Norman

A Man in Pursuit of Power!
Norman
Species	Human
Hair color	Black
Base	Petalburg City
Relatives	Wife Brendan/May (player character- child)
Debut	Pokémon: Ruby Version/Pokémon: Sapphire Version

Norman is the fifth gym leader of Hoenn faced in Pokémon: Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Versions as well as the father of the games' player character, who can be either Brendan or May depending on the gender chosen by the player at the beginning of the game. He specializes in Normal-type Pokémon.

Background

Norman was originally from Johto. There he and his wife had their child, the player character. Norman later wound up moving to Hoenn when he became the gym leader of the Petalburg City Gym, and his family moved to Hoenn as well, in the nearby Littleroot Town. Norman had formed a strong philosophy about Pokémon, being described as someone who lives for Pokémon, and focuses on balance. He has also remarked that his "chosen path is harsh", although it is uncertain exactly what he is referring to, likely the distance from his family created by his dedication to Pokémon.

In Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald, he was the first gym leader encountered by Brendan/May in their Pokémon journey. Norman was pleased to see his child beginning a Pokémon journey but refused to battle them until they were more powerful. However, he did assign his child on an errand to escort young Wally, lending him one of his own Pokémon, as he went out to catch his first Pokémon that he could use to travel to Verandturf Town.

Norman finally accepted his child's challenge after they had collected four badges from other gyms. Norman battled his child like any other opponent, but was defeated. He had mixed emotions about his defeat, being disappointed as a gym leader but proud as a father. Norman then awarded his child with the Balance Badge and TM 42: Facade. He then reminded the player that they should visit their mother every now and then while declaring that he himself would remain in the gym and redouble his training in order to avenge his loss. He could indeed be challenged to several rematches in Emerald, and after being defeated he would ask his child what their dream was while saying that his own dream had already come true.

After his child becomes the Pokémon League champion, Norman visited the home to congratulate Brendan/May and speak with his wife. He noted that his child seemed stronger somehow and also gave them an S.S. Ticket from Mr. Briney and suggested they compete at Battle Towers to continue improving.

Pokémon Roster

The following is Norman's primary roster in Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald:

• Spinda (Emerald only)
• Vigoroth
• Linoone (Emerald only)
• Slaking (2 in Ruby and Sapphire, 1 in Emerald)

Outside of his main roster, Norman also has a Zigzagoon that he lends to Wally. In Emerald, Norman uses the following Pokémon in rematches:

• Chansey, 2 Slaking and a Spinda in the first rematch
• Kangaskhan, Chansey, 2 Slaking and a Spinda in the second rematch
• Blissey, Kangaskhan, 2 Slaking and a Spinda in the third rematch
• Tauros, Kangaskhan, Blissey, 2 Slaking and a Spinda in the fourth rematch

Other Appearances

• Norman makes recurring appearances throughout the episodes of the Pokémon anime set in Hoenn. In this version his wife was named Caroline, and his children were May and Max, the latter being an original character made for the anime. The first episode with him shows him defeating Ash Ketchum in a gym battle but then tells Ash that he should fight Norman after beating other gym leaders. He is later featured in two subsequent episodes, the first showing him rekindling his romance with Caroline (and dispelling rumors of an affair with Nurse Joy) while the second shows Ash defeating Norman in a gym battle which leads to Max stealing the Balance Badge in denial until they convince him to return it. Norman also made a small appearance as a spectator watching May in the Wallace Cup arc of the Diamond and Pearl episodes.
• Norman appears in the Pokémon Adventures manga, where he had just become a gym leader. It is shown that years ago when he first took the gym leader test his son Ruby had attacked a Salamence which proceeded to attack a lab and accidentally release Rayquaza. Norman took the blame for the accident and was suspended from taking the gym leader test for several years while also being assigned to search for Rayquaza, which led to him becoming distant from his family. When Ruby turned away from battling in favor of Pokémon contests Norman disapproved due to knowing Ruby's natural talent and wanting his help in awakening Rayquaza. Ruby runs away from home after the move to Hoenn, unaware that Norman was going to allow him to compete in the contests, and Norman spends much of the Ruby/Sapphire arc preoccupied with finding Ruby while ignoring the other gym leaders and his duties. They eventually meet and battle at which point Norman angrily allows him to do whatever he wants. He instead winds up taking in and training Wally, and using him to awaken Rayquaza. Norman controls him in successfully subduing Groudon and Kyogre but the stress on his body leads him to die. However, the time slip created by Celebi leaves to Norman's death being prevented, and Sapphire then manages to defeat him offscreen for her last badge.