After the atmosphere calmed down a bit, all the Corphish gathered around their second oldest brother to comfort him, leaving Mr. Krabs, the two Wingulls and me separated in a corner.

  "Was it really necessary humiliate him like that?" asked the big lobster with a sigh. "I'm not saying he didn't deserve it; no one knows better than me what a big mouth he is. But I don't know if he will recover well from this beating."

  “Well, he was bothering me, he was hindering the conversation instead of contributing with anything useful and, in my defense, I haven't lifted a single finger against him,” I said, devouring one of the blue berries they had given me after finishing the ‘fight’. “Being cautious is fine and all, but intentionally offending the person you're being cautious around is just stupid.”

  “Some of those points are debatable, and I suspect there's more than that, but I agree with that st bit… Isn't that right, Pale Feathers?” said the old Wingull, with a smile and a sp on the back of his companion, who had been silent from the start.

  “Hekk! Of-of course!” the youngest seagull squeaked. For some reason, she looked even more embarrassed than when I first saw her.

  "What's wrong with you today? You're not usually like this," Mr. Krabs asked his, I assume, friend. “Is it because of what you said yesterday? I don't think Sandy will mind. In fact, I'm pretty sure she'll ugh about it.”

  "Laughing at what, if I may ask?" I intervened, somewhat confused. “And who are you, anyway? We haven't had a chance to greet each other with all the hustle and bustle before.”

  "This wench is the one who told the Corphish colony what a Sandygast was yesterday," the seabird answered for her, with a somewhat sibylline smile. “You should’ve heard her tales. The supposed feats that the Beach Nightmares are capable of would make Groudon blush, but their ck of intelligence and mobility is what keeps the world safe… Pff… Hahaha!” he ended with a ugh, which I gdly joined in.

  The old Wingull was right, I would’ve loved to be at that talk.

  “En-enough!” Pale Feathers squeaked, only causing us to ugh harder. “I may have exaggerated a bit with what your evolution could do, but it was so this corkhead would be careful! Instead, the dummy ran to his doom without a thought!” she finished, pointing at the crustacean in question with her beak.

  "Hey, don't put me in the fire to save face," said Mr. Krabs with a raised eyebrow, seeing through his friend's intentions. “What am I supposed to do when I discover that such an ‘irrational monster’ is draining the life of my brothers?”

  “You could’ve pnned a good strategy by gathering more information,” I interrupted his excuses.

  “Or gather all your brothers and overwhelm her with numbers,” chorused the old seagull.

  “I don't think that would’ve worked very well, mate, but I share the feeling. You have to admit that coming alone to face me 1 versus 1 on the beach at 7 wasn't the best idea, Mr. Krabs.”

  “But I admit it was pretty sexy…” the youngest Wingull murmured, cutting my rhythm and leaving me stupefied.

  Somewhat confused, I shared a gze with the oldest Wingull and he nodded slowly, confirming that what I’d heard wasn’t something I had imagined. A crustacean and a bird… Couple of the year.

  Unable to help myself, I began to ugh uncontrolbly, causing my feathered friend to join in, before the incredulous eyes of Mr. Krabs. Seeing his innocent look, our ughter only grew louder as I realized that this was that kind of retionship, but it didn't st long.

  It was all ughter and games until I remembered that Corphish and Wingulls belong to the same egg group, Water 1. The moment I came to that realization, my ughter died and I looked at the horizon, seriously wondering how feasible it was that, in this magical and unknown world, a lobster and a seagull could have babies.

  “Are you okay there, Sandy? You’ve gone quiet all of a sudden,” my winged comrade asked, frowning a little.

  "It's nothing, I just remembered something," I replied, perhaps too quickly, trying to change the subject. “Anyway, my confrontation with Pincitas had another purpose besides letting off some steam.”

  "Really? Which one?" Mr. Krabs asked, ignoring everything that had just happened, as well as the Wingull who seemed to want to give up her flying-type and become one with earth.

  “I knew it! Although it was actually quite easy to figure out,” my partner in crime excimed. “You wanted to prove them that you can keep your end of the deal, didn’t you?”

  “What do you mean?” Pale Feathers joined in, having recovered a little from her embarrassment and sharing an intrigued look with her crustacean ‘friend’.

  “Mr. Krabs had told his brother that I can teach them a thing or two and protect their territory in exchange for berries, and I’ve proven that I have the strength to do it,” I expined, causing they eyes widen in recognition. “I don't like chartans, as you can see, and I don't consider myself a hypocrite either. Making them understand my strength seemed the most logical and quickest way to get them to take me seriously, at least enough to negotiate a deal.”

  “Logical for an ex-human?” the old Wingull asked with a wink.

  “What can I say, I'm little more than an uncivilized, wild Pokemon now,” I replied sarcastically, sharing a smile with the veteran sailor.

  "So, you really accept the deal?" Mr. Krabs interrupted.

  I didn't bme him, I think Wingull and I could spend the whole day spitting bad jokes if we were left alone for too long.

  “Sure. Why not?” I replied, doing my best performance of a shrug. “I still need a lot of training before I can achieve my goal, helping some super-developed lobsters in exchange for the energy I need for that is perfect.

  “Besides, these things are really good, it would be a shame to lose them…” I added at the end while holding a half-eaten oran berry, to the amusement of those present.

  With the deal finally finalized, the Wingulls left soon after. The old sailor told me that they had to report to Big Peak, but that he, at least, would be back tomorrow.

  I wasn't quite sure how to fulfill my part of ‘protect the territory’, so I talked to Mr. Krabs about it, and he said that they would let me know if something came up and they couldn't deal with it. Basically, I became the brute that the mafia sends when there are troublemakers in their business, and payment (made in berries) would be made on a case-by-case basis.

  Fantastic.

  I always wanted to be part of a mafia.

  Toning down the sarcasm, the part about ‘teaching them a few things’ was a lot easier. In exchange for a fixed sary of 8 oran berries per day, I agreed to train anyone who wanted to at any time, as long as they didn't interrupt my own training, of course. I didn't have much to do anyway; I might as well sweeten the deal a little if it meant getting more food than expected.

  With things agreed, we wasted no time and got started right away.

  The first day of training was… Chaotic. Most of the Corphish were too excited to listen my instructions, starting a full-blown Water Gun battle at one point. Mr. Krabs tried to control the situation, but it was of little use since, when noon came, they still hadn't done anything and most of them were already exhausted.

  I, for my part, took advantage of the time practicing my sand-bending, surprising myself with how much progress I had made since st night. The amount of aura I was able to manipute at once had increased considerably, as the depth of my well.

  My fine control had also improved a bit, which made no sense since I hadn't done anything to improve it.

  What I’d said earlier about leveling up was a joke, but it seemed more literal than I’d initially given it credit for. I didn't know if it was because of my battle with Pincitas or the oran berries, but the increase in my power was evident, and it was something I would have to investigate ter.

  With this ‘power up’, I was able to cover all the bones of my arm with my body easily, moving it almost naturally. That prompted me to add the torso and head, making me look like a sand-covered zombie trying to escape from her grave.

  I was becoming more and more spooky with each passing day, and my ghost side was very pleased with that.

  The Corphish had moved their mini-war closer to the water, leaving quite a distance between them and me. I suspected they’d done this both to avoid interrupting my training and to avoid having to see me. The fear in their auras was delicious.

  Anyway, the point is that no matter how far they went, at some point, a Water Gun hit me. The little ones quickly apologized and were about to run away in terror, but I stopped them when an idea clicked in my literally empty head.

  Water-hardened sand was more difficult to mold, but not impossible. Just as I was doing with Harden before, I tried using this sand as a ‘skin’, which worked like a charm. I still had to use the normal-type move to ensure the consistency and flexibility of the sand affected by my ability, as it was quite brittle, but that was still a lot easier and less tiring than having to use Harden at full power all the time.

  After confirming this, I sketched a gentle smile using my skull and I patted the shivering little lobsters on the head with my skeletal arm, telling them to go back with their brothers and leaving me alone to experiment with this new thing.

  The morning passed without any further incidents, and before I knew it, it was already noon. After a quick lunch, almost all the Corphish, already exhausted, returned home happily, wherever that was, and only me, Mr. Krabs, Pincitas, and those who had shown interest earlier remained on the beach.

  It was a small group, barely a dozen Corphish, but at least they seemed more serious than the rest of their brothers, so I gave them a second chance and began to instruct them as I’d wanted to do with the entire colony from the beginning.

  I have to admit that the difference between morning and afternoon was like night and day. A small group of Pokemon that actually wanted to learn and not just hang out was, surprisingly, much easier to teach than the red horde from the morning.

  The first exercise I gave them was to mold their water-type energy into various shapes, just like I did with my sand. Not everyone had learned Bubble Beam yet, so I told them to focus on their innate move Water Gun, compressing it, changing the direction of the jet in the middle of the air, or trying to unch two at once.

  It was a bit difficult for them at first, but between their genuine dedication, a supply of berries and my occasional advice, they ended the day firing things that looked more like small Hydro Pumps than the original Water Guns. Most of them had also started to develop their own moves, like Mr. Krabs, who I was pretty sure had learned Water Pulse.

  The only one I saw who had a bit of trouble was Pincitas. He hadn't spoken to me since our confrontation, but he wasn't being confrontational, and he was showing a lot more discipline than I’d initially expected from him, being the st one to go to sleep.

  He just wasn't good on this; it wasn't his strong point.

  Perhaps that was why he hadn't bothered to take distance in our battle, the crustacean already knew that getting closer was his best option… I may have been a little harsh on him, but I didn't regret at all. I was sure I would do the same again if the same situation arose.

  Just as he was about to return home, I turned on my extrasensory sense to take a look at his aura, and I got a surprise. He seemed more embarrassed than resentful with me, which was adorable, to be honest, but what caught my attention was the amount of aura he had left.

  While his brothers had eaten a couple of berries and were nearly exhausted, Pincitas had only eaten one, I think, and still had quite a bit left in the tank. I hadn't given him much credit in our battle, but it was true that, if Pincitas had anything, it was resistance.

  Making a note of that and pnning an alternative exercise for the next day, I returned to my normal form and curled up on my bones. A full day of training had left me exhausted, I deserved a good night's sleep.

  The berries were magical enough, but they weren't miraculous. The more I ate, the less aura they replenished and the faster it was depleted, apart from the fact that, at a certain point, they stopped relieving the mind. Mr. Krabs told me that this was normal, and that the only way to solve the negative effects was to rest properly.

  That kinda messed up my original unlimited gains pn, but being able to train 16 hours per day was still pretty good. Letting out a sigh, I settled back a little more and watched the stars and moon reflect in the waves of the ocean, above which floated mysterious but beautiful bubbles.

  Things were going much better than I expected after waking up as a Sandygast. Now I had company, goals, and dreams. Sure, I still had to work hard to achieve them, but it was rewarding, in a way. It was certainly better than living a meaningless life, getting up Monday through Friday to go to a job I didn't care about just so I could afford to stay alive.

  I was just hoping this would st a little longer…

  With that st thought, I succumbed to Cresselia's sweet embrace, looking forward to the next day.