This one is a sort of drabbly piece that's supposed to take place directly after the events of the third movie. I didn't want Ash and Misty to be 10 or 11 so I made them around 13, even though that's not even necessarily accurate in my own headcanon. XD Eh, I do what I want.

No romance here, really, just pre-lovers' friendship. :)

Friends

Misty Waterflower stared into the crackling campfire, ignoring the burning sensation of exhaustion in the corners of her eyes.

Or maybe that was just from the fire. She hoped so. She wasn't ready to be tired. Even though the last several hours had really taken a toll on her.

On everyone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Brock, fast asleep on his stomach, sprawled out on top of his sleeping bag probably dreaming of something ridiculous like fifty Joys and Jennys surrounding him with guns and stethoscopes. She rolled her eyes.

"He's a really great friend," Misty murmured to herself, lips tugging into a smile.

The warm August evening hadn't really called for a campfire, but Misty loved them too much not to have one. She begged Ash to get some firewood so she could start one. They'd argued about it (of course), but in the end, she won out, just like she always did. The young trainer sat up straighter on the log she'd been occupying, turning her head all around the campsite to look for her other vivacious friend. Brock was on top of his sleeping bag, muttering something about a Chansey blocking his rock... or something like that. Misty shuddered, bringing her legs close to her chest at the disturbing thought. Her cropped yellow tank top blew with a cold breeze.

Probably the winds of Brock's imagination telling him it'll never happen, she grumbled in her head.

To the left of Brock, the trio's backpacks sat against a tree, Togepi curled inside Misty's red drawstring and Pikachu snoozing in Ash's old green backpack with his trainer's worn jacket wrapped around the item. However, the aspiring Pokémon Master was absolutely nowhere to be seen. The redhead figured she'd give him five minutes before she went to save his sorry ass from whatever trouble he had probably gotten himself into before staring back into the bright flames of the fire.

The fiery logs in the makeshift pit slowly burned to a char.

Charizard.

Misty looked away, closing her eyes tightly as the image of the fiercely loyal Charizard and the furiously enraged Entei battled within the world of the Unown, Ash's teeth barred as he gripped Charizard's neck for dear life, plummeting into another rock that came out of nowhere—

Misty's eyes began to water, despite the tightly sealed barrier of her eyelids.

"Misty?"

That voice could only belong to a prepubescent boy.

"Ash!" Misty abruptly stood from her position on the log and faced the boy behind her. He was dressed in his usual tennis shoes, faded jeans, and black t-shirt, as well as a familiar backwards hat over his wild ebony locks.

He must have been doing something serious. Or, God willing, serious thinking.

The shadowy face held a warm pair of dark amber eyes with definitive cheeks and a casual smile.

"Why're ya looking at me like that, Misty?" Ash laughed as she blushed furiously and faced the fire again, returning to her comfortable sitting position on the log. Ash carried an armful of firewood and set it down next to them.

"I went to get more firewood," he said needlessly, stealing a close seat next to her on the wide log.

"I see that."

Misty stared back into the fire. The images of little Molly Hale clinging onto Ash's mom and Ash nearly being killed a multitude of times in the span of just one day returned to the previously blissful blackness of Misty's mind.

Ash chanced a glance in her direction and bit his lower lip.

"Misty?" she opened her eyes again, hoping to whatever legendary or god was dominant that he didn't see her glassy eyes.

"What, Ashton?" she snapped tiredly.

"A-are you alright? You know, after...yesterday, and everything." Ash averted his eyes and proceeded to dig in the dirt with his heeled shoe.

"What do you mean? Of course I'm alright!"

Misty winced. She'd answered much too quickly.

"Misty..." he began, tentatively taking time to look at her soft facial features.

She's actually really pretty, for such a loudmouth...

However, something he was not used to seeing graced her familiar, colorful eyes.

They were...glistening. Was Misty crying?

"Mist, you're not alright."

Misty sniffed indignantly. Her heart wrenched every time she closed her eyes and saw Ash and Charizard bashing into Entei. She cringed when she remembered getting separated from Ash by the blue ice in the Hell of dreamworld that the Unown had created. She sighed when she thought of Delia Ketchum's heart breaking in front of everyone. Her heart didn't need his priceless "wit" right now.

Or maybe it did.

"No, no I'm not alright, Ash. I'm not." She put her face in her hands and Ash instinctively reacted by moving closer to her and putting an arm around her shoulder. His eyes widened beneath the bill of his hat.

Oh man, why did I do that? This whole puberty thing Brock warned me about must be starting! Damn!

Misty reacted rather similarly, albeit sardonically.

"I can't believe you just reacted to an emotion," she deadpanned, leaning on his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm trying to be nice here!" Ash felt a painful pinch in his side. "Ow! Jeez, you're so rude, you know that?"

"Oh yes, I'm rude. I'm the rudest girl on the planet and Ash Ketchum is the sweetest boy who exists. That's how it is," she bit back. Ash thumped her shoulder in response.

"Ash!" Misty's frown swiftly changed into a smile and she began to laugh.

"Misty!" Ash laughed with her. She looked up at him mischievously from her place on his shoulder for a brief instant before reaching up, grabbing his hat off his head, and throwing it behind them. Ash whimpered, removed his arm, and ran after his dearest possession. Upon reaching the red and white fabric, Ash sent a scandalized glare in the direction of Misty, who made no attempt to hide her shaking shoulders or her wide smile.

"Real mature," he muttered, sitting back down on the twigless log several centimeters away from her, hat clutched tightly in his grip.

"Oh, come on, you big baby! Put another log on the fire."

"Okay, Queen Misty."

"You know, a real gentleman would do what I ask without the snarky attitude."

"Misty, did you not see me put a log on the fire when you asked? I did exactly what you wanted!" Ash retorted.

She's so difficult.

"Just because you did it doesn't make you the kind of gentleman a girl looks for in a boyfriend!"

He's so dumb.

"Who says I'm looking for a girl to look inside of me for a boyfriend!?"

Misty blessed him with a condescending look.

"That was a dumb way to say that."

"Yeah, I'm dumb, I know. At least I'm friendly!"

Misty shot another glare,

Ash felt the chills run down his spine, though he wasn't entirely sure if it was just from the icy look Misty was giving him.

"I am so friendly!"

"Whatever, Mist."

"Stop calling me that."

She likes it.

"Stop calling me Ashton."

He likes it.

"No."

"Fine."

The pair of friends had completely turned away from each other and childishly crossed their arms. A piercing scream of, "I LOVE YOU, NURSE JOY!" from the corner of the campsite broke the silence and both Ash and Misty slowly turned around to face each other.

Ash and Misty both saw the signs in each other's faces: trembling chins and lips, mouths sputtering while still closed, cheeks filled like hot air balloons.

They unsuccessfully tried to hold it all in.

Pikachu cuddled closer to Ash's jacket, Togepi let out an unconscious sigh, and Brock, who hadn't woken up for his own small outburst, continued to snore peacefully through Ash and Misty's raucous laughter.

Ash, who had fallen off the log with his hat due to his violent laughter, gradually stopped rolling around and Misty joined him in the soft dirt, still giggling. The teens were a safe twelve inches apart.

Ash rolled over on his side to look at Misty's now dirty face.

"What are you thinking about?" Misty asked, as she gazed up at the bright night sky.

"My mom's baked barbeque chicken."

Misty scoffed. "Come on."

"Really! I'm hungry!"

"Oh, puh-lease!" Misty laughed once more that evening. She hadn't thought she'd be doing so much laughing after such traumatic events. Comfortable silence fell between the pair once more before Ash piped up,

"We had a hard couple days, didn't we? Battling for my mom. And Molly, of course," Ash added absently. "I honestly wasn't sure if I'd make it through that one." Misty merely blinked, averting her eyes from the stars and into his face. There was a palpable pause. "You'd have made it, though," Ash added, turning away from her to look into the sky. He moved his arms behind his head and rested in his own palms.

"What do you mean?" Misty sat up and leaned against the thick log she'd previously occupied, ponytail loose and dirty from all the rolling on the ground.

"You'd have made it out of there, if I didn't. You're strong. And smart. But that makes sense, 'cause I don't really make weak friends. Let alone my best friend."

Before Misty could really process his words, he was already standing up, offering a gloved hand outward. Ash gingerly pulled her off the ground and made sure to let go of her hand immediately. The two silently extinguished the campfire, laid out their sleeping bags, and turned around while the other changed. Ash walked over to her and placed the hat he hadn't been wearing roughly over her messy hair.

"Night, Mist."

She couldn't see his chipper smile in the dark, but she imagined it was there anyway.

It always was.

Aw, they don't even know it yet. ;) This hasn't been my faaaavorrriiitee from this collection, but I felt the need to do something just a little different from my general preference of adultish humor.

So out popped this one-shot. And I needed an excuse to make Misty kind of sad and to have Ash cheer her up without really trying, so the post-Molly Hale idea just sort of came to my mind.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!