Chapter 17: Beautiful Day
The next morning, Tracey still felt a strong sense of happiness as he opened his eyes to the morning. As he gradually became more awake he remembered what had happened the night before. He smiled to himself as he sat up in the bed and became lost in his own thoughts.
A few minutes later, Tracey was startled as a voice broke the silence. "Looks like you're off in your own world. Can I ask what it is that you're thinking about?" Ash said suddenly.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about last night and how wonderful everything was. Sorry if I worried you guys last night." Tracey said.
"That's fine. We were just curious because we didn't have any idea what had happened to you. After a while though we realized that you were more than likely off somewhere with Carla." Ash smiled.
"Maybe I should call you Sherlock Ash. Carla and I went up on deck and relaxed in the hot tub for a while and then we ended up going back down to her room and we had planned on watching television for a while. But I was so exhausted after all we went through yesterday that I ended up falling asleep so I'm not really sure what she did after that." Tracey smiled and leaned back to stare at the ceiling above the bed.
"I can probably imagine." Ash countered for he and Misty had been in enough similar situations that he had a pretty good idea.
"Well anyway, Carla woke me up at about 11:30 or so and walked back down here with me. You probably didn't know I was back because when I came in you and Misty were already asleep and Angelica was still down here and she and Brock were watching something on television. I remember that Brock said that you guys were concerned so I told him pretty much the same thing we talked about now. Then after that I climbed up in bed and crashed out without really paying them any mind. I didn't even hear Angelica leave."
"Hey, can you believe that this is going to be our last day onboard and we get back to the Seafoam Islands tomorrow morning. I heard there is supposed to be a big party on deck tonight to celebrate the last night of sailing. I wonder what we can do until then though." Ash said.
"I know. We can go up and play chicken in the pool again. With Carla and Angelica we can have three teams and a three on three battle. Also this way I don't have to worry about Brock falling over my head again." Tracey laughed.
Just then another voice decided to join in the conversation. Brock had just awakened and wondered what Ash and Tracey were laughing at.
"Morning guys. What are you laughing about?" Brock yawned.
"Morning Brock. Ash and I were trying to figure out what we could do today until the big party tonight so I suggested we go to the pool for a three on three game of chicken." Tracey laughed.
"Yeah and we were remembering the funny things that happened when we played the other day." Ash continued where Tracey had stopped.
"Oh. I actually think that sounds like an excellent idea. With three fighters and three bases this could prove to be very interesting indeed. I can't wait to see what happens." Brock said with a grin.
"Yeah. I wonder who would win a contest like that." Tracey wondered aloud.
"You have any doubt?" Misty laughed, startling Ash. "Sorry, babe. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay, sugar. I just didn't know that you were awake so when you said something it took me by surprise. But it was a good surprise!" Ash smiled as he kissed Misty.
"We really need to get moving so we can get ready. It's almost time to head up for breakfast and Angelica and Carla are going to be down here really soon." Ash said finally.
"You're right. We do need to get ready." Brock agreed as the four friends ran around the room trying to get dressed and ready for breakfast and at the same time mildly amusing Pikachu.
A few minutes later, a knock came on the door. Tracey went to answer it and was very delighted to see Carla standing at the door with Angelica. He opened the door and pulled Carla to him and gave her a kiss, which she happily returned, as Angelica squeezed past them to be greeted the same way by Brock. After the romantic greetings were complete, the three couples walked up to the dining room for a big breakfast.
* * * * *
After they had breakfast, the group thought about what they wanted to do for the afternoon. Angelica and Carla had no idea that the others had already come up with a wonderful idea.
"So what are we going to do this afternoon? There are so many things to choose from." Angelica asked.
"Yeah. I'm definitely in the mood for some fun." Carla agreed, laying her head on Tracey's shoulder.
"Well, we were thinking about it this morning while we were getting ready and we kinda came up with an idea." Ash said as he fed Pikachu a bite of ketchup smothered toast.
"Well what's your great idea? I'm really intrigued." Carla asked.
"We thought that we could go up to the pool and play a three on three game of chicken. You against Angelica and Misty in a chicken fight. We played the day before you and I met and had a very good time with it." Tracey smiled and gave Carla a kiss.
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea. It's a very good way to pass the time this afternoon." Angelica said.
"Yeah. I heard that there is a big party on deck this evening and I was thinking that we could all go and check that out together." Ash cut in.
"Okay. Now that we have a game plan for the day, I say we get ready and go to the pool." Brock said.
"Good. We'll go and get ready and you can get ready too and we'll meet you down in your room in about fifteen minutes." Carla said and Angelica nodded her agreement.
"Okay. Go ahead and we'll see you girls soon." Tracey smiled as Carla and Angelica walked away toward their rooms and the others went down to theirs.
* * * * *
A short time later Ash, Misty, Brock and Tracey were sitting in their room, having changed into their swimsuits, waiting for Carla and Angelica to arrive. They were all going to go and hang out at the pool and play chicken.
Carla was the first to get there and when Tracey went to the door he was absolutely speechless. Carla was standing at the door in her swimsuit with her towel and things in her arms and she had her long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that hung about halfway down her back. He was greeted by Carla's musical laughter when she saw the stunned look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Carla laughed even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.
"You are absolutely breathtaking, hon." Tracey smiled as soon as he got his voice back.
"Well thank you very much for the compliment." Carla said as she leaned over and gave Tracey a kiss.
While all of this was going on, Angelica had appeared in the hallway and was greeted by Brock, who was totally starry eyed when he saw her. They gave each other a long kiss and went into the room after Tracey and Carla.
As soon as they were all ready, the group took the elevator up to the top deck and walked out to the pool. After they had staked their claim on some deck chairs, all six of them jumped into the pool and began to get ready for playing chicken. Misty was on Ash's shoulders, Tracey was Carla's base and Angelica was using Brock as a perch. After six intense, hilarious battles the score was Misty had won four of the battles and Carla and Angelica had each won one battle. At that point, they decided to take a break from the chicken fights and just sit in the sun for a while. It was then that Tracey got a very good idea.
"Hey, guys. I need to see if I can find a phone or radio that they'll let me use because I have to take care of something. I'll be back in a while." Tracey said as he stood up.
"Don't be long please." Carla pleaded flashing Tracey a heartwarming smile.
"I promise I won't be, love." Tracey smiled as he gave her a quick kiss.
* * * * *
Once he had secured permission to use a telephone, Tracey dialed the number to Professor Oak's lab. He needed to secure permission from Professor Oak before he could go ahead with this idea that he had. After a moment, the image of Tracey's boss appeared on the phone screen in front of him.
"Hello." Professor Oak said cheerfully.
"Hey, Professor. It's Tracey. How are things back at the lab?" Tracey smiled.
"Oh, hi Tracey. Everything's fine here. Are you guys having a good time on your trip?" Professor Oak asked.
"We're having the best time ever. Which brings me to the reason I called you, Professor. I needed to ask you about something." Tracey was hoping that this would work out the way he had planned it.
"What is it, Tracey?" The older man's curiosity was peaked.
"Well, I met the most amazing girl while I was here and she is just as interested in Pokemon as I am. I was wondering since you were considering hiring another person to help us out anyway, could I ask this girl to come back with me and fill that position?" Tracey had a glimmer of hope in his voice and this made Professor Oak smile.
"I think that's a fantastic idea, Tracey. If it's okay with your lady friend then it's perfectly fine by me."
"Thanks a lot, Professor. I need to go now. I'll tell the others hello for you and we'll see you in a few days. Bye." Tracey was very excited now.
"Bye, Tracey." Professor Oak laughed as he broke the connection.
After he finished talking to Professor Oak, Tracey took off back to join the others trying to figure out how he was going to present his proposition to his new girlfriend.
* * * * *
By the time he had rejoined his friends Tracey knew exactly what he was going to say to present his idea to Carla. The others looked up and, seeing the wide grin on Tracey's face immediately wondered why he was so happy. He walked up to Carla and took her hand.
"Hey, hon. Can I talk to you privately for a minute?" Tracey asked with a reassuring wink.
"Sure. Why not." Carla smiled as Tracey led her away from the others so that they could talk.
"I wanted to talk to you in private because I have what I guess you'd call a personal business proposition that I wanted to run by you and see what you thought about it."
"Okay. What did you have in mind?" Carla was becoming very intrigued.
"Well, I told you that I work at a Pokemon lab for a living. My boss, Professor Oak, has been looking for a long time trying to find someone to help me out working in the lab with the Pokemon. So I called and talked to Professor Oak today and we both agreed that you would be perfect and the opening is yours if you want it. So what do you say? Do you want to come and work with us and stay at the lab as well so we can be together all the time?" Tracey asked, his eyes glittering in anticipation.
"Nothing would make me happier. I would love to do that. When does Professor Oak want me to get started?" Carla inquired.
"We thought that you could start immediately. I was going to bring you back with me. If that's okay with you, that is." Tracey smiled.
"That's perfect. I would love to fly back with you. I can tie up any loose ends from there and I know I'll be happy and a great help." Carla laughed as she and Tracey walked back to join their waiting friends for some more bouts of chicken.
When they were back with the others, Tracey and Carla were ready to get back to playing chicken. Earlier even though Misty had gotten the upper hand, Tracey and Carla had been a very good team and given her and Ash a run for their money. On the way back the two had decided not to tell the others about their newest venture and to wait and surprise them the next day when they disembarked the ship.
"Hey guys. There you are. So are you ready to get back to playing some serious chicken?" Misty smiled.
"Yeah. I'm ready to get going again. I plan on trying to take you down Misty. You won't get the upper hand again if I have anything to say about it." Carla giggled in response.
"I'm ready too! Let's go! Don't get too cocky though!" Angelica grinned.
The three girls hopped up on their bases and were fighting furiously again. This time there were six battles and they were a tie. Misty, Carla, and Angelica had each won two of the battles and they were having a great time doing it. But, as they had learned so many times over the course of this trip, all good things must come to an end and soon it was time for them to leave the pool and head back down to get ready for the big party.
* * * * *
After they had gathered all of their things and left the pool, Brock and Tracey walked Angelica and Carla down to their respective rooms while Ash and Misty walked down to their room and began getting ready. It didn't take them very long to clean up and get into some fresh clothes so they sat around talking while they were waiting for Brock and Tracey to return.
"I can't believe what interesting twists of fate have occurred during the course of this vacation. I mean, think about it. First you and I got engaged and then if that wasn't wonderful enough, Brock and Tracey found romance too. It seems impossible that so many wonderful things can happen on a trip that in the planning stages had the potential to go so drastically wrong." Misty said to her fiancé as she snuggled closer to him.
"Yeah, I know. But it just proves that you never know what will happen and sometimes the best things happen when you least expect them to. That's a lesson learned that we shouldn't forget anytime soon." Ash smiled and gave Misty a kiss.
"You sure have that right. There's a lot about this vacation that I will never forget." Misty agreed as the door opened and Brock and Tracey entered.
"Hey guys. Sorry we took so long." Brock said cheerfully.
"Yeah. I just didn't want to leave Carla even though I'm going to see her very soon." Tracey laughed as he blushed a little.
"No problem. I know what that feels like. Before Misty moved in with me and we would go out when I took her home I looked for every possible excuse to keep from leaving her." Ash remembered.
"So when are Carla and Angelica coming down here to meet us for the party." Misty asked.
"They'll be down in about thirty minutes. I'm really looking forward to this party tonight. I hear that there is going to be dancing and music and food. I think it's going to be a total blast." Tracey said with much enthusiasm.
"The best thing about it is that we're all going to get to be together and since you and I have paired off with Angelica and Carla then none of us are going to be alone. That'll just make everything even better." Brock smiled.
In what seemed like no time at all, Angelica and Carla arrived at their room ready to go to the party looking absolutely ravishing. Brock and Tracey promptly started drooling over their girls again, at the same time amusing their companions who were standing by watching everything. After a few moments of this the group went up to the deck to join the party.
When they got up to the deck the party was already started and the music was so loud that it was almost deafening. It was evident from the beginning that it was going to be a great party. All three of the young couples paired off and went to dancing together. Ash and Misty seemed to be completely lost in each other's eyes, Tracey and Carla were lost in each other's arms while Brock was obviously lost in thought and Angelica was confused as to what he was pondering on.
"Hey. What are you thinking about?" Angelica asked.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was trying to figure something out and I think I just did. Do you want to take a quick walk with me? We'll be back before the others even realize we're gone." Brock replied softly.
"Sure. Why not."
Brock then took Angelica by the hand and led her just inside to where they could talk without being drowned out by the music. Once she could be heard, Angelica took the opportunity to ask her man why they had left the party to come to this secluded area.
"What's up, Brock? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong." Brock smiled. "I thought we should come here because I had an idea and I wanted to run it past you. I wanted to get your opinion because if you like my idea then it will affect both of us."
"Okay. What's this great idea? You can't leave me in the dark." Angelica was very curious now and she also realized that Brock was toying with her.
"Well. You know that I run a Pokemon gym and everything. I have been wishing for a long time that I had someone to help out with that and cure my loneliness so I wondered if you might be interested in flying back with us and staying at the gym with me and my brothers and sisters. I think you'd get on marvelously. What do you think Angelica? Would you like to come back with me?" Brock asked hopefully.
"I would love that. There would naturally be some things that would have to be taken care of where I am now but you and I could take care of that together. I would love to fly back with you." Angelica smiled and gave Brock such a big hug that he thought she might break him in half.
After a few minutes the couple broke from their embrace and headed back to rejoin their friends at the party. As soon as they opened the door and were greeted by the deafening music, Brock and Angelica realized how great the silence was that they were just indulging in. When they got back to where the others were, it was apparent that their friends were looking for them.
"Hey! There you guys are. We were wondering where you had run off to. Is everything okay?" Ash asked when Brock and Angelica approached.
"Yeah. Everything's great! We just thought it would be nice to give our ears a break from this loud music. I figured we could be back before you guys realized we were gone but I guess we stayed inside talking a little too long." Brock laughed.
"Now are we going to get back to the party or what! I'm ready to have some fun!" Angelica grinned.
For the next several hours, Ash, Misty, Brock, Angelica, Tracey and Carla enjoyed the party. Soon the music and dancing had finally come to an end and the group decided to go and enjoy some food at a late night dinner in one of the dining areas. Before going to join the others, Ash had decided to go and get Pikachu from the Pokemon party that had taken place in a different part of the ship and let him join them. When Ash appeared Pikachu darted across the room and leapt into his trainer's arms.
"Pikapi!" (Ash!) Pikachu shouted.
"Hey, Pikachu. I hope you had fun. Are you hungry?" Ash laughed.
"Pika chu ka pikachu. Pika ka chu." (You're kidding. I'm always hungry.) Pikachu answered cheerfully as Ash picked him up and headed back to the dining area to join the others.
When Ash and Pikachu arrived, the friends immediately went about digging into some delicious food until they thought they were going to burst. After a very big midnight snack they decided that it was time to head back to their rooms and pack their things and get ready to disembark the next morning.
Ash and Misty, along with Pikachu, arrived back in their room alone as Brock and Tracey were saying goodnight to Angelica and Carla so they didn't expect them for some time. After they had their things packed up and had placed their checked luggage outside the door for the steward to pick up, Ash and Misty sat on the bed with the television on and waited for Brock and Tracey to return. Pikachu was sitting on the floor playing with some kind of thing that he had found lying around somewhere.
"I just thought that it's probably going to be very hard on Brock and Tracey when they have to part company with Angelica and Carla in the morning because they have become so attached to them. I can't imagine having to be apart from you for even a second." Ash said quietly.
"After what happened the other night you won't have to. But I agree that this is more than likely going to be hard on Brock and Tracey though. They really have become attached to our new friends. We'll have to help them as much as we can." Misty agreed.
About ten minutes later Brock appeared with Tracey right behind him. Ash and Misty smiled at them sadly and this immediately had their friends momentarily confused. It was then that they looked at each other and decided that they should share with their friends the information that they had confided in each other on the way back down to the room. But first the two had to get Ash and Misty to admit that was what they were thinking.
"Why do you two look so sad?" Tracey asked, knowing the answer as well as he knew his own name.
"Well we were just thinking about how hard it is going to be for you and Brock to leave Carla and Angelica behind when we disembark tomorrow." Ash answered finally.
"Actually, to be perfectly honest, we aren't gong to have to." Brock smiled.
"What!" Ash and Misty exclaimed together.
"Well, when I left for those few moments at the pool this morning to take care of something I called Professor Oak to ask him if it was okay for me to invite Carla to come and help us out and stay at the lab and he gladly gave me that permission. Then a few minutes later when I took Carla off, I presented the idea to her and she accepted it. I just found out earlier that when Brock and Angelica disappeared for that time when we were at the party, he invited her to come back with him to stay at the gym and help him out there. She accepted his invitation as well so they are both flying back with us." Tracey answered happily.
"Well this has been a vacation full of wonderful surprises. That is absolutely wonderful news." Misty beamed as she leaned her head on Ash's shoulder.
"Yeah. Something tells me that this flight heading back home is going to be slightly more interesting than the one coming over." Ash paused for a moment and a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, wait a second. How are we going to get Carla and Angelica on the plane with us? They don't have tickets."
"That's not going to be a problem. I called Professor Oak again a few minutes ago and he is taking care of it." Tracey smiled.
"Great! I'm looking forward to this. It'll be really nice to have a couple of other girls to talk to during the time when you and Ash are out of commission." Misty laughed warmly as Tracey's eyes got really wide.
"Oh no. I can't believe I was that stupid. How could I have forgotten about that." Tracey was on the verge of panic.
"What's the matter Tracey? Calm down and tell us." Brock said, still trying to figure out what in the world had just happened.
"Yeah. If you tell us what you're so upset about between the three of us we can probably come up with some kind of a solution." Ash said calmly as he and Misty led Tracey to one of the chairs and helped him to sit.
"It's just that I realized that Carla has no idea of the situation that Ash and I are going to be in tomorrow. I'm such an idiot. How could I forget to tell her something like that? I don't want to scare her but that is probably what is going to end up happening." Tracey moaned as he put his head in his hands.
"First of all Tracey, you are not an idiot. Don't think like that. Secondly this is probably not going to be as big of an issue as you're thinking. If it comes down to it and Carla gets worried about you or starts asking questions, Brock and I can always explain the situation to her. We'll simply tell her that you and Ash both have difficulty with being afraid to fly and that Professor Oak worked it out so that you would be sedated during the first part of the flight. I'm sure she'll understand that." Misty said reassuringly, putting a hand on Tracey's shoulder as Brock nodded a silent agreement to what she said.
"Thanks guys. I didn't think of you two being able to explain it to her. I guess I just got too excited too quickly. She probably will understand but I just don't want her to panic about it." Tracey's expression eased a bit and he smiled at his friends.
"Hey, since we all have our things ready to go for tomorrow morning, I think we should all try to get some sleep. The ship docks at 8:30 in the morning so we need to be up and ready by at least 7:00 so we can get our carry on things together and be at the disembarking station in time." Ash pointed out.
"Yeah. I think that Ash has a good point." Brock said from his bunk. "If we stay up much later we're all going to be zombies in the morning."
"Okay. We can talk more in the morning once we've met up with the girls and are waiting to get off. Right now that big midnight snack we had is really starting to catch up with me. I'm totally beat. Goodnight guys." Tracey yawned. He was so tired as he climbed up onto his bed that he could hardly keep his eyes open. Once he was settled in it wasn't long before he had fallen sound asleep.
"I don't know what it is about a big meal that tends to make people so sleepy but whatever it is has gotten to me too. I think I'm going to turn in as well. Goodnight Ash and Misty. See you in the morning." Brock said tiredly before he settled in and drifted off as well.
"You want to know something, Mist? I think that it is the greatest thing in the world to see Brock and Tracey so happy. I can only hope that they are as lucky in their relationships as you and I have been so far in ours." Ash smiled as he relaxed in bed with his fiancé snuggled in his arms.
"I think it's great too. I am so happy for them. It's really sweet the way Tracey was worried about upsetting Carla tomorrow. You can tell that he and Brock both care about her and Angelica so much. It really reminds me of when you and I first got together." Misty whispered.
When she didn't get an answer, Misty glanced over to notice that Ash was sound asleep. She kissed his cheek and held him closer to her. "I love you Ash." Misty whispered as she cuddled up close to him and she too fell asleep.
The next morning, Tracey still felt a strong sense of happiness as he opened his eyes to the morning. As he gradually became more awake he remembered what had happened the night before. He smiled to himself as he sat up in the bed and became lost in his own thoughts.
A few minutes later, Tracey was startled as a voice broke the silence. "Looks like you're off in your own world. Can I ask what it is that you're thinking about?" Ash said suddenly.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about last night and how wonderful everything was. Sorry if I worried you guys last night." Tracey said.
"That's fine. We were just curious because we didn't have any idea what had happened to you. After a while though we realized that you were more than likely off somewhere with Carla." Ash smiled.
"Maybe I should call you Sherlock Ash. Carla and I went up on deck and relaxed in the hot tub for a while and then we ended up going back down to her room and we had planned on watching television for a while. But I was so exhausted after all we went through yesterday that I ended up falling asleep so I'm not really sure what she did after that." Tracey smiled and leaned back to stare at the ceiling above the bed.
"I can probably imagine." Ash countered for he and Misty had been in enough similar situations that he had a pretty good idea.
"Well anyway, Carla woke me up at about 11:30 or so and walked back down here with me. You probably didn't know I was back because when I came in you and Misty were already asleep and Angelica was still down here and she and Brock were watching something on television. I remember that Brock said that you guys were concerned so I told him pretty much the same thing we talked about now. Then after that I climbed up in bed and crashed out without really paying them any mind. I didn't even hear Angelica leave."
"Hey, can you believe that this is going to be our last day onboard and we get back to the Seafoam Islands tomorrow morning. I heard there is supposed to be a big party on deck tonight to celebrate the last night of sailing. I wonder what we can do until then though." Ash said.
"I know. We can go up and play chicken in the pool again. With Carla and Angelica we can have three teams and a three on three battle. Also this way I don't have to worry about Brock falling over my head again." Tracey laughed.
Just then another voice decided to join in the conversation. Brock had just awakened and wondered what Ash and Tracey were laughing at.
"Morning guys. What are you laughing about?" Brock yawned.
"Morning Brock. Ash and I were trying to figure out what we could do today until the big party tonight so I suggested we go to the pool for a three on three game of chicken." Tracey laughed.
"Yeah and we were remembering the funny things that happened when we played the other day." Ash continued where Tracey had stopped.
"Oh. I actually think that sounds like an excellent idea. With three fighters and three bases this could prove to be very interesting indeed. I can't wait to see what happens." Brock said with a grin.
"Yeah. I wonder who would win a contest like that." Tracey wondered aloud.
"You have any doubt?" Misty laughed, startling Ash. "Sorry, babe. I didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay, sugar. I just didn't know that you were awake so when you said something it took me by surprise. But it was a good surprise!" Ash smiled as he kissed Misty.
"We really need to get moving so we can get ready. It's almost time to head up for breakfast and Angelica and Carla are going to be down here really soon." Ash said finally.
"You're right. We do need to get ready." Brock agreed as the four friends ran around the room trying to get dressed and ready for breakfast and at the same time mildly amusing Pikachu.
A few minutes later, a knock came on the door. Tracey went to answer it and was very delighted to see Carla standing at the door with Angelica. He opened the door and pulled Carla to him and gave her a kiss, which she happily returned, as Angelica squeezed past them to be greeted the same way by Brock. After the romantic greetings were complete, the three couples walked up to the dining room for a big breakfast.
* * * * *
After they had breakfast, the group thought about what they wanted to do for the afternoon. Angelica and Carla had no idea that the others had already come up with a wonderful idea.
"So what are we going to do this afternoon? There are so many things to choose from." Angelica asked.
"Yeah. I'm definitely in the mood for some fun." Carla agreed, laying her head on Tracey's shoulder.
"Well, we were thinking about it this morning while we were getting ready and we kinda came up with an idea." Ash said as he fed Pikachu a bite of ketchup smothered toast.
"Well what's your great idea? I'm really intrigued." Carla asked.
"We thought that we could go up to the pool and play a three on three game of chicken. You against Angelica and Misty in a chicken fight. We played the day before you and I met and had a very good time with it." Tracey smiled and gave Carla a kiss.
"I think that sounds like an excellent idea. It's a very good way to pass the time this afternoon." Angelica said.
"Yeah. I heard that there is a big party on deck this evening and I was thinking that we could all go and check that out together." Ash cut in.
"Okay. Now that we have a game plan for the day, I say we get ready and go to the pool." Brock said.
"Good. We'll go and get ready and you can get ready too and we'll meet you down in your room in about fifteen minutes." Carla said and Angelica nodded her agreement.
"Okay. Go ahead and we'll see you girls soon." Tracey smiled as Carla and Angelica walked away toward their rooms and the others went down to theirs.
* * * * *
A short time later Ash, Misty, Brock and Tracey were sitting in their room, having changed into their swimsuits, waiting for Carla and Angelica to arrive. They were all going to go and hang out at the pool and play chicken.
Carla was the first to get there and when Tracey went to the door he was absolutely speechless. Carla was standing at the door in her swimsuit with her towel and things in her arms and she had her long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail that hung about halfway down her back. He was greeted by Carla's musical laughter when she saw the stunned look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Carla laughed even though she was pretty sure she knew the answer.
"You are absolutely breathtaking, hon." Tracey smiled as soon as he got his voice back.
"Well thank you very much for the compliment." Carla said as she leaned over and gave Tracey a kiss.
While all of this was going on, Angelica had appeared in the hallway and was greeted by Brock, who was totally starry eyed when he saw her. They gave each other a long kiss and went into the room after Tracey and Carla.
As soon as they were all ready, the group took the elevator up to the top deck and walked out to the pool. After they had staked their claim on some deck chairs, all six of them jumped into the pool and began to get ready for playing chicken. Misty was on Ash's shoulders, Tracey was Carla's base and Angelica was using Brock as a perch. After six intense, hilarious battles the score was Misty had won four of the battles and Carla and Angelica had each won one battle. At that point, they decided to take a break from the chicken fights and just sit in the sun for a while. It was then that Tracey got a very good idea.
"Hey, guys. I need to see if I can find a phone or radio that they'll let me use because I have to take care of something. I'll be back in a while." Tracey said as he stood up.
"Don't be long please." Carla pleaded flashing Tracey a heartwarming smile.
"I promise I won't be, love." Tracey smiled as he gave her a quick kiss.
* * * * *
Once he had secured permission to use a telephone, Tracey dialed the number to Professor Oak's lab. He needed to secure permission from Professor Oak before he could go ahead with this idea that he had. After a moment, the image of Tracey's boss appeared on the phone screen in front of him.
"Hello." Professor Oak said cheerfully.
"Hey, Professor. It's Tracey. How are things back at the lab?" Tracey smiled.
"Oh, hi Tracey. Everything's fine here. Are you guys having a good time on your trip?" Professor Oak asked.
"We're having the best time ever. Which brings me to the reason I called you, Professor. I needed to ask you about something." Tracey was hoping that this would work out the way he had planned it.
"What is it, Tracey?" The older man's curiosity was peaked.
"Well, I met the most amazing girl while I was here and she is just as interested in Pokemon as I am. I was wondering since you were considering hiring another person to help us out anyway, could I ask this girl to come back with me and fill that position?" Tracey had a glimmer of hope in his voice and this made Professor Oak smile.
"I think that's a fantastic idea, Tracey. If it's okay with your lady friend then it's perfectly fine by me."
"Thanks a lot, Professor. I need to go now. I'll tell the others hello for you and we'll see you in a few days. Bye." Tracey was very excited now.
"Bye, Tracey." Professor Oak laughed as he broke the connection.
After he finished talking to Professor Oak, Tracey took off back to join the others trying to figure out how he was going to present his proposition to his new girlfriend.
* * * * *
By the time he had rejoined his friends Tracey knew exactly what he was going to say to present his idea to Carla. The others looked up and, seeing the wide grin on Tracey's face immediately wondered why he was so happy. He walked up to Carla and took her hand.
"Hey, hon. Can I talk to you privately for a minute?" Tracey asked with a reassuring wink.
"Sure. Why not." Carla smiled as Tracey led her away from the others so that they could talk.
"I wanted to talk to you in private because I have what I guess you'd call a personal business proposition that I wanted to run by you and see what you thought about it."
"Okay. What did you have in mind?" Carla was becoming very intrigued.
"Well, I told you that I work at a Pokemon lab for a living. My boss, Professor Oak, has been looking for a long time trying to find someone to help me out working in the lab with the Pokemon. So I called and talked to Professor Oak today and we both agreed that you would be perfect and the opening is yours if you want it. So what do you say? Do you want to come and work with us and stay at the lab as well so we can be together all the time?" Tracey asked, his eyes glittering in anticipation.
"Nothing would make me happier. I would love to do that. When does Professor Oak want me to get started?" Carla inquired.
"We thought that you could start immediately. I was going to bring you back with me. If that's okay with you, that is." Tracey smiled.
"That's perfect. I would love to fly back with you. I can tie up any loose ends from there and I know I'll be happy and a great help." Carla laughed as she and Tracey walked back to join their waiting friends for some more bouts of chicken.
When they were back with the others, Tracey and Carla were ready to get back to playing chicken. Earlier even though Misty had gotten the upper hand, Tracey and Carla had been a very good team and given her and Ash a run for their money. On the way back the two had decided not to tell the others about their newest venture and to wait and surprise them the next day when they disembarked the ship.
"Hey guys. There you are. So are you ready to get back to playing some serious chicken?" Misty smiled.
"Yeah. I'm ready to get going again. I plan on trying to take you down Misty. You won't get the upper hand again if I have anything to say about it." Carla giggled in response.
"I'm ready too! Let's go! Don't get too cocky though!" Angelica grinned.
The three girls hopped up on their bases and were fighting furiously again. This time there were six battles and they were a tie. Misty, Carla, and Angelica had each won two of the battles and they were having a great time doing it. But, as they had learned so many times over the course of this trip, all good things must come to an end and soon it was time for them to leave the pool and head back down to get ready for the big party.
* * * * *
After they had gathered all of their things and left the pool, Brock and Tracey walked Angelica and Carla down to their respective rooms while Ash and Misty walked down to their room and began getting ready. It didn't take them very long to clean up and get into some fresh clothes so they sat around talking while they were waiting for Brock and Tracey to return.
"I can't believe what interesting twists of fate have occurred during the course of this vacation. I mean, think about it. First you and I got engaged and then if that wasn't wonderful enough, Brock and Tracey found romance too. It seems impossible that so many wonderful things can happen on a trip that in the planning stages had the potential to go so drastically wrong." Misty said to her fiancé as she snuggled closer to him.
"Yeah, I know. But it just proves that you never know what will happen and sometimes the best things happen when you least expect them to. That's a lesson learned that we shouldn't forget anytime soon." Ash smiled and gave Misty a kiss.
"You sure have that right. There's a lot about this vacation that I will never forget." Misty agreed as the door opened and Brock and Tracey entered.
"Hey guys. Sorry we took so long." Brock said cheerfully.
"Yeah. I just didn't want to leave Carla even though I'm going to see her very soon." Tracey laughed as he blushed a little.
"No problem. I know what that feels like. Before Misty moved in with me and we would go out when I took her home I looked for every possible excuse to keep from leaving her." Ash remembered.
"So when are Carla and Angelica coming down here to meet us for the party." Misty asked.
"They'll be down in about thirty minutes. I'm really looking forward to this party tonight. I hear that there is going to be dancing and music and food. I think it's going to be a total blast." Tracey said with much enthusiasm.
"The best thing about it is that we're all going to get to be together and since you and I have paired off with Angelica and Carla then none of us are going to be alone. That'll just make everything even better." Brock smiled.
In what seemed like no time at all, Angelica and Carla arrived at their room ready to go to the party looking absolutely ravishing. Brock and Tracey promptly started drooling over their girls again, at the same time amusing their companions who were standing by watching everything. After a few moments of this the group went up to the deck to join the party.
When they got up to the deck the party was already started and the music was so loud that it was almost deafening. It was evident from the beginning that it was going to be a great party. All three of the young couples paired off and went to dancing together. Ash and Misty seemed to be completely lost in each other's eyes, Tracey and Carla were lost in each other's arms while Brock was obviously lost in thought and Angelica was confused as to what he was pondering on.
"Hey. What are you thinking about?" Angelica asked.
"Huh? Oh, sorry. I was trying to figure something out and I think I just did. Do you want to take a quick walk with me? We'll be back before the others even realize we're gone." Brock replied softly.
"Sure. Why not."
Brock then took Angelica by the hand and led her just inside to where they could talk without being drowned out by the music. Once she could be heard, Angelica took the opportunity to ask her man why they had left the party to come to this secluded area.
"What's up, Brock? Is something wrong?"
"No, nothing's wrong." Brock smiled. "I thought we should come here because I had an idea and I wanted to run it past you. I wanted to get your opinion because if you like my idea then it will affect both of us."
"Okay. What's this great idea? You can't leave me in the dark." Angelica was very curious now and she also realized that Brock was toying with her.
"Well. You know that I run a Pokemon gym and everything. I have been wishing for a long time that I had someone to help out with that and cure my loneliness so I wondered if you might be interested in flying back with us and staying at the gym with me and my brothers and sisters. I think you'd get on marvelously. What do you think Angelica? Would you like to come back with me?" Brock asked hopefully.
"I would love that. There would naturally be some things that would have to be taken care of where I am now but you and I could take care of that together. I would love to fly back with you." Angelica smiled and gave Brock such a big hug that he thought she might break him in half.
After a few minutes the couple broke from their embrace and headed back to rejoin their friends at the party. As soon as they opened the door and were greeted by the deafening music, Brock and Angelica realized how great the silence was that they were just indulging in. When they got back to where the others were, it was apparent that their friends were looking for them.
"Hey! There you guys are. We were wondering where you had run off to. Is everything okay?" Ash asked when Brock and Angelica approached.
"Yeah. Everything's great! We just thought it would be nice to give our ears a break from this loud music. I figured we could be back before you guys realized we were gone but I guess we stayed inside talking a little too long." Brock laughed.
"Now are we going to get back to the party or what! I'm ready to have some fun!" Angelica grinned.
For the next several hours, Ash, Misty, Brock, Angelica, Tracey and Carla enjoyed the party. Soon the music and dancing had finally come to an end and the group decided to go and enjoy some food at a late night dinner in one of the dining areas. Before going to join the others, Ash had decided to go and get Pikachu from the Pokemon party that had taken place in a different part of the ship and let him join them. When Ash appeared Pikachu darted across the room and leapt into his trainer's arms.
"Pikapi!" (Ash!) Pikachu shouted.
"Hey, Pikachu. I hope you had fun. Are you hungry?" Ash laughed.
"Pika chu ka pikachu. Pika ka chu." (You're kidding. I'm always hungry.) Pikachu answered cheerfully as Ash picked him up and headed back to the dining area to join the others.
When Ash and Pikachu arrived, the friends immediately went about digging into some delicious food until they thought they were going to burst. After a very big midnight snack they decided that it was time to head back to their rooms and pack their things and get ready to disembark the next morning.
Ash and Misty, along with Pikachu, arrived back in their room alone as Brock and Tracey were saying goodnight to Angelica and Carla so they didn't expect them for some time. After they had their things packed up and had placed their checked luggage outside the door for the steward to pick up, Ash and Misty sat on the bed with the television on and waited for Brock and Tracey to return. Pikachu was sitting on the floor playing with some kind of thing that he had found lying around somewhere.
"I just thought that it's probably going to be very hard on Brock and Tracey when they have to part company with Angelica and Carla in the morning because they have become so attached to them. I can't imagine having to be apart from you for even a second." Ash said quietly.
"After what happened the other night you won't have to. But I agree that this is more than likely going to be hard on Brock and Tracey though. They really have become attached to our new friends. We'll have to help them as much as we can." Misty agreed.
About ten minutes later Brock appeared with Tracey right behind him. Ash and Misty smiled at them sadly and this immediately had their friends momentarily confused. It was then that they looked at each other and decided that they should share with their friends the information that they had confided in each other on the way back down to the room. But first the two had to get Ash and Misty to admit that was what they were thinking.
"Why do you two look so sad?" Tracey asked, knowing the answer as well as he knew his own name.
"Well we were just thinking about how hard it is going to be for you and Brock to leave Carla and Angelica behind when we disembark tomorrow." Ash answered finally.
"Actually, to be perfectly honest, we aren't gong to have to." Brock smiled.
"What!" Ash and Misty exclaimed together.
"Well, when I left for those few moments at the pool this morning to take care of something I called Professor Oak to ask him if it was okay for me to invite Carla to come and help us out and stay at the lab and he gladly gave me that permission. Then a few minutes later when I took Carla off, I presented the idea to her and she accepted it. I just found out earlier that when Brock and Angelica disappeared for that time when we were at the party, he invited her to come back with him to stay at the gym and help him out there. She accepted his invitation as well so they are both flying back with us." Tracey answered happily.
"Well this has been a vacation full of wonderful surprises. That is absolutely wonderful news." Misty beamed as she leaned her head on Ash's shoulder.
"Yeah. Something tells me that this flight heading back home is going to be slightly more interesting than the one coming over." Ash paused for a moment and a thought suddenly occurred to him. "Hey, wait a second. How are we going to get Carla and Angelica on the plane with us? They don't have tickets."
"That's not going to be a problem. I called Professor Oak again a few minutes ago and he is taking care of it." Tracey smiled.
"Great! I'm looking forward to this. It'll be really nice to have a couple of other girls to talk to during the time when you and Ash are out of commission." Misty laughed warmly as Tracey's eyes got really wide.
"Oh no. I can't believe I was that stupid. How could I have forgotten about that." Tracey was on the verge of panic.
"What's the matter Tracey? Calm down and tell us." Brock said, still trying to figure out what in the world had just happened.
"Yeah. If you tell us what you're so upset about between the three of us we can probably come up with some kind of a solution." Ash said calmly as he and Misty led Tracey to one of the chairs and helped him to sit.
"It's just that I realized that Carla has no idea of the situation that Ash and I are going to be in tomorrow. I'm such an idiot. How could I forget to tell her something like that? I don't want to scare her but that is probably what is going to end up happening." Tracey moaned as he put his head in his hands.
"First of all Tracey, you are not an idiot. Don't think like that. Secondly this is probably not going to be as big of an issue as you're thinking. If it comes down to it and Carla gets worried about you or starts asking questions, Brock and I can always explain the situation to her. We'll simply tell her that you and Ash both have difficulty with being afraid to fly and that Professor Oak worked it out so that you would be sedated during the first part of the flight. I'm sure she'll understand that." Misty said reassuringly, putting a hand on Tracey's shoulder as Brock nodded a silent agreement to what she said.
"Thanks guys. I didn't think of you two being able to explain it to her. I guess I just got too excited too quickly. She probably will understand but I just don't want her to panic about it." Tracey's expression eased a bit and he smiled at his friends.
"Hey, since we all have our things ready to go for tomorrow morning, I think we should all try to get some sleep. The ship docks at 8:30 in the morning so we need to be up and ready by at least 7:00 so we can get our carry on things together and be at the disembarking station in time." Ash pointed out.
"Yeah. I think that Ash has a good point." Brock said from his bunk. "If we stay up much later we're all going to be zombies in the morning."
"Okay. We can talk more in the morning once we've met up with the girls and are waiting to get off. Right now that big midnight snack we had is really starting to catch up with me. I'm totally beat. Goodnight guys." Tracey yawned. He was so tired as he climbed up onto his bed that he could hardly keep his eyes open. Once he was settled in it wasn't long before he had fallen sound asleep.
"I don't know what it is about a big meal that tends to make people so sleepy but whatever it is has gotten to me too. I think I'm going to turn in as well. Goodnight Ash and Misty. See you in the morning." Brock said tiredly before he settled in and drifted off as well.
"You want to know something, Mist? I think that it is the greatest thing in the world to see Brock and Tracey so happy. I can only hope that they are as lucky in their relationships as you and I have been so far in ours." Ash smiled as he relaxed in bed with his fiancé snuggled in his arms.
"I think it's great too. I am so happy for them. It's really sweet the way Tracey was worried about upsetting Carla tomorrow. You can tell that he and Brock both care about her and Angelica so much. It really reminds me of when you and I first got together." Misty whispered.
When she didn't get an answer, Misty glanced over to notice that Ash was sound asleep. She kissed his cheek and held him closer to her. "I love you Ash." Misty whispered as she cuddled up close to him and she too fell asleep.