As the blinding light faded, so too did the numbness in my body. Sensation returned slowly—first the stiffness in my limbs, then the cool breeze brushing across my skin, and finally the soft grass beneath me. My muscles felt awkward and uncooperative, like I’d been asleep for years.

  I opened my eyes—only to wince and squeeze them shut again as stabbing pain shot through my skull. It took several minutes of slow, cautious squinting before I could finally endure the brightness enough to take in my surroundings.

  What I saw did not fill me with confidence.

  I lay beside a small beach, a strip of pale sand separating the ocean from a rolling stretch of grassland. The grass reached inland for what looked like a couple of miles before giving way to dense, dark forest. The ocean, by contrast, went on forever—an endless expanse of glittering blue with the sun reflecting off its surface in a dazzling, almost unreal display.

  It would’ve been the most beautiful view I’d ever seen… if not for the uncomfortable realization that hit me next.

  I was completely, utterly naked.

  The cool sea breeze made that fact painfully clear. Shivering, I pulled my knees to my chest and rubbed my legs, hoping to coax some warmth back into my body. As I shifted, my knee knocked against something solid. The object rolled into view.

  An egg.

  And not just any egg—one I recognized instantly.

  I stared at it and groaned. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me…”

  In the games and anime, Pokémon eggs all looked basically identical: white shells with green spots. At least, most of them did. But this one was deep blue, semi-transparent, with a bright red orb suspended in the center and eight smaller yellow spheres floating around it.

  “A Manaphy egg,” I muttered. Of course it was. Of all the Pokémon to start a new life with, it had to be a mythical one.

  I loved Manaphy—it could bond with any species, after all—but mythical Pokémon were rare, valuable, and the kind of thing that attracted questions I really didn’t want as a dimension-displaced stranger. “Great. People are going to think I’m insane. Or dangerous. Or both.” I paused. “…Assuming I ever meet people.”

  Realizing I was talking to myself, I sighed. “Maybe I already went insane. That’d explain a lot.” Still shivering, I picked up the egg.

  It felt firmer than I expected. In the games it looked almost like water held together by magic, but no matter how I pressed or pushed, the surface didn’t give. It was solid and warm—comforting, even.

  “Well… what now?” I asked the empty shoreline.

  Standing naked on a beach with nothing but a mythical egg wasn’t exactly a recipe for long-term survival. As I mulled over my options, a rustling sound came from the treeline.

  I froze.

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  A large, brown-furred shape pushed through the brush, rising onto its hind legs. The yellow ring on its chest was unmistakable.

  “Oh, hell—Ursaring!” My voice cracked in panic.

  I loved animals—bears especially—but I also respected how unbelievably lethal they could be. And an Ursaring? That was a grizzly bear that shot Hyper Beams. The very last thing I wanted to see while unarmed and unclothed.

  “URSAR!” it roared.

  More rustling followed. A smaller head popped out from behind the larger bear. Round ears. Light brown fur.

  A Teddiursa.

  “Oh perfect. What’s more dangerous than a grizzly bear? A grizzly bear with a cub.” I groaned. Stress made me talk; it helped me think. Not that talking would save me from being vaporized.

  I began slowly backing toward the water, never turning my back. If this was Ursaring territory, escaping on land was impossible. My only hope was the ocean. Either a water Pokémon would intervene, or Ursaring would refuse to follow me too far out. I doubted the latter—bears could swim—but it was still a better chance than zero.

  My feet hit the water. Ursaring didn’t slow down.

  “URSA!” it roared again, a brilliant white sphere forming in its mouth.

  “Nonononono—!”

  I dove sideways, clutching the egg to my chest. The Hyper Beam grazed my shoulder, searing pain ripping through me before the beam detonated far behind.

  “I’m going to die!” I screamed, scrambling upright and running deeper into the sea.

  The second attack came faster. I never even saw it—just felt the explosion behind me. The shockwave hurled me forward, slamming me into the water face-first. My ears rang. My shoulder burned. My vision blurred.

  But the Ursaring wasn’t charging anymore.

  “What…?” I coughed and turned my head.

  Smoke rose from the bear’s side. Teddiursa clung to her leg, trembling.

  Someone else had attacked her.

  My heart pounded as I searched the ocean. A shape approached, cutting through the waves. Two tall, blue horns broke the surface first. Then a long snout. A single, focused red eye locked onto me.

  “A Kingdra,” I whispered. “Oh great. Out of the frying pan and straight into a dragon.”

  But the Kingdra swam right past me, positioning itself between me and the bear. “King… Kingdra,” it growled, voice carrying a warning.

  After a tense moment, Ursaring backed away, limping into the forest with her cub safely behind her.

  I didn’t relax. Not with a dragon hovering in front of me.

  But as Kingdra turned toward me, its posture didn’t seem hostile—more curious than anything.

  I swallowed hard. “C-Can you understand me?”

  “Ki. Kingdra King.” It tilted its head like an inquisitive dog.

  “Okay, uh… point to my right for yes and left for no?” I said awkwardly, holding the egg in one hand and raising the other.

  Kingdra pointed to my right.

  “Right. So you can understand me. Good. So… are you going to hurt me?”

  It pointed left.

  Relief washed through me. “Thank you. And… thank you for saving me from the Ursaring.”

  “King.” Kingdra straightened proudly.

  “Could we… maybe go back onto the beach? Ursaring clipped my shoulder pretty badly.”

  “Kingdra,” it agreed, gliding around behind me with eerily smooth movements—like it was swimming through the air itself.

  I felt droplets of water sprinkle across my back. They slid toward the wounds with deliberate precision, almost alive.

  The instant they touched the cuts, a wave of fire ripped through my body.

  I screamed, dropping the egg as my knees buckled. The water continued forcing itself into the gashes, stitching them closed—but every drop added a new spike of agony.

  I lasted only a few seconds before the pain overwhelmed me completely. Darkness swallowed my vision.