Ash and May are now heading toward Petalburg City, the location of the first Gym in the Hoenn region!
Along the way, Ash has been using his Aura to sense the path and the Aura of the Pokémon around him, improving his mastery of this new ability.
After a night and a journey of practice, while Ash can't yet create an Aura Sphere from scratch, he can now easily sense routes and the unique Auras of different Pokémon.
"This is Petalburg City! Let's go, Pikachu! May, hurry up!" "Pika~" Ash and Pikachu ran into the city.
"Ash, wait for me! Do we really need to rush?" May said, catching up to him.
"Ash... are we really going to challenge the Petalburg Gym?" May asked cautiously.
"Of course! To enter the Hoenn League, you need eight Gym badges! So if we win against the Petalburg Gym, we'll get our first badge! By the way, aren't you from around here, May? Do you know where the Gym is?" Ash said, teasing her since he knew she was the Gym Leader's daughter.
"Uh... I'm not that familiar with it, actually. And I just remembered I have something to do, so I'll see you later!" - =?( ´Д`)? May awkwardly ran away!
"She's definitely acting suspicious, right, Pikachu?" "Pika~"
"Is she going to be like Misty was? She's acting exactly the same!" "Pika~ Pika~"
"Let's go! We'll just go to the Petalburg Gym and find out for ourselves!" "Pika~"
Ash and Pikachu arrived at the entrance of the Petalburg Gym. Looking at the inn with a Pokémon League symbol on it, Ash wouldn't have believed it was a Gym if it weren't for the sign. He walked up and knocked on the door.
"Hello? Is anyone here? I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and I'm here to challenge the Gym!"
Click! The door opened.
"You're being so loud! I'm watching a video of the Silver Conference!" A boy in a green shirt, wearing glasses and holding a book, rubbed his eyes as he walked up to Ash. This was Max, May's younger brother and the second child of Norman and Caroline.
"Oh! I'm sorry about that!"
"You... you're! You're the one who just finished the Silver Conference! But you got defeated in the second round! Your name is... Al? Is that right?" Max said, first excitedly and then with a hint of disdain. He folded his arms. "You were defeated by that Blaziken! If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have been defeated!"
"...It's Ash." Ash rolled his eyes, too speechless to say more to this armchair strategist.
Then, Max noticed Pikachu on Ash's shoulder and became excited again. He reached out and hugged Pikachu, rubbing his cheek against its face! "Wow! Pikachu is the best! My name is Max."
"Pika~chuuu~" "Agh~"
Pikachu wasn't used to being held by a stranger, let alone having its face rubbed. It immediately let loose a Thunderbolt without any hesitation, electrocuting Max! Pikachu broke free and scrambled back to Ash's shoulder.
"You're here to challenge the Gym, right? I'm the Petalburg Gym Leader!" Max immediately stood up, put his hands on his hips, and puffed out his chest.
"You? You're probably not even a Trainer, let alone a Gym Leader." Ash looked him up and down with a disdainful expression.
"What did you say?!" (ヽ(｀д′)ノ) Max's hair stood on end.
"Max, what are you doing?" At that moment, May heard the commotion and poked her head out the window.
"Ah, big sister, it's him! He's here to challenge the Gym!" Before Ash could even explain, Max blurted it out.
... (￢_￢) That's what you call it, but "kicking" the Gym sounds so crude! I'm a civilized person, let's call it a "Gym challenge," okay?
"Hey, May, we meet again! I knew you were from the Petalburg Gym."
"Ah! Haha! Ash, you got here so fast! How did you know?" (/(°∞°)) May tried to play it off.
"Remember what I told you about my old friend Misty? She acted the exact same way when I went to the Cerulean Gym." Ash explained. He knew the plot and, now with his Aura, he could sense that May was here anyway!
"Oh! Is that so?!" May came out awkwardly.
"Hey, big sister, do you know him?" Max asked.
"Yep, Ash and I traveled together to get here."
At that moment, a couple walked in from outside.
"Well, welcome!" they said, inviting Ash to come inside and talk.
"I'll introduce you," May said, acting as a go-between. "This is my mom and dad. And this is my little brother, Max."
"Hello! My name is Norman."
"Hello! My name is Caroline."
"Mom and Dad, this is Ash. We traveled together to get to Petalburg. He's here to challenge the Gym. He's really strong, Dad! He even defeated Team Rocket and Team Magma!" May continued.
"Hello! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Pikachu!" "Pikachu~"
"Oh! Defeating Team Rocket and Team Magma? That's impressive!" Norman said, surprised.
"Thank you so much for bringing May back safely! Otherwise, who knows what could have happened to her!" Caroline said.
"Oh, it was nothing. I was just lucky, and you can't just stand by when someone needs help!"
"By the way, May, where's your bicycle?" Caroline turned to May.
"Uh... well, the bike was..." Ash quickly took over and explained the situation. "Pika~" Pikachu scratched its head sheepishly.
"I'm so sorry, I'll pay for the bike."
"It's alright, accidents happen during a journey! Don't worry about it! And it's better to travel on foot anyway!" Norman said, unconcerned.
"That's right! Walking is much better for your health when you're traveling! It's just a bicycle!" Caroline said kindly.
"That's a huge relief! Thank you so much!" Ash said, sighing. "Pika~" Pikachu also thanked them.
"By the way, May, what Pokémon did you get from Professor Birch?" Norman asked May with a smile.
"Yeah! Big sister, what Pokémon did you get?" (?) Max looked at May with anticipation and envy. Max might be annoying, but his love for Pokémon is on par with Ash's!
"It's this one! Come on out, Torchic!" "Chaamo~"
"Oh! You got a Torchic! I think Treecko would have been much better!" Max said, a disappointed look on his face, as he looked at Torchic with disdain.
"Chaamo~" (??へ?? ╬) Torchic got angry and started pecking at Max's butt.
"Ow! Stop! Torchic!" Max ran around the yard with Torchic chasing him.
"Choosing a Torchic as your first Pokémon, you've got good taste." "Yeah, it's so cute."
"See! I told you so." (*?'╰╯'?)? May was happy to have her parents' approval.
"That's so cool! I want a Pokémon, too, but I'd prefer a Treecko." Max was asking for it again. The moment Torchic stopped, it charged at him again without hesitation.
"Ouch! Stop, stop pecking me!"
Seeing this, the family shook their heads and let them be.
"Ash, would you like to have lunch with us?"
"That's right! Ash, it's already midday. Let's have lunch before your Gym battle!"
Norman and Caroline warmly invited Ash to stay for lunch.
"That sounds great! Thank you so much, Mr. and Mrs. Norman."
Ash had lunch with the family, and they chatted around the table.
"Ash, have you been traveling for a while now?" Caroline asked.
"Yes, I've already traveled through the Kanto region, Orange Islands, and the Johto region. Now, I'm starting my journey in Hoenn," Ash replied while eating a sandwich.
"That's so cool! You've traveled to so many places already!" Max said, looking at Ash with envy.
"It's amazing to travel all by yourself," Caroline sighed.
"Well, I only traveled by myself at the very beginning. Afterward, I traveled with friends I made along the way! And Pikachu and my other Pokémon have always been with me!"
"That's right, having a partner is the best thing when you're traveling," Norman said in agreement.
"Yeah, it makes things so much more fun and exciting."
"That's awesome! Traveling with friends, I'm so jealous!" Max said, running up to Ash and looking at him enviously.
"Ash, the rules for the Petalburg Gym are 3-on-3. Is that okay with you?"
"That's perfect! I'm ready!"
To be continued...