A/N: Hey guys!

Alright, FINALLY, chapter 11 is uploaded! It's another filler chapter, with a bit more suspenseful activity, impatience of trainers, and more searching for a way out of the cave!

I'm sorry that it's been taking me forever to update, but hey! At least I'm updating! ;)

That's all I really have to say about this chapter, but I hope you guys enjoy it!

~Dolphinz514

Chapter 11:
A Search Begun

Most of the Pokémon were still asleep, all laying in a group in one of the corners of the cave. Paul and Dawn, still sitting in front of each other, were now slightly in an awkward staring match as Paul waited for Dawn to finish her question.

"What is it?" he asked, looking over her face expectantly.

"I…well, hah..uhm.." Dawn's words were fumbling around as she stared at the wall. "I actually need to tell you something more than ask something, but…for a while, I guess I should say since I really met you during my journey through Sinnoh I have…I have really liked you…."

Paul blinked as Dawn spoke, trying to figure out if he was hearing the right words or not. He was about to speak, but then she continued to speak:

"I mean, I really like you, still. I knew at first it wasn't a good idea because of the way you treated your Pokémon, and how you were towards Ash, but I could help but have some sort of affection for you…" She trailed off slowly, her blue eyes traveling down to the dirt, her finger swirling around in it, leaving patterns.

Staring at the girl in front of him, Paul almost couldn't find the words to say. This completely caught him off guard, but he more than loved what he was hearing. "Dawn…" he whispered, his voice shaking a bit. This couldn't really be happening… "I…I know what you mean."

Dawn looked back up at Paul, disbelief and hope colliding in her eyes. "What?"

"I've…I've liked you, too. A lot…I think that's probably one of the reasons why I picked on Ash so much…I got to be around you." He rubbed the back of his neck, glancing over at their Pokémon as one of them stirred in their sleep. "And that one afternoon where you saw me talking to Reggie at that Pokémon center, I almost told you how I felt then, but I thought it would be very ill-timed."

Shrugging, Dawn stared at Paul, then slowly nodded her head. "It probably would have been…I see what you're saying." All of a sudden Piplup was standing by her side, crawling to sit on her lap. "Hey there," she greeted, patting its head. "Paul...I still have those feelings for you."

She kept her eyes down as Paul looked her over. For a moment he hesitated before leaning over and kissing her cheek. "Me too," was all he muttered before standing up to get the Pokémon food out of his backpack. "Is Piplup hungry?" he asked, looking at Dawn and her aquatic friend.

"Piplup!" the Pokémon shouted, leaping out of Dawn's lap and racing over to Paul. Its cry woke the other creature up, Torterra's eyes slowly making their way to the purple-haired trainer holding a bag of food. Excitedly getting up, it walked over to Paul as well, nudging his shoulder. "Tor!"

"I guess that's a 'yes'," Dawn giggled, standing up and brushing the dirt off her legs. Blushing feverishly from Paul's kiss, she smiled as he grabbed a few bowls from her own bag, and placing them on the ground for Piplup and Torterra. Paul placed the food in the bowl, laughing as the creatures dug right into their meal.

"They were pretty hungry, huh?" Paul chuckled, looking up at Dawn with a bright smile. He grabbed his other Pokéballs. "Come on out guys!" he exclaimed, summoning out the rest of his Pokémon. Dawn followed suit, and helped feed the rest of their gang. After breakfast, they fed themselves as well, making another bowl of ramen, and putting all of their friends, except Piplup, back in their Pokéballs.

Dawn stood up, grunting as she stretched her arms and legs. "Man, I'm tired of sitting around here…" She looked back up towards the original hole in the cave that had gotten covered up. She walked over to the pile of rocks and boulders, and attempted to hike up a few of them.

Paul started chuckling. "What are you doing?" he asked, walking towards her, Piplup and Torterra watching them slowly. He stood at the base of the pile, smiling with curiosity up at Dawn.

"I'm seeing if any rocks are loose at the top," she replied, her face furrowing in frustration as she tried to move a rock. "I wanna get out of here; we can't just sit around."

"Hold on, that Aggron could still be out there," the purple-haired trainer warned.

"At this point…I almost don't care," Dawn half-lied, smiling with reassurance. She was able to shake a rock free, and watched it tumble down the side of the pile. "See? It can be that hard," she suggested, climbing up more. Once she got towards the top, where it met the mouth of the opening out of the cave, and shuffled a few more out of the way. "I think we can be able to get out of here."

Paul smiled widely. "Really? That's great!" he said excitedly, climbing up a few rocks himself. "Let me help you," he said as he made his way to the top, pulling a few rocks aside as well. Eventually, there was an opening large enough to fit both Dawn and Paul through.

"Perfect!" Dawn said, crawling back down and jogging over to her backpack. She slung it over her shoulders, and grabbed Paul's bag in one hand, and Piplup in her other arm. Torterra was summoned back to Paul's Pokéball, and the other trainer took his backpack. The blue-haired trainer climbed through the opening first, following Paul; no sign of the Aggron anywhere. Dawn sighed in relief, laughing lightly and looking at Paul. "I'm so glad it's not near us."

"Me, too. Come on, let's go." Paul stood up, helping Dawn up as well, and they both headed down the large hallway-like structure of the inside of the cave. "I wish I had a map for down here," he mumbled, looking all around.

Dawn nodded, holding Piplup tight in her arms. "Same. We'll find our way out, though," she assured, reaching down to hold Paul's hand, smiling. "No need to worry." She winked before chuckling.

May was walking back and forth, her paces creating a small indent into the ground as she chewed on her lip.

"May, calm down. We'll find them," Misty said, almost with annoyance in her tone.

"I know! But I'm just getting impatient," May replied, pouting and sitting on the ground. "I have no idea where to even start! That hole is way too deep for us to climb down."

The rest of the gang nodded slowly, also unsure of what to do. They had stayed the previous night in the same location, figuring that remaining where they already were would be the best decision. Perhaps Paul and Dawn would have figured a way back out; and climbed up and back to the gang. But, it was also possible that they were in danger. Ash shook his head, standing up.

"I can't just sit here anymore," the brunette huffed, picking up his hat and placing it on his head. Pikachu's ears perked towards the trainer, confusion on its face as Misty stood up as well.

"Ash, just relax-"

"I can't, Misty! Not when I know that our friends could be out there! Possibly hurt…" he said, gazing at the hole, deep in thought.

"They're fine," Brock reassured, walking past an obviously upset Kenny. He rested his hand on Ash's shoulder, glancing at Kenny as he spoke. "I'm sure of it. Dawn and Paul have been in similar situations; they know how to handle it."

Kenny nodded slowly, looking off into the distance as he fought his feelings. He knew Dawn had no such feelings in return for him…but he couldn't help but just worry like crazy. Dawn was out there… Paul better be keeping her safe… He furrowed his brow, pursing his lips as he sat down on a rock. "What should we do, then?"

Brock shrugged, glancing around. "Uhm…well, we should split up. Some of us stay here, while others use my map to figure out where other openings to the cave are. Maybe Dawn and Paul found a way out."

"I'll volunteer to go locate the other openings," Drew spoke up, raising his hand slightly. May joined him, holding onto his arm and nodding in agreement.

"Me, too," Kenny said, glancing at the two, pleading with his eyes. "I can't sit here and wait…"

Brock nodded, too, smiling. "Right. Sounds like a plan." He reached into his backpack and pulled out his map, handing it to Drew. "You guys gonna head out now?"

May smiled, looking at her green-haired crush. "Of course. Might as well, right? No point in waiting anymore."

Drew smiled in return. "Yeah," he said, grabbing the map. "We'll go now. Kenny, May, get your bags ready." He grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulders, waiting as the other two trainers did the same. Drew looked back at Misty, Ash and Brock. "We'll be back by nightfall. Thanks for the map." He signaled a goodbye, then headed down a trail, May and Kenny close behind him.

Ash waved bye, before sitting back down. "I hope they're alright…"

Misty smiled, sitting down next to him, resting her hand on the brunette's thigh. "They are. No doubt about it. Come on, let's get the gang something to eat," she suggested, attempting to draw attention from the current tragedy.

Brock reached in his backpack again, pulling out dried Pokémon food, and a few bowls as well. He looked up at the sky for a moment; the sun was probably about five or so hours from hitting sunset. He sighed, pouring the food into the bowls as Ash and Misty summoned out their friends. He hoped they were okay, too.

Paul groaned, glaring angrily at a strange crevice in the wall of the cave. He ran a finger through his hair. "I swear we have walked past this." He glanced over at Dawn. "I think we're walking in circles."

Dawn sighed. "I'm tired.." she said softly, looking back at Paul, Piplup already asleep in her arms. "Can we call it a night?"

Paul looked back around the cave. "Yeah. Let's find a place to stop."

After walking a ways, Dawn spoke up again. "Do you feel that?" she asked, looking around. "It's a breeze."

Paul suddenly looked excited. "That means there's got to be an exit somewhere!" He ran ahead a bit. "But…which way?" He had come to face a fork in the cave, pathways either leading left or right.

Dawn yawned, shrugging. "Not sure…" She leaned against the wall, closing her eyes for a moment. "Can we look for it in the morning? I think I remember a smaller cave somewhere behind us…" She yawned again.

Paul nodded, walking back and resting his arm on Dawn's back. "Yeah. Let's go." They walked back, and found the mentioned cave. The trainers set up their sleeping bags, and crawled into them, Piplup nuzzling Dawn's arm. "Night Dawn."

Dawn mumbled something, mostly asleep. Soon, her breath regulated, and her lips were parted softly in a gentle and consistent breath. Paul rolled onto his back, looking up at the ceiling of the cave. Were their friends even looking for them? Of course they were…but…how would they be found? Hoping that the others were safe as well, he closed his eyes, and rested his head on his arms, falling into a quick sleep.

A/N: Alrighty! Chapter 11 is up! :D What did you guys think? Don't hesitate at all to review! :)

I will update as soon as possible, but I am working on updating a few other of my stories, first! :)

Thanks for reading!

~Dolphinz514