I do not own Pokemon or the characters' species, but I own the characters.

Matching Games

Mesprit looked around her lake, and home. It was nighttime, and the area was full of appropriately nighttime sounds. To her left, a family of Psyduck was getting ready to go to sleep, and to her right the Wobbuffet were starting to come out.

Mesprit took no notice of the other Pokemon, and instead skimmed lazily over the surface of the lake, deep in thought. A Buizel broke through the surface of the water right in front of her, and she passed through it without stopping. It never noticed her, and instead glanced around before diving back into the lake.

The reason that it didn't notice her, and she didn't notice it, was that she wasn't really there. Technically, she was at the bottom of the lake, sleeping, but she had the power to exit her body and fly around wherever she wanted. Only, she couldn't do anything as only a soul, and she had to keep track of her body. If she went too far away and couldn't find her way back to her body, she would be stuck without it forever.

But even though there were a few risks, what wasn't risky? As a soul, Mesprit could keep on the lookout for any danger to her while she was sleeping. And she needed to sleep a lot, being one of the six parts of Arceus.

Speaking of Arceus, that was the reason Mesprit was so deep in thought. She was thinking about the previous two episodes with Arceus, where he almost brought about the Apocalypse. And both times, she had been unable to do anything.

I'm supposed to be the legendary Being of Emotion. Why couldn't I at least help? I probably should have stayed away, I only made things worse… And why did Arceus do that, anyway? Was it really that bad being locked up for all that time? …Okay, I guess so, but still… Why did Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina have to lock him up, surely they knew what would happen?

Mesprit shook her ghostly head, clearing the thoughts away. Oh well, there's nothing I can really do about it now…

She turned and dove back into the lake, not making a splash. Going deeper and deeper, she slowly moved toward the bottom, where her body was. A Psyduck passed her on the way, but she ignored it. After a while, Mesprit reached the bottom, and scanned the muddy floor.

That's strange, I could have sworn it was… Quickly she glanced around through the dark, murky water, the moonlight barely reaching the bottom to illuminate it. There was nothing but mud and the average lakebed objects for as far as she could see.

Mesprit began to feel nervous. Wasn't it here? I remember it being around here… It couldn't have gone anywhere, the Pokemon all know not to disturb me… There's no current in a lake, so it couldn't have been swept away in a current… Maybe I'm just remembering wrong? That must be it…

She quickly began to move around the lakebed in a circular pattern, searching for her body. After several fruitless minutes, however, she gave up and began to rise to the surface, trying not to panic.

What'll I do if I can't find it? I'll have to go see Uxie… He'll know where it is… But how would I communicate with him? Argh…

Once Mesprit broke through the surface, she glanced around. Not much could be seen through the darkness. Why would it be out of the lake anyway? Someone would have had to have taken it… It must have been a human, that's the only explanation. Great, I'll never find it now… She sobbed silently, wondering what it would be like to be a ghost permanently.

After a second, she regained her resolve and glanced around. It can't have gone far, I should at least try to find it before giving up. Mesprit flew over the water, looking downward and searching its depths. Once she reached the edge of the lake, she glanced around again before beginning to circle the lake.

There were nothing but trees, grass, and the occasional Pokemon. She began to feel hopeless. Please, no…

Suddenly Mesprit spotted something. A small blue creature emerged from the water onto the shore of the lake. It was carrying a familiar blue and pink form.

Mesprit recognized both of them immediately and sped up, feeling immense relief. The blue creature was a Manaphy, and it was carrying her.

The Manaphy placed her body on the grass, then bent down and placed the side of its head on her chest, as if listening. After a moment, it straightened again, and murmured out loud, "It's breathing… But how did it not inhale any water? It doesn't look like a water-dwelling Pokemon…" The voice was unmistakably male.

Mesprit reached her body, glancing at the Manaphy. From what she could tell, he meant no harm to her or her body, though she wasn't sure what he was doing with it. In any case, it was best that she get back into her body as soon as possible.

Mesprit slipped back into her body, sighing gratefully. But then she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her head, followed by a dull throb, and an unpleasant tingling sensation that spread through her. There was a moment of disorientation.

Once her head cleared and the feelings stopped, Mesprit lifted her head and glanced around. To her dismay, her body was next to her.

What, why can't I get back in? She paused for several moments, thinking. Maybe… The only reason I wouldn't be able to get back in my body would be if it was unconscious, or dead. I really hope I'm not dead…

The Manaphy tapped Mesprit's head. "Hello, are you alright? Can you wake up?"

Mesprit wanted to tell him that no, she wasn't going to wake up anytime soon, but in this state she had no way of communicating. After several moments, he gave up and turned away, sitting on the grass next to her body.

"Okay, I guess you're fine, then. You're breathing… Wait, you can't hear me." The Manaphy smiled slightly, then turned his gaze to the moon. "Oh, well, I'll wait for you to wake up, then…"

Mesprit landed next to her body, glancing over it. There don't seem to be any injuries… Wait, there's a bit of a bump on my head. That could be the problem. She winced, slightly unnerved by seeing herself from the outside, and turned away, looking at the Manaphy.

What is he doing, surely everyone knows not to disturb me when I'm asleep? Although, he doesn't look familiar, maybe he's new around here… Manaphy are supposed to wander the ocean, so he could be from far away…

Mesprit moved to float beside the Manaphy, studying him. I guess I can trust him… I'll have to find a way to get back into my body soon, so I can stop him from losing his emotions from touching me. I have three days in that case, I just have to hope my body isn't in a coma.

The Manaphy glanced back at her body, slight concern showing. "Maybe I should see if there's water in its lungs… Her lungs, I think." His blue skin turned slightly red. "She is kind of pretty, I hope she wakes up soon…" The Manaphy turned to Mesprit's empty body, and looked over it with concern. "…At least she can't hear me…"

Mesprit wasn't sure what to think. Yes, I can hear you… I don't know if that's creepy, or… kind of cute… She shook her immaterial head, clearing those thoughts. Maybe I should try to get back into my body again. Before he starts doing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. He evidently thinks I was drowning…

Mesprit flew into her body, entering it for the second time. Again, it was a perfect match. But this time, there was only a dull ache in her head, and after a moment everything snapped into focus. She opened her eyes.

"Ow, my head…" she moaned telepathically, sitting up and rubbing her head.

The Manaphy was startled for a moment. "Oh, you're awake!"

Mesprit turned her head to look at him, wincing while doing so. "Yes, I am. Who are you?"

"My name is Kaimu. What about you? Are you alright?" The Manaphy, Kaimu, watched Mesprit worriedly as she laid back down on the grass, flinching.

"I'm Mesprit. And I'm fine now."

Kaimu's eyes widened, and he took a step backward. "Wait, you're… Mesprit?"

"Yes."

He gulped. "Oh, I didn't know. I'm sorry if I disturbed you, or anything…"

Mesprit glanced at him in apparent annoyance. "Well, I was outside of my body, and it caused a few problems when I couldn't find it again… And how did this happen?" She rubbed her head to try to alleviate the headache.

Kaimu immediately became apologetic. "I'm sorry, I didn't know… You weren't drowning?"

"No."

"Oh. I'm sorry, I thought you were. C-can you forgive me?" He fidgeted nervously.

Mesprit smiled. "It's fine. I know you didn't mean any harm, and in the end everything worked out, so no harm done."

Kaimu blinked. "Oh. Thanks." He turned a slightly reddish color.

Mesprit also found herself turning red. "…I was knocked unconscious somehow, how did that happen?"

"…I don't know, maybe… I accidentally hit your head on something when I pulled you out of the lake… I'm sorry if I did." He glanced away, appearing nervous.

"It's fine, I was just wondering. Accidents happen."

"…Are you angry at me? It's alright if you are, I should have known better."

Mesprit wasn't surprised at this question, as she was the Being of Emotion. "No, I'm not angry." She smiled, then reddened again. "By the way… Since I was outside my body before, I heard what you said… Do you really think I'm pretty?"

Kaimu stared in shock for a moment, then blushed furiously. "Y-you were listening?" He blinked and shifted uncomfortably, turning his face away. "…I, um…"

Mesprit suppressed the urge to laugh. "It was nice of you to try to help me, too, even if I didn't need any help."

Kaimu glanced back at her. "Oh, um, thanks." After a moment, he said hesitantly, "…I do think you're pretty." Immediately, he turned away, covering his face with his arms.

Mesprit was silent for a few seconds, as she felt her face heat up. "Thank you." A wave of weariness washed over her, and she flinched as a stab of pain went through her head. "I'm tired, I need to go back to sleep."

Kaimu uncovered his face as it returned to its normal color. "…Okay, I'll see you later, then."

Mesprit floated to an upright position, lifting off the grass. "Alright. Come see me tomorrow morning, when I'm awake."

He quickly nodded. "Okay."

Mesprit smiled, then dove into the lake with a splash. Slowly she sank to the bottom, coming to rest on top of the mud. Glancing around, she gave a muffled sigh before closing her eyes and falling asleep once again.

Had the Being of Emotion, the great matchmaker, finally met her match? She certainly hoped so.