Striding through the woods, Kenji prepared himself for the fights to come. He felt nervous, yet strangely excited. In their last, and first, battle together, he finally felt in control of his path. He was able to strike back against the world, and it felt good to finally be the one acting instead of reacting.
Flutter seemed to be as eager as him, as the butterfly flew ahead. The beast was chittering as it wove through the trunks, bobbing up and down. The evening sun dabbled the forest floor, reflecting off the Beautifly's wings.
The shadows were growing, but he still had time before night fell.
Behind him, Sprout complained with a panting chirp. The poor turtle was struggling to keep up, even with the reduced pace that Kenji set.
"Just a little further," Kenji called over his shoulder. "You can do it," he added encouragingly.
The single glance was enough for him to see the beast's clear eyes begging him to pick the turtle up.
Kenji jerked his head forward lest the appeal in Sprout's eyes force him to pick up the heavy turtle. The thought of continuing to carry the beast through the forest was enough to harden his heart.
Eventually, there would be a point that he was simply not capable of dragging Sprout on the sled. And then the beast would be forced to walk whether he wanted to or not.
The sound of the gurgling river reached his ears, helping distract him from the whining turtle behind him.
"Listen, Sprout," he said loudly. "You can hear the river already." He wanted to run ahead with Flutter, who was already darting beyond his sight, but he knew better.
"Just a little further," he encouraged again.
Sprout's footsteps came a little faster and Kenji slowed so that they could walk beside each other. It seemed to encourage the turtle more than his words did, though only after he continued to refuse to pick up the beast.
Looking out of the corner of his eye, Kenji studied the beast.
Sprout was moving slower than before, but seemingly with purpose. The Pokémon was determined to keep up, or at the very least too scared to be left behind. Fear could be a good motivator, if tightly controlled and not done overtly.
However, that was a path that he would like to avoid. It was a false foundation for a healthy relationship and a link.
Lifting his eyes, he spied the break in the trees that revealed the river ahead.
The river was loud, and he could see Flutter bouncing over the water. The new, higher levels turned the lazy waters into a race downstream. With Sprout trundling next to him, Kenji approached it slowly.
However, the turtle picked up speed upon sighting the river, ready to leap into the rushing waters.
"Sprout," Kenji shouted in alarm. "Stop!"
The turtle jerked at his loud voice, losing his feet. He was clumsy at the best of times, which this was not. Wailing in surprise and fear, the beast started to tumble.
Kenji cried out wordlessly as he dove, lunging for the Pokémon before the turtle could fall into the river. The stones blunted his fall, enough that neither of them rolled into the quickly moving waters. He grunted from the pain and rolled onto his side, sure to keep the young beast away from the riverbank.
"Beau?"
To the side he heard Flutter call out, a curious lilt to its cry as it drifted over. Only this morning did the bug find its voice, early enough that Kenji took the event as good omens.
At his side, he felt Sprout start to shake. Suppressing a sigh, he comforted the young turtle. The large butterfly joined him, trilling some of its impatience as it settled on a branch nearby.
"I hear you," Kenji said with another sigh, this one filled with pain as his body started to make its complaints known.
The stones were sure to leave his body spotted with light bruises. Fortunately, nothing seemed to be broken, other than his pride.
Groaning, he pulled himself upright, placing a reassuring hand on Sprout's beak. The hard bone pressed against his skin as the turtle nuzzled him back.
"Now," he started with a firm expression. "Stay here, out of the water."
Sprout warbled at him, the sound slightly muffled by his hand.
"No, it's not safe in the water for you," Kenji told the beast.
"Ti, bea," Flutter trilled at the turtle.
"See, even Flutter agrees," he added. "Stay." Kenji said once more before turning towards the water.
Sprout chirped back, somewhat grumpily, Kenji thought.
Meanwhile, Flutter took to the air when he stepped towards the riverbank. The Beautifly was clearly excited, understanding that Kenji was looking for another fight. The bug bounced from side to side, giving a spin as it did so.
He only wished that he was as ready as the Pokémon was.
Looking into the river, Kenji searched for the flash of red and yellow that he witnessed this morning. With the river frothing in places, it was difficult for him to see, and he did not want to move too far from Sprout. Not only would it unnerve the beast to be left alone, the turtle would not be able to properly witness the battle.
The young Pokémon was inexperienced and far too fearful. While a little fear could work to temper bravery, too much could be debilitating.
Kenji hoped that by easing the turtle into violence he could help the beast overcome his fear. Sprout already enjoyed the bounty of the glade, where the Pokémon of thorn and rose laid claim.
While he looked for their first opponent, Flutter was growing impatient. The beast was still unsure of what he intended to fight and was bobbing through the air searching as well..
Though Kenji was unsure of what the butterfly was actually looking for as it turned its head around inquisitively.
Pacing along the river, he finally managed to spot the telltale flicker of red in the water.
"Flutter!" he shouted, attracting the beast's attention. "Spit your thread there." Kenji pointed at the section of river where he saw the fish.
It took a moment for the beast to understand what he intended, but it quickly remembered their previous battle together and sprayed out a string of silk.
Focused as he was on the water, Kenji noted how the silk flew farther and faster than it did mere days ago. Their training together and the butterfly's lone hunting was already proving its worth.
Perhaps now he should become more involved with the hunting aspect, as the beast was still unfamiliar with the commands he gave.
Still, Flutter was a fully evolved Pokémon, having survived seasons as a simple worm and more as a vulnerable cocoon.
The string of silk struck the water, missing the fish, as it was long gone by the time the butterfly had attacked.
"Fly, ti," the Pokémon wailed.
"It's ok, we'll get the next one," he called out, encouraging the beast to forget the missed shot.
Kenji could feel his blood pump as he grew excited at once more directing a Type Beast in battle. Yet, as the heartbeats turned into minutes, he found himself despairing of another attempt. Whether it was the time of day or something else, he spotted no more fish.
When he half turned to pick up Sprout and move upriver, a flicker in the water caught his eye. Without pausing to inspect it closer, Kenji shouted once more.
"Flutter, there!" he said hurriedly.
Now understanding what he wanted, the beast sprayed thread at the water with a furious squeal. No doubt it was upset at having to wait around for its opponent. Like before, the stream of thread struck the water.
However, while it appeared that the butterfly aimed correctly, Kenji saw that the water itself worked to protect the fish. The silk was slowed and the force blunted as the thread entered the river.
Cursing his lack of foresight, Kenji considered how to attack a beast under the surface. He did not think to factor in how fighting in the river would affect their chances.
Staring at the water, Kenji saw the red and yellow carp swim away, unaware of the failed attack. When the fish turned around and started to nibble at the silk, Kenji wanted to slap himself.
He watched it for a heartbeat before his eyes widened in realization.
"Flutter, up!" he shouted. "Fly upwards." At the same time, he gestured with arms to the sky, praying that the bug understood what he was telling it to do.
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The butterfly jerked its wings down and, with a burst of air, bounced upwards. The string tightened and stretched as the beast flew into the sky.
At the other end, the carp was still chewing on silk. When the thread tightened and moved to follow, the fish was jerked out of the river with a spray of water. Its body twisted and flailed in the air, the red scales vibrant in the sunlight.
"Yes!" Kenji yelled, leaping into the air with his fist raised. "Now hit it with your body, blow it this way." He lowered his hands in preparation to catch the large fish.
The red carp twisted as the butterfly flew towards it. As a result, the bug only clipped the fish, sending it back towards the water, hitting the river with a splash.
The water sprayed towards Flutter and the butterfly jerked out of the way with a squeal, not wanting its delicate wings to be weighed down.
Kenji groaned as the fish swam away, scared off by the attack. Flutter settled down when the water fell back to the river and winged around searching for another fish.
Fortunately for the two of them, Kenji had an idea.
"Flutter, spit thread into the water again," he called out.
The Pokémon trilled at him but did as he said, a silk string spraying out of its proboscis. The thread shot into the water, trailing much like a line from a fishing rod.
When he returned to camp, he would have to remember to select a proper branch for a rod. For now, Flutter would hopefully be enough to pull in another fish.
The two of them only had to wait a short time before he spotted another flash of red and yellow nibbling on the thread.
"Reel it in, Flutter!" he shouted once more.
The white string vibrated from the butterfly's squeal as it flew upwards. The silk stretched and snapped back, yanking the carp out of the river.
"karp, karp," the fish gurgled as it flailed in the air.
"Body blow," he said quickly, not wanting to give the large fish time to react.
Flutter did not bother releasing the string as the butterfly surged forward with a flap of its wings. A light burst of water sprayed out from around the yellow fins as the scaly fish twisted. The beast was too close and it squealed as it was forced to dive through the water.
The water glistened on the butterfly's wings as its chitinous body collided with the red carp. The two creatures wailed, the fish gurgling while Flutter squealed. This time, the carp was unable to flail and rebound off the Pokémon.
The strike roughly shoved the red carp forward, sending the fish flying to the riverbank.
"Get in close, Flutter, and finish it off," Kenji cheered.
The butterfly raced forward before the fish could jump back into the river. Flutter jabbed several times with its proboscis in quick succession and the battle was over.
Kenji grinned as the butterfly rose with a trill of victory. At his side, Sprout was shaking slightly but he did not move to comfort the turtle. This was something that Sprout would have to push through on his own.
The smile faded when he realized that the fish was on the other side of the river.
"Flutter, grab the carp and bring it here," he called out to the butterfly.
The beast spun around with a cry, ready to attack. Kenji had to repeat his instructions before the butterfly wrapped the fish in silk and carried it across the river. While he hung it from a branch, the flying bug returned to bobbing over the river. Thread trailed from the butterfly and Kenji nodded, impressed.
The evolved Pokémon was learning quickly, already recognizing that it could use its silk as a fishing rod.
He only had to intervene a few more times, once when a fish managed to splash a large amount of water towards Flutter. The beast nearly fell towards the river, the wings drenched. Fortunately, the bug managed to generate enough wind to hold itself aloft while they dried.
Several times the butterfly pulled out a horrible appearing fish and Kenji had to order it to let the nasty looking creature go. Its scales were a dull, faded brown with ragged fins and bulging pink lips.
That one of them had the scales of a rotted cherry blossom only made creatures all the more gag worthy.
The monotony of battling was broken rather unexpectedly. A surge in the waters was their first sign, strangely coming from downriver instead of up.
Peering into the water, he tried to search the frothing waters for the cause of the disturbance.
Flutter dropped nearer the surface, perhaps in an attempt to see better.
Unfortunately, that seemed to be what the beast was waiting for.
The surface frothed violently, before erupting a harsh, pitched screech. The water sprayed upwards, droplets visibility shaking from the grating sound.
Covering his ears, Kenji could only watch as Flutter was thrown backwards, its squeals overpowered by the other beast's attack.
Before the butterfly could recover, the opposing Pokémon leapt out of the water. Glistening white, its billowing fins were hued with orange, transforming its round body into a delicate beauty. Most prominent of all was the ivory horn sprouting from its head.
Which was glowing rather threateningly.
Eyes widening in alarm, Kenji tried to shout a warning. However, before he could, the large goldfish struck.
The elongated horn easily pierced the butterfly's chitin.
This time Kenji could clearly hear Flutter's wails of pain. The agonized trills dug at his ears and spirit. The attack was the worst he's seen the beast take so far, exceeding even that of the thorned Pokémon.
Still, Flutter was not an evolved beast. Not only that, the beast was experienced in battle, with a will to match.
With the fish so close, the butterfly pulled its large head back to properly extend its proboscis. Even as they fell, the narrow pierced the Pokémon's scaly body.
"Beauti," it trilled in fury, as a shimmer of green aura coated the elongated proboscis.
Before the two touched the water, Flutter winged upwards, managing to stir up at decent wind as it did so. The move, while weak, drove the fish forcefully into the river.
The delicate fins waved in the water as the Pokémon shook, having to both fight the current and Flutter.
Seeing the water begin to bubble, Kenji shouted to the butterfly.
"Flutter, up," he ordered, gesturing to the sky.
The bug obeyed not a moment too soon as another pulse of water sprayed out of the river in an ultrasonic scream.
Flutter slowed in the air, and Kenji worried that the flying beast was harmed by the attack.
However, his worries were proven unfounded as a green glow of aura rose from the bug's chitinous body. The energy took shape, forming a bright round orb that flew towards the fish.
Belatedly, Kenji recognized the move as absorb, though in a form he did not recognize. Typically, Grass Type Beasts used their plant-like limbs or growths to latch on and drain their prey directly.
The attack slipped beneath the surface of the water unhindered, sinking into the goldfish's scaly body. Only a moment later, the same orb emerged and flew back to the floating butterfly.
"Ti," the bug trilled, its voice stronger than before.
The other Pokémon did not take the attack without response. Leaping out of the water, the fish aimed its horn towards the giant butterfly.
"Gol, gol," the goldfish gurgled.
"Watch out!" Kenji shouted, somewhat unnecessarily as the bug was already watching closely. "Blow it away, towards the riverbank," he urged. With the fish out of water, Flutter would have a far better time attacking.
The flying bug complied, more used to his commands with similar battles with previous fish. It furiously flapped its wings, the stirred up wind catching on the fish's long fins.
Flutter struggled to dash forwards, the gust of wind pushing it backwards as well as it's opponent. As it did so, the fish twisted frantically on the ground, splashes of water spraying the rocks around it.
"Fly," Kenji called out in encouragement. "Quickly, before it gets back into the water."
The Beautifly winged towards the fish, its proboscis extending to pierce the Pokémon's scales once more.
"Use absorb when you attack," Kenji ordered. "You'll grow stronger from doing so."
However, before Flutter could land its attack, the fish splashed back into the river. Its fins splayed outwards, flowing with the water in a manner Kenji found odd.
Wary of another attack, Kenji instructed the butterfly once more.
"Pull back, its preparing to attack."
Flutter trilled, upset, slowing instead of fully retreating as he said. More for them to work on, he noted in the back of his mind.
Against his expectations, the beautiful goldfish did not attack.
Instead, the horned fish practically disappeared. Both the current and its own strength propelled the Pokémon downstream, a powerful wake the only indication of its direction.
Staring after it in surprise, Kenji jerked his head around when Flutter released a piercing trill. Worried that another beast was attacking, he was relieved to see that the Beautifly was only celebrating its victory.
"Yes," Kenji shouted with the bug. "You did it!"
Warbling at their excitement, Sprout joined in celebration. The turtle slowly grew used to their battles with the weaker carp, until he was able to watch without cowering. The fight with the horned goldfish changed that, causing the beast to withdraw into his shell in fear.
Laughing, Kenji held out his arms, catching the bug as it fell towards him. The butterfly was practically light as air compared to Sprout, and he spun the beast in a circle.
Flutter trilled along with him, tired from the exertion but still in high spirits.
Calming slightly, Kenji winced as he took in the Pokémon's wound. The horn pierced the carapace, digging deep into the butterfly's body. Combined with the ultrasonic pulse of water and the earlier battles, the beast was barely strong enough to fly.
Searching for a nearby branch, Kenji crouched to snatch up the piece of wood. He held it to the butterfly, offering a smile of encouragement.
"Here, spray some silk so I may bandage your wounds, then you can rest."
The Pokémon trilled weakly, only managing a scant bundle of thread. It was enough for him to wrap the butterfly's wound, at least until it grew strong enough for a proper bandage.
With such a powerful opponent for the end of their battles, Kenji decided that it was time to prepare for the rapidly approaching evening. They had enough of a bounty for the night, even when split between him and Sprout.
Moving upriver, he located the small alcove that he worked to establish. At some point after the storm, a thick tree trunk lodged on the rocks and helped blunt the water slightly. The wood had odd teeth marks on it, as if something had purposefully chewed the trunk until it fell.
Every time he visited the river, Kenji was sure to add a large rock or several in the hopes of creating a small pool that was shielded from the stronger current. Today was not different and, wanting to match Flutter's exertions, he moved the largest rocks he could manage.
A quick dip in the river washed the forming sweat away and he started to clean their catch. Flutter rested on a nearby stone, idly watching him. The beast's wings were splayed out, drying in the fading sun and resting from a series of victories.
Meanwhile, Sprout trundled about in the shallows under Kenji's watchful eye. There was a moment of panic when he turned and could not see the turtle, but the beast popped up out of the water with a squeal of excitement.
Kenji was still unsure how the heavy beast managed to sink and swim so easily but set it aside. He offered the turtle a piece of fish to keep him from straying too far and Sprout bite at it curiously.
"Oh? Now you want some?" he said when the young Pokémon chirped for more. "After Flutter was the one to brave the fight need?" he teased.
Sprout chirped in insistence and Kenji chuckled. He gave in a tossed a piece to the turtle.
A piercing shriek cried out and, in a flash of black feathers, the treat was rudely intercepted.
Kenji jerked back in surprise and Sprout dove underwater with a gurgle. Flutter was even slower to react, having drifted into a nap while it rested.
The blur of feathers resolved itself into a ball of a bird. It had gray and black feathers, with splotches of white decorating it. The bird had to audacity to toss the treat up and swallow it in front of them. Afterwards, the beast screeched and glared at him.
Kenji glared back. He faintly recognized the beast from his studies of the Type Beasts found in other kingdoms.
A Starly.
"Hey, that wasn't for you," he snapped.
Flutter trilled in support, tired yet clearly ready to help.
The bird screeched again and Kenji was alarmed to feel Energy infused into the cry. Turning towards the beast fully, he held the stone flake in his silk wrapped hand.
Size was not always an indication of strength. If the bird was willing to expend its strength on a mere cry then it showed that the beast was serious about its potential meal.
His mind flashed back to the view from the top of the tree he climbed forever ago. Swarms of butterflies hugged the tree line while larger, faster shapes dove through them. Tensing, Kenji quickly realized that the bird could be after more than just fish.
Flutter was worn from its multiple battles, the goldfish Pokémon inflicting too much damage with its powerful horn.
Sprout was young and sick, barely able to care for himself let alone fight one of Type's natural enemies.
His bonded partner, the ghost that haunted his mother's amulet was still weak from hiding them. Even if it was not, Kenji was not sure how it would be able to help in a direct confrontation, trapped as it was in the necklace.
It was only Kenji, with his two companions relying on him for protection.
