okay...i'm kinda retching after reading most of your posts guys...but here's my two cents...
does anyone remember the show pokemon live? it was back a few years ago. it was pokemon, but it was a show on stage (and yes, it was an official show). well, anyway, in the show, prof. oak and delia (ash's mom) are captured and locked in a cage. now here is the part that is VERY interesting. Prof. Oak is confused about who giovanni is. however, Delia apparently knows him! Delia confesses to oak that she dated giovanni when she was very young, but as the years went by, he became stranger and stranger, untill one day, he became the head of team rocket. delia dumped giovanni and they haven't spoken since. she then went to marry someone else and they had ash together. now, i personally am going by the pokemon live story because it just seems very logical. i do, however, believe giovanni's kid is silver. it seems pretty likely actually. i can't really guess who the mother could be...but i could guess who ash's father is...my guesses are:
1. some legendary trainer who is insanely powerful
2. he could be dead
3. some random dude
4. now, this theory is a little out of the loop...not much has been revealed about the story in emerald, but i think there MAY be another team that is after rayquazza. maybe it could be....team air or something...and they are trying to annihalate all people and pokemon on the planet and make a fortress in the sky. the leader of the team, if it exists that is, could be ash's father....but then again, i could be getting ahead of myself.
i had another theory about norman's origin...i believe that he is the main character from gold/silver/crystal (the boy, obviously). see, in ruby and sapphire, there is someone in the game that says "i hear pettleburg's gym leader's family moved from johto", or something like that...anyway, sorry mods if i am posting my other character theories in the wrong thread....