Richie lost his sixth-round battle but he remained upbeat about the whole thing, contrasting sharply with how Ash has reacted to his defeat the night before. Ash was inspired by Richie's attitude and decided that if Richie could be a good sport about it, then so could he. Everyone was pleased with Ash's cheerful mood that night at dinner.

Now that the competition was over, Samuel and Delia were able to relax and enjoy not having to worry about Ash. They held hands during the closing ceremony and even sneaked a kiss during the fireworks, figuring that no one would see in the darkened stadium. Afterwards, they decided to continue the celebration by returning to their hotel and ordering a bottle of champagne. Delia squealed as the cork of the champagne bottle made a resounding "pop" when Samuel opened it and poured each of them a glass. The two of them were in high spirits.

"What shall we toast first?" Delia said as she picked up her glass.

"To Ash," Professor Oak said, raising his glass. "His placement in the top sixteen makes him the best competitor to come out of Pallet Town in five years."

"To Ash." Delia echoed as she took a sip of her champagne then sat down on the edge of her bed.

"That boy has a bright future as a Pokémon trainer ahead of him, Delia. Matter of fact," he said as he sat down beside her on the bed, "I propose another toast to Ash's mother, who has done a fine job of raising her son."

She blushed. "Stop it! You're embarrassing me."

"Your turn," he said, sipping his champagne.

"Okay," Delia said, raising her glass. "To Professor Samuel Oak, who's the reason why my son did so well in his first Pokémon League championship."

"You flatter me, Delia," he said with embarrassment. "All I did was give the boy a Pikachu and a few words of advice here and there."

"You did much more than that, Samuel. You encouraged him, inspired him to follow his dream." She paused for a second. "Just like you've always encouraged and inspired me. I'll always be grateful to you for that. And for your friendship."

Samuel was touched by her kind words.

"To you, Delia," he said as he moved closer to her. "Your friendship, your warmth, your beauty. You've been the best thing to come along for me in years."

"Oh, Samuel," she whispered as he put down his glass and took her face in his hands.

"I mean it, Delia. I love you."

"I love you too, Samuel," she whispered as he kissed her softly.

At first they kept things fairly innocent between them, but as the evening wore on their kissing grew more and more passionate.

"Delia," he murmured between kisses, "do you want to stop?"

"Stop? Why?" she asked, puzzled.

"Because in a few moments I won't be able to," he said, gently brushing aside a strand of hair that had fallen across her face.

"Then don't," she said as she leaned over and kissed him with even more passion than before, pulling him down on the bed beside her.

"Delia, are you absolutely sure that this is what you want?" He hesitated as he was suddenly overcome by a wave of insecurity. "I…I haven't…been with anyone since Rose died."

"That's okay," she smiled. "There hasn't been anyone for me since Will, either."

"But I…I'm so much older than you are," he continued. "Wouldn't you rather be with someone younger?"

Even though he was in better shape than most men his age and being with her definitely made him feel younger, it still didn't change the fact that he was old enough to be her father. He loved her so much; the last thing in the world he wanted to do was disappoint her.

"Samuel," she said as she reached up and slowly ran her hand through his hair, "the only man I want to be with is you." She had sensed his insecurity. But she didn't care about how old he was; in her mind, the age difference between them had never really been an issue. All she cared about was what was in his heart. She knew that he loved her and she loved him; that was all that really mattered.

"And I know exactly how to prove it to you," she said as she slowly ran her hand down his face, letting her palm rest against his cheek, echoing the gesture at the park bench a couple of days before. With her other hand, she reached up and started unbuttoning his shirt.

---

The next morning, Professor Oak awoke but the place in the bed next to him was empty.

Was it all a dream? he wondered groggily.

He then realized that he wasn't wearing any pajamas.

Just then, Delia, who was wearing nothing but a lab coat, came in with two trays of breakfast.

"Rise and shine," she said cheerfully. "I ordered room service."

She placed one tray in his lap, then sat down beside him and took the other tray. "I couldn't find my robe, so I put on your lab coat. You should've seen the waiter's face when I answered the door," she said with a giggle.

"I think it looks much better on you than it does me," Professor Oak smiled.

"I'd forgotten how hungry I get after…well, after," she smiled shyly and blushed.

He leaned over and kissed her.

"You've made an old man very happy," he said.

"Oh, I don't think of you as old at all, Samuel," she smiled as she moved her tray to snuggle contentedly against him. "And besides, with age comes experience, you know. And what is it they say about experience? It's the best...um..." She had momentarily lost her train of thought. "Well, it's the best, trust me."

And he had proven it to her last night. He had been so kind and gentle, taking his time so that they could both enjoy the pleasure of finally being together...and it had made her want him even more.

After they finished eating, Delia glanced at the clock. "We don't have to check out of the hotel for a while yet. That gives us plenty of time to do some…exploring."

"I know what I want to explore, but I'll need my lab coat back first," he said with a mischievous grin as he leaned over and started to unbutton her coat.