With Sugar On Top

SUMMARY: Ash is determined to unlock a sweet secret hidden in Dawn's sugar cabinet. When a not-so-sweet Misty guards that secret, Ash will have to put on the charm, butter Misty up…whatever it takes to silence his sugar-high curiosity.

GENRE: Humor/Mystery
RATED: PG / K+
NOTABLE CONTENT: Crude Humor and Mild Language
SHIP: Pokeshipping (Ash/Misty)

COPYRIGHT NOTE: I don't own Pokemon / Pocket Monsters
STORY TAKES PLACE IN: Season 10: Diamond & Pearl (and just because I have creative license, Misty guest-stars in this fanfic)

COMMENTS: (Revised and Updated 08-27-09)

The version you are currently reading of "With Sugar On Top" happens to be revised. Originally, the story was meant to take place in Season 12 (Galactic Battles), but I have since reverted the story back to the first D&P season (Season 10). Why? Well, aside the fact that I'm the author, I found the story actually works better in Season 10 than 12 (for reasons you'll eventually see in later chapters). Fear not, the basic idea of this story hasn't changed at all, only the anime season timeframe (and a few Pokemon evolutions. Minor details). Sorry for any inconvenience.

~ This story has two dedications:

1. To everyone who was sugar-sweet enough to review my previous Pokeshippy story, "It's Her Party, and She'll Cry If I Mess It Up." Your wonderful reviews have encouraged me to publish another Ash/Misty fluff-fest!

2. To a friend of mine (who has asked to remain nameless) who helped concoct the Pokeshippy "chocolate and caramel" concept you'll eventually read about.

Enjoy, and feel free to post reviews, too!

* With Sugar On Top *

Aiselne Phoenix

Chapter One

"Please?"

"No."

"Pleease?"

"Noo."

"Pretty please?'

"No, no."

"Pretty pretty please?"

"No, no, no."

"Pretty please with sugar on top?"

"No!"

"Pretty please with sugar on top...and sprinkles?"

"NO!"

"Pretty please with sugar on top, and sprinkles, and cherries, and hot fudge, and whipped cream, and-"

"I SAID NO!!!!" Misty blasted, nearly snapping her wooden mixing stick in half in her fury while watching Ash duck for cover under the kitchen table. The boy was really testing Misty's patience today, though she managed to use her rage as motivation to stir her cookie dough mix extrathoroughly. But if a certain Pokemon trainer doesn't stop acting like a freakin' three-year-old, Misty fumed. I'm gonna' use this rage and pound HIM extra thoroughly!

"Misty...uh, how's that batter coming along?" a very brave and skittish Dawn asked, slinking into her house's kitchen as if she traversed a field littered with landmines. One false step could set off 'Misty the time bomb.' Dawn never expected baking cookies would be this dangerous. Then again, the navy-haired coordinator was not quite as experienced with handling Misty Williams as her two male friends were, either.

Grunting in agitation, Misty directed her attention back to the mixing bowl she tended. It was Brock's brilliant idea to repay Johanna for her hospitality while the group visited Twinleaf Town. Thus, while Dawn's mother took Glameow off to the groomers, the four kids decided to cook dinner. Brock was already long-since done with preparing his famous spaghetti and meatballs, and the noodles and the meatballs were currently cooking in their respective ovens.

Not wanting to burden all the work on Brock, Dawn wished to cook something, too. Sadly, the coordinator was as good of a cook as the culinary-impaired Ash and Misty. Poffins were the extent of Dawn's cooking skills. Of course, the kids did not have much time (or many resources) to cook anything extravagant. Plus, it was not like this was a special occasion, anyway. All the foursome wanted to host was a simple 'thank-you dinner' for Johanna. Thus, Brock left dessert up to his younger friends. The only treat Dawn could recall being able to cook well were cookies, and cookies seemed harmless enough for Brock to leave his friends to their own devices. Of course, he should have known better when Dawn gave him her notorious "no need to worry" line.

But frankly, the cooking was the least of their worries at the moment. In fact, it was only the 'tip of the iceberg,' or perhaps more specifically, just the 'icing on the cake.'

"I think this batch is done," Misty figured, not exactly knowing if the cookie dough mix was done, but making an educated guess. Misty had been stirring the mix for a while, and extra thoroughly thanks to someone. Brock was currently outside in the backyard tending to the Pokemon, so his cooking expertise was not available.

Who's brilliant idea was it to make cookie dough from scratch, anyway? Misty mentally whined to herself, wishing Dawn just got store-bought dough. Then again, it was obvious that Dawn wanted to put a generous amount of effort into her mom's dinner, despite the girl's limited cooking skills. Dawn really was being sweet, so Misty kept her complaints to herself. The redhead had been ranting and raving enough for one afternoon, again, thanks to a certain someone.

"I'll get the baking pan," Dawn replied, heading over to the respective cabinet and pulling out one of the two necessary trays for their cookies. Spying the cookie cutters also nearby, the coordinator snatched them and piled the countless frames on the kitchen table. It was a miracle Dawn could find any available space on the table, since the table was littered with opened bags of sugar, cookie dough mix, chocolate chips...

Dawn's blue eyes blinked, doing a double take on the bag of chocolate chips. Well, technically, she was looking at a bag that had a label of 'chocolate chips,' but no such candies remained inside. "Hey, what happened to the chocolate chips?" There was also a bag of caramel cubes looking pretty pathetic at the moment. "And I could've sworn we had more caramel than that."

Misty snarled under her breath, making Dawn wonder if she should have bothered asking. "Gee...I wonder how thatcould've happened!" Misty chimed sarcastically, kicking a leg of the table and scaring the hiding Ash out of his refuge. "Perhaps a certain rat hiding under the table would know what happened to the candy, huh Ash Ketchum?!"

He did not want to give Misty that kind of satisfaction in being right, but the guilty smirk that kept taunting Ash's lips was too hard to resist. It did not help that he was on another sugar rush and behaving especially silly and mischievous. "Hey...you were sneaking just as many, Misty!"

"I snuck, what, three?! Maybe five?!" Misty challenged honestly, slamming her mixing bowl on the table to then grab the two empty bags of candy. "I didn't eat the whole bags!"

"Neither did I!" Ash defended. Sure, he snuck his share of chocolate chips, and those especially tasty caramel cubes…that melted in his mouth like blissful dreams come true...tasty little chimeras of sweet pleasure…er, Ash's drooling was not helping his position at the moment. But in all seriousness, Ash could have sworn he left 'something' in those bags. Maybe Misty snuck more than SHE claims, not that she'll admit it, Ash grinned to himself.

"What're we gonna' do?" Dawn sighed, checking her Poketch for the time currently reading 17:38. Her mother and Glameow were to be back home by six-thirty! Granted, Dawn was not worried about Brock's spaghetti and meatballs, but the cookies were another story. "I mean, we can still make 'sugar' cookies, but..." she trailed, her eyes drooping back towards the pathetic candy bags. Those bags were originally filled with candy intended to make a batch of chocolate chip cookies and a batch of caramel cookies. Johanna liked the two kinds, so Dawn figured she would make both, but nobody could make either if they did not have the necessary ingredients. So much for 'no need to worry.'

"Normally, I'd say we should send Mister Munchlax to go get more candy," Misty suggested, pointing an accusing finger at the guilty-as-charged Ash. "But knowing him, he'd probably eat those bags, too!"

"I would not!" Ash countered sharply. "Go ahead, give me the money for the candy and I'll go and buy it, and I'll return with it, too!" No candy, however wonderful it may taste, would get in the way of Ash Ketchum's pride, especially when it came to Misty.

"Pairing you with a candy store is like pairing your Snorlax with the Seven Grapefruit Islands!" Misty retorted, narrowing her aqua eyes and sending daggers to Ash. In the midst of looming war, Dawn took her chances and started pouring the cookie mix onto pans and cut them with the various Pokemon-shaped cookie cutters. Dawn did not know what the hell the 'Seven Grapefruit Islands' were, anyway, nor did she know Ash owned a Snorlax…nor did she have the time to deal with this mind-numbing bickering! If there were two things Dawn learned that afternoon, it was 1.) she may want to start saying "no need to worry" a bit more sparingly, and 2.) Ash and Misty loved to fight over the stupidest things. Brock didwarn Dawn about the twosome's arguments, but it was something the coordinator had to see to believe. Boy, did Dawn believe it!

"Hey!" Ash snapped, glaring right across the table in Misty's direction (making Dawn wish she was not inconveniently standing in the middle of them at the moment). "I don't eat that much!"

"Then where oh where has the candy gone, Ash?!" Misty sang sarcastically, narrowing her glare back at the guilty boy. "Did it magically disappear into thin air? Maybe Team Rocket snuck in when we weren't looking and stole the candy instead of Pikachu! Or maybe a certain nimrod doesn't want to admit he made a freakin' pig of himself!"

"You were pigging out just as much!" Ash yelled, sending her killer glares, ones Misty shot right back. "You sure as hell didn't just sneak 'three' or 'five'! Don't go preaching to me about sneaking candy when your hand was in the bag more times than it was mashing that batter!"

"And that same hand's gonna' mash your FACE in about FIVE SECONDS!!" Misty screamed, fists balled and ready to attack Ash…when their eldest member of the group finally waltzed into the kitchen, much to Dawn's relief.

"You' know, I can hear you two outside," Brock noted matter-of-factly, shaking his head. Upon Brock's entry, the bickering duo maturely stuck their tongues out at each other before turning away in opposite directions. Pikachu happened to also trot inside, licking its lips after sharing Brock's afternoon snack with the Pokemon in the backyard. Neither Pikachu nor Brock looked entirely surprised, or thrilled, to overhear Ash and Misty typically screaming at each other. Exchanging an exasperated look with the nearly traumatized Dawn, Brock sighed. "Is it so much to ask for you two to get along for one afternoon? Gimmie a break, guys. Need I remind you we're 'guests'in Dawn's house?"

Ash and Misty did not want to admit it, but Brock was right. The duo often behaved like this in Pallet Town, Cerulean City, Pewter City, and even Petalburg City when visiting May and Max. However, as far as Twinleaf Town was concerned, Ash, Misty, and Brock were still guests. Ash and Brock had known Dawn for a little while, but they were still newer acquaintances with Johanna. The boys certainly did not know Johanna personally enough to be free to terrorize her own house! Misty, especially, was even newer, since she was only temporarily visiting Sinnoh. Originally, Misty was passing through Sinnoh to meet Wake of the Pastoria Gym; a Water Pokemon Gym Leader like herself. Misty was only stopping by Twinleaf for a few days on her way to Pastoria City, taking a quick detour for a much-needed reunion with her old friends.

However, just because Misty and her friends were together again did not mean they could act as foolhardy as they used to, especially in a less-familiar home. It was one thing to fool around in a house where one was familiar, but in an unfamiliar household, the kids had to act somewhat mature. Johanna had high faith in her daughter's friends, and Ash, Misty, and Brock wanted to prove Johanna's hopes were correct.

Huffing, Misty decided to help Dawn finish with the cookie cutters. Honestly, Misty liked the navy-haired coordinator, and did not want to give Dawn or Johanna the wrong impression. Though thanks to this afternoon, I can just IMAGINE what kind of an impression I've left, at least on Dawn, Misty discreetly sighed to herself, stealing a glance as Dawn set the last cookie cutter. Of course, this afternoon would've been ten times easier if SOMEONE grew up!

But Ash was not the 'only' person Misty could blame. She blamed herself more than anything else for opening today's Pandora's Box. While Glameow would be undergoing its grooming session, Johanna planned on doing a little shopping to pass the waiting time. She was in dire need of Poffin ingredients, since she gave the last to Dawn's Pokemon for breakfast.

It was while Johanna checked the cabinets that morning, searching for any other food items she needed to stock up on…when she found...it.

Word to the wise: making sudden movements always draws suspicion. Thus, when Johanna instantly slammed the cabinet door shut, she easily drew Dawn's curiosity. Her mother reassured that it was no big deal, but if it was no big deal, why did Johanna make Dawn swear not to open the cabinet while the mother was gone? It was not as though there was anything to 'hide,' was there?

Of course, this made Dawn all the more curious, but Johanna was smart and asked Brock, the oldest, to keep an eye on the cabinet in her absence. Naturally, she told Brock what was inside, and after finding out, he happily accepted the role.

Unfortunately, 'guard duty' was not that easy. Brock had to take care of all of the kids' Pokemon, so he certainly could not stand by the cabinet all day. Dawn also oh-so conveniently got the idea to bake cookies in the kitchen, right by the said cabinet, so that made Brock's job harder. So, he passed the torch onto 'second in command,' letting Misty in on the little secret. Brock knew Dawn would have an easier time getting through Sinnoh's Great Marsh than getting through Misty Williams.

But then again, so concerned about Dawn being problematic, Brock never took Ash into consideration. Frankly, Dawn was a cakewalk compared to Ash's sudden interest in that cabinet.

Brock knew he should have seen it coming. Of all the cabinets Johanna needed guarded, it was the sugar cabinet, where all the sweet treats were kept. Of course, Dawn instantly came under the assumption that Johanna was hiding some candy of sorts. The girl figured her mother went to such great lengths in order to keep the hyped-up kids from ingesting more sugar. When Dawn made her assumption vocal, she decided to let the matter slide and focus her attention on baking Johanna's cookies.

However, being the type who rarelylets anything slide, Ash was not so lucky. Granted, it was not his business, nor his own house, to be snooping around in the sugar cabinet. Sadly, as the hours passed, the boy's curiosity intensified. He constantly reminded himself to focus on something else. Sure, the chocolate chips and caramel cubes were pleasant distractions, but they were only temporary. Sooner or later, Ash's damn curiosity brought him back to the sugar cabinet. Often, he found himself absentmindedly making his way over there…closer and closer…

"HOLD IT!!"

Ash certainly did, and almost jumped out of his skin in the process when he heard Misty's bark from behind him. More word to the wise: Misty's bark is as bad as her bite! Swallowing, the raven-haired boy carefully turned around, away from the destined sugar cabinet. His brown eyes promptly met a pair of glaring aquamarine orbs. Most people would say Misty had beautiful eyes, but when she was angry, Ash felt like he was looking into a devil's eyes!

"Get your sticky little fingers and slobbery little mouth away from that cabinet before I shove YOU into the oven!" Misty threatened after she and Dawn placed one tray of cookies into the said oven. Slamming the oven door shut in a loud bang, Misty then stomped over to Ash's area, making him back away in fear...conveniently backing closer towards the sugar cabinet.

Ash bit his lip, though not too nervously due to a small blissful smile appearing on his face. His lips still bore the faintest taste of chocolate and caramel. Chocolate and caramel...a match made in Heaven. God's gift to sweet tooths. The boy had to forcibly remind himself that his sugary daydream was not making his stance look overly good.

"Wipe that sugar-coated smirk off your face this instant!" Misty ordered, not liking that blissful, boyish grin on Ash's face. It always meant he was up to no good, and Misty was fed up with his shenanigans. "You're not going into that cabinet and that's final!"

"Aw come' on, Misty," Ash pouted, folding his hands in a pleading manner. "Just tell me what's in there."

"Why do you even care? It's none of your business."

"If it's none of my business then there's no problem in you telling me."

"Urgh! What part of 'no' doesn't register in your head, Ash?!" Misty groaned, rolling her eyes while watching Ash put on a more pitiful/pleading expression. Again, Misty only had herself to blame for this fiasco. There was no fault in telling Ash what was in the cabinet, but Misty was enjoying this game. She wanted to see how long Ash's curiosity would hold up, and see if he got more patient during her absence. Apparently, judging by the lower-lip he was starting to give her, Misty's absence from the group did not improve Ash's maturity.

"Please Misty?" Ash asked, putting on the best puppy-dog face he could concoct. He often pulled that same stance with Delia, and while it could not let Ash get away with murder, it never hurt to put on a pitiful look to get what he wanted. Misty barked a lot, but she often faltered when given a look like that. Of course, Ash did not want to overplay his hand...too much. "Pretty please?"

Misty narrowed her blue eyes at him, sighing loudly as she stared at his pitiful little look. Ash had the strangest priorities sometimes. One day, he was dead-set on his next badge, the next day his biggest dilemma was unlocking the mystery of Dawn's sugar cabinet! No wonder he gets lost and sidetracked so much. There was no doubt in Misty's mind; Ash was figuring there was something sweet and delectable in the cabinet. The red-haired girl lived under the assumption that there was more sugar than blood running through Ash's veins. Therefore, it only seemed natural that Ash would be curious about Dawn's sugar cabinet, but Misty was not about to give into his silly pleas.

Glistening puppy-dog eyes, the pitiful lower-lip...all so he can get MORE candy into him! Misty exhaled again, running a hand through her orange-crimson hair in disgust over Ash's impeccable maturity. Ladies and gentlemen, THIS is a future Pokemon Master.

"No...means...no!" Misty spelt out, watching Ash's face fall due to her stubbornness. He looked almost as disappointed as if he lost a Gym battle for Heaven's sake! Rolling her eyes, Misty shook her head and grabbed his shoulders, forcibly guiding Ash back to the kitchen table. Dawn had already prepared the second cookie batch to be mixed. Sitting Ash down on one of the table's nearby seats, Misty sat next to him to keep an eye on the mischievous boy. Seizing the mixing bowl from Dawn, Misty took two wooden mixing spoons from the table and refocused her eyes on Ash. With the bowl on her lap, Misty swatted the boy with one of the spoons before holding it out to him. "Now, use some of your new-found sugar energy to help me mix this!"

Ash pouted again, but accepted the spoon and did as he was told. He needed something constructive to get his mind off the tempting sugar cabinet. More importantly, he needed time to formulate a plan to get Misty to cave in and tell him the big secret. The matter was eating him up inside, and Ash was determined to solve this mystery. Johanna, Brock, and Misty claimed the cabinet was no big deal, but it must have been big deal, since they were going to such great lengths to keep it a secret.

Something's being hidden in that cabinet and I want to know what it is!

While the two kids fiercely mixed due to their unique frustrations, Dawn and Brock decided to head into the living room. Brock wanted to tidy up the house, and Dawn wanted to be anywhere but where the quarreling Ash and Misty were at the moment. To Brock's amazement, Dawn was the least of their concerns regarding the sugar cabinet mystery...and she was the one they had to keep the secret from the most!

But frankly, the sugar cabinet mystery was the least of Dawn's concerns at the moment. Turning to Brock, Dawn sweatdropped at the teenager. "How the hell did you put up with them on a day-to-day basis, Brock?"

Brock grinned, chuckling as he shook his head at the memories. "I asked myself that question everyday, Dawn."

* To Be Continued *

A/N: Ah, aren't Ash and Misty arguments cute? Hehe. Sugar-high Ash is even cuter! ^_^

Well, that's it for Chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed it. Like I said, this is a shorter story, but I do hope you'll like it. What will Ash do next to silence his curiosity? Hehe, wait and see. I appreciate reviews!