Big water everywhere.

  The ship moved under my paws in ways that made my stomach feel strange. I'd seen ocean before - at least, I think I had? The memories were fuzzy, like trying to see through fog. But crossing it? Being surrounded by nothing but blue-grey-white as far as I could smell?

  This was new. Or maybe not. I couldn't remember.

  My human helped though. He always helped me remember important things. Like my name. Like that I was good. Like that the food in my bowl was mine and no one would take it away.

  He stood at the rail thing, looking out at all the water. His hand found the spot behind my ears - the good spot - and scratched. I huffed at him. 'Too much water.'

  "I know," he said, because he understood my huffs now. Mostly. "Few more days and we'll see land again."

  I pressed against his leg. The ship had too many people. Too many smells. Too much open space with nowhere to hide if things went bad. But he was here, so it was okay. My human made things okay.

  He pulled out a ball and Umbreon appeared. She took one look at all the people on deck and made her scared-face. The fake one. I knew it was fake because she'd told me once that she learned if she looked scared enough, our human would carry her everywhere.

  Smart Umbreon.

  Sure enough, our human scooped her up with a muttered "You're shameless." Umbreon purred, winning again. She was good at winning.

  People walked by. Many people. They looked at my human and their faces went... wrong. Those faces. I knew those faces, the way eyes got narrow and mouths got tight. From before? From when?

  Couldn't remember. But I knew they were bad faces. Mean faces. The kind that came before—

  Before what?

  The thought slipped away like it always did. But my nose knew what my brain forgot. These people smelled wrong. Sharp. Bitter. Like they wanted to hurt but were too scared to try.

  I growled, low and quiet. Just enough to make them walk faster.

  My human's hand found my head again. He knew. He always knew when the bad-smell people were near. Maybe he could smell them too, or maybe he just understood that when I growled like that, we should go somewhere else.

  "Come on," he said. "Let's go inside."

  Inside meant the small room where we slept. I liked the small room. It had walls and only one door and I could guard it while my human rested. I led the way, remembering the path from last night. Left here, straight there, down the stairs that made my paws ache...

  "Hey! You!"

  New human. Young. Smelled like... fake honey? Flowers? Something stupid and wrong, like he'd rolled in a bush of not-real smells. I snorted.

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  "You're that Dark-type specialist, right?" Stupid-smell human was bouncing. Why was he bouncing? Prey bounced when scared. Predators didn't bounce. "The one from Hoenn?"

  My human said words back. I wasn't listening. The stupid-smell wasn't dangerous, just annoying. Like those tiny yap-dogs that thought they were Mightyena-sized.

  They talked more. Stupid-smell pointed at something. A room with chalk lines on the floor. I knew those lines. Those were... were...

  "You want to?" My human was looking at me now. "Battle?"

  Battle?

  I tilted my head, thinking hard. Battle was... oh! OH! Dominance! Showing who was strongest! Proving my human was best human and I was best Mightyena!

  I barked once. Yes. Yes, I could do Dominance.

  The chalk-line place smelled like old fights and lightning and fear-sweat. Good smells. Fighting smells. My human stood on one side, stupid-smell on the other.

  Stupid-smell threw a ball and something appeared. Pink. Fluffy. Standing on two legs like it thought it was people.

  Prey.

  It smelled like prey. Looked like prey. Even when electricity danced on its stupid pink fur, it was still prey.

  Stupid-smell human made mouth-noises and the pink thing started moving, but I was already moving. Always move first. Always strike first. That was the rule from... from before. From the time I couldn't quite remember but my body did.

  Dark energy in my teeth. Crunch down on soft spots. Pink-thing squealed and fell over.

  So weak. Boring.

  But my blood was starting to warm. The fog in my head got a little thinner. This was good. This was right. This was what I was for.

  Next was a Raticate. I knew Raticate! These were... were...

  The memory slipped away but my body remembered. They were fast but fragile. They bit hard but couldn't take being bitten back. The Raticate launched itself at me, teeth going for my shoulder, but I twisted and caught it mid-leap.

  Shake. Throw. Pounce. Bite.

  It stopped moving.

  My heart was LOUD now. Boom-boom-boom in my ears. The fog was breaking apart and everything was sharp and clear and RIGHT. This was how I was supposed to be! Not slow and confused but fast and sure and strong!

  The stupid-smell human's face was red. Mad. Good. Be mad. Makes you stupid. Makes you weak.

  He threw another ball and this one...

  Oh.

  This one was different.

  Blue. Thick with muscle. It looked at me and I looked at it and we both knew - this would be a real fight. A good fight. The kind that would make the fog go away completely, make me remember everything, make me whole again.

  Machoke. The name came from somewhere. Fighting-type. Strong. Dangerous.

  Perfect.

  It came at me with fists like rocks and I danced away, laughing in the way that made humans nervous. This was what I needed! The burn in my muscles, the ache in my lungs, the perfect clarity of violence!

  We traded blows. Its fist caught my ribs and something cracked but I didn't care because my teeth found its arm and bit deep. It grabbed me, tried to throw me, but I twisted and landed on my feet.

  More. MORE. I NEEDED MORE!

  The fog was completely gone now. I remembered everything. The trap that caught my leg. The hunger before my human found me. The battles I'd won to survive. The choice to follow him because he understood that sometimes the fog came but he'd always help me remember.

  The Machoke came again with a Cross Chop and this time I didn't dodge. I took it straight on, used the impact to get inside its guard, and my jaws found its throat. Not to kill - never to kill unless my human said so - but enough to show that I was the best! I will stand on top! I am Alpha!

  The Machoke fell. I was victorious and the feeling of my mind being crystal clear even if it will be for a few moments. It was pure bliss.

  I stood there panting, ribs aching, fur singed, feeling more myself than I had in days. The fog would come back later, it always did, but right now I was me. All of me.

  "That's not how battles work!" Stupid-smell was almost crying.

  My human said something back but I wasn't listening because he was already holding my ball and I could feel the recall beam when it connected. I didn't fight it. He knew when I'd had enough, even when I wanted more.

  The red light took me and I went willingly.

  My human was best human. He knew when to let me fight and when to make me rest. He knew the fog would come back but he'd help me remember. He knew I chose him just like he chose me.

  Tomorrow the fog would be thick again. But that was okay.

  My human would help me remember.