Kenji found himself in the ruins of a large dam, spreading from riverbank to riverbank. Broken trees and branches scattered the area. More were pressed against wood wall that previously held the river back as large, brown furry beasts crawled over and around it.

  He could see them repairing the wall with fresh wood, dragged through the water. Their chewing was barely audible over the rush of the water as it flowed through the shattered dam, a quick chittering tap as they chewed on the branches. The larger of their species featured a broad flat tail that he could see patting down mud in an effort to seal the dam.

  Where before there was a small lake, now only muddy banks and a slow river trickled through the forest. The water built up as it neared the dam, rising higher, until it easily passed through the broken walls.

  Gouges and indentations in the wood marked evidence of a fierce battle. Several boulders and small rocks lay against the dam, with scorch marks decorating the forest.

  In the broad, shallow river, Kenji could see beasts of Water struggling to survive. They were likely used to far higher levels, as he could see the previous water line along the trees and stones. To make matters worse, the lower levels allowed filth to muddy the water, turning what was likely a clear lake into a dark stream.

  He could see flickers of red and yellow as carp splashed in the water. Small schools took the opportunity to escape down river by flailing their up through the broken dam. Occasionally, one of the dull, sickly looking fish joined them and Kenji curled his lips in disgust.

  Perhaps the damage to the lake caused the carps to evolve in order to better adapt themselves, Kenji mused.

  However, the majority of his attention was upon the blue and gray loaches that squirmed through the mud. While not nearly as appetizing as the carps, they appeared far healthier than the shabby fish.

  A hoarse, barking whine pulled Kenji from his inspection of the waters. Glancing upwards, he noticed one of the large furry beasts staring in his direction. The Pokémon cracked its tail against the wood, eliciting a loud slap that echoed up the river.

  The other beasts looked up in alarm, though a few appeared too intent on their chewing of the wood to take notice. They twisted their bodies around searching for the threat as they took up the hoarse whine.

  Combined, the Pokémon created a cacophony that grated on his ears. When one slipped into the water with barely a splash, Kenji decided that perhaps it was time to move on. Even as he spun around, several more waded into the water and he quickly lost sight of the dark furred beasts.

  "Beau!" Flutter squealed in excitement.

  "No, Flutter," he urged his companion. "There are too many, and they are already on edge from the recent battle."

  "Ti," the large butterfly shortly trilled back.

  "They merely wish to defend their home and recover," he answered. "Let us leave them be."

  "Fly, ti," the bug trilled as it swung its chitinous body around.

  Kenji stepped quickly back to the sled, not quite jogging as he did not want to risk dislodging anything on his pack. When he roughly picked up the sled in a hurry, Sprout stirred with a warble of complaint.

  "Hush, little one," he told the young turtle. "We must move quickly and quietly."

  Fortunately, the beast was still tired and quickly fell back to sleep.

  Kenji moved as fast as he dared, though slower than he preferred. The weight of the sled and Sprout, along with the awkward position he was forced to drag it with, slowed him considerably. Moving so quickly strained his body, yet Kenji forced himself to continue onwards.

  Only after the damage to the forest and the sound of the rushing river had faded did he begin to relax. More encouragingly, the gnaw marks on the trees grew sparser until he failed to see one for nearly a bell.

  Giving in to the tightness in his shoulder and legs, Kenji set the sled down and collapsed at the base of tree. He wiped the sweat from his face and faintly considered drinking it, he was so thirsty. The salt was sweet on his tongue and only served to make crave the water more. His worry over encountering more of the beasts fought with his desire for a drink, quickly losing ground.

  Kenji stood with a groan and squatted to grab the handles of the sled. His thighs protested and he could feel a slight tremor in his legs.

  "Only a little longer," he told himself with a grunt as he stood up. "Just keep walking."

  He focused on putting one foot in front of the other, letting the sound of the river and Flutter's trills of encouragement push him forward. Kenji vaguely imagined himself as a butterfly struggling to weave between the trees as Flutter goaded his lack of commitment.

  For some reason, it worked.

  Snarling, at the false slights, Kenji pushed himself onwards. Between one step and the next, the soft earth transitioned into hard pebbles of stone. He stumbled to a stop and dropped the sled behind him, taking a moment to lean on his knees and pant. The pack weighed on Kenji, threatening to topple him forward.

  Heaving in breaths, sweat clung to his hair and dripped from his face. He could hear Sprout warbling, but it was a distant concern as there was no sense of fear in the tone, only one of complaint.

  "Ugh," Kenji ignored the young Pokémon as he stood with a groan, his back protesting the slight movement. Slipping out of the straps, he was more considerate of the wood frame as he set it down on the rocky riverside.

  Moving stiffly towards the water, Kenji did not bother removing his clothes before falling into the river. They were already soaked with sweat and would need to cleaned anyways. After surfacing, he greedily drank from the river.

  The water was flowing faster than it did at the dam, the river having narrowed considerably since he last saw it. Fortunately, it was not strong enough to wash him away as he doubted he would be able to put up much of a fight if it did so.

  He waded by to the riverbank and pulled off his clothes, dunking them in the water several times before hanging them up to dry.

  Looking up from his washing, he spied the young beast poking his large head up from the sled. Flutter was nowhere to be seen, likely of in search of a meal or excitement.

  Grinning, Kenji cupped a handful of water and threw his arm to the side. The motion sent a spray towards the sled, droplets misting as it neared the turtle.

  Sprout squealed, withdrawing in fright.

  "Just a bit of water, Sprout," Kenji called out, his voice gentle. "Nothing to be worried for."

  To prove his words, he sent another spray forward, weaker than the first, so that the water misted well before it could touch the young Pokémon.

  "I thought you enjoyed the water, little one," he teased. "Come on out."

  The beast tentatively poked out his head, wary of another splash. He warbled, searching for the source of his fear.

  "Come in to the river," Kenji encouraged.

  Sprout grumbled but seemed to be persuaded by the sound of his voice. The Pokémon awkwardly crawled out of his planter, tumbling free with soil clinging to his legs. He warbled in surprise, rolling forward.

  "Easy, Sprout," Kenji warned.

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  The young beast trundled towards the river, having difficult navigating the river's stones. When he neared the water, Sprout picked up his pace and leaped into the river with a small jump.

  "There you go," Kenji congratulated with a small laugh. "Now that wasn't so difficult was it?" he asked as he waded towards the turtle.

  Sprout chirped in response, dunking his head under the water to drink. The river washed away the soil clinging to him, revealing the soft skin underneath. The missing scales and half healed scars were a constant reminder of the Pokémon's state. Combined with his physical weakness and constant desire for sleep, Kenji worried for his companion's health.

  When they finally contacted a town, or better yet a city, he would have to search for a mystic specialized in the art of healing beasts.

  Kenji could only hope that the turtle managed to hold on long enough for him to do so.

  He lightly splashed water in Sprout's direction, scaring the beast enough to cause him to duck underwater. Kenji sighed at the turtle's fear and looked beneath the surface for the Pokémon. He was still surprised at creature's seeming ease in swimming in the river, finding the turtle walking along the riverbed.

  Wary of the current carrying the young turtle away, Kenji kept himself between Sprout and depths. He continued to play with the beast until the turtle retreated to the riverside and crawled out. Kenji joined him, grabbing his clothes and tossing them onto the sled.

  His muscles still complained, the short break and cool waters not enough to refresh him fully. With Sprout by his side, they traveled only a short way from the river before settling down for the night.

  He double-checked and triple-checked his supplies, ensuring that they would stayed secured to the sled. The leaf and silk blanket was left in place, disguising the goods and hopefully his presence. Flutter returned, settling onto the trunk above.

  "Good feeding and successful battles?" he asked quietly.

  "Beaut," the butterfly trilled lowly, lightly fanning its wings before closing its eyes.

  Kenji bowed to the beast, recognizing its self-appointed duty as a guard. Crawling into the shelter, he curled up with nothing but he leathers for a pillow and his clothes to keep him warm. Sprout was partially withdrawn into his shell next to him and Kenji quickly joined his companions in sleep.

  The day's exertion pulled him into a deep slumber and if Kenji had any dreams, he did not remember them. The night passed uninterrupted and he awoke with a yawn. It was shortly halted by a grunt of pain as a twist of his body result in harsh knot of pain making itself known.

  Gasping, Kenji carefully turned the twist into a stretch, the effort of relaxing his muscles leaving him rolling in the dirt. Groaning, he felt the pain pass far too slowly. When it was finally gone, Kenji levered himself up and crawled out of the simple lean-to. Standing was an arduous process, easing as he began his daily stretches.

  "Ti, ti," Flutter greeted Kenji with a short trill before lifting off and flying away through the trees.

  "Morning, Flutter," Kenji groaned. "Thank you for watching out for us. Have success in your search for nectar." He lost sight of the beast before he finished speaking.

  Dull aches faded as he transitioned through the positions, extending his arms and working his body. Once he felt awake and able to move, Kenji pulled down the sled and righted it on the ground.

  Sprout stirred at the noise and sudden brightness. The beast tried to curl up in effort to continue sleeping, but Kenji would have none of it.

  "Morning shines brightest," he said to the turtle, doing little to quiet the noise his actions created. "Today will be a long day for us both, I suspect, so it is best that we get started."

  The words and light of the sun helped the beast awaken fully, though not very happily. The turtle chirped with a whine when Kenji started to empty his planter.

  "None of that," he chided the beast. "You will be walking again today, for I do not have the strength to carry you from sunup to sundown. Besides, I'm sure the soil was getting a little old?" he asked rhetorically.

  Left unsaid was how emptying the Pokémon's resting spot on the sled helped with the weight considerably. Until it was time for Sprout to rest, the planter would remain empty. Then, fresh soil would fill it, allowing Sprout to, in part, continue absorbing nutrients from the earth. Keeping the planter full of the same dirt would quickly deplete the nutrients and leave Sprout unable to recover.

  With the sled prepared, Kenji ducked a shallow hole to relieve himself in before filling it in. The nearby leaves were rough on his skin, but the best that he could do until he cleaned himself at the river. He grew slightly spoiled with the silk cocoons, tearing off hard yet supple chunks to wipe with.

  Unfortunately, the bundles would be another burden for him to carry, no matter how wonderful they were.

  Feeling lighter, Kenji slung the pack over his shoulders and dragged the sled to the river. Sprout complained at being forced to walk, though he stopped earlier than the day before.

  "Perhaps, you are beginning to understand," he said the turtle when the beast had finally quieted. "To rely on others is to never grow into your own. To never understand your own strength."

  The walk to the river was short and Kenji took a moment for a short bath before drinking his fill. He munched on a feast of berries, the previous days travel leaving his stomach growling louder than Sprout. He fed the beast the berry seeds and his own breakfast, the turtle greedily biting into the food with his beak.

  "If you can walk 'til our next break, then I shall reward you with some of your favorite." he said.

  The turtle liked the sweeter fruits, leaving the two of them competing for the limited food. Unfortunately, the turtle disdained anything with a hint of spice, leaving Kenji to consume it all.

  Once they had their fill, Kenji donned his clothes, uncaring of the water still clinging to him. In less than a bell's time the cloth would be soaked with sweat, so he saw little reason to wait for his skin to dry. Strapping on his pack, he ensured that everything was settled before resuming his march upstream.

  He tried to keep note of any markings or unfamiliar calls, but it was difficult to do so when combined with the effort of dragging the sled. Even with Sprout's dense form walking alongside him, the weight was still enough to leave him grunting when it stuck against a root or stone. The sweat stinging his eyes served to blind him as well.

  Eventually, he could take it no longer and dropped the sled to stumble up against a tree. Panting against the trunk, he worked his shoulders to ease the strained muscles.

  Sprout was just as weary and chirped at Kenji weakly before dropping to the ground.

  "Not yet, friend," Kenji muttered with a sigh. "Let us move to the river before we rest."

  Matching his words with action, Kenji grabbed the sled and trudged towards the sound of flowing water. It did not take long to reach the river, and dropped the sled upon sighting it. Slipping off the pack, he was too exhausted to care as he dropped it the ground.

  Stumbling towards the river, he gratefully slipped into the cold waters with a groan. Sprout joined him, content to merely rest on a half submerged rock while Kenji massaged his legs.

  "This does not bode well for our continued march," Kenji said to the young Pokémon. "It is barely midday and already my body is tired."

  Kenji looked upriver, towards the mountains and forested mesa. As he slowly neared, the gap between the two grew and details emerged. Not enough for him to speak with any sense of definition, just enough to make him wonder.

  The mountains were ranging and low, with not a speck of green upon them. It was as though the earth merely rose up in affront to the forest surrounding it, discarding the trees and shrubs. Snow and ice spotted the peaks, enough to melt and keep the river flowing. The low rise kept waterfalls from forming, channeling the water towards the forest.

  Standing aside the mountains was the mesa, a forest separated from the greater whole. It was incongruous with the rest of the landscape, a marked difference. Sharp cliffs rose up, forcefully dividing the higher land as a noble clan compared to commoners. The trees were wide and plentiful, the distance belaying their size.

  It drew his eyes like Flutter to a flower, an awareness in the back of his mind always drawing him to look for it.

  Omens, ill or good, Kenji could not tell.

  To be safe, symbolled the Original One across his chest, his fists overlapping to direct fingers outwards.

  Deciding that the break was enough, Kenji stood and stripped out of his clothes. He wrung them out carefully before donning them again. The material was wearing quickly. Already several patches were beginning to show as the cloth tore and thinned. Much longer and he would walking in the nude.

  Kenji grinned at the image of some poor stranger spying him in such a state.

  "Ah, but then we would be rescued, eh?" he playfully said the Sprout as the two waded out of the river. "Now, do you think you're up for a bit more walking?" he asked.

  Sprout warbled at his words. The beast was damp from the water, leaving his shell streaked with mud. It was difficult to judge his health as the beast always looked pitiful.

  "Just a little bit," he encouraged, silently pleading to put off having to carry the turtle for as long as possible.

  The young Pokémon chirped, and Kenji smiled.

  "Thank you, little one." he said gratefully. "Here, for your troubles."

  Kenji dug through his supplies, selecting the turtle's favorite berries. He fed them to the beast slowly, as the turtle was prone to biting off more than he could swallow.

  Once the Pokémon had its fill, Kenji ate as well. The fruit left his hands sticky with juice, so he returned to the river to clean himself.

  As he was shaking the cold waters from his hand, he heard Flutter returned with a trill.

  "Beauti!"

  Looking up with a smile, he greeted the large butterfly.

  "How were the flowers?" he asked as he stood up from the riverside.

  However, his smile slowly faded as he took in the Pokémon's state. The wings were ragged, with small tears at the edges. Cuts along its carapace indicated a hard battle, perhaps one that was not a total success. The proboscis shined with a clear liquid, thick and tinged with yellow.

  More than the butterfly's appearance, though, was how the Pokémon was acting. It's wings beat quickly and the large eyes darted around as though on watch for predators.

  "Flutter, what happened?" Kenji said with a frown.

  "Ti, ti, fly!" the butterfly squealed. It flew towards him, swirling around Kenji with several flaps of his wings. The air stirred at him, bringing on a shiver of cold as it whisked at the water clinging to him.

  "Flutter?" he said, worry blooming within him. "What did you do?"

  In response, the beast retreated to the sled and pack, bobbing over the supplies with agitation.

  "Be, beau." the bug trilled insistently.

  Staring at the beast, Kenji felt his worry morph into dread. From the direction Flutter appeared, a small buzz grew at the edges of his hearing.

  "Flutter," he asked again. "What did you do?"