Pokémon Warrior: Lost Adventures

Climbing down was easier than climbing up, even if it was fraught with the same peril of a long fall. By looping the vine rope around branches he was able to provide himself an additional handhold instead of simply leaping from branch to branch. He did have to jump down several times but they were more long steps than true leaps. Here, Kenji was the grateful for the leather apron and guards on his arms it kept the rough bark from tearing his skin open.

There was a moment when he slipped climbing down and was left dangling. His heart stopped in his chest as he kicked his legs out in open air. He scrabbled desperately at the wood, terrified that he was falling. The fear seemed to give him strength and his was able to pull himself up onto the thick branches.

After taking a moment to recover and still his racing heart, he resumed his climb down at a more careful pace.

When he reached the lowest branch where he started, Kenji looked down. Straddling the branch, he felt a wave of vertigo and jerked his head up. Breathing deeply, he clamped down on the tree limb while he waited for the dizziness to pass. He suddenly realized that he was so worried with climbing the tree that he never thought about how to descend. While falling from branch to branch worked in the beginning, the lowest tree limb was far too high for him to do so safely. Even if he landed properly, it was a near certainty that he would roll an ankle or worse.

Staring at the trees, he thought of a solution. He could knot the rope on the branch and hoped it held long for him to descend. However then he would be forced to leave behind the useful tool he just made.

His other idea involved wrapping the rope around the branch several times and hoping that it did not slip out of his hands while he lowered himself. There was a chance that the vines would catch on the wood and prevent him from collecting the rope but at least he had a chance.

Sighing, Kenji started to wrap the braid of vines around the branch. It was not very difficult and after the third wrapping, he believed that he was ready. He tried to make both sides as even as possible and it ended up dangling above the ground slightly.

Turning onto his stomach, he held onto one end of the vine rope while his legs fumbled to grab onto the other. The leather sandals protecting his feet were covered in dirt and had difficulty in gripping the vines.

Eventually he found it easier to use the braids of the rope to catch himself. Taking a deep breath, he steadied his nerves and lowered himself down. He swayed freely in the air and he had to force himself focus to avoid panicking. Loosening the grip his hands had around the rope, he slide them down as he bent over. He could feel his feet struggling to hold him up and he quickly tightened his grip.

Before the awkward position could be become painful, Kenji released the hold his feet had and hurriedly lowered them. His arms burned from the strain and he prayed that he would make it before he fell. Moving faster, Kenji felt himself beginning to slide and he clamp down with his hands and feet, curling himself around the braided vine.

Panting, he forced himself to let go and continue sliding down. When felt that he was low enough, he tried to slow down but his hands were slick with sweat. Screaming he felt his feet strike the ground and he tried to throw himself into a roll.

However, his feet caught in the vines and turned his tumble into a fall. Slamming into the ground, he grunted as the air was knocked out of him. Wheezing into the dirt, he lay there until he accidentally inhaled some dirt and started to choke.

Coughing, Kenji spat out the soil and checked himself over.

Surprisingly he managed to avoid turning his ankle despite the failed attempt at rolling. Indeed he was barely even scratched, the greatest wound to his pride. If only there was someone to see it, then he would be rescued.

Standing, Kenji brushed himself off as he shook off the pain. His chest bore a dull ache from hitting the ground but it felt as though it would ease as the day passed. At worst he might have a minor bruise.

Grabbing the rope, he shook it to free the vines from the tree branch. The roughly made rope was resistant to his efforts and he grew more wild with his motions as he tried to whip it free. Pausing for a moment, he realized that he was going about it all wrong.

Peering upwards, Kenji could see that it was loosening slightly and started to gather one end of the rope in his hands before a soft sound alerted him. Snapping his head around, he searched for whatever made the noise. He was not quite sure what he heard but it was different to the other cries he was accustomed to. It sounded less like a chirp and more a warble or low squeal.

Freezing in place, he moved nothing but his head and searched the woods around him. When he saw nothing, he waited a beat more to see if the sound would repeat itself. After no other noise was made, Kenji resumed gathering the rope. He tossed it up and managed to throw it around the branch where it caught.

Groaning, Kenji froze when another cry warbled out. Jerking around, he searched for the beast making the noise and prepared himself to run. Staring at the trees, he felt foolish before he thought to look down.

Trembling in fear, stood a small four limbed creature. The beast was lower than his knee with most of the height gained from the considerable head too large to fit into its shell. It's body blended into the surroundings and, with its small stature, encouraged him to miss it.

Kenji stared back at the small turtle in surprise. As he met the creature's eyes, it squealed and dropped to the ground. The beast tried to withdraw its stubby limbs and large head into its shell but was unable to fully do so. The hard coating was too small to fit all of its limbs while its head was far too big for the small opening.

The wail startled him and he hesitated, surprised by the appearance an unfamiliar beast so close to him. He took a moment to look it over before searching the woods once more. The small beast was obviously young and scared but that was a danger all its own. A Type Beast as young as this one was almost always protected by a mother or even a herd. That it was alone instead was unusual. He half-expected the Pokémon's parent to pop out and attack him for dare closing with its young.

Much like before, there was no indication of any other beasts nearby. Kenji even listened closely to the calls bouncing out in the forest but heard nothing strange. Or at least stranger than what he's heard before.

Only once he was satisfied that no other beast was going to attack did Kenji turn his eyes back towards the terrified Pokémon before him.

Studying the creature closer only served to make Kenji more conflicted. Scratches tore through the creatures thin shell covering and sores could be seen on the beast's limbs. There was a faint hint of dirt on its back but it was flaky and dry, leaving parts of it bare.

While it was likely for a mother to be nearby to safeguard her young, it was equally unlikely for such a protective parent to allow their young to be as malnourished as this one appeared. Instead, a darker, more depressing thought occurred to him.

The beast was young, far too young, and obviously sick. Perhaps it was the weakest of its hatch group, or something similar. Or simply it was its species nature to leave their young to fend for themselves. Whatever the reason the herd or parent decided to abandon it. It was not an uncommon occurrence in the wild.

Pity burned in his chest and, despite the risk, the beast called to him. Here was another being suffering as he was. Lost and alone, scared of what it may encounter in this unfamiliar land. Sick and scared from what they endured.

He remembered how his mother would do her best to care for any beast that she encountered, no matter the danger it put her in. While there were times she was hurt or attacked, she never regretted at least making the attempt.

Giving in, Kenji crouched and sat on the forest floor. He kept his body language as non-threatening as possible by keeping his limbs relaxed and leaning away from the beast. He tried to sense the innate energy of the creature but either his spirit was too damaged to feel it or the creature had none. Type Beasts often released their aura when they were very young or very old, either due to lack of control or a desire to warn aware others.

"Hey, hey." Kenji said softly.

His mother taught him that one should be calm and quiet with Pokémon, especially when they were anxious. People did not like it when a stranger moved unexpectedly or abruptly. That went doubly so for wild beasts.

"It's ok. I'm not going to hurt you." he continued to murmur.

As he spoke, he tried to mimic his mother's form whenever she tended to Pokémon. While her aura allowed her to communicate more openly with Pokémon, she was able to befriend one even without it. She kept her body relaxed as she spoke lightly to a beast.

At first, the young Pokémon trembled harder but as Kenji continued to whisper the shaking slowed. After several more minutes the reptile's shaking stopped completely and it haltingly looked up.

When it saw him looking at it, the beast quickly ducked back down and resumed shaking. Undaunted, Kenji kept whispering soft platitudes to the Pokémon until it looked up again. This time, Kenji made sure not to make eye contact. It seemed to encourage the creature as it continued to look up at him. He saw its eyes dart over to the berries laying on the ground nearby.

Looking over, Kenji held back a wince as he saw the chunks missing from the sweet, pink fruit. It was only natural that a hungry Pokémon eat but he was a hungry person that also needed to eat. Not only that but the food had to be rationed carefully for when times he was unable to forage anything. Sighing internally, he slowly gestured to the damaged fruits.

"Go on. You can eat it. I don't mind." Kenji lied. Even as he spoke his stomach released a light growl of complaint. The unexpected noise scare the turtle-like beast and he was forced to comfort it again.

When the creature finally lifted up its head, Kenji slowly worked to make eye contact. The creature trembled in fear and retreated but it did not turn away. Only after he was sure that he would not scare the Pokémon did he carefully lift his arm and gesture at the half-eaten fruit.

At first, the turtle beast lowered its head but he could see the Pokémon make the connection between his words, gesture, and the fruit. It's small eyes widened and the stubby limbs twitched.

It warbled lowly as if in question.

Kenji continued to lightly gesture at the berries and even looked away to further encourage it.

Only after several minutes of this did the shelled beast seem to trust him enough to stretch out its limbs. Keeping its small eyes on the him, the tiny Pokémon rushed over and began to hurriedly eat the rest of the fruit.

Kenji frowned before smoothing his face. "Hey, hey, hey." he called out softly.

The beast flinched and lowered itself as if to retreat inside its shell.

"Slowly, little one. Slowly." he quietly urged.

When the Pokémon resumed eating, he continued to call out whenever it ate too fast and urge the small creature to slow down. Eventually, the beast seemed to understand as the last few pieces of the fruit were taken in small bites that it did not leave it struggling to swallow. From what he could see, the turtle beast was unable to chew and instead tore off chunks with its beak to swallow whole.

After it took the last bite, the creature nosed around searching for anything it missed. Only juice soaked soil remained off his precious food.

Grinning at him, Kenji chuckled.

"Sorry, sprout, that's all I got." He told the small Pokémon, his father's nickname for Kenji slipping out.

He felt his gut clench when he realized that he would never hear it said to him again. His father rarely used it anymore ever since he began his training to become a Warrior but there were times he dropped it show that Kenji was acting a child. To help distract himself painful memories, Kenji returned his attention back to the Pokémon.

It had turned to face him when he spoke and Kenji noticed that he still had his hand outstretched. Unfortunately, the moment was interrupted by another growl form his stomach. He leaned back with a sigh and rubbed at his temples.

The side effects of going over a day and a half without water was starting to be felt. The only thing keeping him from being completely dehydrated was the juicy fruits and berries he managed to forage so far. Even then, it was only staving off the inevitable.

When he looked up, Kenji was surprised to see the sad and weak looking turtle had moved closer. Raising an eyebrow Kenji's voice took on an amused tone as he smiled.

"Oh, now that you're all filled up you want a bite of me?" he asked playfully. While the creature's hard beak would likely hurt if it bit him, the chances of it breaking his leathers was low.

The turtle warbled softly and took another several steps forwards. Its large head was stretched out and its body low to the ground.

Kenji tilted his head at the new behavior. The Pokémon was still obviously scared yet it was approaching him.

Thinking quickly, he wondered how his mother would respond. His father was likely to point out the battle capabilities and approach with confidence but that was not what this creature needed. Not to mention how it would react. While he was sure that he could outrun the beast, weak did not necessarily mean defenseless.

In the end, he decided to answer like with like and half-bowed while extending his head. Kenji felt somewhat foolish staring at the ground and holding the awkward pose. He could feel a cramp twisting his neck and he wondered who would be the first to move.

They both held the position for several moments before the young beast let out another warble.

Kenji was pleased to find that he managed to hold himself bent over without breaking the pose. At the very least the Pokémon did not run away and he considered his attempt at communication a success. Wiping away some sweat, he thought over the Pokémon's actions.

"Do," he started. "Do you want to follow me?"

Of course the small creature did not respond but he suspected that it was likely the case. Few species left their young to grow alone, even those with reptilian traits. The light, mossy green skin and thin, dirt covered shell suggested that the Pokémon was of the Grass Type. If his suspicions were correct, and Kenji had no reason to believe they were not, then that made its abandonment all the stranger.

Grass-Type Pokémon typically formed close bonds with other members of their species. This was due to their natural inclination to spread and grow, much like a plant. They could be combative with other species but if other plant Pokémon fit into the environmental theme, they would even accept Pokémon from outside their Type.

Regardless, Kenji now had to consider the consequences of allowing the young Pokémon to follow him.

The most glaring issue was if the kingdom discovered it and accused him of theft. It would quickly turn any request for assistance into a trial that would likely end with him severely punished. No kingdom tolerated a Warrior linking without approval from the clan heads or Warlord themselves. Even more heinous were the hunters who sought out beasts to sell or harvest.

If the kingdom captured him, they would take the Pokémon and either release it deep into the kingdom or worse. Beasts forcibly separated from their partners were often difficult to link with and not worth the risks of the Pokémon turning on its would-be partner. Many simply preferred to silence the creature permanently lest it return for vengeance.

That was not even mentioning the risk of the creature's herd or family returning and finding their young taken. Even a Warlord would think twice before tangling with a full herd of monstrous beasts bent on recovering their young.

On the other hand, if Kenji did not allow the Pokémon to travel with him, and the turtle like beast was truly cast out of its herd, then he was likely condemning the creature to death. It was far too young to survive on its own, evidenced by its hurried eating. Even if the turtle managed to survive, it was sick and its wounds not healing properly.

Plus, there was one more reason, one that he did not want to ponder on too long, lest it consume him.

He was so terribly alone.

Not only was he lost and at risk of dying but, even if by some miracle of the Original One he made it home, there was nothing there for him. His family was gone, his father almost certainly killed by the army that attacked. He had no link with any of his family's Pokémon, so most would have been taken in by survivors if they did not flee into the wilds.

It would be easier to fight to continue if he had a companion relying on him. It would help smother the cold, dark pit lying at the center of his being. Even in the sun, he could feel the chill clinging to his skin. It seeped through his chest like a poisoned root in its search of his spirit.

Just because he left the void, did not mean the void had left him.

Clenching his jaw, Kenji forcefully turned his mind away from the memories of the dark and focused on the now.

He forced a smile down at the Pokémon slowly shuffling its way forward. He held out a hand and allowed the creature to inspect it warily before placing its large head against his palm. Kenji felt something inside him loosen, and the smile soon became genuine.

"Hey there Sprout, I'm Kenji." he said. "And everything is going to alright.