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Being someone who grew up surrounded by it, Tracey knew water was an unpredictable, ever changing force of nature.
He had watched as the tides would shift at different times of the day - sometimes there would be more water than beach, sometimes more beach than water.
He had seen ice and steam, forms that water took when exposed to the temperature extremes.
He had seen it boil on the stovetop when his parents were preparing steamed and boiled vegetables for meals.
He had sat in a bath and watched as the water gently rippled each time he moved or the droplets from his hair fell back into the water.
He had watched the rain; sometimes a light sprinkle as if someone was tipping a watering can over them, sometimes it would be so heavy it was as if there was nothing but a veil of water that could be seen and nothing more.
And that was all before he had set out on his journey.
***
As he traveled through the Orange Archipelago with his new friends, he had more experiences with the waters of the world.
He had been caught in a whirlpool that had washed them all up on the shore of a mysterious island he knew was Pinkan Island, just because he had studied the cartography of the archipelago beforehand and knew whirlpools and sheer cliffs were markers of that specific island.
He had paddled a kayak through a hurricane, worried about an island-hopping Nurse Joy who had insisted on going out there to help some sick baby Seel. The waters had been choppy, the winds fierce and then, a large wave had caught him and his friends from behind and tossed them out of their kayaks.
He had been caught up in a storm that was even worse than a hurricane, even if the waters had responded in a similar way. A very mysterious storm that soon brought snow with it despite it being summer and only mountain peaks ever being the only areas in the Orange Islands to be exposed to such.
He had seen water spouts, a strange undersea current rising from the depths and arching over the seas like a rainbow before settling under the surface once more.
He had also seen the beauty of what lay below the surface, the waters clear enough he could keep his eyes open, even with the saltwater, so he could observe how the earlier mentioned Nurse Joy treated Pokémon underwater without needing to force them out of their home to apply medical treatment.
He had bathed in a natural hot spring, understanding there had to have been a volcanic source nearby to help produce such warm waters. He had been careful enough not to stay in the water too long, knowing that while he was someone better adjusted to warmer temperatures, he still could not handle the heat of such for a long period of time.
***
He had seen water in its natural states. Lakes and oceans. He had experienced them in different ways. He had gone down a river and over a waterfall. He had stood under shelter and watched the rain as it fell. He had run through puddles, the remainder of the rain gathering on the earth.
He had seen it being made of use by Pokémon. Whether to strengthen their own moves or as a destructive move in its own right.
His own Marill had blasted water from her mouth, sending Team Rocket flying, or used it to slow down charging Pokémon, her strength varying depending on what she needed to do.
He had been playfully splashed by a Magikarp he had tried to observe, so surprised he was knocked onto his back.
***
Water came with good things, how it helped replenish life and nature. How it helped rehydrate someone after they had been out in the sun all day.
But he had also seen the dangers of water. He had seen as his friend had drowned in the water. He was thankfully saved, but it was still a troubling sight.
It didn't make him hate water. But for a time, he was more cautious about it until he was certain nothing dangerous would happen.
Gentle rocking waves would soothe him at night like he was cradled in his mother's arms as he had been as an infant. Sometimes the waves would be a little more rough, it was a good thing he was not prone to seasickness.
***
As he sat in the bathtub, he cupped his hands together and brought some of the water out. It would seep through the cracks of his fingers and hands. He would watch as it slowly drained.
He listened to the sounds it made. Quiet sloshing sounds as he dipped his hands in and lifted them out again. The gentle trickles of the droplets falling onto the surface.
Even with the echoes sounding off the walls, it didn't sound too much different to when he was outside and doing the same in the ocean.
He didn't know why he was being so contemplative of the water that day. He didn't know why he watched the ripples and would try to make them larger. Why he lightly splashed the water, aiming it at himself to try to avoid making a mess. Why he watched the droplets falling down his arm or in front of his eyes from the strands of hair plastered to his skin.
Water was just a natural element. One that had been a part of his life for as long as he could remember.
One that could be soothing and gentle. One that could flow easily. One that could be coarse and rough. One that could be unpredictable. One that could be beautiful. One that could be dangerous. One that could give life. One that could take life. One with so much power behind it.
And one that could have no power to it as someone easily sits in it without a need to fear it, as if becoming one with it.
Maybe he was trying to further understand something more than the water itself.
Maybe he wanted to understand how it inspired the mindset of Prima Lorelei - go with the flow, become fierce as ice when battling, then melt and flow on when all was said and done.
Maybe he wanted to understand what it was about water and Water-type Pokémon that inspired trainers like Misty to focus on that particular type. Though, it wasn't like he didn't have a favourite type, that being Bug-type.
Maybe he wanted to understand the different personalities of Water-type Pokémon in the wild. How some would be gentle and soothing, not wanting to battle. How some would be as fierce as the ocean in a storm. How some were outright dangerous and yet could still be quelled.
He didn't know. All he knew, as he climbed out of the tub, wrapped a towel around himself and pulled the plug, watching as the water drained out with a loud suction sound the further it went, was that it always was and would continue to be a big part of his life.