This is a small thing I've made after watching XY024 again. I think you'll like it!

Lots of Fish in the Sea… But Not That One…

There's something peaceful about just sitting on some rocks and hoping the fishing rod tingles from a Pokémon's bite. But it can get quite boring if no Pokémon shows up. Such was Ash's problem at this moment. He was looking for a specific Pokémon, one that remained elusive to him, despite him having been told by the locals the Pokémon he's looking for is almost certain to show up.

Ash was never a guy that liked to wait. He liked results, even if he had to make them himself. He was just about 2 or 3 Lanturn or Octillery away from jumping into the sea and get the Pokémon himself.

The group had stayed in the Pokémon Center. He had only brought Pikachu with him, as having Pikachu with him would allow for a shorter battle, should he try to catch any water-types, which he was going to do. His traveling companions probably were still asleep, despite the fact that Serena liked to wake up early, for all Ash knew.

Serena. There was something different about her. He had recently found himself wanting to be with Serena, his heart starting to pump a little more blood through his body whenever her sapphire blue eyes looked into his. She had made a habit out of that, looking him in the eyes. And sometimes, he'd look into her lips, and felt this urge to…

He felt a tug on his fishing rod. It wasn't that tough, which he took as a good sign, as the Pokémon he was after isn't that heavy. He worked on the reel's handle, pulling back the line, with anticipation, to find out if the Pokémon he got was the one he wanted. Looking at the other end of the line, he dropped his head low at the sight.

A Lanturn looked expectantly at Ash. Ash observed the Pokémon and something caught his eye. This Lanturn was not colored blue, like the other Pokémon of its species. No, this Lanturn was purple. Such a special Pokémon would be a prize for any trainer.

But Ash's mind wasn't in that mode right now. All he wanted to do was to catch a single…

"How goes the day?" A male voice is heard.

Ash looks around to find out where the voice came from, giving Lanturn the chance to escape. A young man, a few years older than Ash, donning a dark blue t-shirt, and blue jeans approached the young trainer. The young man extended his hand to greet Ash, which Ash repeated.

"Hi, I'm Ben. Do you mind if I fish here?" Ben questioned.

"Sure, I'm trying to catch some Pokémon myself. I'm Ash, by the way." Ash replied.

"So, are they biting?" Ben queried as he set up a place to sit down.

"I've been here for over an hour, and so far, about 30 or so Pokémon showed up. None of which I wanted, though…" Ash stated, disappointed.

"You know, a girl in the Pokémon Center told me this place was amazing for catching Luvdisc. Do you know anything about it?" Ben asked. He then brought his hand to the back of his head and apologized. "Sorry for the interrogation. It's just that I'm not from Kalos and I know nothing about this region…"

Ash smiled. "Don't worry, I'm like you on that. I'm from Kanto. And about the Luvdisc…", Ash raised his hand, "over an hour."

"Not a single one? She told me they almost swarmed." Ben replied, wide-eyed. "She told me she was going to catch one to give her friend."

"Well, if she is, it's not gonna be here…" Ash answered dryly.

"I'm gonna try my luck anyway." Ben stated, feeling optimistic as he waved his fishing pole into the waters.

The next few minutes were of absolute silence, except for Ben's whistling. Ash didn't mind, not at all. The tune Ben was whistling reminded Ash of his travels in Hoenn, when he would be swimming with his friends and Pokémon.

Then it happened. Ben's line jerked. "Hello!" Ben exclaimed as he pulled the line back to the reel and revealed the Pokémon that he had fished.

A lonely Luvdisc stood still at the surface of the water.

Ash was amazed. "Already?", he questioned in disbelief.

After a very quick battle, Ben held in his hand his newest capture. "A Luvdisc!" He rejoiced. "Serena's gonna be amazed at this!"

Ash's head jerked up upon hearing Serena's name. Could Ben be talking about his Serena? He wanted to know more but he couldn't leave his place.

"Ben!" Ash called. "Who's Serena?"

"My girlfriend." Ben answered, unceremoniously.

Ash wondered what he meant by that. In fact, he was about to call him back and demand him to tell him about that Serena. But that was the moment a tug was felt on his fishing rod.

"Huh?" Ash questioned.

"Ash, look!" Ben cheered. "You got something!"

Ash grabbed the reel's handle, and as he pulled, the hooked Pokémon was revealed to be none other than a Luvdisc.

"A Luvdisc." Ash mused.

"This is your chance, Ash!" Ben commented.

Ash got a determined look in his eyes. "Pikachu, Thunderbolt!" He commanded.

The tiny mouse Pokémon released a powerful electric current that struck the heart-shaped Pokémon, effectively weakening it. Knowing it had no chance but to escape, Luvdisc tried to run away, but Ash stopped him by throwing a Pokéball. The ball connected with the Pokémon and sucked it inside with a beam of red energy, and fell to the floor. It shook 3 times, each time increasing Ash's confidence he had caught the Pokémon.

When the ball finally stopped shaking, he picked it up and said "Serena's gonna love this!"

The tables had turned somehow. Ash was starting to pack his fishing gear and Ben just had to ask.

"Ash, who's Serena?"

That question reminded Ash that he had asked the same thing, not five minutes ago.

"Serena's my friend. We met a long time ago, on Summer Camp in Kanto." Ash smiled.

"She's a friend, huh? Must be a very special friend if you're giving her a Luvdisc…" Ben commented.

"Huh?" Ash queried.

"It's a custom in some areas of the world to give a Luvdisc to someone you love." Ben exclaimed…

Ash blushed at that last word. Love. Was it possible that he loved Serena? Yes, she was his friend, but to him, Serena was different than his other friends. She was kinder to him than the other girls were, she showed more concern towards him… And he himself was very protective of her. Until that day, Ash didn't know the reason for that…

"I hope your Serena likes that Luvdisc." Ben stated, smiling. "Come on, let's go to the Pokémon Center."

Ash and Ben started making their way back to the Pokémon Center, where Ash's friends and Pokémon waited for him to return. As they made their way, the teens recounted to each other the journeys they had so far.

As they approached the Pokémon Center, Ben noticed someone running towards them. "Ben!" A female voice called.

"Serena!" Ben called back. When the girl arrived near the boys, she flung her arms around Ben and kissed him.

At that exact moment, Ash felt like a fool, not for witnessing the couple's public display of affection, but for ever thinking Ben meant his Serena…

The couple broke the kiss and Ben spoke. "Serena, this is Ash. He was down there, trying to catch…" he stopped himself. He wasn't going to spoil the surprise, now was he? "He was down there, fishing…"

Ash extended his hand for her to shake, which the girl did. She had a green shirt, a blue knee-length skirt and white sneakers. Her eyes were deep blue, but they were no match for Serena's. His Serena's eyes. Her hair was longer than his Serena's, and had a lighter tone. Something that differentiated the two girls like oil and water, was the Pokéball-themed earrings Ben's Serena was wearing.

"Ben, I met another girl with the same name as me!" Serena exclaimed.

"Oh, I guess our Serenas have met, Ash…" Ben smiled, amused.

"Huh? I'm kinda lost…" Serena complained.

"It's rather simple. You know the Serena you met?" Ben questioned, to which Serena nodded. "Well, she's Ash's special friend."

"Ah… I see... He's a lucky man." Serena commented.

"What makes you say that?" Ash queried.

Serena smiled, "You'll know soon enough." She revealed, smiling. Then she turned to Ben. "Ben, can you come with me to the Pokémon Center? I think we shouldn't be here for what's about to follow."

Ben took the hint and accompanied his girlfriend. "Sure, honey! I have something to give you anyway." He turned to Ash. "Relax, you got this." Ben said, smiling.

The couple left Ash wondering what had just happened. 'Got what?' Ash thought, until he heard his name being called out. As he looked to the source of the voice, he saw his Serena.

That was all it took for his heart to start pumping more blood through his veins, and for oxytocin to work its magic on Ash's brain.

As Serena ran towards him, he thought of how he'd present her with his newest capture, a Pokémon said to represent love. But he didn't have to say much. Or rather, anything.

"Ash, I… I got you something…" Serena stuttered nervously, after arriving near him.

"Oh? You didn't have to get me anything. My birthday's only in a few months…" Ash smiled, secretly relieved that the introduction for the topic had been made.

"I wanted to. B-besides, some parts of the world have a tradition where people give a special Pokémon to someone you… love." Serena confessed, while she held a Pokéball in her hands, for Ash to grab.

"Heh…" Ash blushed. "I've heard about that…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a compressed Pokéball, which he handed to Serena, after taking hers. "I got you a Pokémon too. Let's open on three?"

"Okay." Serena replied.

One. Two. Three. This was the most anticipated moment of their lives.

On three, the two trainers clicked the button on the Pokéballs the other had given them. A whitish-light-blue ray of energy showed up from each of the Pokéballs and two pink, heart-shaped Pokémon showed up in their place.

Serena understood the symbolism behind giving someone a Luvdisc. It meant that you loved them. Ash, on the other hand, did not. All he thought is that Serena might like a pink, heart-shaped Pokémon. If she liked sharks, he'd probably give her a Sharpedo, but that was before his brief talk with Ben. He knew what it meant for someone to present someone with a Luvdisc, and it was something he was proud to do.

Almost synchronized, Ash and Serena turned to each other.

"Ash… a Luvdisc?" Serena asked in disbelief.

"Yes, a Luvdisc." He smiled. "You see, it was recently brought to my attention that giving someone a Luvdisc indicates you love that someone. And there's no one I'd rather give my Luvdisc to."

"Ash…" Serena's eyes twinkled with emotion.

Ash took a deep breath, stepped forward, and kissed Serena on the cheek.

Serena blushed redder than a Tamato berry. She never expected Ash to take this kind of initiative.

"Serena, I think there might be something wrong with me…" Ash stated.

'Just what I needed to ruin the moment,' Serena thought to herself.

"But does something hurt, Ash?" Serena said, worried.

"No, but I feel all tingly around here…" Ash motioned his hand in a circle near his torso.

Serena smiled. "Ash, you're in perfect health. I can tell you that."

Ash recalled his new Pokémon, and took Serena's hand, motioning her to return her new Luvdisc as well.

"Come, let's go to the Pokémon Center." Ash stated. Serena grabbed his hand and went with him.

Unbeknownst to them, their interaction was being witnessed by another couple.

"Do you instinctively know which couples are gonna work, or it's a trial and error thing?" Ben asked his girlfriend.

"Ben, you should know better by now… It's like a gift, you know? It's like I can't control it." Serena commented with a smile.

How was it? Let me know!