Ash and co are still at the Pokemon Center. May watches a boy practice double team with his Wingull, a girl and her bouncing Azurill, and another boy polishing his Aggron. Brock says there looks like a lot of competition and Ash agrees. May reminds them on how Drew is a leading contender in contests. She has a flashback of them meeting him, and her doing well against him in a battle. She then remarks that she has some more training, but she feels confident. She then tells Brock to look after Torchic while she and Beautifly train. Before he can reply, May rushes off with Beautifly. Torchic is heartbroken and calls out to her, but she says she'll be back soon. Max looks down at the sad Pokemon.

At the Pokemon Center diner, Max exclaims that it isn't fair to Torchic what May is doing. Torchic hears this and begins to happily listen as he pities it. Ash and Brock wonder why he thinks that, and Max explains that she is favoring Beautifly. Ash disagrees. He explains to Max that May and Torchic share a bond that could never be broken, because Torchic was her very first Pokemon. Brock agrees and they tell him that no matter how many Pokemon May has, Torchic will always hold a place in May's heart.

Ash then looks down at his Pokemon happily eating. He says he likes them all the same, but Pikachu has been with him from the start. Pikachu leaps up onto his shoulder and Ash laughs. Max starts to understand and Brock cuts in. He exclaims that he'll never forget the wonder of his first Pokemon. He then has a flashback of him sleeping and Onix coming in with a bow wrapped around it. He explains that his father gave it to him for his 10th birthday. The two boarded Onix's head and watched the sunset together. Brock then added in that he never felt closer to his father then, and he wanted his brother Jiroo to feel the same way for him.

Ash laughs, exclaiming that Brock is a pretty sensitive guy and Brock embarrassedly laughs. Max then wonders what Pokemon he wants to start off with when he becomes a trainer. He exclaims that he can pick from Torchic, Treecko, and Mudkip. The Pokemon that he mentioned look up as he says their names. He then exclaims that his father always wanted him to start off with Slakoth, but when he first tired, Slakoth crushed him.

Suddenly, Nurse Joy walks by and Brock is on his feet. He begins to flirt with her, when she nervously spies the three beginners. She asks Ash if they belong to them, and Ash says they do. Nurse Joy smiles and says that they would be a perfect help to her. Ash asks why and Nurse Joy exclaims that she happens to be giving the same Pokemon check ups before a new trainer comes to pick one up as her starter. Brock cuts in exclaiming that he will do whatever she asks. She nervously laughs and explains that it would be really helpful to her if they could look after them for a little while. Brock instantly agrees and Max is excited.

Meanwhile, May is training Beautifly on the beach. She has it use silver wind and it does the attack successfully. May congratulates it and tells it they just have to practice a bit more to make it perfect. Beautifly nods and turns to try again, but it stops. May wonders why and she turns to see an injured Wailord beached ashore some feet down the beach. She is completely shocked.

Ash and co are taken to the back of the center, where Nurse Joy does her analysis on the Pokemon in some huge machine. She then removes the Pokeballs and hands them to Max. She tells him to just let them out of their Pokeballs to get some exercise while she attends to the injured Pokemon. Max nods and throws the first Pokeball. A mean looking Torchic appears. May's Torchic happily rushes up to greet it. Next, Max releases a crybaby Mudkip. It begins to cry hard and Brock's Mudkip holds out its tail. The Mudkip stops crying and plays with it. Finally, Max releases a female Treecko. Ash's Treecko turns interested.

Joy then receives a call from the nearby videophone. She picks it up to find May on screen. She explains that A Wailord has beached itself and it looks injured. Joy nods and Ash looks it up in the Pokedex. The dex mentions that Wailord is the largest of all Pokemon, and Ash exclaims that this will be rather difficult. Joy turns and tells them to watch after the Pokemon while she is gone. She then rushes off. Ash turns to the others, but Brock rushes after her. He exclaims that she'll need help. Ash freaks out, as only he and Max are left to care for the Pokemon. He looks down at them, and Max says they can do it.

Team Rocket has their usual sound amplifier on them and is listening in on this. Jessie asks James if he's thinking what she is, and he exclaims that they can catch the three starters. Jessie turns around annoyed and tells him that they should go for Wailord instead. James agrees and Jessie explains that they won't have to worry about the twerps with a huge Pokemon. Meowth adds in that they won't have to keep buying and repairing their sub if they had a Wailord. The three are then set on it and they cheer as Wobbuffet pops out.

Back inside the center, Ash and Max chase Joy's Torchic around. Max runs ahead of Ash exclaiming that he has to get it back. Ash calls for the others and they all begin to chase. The Torchic leaves the backroom followed by May's Torchic, Mudkip, Treecko, the female Treecko, and finally the crybaby Mudkip. The Torchic turns around and pecks May's Torchic until it falls back. It then tackles Mudkip away and keeps running. Pikachu leaps in front of it and prepares to shock it. The Torchic freaks out and begins to give it the puppy dog look. Sad music plays and Pikachu decides not to hurt it. Torchic then smiles and embers it. Pikachu falls back and Torchic runs off.

Ash's Treecko then leaps in front of it and stares it down. Torchic is intimidated and it backs off. Max picks it up and thanks Treecko, but Torchic pecks him and rushes for the door. Ash calls out Corphish who lands in front and tries to crab hammer it, but Torchic scratches it. It then leaps over it and rushes outside. Ahs and co chase as Corphish gets up in a rage.

The group continues to chase Torchic up a hill. Treecko turns to see the female Treecko with a flower in her mouth, obviously to copy off of its twig obsession. The crybaby Mudkip trips and begins to cry and Mudkip consoles it. Corphish makes it to the head of the group and tackles Torchic. The two then stare each other down and lunge. Both Pokemon smash into each other and Max thinks it's over, but Corphish falls down! Torchic shakes its rear at it and rushes off. Corphish gets back up and everyone continues their pursuit.

Meanwhile, Brock, May, and Joy have made it to the giant Pokemon. Joy comments that it will be fine and May is happy. Brock comments that she can heal anything and Joy laughs. Back at the fight, Corphish crab hammers Torchic. Ash and Max beg them to stop fighting, but they don't. Torchic embers Corphish and it falls down one final time. At this, Torchic begins to glow! Max is shocked as it evolves into Combusken! Ash scans it with the Pokedex and freaks out. He has a vision of Nurse Joy asking a young girl to pick her first Pokemon. She sees the cute Treecko and Mudkip, then the giant Combusken and is scared silly. She rushes off screaming. Ash doesn't like this too much. Max suggests they give it to May and say Torchic evolved, but he then has a vision of her screaming at him. They sigh and wonder what to do, but Ash then has a plan!

May and Beautifly are now at the diner having some lunch. Max appears and hands her some tea. He explains that she has been very busy today and some tea would do nicely. (He is obviously distracting her.) She thanks him and asks why he's being so nice. He laughs and says that's what brothers are for. Meanwhile, the little girl is presented with Treecko, Mudkip, and May's Torchic. Combusken is locked in the closet and beats against the door. Nurse Joy wonders what that sound is, but Ash assures her it's nothing. He looks at Torchic hopes she'll pick the other two. The girl looks at the crybaby Mudkip and Ash begins to say how great it is. She then turns to the female Treecko and Ash again tells her to take it. She then looks at May's Torchic and exclaims that it's really cute. Ash shouts, exclaiming that she doesn't want it. Brock ass what's wrong and Ash nervously explains that he just really wants her to pick the other two.

May finishes her tea and asks Max where Torchic is. He freaks out, exclaiming that it's playing with Pikachu. May gets up and heads towards the door, saying she wants to see her Pokemon. Max gets in the way, exclaiming that she can't see Torchic right now as she'll interrupt the game. May gets mad and asks why he's distracting her. Max gets really nervous.

The girl is now trying to decide which one she wants. Ash still tries to push Treecko and Mudkip on her, but her father tells her to pick the one she really wants. Suddenly, May rushes in with an angry face. Torchic sees her and rushes from the table and into her arms. Everyone is confused and May yells at Ash. Max nervously steps up and says he couldn't hold her back. Brock asks Ash where the real Torchic is, and the closet door breaks down. Combusken comes out and everyone looks on confused. Ash and Max apologize to Joy and explain what happened.

Before she can react, Wailord flies by the window. Ash wonders how Wailord can fly, seeing as how they are at the top floor of the center, but they then notice it is actually in a Team Rocket harness. They rush outside and demand that they return it, but naturally the Rockets refuse. They say their motto and Meowth laughs. He explains that with the heavy duty fans attached to their balloon, carrying Wailord is a breeze. Nurse Joy is worried and explains that Wailord is still not fully recovered and needs water.

Ash tells Pikachu to attack, but Combusken approaches. It uses flamethrower on Team Rocket, then leaps up and cuts the ropes with double kick. Wailord falls and smashes into the ocean below, creating huge waves. With Wailord not holding them down, Team Rocket's balloon flies way up into the sky. It then returns seconds later. Ash has Pikachu thunderbolt them, and they are sent flying.

The girl's father comments on how great a trainer Ash is and he thanks them. Nurse Joy then asks if she has made her selection yet, and the girls says she wants Mudkip. At this, the female Treecko gets teary eyed and the father feels bad. He exclaims that he wants the Treecko and asks Nurse Joy if that's all right. She says it would be fine and he picks it up. The girl picks up her new Mudkip and thanks Joy. The Female Treecko is overjoyed at being picked too. Ash then asks what Joy plans to do with Combusken and she explains that she'll keep it here to guard the Pokecenter. Max congratulates it and it happily nods. He then looks back at the father and daughter happy with their new Pokemon and rushes to the beach. He yells out to Wailord. It lets out a spout of water and a giant wail as the scene rises.

Thanks To GoldenNoctowl For Writing this for us