Ash's Pokémon Journey

No place like home at the Petalburg gym

After getting registered by Professor Birch, Ash was on his way to get the gym badges of Hoenn in order to compete in the Hoenn Pokémon league. The boy wasn't alone of course as he not only had Pikachu and Brock, but a girl named May who just got her starter. Ash: "So is there a gym nearby?" Brock: "Well according to the map, there should be a place called Petalburg city not too far from here." May: "Uh... I don't know if you should batter the gym leader there... he's really tough to beat." Ash: "How do you know?" May: "Um... well... Petalburg city is where I came from... so it's only natural I know the gym leader..." said May,, while trying to keep her distance from the others as she approaches Petalburg city. Pikachu: [Why do I get the feeling that I seen this before... like back with Misty with the Cerulean city?] Ash: "Are you saying that May's a gym leader in training?" Pikachu: [No, but she might be from the gym like how Misty came from the Cerulean gym.] Ash: "Maybe..." soon, Ash and Brock made it to the Petalburg gym, and see that no one was around. Suddenly, a 7 year old boy named Max (voiced by Amy Birnbaum) came to the scene. Max: "Hey I know you!" Ash: "You do?" Max: "Yeah, you're the kid who got beaten by the trainer named Harrison in the Johto league not too long ago." Ash: "Uh... yeah... though I wished you didn't remembered me for that..." Brock: "How do you know what happened in the Johto league?" Max: "I watched it on TV, I mean it's not like people can only see the league battles at the stadium itself, and if you asked me, that kid with the Pikachu are pretty lame if they can't handle a trainer from this region." Ash: "Watch it kid!, that Blaziken was really strong, and just to let you know, I came to challenge the gym leader." Max: "Well that happens to be me of course." Brock: "Come on, you expect us to believe that someone who's not even old enough to be a trainer can be the gym leader." Max: "Well... okay I might not be the gym leader, but I am the son of the gym leader." that was when May came to the scene. May: "Max, you better not be bragging how smart you are again." Max: "Huh?, oh hi sis." Ash: "Your sister?!" Pikachu: [Ha!, knew it!, you owe me a bottle of ketchup.] Ash: "Ah nuts..." Brock: "So the Petalburg gym is where you're from?" May: "Uh... yeah... sorry for not telling ya... but I didn't want you to think I was some big shot due to my dad... even though I just started." Ash: "Well you're not the first friend I made that has a connection with a gym, in fact Brock here used to be a gym leader of Pewter city." May: "Really?" Max: "For real?" Brock: "Yeah, and we had another friend is a gym leader too, Misty of Cerulean city." that was when a man and woman, who were Norman the gym leader (voiced by Dan Green) and Caroline (voiced by Megan Hollingshead), who happened to May and Max's parents, came to the scene. Norman: "Hello, you must be the boy named Ash that May told me about." Ash: "Uh yeah, that's me." Caroline: "We thank you for helping her get home." Ash: "It was nothing really." Brock: "I'm Brock, it's nice to meet you." Norman: "Pleased to meet you as well, so are you here to challenge me?" Brock: "Well Ash is, my goal is to be a Pokémon breeder or doctor." Caroline: "That's a nice goal." May: "You mean being a trainer isn't the only role for someone with Pokémon?" Brock: "No, there are some more, like a Pokémon professor, a breeder like myself, and there's a role for being a gym leader like your dad for example." Norman: "That right, and the rules here are a three on three battle and you have to have 4 badges first too." Ash: "It is?!... oh no..." May: "What's wrong?" Ash: "I didn't bring any of my other Pokémon with me besides Pikachu, and I haven't gotten any badges from Hoenn yet either..." Max: "Seriously?, you only brought one Pokémon?, and you didn't think that there is a rule that you need a certain number of badges to challenge a gym leader?, no wonder you lost in the second round in the Johto league." Ash: "It was the top 8!" Pikachu: [You want me to give him the shock of his life?] Ash: "As much as I want that to happen, no, we don't want to look like jerks..." Pikachu: [Well he's getting on my nerves.] Ash: "Mine too..." Norman: "Hey uh... it might be my imagination... but it seems like you know exactly what your Pikachu is saying." May: "Well of course, Ash can talk to Pokémon." Ash and Brock: "May!, that's supposed to be a secret!" shouted Ash and Brock, before May covered her mouth in shock as she realized her mistake. Max: "Oh please, there's no way a human can understand Pokémon speech, let alone this guy with a weak Pikachu." suddenly, an explosion burst through the wall, much to everyone shock, before the Team Rocket trio came to the scene. Jessie: "Gotcha now twerp." James: "And Pikachu too!" Meowth: "That's right!" Max: "What the?!, did that Meowth just talk?!" Meowth: "Oh I can do more than just talk, watch this!" said Meowth, before he pulls out what looked like a little ball that made Ash and Brock gasp. Ash: "Get back!" Brock: "That ball's full of sleeping gas!" Meowth: "Too late twerps!" said Meowth, before throws the ball and sleeping gas came out of it, causing everyone, aside the Team Rocket trio, to fall asleep. By the time they all woke up, our heroes see that they were inside a cage, and their Pokéballs were in a bag, while Pikachu was in another cage. Jessie: "That sleeping gas trick is old, but never fails." James: "Indeed." Meowth: "Now all we have to do is get these Pokémon to the boss." said Meowth, before he tripped on a rock, and one of the Pokéballs opened up and out came Torchic, who was surprised to see his trainer in a cage. Torchic: [Hey... what's going on?] Ash: "Torchic, you gotta get us out of this cage, or Team Rocket's gonna get away with Pikachu!" May: "Torchic help!" seeing that his trainer was in trouble, Torchic took a battle stance at the Team Rocket trio. Jessie: "Well look at this, the little chicken wants to play hero." James: "Let's give it a poisonous greeting." Meowth: "Um... didn't we gave Arbok and Weezing to the boss as an apology gift for not getting any new Pokémon for him not too long ago...?" said Meowth, having a flashback of Jessie and James giving Arbok and Weezing to Giovanni not too long ago. Jessie: "Oh no!, I totally forgot about that!" James: "Not good!" Meowth: "Well let's not worry too much, it's only a Torchic we're dealing with right now... so we should be fine." May: "Don't count on it!, Torchic use Ember!" called out May, before Torchic used his Ember attack, which burns the trio, but not enough to take them out. Meowth tried to use Fury Swipes, but the fire type dodged and managed to take the keys and used them to free Pikachu and the others. It wasn't long before Pikachu unleashed a powerful Thunderbolt that hit not only the Team Rocket trio, who was sent flying from the attack, but Max as well. Ash: "Max!, are you okay?!" Max: "Well... seeing Pikachu's Thunderbolt on TV was one thing... but feeling it in person is another... gotta say that was impressive..." Ash: "Pikachu... did you hit Max too on purpose?" Pikachu: [Um... maybe... but hey, he asked for it when he called me weak earlier.] said Pikachu with a cheeky smile. Norman: "May, you and Torchic were great back there." May: "Thanks dad, but Pikachu was the one who got rid of those jerks." Norman: "Maybe, but your Torchic was the one who freed us." May: "Yeah... I guess you're right..." Caroline: "Speaking of those jerks, who were they?" Ash: "They're called Team Rocket, bad guys who steal Pokémon from other trainers, they've been after my Pikachu ever since I got started as a trainer." Max: "Wow... that's pathetic." Norman: "Sounds a little like Team Aqua and Team Magma..." Ash: "Who?" Norman: "Two evil organizations that cause trouble in Hoenn, they're after two legendary Pokémon that created the land and sea of this region long ago." Brock: "So Team Rocket's not the only group of bad guys around..." Ash: "I guess we better be on our guard..." some time later, Ash was getting ready to leave when Norman gave him a badge case to keep the badges he'll collect in Hoenn safe, and May decided to join Ash and Brock again so they can help the girl train her Pokémon, and Max decided to join too as he knows a lot of the Pokémon in Hoenn. May: "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring Max with us?" Ash: "Well your dad asked me to let him and it didn't seem like a problem." Max: "Well I also have a PokéNav, which is a gadget that helps us to navigate through Hoenn, and a gift from dad." Brock: "That sounds handy." Ash: "Well then, let's head off to the gym of Rustboro city." and so Ash has learned that May is the daughter of one of the gym leaders of Hoenn, and her little brother Max has joined the team, who knows what could be next for our heroes as the journey continues.