"This has been such a wonderful evening," Delia sighed contentedly as she laid her head on Samuel's shoulder.
"I've had a good time too," Samuel said as Delia snuggled against him. "Are you cold?"
"Just a little," Delia yawned. "But you're nice and warm."
"Much as I hate to say it, it's time for us to be getting back to Pallet Town. We've seen most of the Goldeen that we're going to see tonight." He looked at the luminous dial on his watch. "And it's nearly midnight."
"Do we have to go back?" Delia said, closing her eyes. "I'd rather stay here with you."
The feeling was mutual. "Well, my cabin is just a half-mile up the beach. If you'd rather, we could spend the night there and go back to Pallet Town tomorrow morning."
"I'd like that," Delia smiled.
After packing up their things, the couple strolled hand in hand up the beach. Neither one was in much of a hurry – they were taking their time to enjoy the moonlight, the gentle roar of the surf, and, most importantly, each other. They would stop occasionally to watch a lone Goldeen leaping up from the waves, hunt for constellations among the thousands of shimmering stars, or just to kiss…which was more enjoyable than any of the other previous activities.
Finally, the pair came to a small cabin at the edge of the ocean.
"Well, we're here," Samuel announced as he opened the front door and the pair stepped inside.
"It looks about the same as it did last time," Delia said as she turned on the lamp on the nearby table. "Not that I paid much attention to it last time I was here. I was so busy being sick that I didn't really care about how the place looked. All I wanted to do was lie down."
"Speaking of which, guess we'd better get some shut-eye," Samuel said, yawning. "The bedrooms are down the hall."
---
Misty awoke with a start. Someone was in the cabin and it didn't sound like Ash or Brock. Heart pounding with fear, Misty silently slid out of bed and put her ear to the bedroom door. It sounded as if the intruders were right outside the door.
"Well, I guess it's time to say good night," said a woman's voice.
That sounds like Ash's mom, thought Misty as she pressed her ear closer to the wood.
"You can sleep in my bedroom, Delia. I'll take the bedroom across the hall," said a man's voice.
That's Professor Oak, Misty realized. And Ash's mom.
"You don't have to do that, Samuel," said Delia, moving closer to him. "I want you to join me in the bedroom."
Misty's mouth fell open in disbelief. Holy cow, Ash's mom really is Professor Oak's girlfriend.
Samuel's heart gave a great leap as Delia took his hand. "Delia? Are you sure?"
Delia then proceeded to kiss him in a way that removed all doubt from his mind.
As the doorknob rattled, Misty quickly scurried into the closet and shut the door. If either Professor Oak or Mrs. Ketchum caught her eavesdropping on their conversation, she'd be in trouble for sure. They were probably already in trouble for staying at the cabin without telling Professor Oak.
I'm gonna kill you, Ash, Misty swore as the bedroom door opened.
"You don't know how long I've waited for this, Delia," Samuel said as he flipped on the light switch.
Delia kissed him once more and began to pull him towards the bed in the middle of the room. "Samuel, this night with you has been so magical that I don't want it to end."
"Wait. Let me do that," Samuel said eagerly, reaching for the buttons on Delia's sweater.
Misty heard a soft thump that sounded like clothes hitting the floor. Through the crack in the closet door she saw a pink sweater and a white lab coat lying next to the door. And then, when she realized what was happening between Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum, Misty's face began turning crimson. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was be a witness to Professor Oak and Ash's mom having sex.
I'm really, really going to kill you, Ash. That is, assuming that Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum don't kill me first for spying on them.
But Misty was trapped - there was no way she could sneak out of the closet without being seen. And this situation was already embarrassing enough.
"Delia, you're incredible. You're beautiful," Samuel sighed admiringly as Delia peeled off her shirt and tossed it onto the pile of clothing on the floor. "You don't know how long I've dreamed about seeing you like this."
"Well, you don't have to dream any longer, Samuel," Delia replied, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him seductively.
There was a creaking of bedsprings followed by the sound of more kissing.
Misty shut her eyes tightly and put her hands over her ears. She couldn't take hearing any more of this.
You're dead meat, Ash.
"Oh darling…yes…" Delia's eyes suddenly shot wide open. "What th'…?"
Samuel looked up from kissing Delia's neck. "What's wrong, Delia? Are you all right?"
"I…it felt like something under the covers." Delia jumped as something moved underneath her.
Samuel saw it, too. "What in the world?" He moved Delia aside and threw back the covers to reveal a small egg-like Pokémon underneath.
"Togepi?!" Samuel and Delia said in unison.
"Priii!" The Pokémon replied happily, bouncing up and down on the mattress.
"What in the world are you doing here, Togepi?" Samuel asked, surprised and somewhat shocked.
"But if Togepi is here, then where is Misty?" Delia asked, confused.
Togepi jumped off of the bed and opened the closet door to reveal Misty crouched inside.
Misty slowly opened an eye and saw a gaping Professor Oak and Mrs. Ketchum staring at her.
"Um…hi, Professor Oak…Mrs. Ketchum," Misty said.
Delia shrieked and pulled the blanket up to her chin. Professor Oak quickly snatched Delia's shirt off of the floor and threw it to her.
"I'm so sorry, Professor Oak," Misty explained, face burning with embarrassment. "Ash said that you said that we could stay at your cabin anytime we wanted, but I told him that we should've asked you first, but being the hardhead that he is he wouldn't listen to me, and…"
The door flew open and Brock, brandishing a broomstick, burst into the room. "Misty, are you okay? I heard screaming and…whoa!" Brock dropped the broomstick and stared at Delia, who was in the middle of putting her shirt back on. "Mrs. Ketchum, what are you doing…?" Then Brock saw Professor Oak standing next to Misty. "Professor Oak? What are the two of you doing here?"
"This is my cabin, Brock," Professor Oak replied irritably, upset at his romantic evening having been ruined. "What I want to know is why you kids are here."
"It's all his fault!" Misty said, pointing a finger at Ash, who had just appeared panting in the doorway.
"Wha…what's going on?" Ash said, trying to catch his breath. He had heard the commotion all the way down the beach and had come running back to investigate.
"Ash, sweetie!" Delia went over to her son and gave him a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy to see you! Why didn't you let me know that you were here?"
"That's what I'd like to know," grumbled Professor Oak, retrieving his lab coat from the floor next to the bed.
Pikachu jumped into Delia's arms. "Oh, Pikachu! I'm happy to see you too!"
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu smiled, snuggling against Delia's bosom.
An envious Professor Oak glared at Pikachu, then at Ash. "Ash, I know I told you that you and your friends could use my cabin anytime, but I expected you to let me know exactly when."
"That's exactly what I told him, Professor Oak," Misty said. "But you know how Ash is."
"Where were you, Ash?" Brock asked. "When I got up, you weren't in the room."
"Pikachu and I couldn't sleep, so we went out for a walk on the other side of the beach," Ash explained. He had been racking his brains all night trying to figure out a way to help make Misty feel better.
"Ash, you should tell someone whenever you go out by yourself," Delia scolded. "What if something happened to you?"
"Something is going to happen to him in a moment," Misty glared, reaching for a mallet that was sitting in the corner of the closet.
"All right…all right," Professor Oak held up his hands, motioning for silence. "Let's calm down for a second and try to sort things out."
"Professor Oak, since this is your cabin, we'll go," Brock offered. "Misty's right. We should've asked before we camped out here."
"Yeah, Ash!" Misty glared at the boy in the doorway.
"But it's the middle of the night," Delia said. "It's too dangerous for you to be wandering around by yourselves."
"Mom, we've been out on our own for over a year now," Ash protested.
"But if you and Professor Oak want to be alone, we understand," Brock said with a wink in Professor Oak's direction. He had figured out what had been going on in the bedroom earlier.
Both Delia and Samuel turned bright red.
"Professor Oak…alone…what are you talking about, Brock?" Ash said, confused.
"Never mind," Professor Oak said quickly. "Delia…Mrs.Ketchum and I will head back to Pallet Town. You kids were here first."
"Oh no, we don't want to put you out like that, Professor," Misty said, picking up Togepi. "You and Mrs. Ketchum stay. We'll go."
"Wait. I have an idea," said Delia. "This cabin is big enough for five people. Why don't we all spend the night here? That way Ash and I can spend some quality time together." Ash responded by squirming out of his mother's embrace.
Professor Oak's face fell. He had been hoping that he would've been the one spending some quality time with Delia that night. But since it appeared that there would be no further snuggling with Delia tonight, he figured that he didn't have anything further to lose.
"All right. You kids can stay," he reluctantly agreed. "That way Ash can spend some time with his mother and the rest of us can get some sleep."
"Oh, that's wonderful!" Delia said happily. "Now my little pumpkin and I can get caught up on all his adventures."
"Uh, Mom…it's kind of late," Ash said, his face reddening. "Maybe we can talk in the morning."
"Oh, that's right. A growing boy like you needs to get plenty of rest," Delia said, patting her son's head affectionately. "All of you kids need to get plenty of sleep."
"Speaking of which, what are we going to do as far as sleeping arrangements?" asked Brock.
"Professor, if you and Mrs. Ketchum want to stay in the same room," offered Misty, "I'll go sleep on the couch."
"Why would my mom and Professor Oak want to stay in the same room, Misty?" Ash asked, confused. "There's only one bed in here."
Delia and Samuel's faces reddened again.
"Um, that's very nice of you, dear," Delia said, glancing uneasily at Ash. "But I think I'll go sleep on the couch. You were here first."
"You can have my bed, Mom," Ash offered. "I'll take the couch."
Brock, who had a crush on Mrs. Ketchum, stepped forward, grinning from ear to ear. "Sure, Mrs. Ketchum. You can stay in the other room with me. It would be my pleasure!"
With an annoyed expression, Professor Oak stepped between Delia and the lovestruck boy. "That's very nice of you, Brock, but I think Mrs. Ketchum would be better off in her own room."
Misty grabbed Brock's ear and began to drag him down the hall. "Come on, Romeo. You're sleeping on the couch tonight."
"I have an idea," said Delia. "Since there are two women and three men and two bedrooms, why don't the women sleep in one room and the men in the other?"
"I guess that'll work," said Misty, releasing Brock's ear.
"That sounds fair to me," said Professor Oak. "Misty, you and Delia take the larger bedroom since you were there first. Ash, Brock, and I will take the bedroom across the hall."
"But there are only two beds in the other room, Professor," said Ash.
"We've got our sleeping bags," said Brock, rubbing his sore ear. "Professor Oak can take one of the beds, and one of us can sleep on the floor while the other one takes the remaining bed."
"But how are we going to decide who gets the other bed?" asked Ash.
"We'll flip for it," said Brock, producing a coin. "You call it, Ash."
"Okay. I call heads."
The two boys watched as the coin flipped through the air, fell to the floor, and landed on its edge in a crack between one of the floorboards.
"So who wins?" asked Ash, staring at the upright coin.
Professor Oak sighed. "All right, I'll take the floor. You boys take the two beds. Let's just get some sleep."