Chapter Four: Just like a date!
Author's Note: Hi everyone I'm Snow - the author of this fic. I have revamped chapters 1,2 and 3 and refreshed them to ensure that this fanfiction flows well enough. If you haven't done so already I highly recommend reading those chapters before reading this one onwards. Thank you for your time and I really appreciate those who have taken their time to read this fic - I hope you enjoy this chapter - love Snow!
After returning briefly back to the lab to change their attire and to ensure that rooms are booked for the motel in Curelean City, Professor Oak and Delia made their way to Veridian City. Professor Oak drove of course and was looking forward to the night out with Delia, she was equally excited. "I'm so lucky to know you, Sam. You obviously know that you are my favourite professor, don't you? I'm honestly grateful for everything you have done for me and wish I can thank you somehow for tonight," Delia told him as they made their way to their destination. It was an hour's drive from Pallet Town.
"Thank you, Dee. You don't need to find a way to thank me for this, as you being here is what counts," Professor Oak responded, giving her a smile - making her blush in response. "Do you think, Liam and Madison would have kept their word?" Delia asked, changing the topic. "About leaving and writing a letter to us?" she added, wondering if her ex would leave Kanto for Sinnoh to be with Madison, from what she overheard them say.
"You know Dee, that's a hard question that even I don't have the answer to. While their attitude towards us stinks, they could be good people to others and might be honest and keep their word, or they could just have said it for the fun, I'm not sure. I guess we'll find out next week. How do you feel about all this, Delia?" Professor Oak answered after a while of imagining what Madison and Liam could do.
"I've grown used to being without Liam, besides, we only went on one date - and he ruined that. I'm not really bothered, to be honest. I just hope he treats Madison with respect and does not hurt her - as annoying as she can be - no guy should ever hit a girl!" Delia answered.
"Rick, Ben and Jason, the Pokemon League will be on in less than an hour, you three really need to ensure that you have everything ready to watch it in the living room. You know how your father enjoys yelling at the TV when someone uses the wrong move!" Sally announced at the kitchen table. Her sons had returned home from school about two hours ago and had completed their homework beforehand. They loved watching the Pokemon League, Jason always imagined himself challenging it one day.
"Yes, mum. We've got everything! I REALLY hope that Martin wins the Pokemon League" Jason informed her, with his voice full of excitement. "Oh mum, wouldn't it be brilliant to be in the Pokemon League instead of watching it ourselves?" he asked, imagining himself being in Martin's place. Martin was a Pokemon trainer who had been challenging the league. Martin was to challenge the champion that night after an exciting battle the previous night. Martin's dream was to take over Campion Lita's place - however, it's rumoured that she is a very strong trainer, herself.
"Martin seems like a nice boy, and yes, I hope he wins too. It will put Lita in her place too, she's got a snobby attitude" Robert agreed, overhearing the conversation as he walked into the kitchen. "The Pokemon League could do with someone like Martin as a champion" he added. Sally giggled at what Robert had said. "Oh Rob, I'm sure Lita puts it on, just to show off. It's possible she's a sweet person" Sally assured him. She preferred to give people chances - whereas Robert wasn't that type.
"I wonder if Delia and Sam will get the chance to watch it tonight, they're going to a restaurant tonight," Robert said, earning a smirk from Rick who heard what his father mentioned.
"Delia and Sam sitting in a tree: K-I-S-S-I-N-G, first comes love..." Rick started, before earning a whack from Robert. "Don't be an idiot, Rick," he warned him. "Aww, but dad, it's true! They've gotta like one another that way, surely!" Rick pestered him. "While it's possible now, Delia's too young - she has to wait til she's 18 if she wants to be with Sam, anyway, enough about that, let's get things ready for the Pokemon League and see if Martin gets to kick Lita's sorry butt!" Robert told Rick, earning a chuckle from Ben and Jason who had been listening.
"Well, here we are!" Professor Oak announced as he started looking for a place to park his car at the restaurant. Delia gazed at the building ahead of her. It was two stories high. It had red bricks and a front door which was opened wide to allow customers to come in and out as they pleased, many people were going in there as she looked some were leaving with smiles on their faces. The restaurant had a sign above the door stating its own name: The Royale Bellossom Restaurant, the sign read. Delia imagined waitresses adorned in the outfit of a Bellossom. "Wow, Sam, it looks beautiful, can't wait to go in!" Delia commented.
"I've heard good reviews about this place, and I'm looking forward to going in as well, Dee" Professor Oak told her. It took him quite a while to find a parking place as it was so busy that night, being Friday. However, that didn't stop them from giving up and leaving, no way! When they finally got the chance to park the car, Professor Oak and Delia got out and locked it before leaving to go inside the restaurant. Delia could hardly wait to go in, not only because she was hungry, she was also curious too.
Sitting upside down on the couch, Jason glued his eyes to the TV, longing for the Pokemon League to start - his brothers and parents were in the lounge room to - all five were watching the latest Pokemon Contest results. "Aw, it sucks that Hillary didn't win," Rick pouted, folding his arms. "She sure was pretty and I loved the way she treated her Pokemon" he finished and looked at Ben who nodded in agreement. "She was a great person, wasn't she?" Ben beamed. Hillary was from the Kalos Region and had entered the Pokemon Contest, however, her opponent named Eric managed to defeat her within seconds.
"Eric must've cheated," Jason complained, folding his arms. "Jay, can you please sit up properly?" Sally requested, looking at her son. She smiled as he obeyed without groaning. "Doubt it, he must've trained a lot harder than Hillary did," Robert chimed in. "his Pokemon would be able to defeat the eight gym leaders easily," he stated.
Jason kicked his legs to and fro, wishing that the Pokemon League would start. "At least we have Martin to look forward to - he simply HAS to win this!" He commented with hope in his voice.
Blushing as they walked inside the restaurant together, Delia couldn't help but feel excited - and amazed at how beautiful the building was inside. It's glamorous red carpet stretched across the floor, not missing an inch. The walls itself was painted a pale yellow and had several posters on it of famous Gym Leaders. Many people were sitting at their tables and eating, talking and laughing together. A large TV sat upon the wall with the channel that the Pokemon League was to show on. Delia smiled after noticing that - she knew Professor Oak didn't want to miss out on that - nor did she. A pretty waitress with long black hair and green eyes greeted the two friends. She was adorned in a black dress with a white apron and matching shoes - on her dress was her name tag which read: Jasmine Stone - tucked under one arm was a book to write orders in and tucked under the other arm were two menus. "Good evening, you must be Professor Oak, right?" Jasmine asked - to ensure she was talking to the right person and not an imposter.
"Yes, that's me. Nice to meet you, this is my close friend, Delia" Professor Oak introduced himself and Delia. "Nice to meet you, I've been a big fan of yours for years! Sometimes people dress up like you and come to our restaurant, expecting a free feed but we manage to catch them out. Anyway, your table number is 27, which is over there near the TV," Jasmine explained, pointing over to a black round table with two white chairs. A white tablecloth stretched on the table, covering it. On top of it, was a blue vase with two red roses, causing Delia to blush when she noticed that. Jasmine walked with the two to their table. Professor Oak pulled out Delia's seat allowing her to sit in first - helping her push it in (even though she can do that herself), he then sat in his seat and tucked his chair in on the table.
"Is that, Professor Oak?" Delia heard a familiar male's voice ask. "Yes it is, and he is a young woman, perhaps his daughter?" a woman's voice that she did not recognize mentioned, making Delia want to correct them but decided against it. The male laughed "You know, Professor Oak has a son, and the woman with him is Delia, you know, the girl I've been talking to you about. The one who had dated Augustine," he mentioned. Delia couldn't help but overhear this, she tried to look around to see who the voices belonged to and beamed once she spotted a familiar face.
"Spenser Hale!" Delia exclaimed, waving madly to the young man who was walking past her table stopped for a moment and turned his attention to her. "Delia?! And Professor Oak?! What are you two doing here?" Spenser asked in surprise. The woman with Spenser stopped and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm treating Delia tonight as she's been really great help at the lab - especially when I needed her the most I wanted to thank her somehow," Professor Oak answered before Delia who nodded in agreement.
"I hope you both enjoy your night, and the Pokemon League is on as well are you watching that too? Oh, Professor, this is my lovely girlfriend Hazel, Hazel, this is Professor Oak and Delia" Spenser asked, then quickly introduced his girlfriend. Hazel had short light brown hair and blue eyes, she was adorned in a blue knee length dress with matching sandals and had a white shoulder bag on which had a logo of a red rose. She had one arm wrapped around Spenser's waste and her spare hand holding onto her bag.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor, and Delia. Spenser has been telling me all about you, Professor Oak and he's quite lucky to be one of your students" Hazel gushed. "And Delia, Spenser has told me the times you've helped him out in tough situations, I want to personally thank you for that," she added not wanting to leave Delia out.
Delia smiled. "It's lovely to meet you, Hazel. Honestly, I love helping anyone, really!"
"I'm lucky to have him as one of my students, Spenser and Delia are both great to work with" Professor Oak commented, causing Delia to blush.
"Would you two be joining the professor for dinner perhaps? I can get a couple more menus if you like and chairs" Jasmine offered - she had been silent for the time the four friends were talking. Spenser and Hazel looked at one another then at Professor Oak, Hazel shook her head.
"Thank you for offering, however, Spenser and I have a table over there" Hazel explained, pointing to an empty table in the corner of the restaurant. "You sure? You're welcome to join us and watch the Pokemon League" Delia offered, earning a nod of approval from Professor Oak.
"We're positive. Besides, it wouldn't be fair for other people who want this sort of arrangement but can't get it, though thanks for the offer, Professor Oak, we'd better get to our table" Spenser answered - though he really wanted to join the professor he was on a date with Hazel and the two also wanted to spend time alone together. He figured maybe some other time the four could have a day out somewhere.
"She seems really nice, and it's good to see Spenser so happy" Delia commented as she watched Hazel and Spenser walk away, Professor Oak nodded in agreement. The two friends almost forgot that Jasmine was waiting patiently for them to make an order until she decided to ask them a question. "Would you two perhaps like a drink while you decide on what to eat?" she asked, holding her notepad and pen ready to write down their orders.
Professor Oak nodded to Delia, to inform her she can order first. "Do you perhaps, have Pecha Berry Juice at this restaurant? If so, may I please order one?" Delia requested. "Sure, what would you like, Professor Oak?" Jasmine wrote down Delia's order - meaning to bring the drink after hearing what Professor Oak wanted. "May I please have the same?" Professor Oak asked, which Jasmine nodded and wrote that down. "I'll be back with your drinks, and enjoy the Pokemon League, it will be starting on that TV over there in a few minutes. Correction, all the TV's will be displaying the Pokemon League tonight" Jasmine announced then left humming a tune to herself as she walked away.
"And now the moment you've all been waiting for... The Pokemon League Final Championship is about to begin! Any minute our soon to be Champion, Martin will make his way through these doors, determined to defeat everyone's favourite Pokemon Champion herself, Lita! Will Martin be able to defeat her or will he be going home empty handed like many other trainers have done? Stay tuned in 10 minutes to find out" The announcer on the TV spoke out, causing many people in the restaurant to feel excited.
Jasmine returned with Delia and Professor Oak's drinks, during that time and watching the announcement on TV, Delia and Professor Oak were able to decide what to eat for dinner. Delia ordered the Bellossom Surprise which was a vegetarian dish that had traces of Pecha Berry juice in it, while Professor Oak decided to have Dazzling Pikachu - which was a spicy vegetarian meal. Jasmine ran off to order their meals, as she did that, Delia and Professor Oak turned their attention to the TV to see what will happen in the Pokemon League.
"Everyone, please give a warm welcome to Martin, our challenge for the Pokemon League, who had just entered the stadium with his beloved Ratatta - named Rattina. We now have Lita who has also just made her appearance in the league, with her beloved Hypno. Each trainer can use up to six Pokemon each, once all Pokemon in one party has fainted, the champion will be announced. Will it be Lita who has been our Champion for almost 10 years? Or will Martin break Lita's winning streak? Let's find out, gosh I'm so excited!" the announcer spoke out on TV.
Sure enough, when Delia and Professor Oak glanced at the TV, they noticed Lita: a young woman who appeared to be in her early 30's who had blonde hair - due to the angle she was facing you couldn't see her eye colours. She was adorned in a navy blue mini skirt and a matching shirt, with a pair of sandals. On her left arm was a bracelet and standing next to her was her Hypno - who she had been friends with for years. Martin was adorned in a pair of black baggy shorts and a grey t-shirt, with matching sneakers. Sitting on his right shoulder was his Ratatta. The pair appeared eager to battle.
"You can choose your first Pokemon, Martin" Lita offered, earning 'ooh's from the crowd. "this will be a simple battle after all" she added. Martin simply rolled his eyes, he wasn't going to let her win, not if he can help it. He figured the reason why she said that is because she wanted to see what kind of Pokemon he had. Simply smirking in response, he felt his belt for the right Pokeball, which obtained a Pokemon that had helped him this far. "Alright, if you say so... Come on out... Bellsprout!" he threw the Pokeball into the air, and watched it open, realizing a delighted Bellsprout who landed neatly in front of him.
"Sprout, Bell-sprout!" Bellsprout sung out as it appeared to do a little dance. Lita gave Bellsprout a funny look. "You've got to be kidding me, seriously. Well, looks like I'm a champion for the 10th year in the row. Let's go, Beedrill, you've got an easy opponent" Lita called out her first Pokemon. Martin remained confident as she did, planning his first moves already.
"She seems full of herself, doesn't she, Sam? I hope Martin wins this," Delia commented, not liking Lita one bit. Professor Oak nodded in agreement with his eyes not leaving the TV.
"You might as well take your first and final move," Lita told Martin. "Like all the other trainers you'll most likely lose to me." She earned a few 'boos' from the crowd after saying that.
Martin nodded to Bellsprout. "We can do this, don't listen to her, Bellsprout. Alright, Bellsprout, use Sleep Powder, on Lita's Beedrill," he commanded, pointing to the Pokemon. Bellsprout nodded and jumped up into the air above Beedrill.
"Beedrill, use Hyper Beam to push Bellsprout away from you and send it flying," Lita ordered. "Sorry, Martin, but your little trick won't work on my Beedrill!"
"Bellsprout, quick! Get out of the way and dodge the Hyper Beam before it hits you!" Martin exclaimed in concern. Bellsprout attempted to dodge Beedrill's attack, however, Beedrill was too fast and sent Bellsprout flying with a powerful Hyper Beam, much to Martin's shock - all he could do was watch Bellsprout fall to the ground with a thump, however, the Pokemon was not ready to give up yet, as it just managed to get back on its feet.
"Are you okay, Bellsprout? Do you think you can help me defeat Beedrill?" Martin asked, looking at his Pokemon in concern, Bellsprout turned to him and nodded. Smiling, Martin looked at Lita. "We're not done yet! Bellsprout, use Vine Whip to pull Beedrill down to the ground and then use Toxic!" Martin commanded.
"Beedrill, get out of the way before Bellsprout can use those attacks on you by using Double Team" Lita ordered. Multiple 'copies' of Beedrill at once appeared on the stadium, Bellsprout had to whack each one out with Vine Whip until it was able to find the correct one, in the result, it managed to quickly pull the Beedrill down to the ground and jump onto the Beedrill, then used Toxic on Beedrill.
"Beedrill!" Lita exclaimed in shock. She knew now that things would get messy for this round, her Beedrill was now successfully poisoned. "Gnh! Beedrilll, use Endeavor!" Lita bit her bottom lip in concern with her beloved Beedrill - who at once obeyed and used the attack. Now the Pokemon and Beedrill had the equal amount of health.
"Oh no, this is bad," Martin frowned, trying to think what to do next. "You bet it is, Martin. I just remembered one move I haven't used yet, and I think Beedrill has enough power to use it. Beedrill, use Aerial Ace!" Lita responded, feeling somewhat relieved after remembering that move. To put it game wise, both Beedrill and Bellsprout would have 30HP left out of over 100 - depending on what level they are when they reach to the Pokemon league. With Beedrill being poisoned, it would roughly lose 5HP at the time.
Beedrill took flight and flew towards Bellsprout, in order to attack it using Aeriel Ace, leaving Martin panicking and running dry on options. "Oh no! Um! er, Um, what to use! What to use! UGH! Bellsprout, use Solar Beam - NO WAIT! Jump onto Beedrill when it comes closer to you and use Knock Off!" Martin said, watching as Beedrill closing in on his Bellsprout, however, it was a little bit too late, Bellsprout took a direct hit from Beedrill's Aerial Ace and fainted in the result. It was a super effective attack.
"Bellsprout is unable to battle, wait... what?" The announcer began, however, was surprised to see that Beedrill too had fainted, from being poisoned. "Well, let me correct that: Bellsprout and Beedrill are both unable to battle, meaning this round is a draw! We now have five more Pokemon left to battle to determine the winner of the Pokemon League! What will Martin and Lita use next? Stay tuned and find out after these sponsor messages..."
"You did a great job, Bellsprout, I'm so proud of you," Martin said after walking up to it. "Have a good long rest in your Pokeball. This battle is not over yet!" he recalled the fainted Pokemon and walked back to the stage - trying to figure out which one to use next.
Lita ran over to her Beedrill with a worried facial expression and picked him up in her arms. "You did your best, Beedrill. I'm so proud of you" she whispered softly to the fainted Pokemon. Lita took out her Pokeball and recalled Beedrill, and finally returned to her spot moments later to decide on her next Pokemon.
"What Pokemon will Lita and Martin choose next for their second round? Find out after these commercials!" the announcer questioned.
"I felt for sure that Martin would have won this match, it's a pity it ended up in a draw" Jason frowned. He was once more sitting upside-down on the couch with the top of his head touching the floor while eating popcorn, much to Sally's annoyance.
"Jay, they have 5 Pokemon left. I'm sure Martin will pull out and win this. AND CAN YOU PLEASE sit up properly and eat your popcorn? You'll choke if you sit that way" she complained to her son with frustration in her voice. Jason pouted and put himself right. "Party pooper" he muttered to himself.
Rick and Ben couldn't help but chuckle at their brother as he got in trouble, their father Robert just shook his head at his boys and placed an arm around Sally. Ben and Rick were sitting on the ground while Sally, Robert, and Jason were on the couch. There were other coaches available however, Ben and Rick preferred the ground. Ben decided to lay flat on his stomach and place his hands under his chin, Rick copied him and gazed at the TV, wishing the commercials would hurry up and roll over. How he hated commercials.
"That was far too close, Sam! I can't believe that the match ended up in a draw," Delia commented staring at the TV in disbelief for a moment then turning her attention to the professor who nodded in agreement. "To be fair, though I want Martin to win, Lita had a great advantage from the beginning. Hopefully next round will be better" Profesor Oak agreed. The pair were still waiting for their meal, however, were drinking their Pecha Berry Juice.
"You know, Sam. If I ever have a child and she or he enters the Pokemon League, I would love to watch him or her and cheer them on" Delia said as she pictured herself and the child's father sitting at the stadium watching her child battle Lita.
Before the professor could say anything, Jasmine returned to their table carrying a tray with their meals on it. She gave Professor Oak his meal and then Delia hers. "Enjoy your meals, would you like anything else?" she asked.
"May I please have another glass of Pecha Berry?" Professor Oak asked as he looked at his glass. It was getting low, and Delia's was at the same level. "Make that two, actually, please" he corrected. "Sure thing, will be right back" Jasmine replied and left to get the drinks.
"I'll watch your child in the Pokemon League too, Dee" Professor Oak commented - Delia blushed at that. He glanced at the TV and smiled noticing the Pokemon League had started again.
"Welcome back... For those who had just tuned in, Lita and Martin had their first match - which ended up as a draw. Martin used his Bellsprout while Lita used her Beedrill. Both Pokemon could no longer stand in the end and fainted. Now we're about to find out what Pokemon they will use next in their second round, will Martin win this round or will Lita? Let's watch the battle now..." the announcer spoke out.
"Let's go, Machamp!" Martin called out his second Pokemon, tossing the Pokeball into the air - he watched it release Machamp and the ball went back to his hand, Martin put it away and watched Machamp land in front of him.
"Machamp, hey? You do have some pretty strong Pokemon after all... Come on out, Muk!" Lita tossed a Great Ball into the air and watched it burst open, releasing a white flash of light - which faded away revealing Muk who landed on the ground in front of her.
"Muuk!" Muk said its name as it glanced at Machamp.
"Champ, Mach! Mach-amp!" Machamp said, pounding his fists together - determined to win this match.
"Alright, you go first!" Lita said, looking at Martin - eager to defeat him this time.
"With pleasure! Machamp - let's warm things up a bit before we use 'that' and start off with attacking Muk with one of your Low Sweep attacks" Martin commanded.
Smiling in delight, Lita looked at her Muk. "Muk, wait for Machamp to come close then attack with Thunderbolt!" she retorted.
Delia stared at Lita in surprise - she knew Muk was a Poison-type however, she didn't know up until now that they can use Thunderbolt. "What other attacks can Muk learn, Sam?" she asked curiously watching as Muk launched a Thunderbolt attack at Machamp causing the Fighting Pokemon to faint almost instantly.
"Either that was one powerful Thunderbolt or Machamp is weaker than Muk. Hm, other moves, Dee? You'll be amazed what they can learn. I'll tell you after the Pokemon League is finished" Professor Oak promised - making a mental note to himself to do just that.
"WHAT! You've got to be kidding me! MUK CAN USE THUNDERBOLT?! I thought it was a useless Pokemon" Jason complained, yelling and shaking his fist at the TV. "That's so unfair, Lita" he yelled at her wishing she could hear him as he watched Martin recall his fainted Machamp. Robert chuckled at his son's reaction. "You'll be surprised what some Pokemon can learn, despite the way they look, Jason," he said.
Sally simply smiled at her son, noticing that he was sitting upright on the couch - much to her relief. Her two sons, Rick and Ben were laying on their stomachs kicking their feet too and fro while resting their chins in their hands and watching the TV. They had a bowl of popcorn between them to share.
"Man, this sucks! At this rate, Lita's going to win!" Ben whined. "Not that I mind of course, but I want someone different to win for a change, she ALWAYS wins!"
"SHHH! He's about to send out another Pokemon, let's watch the rest, Ben and maybe things will turn around?" Sally hushed her son and turned her attention to the TV.
"Hm... I've only got four Pokemon left, I'm not ready to use you yet, Ratatta. Let's see..." Martin pondered as he placed his index finger and thumb under his chin to think. Lita simply smiled proudly as she looked at her Muk who was waiting for his next command.
"AHAH!" Martin clicked his fingers after figuring out which Pokemon to call out. He took a Pokeball from his belt, pressed the button to make it large. "Come on out, Sandslash!" he called as he tossed the Pokeball into the air, watching it burst open. A bright light appeared and when it vanished, Sandslash appeared in front of Martin. The Pokeball returned to Martin's hand - smiling, he attached his Pokeball to his belt once more.
"Sandslash, before Muk can attack, use Dig!" Martin called out.
"Slash, Sand-Slash!" Sandslash nodded, and jumped into the air, then dug its way underground to hide from Muk.
"Muk, use Flamethrower and aim it down the hole to drive Sandslash out!" Lita demanded, thoroughly enjoying herself. Muk obeyed and moved towards the hole then opened its mouse and let out a hot Flamethrower down there, hoping to drive Sandslash out. Which it did, Sandslash felt the heat underground and dug its way out, and without Martin's order, Sandslash used Aerial Ace - which was a direct hit, causing Muk to faint instantly.
"I didn't tell you to use Aerial Ace but wait... I didn't even know you knew Aerial Ace - but thank you, Sandslash, I'm glad you managed to get out of that situation safely... Uh-oh, I noticed you're a little bit burned... are you okay?" a stunned Martin asked, running over to his Sandslash, after noticing a burnt mark on its back.
"You did a great job, Muk. I'm so proud of you. Return, you deserve a good rest, return. Hm. Looks like we're both even so far, Martin. Let's go, Lapras" Lita called out her third Pokemon. One she was confident who will help her win the rest of the Pokemon League - like it always had done.
Martin gulped and stared at Lita speechless. He knew now he was in a tough situation - Lapras easily had the advantage over Sandslash - unless some miracle would come out of it. He looked at the condition of his Sandslash who appeared to be exhausted - that hit from the Flamethrower really put him in a hard place.
"Sandslash, use Rest and use Sleep-Talk" Martin commanded, hoping his plan will work. Sandslash closed his eyes and curled up into a ball, and fell asleep.
"This is just a waste of time. Lapras, use Surf!" Lita demanded. Lapras obeyed and used Surf on Sandslash, which was super-effective - and caused Sandslash to faint.
"Sandslash is unable to battle, Lapras is the winner. So Martin has three Pokemon left while Lita has four. It looks like Lita will win this round after all!" The announcer spoke out.
Gritting his teeth now in anger and frustration, Martin recalled Sandslash. "Thank you, Sandslash for doing your best. I appreciate it. Rattata, are you ready?" he turned to the Pokemon who had been sitting on his Pokemon the entire time. Rattata nodded. "Ta-Ratt-at-a" Rattata answered, jumping from Martin's shoulder.
"Good! Rattata, use Grass Knot on Lapras!" Martin told his Pokemon.
"So close yet again! Wait, Grass Knot? Sam, is that even possible?! I thought Rattata's only knew Normal-type Pokemon moves" Delia asked in surprise. Professor Oak smiled in response to Delia's question. "Yes, it's possible, Delia. Rattata can also learn a lot of certain moves like Thunderbolt and Flamewheel for example," he answered. He and Delia both had finished their meals and were onto their second drink of Pecha Berry Juice.
"W-Wow! That's amazing. I never knew Rattata can be so helpful during a battle" Delia said in surprise. Professor Oak chuckled at her response. 'Cute,' he thought, smiling to her. The two turned their attention once more to the TV, only to find out that Martin had finally won a battle.
"HAH! TAKE THAT, LITA!" Jason cried out, sitting up-side-down once more on the couch, much to Sally's annoyance. "Honey, I know you're happy that Lita won, however, I'd love it if you sat on the couch properly," Sally said using a warning tone to her voice. Groaning, Jason sat upright again. "Mum! I have been sitting that way throughout that battle, and I was totally excited when Rattata kicked Lapras's butt!" Jason whined.
Ben and Rick laughed at Jason - they thought he was being funny. Robert simply rolled his eyes and looked at his boys. "Jason, you should still sit properly on the couch. It's not good for you if you sit up-side-down! So where are we now? Lita has 3 Pokemon left, as does Martin" he told him.
Groaning again, Jason simply slouched on the couch and looked at the TV with a frown. He loved sitting up-side-down when he could.
"Martin and Lita are now both are left with three Pokemon left each, who will become victorious? Find out after these commercials!" The announcer spoke out on TV.
While the commercials were on, Professor Oak as promised told Delia other moves that a Muk could learn - which took her by surprise. She had always thought up until now that Muk could only just use Poison Type moves.
"It's amazing how certain Pokemon like Muk can learn other moves like that, Sam" Delia commented. Professor Oak nodded agreeing with her. "I was surprised too when I first learned that," he told her.
The two then turned their attention to the Pokemon League and found out that Lita and Martin were down to their last Pokemon: Martin was using his Rattata - who had rested for the last two battle due to him wanting to change Pokemon. Lita had chosen her beloved Kadabra as her last Pokemon and was anxious - as she knew that Pokemon could learn Bite...
Delia looked at the TV, eagerly and crossed her fingers in hopes that Martin could win this. Professor Oak noticed this and smiled to himself - he knew who she was hoping to win and he hoped the same.
"Kadabra, use Physic on Rattata" Lita cried out, anxious to win this match. She knew Rattata was getting tired, so she had to wear him out a bit more and maybe she could win with a bit of luck, however, it was also possible that Martin may have a trick up his sleeve, which made her worry.
"Rattata, dodge that, and use Crunch!" Martin commanded. He knew Crunch was super-effective against Kadabra as Dark Pokemon moves are strong against Psychic-type Pokemon. Kadabra attempted to use Psychic on Rattata, however, Rattata had other ideas and jumped out of the way on time, and ran towards the Psychic Pokemon and jumped into the air - using crunch on Kadabra once he got close enough. It was a super effective attack which caused a lot of damage for Kadabra - who knelt down in pain.
"KADABRA! Hang in there! Gnh! Use Psycho Cut!" Lita ordered - biting her bottom lip afterwards as she began to worry about her beloved Pokemon. Kadabra obeyed and used the attack - causing a lot of damage to Rattata - making him lose a lot of health points - both Pokemon were now equally exhausted - one more move could finish either of them. Game wise - they would have about 10 health points left each.
"Rattata, do you think you can use one more move for me? Please?! Can you? That's great news, how about using a Thunderbolt on Kadabra," Martin said, looking at his Rattata who nodded. Rattata was determined to win this - like his trainer.
"Kadabra, use Thunder-punch!" Lita added - no sooner she said that Rattata and Kadabra both launched an attack at the same time - causing a sort of explosion with their powers which covered the stadium with smoke for a moment.
"RATTATA!" Martin yelled out in fright, as he tried to see his way through the smoke to find out if his Pokemon is still okay. "Ta!" he heard his Pokemon say.
Remaining calm and content, Lita awaited for the smoke to vanish, and when it did - Kadabra had fainted, while Rattata remained standing, wobbling a bit - as he was exhausted from his long battle.
"AND THE WINNER OF THE POKEMON LEAGUE IS... MARTIN!" the announcer shouted over the speakers. The crowd cheered or booed - the booers were Lita fans and the ones who cheered obviously wanted Martin to win.
"YES! YES! YES! YES! IN YOUR FACE, LITA! MARTIN WON! MARTIN WON! MARTIN WON!" Jason jumped off the couch and ran around the living room excitedly, throwing his arms in the air, nearly tripping over his brothers in the state of excitement. Ben and Rick hi-fived one another after Martin had won.
Sally and Robert laughed, as did Ben and Rick. "Finally, the Pokemon League has a new champion. I wonder how long Martin gets to stay as a Champion for? Lita has remained unbeatable up until now," Sally commented. "I wish I had the time to find out," she added, looking down at the ground sadly. Robert put his arm around Sally's waist. "Perhaps you will, Sal" Robert assured her.
Back in the restaurant, everyone cheered - though very few booed about Martin winning the Pokemon League. Professor Oak wasn't surprised about some booing as he knew how popular Lita is compared to Martin. "It's so great that Martin won!" Delia exclaimed as she looked at Professor Oak with excitement. He nodded in agreement. "Mhm. I'm pleased we have a new champion too - though I'm sure Lita is happy to know that she can retire and spend time with her family" he said.
"Her family?" Delia questioned. She had no idea about Lita's background or her family.
"Yes. Lita is 20 and became the youngest Pokemon Champion 10 years ago. She has several siblings. Her mother is - an officer Jenny, while her father is a doctor for humans, not Pokemon. She should be looking forward to moving on with her life and live with her long-term partner and their young daughter, now she can spend more time with them. He had moved closer to the Pokemon League so he can still see her every day," Professor Oak explained. He had met Lita when she was 10 and had given her the very first Pokemon she had chosen.
"You must know her very well, then, Sam. That must be rough being away from her family - I would hate that. Aw, I think that's romantic that he would do that just to see her, he must truly love her" Delia said looking down at the ground - imagining what it would be like if she were to be away from her family for a long period of time. Professor Oak smiled and put his hand on her shoulder. She imagined Lita's boyfriend is a really sweet and caring guy like Augustine was when she had dated him.
'I wonder if Sally told Delia...' Professor Oak thought when Delia said she would hate to be away from her family. "Did you want to have a look around at Viridian City while we're here, Dee? There are some stores that are open 24-hours a day if you would like to check them out" he asked with a smile - removing his hand from her shoulder.
"MHM! Sure I'd love to," Delia replied with a smile. Professor Oak got out of his seat, with Delia doing the same. The two left after paying for the meals and thanked Jasmine for her service, Professor Oak gave her some money as a tip.
Once the two made their way out of the restaurant, they noticed a muscular looking man hiding in the shadow wearing dark clothing who whistled at Delia. "Hey there, Cutie-pie, care to go out on a date with me?" he asked, causing Delia to feel uncomfortable. She had no idea who the man is or what he was like personality wise.
"No, sorry, I'm not interested" Delia politely declined, staying close to Professor Oak who had his arm out in front of her - ready to protect Delia. He did not trust this man at all. The man was not going to back down that easily and decided to follow her for a bit. "Aw, come on, Sweetie. Don't tell me that you're dating this professor guy, you could do much better than him" the man continued to pester Delia - walking beside her. He attempted to shove Professor Oak out of the way, however, Delia was not going to let him do that. She instead pushed the man out of her way and stayed close to the professor.
"Can you please leave us alone?" Professor Oak requested, as he stopped for a moment and kept his arm in front of Delia to protect her. "She clearly is not interested in you, and she said no" he added using a warning tone to his voice.
The man grinned and walked closer to Delia, causing Professor Oak to get ready to protect her, he reached for his belt for a Pokeball which was attached if required he was happy to challenge the man to a battle to get rid of him. Delia bit her bottom lip and felt uncomfortable with the man as he walked closer to both her and Professor Oak, she felt safe though, knowing that Professor Oak was there to protect her.
"Come on, Sweetheart, I'll take you out on a date you'll never forget," the man offered, still eager to take Delia out, ignoring Professor Oak. "Leave this old professor dude, he's not worth it."
Delia shook her head. "I have already given you my answer, and no, I won't leave Professor Oak. Can you please leave us alone?!" she replied - she began to wonder if she and Professor Oak should head back to Pallet Town instead of checking out other stores in Viridian City.
"No can do, my love. I can't leave you. I won't leave you if I can help it," the man added. Professor Oak reached out for a Pokeball - watching the man as he got closer to him and Delia. He inched closer to the friends and smiled to Delia.
"Leave us alone now please," Delia begged- wishing he'd go away. "I will if you agree to go out on a date with me" the man responded - at that reply, Professor Oak had enough. He took a Pokeball from his belt, pressed the button which enlarged it and tossed it into the air. "Come on out, Gyarados!" he called out one of his favourite Pokemon to help out. Gyarados appeared in front of Professor Oak and Delia - while the Pokeball he was in, returned to Professor Oak's hand. Professor Oak at once put the Pokeball away.
The man's eyes widened in fear as he stared at the beast in front of him. He couldn't move for a moment. "G-G-Gyarados?! I HATE Gyarados! OKAY! OKAY! I'll leave, just get that thing away from me!" He whined, and ran off, causing Delia and Professor Oak to sigh in relief, then laugh once the man was out of sight.
Delia heaved a sigh in relief and hugged Professor Oak - who happily returned her hug. "Thank you, Sam! I didn't know you took Gyarados with you," she smiled as she let go of him and walked over to Gyarados and stroked the water-flying Pokemon. "And thank you, Gyarados," she added. Gyarados let out a roar - however, a friendly one not a scary one. "Anytime, Dee. I decided to bring Gyarados with me just in case, same with Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander" Professor Oak informed her.
"So now what should we do?" Jason asked after Sally had changed the channel to see what else was on TV. He was now bored and wished the Pokemon League was on a bit longer. Smiling to himself, he sat up-side-down once more on the couch, just to bug his mother to see what she'd say.
"Jay! How many times do I have to tell you to sit-upright? and I don't know what to do now, I'm trying to see if there are any good movies on TV, if not, perhaps we can go to the movies themselves," Sally replied - with a hint of annoyance in her voice as she scolded Jason.
Jason couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he straightened himself up once more. "Ooh, movie night sounds fun!" he commented. He glanced around and noticed his brothers and Robert were no longer in the room - Robert had gone to get more food while Ben and Rick decided to do other things.
Delia and Professor Oak had a look at all the stores - which were closed being night-time and decided to take note to visit them when they return to Viridian City. "Should we head back now, Dee?" Professor Oak asked as he glanced at his watch, noticing it was getting late. That, and they had a big day the next day - with new trainers coming - and the carnival with Delia's family later that night.
"Yes, though I wish we could've stayed a bit longer - I've had so much fun tonight!" Delia answered, smiling at him. Professor Oak returned her smile and began to make his way back to his car with her talking about the night's event.
A moment of silence filled the atmosphere, as Delia began to think about the Pokemon League that they had just watched. "You know Sam... I just noticed that Martin didn't have a starter Pokemon with him - do some trainers get to request what Pokemon they chose to have?" she asked.
"Funny that you mention that, Dee. Martin was one of the trainers who came to me for his first Pokemon, however, when he did receive it - he decided that he mainly wanted a Rattata as his main Pokemon. So he used his first Pokemon to catch a Rattata and gave that Pokemon back to me" Professor Oak explained to Delia.
"Oh, I thought some trainers like Ash - the boy you were talking to me about were able to just pick any Pokemon to start with. That makes sense." Delia paused for a moment to remember another question to ask. "What Pokemon did Martin choose to help obtain his Rattata?" Delia enquired.
"He used a Bulbasaur, however, that Pokemon had a bad start to life after Martin gave him back to me" Professor Oak replied - looking down to the ground sadly for a moment. Delia noticed that they were starting to get closer to Professor Oak's car.
"Huh? Why what happened to the Bulbasaur?" Delia wondered.
"I first gave him to a young trainer - a girl who had 'always' wanted a Bulbasaur." Professor Oak began as he did air quotes when he said always. Delia looked at him curiously when he did those quotes, she had a bad feeling about what happened to the Pokemon. "Anyway, when she did obtain the Bulbasaur, everything went fine - for the first day, but, when she captured her dream Pokemon: A Weedle - she decided to neglect the Bulbasaur and left it in Viridian Forest to fend for itself. My former assistant, Sarah found the Bulbasaur and gave him to another person who she thought would be a great person to train... but the person she gave the Bulbasaur to was a Team Rocket member - who ended up selling Bulbasaur after painting it to claim it was a 'shiny' one." Professor Oak explained.
Delia remembered who Sarah was. Sarah had shoulder length brown hair and wore circle framed glasses. She was always adorned in a black dress and a pair of matching sandals. She is Professor Oak's former assistant. Former as she had stolen a lot of things from the Professor - in which one case, Delia had witnessed her taking valuable items - at first Professor Oak didn't believe Sarah was a thief as she always seemed so nice and sweet to him, however, she ended up showing her true colours over time. He himself ended up witnessing Sarah attempting to steal his beloved Pokemon - and fired her as soon as he saw what she was doing.
"And as for Ash's Pikachu - apparently his father gave him the Pikachu for his starter Pokemon when he overslept and missed out on Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle. However, Ash did end up getting all three eventually" Professor Oak told her. "I never did find out what happened to the Bulbasaur after he got sold - hopefully he has a good trainer now," he added - filling in the questions that Delia was going to ask him.
"What kind of movies would you guys like to watch?" Sally asked as she looked at Jason, Robert, Ben and Rick. Robert, Ben and Rick had just returned to the lounge room after doing their own things.
"Action!" Jason exclaimed.
"Comedy" Ben chimed in.
"Sci-fi" Rick added.
"Horror," Robert finished then looked at Sally. "How about you?"
"Romance, duh! Let's see if I find a movie with all of the genres we like" Sally answered as she grabbed the TV guide which was sitting on the table near the couch.
"Yuck! Romance is disgusting," Jason pouted. "Delia's into all that stuff - it's for girls!" he complained earning a giggle from his parents.
"Oh, Jason..." Sally laughed and gave him a hug - then returned to reading the list of movies that were on for the night.
Smiling as he approached his car, Professor Oak unlocked it and opened the passenger side first - allowing Delia to sit in the front seat once more. Once she was in, he closed the door and went to the driver's side. Delia couldn't help but blush at that gesture.
"Hey, Sam? What time do we need to get up in the morning to start getting ready for the new trainers?" Delia questioned, figuring that they might need to get out of bed sometime before 10.
"Hmm. Seven will do. I know it's early but by the time we get ready and have breakfast then prepare things for the day it will be time to welcome the new trainers and give them their Pokemon - we will have to feed the Pokemon beforehand too" Professor Oak told her as he sat down in the driver's seat. He closed his door and put on his seatbelt. Delia put her seat belt on too.
"Mhm, alright. I'll set my alarm clock when we return. Are we meeting my family at the carnival or at my place?" Delia wondered - as she watched Professor Oak turn his car on. Soon the two were on their way back to Pallet Town.
Professor Oak paused for a moment to remember if Sally had said anything about the afternoon. She hadn't. "I must give your mother a call when we return and ask her, she didn't mention where we should meet - at yours, mine or the carnival" he answered.
Delia nodded - though she thought it would be much easier for all of them to meet up at the carnival - however, that decision was up to her parents.
"Nothing's really exciting... hold on a second. How about The Trapped Houndoom?" Sally suggested as she read through the list of movies that were on the night.
"BOR-RING!" Jason sang out and groaned. "I'd rather go to bed than watch that movie," he added with a frown. He folded his arms and looked at his mother eager to know what other movies were on.
"Mhm, agreed with Jason" Rick and Ben nodded - Robert gave his wife a nervous smile - indicating that he agreed with his sons.
Sally continued on reading and found another one that might interest them. "The tale of the missing Bellossum?" she read aloud, earning the same reaction as before. She read out a few more titles that included 'My Haunting encounter with Ghastly, A scare in the air and A time to remember.' The boys disagreed with the movies, even Robert thought they were boring.
"Alright then, how about - we either: start training our Pokemon at night - so that you boys can be ready to battle in the dark if required, go to the movies or go to bed? Either way, we have all day tomorrow until the afternoon to do something as we're going to the carnival..." Sally announced then paused for a moment. "That reminds me! I forgot to tell Sam where we should meet up tomorrow night, I'd better call him now - and while I'm doing that, you three can decide what we should do for the rest of the night," she informed them and ran off to find the phone.
By the time Sally went to call Professor Oak - the professor himself and Delia just got back to the lab and entered it - after locking the car of course. Professor Oak heard the phone ringing and quickly unlocked the front door - allowing Delia in first then he followed after.
Professor Oak at once raced for the phone, while Delia went to her room to put her handbag away.
"AH, hello Sally! We were just talking about you a while ago - trying to figure out whether to meet you at the carnival, your place or mine" Professor Oak exclaimed, smiling to see Sally's face on the video phone. Sally returned the smile.
"Hello, Sam. Ah yes, that is the reason why I called tonight as I know you and Delia would be busy all day tomorrow with the new trainers. Where do you think the right place would be for us to meet?" Sally questioned.
Delia had just returned from dropping her handbag from her room when she heard her mother's voice on the phone, smiling she walked up to the Professor and looked at him and back to her mother on the phone. "Hi Mum, if you guys are talking about tomorrow night - I think the best place to meet would be at the carnival - but what time?" she suggested.
Sally nodded. "What do you think, Sam?" she looked at the professor. "Should we meet at the carnival around 5? Should give us time to find parking and such" she asked.
"Yes, I think meeting at the carnival will be much easier. Five sounds fine to me - we expect the last trainer around 4 in the afternoon so things should be fine after that" Professor Oak agreed.
Sally smiled. "Alright, finish it is. And depending on traffic either of us may be a tiny bit late! We should meet up at the gates instead of the carpark - you know what the carpark is like, Sam! It's crazy" Sally remembered the last time she went to the Carnival and found it was hard to find a spot to park - sometimes she'd have to park on the grass which was normally frowned upon by the owners- however, nobody could really avoid parking there if it was full.
Professor Oak looked at Delia who nodded in agreement, she liked the idea of meeting at the gates too.
"Alright, now that's sorted out - I can go back to enjoying the rest of the night with the boys and Rich, what are you and Delia planning to do?" Sally said after a moment of silence.
"We're going to prepare things for tomorrow" Professor Oak answered and paused for a moment. Delia wondered if he had forgotten about the album - however, didn't say anything about it. "And show Delia the rest of my photo album" he added. Delia smiled at that.
Sally nodded. "Alright, sounds like fun, I hope you both enjoy the rest of the evening and Dee. That reminds me before I go - do you want me to pick you up from the carnival tomorrow night or sometime on Sunday?"
Delia blushed and looked at Professor Oak - then back to her mother. "Only if Sam's okay with it - would Sunday be alright, Mum?" she asked, earning a nod of approval from Professor Oak. "That's fine by me, Dee!" Professor Oak agreed.
Sally heard Rick, Ben and Jason fighting in the background over the remote- she wondered if Professor Oak could hear them.
Sure enough - Professor Oak could hear them fighting as could Delia too.
"Nu-ah! IT"S MY TURN WITH THE REMOTE! MY FAVOURITE SHOWS ARE ON!" Jason was heard yelling at one of his brothers.
"No way! Your shows suck, they're so boring and pathetic, I wanna watch my action-packed shows" Ben taunted Jason - snatching the remote from him.
"The moment Mum and Dad go away, you two start fighting and I'm here to sort you out. To fix things up - I'm going to watch my shows instead, my romance stuff" Rick snatched the remote from Ben. At once, Jason made a grab for the remote once it was safely in Rick's hand, and Ben joined in - attempting to snatch it himself.
"GO AWAY!" Rick yelled out at his brothers, attempting to protect the remote.
"NO YOU GO-AWAY!" Ben snapped back - with anger in his voice as he attempted to grab the remote from his brother.
"AW, COME ON! IT's MY TURN WITH THE REMOTE!" Jason was heard yelling.
"I had better get going - the boys are fighting again over the remote! I'll see you both tomorrow night, love you, Delia" Sally told them - with that - the Video Phone switched off before Delia could say goodnight to her mother.
'I take it that Sally still hasn't told Delia about her illness...' Professor Oak though. "Alright Dee, should we get things ready for tomorrow or have a look at the albums first?" he questioned as he looked at her after putting the phone back on its receiver.
"Hm... I'd say get thing ready for tomorrow and the albums next - so we can relax for the rest of the night," Delia suggested with a smile. Professor Oak nodded in agreement and began to make his way to his office.
Delia decided to go get changed to her night clothes and met up with Professor Oak in the lounge room, noticing that he too had changed and was now looking through a black photo album.
It took them at least an hour to go through the album, with Delia questioning who most of the people in it were. She even saw a photo of Ash, Misty and Brock which the professor had taken a picture of when he was in the future as a ten-year-old. Professor Oak explained who Misty and Brock were, however, he still kept Ash's parents as a secret from her, for now. After looking through the album, the two friends decided to head to bed, with Professor Oak going to his room, and Delia going to hers after saying goodnight to one another. Delia couldn't wait to help out with the new trainers the next day, as she loved seeing the looks on their faces when they receive their first Pokemon, whether they're surprised or disappointed, it always amused her.
To be continued...