Body, Mind and Soul

[Dawnika Snow]

Understanding one’s body and soul is a journey met with many trails, both arduous and rewarding. A task that requires discipline and motivation. For many who try, they give up on becoming more than they are. Those who do survive the training, they are awarded enlightenment: A true understanding of themselves and the universe around them. One person in particular trains this discipline within the Vasty Deeps on a secluded island. The small island can be found a good dozen kilometers east of Cinnabar Island. There, monks train in a monastery high in the mountain face; they are students in the art of the soul. The head of this island is their master: Lucario, expert of the soul and aura.

Lucario has lived most of his life on the island; he left Cinnabar as a Riolu at a young age. Prime for his age, his mind is attuned to his body and soul. With the responsibility of running the operation of the monastery, he is often occupied with menial labor, but nothing extremely tedious. In his free time, Lucario meditates atop the mountain and trains his body vigorously. Today he stands on the summit of the earthen spire, sitting with his feet crossed in the snow.

Cold winds blow past his face, racing across his skin. It bothers him not, though, for he has spent many days in the cold weather of the peak. The extreme conditions were only part of his previous training years ago. He sits still with his eyes shut, concentrating on the world around him. The energetic breeze, the cold, damp air, and the dense atmosphere were all he ruminated on, crimson scarf flapping along in the wind.

His calming meditation is interrupted abruptly by one of the monks from the monastery. The man comes over the snowy ridge with his arms waving frantically to get his adroit teacher’s attention. The moderately aged man seems fraught with concern. When he is finally within earshot of the Pokemon, he yells out to him.

“Master! There’s a problem at the monastery!” He screams over heavy breathing. The Lucario doesn’t budge an inch from his meditative position; he doesn’t even open his eyes.

’Can this not wait for me to finish my meditation?’ The Pokemon’s voice echoed in the monk’s mind. Lucario was not mute, but he preferred to speak through his telepathy. By now, his pupil had reached the spot in which he sat.

“No sir, this is extremely urgent!” The overwrought man continued, “The monastery is being attacked!”

This statement got Lucario’s attention rather quickly, his eyes shot open and he jumped to his feet. Without another word, the fighter-type bolted towards his home, readying himself for a brawl. When he arrived at the cliff-face where his monastery stood, the Pokemon saw the invaders: Water-types and Fighting-types known as Poliwhirls and Machops. Not a surprise, as they dotted the island as a forceful tribe of marauders. Even so, they threaten Lucario’s home, and that was unacceptable.

With a quick jolt of force, the aura master rushed into battle. He jammed his palm into a Poliwhirl’s side, sending it flying in front of him, kicking up cold dirt and grass as it’s body rolled across the earth. That got most of the monsters’ attentions rather quickly. The half dozen opponent’s circled the expert fighter-type, ready to attack. Just as one of the Machops jumped in for him, Lucario split into two figures, one a copy of himself. The unlucky Machop punched the phaseable copy and got a swift kick to the back of his head, knocking him out instantly.

The others were upon him just as fast. Two Poliwhirls shot water through the puzzling symbol blazen across their stomachs. With the reflexes of an agile feline, he dropped to the floor on all fours until the water passed him. Once he was safe, he used his hands to push himself forward along with his feet. Holding his arms out on each side, he plows his fists into each of them. Both of the water-types hit the ground hard. It was likely they wouldn’t stand back up.

A sharp pain jolted up his spine as a Machop planted its foot into his lower back. He cringed momentarily, then jumped forward to acquire some distance. His enemy was more determined having landed a hit, but Lucario has seen many battles, and this was nothing. He took a defensive position and his body shined like metal. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, he readied for the strike. The Machop ran his fist into master’s block; it was ineffective. Lucario’s iron skin protected him from tough hits but slowed him slightly. His hand snapped to the small, gray Pokemon’s wrist. A tough tug forced the Machop forward, introducing Lucario’s foot to its face.

The last Machop stood meekly away from his opponent, too scared to act. His only option was to turn tail and book it. With that final moment of battle, the master took ease in his stance and breathed deeply. Although, it wasn’t done yet. Over the hill came a towering figure, shadowed from the light of the sun behind him. The masculine silhouette was unmistakable to Lucario though. The reddish aura he could see in its soul was practically nostalgic.

“Machoke.” He spoke out to the overly buff, man-like Pokemon. His rival replied in kind.

“Ah, Lucario.” He said in his heavily deep voice while crossing his arms over his chest. “I believe you know why we’re here.”

“And I believe I’ve already told you my answer, now leave. I wish not to fight you if it were possible.” The blue brawler barked back. He was in no mood to play games; they had not only interrupted his daily meditation but assaulted his home all in a single sweep. Such atrocities were unforgivable to him.

“You know very well this island is our home! You have insulted our history by calling our sacred land home and building your worthless monastery!” The Machoke yelled out in anger throwing his hand forward and pointing at his opponent. “Prepare to be evicted.”

[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.

[Dawnika Snow]

Lucario took stance. Foot foward, Iron Defense active. Machoke was a reckless but tough opponent; not even he would take the hulking mass of muscle lightly. The blue adversary stepped carefully around his opponent, who did the same; both waiting for the opportunity to strike. After a few more seconds, Machoke rushed in, taking a wide right hook towards Lucario’s head. He returned the motion, but it was a fake veiled with a feint. With a quick duck and sweep, the adroit fighter’s foot slid under his opponent, knocking him to the ground. Lucario’s fist threw up dust when his hand connected with ground, attempting to greet Machoke’s face politely. The bulky Pokemon, however, was rude and rolled away.

Machoke got to his feet much quicker than anyone his size could boast. For his hefty size, he was actually quite nimble and light-footed. Even so, Lucario was faster and much more skilled. Without giving Machoke even a second to breathe, he was upon him again. His palm rammed into Machoke’s chest, sending him sliding back through the dirt.

“Just as fast as ever, ‘Master’” The brawny Pokemon mocked Lucario’s prestigious title. “You’ve definitely earned the name ‘Blue Blur’ didn’t you?”

“No one calls me that anymore.” Lucario responded, adopting his defensive stance once more. Machoke followed suit.

“You would be wrong there.” He said, slowly edging himself towards his opponent. Lucario made a quick move, but Machoke was ready. He ducked from Lucario’s straight and grabbed hold of the master’s arm. The bulky Pokemon twisted his arm and turned them both, throwing Lucario on his stomach. He quickly sprung to his feet though, iron defense absorbing most of that blow with the ground. “Most of my ‘men religiously fear your skills as a fighting type.”

With a dusty cough Lucario quickly pulled himself to his feet. He reeled a bit from the heavy toss, but nothing he couldn’t deal with as long as his Iron Defense was up. “Your companions are poorly trained adolescent children. I have spent years of meditation on this mountain and I’d sooner die before I let you take it from me.”

“That can be arranged.” Machoke said with a grin as he hustled to his enemy. Lucario prepared himself to finish this pointless tussle; with feet stationed firmly in the dirt, he drew back his fist for a heavy haymaker. The gray tower of muscle closed in with opposite fist drawn. Once in range, Lucario lunged in, ducking under his opponents heavy fist and delivering a gruesome blow to his chin. Machoke’s entire body flew a few feet from the ground, landing on his fore-side with a loud thunk! This fight was finished.

Lucario stepped up to his nearly unconscious enemy and loomed over him as he tossed around in the dirt. “Machoke.” He announced in a deep, authoritative tone. “Leave my monastery and don’t come back. I’m tired of your games for you can’t even play them correctly. If you want this mountain so bad, train you people to fight correctly and show me what a true warrior’s spirit is. Your aura is nothing but corrupt and untamed. So long as you remain that way, you will never defeat me. Now leave my home.”

Machoke had no words, instead he spit at Lucario’s feet with terrible aim. Blood was mixed in his saliva. As the towering mass of muscle limped away in pain, Lucario watched him leave. Just in his view of the trail that bent down, another figure came up the hill. A very small, round figure. It’s aura was pure, clear and beautiful, something that was quite uncommon. It clearly had no ill intentions.

“Halt.” Lucario called out as he approached it. It stopped dead in it’s tracks at the sound of his heavy voice as if it had nailed her feet to the ground like a hammer. “What business do you have at my monastery, small one?”

It took a moment for the Togepi to come into view, it looked as equally scared as it did excited. “Um, hi.” She whimpered nervously. It became increasingly apparent that she never believed she would have actually made it to this monastery, as she was speechless on how to present herself. Hefting up her gumption and bravado, the tiny Togepi puffed out her chest bravely and said, “I wish to train with the master of this island!”

Lucario’s brow furrowed. This tiny Poke’mon, with appendages one could hardly call limbs, actually wants to undertake the study of the body, soul, and mind? Was this a prank? “On what faith do you believe you could pass such a vigorous experience. This is not a game young one; you would do best to return home.” With his point made, Lucario turned around and began to walk off. There was no need to continue this conversation.

Togepi was speechless to say at the least. She never believed that there were some who were actually denied the right to try. “Hey!” She yelled out, but Lucario kept walking. She began to say something else, but her pleas were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. Machoke was coming back for a last resort. Togepi instinctively acted on this, casting Reflect in front of the Machoke. He crashed into the forcefield, causing it to shatter and him to scatter. Lucario turned to see what happened just in time. With a mix of quick attack and force palm, he charged into his opponent, jamming his palm into the gray masses midsection. Machoke flew back, sliding far down the hill. It would be stupid of him to try and come back up.

Lucario glanced down at the tiny pokemon who was moving up next to him. He hated to admit it, but this puny child had some potential. She was a ball of clay, and he her sculptor. It was clear she would not leave until he at least attempted to teach her. In his authoritative tone, he said two words Togepi thought she’d never hear.

“Follow me.” With that, the two walked towards the monastery. Togepi a little more jittery and ecstatic than Lucario. He simply shook his head; he was going to regret this decision one day.

[Dawnika Snow]

After the scene with Machoke, the duo of master and pupil called it a day. Togepi was shown to a room in which she could sleep. It was very barren - just a wooden room no bigger than 10x10 square feet with a small feather-made bed and cloth cover. Although to most it would seem slightly depressing, Togepi was already calling it home. She didn’t care where her bed rested as long as she was getting her chance to do what she had always wanted. She would train hard to become a master like Lucario, even if it took her years of determination and failure.

The egg Pokemon made herself comfy on the small bed. To any normal-sized human, this would have been too small. That would explain why dust kicked out from under the bed when she fell in. No one slept in here in a long time. Tired from her not-so-fruitless endeavor, the timid Pokemon fell asleep rather quickly.

As for the aura Pokemon, he went to his quarters, which were slightly larger than that of the other monks. No one could really complain about his accommodations; he was the only reason they were even there in the first place. Now with the peace and quiet of his own abode, the wise Lucario sat on his wooden floor and continued his meditation to ponder the events of today. A child of a Pokemon has shown up at the foot of his doorstep like an orphaned baby, and Machoke has not given up. After what happened earlier, he was sure that this would not end peacefully. Lucario let out a disconcerting sigh. He had hoped to settle this dispute without retaliation, or at least without violence. He knew that this land was sacred to the Pokemon on this island, but this is the only place where one can learn to tune their soul with their mortal being. Togepi would soon have to take that test. It made him shudder to think what this young one might do to acquire what she wants. She is ready to sacrifice everything to become strong, and while it’s a noble goal, it can be a road that leads to self-destruction and torment.

The swishing sound of Lucario’s door sliding open interrupted the master’s meditation. Yet again, he did not get to finish. With a growl, he spoke out without opening his eyes or breaking his meditation form. “What! Can I not get some quiet to finish my mental reflection?! And, do you not even warn me before you open my door?!”

The monk who stood at his door instantly dropped to the floor into an apologetic bow. “My deepest apologies master Lucario! I will exercise more caution in the future! I did not mean to interrupt your meditation!” Lucario opened his left eye slightly to peak at the monk. He finally loosened up and stood in front of the young man and stretched his legs.

“Yes, well, what do you need?” He asked helping him up off the floor.

“Well, you see, someone was training, and they may have gotten their...entire leg lodged into a...well, a wall.” The monk tried as long as he could to dodge the subject of that sentence, afraid of Lucario’s repercussion. It was not at all what he expected.

“Very well, I shall help them.” He let out an exasperated breath and walked past the younger monk. “It is getting late, you should get some rest.”

“Yes, master.” He said before heading off to his room.

----

The next morning.

The sound of a sliding door opening woke Togepi from her slumber. The dark curtains covering the dawn’s sun swung open suddenly, blinding her instantly. She instinctively retreated to her covers. The small Pokemon groan in frustration.

“What time is it?” She asked from under her blanket with a groggy morning voice. She was not even sure who it was that had intruded on her room, though, she didn’t care all that much.

“It is sunrise. I told you before, your training starts today young one. From now on, you will wake up at dawn and train with me until dusk.” The familiar voice spoke from above her with his arms folded. The Togepi crawled out of bed slowly, disoriented and still half asleep. “It takes some getting used to, but soon you will enjoy waking up early. It refreshes your body to witness the sun rising over the horizon each morning.”

“Y-Yes, sir.” Lucario cringed at being called ‘sir’. That was sort of undermining to his title. Names were fancy and all, and they didn’t mean much to the aura master, but 'master' was a standing title that must be recognized.

“Instead of sir, I am your master. Remember that.” He says simply and starts to walk out of the room. “Come with me and we can begin.”

The young Pokemon didn’t argue with that. If she wanted to get strong, she had to follow whatever Lucario told her to do without mistake.

They found their way to the monastery’s cliff-side, where Togepi noticed a few patches of cloth laid out and spiked into the ground. Probably to keep them from flying away in the breeze. Just as she began to wonder what they might be for, Lucario cleared up her suspicions.

“This is where we will meditate for each morning to come. To start, we will do only an hour of meditation. Next week, we will begin the full two hours of daily meditation.” He explained as he sat down on the cloth to the right, slightly closer to the cliff’s edge. The restrained blanket flapped in the breeze where it was loose at the ends, trying to escape with the wind.

“We’re just going to sit and do nothing? I thought meditation was a joke thing.” She asked curiously as she sat down next to her master and mirrored the way he sat. “That doesn’t mean I won’t try, though. If this is what it takes.”

“Good spirit for someone so young. Now, silence. Do not speak, do not think.” He said as he slowed his own breathing. Togepi mimicked him as he worked on his meditation. “Clear your mind of everything and focus only on breathing.”

“That’s it?”

“Quiet.” He barked, focusing on his meditation. His pupil attempted to keep her mouth shut. She figured that Lucario is wise, and with that kind of experience, he would tell her everything she needs to know. Questions would be unnecessary as long as she listened. So she sat in the spot, no matter how agonizingly boring it was to sit still for so long. Not once did she complain, though.

Lucario peeked down at the young Pokemon. She was too quiet, he had assumed she’d fallen asleep from the sheer lifelessness of self-reflection. To his surprise, she remained unmoved for almost forty-five minutes. This child was driven to succeed with her goals of strength. He did not believe she would put forth such as enthusiastic attempt without complaint. His opinion of Togepi was quickly changing for the better, even if she needed some serious molding.

The next fifteen minutes were still silent. He was glad to have gotten a quiet meditation time today after yesterday’s events. Most of the monks around the monastery knew better than to interrupt his meditation in the first place unless it was an urgent matter that required his attention.

The blue jackal stood from his spot, rustling the Togepi awake from her hypnotic trance of meditation. “Very good. You show determination and discipline. Keep it up.”

Togepi grinned at her current progress, albeit small. Any progress is progress. She imagined a few weeks, she would be a just as strong as any of the monks around the monastery, or perhaps even stronger.

[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.

[Dawnika Snow]

One more week later…

Lucario awoke slowly today. Something about his body didn’t want to move just yet. He decided it wouldn’t hurt to lie down for another ten minutes while his body woke up. His muscles relaxed in the cloth bed on the floor where found himself nearly falling back into slumber. He would have if he wasn’t woken up by a knock on his door. It was Togepi.

“Master Lucario? Are you awake yet? It’s time for meditation.” Her voice sounded from behind the wooden door. It made the master chuckle. His pupil was actually checking on him in the morning now. When she had first come, he didn’t think she’d make it past the first day, now she’s one of the smartest and strongest in the monastery by his standards. She would soon not need him if she kept up this pace.

”I am fine. Just getting a late jump here, go on without me and I will meet you at the cliff.” He called back as he sat up rubbing the back of his head.

”Alright, I’ll see you there.” She said. The blue jackal heard the tiny footsteps walk off down the hall. He would need to find some strength of motivation if he was to test her yet again. Normally they would have to wait another month before the next test, but perhaps Lucario may have misjudged the fact that Togepi is a Pokemon, albeit young. Her gain of experience is from her natural birth, not from physical willpower. It’s in a Pokemon’s being to become stronger without realizing just how quickly they are growing. Lucario’s memories flooded with the reminiscence of his time as Riolu. This would be enough to get him out of bed.

The adept fighter met his student at the cliff, who was sitting in her spot meditating like any other day. She was so zoned in that she didn’t hear her teacher until he spoke up.

”Today you will be tested again. We are going to see just how much you can take in a mental capacity. Are you ready to endure mental trauma?” He asked looking down at the tiny Pokemon.

Togepi stood from her spot and turn around to face her master. ”I’m ready for anything Master Lucario. Tell me what I need to do.”

”Follow me.” He said as he turned to walk up the mountain. Togepi followed behind him as requested. She was ready for this test, but she was curious what was in store for her.

They reached the top of the cold icy mountaintop, where snow fell lightly.The approached the shallow but broad crater at the top, filled up with snow and stopped there.

”Sit.” Togepi was hesitant at first, but she plopped her but into the snow. Almost instantly, chills ran up her spine. What was about to happen? ”You are going to go through some mental trauma, I promise you that it will not be anything you cannot handle.” Lucario turned around and sat in the snow in front of the small Pokemon. Before Togepi could say anything, Lucario’s paw reached out to her. His palm rested on her forehead.

”What are you do-?” Sudden a visible, blue-ish force of aura illuminated around Lucario’s entire left shoulder down to his hand onto Togepi. Her mind went completely still, not a thought passed through it. To Lucario, she looked like dead weight sitting in the snow. Arms limp and eyes still in a trance.

In the mind of an egg-being…

Togepi stood suspended in a vortex of swirling darkness. It tornadoes around her rapidly, making her dizzy but never pulling her in. Nothing was below her feet, but still she could feel the floor beneath her like an invisible platform. She stood there for a moment, dumbfounded by the scene before her.

”Where am I? Is this supposed to be my own mind?”[/i] She asked herself, although she did not have the answer to that question. Ready to start exploring the wastes of her own mind, she began to walk. Only, as soon as she did, voices sounded like they were being spoken through a megaphone. They hurled insults of familiar memories at her.

Weakling, coward, freak, abomination. The voices overlapped each other becoming incoherent most of the time, but could still hear them calling her the names. Insults and putdowns brought her to her knees. It was as if the voices themselves were increasing gravity.

[color=#ff6699]”Sh-Shut up! I am not a weakling! I- I am strong!”[/i] She screamed to voices who didn’t ease up on her. Like a broken tape they kept repeating their insults over and over. [color=#ff6699]”You will all see! I will become stronger, I will be stronger than all of you!”[/i]

-----------------------

Lucario watched Togepi’s seemingly-lifeless body with his paw still pressed on her head. The blue energy flooded from him into her soul. It was extremely quiet, the world seemed motionless, besides the falling snow.

Then something sudden happened. The young Pokemon’s body enveloped in a white light, brighter than even the sun against the snow. Lucario jerked his hand back quickly and stood up. He knew what was happening now, a familiar achievement he once underwent - Togepi was evolving. A dozen more seconds passed on, or so, and Togepi’s consciousness returned.

[color=#ff6699]”What...happened?” She asked still slightly disoriented from the mental stress and strain. It was enough for her to not notice the change in her voice tone.

”I can no longer call you Togepi, young pupil. I must now address you as, Togetic. Congratulations on your evolution.” Togetic immediately patted herself down, noticing the small wings that she now donned. She roughly took flight, swaying a bit at first but getting the hang of it rather quickly.

”This,” Togetic emphasized, [“Is awesome.” Lucario smirked, glad to see his student was improving. ”Can we try out my new powers?”

”Well, you were in that state for much longer than you may believe. I think that we should wait and allow you to rest before testing what you are now capable of.” He would never tell the young Pokemon that most of that time he was flooding his own power into her. Her gain came mostly from him today, not herself. In either case, she has evolved now, and he was weary. He needed to rest, but he would never show that something so simple could drain him so easily. The two headed back down the mountain, where Lucario would proceed to his room promptly.