Body, Mind and Soul

[Dawnika Snow]

Four weeks later...

Togepi had already awakened before the sun’s rise. It was becoming a natural habit of her body since day one. She would undergo the same lifeless training she did daily with master Lucario. Not once did she ever actively complain, though; determination was an understatement to her endeavor. If she did not fully apply herself to the training which she was gracefully, and honestly quite luckily, given, she would not improve.

Lucario entered without knocking to see his apprentice already wide awake, stretching her muscles to the best of her ability before they began today’s training. Ready to get started, she began to walk out until she was stopped by him.

“It has been an entire month since your enlistment in my monastery. I believe you are ready to take the test of the Body.” Togepi was only confused by his statement. No one had told her of any tests. It caught her completely off guard.

“Test of the Body? What does that mean?” She asked, having to tilt her head way back to even just look at her master.

“It means you are becoming stronger and deserve to understand the meaning of the body, mind, and soul. First, we must test your body.” She still didn’t understand what any of that meant, but she there was no way she’d doubt herself now. If she quit now, everything she’s done so far would be for naught. The two headed further up the mountain path, away from their normal morning meditation spot.

“We are not meditating today?” She asked as the walked, looking back on the two clothed seats in the grass. A growing fondness for mediation had swelled inside her after weeks of practice.

“Not today, but fret not, for one never becomes too experienced to pass up their meditation.” He said without even turning towards her, focusing only the path in front of him. The higher they went, obviously, the colder it became. Togepi had been so used to the warm climate of the Vasty Deep that she had forgotten altitude was a thing. She was completely unprepared for a journey to the summit of this mountain, but she also had a feeling that was intentional. It was part of the test.

The duo reached the top of the mountain: A slightly open-faced crater at the peak of the mountain, covered in shiny, freezing snow. Lucario seemed completely unphased by the temperature. How was merely a guess to Togepi, it was freezing up here.

“H-How is this a part of my test?” She asked huddling up into her egg slightly to attempt at staying warm.

“The test of the body is rather simple.” He says walking ahead of Togepi, gesturing her to stop where she is as he walks in front of her a few meters. He turned to face her and unraveled the crimson scarf from his neck, tossing into the air. “You must challenge me to a fight!”

The tiny Pokemon was speechless. She actually had to fight a master of martial arts in her apprenticeship? That seemed like an outrageous test.

“I will not use any of my basic Pokemon moves. You simply need to land a clean shot on me.” He said. “Fail to do this and we will train another month until you can hit me. Most of the apprentices down the mountain have failed this test several times. I do not expect you to do so easily either.”

Snatching a bell from the master, it was. Togepi could do that, right? It sounded simple. All she had to do was land an actual hit on Lucario to pass. If she could somehow do that, she would advance in her training.

“Alright, Master Lucario, I won’t anything back!” She said assuming her fighting stance. Lucario took up his defensive stance, ready to counter just about anything.

The two combatants exchanged glances for quite some time, the harsh, cold winds rushing past their faces. A drop of sweat rolled down Togepi’s forehead; saying she was nervous would be an understatement. This would be difficult.

As fast as she could, Togepi broke into a sprint to close some of the distance between the two of them. It was not fast enough, or Lucario was just too fast. He was way too prepared for the first strike, dodging it with exceptional ease. Even so, Togepi was ready to give it her all right here, right now. She continued to jab at Lucario in vain. His larger size and years of training and conditioning made him nigh impossible to hit, but Togepi did not give up. She chased, she tried, and she pushed to make the next strike hit true, no matter how impossible it seemed. At times, she would reach in and nearly land a clean shot, but Lucario would nimbly move away. His uncanny ability of luck mixed with his pure skill made him a terrifying opponent. Togepi felt horribly bad for the Machoke he fought a month ago. How could anyone dream of taking down someone as amazing as Master Lucario?

After several minutes of swiping at air, Togepi stopped for a breather. Lucario assumed his defensive stance again, not even breaking a sweat. “Have you finished already?” He asked.

“You wish…” She muttered under the heavy respiration. Just a minute and she would be back in the game. “I’m gonna win this no matter what.”

Lucario responded with a nod. “I assumed. Take what you know about yourself and apply it to this fight. Note your weaknesses and your strengths so you can find the best way to win.” His wisdom shone some light on Togepi’s battle style. She knew that her stubby appendages are what made her vulnerable. She could be the strongest enemy in the world, but if she couldn’t connect with her opponent, there would be no meaning to that strength. She was, however, pretty intelligent for her age. Perhaps if she analyzed Lucario’s movement, she could predict his defense and counter it.

With one last deep breath and a loud exhale, Togepi rushed back into action. Her goal: To analyze Lucario and determine how to sneak a strike in. She was not wholeheartedly attempting to actually land a hit, merely to see how Lucario was reacting to her attacks. Every so often, Lucario seemed to allow her to land a hit, stopping his motion completely, until her hand just nearly brushed him. Then he would move. Why? He did this, Togepi calculated, every five swings at him. It became clear that was her chance. It wasn’t a matter of being able to strike him, it was a matter of recognizing when he allowed you to strike him.

The apprentice continued. On that fifth hit, she guessed, he would move a certain way. She was right. Lucario sidestepped to his left, and having prepared for this, Togepi swung with a left. It was, however, merely a feint. She reached for his shin with her right hand, connecting with the black fur on his skin. The two paused, in that moment time had stopped. Although he had predicted she would prevail with this test on the first try, he was still surprised when her feeble attack scathed his leg.

“I-I…” Togepi couldn’t find the words. Did she actually just do that? Was this just an image of a happy future that she would snap out of in a moment? No, this was real.

“You saw through my ruse then?” He asked. “If I had been actively trying to dodge your attacks, you would not have come within a meter’s radius of your mark. I commend you on being the first of anyone to ever take this test to complete it on your first try.”

Togepi still had no words, so instead, she silently took the praise and nodded. With the deed done, her training would continue as was routine. Soon, she would meet the other two tests, and she would be prepared for them. In the meantime, she would find her way down this cliff before she turned into an icicle.