"Ready to go, sweetie? Are you sure you didn't forget anything?" Caroline asked, fussing over May with motherly concern.
"I'm fine, Mom!" May puffed out her chest with confidence. "Everything's packed!"
May had made the decision to travel with Ash, and both Norman and Caroline had shown their full support.
"Wait for me too!" Max suddenly came running out, backpack slung over his shoulder. "May doesn't know anything about Pokémon battles, and besides—I want to see the world too! I've been thinking a lot about what Dad said, and I want to learn more firsthand!"
"Hm… letting Max go on a journey might actually be good for him," Norman said after a pause. "He knows a lot about Pokémon, and this'll broaden his horizons. I feel more at ease knowing he's going with you."
"I agree," Caroline nodded.
"Ash, we're counting on you to take care of our Max," Norman said earnestly.
"No problem!" Ash grinned. "The more people on a journey, the more fun it is anyway!" In fact, Ash had already guessed he'd be traveling with May and Max. With Max around, he might not even have to be the one dragging Brock away from every pretty girl they passed—finally, a break!
"Alright then, Max—make sure you behave!"
"Got it! Thanks, Mom!" Max said with excitement. "Looking forward to it!"
"Oh! And take these." Norman pulled out two slate-blue cases and handed one to Ash and one to May. "Badge Cases. You'll need these to collect your Gym Badges."
"Thank you!" Ash and May accepted them gratefully.
"Also, take this." Norman produced a small gadget.
"A PokéNav!" Max's eyes sparkled as he snatched it. "This'll help us track our location and navigate routes, right?"
"That's right. It's very useful on a journey," Norman nodded.
Max immediately tucked it into his bag like it was treasure.
"Oh, and your first destination should be Rustboro City. There's a Gym there," Norman added.
With everything settled, the trio waved goodbye and set off toward Rustboro City, the first stop on their new adventure.
Back at the house, Norman and Caroline stood together watching them walk away.
"Finally… just the two of us again," Caroline said softly.
"Yeah. Peace at last."
Unbeknownst to them, Ash—his Aura senses now sharpened—picked up on their conversation from a distance. His mouth twitched.
As expected. Parents are the real love story… kids are just the bonus round.
Petalburg Woods
"This is weird… I can't see any Pokémon at all," Max muttered, peering through his binoculars.
"That's because we're still walking on the man-made path," Ash explained. "There are more Pokémon deeper in the forest. This area's usually quiet."
"Forget Pokémon… I'm starving," May said dramatically, clutching her stomach. "Let's take a break for lunch!"
Ash nodded. "Alright. Let's eat. Everyone out!"
He took out lunchboxes he'd prepared earlier and began distributing Pokémon food as well—mixing in Energy Cubes to make it nutritious and tasty.
Pikachu and the others happily gathered around and began eating.
But May and Max…
"Hey… what are you two doing?" Ash asked, watching them stare at his bento box without moving.
"Uhh… You didn't bring your own lunch, did you?" Ash raised an eyebrow.
"I thought May would pack it," Max said sheepishly.
"And I just… forgot." (ʚ̴̶̷.ʚ̴̶̷̥̀) May gave him her best puppy-dog eyes.
Ash sighed. "Good thing I planned for this." He handed over the two extra bentos he'd packed—just in case. "But if we don't make it to a Pokémon Center before dark, we're all skipping dinner."
Luckily, Ash knew these two were unreliable and always prepared extra. And besides, Brock should be catching up to them soon. Dinner was his problem.
"Thanks, Ash! You're the best!" May and Max chorused, digging in happily.
"Eevee~" "Pika~ Pika~"
CRASH! Suddenly, a small commotion broke out among the Pokémon.
The group turned to see a swallow-like Pokémon snatching an Energy Cube from Eevee's bowl.
Eevee, ever the proud one, immediately retaliated with Swift.
"What is that?" May quickly whipped out her Pokédex:
Taillow – The Tiny Swallow Pokémon. A regional bird native to Hoenn. Brave and territorial, Taillow never backs down from a challenge.
[Taillow]
Type: Normal/FlyingAbility:Guts (If affected by a status condition, Attack increases by 50% and Burn does not lower Attack.)
Strength: Early Superior Tier
Moves: Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Double Team, Endure, Supersonic
Dynamax Type: Flying
"Taillow~!" it chirped defiantly, standing its ground against Eevee.
"You've got guts, I like that," Ash said, reaching into his bag and pulling out some Flying-type Energy Cubes. "How about a deal? Battle me—if you win, these are all yours!"
"Taillow!" The bird gave a sharp nod, wings flaring.
"Alright! Eevee, let's do this!""Eevee~!" Eevee charged forward before the command had even finished.
WHOOSH! Taillow's wings glowed white as it flew in with Wing Attack.
"Dodge with Agility, Eevee!"
"Eevee~!" The nimble fox weaved past the blow.
"Now—Swift!"
Stars burst from Eevee's tail, striking Taillow mid-air.
The two darted back and forth, exchanging moves. Taillow held its ground, but it was clearly tiring—its breath was starting to hitch.
"Now's our chance—time to finish this!" Ash activated the Z-Ring on his wrist.
"Z-Move?! He's going that far?!" Max exclaimed, shocked. "Even if Taillow's tired, it shouldn't be that easy to one-shot it!"
But Ash and Eevee had already begun their synchronized pose.
"Let's go, Eevee—Ultimate Invincible Great Collision!""Eevee~!"
A blinding white light enveloped Eevee as it hurled itself forward in a powerful charge.
"Taillow~!" The bird braced itself.
"Go! Poké Ball!"
Ash hurled the ball mid-move. Taillow vanished into it with a snap.
The Poké Ball hit the ground, trembled—then popped open!
"Siba!" Taillow burst out again, perching on a nearby rock, panting hard.
Ash smiled. "Still got some fight in you, huh? Eevee, one more Swift! Make it count!"
BOOM! The stars struck true—Taillow collapsed, unable to continue.
Ash tossed another Poké Ball. This time, it shook once… twice… three times… click!
Three stars burst from the ball—capture successful!
Ash held it up proudly. "Gotcha, Taillow!"
"Eevee~!""Pika Pi~!"
Eevee pranced over with the Poké Ball in its mouth and dropped it into Ash's hand.
Ash beamed. "Nice work! That was a tough one."
He glanced down at the ball. Good thing this Taillow didn't have a Trainer—if it had, that would've been a much tougher battle.
"I'm so jealous! I want to catch one too!" "Me too!!" ⁂((✪⥎✪))⁂ May and Max stared at him with sparkly eyes.
Suddenly—Clap! Clap! Clap!
"Ash! Long time no see. I didn't expect you to be this strong already!"
To be continued…