Ash and May were on their way to Petalburg City, home of the first Gym in the Hoenn Region!
Throughout the journey, Ash had been using his newly awakened Aura to sense the environment and the auras of wild Pokémon around them, slowly improving his control.
After a night of rest and continuous practice, although he still couldn't form an Aura Sphere with his hands, he had gotten better at aura detection—especially at picking up unique Pokémon energy signatures.
"So this is Petalburg City!" Ash beamed. "Let's go, Pikachu! Come on, May—hurry up!"
"Pika~!" Pikachu cheered, racing beside him.
"Wait up, Ash!" May called from behind, slightly out of breath. "Why are you in such a rush?"
As they entered the city, May hesitated.
"Are we… really going to challenge the Petalburg Gym?" she asked cautiously.
"Of course!" Ash grinned. "If I want to compete in the Hoenn League, I need eight badges. That means winning at Petalburg gets me the first one. You're from around here, right? Do you know where the Gym is?"
He looked at her teasingly—after all, he knew she was the daughter of the Gym Leader.
"Uhh… not exactly… I've got something to do! I'll catch up later, okay? Bye!" =ﾍ( ´Д`)ﾉMay turned and dashed off awkwardly.
"Hah, just as I thought! Suspicious, right, Pikachu?"
"Pika~!"
"She's just like Misty was back at the Cerulean Gym… acting all innocent while hiding the truth." Ash chuckled. "C'mon, let's go check out the Gym ourselves."
"Pika~!"
Ash and Pikachu stopped in front of what looked like a regular guesthouse—if it weren't for the Pokémon League emblem on the front, Ash would never have guessed it was a Gym.
He walked up and knocked on the door.
"Hello? Is anyone here? I'm Ash from Pallet Town—I'm here to challenge the Gym!"
Click! The door opened.
"You're so loud! I'm trying to watch my Silver Conference replays!" A boy with glasses, green clothes, and a book under his arm opened the door and rubbed his sleepy eyes.
He was Max, May's younger brother and the second child.
"Ah—sorry about that!" Ash apologized.
"Wait a second… I know you!" Max suddenly pointed at Ash. "You're that Trainer who competed in the Silver Conference! You lost in the second round, right? Your name is… uh… Awu?"
"...It's Ash," Ash replied flatly, unimpressed with Max's smug attitude.
"But still—that match against that Blaziken was epic! If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have lost!" Max crossed his arms confidently.
"Riiight." Ash rolled his eyes. This kid clearly liked to talk big.
Then Max noticed Pikachu sitting on Ash's shoulder.
"Wow! A real Pikachu! So cool!" He rushed over and hugged Pikachu tightly, rubbing his cheek against its face.
"Pika—CHUUU!"
"Ahhh!" ⚡
Pikachu, clearly not a fan of being manhandled by strangers, zapped him on instinct and leapt back to Ash's shoulder.
"Ow… W-Well, anyway! If you're here to challenge the Gym, I'm the Petalburg Gym Leader!" Max declared proudly, puffing out his chest.
Ash narrowed his eyes. "You? Please, you're not even a registered Trainer yet, are you?"
"What'd you say?!" Max flared up instantly. ヽ(｀Д´#)ノ
"Max! What are you yelling about now?" A familiar voice called from a window above.
May leaned out, startled. "Oh! Ash! You made it!"
Before Ash could answer, Max shouted, "Princess! He's here to challenge the Gym!"
(...Seriously? "Princess"? It's called a Gym Challenge, not a royal duel. Let's try to be a little civilized here.)
"Hey, May! So, you really are from Petalburg Gym, huh?" Ash smiled.
"Haha… y-yeah, surprise~" May rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly. "How'd you know?"
"Remember how I told you about Misty, my old traveling partner? Back when I visited the Cerulean Gym, she acted exactly like you just did."
Ash didn't bother mentioning that his Aura—and knowledge of the story—had made it obvious.
"Ahaha… I see…" May laughed awkwardly.
"Wait, Princess, you know him?" Max asked, confused.
"Well, we've been traveling together," May replied.
Just then, the front door opened again. A cheerful couple entered the room.
"Welcome!" they greeted Ash warmly and invited him inside.
"These are my parents," May introduced, "and that's my little brother, Max."
"Hello! I'm Norman," the man said with a smile.
"And I'm Caroline," the woman added.
"Dad, Mom—this is Ash. He traveled to Petalburg City with me, and he's here to challenge the Gym. He's really strong—he even beat Team Rocket and Team Magma!" May said proudly.
"Hello, everyone! I'm Ash from Pallet Town, and this is my partner, Pikachu!"
"Pikachu~!"
"That's incredible!" Norman said, clearly impressed. "Defeating Team Magma is no small feat."
"Thank you for looking after May," Caroline said gratefully. "She would've been in real danger without you."
"It's nothing, really," Ash replied. "I just couldn't ignore someone in trouble."
"By the way, May… where's your bicycle?" Caroline suddenly asked.
"Uh…" May froze. Ash quickly jumped in to explain what had happened.
"Pika~" Pikachu scratched his head guiltily.
"I'm really sorry about the bike… I'll pay you back," Ash said sincerely, bowing in apology.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Norman said with a chuckle. "Things like that happen when you travel. Besides, walking's good for you!"
"That's right," Caroline agreed. "It's just a bicycle, after all."
"Thank you so much!" Ash smiled gratefully. "Pika~!"
Then Norman turned to May. "By the way, which Pokémon did you choose from Professor Birch?"
"Yeah! Which one did you pick, Princess?" Max leaned in excitedly.
For all his bluster, Max truly loved Pokémon—almost as much as Ash.
"I chose… Torchic! Come on out!""Chamo~!"
"Ah, Torchic! Not bad. Though, I think Treecko would've been the better choice…" Max muttered, then looked at Torchic and frowned.
"Chamo!" (•̀へ•́╬) Torchic didn't appreciate that. It pecked Max squarely on the butt!
"Ow! Stop it, Torchic!"
Max dashed across the yard with Torchic in hot pursuit.
"You've got good taste picking Torchic," Norman said, smiling.
"Yes, it's very cute," Caroline added.
"See? I told you!" (*๓´╰╯`๓)♡ May grinned with pride.
"I want a Pokémon too!" Max whined, rubbing his butt. "Preferably a Treecko!"
Hearing that, Torchic charged again without hesitation.
"Ow! I was just saying—stop pecking me!"
Everyone else simply laughed and shook their heads, letting the two run around.
"Ash, would you like to have lunch with us?" Caroline offered warmly.
"Yeah! It's already noon. You can challenge the Gym after we eat," Norman said.
"Thank you, Uncle, Auntie! I'd love to."
Ash stayed for lunch, enjoying the warm atmosphere and delicious food. They chatted as they ate.
"So Ash, have you been traveling for a long time?" Caroline asked.
"Yes," Ash nodded. "I've journeyed through Kanto, the Orange Islands, Johto… and now I'm starting a new adventure in Hoenn."
"Wow! You've been to so many places…" Max said with wide eyes.
"Traveling solo like that is really impressive," Caroline added.
"Well, I started off alone, but I've made lots of companions along the way—and I've always had Pikachu by my side," Ash replied, smiling.
"That's the best way to travel," Norman said, nodding. "With partners and friends."
"It definitely makes things more exciting and meaningful," Ash agreed.
"Ugh, I'm so jealous!" Max whined again. "I want to travel too!"
Later that afternoon...
"Ash," Norman said, standing across the yard. "The rules here are a standard three-on-three battle. Is that okay?"
"No problem! I'm ready!"
To be continued…