Chapter 19: The Treecko Clan and the Abduction of the Three Imperial Families!

In the original storyline, Ash departed from Celadon City and encountered a flock of Taillow, eventually capturing their leader, which led to the emergence of the remarkably spirited Swellow. Before arriving at Canalave City, Ash also met his version of a child—a unique Treecko—right within the Treecko forest.

Sensing that he had entered the Treecko forest, Zhang Feng naturally fixed his gaze upon the forest lizard. Upon receiving a signal from his trainer, the forest lizard immediately climbed up a tall tree and headed toward the Treecko’s direction.

“Power up!” With the forest lizard’s call, the three Treecko showed puzzled expressions, though their previous wariness had significantly lessened.

In fact, the starter Pokémon across regions share similar traits. Fire-type starters are rarely encountered in the wild, let alone in groups. Even Ash’s fire-type main Pokémon were mostly abandoned by other trainers before he acquired them. It was true for Kanto’s Charmander, Sinnoh’s Chimchar, and later Tepig as well. Fire-type Pokémon like Charmander could only be found in protected areas such as Charizard Valley, and without status, one wouldn’t have the right to catch them.

Conversely, grass-type starters, such as Bulbasaur and Treecko, generally exist in groups within forests. As for water types, they tend to gather in resource-rich rivers—examples include Squirtle, Totodile, and Mudkip.

Since Zhang Feng intended to make his system space more vibrant, encountering a wild Treecko group was an opportunity he could not let slip. Thus, he sent the forest lizard as an envoy to gain the trust of the Treecko clan. If he could persuade them with eloquence and lead them into his system space, it would be ideal.

Although Zhang Feng had no plans to train another Sceptile, watching the Treecko clan grow and thrive was a beautiful prospect. After all, the forest lizard was an evolved form of Treecko, naturally harboring a certain fondness for them.

Sure enough, after conversing with the Treecko, a few invited the forest lizard and Zhang Feng to rest within their clan. Hearing this, Zhang Feng was overjoyed.

Wild Pokémon can be temperamental, but grass-type Pokémon generally harbor no ill intentions. Upon seeing Zhang Feng with the forest lizard, the Treecko welcomed him warmly. After all, a trainer capable of possessing a forest lizard could hardly be evil.

When Zhang Feng and the forest lizard arrived at the Treecko’s clan, they met the clan leader—a venerable, aged Treecko. The entire group numbered over 150, none having evolved into forest lizards, let alone Sceptiles. Almost all were below level ten.

Their talents ranged mainly between blue and green, with not a single purple one in sight. Perhaps the purple ones had been captured by Ash, becoming his version of “child” in the Hoenn League, with the later Sceptile strong enough to defeat legendary Pokémon.

Zhang Feng was aware of the background: the Treecko clan’s life tree had died, prompting them to seek a new habitat. Yet, thanks to Ash and Treecko’s efforts, new shoots sprouted, convincing them to follow Ash away. The Treecko Zhang Feng encountered were those left behind.

Though the mother tree’s roots remained alive, restoring it to a towering giant would take endless time. So, the Treecko were still in search of a new home.

Understanding their concerns, Zhang Feng and the forest lizard addressed the clan leader:

“Treecko, I know of a secluded paradise untouched by others, where endless towering trees and abundant food provide a perfect environment for your clan to thrive. Moreover, no natural enemies lurk there. Otherwise, in Celadon Forest, strong Pokémon abound; your clan hasn’t evolved yet and would stand little chance against powerful foes.”

Upon hearing this, the Treecko leader’s face brightened. His greatest wish was to lead his clan to a new home, to prevent their extinction. In Celadon Forest, myriad Pokémon exist, and this group of Treecko, weak individually, faced annihilation if confronted by stronger opponents.

If Zhang Feng’s promised paradise truly existed, they wouldn’t hesitate to relocate, even though the journey might cause great losses.

Seeing the leader hesitate, Zhang Feng exchanged a glance with the forest lizard and smiled. Nothing was more convincing than firsthand experience.

Under the forest lizard’s guidance, the Treecko leader entered Zhang Feng’s system space. Upon seeing the vast paradise, where only a few hundred Taillow and Starly lived, the leader’s joy was unmistakable.

Returning to his clan, he rallied the Treecko to follow him into Zhang Feng’s system space. The promise of safety and ample food drove the clan into a frenzy.

Eventually, with the persuasion of the leader and forest lizard, over ninety percent of the more than a hundred Treecko agreed to live in Zhang Feng’s system space. A few chose to remain in their birthplace.

After amicable negotiation, 130 Treecko entered Zhang Feng’s system space, with 20 remaining behind.

Having successfully led this Treecko clan away, their extinction was averted. Some accompanied trainers, some lived in the hidden paradise, others stayed behind. Whichever survived would carry the future of the Treecko.

Before leaving Celadon Forest, Zhang Feng left ample blue-orange berries for the Treecko who remained.

During this time, none of the Pokémon Zhang Feng encountered caught his fancy. Thus, he mostly traveled and leveled up his team. His three Pokémon had all grown stronger to varying degrees.

The forest lizard reached level 29, the Starly level 28. Due to evolving into its final form and possessing golden talent, Milotic surpassed both, reaching level 30.

All three had entered the elite tier—a significant breakthrough, thanks largely to the simulated battle system within the system space, allowing endless training and rapid strengthening.

After another week, Zhang Feng finally left Celadon Forest and entered Canalave City.