A few days later, the group got to Petalburg right on schedule, and just in time for May and Max's parents' anniversary.
Ash already knew the drill at this point. This town really loved Norman, so much that it bordered on an unhealthy obsession. And that also meant they had an obsession with May and Max, too.
Good thing Ash was used to hiding his identity to avoid unwanted attention.
He reached into his bag, pulled out a few face masks and two of his spare jackets, and tossed them to Max and May.
Max caught his easily, practically starry-eyed at the idea of wearing one of Ash's jackets. May barely managed to grab hers, "Huh? What's this for?"
"Disguises." Ash tapped his foot.
"…Disguises?" May repeated.
Ash jerked a thumb toward the town entrance.
They hadn't even stepped in yet, and there was already a small crowd gathered near the gate, people chatting, some holding signs, others looking way too expectant.
"…Oh," May said.
"Yeah, 'oh,'" Ash nodded, "You walk in like that, you're not making it ten steps."
May stared at the crowd, "…That many people?" she muttered.
"Welcome home. You'll get used to it," Ash said flatly.
Max was already halfway into the jacket, practically vibrating with excitement, "This is so cool…"
Ash zipped it up the rest of the way for him, "Head down. Don't talk too much."
"I won't!" Max nodded quickly.
May slipped on the jacket next. It was a bit oversized, again, but at this point she was used to it. She pulled the hood up, then took the mask Ash handed her.
"…I can't believe I have to sneak into my own town."
"You don't have to," Ash shrugged, "You can go out there and sign autographs for the next three hours."
"…I hate you."
"Noted," Ash said, placing Vee and Pikachu with the siblings so they could help at least a little.
He gave May and Max one last look, checking them over, "Alright. Stay between us. Don't make eye contact. Keep moving."
May raised an eyebrow, "You sound like you've done this before."
"Too many times," Ash sighed, "I'm still waiting for Kanto to cool down."
"Yeah, good luck with that," Brock snorted, knowing full well Ash wasn't getting any less popular.
Ash didn't even argue. He just adjusted his cap slightly and started walking.
They moved into town as normally as possible. It was mostly North Petalburg that had the worst crowds, once they got closer to the southern side near the Gym, things should calm down.
May kept her hood low, her mask covering most of her face. Max mirrored her perfectly, though his excitement made him bounce just a little too much.
The crowd was loud.
"Do you think they're coming through today?"
"I heard they might be traveling!"
"Norman's kids have to show up, right?"
May winced slightly under the hood, "…This is insane."
"Keep walking," Ash said quietly.
A few heads turned.
One guy squinted, "…Wait a second—"
Max froze for half a step.
Ash didn't. He just kept walking.
"…Hey! You three!"
That did it. The guy started moving toward them.
May stiffened, "…Ash."
"I see him," Ash replied calmly.
The man got closer, trying to get a better look at May's face under the hood.
Max suddenly got an idea. He jumped up and tugged on her sleeve, "Hey, Haruka!" he said, just grabbing the first name that came to mind.
"Huh?" May and the man said in unison, both equally confused.
Max nodded confidently, then looked at the man, "Uh, sorry, do you mind?" he said, pointing at Ash, "She's on a date."
Silence.
May's brain completely shut down, and Brock choked on air behind them.
"…A what?" the guy asked.
Max doubled down, fully committed now, "A date," he repeated proudly, grabbing Ash's sleeve and yanking him a little closer to May, "With him."
Now the guy looked at Ash.
Really looked.
Ash, for his part, didn't even react. He just gave a small, lazy wave like this was completely normal, "Sup."
"…Wait," the guy frowned, "aren't you—"
Max cut him off again.
"And I'm his little brother," he added, pointing to himself. Even if his face was hidden by the mask, he pointed at the jacket, "See? He gave me his jacket."
"Well… I guess that makes sense…" the man said, though he was clearly about to ask the obvious question about the masks
But before he could, a woman walked up and grabbed his ear.
"There you are! Are you bothering these young people?" she said, shooting him a look.
She turned to the group and bowed, forcing the man to bow too.
"I'm so sorry about him, he gets carried away."
"W-wait, it's just, I thou—" he tried to explain, but she cut him off with another sharp tug.
"Shut up," she muttered, then looked back at the group.
Her eyes flicked between May and Ash, clearly having overheard Max's story. A small grin tugged at her lips.
"Well, enjoy your date. Sorry for disturbing you, we'll get out of your hair."
And with that, she dragged the man away by the ear.
May's face was completely red under the mask.
No one said anything. They just kept walking.
A full minute passed before May finally stopped and turned to Max.
"…Max."
Max immediately looked away, "…Yes?"
"Did you just tell someone I was on a date?"
"It worked," Max said defensively.
Ash snorted.
Brock was still trying not to laugh.
May's eye twitched, "…I'm going to throw you."
"You can't," Max shot back quickly, "You're in disguise."
"…That's not how that works."
Ash shrugged, completely unhelpful.
"I mean, he's not wrong. You'd draw attention."
May slowly turned to him next, "…And you."
"What?" Ash asked innocently.
"You just went along with it!"
"You didn't deny it," Ash shrugged.
"I was in shock!"
"Sounds like a you problem."
Meanwhile, Pikachu and Vee were trying not to burst out laughing at the situation.
May buried her face in her hands, "Why are you all like this…"
Ash shrugged, "You want the honest answer, or the one you wanna hear?"
"…Why do I even try," May sighed, completely defeated.
Then she looked over at Max, "By the way, why did you use Haruka?"
"Oh, I just used the first name that came to mind," Max said honestly.
Brock finally let out the laugh he'd been holding in, "I gotta admit, that was smooth."
May groaned, dragging her hands down her face, "I can't believe this is my life…"
Pikachu peeked over Ash's head, snickering, "Pika pika…"
Vee flicked his tail, clearly just as amused, "Vee…"
Max puffed up a little, "It worked, though. We didn't get caught."
Ash nodded once, "Yeah. Not bad."
May blinked, "…Wait, you're praising him?"
"Yeah, why not? It worked. You can't deny that."
Max looked like he'd just won a championship, puffing out his chest in victory.
May stared at both of them, "…Unbelievable."
They kept walking, the noise of the northern side slowly fading behind them. The streets opened up more, fewer people, fewer eyes scanning every passerby.
May let out a small breath, "Okay… this is better."
"Yeah," Brock said, glancing around, "South side's way calmer."
Max adjusted the jacket again, still clearly enjoying wearing it, "We're almost home, right?"
"Couple more streets," May nodded.
Ash's gaze drifted ahead, and then he stopped.
May noticed immediately, "…What?"
They peeked around the corner.
There were still people.
Legally, they couldn't crowd around the house or the Gym itself, but they could get close. And for a town like this, close was more than enough.
"You've gotta be kidding me," May muttered.
Max leaned to get a better look, "Why are there people here too?"
Brock sighed, "Probably waiting for Norman to come out… or for challengers."
May lowered her hood slightly, thinking, "…If we walk through there…"
"You'll get spotted," Ash finished.
"…Yeah."
There was a pause.
Max looked between the crowd and the direction of their house, "We can't go around, can we?"
"Nope," Ash said, "That's the main route."
May groaned, "Of course it is…"
Ash let out a small sigh, not annoyed, just resigned, "…Alright."
He rolled his shoulders slightly.
May glanced at him, "…What are you doing?"
Ash adjusted his cap, "I'll take one for the team."
"Knew it," Brock smirked, holding out his hand.
Ash slapped a few PokéDollars into it, they'd clearly made that bet earlier.
May blinked, "…Wait Ash—"
Ash was already moving.
He walked off in another direction and stopped near a random passerby. He didn't raise his voice, just spoke casually, like he was asking for directions.
"Hey," he said, "which way's the Gym? I'm here to challenge it."
The effect was instant.
The town went dead silent, like he'd just said something forbidden.
Then Chaos.
"YOU WHAT?!"
"You think you can just walk in here and challenge him?!"
"Norman's on a completely different level!"
"You're not ready for that!"
"You're gonna embarrass yourself!"
People started swarming him, voices overlapping, everyone talking at once.
Ash blinked once, then glanced around at all of them, "…You guys done?" he asked flatly.
That only made them louder.
"IF YOU WANT TO FACE NORMAN—"
"YOU'VE GOTTA PROVE IT!"
"YEAH! BATTLE US FIRST!"
Ash exhaled slowly.
He knew full well they couldn't actually stop him, if they tried, it would count as interfering with League activity. But he needed to stall for his friends to get by…and honestly, he might as well use this to grind.
So he pulled out a Poké Ball, rolling it across his palm as he looked back at the crowd.
"Line up," he said simply.
That threw them off for half a second.
"…Line up?" one guy repeated.
"Yeah," Ash nodded, like it was obvious, "One at a time. Or all at once, I don't really care."
Technically, League rules said battles were one-on-one… but if both sides agreed, two-on-one, three-on-one, even a hundred-on-one, was fair game.
That struck a nerve.
"Oh, you're gonna regret that!"
"Don't get cocky!"
"Let's see how long you last!"
Ash just shrugged, "Cool."
—
May, Max, and Brock watched the whole thing.
Max's eyes were shining, "That's so cool…"
Brock gently pushed Max's jaw back up, "Try not to drool. Let's go before Ash finishes them," he said, pulling the siblings along.
They slipped past while the crowd stayed locked onto Ash, who still looked completely unimpressed.
—
Ash tossed the Poké Ball, "Slakoth, you're up."
The lazy Pokémon appeared, sprawled out like always.
But just before the crowd could start throwing out their own Poké Balls, Ash raised a finger, "Wait a sec."
They paused, confused.
Ash walked over and held out his hand, "Gimme."
Slakoth blinked at him. Then let out a long, dramatic sigh. Slowly, very slowly, he reached up and pulled out the Everstone he'd been holding… and even more slowly placed it into Ash's hand.
Ash nodded once.
Like he'd said before, Slakoth had been ready to evolve for a while. The only reason he hadn't was timing, making sure he skipped through Vigoroth as efficiently as possible.
By Ash's estimate, he was close. Really close. He'd lose some of that stored energy now but that was a trade he was willing to make.
The moment the Everstone left Slakoth's grasp, he started glowing. The light flared, growing brighter as his body shifted, stretched, then snapped upright onto two feet.
The glow faded.
Vigoroth landed, immediately bouncing from foot to foot, Ash didn't even pause. He turned back to the crowd.
"Well?" he said, voice sharp now, "What are you waiting for? You're wasting time, send them out."
The crowd hesitated. Just for a second. And in that second, a realization hit all of them at once 'Oh. This might not be as easy as we thought.'
—
{Meanwhile} May, Brock, and Max got to May and Max's house with no other issues, since every Norman fan within a 5-mile radius was getting their pockets run by Ash. But they still had Vee and Pikachu, since Ash didn't take them back, and frankly, it would be overkill if he used those two.
When they got inside, May and Max were excited, thinking that their parents were probably already home. But inside, there was only Caroline, standing over a stove quietly, and almost angrily, chopping a head of lettuce for no reason. She wasn't making anything; it was more like she was cutting something just to cut something.
Caroline didn't turn around. The knife hit the cutting board again, like she was slamming it down a little too hard.
Thk.
Thk.
Thk.
"…Mom?" May tried carefully.
No response.
Max leaned over slightly, whispering, "…Is she… cooking?"
Brock squinted, "…That's just lettuce."
"…Why is she attacking it like that?" Max whispered back.
May stepped forward a little, "…Mom?"
This time, Caroline stopped. Slowly, she turned her head just enough to glance at them over her shoulder.
"…Oh," she said flatly, "You're home."
That was it.
No hug.
No excitement.
No "I missed you."
Just… that.
May blinked, "Yeah… surprise…?"
Max tilted his head, "…It's your anniversary…"
"…I'm aware," Caroline said, turning back to the cutting board.
"Mom?" May tried again, more concerned now, "Are you… okay?"
"…I'm fine."
She was not fine.
Brock excused himself and walked back out to wait outside, taking Vee and Pikachu with him, since this seemed like a family matter.
Max leaned closer to May, "…She's not fine."
"Yeah, I got that," May muttered.
Caroline suddenly stopped cutting again. The knife stayed pressed into the board.
"Did you have a good trip?" she asked, still not turning around.
"…Yeah," May said slowly, "We wanted to surprise you and Dad—"
"Your father's very busy," Caroline cut in.
There was a slight edge in her voice now.
Max blinked, "…He's not here?"
"No."
May and Max exchanged a look.
"Is… is he busy?" Max asked.
Caroline let out a quiet laugh. It wasn't a happy one, "…Oh, I'm sure he's very busy," she said, her voice calm in a way that was somehow worse.
May's stomach dropped, "…Mom," she said carefully, stepping closer, "what's going on?"
Caroline finally turned around fully. Her smile looked perfect. Too perfect.
"Oh, nothing," she said sweetly, "Just rumors. You know how people talk."
Max frowned, "…What rumors?"
There was a pause.
Caroline's grip tightened slightly on the knife, "…That your father," she said evenly, "has been spending quite a bit of time with Nurse Joy."
Silence.
May blinked once, "…What?"
Max's brain took a second to catch up, "…Wait…like… like?" he said like his brain was short circuiting
Brock, who was outside, couldn't help but eavesdrop through the door.
"I'm sure it's nothing," Caroline continued smoothly, setting the knife down with a click, "After all, your father is a very dedicated man."
"But enough about that," Caroline said, keeping her smile up, "Let's move on. Come sit down."
Suddenly, May and Max wished they had stayed with Ash.
—
{Meanwhile}
It did not take much for Ash to beat all the Norman glazers. He just finished them, then put his Pokémon back. If these people were half as enthusiastic about battling Team Aqua that one time Mr. Stone got kidnapped, then Team Aqua would have been disbanded by now.
But whatever.
Turns out one of them snitched over at the Pokémon Center, saying there was a trainer disturbing the peace. And Norman was conveniently there working on some stuff, so as Gym Leader, he went to check it out.
Only to find Ash finishing off the last of the townspeople. When they saw each other, they both sighed, realizing the situation.
And that's how they got here, both sitting at the Pokémon Center, talking. Ash also knew what was going on, so he asked about things.
Yeah, just like the anime version, Norman was completely dense when it came to these things. The thought of cheating never even crossed his mind, but that wasn't completely as good as you might think it is.
Since it never crossed his mind, he didn't understand how him spending time with Nurse Joy recently, working on "something," could be taken the wrong way, especially since he had apparently only recently gotten back to town after a bunch of Gym Leader duties.
And his plan, instead of going home to spend time with his wife, was to start working on something he says is special.
Ash pinched the bridge of his nose, "…You're kidding."
Norman frowned slightly, "What?"
Ash dragged a hand down his face, "Let me get this straight," he said slowly, "You've been gone for a while. You come back. Instead of going home—"
"I had preparations—"
"—you start spending a bunch of time with Nurse Joy," Ash continued flatly, "and don't explain anything to your wife."
Norman blinked, "…Well, when you say it like that—"
"That's exactly how it is," Ash cut in.
Norman crossed his arms, thinking, "…I fail to see the issue."
Ash just looked at him, "You fail to—" He stopped, took a breath, then pointed at him.
"Okay. Hypothetical," Ash said, "You come home, and Caroline's been spending a lot of time with some guy. Doesn't tell you why. Just disappears for hours."
Norman didn't even hesitate, "I trust my wife."
Ash nodded, "Good answer."
Norman gave a small, satisfied nod—
"Wrong situation," Ash added immediately.
"…What?" Norman blinked.
"Okay, okay," Ash said, taking a breath, "Let's try something else. Look at it from her perspective."
Norman paused, "…I see."
"Do you?" Ash asked.
Norman hesitated, "Not fully…"
Ash exhaled through his nose.
"Okay. Simpler," he said, "Your wife doesn't know what you're doing."
"It's a surprise."
"And from her perspective?" Ash raised an eyebrow, "You vanish, then show up and immediately leave again to go work with another woman."
"…Okay…" Norman nodded slowly.
"You don't get it, do you?" Ash said blankly.
"Not really," Norman answered.
Ash wanted to hit his head against a wall. How was this the strongest Gym Leader in Hoenn, the man who could hold his own against Rayquaza in the manga, the one who was serious for all of the manga?
"I want to hit you, my guy. If you weren't my friend's dad, I think I'd actually hit you," Ash muttered, taking a breath into his hand, "Okay, let's try this one more time before I decide to hit you over the head with a stick."
—
{Meanwhile — Norman Household}
The atmosphere was… tense.
May sat stiffly at the table.
Max sat next to her, unusually quiet.
Across from them, Caroline smiled. Still that same too-perfect smile.
"…So," she said pleasantly, "tell me about your trip."
"It was great," Max said quickly.
May shot him a look, "…We caught some new Pokémon," she added, trying to sound normal.
"That's nice," Caroline nodded, "How is the contest stuff going?"
"R-really good, um…" May muttered. This situation was so awkward.
Caroline folded her hands neatly, "…Did you run into anyone interesting?"
"…Not really," May said.
Max nodded, "Yeah, just normal stuff,"
The front door slammed open.
"CAROLINE!"
The entire room froze.
Norman stood in the doorway, slightly out of breath like he'd run the whole way there. He also seemed to have a visible bump on his head.
May blinked.
Max blinked.
"…Dad?"
Caroline didn't turn around, "You're home early," she said calmly.
Norman stepped inside, closing the door behind him a little too quickly, "I needed to talk to you."
May and Max immediately looked between them.
Max leaned toward May and whispered, "…We should leave."
"Yeah," May whispered back instantly.
They both stood up at the same time.
Caroline didn't stop them, "…You can stay," she said lightly.
"Nope!" Max said way too fast, already backing up, "We're gonna, uh, check outside!"
"Fresh air," May added.
They were out the door in seconds.
Outside, Brock was leaning against the wall, arms crossed, already waiting.
"Well?" he asked.
Max pointed back at the house, "Dad just walked in like a Tauros stampede."
"Well, I did have to make him learn," Ash said from the side, and only now did they realize, oh, Ash was here.
May blinked, looking at Ash standing there casually, "Wait, Ash, did you—"
"Don't worry, I only had to hit him over the head with a stick three times." No, Ash was not joking, but at least he got Norman to understand.
"Wha—?"
Ash shrugged as he walked over to Brock and grabbed Pikachu and Vee, "Yeah, it's a long story. Well, not really, but I'm not dealing with this drama. All you gotta know is your dad isn't a cheater, he's just an idiot. So let them fix it. I give it five minutes."
May raised a finger, stopped, then lowered it, "You know… in any other circumstance, I might be offended you called my dad stupid, but you know what, today you get a pass."
—
Just like Ash said, five minutes later, and after Norman took Caroline to the outskirts of town, where their private guardian was, he clicked a button, and the fireworks were launched.
Yeah, thankfully everything got resolved, and we don't need to go through a divorce arc.
Watching Norman and Caroline together, being so affectionate, and May and Max there with them, happy
Brock and Ash were watching from further back on a bench.
"Huh… they almost remind me of my parents," Brock said, a little helplessly, since his parents were also hopelessly in love with each other, almost too affectionate, based on the last time he saw them.
"Yeah, yeah," Ash waved it off lightly, leaning back against the bench, "No need to flex."
As another firework shot into the air, May's backpack suddenly started glowing softly, getting everyone's attention.
May quickly put her bag down and looked inside to see what was making the light, and saw it was her Egg. When she pulled it out, it glowed brighter, then cracked.
Finally, it hatched, and a little Eevee popped its head out, looking around.
"It hatched!" Max shouted, immediately crouching down next to her, eyes wide.
May stared at it, completely frozen, "…It… it's an Eevee…"
The little Eevee tilted its head, then looked up at her. Its nose twitched once, and it immediately climbed up her arm.
"W-wait!" May flinched, nearly dropping it, but the Eevee had already made itself comfortable, curling against her shoulder.
"Eevee…" she chirped softly, nuzzling into her neck.
May's brain short-circuited, "…Ash," she said slowly, not looking away from it, "why is it already attached to me?"
From the bench, Ash didn't even blink, "Imprinting," he said simply, "What's wrong? Didn't you say all that stuff about how you were more motherly?"
"You have no proof!" May snapped instantly, her face turning red.
But then the Eevee nuzzled into her neck happily, making May nearly melt from how cute it was.
"Well, today certainly has been eventful," Caroline giggled, smiling at the group, "Oh, that reminds me, Ash, thank you for taking care of May and Max."
"Yeah, it means more to me than you realize," Norman added, though again, he had his own reasons for wanting May and Max around Ash.
Ash wasn't going to call it out, he just smiled, "Don't mention it. After all, who's going to keep those two well-fed every day? Even if-" Ash gave a fake little sniffle, "Apparently May no longer likes my cooking."
"Oh my Arceus, can we stop with that? I said I like your cooking, I just wanted to try other restaurants!" May defended herself.
Ash put a hand over his chest like he'd just been betrayed on a spiritual level, "You went to another chef," he said quietly, "Behind my back."
"Mm." Ash nodded slowly, like he'd just confirmed everything, "That's how it starts."
Norman folded his arms, watching the exchange with a thoughtful hum, "…I see."
Caroline tilted her head slightly, eyes sparkling with interest, "So," she said sweetly, "you abandoned his cooking?"
May froze, "Mom—"
"That's quite serious," Norman added gravely, nodding once like this was a Gym battle–level offense, "A trainer must remain loyal to their team."
"I AM LOYAL!" May snapped, gesturing wildly, carefully keeping one hand steady so she didn't disturb the Eevee still happily curled against her neck, "It was ONE lunch!"
Ash shook his head slowly, like he was deeply disappointed, "You said you trusted me."
"I DO TRUST YOU!"
"But not my cooking."
"That's not what I—!" May stopped, visibly short-circuiting again.
Max, of course, was no help whatsoever. He crossed his arms, nodding like a tiny judge, "I don't know, May… sounds pretty suspicious."
"YOU TOO?!" May whipped around to him.
Pikachu and Vee, meanwhile, nodded their heads like any of this made sense.
Caroline brought a hand to her cheek, clearly enjoying this way too much, "Oh dear… I didn't realize things had gotten so complicated while you were traveling."
Norman nodded again, completely serious, "These kinds of fractures in trust can be difficult to repair."
May stared at both of her parents like they had personally betrayed her, "…You're joking."
Neither of them broke, even if, on the inside, they desperately wanted to laugh. But it was their duty as good parents to tease May, so they had to make this sacrifice.
"…You're both joking, right?!"
Ash leaned back slightly, arms crossed, completely calm, "I don't joke about food."
"That's NOT TRUE AND YOU KNOW IT—"
Ash smirked just a little, "Deflecting the topic," he said.
May shot him a look, "I am NOT—!"
Max leaned over again, whispering loudly, "She's deflecting."
"I AM GOING TO THROW YOU—"
"You can't," Max said instantly, "You're holding the baby," he added, pointing at the Eevee.
May stared at him for a solid three seconds… then gave up, sighing as the Eevee nuzzled into her neck again, "…I'm outnumbered."
"Correct," Ash nodded.
Another firework burst overhead, lighting up the sky in gold and red. The whole group went quiet for a moment, watching.
Norman and Caroline finally let themselves laugh. After the kind of day it had been, that laugh was much needed.
Then, after a bit, while everyone watched the fireworks show, Max turned to Ash.
"…So," Max added slowly, "are you actually gonna challenge Dad now?"
Ash leaned back slightly, hands in his pockets, "…Nah."
Everyone blinked,
"…What?" May frowned, "After all that?"
Ash shrugged, "Didn't come here for a badge."
Norman raised an eyebrow, "You're not interested in a Gym Battle?"
"Not today, at least. Maybe tomorrow," Ash shrugged, "Besides…" he glanced over at May, then at the Eevee curled on her shoulder, "…you've already got your hands full."
May blinked, then looked at her Eevee, who let out a tiny "vee!" and wagged its tail, "…Okay, fair," she admitted.
Max crossed his arms, "Still think you should battle him."
Ash smirked slightly, "Maybe later."
Norman chuckled, "I'll hold you to that."
"Sure," Ash said easily as he stood up and stretched, "But today I'll get out of your hair. After all, this seems like a family thing."
May shifted her weight, "…You're not staying?" she asked.
Ash shook his head, "Nah, this seems like a family-only thing. I don't want to impose, I'd hate to be a bother."
Max frowned immediately, "So? I mean, y-you already said I could call you big brother. Doesn't that count?"
Norman blinked, "How much did we miss…?"
"Maybe, but I'm not actually your older brother," Ash said, patting Max's head, "It's okay. You don't have to worry about me. As long as you guys are happy, I'm also happy."
He took a step back and looked over at Brock, "I'm gonna go back home for a bit to check up on Molly. Brock, want me to drop you off by Pewter?"
"Yeah, I'd like to go check up on my family. Who knows what my parents are doing with me not there," Brock said, shuddering at the thought.
"Aight," Ash nodded as he grabbed Pikachu and Vee again, then waved at the Maple family, "See you guys, have fun, alright? I don't want to see any frowns" Ash said, putting on his toothy grin as Abby teleported behind them, "And May, if you're gonna cook for your parents, try not to burn the stove"
"THAT WAS ONE TIME!" May yelled after them, but they had already teleported away, leaving her red in the face from embarrassment.
Caroline chuckled, "As always, he is quite considerate." Then she gave a teasing smirk, "You both could learn a thing or two from him~" she added through a giggle.
"Hey!" May and Max said in unison, only earning another laugh, and Norman looking away, trying not to make it obvious he was also about to laugh.
As May was about to say something else, the Eevee on her shoulder nudged her cheek and pointed down at her bag. It had noticed the gift still inside, it didn't understand, it just saw a colorful box.
"Oh yeah," Max blinked, remembering that they never gave them their present after everything, "May, the gift!"
May nodded and quickly reached into the bag, pulling out the wrapped gift box. She held it out to Caroline and Norman, "Congratulations, Mom and Dad, here, we got this for you!"