faint. Ashlyn quickly took out an empty Pokéball and threw it at Poochyena who soon got sucked inside and it wiggled for a second and dinged which meant a successful capture. Ashlyn's eyes glowed blue as the Pokéball was outline blue and lifted into the air and landed into Ashlyn's hand.
"Alright, my first Hoenn capture." Ashlyn smiled.
"Well done, Ashlyn." Prof. Birch said, finally down from the tree.
"Thanks, Prof. Birch." Ashlyn thanked the Hoenn Professor.
Professor Birch returned the Mudkip to its Pokéball, "Well, how about we get back to the lab? I'm sure you want to pick your starter, May."
May nodded, "Yes please."
Everyone began walking back to the lab.
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The group were on their way back to Prof. Birch's lab. Prof. Birch, May, and Ashlyn were walking with Comet and Romulus walking beside them.
"It's been a while since we last saw each other, huh Ashlyn?" Prof. Birch asked.
Ashlyn nodded, "Yup."
"Ashlyn, you know Prof. Birch?" May asked.
"Yeah, I met him when I was little at the time. I was Prof. Oak's assistant back then." Ashlyn replied.
"Wow." May said.
"I saw how you did at the Silver Conference, Ashlyn. I have to admit that you had quite the battle against Harrison." Prof. Birch complimented Ashlyn.
"Thanks, Professor." Ashlyn thanked him.
"I also have to say that I'm very interested in your Pokémon. I never thought I would see a shiny Rapidash and a Dusk Form Lycanroc. Also, Tesla has become stronger since the last time I saw her." Prof. Birch said.
Tesla smiled, "Rai!"
At that moment, Ashlyn sensed three familiar's presence nearby and were coming towards them from their left.
"Comet, Romulus, Protect!" Ashlyn ordered.
Comet and Romulus quickly got to their left sides and projected a green colored barrier in front of the group when a mechanical arm hit and bounced off the barrier.
"What's that?!" May exclaimed.
"Trouble." Ashlyn narrowed her eyes.
"Did someone say trouble?" A female voice asked.
"And make it double?" A male voice added.
Then a large red robot appeared from the trees and stood in front of the group.
Ashlyn sighed, "Team Rocket."
"Team Rocket? Who are they?" May questioned.
"A criminal organization that steals Pokémon for their own evil deeds." Ashlyn replied.
Prof. Birch and May gasped in shock.
"Don't interrupt us! Let us finish our motto!" Jessie yelled angrily.
"Mystique, let's go!" Ashlyn released her Inteleon.
"Inteleon." Mystique appeared in front of her trainer.
"Mystique, Hydro Pump!" Mystique fired a large stream of water at Team Rocket's robot which soaked it inside and out.
"What was that for?" James asked with a dry expression.
"Tesla, Thunder Shock! Romulus, Rock Slide! Comet, Hyper Beam! Mystique, Water Pulse!" Ashlyn ordered.
All attacks hit the robot which zapped the Team Rocket trio painfully which soon caused the robot to explode and sent Team Rocket into the sky.
"Foiled again!" Jessie growled angrily.
"You would think that we would get used to this by now." James said.
"I guess not." Meowth commented.
"Wobba!" Wobbuffet saluted.
The Team Rocket trio sighed in defeat.
"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!!!" The trio screamed before they disappeared into the sky.
"WOBBA WOBBA!" Wobbuffet added.
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The group was finally back at Prof. Birch's lab, to their relief.
"Okay May, time to choose your starter." Prof. Birch declared.
"Alright." May said.
"First there's Treecko," Professor Birch released a green Pokémon. Treecko is a small, green, bipedal reptilian Pokémon. It has yellow eyes with long, narrow pupils. Treecko's hands and feet each have three digits covered with tiny spikes. These spikes allow it to scale vertical walls with ease. Its stomach and throat are red. It also has a line across on its stomach resembling a pouch. Treecko has a large, dark green tail with two separate lobes that it uses to sense humidity.
"Right, next is Mudkip," Professor Birch released a blue Pokémon.
"Yes, lastly Torchic," Professor Birch release a red and orange Pokémon. Torchic is a small, chick Pokémon with stubby, downy, yellow wings. Its body is covered with orange feathers. There is an orange and yellow crest on its head that resembles a flame. Its two thin legs and short beak of are a light brownish yellow, and the feet have three toes in front and one in the back.
May gave reasons for not choosing Mudkip and Treecko being that Mudikip didn't listen to a word she said and that Treecko was creepy, so she chose Torchic because she liked how it was cute.
Professor Birch handed May five Pokéballs and a Pokédex.
Suddenly, Mudkip jumped into Ashlyn's arms and nuzzled against her chest. Ashlyn chuckled as she petted its head.
"You're quite a friendly Mudkip huh?" Ashlyn asked.
"Mudkip!" Mudkip smiled.
"Ashlyn, if you want, Mudkip can come with you." Prof. Birch said.
"What? Really? Are you sure?" Ashlyn questioned.
"Mudkip is already attached to you, so it would be unfair if I separated you two." Prof. Birch answered.
"What do ya' say, Mudkip? Would you like to come with me?" Ashlyn asked.
Mudkip nodded happily, "Mudkip kip!"
"Well that settles it. Mudkip can go with you." Prof. Birch decided.
"Thank you, Professor." Ashlyn smiled. But then she felt something tap on her shoe. She looked down and saw a Torchic looking up at her. However, this one had yellow feathers and an orange and yellow crest on its head that resembled a flame. She then realized it was a shiny Torchic, "Professor, is this a shiny Torchic?"
"Yes, she is. She's here to help me with studying shiny Hoenn Pokémon." Prof. Birch replied.
Ashlyn took out her Rotom Phone and scanned the Pokémon.
[Torchic, the Chick Pokémon. Torchic sticks with its Trainer, following behind with unsteady steps. This Pokémon breathes fire of over 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, including fireballs that leave the foe scorched black.
Note: This different coloration indicates that this Pokémon is a shiny Pokémon.]
"Shiny Pokémon?" May asked, confused.
"A Shiny Pokémon is a specific Pokémon with different coloration to what is usual for its species. They're very rare in most regions." Prof. Birch explained.
"Wow." May commented.
"However, some people don't really value shiny Pokémon and other Pokémon tend to bully them." Prof. Birch stated.
"Poor thing." May said, sadly.
The shiny Torchic began nuzzling Ashlyn's leg. Ashlyn knelt down and petted Torchic's head who seemed to like the attention.
"You're welcome to take Torchic as well, Ashlyn." Prof. Birch offered.
"But, don't you need her for your research?" Ashlyn questioned, shocked.
"I think it would be a better idea if she had a trainer instead of staying in the lab all the time. It would be great if she could go with you." Prof. Birch stated.
Ashlyn turned to Torchic, "Torchic, would you like to come with me?" She asked.
Torchic stared at her for a second and nodded her head happily, "Torchic Torch!"
"Alright then. Mudkip, I'll name you 'Finn' and Torchic I'll name you 'Hestia'." Ashlyn decided.
'Finn' and 'Hestia' smiled at their new names.
Prof. Birch handed Finn and Hestia's Pokéballs to Ashlyn, "Here are their Pokéballs."
"Thank you. Welcome to the team, Finn, Hestia." Ashlyn returned to the two Pokémon.
"Rairai Raichi Rairai, Raichu. (That was your second and third Hoenn capture, Ashlyn.)" Tesla commented.
Ashlyn nodded, "Yeah, it was." Then she turned to Prof. Birch, "By the way, I wanted to show you two Hoenn Pokémon I caught in Johto, Prof. Birch." She said.
"Really?" Prof. Birch asked, excitedly.
"But first, you might want to tone down your excitement. I don't want them to be frightened by you." Ashlyn explained.
"How about you tell me first what they are and then show me." Prof. Birch suggested.
"That might work." Ashlyn accepted the suggested and took a deep breath and let out, "A Latias and Latios." She replied.
Prof. Birch stared at Ashlyn with disbelief, "Are you serious?!" He exclaimed.
Ashlyn nodded, "Dead serious. They joined me when I was on my way to the Silver Conference."
Prof. Birch took a deep breath and let it out, "Alright, I'm ready."
Ashlyn nodded and took out two Pokéballs, "Come on out, Latias, Latios!"
The two eon Pokémon appeared on either side of Ashlyn. Prof. Birch beamed at them with excitement and somehow managed to keep his excitement down.
"Wow, Latias and Latios. I never thought I would get to see them." Prof. Birch smiled.
"Who are these two?" May asked, curious.
"Latias and Latios are actually the legendary Psychic/Dragon Pokémon duo here in the Hoenn Region. From what I remember, they're known to be the guardians of Altomare." Joshua explained.
"Yup. That's where we met. They decided to join me before I left." Ashlyn said as Latias nuzzled her cheek. Ashlyn chuckled as she rubbed Latias's cheek who cooed at her touch.
"You have a great bond with those two, Ashlyn." Prof. Birch stated, smiled.
"Yeah. I'm glad we're friends." Ashlyn smiled as Latios, Latias, and Tesla continued nuzzled against her as well.
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After that, Ashlyn and Tesla decided it was time to leave. Pro. Birch told them that they would need to go to Oldale Town for Ashlyn to register for collecting gym badges. May decided to come with Ashlyn, who didn't seem to mind. Ashlyn, Tesla, and May said goodbye to Prof. Birch and left the lab to start their Pokémon journey in Hoenn.
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Pokémon Caught: Pokémon Egg, Poochyena (Lela)(F), Mudkip (Finn)(M), Shiny Torchic (Hestia)(F)