Hoenn Is Where The Start Is!
Chapter 5 - What happens next?
After realising his friends may not be returning to him, he decides to focus on what to do next.
Should he wait for his new friends? Or journey ahead to catch up to Gary? All was to be decided in the next few mintues.
Who would walk through that door?
'Well, either way, it's getting late, I should go to sleep'. Ash thought to himself as the sky went even darker, near pitch black, exept for the small shining stars in the dark night sky.
However, sleeping is not as easy as it seems when there is a lot on your mind. And right now, there was alot on the mind of the new trainer.
The sun was just on the horizon, showing early morning, around 7am.
Ash woke up from his dreadful sleep, and walks out of his pokemon centre room, with his bag and room key.
Ash arrives to the desk of the pokemon centre, and returns the key to nurse Joy.
"Did you rest well?" Nurse Joy asks. "Your pokemon did, and have made a full recovery." She continues, as she hands him Pikachu, and a pokeball, which contained Ashs recent capture, tailow.
"Thanks very much." The boy said appreciating the nurse for helping his pokemon recover.
However, things were interesting a few blocks away, in the Petalburg gym. The four of the residence were awake, and sitting in the dining room, having an important discussion on what happens next.
"Ok, im sorry for running out.. I just really wanted to go." Max explains to his parents, still looking un-convinced and an annoyed expression on both their faces.
"Well, im not in the wrong here, I went on my journey, if Max just came with me; like he did, things were fine." May continues on Max's explanation, slowly tring to get out of the trouble they were in.
"Yeah, apart from we got lost, but Ash helped us find eachother!" Max concludes, ending the breif details of their journey so far.
"Ash?" Norman questions the pair. "Who is he?".
May thought for a moment.
Who was he? Just a guy she knew for a day who had a pikachu. He was nothing special. But to her, he was. He went out of his way to help a random stranger, whilst not even asking for anything else in return. He was a good, no.. great person to us.
A light red fills her cheecks. She was blushing.
How do I describe him?
"Well" May starts. "He..". May stops.
Caroline, who once had also had these feelings in her childhood, realised May may have feelings for this 'Ash', and sympathised towards her daughter.
"Your fine to continue your journey, but, im afraid Max will experience that later, its not his time yet, in 10 months, when it's his birthday, i'll allow him to go. But not now, sorry." Caroline ends, looking at the hurt expression on Max's face, feeling sorry.
But many parents have to make these decisions, and stand by them. It seemed that the young boy would not be travelling Hoenn just yet.
But at this time, there is a knock on the wooden front door of the Gym/house.
Norman goes to answer the door, with May trailing behind, curious as to if she knew the person, or it was a challenger for the balance badge.
"Hello, im looking for-" The figure asks, standing in the doorway. However, they get interrupted by some enthsausm from the gym leader.
"Ah, i'm Norman, the gym leader here, you want a battle, I presume." The man responds, waiting for a response from the challenger.
"ASH, your here!" May exclaims, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the house. "How have you been" She asks him. "Can I get you a drink?" She continues.
"Erm, Ive been okay, and no thanks, Im fine" Ash answers quickly, hopefully avoiding the bombardment of questions.
However, Norman just stands suprised at the doorway, then slowly closing the door, joining the other four currently in the dining room.
"Hows torchic? Feeling better?" Ash asks the girl currently holding his hand still after dragging him into the house.
"Yeah, thanks for taking it to the pokemon centre" May answers gratefully.
"Ah, your Ash, i'm thankful for your help for re-united them both." Caroline says to him.
"No problem, i'm glad I did, they are now good friends of mine" Ash says grinning, clearly showing his happy emotions.
"Well Ash, as you know, Max isn't 10 yet, so we are going to have him stay with us until then, sorry to say it but it can't be ruined for him before he even becomes a trainer. You can understand that, right?" The mother asks hopefully.
"No Ash, you don't understand, do you? You want me to come with you, tell her!" Max exclaims to the boy, as he knows its difficult for a parent to argue with a child thats not their own.
"Max.. you know I want you to come with us alot, it would be really great." Ash states, smiling lightly at the boy. "But.. I have to respect their decision on what they think is best for you. Im sorry, I can't help you out of this one." Ash finishes, with a frown now on his face.
As Max was about to speak, he gets interupted by Ash, who now had a grin on his face.
"Remember Max, you can't travel with me anyway. If we were to have that great battle when you become a trainer, you would know my tricks, so think up strategies whilst your here, and we will return for you, we will have an amazing battle, we promised right?"
"I guess thats true, I'll think of so many ways to win, that I will catch up in no time at all!" Max exclaims back, no longer thinking about being left behind.
As the day continues, almost into the afternoon, Caroline decides to make the trio some lunch, before Ash and her daughter depart on their journey.
The five in the house are eating the lunch, all with different thoughts in their heads, making the dinner silent as they all think about imprtant things that have changed, with Ash thinking about Max's battle, and complete different topics of Norman thinking about what Max could do the next 10 months he is at home.
But apart from the thoughts, not many things happened. Ash thanked them for the food and May and Max stood up from the table, with Ash following close behind.
The three enter the living room. Knowing what happens now.
"Well, Max, I will see you in 10 months, i'll be a lot stronger for the next time we meet" Ash tells the younger boy.
"Thats great, good luck" Max replies as the duo shake hands, and Ash then becomes quiet, and silence echoes the room, waiting for the siblings to say their goodbyes.
"Max, i'll become a great pokemon trainer just you watch!" May says with enthusiam, punching the air to show it.
Max smiles sadly.
"You two should get going." Max says, watching Ash head for the door, and waiting by it.
May has left the room, saying goodbye to her parents, and joining Ash by the door.
"Well, this is it, bye" May says, opening the door, leaving the house to start a journey, for the second time. But this time, things will be okay.
"Seeya" Ash adds in, giving a small wave before joining May, walking on her right side.
The pair walk into the pokemon centre, to plan out what they should do next.
They go to sit in the trainers lounge, and May places a map of Hoenn onto the small table.
"We are here at the moment" May tells Ash whilst pointing to Petalburg city. "The first city with a gym is in Rustboro city, where you can get a gym badge". Moving her hand to show the location of Rustboro City on the map.
"Thats great, can we go there first?" Ash replies. " We want to get that first badge as soon as we can. Right, Pikachu?"
"Pika!" The yelow pokemon answers, expressing the same levels of courage as its trainer.
"Guess theres no chance of changing your mind is there" May giggles. " Then we will head to Rustburo. Then, there is also a pokemon contest there, so ill compete in that, whilst you get your badge".
"Contest?" Ash asks confused.
May explains what a pokemon contest is to the Kanto native, and then they head to the PokeMart, to buy items, such as pokemon food, and Ash a map for himself, as well as getting some food to last them the next few days when travelling between towns.
The PokeMart isn't a huge store, it is a small shop that is in the majority of towns to help out travelling trainers with the essential items they need. It consists of a cashier, a few isles of stock, and a few trainers looking at the different items, preparing themselves for the different road ahead of them.
Ash heads to the cashier to buy his items, and as he pays, he leaves through the glass automatic doors and meets May, waiting patiently outside.
"You ready?" May asks excitedly, grabbing his hand, not waiting for an answer. "Then lets go!"
The pair dash outside the city area, and start to the 4th town of their journey.
"Next stop, Rustboro city!"
A/N: So Max is left behind, but the pair continue on, what will happen between the two?
Keep reading to find out. Thanks for reading!