After Ash, Serena and May left Littleroot Town, they headed toward Petalburg City, which is May's hometown. Since it's her hometown, May was leading them so that Ash and Serena won't get lost in the forest. Not that they would anyway, but better safe than sorry.
During the traveling, Ash and Serena were helping May with training her Torchic, as well as giving her tips on how to battle wild Pokémon so she can catch them.
It didn't really help in the end, since Torchic was not strong enough, and May not good enough to catch a Pokémon, so she will have to continue her training and hope to catch some Pokémon after they leave Petalburg City.
On the other hand, Ash and Serena did catch some Pokémon.
The gang first ran into Duskull, the same one that May encountered on her way to Littleroot Town, and Ash caught it after he easily defeated it with his Tyranitar, while Serena managed to catch a Wurmple.
About two days after they left Littleroot Town, the three arrived in Oldale Town, where they spent the night in the Pokémon Center. They used that time to get to know each other, as May was telling them that she became a trainer so she can travel, and is not particularly interested in battle, but does wish one day to become a great Pokémon trainer like her father, while Ash and Serena were telling her stories about their travels.
After the night at Oldale, the gang left the Pokémon Center in the morning, and continued toward Petalburg City.
Not far from Oldale, the team encountered a wild Ralts, and Serena was instantly in love with this Pokémon and had to catch it. Ash and May had nothing against it.
Serena sent out her Tyrogue, as he is weaker then Seadra and Delphox which she brought with her; thus, he needed training. Besides, Serena thought it wouldn't be fair for her to use Delphox or Seadra against a young Ralts. The only reason Ash even used Tyranitar against Duskull was because he had to choose between two evils, and his Tyranitar and Aggron are about the same in power.
They could use Torchic or Mudkip which Professor Birch gave them, but decided to use them in a future, after they get some training first.
Ralts proved to have quite a bit of power and stamina, but ultimately, Tyrogue won the battle, and Serena caught Ralts.
Surprisingly, right after the battle was over, Serena's Tyrogue evolved into Hitmonchan.
After that, they continued their journey to Petalburg City, while making stops on the way there to train their new Pokémon, and so Ash and Serena can help May train her Torchic by sparing with her.
After few more days of training, and traveling, Ash, Serena and May arrived on the outskirts of Petalburg City, and were now standing on the hill overlooking the big City.
"It looks nice." Ash commented while looking at the City, with Serena and May next to him.
"It is a nice place," May said. "It's relatively peaceful, and good for living."
"So, where are we going first?" Serena asked.
"Well, we could do like we always do, and first go to the Pokémon Center to get some rooms, and let Nurse Joy check our Pokémon, then we can go to the gym, and have our battles." Ash said, and Serena nodded in agreement.
May didn't say anything, and was quiet.
"Ok then, let's go." Serena said, and the three walked down the hill, and into the City, where they proceeded to the Pokémon Center, which wasn't much trouble finding, as May led them straight to it.
In the Pokémon Center, all three left their Pokémon in the care of Nurse Joy after Serena and Ash got the room, while May said she will stay at her house, and meet with them once they decide to leave.
Ash also had to explain to May that every Pokémon Center has Nurse Joy and they all look alike. He did this, because May was confused when they entered the Pokémon Center, and saw Nurse Joy that was just like the one from Oldale Town.
"Do you know where exactly the gym is, May?" Ash asked May, after they picked their Pokémon from Nurse Joy, and left the Pokémon Center to search for the gym.
"Yes, I do know," May simply said, and Ash noticed that she doesn't appear excited.
"Aren't you excited to have your first gym battle?" Ash asked.
"I'm not going to have a battle in this gym," May said, and surprised Ash and Serena. "At least not for now."
"Why not?" Serena asked.
"Well, first, I need three Pokémon to challenge the gym since the gym leader here has three-on-three battles against the challengers," May said, and Ash and Serena nodded. "I only have Torchic, which means I can't challenge the gym. And the second reason is that I wasn't even planning to challenge the gyms for a while, instead I will only travel and train my Pokémon, and then once I feel it is time, I will start challenging the gyms."
"Is that so," Ash asked, and May nodded? "Well, if that is your decision, then I'm not going to try and persuade you to do otherwise."
"What do you know about the gym leader here?" Serena asked May.
"Would it be right if I told you?" May asked.
"It's always nice to have some more information on your opponent," Ash said. "Besides, it is not exactly crime if you tell us what you know."
May thought for a moment, and then decided to tell them something. "Well, the gym leader here is called Norman. He became the leader not that long ago, so he is new in this, but he is very good trainer. He also uses Normal Type Pokémon, so you are going to have to think a lot on which Pokémon you are going to use."
"So they did change the gym leader," Ash commented. "Last time I heard about the Petalburg Gym it was led by some old guy called, Davis, and he was using Steel Type Pokémon." Ash said.
"Yes, it was," May confirmed. "But the old man went in retirement some time ago, and Norman replaced him, and since he is mostly Normal Type Pokémon trainer, it was decided that the Petalburg City Gym will become Normal Type Gym and not Steel like it used to be."
"I see," Ash said. "Well no matter what Pokémon Type the gym leader uses, I'm getting the badge in this gym. It will be a good start for my journey through Hoenn."
"Don't get overconfident, Ash, it might cost you." May said.
"I'm not overconfident, I just believe in my skills as a trainer, and my Pokémon, who will do battles." Ash said.
They continued to walk toward the gym for 10 more minutes, until they finally arrived.
They saw a Japanese style building, that is not really big, though big enough for the gym to look comfortable for battles, at least that's what looks like from outside.
"This is not what I was expecting the gym to look like, considering that it used to be a Steel Type gym." Ash commented.
"Actually, the previous gym was on another location, this one works as a house, a gym and also has a greenhouse," May said, getting raised eyebrows from Ash and Serena. "This is where Norman lives with his family. It's his house, and his gym."
"Ok, well then, let's go inside, and see if there is someone there," Ash said, and Serena followed right behind him, while May slowly walked after them, which Ash noticed, and saw the look on her face that made him wonder what's up with her.
He could of course read her mind, but decided to do that only if it is absolutely necessary.
Once all three entered through the door of building, they saw a wide-open space, with the battle field on the middle, but that was pretty much it. There were no bleachers like in some gyms, and there were only some windows on the walls.
"Hallo, is anyone here?" Ash called once he saw no one in the gym.
About a minute later, the three travelers heard a voice from behind them. "I see you are already here. I'm surprised. I thought you will get lost somewhere."
Ash and Serena turned around, and saw a kid around 8-years-old, with bluish hair, glasses, wearing green shirt and brownish shorts.
While Ash and Serena were looking at each other because they are confused by what the kid said, May also turned around, and glared at the kid. "I dare you to say that to my face, Max!"
"I see you are already here..." Max started to say, and May glared even harder, and started walking toward him, which made Max stop mid-way, and took a step back.
"Is someone going to tell us what's going on here?" Ash said, and May stopped walking toward Max, and looked at Ash.
Max also took a good look at Ash and Serena and recognized them immediately. "No way," Max yelled! "You are Ash Ketchum, the winner if the Indigo League, Orange League and Silver Conference!"
Ash looked at the kid, and said. "Yeah, that's about right, but… Who are you?"
"This is my brother, Max." May said, and Ash and Serena looked at her.
"Your brother," Serena said. "But what's he doing here?"
"Sorry for not telling you before, but this is actually where I'm from," May said. "Petalburg Gym is now led by my father."
"I see," Ash said. "So Norman is your father."
"Yes, he is." May confirmed.
"But why didn't you mention this earlier?" Serena asked.
"I don't know," May said after few moments of being quiet. "I guess I thought you might pressure me to find out everything about my dad, and his battling style so you can get advantage in your gym battle."
"We wouldn't do that," Serena said.
"It is true that it is good to know your opponent before the match, but that doesn't mean that I would do everything to get that information." Ash said.
"Sorry, Ash, Serena," May apologized. "I guess I just didn't know you that well. I mean we only met few days ago."
"It's ok, May." Ash said, and then looked at Max, who was staring at him. "So, are you going to tell us where your father is, since Serena and I want to challenge him to a battle for a badge?"
"Yeah, he is outside with mom." Max replied.
"Well then, I guess we better go and introduce ourselves and then challenge him." Ash said to Serena and she nodded.
And so, May and Max led Ash and Serena outside of the gym, where they saw a man and a woman standing and were having a conversation, or better said, argument, though it didn't look like that, as they probably didn't want to yell, so to not get caught by Max or someone else. Ash was the only one who noticed this, from their body language.
"Mom, Dad, May is back, and you won't believe who came with her!" Max shouted to his parents, who looked at him, and then behind him, and saw May, along with a boy and a girl that looked familiar to them.
May's mother took one look at Ash, and felt like her body temperature went over the roof. "Damn that kid looks good," She thought. "Wish I was just 20 years younger. I would have so much fun with him."
Then her thoughts were quiet for a few moments, and then she thought again. "Oh, who am I kidding, if my children are not here, I would have jumped on him right away to have my way with him, since I doubt that Norman would care even if I was to do it?"
"Hey May, it's good to see you back," her mom said, after she calmed down her thoughts, and hugged her daughter. "I take it you visited Professor Birch and got your first Pokémon."
"Yeah mom, I did," May said. "But I'll show it to you later, I want you to meet Ash and Serena first. I met them at Professor Birch's place."
"Hallo, Ash, Serena, it's nice to meet you, I'm May and Max's mom, Caroline," Caroline said, as she shook Serena's hand, and then Ash's, who instantly noticed the way Caroline looked at him, and thought.
"Do not tell me she is attracted to me just like the girls my age!" Were Ash's thoughts. "Though I will admit she is hot. I wonder if May will end up as good looking as her mother."
"Hello Caroline, it's a pleasure to meet you," Ash said, and kissed Caroline's hand, just to see how she will react, and to confirm his suspicions.
"Oh, my, aren't you a gentleman," Caroline said, while she looked like she was barely able to control herself and her blush, as her kids and husband are there.
May, Max and Norman didn't notice anything, and if they did, they didn't pay it much attention, since Ash is just a kid, and Caroline is old enough to be his mother. Serena on the other hand, did notice the way Caroline was looking at Ash, and sighed.
"Now even woman who are old enough to be his mother are falling for Ash." Serena thought.
"It's a pleasure to meet you Ash," Serena heard Norman say, and saw him shake hands with Ash. "But tell me, you wouldn't happen to be Ash Ketchum, the winner if the Indigo League, Orange League and Silver Conference, would you?"
"Yes, that would be me." Ash confirmed.
"So, why are you here?" Norman asked. "I thought you would probably be preparing to challenge Johto Elite Four after your win in the Silver Conference six months ago."
"Yeah, I decided to sort of postpone those matches, indefinitely," Ash said, getting raised eyebrows from Norman, Caroline and Max. "Serena and I decided to enter Hoenn League, so we are here to challenge you in a gym battle."
"Is that so," Norman asked, and Ash and Serena just nodded. "Well then, we can have the battles right now if you want to."
"That's fine with us." Ash said, and Serena agreed.
And so, May's family led Ash and Serena back in the gym for the battle.
Norman called the referee, who came few minutes later, and in the meantime, Ash and Serena decided that Ash will go first and Serena will go after him.
Serena, May, Max and Caroline stood on the side a little away from the field, while Ash and Norman stood on their positions of a gym leader and gym challenger.
"This is an official gym battle between the challenger, Ash Ketchum and the gym leader, Norman," the referee said. "This will be a three-on-three battle with only the challenger being able to substitute Pokémon in the middle of the round. Trainers, chose your first Pokémon!"
"Slakoth, I chose you!" Norman said, and released his first Pokémon. Out of the Poke Ball came a lazy looking Pokémon who looked like was barely keeping himself awake.
"Torchic, you are up first!" Ash said, and released his Torchic, and it surprised Norman, Caroline and Max, since they didn't think that Ash already caught one of the Hoenn starter Pokémon.
"Where did you catch Torchic?" Norman asked.
"I got it from Professor Birch," Ash said. "It is one of the two Pokémon that were left after May and three other starter trainers picked their Pokémon, so Birch gave me Torchic and Serena got another one."
"Well, you sure are lucky." Norman said, and then the referee started the match.
"BEGIN!"
"Slakoth, use Shadow Ball!" Norman started the battle.
"Dodge, and then use, Peck!" Ash said.
Slakoth formed a black ball in between its hands, and then threw it at Torchic, who jumped above it, and then fell toward Slakoth, and once he was close enough, pecked it with his beak several times, causing Slakoth some pain and bruises, but nothing much.
Slakoth managed to jump backwards and away from Torchic, and then Norman went with the next move. "Use Blizzard!"
Slakoth opened its mouth and the inside of it glowed white. Slakoth then fired a blizzard from its mouth at Torchic.
"Counter it with, Ember!" Ash said, and his Pokémon opened his mouth, and fired a small round balls of fire toward Blizzard, making the two attacks clash.
Slakoth's Blizzard was stronger, but Torchic's Ember had the type advantage, so both attack canceled each other out few moments later, leaving both Pokémon staring at each other.
"Torchic, use Quick Attack." Ash said, and Torchic charged at Slakoth, leaving behind himself white trail, and then tackled Slakoth, who was thrown behind, and fell on the ground.
"Now use, Scratch," Ash said again.
"Counter it with your own Scratch, Slakoth." Norman said.
Both Pokémon jumped at one another, and while Torchic went in to scratch his opponent with his feet, Slakoth went in with his claws, and scratched Torchic.
Because of its longer body and reach, Slakoth was able to deal more damage to Torchic, and Torchic fell in front of Ash, while screeching from the pain. He had several scratch marks on his body.
"Are you ok, Torchic," Ash asked his Pokémon who was in pain, and also noticed he is breathing a little hard, meaning, Torchic is getting tired. Ash wasn't surprised though, Torchic is still a young Pokémon, and without much experience, so Ash couldn't really expect much. "Can you continue?"
Torchic got up and stood ready to continue, though, he did have some bruises and was tired, so Norman was going to try and use that.
"Use Ember," Ash called, and Torchic fired fiery balls at Slakoth, who countered it with Shadow Ball.
Both attacks canceled each other, and then immediately, Norman used a chance, and told his Pokémon to use Blizzard.
Slakoth fired his attack, and Torchic couldn't escape or counter it, so he was hit, and frozen almost in an instant.
The referee waited for a few moments to see if Torchic will break himself out of the ice, but once he didn't, the referee called the round.
"Torchic is unable to continue, the winner of the first round, is Slakoth!"
Max cheered to his dad, while May, Caroline and Serena clapped their hands, as they liked the battle.
Ash returned his Pokémon, thanking him for a nice battle, and then stopped to consider which Pokémon to bring out.
Ash knew that Duskull wouldn't be able to do much, and while he could use a battle as a training, he would rather start him in some lower level battles. Ash only used Torchic now, because he didn't want to bring out Aggron or Tyranitar right from the start, but now he will have to.
"Which Pokémon do you think will Ash use now, Serena?" May asked, casting a look at Serena.
"Hm, no matter which Pokémon he uses, he will not be able to defeat dad," Max said with pride.
Serena smirked. "Well, I can't be sure, but I think Ash will bring out the big guns, now."
Caroline and Max were confused, while May paled, as she remembered that Ash has Tyranitar and Aggron with him.
Ash took one of his Poke Balls, and released his second Pokémon. "Come out, Aggron!"
Aggron came out from the Poke Ball, with a roar, which shock the field. He looked completely pumped up for battle, while also scaring the others present in the gym.
"Where did you get, Aggron," Norman asked, as he wasn't expecting Ash to have one, considering Ash just came in Hoenn few days ago?
"Oh, I had him for a while," Ash shrugged. "He is one of the two Pokémon I brought with me when I came to Hoenn, so I thought to use him in this battle."
"Well, damn, I wasn't expecting that," Norman commented, and then referee started the round two.
"BEGIN!"
"Slakoth, use Blizzard." Norman went with his first move, trying to see if it will work, or should he just pull Slakoth back, and go with another Pokémon.
Unfortunately for him, Norman won't get a chance to pull his Pokémon back, because as soon as Slakoth released a Blizzard from his mouth, Ash told his Aggron to use Hyper Beam, which completely obliterated Slakoth's move, hit Slakoth, and sent him flying out of the field, until he flew pass Norman, and collided with the gym wall, making the wall break a little from the force.
"Slakoth is unable to continue, the winner of round two is Aggron," the referee said, after few moments of complete silence in the gym, during which everyone's jaws have dropped on the floor. Well, except Serena as she was expecting this.
"Damn, that was quick," Norman commented after her returned his defeated Pokémon and took another Poke Ball. "That's one powerful Aggron."
Ash shrugged. "He is good, but not counting Torchic and Duskull I just caught in the last few days, Aggron is one of the two weakest Pokémon I have. That's why I brought both of them with me when I came to Hoenn."
Norman stared at Ash for a few moments, and then sighed and said. "If that's your weakest Pokémon, I don't even want to see you're strongest."
He then released his second Pokémon, Vigoroth. Ash stayed with his Aggron.
"BEGIN!"
"Vigoroth, use Slash." Norman started round three.
Vigoroth's claws glowed white, and he slashed at Aggron, who used Iron Defense to prevent damage, just as Ash told him.
"Now, use Metal Claw," Ash called his first attack, and Aggron's claws glowed white, and hardened, and he slashed at Vigoroth, who was able to dodge.
"Vigoroth, use, Flamethrower," Norman said.
"Counter it with, Flash Cannon." Ash said.
Both Pokémon fired their attacks at the same time, Vigoroth his powerful looking orange and red Flamethrower, and Aggron what appeared to be even more powerful silver beam of energy.
Once the two attacks clashed, they were about equal for a few moments, and then Flash Cannon started to push Flamethrower back toward Vigoroth, who was losing his steam.
Fortunately for Vigoroth, both attacks exploded before Flash Cannon got to him, so he was only blasted backwards by the explosion, and got some damage, but nothing to serious.
"Come on, Vigoroth, get up and use, Fire Punch," Norman said to his Pokémon, who slowly got up, and then its right fist got covered in flames, and Vigoroth jumped at Aggron, hitting him right across the face, making the bigger Pokémon slide back a little.
"It's going to take more than Fire Punch to take out Aggron," Ash said, and his Pokémon looked at Vigoroth with narrowed eyes. "Isn't that right, Aggron?"
Aggron nodded, while still looking at Vigoroth, and then Ash told him to use Iron Tail, so Aggron did, as his tail glowed white, hardened and then he swung it at Vigoroth, who managed to jump away from it, and Aggron only hit the empty air.
"Try another Flamethrower, Vigoroth," Norman said, and his Pokémon followed the order, firing another Fire attack.
"Use Iron Tail to break it, and then use Hyper Beam." Ash said.
Aggron's tail glowed and hardened again, and he swung it at the Flamethrower, making the fire type attack just break into small particles all over the field. Then, Aggron fired an orange and yellow beam of energy at Vigoroth, who didn't dodge this time, and was hit head on.
There was a big explosion when Hyper Beam hit Vigoroth, which lifted a little dust around Vigoroth, and covered him from the eyes of the viewers for a few moments.
Once the dust cleared, Vigoroth was seen lying on the ground, unconscious.
"Vigoroth is unable to continue, the winner of round three is Aggron," the referee said!
Serena clapped her hands and cheered for Ash, while Norman's family was either neutral, that one being Caroline, sad, that was May, and angry, which is Max, as he couldn't understand how his father could lose two of his Pokémon to one of Ash's.
Norman returned his Pokémon, and released his final one, which is Slaking, Vigoroth's evolved form.
Ash smiled at this. "So you are using Slakoth's evolution line in gym battles."
"Yeah, they are interesting Pokémon, and all three of them are pure Normal type," Norman said. "You don't see that a lot in evolutionary lines of other Pokémon."
"I can agree with that," Ash said, and looked at Slaking, and then his Aggron, and then decided to use another Pokémon, as Aggron already had two battles, and he always uses as much Pokémon as possible so they can all battle.
"You did great job, Aggron," Ash said to his Pokémon, while holding his Poke Ball in front of himself. "You can take a rest for now. Let's see how your old buddy will handle himself."
Aggron returned to his Poke Ball, and then Ash released his third Pokémon, which was Tyranitar, earning him wide-eyed looks from everyone but Serena.
"Aggron and Tyranitar are the two weakest Pokémon you have besides Torchic?" Norman asked in disbelief.
"Yeah," Ash confirmed. "There was a problem with them, so even thought I had them for a while, I never trained them or battled with them until few days ago. This is actually the first time I used them in a battle, not counting when I used Aggron to catch Duskull."
"Damn," was all Norman could say, before the referee started the round three.
"BEGIN!"
"Slaking, use Work Up, and then Hammer Arm," Norman started the battle.
"Tyranitar, start with Sandstorm, and then use Brutal Swing." Ash said.
As soon as they heard their commands, both Pokémon went in action, with Slaking first glowing with light red aura, and at the same time, Tyranitar created a Sandstorm, which covered the entire field, blocking part of the view for both Pokémon, and also slowing them down a little. Of course, this works better for Tyranitar then for Slaking since Slaking is faster, this way, they are on equal ground.
Slaking's right arm then glowed white, and then he run at Tyranitar as fast as he could, while Tyranitar glowed red, and as soon as Slaking was close to him and ready to punch him, Tyranitar grabbed Slaking with both of his hands, and then lifted him from the ground and above his head, before he swirled him in the air and then slammed him into the ground right on Slaking's back, causing a small tremor to spread around the field, and creating a crater in the process.
"Damn, that was really brutal," May commented as she saw Ash's Tyranitar slam her father's Slaking into the ground with such ease.
"It sure was," her mother commented, while trying to hide small blush, and thinking in her head. "Well, on top of being a great looking man, he is also a great trainer. I wonder if I can have some fun with him in the near future."
In the meantime, Slaking managed to pull himself out of the crater, and managed to land a Focus Punch on Tyranitar, causing Ash Pokémon quite a bit of damage.
"Tyranitar, use Rock Tomb." Ash said.
Tyranitar creates a red orb of energy in between his hands and throws it into the air. The orb of energy then expands and solidifies into multiple large boulders that started to fall down on Slaking, several of them hitting him, and causing him more damage.
"Tyranitar, hit it with Hyper Beam before it can recover," Ash said, trying to get as much from the situation, if not outright win.
"Slaking, try and use Focus Blast to defend." Norman tried to save his Pokémon.
Tyranitar fired a yellow and orange beam of energy at Slaking, who managed to get out from under the rocks, and then created a light blue ball of energy in between its arms, which he then threw at the incoming Hyper Beam.
Both attacks collided in the middle of the field, and pushed at each other for a few seconds, until Hyper Beam pushed the orb back at Slaking and both attacks hit Slaking head on, causing a big explosion.
Once the dust cleared, Slaking was seen lying in another crater on the field, and from the looks of it, it has passed out, which means Tyranitar is the winner.
"Slaking is unable to continue, the winner is Tyranitar!" The referee announced.
"Good job, Tyranitar," Ash said to his Pokémon, and the returned him to his Poke Ball. "Now take a good rest."
"That was a good battle, Ash," Norman said, after he approached to Ash, along with the others. "I'm happy to present you with the Balance Badge as the proof of your win in Petalburg Gym."
"Thanks', Norman," Ash said, as he took the badge, and placed it in the badge case he had with him for his Hoenn Badge's.
Ash was then congratulated by the others as well, though Max threw a fit since his father lost, and he didn't want him to lose, but in the end he calmed down.
"Now, I would like to take my Pokémon to be healed in the Pokémon Center, so can we have our match later today, or even tomorrow, if it's ok with you, Serena?" Norman asked.
"Tomorrow is fine with me." Serena replied, and Norman nodded.
"Why don't you two take Ash and Serena on the walk around the City to pass time?" Norman asked his children.
"Sure, why not." May said, and Max agreed, since it gave him time to be around Ash, and he had some questions for him about Pokémon training.
XXX
The remaining of the day, Ash, Serena, May and Max spent going around Petalburg City on a sightseeing.
The time was used for Ash and Serena to get to know May even better, as she was acting much different then they knew since her brother was around, and he was annoying her and her Torchic, so they met that side of her as well.
Ash also spent a lot of time talking to Max, and telling him about his journey since Max was very interested. Ash even gave him some pointers, and told him how he trains his Pokémon.
Once it was close to the ending of the day, May and Max went to their home, since May is going to stay there, while Ash and Serena went to the Pokémon center, to spend the night, and in the morning after breakfast, they will go to the gym again, for Serena's battle.
XXX
Early the next day, Serena and Ash went back to the Petalburg Gym so Serena can have her first gym battle in Hoenn, against Norman.
There they met with May, Max and Caroline, who watched the match along with Ash.
Serena started the match with her newly caught Ralts, and was able to pull a tie with Norman's Slakoth in the first round.
In the second round, Serena used Hitmonchan against Vigoroth, and this time, Serena won, but even though he won, Serena pulled back Hitmonchan for the round three, and sent her Delphox to fight against Norman's Slaking.
It was a good choice in the end, since Delphox won relatively easy, while Serena was sure her Hitmonchan would have lost against Slaking if she stayed with him.
With two rounds won and one tied, Serena won the match and her first badge in Hoenn Region.
XXX
After the battle, Ash and Serena were in front of the gym along with May and her family.
"So, where are you going from here?" Caroline asked Ash and May.
"Well, the next gym is in Rustboro City, so that's where we will go." Ash replied with a smile, which made Caroline blush and felt a little week on her knees.
"Hey mom, dad, can I go with Ash and Serena on their journey?" Max asked, and got surprised looks from everyone.
"Why would you go with them," Norman asked? "If May asked, I could understand, but you are still young to travel and be trainer."
"Yeah, but this is Ash Ketchum we are talking about," Max said. "There aren't that many trainers in the world who are better than him, and even though I can't have and train Pokémon, I can still learn a lot from him. Besides, won't May come with them as well. That way we can all travel together."
"Ha, what makes you think I was going to travel with them?" May asked her brother, surprised by his words.
"Why wouldn't you," Max asked in disbelief? "With the two of them you can learn a lot more than if you go by yourself." Max then gave her a sly smirk, approached closer to May, and whispered to her, so that no one else well hear. "Besides, I've seen the glance you've been casting at Ash. I know you are interested in him."
May blushed at this, but didn't say anything as she didn't want to embers herself in front of her parents, Ash and Serena. Though she did promise herself she will get back at Max for this teasing.
"Actually, that might not be a bad idea," Caroline said, and everyone looked at her. "Max is right, if he and May travel with Ash and Serena they will learn a lot, and it might help them in the future."
While everyone was considering Caroline's words, she was thinking how, if May and Max go and travel with Ash, she will have a chance to see Ash again in the future.
In the end, Norman agreed to this, and gifted Max a PokéNav so that he and the others can always know where they are and where to go.
With that out of the way, and after Max packed everything he plans to bring on the journey in a small backpack, the kids said goodbye to Norman and Caroline, and were on their way to Rustboro City.
XXX
I want to say one thing.
I have decided to write only one battle for each gym. What I mean is that in this gym, I wrote Ash's battle, but I did not write Serena's, I only mention what happened. In the next gym, I will write Serena's battle, but not Ash's. I will do that for all the gyms in Hoenn because as I said before, I really hate writing battles and this way, I make it easier for myself.