Latias: here we go with chapter four!

Dark Latias: after several long months…we're getting slower…

Florence: …and more interested in other things…and was blocked at the only internet access we had…before school let out…

Crystal: aren't you supposed to being doing you homework at this time?

Latias: …………in a few minutes…anyways, let's get to it!

----Latias: oops…that was…some months ago…I really need to work on my concentration….

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Back To Petalburg!: Setting Things Straight!

May started dashing as quickly as she could to Petalburg as soon as it came into her sights.

"May! Can't you slow down a bit?!" Ash shouted at her as he tried to keep up.

Soon, after a bit of running, they arrived in Petalburg's park. May decided that she was a little hungry and that she would give her new friend a rest. She got an apple out of her bag and shot Ash a slight glare as he arrived.

"I find it hard to believe you've been traveling as a trainer for even a year, let alone three! You're so slow."

"Well, sorry if I can't live up to your expectations!" Ash shouted back angrily.

"No need to get so uptight," May replied indifferently, finishing off her apple.

The pause in their conversation was enough for Ash's mind to wander off to the Petalburg Gym.

"Oh, yeah, there's a Pokémon Gym here. You ready, Pikachu, for our first Gym battle in Hoenn? We're gonna win it!"

Ash and Pikachu cheered, both of them excited about the up coming Gym match. May just rolled her eyes and stared at her apple core.

'Boy, is he going to be surprised,' she thought while balancing the apple core on the tip of her index finger, 'A person needs three Pokémon to battle a Gym Leader and…--' May looked up and noticed Ash had slipped away while she was thinking. This annoyed May a bit, but she remembered where Ash was headed and she smirked.

"Meh, that Ash has one heck of a surprise coming for him,"

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---With Ash and (Pika)chu---

After looking around the city a while, Ash and Pikachu finally find the Petalburg Gym.

"Are you ready Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Pika!" Pikachu smiled.

With that, they entered the Gym. To their surprise, however, no one was there.

"Hey! Is anybody here?!" Ash shouted.

He called out a few more times and finally someone comes. It was a young boy who appeared to be about eight years old. He had brown eyes and dark blue hair that was almost black, he was wearing a green white collared shirt and black shorts. Both he and Ash seem surprised.

"Hey!" the boy exclaims, "I saw you on TV! At the Silver Convention!"

Embarrassed, Ash and Pikachu scratch their heads and as Ash begins to introduce himself the boy interrupts.

"You're that guy who lost in the Second Round!"

Ash gets angry at this and shouts, "My name is Ash and it was the Second Round of the Finals!"

"Oops, I'm sorry; I got you confused with that Alf guy who lost near the beginning. But either way, you still lost," the boy states smugly.

Raising his fists Ash shouts, "It takes a lot of skill to get to the Final-"

"Hey! It's your Pikachu! I saw you in a photo hugging it. It's the first time I've seen a Pikachu up close! I'm Max, by the way," the boy, Max, seemed really excited. So much so that he starts talking about the last battle between Charizard and Blaziken and offers Ash a few strategies that could have let him win.

'A kid knows more battle strategies than me…it's kinda embarrassing…'

"Anyways," the boy interrupted his thoughts, "After seeing you in the Silver Convention, I'm surprised to see you at this Gym."

"I came to the Hoenn region to collect the eight badges needed to participate in the Hoenn League. So where's the Gym Leader?"

Max proudfully pointed at himself, "I'm the Gym Leader!"

Ash looked doubtful, "A k—hey!"

Ash, Pikachu, and Max yelled in surprise as they found themselves lifted into the air.

'You have higher morals than that, you know…little liar…' An annoyed voice came into their minds, though the last words had a bit of affection in them.

"Huh?" Ash looked around and saw an Umbreon.

"Shadow, you'll never cease to amaze me," Max told the Umbreon, "Lifting us all in the air with Psychic and hiding yourself at the same time!"

"Hiding?"

"Huh?" "Pika?" Ash and Pikachu looked confused.

Shadow just scoffed, perking up his ears and running to one of the other doors as it opened. The door revealed May and two adults Ash didn't know.

"Shadow!" May exclaimed happily as the Umbreon jumped into her arms, "I missed you so much!" she then glanced at the three who still hanging in mid-air, "Max, were you pretending to be the gym leader again?"

Max's shoulders slumped, "I'm sorry, sis…"

"Sis?! He isn't the gym leader?" Ash asked, looking confused and upset.

"Nope, our father is," May supplied

"Hello, it's nice to meet a friend of May's," Norman greeted.

"Eh?! Ouch!" Ash exclaimed as he processed the information and Shadow dropped him.

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Ash looked around from his seat in the kitchen, wondering what he should say or do. While May seemed intent on keeping her parents busy while everyone ate.

"So, Dad, Ash wants to challenge your Gym. But he can't have an official battle because he only has Pika with him."

Max looked surprised, "But someone who made it to the second round of the finals in the Silver Convention should have at least six Pokémon, right?"

"Ash wanted to start from the beginning with just Pika," May replied quickly.

Max observed May's rushed actions and pushed up his glasses with a smirk, "You seem to be hurrying quite a bit, Sis. So, do you mind telling us what happened to your bike?"

"AH!" startled by Max's inquiry, May dropped the cup she had been holding.

"W-well, you see, um…" May started to reply, poking her index fingers together, "I went to Littleroot Town, like I was supposed to…"

Ash and Pikachu bowed their heads, "We're sorry. We were attacked by some thieves called Team Rocket and some stray volts of electricity from Pikachu's Thunderbolt hit May's bike."

"It's all right," May's mother, Caroline, smiled, "As long as it was unintentional. May hardly used it anyways…" She trialed off, thinking, 'She only used it for rather dangerous stunts when we didn't have May do an errand…'

"Anyways," Norman interjected, "May, what kind f Pokémon did you get from Professor Birch?"

"Here, I'll show you," May said with a smile, "It's time to come out, Chaka!"

"Torchic!" Chaka came out with a happy chirp.

"What, you got a Torchic?" Max whined, "Why didn't you get a Treeko? They're cooler!"

Hearing that, Chaka got angry and started pecking him.

"AHHH! Help, stop it!" Max yelled.

May looked at him blankly, "Don't you know by now if you get a Pokémon angry that you should apologize?"

"This Torchic has such a bad temper…" Max muttered under his breath, "Just like May…OUCH!"

Chaka continued her onslaught of pecks.

Norman and Caroline just smiled at the scene.

'That little one needs to learn not to complain about such choices,' Shadow scoffed.

Ash and Pikachu looked as Shadow curiously.

"What did Max mean earlier when he said that you were 'hiding', Shadow?"

'That's not something so easily revealed to those May and I don't know very well or trust…Even then, we usually don't reveal that secret,' Shadow looked at them sternly, 'Don't ask about it anymore, we may or may not let you know when the time comes...'

"Okay…"

"Don't mind Shadow," Max said, having finally gotten away from Chaka's wrath, "He's always like that, especially to strangers."

May looked as though she was going to say something, but was interrupted by Norman.

"Ash, since you only have your Pikachu with you, we can't have an official Gym battle for a badge. But we could still have a match after lunch if you'd like."

"Sure, I'd be happy to," Ash replied, laughing nervously as he felt some strange tension between the family for a moment.

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(1)

Later, with everyone standing outside of the gym.

"Here," Norman said as he handed Ash and May a pair of badge cases with pokéball symbols on them, "Put your badges in these as you collect them."

"Thank you," They both responded, though May thought:

'You're not going to see this thing ever again, nor are you going to see any badges from this trainer!'

"Well, bye!" May said, quickly turning to leave.

"Wait just a moment, May," her mother said as she grabbed May's shoulder, "Your father, Ash, Max and I had a discussion earlier while you were in your room, and we all agreed that the three of you should travel together. It will help you become more social with people. Be sure to take care of you're brother and yourself. And also," Caroline pulled a black, red, and yellow pokéball (Luxury Ball) out of her pocket, "if you're going to take Shadow with you, at least take his pokéball."

"We've been found out…" May muttered under her breath and Shadow (who had used his psychic powers to make himself invisible) reappeared looking unsurprised and impressed.

May sighed, taking the pokéball from her mother, and grudgingly called Shadow into his pokéball.

'It's only until we get out of town…' May reassured herself, she didn't like putting Shadow in his pokéball.

"Okay, Boys One and Two," May raised her voice a bit as she turned around, "The Gym the next closest you are wanting is in Rustboro City! You snooze, you lose!" she exclaimed and started running before anyone could stop her.

"Wait! We're supposed to stay together!" Ash shouted and he attempted to follow her.

"Don't worry about going at May's speed," Max told him as he started walking, "She'll be waiting for us near the edge of the city. When we go to sleep or when we go someplace with people, she'll stick right with us."

"If you say so…" Ash was already feeling a little stressed from traveling with May.

~`To Be Continued`~

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(1) The battle and the skirmish with TR are being skipped. 1. I don't like writing battles [though I've never really tried, as of yet] 2. I REALLY don't like the overflow of TR in Pokémon 3. It's been taking me long enough as it is to get this far…If I ever feel like it and enough people want it, I will add them in.[more than likely no one will]

Latias: I'm sorry for taking so long…most other chapters after this won't be so closely written to the episodes, so that should help (also, skipping several, so Drew will be coming in the next chapter or so, I've had that idea in my head for soooo long now about their meeting)……I hope…I haven't been as focused as I should with anything lately…hopefully, my writing didn't go too far into the gutter…and I can focuse more...I'm sorry if it seems rushed and wierd at places...

This was based on a summary I found of the Japanese version, so some terms might not match up with the dub…I recently watched the dub after writing some parts…I'm not going to rewrite that little bit of bad attitude that won't be seen again…

Also, for the most part, I'm taking out the whole "gotta grab the pokédex every time we see a new Pokémon" thing, it's really annoying after a while…

gomen nasai (or something...)

3/23/08 – 10/26/08

Edits: 11/2/08