Angry with himself, Kenji clenched his hands at his side. His eyes were screwed shut as he struggled to contain himself and tears of frustration leaked out. Alarmed chirps from nearby helped him clamp down on his rampaging emotions. He could not afford unnerving the tiny, poisonous Pokémon any more than it already was. Not only that, but his rash actions had already harmed him, there was no reason to complicate his situation further.

Kenji forced his eyes open and he sucked in a shuddering breath before letting it out in a rush. After several more, he managed to relax his muscles enough to loosen his fingers. Blinking he offered the green Pokémon a fake smile.

"My apologies, grove tender. I let myself get carried away," he said weakly. "I am ready to resume when you are."

Despite his words, all Kenji wanted to do was fall to ground and rage. However, as that would result in nothing more beyond a sharp, poisonous end to his struggles so far, he allowed himself to slip into the numbing aura clinging to him. It was surprisingly easily, like slipping beneath the surface of a still lake into the cool, dark depths.

Before, the icy tendrils of aura clinging to him were a hated memory of his experience. Yet now he welcomed the cold, as it smothered his emotions. While he could still think, there was no reason to feel, nothing to affect him.

The world became dull and inconsequential.

What was, is.

At his feet, Kenji could see the thorny beast grow uneasy but it did not matter. He had promised restitution for the damage suffered by his involvement in the battle and he would keep his word. Not only was it honorable, it simply . . .

Was.

Maintaining a respectful distance, Kenji moved about the rest of the clearing with practiced experience. His time spent caring for his family's gardens allowed him to step easily through the various plants without overly disturbing them. Helping the beast tending to them only helped him adjust to its preferences as it showed him how to properly care for the glade. The numbing, cold let him move uncaring of how the beast might respond to his actions and left him free to resume his work.

Combined, it was only a short while before all that remained was the sticky, silk threads that clung to a patch of land.

Kenji stared at the mess for a long moment before turning away. The strange beast shied away from him even as if mourned the damage to its territory. Ignoring the creature, Kenji trudged towards his resting companion. The other was too energetic, flitting around the clearing. The butterfly would follow or it would not.

Sprout opened his large eyes as he approached. The beast yawned and looked around blearily before stiffening suddenly. The turtle jerked his head towards Kenji in alarmed and whimpered in fear. The turtle's limbs withdrew into its shell as he huddled away.

Kenji stopped, cocking his head. Sprout's actions tickled at the back of Kenji's mind but he could not bother chasing down the feeling.

Kenji took another step only to pause once more as Sprout's cries grew more fearful.

Kenji stared at Sprout.

Something was wrong.

Sprout was acting as if danger was approaching yet it was only him. he was just so cold Kenji and the Pokémon traveled together for days, sleeping under the same cover, and benefited from the scant safety he provided. Kenji inched closer, causing Sprout's warbles to rise in terror.

They could not travel together if one was constantly screaming. The noise would attract greater beasts that he was not able to handle. he needed to wake up Not to mention the energy that would be wasted chasing down the Pokémon should the young turtle try to run away. It was weak and tired from hiding the two for so long.

Yet.

Kenji and Sprout were companions, having traveled together for days ever since they arrived in this strange land.

They should not stop now.

They could not.

Kenji moved closer, his mindless slouch straightening. His cold fingers reached out to grab the turtle by his shell. stop Perhaps there was a way to ensure that the beast would not leave. That it would never abandon Kenji. Ever.

The Pokémon wailed in fear. The other, the thorny and prickly one, added with trills of its own. The butterfly was quieter but confused, not understanding the other's terror. The screams were annoying but the sound would not stop it. Kenji's hand neared the small Pokémon. Stop!

The young turtle bit Kenji's hand, its beak hard enough to break the skin.

Kenji jerked back in surprise before the pain registered through the numbness engulfing him. The crushing bite warred with the icy cold, overpowering the emptiness with pain and alarm.

It was only when he saw the red blood, bright against the dull surroundings, did Kenji cry out. Jerking his hand back, he tore it out of the Pokémon's mouth. The wound opened further and drew another shout from his mouth.

He cradled the bleeding hand to his chest and clenched his jaw against the pain. Stumbling away, he whimpered as he applied pressure to stop the bleeding. Kenji closed his eyes and breathed strongly through his nostrils. At the same time, he felt the cold recede and the warmth of the sun touch his skin.

Panting, Kenji shuddered as he reviewed the past few minutes. His actions, while seemingly normal, were wrong. The thoughts that came were not his. The numbing cold, the lifeless world. He heard stories and rumors, tales told by the elders to warn both children and adults alike.

A Haunting.

A relatively rare occurrence, as kingdoms religiously cleansed fields of battle to keep lingering spirits from coalescing. However, some ghosts were strong enough to endure with grudges that could last decades.

Or at least, that’s what the clan stories claimed. Previously, Kenji took them for fanciful tales to scare children. Tales that he thought had long grew out of. As for the clearing of the battlefield, they were nothing more than religious ceremonies conducted by mortals to give the fallen their last rights.

But perhaps there was more to them than he originally believed.

Kenji struggled to remember anything that could help but the pain of his bleeding hand distracted him. Glancing down, he snuck a look to inspect the severity. It was difficult to determine through the blood but he did not believe it was crippling. The flesh around his thumb was torn, with a clear chunk missing. Ragged stripes hung loose and dripped crimson liquid to the grass below.

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Despite the gut turning appearance, Kenji held hope. It was possible he could recover with a thick poultice to seal the wound and protect it from infection. It would leave a horrid scar, yet he would making an offering to whatever guardian watching if that was all. At worst, he could lose the hand entirely.

Looking up, he caught Sprout's eye and forced a smile on his face. Despite the pain, he was thankful for the Pokémon's intervention. If it were not for the young beast he would still be under the control of whatever ghost was haunting him.

The young turtle watched him warily and flecks of blood marred its beak. He watched him warily but did not cry out when Kenji stood up. Still, he huddled closer to his shell than usual.

Looking around, Kenji searched for the other Pokémon hiding in the clearing. It was difficult to find, with its tiny green body blending into the field. He only spotted it when the creature trilled sadly once more and moved its large, flowered limbs.

Gripping his hand tightly to keep the blood from leaking out, Kenji slowly stepped towards the small Pokémon. However, before he move too close the thorny beast waved it's petaled limbs threateningly.

"I apologize for my actions and the fear they caused you," Kenji uttered after he came to a stop.

He had to keep himself from bowing, lest it provoke the thorny beast into attacking. It appeared that it considered any presentation of the head or limbs a threat, which made sense considering that was how the creature attacked.

Likewise, Kenji forced his expression to remain bland despite the sharp pain pulsing from his hand. To help distract himself, he glanced to the tangled mess of silk and plants.

He tilted his head slightly as he remembered the glowing leaves that easily sliced through the web earlier. His palm pulsed with heat and arrows of pain, pulling him from his thoughts. Focusing back on the scene in front of him, Kenji shoved the agony aside as he spoke to the small beast before him.

"Thorned One," he started. "Could you perhaps use the leaves from before to cut the threads?" he asked politely. He attempted to mime the leaves slicing through the air to cut the silk but blood began to flow from his hand and he had to stop lest he inadvertently drain himself.

Having to hold his wound closed stymied his efforts to communicate with the rose petaled beast, but eventually he managed to get his message across to the Pokémon. It took several more attempts and ideas, until he resorted to blows a handful of grass through the air.

The beast turned away from him to face the sky and twirled its petaled limbs. As it did so, the creature's aura coated a swarm of leaves and pulled them into the air. A shimmering gradient of light covered each individual leaf as they floated in the air. After only a moment, the leaves shot towards the sky before they lost energy and fell back to the forest.

"Yes!" he cheered. "That's it, good job."

His words surprised the Pokémon and it shied away from him before recovering. It twirled once and presented its petals as if it were smelling them, disguising its soft green face.

Keeping his expression amicable, Kenji reviewed the details of the beast's technique. To start, the Pokémon's skill seemed far more powerful than before. There were far more leaves and the mystical light rippling around them were brighter. Kenji suspected that without the distraction of an ongoing battle, along with a time to recover its energy reserves, the creature was able to achieve a greater effect.

The main issue that the apparent lack of control that thorny Pokémon had over the leaves. It seemed to lose any ability to guide them after releasing the technique, yet Kenji remembered how several swerved through the air to re-orientate on Flutter for another strike. Not to mention, the leaves still cut through the air as a group instead of flying wildly in every direction.

Kenji returned his attention to the thorny Pokémon. He forced a smile on his face as he crouched and gently plucked a leaf from a small plant. The Pokémon took offense and he spoke quickly before it could act.

"Vibrant one, could perhaps summon another swarm of leaves and cut through the webbing?" he asked hurriedly in order to better distract it from his minor destruction of its small glade. As Kenji spoke he mimed cutting apart the silk threads with the green blade in his fingers, one hand clenched around the other.

The Pokémon scowled at him before pondering his request. Fortunately, the beast appeared to catch on much quicker to his intentions and summoned another magical swarm of leaves. However, instead of freeing them to tear through the air, it held them in place. The strange mystical light coating them made it appear as if the technique quivered in anticipation.

The beast's limbs trembled form the effort as it took a small step forward.

The glowing leaves moved with the small Pokémon as it did so. Several more steps brought it close enough for the leading pieces of the technique to begin slicing through the sticky threads.

Kenji grinned as he saw his idea work. It fell just as easily when he when he saw as the technique cut through the plants. The Pokémon saw the damage as well, and wailed in distress. He winced at the high pitched cry and rushed to soothe the creature.

"It's ok, little flowers." he said softly. "Sometimes to grow, one must trim the excess."

The beast quickly calmed and they were able to resume clearing the silk. He could see how it hurt the Pokémon to slice away parts of its garden, yet he could see no other way around it. To help the flowered creature, Kenji collected several long branches from the forest. With them, he was able to collect the separated silk and remove it from the clearing.

The heat of the sun pressed down on him as he worked, warming his body. He welcomed it gladly, wishing it could burn away the dark spirit that he now knew was haunting him. However, it would take far more than sunlight to purify his body.

If only he knew what.

There were plenty of stories told at night and at town festivals, speaking of ghosts and spirits. They spoke of people defending themselves through wards, mystics, and Pokémon, protecting their homes from the restless dead. As Kenji struggled to remember the folktales, they slowly removed the rest of the webbing that trapped the bright flowers. He elected to scatter the silk instead of simply piling it together. It would help the material degrade faster and prevent unwanted creatures from nesting in it.

Returning to the clearing, it was obvious that the flowered Pokémon was ready for them to leave. It stood across from Sprout, watching him and Flutter warily, as he walked back. The butterfly was resting on a tree, full from the bounty of nectar it won. He took a moment to stop by the sled and remove one of the cocoons piled there.

Stopping near the young turtle, Kenji clasped his arms to his chest. The green beast often presented its arms and thorny head when threatened. He quickly discovered that do something similar, bowing or showing his empty hands, came off as hostile and further scared the Pokémon.

Instead, he decided on a different method to show his thanks.

He spun in a tight circle, splaying one arm up towards the sky, and leaned backwards.

"Many thanks, great beast of flowers and thorn," he said, speaking in the First Tongue as a sign of respect.

The words were thick and unfamiliar in his mouth as the language was only used in the most formal of ceremonies and by the highest of the clan members. Still, Warriors were required to learn it as was tradition, though few actually achieved fluency.

"Your grove has sheltered us, even though we harmed it." he could not help shooting a glare at Flutter that he quickly smoothed away. "I freely offer bounty of my own, to join your garden."

With his final words, Kenji opened the silk cocoon he grabbed from his sled. Acting carefully, he removed seeds, flowers, and food that he gathered during his trek through the forest. It hurt to lose the goods he foraged but it would shame him to leave without offering restitution.

Kenji gently set the contents of the cocoon on the ground for the flowered Pokémon to survey. It trilled at him curiously, wary of what he was doing. When he was done, Kenji stepped back behind Sprout.

The Pokémon danced forward, inspecting his goods carefully. It seemed to understand that he was offering them to it, and brushed its petaled limbs over each item. Nearly all of the seeds were brushed to the side, piled together away from Sprout. On the other hand, nearly all of the flowers were rejected and left alone.

As he feared, the Pokémon lingered over the fruits longest. Those were his true source of food as he currently had no way to reliably hunt. Hunting Type Beasts was a death sentence for those too close to mortality.

The thorny creature brushed aside the fruits that he found on the largest of plants, keeping the smaller berries for itself. It debated its choices for several beats longer before stepping back with a twirl.

The Pokémon trilled at Kenji for several moments, dancing in place.

He could not help but smile at the small creature and nodded at it. He collected the rejected food and flowers, stuffing them back into his cocoon. Picking up Sprout, he called out for Flutter and walked back to the edge of the Pokémon's territory. Turning around, he displayed his arms once more in thanks.

Placing the turtle and cocoon on his sled, Kenji picked up the sled and strode away from the Pokémon's glade.