"Dinner's ready!" Delia's voice reached the living room. Ash and Misty, who had been discussing for more than ten minutes, also put down their notes and came to the dining room.
Perhaps because Ash finally came back today, or maybe because there were guests, today's dishes were quite plentiful, with meat, shrimp, vegetables, crabs, and even an old hen stewed soup.
After everyone sat down, they all said "Let's eat" and began to enjoy the meal heartily.
During the meal, Delia also learned about what Ash had experienced during his travels.
Misty and Brock took turns sharing interesting stories from their journey with Delia. Although they were traveling on foot, they hadn't encountered any dangerous situations, and the journey had been quite relaxed.
The most dangerous event was probably the battle with Giovanni in Viridian City just yesterday, the kind that could spell disaster if not careful.
However, Misty and Brock naturally wouldn't mention yesterday's event to Delia. They didn't even speak of some adventurous events during the journey for fear of making Delia worry about Ash.
Even though everything turned out fine, as a mother, she would naturally worry about her son.
Moreover, since everything turned out alright, there was really no need to mention it.
Listening to the fun stories from Ash's journey, Delia couldn't stop smiling. From the descriptions by Misty and the others, she could clearly sense Ash's growth along the way. Her son seemed to have truly grown up.
This gave Delia a sense of accomplishment but also a slight feeling of loss. As children grow up and no longer need their parents' protection, as a mother, there is a natural sense of not being needed.
But seeing Ash's satisfied look while eating, Delia suddenly felt that her child still needed her. At least she could provide a hot meal when Ash returned home.
"Slow down, don't choke."
"Got it."
...
After they were full and the meal was over, Ash and Misty cleared the dishes and washed them in the kitchen. Mr. Mime had already started playing with Pikachu. In the living room, Delia and Brock exchanged thoughts on cooking after the meal.
Delia's culinary skills were definitely not inferior, but Brock's cooking had been honed through countless experiences. Both of them had their unique understanding of cooking, and they shared many insights, making for a perfect exchange.
After washing the dishes, Misty and Ash returned to the living room and continued talking about the journey.
Upon learning that Ash would be staying in Pallet Town for a while and training in the nearby area, Delia couldn't have been more pleased. At least for the next few months, Ash wouldn't be traveling far.
Moreover, with Misty and Brock staying, although Ash's house wasn't big, it was a two-story house, and there was no problem in freeing up a room for either Brock or Misty, while the other could sleep on Ash's lower bunk.
Ash's bed was a bunk bed, and previously the lower bunk hadn't been used by anyone.
In the end, after some discussion, Misty agreed to sleep on Ash's lower bunk, primarily because she wanted to hold Togepi while sleeping. But Togepi needed Ash nearby; otherwise, it would make a fuss.
Therefore, after some negotiation, Misty agreed, blushing, to sleep on Ash's lower bunk.
In fact, even back at the Pokemon Center, the two often slept on bunk beds; it's just that this time with Delia around, the situation was different. She is Ash's mom!
If she slept in the same bunk bed with Ash, what would Delia think?
However, in the end, her desire to hold Togepi while sleeping outweighed her embarrassment, at least openly.
When Delia heard that Misty agreed to sleep on a bunk bed with Ash, her gaze towards Misty changed slightly.
"This girl... I see, I hadn't noticed before. Looks like my son's charm isn't small either!" Delia thought to herself, her face breaking into a smile. She said to Misty, "Then I'll go get a quilt and pillow ready for you so you can share a bed with my son."
"A... a bed?! Don't say things that could be misunderstood, Auntie!" Misty retorted, blushing deeply.
"Haha, Auntie isn't wrong. A bunk bed is still technically one bed," Brock teased with a laugh.
Misty's feelings probably had already been discovered by Delia, and Brock had known for quite some time. It was only Misty and Ash, the people involved, who seemed completely unaware.
He'd created so many opportunities for those two, yet they hadn't made any progress, which made Brock a bit reflective. Not only did he have no luck with women himself, but he also couldn't even facilitate others' relationships!
But later, Brock realized, it wasn't really his fault. Rather, Ash was just too oblivious, and Misty wasn't proactive enough, which is why there had been no progress for so long.
But you can't blame Misty; after all, Misty is a girl, and expecting girls to be proactive is a bit too much.
The main issue was actually Ash; as long as he remained unawakened to this fact, nothing would happen between them.
Someone needs to enlighten this guy.
Ash didn't sense anything wrong. After all, sharing bunk beds during travel wasn't a first, and Misty was on the lower bunk because of Togepi. What was so strange about that?