Hearing Ash agree so quickly, Professor Oak froze for a moment—then burst out laughing.
"Haha! Then thank you, Ash. No need for you to come all the way here. I'll head over instead. You're staying at the temporary place Steven bought, right? I'll be there shortly!"
After a few more words, the call ended.
Back at the Oak Research Lab
Professor Oak slowly lowered the phone.
Then, humming happily, he pulled out his cherished photo album and flipped through a few pages.
"Ash… you don't need to feel indebted to me. I help you because we're friends. That's all."
The truth was—what, did people think the research lab was a charity?
Could anyone dump their Pokémon here for free?
Oak was kind-hearted, sure, but he wasn't a saint.
Caring for Pokémon costs huge amounts of time, energy, and money.
Ash alone had thirty Tauros stored here!
Only Ash—well, Ash and Gary—were exceptions he willingly made.
Because one person's kindness never comes from nowhere.
The professor had his own reasons too…
P.S.: (If you don't know Oak & Ash's history, watch Pokémon 4Ever: Celebi – Voice of the Forest.)
Back at Steven's Place
"Amazing… Professor Oak hangs up that fast," Ash muttered.
So old, yet still so energetic.
"Hmph. He's always been like that," Agatha snorted. "Back in the day, he poured all that energy into battles. Then one day he suddenly decided to become a professor—and somehow he actually became a famous one."
"Huh? Granny Agatha, Professor Oak… used to be a trainer?!"
Ash and his friends were stunned.
Little Brock, especially—he always assumed Oak grew up wanting to be a researcher.
"Heh… 'trainer' barely begins to describe him," Agatha said, and then abruptly stopped.
"Forget it. Kids shouldn't know too much."
Her words left Ash itching with curiosity.
Steven, Cynthia, and the Champions exchanged amused looks.
The older generation knew exactly what Oak once was.
For Ash not to know was… normal.
A New Countdown
"Anyway—what do you think the next segment will be?" someone asked.
The ten-minute mark was approaching.
Everyone looked toward the sky-screen.
"Probably another special segment," someone guessed.
"But the order changed today… Maybe it'll be a brand-new series?"
As the final seconds ticked down, the screen lit up—
[Today's Third Broadcast Begins]
[A New Series Has Officially Started]
[How Bonds Are Forged – The Sceptile Chapter]
[This segment has NO betting. Participants will receive rewards.]
[Random quiz mode may activate at any time.]
A brand-new series!
People had expected only god-battles today, but the arrival of a new storyline excited everyone—especially since it focused on Ash's Sceptile, who had just become a fan-favorite after beating Darkrai.
Everyone wanted to know:
How did that bond form?
What shaped a Treecko into that Sceptile?
What kind of journey created such an unshakable will?
Ash himself was the most eager—after all, this was the story of his own future.
The Forest of Beginnings
The screen zoomed into a vast, ancient forest.
A giant millennium-old tree stood at its center—towering, silent, its life force nearly drained.
It looked as if it could crumble at any second.
Perched upon it was a green, lizard-like Pokémon.
Bright yellow eyes.
Pink underbelly.
A small twig clamped between its teeth.
Treecko.
Everyone immediately recognized it.
"That's Ash's Sceptile as a kid!"
"And he already had that cool twig-in-mouth look!"
"No wonder adult Sceptile looks like a wandering swordsman…"
Hoenn – At the Real Ancient Tree
The real Treecko on that same ancient tree stared wide-eyed.
He didn't understand human language, but instinct told him—
The Sceptile on the screen…
was him.
Future me… is that strong?
But… does that mean I abandoned this home? This tree I vowed to protect?
The thought scared him.
What good was strength…
If gaining it meant betraying what he cherished?
Treecko clenched his fists.
No. I would never do such a thing.
The Scene Shifts
Now the screen showed a boy in a red-and-black cap—Ash.
Beside him were Brock, a dark-skinned young man with narrow eyes, and two siblings—a girl his age and a younger boy.
Hoenn companions: May and Max.
At the Petalburg Gym, their father—Norman—watched in shock.
His children… were traveling with that boy?
"Well… they'll certainly see exciting things," he muttered.
Somewhere Else: Misty
Misty's fists clenched.
Another girl?? AGAIN?!
How many female companions did Ash go through?!
Why wasn't she there?!
Why was Brock appearing more often than she was?!
Back to the Story
Walking along the forest path, the group got lost.
May and Max bickered.
Ash spotted something—and everyone looked up to see a whole group of Treecko perched in the trees.
Rare starter Pokémon—dozens of them!
Ash reacted instantly.
Unfortunately… he reacted like a total beginner.
He tossed a Poké Ball straight at Treecko.
Without battling.
Without weakening.
Of course, Treecko slapped it right back at him.
May scolded him for forgetting the most basic rule of catching.
The audience cracked up.
The Cliff and the Meeting
Ash gave chase—but the forest floor suddenly turned into a massive downhill slope.
He slipped.
Skidded.
Spun.
And somehow survived without tearing his clothes or breaking his spine.
People watching could only gape.
He eventually reached the dying millennium tree.
There—he found Treecko.
And after some events (plus Meowth's translation), they understood:
Treecko was born from this ancient tree.
He refused to leave it.
Refused to be caught.
Ash wanted to catch him, but upon seeing Treecko tirelessly collect water and leaves to keep the dying tree alive…
Ash put away his Poké Ball.
Instead, he crouched beside Treecko.
"If you're taking care of this tree… then I'll help too."
Thus, two idiots became three—Ash, Pikachu, and Treecko, all tending a tree that had no chance of surviving.
Commentary
[Wallace]: No wonder Treecko trusted Ash—he saw that Ash was willing to be stupid with him.
[Lance]: Treecko must've been touched.
[Diantha]: Even if others had Ash's luck, they wouldn't be Ash. Few people would do something like this.
At Plasma Headquarters
Ghetsis sneered.
"Bonds? Ridiculous. Empty gestures. Pretending to care."
"That Treecko thought the boy was sincere—how naïve."
"Mirthless ideals, fake promises… worthless."
If only he knew how wrong he was.
Back to the Forest — The Turning Point
Everyone assumed Treecko would now join Ash out of gratitude.
Then—
The Rockets struck.
Jessie, James, and Meowth captured the entire Treecko tribe and even tried to grab Pikachu.
For a moment, viewers remembered:
Yes, they were still villains.
But as always… they somehow ended up helping.
Treecko tricked them expertly.
He even baited a Cacnea into blasting the balloon apart.
The tribe was saved.
The elder Treecko then told Treecko he no longer needed to stay behind to guard the ancient tree.
He was free.
But at that very moment—
CRACK.
Right in front of their eyes…
The dying millennium tree split completely in half.
Fire, machinery, and chaos from Team Rocket's digging had destroyed its roots.
It collapsed.
Treecko stared at the fallen tree in shock.
Ash tried to push it upright.
He even pulled out a rope, thinking he could tie a thousand-year-old tree back together.
That was when a strange, glowing image appeared before them…
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