After returning from the cavern ruins, Professor Birch and Ash's group made their way back to the campsite.
"Everyone, come on out!" Ash released his Pokémon so Professor Birch could examine them. As the leading Pokémon researcher in the Hoenn region, Professor Birch was just as skilled as Nurse Joy when it came to health checkups.
"As expected of Ash's Pokémon!" Birch observed them carefully. "Your Ralts and Mudkip are developing beautifully." With his experienced eyes, he could immediately tell they hadn't been born long ago.
"Ralts~""Mudkip~!"
"And mine too! Torchic and Silcoon, come on out!" May said, releasing her partners.
"Torrrchic~!" Torchic chirped happily upon seeing the Professor.
Birch examined Torchic and Silcoon, then gave an approving nod. "Torchic is in excellent condition. And this Silcoon… very good! It looks like it'll evolve into a beautiful Beautifly before long."
"Really?! Thank you, Professor Birch!" May beamed with joy. ٩(´◒`)۶
Brock, who had been cooking nearby, walked over. "Guess it's my turn. Let's go—Forretress, Lotad, Mudkip!"
Professor Birch examined them thoroughly. "This Forretress is well-trained. And these two—Mudkip and Lotad... Lotad, are you even paying attention?"
Brock scratched the back of his head. "Sorry. Lotad's... a little slow."
Brock's Mudkip nudged Lotad to turn toward Birch."Mudkip~""Looootad~..." Lotad finally noticed the Professor.
After checking them over, Birch nodded. "All very healthy. Great job."
The group then placed food bowls for their Pokémon, poured out Pokémon food from their packs, and handed Moomoo Milk to baby Ralts and Mudkip. The Pokémon happily dug in.
"All right, dinner's ready too!" Brock called out.
"Awesome! Let's eat!" May was the first to leap toward the food.
Everyone sat down and enjoyed a hearty meal together.
——————————
The next morning, after breakfast, Ash's group decided—once again—to abandon their special training plan and headed into the nearby forest with Professor Birch.
Max looked around eagerly. "Let's see what kinds of wild Pokémon are here!"
Suddenly—"Ahhh!" Max let out a yelp.
Everyone turned to see Max rubbing his head while an acorn-shaped Pokémon sat on the ground nearby.
"Huh? What's that?" May scanned it with her Pokédex:
Seedot – The Acorn Pokémon."It hangs from tree branches and absorbs nutrients. If it remains still, it blends in as an acorn and avoids detection by enemies."
Just then, two more Seedot dropped from the trees.
Max, now fully recovered, lit up with curiosity. "So these are Seedot! Cool!"
"But they look really sluggish…" May observed, worried.
"It might be dehydration," Birch suggested.
"If they're thirsty, I can give them water!" Max quickly pulled out a water bottle, poured some into the cap, and held it out. "Here you go!"
But the Seedot shook their heads.
"Aww, you don't want it?" Max slumped, disappointed.
"Professor Birch, don't Seedot usually hang from branches to absorb moisture?" Brock asked.
Birch nodded. "Exactly."
So Brock helped hang one of the Seedot on a nearby tree branch, but it quickly fell off again.
"Maybe this tree isn't suitable?" May guessed.
Looking around, Birch spotted several trees covered in dried mud. "Ah… a landslide must have occurred. Looks like their preferred trees were knocked down."
"That's so sad…" Max frowned.
"Actually, if you gently rub a Seedot's body with a leaf, it'll cheer up," Birch explained.
"Okay!" Max picked up a leaf and began rubbing one of the Seedot gently. It immediately perked up and bounced happily.
(﹡ˆoˆ﹡) "It works! They're happy now!" Max grinned.
"As expected from Professor Birch!" Brock complimented.
"Haha, it's nothing." Birch chuckled modestly. Then he added, "To communicate with Pokémon, you have to first understand what makes them happy."
The three Seedot began rolling around playfully on the ground.
Suddenly, Birch dropped down and started rolling with them. "Rolling… rolling… rolling with the Seedot…" he muttered as he tumbled back and forth.
Everyone stared. Õ_Õ
"Is Professor Birch's field research… just rolling around with Pokémon?" May asked, completely dumbfounded.
"He's trying to understand how Pokémon feel," Brock explained seriously.
"Rolling~ rolling~ comfortable yet, Seedot? Rolling~ rolling~..." Birch continued.
Suddenly, Ash's Aura flared—he sensed something.
"Noctowl, clear the fog!" he commanded.
A thick black fog had begun to creep in, but Noctowl used Whirlwind to disperse it.
"W-What's going on?!" Professor Birch looked around, startled.
"Wahaha~!" came a familiar voice.
"If you're gonna ask, we'll tell ya twice!""It's Team Rocket!" May yelled.
"We're taking these Seedot!" Jessie declared.
"Go, Seviper!" Jessie threw her Poké Ball.
"Seviper!" The snake Pokémon lunged at the group.
"Noctowl, use Extrasensory!" Ash commanded.
Noctowl's psychic blast sent Seviper flying backward.
"In that case, my Silcoon, go!" Jessie said, sending out her Pokémon.
Professor Birch raised an eyebrow. "Wait, that's… Cascoon, isn't it?"
"Cascoon?! Nonsense! I've checked plenty of times—it's clearly Silcoon!" Jessie snapped.
James and Meowth exchanged whispers behind her.
"I'll show you a real Silcoon!" May said and sent out hers.
Jessie narrowed her eyes. "Tch… they look exactly the same."
"No, they're similar, but not the same. If you look closely at the eyes, you'll see the difference," Birch began his mini-lecture. "Silcoon has wide, bright, rounded eyes. Cascoon's are more narrow and angry-looking."
"That's right!" May added. "Silcoon evolves into the elegant Beautifly!"
"Silcoon, use Tackle!"
Jessie ignored everything, as if she hadn't heard a single word.
"Silcoon, Tackle!" May countered.
The two Pokémon collided—and May's Silcoon suddenly began to glow.
"It's evolving!" Max gasped.
٩(´◒`)۶ "Yes! It worked! Silcoon evolved into Beautifly!" May cheered and scanned it with her Pokédex.
Beautifly – The Butterfly Pokémon."It has a long mouth and loves to feed on sweet nectar. It flits from flower to flower to collect pollen."
"Why?! Why did her Silcoon evolve into Beautifly, but mine didn't?!" Jessie whined jealously.
"That's because yours is Cascoon…" James mumbled.
"She still doesn't get it," Meowth sighed.
Jessie shouted, "Whatever! I'll destroy your little Beautifly! 'Silcoon', use String Shot!"
Cascoon shot a stream of sticky thread at Beautifly.
"Enough already! Team Rocket, the show's over! Pikachu, Iron Tail to cut the thread—then Thunderbolt to blast them off!" Ash commanded.
"Pika Pi~!" Pikachu used Iron Tail to slice through the String Shot, then followed with a powerful Thunderbolt.
"Wha—?!" Jessie screamed.
"This feels awful!""Wobbuffet!!"
Team Rocket was blasted far into the forest.
Back in the crater where they landed…
"Why didn't my Silcoon evolve into Beautifly?!" Jessie groaned in frustration.
"I've told you so many times—it's Cascoon," James said with a long sigh.
Meowth chimed in, "If it evolves, it'll become Dustox, Meowth!"
"I don't believe it!!" Jessie shouted into the sky.
To be continued...