~Beau!~

Blinking open his eyes, Kenji yawned as Flutter's morning trills woke him. With the mud covered wood blocking the sunlight, he found himself waking later in the day. The beast was quick to complain if he slept too long and missed the dew covered flowers in the morning.

"Bea. Ti, ti." the butterfly chirped insistently. Wings beat with eagerness to escape the confines of the shelter, stirring a small wind.

"I'm up, I'm up." he grumbled back.

Tossing aside the silk cover, Kenji stretched with a small groan. A bundle of leaves and a pillow of leather did not make for a good soft bed. When the beast trilled again, Kenji begrudgingly picked himself up.

He stepped over Sprout and lifted aside the wall serving as his door. The morning sun blinded him for a moment but he could feel the Pokémon's wings as the butterfly darted through the opening. By the time his eyes adjusted the beast was already lost amongst the trees. He could faintly hear it's squeals of excitement as it tasted its first nectar of the day.

Pausing, Kenji cocked his head.

Now that he was more awake, he recognized a cadence to the noise the Pokémon was making. He missed it upon waking but, listening now, he remembered the trills it made. Smiling, Kenji prodded the embers of his firepit to life with a generous helping of tinder.

"'A leaf first to unfurl captures the greatest sun.'" he quoted. The words were a common phrase from his father, the memories now tinged with loss.

Young Pokémon, and those fresh from a quick evolution, often had difficulty finding their voice. In the same way a boy's cracked as he grew older, so too did beasts.

Kenji shuddered as he remembered a particularly embarrassing moment when he was announced as a Warrior only for his tone to abruptly break. Even his father teased him for days.

Pokémon adapted quicker, of course, though it could be as long as a season for late bloomers. It seemed that Flutter was to be one of the faster ones, though that did not surprise him. The beast was driven to improve itself. So much so that Kenji was sometimes ashamed at the lack of effort he put into working with the butterfly so far.

With a few logs to fuel the flame, Kenji ensured that the wood was smoldering turning away. Picking up his blanket, he carefully hung it from a vine to keep it off the floor. With the green leaves clinging to it, the shelter was turned almost homely.

Pausing briefly, he shoved aside the line of thought before turning away. This was only a stop on his path home, nothing more.

Crouching, he began the process to wake Sprout. The turtle was slow to wake without the sun and Kenji found himself carrying the beast out from under the stone outcropping more often than not. It seemed that today would be no different.

"Come on, little one." he said softly as he reached out.

Grabbing the beast by the edge of its shell, Kenji pried him out of the ground. Sprout warbled weakly as he was disturbed but Kenji ignored his complaints. The beast would be more upset if it missed the sun than if he left the turtle here in the dark. Much like a plant, the Pokémon needed the sun to survive and after days spent sheltering from the rain, the turtle was weaker than ever.

Grunting from the weight, Kenji found that Sprout was heavier than he remembered. While the added weight was good and showed that the beast was growing, Kenji worried. The Pokémon did not move often, typically only shuffling around camp in search of sunlight or moving to eat a handful of berries and seeds.

If the beast grew heavier or larger, then he would be unable to carry him on the sled. Not only were the branches unable to hold such a heavy load, Kenji himself would be unable to drag the sled behind him.

Shaking his head, Kenji forced the worries aside. Outside the shelter, he set Sprout down where he knew the sun would reach as it climbed in the sky. Already, he could see the turtle begin to stir. Returning to the makeshift cave, he grabbed a single berry and a rock he set aside. On his way out of camp, he set the berry down by Sprout's head for the beast to eat when he finally awoke.

Moving towards the river at an angle, Kenji passed several trees before stopping. Crouching down, he dug through soil with the flat rock. Once the hole was deep enough, he relieved himself before covering it up. Jogging to the river, he cleaned himself up before returning.

A few steps beyond his camp, Kenji started his morning with stretches. The exercises were meant to warm up his body and keep him limber for any potential battles he may face. As a Warrior, he was expected to know and be able to perform a variety of kata until he was considered proficient in an entire school of martial combat.

In reality, Kenji was completely unable to perform the majority of the techniques simply because his body could not handle it. Afterall, how was he supposed to balance a boulder atop his spine without being crushed?

Nevertheless, his father made sure that even if he could not complete a form then he was at least knowledgeable of it. When he first started training, Kenji spent entire days flowing from one movement into the next while his father corrected him. A few touches of the wooden staff they trained with was enough to motivate Kenji to memorize the forms. While he was an excellent parent, and Kenji could wish for no other, when it came to raising a Warrior, the man was as unyielding as a centuries old tree.

Extending his arms, Kenji could feel sweat form on his skin as he sought to clear his mind. Where before, he sought anything to distract him from what he was forced to endure as he followed along with his father, now he only wished he could do so even one more time. His skin stung with phantom strikes as he imagined his father using his bō to forcefully correct Kenji's form.

As he transitioned through the exercises, Kenji struggled to breathe smoothly. His throat threatened to close even as he heard his father berating him for such a lackluster effort. Closing his eyes, Kenji pictured mat floors and the paper walls. Coming to a standstill, he bowed to his father before straightening.

When he opened his eyes Kenji had to wipe away the sweat as it mixed with his tears.

While the kata was not as cleansing as he wished, Kenji felt lighter when he was done. He still yearned for home but his heart was firm. He could not change the past, only the future.

Setting off in a jog, he raced to the river and back to camp several times. The sight of him running scared the young Pokémon in camp and he had to stop momentarily to comfort Sprout. After returning to the river for the fifth time, Kenji stripped out of his underclothes and wadded into the water. The cold bit and raised the skin along his arms but he forced himself to ignore the sting of the river.

The river had risen after the storm and seemed to be maintaining its higher level as the days passed. While he was wary at first, he eventually felt it safe enough to dive beneath the surface. He wondered what could change to introduce so much water continuously yet put it out of his mind. There was nothing he could do to affect the rushing waters so there was no point worrying about it.

The cold water washed the sweat from his body as he swam against the current. Throwing his arms forward and kicking his legs, Kenji fought his way upstream. Despite swimming until his arms burned as much as his legs, the river was still cool on his body.

Focused as he was on swimming, Kenji missed the first scaly flash of red that flickered by. The second surprised him more directly by slamming into his face. Stunned, he caught a mouth full of water and spluttered as his steady strokes changed into wild flails. He felt something brush his leg and Kenji let out an undignified scream.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

The panic sharpened his mind enough that he was able to recover and locked his eyes onto the rocky shore. Swimming towards the riverbank, he jerked as he felt something else collided with him underwater. Since there was no bite of pain or the feel of something latching on, Kenji continued to swim away.

Soon after, he felt the stones under his feet and Kenji stumbled out of the water panting. Turning around, he readied himself to be attacked.

When nothing greeted him, he narrowed his eyes and inspected the water carefully.

The sun reflected off the surface and helped to disguise what lay below. However, after several heartbeats Kenji spotted another flicker of red in water. Jumping back in alarm, he was startled when the fish jumped out of the river with a splash.

"Ma, magi." it bubbled before falling back into the water with a splash.

Staring at the river in shock, he abruptly felt a rumble of hunger. Licking his lips, he swallowed the saliva drooling out his mouth.

In the brief glimpse he had, the fish looked to be plump and healthy with vibrant red scales coating its body. Two yellow fins spiked out of its top and body while larger white ones flailed in the air from the sides and back.

Baring his teeth in a smile, Kenji jumped back into the water. He waded in until the water reached his thighs and stared at the river in hunger. Already the fish he spotted was down the river, the current pulling the beast away. His stomach rumbled again as he pictured the fish roasting over a nice fire. In fact, it did not even have to be cooked. Sushi was a delicacy when properly prepared. Having helped his mother, he was sure that he would have no problem doing so himself.

Kenji was so involved imagining his future meal that he missed the next fish that swam by. He only spotted it when he heard a splash downriver. Glaring at where the beast disappeared, he turned his eyes back onto the river around him. Between the shine of the sun and the rushing water, it was difficult for him to spot the creatures beneath the surface. Only their red and white bodies gave the beasts away.

Lunging into the water, he dove after one that passed by within arm's reach but only received a face full of water instead. The cold shocked him out of his hunger driven mindset and Kenji took a moment to reconsider his actions.

With nothing but his hands there was little chance of him actually catching one of the fish swimming by. In the event that he did manage to grab onto the beast, there was little chance of him holding on.

Already, his face was beginning to ache from the blow he took. That alone gave him pause. There was no indication that the fish struck with force, yet he was sure that come tomorrow he might bear a bruise from the encounter.

In the water, with nothing to defend himself, he was at risk of being hurt or worse, drowning.

Standing up, Kenji turned away from the river with a sigh. Perhaps if he had one his stone knifes in hand he might risk it but without the protection afforded by the sharp weapon he could not.

Cursing his forgetfulness, he swam to the other side of the river and waded out. In his rush to escape, he ended up on the wrong side and only the position of the sun alerted him. He walked away from the riverside until the rocks no longer threatened to twist his ankle. There was still much for him to do today, too much to allow a minor injury slow him down.

Despite his attempts to forget about it, Kenji could not put the matter aside for long.

If he was to take advantage of the sun's zenith the he was going to have to hurry. It was good that he failed to catch a beast, anyways. Slaying a creature before confronting a restless spirit spelled dark omens and might even give the ghost some measure of power over him.

He was no mystic, trained to ward off ghosts and battle with one's spirit.

Jogging downstream, Kenji purposefully ignored the few splashes he heard from the water as he searched for his underclothes. Pulling them on, he attempted to figure out how to hook his future fishing rod. A piece of stone would be too heavy, not to mention how would he attach it to the silk string. With his new knifes, he could carve out a piece of wood as a hook or even maybe a floater.

Returning to camp, Kenji forced the river's temptations from his mind. Distractions would only hinder him and encourage mistakes.

Mistakes that he could not afford.

Walking into the shelter, Kenji grabbed several stones that were piled in a corner. Most of the space was organized with rough wooden crates he was able to make. They held the various berries he managed to gather so far and were stacked several boxes high. A few others stored the vine ropes he braided and cocoons he managed to collect from the Pokémon Nest.

He stepped over to the firepit and sat next to it facing the door. Dropping the stones next to him, he picked up one and studied it. The rock was wide and flat, with one side curving to a rounded point. Kenji had originally grabbed it, thinking its shape would help him during his attempts to make an axe.

A mound of sharp stone flakes filled a wood box from his struggles in creating axe. Fortunately, his attempts at crafting knifes were more successfully and carefully placed near where he lay.

Flipping the river stone in his hand, Kenji visualized the carved sigils of his home. The most familiar was one that even a child fresh from the womb should recognize. The most widely used symbol of the Alpha, it could be found in every home, shop, and shrine. Many used different terms to describe it, often leading to vicious battles as one tried to prove their version superior.

Scholars attempted to describe it plainly as a crossed wheel divided in two and bejeweled by four. What each of the lines and studs meant was discussed by monks, scholars, and priests. For some, unity and connection. Others, power, and all that came with it.

Kenji favored the idea that The Original One's sign was that of a crossed eclipse studded with the stars themselves. The symbol was a representation of both the majesty and danger of the Alpha above all others, just as the moon crossing the sun was as great as it was blinding.

Reaching towards the edge of the fire pit, he snatched up a piece of cool charcoal in his fingers. He was careful to keep the dark ash from coating his hands as much as possible. Not only would it be annoying to have on him, but the black charcoal would easily dirty the rock and ruin his tracing.

Holding the stone and stick of burnt wood carefully, Kenji slowly drew out the separate half circles. They followed the edge of the stone and he had to be careful not to make lines lopsided. Inside the partial circle, he drew two more smaller half-moons parallel to the larger ones. Branching out from those were four lines, two per a half-circle, that extended past the limits imposed by the larger curved lines.

Lifting the charred stick, he studied the decorated stone critically. His lines were sloppy, as a result of both the nature of the brush he used and his obvious lack of skill. One half-moon was thicker than the other which itself wavered like a river flowing unsure of its path. Setting the stone down, Kenji made several more attempts before giving in.

One stone was entirely ruined as the stick broke halfway through and coated the rock in ash. The others were 'passable if he were blind and dead' as he remembered one elder telling him when he was first learning how to draw the symbol. Chuckling, Kenji wondered if Old Man Naoari was winning his shoji matches before he abruptly remembered.

After that, his attempts were made with a flat face and a mind focused only on the charcoal and stone.

Picking up the four best attempts at symbolizing the Original One, Kenji stepped outside the shelter. This area was the most familiar to him, so here he would confront the spirit haunting him. With a firm branch, he traced out the same symbol in the dirt. He made it large enough that he would be able to stand in the center without breaking the lines. Where the straight lines crossed the large half-moon, he placed the decorated stones.

Sprout was awoken by his movement around the camp and warbled at him.

"I'm just preparing for a battle of my own, little one." he told him.

The beast's large head tilted slightly to cock at him in question.

"Yes, I know it's dangerous." Kenji said. "But it's more risky to go on as if nothing is happening."

The young turtle chirped at him and moved to pull itself up out the hole it dug itself into. Dirt clung to his scales and covered the half healed patches that revealed the softer flesh underneath..

"What if it takes over again?" he asked lowly as he concentrated on scraping the branch along the ground.

Kenji briefly wondered if he was losing his mind as he carried on an imaginary conversation with a Pokémon too young to understand anything he said. Deciding that really did not matter, he met the beast as it trundled towards him. Squatting down, he grunted softly as he picked up the turtle.

"You're my companion as much as I am yours." he told the Type Beast, meeting its large clear eyes. "This is my battle to fight. When you're big and strong, you will have conquests of your own."

Walking over to the large firepit, he gently set the Pokémon down inside the protective stone circle. It would do nothing to protect the beast from the ghost but he hoped that the spirit would be too concentrated him to notice the young turtle. Furthermore, the stones would keep Sprout from interfering. Grabbing the failed drawings he added them to the circle on the off chance that it helped shield the beast.

"For now, you cannot fight with me." he continued when he returned.

Sprout whined and pawed the stones. The rocks were piled too high for him to cross, trapping the turtle inside.

"Withdraw into your shell." Kenji said firmly, ignoring the Pokémon's pleas.

The beast continued to warble and cry.

"Sprout," he stared in the beast's eyes until it quieted. "Withdraw."

The Pokémon stared back with uncertainty. Kenji kept his face clear of emotion, watching as it stepped back and slowly pulled into its shell. The turtle's head was the last limb to disappear.

"Good," he said with a sigh before turning away.

Walking back into the mystic's circle, he kneeled in the center. He had no idea how a true mystic would go about dispelling the specters that clung to the mortal world. He knew that the clan specialists manipulated their spirits to coerce and communicate with the ghosts yet knowing the what did little to help him understand the how.

If he had any strength to his slumbering aura then he might fight as even a sorcerer would, with skills and techniques enhanced by Type Energy. However, the little he managed to gather was constantly being used to enhance the seed that was his spirit and the readying the land that was his body.

"Original One give me strength and Guardians bless me." he murmured.

All Kenji could do was his best and pray that it was enough.