Blue
Misty's frame collapsed over the barre. Panting furiously, she met her own eyes in the mirror. Red hair streaked through with rose-gold broke free from a tight bun and tickled her sticky forehead. She had needed a drastic change after breaking up with Brock, who had cheated on her with all three of her sisters. Dying her hair and getting a new tattoo and belly-button piercing had done the trick.
She'd also thrown herself back into ballet. The four sisters had all danced growing up, but in middle school Misty had tried to distance herself from her older sisters. Of course, when she began traveling with Ash and Brock, the literal distance had put dancing on hold indefinitely. Now that she'd had several years to settle in as the Cerulean City Gym leader, she found dance to be an excellent stress release. Swimming was great, but water always felt safe and comforting on her body, absorbing impacts and bearing her up. Moving through air was exciting and dangerous, with nothing to catch her but her own feet. She was woefully out of practice, however. Her alignment was off, and she had still failed to regain her point technique. A blue tank top clung to her shuddering rib cage, shin splints and sheer total exhaustion warring for her attention.
"That's enough for today," Misty sighed to the empty studio. She groaned through a series of stretches, trying to remain present instead of letting her mind wander to all the chores and errands left to do. She finished on the floor with her legs splayed out to each side. She relaxed into the split with a deep sigh, enjoying the gentle prickle of discomfort while her muscles adjusted. After a minute she leaned forward to intensify the stretch.
"Nice tattoo," a male voice commented. Misty's head snapped up to glimpse the reflection of a black-haired boy admiring the pink Butterfree peeking out from the top of her biker shorts. He was taller than she remembered, his voice deeper. She smiled and faced the floor again, determined not to let him see how much the surprise reunion had ruffled her.
"Ash, why didn't you tell me you were in town! It's not every day I get visited by the Pokémon League Champion," she added, as if she had casually heard the news rather than religiously followed his progress through the tournament from start to finish, shouting and punching the air in celebration of his final victory.
"Thanks! I don't know if I can really call myself a Pokémon master now or not, but I'm taking a break from traveling. Honestly, I've gotten a bit old for all that," he laughed. Misty couldn't hide her smile as she gingerly stood up.
"So you're stopping by on your way back to Pallet? How long are you staying?" Turning to see Ash properly, Misty noticed for the first time the bouquet of blue lilies in his hand.
"Well," Ash stalled, adjusting his cap. "I'm not sure I am going back to Pallet. Cerulean City's got, uh, a good economy… Lots of jobs…" He checked Misty's face for her reaction. He had only gotten slightly less awkward and oblivious over the years. Misty felt her heart fluttering again, but pleasantly this time, and teased Ash with an enigmatic smile.
"Yeah, and the rent's not as bad as you might think."
"Yeah, that's what I hear." A light blush spread over Ash's cheeks as he looked down at his fistful of flowers. "And, you know, blue has always been my favorite color."
