"It's time to get up," Jared growled.

  Well, he always growls, Henry thought as he stretched with a grunt. His hands brushed the tent fabric and stretched as he pressed against it. Not like he can help it.

  "I'm up, I'm up," he told his partner with a yawn.

  He tugged his sleeping mask down and rubbed at his eyes. When he could finally see, he jerked back in surprise.

  "Cynthia's Tits!" Henry shouted. "Why are you so close, man?" he snapped with irritation.

  Jared moved away, his scarred face retreating to a more comfortable distance outside Henry's personal space.

  "Get up," he grumbled. "Time to move."

  "We have plenty of time," Henry complained. "We just set the traps, there's no way we caught anything yet."

  Jared merely grunted and pulled out the tent, letting flap fall back into place.

  Alone again, Henry fell back with a yawn.

  Despite his words, Henry crawled out his sleeping bag and started to pull on his clothes. He knew better than to press too hard, and the two of them already took several hours to relax last night. Or at least he did.

  A short but well deserved field shower after stomping through the forest all day. Some actual food, pan fried with a side of fresh berries. He even managed to finish a book he started a while ago but never finished.

  Henry just wished Jared would indulge as well. The other man was more wound up than his Hitmonlee's coiled legs. And the Pokémon kicked boulders for fun.

  When Henry felt that he was ready, he grabbed the rest of his gear and left the confines of the tent. He broke camp, or at least his portion seeing as Jared was already set to go. The small pop up shelter was folded and packed with the ease of long repetition. Bundled up, he tied it to his canvas pack.

  Much like his traveling gear, the synthetic fibers were mottled dull to keep from reflecting any light. The camouflage helped him to further blend into the surroundings and break up his silhouette. While the forestry colors would not fool any truly dangerous monster, there were plenty of Pokémon that could give them trouble.

  All it would take was one little beast throwing a fit and they would have half the forest descending on them.

  Henry double checked to make sure his Poké Balls were secured, with the other tools of their trade tied down to keep from making too much noise. His primary concern was for the small bag of the minimized spheres that allowed them to quickly capture a beast while on the move without having to rummage through their packs. If not properly contained, they were liable to bang together or even spill out.

  Only once he was finished with his preparations did Henry greet his partner. The man was standing, ready to go, and intently watching the forest with shadowed eyes while occasionally turning to glare at him.

  "Well good morning to you," he said to Jared as he peeled open a breakfast bar.

  The protective wrapping was a biodegradable paper, the oats and berries carefully selected for maximized nutrition, and could sustain even a Journeying teenager.

  It was a pity that the dense meals tasted worse than they sounded.

  "Another glorious breakfast fit for a Champion, eh?" he asked

  Jared of course ignored him, but Henry was used to the man's silent treatment.

  Crunching through the rest of his breakfast bar, he continued with a stream of words. The conversation remained one-sided with only the occasional grunt from Jared to warn him when he was too much.

  "Think we should expect anything?" Henry asked as he crumbled up his second wrapper. He shoved it inside his bag with the other trash from their isolated posting.

  Disposable did not mean untraceable.

  "It was great last night, it seemed like half the Wilds were laying low." Henry said around a mouthful of grain. "No idea why, but it was great. Best sleep I've had out here in ages," he rambled.

  Jared growled.

  Henry snapped his jaw shut. Flickering his eyes over, he watched the other man without alerting him.

  Hopefully.

  Still, he could not help resting his hand atop the clasp holding his Poké balls.

  When nothing else occurred, he slowly relaxed and continued on. The rest of their morning ritual was conducted in silence.

  The few remaining items were stored into his large pack and the indications of their presence carefully erased. Despite what one would expect, they had access to some of the latest technology in camping and Journeying gear.

  While it made the job all the more bearable, the advanced equipment's true value lay elsewhere. Not only did they save time setting up and tearing down, but with their skills, they left no trace of their presence. Electric grills meant no ash and no smoke. Quality camouflage kept them hidden with expert repels that completely eliminated their scent instead of simply warding away Pokémon.

  Completely different to my time Journeying as a youngster, Henry thought to himself with a silent chuckle. Long gone were the days of struggling to light a fire and sleeping in a leaky tent. Though he did enjoy fending off the curious Pokémon, battling the wild creatures with his team.

  When Henry finally slipped on his pack, Jared set off without a word. The man was long ready, always prepared to leave at a moment's notice.

  "Think we'll find anything?" Henry called ahead softly.

  The other man grunted in response.

  "Yeah, I didn't think so either," Henry said, taking Jared's grunt as a no. "Far too early. And whatever spooked the forest likely caused all the good beasties to hide," he added as an afterthought.

  Jared paused, considering Henry's words.

  Henry held his breath, wondering if the man would speak. Anything beyond a snarled instruction or grunt of acknowledgement was worth a Dragon's Scale, and just as hard to pry free.

  When his partner started to move without responding, Henry sighed. If he did not already know that others were just as unnerved by the man, he would have that Jared was playing some cruel joke. But no, the man truly avoided discussion.

  Leaving it all up to Henry to carry a conversation. Fortunately, he was gifted with a Chatot's tongue, as his mother used to say.

  "Since we're likely not to find anything, where do you want to camp?" he asked rhetorically. "Personally, I'm favoring the river. Sure a camp shower is great, but it's nothing compared to a dip in the water, cold as it is."

  Henry hesitated briefly before committing. "Pity there's no one to swim with, eh?" he leered at Jared with exaggeration, hoping to get a rise out of him.

  Jared stopped, his feet slamming into the ground with a harsh finality.

  Henry stopped as well, alarmed at the sudden change. He glanced around warily, expecting a Pokémon nearby but he saw nothing. Turning his eyes back forward, he flinched backwards. Dropping his hand to his pocket, he fingered the latch, ready to release Lee at a moment's notice.

  The other man's face was stone flat. If it were not for his eyes, Henry could almost believe that nothing was wrong. Well, that and the burns. His cracked and charred skin pulsed with heat, seeming to glow with lingering Houndoom flame.

  Yet it was Jared's eyes that froze Henry. The dark orbs burned with rage and fury, revealing scars deeper than any flesh wound could reach.

  Inwardly, Henry was surprised at his partner's state. Usually it was not until late into their assignment did the man begin to unravel. Having served several long term postings with him before this, and a multitude of briefer patrols, Henry felt that he had a reliable sense of Jared's temperament.

  For the man to be so disturbed, so early into their posting was a warning. Perhaps last night did not leave them untouched after all.

  The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Apologies," Henry murmured, dropping his eyes. "I spoke without thinking."

  He did not lift his head until the crunch of leaves alerted him to Jared's movement. Flickering his eyes up, he watched the man turn and begin to walk ahead. Only when there were several trees between them, did he let his breath out in a rush.

  Shaking his head, stared after his partner in dismay.

  "It's going to be a rough couple of months." he grumbled.

  Tapping his finger against his Poké ball, he whispered to his team.

  "Stay on guard, there's something strange going on," he instructed. "No telling what's awoken to cause such a stir."

  One of the two red and white orbs shook weakly in response, too secured for much movement. Satisfied that his companion was watching, he followed after Jared. With a comfortable distance separating the two of them, of course.

  They passed the first trap with barely a stop, only long enough to ensure it remained hidden and undisturbed. It was difficult designing something that could trap any manner of powerful Pokémon without permanently harming them, or worse. Not that doing so was an easy task in the first place. Fortunately, it was not their responsibility to craft such things, only place them.

  The rest of the day passed with thankfully less fanfare than the morning. Of course, Henry returned to his running commentary, though with suitable periods of quiet. With a better understanding of Jared's mood, he knew how to modulate himself.

  There was a bit of excitement with some Wurmple evolving, but, well. Houndoom burns had a way of hardening the skin, even as it inflicted decades long pain.

  Blocking out the sounds behind him, Henry surveyed the surrounding forest. There were few monsters out and about. None of the traps looked to have been triggered, let alone need servicing. As a result, they were on track to finish their regular checks early.

  "We might even get recalled," he mused with false hope. "Yeah, and maybe a Torterra will grow wings and fly," Henry answered himself with a snort.

  When Jared was blessedly finished, they resumed their trek through the forest. Henry was eager for the end of the day and he led the two of them to the river. He purposefully set a hard pace, with the hopes that it would keep his partner from engaging in his excesses.

  They arrived well upstream of the Bibarel dam, close to the sloping Shallow Mountains. They had to be careful when near the mountains as the forest started to thin out and they risked some flying Pokémon or Ranger spotting them. Still, they were far enough into the Wilds that they should be outside the Ranger's normal patrols.

  With only a short glance around to ensure that there no Pokémon about, Henry started to strip. He hung the clothes from a nearby branch and strode into the river. The round stones threatened to trip him as he walked, but soon the cold water was flowing over his feet. The ice-melt made the river uncomfortably cold, though as spring passed, it would warm slightly.

  He yelped at the sensation and forced himself forward until the water reached his thighs. Breathing deep, he prepared to dive into the water. Behind him he could hear Jared moving around, with the rustle of clothing to hint at the other man preparing for his own swim.

  "Thank the ancestors," Henry muttered. He swore his partner would never clean himself unless forced to.

  Keeping his head forward, Henry dove into the water. The cold shocked him awake and he could feel his mind sharpen from the bite. He let the water carry him away slightly, giving Jared time to enter the river.

  The man was body shy at the best of times, wearing loose clothes that covered his form. He often even went so far as to wear a mask, giving others another reason be fearful of the man. Only on their isolated patrols did Jared let his scars show.

  When Henry's lungs started to burn, he rose to the surface with a few swings of his arms. The river was relatively shallow, allowing him to stand comfortably in some places. He took advantage of it as he started to rub lightly at skin, helping the water whisk away the sweat from their travels. He was sure to keep his back to Jared as he did so, not wanting to aggravate the man.

  Perhaps when they set up camp, he could take the time to release his Pokémon and train. They were on edge, as was he, and they deserved some time to stretch their limbs as well. Hopefully, he would be able to convince his companion to do the same.

  Though it was not as if the Hitmonchan was any different from its master.

  Henry let himself fall backwards against the current, submerging himself in the water. The river was refreshing and as it poured over him, he imagined the cool waters washing away his worries.

  This was simply another job, one with a sizable payout at the end.

  He opened his eyes and watched bubbles stream away as he emptied his lungs. When they began to burn and he was fighting the urge to breathe in, Henry stood up out of the river. He swiped a hand across his buzzed hair and cleaned the water from his eyes.

  Listening, he could not hear the sounds of his partner splashing about so he turned and waded his way upstream. The man was nowhere to be seen and Henry shrugged.

  "Not like I'm his babysitter," he muttered as he pulled on his underwear. Grabbing the rest of his clothes, he walked into the forest to find a place to camp for the night.

  After finding a suitable spot he pulled out the hot plate and started cooking. His skin dried slowly, leaving a chill as the wind whisked away the water. Giving in, Henry pulled on the rest of his clothes while he waited for the food. When the potatoes and berries started to crisp, he pulled them off the heat and started to eat them from the pan.

  A whisper of air from behind alerted him, and Henry froze for a moment.

  Forcing himself to resume chewing, he swallowed and speared another fork-full of food.

  "Got a nice pan of potatoes and fresh fruit." he started conversationally. "The wild stock seemed to be growing nicely, though we'll have to be careful to keep it from growing out of control."

  A short grunt finally answered and Henry relaxed. Not the best response but certainly better than he feared.

  "Can't have some Ranger growing suspicious and sticking their Aipom's where they shouldn't," he continued.

  Jared finally walked around into his line of sight, clothes still damp from the water. His skin was long dry, the cracked scars keeping it so. He refused a silent proffering of food and Henry spied new stains on the man's clothes.

  "Maybe tomorrow will present some excitement," he suggested as Jared pulled off his pack and lay on the ground.

  When the other man started to lightly snore, Henry finally relaxed.

  Grabbing the hot plate and skillet, he silently carried them to the river, careful to avoid making any noise. He quickly cleaned the pan and fork, putting the supplies away.

  Grabbing his Poké ball, he released Lee with a quiet click and beam of red light. The red and white orb was scratched, marked, and dented, but it would take far more than some surface damage to break the electronics sheltered within. The beam shaped itself into his longtime companion, red transitioning into a tough leather.

  "Hi, Hit," it whispered, the Pokémon's legs flexing with the sound. His almond eyes darted around as he twisted his body, searching the area. The scars decorating his round torso flexed, pulling at the taunt skin.

  "We're good, kicker," Henry told the fighter. "Jared's asleep."

  "Monlee," The Pokémon sprang up, the banded leg muscles rubbing lightly against each other. It leaned back and snapped a leg out, the spring limb extending out over the river before snapping back.

  "I know, I know," Henry soothed the energetic Pokémon. "I don't know what happened. "He must have felt something. I swear, the man's got better senses than a psychic."

  At his word, the Hitmonlee paused and hunkered down, as though prepared for a blow.

  Henry frowned at the action and considered it for a moment.

  "That bad, huh?" he muttered with a wince.

  "Hit," the Pokémon bobbed in place, once sharply.

  "Well, whatever it is put Jared into a mood, so we'll have to be careful until he's settled down some," Henry stated. "For now, the plan remains the same as it's been. Check the traps, catch anything good, and avoid the territorial Alphas."

  "Mo," the Hitmonlee vibrated slightly at the mention of the powerful Pokémon.

  "No," Henry shook his head. "At least, not until it's time to leave," he amended as the Fighting-Type deflated. "We can't afford their attention or the Ranger's."

  The Pokémon rebounded at the hopes of a potential battle and Henry grinned with him. The part of the trip that the two of them looked forward to the most was the chance to fight other Pokémon, even if they were considerably stronger.

  It got them in trouble with the Pokémon Center and the Team healers plenty of times when they managed to escape a fight, suffering grievous wounds in the process. It was part of the reason his Journey ended so early.

  Henry shook the memories away and focused back on his remaining childhood companion.

  "How about some training before dark, and then we can work with Golbat for a bit., he said.

  Lee jumped up at the mention of training and started searching the area.

  "No fighting," Henry said. "Training only. We don't want to wake Jared," he added, blaming it on his partner.

  Truthfully, Henry was itching for a battle as well. However, he was still able to control himself, at least somewhat, and forced them not to.

  The Hitmonlee sagged at the lost prospect but soon bounced back.

  "How about we start with some stretches?" Henry suggested.

  Following his words, he started with his upper body. The Pokémon was constantly pulling a muscle as he was too often jumping into the fray without properly readying himself.

  Lee grumbled but followed along. Soon, they were done and the kicking Pokémon started his training by leaping across the river.

  Henry was of course unable to follow, so he copied the Pokémon by jumping from rock to rock. Used to the routine, he barely had to think as he stepped across the stones. He was forced to call it quits long before Lee, with the Pokémon jumping further and further while he took a short break. While Henry liked to push himself as hard as his companion did, the last thing he wanted to do was slip and break his head on a rock.

  When he was ready to resume, the Hitmonlee landed next to him, trying to surprise Henry. He merely grinned at the Pokémon's antics and stepped up to a nearby tree.

  Settling into form, he lashed out at the tree with his legs, feeling the muscle and bone strike the rough bark. Lee decided to show off by doing the same without moving, from several feet away.

  Their training continued as such until night began to fall. When the evening turned to twilight, Henry sat down and pulled out his second Poké ball. This one was in far better condition than Lee's, though to him it was far more detached. While he knew the origin of each scratch and chipped paint on his partner's ball, this one was foreign to him.

  Rolling the shrunken Poké ball between his fingers, Henry hesitated only briefly before enlarging it. He released the Golbat within and quickly pocketed the ball.

  The Pokémon's wings were wrapped around itself, holding the giant bat in a blue orb. It took a moment for the beast to realize it was free. When it finally did so, the Pokémon snapped its wings open and yawned, revealing a black pit for a mouth with ivory fangs poking out.

  Her, Henry reminded himself. It’s a she.

  Unlike Lee, the Golbat was a relatively new companion. It-She was assigned to him by the Team to help improve upon their night capabilities. A Murkrow was deemed too vulnerable to the local Honchkrow to be of use while few Hoothoot had the inclination to work with the Team. Henry finally caved to the pressure from the team leaders, recognizing their need for a nocturnal Pokémon between him and Jared.

  Not to mention the unspoken suggestion for the Golbat should Jared become too much of a liability.

  "Hello, girl," he said politely to the large, carnivorous bat.

  The Golbat yawned again, this time wider. Her fangs practically reflected the light, and a drop of saliva-or more likely, poison-dripped free.

  Henry's eyebrow twitched, wondering if the Pokémon was trying to intimidate him on purpose.

  "Lee and I were training," he gestured to the Hitmonlee at his side. "Would you like to join us?"

  The bat stared at him, blinking slowly as she switched her slitted eyes between him and Lee. The Golbat seemed almost surprised, or perhaps stupefied, by the question. Finally, she glanced down, taking in her short legs and long wings.

  "Oh," Henry said dumbly. "Yes, I suppose that make's things a bit more difficult than I anticipated.