May (Japanese: ハルカ Haruka) is one of the main protagonists in the Pokémon franchise and traveled through the Hoenn and Kanto regions with Ash Ketchum, Brock, and her brother Max. Her hometown is Petalburg City where her mother, Caroline, and father, Norman, still live. Norman is the gym leader of the Petalburg City gym.
Originally introduced as a person that disliked Pokémon and only wanted to use them as an excuse to travel, her experiences with Ash and his Pikachu changed her view of Pokémon completely. After viewing a Pokémon Contest in Rustboro City, May decided to become a Pokémon Coordinator instead of the path of a Pokémon trainer like Ash.
May has competed in two Grand Festivals during her time as a Coordinator, placing in the top 8 in the Hoenn Grand Festival and top 4 in the Kanto Grand Festival.
Like Ash, May has met many people on her journey and gained a few rivals in the process. A few of the more notable ones include Drew, Harley, and Solidad.
May visited the Sinnoh Region for the Wallace Cup, held by the former Hoenn Gym Leader and current Champion, Wallace. It was at this time she met up with Ash again, and was introduced to Dawn at this time.
