Chapter 4: Have to Wait More
As they all put their hands in the air, Ash suddenly noticed Norman and Caroline behind May and Max.
"Norman! Caroline!" Ash said with a wave.
"Ash. Its good to see you again!" Caroline said as she stepped forward with a smile.
"Y-yes," Norman said with a bit of hesitation.
"You must be May's parents!" Dawn said. "I'm Dawn."
"Yes. I'm Caroline and this is my husband Norman, leader of the Petalburg City Gym. May has told us a lot about you, Dawn."
"Yeah, like how she lost to you in the Wallace Cup!" Max said. "Guess my sister must have been slipping if she lost to someone who'd only been a trainer for a few months!"
"Hey!" May scolded her brother.
"Easy there Max! May gave it her best!" Ash said. "Besides Dawn was working hard to be a good coordinator. It was a close battle."
"Yeah, and her mom was a Coordinator too, so she didn't us to coach her as much as May did," Brock said.
Max shrugged. "Okay. I guess even the more experienced ones can't win against newer ones all the time. Sometimes there's just someone that comes along with natural talent."
He pushed in his glasses which flashed. Ash then remembered something.
"Hey Max, have you become a trainer yet?"
"Oh yeah! So, we can finally have that battle we promised back when we split up!" Max said.
"Now hold on! Shouldn't we get on the road first?" May said putting her hands up. "There's going to be a party at Pallet Town for when Ash comes home!"
"You're right!" Ash realized. "Alright, how about we put the battle off until we get to Pallet Town Max?"
Max seemed disappointed. "I guess."
"Yeah, and we still need to have breakfast!" Brock said.
Ash Dawn and Brock as well as all their Pokemon ate while the Maple family stuck with them and caught up. Though Norman was a bit quieter.
"We saw you in the Sinnoh League on TV, Ash. A shame you didn't win it," Caroline said.
"Yeah. Well, there's always next time," Ash said.
"That's what you said last time about the Hoenn League. And in the Johto Silver Conference!" Max pointed at Ash.
"Right," Ash said, embarrassed.
"You go to one league after another and you always end up in the Top 8 but you just can't seem to grab 1st place!"
"Hey, I won the Orange League, and the Battle Frontier!" Ash reminded him. "And it takes skilled trainers to get to the places I reached."
"True but you've only won the whole thing 2 out of 5 times!" Max teased.
"Why you little!" Ash was getting really worked up.
"Okay that's enough son," Norman said. "Ash has nothing to be ashamed of. He's never been knocked out a league in the early rounds. That's where they weed out the weak. Someone who makes it to the top 8 is to be commended."
"Right dad," Max said. "Sorry Ash."
"Thanks Norman," Ash said.
He then noticed Norman's frown.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
"Its… nothing," Norman said while looking away.
"Uh… okay," Ash said before looking at May. "Is your dad in a bad mood or something May?"
May looked at her father, recalling her mother saying he was uneasy about the idea of her dating.
"Something like that I guess, it's a dad thing."
"O-kay," Ash said, not understanding it.
May looked at him for a moment, as though she had something she wanted to say.
"May?" Norman asked looking at his daughter. "Can we talk?"
May looked from Ash to her father with an uncertain look.
"Sure dad," she said.
She looked back at Ash before following her father.
"I wonder what's going?" Ash wondered.
"Hmm… I don't know," Max said.
Dawn looked at Brock and whispered in his ear. "Did you say how May was looking at Ash just now?"
Brock nodded. "Hmm… I wonder."
"Hmm?"
"Well, I always thought of Ash and May as friends. But I wonder… maybe May wants to be… more?"
Dawn looked at Ash as he took a drink of his orange juice, not hearing their whispers.
"They were always close," Brock whispered to her. "When we were traveling. Ash would often teach May about things related to Pokemon like battling. Also, she sometimes got in danger, and he would usually be the one to come to her rescue."
"Whoa, like a knight in shining armor!" Dawn couldn't help but saying aloud.
"Huh? What are you talking about Dawn?" Ash asked, hearing her. "Some fairy tale story you read?"
"Uh… yeah something like that." Dawn said.
…
May followed her parents back to their room in the Pokemon Center. Norman looked at her sternly as Caroline sat by his side.
"May… I have to ask. Do you like Ash?"
May shivered and it took a bit of will to say, "Yes, I've liked him ever since I met him."
"Now understand me May, I've been fond of Ash ever since I met him as well. He helped you reach Petalburg city safely after your bike was destroyed. But I think he is too old for you right now."
"He's only two and a half years older!" May protested. "I knew that was the case when I first met him! I mean… I was only ten at the time and he was nearly thirteen! But it's not too much of a gap! And I'll be fourteen in a bit over half a year!"
"That's still too young if you ask me," Norman said. "Maybe when you are fifteen I'll consider it."
"Dad!" May was starting to get impatient now.
"May, when boys are that particular age they tend to sometimes be… well… wild in romance."
"Ash has never even thought about romance!" May said. "Ask him! He doesn't even understand the first thing about it! And he would never hurt me!"
"You mean like Drew did?" Norman asked.
May nodded with a deep frown. "Ash wouldn't cheat on me like Drew did. Though at least he knew how to flirt and make me blush! Giving me roses like that."
"But you said it yourself… he doesn't' understand the first thing about romance. So how would he know not to?"
May couldn't answer that.
Norman hummed at her hesitation. "See? I know you had started to trust and like Drew but then he went flirting with that other girl. I know you want to believe in Ash, and there is nothing wrong with that. But I'm gonna have to ask you to-"
"Oh come on Norman at least give Ash a chance," Caroline told her husband.
Norman looked at his wife. "I'll give him a chance… when May is fifteen. In the meantime May, I'll allow you to be friends with him but no more!"
"But Dad!"
"Do you want to go back home to Petalburg?" he asked.
May was silent as a shiver went down her spine. She had just had less than five minutes with the boy she liked… she didn't want to just have to leave him again already. She wished she'd stayed with him now instead of following Drew and her rivals to Johto. Though at least, she'd learned to stand on her own as a trainer rather than relying on Ash and Brock's help. But she'd still missed her friends in the Johto region.
A few tears leaked out of her eyes.
"I'm sorry May, but that's my final word."
Norman stepped out of the room while Caroline stayed behind a moment. She hugged her daughter.
"It will be okay May," Caroline said. "You've waited this long, you can wait just a little longer. I'll see if I can talk your father into giving Ash a chance. At least we know he likes him. That's better than if he didn't"
May sobbed into her mother's shoulder as Caroline stroked her hair.
"I thought that he might find another girl to date that was more appropriate when we were traveling together. But now I'm afraid of that happening!" May said.
"Well if he's as dense as you say he might not have much luck with that," Caroline said. "Take a moment to calm down then join us sweetie."
She left, leaving May alone to vent her emotions as she sat on the couch in tears. But she soon wiped them.
"I'll just have to hang in there as I always have," she told herself. "I wish it could be now but I've been this patient. At least I can date him when I'm fifteen."
But that was so long, still… better than never. She just hoped another girl didn't make a move on him. May walked to the door and opened it, passing a trio of people standing outside.
...
In Cerulean City, a girl with red hair got on her bike. She waved goodbye to her three older but lazy sisters.
"I've left Gyrados so that should make it hard for those trainers to beat you! And I told Horsea to squirt you with ink if you try to give badges for free."
"No not that!" the second youngest sister Lily yelled.
"Don't worry! We'll behave" the eldest blonde sister, Daisy said. "Have fun Misty!"
"Give Ash and Brock our love!" the second sister, Violet said.
"Okay!" Misty said before looking ahead. "I'm coming for you, Ash Ketchum!"
Well, Norman is forbidding May to be with Ash for now. But could he change his mind and let her date him now? Probably, and guess what's gonna happen to make him do so. Review please. Also, as I wrote the last section on the possibility of another girl coming in... I thought of Misty and even considered putting her in the ending. Screw that! I just did it! This could be another love triangle story for me like Team Hot Air to add more drama. Edit: Well, been a year since I first made this fanfic and its nearly done. I realize Norman might be out of character, maybe I shouldn't have followed the way the majority of fanfic writers make him being overprotective with May when it comes to dating.