J
"Slowpoke? Are you calling me fat?" I joked. "Oh it's soooo on! Poliwhirl, Dewott, c'mon out!" The Pokeballs in my hands opened to reveal my water pokemon in a flash of white light. Getting a running start, I executed a forward dive into the deep end. My hands sliced through the water as I plunged towards the bottom. Once my momentum wore off, I treaded under the water for a bit until I could open my eyes. Everything was a bright blue, but I could see the outlines of Zed, a blurry figure zipping through the water, and a roundish figure that could only be Poliwhirl. With a big kick, I pushed myself to the surface of the pool and took a deep breath. My hair was a mess, and I tried to slick down my blonde-turned-dark hair to the top of my head.
Zed had been laying back enjoying the water, but now he was looking at me. Perfect. I splashed a bunch of water in his direction. "Take that!" Dewott jumped out of the water and laughed, sending a spray of water from its mouth into Zed's back.
Z
I was too lost in my messy-haired companion's attractiveness and the calmness of the water to notice the incoming wave Jamie had pushed towards me; water cascaded over my face, and I temporarily choked on it, laughing. Just then, a jet of water gently crashed onto my back, coming from Jamie's adorable Dewott. "Hey! Two against one? That's not fair!" I cupped my hands in just the right way and proceeded to splash both Jamie and her Dewott; war had begun! They both continued their onslaught, wave after wave crashed over me, and wave after wave I sent back. I dove underneath the water, and the waves stopped; I popped back up, and SPLASH SPLASH SPLASH. After some quick brainstorming and returning fire (er, water,) I went back under. I saw Jamie's slender legs kicking gently, patiently. Perfect. I quietly swam towards her while her back was turned; then, after a few long seconds of waiting I grabbed her legs and dragged her under the surface and tackled her underwater. Haha!
J
A wave of panic crashed through me and something—rather someone—dragged me under the surface. The next thing I knew I was being tackled, and Zed's face was inches from mine. I laughed, blowing air bubbles toward his face. He smiled at me and blew bubbles of his own.
We were so close that I could see his eyes weren't blue, like I'd once thought, but small particles of grey edged with blue. And something else—a scar over right eye. Without thinking I reached out and touched the silver sliver on his face. I couldn't stop staring at him now, and something flitted in my stomach. But then the realization that I needed air—and fast—hit and I broke free of his grasp and rose to the surface.
Z
Ok wow that was really intense. I caught my breath, lost from oxygen deprivation and the stark nervousness felt under the water. She stared deep into my eyes, and I into hers; her eyes matched that of the water around us, amplified in beauty a hundred times. She…she touched my face, right on that old scar I got when I first met Tesla; that day, I was so alone, and even my first-Pokemon-to-be treated me with such hostility, and Jamie tapped into that moment and with a gentle touch said everything was going to be alright. Something welled up inside me, something desperate to escape…but it had to be repressed. Societal norms and the like, you know.
We breached the surface of the water, Jamie's Pokemon staring at us with delight. "Erm…what was that down there?" I asked, in reference to that beautiful, nervous moment. She was out of my arms…but I secretly wished she hadn't left.
J
What could I say? How did I answer him? I touched his face for Mew's sake! Normal people—people who've only known a person one day—don't do that. I bit my lip. C'mon Jamie, think of something! But in the end, I decided to go with the truth. "Your scar…how did you get it?"
Were my fingertips tingling? I flexed my fingers and tried to dispel the weird sensation. Dewott swam over and brushed by my leg. I smiled in amusement as he swam in circles around Zed and I. Under the water, it'd felt…magical. Unreal. Dreamlike. But now the moment was over, and an almost awkward air had settled.
Z
It now felt like the pool was filled with awkwardness instead of water; I'm sure that feeling would dispel, but for now, it was just weird. At least she broke the silence, asking about the scar. "Oh, that old thing? Well, that actually happened shortly after I met Tesla! See, he wasn't the friendliest of Shinx around. I was without a Pokemon at the time, but I tried to befriend him with some food. He came near to me, and I made the mistake of petting his head. Clawed me right over the eye," I gestured to my face area. Her Dewott orbited her adorably. "Yeah…it only hurt for a little, but I got a pretty neat scar out of it, as you can see!" I grinned awkwardly, swimming slightly closer to her. "So, uhh…any interesting stories you'd like to share?"
J
"Wow, talk about a real bond," I smiled at him. "Actually, there is one story I'd like to tell. It's the one about where I totally beat my new friend Zed at a game of Marco Polo!" I stuck my tongue out at him and then dived under. I swam several lengths away from him, and then resurfaced.
Making sure my eyes were shut tightly, I called out, "Marco."
The water was moving in all directions, I couldn't tell who was where. "Wott!" Dewy piped up somewhere behind me. "Poli Poli!" My water-fighting type grunted off to my left. I took small, quiet breaths and I strained to listen for Zed's voice, and detect any movement in the water.
Z
She dodged the question! Ah well, I'll get to know her more over time, I hope. Besides, I'm awesome at Marco Polo. I remained motionless until I called out "Polo!" and then moved around a few yards as I shouted the word, drifting around a little bit with as little motion as possible. Over time, I started messing with Jamie; I drifted ever closer to her, while calling "Polo!" in different directions away from her. I hoped she'd fall for it as I inched nearer and nearer…
J
I was seriously started to get annoyed. Well, not seriously, but enough to make me super competitive. I'd already lost a battle to Zed today, and now it seemed like he was unbeatable at Marco Polo! Just when I thought I'd got him, my hands would reach out and grasp at air. Where he could be? His voice seemed to be in one place, but his body never followed.
"Dewott! Poliwhirl! Get out of the pool," I commanded. The water rippled as my Pokemon obeyed my orders, although I was sure I heard Dewy mumble a protest. Focusing all my concentration into my hearing and touch, I willed myself to figure out where Zed was hiding. "Where are you?" I murmured.
Z
"Where are you?" Oh this was too perfect. I had snuck up behind her in the time it took to call her Pokemon out of the pool, and heard her mutter those words. For a brief moment, I considered aqua-tackling her again, but I didn't want to seem overly creepy. So I simply tapped her on the shoulder and leaned in, whispering gently in her ear, "I'm right here," with a cheesy smile. The water ninja strikes again! …as if I've ever been known as the water ninja…
J
Listen Jamie….concentrate….feel the water….
"I'm right here." Something tapped my shoulder.
I shrieked and must've jumped two feet out of the water. My eyes flew open and I spun around in the water to see an amused Zed smirking at me. "That was so not funny!" I yelled. But I wasn't really mad. Although he did beat me…again.
Screw the rules, I thought. With a dorky battle cry I launched myself at him. I grabbed his head and dunked him back under the water. I had just opened my mouth to laugh when I felt myself being dragged down into the water.
Z
She jumped and spun around; I guess technically she won since she found me, but screw the rules. I was laughing hysterically for a brief moment at my flustered friend, when attacked! In an instant, I was under the water again, gasping for air; but in another instant, I calmed down and planned a counterattack. I grabbed her by the legs, and we were both floating beneath the surface again after a bit of her struggling and writhing. Again, I stared into her deep blue-green eyes; I knew we had only met this afternoon, but this just felt so right. I awkwardly wrapped my arms around her sides, thinking I'd just play it off as a poorly executed tackle if she protested; if she didn't, I had no idea where to go from there…
J
At first I struggled against being pulled under, but quickly calmed myself down. Suddenly we were surrounded by blue again, and everything was ethereal. Zed was staring at me, his hair floating around his face, some strands covering his eyes. Then his arms were around me, and everywhere he touched was on fire. My body tensed in reaction. But the way he was looking at me… It'd been forever since I had any human contact, let alone an embrace like this. A voice in the back of my head urged, kiss him. But I was too shy, and I'd never been kissed before. Jamie! You're thinking about kissing him!
My face was reddening again, but I glanced at his lips and lost my nerve. Instead, I linked my arms around his neck and rested my head against his chest.
Z
We fit so perfectly together; all of our problems melted away in the ambrosial blue surrounding us. I was tempted to kiss her on the cheek, but was way too worried about how she'd react, so I just continued the embrace. Simultaneously, we both rose and gasped for air above the surface, still in our tight hug. After what I hoped would be forever, we reluctantly drifted apart a little, still staring at each other.
I stammered, "Y-y-y'know, I think we're both a little bit tired, we should dry off and get some rest." I climbed out of the pool, grabbed my towels, and soaked up the water in my trunks and on my body, still shaking. We headed back to our room, I slipped into the bathroom, and changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants; this was much more modest and much less awkward than swim trunks or underwear, I thought. I just hope that tonight is mostly sleeping…