Welcome to the third book of "Ashley Ketchum's Journey" series! We are now heading to the Hoenn region, which is one of my top 3 favorite regions.

The journey starts in the year of 2012, so Ash and Ashley are 12 years old.

Just like the other books of Ashley Ketchum's Journey, this is based on Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald, but I will add some features from ORAS that will show up from time to time. Pokédex entries will be based on the first three games.

This saga begins in early May 2012.

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

Chapter 1: Get the Show on the Road

The ferry Ash and I traveled with entered the national border of Hoenn this morning. We would've been excited about our new journey if it weren't for Pikachu's current condition. He got kidnapped by Team Rocket yesterday which resulted with a high fever. We got help from a friendly sailor who forced the boat to dock by an island to fix minor damage done by Team Rocket. I waited anxiously on the ferry for Ash to come back with Pikachu. All hope seemed lost when the boat left in the evening, but they made it back onboard with a Pidgeot owned by the island's Officer Jenny.

I had no Pokémon with me because Professor Oak had told me his research colleague in Littleroot Town, Professor Birth, had a surprise for me. I suspected it was a special Pokémon that was going to be my first partner in the Hoenn region.

Mom had sewed new clothes for me and Ash that were made for the tropic climate in the Hoenn region. She even made a hat for me so I could shield my head from strong sunlight. I had dumped my fingerless gloves and replaced them with a pair of black soft but elastic wristbands. I got a bigger backpack to store lots of more stuff like preserved food. After all, I was going to be in charge of cooking now that Brock was no longer traveling with us. My hair had grown a lot during our journey in Johto and caused split edges, so I got it trimmed when Ash and I returned home. My hair was now straight and reached down to my shoulder blades. Ash's spiky hair had also been trimmed, so it was now slightly shorter.

I held onto the railing as the ferry approached Littleroot Town in the horizon. I took a deep breath, smelling the fresh sea salt, before I exhaled loudly. "We're finally here."

"Yeah…", Ash nodded, his tone soft and low while cradling Pikachu in his arms.

"P-Pi… Pika…chu…", Pikachu panted softly, his cheeks sparkled and body wrapped in a towel.

"Hang in there, Pikachu. We're almost at land", Ash reassured him.

I was sad about Pikachu's condition too. I had hoped our new journey would start off peacefully, but alas Team Rocket had to ruin it.

The loudspeakers scattered across the ferry emitted a ding-dong noise. "Dear passengers, this is your captain speaking. We shall soon arrive to the harbor of Littleroot Town, so please make sure you got your luggage when you leave the ferry."

"This is it", Ash said, tapping his feet impatiently. "C'mon, c'mon, can't this ferry move a little faster?"

"Calm down, Ash", I told him, getting nervous just by watching him. "As soon as we get off the ferry, we'll go straight to the Pokémon Center."

It took around ten minutes for the ferry to reach the harbor. As soon as the stairs were connected to the ferry, Ash and I hurried off. We found a ticket booth and asked for help. "Excuse us, sir!" Ash called out to the man behind the desk. "Can you tell us where the Pokémon Center is?"

"Oh, I'm afraid there's no Pokémon Center in Littleroot Town", the seller replied with a shake of his head. "If your Pokémon need treatment, you have to go to Professor Birch's laboratory."

"No Pokémon Center…?" Ash mumbled in disbelief.

"Let's call Professor Birch, Ash", I told him. "I've got his number from Professor Oak."

"Right!" Ash nodded.

We walked to a bench hiding beneath a roof so I could open the PokéGear. I scrolled down the list of saved numbers and found the professor's number. I immediately tapped it and waited for the call to get answered.

The top screen revealed a young man with glasses wearing a lab coat. "This is Professor Birch's Pokémon Laboratory, my name is Joshua. How can I help you?"

Ash leaned in to take care of the call. "Hi, we are Ashton and Ashley Ketchum. We just arrived from Pallet Town and need Professor Birch's help!"

"What happened?"

"My Pikachu is sick and he's not getting better!"

"Your Pokémon is sick? That's terrible! Professor Birch is currently out conducting field experiments, but I'll give him a call so he can pick you guys up! Where are you right now?"

"At the harbor in Littleroot Town", I replied.

"Stay there for now. If Pikachu gets any worse, call me again, got it?"

"Yes, sir!" Ash and I nodded simultaneously.

The call ended there and now it was a waiting game. Ash and I sat under the shade that felt like forever. The only noise we heard were splashing waves, shrieking Wingulls and Pikachu's soft pants. I didn't even want to look at the clock.

I closed my eyes for a moment and listened to the nature as a way to calm down my worried nerves. I leaned my head against Ash's shoulder and released a deep sigh at the same time as him. "When will he get here…?"

"I don't know. Pikachu, hang in there", Ash mumbled.

Screeching tires woke up our tired minds. A jeep braked right in front of us with a large man wearing a lab coat sitting behind the wheel. "Are you two the Ketchum twins?!"

Ash and I hurried to the jeep. "Yes, are you Professor Birch?" my brother asked.

"I am. How is Pikachu?" the man asked. His eyes widened in shock at Pikachu's condition. "Not good! Get in the jeep, you two!"

Ash sat down next to Professor Birch while I sat down in the backseats. As soon as we strapped ourselves, the professor drove off so fast the wind ruffled my hair. We drove toward the wilderness that was full of trees and plants I hadn't seen before. Pikachu got restless by his terrible fever and tried crawling out of Ash's arms while releasing larger sparkles.

"Pika! Pikaa!"

"Pikachu, calm down!" Ash told him and wrapped him up again.

"Pikachu is suffering from an electrical discharge!" Professor Birch called out.

"What's that?" Ash asked.

"Pikachu is unable to release his electricity regularly, so he sparks like that", the professor explained. "It's a serious problem that occurs among electric-type Pokémon. Tell me, has Pikachu been in contact with a magnetic field?"

"Yes, Pikachu was strapped to a magnet!" Ash nodded.

"It must have been an electromagnet", Professor Birch replied. "I better put metal to the pedal! Hold on, kids!"

He drove off the main road and took a shortcut through the woods. It got very bumpy, so I bounced on my seat which felt very uncomfortable. I almost felt my breakfast coming up my throat as I held onto the back of the front seat.

"L-Look out!" Ash panicked.

"Sorry, we don't have a moment to lose!" Professor Birch called.

I tried to swallow down the bile and closed my eyes to endure the painful ride. It took only a couple of minutes before we finally made it to Professor Birch's laboratory. He parked his jeep in front of the entrance where Joshua waited for us.

"Welcome back, Professor Birch", the assistant greeted his boss. "Everything is ready!"

"Thank you, Joshua", Professor Birch replied as we got out of the jeep. "Follow me, Ash!"

"Coming!" Ash followed the adults inside the lab.

I stayed outside to calm my stomach down and did some breathing exercise. I concentrated my senses on listening to the wind and the ruffling leaves from different types of tree. The climate felt similar to the Sevii Islands that my brother and I visited a long time ago when we were training for the Kanto League.

I snapped out of my memories when an explosion erupted inside the laboratory. My heart raced in fear and worry, so I ran inside to investigate. The smoke was still thick, but it was clearing up fast. There was a broken window which Pikachu jumped out through with a painful shriek.

"PIKAchuu!"

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled before he jumped out the window and chased after him.

"Ash! Wait for me!" I yelled as I followed him.

"Ash, Ashley, wait!" Professor Birch called behind us. "Do you have any Pokémon that are immune to Pikachu?!"

My blood nearly froze when I realized what was happening. Pikachu must have overcharged the equipment the adults had used on him and now he was having fever confusion, not realizing what was happening to him.

"I've got no other Pokémon than Pikachu!" Ash responded.

"And I have no Pokémon with me!" I shouted.

My brother and I didn't run for long when Professor Birch caught up to us. "Wait, you two!"

We stopped in our tracks and waited for the professor. "Professor?" Ash called.

"We need to find Pikachu as soon as we can! Pikachu's internal electricity is too high! He might self-destruct if he doesn't release all that electricity soon!" Professor Birch informed us.

"What?!" Ash and I exclaimed in terror.

"P-Pikachu…might get…", I trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.

"What do we do?!" Ash panicked.

"We can cover more ground if we split up", Professor Birch dug his hand into a pocket of his lab coat and pulled out a Poké Ball. "Ashley, I wanted to give this to you under calmer circumstances, but I've got no choice. Take this Pokémon with you."

I grabbed the Poké Ball and looked at it for a second. "Is this the surprise Professor Oak told me about?"

"Yes, it's the grass-type Starter Pokémon Treecko", Professor Birch replied. "I heard about your quest of becoming a dragon master and Treecko belongs in the dragon egg group, so you can have it."

"Thank you, Professor", I nodded.

"Let's split up from here!" Professor Birch said. "I'll go west, you two go east! Call Joshua if you find Pikachu!"

"Got it!" Ash and I nodded.

I stayed with Ash, but I called out Treecko to help us look for Pikachu. I didn't have time to nickname it during this hectic situation. Treecko moved faster by climbing among the tress, so it went ahead and tried finding Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!" Ash yelled worriedly.

I turned to Treecko who was at the top of a tree next to me. "Do you see anything, Treecko?"

"Treecko tree", Treecko shook its head.

"Pikachu… Stay strong, buddy", Ash mumbled.

"Pikachu is going to be okay, Ash", I comforted him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "We will get him back soon and we're going to make Team Rocket pay for giving him a fever when we see them next time."

"Right…", Ash took a deep breath and became serious. "Let's find Pikachu!"

We made sure not to run into any trees or bushes and get hurt by accident. It didn't take long before Treecko jumped down from the trees and pointed at something. "Treecko treecko ko!"

"What's wrong, Treecko?" I asked.

"You think it spotted Pikachu?" Ash wondered.

"That might be it. Treecko, show us the way, please."

"Treecko!" Treecko nodded with a determined glare. He climbed up a tree and jumped from branch to branch. We ran while keeping our eyes on him. It didn't take long before he jumped to the ground and silently waved his arms in front of tall grass.

Something yellow crawled in the grass and that lightning-shaped tail was recognizable anywhere. "There's Pikachu…", I said in a low voice, not wanting to frighten him away.

"Pikachu!" Ash called out and walked slowly toward him. "Pikachu, stay right there, buddy."

"Pika…!" Pikachu growled aggressively and even exposed his sharp teeth. I had never seen him like that before so it scared me. His cheeks sparkled as he made the noise whenever he charged up for a Thunderbolt.

"Ash, step back!" I yelled out.

My warning came too late. Pikachu released a powerful Thunderbolt and electrocuted my brother. I jumped back in nick of time with Treecko and shielded my eyes from the bright light. When the Thunderbolt was over, I opened my eyes and saw both Pikachu and Ash were okay but weak. Pikachu lay on the ground that got scorched by the heated electricity.

"Ash, are you okay?!" I yelled as I ran to him with Treecko.

"Y-Yeah", Ash nodded as he grabbed my hand so I could pull him up. "But, Pikachu…"

Pikachu was now releasing sparkles from his cheeks every other second. It was impossible to approach and grab him now.

"Pikachu!" Ash called worriedly as he tried taking a step closer to his partner.

"Ash, get away!"

Professor Birch came running up to us. I raised an eyebrow when I noticed he wasn't alone. A girl around my age cycled behind the adult. She had brown hair and blue eyes and was mainly dressed in red colors. Somehow, she looked awfully familiar. Had I seen her before?

"Pikachu could explode any moment now!" Professor Birch warned.

"But I've got to help him!" Ash argued.

Pikachu got up on his feet and ran away from us with a painful cry. "Pikaaa!"

"Pikachu!" Ash yelled as he ran after his Pokémon.

"Treecko, use Absorb to stop Pikachu!" I quickly shouted.

"Treeckooo!"

Treecko released a red beam from its tail that engulfed Pikachu. He was lifted up to the sky as tiny red bubbles containing his energy got transferred over to my Pokémon. It didn't help much, but it gave Ash enough time to brace himself.

Pikachu fell into my brother's arms and he made sure to hold his partner tight so he wouldn't run away again. "Pikachu, calm down!"

"Chuuu!" Pikachu screamed as he released more sparks from his cheeks.

"Ash!" Professor Birch yelled worriedly.

"What do we do?!" the brown-haired girl panicked.

Pikachu flailed in Ash's arms for a while before he had enough and bit him while releasing more sparkles. Ash gritted his teeth in pain, but he never once loosened his grip on his partner.

"Pikachu…!" Ash hissed.

Pikachu growled aggressively while his teeth dug into my brother's arm. All of the sudden, Pikachu's eyes cleared up when he realized what he had done. "Pika… Pi…"

"Pikachu…", Ash sighed in relief and sat down on the ground. "Welcome back, buddy."

"Chaa…", Pikachu whined sadly and licked the bite mark on Ash's arm to apologize for causing pain.

"I'm fine, Pikachu", Ash chuckled. "It didn't hurt that much."

"You made us really worried, Pikachu", I said calmly. "I'm so glad you're out of the danger zone now."

"Treecko", Treecko nodded.

"Pikachu may have calmed down now, but he could get another attack any moment", Professor Birch informed us. "We must hurry back to the laboratory."

"I don't think so! Nyahaha!" a familiar voice yelled from some kind of a loudspeaker.

Next thing we knew, a large red robot that looked like a battery stumbled toward us. It had a big familiar R on it, so it was clear who were back.

"Prepare for trouble…"

"And make it double!"

"Wooobbuffet!"

"Team Rocket!" Ash and I yelled simultaneously.

"Team Rocket?" Professor Birch repeated.

"Who are they?" the girl asked while she got off her bike.

"They're a group of bad people who keep harassing us and steal other people's Pokémon!" Ash explained.

"I've come up with a master plan that not even Pikachu is able to sabotage it!" Meowth's voice echoed inside the machine. "This battery robot can absorb all the electricity he produces until he gets tired, so it won't harm us one single bit!"

"Piiika!" Pikachu growled as he tried climbing out of Ash's arms.

"No, Pikachu!" my brother told him. "You can't battle in your condition!"

"So that's how you want to play? Fine by me!" Meowth shouted.

The robot released a smokescreen before a robot arm was ejected from the main frame. It snatched Pikachu out of Ash's arms and brought him close enough to the robot so it could attach some kind of mechanism onto Pikachu's cheeks.

"Activate absorption!" Meowth declared.

The robot must have tickled Pikachu's electric field because he began releasing electricity that got absorbed by those suction cup-like parts attached to his cheeks. A display on the middle of the robot began showing how much electricity it was absorbing from Pikachu. It was slowly rising in the same pace as Pikachu's electricity turned violent and sent sparks all around us. Treecko jumped into my arms so I could protect it from the sparks.

"Pikachu!" my brother yelled worriedly.

"Unbelievable! Pikachu has tons of electricity!" Professor Birch exclaimed in awe.

"Is that normal…?" the brown-haired girl asked before she suddenly let out an ear-splitting shriek. "MY BIKE!"

The girl's once beautiful bike had been turned into a crisp by a random spark from Pikachu. It gave me a déjà vu feeling. Ash and I had accidently ruined Misty's bike at the beginning of our journey in Kanto. It took a while to save money until we could cover the full cost of repairs when we returned to Kanto after our Johto journey.

Did this mean…Ash and I were in debt again?

"PikaCHUUUU!"

Pikachu unleashed a normal Thunderbolt that managed to overheat Team Rocket's battery robot. The robot's energy storage had reached its maximum level, so that triggered a chain reaction and caused the machine to explode with Team Rocket getting blasted off again.

"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAaaaain…!"

"WOOOBBUFfeeet…!"

The smoking debris of the robot collapsed into a pile of scrap metal, but Pikachu was safe. He managed to get out of the robot's grasp and landed on the grass without a single scratch on him, but he collapsed soon after. "Pika! Pi…Pikachu…"

"Pikachu!" Ash and I yelled worriedly.

"Pikachu! Are you okay?" Ash asked as he gently picked up his Pokémon.

"Pi… Pi…", Pikachu made sleeping noise, which meant he had fainted.

I placed a hand on his forehead to feel his temperature. "He feels normal again."

"Maybe so, but we need to examine him in my lab", Professor Birch said. "Let's go, kids!"

XXXXXXXXXX

Joshua had fixed the machine that earlier got destroyed by Pikachu, so Professor Birch was able to check his vitals immediately. Ash and I stood next to the examination bench while Treecko held onto my left shoulder.

"Professor, Pikachu's electricity pressure has gone down to normal levels", Joshua informed us after he measured the result on the equipment.

"Good. That machine of Team Rocket's must have absorbed all of Pikachu's unneeded electricity", Professor Birch suspected.

"So Pikachu is safe?" I asked concernedly, gently rubbing the back of Treecko's head, making him purr in delight.

"Yes", Professor Birch nodded. "Pikachu will wake up after a good night's sleep."

"I'm so glad you're okay now, Pikachu", Ash sighed in relief.

"Whoa!"

The girl from before held a vase of flowers, which she might have accidently knocked off from the chest of drawers next to the door, but she caught it before it fell to the floor. She quickly put the vase back and cleared her throat.

"S-Sorry for bothering you guys!" the girl apologized before her eyes turned to Pikachu. "How's Pikachu?"

"He's okay now", Ash replied. "He'll be better soon. By the way, my name's Ashton Ketchum, but I prefer being called Ash."

"And I'm Ashley, his twin sister", I introduced myself. "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm May Maple. Nice to meet you", May smiled cutely. That smile… I could have sworn I saw it before.

"Joshua, look after Pikachu for a while", Professor Birch instructed his assistant. "I almost forgot during the ordeal that you're supposed to get your Starter Pokémon, May."

"Starter Pokémon?!" Ash exclaimed excitedly. "Can we see them too, Professor?"

"Of course, Ash", Professor Birch smiled.

The professor led us to his main office where he had lots of bookshelves that were filled with books and folders with reports and research material. There were three Poké Balls on his desk which I assumed contained the three Hoenn Starter Pokémon.

"In Hoenn, we have different starter Pokémon compared to Kanto and Johto", Professor Birch explained while he grabbed one of the Poké Balls. "First, we have Treecko, the grass-type Starter."

A new Treecko was released from the Poké Ball and blinked its large eyes. "Treecko."

"Hey, that's the same Pokémon you gave Ashley, Professor", Ash pointed out.

"Correct", Professor Birch nodded.

When the new Treecko turned to May, she shrieked in fear and backed away. "It's too creepy!"

"I don't think so, May", Ash commented. "It's really cool."

"Koo?" the new Treecko cooed.

"How come you're not creeped out by Treeckos, Ashley?" May asked.

"Because I'm used to many kinds of Pokémon…except ghost-types", I quietly mumbled the last part.

"Treecko?" my Treecko chirped confusedly.

"The second Pokémon is the water-type Starter, Mudkip", Professor Birch continued, releasing the second Starter.

"Mudkip?" it chirped softly.

"It's so adorable", I couldn't help but coo. "But Emerald is adorable too."

"Treecko tree."

"So you've given your Treecko a nickname, Ashley?" Professor Birch asked.

"Yep. I decided that I'll nickname all my new Pokémon from Hoenn after gemstones", I nodded. "I will try coming up a way to tie a ribbon that will look good on him."

"Mudkip is cute, but it wouldn't do a single thing that I asked it", May complained.

"I find that hard to believe", Ash chuckled.

"The third and the fire-type Starter is Torchic", Professor Birch said, releasing the final Pokémon.

"Toorchic!" the little chick Pokémon chirped.

"That one's cute too", Ash chuckled heartedly.

"Yeah, they are all so cute", I giggled.

Torchic made eye contact with May and bounced over to her with a playful chirp. It didn't take long before it started nuzzling the new Trainer's legs.

May giggled at the Torchic. "This one's cute. I like it. I think I choose Torchic."

"Torchic tor!"

"Or Torchic chose you", I commented. "Sometimes, Pokémon choose their Trainer when they sense a connection."

"It's one of the greatest sights a Pokémon researcher loves to see; Pokémon and humans connecting to each other without a single word", Professor Birch chuckled. "Take these Poké Balls and Pokédex with you, May. The Pokédex contains the latest information of Pokémon and you can catch other Pokémon with the Poké Balls. Who knows; you might become a great Trainer just like your dad."

"Your dad's a Trainer?" Ash asked excitedly. "Just like ours!"

"W-Well, yeah, he's a good Trainer…!" May laughed sheepishly before she looked away and muttered something I could barely catch. "…trade away…for the world…"

"I suggest you kids stay over for the night", Professor Birch said. "It's getting late to start your journey. I've got beds and rooms ready for you."

"Thanks, Professor Birch", Ash nodded.

"Um… I can return the favor by cooking dinner and breakfast", I spoke up. "I know how to cook."

"You don't have to do that, Ashley, but if you insist, I can teach you some simple recipes that you and Ash can make while you're on the journey", Professor Birch said. "The ingredients can be foraged almost everywhere in Hoenn, so you will never go hungry."

"I appreciate it", I nodded with a big smile. "I love learning new recipes. And… I don't trust Ash's cooking."

"Hey, I've gotten better while we were traveling with Brock!" Ash argued.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ash and I stayed in the same bedroom while looking after Pikachu throughout the night. We woke up to Pikachu being lively and full of love. I was relieved to see Pikachu awake and normal again. He was like a little brother who we have traveled with for a long time now.

I helped Professor Birch and Joshua make breakfast and we ate together before it was time for me, Ash and May to leave the laboratory.

"If you want to participate in the Hoenn League, you can register at the Pokémon Center in Oldale Town", Professor Birch instructed us.

"That's like a one day's travel by foot from here, but you can make it until nighttime if you stop for short breaks every now and then", Joshua added.

"The town is almost as close to Littleroot Town as Pallet Town and Viridian City", I pointed out.

"Yeah, it took us a few hours to get there, but we had Misty's bike…that we borrowed from her", Ash remembered while laughing sheepishly.

May sighed loudly. "My poor bike… I could've been on my way now to the next town…if it didn't get destroyed by Pikachu."

Ash and I flinched simultaneously. We didn't have much money on us at the moment, so we couldn't buy her a new bike.

"I get really nervous traveling alone by foot, so…there must be a way to get to Oldale Town safely…", May mumbled before she smiled with a light bulb expression. "Hey, I have an idea! Why don't we travel together to Oldale Town?"

"Um…", Ash hesitated.

"I know the way to the town, so we can stick together for a while", May continued while her sweet smile remained on her face, batting her eyelashes which made my heart act a little strange. "It would mean a lot to me. So, please, can we travel together?"

My brother and I turned away so we could discuss real quick. "What do you think, Ash…?"

"Well, it's true we're responsible for destroying May's bike…", Ash mumbled. "But it wouldn't hurt to have some company until we split up…"

"So we'll go together with May and figure out a way to pay the debt in the meantime…?"

"Yeah …"

"Pika pika…"

My brother and I nodded before we turned back to May and the two adults. "Sure, we can travel together, May", Ash smiled.

"And we'll make sure to somehow pay for the bike", I added.

"Thank you! I appreciate that!" May smiled before she turned around and pumped her fists with a low "Yes!".

"That sounds like a great idea", Professor Birch said. "You can look after each other and maybe you two can teach May a couple of things about being a Pokémon Trainer, Ash and Ashley."

"Sure thing", Ash nodded. "I love teaching new Trainers all kinds of stuff based on my own experience."

"Take care and be careful on your journey, you three", Joshua said.

"We will, and we'll make sure to call you if we need help", I nodded with a smile.

"Thank you for everything, Professor Birch, Joshua", May waved her hand. "Bye!"

"If you meet my son Brendan who recently started his journey, tell him he can always come home", Professor Birch chuckled.

With the goodbyes said and done, we left Littleroot Town and headed toward our next destination with a new companion. I had no idea for how long May was going to travel with us, but I didn't mind that. Having new friends didn't really hurt as long as they weren't bad people.

Now it was time to start my journey in the Hoenn region!

XXXXXXXXXX

I want to point out something real quick. To me, it's strange that May has a fanny pack where she stores all her items, both big and small, so I want you to imagine she's also having a yellowish/orange backpack just like the one she had in the Sinnoh Saga when she showed up for the Wallace Cup.

XXXXXXXXXX

Ashley's party:
Emerald the Treecko (male)

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Ash's party:
Pikachu (male)

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May's party:
Torchic (male)