When I came to, Kingdra was still present, hovering above the water and watching me. The three Horsea were also swimming around, happily chirping at each other.

  I heard a crackle that made me turn my head to the side, which immediately caused me to wince. These constant blackouts were leaving me in some truly uncomfortable positions, and waking up stiff every time was getting old.

  As I took in the cave, I noticed a small fire just off the shoreline. Next to it was a pile of dry logs, and sitting over the fire was what I was pretty sure was a Magikarp skewered on a stick, slowly roasting away.

  “King, Kingdra,” the Kingdra called out now that it noticed I was awake. This drew the attention of the Horsea, who had been playing together before—apparently I was far more interesting than whatever game they’d been caught up in, because they rushed over immediately.

  Sitting up, I noticed that while my body did feel stiff from the awkward sleeping position I’d taken before blacking out, I was feeling much better than I had earlier. Most notably, the panic from before was mostly gone.

  Weird, I thought. Something has to be messing with my mind. I swear each time I wake up I’m in a completely different mood, and based on my situation I should definitely be more freaked out than I am.

  “Good morning?” I offered awkwardly to the group of Water Pokémon in front of me. This earned a chorus of “Horse, Horsea, Horse!” from the younger members of the group.

  “Are you feeling better?” I felt Kingdra’s telepathic voice in my mind again. While it still hurt, it felt more like someone whacked me with a dictionary than like my skull was splitting open.

  “Ugh, that still hurts—but yes, I am. Did you do something to me while I was asleep?” I asked.

  “We did not. All we did was let your aura recharge. Currently, it is not so out of control that I need to flare my dragon aura to mask it. I am sorry if that alarmed you before, but I had no choice.”

  “I’m not going to lie to you—I understand the individual words you’re saying, but I’ve got no idea what you're talking about.”

  “You have not been trained in the use of aura?”

  “No, I have not. Where I come from, aura isn’t really a thing. People talk about it, but I don’t think there’s any real evidence behind it being real.”

  “I can assure you aura is very much real. If you haven’t had any training, then how do you have so much of it?”

  “I have an aura?” I responded, answering Kingdra’s question with one of my own.

  Kingdra chuckled in my mind. “Everyone has aura. You are currently using yours to offset the strain of psychic communication.”

  So that’s why this didn’t hurt as badly as before.

  “I don’t know how I’m doing that, but if that’s the case, what happened to my aura earlier?”

  “You are doing it naturally. It is not an efficient use of aura, nor a skilled one, but you are simply throwing quantity at the problem right now—burning through your aura reserves rather quickly. Soon we won’t be able to communicate this way until you recharge. As for what happened before, you should ask the little one.”

  My mind went back to the Horsea I’d played with earlier—how it had made sure it was in contact with me before releasing a Water Gun far larger than I’d ever expect from something its size.

  Did the Horsea use my aura to power its attack? That would explain why I’d been so drained afterward.

  “Is my aura affecting my mood?” I asked, feeling things finally start to click.

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  “I imagine so. You have so much water aura that it is almost overwhelming. I would be shocked if it did not affect your mood. It is why I had to flare my dragon aura earlier—to drown it out, to stop others from coming to investigate the source.”

  “Why would anyone want to find the source?” I asked, already having my suspicions, but remembering my mother’s old saying: assumptions make an ass out of you and me.

  “Why wouldn’t a Water Pokémon seek out a huge source of water aura?”

  “Pokémon can use the aura of humans to make their attacks stronger, I take it?”

  “You make very little sense, human,” Kingdra said, neither confirming nor denying my guess.

  “Why do you say that?” I asked, confused.

  “You have more aura than any Pokémon or human I have ever met, yet you clearly have no control over it. Your use of aura is crude, like a newly hatched child learning to swim for the first time. Yet you are clearly an adult of your species. How could one as old as you appear to be know so little? Where did you come from anyway?”

  What should I tell Kingdra? Is it safe to reveal I’m from another world—one where Pokémon exist only in games and TV shows? Would doing so put me at additional risk?

  So far Kingdra hadn’t done anything to hurt me, aside from scaring the shit out of me when I woke up—but she explained and apologized for that. It would feel wrong to lie, and I need all the help I can get. So… what’s the harm?

  “I’m from another world. One where Pokémon don’t exist—other than in games and shows. I died there and was reborn here. After meeting Arceus, I think.”

  Kingdra visibly recoiled at the name Arceus, but didn’t say anything for several minutes.

  “That would make sense.” she finally said.

  “You believe me?” I asked in disbelief.

  “While being from another world is an outlandish claim—and meeting the Creator even more so—you carry with you a quantity of aura that is the stuff of legend. And then there is the egg.”

  Crap. I had forgotten about the egg I’d moved to the back of the cave where it could stay dry and safe.

  “You know what the egg is?”

  “I know that the aura from the egg—while pitiful in quantity compared to what you produce—is of a quality I have never seen before, even more potent than my own.”

  Manaphy was a mythical Pokémon, so I guess it made sense that its aura would be special.

  “Thank you for believing me. A lot has happened in a short time. I’m in a new world with new creatures. Your protection no doubt saved my life from the Ursaring on the beach, and your continued watch has kept me safe through all my blackouts.”

  I hesitated before adding, “I really do owe you a lot.”

  “If you wanted to show your thanks, you could—” Kingdra abruptly stopped speaking as a wave of exhaustion slammed into me. I fell backward onto the cave floor.

  “Guessing I’m out of aura again,” I muttered between long breaths.

  “Kingdra.”

  “I’m not sure what it is you want, but please let me know when I have my aura back. If it’s within my power to grant, I will. I owe you my life.”

  After a moment of lying on my back, catching my breath, I added, “I can’t give you the egg. Arceus gave it to me along with a mission, so I have to keep that.”

  Kingdra snorted before shaking her head.

  “You don’t want the egg?” I asked.

  “King, Ki Ki Kingdra,” she replied, nodding before pointing her snout toward the Horsea who had been watching us from the water’s edge.

  “You want me to take a Horsea?” I guessed.

  “King,” Kingdra said, nodding more firmly.

  “I suppose that’s okay. I don’t have any experience raising Pokémon, nor do I own any Poké Balls—hell, I don’t own anything, as you can see,” I said, gesturing to my naked body. “But if you want me to become Horsea’s trainer, I would be more than happy to.”

  I’ll need a Pokémon going forward—to defend myself if nothing else. Who knows when Manaphy will hatch? And a Water type that will eventually evolve into a powerful Dragon isn’t a bad start at all.

  “Ho Ho Ho Horsea!” the little seahorse squealed in excitement, swimming frantically in circles around its siblings.

  Slowly, I pulled myself to my feet and made my way to the water’s edge. I sat down so I was eye-level with the seahorse.

  “Hey, Horsea. How would you feel about becoming one of my Pokémon? I haven’t trained any before, but I promise I’ll do everything in my power to help you grow as strong as possible—if that’s what you want, of course.”

  In response, I got more joyful seahorse noises.

  “Well, now that that’s settled… I don’t suppose I could have some of that fish?” I asked, gesturing toward the roasting Magikarp.

  Some people might shudder at the idea of eating a Pokémon, but I doubt they’ve ever been as hungry as I am. I don’t know how long it’s been since I woke up on that beach, but if I had to guess, it’s probably been a few days at least.

  “King,” Kingdra said with a nod as she focused on the fish, lifting it with her mind before breaking it into four pieces. The portions weren’t equal—she gave me half the fish, and split the other half into thirds for the Horsea.

  “Are you not going to eat?” I asked.

  “Kin Kingdra Ki.”

  “I have no idea what you just said, but I’m going to take that as a no,” I deadpanned as I dug into the meal.