My initial idea for this was really angsty, but the angst felt too forced and I went with something lighter instead. Even so, I've edited and rewritten this way too many times and I had three people read over it to make sure it's okay. I think I'm happy with it but I'm also not sure so fingers crossed? Enjoy?

D: DON'T

Misty's laughter chimed through the air while Ash slumped over the old boot in his hands.

"Oh, oh!" she gasped, struggling to speak, "Misty! I bet this one is way bigger than yours!" She mocked him – almost cackling by this point – and Ash only frowned further.

"It's pretty much the same weight, okay?" Ash grumbled, yanking the hook of his lure out the top of the boot. "It's got all this seaweed and stuff in it. It made it about as heavy as your weedy little goldeen."

"Actually, I'm pretty sure the goldeen I caught was larger than average."

"Whatever."

She bit her lip. "You just need to relax. If you're just going to focus on trying to get a bigger catch than me, you're not going to pay attention to what you're actually reeling in. If you had, you'd know there was no resistance."

"Hm."

She sighed. "Ash, you know I wasn't laughing at you …"

"Oh yeah?"

"Okay, maybe a little. But come on, you should've seen the way your expression changed! You would've laughed at me too. You do laugh."

He turned to look at her properly now, fully intending to glare at her and retort that he'd never be that rude. But the minute he saw the smile on her face, it broke his resolve. "Maybe."

"Relax, okay? Don't turn this into a competition. We don't have a lot of time left together before you go train with Leaf and … I just want to enjoy this. Without having to argue with you."

They sat together in silence after that. It wasn't the comfortable kind of silence they'd shared when they had first perched themselves on that particular rock to start their day fishing; the air was thick with things that neither of them could bring themselves to say. They stared at the river ahead of them as soon as Ash cast his line, almost fierce in their plight to ignore each other.

Ash had been personally invited to train on Mt Silver for a year with Leaf Greene. Her story was almost legendary – she beat the Kanto Champion himself a few decades ago at the mere age of ten, but instead of taking the reigns herself, she chose to train in the most dangerous parts of the Indigo regions. At the time it was so she could continue to improve until she was old enough to become the region's Champion, but hardly anyone had heard from Leaf since she'd disappeared. The story had been told to children all around Kanto time and again, and a few trainers who survived the trek through Mt Silver claimed to have seen her at various places near the top of the mountain.

It was difficult enough to find the woman. How Ash had managed to convince her to let him train with her, Misty couldn't fathom. And he was unwilling to elaborate on the topic – Leaf had made him promise not to – so Misty would probably never know.

"I could delay it, you know," Ash said, finally breaking the silence.

Misty jerked her face towards him. "What?"

"Mt Silver isn't going anywhere. I might not get the chance to train with Leaf again, but how much of a difference is that going to make?"

Misty stared at him like he'd grown a second head. "Ash, it's Leaf Greene. Be reasonable."

"Alright, alright, but …" he shook his head, "Look, I'm training to tour Kanto again anyway, and the League doesn't start for another year."

"A few days ago, you were really excited about training with Leaf."

"I am! But –"

"Then what? Are you getting cold feet?"

"No, that's not it." He slumped forward, taking one hand off his fishing rod to run it through his hair.

Misty waited patiently for him to continue, but Ash hesitated, reluctant to say whatever was on his mind.

"So what is it?" she prompted softly.

Ash took a deep breath, sneaking a glance in her glance in her direction. "Being here … with you …"

Misty's eyes widened. Ash noticed, and his throat suddenly went dry. But he knew he couldn't stop there.

"I miss you," he said quickly, before he could convince himself not to. "A lot. I always did." After a pause, he added, "More than I miss most people."

He caught her eye and Misty gulped. She held his gaze for a few more seconds before she had to look away. "Don't," she croaked.

Ash blinked. "What?"

"Don't," she said, much more firmly this time.

Ash let his hurt show on his face for a brief moment, before he quickly shook it away. Misty winced.

"It's not that …" She bit her lip. "Are you seriously going to put your dreams on hold for me?"

"I'm not putting it on hold –" Ash started too protest, but she was having none of it.

"No way, Ash. You've been given an offer by Leaf Greene. Leaf Greene, who is so legendary there are people who think she doesn't actually exist. And you want to turn her down?!"

"I could've still found her and asked her again." He hesitated. "I-I know where she is."

Misty raised an eyebrow in shock, before shaking it off. "Why do you have to do that at all?"

He frowned, about to open his mouth again, but she knew what he was about to say and frankly, she didn't want to hear it. She couldn't hear it.

She shifted a little closer to him, careful to leave enough space between them to not make anything awkward. "I know … sometimes there are things you really want to do. Or feel you need to do, even. But that doesn't mean you should."

Ash eyed her warily. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Mr Pokémon Master, you have a once in a lifetime opportunity lying in your lap just waiting for you to grab it. Clearly Leaf sees something in you that's worth it. This could be the final step to you becoming a Pokémon Master, and you've wanted this for longer than I've known you! Don't tell me you're letting yourself get distracted by a silly fishing contest."

A small smile broke out on his face against his will. "I thought we weren't turning this into a competition."

Misty only shrugged, throwing him a sly grin. Ash pursed his lips, before nudging her in the shoulder.

"Maybe I'm just distracted by the company."

"Well don't be."

Ash opened his mouth to respond when they were both distracted by a sudden tug on his fishing line. He didn't bother claiming he'd make a better catch than his friend this time, having learnt his lesson from earlier, and it was probably for the best – he ended up reeling in the tiniest magikarp he'd ever seen.

"I'm gonna catch it," he said, whipping out a spare pokéball.

"What?" Misty's face scrunched up in confusion. "Why?"

"Look at it! It's tiny." Ash threw his pokéball at the fish pokémon and watched as it rolled around till it was captured. "It wouldn't last a day."

"I think that's called natural selection, Ash."

"Natural what?" Ash asked, but then he shook his head. "Never mind, I probably won't understand." He rolled up his jeans and waded into the water to retrieve his newest capture. "Do you want to keep it?"

"Huh?"

"I'm going to miss your birthday, right? And I can't exactly send you a present from Mt Silver."

"So you're giving me this runt of a magikarp?"

Ash smirked. "Yeah. I figured you'd know a thing or two about runts."

Misty raised an eyebrow as Ash chuckled. She finally caved, prying the pokéball out of Ash's outstretched hand. She shrunk it down and placed it on her belt, right next to the Goldeen she'd just caught, as Ash took his seat again beside her. They kept a more comfortable silence this time.

Finally, Misty nudged Ash on the shoulder. "I miss you too."

"You do?"

"Mhm. Every day." She leaned over and forward so that she could catch his eye. "More than I miss most people."

Ash didn't say anything, a small smile growing on his face to something even bigger. Satisfied, Misty straightened back up in her seat.

"So does that mean …"

"Don't," she repeated. Ash blinked, but she held a hand up to stop whatever he was about to say. "After you win the League, okay?"

He nodded, relaxing back in his seat. Misty always kept her promises, and he'd hold her to it. For now, he sat quietly in wait for his next catch – that is, until he got bored. With a smile on his face and a glint in his eye, Ash flicked his foot sideways in the river so that it splashed sideways in the water so that it splashed across Misty's shorts.

"Ash, don't!"