"What Are They Doing Now?"

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Ash, Clemont, Serena and Bonnie had nothing to do. Camped on the shore of Lac de Miroir, there was plenty of wildlife, but not much in terms of trainer battles. There was something else they could do, however, and it was an easy fix.

They went fishing.

The group sat on a rock formation on the edge of the lake with fishing poles in their hands, occasionally reeling in the line to see if there was a bite. So far, no one had gotten anything of worth, except for maybe the occasional reed or kelp that got tangled in their hooks. Good thing there were no boots or human trash, especially since this lake, named because of its mirror-like stillness, had just undergone a major clean-up effort that took years to complete and had just returned to its former glory last year.

Ash pulled his reel in and sighed when he saw that it was just another piece of kelp. "Man, I'm not having any luck," he said.

"Speak for yourself," said Serena, "At least your rod is getting—what's that?" Her eyes had caught something at the end of Ash's rod.

"Hm? Oh, this?" he lifted the hook at the end of the pole. "This is my special lure, made by my old friend Misty."

"Wow, she must mean a lot to you," Serena said with disappointment evident in her voice.

"Yeah, she's one of my best friends!" said Ash.

"I GOT A BITE!" Bonnie shouted.

"Bonnie, hold on!" Clemont said, rushing to help his sister reel in her catch. "It's a big one!" He struggled and strained to pull it in while Bonnie frantically reeled in the catch. Ash and Serena came to their aid and with their help, pulled a good-sized catch onto the rock.

It was a Staryu. "Wow, I'm gonna catch it!" Bonnie cheered. "Go, Dedenne!"

"Dedenne!" Dedenne leapt off her shoulder and faced the opposing Staryu down.

"Dedenne, Thundershock!"

"Bonnie, wait!" But Clemont's plea went unheeded. Dedenne charged up its attack and zapped the Staryu, causing it to writhe and then fall back into the water.

"Oh, I almost had it!" Bonnie whined.

"Bonnie, electric attacks won't work," said Ash.

"Pika, Pika," said Pikachu.

"Oh, I shoulda known," said Bonnie.

"Still, I haven't seen a Staryu in a while," said Ash, "Reminds me of someone."

"Yeah, who?" asked Bonnie.

"Her name's Misty," he said, "And she used to travel with me. I wonder how she's doing now." He looked away with a wistful smile on his lips, obviously thinking about his old friend. Poor Serena watched, unable to help but feel a little jealous of this Misty girl and the obvious meaning she held in Ash's thoughts.

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"Charmander, go!" A young boy from near Pallet Town threw his PokeBall onto the floating platform. The fire lizard popped out, crying its name enthusiastically as it started down the opposing Buizel.

Misty, standing on the other side of the pool, raised her eyebrow in fascination. "That's brave of you, Mikey," she said, "I wasn't expecting you to use Charmander."

"This is our last chance, Charmander!" said Mikey, "Let's give it all we got!"

"Char! Charmander!"

"He reminds me of Ash," Misty said to herself.

"Charmander, use Scratch!" Charmander bristled and leapt from the platform to Buizel's. Buizel hopped away as Charmander landed on the platform. It bobbled a little in the water before evening out. Charmander lunged at Buizel, swiping away at the Mustelid Pokemon. But Buizel effortlessly evaded the attacks.

"Buizel, Water Pulse!" Misty commanded.

Buizel sucked in his breath and let loose a torrent of water at Charmander. Said torrent struck the fire lizard and sent him flying off the platform and onto the pool deck, where he landed and rolled for a few feet until stopping.

"CHARMANDER!" Mikey screamed, hopping off the platform and onto the pool deck. Concerned, Misty jumped off the platform and also ran over to the Charmander.

"Is he okay?" Mikey asked.

Misty reached down and rolled Charmander onto its back. It took a few moments, but Misty could tell that it was fine, just out cold. "He's fine," she said, "Just take him to a Pokemon Center."

"Oh, Charmander," Mikey said mournfully while recalling his starter. "I lost, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but that was a great effort," said Misty, "Just keep trying. If you need it, there are other Gyms around her where you can go."

"But I wanted a cascade badge," said Mikey. "And I hope Charmander will be okay."

"You really love your Pokemon," said Misty.

"Yeah, they're my friends," said Mikey.

"You know, you remind me of someone," said Misty.

"Yeah, who?" asked Mikey.

"A boy," she said, "I used to travel with him a long time ago. His name's Ash."

"I think I've heard of him," said Mikey. "Is he nice?"

"Yeah," she said, thinking of Ash's enthusiasm and his love of his Pokemon. "You'd better get going, Charmander needs help."

"Oh, right!" Mikey said, "I gotta go!" Mikey ran out the door, even though Misty tried to stop him.

"Just like Ash," she said. She smiled, remembering all the good times she had with him. She missed him.

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That night, Ash lay in his sleeping bag, looking at the lure Misty gave him, its wink and V-sign silently encouraging him. He laughed and put it back in his bag and his thoughts turned to Misty. He hadn't talked to her in a while. Maybe the next time they went to a Pokemon Center he could call her.

He yawned and stretched, then snuggled into his sleeping bag for a good night's rest.

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As she went to bed, Misty got one more look at the photo of Ash on her nightstand. His smile seemed to leap right out of the picture, and even his enthusiasm was warm and glowing despite him not actually being there. She sighed, chastising herself for seemingly pining about him. She had responsibility, she had no time to pine. But she did wonder what he was doing and hoped he would call soon.

"Good night, Marill," she said as she settled into her bed.

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The two had a nice dream where they met up once again.

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The end

Sadly sort of rushed, but hopefully in-character. I wanted to avoid the usual trappings of the two pining for each other, and I hope I succeeded. But I also took into account Serena's feelings and unlike some unsavory fans, respected her character. Tell me what you think!