Hey guys! Thanks for all the positive comments! As I promised, the chapters will be longer from here on out. So I hope you enjoy! Chapter 4 is in progress! Sorry that most of these chapters are from Dawn's Point of View. Soon they will be from Ash's Point of View too. So don't worry. Thanks! I know it's taking a while for Dawn to confess her feelings for Ash, but the ideas I'm getting from you guys are really good! I'll be sure to add them!

Sleepless Nights on Lake Valor: A Pearlshipping Fanfic

Chapter 3: My Decision is Made

Dawn's Point of View

After I thought about the situation at hand, I reached a decision. I opened my eyes and more wind blew in my face. I'll tell Ash my feelings today. Yeah, today! I mean, there was no need to worry about it now! Opening my eyes and looking down at my wrist, the Pokétch blinked. 4:00 am. Wow, I'd been outside for an hour? I didn't realize it. Somehow I wasn't tired at all.

I looked up at the horizon. The moon was just about to set. The sounds of the city had died away, only to return again in a few more hours. The water of Lake Valor suddenly reminded me that I haven't finished my iced tea. Turning my gaze towards my cup of iced tea, dew drops had gathered around the rim of the glass and were shimmering from the small bit of moonlight. I drank the remainder of the tea and wiped my mouth to clear my face from an 'iced tea mustache.'

"Ash, I just hope you'll return my feelings… and I hope that you like me too…" I turned around to headed back to the cabin.

I walked past the walkway, down the beach and to the porch, smiling all the way back. Pikachu was sleeping on the porch so I picked it up slowly. It was murmuring quietly as I carried it back inside. "Pikaa… Pikaa…" How cute.

I put my glass previously filled with tea into the sink in the kitchen. Then I made my way quickly, yet carefully, through the hall and into the bedroom. Ash and Brock were still sleeping, the former still snoring. Ahaha! He has the cutest snore! I placed Pikachu next to Ash on his bed. As soon as I was about to move, however, Ash unconsciously grabbed my hand. I tried to cover my mouth to keep myself from screeching.

"Go, Pikachuuu… use Thu—" A snore cut him off.

His grip gradually slackened until he finally let go of my hand. I kept my mouth covered to prevent everyone from hearing my laughter. I smiled at him and stayed there for a moment, as if I were waiting for him to wake up. Realizing that he could wake up at any moment, I left and headed for the bathroom. I changed back into my pajamas and went to bed. I didn't want him to wonder why I was staring at him in his sleep!

"Good night… Wait—good morning, Ash." I whispered before falling into a deep sleep.

Before I realized it, I was wakened by a familiar voice.

"Dawn! Hey, Dawn! Wake up!" It was Ash's sweet voice.

I opened my eyes and he was above me, waving his hands in front of my face. The sun was up already and the time was 8:00 am, according to the bed side clock. I got 4 hours of sleep since I went outside. I looked back at Ash. He still had his white undershirt and red shorts on. No vest, gloves, or hat on yet! He was in a pretty awkward position above me, so I stretched my arms and legs and wiped my eyes in order to break the silence. He backed up a bit, but was still focused on me.

"Good morning, Dawn! Did ya' sleep alright?" He asked. "I sure did!"

"Yeah, yeah." I giggled.

"Great!" Ash jumped up and ran out of the bedroom.

Laughing to myself, I got out of bed—still kind of tired—but I entered the bathroom and changed back into my usual outfit anyway. During my time in the bathroom, I fixed my hair, which took about 15 minutes. Hey, this good hair doesn't come without hard work and time! After making sure I looked my best, I made my way into the kitchen, where the smell of pancakes greeted my senses. I expected Brock to be cooking, but to my surprise it was actually Ash! Heh, last time I checked he couldn't cook at all! He seems to be doing pretty well so far, though.

"Smells good, Ash! Last time you were standing in front of a stove, you burned the food that you cooked!" I teased. "Remember those Poffins?"

"Hey!" He stuck his tongue out at me. "It was a simple mistake! These ones aren't burnt, though. They'll be delicious! I'm pretty sure I know what I'm doing, Dawn."

"Pika, Pika!" Pikachu seemed confident in Ash's cooking.

"Alright!" I challenged him. "Let's try some, then!"

Ash took out three plates from an overhead cupboard, while Brock put out large dishes and emptied his famous Pokémon food into them. Brock also made sure to put out an extra-large dish for Mamoswine outside. Piplup came running out of the room, along with Pachirisu, Buneary, and Cyndaquil. They obviously knew it was breakfast time! All our Pokémon ran to the dishes with Pikachu, Happiny, Croagunk, and Sudowoodo.

While we were eating Ash's delicious pancakes, I remembered what I wanted to tell him. It'll just have to wait until after breakfast, I guess. There's only one more day until the contest, so I better tell him soon.

"Brock, can you pass the syrup?"

"Sure, Dawn. Here you go." He handed over a small glass container.

"Thanks Brock," I told him while pouring the sweet liquid over my pancakes.

"Pip, Pip! Buneary! Pachi! Cynda, Cyn! Pika, Pika! Happiny! Croa… Sudowoodo!" Everyone seemed to be happy and hungry.

"Mamo, Mamo!" I heard Mamoswine enjoying its food outside.

"I'm glad you like it, Mamoswine!" Brock shouted.

We all laughed at Brock because of his antics. As soon as breakfast was over, I got everyone's dishes and washed them. Brock cleaned up the table and gathered all of the dishes with some Pokemon Food still inside. He gave them to me and I washed those as well. Meanwhile, Ash was running around outside in the morning summer air. I just watched him, completely enamored, while he played with all of the Pokemon.

"Hahaha! Let's go over to the beach, guys!" he screamed.

"Okay, Ash, but let's gather our stuff first!" Brock made sure that no one forgot anything. "Dawn, do you want to come?"

"...What?" I wasn't paying attention; Ash was being too cute for me to focus.

"Do you want to go to the beach with us?" Brock repeated.

"Uh, sure." I replied, still looking outside at Ash... and the Pokémon, too. Of course.

"Alright, just make sure to get your stuff… and—" Brock stopped when he noticed I wasn't looking at him. "Dawn, are you alright? You've been acting like this since we got here. Hey… Dawn? Dawn?!"

"Um… " I finally turned to face him, but still couldn't give him my undivided attention. "Uh, yeah. I-I'm alright. I'll go to the beach with you guys."

"Okay…" Brock was getting worried. I could tell.

I stood up from the table and tried to walk back to the bedroom, but I bumped into a wall because I turned back to look at... everybody... outside.

"Dawn? Are you sure you're alright?" Brock stopped again. "Because... Well, maybe I should just leave you to it."

He definitely knew something was up.

This time, I paid attention to where I was going and gathered my stuff. This is gonna be a great opportunity to do what I need to do. I'm definitely going to go through with my plan today.