With the Kanto Saga officially complete, I can now focus on the Johto Saga where the adventure with the Ketchum twins continues.

Disclaimer: I do not own any Pokémon characters! I only own my OCs!

Chapter 3: A Sappy Ending

It was a beautiful day today. The sun was shining and the forest was lush and green with a refreshing scent in the air. Ash, our friends and I were enjoying the lovely day when we came upon a weird section of the forest.

"Hey! Look at those trees!" Ash called out, pointing at half a dozen of dead trees. "They don't have a single leaf on them, compared to the rest of the forest."

"You're right", Misty replied. "How odd…"

"Priii…"

Brock touched the bark on one of the trees. "The trees aren't burned and it's spring, but I don't see a bud on the branches", he told us.

I looked down at the ground and saw the grass around the trees was still green and fresh. "I thought there was a problem with the soil, but it looks okay", I added.

"Pikachu… Pika!" Pikachu suddenly called out.

"What's wrong, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Guys! Look over there!" Brock shouted.

I followed Brock's finger that pointed at something. There was a large healthy tree among the dead trees that was nearly covered by a horde of Heracross. They were busy sipping the sap out of the tree.

Misty whimpered at the sight of the Pokémon and hid immediately behind Ash. "They're so creepy…!" she shrieked quietly. "They must be bug-type Pokémon…!"

"That's because they are, Misty", I told her. "Those are Heracross."

"Heracross?" Ash repeated before he picked up his Pokédex to check their data.

Heracross, the singlehorn Pokémon. Bug and fighting-type. This powerful Pokémon thrusts its prized horn under its enemies' bellies, then lifts and throws them. It is usually docile, but if it is disturbed while sipping honey, it chases off the intruder with its horn.

"That sounds like a strong Pokémon", Ash commented as he put away the Pokédex. "I've decided! I'm going to catch one of those as my first Johto Pokémon and save the tree!"

"Before you do that, young man…", a voice called behind us all of the sudden. "You can catch a Heracross if you'd like, but if you do, you might cause more harm to the forest."

We turned around and came face to face with a man in his thirties. He had a brown beard and was dressed in an orange overall and had a hat and a backpack.

"Cause more harm?" Ash repeated in surprise. "Wait… Who are you, sir?"

"My name is Woodruff", the man introduced himself. "I'm a Pokémon Ranger of the forest and the wildlife here."

"My name is Ash."

"Pika-pikachu!"

"I'm Ashley; Ash's sister."

"And I'm Brock."

"I'm Misty. Hi."

"Togiprii!"

"Well, from the looks, I guess you're Pokémon Trainers?" Woodruff asked.

"Yeah", Ash nodded.

"You're free to catch as many Heracross as you want, but I'll warn you that you might cause devastating damage to the forest if you do so", Woodruff warned us.

"Why's that?" Ash wondered.

"The nature has its own balance that we human shouldn't interfere with so much", Woodruff explained.

"What do you mean by that?" Ash asked.

"For an example; the Butterfrees in this forest need Heracross in order to survive", Woodruff added.

All of the sudden, we heard the noises of Butterfrees. A small horde of them flew to the tree where the Heracross were busy sipping the sap. When the Heracross spotted the Butterfrees, they actually crawled aside and allowed the Butterfrees to drink the sap they had scrapped off the tree to reach the sap.

"I get it now", Ash exclaimed in a soft voice to not disturb the wild Pokémon. "The Butterfrees can't reach the sap because they're too weak to scrap off the bark."

"That's why they need Heracross' help to get the sap flowing", Brock added.

"It's fascinating how wild Pokémon can be so caring and shares their food with each other", I smiled, suddenly being reminded of Honey; my own Butterfree who I released a long time ago so she could leave with her mate on a long journey. "I love such happy scenes."

"I wish I could say the same", Misty commented, which caught our attention. "Butterfree and Heracross may be helping each other, but they're damaging the forest at the same time."

"Is that a common phenomenon, Woodruff?" Ash asked the ranger.

"No, I'm afraid the nature's balance has been disturbed by invaders", Woodruff explained.

"Invaders?" the rest of us repeated simultaneously.

"What kind of invaders are they?" Brock asked.

I closed my eyes and rubbed my forehead to try remembering what I've read about Heracross back in Professor Oak's laboratory. Heracross is said to have a rival, but what Pokémon was it?

"Pika pika!" Pikachu called out.

"Pikachu, are you sensing something?" Ash asked.

The ground began trembling a little and the noise of running stomps echoed from another part of the forest. Pidgeys and Spearows flew away as a cloud of dust came running toward the clearing. The dust quickly cleared up and revealed a horde of aggressive Pinsirs!

Misty screeched in horror. "It's Pinsirs!"

"They're the ones responsible for the dead trees", Woodruff revealed. "If we don't stop them, they'll suck the whole forest dry and the nature will wither."

The Pinsirs climbed up the tree and scared the Butterfrees away, but the Heracross ignored the invaders as they climbed to the top of the tree. They haven't even attempted to attack the eating Hearcross yet.

"Hey, knock it off!" Ash yelled at them. "Go eat someplace else!"

Misty stepped next to Ash, looking a little better than before. "Heracross, don't just sit there and eat! Protect your territory!" she yelled.

It appeared the Heracross had heard their cries because they opened their wings and flew up to the top of the tree where the Pinsirs were hiding. The Heracross flew toward them, but they quickly turned around and flew away in fear when the Pinsirs moved their large pincers that created a loud noise.

"What happened? What caused the Heracross to fly away like that?" Misty asked.

"The Heracross living in this forest are very peaceful and rarely fights other Pokémon", Woodruff explained. "They rather run away when they're facing a scary enemy."

"Even though Pinsirs are their rivals?" I asked.

"Unfortunately", Woodruff nodded.

"But… If the Heracross won't protect the forest, then the trees will wither and Butterfree and other Pokémon won't be able to survive", Brock pointed out.

"Hey, look!" Ash called at he pointed at the top of the tree where there was one Heracross that tried protecting a lone Butterfree from the Pinsirs. "There's a Heracross!"

"It must've stayed behind to protect the Butterfree", Brock stated.

The wild Heracross covered Butterfree with its body before the Pinsirs tried harming their rival with their sharp pincers. Heracross was known to have a hard shell, but this was just a matter of time before Heracross would become so weak and get serious injuries.

"I can't watch it anymore!" Ash exclaimed as he reached for a Poké Ball. "I must help Heracross! I choose you, Ivysaur!"

"Sauur!"

"Ivysaur, use your Vine Whip to knock the Pinsirs off of Heracross!" Ash yelled.

"Ivysaaur!"

Ivysaur swung his long vines and knocked one Pinsir off the tree at the time. Once every one of them was down, the wild Butterfree flew away, but the Heracross didn't move a budge.

"Oh no! Heracross's too exhausted to fly away now!" Brock gasped.

"Quick, Ash! You must save it before the Pinsirs climb up the tree again!" Misty called.

The Pinsirs got up from the ground and climbed up the tree again. They completely ignored Ivysaur; their eyes were set on their rival.

"Pikachu, stop them with Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted.

Pikachu ran forward while his cheeks sparkled. "Pika…CHUUUU!" he unleashed a massive Thunderbolt that struck the Pinsir horde. They got electrocuted and weak enough to lose their grip on the bark of the tree and fell down to the ground a second time.

"Great job, Pikachu!" Ash praised him.

"Pika pika!"

"Siiiir!" the wild Pinsirs hissed aggressively as they now decided to target us instead of Heracross.

"Uh-oh! Now they're angry at us!" Misty called.

I stepped next to my brother while grabbing one of my Poké Balls. "I'll help you out, Ash", I told him.

"Thanks, sis!" he nodded.

"Cedric, I choose you!" I called as I threw his Poké Ball.

"Taaar!" Cedric shrieked in joy before he stood between Pikachu and Ivysaur, ready for some action.

The Pinsirs dashed toward the trio, but I was ready. "Cedric, use Sandstorm on the Pinsirs!" I shouted.

"Larviiii…taaar!" Cedric's body glowed as a tornado of dirt and sand engulfed him. He then sent the tornado toward the Pinsirs before it exploded into a massive cloud of blowing sand and dirt. The Pinsirs were forced to stop in their tracks and cover their eyes from the sandstorm.

"Great job, Ashley!" Ash said. "Now, Pikachu, use your Thunder!"

"Pika…CHUUUUUU!" Pikachu unleashed a massive lightning bolt and electrocuted the Pinsirs one more time. This time, the Pinsirs had enough and ran back into the forest, retreating for now.

"Alright!" Ash and I cheered before we high-fived each other.

"Great teamwork, guys!" Misty praised us.

"Now let's get Heracross off the tree!" Brock said.

We ran to the tree where Heracross was still lying on top of, staring down at us with big curious eyes. "You can come down now, Heracross!" Ash called. "The Pinsirs are gone!"

"Heera!" Heracross shrieked before it flew down to the ground. For one second, it looked like it wanted to thank our Pokémon, but to our surprise it started sucking Ivysaur's half-blooming bulb!

"What is it doing?!" Misty shrieked in horror.

"It's sucking Ivysaur's pollen out of his bulb!" Brock said.

"I-Ivy…Ivysaur!" Ivysaur used his Vine Whip to knock the Heracross off him before any more harm could be done.

Heracross landed on its back and moved left and right, trying to get up on its feet again. I felt a little bad for it, but it should know that it couldn't just try eating a Pokémon's pollen without permission no matter how hungry it was.

"Ow… That must've hurt", I flinched before I picked up Cedric to cuddle with him.

"Maybe the Heracross stayed behind because it wanted to have more food and that's why it didn't fly away", Brock theorized.

"Maybe, but now that we've scared off the Pinsirs, things should go back to normal, right?" Ash asked.

"I'm afraid it's not that easy", Woodruff spoke up. "You may have chased off the Pinsirs, but they'll come back after they restore their energy."

"Why are they coming here in the first place?" Misty asked.

"The Heracross and the Pinsirs have lived in peace together because they have separate territories", Woodruff explained. "But recently, something's been forcing the Pinsirs to cross the river that divides the forest and enter the Heracross's territory. When I learned about the Pinsirs invading Heracross's territory, I came out here as quickly as I could to figure out what's causing the Pinsirs to leave their part of the forest."

"So…if we find out what is driving the Pinsirs onto Heracross's territory, the balance in the forest will return to normal?" I asked.

"Yes", Woodruff nodded.

"You know what that means, guys?" Ash spoke up.

"Yeah!" Brock and I nodded.

"Umm… Nope! Time to go, guys!" Misty smiled, but her face was turning pale.

"Misty, I know you hate bug Pokémon, but we can't just leave now that we learned what's happening here", Ash told her.

"If we don't help, the whole forest will die", Brock added.

"And so many Pokémon will have no other choice but to find a new home far away", I said.

"Y-Yeah, you have a good point…", Misty swallowed nervously.

"Please, Mr. Woodruff, we'd love to help you with this!" Ash told the adult.

"I appreciate your help", Woodruff nodded. "Let's head to Pinsir's forest immediately."

Ash turned to his two Pokémon. "Let's help the forest together, guys!" he told them.

"Pikachu!"

"Sauur!"

"You'll help out too, right, Cedric?" I asked my partner.

"Larvitaar!"

XXXXXXXXXX

It didn't take long before we reached the border of Heracross's territory. It was thick of large bushes and weed. Thankfully, Ivysaur used his Razor Leaf to cut the bushes that blocked the path.

I noticed it a couple of times before, but the Heracross we saved before was right behind us. "Guys, Heracross is following us", I informed the group.

"Tar?" Cedric chirped from my arms.

"Maybe it wants revenge against the Pinsirs for harming it before", Ash suggested.

"Or maybe Heracross wants to protect Ivysaur's nectar", Misty giggled.

"Saur?!" Ivysaur exclaimed in shock before he ran toward Heracross and threatened it by sending a pair of sharp leaves past the bug-Pokémon. Heracross stood frozen while we walked away, but I couldn't help but feel sad for it. I'm sure it had a reason why it was following us, but I had to focus on the main issue.

Ash called Ivysaur back when we were out of the forest and reached a deep canyon where the river was running. "The Pinsir's territory is right at the other side of the river", Woodruff told us.

"Umm… How do we cross the river?" Ash asked.

"There's a rope bridge not far from here", Woodruff replied.

There was indeed a rope bridge, but it was completely broken. It was a shock even for the ranger. "What happened? I was here a week ago and the bridge was fine!" Woodruff exclaimed in surprise.

I looked down at the canyon and spotted some trees that had grown from the side. Several brown figures jumped across those trees to reach the other side of the river. "So that's how Pinsir get over to this side of the forest…", I mumbled.

"Did the Pinsir destroy the bridge to prevent people from reaching their territory?" Ash wondered.

"Why would they spend time on that if they're desperate for food?" Brock asked.

"This is not Pinsir's doing", Woodruff said after he checked the cut rope. "I can tell by the rope that it was cut by a human being."

"So… Is somebody deliberately causing harm to the forest by forcing the Pinsirs onto the Heracross's territory?" Misty wondered.

"Maybe, but we don't know that until we figure out the truth", Woodruff said.

"We have to get to Pinsir's forest as quickly as we can!" Ash exclaimed determinedly.

"I guess we should call Firered and Charizard out to carry us across the river", I said.

"Laarvitar?"

"Great idea, Ashley", my brother nodded.

"Hera!"

We turned around and saw the wild Heracross was right behind us, but it was currently trying to push a tree. "Is that the same Heracross we saved before?" Ash wondered.

"What is it doing?" Misty asked. "Is it trying to eat again?"

"No, I think it's trying to help us", Brock said.

Heracross used all its strength to push the tree that was right in front of the bridge and forced it down to the ground. We had to jump to the side before we could become pancakes. The tree fell right across the canyon and created a new bridge for us to cross to the other side.

"Thanks, Heracross! You were a big help!" Ash thanked the wild Pokémon.

"Pika pika!"

"Herakrooos!"

We walked one by one across the tree and made sure to walk slowly so none of us would slip and fall into the river. Misty was first very reluctant, but Ash helped her walk across by holding one of her hands. They were the last ones to reach the other side of the river.

"Heracross, are you coming with us?" Ash called.

The wild Heracross did follow us, but its hunger was stronger than its will so it scrapped the bark off the tree with its horn before it started drinking the fresh sap. "Hera!"

"I think it's best if we leave Heracross alone", Woodruff said. "We must prioritize the issue about the Pinsir."

"Yeah, I guess so…", Ash mumbled.

The ranger guided us into the Pinsir's forest, which was oddly calm and quiet. I had expected some wild Pinsirs popping out and trying to attack us, but there was none. I looked over my shoulder and saw Heracross apparently had its fill and continued following us.

"Heracross is back", I informed the group.

"Laaar?"

"I wonder why it's following us?" Ash commented.

"Maybe it thinks we're sap?" Misty said.

"I don't think so…", Brock mumbled.

"Shh!" Woodruff hissed. "We're entering the center of the Pinsir's territory… We have to stay alert from now."

"Okay…!" we whispered in return.

"This is going to be my worst nightmare…", Misty mumbled quietly.

Woodruff pointed at a tall tree by the horizon. "See that tree? That's where the Pinsir live and eat", he told us. "If we can get a closer look at the tree, we might discover the reason why they're entering the Heracross's territory."

We quietly walked the rest of the way to the center of the woods without encountering one single Pinsir. We successfully made it to the big tree, but there were still no signs of Pinsirs…except for one that was hiding among the leaves at the top.

"What is that giant Pinsir?" Ash gaped in surprise.

Misty gritted her teeth at the sight. "I'm getting sick…"

"That's odd; I've never seen that big Pinsir before", Woodruff commented.

"Maybe it recently settled down in this forest and is claiming all the sap, and that's what forces the Pinsirs to leave and find food someplace else", Brock pointed out.

"Then we need to chase it away!" Ash exclaimed.

"Piika pi!"

"Wait!" I grabbed my brother's arm and pulled him back. "Something's odd with that Pinsir. Its body reflects the light in an unnatural way."

"Laar."

"She's right", Woodruff nodded. "That's not a Pinsir… That's a robot!"

"A robot?!" the others repeated in surprise.

All of the sudden, two laughing voices echoed from the nearby trees. "Prepare for trouble!"

"And make it double!"

Jessie, James and Meowth jumped out from the bushes and stood in front of us, clearly preventing us from reaching the Pinsir robot. "Well, if it isn't the twerps!" Meowth laughed.

"Team Rocket! I should've known!" Ash growled.

"So you're the ones responsible for that robot and the disturbance of the nature!" Woodruff glared at the trio.

"What are you three doing this time?!" Misty shouted irritably.

"Well, long story short; we came across some of the lovely sap, so we decided to suck all the trees dry with our Super-Pinsir 1000 and sell it for big money on the black market!" Meowth explained.

"Don't you get it that you're causing harm to the forest?!" Brock yelled. "You're taking the food that belongs to the Pinsirs!"

"So what?! It's ours now, so we won't return it to the nasty bug Pokémon!" Jessie said.

"This will have fatal consequences for the whole forest!" Woodruff shouted angrily.

"It's your fault that Pinsir and Heracross are fighting each other for the food!" Ash yelled at the trio. "You're throwing the balance of nature off because of your selfishness!"

"Nobody asked you for a lecture, twerp!" Jessie yelled back.

"All we care about are the money in our pockets!" James added.

The duo immediately threw their Poké Balls, releasing their Pokémon. "Lickitung, I choose you!" Jessie shouted.

"Lickiii!"

"Victreebel, I choose you!" James shouted.

"Yiaaah!" Victreebel hissed at us before it turned around and actually started drinking some of the leaking sap on the tree.

"Hey! It's not lunchtime and that sap is for money!" James scolded his partner.

Victreebel wasn't the only Pokémon busy eating. Even Lickitung couldn't resist the desire to drink the sap, much to Jessie's anger. "What are you doing?! You're supposed to attack the twerps! It's not even time for dinner!" she yelled.

"They got lured by the sap…", Meowth mumbled before he picked up a remote controller. "Looks like it's time for Super-Pinsir 1000 to do the dirty work!"

The robot Pinsir stopped absorbing the sap from the tree and jumped off to land onto the ground. It released a mechanical cry while moving its pincers like a real Pinsir to try frightening us.

"Let's go, Ash!" I yelled as I threw Firered's Poké Ball. "Firered, I choose you!"

"Charizard, let's go!" my brother shouted as he called out his Pokémon.

"RAAAWR!" our two Charizards screeched simultaneously.

"Be careful with the fire attacks!" Woodruff warned us. "I don't want a forest fire!"

"We don't want that ourselves!" Ash replied. "Charizard, use Wing Attack on the robot's pincers!"

"Rawr!" Charizard flew toward the mechanical being with glowing wings. He flew past it while the right wing made an impact on the right pincer, but it didn't damage the metal.

"Nice try, but Super-Pinsir is made by indestructible metal!" Meowth laughed.

"Firered, use Metal Claw on the pincers!" I shouted.

"Raaawr!"

Firered flew up while his claws extended and reflected the sunlight like actual metal. He flew toward the robot and slashed both pincers. This attack successfully left some marks behind, but it didn't do much damage.

"We've learned our lessons, so we improved our machine", James laughed after he and Jessie had recalled their Pokémon.

"Larvitaar!" Cedric jumped down from my arms and ran toward the robot.

"Cedric, come back! It's too strong for you!" I shouted worriedly.

Cedric ignored my warning and jumped up to bite onto one of the robot's arms. The robot moved the arm around to shake him off. It was terrifying to watch, so I grabbed Cedric's Poké Ball. "Cedric, return!" I yelled as I called him back to his Poké Ball before he could get hurt.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt on the robot!" Ash shouted.

"Pika…CHUUUU!" Pikachu unleashed the electric move and struck the robot, but it didn't do any damage.

"This is the moment I've been waiting for!" Meowth laughed. "Super-Pinsir 1000 can absorb Pikachu's electricity and reflect it back to you twerp!"

"What?!" we all yelled in surprise.

Before I knew it, we got electrocuted by the electricity that the robot managed to store and reflect back on us. I felt like I was going to die, but it was thankfully only my imagination. I was still alive when the attack was over, but it had zapped lots of my energy out of the body, so I collapsed on the ground with everyone else. Firered and Charizard were in worse condition because of their dual type.

The robot walked toward us, but none of us was able to move because of our weakened condition. "It's getting closer!" Misty shrieked.

"We have to move or else it'll crush us!" Brock shouted.

The robot was about to grab my brother with its claws when Heracross jumped over us and landed in front of Ash. It grabbed the robot's arms and pushed it back so the robot wouldn't reach Ash.

"Heracross!" Ash exclaimed in relief.

"Where did that bug come from?!" Jessie shouted.

"Get rid of it, Meowth!" James demanded.

"Super-Pinsir 1000 will squash it!" Meowth yelled as he messed with the remote controller.

The robot grabbed hold on Heracross and pushed it back while the wild Pokémon did its best to hold it back. "You can do it, Heracross!" Ash encouraged the Pokémon.

Heracross seemed to receive strength from the encouragement because it now managed to push the robot back, forcing its feet to dig down into the ground. At this point, the rest of us recovered our strength from the surprise shock and got up on our feet.

"You're doing great, Heracross!" Brock shouted.

"You're our hero, Heracross!" Misty shouted, surprising all of us.

"Togipriii!"

"I thought you hated all bug-type Pokémon, Misty", Brock commented.

"Heracross is not so bad", Misty giggled. "Go, Heracross!"

"Show everyone who's the boss of the forest!" I shouted.

"Rawr!" both Firered and Charizard roared in encouragement.

"Everyone, let's go and remove the tanks off the robot's back!" Woodruff called out.

"Oh no, you don't! That's our precious sap!" Jessie growled.

"Meowth, stop them!" James told the cat Pokémon.

"I'm trying, but Heracross's holding Super-Pinsir 1000 back!" Meowth replied as he tried using the remote controller.

Team Rocket got so distracted by the remote controller that they didn't notice we had removed the two tanks containing the sap. "Okay, Heracross! We got the sap back!" Ash yelled. "Do everything you want to do!"

"Heerakrooss!"

Heracross finally used its horn and lifted the large robot up before throwing it in the air. It was amazing to witness Heracross's true strength. The robot ended up falling down on the ground inches away from Team Rocket when it exploded by the impact. Team Rocket got caught by the explosion and were thrown up in the air, flying far away until they were no longer seen.

"Herakrooss! Herakroooss!" Heracross cheered joyfully.

"Heracross wins the match!" Ash cheered.

The bushes and trees rustled around us before real Pinsirs peeked out through the leaves. "It's Pinsir! They've come back!" Brock called.

Misty whimpered in fear and hid behind Ash again. "Oh goodie…", she swallowed nervously.

Woodruff opened the tanks and poured most of the gooey sap out of them. Some of it got stuck in the tanks, but that was no problem for Pinsir. They cheerfully ran to the big tree and started eating the sap that rightfully belonged to them.

"Pinsir's back to their home and they can eat until they are full", Ash smiled.

"Yes, now they don't have to leave their habitat and the peace between them and Heracross is restored", Woodruff nodded.

"And we couldn't have done it without Heracross's help", Ash smiled at the wild Pokémon. "Thank you, Heracross."

"Herakrooss kross!" Heracross smiled.

XXXXXXXXXX

We returned to Heracross's territory to check if everything was back to normal. The rest of the Heracross horde had returned to their tree and ate the sap together with the Butterfrees. There were no Pinsirs nearby, so the balance of nature was restored.

"What a beautiful view…", Misty sighed.

"I never thought I was going to hear that from you, Misty, considering the bug-type Pokémon", I giggled.

"Butterfree and Heracross are two bug Pokémon I can tolerate", she replied.

"It's these views that are rewarding to me as a Pokémon Ranger", Woodruff smiled. "And I cannot thank you four enough for your help."

"No problem, Woodruff", Brock said. "We're used to helping people and Pokémon out."

The same wild Heracross that had helped us walked toward us, suddenly acting a little shy. "Hera… Herakross kross!" it stared at Ash with pleading eyes.

"You were amazing how you fought that Pinsir robot, Heracross", Ash smiled.

"You're a very tough bug, maybe even stronger than a Pinsir", Misty giggled.

"We're going to miss you a lot, though", Ash said. "But promise me you'll protect the forest, okay?"

"Hera…", Heracross whimpered a little sadly.

"Pika?" Pikachu tilted his head to the side.

"What's the matter, Heracross?" Ash asked.

"Herakross… kross kross herakross."

"I believe Heracross wants to go with you, Ash", Woodruff spoke up.

"Huh?" Ash said in surprise. "But… Is that okay? You said before-"

"I know I said catching a Heracross could throw the balance of nature off, but it won't cause big harm now that the balance is restored", Woodruff calmly interrupted my brother. "And I can tell Heracross wants to become part of your family."

"Well, if you say so…", Ash said before turning to the wild Pokémon. "Heracross, do you want to come with us on our journey?"

"Herakross!" Heracross nodded.

Ash smiled before he picked up an empty Poké Ball. "Then… Welcome to the team, Heracross", he said before touching Heracross with the device.

Heracross got absorbed into the Poké Ball before it closed and wobbled thrice in my brother's hand until it stopped with the ding noise. My brother smiled widely before holding the Poké Ball high up in the air. "I caught my first Johto Pokémon; Heracross!" he cheered.

"Pika pikaaa!" Pikachu jumped up in joy.

"Congratulations, Ash", I smiled, lightly clapping my hands.

"I'm sure Heracross is going to be a powerful Pokémon for the Gym battles", Brock smiled.

"And don't worry about me; I can tolerate the bug Pokémon you guys catch", Misty said.

"Priii."

I was happy for my brother that he had finally caught his first Pokémon in the Johto region. I was looking forward to see what kind of other Pokémon we were going to find and maybe catch to build up our family.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:

Firered the Charizard (male)

Cedric the Larvitar (male)

Trica the Sentret (female)

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash's party:

Ivysaur (male)

Pikachu (male)

Charizard (male)

Wartortle (male)

Heracross (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Misty's party:

Goldeen (female)

Staryu (genderless)

Psyduck (male)

Togepi (female)

Poliwag (male)

XXXXXXXXXX

Brock's party:

Geodude (male)

Onix (male)

Zubat (male)

Vulpix (female)