Attention: Since English is not my mothertongue you might find some spelling mistakes or syntax errors. I apologize in advance. My mothertongue is Swiss-German so I normally imagine a sentence in German and try to translate it as well as possible into English, sometimes there is a lack of vocabulary or I don't find a match or the appropriate idiom but I want to improve my English and become a better writer. Another thing I want to make clear is that I use „..." to introduce direct speech! „ are not commas but the German quotation marks, just to avoid confusion. Until all eternity Chapter 1: Ash and his friends, Misty and Brock were on their way to Vermilion City, known for it's popular harbor. The young Pokémon-trainer was full of vim and vigor to face his next battle against the leader of the local gym, Lt. Surge. Only a small matter prevented Ash from demonstrating his know-how and personal expertise. His stomach began to growl, it seemed to him that they hadn't eaten a quick bite for the last couple of days. „Oh, I'm so hungry", Ash yammered, putting his hands on his belly. Misty clipped him with her bag. „Stop complaining! You gorged on an opulent breakfast just two hours ago", she scolded him. Ash looked at her with a pained expression. „Please, let's stop for a nibble", a pleasant fragrance of fresh pastries rose to Ash's nose. Misty and Brock were also seduced by this balmy scent of bismarks and chocolate-muffins. They followed the sugar-sweet smell and ended up in front of an inconspicuous small building at the end of the port promenade. The house was white with turqoise window shutters. The walls needed a new coat of paint and the glass panes were smeared and dirty. Still, it made a cosy and inviting impression, not least because of its wide range of baked goods behind the shop window. The children were amazed by this offer and decided to pay the owner of „M. & D.'s Diner" a visit. They entered the room and were flabbergasted by the ambience. It was kept very simple. Mother-of-pearl and bright yellow furniture and accessories, vases with sunflowers and lilies and pictures of delicacies like Black Forest and carrot cake decorated the walls. An elderly lady became aware of her new guests and led them to an unoccupied table in the corner of her diner. „Welcome, welcome", she was all smiles and presented the kids with the current menu. „Thanks for passing by at ‚M. & D.'s Diner'. My name is Martha and I recommend you today's particular specialty, the homemade apple pie with cinnamon crumbs. Would you like something to drink?", she asked, while opening her notebook. Ash would have loved to try a little bit of everything, but he knew that Misty disdained his greediness and therefor he ordered a blueberry muffin and a milkshake. Brock contented himself with a glass of their extraordinarily good ice tea and Misty gave the apple pie a go. Meanwhile, Team Rocket slogged along, starving and totally exhausted. Jessie had problems to keep up with James. He was carrying Meowth in his arms who was too weak to walk. „I can't go on any longer. James, are you sure that we don't have anything edible in that backpack?", Jessie fished an empty cookie jar out of their heavy luggage. James shook his head. „No. Yesterday evening, we shared the last bit of our supplies", her friend replied. „Do we have money to buy something?", she broached the subject again. James turned around and frowned. „No! You spent all our savings on make-up, clothes and frills", he was clearly annoyed and tired of Jessie's consumer behaviour. Jessie snorted derisively. „It was the Princess Festival and we were given exclusive discounts for various items", she explained herself. James could at least once a year grant her some fun, they always lived on a low throttle. „What about Meowth and me? We're a team for goodness sake and you think of nothing but self", James rebuked her, but Meowth intervened, before Jessie was ready to respond. „Stop arguing!", he shouted. „I smell food, delicious and tasty food", his mouth watered. James sniffed and indeed, he could scent a spicy smell of gingerbread and speculoos. „Where does that scent come from?", the lavender-haired man wondered. Jessie grabbed his arm and dragged him along to the source of this smell. Meowth was back on his feet and ran after his team mates. They hurdled into a few people blocking their way, nearly knocking an old man and his grandson over. Ash, Misty and Brock thanked Martha for her sincere hospitality and set out to the local gym. „Good luck! Go for it, I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you", the owner of the diner waved the kids goodbye and they missed Team Rocket by a hair's breadth. Finally, Jessie, James and Meowth reached the diner. Jessie pressed her cheeks against the glass pane. She was overwhelmed by the assortment. Towers of gateaus, boxes full of biscuits and a white chocolate fountain bubbling along. Jessie didn't notice that she was drooling until James handed her a napkin. „We've got to take a rest and have a snack. It's unbelievable!", Jessie was really carried away, but James laid a hand on her shoulder. „We can't afford this short detour, there's absolutely no money left", he explained. Jessie grinned mischievously. „We're thieves, right? We're clever enough to deceive the owners of that diner and stuff ourselves", she rubbed her hands, convinced of her sneaky plan. She didn't wait for James' and Meowth's reaction, slipped into civilian clothes in order to not attract any attention, entered the house and was welcomed by Martha. „Good morning", the elderly lady was a cheerful bundle of energy. „What can I do for you?", she asked Jessie, James and Meowth to sit down a the bar. The counter had a special paint in hues of silvery lilac. Martha poured fresh orange juice into their glasses and presented Team Rocket the menu card too. „Would you like a piece of Spice Layer Cake, Mango-Cranberry cake, Orange Blossom Bundt or well-made Banana Oatmeal Coconut Muffins?", Martha offered. Team Rocket's eyes widened. They nodded affirmatively. „Yes, please", Jessie answered while knotting a napkin around her neck. „I'll be right back", Martha called her employee Doug and ordered him to take great care of the famished trio. Doug was a young man, probably at the age of Jessie and James. He was wearing a ponytail, had steel-grey eyes and a piercing look. Team Rocket got into a huddle. „She seems very nice", James observed. „Don't let her twist you around her little finger. Here's my plan: we're going to exploit her hospitality, feast like kings and disappear through the rear entrance", Jessie was certain that she could put her intentions into practice. They chuckled malevolently. Team Rocket were proving their reputation of being hideous criminals with their devious intrigues. Martha came back with a tray and served the countless plates. „Enjoy it, my darlings", she caressed Jessie's hand and gazed deeply into her eyes. Martha had hard coal colored eyes and dark magenta hair, a slightly darker shade than Jessie's. A feeling of safety came over the Team Rocket-member. Martha had an extremly positive radiance. Jessie had to admit that she felt a little bit guilty to fool the owner of this nice and treating restaurant, but she gave her pangs of conscience no chance. James pitched into a piece of Toffe Crunch Cake until his face was smeared with thick caramel sauce. Jessie tucked in and scoffed three Almond-Poppy Seed Muffins and Meowth licked his paws after devouring half a cream cake. They were brimming with food. „I've never eaten so well before", Jessie enthused, stroking her chubby belly. James nodded in agreement. „What a delightfulness. Too bad that we won't thank Martha most sincerely", he said. „By the way, where are we going to sleep tonight?", he asked his team mates. Both shrug their shoulders. „A bench will do, I guess", Jessie sighed and picked at the rest of a Pistachio Chai-Muffin. „They say that the temperatures will fall steadily", James shivered with cold. „We don't have any well padded jackets or woollen caps or scarfs", he searched through his bag. Meowth hung his head in despair and Jessie felt uncomfortable at the thought of another night in icy cold conditions. „Maybe there's a playground with a shelter, we need at least a roof over our heads in case of snowing", Jessie said. She checked if nobody was watching and made it quite clear to her team mates that she wanted to take off. James was shifty-eyed and wanted to make sure that their escape attempt wouldn't be busted. They sneaked direction staff entrance, but someone retained them. „Excuse me", Doug cleared his throat. Team Rocket worked up a sweat. „We were caught red-handed", James whispered. Doug reared up and barred their way. Jessie and James fell on their knees. „We're sorry, we didn't know that we're broken, we're unworthy", they folded their hands together and hoped that Doug would show understanding for their tricky and hopeless situation. „Martha wants to talk to you", Doug brought them to the elderly lady. She had her hands crossed in front of her chest. Jessie and Meowth hid behind James. The lavender-haired man swallowed hard. Martha must have been a strong and powerful woman, not least because of her daily training in the kitchen. She might have developed tight and slender muscles while vigorously stirring and constantly rolling out dough, but, against his expectations, she smiled. „I couldn't overhear your conversation", Martha began. James felt guilty. The owner was a blessed cook, her cakes and muffins were tasty and mouthwatering dishes, why did he always listen to Jessie and her underhand plans? He hung his head in embarrassment. „Listen, my dears. If you want, you could stay here overnight. I've got a tiny spare bedroom with a double bed and a basket for your Meowth. I would be honored to have you as my guests. The weather is awful and they announced a blizzard for tonight. I don't want you to sleep outside during this freezing winter. Chilblains are no bed of roses. I get you warm blankets and pillows", she couldn't avert her gaze from Jessie. „You're all skin and bones", she gently squeezed Jessie's arm. „Chicken soup will empower you and your friends. Here's the key to my spare room, make yourselves comfortable and we will deal with the rest", Jessie, James and Meowth were speechless. They never had the chance to enjoy so much attention and readiness to help. The cat-Pokémon was moved to tears and James remembered the last time someone had taken great care of him. Martha reminded him of his Nanny, a genial and affectionate person. They left the restaurant and walked to the rear part of the building. The spare room was furnished cornily. The walls were papered with a floral tapestry and flooded with pictures of rare Pokémon. Jessie sat down ond the bed and noticed that there was no sleeping accomodation for James. „You're going to sleep on the floor, James", she decided and chucked a beige pillow to her partner. „That's unfair, give me one side of the bed", he demanded. Jessie didn't know how to react. She and James had shared a bed before, but it was a strange feeling to sleep next to her best friend. Finally, she agreed on his proposal. „You stay on your side! This", she showed him where one of the mattresses ended, „is the border, don't cross that line", she commanded. James nodded and jumped on the bed. He nestled into the freshly cleaned cloths and fell asleep very soon, Meowth followed suit and curled up in his basket. Jessie wasn't tired, she wanted to explore their spare room and began to search through the drawers. Martha and Doug were sitting in the kitchen. Doug had to finish a washing cycle and Martha was bent over a pile of paper. She wanted to compose tomorrow's menu. „What do yout think of pumpkin soup and roast pork?", she asked. Doug shook his head. „I don't know, you decide. I need to take care of the chicken broth for your guests", he mutterd. One could hear in his voice that he was anything but okay with Martha's hospitality. „Don't be like that! Look at them, they're scraggy and haggard, we need to feed them up", Martha tried to calm down her employee. Doug dropped the ladle. „Why do you trust them? They could be traitors, criminals, delinquents, even murderes. What if they find out your secret? What if they find out that you're not the cute and old auntie Martha you pretend to be, but a popular Team Rocket-agent who works undercover, because another evil organisation aims for your information about Mew", he assumed. „Stop it, Doug! They won't do any harm", Martha replied. „They are complete strangers!", her colleague shouted. Martha lifted up the ladle and placed a hand on Doug's shoulder. „She's not a stranger, she's my daughter."
