Ugh, this chapter was SUCH a pain. I could hardly come up with anything for it. So, as a result, it's much shorter than my usual chapters (still, it's nearly 3K words, but for me that's short!) But I've really gone much too long without updating this story...so I figured I had to get this chapter out now :)

Hopefully you'll all enjoy this!

"Her…her date?"

"Yeah…"

"Why would Daisy force me to do that?" Ash asked skeptically.

"Because, in her words, it's her wedding, her rules," Tracey chuckled quietly. "And I'm not gonna be the one to tell her no. She wants everyone in the bridal party to have a date."

"And Misty is…a bridesmaid?" Ash furrowed his brow. He hoped he had gotten that terminology right; he wasn't exactly experienced when it came to things like weddings. Ash had never been to one, nor talked much about them. Except for when Brock had his crazy fantasies about marrying a Nurse Joy or Officer Jenny.

"Yes, which is why she needs a date too," Tracey nodded. "Daisy thought it would be cute for her and groomsman to be one another's date. Besides, you two are already friends, so it shouldn't be too awkward…"

"It's a date, how couldn't it be awkward?" Ash blushed in a flustered manner.

"We all know you two have a thing for each other," Gary commented from the background. "So why don't you just suck it up and do what everyone has been waiting for?"

"Gary, shut up!" Ash bit. "I already told you, I don't like Misty that way! She's just a friend!"

"Who's a girl," Gary added slyly.

"That doesn't mean anything," Ash scowled.

"It would mean a lot to me if you at least thought about it, Ash," Tracey smiled at his friend. "Can you do that for me?"

Taking a deep breath, Ash nodded hesitantly and replied, "Yeah. Sure thing."

"Thanks," Tracey sighed gratefully. "Now, are you gonna show me to all of your Unova Pokémon?"

XXX

Later that afternoon, when Ash returned home, he decided that perhaps he should talk to his Mom about the wedding situation. She was a girl, after all, and girls tended to be much better with those kinds of things than guys. Although, Cilan seemed like the kind of guy who might be into weddings. He was a waiter, after all. And didn't weddings have food? At least Ash could look forward to that. He loved food.

Stop it, Ash! Focus!

Before Ash even had a chance to ask his mother for advice, however, he had to deal with her lecturing him about sneaking out before the break of dawn.

"You had me worried sick, young man! I thought somebody might've climbed in through your bedroom window and stolen you!"

"Mom," Ash covered his face, trying to hide the intense blush that was taking over his face. He could hear Iris and Cilan trying not to snicker from behind the wall. "All I did was go to the lab to visit my Pokémon!"

"But I didn't know that!" Delia stressed. "You should've at least told me, dear!"

"It was early, I didn't wanna wake you up," Ash frowned.

"I would rather be woken up and be aware of where you are," Delia continued, her tone becoming stern once again. "Do you understand?"

"Yes Mom," Ash sighed.

"Good," Delia lowered her previously frantic hands and smiled lovingly at her only child. "Now, what is it that you were so eager to tell me about, sweetheart?"

"Well, I wouldn't really say that I was eager," Ash looked down at his feet in an almost ashamed manner. "I'm just confused is all. And I thought you could help."

"Of course dear, I can help you with anything!" Delia chirped.

Reaching into the backpack he had brought with him to the lab, Ash pulled out the white envelope with his name on it in red script, handing it over to his mother who looked genuinely bewildered by the object.

"What is this?" Delia tilted her head.

"Open it," Ash replied simply.

Delia did just that and pulled out the invitation, reading it over silently. Once the words settled in her brain, a huge grin broke out on Delia's face as she lowered the card and beamed at her flustered son. "Oh, Ash! A wedding! How wonderful is that?"

"There's more," Ash informed his mother.

"What?"

"Tracey asked me to be one of his groomsmen," Ash answered. "Whatever that means. He said it was important."

"Oh, it is!" Delia was practically jumping up and down. "Ash, you're going to be a very important part of the wedding! This is so sweet!"

"But…there's more," Ash didn't sound so excited over the next addition.

"More? Ash, you're going to make me fall over from all of this excitement!"

"Uh, sorry?" Ash furrowed his brow. "Anyway, I don't know how I feel about this…"

"About what, dear?" Delia prompted when Ash trailed off.

Blushing heavily, he mumbled, "I…kind of have to have a date…"

"A date?" Delia was grinning from ear to ear. Ash groaned inwardly. He should've known his mother's reaction would be over the top and joyful. "How precious! Who are you thinking about taking? You must have some idea, Ashy! If not, I know a few girls who could go with you!"

"Actually, Daisy wants me to have a specific date, apparently," Ash's blush intensified.

"Oh?" Delia sounded intrigued. "Who?"

Biting his lip, Ash sighed and answered meekly, "Misty…"

Delia looked taken off guard for a moment before returning to her overly pleased expression. "Yes! I agree whole heartedly! You and Misty will make such a lovely couple at the wedding!"

"But what if I don't want Misty as my date?" Ash groaned.

"Ash, Daisy told you that she wants you to take Misty, and it's her wedding," Delia became stern once again, folding her arms over her chest. "Besides, it'll be sweet! You two are friends, after all."

"Yeah, friends, and nothing else," Ash made sure his tone sounded completely serious.

"That doesn't mean that the two of you can't go as a couple," Delia sighed. "You two are guests, and members of the wedding party. Just because you're going as a couple doesn't mean your own wedding is in the works."

Secretly, Delia hoped that it would, in fact, lead to just that.

"But I don't want Misty to hate me," Ash moaned.

"Oh, Ash, that's nonsense," Delia shook her head. "She won't hate you! Chances are, Daisy told Misty to bring you as a date. It won't take her off guard." Standing up to clean the dishes in the sink, Delia finished, "but you do need to call and formally invite her."

"What?" Ash's jaw dropped.

"You have to be a gentleman about this," Delia trilled."Romantic intentions or not, I will not allow my son to be rude on his very first date."

"It's not a…ugh, never mind," Ash sulked.

From behind the wall, Iris and Cilan had stopped laughing and were now listening intently to the conversation between Ash and his mother.

"Iris, this feels wrong," Cilan grimaced.

"No, this is perfect!" Iris beamed. "I finally have an idea on how to get Ash and Misty together!"

"Iris…" Cilan sighed.

"Don't Iris me!" Iris whined. "This idea is practically fool proof! You haven't even heard it yet!"

"Alright," Cilan sunk down further so his face was right next to Iris'. "Tell me."

The green haired connoisseur couldn't see it, but Iris' cheeks were flashing pink at the proximity of their faces. Ignoring the burn of the blush, Iris cleared her throat and started, "Ash's Mom wants him to follow Tracey's request and be Misty's date at the wedding, right?"

"Yes…" Cilan raised an eyebrow.

"And she wants Ash to call Misty and ask her out like a true gentleman," Iris smirked.

"You and I both know that Ash isn't going to do that," Cilan shook his head.

"He will if I threaten to beat him to a pulp," Iris narrowed her eyes. Quickly changing to a much happier disposition, Iris continued, "anyway, I have a plan for those two! And it starts with Misty."

"Misty?" Cilan questioned. "But how-"

"We need to get her phone number," Iris interrupted.

"How are we supposed to do that? And…why?"

"Don't question my operation!" Iris hissed. "I just have to call Misty. But I don't have her number…where could we get it from?"

"Your guess is as good as mine," Cilan shrugged.

Iris folded her arms and settled herself in deep thought for a moment. Suddenly, her whole face lit up as she raised her head and quietly cheered, "Cilan! I've got it! I know where to get Misty's number from!"

"Where?" Cilan tilted his own head.

"Ash's poke gear!" Iris giggled behind her hand. "Surely he has to have her number in there! They're secretly in love, after all."

"Are you going to ask Ash for her number?" Cilan smiled.

"Of course not!" Iris gasped. "Do I look stupid to you? If I ask for Misty's number, then Ash will know that we're up to something!"

"We?" Cilan looked shocked. "Don't include me in this little plan of yours!"

"Why not?" Iris frowned. "Don't you want to see true love happen?"

"Well…of course I do…"Cilan nervously rubbed the back of his neck. "I just don't like being so sneaky."

"They'll thank us in the end!" Iris clasped her hands together. "Oh, Cilan, please?"

Groaning, Cilan turned his face away so Iris wouldn't see him now blushing. He could never say no to the pretty, young dragon type trainer. He wished it was easy to refuse her, and not be so easily swayed by her sweet brown eyes, but it was basically impossible not to. "Oh, alright."

"Yay!" Iris hugged Cilan around the shoulders. "You're the best, Cilan!"

Cilan once again turned his face away, silently pleading for the blush on his face to subside. Just as it was fading, Iris grabbed his hand and pulled him up and towards the stairs. Cilan grimaced when he realized that his formerly disappearing tint was now returning in full force.

"Where do you think Ash's poke gear is?" Cilan mumbled, glad that he was behind Iris and she couldn't see his bright red hue.

"In his room, I think," Iris mused. "I heard it buzzing before I came downstairs to listen to him get scolded."

"So now you're going to sneak into his room?" Cilan gasped.

"Cilan, stop acting like I'm some kind of criminal!" Iris whined.

"But Iris…this is so…wrong!" Cilan fretted.

"You have to live a little," Iris snickered. "And I know just how!"

Reaching the door to Ash's bedroom, Iris gently pushed it open and shoved Cilan into the room without warning.

"Wah! Iris!" Cilan flailed his arms like a bird, turning around with a look of panic on his face. "Wh…what are you doing?"

"Teaching you how to live," Iris answered innocently. Grinning, she pointed into the room and ordered in a determined voice, "now, find that poke gear!"

"Ah, just my luck," Cilan groaned. He turned back around and feverishly scanned the room, hoping to find the device sooner rather than later. By the green haired young man's luck, a vibrating sound alerted him to the potential location of the gadget. Following the dull, but apparent, noise, Cilan was eventually led to Ash's backpack, which was sitting on the chair in front of his desk.

"A desk?" Iris' voice alarmed Cilan, causing him to turn around and see her poking her head in through the door crack. "Does Ash actually use that thing?"

"Iris, don't startle me like that!" Cilan narrowed his eyes.

"Sorry," Iris grumbled before waving her hand at the connoisseur. "Now, hurry! Grab the poke gear!"

Groaning, Cilan opened Ash's backpack and reached in, grabbing hold of the poke gear. Quickly, he closed the backpack and hurried towards Iris, his eyes flashing with guilt.

"Awesome!" Iris snatched the dark blue module from Cilan.

"I feel so dirty…" Cilan moped.

"Oh, relax," Iris patted him on the shoulder. "You did a good thing! I promise!"

"What are you going to do with Misty's number anyway?" Cilan was still frowning.

"Call her, duh!" Iris rolled her eyes as though it were obvious.

"Are you going to use Ash's poke gear to call her?" Cilan pointed at the dark blue device.

"No, of course not," Iris huffed, causing Cilan to look shocked. "I just needed his poke gear to get her number. I'm going to write it down and use the house phone to call her."

"B…but…I snuck in there to take it!" Cilan pointed at Ash's room.

"And you did an excellent job," Iris patted the connoisseur on his shoulder. "You're starting to become more of a rebel! Although, I still have a lot of work to do with you."

The green haired young man just continued to mope, causing Iris to giggle. Axew popped out of her hair and held out a small square of yellow paper towards the girl, as well as a small black pen. Nodding, Iris took the objects from Axew and grinned happily at her Pokémon. "Thanks, Axew! You're the best!"

Cilan decided to not even question it. He took Ash's poke gear back from Iris and found Misty in his contacts, reading off her home number to Iris, who eagerly scribbled it down on the small piece of paper in her hands.

"Got it!" Iris cheered. "I'm going to call her right away. Cilan, you put Ash's poke gear back where you found it." She skipped downstairs, leaving Cilan alone in front of Ash's room standing in a state of shock.

Once at the bottom of the steps, Iris poked her head into the kitchen. She was relieved to find that both Ash and his mother were gone. To where, she didn't know, but this was perfect timing. Ash would kill her if he knew what she was up to. Mrs. Ketchum would probably aid her in the act, but Iris found it easier to just do on her own.

Slinking over to the video phone, Iris sat down and punched Misty's number into the keypad and patiently waiting as it rang. After what felt like an eternity to the aspiring dragon master, Misty's image appeared on the screen, looking rather confused when she saw Iris on the other end.

"Iris?" Misty asked.

"Hey, Misty!" Iris greeted warmly.

"H…how did you get my number?" Misty blinked.

"Ash's poke gear," Iris answered honestly and unabashed.

"Ah, that makes sense," Misty smiled sweetly. "So, what is it that you need, Iris?"

"I heard about your sister's wedding," Iris jumped right to the subject at hand. "And how your sister wants Ash to be your date."

At this, Misty blushed furiously. "Y…yeah?"

"I can help!" Iris beamed.

"Who said I wanted him to be my date?" Misty muttered.

"Misty, I can tell that you like him," Iris smirked in a sympathetic fashion. "It's not such a big secret, even though you think it is. Well, not to me anyway. I can see it in your eyes, and how you act when you're around him. It's a real big crush you've got."

"Fine," Misty grumbled, looking just as red as she had seconds ago. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, for starters, his mother is making Ash call you to properly ask you to be his date," Iris explained.

Misty's eyes widened upon hearing this piece of news. "R…really?" She was sure that Ash would scoff and try to ignore the whole idea. Of course, his mother was pushing him along, but it was a start. Misty knew that the young, raven haired trainer had no idea what to do when it came to feelings and romance.

"Mmhm," Iris nodded. "But I think it would be an awful lot sweeter if he asked you in person. Don't you agree?"

"I…suppose so," Misty nodded like a robot.

"Here's what you have to do," Iris instructed. "Call Ash and tell him that you need him in Cerulean City."

"For what, though? What lie should I make up to convince him to do that?"

"It'll be a lot easier than you think it is," Iris assured the gym leader. "I think that Ash would do anything for you."

"I doubt it," Misty grimaced.

"I don't," Iris shook her head. "Why don't you call him in a little while and give it a shot?"

"I guess I could," Misty nodded once again.

"Good, that'll be stage one of my plan," Iris murmured.

"What?" Misty tilted her head.

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Iris waved a haphazard hand. "Just call him later, okay? Then I'll call you back and find out exactly what's going to happen."

"If you insist," Misty sighed.

"Don't be so down, Misty," Iris smiled encouragingly at the red head. "Everything is going to work out. I promise!"

"Like I said," Misty finally showed the dragon trainer a little smile, "if you insist."

The two girls both hung up, Iris feeling rather accomplished with herself. Standing up, she pushed the chair in before raising a finger to her chin and thinking for a short moment.

"Hmm…I'm hungry!"

Okay, Iris getting hungry when discussing romance is one of my favorite character elements EVER. It's so quirky and adorable! Sorry, I like Iris. Sue me :P

Right, so like I said, not a very long chapter. But pretty substantial :) We're starting to see Iris' plan forming! So, what will happen when Misty calls Ash for a visit? Stay tuned to find out ;)