OK, so this chapter is hot off the presses and also a little weird so I apologise in advance.

Thanks to rin916, AnimexLuver4Ever, RAWR the Green Ranger, Starfire1407, ninetailsgirl94, splitheart1120 and Monochrome13 for reviewing the last chapter!

So now with the chapter and I still don't own Pokémon.

Chapter Six: Shopping

"And whoever thought this was an OK deal should be shot immediately," Drew moaned as he held six heavy bags in his hands. Gary, who was sporting five really heavy bags in his hands, nodded in agreement. Ash shied away since it was him who had struck up the deal. He had three bags in his hands.

"Although then whoever was shot would be the lucky one," Gary said.

"So true," Drew agreed.

"So the one who came up with this should carry all the bags," Gary went on. Drew and Gary looked at each other and were just about to dump Ash with their bags when-

"Don't you dare mess up our shopping," Linnet snapped at them. Drew and Gary instantly shrank backwards, leaving Ash alone. Linnet gave them a cold look before she returned to the conversation she was having with May and Misty.

Dawn was currently eating an ice cream while Paul walked beside her. She smiled at the other three boys in a sympathetic gesture. Paul was carrying three bags but they were light and small so he didn't mind so much. Dawn had tried to stop him doing this for her but Paul had remained adamant and carried her bags for her. Of course, it worked in his favour because the girls then decided that the other boys should carry theirs for them. Yeah, Paul was evil like that.

Dawn had linked arms with Paul, which he didn't mind one bit. His free hand was in his pocket and Dawn had decided she wanted to walk with him like this. He didn't care that they looked like a nice couple walking together. He didn't care that the way Dawn was eating her ice cream made her look so cute and innocent that people passing by were thinking she was totally cute. Nor did he care that every girl they passed was moaning because they wished they had a boyfriend as cool as him. He didn't care at all.

"Where to next?" May asked.

"The cinema?" Misty suggested.

"No!" Drew yelled, "I am never going to the cinema with you four ever again."

"Seriously," Gary said dryly, "I don't think it's a good idea having those two in a dark room together."

Everyone looked at Paul and Dawn. They stared back, looking extremely confused to what they meant.

"Ooh," Dawn said slowly, "You're scared we'll make out or something."

"Because I love public displays of affection so much," Paul stated dryly.

"How about the arcade?" Ash said.

"That dumb thing? No way," Linnet dismissed. Ash looked crestfallen.

"What to do in a shopping mall?" Gary pondered.

"Shoe shopping?" Misty suggested with a giggle. The guys' faces fell immediately as the three girls cheered at the notion. Paul and Dawn glanced at each other trying to find a way out of the shoe shopping for the guys.

"How about we… erm…" Dawn said, wondering what there was to do. Paul thought too as the guys gave them hopeful looks. "Er…"

"There's a book signing at twelve," Paul said, almost robotically as if he was recalling information in the far reaches of his brain.

"Oh yeah," Dawn said happily, "Wallace is here."

"WALLACE?" the girls cried. They zoomed off towards the bookstore without another moment's pause.

"Nice save there," Drew said, "Don't think I could have coped with shoe shopping."

"That's so true," Gary agreed. Paul sighed.

"Now we have to deal with Wallace fever," Paul grunted. Dawn giggled.

"Wanna hit the arcade while they're in the bookshop?" she asked.

"Seriously," Gary said loudly, "I am going to marry you Dawn, you are awesome!"

"You'll have to fight me over her," Drew commented.

"Consider this fight won," Ash said proudly, "I've got it covered."

The four of them laughed as they walked towards the arcade. Paul walked behind the chattering four, rolling his eyes. He suddenly felt he had gained three more women on his shopping trip. All things considered, it wasn't bad to say he'd come shopping in the hope of getting some new socks.

The guys played in the arcade for the next half an hour while Dawn looked on. She was impressed at how good the guys were at playing these games. It was like all they ever did was play these games. Paul didn't seem to play that much. After a few rounds of beating Ash in some fighting game, Paul sat out.

"So you don't play much?" Dawn asked. Paul shook his head. He glanced towards the air hockey game.

"That's free," he stated. Dawn followed him to the game and looked at it weirdly. "You know how to play?"

"Sort of," Dawn said, "But it's probably best for one of the guys to play with you instead."

They glanced over to see Ash being beaten by Drew at some game while Gary laughed manically at them both. Dawn sighed and picked up the paddle. Paul smirked as he put money into the machine. The game started instantly.

Paul slid the puck across to Dawn.

"You first," he told her. Dawn nodded before she hit the puck back to Paul. Paul easily defended his goal and shot the puck straight into Dawn's. She yelped as Paul got the first point. She glanced up at Paul, expecting him to be smirking at her but his features were blank. She quickly picked up the puck and began playing once again.

The final score was six:four to Dawn. Paul took his defeat graciously which made Dawn suspicious.

"You lost on purpose," Dawn accused, "Didn't you?"

"Not at all," Paul said, "I'm just rubbish at that game."

"Yeah right," Dawn snapped. She smiled at Paul. "That's sweet."

"You're welcome," Paul replied.

They walked back to the bookstore about fifteen minutes later to find the other girls in a mass mob on Wallace.

"Wow," Gary said, "That's weird. It's like Ash in a candy store."

"And Drew when hair conditioner is half price," Paul added. Both Ash and Drew nodded before they turned and glared at the other two.

"Hey!" they yelled. Dawn giggled as the other two smirked.

"Where do you think they are?" Gary asked.

"Trying to steal his clothes, probably," Paul replied.

"I'd take the hat," Drew commented.

"Easiest thing to grab," Ash agreed.

"Yeah," Dawn said, "Though I love his jacket."

"Linnet will probably go for his trousers," Paul stated, earning him a glare from Gary.

"Or a sock," Drew added.

"Smelly," Ash commented.

"So what should we do?" Dawn asked, "I don't want to be a witness in a court and this looks like it could turn ugly."

"Yup," Gary agreed, "Shall we get a milkshake or something?"

"Milkshake? Sounds good," Ash said with a smile. They were about to walk away when May emerged from the crowd holding a white hat.

"I've got Wallace's hat!" May yelled. The crowd mobbing the poor author froze before they began chasing after May. Wallace took this opportunity to disappear from the store. The girls didn't seem to notice as they frantically chased May around.

The guys and Dawn sighed loudly and shook their heads.

"We need popcorn," Drew said.

"Or at least a seat," Gary added.

"We could be here a while," Ash sighed.

"If they get arrested, I know nothing about them," Paul stated as he leant against a railing.

"Even I'm going to say that," Dawn said, "I'm so embarrassed."

A few hours later, three girls stumbled out of the bookshop. May was cradling Wallace's hat in her arms looking as though she won the lottery. The others didn't look as happy. Sure they did have signed copies of Wallace's book but they wanted the hat May was holding.

"Where are Dawn and the guys?" Linnet asked suddenly as she realised there was no one else around. The other two stopped dead and looked around too.

"I'm not sure," Misty said.

"Maybe they went to the food court," May suggested.

"That means you're hungry right?" Linnet asked. May rubbed her head nervously before she nodded. "Fine, let's head to the food court."

As the three girls approached the food court they caught the sense that something very weird was happening. Not only was the entire mall quiet but there didn't seem to be many people round at all. Misty paused as she looked around. The shops were empty apart from the people who worked in them.

"This is almost too odd," Misty muttered, "I wonder where everyone is."

"It's not that late," May agreed, "So the shops shouldn't have been locked up."

"This is sort of creepy," Linnet said. They stopped abruptly as they heard a loud shout from the food court.

"And that makes it three three," an announcer boomed. The girls glanced at each other before they ran into the food court. "There's only one point needed for the team to win the Mall Food Fight Challenge but who will it be?"

"What the mew?" Linnet gasped.

The large room looked like a war zone. Food was darted all over the place. Tables were turned over to create shelter for people. All the food vendors round the side of the hall were closed up, the staff stood in the crowd.

"Erm…" May said as she tugged on Misty and Linnet's sleeves with her hands, "Is that the guys there?"

Linnet and Misty looked across to one side of the room to see that Drew and Ash were poking their heads over a table. Their mouths fell open at the sight of them. They were covered in food.

"What are they doing!" Linnet yelled.

Gary appeared from another table, glancing round before he disappeared. Some other people on the opposite side of the room popped their heads from their hiding places to get a look where the others were.

"And go!" the announcer yelled.

Almost instantly food was flying all over the place once more. The girls watched in pure embarrassment and some amusement as the boys and their best friend darted around avoiding and throwing food.

"No way!" the three of them screamed.

Dawn hurried behind a table as a burger fly by her. She had globs of ketchup on her face and clothes with some lettuce in her hair and remnants of an ice cream on one shoulder. There was a wide smile on her face as she was clearly enjoying herself.

Paul dashed from one table to another in the same state as Dawn. He was smirking with a fierce determination in his eyes. In his right hand he was holding a jacket potato. He waited for a few seconds before he popped his head over the table he was behind and launched the potato across the room, hitting one of the opposition full in the face.

Dawn was up next. She stood up and flung a few hand-fulls of ketchup across to the opposite side of the room, hitting some poor unsuspecting guy in the face about three times before he ducked out of the way.

"She's got very good aim," Linnet commented. The girls fell into giggles a few seconds later as Dawn ducked down beside Drew and rubbed her ketchup coated hands in his hair. She seemed to do some on the spot hair dressing, sticking Drew's hair into spikes before she darted off to find more food. Drew looked positively wild now with his hair up in spikes. He had, what looked like, army markings on his cheeks that seemed to be barbeque sauce.

"Wow," May said, "Look how macho Drew looks."

"Not bad for a guy who uses twice as much hair products than me," Linnet agreed. Misty looked around for Ash who had disappeared amongst the tables. Her eyes soon drifted back to Dawn who was in trouble now because two of the opposition had cornered her. She was crouched behind a table, looking frantically for a place to run to. There was no where to go. Just when Dawn was about to be bombarded with food, Ash and Paul appeared and saved her. One of the opposition threw food at Ash but he caught it with his mouth and ate it without a second thought.

"Ew," May said, "He didn't even know where that's been."

"It's Ash," Misty told May, "He has an eat not ask policy."

"Same goes for homework as well," Linnet mumbled.

"And that is time," the announcer's voice boomed, "And the winning team is…"

"If they don't win this, I'm going to get the hose on them," Linnet said.

"Even if they do win, I'm setting the hose on them," May replied.

"The purple team!" the announcer yelled.

"Yeah, we won!" Dawn shouted as she jumped up and down on the spot.

"Of course we did," Gary said as he rubbed his nose, "We are the best team."

"Well this sure killed time while the girls assaulted Wallace," Drew said.

"And for our team of five winners," the announcer said, "We award them a year's free pass to this food court."

"Alright!" Ash yelled, pumping his fist in the air, "Free food for a year!"

"That's not bad," Drew said as he dusted a piece of burger off his shoulder. Gary was brushing things off of him now too. Dawn and Paul were stood next to each other watching the others de-food themselves.

"I wonder where the girls are," Gary said.

"Hey!" May and Misty yelled from the crowd. The three of them were waving at the boys and Dawn. Dawn waved back but none of the boys bothered. The five food splattered teens walked to collect their prize before they walked to their remaining friends.

"Stay away from us," Linnet told them as they approached the three girls, "We don't want to get food all over us too."

"Oh really?" Gary asked, eyes twinkling mischievously, "Well, we wouldn't want for you to get dirty."

"Thank you, Gary," Linnet replied. Gary looked at Drew. Drew looked at Ash. All three of them smiled before they each attacked one of the girls, rubbing food into their clothes and faces.

"Ah! Get off me!" Linnet yelled as Gary pulled her into a hug and rubbed his cheek against hers.

"Stop it!" Misty screamed as Ash did the same to her.

"Ew… I don't like barbeque sauce," May moaned as Drew wiped his cheek against hers. The boys pulled away, laughing their heads off at what they had done. The girls didn't see the humour in it.

"You're so dead!" they yelled in unison. The guys had two seconds to start running before the chase began. The six of them ran off, dodging the crowd easily.

Dawn turned to Paul, smiling at him.

"You wanna grab something to eat?" she asked.

"After all that fighting?" Paul answered with a smirk on his face, "Sure why not. I am a little hungry."

Dawn linked arms with Paul and hugged him arm as they walked calmly towards the nearest restaurant.

I fail to see how I am going to get Gary and Linnet together in these final two chapters but I'll manage it somehow! *looks determinedly at the computer screen*

On another note: please review!

RSx