Elated at seeing the Professor's hard work paying off, the young trainers made their farewells and set off on the path to Petalburg City.

"That Relicanth was so cool," said Misty cheerfully. "I'm glad we got a chance to see it."

"Yeah," agreed Ash, before he suddenly remembered, "Hey, I forgot! I never found out who the new Petalburg Gym leader is."

"Oh, I don't know," claimed May. But the blush on her face told a different story, and Misty spotted it.

"Oh really?" the water Pokémon trainer asked suspiciously.

But Ash did not notice this, as he was feeling too excited for what was coming up. "I'm going to my first Hoenn Region gym battle and that first badge is mine!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" said Pikachu in support.

They carried on walking for some hours, and eventually, they reached a ridge, at the end of which, they had a perfect view of the magnificent Petalburg City.

"Wow, the city looks so pretty from up here," remarked Misty.

"Togi Togi Priii!" said Togepi with a smile.

Ash turned eagerly to Pikachu. "Pikachu, our first battle in the Hoenn Region is coming up!"

"Pikachu!" said Pikachu, feeling as keen as Ash was.

They made their way down the hill and into the city, and as they made their way past the buildings, they reached a park with a playground.

"Hey guys, can we sit down for a minute?" asked May wearily. "I'm exhausted after all that walking!"

"Yeah, my feet are feeling a bit sore too," added Misty.

"Well, okay, we'll just catch our breath for a few minutes," conceded Ash, as they sat down on some benches.

"So, Petalburg Gym's a big deal for you, Ash?" asked May.

"Are you kidding? If I win in a gym battle there, I get a badge! And once I get eight of those badges, I can compete in the Hoenn League," replied Ash enthusiastically.

"That sounds great, I guess," said May.

Misty was a little more skeptical. "I don't know, Ash. Don't you think you're rushing things a bit?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Misty?"

"Well, you only have one Pokémon to battle with," pointed out Misty. "And you have absolutely no idea just how tough this gym leader is going to be to beat, or what he's actually like."

"I'm sure he's a nice guy," said May absentmindedly, causing Ash and Misty to look at her in surprise.

"What? May, do you know him?" asked Ash.

May suddenly looked a bit flustered at this. "Me? Well, I... Don't really know him that well. The word on the street is that he's very kind, and also very strong, and of course, I hear he's very handsome, and a really great man."

Misty looked at May with a raised eyebrow. "For someone who's claiming not to have met the gym leader, you sure seem to know him pretty well, May."

"Uh, no, I just wish I did," said May nervously.

"Well in that case, why don't we head there now and you can meet him?" suggested Misty.

"Yeah, that's a great idea!" grinned Ash.

But May seemed very uneasy at this suggestion and she twiddled her fingers anxiously. "Well, I... really can't!"

"But why not?" asked Ash in puzzlement.

"Well, you see... I have to just go and take care of a few things first," said May as she suddenly began to head out of the park. "Later, guys!"

And with that, she was gone!

"Well that was weird," said Ash in befuddlement, as Pikachu and Togepi waved goodbye to May.

"You know, Ash, I've a suspicion that May knows more about the gym leader than she's letting on," said Misty with a frown, recalling how oddly May behaved whenever the gym leader was mentioned in Oldale.

"Well, maybe the gym is being run by her three older siblings and she's embarrassed about it!" teased Ash.

"Oh, ha ha!" said Misty dryly, knowing full well that Ash was comparing her to May. "But seriously, I think she knows the Gym Leader all too well!"

"Well, there's only one way to find out," said Ash. "Let's head over to the gym now!"

So Ash and Misty headed over to the large and impressive Petalburg Gym building, and as the two teenage trainers walked up the steps and entered through the main doors, they soon found themselves in the middle of the main arena, which seemed curiously deserted.

"Say, I wonder where everyone is?" pondered Misty.

"Togi," added Togepi.

Ash tried calling out. "Hello! I'm Ash from Pallet Town and I'd like a battle!"

"Pika Pika!" chimed in Pikachu.

But silence was the only response they got. Ash and Misty stepped further into the room, but could see no sign of the gym leader or anyone else.

"Maybe they're closed today, Ash," suggested Misty.

"Guess you're right," said Ash in disappointment. "But it's kinda weird that the door wasn't locked."

Just then, a small boy came up from behind them, an annoyed expression on his face. He had dark hair, wide-rimmed glasses, and was dressed in a green top and dark shorts, with green trainers on his feet, and was carrying a large book in his hand.

"Can you please keep it down?" complained the boy. "I'm right in the middle of watching a video of the Silver Conference."

"Oh, I'm sorry, kid," said Ash apologetically.

"Yeah, we were beginning to think the gym was deserted and..." But before Misty could complete her sentence, the boy suddenly pointed eagerly at Ash.

"Wow! It's really you!" the boy exclaimed excitedly. "You were in the Johto League Silver Conference!"

Ash nodded eagerly, pleased at being recognised.

"You lost in the second round!" continued the boy, prompting both Ash and Pikachu to bow their heads in embarrassment. Misty could not help but giggle a bit at this.

"Hold on," said the boy as he tried to recall the details of the match. "Don't tell me. Your name... is Alf!"

"It's Ash," grumbled Ash, as he sunk to his knees.

The boy then pointed his finger at Misty. "And you're his girlfriend! Your name is... Musty!"

Now it was Misty's turn to be annoyed, her face blushing a very bright red and a large sweat-drop forming on her forehead. "Hey! It's Misty, not Musty! And I'm not Ash's girlfriend. I'm his, uh, his coach!"

But the boy did not seem to hear her, as his attention had moved on to Pikachu. "Hey! And that's your Pikachu!"

He promptly grabbed Pikachu and gave the electric Pokémon an enthusiastic hug. "Hi there, Pikachu! My name's Max! I watched you compete at the Silver Conference live, and I've been watching the videos I made of it ever since."

"Wow," Ash mumbled as he got back to his feet.

"Yep, you lost in the second round and then you got knocked out by Harrison and his Blaziken, then that was it for you!"

"Do you have to keep talking about the ones I lost?" muttered Ash, shaking a fist. "Besides, I did make it to the Victory Round, you know."

"I know, your battle was totally awesome!" said Max, apparently oblivious of how much he was bruising Ash's ego. "I was on the edge of my seat the whole time! That final battle between your Charizard and Blaziken was really cool. Both Pokémon just took one attack after another and get back up. But I guess Charizard couldn't handle it. If you had to do it over again, don't you think you think you would have used Charizard's attacks more effectively? If I had been in there, I would have won it! You still got a long way to go!"

At this point, Misty felt she had to speak up in poor Ash's defence. "Hold up, kid! It's one thing to watch it on TV and another to actually be battling. And Ash may have his faults, but he's still a great Pokémon trainer!"

"But he still lost, didn't he?" said Max smugly. "You ought to get yourself a better boyfriend, one who's less of a loser."

At this, both Ash and Misty finally lost their patience.

"All right, buster, that is it!" bellowed Misty furiously.

"Yeah, get the gym leader, that's who we've come to see!" demanded Ash angrily.

Max gave a smug chuckle. "That's me. Oh Yeah, the Petalburg Gym Leader is yours truly! Ta da!"

Ash did not believe this for a second. "Yeah, sure..." he muttered.

"No way!" retorted Misty. "You can't be the Gym Leader!"

"I am!" shouted Max as he waved his arms in a temper-tantrum. "What, you think I'm not good enough!"

"No, it's simply that you're too young to be a gym leader," pointed out Misty.

"Oh yeah? And what makes you such an expert on what makes a gym leader?" demanded Max.

"Well, for your information, you are speaking to a genuine gym leader," said Misty smugly. "I happen to be the most beautiful and talented of the four Cerulean Gym trainers!"

"No way," snorted Max. "My book says there are only three official Cerulean Gym leaders, plus one wannabe who's not as pretty and talented as her sisters!"

"A wannabe?!" hollered Misty. "I'm no wannabe! I happen to be one of the best water Pokémon trainers there is and I'll prove it! I challenge you to a gym battle!"

Max seemed taken aback by this. "You... do?"

Ash was equally surprised. "But... I'm the one who's supposed to be having a match..."

But Misty's temper was well and truly fired up. "No 'buts', Ash! This little phony just insulted me, and I'm not standing for it!"

"Fine," said Max, regaining his composure as he crossed over to one end of the arena and faced Misty. "According to the official rules of the Petalburg Gym, all battles are three-on-three."

"Fine, I only need one Pokémon to beat a little runt like you," boasted Misty.

"So, show your Pokémon!" challenged Max.

Misty grinned, as she spotted a way to catch Max out. "Hold up, in any gym, it's the leader who has to present their Pokémon first in a match!"

"It's my gym, I make the rules, so I'm giving you the honour!" retorted Max.

"Okay then, you asked for it," said Misty as she threw a Poké Ball. "I choose you, Gyarados!"

With a mighty roar, Gyarados emerged and towered over Max, who looked suitably impressed.

"Wow, a real Gyarados! How totally cool is that!"

"Okay, your turn now, Max," prompted Misty defiantly. "Bring out your Pokémon! An experienced Gym Leader like you should have no problem winning this, right?"

Max suddenly seemed nervous at this. "Well, uh, that is, uh... I'd love to, but, uh..."

Misty smirked, as she saw she had Max in a corner. "What's the matter, Max? Don't have any Pokémon to battle with, do you?"

It was at this point that a familiar voice called, "Hi, Max. What's going on here?"

Everyone turned in surprise to see May outside peering in through the window.

"Uh, hi there, sis," said Max.

"Your sister?!" exclaimed Ash as he and Misty looked at May in shock.

A seconds later, two adults appeared behind May, with friendly expressions on heir faces. One was a handsome dark-haired man, while the other was an attractive woman with light-brown hair.

"Well, who have we here?" said the man cheerfully as they saw Ash and Misty through the window.

"Hello!" greeted the woman with a cheerful smile.

"Wait, who are you guys?" asked a confused Ash, while Max gave a very sheepish expression.