Guys, I am so sorry. I promised myself not to randomly disappear, but I did. To be fair, I caught the flu. Though, it seems like a weak excuse… Anyway, here is the chapter! I hope you enjoy!

Pokemon: Dating Confusion

Chapter Five: Just Try It

Trip was exhausted that morning. He usually awoke quite early, most days at least seven in the morning. But, waking up at six in the morning, that was something completely different. Now, if he had gotten a full night of rest, it wouldn't have been that big of a deal. Unfortunately, he had not gotten one. Paul. Paul was why he had not gotten any sleep. It was his snoring that kept the young trainer awake all through the night. One would not think Paul snored so much, or so loudly, but he did. Indeed he did. Trip had recorded some of it for proof, to show to the others if it became necessary. And on top of getting no sleep, Paul just had to wake up at six in the morning. He just had to release his Pokemon for some early morning training too. They just had to disrupt his sleep. Well, now Trip just had to go to war with this despicable person. Disturbing someone's sleep should be a criminal offense.

Trip had been clutching a rolled up magazine, preparing to give Paul a nice smack on the back of the head. But, fate decided to be kind to Paul. As Trip prepared to make the swing, the waft of pancakes floated into the room, eventually reaching Trip's nose. He dropped the magazine, turning tail and walking, in as fast a way without being able to call it running, down the hallway, coming to a screeching halt right outside the kitchen. Slowly opening a door, he was greeted with the sight, and of course smell, of pancakes.

He noticed the girls were already awake, smiling and chatting happily to each other as they munched on their syrup-covered deliciousness. It was lucky Mrs. Ketchum saw him, because if it had only been the girls, he might have stood there for a year without being noticed, because pancakes happen to be very distracting.

"Why good morning Trip! You're up early too?" She said, turning around and giving him a warm smile.

"Eh, I guess you could say that." Trip shrugs, heading toward the table and taking a seat across from the girls. He leans back in his chair, avoiding any eye contact.

"Do you want some pancakes too?" Mrs. Ketchum asked him sweetly.

"Pancakes?" He could feel his nose wrinkle, and he opened his mouth to say no when Misty piped up.

"I think that every good Pokemon trainer needs to eat a healthy breakfast!" Trip rolled his eyes.

So, she's turned into a pancake mix commercial?

Trip thought sarcastically before replying.

"Since when are pancakes healthy?" He said, doing his best to stay calm after his sleepless night.

Misty wasn't phased at all, merely grinning cheekily in response.

"Mrs. Ketchum only makes pancakes with whole wheat and all natural ingredients! Also, there's eight grams of fiber in a serving."

At this point Trip was firmly convinced that this young girl was really a salesperson in disguise. He could easily imagine her in a business suit, smiling at a camera, probably holding some kind of weird product no one really wanted to buy but commercials tricked you into buying them anyway.

He actually had proof of this; once when he was much younger he had called one of those '1-800' numbers and ended up with a cheap, plastic Rhydon and his monthly allowance gone.

He was busy reminiscing when Misty spoke again.

"See Mrs. Ketchum? He's thinking of how delicious the pancakes are!" That girl. She was very annoying.

"Actually, I may just get some cereal." Trip said, moving toward the cabinets. He honestly did want some pancakes, but he wasn't going to tell them that. Though at this rate, that Misty would probably make him eat some…

"Oh come on Trip! Just eat pancakes like a normal person!" May said, rolling her eyes. She thought he must be crazy to not want pancakes. Did he appreciate food at all? May wasn't quite sure.

"Yeah, these are really good!" Dawn said, smiling kindly at May, helping her out.

May smiled back, but a wave of confusion washed over her as Dawn's grin turned into a devious smirk.

What's that look about? I didn't do anything- oh… Not now! Do I have to ask him now? I want to relax and eat my pancakes.

May whined in her head, then decided there was no purpose of fighting it. She would have to do it anyway, so why not now?

Because I don't want to.

May's brain answered back. She sighed, then forced a smile and faced Trip.

"Er, want to go get some breakfast somewhere else, then? I don't think there's any cereal here…" She honestly didn't know if they had cereal or not, but for her sake she hoped not. Or maybe she hoped they did. At least then she wouldn't be able to go out with him.

Trip paused noticeably, and shifted his weight slightly onto another foot. He remained silent as he considered the offer.

Did she just ask me out? Don't know whether to be flattered or throw up… then again, accepting the offer would let me leave the house, away from the red head…

After a few more moments of thought Trip gave her a curt nod, then strode across the floor to the other side of the kitchen, where the door was. He opened the door and stepped outside into the brisk morning air, then waited, still holding the door open.

"I don't have all day you know." He said, a tad bit impatiently.

May glanced up at him, then gazed back down at the plate of uneaten pancakes. She stared at them hungrily, and for a moment she wished she could just sit there and eat them, happily ignoring the rest of the world. Yep, just her and the mound of syrupy goodness, with a delicious pat of butter and some wonderful strawberries on top. May almost got lost in her reverie, right before Misty gave her a hard nudge in the ribs. It quickly reminded her why she would rather date Trip than face the wrath of any of the other girls. So, with a heavy sigh she stood up, getting farther away from the pancakes. She managed to do it successfully, meaning she didn't immediately rush back and devour them. The brunette reached Trip shortly after, and they walked out the door together.

As soon as they were both out of hearing range, Iris jumped into the air, fists pumped.

"Yes! One girl down, three to go!" She cheered, her Axew being disrupted from his peaceful rest. He shot her an annoyed glare before shaking his head, rolling over and closing his eyes to rest.

"What?" Mrs. Ketchum looked very confused as she turned around to look at them. She seemed to have no idea what they were talking about.

"Uh, well, er, we kind of made a bet. You see, last night we decided to tease the boys, so we made a plan to-" Dawn was interrupted by Misty, who clapped a hand over the younger girl's mouth.

"To take them out to lunch! You know boys, never feeding themselves properly. Ash always needed Brock or one of us to help him while he was traveling, right?" The gym leader said, turning to give the others what looked like a threatening gaze, telling them to agree. Until it hit Misty.

Wait, what am I doing?! If I let Mrs. Ketchum know, then maybe I won't have to date Brock!

She though excitedly.

Unfortunately, it was a bit late for that. The woman had already believed that excuse. And the fact that both Dawn and Iris were nodding with extreme vigor probably helped that fact. Misty growled to herself, but otherwise remained silent.

Dawn scooted away from her, fearing that the mallet would come out soon if Misty got any angrier. She played with her food, shuffling a piece of pancake to one side of the plate. She nibbled another piece, then leaned her head on her arm, looking deep in thought.

Hm, I wonder if Tracey will think it's a date. I hope not. But then again, I don't seem to be very lucky with these things… I wonder when exactly I'm supposed to meet him? I guess I could go now, since May already left for her 'date'.

Dawn pushed the plate away and stood up, brushing her sticky hands against a napkin in a futile attempt to clean them. She looked up at the other girls, who seemed to be able to tell what she was thinking. She took a deep breath, then scurried away, yanking open the door and rushing out before Mrs. Ketchum could offer her seconds.

She walked down the small road to the professor's house, where she was supposed to meet Tracey. The bluenette ran a hand through her long hair, briefly wondering if she should have styled it up. She then shook her head with such power she later was surprised it hadn't fallen off on the spot. As she neared the house, she happened to look to her right, and was very surprised to see May and Trip still walking around, not having reached their restaurant yet. They didn't notice her, so she continued to walk away, though a bit curious as to why they hadn't arrived yet. She didn't know that the road was closed off, and the only way to get past was with a Flying Pokemon. So as Dawn knocked on the door of the professor's house, May and Trip were heading back to borrow a Pokemon.

"I can't believe that you didn't bring a Pokemon that can fly." Trip informed May with a tone of shame, clearly disappointed in the older girl's abilities.

May felt her face heat up, with anger, not a blush, thankfully.

"What about you? Why don't you have a Flying Pokemon?" She countered crossly, huffing as she walked ahead of him.

"I decided they weren't necessary so I didn't bring any." He replied calmly and coolly, ignoring her irritation.

"Well, just, humph!" May, who couldn't think of a good enough comeback, stomped farther away from the blonde, muttering unsavory things under her breath. She was feeling very cross, so she decided that if he said one more rude thing she would explode. Therefore, in order not to explode, she ran far ahead, reaching the house in a matter of minutes.

She rang the doorbell, then remembered it was open. She burst through the door, and was surprised to see that everyone was up. She didn't let her surprise stop her from her mission though; she ran up to Ash and practically shouted in his ear,

"CAN I BORROW A FLYING POKEMON?" She had no idea that her voice could yell that loudly before that moment.

Ash, only momentarily deaf, winced, then took a Pokeball out of his belt. He handed it to her, blinking a few times.

"S-sure," He started carefully, not knowing why May had gone berserk, "but why?" He asked as she accepted it.

"Oh, I just needed a Flying Pokemon. The roads were being closed for construction." She told him cheerfully before heading back outside to where Trip was waiting.

He, as soon as he saw she was holding a Pokeball, turned around wordlessly, heading back toward the road where they needed to fly over.

Meanwhile, inside the Ketchum house, everyone was still curious why she had barged in like that.

"I'm surprised that girl can yell with such power." That comment came from Drew, who was acting very picky with his plate of pancakes.

Ash shrugged, along with his Pikachu, who had managed to sneak past Mr. Mime to the fridge and was now happily slurping up some ketchup.

"Maybe she was in a mood." He suggested, and a lot of the others nodded, of those who knew May, that is.

Misty stood up and rushed out of the door as if she had suddenly forgotten something. As the group wondered what had happened with her sudden disappearance, Misty was already halfway to the professor's house. As she plodded along the road, she caught sight of another figure. It looked like Dawn for some reason. Why would Dawn be- Misty facepalmed as she realized the answer. Tracey. Tracey was staying with the professor, so that was why Dawn was there. At least another girl would be there, almost for moral support, hopefully. They both waited, since Dawn had knocked before. Thankfully, the door quickly opened, and Gary was behind it.

"Hey Misty." Gary said with a smile. "And Dawn." He added, though his gaze was focused on Misty.

Misty wasn't paying attention, and she merely swept past him, walking into the house and glancing around.

"So, do you know where Brock is?" She asked, getting straight to the point.

Gary shrugged, then pointed to a door. Misty nodded her thanks, then reached over and opened it by turning the knob. As it creaked open Misty saw a kitchen, and all the boys were seated at the table, chatting to each other.

Misty paused for a moment, contemplating what style would be the best way to approach Brock. She settled on her normal way she would approach him. So with that figured out, she marched straight across the red tiled floor and stopped straight in front of Brock, placing her hands on her hips.

"We're going out to brunch." It was not an offer. It was a command. She didn't even have the grace to wait for an answer; she immediately grabbed his ear and dragged him out of the kitchen.

Dawn watched the peculiar scene, and couldn't help giggling. It was funny to watch Misty, a girl younger than the Pokemon breeder, pull him across the floor so easily.

Tracey, previously sucked into sketching a Butterfree outside the window, looked up after hearing Dawn laugh.

"Hi Dawn! Is your Piplup ready to sketch?" He asked curiously, putting the pencil behind his ear and holding the sketchbook under his arm.

"Huh? Oh, right." Dawn nodded, then followed Tracey out of the house, right behind Misty and Brock, who the red head had decided to have mercy on and let him walk himself.

As they continued on, Misty, Dawn, and even Brock were having their own feelings of dread, not knowing what would have happened by the end of the day.

I know it's shorter than usual, but it's better than nothing, right? Hehe, anyway, I really hope you enjoyed! Thanks to everyone who reviewed, followed/favorited, and of course just read! I always accept reviews, just to let you know… oh, one more thing. I think this story will have around ten chapters if everything goes as planned. But that's just the plan. Anyway, R and R please!