Life: Hi, guys! It's me! Now, here's the story!
***
Three: Four Unexpected Guests
Silence.
Delia continued to cook. She was getting kind of hot from standing right next to the stove with all four burners on, but she valiantly continued.
More silence.
Delia's makeshift timer--a teakettle filled with water--went off, signaling that the fourth round of burgers were finished cooking. Delia piled them onto a large plate and pulled condiments and buns out of the fridge.
"Are we playing the Quiet Game?" Gary questioned, shattering the silence.
Mr. Mime stood guard with its broom, ready to do battle against anything Delia spilled on the floor. Ms. Ketchum, however, was rather agile and deft when it came to cooking. Not even a bread crumb got on the shiny tiled floor.
Silence greeted his answer.
"I think everything is just about ready!" Delia said, turning off the burners. "All I need to do now is mix up the six pitchers of Kool-Aid and pull out the bottles of soda!"
Ash sighed and everyone stared at him silently.
"Mr. Mime, would you go out to the dining room and tell everyone that the food is ready?" Delia asked her faithful house Pokémon.
Ash shrank into his seat. Silence seemed to be choking him.
Mr. Mime burst into the dining room, making everyone seated around the table jump. Ash fell right out of his chair and landed hard on the floor on his butt.
"Mime!" Mr. Mime announced.
Brock brightened. "Lunch!" he repeated.
Ash got up off the floor and rubbed his behind, wincing. "That really hurt," he complained as he gingerly slid into his chair.
Delia walked carefully into the dining room somehow balancing three big, heavy plates in her arms. Piled on each one was delicious, wonderfully-smelling food.
"Wow. That looks great, Ms. Ketchum," Jenny commented.
Delia set the plates onto the center of the table and went in the kitchen for the rest. Ash reached for the plate of burgers, but Misty smacked his hand.
"Ouch!" Ash cried, pulling his hand back. He watched a large spot on it turn pink. "Why'dja do that?"
"Would you care to wait for your mother?" Misty snapped.
"If that's the case, he can eat, because you're acting just like his mother. Right?" Jenny shot at her.
Misty glared at Jenny. Jenny glared back. The two girls weren't exactly bosom buddies.
Brock's face turned romance red again. "I love a tough older girl!" he said in his I-think-I-love-you voice.
Meowthfight, Pikachu thought, assessing the situation.
Finally Jenny broke the hot stare. She tossed her head, her long hair lifting on the wind she caused, and looked out the large dining room window.
*~*
She walked slowly down the street. Training stinks when you have nothing to eat, She thought woefully. Her limp blond-highlighted brown hair hung in Her face.
If I don't get a meal I will die, She thought to herself, pulling Her hair out of Her gray eyes. I can't even buy anything here because I have no money.
A strange noise made Her look up. Two people and one Pokémon stood on the porch of a lovely two-story house looking through its front window. They wore strange clothes that looked like uniforms. The girl had long red hair that stuck out, and the guy had chin-length blue hair. Their Pokémon was a Meowth.
Is that where they live? She thought. Why don't they go in?
The conversation they began was even weirder.
"I wish that twerp's mother would make me something," the young woman said. She sounded as though she'd been walking through a desert with no water.
"Yes. Everything looks...oh, look at that mountain of hamburgers!" the guy cried.
"I wish dey'd trow somethin' out fer us," the Meowth said, thoroughly surprising Her.
What is that weird stuff running down the...ewww! Are they drooling on that window?! She thought, grossed out. She felt it Her duty to alert the people of the house. So She marched up on the porch and knocked on the door.
The droolers turned to look at Her, but She ignored them.
*~*
"Ash Honey, someone's at the door. Would you get it, please?" Delia said as she came out of the kitchen with more plates piled with heavenly food.
"Aw, why do I gotta again?" Ash whined. He slumped to the door.
Ash was the only person sitting between Brock and Jenny. Brock saw this as his chance. He got out of his seat, skipped across the room, and grabbed Jenny's hands again.
"I could've sworn I said keep your hands off me!" Jenny yelled at him.
"I couldn't help it! I love you!" Brock said, lost in Dreamland.
"Well, I most certainly don't even like you!" Jenny replied.
Brock stroked his chin and smiled. "Playing hard to get, eh? That's all right. I can wait!"
For just a moment, shoving Brock's head into the soup tureen was tempting to Jenny. She probably would have tried it, too, if Ash hadn't come back with a girl trailing him.
"Mom! Visitor! She says she has urgent news!" Ash called, sitting back in his seat. Misty had come over by then and dragged Brock back to his own chair by the ear.
Delia came out of the kitchen with a final plate and saw the gray-eyed, brown-and-blond-haired girl. She wore plain blue jeans, sneakers, and a big hoodie with long sleeves that extended over her hands, leaving only her fingers to be seen.
"Hi," the girl said simply.
"Well, hello," Delia said, smiling a sunny smile. "What can I help you with?"
Ash dunked his bowl into the soup tureen and scooped up some soup. Jenny and Misty both grimaced.
"I don't mean to interrupt your...whoa, humongous lunch, but there are two very strangely dressed people and a talking Meowth standing on your porch looking into your window and drooling on it," she said.
Jenny's eyebrows flew up. "A talking...Meowth? Okay."
"Tim Rerkit!" Ash cried through a mouthful of soup.
"Ash, no gargling soup at the table," Delia instructed. She turned back to the girl. "Well, thank you for that news. Would you like to join us, er...?"
"My name's Maia," the girl said. "And I'd love to. You certainly have enough for one more."
Delia smiled a smile that could have lit up the Rock Tunnel. "Wonderful! Just have a seat at the table, please! Ash, go outside and invite Team Rocket in!"
"WHAT?!" Ash sputtered, spraying his mouthful of soup back into his bowl. Pikachu gagged, and Misty and Gary turned away. "Team Rocket! Mom, why?!"
"Well, they're obviously hungry enough to drool on my window, so why not let them in!" Delia told him cheerfully.
Ash couldn't believe his mother was telling him to invite his enemies in for lunch. What, had all the steam gotten to her? But he slunk out of his chair and grumbled his way to the door. He threw it open, completely surprising Jessie, James and Meowth.
"Mom says come in for lunch," Ash growled at them. He felt even madder when their faces lit up.
"Lunch!" Jessie squealed excitedly. She knocked Ash over and charged into the house, James and Meowth on her heels. Ash picked himself up, slammed the door closed, and stormed his way into the dining room after them.
Hold on, Ash thought, how do they know exactly where the dining room is?
***
Life: Hey! The chapter's finished! Well, it was a little longer than I had intended, but I had to get Team Rocket in the door before the end. I hope you liked it!
Kelly: Yeah, me too.
Life: Oh, Kelly, you said you had something to say. Say it!
Kelly: I don't have anything to say.
Life: Uhhh, then why did you say you did?
Kelly: Because I wanted to lengthen your story. Joke's on you. Ha ha ha.
Life: *sarcasm* You are sooo funny. I won't even laugh!
Kelly: No, don't deprive me. Please.
Oh, I decided to add a seating chart! Helps the readers!
Delia--Brock--Ash--Jenny--Misty--Maia--Gary--James--Meowth--Jessie--Delia. Got it?
*Finally a successful interruption...*
"Prepare for trouble, we're here for lunch!" Jessie said.
"Make it double, we'll eat a whole bunch!" James added.
Ash walked in. "We don't really care, so just shut up."
Jessie and James stared at Ash and then sat down at the table.
*And someone is going crazy...*
Ash reached for the big, juicy burger he had put dibs on. He wanted to eat it now. Only...it wasn't there anymore.
Ash's head immediately swung around to face Gary. Gary was eating a big, juicy cheeseburger.
"GAREEEE!" Ash screeched. "I HAD DIBS!"
~Life, the girl with too much time on her hands.