Ash and May have made it all the way to Petalburg City â€" the first city with a gym. Ash is very excited to take on the gym leader. May seems a little uneasy â€" perhaps it's because she hasn't yet told Ash that her father, Norman, is the gym leader in Petalburg!

Brock is ready to travel again and has joined up with Ash, May and Max as the journey on towards Rustboro City. In the forest they encounter a giant Zigzagoon, which they soon realize is actually a trainer in a Zigzagoon suit. Nicolai the Knickerbocker is a trainer that believes in becoming one with Pokémon in order to understand them. While battling, he wears a costume of whichever Pokémon he is using. When not dressed as a Pokémon, he wears knickers in order to be closer to nature.