Author's note: welcome to my new short story that will be a series of short chapters. I'm trying out writing this from a first person perspective (i.e., Misty's) so let me know what you think of it. I look forward to completing this! A note that Misty is now 27 years old and she is the Cerulean City gym leader. Ash was merely the 'boy with a pikachu who stole her bike who she never met again on her journey'.

This is inspired by real life events. I am an avid swimmer myself and I dedicate this to LP who has become someone I think of very fondly at the pool.

Chapter 1

The phrase is often overused, usually as consolation after a break-up or in moments of loneliness and despondency. It doesn't always help someone if they're in pain. 'There's plenty of fish in the sea,' they'd say. I would look around and see a school of fish that looked exactly the same. No single fish was different. Each lived, breathed and swam against the current but that phrase, there's plenty of fish in the sea, failed to tell me how it was intended to comfort. It was almost childlike to imply that you could throw a lure out and catch anything that swam past, reel it in and it'll do. But what was the point in that, really? Would the first fish that gave you the time of day really fulfil you? In the end, I stopped seeing fish. I just saw a sea full of living, breathing beings that had the same purpose as me each day and that was simply to be. But it's not the outside that we should be looking. That phrase fails to say what can really comfort a person: you don't need to throw your lure into the sea because you're already swimming among the fish. There is someone in the sea who will see you and know you and it'll be like your heart has beaten for the first time in your life. There will be an invisible string between you that you'll both know exists and the other fish in the sea can feel it too. The phrase isn't comforting. The best things in life happen when you least expect them. It was the first day and that was the moment I knew.

It was a normal day. Nothing special about it, really. I finished my day's work at the Cerulean City gym, leaving the battlefield clean after the last challenger of the day. I released the gym's pokémon out into the pool to have an hour to themselves to relax while I got ready to go out for my leisurely swim at the local swimming pool in Vermilion City. I picked up my fire engine-red swimsuit and headed into the bathroom, kicking off my burnt orange ankle boots, undoing the large blue button on the front of my yellow sleeveless top, slipping off the matching shorts to reveal the carmine-red swimsuit that I wore for gym battles. It was a water pokémon gym after all. I sighed, exchanging my gym swimsuit for my fire engine-red swimsuit. I released my flaming red hair from my hair tie and quickly brushed it through before winding it round into a messy bun. I walked back into my bedroom and put my denim shorts on with my yellow crop top, taking up my red suspenders and clipping them into place. I grabbed my sneakers and heard a soft chirrup behind me. I turned to see my little togepi in the doorway.

"Hey, Togepi," I smiled, bending down to pick her up in my arms. "I'm just going for a swim for a short while. Will you be okay here with Daisy?"

I felt her purr in my arms and I hugged her close to my chest. I put her down on my bed while I swept around my room, picking up my purse, phone, iPod, towel and keys. I debated whether I could be bothered to shower at the pool and decided against it. I was intending to train with gyarados later, so it was a little pointless. Instead, I picked up my small perfume spray and threw it in my bag. I slung my bag over my shoulder and picked up togepi, bringing her downstairs, gently placing her on the ground, encouraging her to go through to the gym. I watched her pitter patter down the corridor, and I smiled, turning round to exit the gym. I inhaled a lungful of fresh air, looking up at the clear blue sky and got into my car. This was a luxury. Years ago, when I headed off on my pokémon journey after a nasty fight with my sisters, I had to travel around Kanto on foot. That was a headache because I used to have a bike but that got fried by a pikachu. That was a long story but in short, I never saw that trainer again and I was left with no bike.

I started up the car and set off for Vermilion City. I glanced at the clock and figured I'd be at the pool in ten minutes given no traffic. My sisters thought I was insane for travelling to the next city over to go swimming considering that we lived in a gym that had an Olympic-sized swimming pool. But I needed the separation. Sometimes it was like I was drowning in work. I was starting to feel like I was becoming lost in life, but I wasn't living in it. Constantly being a source of support for others or doing stuff for other people but never caring for myself. I needed the oxygen and the water held it for me. I reached the swimming baths and got out, walking through the main reception. I stopped to announce my arrival to the receptionist and turned to walk through into the changing rooms. That was my first glimpse. My sea green eyes caught sight of a tall guy with a head full of dark hair going in every which way direction disappearing through a staff door. I immediately recognised the uniform and knew he was one of the duty managers at the pool.

Funny, I mused. I'd never seen him before.

I got out of my clothes, threw my towel over my shoulder and put my belongings in a locker on my way through to the pool. I stepped into the pool, forgoing the involuntary sharp inhale upon the immediate cold water hitting my skin that affected so many visitors to the pool. It stopped affecting me long ago. I pushed off from the pool's wall and swam down the length of the pool. On my way back down to the shallow end, my eyes flicked to the clock, and I noted that I had another 40 minutes until the swimming slot came to an end. I smiled at a person I passed that I recognised as a regular swimmer, and I warmed at the returning smile. This was the place that I felt at home. The water was like a big release of stress that I didn't know was sitting on my shoulders until I felt the water wash over me. The time passed and I stopped for a rest, stretching the muscles in my arms across my chest.

"Here again," a voice interrupted me.

I turned to see Tracey, a pokémon watcher who I met on my journey through Kanto. I chuckled, shaking my head. I'm honestly not surprised to find him here. It's inevitable that I find him in the most random of places. Tracey isn't a swimmer at all. But since he started dating Daisy two years ago, he steadily started to attend the swimming pool more. Secretly, I suspected he was just trying to get himself a swimmer's body and the thought always amused me.

"Always," I replied. "Right back at you." I smirked at him, watching the gentle blush spread across his cheeks. "Are you coming over to the gym later?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I finished at Professor Oak's lab two hours ago. I came down to the Cerise Research Laboratory to observe some of the pokémon there. Then I figured I had no excuse but to come here."

I nodded, my gaze being drawn to the lifeguard's chair where I spotted the usual handover around 30 minutes into the swimming slot. But it wasn't this that caught my eye. It was who was taking over. It was him again. The unmistakable mop of hair, tall stature and now what I recognised as an athletic build, which wasn't unexpected at a swimming pool. A hand waving in my face pulled my attention away from the lifeguards.

"Misty?"

"Yeah?" I responded, focusing on Tracey's face. "Sorry, I spaced."

"I noticed," Tracey smirked, glancing towards the lifeguard chair.

I elbowed him sharply in the ribs and he twisted his body in an effort to avoid me. He flicked some water at me and then laughed when I threw him the Vs.

"Behave," I warned. "Do you want a lift over to the gym after this?"

"Sure, thanks!" he accepted. "That will save me a walk."

"I'm surprised to hear you say that." I laughed. "Usually, you don't pass on an opportunity to observe wild pokémon."

"I haven't seen Daisy in a while," he shrugged. "If I don't come over pronto, I worry that she will ask Seaking to jab its horn up my…"

"Tracey!" I exclaimed. "Honestly!"

He grinned. I shook my head in exasperation.

"I'm gonna do some lengths," I told him. "Are you okay to leave after the session ends?"

"Sounds like a plan," he nodded.

I kicked off from the wall and went into a front crawl to really build up some speed. My arms came out of the water and followed my hands cutting through the surface of the water. I turned and inhaled as my face came out of the water and I held my breath again as I went back in, my legs kicking hard. I felt my heart beating in my chest as I performed a perfect forward roll in the water and kicked off from the deep end with both feet, making my way back down to the shallow end. I executed another perfect tuck and roll and swam back down the length of the lane. I did this routine until I reached 30 lengths and I came to a stop in the shallow end, waiting to catch my breath. I did some slow neck circles, stretched my arms and flexed my feet to ease any tension. I exhaled and glanced around the natatorium and watched other swimmers going up and down the lanes, others stopping to have a quick conversation with other swimmers and finally my eyes came to meet the lifeguard's station.

His eyes were surveying the lanes, going up and down, diagonally then up and down once again. His dark eyes caught mine and I looked away. There was something weird about catching the eye of the lifeguard when you're in a swimming pool. I used to feel like it was because they were looking at the swimmers and being scrutinised like that is really uncomfortable. Then I realised it was because I wasn't at their level, and they were watching from high up and it makes swimmers feel small. I swallowed and glanced back up at the lifeguard. I couldn't help myself. As his gaze made its way down the length of the pool, his eyes met mine again and I tried not to chicken out and pull my eyes away.

He had a sharp jawline with a little stubble around the chin, but it worked for him. He was young. I suspected my age in his late twenties. He was trim, athletically built, tall but obviously not quite meeting those who stood at six feet tall. Even though his expression wasn't displaying emotion while he was watching the pool, he held a kindness in his face that not many people had naturally. A part of me wanted to smile in response to the vibe he had. His eyes were something else entirely. Even though he was sat up high some distance away from me, I could see that his eyes were as deep as chocolate and I knew that if he were to smile, you would see that smile in his eyes.

"Misty," Tracey's voice broke through my reverie.

I tore my eyes away from the lifeguard who I realised I was uncharacteristically staring at and turned my attention to Tracey.

"What is up with you?" he frowned.

"What?"

"Has the gym got you down?" he pressed. "You keep staring off into space. You probably freaked out the lifeguards. Look!" he pointed, nodding his head towards the lifeguard tower where I could see that the duty manager was getting down from. "Even he decided to leave after you stared in his direction for the past minute."

"Actually, it's time to get out of the pool," I retorted. "Besides, I was recovering. Who doesn't space out?" I stood straight, making my way out of the pool. "It was more like ten seconds when I was staring into space. It's not my problem if people flatter themselves thinking that my attention was on them."

"Oh, Misty," Tracey sighed.

Ignoring him, I stepped up and out onto the poolside and reached for my towel to wrap around my body.

"I'll see you outside, Misty," Tracey said, walking past me and down to the male changing rooms.

I picked up my locker key and straightened to find him approaching me.

"Hi," he greeted me.

"Hi," I replied, hating how awkward such a simple word sounded.

"I don't think we've met before," he said. "I try to speak to as many of you as possible as I've only been here a couple of months. Good swim?"

"Yeah," I replied, immediately berating myself into saying words that were more than one syllable. "I come here a lot. I'm the Cerulean City gym leader so I come here to get some separation."

"Ah, that makes sense," he nodded.

"I'm Misty," I introduced myself.

"It's very nice to meet you Misty," he smiled. I was right. It does meet his eyes. "With your long red hair, I wondered if you went by Ariel."

I laughed out loud and shook my head.

"I get that joke a lot," I said, rolling my eyes. I glanced down at myself in my bright yellow towel with a horsea pattern wrapped under my arms, the bright red of my swimming costume obvious on my shoulders. "I realise I should really go for another swimsuit colour for the sake of clashing with my hair."

"Nonsense," he chuckled. "We don't see a lot of red here. We'll certainly remember you."

"I once joked to my friend Tracey, who was in the pool with me today, that it's my Special K swimming costume," I giggled.

"You mean like the cereal?"

I nodded.

"That's brilliant," he chortled.

"It was good to meet you," I smiled. I gestured behind me. "I really should go get changed or I will have a very irate Tracey waiting for me."

"Sure, no problem," he replied. "I presume I'll see you another day when you need to cool off."

"That's a possibility," I twinkled. "Thanks for the chat."

I turned to make my way to the changing rooms when I heard him call me.

"Hey, Misty! I forgot to tell you for future reference: the name's Ash."

I turned back to look at him and I nodded, offering a warm smile. I'll remember.