May and the two adults came inside as Misty recalled Gyarados into its Poké Ball, and within minutes, they were all sitting on some benches, as formal introductions were made.
"Ash, Misty. I'd like you two to meet my mother and father," said May, gesturing to the two adults.
"Nice to meet you both," said the man. "I'm Norman."
"And I'm Caroline," smiled the woman.
"And this is my little brother," said May, gesturing at Max.
"Yeah, we met," muttered Ash, giving Max a filthy look.
"Oh yeah, he was great company," said Misty icily. "I knew a kid like him couldn't be the genuine Gym Leader!"
"No, you see my Dad is the real leader of the Petalburg Gym," admitted Max.
"That's right," confirmed Norman.
Misty turned her attention to May. "So, May, I take it this means the Petalburg Gym is where you come from? Guess that explains how you knew so much about it!"
"Why, uh, yes!" admitted a flustered May.
"We really appreciate you two bringing May all the way home," said Caroline gratefully.
"Oh, it was no bother," smiled Misty.
"Togi togi priii!" said Togepi cheerfully.
"Yeah, we really didn't do much of anything at all," added Ash.
Suddenly, Max shot forward and pointed his finger at Ash, like he was presenting a prize trophy to his parents. "Mom, Dad! This is the guy who lost in the Silver Conference Second Round!"
Ash glared crossly at Max. "I told you before, it was the Championship Tournament!"
Max then pointed at Misty. "And she says she's a Cerulean Gym Leader, and her name is Musty!"
"It's Misty!" growled Misty angrily.
"Misty, Musty, whatever," shrugged Max unrepentantly.
Misty gritted her teeth. "Grrr! I should have let my Gyarados use its hydro-pump on you! To think you had the nerve to call me a wannabe!"
"Oh, and by the way, dear," said Caroline to May, "what happened to your bike?"
"Uh, well, you see, Mom... It got barbecued!" sighed May, as she then briefly explained how one of Pikachu's stray thunderbolts had accidentally destroyed her bicycle.
"Oh yeah, sorry May," said Ash sheepishly.
"Pika Pika," said an equally apologetic Pikachu.
"That's not a big deal," assured Norman. "Bikes are replaceable."
"Oh yeah, easily replaceable," muttered Misty, thinking back to how her own bike got damaged years ago and how for a long time afterwards she kept nagging Ash to replace it. Of course in truth, back then the whole thing with the bike was more of an excuse for her to start traveling with Ash, though Misty would never admit that, even to herself.
"Besides, walking is better for your health anyway," added Caroline with a smile.
Norman turned to his daughter. "Tell me, May, what kind of Pokémon did you end up getting from Professor Birch anyway?"
"Oh yeah, tell us, May!" said Max eagerly. "What did you get?"
"You'll see," grinned May, as she got out her Poké Ball and opened it up. "Torchic, come on out!"
A second later, Torchic emerged with a merry expression on its face, which was in complete contrast with the expression of disappointment on Max's face.
"What! Why did you pick that?" said Max as he looked somewhat disdainfully at Torchic. "If it were me, I'd definitely would have picked a Treecko!"
This immediately proved to be the wrong thing to say. Offended by Max's attitude, Torchic leapt at May's younger brother and began pecking at him mercilessly all over his body. As Max wailed on the floor from the attack, May tried to get Torchic to calm down, while Ash and Misty shared an amused expression at this, glad to see Max get a taste of his own medicine.
"I think Torchic's a fine Pokémon to start out with," Norman assured May.
"And May, it's cute as a button," said Caroline with an adoring look at Torchic, as it finally broke off its attack on Max.
"Yeah," agreed May, glad that her parents approved of her first Pokémon.
"Man, I just wish that I could have my own Pokémon," sighed Max. "I'd just love to have a Treecko, or at least a Mudkip."
"Well, now you mention it, I've got Mudkip right here," smiled Misty, as she opened her Poké Ball and let out her own first Hoenn Pokémon, who grinned cheerfully at everyone in the room.
"Now that's more like it!" said Max excitedly. "That's what I call a cool Pokémon! I bet its water attacks are as awesome as I heard!"
As if in response to Max's keen interest, Mudkip fired an enthusiastic water blast in greeting, which hit Max right in the face!
"Oh, yeah. That was totally cool," the drenched Max managed to say, while Misty gave an embarrassed look on her face.
"Ash, why don't you and Misty join us for lunch?" suggested Caroline as though nothing had happened. "You must be starved."
"Thanks! We sure are," said Ash gratefully.
So they all reconvened to the dining room, where Caroline dished out some delicious soup and sandwiches for them all to have. And as they ate up their lunch, they all happily continued chatting away, as Ash, Misty and May told more about their recent adventures.
"So, Ash, May tells me that you and Misty have been travelling together for a long time," said Caroline in interest.
"Oh yeah, we've been to a lot of places," smiled Ash as he and Pikachu took a bite from their sandwiches.
"Yes, we've been across Kanto, visited the Orange Islands, and for the last three years, we've been travelling all over the Johto region," clarified Misty as she gave a bit of food to Togepi.
"That sounds so cool," said Max with a longing expression on his face. "I'd love to go to different places too."
"You two must be really close to have travelled together for so long," remarked Caroline.
"Oh yeah, but uh, only as friends," said Misty hastily, trying hard not to blush.
"Actually, we also used to travel with a friend of ours called Brock, but he had to head home to sort some stuff out for his family," said Ash. "So lately, it's just been the two of us, and Pikachu and Togepi of course."
"Travelling with friends is always much easier," remarked Norman.
"Yeah, and it's a lot more fun too," beamed Ash.
"It sure is!" agreed Misty.
"I only wish I could go travelling around with a bunch of my good buddies," sighed Max enviously. "That'd be great!"
As she finished her mouthful of salad, May turned to her father. "Dad, Ash would like to have a Gym battle with you."
"Yeah, hope that's okay," said Ash.
"Of course, Ash," assured Norman. "So, how many badges have you earned so far?"
"Actually, you're the first Gym we've visited since arriving in Hoenn. Ash is only just getting started," said Misty.
"Yeah! So, what are the Petalburg Gym rules?" Ash asked Norman eagerly.
"I told you already, it's a three-on-three elimination!" interrupted Max.
"Is that actually true, Norman?" asked Misty, not willing to take Max's word after his little deception earlier.
"Yes," confirmed Norman.
Ash gave a loud groan of disappointment. "Ahh! But I don't have any other Pokémon besides Pikachu!"
"I told you it was too soon to try a gym battle, Ash," sighed Misty with a weary shake of her head. "You should have waited till you caught some more Pokémon first."
Max saw another opportunity to tease Ash. "What? You've only got one little Pokémon? No wonder you lost in the second round of the Silver Conference!"
"Stop! It was the championship!" Ash snapped at Max.
"But if you were able to compete in the Silver Conference, you must have lots of Pokémon," pointed out Norman.
"I do, but I decided to leave them all back in Pallet Town," explained Ash.
"You know, you could have them transferred to the Pokémon Centre," suggested Caroline. "Or perhaps borrow some of Misty's Pokémon."
"I could, but what I really wanted to do is start off right from the beginning, and use only those Pokémon I capture here in the Hoenn region," said Ash.
"Admirable plan, young man," said Norman approvingly.
"Soon as I get more Pokémon, I'll come back," promised Ash.
"That's not necessary. Since you've come all this way, I'll battle you!"
Ash was delighted. "Wow, you mean it?"
"That's really kind of you, Norman," said Misty brightly.
"Yes, that's nice, dear," smiled Caroline at her husband.
"Of course, it won't be an official Gym battle," clarified Norman.
"That's okay! I still really appreciate it. Thank you!" said Ash gratefully, eager to get started.
