Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon or any of their characters, moves, abilities, or any named affiliated with them. All rights go to Pokémon Inc., its writers, game producers, designers, manga artists, etc.
Chapter 1: It's Finally My Time
"I choose you! Treecko!" Max exclaimed happily as he pointed towards the green gecko Pokémon on his far left. The Treecko's eyes lit up and jumped into Max's arms. Meanwhile, the Mudkip and Torchic beside Treecko frowned and bowed their heads in disappointment.
"Haha, I knew you would choose him, he's a fighter alright!" chuckled Professor Birch. He returned Mudkip and Torchic to their Pokéballs and now stood directly in front of Max. "Here, take these as well" Prof. Birch said as he handed Max some Pokéballs and dug into his Pocket. "You'll also need this, the newest Pokédex."
"Thank you so much Professor Birch! I'll be sure to take care of all of them!" Max beamed. He hurried out to the doorway and waved goodbye and added, "I'll be seeing you soon!" Then, he ran out the door and hurried off towards Oldale Town. Once he got there, he started training with Treecko in the tall grass and was looking for some new Pokémon.
"Alright, the moves you know now are Pound, Leer, Absorb, and Quick Attack." Max caught a Wurmple, Zigzagoon, Poocheyena, Wingull, and Surskit. Shortly afterwards, he went to the nearest PokéMart and bought some more Pokéballs. He transferred all the Pokémon he caught into his PC and left the Pokémon Center.
Max continued on towards Petalburg City and met some Trainers on the way.
"Zigzagoon, use Tail Whip!" commanded Youngster James. "Don't give in Treecko! Use Quick Attack and follow with Absorb!" answered Max. Zigzagoon wagged its tail at Treecko but the wood gecko was like a flash of green and struck the Zigzagoon with such force it flew backwards. Once the raccoon Pokémon was airborne, Treecko unleashed Absorb and took in the rest of Zigzagoon's strength. After the battle, the Trainers shook hands and added each other on their Pokénavs.
Along the way, Max battled some Bug Catchers, Youngsters and Lasses. In total, he battled 2 Poocheyena, 1 Tailow, 3 Wurmple and 1 other Zigzagoon. He and his Treecko were completely exhausted by the time they reached the Pokémon Center. Luckily, his parents were there with Nurse Joy so he wouldn't have to go home to say his goodbyes. He left his Treecko in Nurse Joy's capable hands and went to talk to his parents.
"Now, Max. It's been two years since you went off with May, Ash and Brock. I hope you've learned enough from each of them to be able to go on your own journey now" Norman lectured.
"OHH! He'll be fine! Didn't you hear? He beat all those trainers on the road, he's just like you Norman!" Caroline beamed excitedly. "And his Treecko is so strong and cute, he'll protect our boy for sure!"
"Don't worry Dad, I've prepared all along for this. And mom, thanks a lot for those kind words but I'm just trying to catch up with Ash! He's the Kalos Region's League Champion and he'll be participating in the Champion League soon. I'll have a lot of training to do" Max explained carefully.
At that very moment, Nurse Joy and Chansey pushed Treecko out on a trolley and said "You're Treecko is back up to 100%! We hope to see you again!"
"Thanks Nurse Joy, we'll be leaving now, Mom and Dad. I'll see you soon! After I win 4 badges, will you battle with me, Dad?" Max shouted as he ran towards the exit.
"Of course, but stay safe! Make us proud son!" Norman and Caroline answered, both waving goodbye to their beloved son.
Soon after, Max continued on through the Petalburg forest and stopped for lunch. He gave Treecko a can of Pokémon Food, it was a recipe made by Brock who was now a fully licensed Pokémon Nutritionist but was still working towards his Pokémon Doctor Degree. This food was made especially for Grass-Types and Treecko was eating it greedily. Max himself ate a boxed lunch his mom prepared that morning and was enjoying the forest scenery and sounds as he ate. They finished quickly and Max began to walk down a forest path, when all of a sudden, a voice behind him asked:
"Excuse me, do you know where I can find the Pokémon Shroomish? I've been looking all over the place and this forest is supposed to be crawling with them" asked a man in a suit.
"Oh yeah, I think I saw some back on that path over-"
"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE DEVON RESEARCHER!" cried a powerful voice from the trees. There was a pair of Team Aqua grunts that began to emerge from the trees. "Hand over those research papers or you'll get whipped by our Pokémon!" one of them commanded.
"Oh no!" the researcher shouted as he moved behind Max. "You're a trainer aren't you? Can you help me?"
Max looked at the goons with a glare and with a flash of his glasses, he threw out a Pokéball and Treecko emerged from within. "Treecko!" it proclaimed as it entered the path.
"We aren't going to take it easy on you just 'cause you're a kid!" the second grunt snapped. Then both goons sent out a Pokéball, they said "Go, Corphish!" and "Go, Zubat!".
"Treecko, use Quick Attack on Zubat and follow with Pound on Corphish!" Max shouted. Treecko leapt into the air and became a blinding green flash as it struck the Zubat in its midsection and drove its tail downwards towards Corphish.
"Not bad, but you're still outnumbered," stated the first grunt. "Corphish, use Vicegrip". The Corphish grabbed Treecko's tail, making it wince in pain and was slammed into the ground as the Corphish jumped back. "Zubat, use Wing Attack!" shouted the second grunt. Zubat did a loop in the air and struck Treecko as it tried to get up, a super effective hit.
"Told you not to mess with us" the two grunts said in unison together. "Zubat use Wing Attack again!", "Corphish use Cut!".
"NO! Treecko!" cried Max as he ran towards his new Pokémon partner.
What will happen next? Will Treecko be able to sustain another couple blows? Will Max be able to protect the Devon Researcher? Stay tuned.
