"Welcome to the 23rd Annual Phenac City Water Festival! We hope you have a great time here and enjoy everything this beautiful oasis has to offer!" a voice blared from the speakers, as children raced around excitedly and adults strolled after them, enjoying the sunny day. Phenac City, often known as the City of Water, was in a region known as Orre. Most of Orre was a large barren desert, but Phenac was one of the few placed where there was lots and lots of water.

Waterfalls cast a fine mist into the air as a crowd gathered around a small stage in a quieter part of the festival grounds. Beside the platform was a teenage girl of about 17, her long sea-green hair tied in a complicated braid. Clad in a two-piece blue swimsuit and wearing sandals, the girl stood out from the group of other Water-Pokemon Trainers that stood around her. Crowded around the teen's feet were a Squirtle and a Marill, both ignoring the whispering group of people.

"Hey look, it's Issui! Doesn't she look great?"

"Wow, I wish she was my girlfriend…I'd be the most popular boy in town…"

"Aw, look at the cute water Pokemon!"

Calm silver eyes gazed up a the blue sky overhead, as Issui waited patiently for the show to begin. She was a water art performer; that is she used a combination of water and Pokemon in her performances. Hearing the announcer cough and start to speak, Issui moved with the other performers up onto the stage.

Cries, applause and whistles from the crowd drowned out the rest of the announcer's speech; he merely smiled and stepped aside to let the show start. Glancing down at her Pokemon, the girl smiled and nodded to let them know she was ready. The pair grinned back and sent twin jets of water high into the air. All the other Pokemon followed suit; the other performers moved gracefully around the stage, using the falling water as a backdrop. Issui moved with them, sometimes as part of the group, other times performing with her own Pokemon.

The show went on for about 15 minutes, the audience loving every second of it. After it was over, Issui mingled with the crowd, letting her Pokemon take in all the sights and sounds of the famous Water Festival.

- - -

A half-moon cast pale light down on Phenac City. The festivities were still going on in many parts of the town, and more would start again when it got light. But for now, most of the city was asleep, dreams of water flowing through their minds. Sitting in the shadow of a waterfall, watching the liquid flow gently over the stone was Issui. Still dressed in the swimsuit from the performance, the teen leaned back against the cool wall and sighed. Her parents had been pestering her to get a boyfriend for some time now; to 'Follow your older sister's example and have a family!" was how they put it. The problem was, Issui didn't want that. She wanted to become famous across Orre as a performer, not have kids. Unfortunately, her parents wouldn't accept that. Sighing again, the girl reached up and let her braid come undone, feeling the night breeze tug at the blue-green strands.

"I was…most impressed with your performance earlier today. Your body is very desirable." The teen jumped in surprise as a female voice whispered from the shadows next to her. Turning her head, Issui strained to see the person who had spoken those strange comments. As her eyes adjusted to the moonlight, the girl made out a female with light-coloured hair, also dressed in a swimsuit.

"Uh…Who are you?" the water performer asked, shifting slightly to move farther away from the mysterious girl. There was something not right about her; almost as if the other teen had been waiting to catch Issui alone. But why?

"My name is Aiyoku. I already know who you are." Noticing how Issui was slowly edging away from her, Aiyoku chuckled. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do a thing unless you want me to, Issui. From the look on your face, I'll just have to be content with my dreams."

Issui's jaw dropped as she realized what Aiyoku was hinting at. "I…err…um…you see…I'm n-not interested in…" the teen sputtered, her face a faint pink colour in the dim light. Swallowing, Issui decided to shut up, lest she say something she didn't mean. Head turned away from the shadows where Aiyoku sat, the girl attempted to calm down, ignoring her pounding heart. Maybe it was time to get a boyfriend, if only to convince herself that she wasn't the type of person Aiyoku was.

Hearing the other girl move, Issui stiffened as Aiyoku walked right past her. Glancing up in confusion, she heard the teen say, "If you change your mind, I'll be around the fountain near the front entrance for the next couple of days. Have a good evening." With a final wave, the other female turned a corner and disappeared.

Gazing after her, Issui shook her head and got up. It had been a long day; she might as well get some rest and forget about what had just happened. Stretching, the teen headed home.