Chapter 20: The Final Flight
As soon as the plane touched down in Saffron City, the three couples gathered their carry on luggage and moved through the crowd to disembark the plane. After getting off the plane, they had to take a subway like train that took them to the terminal where they would walk to the next gate.
Once they were in the terminal and had passed through airport security, the group found their way to the gate and sat down. Ash and Tracey decided to walk to a little store to get an extra snack to keep themselves from being hungry since it was going to be a while before they were going to be able to eat again. While they were gone, Misty checked on the arrival of their plane and was told that it had taken off on time and was expected to land in Saffron City half an hour later. Just as she returned to the group, Ash and Tracey were also returning.
"Hey, Mist. Where did you go, pretty lady." Ash smiled as he took her hand.
"I went to check if the plane was going to be on time and they told me that it is supposed to be." Misty smiled back at her fiancé.
"So we are going to be taking off on time, right?" Tracey asked.
"Yeah. In about thirty minutes."
"Since I know about your situation, Tracey, I don't want you to go running off and hiding. I want you to let me be there for you." Carla had come up to them and now wrapped her arms around Tracey's waist as she hugged him.
"I promise that I won't do that this time, love. The only reason I did that the first time around was to avoid upsetting you." Tracey whispered to Carla.
"I understand why you did that and it really means a lot that you would try to protect me. I'm not sure about what I would've done in the same situation." Carla's cheeks reddened slightly as she spoke.
"So have you guys had enough to eat?" Misty asked.
"Yeah. I think so. You know what I feel like right now?" Ash was clearly beginning a joke and hoped someone would play into it.
"I don't know. What do you feel like?" Brock spoke up, walking right into Ash's trap as Angelica just rolled her eyes.
"I feel like an Ursaring getting prepared to go into hibernation." Ash's punch line got a laugh out of most of the group, however it only succeeded in making Brock feel like an idiot.
"Pikachu!" (Sucker!) Pikachu laughed as Brock glared at him.
"Yeah. I feel like that too. If I eat anything else I think I might explode." Tracey agreed.
Just then, Misty looked at her watch and noticed that their flight was going to be boarding in less than fifteen minutes. "Hey guys. The plane's going to board soon. I think that maybe we should start getting ready."
"Okay. Time to face the inevitable for a final time, Tracey. Let's go for it. Bottom's up." Ash smiled.
"Right, Ash." Tracey laughed.
The two friends decided that this time they would make a joke out of their situation so they popped the sedatives into their mouths and after toasting the end of the situation with the water bottles they had, preceded to down half of them in one gulp. Then they stopped guzzling water and burst out laughing.
"Pi pika ka pikachu." (Give me a break.) Pikachu moaned from his perch on Ash's shoulder.
"Why do you guys think that what you did is so funny?" Misty asked.
"I don't know. I guess it just is." Ash smiled.
"Since it's the end of our little ordeal, Ash and I thought it would be cute to make kind of a joke of out it." Tracey laughed.
"Oh brother." Brock sighed as Angelica hugged him.
A few minutes later the announcement came that the plane was boarding. Once the group had their things together and were beginning to board the plane and look for their seats, Ash and Tracey were really feeling the effects of the sedatives they had downed and they were both seriously dragging.
Once they had actually found their row and sat down, Ash and Tracey were very drowsy and having a difficult time staying awake. A few minutes later, the group had gotten settled and Ash and Tracey were both sound asleep in the arms of their girls.
Carla then looked down at Tracey who was sleeping with his head resting in her lap and giggled a little. This immediately struck Misty as strange and she wondered what Carla was laughing about.
"What's so funny, Carla?" Misty whispered.
"It just amazes me how quick that stuff that Tracey took works. Less than five minutes and he looks like he is out for the night. What about Ash?" Carla smiled.
"Ash is completely conked out. I think they'll both sleep for quite some time. I don't think we should disturb them this time around and they'll awaken on their own. But for now we should make sure that they're comfortable." Misty replied as she placed a blanket over Ash.
Carla nodded and placed a blanket over Tracey as well. Then she felt the plane engines begin to roar as they sped down the runway and glided into the air. As soon as the plane was on the way to its cruising altitude, Carla placed a pillow under Tracey's head and gave him a gentle kiss. As Tracey lay sleeping in Carla's lap, the only thing that was going through her mind was the new found love that she felt for him and whether or not she should say something about it.
Just then, Brock's voice broke the silence. "Hey guys. Can you believe that this is actually our last flight and we'll be home tomorrow evening?"
"It's also the last night we're going to have to sleep on a plane. That's one of the really great things." Angelica continued with a smile.
"Yeah. I'm really looking forward to being home again and I know Ash is too. I can't wait to see the expression on his mom's face when we tell her that we got engaged while we were away." Misty grinned.
"Pika chu pi pikachu kachu pika pi." (I'm looking forward to being home too.) Pikachu said happily as he sat on Misty's shoulder, keeping watch over Ash.
"I think it's really going to be interesting getting to meet and work for Professor Oak. From what Tracey has told me about him, he seems to be a pretty great guy. I'm really looking forward to it." Carla said enthusiastically.
"You're looking forward to getting to spend all that time with Tracey too, aren't you?" Brock asked.
"Well, yeah." Carla's face turned red with embarrassment.
"It's nothing to get embarrassed about. I felt the same way when Brock asked me to come back and stay at the gym. I think I know what you're feeling now." Angelica reassured her.
"Maybe. All I know is that what I'm feeling is like nothing I have ever felt before. It's like I'm not sure what to do with it." Carla whispered.
"Hmm. It's like I suspected before." Misty laughed.
"What are you talking about?" Carla was completely flabbergasted at what Misty had said.
"Well yesterday while we were on the first plane when you and I were talking I saw the twinkle in your eyes and I recognized it. It was the same look that Brock and Tracey used to notice in my eyes when I realized that I had feelings for Ash. The thing was that nobody could get me to admit it." Misty smiled as she explained.
"You're good, Misty. We haven't known each other that long but yet you still have me nailed. I do have feelings for Tracey. The relationship that he and I have developed is what I have always dreamed of. I have caught myself a couple of times wondering if it is actually real." Carla laughed.
"I know how that is. I've done that a couple of times myself since yesterday." Angelica grinned as she placed her hand on Brock's arm.
"Well, I can assure both of you that this is very real. You're not the only ones who wonder about the reality of this whole thing. I mean, think about it from mine and Tracey's point of view for a second. When we began this vacation we were both single guys looking for the right woman, though neither expecting to find such a thing. Then in the course of a day, everything changed. But I wouldn't have it any other way and I'm sure that, if he were able to right now, Tracey would agree with me." Brock couldn't help but smile at his own comment because it made the girls smile.
Just then the flight attendant came and took their lunch orders. Apparently they had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they had missed the announcement. Misty began to feel a little guilty that Ash was missing lunch but he and Tracey would be awake for dinner and she knew that they had gotten plenty to eat before they boarded the plane.
"Hey, Misty. Brock, Carla and I are going to play cards. Wanna play too?" Angelica's question jolted Misty out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, sure. What do you guys want to play?" Misty asked.
"Does 'Go Fish' sound good to you?" Brock answered.
"Great. Let's play."
For the next hour, Misty, Brock, Angelica and Carla played Go Fish and several other card games and were having a great time with it, not really caring who won. Then suddenly a voice broke the quiet and totally disrupted the game that they were playing.
"So who's winning? What is that you guys are playing anyway?" Ash asked sleepily as he awakened and noticed that his friends were playing cards.
"Hey, Ash. We're playing War and at the moment I think Misty is in the lead." Brock smiled.
"Oh cool. Can I play?"
"We're in the middle of a game right now, hon. But we can deal you in on the next hand." Misty leaned over and gave Ash a kiss.
"Hey. Deal me in too." Tracey yawned as he was greeted by a sweet kiss from Carla.
After Angelica won the game of war that they were playing, they dealt Ash and Tracey into the game and the three couples talked, laughed and played cards until it was time for dinner.
When they got their dinner, Ash and Tracey ate like they hadn't had any food in months. This made their friends extremely amused.
"What's so funny?" Ash asked between bites of food.
"Yeah. Why are you guys laughing?" Tracey asked.
"It just seems like you guys haven't eaten in forever." Carla laughed.
After they finished eating, Ash, Misty, Brock, Angelica, Tracey and Carla looked back on their trip over the course of the past two weeks and all that had happened to them.
"When we were walking into the airport to come on vacation I remember that I said this was going to be a great chance to relax. Not only was I right about that but I got the biggest surprise of my life when I found a beautiful woman as well." Brock smiled as he gave Angelica a big hug.
"Well you wouldn't have if I hadn't gotten over my shyness and built up the nerve to come over and say hello to you." Angelica said.
"At least it isn't as unusual as the way Tracey and I met. He and I wouldn't be together and I wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't been so clumsy and tripped over him." Carla grinned.
"I had no idea that when I reached out to catch you I was catching a princess in my arms. But I can tell you one thing. I wouldn't have it any other way." Tracey laughed as he leaned over to kiss Carla's cheek.
"Misty and I have had a great change as well. We were dating when we left home to take a vacation and then I proposed to Misty and she accepted so we are lucky enough to be coming back engaged." Ash pointed out happily.
"That was the moment when all of my dreams came true and the thing is that it's only going to keep getting better. I never thought that things would get this good." Misty laid her head on Ash's shoulder as he held her close.
"Hey, what time is it?" Brock asked suddenly.
"It's about 9:30. Why? Do you have somewhere to be?" Ash retorted with a chuckle.
"No, wise guy. I just wondered." Brock smiled.
"Hey. Why don't we play cards again? I'll deal this time." Misty spoke up.
In the middle of approximately the fourth game of war, a noise drew their attention. There was a woman going down the aisle trying to catch her Pokemon that had gotten loose.
"Jiggly!" The escaped Jigglypuff cried in excitement at having been able to escape from her Pokeball. This elicited a gasp of dread from everyone on the plane.
"Oh no. Come back here Jigglypuff!" The woman called as she raced after her Pokemon.
Then the occurrence that was feared by all of the passengers happened. The woman wasn't able to do anything about it in time. The Jigglypuff began to sing its beautiful song and lulled all of those on the plane into a blissful slumber while the pilots continued working in the soundproof cockpit, unaware of what had taken place in the cabin behind them.
* * * * *
The next morning Ash was the first of the six friends to awaken and as he opened his eyes it came back to him what had happened earlier and he remembered everything.
"Where did that Jigglypuff come from? Luckily the cockpits are made soundproof on these planes because otherwise we'd have been in a whole lot of trouble." Ash thought as he heard Misty waking up next to him.
"What happened?" Misty yawned sleepily.
"Well, last night a Jigglypuff got loose and before the trainer could do anything, her Jigglypuff started singing and put everyone to sleep." Ash explained.
"If Jigglypuff sang everybody to sleep then why are we still in the air?" Misty didn't know how anyone could be immune to Jigglypuff's song.
"There's no doubt in my mind that if these planes didn't have soundproof cockpits then we wouldn't be." Ash whispered.
"I wonder where that Jigglypuff went to. Did her trainer catch her or what?" Misty was beginning to sound scared.
"She must have because I don't see the Jigglypuff anywhere. I wouldn't worry about it." Ash tried to reassure Misty. What they didn't know was that the Jigglypuff's trainer had barely managed to get her back into her Pokeball right after she had finished singing.
"I know I shouldn't worry but I can't help but think of what could have happened. It really scares me, Ash." Misty leaned into Ash's arms and buried her face into his shoulder.
"It's okay to be afraid. But nothing bad is ever going to happen to you as long as I'm around because I am always going to protect you from harm." Ash whispered to his fiancé as he put his arms around her and held her close.
Just then Brock and Tracey both awakened and looked at each other and then at their friends. It took a few moments before either of them spoke.
"What hit me?" Tracey groaned.
"Hey, is Misty okay?" Brock asked when he saw the look in Misty's eyes.
"She's fine. She just got a little spooked by something, that's all." Ash said quietly as he continued to hold Misty in his arms.
Just then they got their reassurance that everything was okay when a flight attendant came over to them and asked if they would like something for breakfast. After waking Carla and Angelica, the friends got some food and ate a nice breakfast.
"What in the world happened last night?" Angelica asked as they were having their breakfast.
"Well, a Jigglypuff got away from her trainer last night and put on a little concert that put all of the passengers to sleep." Brock explained quickly.
"I remember hearing that all planes were built with soundproof cockpits and I never really appreciated that before but I sure do now." Angelica whispered as soon as the reality of what Brock had just said sunk in. Carla, on the other hand, was too nervous to say anything and felt safe just to have Tracey hold her.
* * * * *
After taking a little time to recover from the shock of what had happened the night before, the three couples talked about their time and adventures on board the S.S. Anne over the past week.
"I loved everything over the course of the trip but one of my favorites was the night that you guys became part of the hypnotist show as a surprise for us. That was one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen in my life." Angelica laughed.
"The best part of the whole trip for me was that early dawn morning on deck overlooking the ocean. The morning that you and I met." Brock was smiling bigger than any of his friends had ever seen before.
"My favorite thing, other than the day I met Tracey of course, was that night after we came back from the show and all when Tracey and I were relaxing up on deck together. I remember that he was so tired after everything that had gone on that day so we went down to my room to watch some television. Tracey tried so hard to keep himself awake that night but after a while his exhaustion caught up to him and he ended up falling asleep in my arms." Carla looked at Tracey and beamed.
"Hey! I was gonna say that. No fair." Tracey whined playfully as he kissed Carla. "But that's okay because I have another one."
"My favorite memory besides the one Carla took was the day that we were riding the banana boat and Ash lost his grip when we flew over that wave and he did a cartwheel into the water." Tracey laughed.
"Very funny. I'm not going to give the obvious favorite of proposing to Misty because that's a given so I thought of another favorite moment. My other favorite moment was when we were getting settled into our cabin on the very first day and Brock and Tracey were arguing over sleeping arrangements so I let Pikachu use Thundershock to get them to knock it off." Ash stuck his tongue out and grinned.
"Well I did the same thing that Ash did in thinking of a favorite that wasn't the obvious one. The thing that I remember the most was when we went bodysurfing at the beach on the first island and I beat the pants off the guys when I caught a wave all the way to shore." Misty smirked as the guys rolled their eyes at her.
Before the group knew what hit them it was time for lunch and soon they were chowing down on some good food and looking forward to being back at the airport in Vermilion City and just being back on solid ground. After lunch the friends played cards for another hour and a half before the passengers were shown another in flight movie.
When the movie ended, miraculously everyone in the group managed to stay awake during the movie this time, it was 5:30 and they would be landing back in Vermilion City in about two hours.
"I'm sure looking forward to standing on solid ground again. We've been in the air for way too long." Ash said.
"I'll agree with that. It's been fun to fly and sail on vacation but I'll take firm ground any day of the week." Brock agreed.
Then the group began to get their things together and get ready to get off the plane immediately once they landed. By the time they had everything ready it was 6:30 and since Ash had thought to leave his playing cards out, they played cards all the way until the plane began to glide into its final decent to Vermilion City airport. Then the three couples gathered all of their things and Ash placed Pikachu back onto his shoulder as they made their way off of the plane, all of them glad to be so close to being home.
* * * * *
Once they were back in the terminal and had claimed their checked luggage from the carousel, Ash, Misty, Brock, Angelica, Tracey, and Carla walked out into the airport parking lot and squeezed into Ash's car with Ash and Misty in the front and left for the hour long ride to Pewter City Gym where they would drop off Brock and Angelica.
On the ride from the airport there was a lot of chatter and happy conversation about a whole variety of subjects. Ash and Misty were trying to figure out how they were going to break the news to Delia that they had gotten engaged during the two weeks they had been gone.
"I think it would be funny for you guys to play a game of charades and you can act out two people getting engaged and let her guess." Brock suggested.
"That's a good idea but I think that you should just come out and tell her but not immediately. Toy with her a little bit first. You know, like I did with you guys when you wanted me to tell you how Carla and I met." Tracey cut in.
"I agree with you. That is a better idea. What do you girls think?" Brock conceded.
"I like Tracey's approach to it." Carla smiled.
"I do too." Angelica agreed.
"I like that idea as well. We'll try that and just see what happens. Thanks a lot guys." Ash smiled in the rearview mirror at them.
A little while later Ash pulled the car into the gym and they got out to help Brock and Angelica with their bags. As they were getting everything adjusted to get all of the couple's bags out of the car, Brock noticed that Ash was yawning and he seemed very tired from the long drive and this concerned him since they were planning on heading back that night and it was already pushing 9:00 at night.
"Hey, Ash. Are you sure that you'll be okay driving back to Pallet tonight? As it is now it'll be 10:30 or later by the time you guys get back." Brock asked.
"Yeah. I'll be okay. I'm a little tired but not that bad. I can make it back." Ash yawned, fatigue becoming apparent in his voice.
"No you're not okay, Ash. It's obvious that you're worn out. I'm not going to let you leave and try to make an hour and a half drive back tonight and risk having you fall asleep behind the wheel and getting into a bad accident. I have plenty of extra room so you guys are going to stay here at the gym tonight and you can head back in the morning." Brock insisted.
"Pikapichu pi pika, Pikapi." (Brock is right, Ash.) Pikachu agreed.
"Are you sure about this, Brock? We don't want to be a problem for you. I wouldn't have a problem with driving back tonight." Ash asked.
"Yes I'm sure. If I let you leave and something happened to you, I'd feel responsible. Bring you're things inside and we can get settled." Brock insisted again.
"Is that okay with you guys if we do this?" Ash asked the others.
"I think it's a good idea, hon." Misty whispered.
"It's fine with us." Tracey smiled wearily.
"Okay. We'll stay here tonight and get up and head back in the morning." Ash finally agreed mainly because he was too tired to argue the case with Brock anymore.
A few minutes later, the others had gotten their things and they all went into the gym. As soon as they walked in the door all of Brock's brothers and sisters came running up to them. There was so much hollering and screaming that it was deafening as the kids practically smothered them.
"Hi, Brock! Did you have a great trip? Who is the other person with you?" Brock smiled at the barrage of questions coming from his siblings in spite of how tired he was feeling.
"We did have a very good time. I'll have to tell you guys some of the stories tomorrow. The other person with me is my new friend. Her name is Angelica. Actually she's going to be staying here with us to help me out with some things so you can get to know her. Also I have another surprise. Ash, Misty and Tracey are going to stay here with us tonight as well as Tracey's friend Carla." Brock explained, eliciting a symphony of happy shouts and laughter.
Brock walked over to his oldest brother and smiled. "So, how did everything go with the gym battles while I was gone?"
"You'll be very proud of me. I fought very hard and I only gave away two badges. Now I see how you do so well. Onix and Geodude are awesome Pokemon and they worked very well for me."
"You did a very good job. I'm very proud of you. Keep this up and I may have to look for you a Pokemon of your own." Brock grinned as his brother hugged him.
"But now, I think it's time for a young brood to go to bed. It's getting very late." Brock said as he ushered his siblings off to their rooms.
"Okay. Now we can get some rooms for you guys to stay in and settle in. I'm glad you guys agreed to stay here tonight because it makes me feel a lot better."
"Well, to be perfectly honest with you Brock, now that we've gotten settled in here I'm glad we are too. This jet lag is catching up to me and if we'd headed back tonight then we probably would have gotten into trouble and not made it." Ash admitted tiredly as Brock shot him an 'I told you so' grin.
Then they all sat in Brock's living room for a while talking and playing cards. It was a very good way to relax since they had been flying for three days and they all had serious jet lag. Before they knew it, it was 11:00 and the card games had gone from six people to just three. Misty had fallen asleep on Ash's shoulder, Carla had fallen asleep leaning on Tracey and he hadn't been far behind so this left Brock and Angelica playing cards against Ash. After finishing the game that they were playing and waking their sleeping friends, they all went to the bedrooms where they were going to be staying for the night and got ready to go to bed and get some much needed sleep.
* * * * *
In the room where he was getting ready for bed, Tracey was sitting on the edge of the bed thinking when a soft knock on the bedroom door startled him. He got up and answered the door, half expecting Brock to be standing there, and was surprised to see Carla at the door smiling at him.
"Hey. You okay? Is anything wrong?" Tracey was suddenly concerned.
"I couldn't sleep and I was wondering if you'd mind if I chilled here with you for a little while." Carla smiled at him.
"No I don't mind. Come on in, hon." Tracey took her hand and led her into the room, closing the door behind her.
"So, what were you doing before I came knocking on the door and disturbed you. I didn't wake you, did I?" Carla asked timidly.
"Firstly, you didn't wake me because I wasn't sleeping yet. I had just finished changing. Secondly, it will never be disturbing for me to see your pretty face." Tracey sat down on the end of the bed and invited Carla to sit next to him as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug.
Then Tracey and Carla sat together on the bed and turned the television on and found a show to watch. They both found this scenario extremely funny.
"Does something about this seem a little bit familiar to you?" Carla laughed.
"Yeah. It does at that. I hope there's going to be one change. I plan on trying to stay awake and not falling asleep on you this time around." Tracey smiled and blushed a little.
"I know. I'll have to try at that too. I didn't realize that traveling by air could make me feel so tired." Carla said wearily.
"Tell me about it. This jet lag is terrible. It's a really good thing that we decided to stay here with Brock tonight instead of trying to head back. If we're all so beat, Ash would have been totally worn out since he was driving. I think it was best for everyone that we stayed here so we can all get a good night's rest." Tracey remarked tiredly, his voice lined with exhaustion.
A few minutes later, Tracey had stretched out on the bed and Carla had lay down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. At first they were content watching television together but after a while the long flight began weighing heavily on the two and they were so comfortable lying there that it soon became very hard for them to keep the promise they had made to try and stay awake. A few minutes later Tracey looked over at Carla and noticed that she had fallen asleep in his arms with her head on his shoulder. Then Tracey turned his attention back to the television and he was waiting for something to come on so he decided to just close his eyes for a moment but instead the long flight and the ride from the airport finally caught up to him and within minutes he too was sound asleep.
* * * * *
In the room that they were sharing, Ash and Misty were lying in bed talking. They were taking advantage of the time together and the privacy of not having anyone else in the room with them.
"This is great. I think it's nice to have some time for just us. Brock made sure that we had comfortable bedrooms for tonight." Misty whispered.
"Yeah. I'm very comfortable just lying here in your arms and being with you. I still think it's a very good thing that I didn't try to drive us back to Pallet tonight because there's no way I could have possibly made it. When we planned this vacation I hadn't counted on the effects of the different time zones. I'm so beat that I feel like I could sleep for a week straight." Ash said tiredly.
"I know you're tired because after we got off of a three day flight, you drove the hour to get here. We have another hour and a half drive ahead of us tomorrow so you really need to get some sleep so you won't be worn out in the morning. Ash?" Misty didn't get a response and all she heard was the sound of deep breathing so she looked over to notice that Ash's fatigue had gotten the better of him and he had drifted off while she was talking. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Sleep well, love. You've had a very busy day and getting a good night's sleep will do you good."
A few minutes later, Misty turned the light off and got settled in being careful not to disturb Ash. Then she draped her arm over Ash's chest and closed her eyes. She soon fell asleep dreaming of all of the beautiful things that they just been through and the fabulous wedding that she was going to get to start planning.
* * * * *
Brock was in his own room lying on his bed. He was very tired after the day's travel and staying up playing cards. He had just about drifted off to sleep when a head poked through the cracked door, causing him to open his eyes.
"Hey. I didn't wake you up, did I? I wasn't thinking about how late it is." Angelica said guiltily.
"Not really. I'm used to having brothers and sisters coming in here in the middle of the night needing things. You okay? I thought you'd be asleep by now." Brock asked, suddenly becoming a little concerned.
"I couldn't sleep. Can I stay here with you for a little while. I promise that I won't bother you. You can go back to sleep and you won't even know I'm here."
"On the contrary, I like having you in here. You have something about you that is very peaceful and kind of relaxing. Come sit here with me." Brock smiled as he sat down on the bed and made himself comfortable as he waited for Angelica to come and join him, which she did without much hesitation.
"Okay. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll stay here with you for a little while until you drop off again and then I'll head back where I came from." Angelica whispered softly.
"Don't even think about going anywhere. I really don't want you to leave tonight." Brock smiled as he pulled Angelica into his arms and held her close.
Brock then lay back against the pillow and Angelica came and sat beside him. They stayed like that for the longest time simply enjoying each other's company.
"This passing through different time zones deal is absolutely killer. I'll never get used to that part of that part of travel. I don't know when I've been this tired. Now with you here I know I'll sleep well tonight." Brock smiled.
"I've never had this many compliments in my life. Even though I'll probably never get used to that, I'll also never get tired of it." Angelica smiled as Brock leaned against her.
Angelica put her arm around Brock and held him close as she began lightly rubbing his back. Brock was enjoying this and it was also making him extremely drowsy. He tried to keep himself from nodding off because he was afraid that if he fell asleep then Angelica would leave.
"What's on your mind, hon. Aren't you tired?" Angelica was suddenly concerned.
"It's not that at all. Actually right now I'm so sleepy that it's taking everything that I have not to drift away on a peaceful sea of dreams. The only reason I haven't yet is because I don't want you to slip out as soon as I fall asleep. We've only known each other about five or six days and you've got me spoiled already." Brock smiled sleepily.
"Hey, you'd better get used to it because it's probably only going to get worse. But I promise that if you don't want me to leave once you drift off then I won't. You just said that you're really sleepy so why don't you close your eyes and drift on that sea of dreams you were talking about." Angelica whispered as she started rubbing Brock's back again.
This time around, with the assurance that Angelica wasn't going anywhere, it was impossible for Brock to stay awake any longer. The travel from earlier that day was taking its toll on him and having Angelica rubbing his back was just too relaxing. So Brock closed his extremely heavy eyes and slipped into a very restful sleep.
Angelica looked down at Brock and smiled. "I knew that he wasn't going to last much longer. He was simply too exhausted. He'll probably sleep straight through until tomorrow afternoon. It'll do him a lot of good to get a long rest, all of us for that matter. He's so peaceful when he sleeps." Angelica thought.
For some time, Angelica just sat by Brock's side watching him sleep and holding him close. Then she snuggled down next to him and fell asleep with her head resting on his chest.
* * * * *
It was about 1:00 in the morning when Carla woke up and realized that she was still in Tracey's room and she had fallen asleep at his side. She tried to get up off of the bed and head back to the room where she was supposed to be but when she did this she disturbed Tracey who had been asleep and was awakened when she moved.
"What's going on? Please don't leave." Tracey yawned.
"I need to, hon. It's 1:00 and you were sound asleep. I'm really sorry I disturbed you, I was trying to get up and slip out without waking you." Carla apologized.
"No need to. Actually I'm glad you ended up waking me because I really don't want you to leave. You make a much better pillow that any other. Besides, I was so much more comfortable with you beside me." Tracey smiled.
"Well, okay, if you're sure. Come to think of it, I couldn't sleep when I was in my room and when I came in here with you I ended up falling asleep. If you don't want me to leave then I don't think I will." Carla whispered quietly.
"Good. This comfortable bed is very relaxing but I'm awake now. So can I ask you a favor? Could you help relax me a little bit more so I might be able to drop off again?" Tracey asked.
Carla just chucked a little and nodded, knowing what Tracey was getting at. She let Tracey lean against her and she began massaging his shoulders like she had a few days before on the plane. This was exactly what Tracey needed to relax him and moments later his eyes slipped closed and he was once again sleeping comfortably.
A few minutes later, Carla glanced beside her and noticed that Tracey had nodded off again. She settled down next to him and made herself comfortable. Then she closed her eyes and let the sound of Tracey's deep breathing lull her back to sleep.
In that short time, all in the gym was quiet and still as the six friends all slept peacefully, four of them dreaming about their arrival back in Pallet Town the next day.
As soon as the plane touched down in Saffron City, the three couples gathered their carry on luggage and moved through the crowd to disembark the plane. After getting off the plane, they had to take a subway like train that took them to the terminal where they would walk to the next gate.
Once they were in the terminal and had passed through airport security, the group found their way to the gate and sat down. Ash and Tracey decided to walk to a little store to get an extra snack to keep themselves from being hungry since it was going to be a while before they were going to be able to eat again. While they were gone, Misty checked on the arrival of their plane and was told that it had taken off on time and was expected to land in Saffron City half an hour later. Just as she returned to the group, Ash and Tracey were also returning.
"Hey, Mist. Where did you go, pretty lady." Ash smiled as he took her hand.
"I went to check if the plane was going to be on time and they told me that it is supposed to be." Misty smiled back at her fiancé.
"So we are going to be taking off on time, right?" Tracey asked.
"Yeah. In about thirty minutes."
"Since I know about your situation, Tracey, I don't want you to go running off and hiding. I want you to let me be there for you." Carla had come up to them and now wrapped her arms around Tracey's waist as she hugged him.
"I promise that I won't do that this time, love. The only reason I did that the first time around was to avoid upsetting you." Tracey whispered to Carla.
"I understand why you did that and it really means a lot that you would try to protect me. I'm not sure about what I would've done in the same situation." Carla's cheeks reddened slightly as she spoke.
"So have you guys had enough to eat?" Misty asked.
"Yeah. I think so. You know what I feel like right now?" Ash was clearly beginning a joke and hoped someone would play into it.
"I don't know. What do you feel like?" Brock spoke up, walking right into Ash's trap as Angelica just rolled her eyes.
"I feel like an Ursaring getting prepared to go into hibernation." Ash's punch line got a laugh out of most of the group, however it only succeeded in making Brock feel like an idiot.
"Pikachu!" (Sucker!) Pikachu laughed as Brock glared at him.
"Yeah. I feel like that too. If I eat anything else I think I might explode." Tracey agreed.
Just then, Misty looked at her watch and noticed that their flight was going to be boarding in less than fifteen minutes. "Hey guys. The plane's going to board soon. I think that maybe we should start getting ready."
"Okay. Time to face the inevitable for a final time, Tracey. Let's go for it. Bottom's up." Ash smiled.
"Right, Ash." Tracey laughed.
The two friends decided that this time they would make a joke out of their situation so they popped the sedatives into their mouths and after toasting the end of the situation with the water bottles they had, preceded to down half of them in one gulp. Then they stopped guzzling water and burst out laughing.
"Pi pika ka pikachu." (Give me a break.) Pikachu moaned from his perch on Ash's shoulder.
"Why do you guys think that what you did is so funny?" Misty asked.
"I don't know. I guess it just is." Ash smiled.
"Since it's the end of our little ordeal, Ash and I thought it would be cute to make kind of a joke of out it." Tracey laughed.
"Oh brother." Brock sighed as Angelica hugged him.
A few minutes later the announcement came that the plane was boarding. Once the group had their things together and were beginning to board the plane and look for their seats, Ash and Tracey were really feeling the effects of the sedatives they had downed and they were both seriously dragging.
Once they had actually found their row and sat down, Ash and Tracey were very drowsy and having a difficult time staying awake. A few minutes later, the group had gotten settled and Ash and Tracey were both sound asleep in the arms of their girls.
Carla then looked down at Tracey who was sleeping with his head resting in her lap and giggled a little. This immediately struck Misty as strange and she wondered what Carla was laughing about.
"What's so funny, Carla?" Misty whispered.
"It just amazes me how quick that stuff that Tracey took works. Less than five minutes and he looks like he is out for the night. What about Ash?" Carla smiled.
"Ash is completely conked out. I think they'll both sleep for quite some time. I don't think we should disturb them this time around and they'll awaken on their own. But for now we should make sure that they're comfortable." Misty replied as she placed a blanket over Ash.
Carla nodded and placed a blanket over Tracey as well. Then she felt the plane engines begin to roar as they sped down the runway and glided into the air. As soon as the plane was on the way to its cruising altitude, Carla placed a pillow under Tracey's head and gave him a gentle kiss. As Tracey lay sleeping in Carla's lap, the only thing that was going through her mind was the new found love that she felt for him and whether or not she should say something about it.
Just then, Brock's voice broke the silence. "Hey guys. Can you believe that this is actually our last flight and we'll be home tomorrow evening?"
"It's also the last night we're going to have to sleep on a plane. That's one of the really great things." Angelica continued with a smile.
"Yeah. I'm really looking forward to being home again and I know Ash is too. I can't wait to see the expression on his mom's face when we tell her that we got engaged while we were away." Misty grinned.
"Pika chu pi pikachu kachu pika pi." (I'm looking forward to being home too.) Pikachu said happily as he sat on Misty's shoulder, keeping watch over Ash.
"I think it's really going to be interesting getting to meet and work for Professor Oak. From what Tracey has told me about him, he seems to be a pretty great guy. I'm really looking forward to it." Carla said enthusiastically.
"You're looking forward to getting to spend all that time with Tracey too, aren't you?" Brock asked.
"Well, yeah." Carla's face turned red with embarrassment.
"It's nothing to get embarrassed about. I felt the same way when Brock asked me to come back and stay at the gym. I think I know what you're feeling now." Angelica reassured her.
"Maybe. All I know is that what I'm feeling is like nothing I have ever felt before. It's like I'm not sure what to do with it." Carla whispered.
"Hmm. It's like I suspected before." Misty laughed.
"What are you talking about?" Carla was completely flabbergasted at what Misty had said.
"Well yesterday while we were on the first plane when you and I were talking I saw the twinkle in your eyes and I recognized it. It was the same look that Brock and Tracey used to notice in my eyes when I realized that I had feelings for Ash. The thing was that nobody could get me to admit it." Misty smiled as she explained.
"You're good, Misty. We haven't known each other that long but yet you still have me nailed. I do have feelings for Tracey. The relationship that he and I have developed is what I have always dreamed of. I have caught myself a couple of times wondering if it is actually real." Carla laughed.
"I know how that is. I've done that a couple of times myself since yesterday." Angelica grinned as she placed her hand on Brock's arm.
"Well, I can assure both of you that this is very real. You're not the only ones who wonder about the reality of this whole thing. I mean, think about it from mine and Tracey's point of view for a second. When we began this vacation we were both single guys looking for the right woman, though neither expecting to find such a thing. Then in the course of a day, everything changed. But I wouldn't have it any other way and I'm sure that, if he were able to right now, Tracey would agree with me." Brock couldn't help but smile at his own comment because it made the girls smile.
Just then the flight attendant came and took their lunch orders. Apparently they had been so wrapped up in their conversation that they had missed the announcement. Misty began to feel a little guilty that Ash was missing lunch but he and Tracey would be awake for dinner and she knew that they had gotten plenty to eat before they boarded the plane.
"Hey, Misty. Brock, Carla and I are going to play cards. Wanna play too?" Angelica's question jolted Misty out of her thoughts.
"Yeah, sure. What do you guys want to play?" Misty asked.
"Does 'Go Fish' sound good to you?" Brock answered.
"Great. Let's play."
For the next hour, Misty, Brock, Angelica and Carla played Go Fish and several other card games and were having a great time with it, not really caring who won. Then suddenly a voice broke the quiet and totally disrupted the game that they were playing.
"So who's winning? What is that you guys are playing anyway?" Ash asked sleepily as he awakened and noticed that his friends were playing cards.
"Hey, Ash. We're playing War and at the moment I think Misty is in the lead." Brock smiled.
"Oh cool. Can I play?"
"We're in the middle of a game right now, hon. But we can deal you in on the next hand." Misty leaned over and gave Ash a kiss.
"Hey. Deal me in too." Tracey yawned as he was greeted by a sweet kiss from Carla.
After Angelica won the game of war that they were playing, they dealt Ash and Tracey into the game and the three couples talked, laughed and played cards until it was time for dinner.
When they got their dinner, Ash and Tracey ate like they hadn't had any food in months. This made their friends extremely amused.
"What's so funny?" Ash asked between bites of food.
"Yeah. Why are you guys laughing?" Tracey asked.
"It just seems like you guys haven't eaten in forever." Carla laughed.
After they finished eating, Ash, Misty, Brock, Angelica, Tracey and Carla looked back on their trip over the course of the past two weeks and all that had happened to them.
"When we were walking into the airport to come on vacation I remember that I said this was going to be a great chance to relax. Not only was I right about that but I got the biggest surprise of my life when I found a beautiful woman as well." Brock smiled as he gave Angelica a big hug.
"Well you wouldn't have if I hadn't gotten over my shyness and built up the nerve to come over and say hello to you." Angelica said.
"At least it isn't as unusual as the way Tracey and I met. He and I wouldn't be together and I wouldn't be here right now if I hadn't been so clumsy and tripped over him." Carla grinned.
"I had no idea that when I reached out to catch you I was catching a princess in my arms. But I can tell you one thing. I wouldn't have it any other way." Tracey laughed as he leaned over to kiss Carla's cheek.
"Misty and I have had a great change as well. We were dating when we left home to take a vacation and then I proposed to Misty and she accepted so we are lucky enough to be coming back engaged." Ash pointed out happily.
"That was the moment when all of my dreams came true and the thing is that it's only going to keep getting better. I never thought that things would get this good." Misty laid her head on Ash's shoulder as he held her close.
"Hey, what time is it?" Brock asked suddenly.
"It's about 9:30. Why? Do you have somewhere to be?" Ash retorted with a chuckle.
"No, wise guy. I just wondered." Brock smiled.
"Hey. Why don't we play cards again? I'll deal this time." Misty spoke up.
In the middle of approximately the fourth game of war, a noise drew their attention. There was a woman going down the aisle trying to catch her Pokemon that had gotten loose.
"Jiggly!" The escaped Jigglypuff cried in excitement at having been able to escape from her Pokeball. This elicited a gasp of dread from everyone on the plane.
"Oh no. Come back here Jigglypuff!" The woman called as she raced after her Pokemon.
Then the occurrence that was feared by all of the passengers happened. The woman wasn't able to do anything about it in time. The Jigglypuff began to sing its beautiful song and lulled all of those on the plane into a blissful slumber while the pilots continued working in the soundproof cockpit, unaware of what had taken place in the cabin behind them.
* * * * *
The next morning Ash was the first of the six friends to awaken and as he opened his eyes it came back to him what had happened earlier and he remembered everything.
"Where did that Jigglypuff come from? Luckily the cockpits are made soundproof on these planes because otherwise we'd have been in a whole lot of trouble." Ash thought as he heard Misty waking up next to him.
"What happened?" Misty yawned sleepily.
"Well, last night a Jigglypuff got loose and before the trainer could do anything, her Jigglypuff started singing and put everyone to sleep." Ash explained.
"If Jigglypuff sang everybody to sleep then why are we still in the air?" Misty didn't know how anyone could be immune to Jigglypuff's song.
"There's no doubt in my mind that if these planes didn't have soundproof cockpits then we wouldn't be." Ash whispered.
"I wonder where that Jigglypuff went to. Did her trainer catch her or what?" Misty was beginning to sound scared.
"She must have because I don't see the Jigglypuff anywhere. I wouldn't worry about it." Ash tried to reassure Misty. What they didn't know was that the Jigglypuff's trainer had barely managed to get her back into her Pokeball right after she had finished singing.
"I know I shouldn't worry but I can't help but think of what could have happened. It really scares me, Ash." Misty leaned into Ash's arms and buried her face into his shoulder.
"It's okay to be afraid. But nothing bad is ever going to happen to you as long as I'm around because I am always going to protect you from harm." Ash whispered to his fiancé as he put his arms around her and held her close.
Just then Brock and Tracey both awakened and looked at each other and then at their friends. It took a few moments before either of them spoke.
"What hit me?" Tracey groaned.
"Hey, is Misty okay?" Brock asked when he saw the look in Misty's eyes.
"She's fine. She just got a little spooked by something, that's all." Ash said quietly as he continued to hold Misty in his arms.
Just then they got their reassurance that everything was okay when a flight attendant came over to them and asked if they would like something for breakfast. After waking Carla and Angelica, the friends got some food and ate a nice breakfast.
"What in the world happened last night?" Angelica asked as they were having their breakfast.
"Well, a Jigglypuff got away from her trainer last night and put on a little concert that put all of the passengers to sleep." Brock explained quickly.
"I remember hearing that all planes were built with soundproof cockpits and I never really appreciated that before but I sure do now." Angelica whispered as soon as the reality of what Brock had just said sunk in. Carla, on the other hand, was too nervous to say anything and felt safe just to have Tracey hold her.
* * * * *
After taking a little time to recover from the shock of what had happened the night before, the three couples talked about their time and adventures on board the S.S. Anne over the past week.
"I loved everything over the course of the trip but one of my favorites was the night that you guys became part of the hypnotist show as a surprise for us. That was one of the most hilarious things I have ever seen in my life." Angelica laughed.
"The best part of the whole trip for me was that early dawn morning on deck overlooking the ocean. The morning that you and I met." Brock was smiling bigger than any of his friends had ever seen before.
"My favorite thing, other than the day I met Tracey of course, was that night after we came back from the show and all when Tracey and I were relaxing up on deck together. I remember that he was so tired after everything that had gone on that day so we went down to my room to watch some television. Tracey tried so hard to keep himself awake that night but after a while his exhaustion caught up to him and he ended up falling asleep in my arms." Carla looked at Tracey and beamed.
"Hey! I was gonna say that. No fair." Tracey whined playfully as he kissed Carla. "But that's okay because I have another one."
"My favorite memory besides the one Carla took was the day that we were riding the banana boat and Ash lost his grip when we flew over that wave and he did a cartwheel into the water." Tracey laughed.
"Very funny. I'm not going to give the obvious favorite of proposing to Misty because that's a given so I thought of another favorite moment. My other favorite moment was when we were getting settled into our cabin on the very first day and Brock and Tracey were arguing over sleeping arrangements so I let Pikachu use Thundershock to get them to knock it off." Ash stuck his tongue out and grinned.
"Well I did the same thing that Ash did in thinking of a favorite that wasn't the obvious one. The thing that I remember the most was when we went bodysurfing at the beach on the first island and I beat the pants off the guys when I caught a wave all the way to shore." Misty smirked as the guys rolled their eyes at her.
Before the group knew what hit them it was time for lunch and soon they were chowing down on some good food and looking forward to being back at the airport in Vermilion City and just being back on solid ground. After lunch the friends played cards for another hour and a half before the passengers were shown another in flight movie.
When the movie ended, miraculously everyone in the group managed to stay awake during the movie this time, it was 5:30 and they would be landing back in Vermilion City in about two hours.
"I'm sure looking forward to standing on solid ground again. We've been in the air for way too long." Ash said.
"I'll agree with that. It's been fun to fly and sail on vacation but I'll take firm ground any day of the week." Brock agreed.
Then the group began to get their things together and get ready to get off the plane immediately once they landed. By the time they had everything ready it was 6:30 and since Ash had thought to leave his playing cards out, they played cards all the way until the plane began to glide into its final decent to Vermilion City airport. Then the three couples gathered all of their things and Ash placed Pikachu back onto his shoulder as they made their way off of the plane, all of them glad to be so close to being home.
* * * * *
Once they were back in the terminal and had claimed their checked luggage from the carousel, Ash, Misty, Brock, Angelica, Tracey, and Carla walked out into the airport parking lot and squeezed into Ash's car with Ash and Misty in the front and left for the hour long ride to Pewter City Gym where they would drop off Brock and Angelica.
On the ride from the airport there was a lot of chatter and happy conversation about a whole variety of subjects. Ash and Misty were trying to figure out how they were going to break the news to Delia that they had gotten engaged during the two weeks they had been gone.
"I think it would be funny for you guys to play a game of charades and you can act out two people getting engaged and let her guess." Brock suggested.
"That's a good idea but I think that you should just come out and tell her but not immediately. Toy with her a little bit first. You know, like I did with you guys when you wanted me to tell you how Carla and I met." Tracey cut in.
"I agree with you. That is a better idea. What do you girls think?" Brock conceded.
"I like Tracey's approach to it." Carla smiled.
"I do too." Angelica agreed.
"I like that idea as well. We'll try that and just see what happens. Thanks a lot guys." Ash smiled in the rearview mirror at them.
A little while later Ash pulled the car into the gym and they got out to help Brock and Angelica with their bags. As they were getting everything adjusted to get all of the couple's bags out of the car, Brock noticed that Ash was yawning and he seemed very tired from the long drive and this concerned him since they were planning on heading back that night and it was already pushing 9:00 at night.
"Hey, Ash. Are you sure that you'll be okay driving back to Pallet tonight? As it is now it'll be 10:30 or later by the time you guys get back." Brock asked.
"Yeah. I'll be okay. I'm a little tired but not that bad. I can make it back." Ash yawned, fatigue becoming apparent in his voice.
"No you're not okay, Ash. It's obvious that you're worn out. I'm not going to let you leave and try to make an hour and a half drive back tonight and risk having you fall asleep behind the wheel and getting into a bad accident. I have plenty of extra room so you guys are going to stay here at the gym tonight and you can head back in the morning." Brock insisted.
"Pikapichu pi pika, Pikapi." (Brock is right, Ash.) Pikachu agreed.
"Are you sure about this, Brock? We don't want to be a problem for you. I wouldn't have a problem with driving back tonight." Ash asked.
"Yes I'm sure. If I let you leave and something happened to you, I'd feel responsible. Bring you're things inside and we can get settled." Brock insisted again.
"Is that okay with you guys if we do this?" Ash asked the others.
"I think it's a good idea, hon." Misty whispered.
"It's fine with us." Tracey smiled wearily.
"Okay. We'll stay here tonight and get up and head back in the morning." Ash finally agreed mainly because he was too tired to argue the case with Brock anymore.
A few minutes later, the others had gotten their things and they all went into the gym. As soon as they walked in the door all of Brock's brothers and sisters came running up to them. There was so much hollering and screaming that it was deafening as the kids practically smothered them.
"Hi, Brock! Did you have a great trip? Who is the other person with you?" Brock smiled at the barrage of questions coming from his siblings in spite of how tired he was feeling.
"We did have a very good time. I'll have to tell you guys some of the stories tomorrow. The other person with me is my new friend. Her name is Angelica. Actually she's going to be staying here with us to help me out with some things so you can get to know her. Also I have another surprise. Ash, Misty and Tracey are going to stay here with us tonight as well as Tracey's friend Carla." Brock explained, eliciting a symphony of happy shouts and laughter.
Brock walked over to his oldest brother and smiled. "So, how did everything go with the gym battles while I was gone?"
"You'll be very proud of me. I fought very hard and I only gave away two badges. Now I see how you do so well. Onix and Geodude are awesome Pokemon and they worked very well for me."
"You did a very good job. I'm very proud of you. Keep this up and I may have to look for you a Pokemon of your own." Brock grinned as his brother hugged him.
"But now, I think it's time for a young brood to go to bed. It's getting very late." Brock said as he ushered his siblings off to their rooms.
"Okay. Now we can get some rooms for you guys to stay in and settle in. I'm glad you guys agreed to stay here tonight because it makes me feel a lot better."
"Well, to be perfectly honest with you Brock, now that we've gotten settled in here I'm glad we are too. This jet lag is catching up to me and if we'd headed back tonight then we probably would have gotten into trouble and not made it." Ash admitted tiredly as Brock shot him an 'I told you so' grin.
Then they all sat in Brock's living room for a while talking and playing cards. It was a very good way to relax since they had been flying for three days and they all had serious jet lag. Before they knew it, it was 11:00 and the card games had gone from six people to just three. Misty had fallen asleep on Ash's shoulder, Carla had fallen asleep leaning on Tracey and he hadn't been far behind so this left Brock and Angelica playing cards against Ash. After finishing the game that they were playing and waking their sleeping friends, they all went to the bedrooms where they were going to be staying for the night and got ready to go to bed and get some much needed sleep.
* * * * *
In the room where he was getting ready for bed, Tracey was sitting on the edge of the bed thinking when a soft knock on the bedroom door startled him. He got up and answered the door, half expecting Brock to be standing there, and was surprised to see Carla at the door smiling at him.
"Hey. You okay? Is anything wrong?" Tracey was suddenly concerned.
"I couldn't sleep and I was wondering if you'd mind if I chilled here with you for a little while." Carla smiled at him.
"No I don't mind. Come on in, hon." Tracey took her hand and led her into the room, closing the door behind her.
"So, what were you doing before I came knocking on the door and disturbed you. I didn't wake you, did I?" Carla asked timidly.
"Firstly, you didn't wake me because I wasn't sleeping yet. I had just finished changing. Secondly, it will never be disturbing for me to see your pretty face." Tracey sat down on the end of the bed and invited Carla to sit next to him as he wrapped his arms around her and gave her a hug.
Then Tracey and Carla sat together on the bed and turned the television on and found a show to watch. They both found this scenario extremely funny.
"Does something about this seem a little bit familiar to you?" Carla laughed.
"Yeah. It does at that. I hope there's going to be one change. I plan on trying to stay awake and not falling asleep on you this time around." Tracey smiled and blushed a little.
"I know. I'll have to try at that too. I didn't realize that traveling by air could make me feel so tired." Carla said wearily.
"Tell me about it. This jet lag is terrible. It's a really good thing that we decided to stay here with Brock tonight instead of trying to head back. If we're all so beat, Ash would have been totally worn out since he was driving. I think it was best for everyone that we stayed here so we can all get a good night's rest." Tracey remarked tiredly, his voice lined with exhaustion.
A few minutes later, Tracey had stretched out on the bed and Carla had lay down next to him and rested her head on his shoulder. At first they were content watching television together but after a while the long flight began weighing heavily on the two and they were so comfortable lying there that it soon became very hard for them to keep the promise they had made to try and stay awake. A few minutes later Tracey looked over at Carla and noticed that she had fallen asleep in his arms with her head on his shoulder. Then Tracey turned his attention back to the television and he was waiting for something to come on so he decided to just close his eyes for a moment but instead the long flight and the ride from the airport finally caught up to him and within minutes he too was sound asleep.
* * * * *
In the room that they were sharing, Ash and Misty were lying in bed talking. They were taking advantage of the time together and the privacy of not having anyone else in the room with them.
"This is great. I think it's nice to have some time for just us. Brock made sure that we had comfortable bedrooms for tonight." Misty whispered.
"Yeah. I'm very comfortable just lying here in your arms and being with you. I still think it's a very good thing that I didn't try to drive us back to Pallet tonight because there's no way I could have possibly made it. When we planned this vacation I hadn't counted on the effects of the different time zones. I'm so beat that I feel like I could sleep for a week straight." Ash said tiredly.
"I know you're tired because after we got off of a three day flight, you drove the hour to get here. We have another hour and a half drive ahead of us tomorrow so you really need to get some sleep so you won't be worn out in the morning. Ash?" Misty didn't get a response and all she heard was the sound of deep breathing so she looked over to notice that Ash's fatigue had gotten the better of him and he had drifted off while she was talking. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Sleep well, love. You've had a very busy day and getting a good night's sleep will do you good."
A few minutes later, Misty turned the light off and got settled in being careful not to disturb Ash. Then she draped her arm over Ash's chest and closed her eyes. She soon fell asleep dreaming of all of the beautiful things that they just been through and the fabulous wedding that she was going to get to start planning.
* * * * *
Brock was in his own room lying on his bed. He was very tired after the day's travel and staying up playing cards. He had just about drifted off to sleep when a head poked through the cracked door, causing him to open his eyes.
"Hey. I didn't wake you up, did I? I wasn't thinking about how late it is." Angelica said guiltily.
"Not really. I'm used to having brothers and sisters coming in here in the middle of the night needing things. You okay? I thought you'd be asleep by now." Brock asked, suddenly becoming a little concerned.
"I couldn't sleep. Can I stay here with you for a little while. I promise that I won't bother you. You can go back to sleep and you won't even know I'm here."
"On the contrary, I like having you in here. You have something about you that is very peaceful and kind of relaxing. Come sit here with me." Brock smiled as he sat down on the bed and made himself comfortable as he waited for Angelica to come and join him, which she did without much hesitation.
"Okay. I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll stay here with you for a little while until you drop off again and then I'll head back where I came from." Angelica whispered softly.
"Don't even think about going anywhere. I really don't want you to leave tonight." Brock smiled as he pulled Angelica into his arms and held her close.
Brock then lay back against the pillow and Angelica came and sat beside him. They stayed like that for the longest time simply enjoying each other's company.
"This passing through different time zones deal is absolutely killer. I'll never get used to that part of that part of travel. I don't know when I've been this tired. Now with you here I know I'll sleep well tonight." Brock smiled.
"I've never had this many compliments in my life. Even though I'll probably never get used to that, I'll also never get tired of it." Angelica smiled as Brock leaned against her.
Angelica put her arm around Brock and held him close as she began lightly rubbing his back. Brock was enjoying this and it was also making him extremely drowsy. He tried to keep himself from nodding off because he was afraid that if he fell asleep then Angelica would leave.
"What's on your mind, hon. Aren't you tired?" Angelica was suddenly concerned.
"It's not that at all. Actually right now I'm so sleepy that it's taking everything that I have not to drift away on a peaceful sea of dreams. The only reason I haven't yet is because I don't want you to slip out as soon as I fall asleep. We've only known each other about five or six days and you've got me spoiled already." Brock smiled sleepily.
"Hey, you'd better get used to it because it's probably only going to get worse. But I promise that if you don't want me to leave once you drift off then I won't. You just said that you're really sleepy so why don't you close your eyes and drift on that sea of dreams you were talking about." Angelica whispered as she started rubbing Brock's back again.
This time around, with the assurance that Angelica wasn't going anywhere, it was impossible for Brock to stay awake any longer. The travel from earlier that day was taking its toll on him and having Angelica rubbing his back was just too relaxing. So Brock closed his extremely heavy eyes and slipped into a very restful sleep.
Angelica looked down at Brock and smiled. "I knew that he wasn't going to last much longer. He was simply too exhausted. He'll probably sleep straight through until tomorrow afternoon. It'll do him a lot of good to get a long rest, all of us for that matter. He's so peaceful when he sleeps." Angelica thought.
For some time, Angelica just sat by Brock's side watching him sleep and holding him close. Then she snuggled down next to him and fell asleep with her head resting on his chest.
* * * * *
It was about 1:00 in the morning when Carla woke up and realized that she was still in Tracey's room and she had fallen asleep at his side. She tried to get up off of the bed and head back to the room where she was supposed to be but when she did this she disturbed Tracey who had been asleep and was awakened when she moved.
"What's going on? Please don't leave." Tracey yawned.
"I need to, hon. It's 1:00 and you were sound asleep. I'm really sorry I disturbed you, I was trying to get up and slip out without waking you." Carla apologized.
"No need to. Actually I'm glad you ended up waking me because I really don't want you to leave. You make a much better pillow that any other. Besides, I was so much more comfortable with you beside me." Tracey smiled.
"Well, okay, if you're sure. Come to think of it, I couldn't sleep when I was in my room and when I came in here with you I ended up falling asleep. If you don't want me to leave then I don't think I will." Carla whispered quietly.
"Good. This comfortable bed is very relaxing but I'm awake now. So can I ask you a favor? Could you help relax me a little bit more so I might be able to drop off again?" Tracey asked.
Carla just chucked a little and nodded, knowing what Tracey was getting at. She let Tracey lean against her and she began massaging his shoulders like she had a few days before on the plane. This was exactly what Tracey needed to relax him and moments later his eyes slipped closed and he was once again sleeping comfortably.
A few minutes later, Carla glanced beside her and noticed that Tracey had nodded off again. She settled down next to him and made herself comfortable. Then she closed her eyes and let the sound of Tracey's deep breathing lull her back to sleep.
In that short time, all in the gym was quiet and still as the six friends all slept peacefully, four of them dreaming about their arrival back in Pallet Town the next day.