Body, Mind and Soul

[Dawnika Snow]

A small ship readies for passage to the island of the monks not far from the shores of Cinnabar Island. It’s loaded with necessary supplies such as food, clean water, and new blankets. A small, egg-shaped Pokemon watches the large totes as they are loaded onto the ship by large seamen. How she would die to ride with them to the monastery and claim training from the master who lives there. The simple thought made her shiver with glee.

One of the sailors noticed the little egg thing watching them and wave his hands at her like she was an animal or something. “Shoo, we’re busy.”

The Togepi backed up and ran off behind one of the larger crates on the docks that was to be loaded onto a much bigger ship. That was enough for the loader, as the Pokemon's presence was slightly unsettling with it constantly staring at them daily. It never talked to them, but every morning it was there, watching them load up ships.

The Togepi peeked from the side of the giant steel container, watching the men load the goods on board. Another day of disappointment was all she was getting from this scene and she hated it. She wanted to be strong; she wanted to be proud like the master of the island. Filled with determination to see her dreams come true, the egg-Pokemon took her chance. When the crew was busy loading the heaviest box in the shipment at once, she swiftly waddled towards the last remaining container of blankets. She reached her stubby arms up to grab the edge and pulled herself into the tote, shrouded by the cloth within. She could hear footsteps clamping against the wood of the docks coming in her direction.

“Ey, last one’s right ‘ere.” A manly voice said. Togepi could feel the crate being lifted with some force. “Damn this ‘uns heavy.” After a few moments of trying not to shake around too much, as to give herself away, the box was set down on board. The waves making the boat float up and down made that apparent.

“Hoist the sail! Let’s get this over with.” Said a man that sounded much older. Obviously, Togepi couldn’t see him or else risk being seen when she poked her head out, but with an authoritative voice like that, she assumed it was the boat captain.

The egg-Pokemon's heart raced in her chest. She was partly excited and partly terrified. The thought of what might happen if she was caught was a thought she pushed to the back of her head. They weren’t pirates or anything but they were large men who wouldn’t give two thoughts about throwing her overboard into the ocean. Besides the quiet flowing of the gentle waves against the boat, the voyage was rather quiet. Togepi’s box slid around and bumped into a few other things she couldn’t identify while inside it. She resisted the reflexive urge to say ‘ow’.

After a few hours, she heard another man yell. “Land ho!” Finally, it was starting to get cramped, and the salty sea air in the confined space made slightly difficult to breathe properly. The boat slowly decreased its speed as they came closer to land. People were shifting around the boat, preparing to dock ashore. Her box was picked up first, perhaps because it was the last one loaded. The box was moved ashore and set on land. Togepi could hear the sailors talking with some other people. They weren’t sailors judging from the way they spoke compared to the others.

“I assume it’s been paid for in advance?” The new voice says to someone. Likely the person carrying the box she was in.

“Yeah, it’s all taken care of.” The man replied in his deep, raspy voice. “We’ll have it unloaded within next half hour or so.” A few seconds later, the box rustled and the blanket removed from above her. The man in robes gasped and jerked back in surprise.

“Hey, you guys brought us a Pokemon.” While the man was distracted, she hopped out of the box and ran for the line of bushes meters away. It took a minute for the seamen to realize what was going on, but after he did, he ran after the Togepi.

“Stop, you stowaway!” Togepi obviously ignored this command. She instead used her metronome and hoped it would cause a decent enough distraction. Suddenly, fog released from her mouth, dark like night. The smoke screen covered her get away. Whatever luck she had, she probably just used all of it that she would ever have in her life. When she felt the coast was clear, the egg-Pokemon caught her breath. She did it. She couldn’t believe she did, but she really did. Wasting no time, followed the patch of shrubbery to its end looking for the so-called master of the monastery.

In the distance atop the mountain was a structure made of stone, the only one Togepi could find. It seemed like the most reasonable place to start searching.

The building was further away than it seemed; Togepi’s stubby legs made it difficult to move quickly. The journey was also a literal uphill battle, which made it much less appealing. Though nothing would stop her now that she was so close. The master would train her and she would become strong. Strong enough to evolve and show everyone she wasn’t worthless.

Halfway up the mountain(Damn it has been hours), something odd happened. A Pokemon that Togepi could barely remember came running down the slope. A Machop, it looked as if it had seen a ghost. He was screaming something but Togepi couldn’t make it out until he got much closer.

“...Unstoppable! Run if you know what’s good for you! He took down five Pokemon at once!” With one final scream, he had passed the egg-Pokemon and was incomprehensible again. As weird as that was, it excited Togepi, for she knew of whom that brawny Pokemon spoke of. With renewed vigor, the young Pokemon ran up the slope eagerly. Unsure of the danger that awaited her at the cliff.