And around the bend, two other people were watching and wondering the same thing.

"What's going on, Samuel?" asked Delia, handing him back the binoculars. "Why are those Goldeen being so mean to that female?"

Samuel studied the scene through the binoculars. "She must not be a member of their school. Goldeen often reject others who aren't from the same area. Or perhaps she used to be a human-trained Pokémon at one time. Wild Pokémon are often jealous of human-trained ones and will attack them outright."

"Well, that shouldn't matter. Those males are being awfully mean to that female. If my Pokémon did that to another Pokémon, I'd give it a good talking to," Delia said angrily. "Those Pokémon need to learn some manners."

Samuel tried not to smile at the mental image of Delia having a tea party with several Goldeen in attendance. He could almost hear her instructing a Goldeen to say "please" and "thank you" and scolding it for putting its elbows (fins?) on the table.

---

Ash and Misty watched in disbelief as Goldeen was rejected a third and then a fourth time.

"Goldeen?" the confused Pokémon said as yet another male swam away from it.

"Man, poor Goldeen," Ash said. "None of the males are getting near her now."

"I can't take this anymore," Misty said, reaching for her Poké ball. "Goldeen!"

The Pokémon turned at the sound of its name and swam over to its trainer. The sight of the Pokémon's sad expression nearly broke Misty's heart.

"I'm sorry, Goldeen," Misty said sadly. "This was all my fault. I never should've asked you to go out there with all those strange, mean Goldeen. Goldeen, return." Goldeen disappeared inside the Poké ball with a flash of red light.

"It's not your fault, Misty," Ash said. "You were just trying to do what was best for your Pokémon."

Misty put the Poké ball back onto her belt. "Come on, Goldeen. Let's go back to the cabin."

---

"So did Goldeen find a boyfriend?" Brock asked as Misty and Ash opened the front door.

"No, she didn't!" Misty snapped. "Those Goldeen were awful to her! I'm going to bed!" Misty stomped down the hallway, went into one of the bedrooms, and slammed the door.

"Whoa…what happened?" Brock asked, stunned.

"All the other Goldeen didn't want to be around Misty's Goldeen. They kept rejecting her and doing mean things like shooting water in her face," Ash explained.

"Poor Goldeen," Brock said, picking up a picture that had fallen off of the wall when Misty had slammed the door. "That must've been tough."

"Poor Misty," Ash said, staring at the door to Misty's bedroom. "I think it was tougher for her. I wish I could do something to make her feel better."

"Maybe you'd better let her sleep on it tonight, Ash," advised Brock. "Whenever I get rejected by a girl, a good night's sleep does wonders for making me feel better. Matter of fact, I think we could all use a good night's sleep tonight. We traveled a lot today."

Ash yawned and picked up his Pikachu. "Yeah, I guess so. But I wish I could think of a way to make Misty feel better."

"Pika-pi," the little yellow Pokemon agreed.

---

"Look!" Delia cried excitedly, grabbing her companion's arm. "There must be about a dozen of them out there now! Could I have the binoculars, please?"

Samuel smiled and handed her the binoculars. He preferred to watch Delia instead of the fish, anyway. Watching her face light up with excitement at the sight of the acrobatics of the Goldeen had been the best part of the entire evening. That and her kissing him.

"It's almost like a ballet," Delia said, watching the numerous Goldeen leaping gracefully in the moonlight. "The Goldeen are doing pirouettes like dancers in a dance of love."

Samuel grinned at Delia's romantic description of the Goldeen's mating ritual. This evening was getting better and better.

"That's one reason why I built my cabin here. This particular beach is a popular mating area for many water-type Pokémon – not just Goldeen. Magkiarp, Horsea, and Tentacool also come here in droves to mate. I guess there must be something special about this area. Apparently it's an excellent place to find a mate."

"Now I'm beginning to understand why you brought me here," Delia grinned as she handed him back the binoculars. "Does this place also work on humans?"

"Well, let's find out." Samuel leaned over and kissed Delia softly on the lips.

Delia giggled and returned his kiss. "Evidently, it does."

And the Goldeen were momentarily forgotten.