"Alright! Since that's the case, it's time for me, Brock, the Love Magician, to make my entrance! Come on, let's go find out what's going on!" Brock stood up confidently.
Everyone else reacted with silence. Love Magician? He's the King of the Breakup List, constantly being dumped!
"Oh no, Brock, don't!" "Please, don't make things worse!"
"Wait a minute!" Just as Brock was about to lead May and the others to the Pokémon Center, Ash stopped them and looked in one direction. "Before that, we need to deal with these guys who are planning trouble! Team Rocket!"
"What?! Team Rocket!" Everyone quickly looked toward the nearby bushes.
"Oh no, meow! We've been spotted!" "Hmph, we're not afraid of a head-on fight!" The Team Rocket trio leaped out of the bushes.
"Since you asked so sincerely... it is our policy to tell you! Meowth!" "Wobbuffet!"
"If you know what's good for you, hand over the Slakoth line trio and the bonus prize, Pikachu!" Jessie declared arrogantly.
"You despicable people! You dare plot against my Dad's Pokémon? Unforgivable! Go, Combusken! Beautifly!" May was the first to send out her Pokémon.
"Seviper, Poison Tail!" "Ah, Cacnea, Pin Missile!" Purple venom surged onto Seviper's tail as it attacked Combusken, while Cacnea launched countless light needles toward Beautifly!
"Beautifly, Silver Wind! Combusken, Flamethrower!" The silver wind and scarlet flame formed a fire tornado, barely managing to dispel the two Pokémon's attacks.
May gasped, "They're so strong!" After all, May's two Pokémon were at Elite - Mid Stage and Elite - Late Stage, while both of Team Rocket's Pokémon were at Elite - Peak Stage—it was a tough fight!
"Take this, little girl! Sludge Bomb!" "Solar Beam!" Purple sludge and a scorching beam of light rushed toward May's two Pokémon. "Look out, everyone, dodge quickly!"
Just as Eevee on Ash's shoulder was about to put up a Protect shield, a massive figure stepped in front of Beautifly and Combusken, taking the full brunt of the attack. "Roar~"
"That's Dad's Slaking!" Max exclaimed.
May quickly recalled Combusken and Beautifly. "Thank you, Slaking!"
Slaking nodded to them, and white light condensed on its fist as it attacked Team Rocket. "It's Focus Punch!" "Oh no, meow! Slaking looks really powerful, meow!"
With one punch, Slaking sent both Seviper and Cacnea flying, who crashed into Team Rocket and were all sent soaring away!
"We're blasting off again!" "Wobbuffet (???)~"
"Slaking is amazing!" May was in awe. She hadn't fully realized it before, but after traveling for a while, she now understood just how strong her father's Slaking was!
Slaking smiled and nodded to the group, then promptly lay down to take its nap (Resting).
The Anniversary Surprise
After chasing off Team Rocket, Ash and the others rushed to the Pokémon Center. Sure enough, Norman was there, chatting and laughing harmoniously with Nurse Joy.
"How could this be? Is it true?!" May and Max looked devastated. They could already imagine their mother leaving, their father finding new love, and their formerly harmonious family falling apart after their trip.
Brock walked up seriously. May and Max looked at him hopefully, hoping he could save their crumbling family.
Brock rushed forward, dropped to one knee, and grabbed Nurse Joy's hand. "Nurse Joy, in order to save a harmonious family, your humble servant is willing to sacrifice himself..." Bang! Spinda jumped out, performed its Teeter Dance, and dragged Brock away!
Everyone's reaction was silent disappointment. We shouldn't have held out hope for him!
"Oh?! May, Max, you're back!" Norman was delighted to see his children return.
But the atmosphere was awkward; May and Max didn't know what to say, leaving Norman completely confused!
Ash had no choice but to step forward and briefly explain the rumors to prevent the misunderstanding from deepening!
"What?! I'm cheating with Nurse Joy!" Norman exclaimed, exchanging an embarrassed glance with Nurse Joy.
"Well..." Just as Norman was struggling to explain, "Dear!" Caroline arrived at the Pokémon Center, carrying luggage.
Norman, immediately understanding what Caroline was about to do, said, "Caroline, I won't explain. Just come with me, and I'll prove it to you!" Norman grabbed Caroline's hand and rushed out of the Pokémon Center.
Ash and the others exchanged glances and followed, along with Nurse Joy.
They arrived in the Petalburg Gym's greenhouse, standing before a large machine. "What is this?!" Caroline exclaimed.
"It's a surprise I prepared for our wedding anniversary! I didn't expect it to cause such a misunderstanding!" Norman explained with a smile.
"That's right. Since I have a pyrotechnics license, Mr. Norman asked me to help build a fireworks display and keep it a secret. I didn't realize it would cause such a misunderstanding!" Nurse Joy added, explaining her involvement.
"Ah?!" Everyone was stunned. Fortunately, the misunderstanding was resolved! They just had to wait until dark to enjoy the fireworks display Norman had specially prepared for Caroline!
As night fell, Ash and the others helped set up a lavish dinner outside!
"Everything is ready!" Nurse Joy checked the launcher and smiled at the group.
"Get ready! Everyone, let's enjoy this beautiful fireworks display!" Norman announced, pressing the remote control in his hand!
The launcher released countless fireworks that bloomed in the quiet night sky, forming the shape of a Beautifly!
It turned out that when Norman proposed to Caroline, the moment was witnessed by a Beautifly in the flower garden, making it a memory of extraordinary significance and a symbol of their love.
After dinner, Norman approached Ash. "Ash, the Gym Battle starts tomorrow! I'm really looking forward to your performance!" Max had previously told Norman about Ash defeating former Champion Steven (Daigo) and former Fire-type Elite Four Flannery (Mula), which greatly shocked Norman. He was now determined to take this Gym Battle seriously!
"No problem, I'll win tomorrow!" "Pika" "Eevee"
The Petalburg Gym Battle Begins
The next day, on the Petalburg Gym battle arena, Norman and Ash faced each other.
Kinji, acting as the referee, announced, "The Gym Challenge will now begin. Each Trainer is limited to three Pokémon. The match ends when all of one Trainer's Pokémon are unable to battle. Only the challenger is permitted to substitute Pokémon during the battle!"
"I'm so nervous, who will win?" Max watched the arena anxiously. After traveling with Ash for so long, he fully acknowledged Ash's strength, but Norman was rumored to be the next Elite Four member! With neither side using their main, highest-level Pokémon, this battle was sure to be spectacular!
"It's okay, relax, Max! This is the first time you've seen your father's Gym Battle; I understand," Caroline soothed Max with a smile.
"Alright, here we go, Ash! My first Pokémon is—Slakoth!"
[Slakoth] [Elite - Mid Stage]
"It's Slakoth, just as I expected! I choose you, Beautifly!" "Woo~"