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STORY OF A DREAMER - JOSIE
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CHAPTER SEVEN
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The sun was blaring down on us by the time we had reached what we decided was a safe distance away from Kern's Gym. We were all hot, and walking all morning had left us weaker than we had been already. The sight of a river a short distance away was a welcome relief, and although I suspected it was a mirage formed from our thirst, as we got closer I realised it was in fact the real thing and as we reached the banks I saw a smile appear on all the Pokemon's faces. We had made it.
"That looks like a good place to rest for a while," Houndour commented, pointing to a tree which overhung the bank of the river. It offered shade from the heat and it took no argument for the others to realise the same and head towards it with what little strength they had left. Under the tree it was heaven, a far cry from the heat of the sun it was cool and dew had formed on the ground and was also dripping from the trees.
I had always admired the sun, but now I realised that it could be dangerous if you weren't aware of its power. I looked at the shadows darting about on the ground, where the tree parted and let the sun in for a moment before the wind pushed it back again. However dangerous it may be, the sun was still beautiful.
I glanced over at the other Pokemon.
Totodile and Quagsire were splashing about in the water, a great sight, as they had been in danger of drying up throughout the journey.
Spearow, Fearow and Pidgey were sitting beside each other on a high branch of the tree. Spearow was calling out a message to other Spearow's in the area, hoping to find his family. So far he wasn't having any luck.
Hoppip and Cyndaquil finally looked stronger as they lay resting by the trunk of the tree, and they were chatting to each other in low voices. Being trapped together for so long had caused them to create a huge bond between them, and I found myself thinking that it was the one good thing that had emerged from Kern's cruelty.
The bug Pokemon had formed a small group together and were seated nearby admiring a pink flower growing at the base of the tree. I guessed they hadn't seen beauty like that for a long time.
Then I glanced at the river bank. Togepi was lying on the ground by the bank and Togetic was dampening her head with a leaf she had dipped in the water. I smiled at Togetic's love and kindness but my heart sank when I realised that the poor creature he was trying to help probably wouldn't last much longer. She looked even worse than she had done when I'd first seen her, and I knew she was slipping away in front of us.
"Where are we headed?" I asked, turning back to Houndour as he seemed to have taken the lead.
"I think we'll rest here for today and then we'd better split up. It's too dangerous for us all to stay together." My heart sank. I had known it was likely that we would have to part ways eventually, but I hadn't guessed it would be that soon. Since I had met these Pokemon we had been together all the time, and that had caused us all to bond with each other. Fire, grass, water, electric, type played no part in it, we'd put that aside and become friends. The thought of having to leave them all behind brought tears to my eyes. I noticed Butterfree floating down from the air and with her usual elegancy she landed on the ground beside me.
"You'll always have me," she said softly in my ear. I knew it was the truth and I smiled at her, wiping the tears from my eyes. I wasn't going to lose anyone, I realised. Although we were parting, we would never forget each other. I felt a warm feeling growing inside of me, I had never had friends before, the close family unit I had been a part of had prevented that, and now I had more friends than I could ever have imagined having, for once in my life I felt complete.
I came out of my thoughts to hear someone weeping. I glanced from Pokemon to Pokemon attempting to discover where the crying was coming from. My eyes eventually rested on Togetic, still sitting on the river bank. He was seated on the ground with his baby sister in his arms. I knew that what I had expected to happen had finally happened. Togepi was dead. Although I had known it would come to pass eventually, as did everyone else, we all broke down crying simultaneously as we stared solemnly at the creature in Togetic's arms. He laid her on the ground. As I glanced at her I saw her wide staring eyes looking up at the sun just as I did every day. Her eyes, however, would never see again.
As if I was in a trance I wandered up to her and placed my paws on her eye lids. Slowly I covered up her eyes until they had completely disappeared underneath her pale lids. A tear dripped from my cheek and landed on her forehead, slowly dripping off the edge. Then another one followed it. Cruelty by one human had caused the death of an innocent creature. My hatred towards the species had never been stronger before now.
My parents had told me humans were kind and gentle creatures who would take care of you if you were lucky enough to be caught by one. At that moment, not only did I hate humans, I hated my parents. What they had told me was a lie, and I had been stupid enough to believe it.
oo00O00oo
We were standing in front of a huge hole. Sandslash had set to work as soon as we had decided Togepi deserved a proper burial, and as she pulled the final mounds of dirt from the grave we were ready to begin. Togetic, with tears in his eyes, lowered his baby sister into the hole and placed her on the pile of heather we had placed at the bottom. Then he came back to the top and stood with the rest of us.
"Pikachu, could you… say something?" Togetic asked with tears in his eyes.
"Me?" I asked. I was surprised, I had expected Togetic to want to say something but I hadn't even thought that he might want me to do it. Looking at him though, I knew he was serious and so I cleared my throat and began to speak.
"I've heard that Togepi's grow by being shown love and happiness. Although our friend may not have seen much towards the end of her life, I know that at some point in her short time on earth she was shown all the love and happiness she needed, and I hope that now she has rejoined the moon she will once again be bombarded by kindness. I'm sure we all know Pokemon that have rejoined the moon, I myself have my whole family up there, and I hope that one day we will all meet her again when it is finally our time to return. Goodbye Togepi, enjoy your new home."
As I looked up I realised I was crying again, and looking at the others I saw that they too were weeping. I knew that everyone in the group had been affected by what had happened that day. A human had destroyed one Pokemon's life, for no other reason than that he was cruel and heartless, and I knew that like myself, all thoughts of what they had been told about humans in the past had disappeared, just as the sun disappeared at night to reveal the moon.
It was in a sad and subdued mood that we settled down to sleep last night. Togetic had separated himself from the the others and was sitting a distance away on the river back staring into the flowing water. Having lost family of my own I knew how he felt. I considered going over to him and talking to him. I didn't know if he would want to talk, but I didn't like to see him so upset and so slowly I wandered over to the grieving Pokemon.
"Hi," I murmured as I approached him. "Mind if I join you?"
"Feel free," Togetic replied. I sat down. "I'm… sorry for being like this."
"You have a perfect right to be," I sympathised. "I know what it's like to lose family, and I don't blame you for being upset."
"When you say you know what it's like." He turned to me. "What do you mean?"
"That's how I ended up on my own. I lost my whole family," I replied sadly.
"Do you mind me asking how?"
"I brought an injured Pidgey back home with me to make better. It's father thought we were trying to harm it and came and attacked, wiped out my parents and my brothers and sisters in one swoop."
"And I'm guessing you blamed yourself?" he asked.
"I had a perfect right to, it was my fault."
"It's the same with me. I blame myself for my sisters death. I was supposed to be protecting her. I failed miserably didn't I?"
"The only person you can blame for her death is Kern and his cruelty," I said bitterly.
"And the only person you can blame for your family's death is the Pidgeot who swooped and took them away from you, but it doesn't stop the guilt."
"I guess I'm the wrong person to talk to," I admitted.
"You're the only one who understands how it feels," he corrected. "I'm going to be all alone now. When Togepi was still alive she was what kept me going, I had to keep going for her sake, and now she's gone."
"You don't have to be on your own," I replied. "I'm heading off with Butterfree tomorrow, you're welcome to join us."
"You mean that?" he exclaimed. "You really want me to join you?"
"Yes," I replied with conviction in my voice. "I do."
I looked up to the sky again, and seeing the moon shining down on my prompted me to speak once again.
"Has anyone ever told you the story of the moon?" I asked.
"No," he replied, looking at me, intrigued.
"In ancient Pokemon legend it is said that all Pokemon come from the moon, and that when they die they rejoin it again. I've been brought up to believe that and pass it on to any Pokemon who hasn't heard it."
"Does that mean…?" Togetic trailed off but I knew what he was getting at by his tone of voice.
"Yes," I said, looking up at the glowing ball once again. "Togepi's up there watching us right now."
STORY OF A DREAMER - JOSIE
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CHAPTER SEVEN
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The sun was blaring down on us by the time we had reached what we decided was a safe distance away from Kern's Gym. We were all hot, and walking all morning had left us weaker than we had been already. The sight of a river a short distance away was a welcome relief, and although I suspected it was a mirage formed from our thirst, as we got closer I realised it was in fact the real thing and as we reached the banks I saw a smile appear on all the Pokemon's faces. We had made it.
"That looks like a good place to rest for a while," Houndour commented, pointing to a tree which overhung the bank of the river. It offered shade from the heat and it took no argument for the others to realise the same and head towards it with what little strength they had left. Under the tree it was heaven, a far cry from the heat of the sun it was cool and dew had formed on the ground and was also dripping from the trees.
I had always admired the sun, but now I realised that it could be dangerous if you weren't aware of its power. I looked at the shadows darting about on the ground, where the tree parted and let the sun in for a moment before the wind pushed it back again. However dangerous it may be, the sun was still beautiful.
I glanced over at the other Pokemon.
Totodile and Quagsire were splashing about in the water, a great sight, as they had been in danger of drying up throughout the journey.
Spearow, Fearow and Pidgey were sitting beside each other on a high branch of the tree. Spearow was calling out a message to other Spearow's in the area, hoping to find his family. So far he wasn't having any luck.
Hoppip and Cyndaquil finally looked stronger as they lay resting by the trunk of the tree, and they were chatting to each other in low voices. Being trapped together for so long had caused them to create a huge bond between them, and I found myself thinking that it was the one good thing that had emerged from Kern's cruelty.
The bug Pokemon had formed a small group together and were seated nearby admiring a pink flower growing at the base of the tree. I guessed they hadn't seen beauty like that for a long time.
Then I glanced at the river bank. Togepi was lying on the ground by the bank and Togetic was dampening her head with a leaf she had dipped in the water. I smiled at Togetic's love and kindness but my heart sank when I realised that the poor creature he was trying to help probably wouldn't last much longer. She looked even worse than she had done when I'd first seen her, and I knew she was slipping away in front of us.
"Where are we headed?" I asked, turning back to Houndour as he seemed to have taken the lead.
"I think we'll rest here for today and then we'd better split up. It's too dangerous for us all to stay together." My heart sank. I had known it was likely that we would have to part ways eventually, but I hadn't guessed it would be that soon. Since I had met these Pokemon we had been together all the time, and that had caused us all to bond with each other. Fire, grass, water, electric, type played no part in it, we'd put that aside and become friends. The thought of having to leave them all behind brought tears to my eyes. I noticed Butterfree floating down from the air and with her usual elegancy she landed on the ground beside me.
"You'll always have me," she said softly in my ear. I knew it was the truth and I smiled at her, wiping the tears from my eyes. I wasn't going to lose anyone, I realised. Although we were parting, we would never forget each other. I felt a warm feeling growing inside of me, I had never had friends before, the close family unit I had been a part of had prevented that, and now I had more friends than I could ever have imagined having, for once in my life I felt complete.
I came out of my thoughts to hear someone weeping. I glanced from Pokemon to Pokemon attempting to discover where the crying was coming from. My eyes eventually rested on Togetic, still sitting on the river bank. He was seated on the ground with his baby sister in his arms. I knew that what I had expected to happen had finally happened. Togepi was dead. Although I had known it would come to pass eventually, as did everyone else, we all broke down crying simultaneously as we stared solemnly at the creature in Togetic's arms. He laid her on the ground. As I glanced at her I saw her wide staring eyes looking up at the sun just as I did every day. Her eyes, however, would never see again.
As if I was in a trance I wandered up to her and placed my paws on her eye lids. Slowly I covered up her eyes until they had completely disappeared underneath her pale lids. A tear dripped from my cheek and landed on her forehead, slowly dripping off the edge. Then another one followed it. Cruelty by one human had caused the death of an innocent creature. My hatred towards the species had never been stronger before now.
My parents had told me humans were kind and gentle creatures who would take care of you if you were lucky enough to be caught by one. At that moment, not only did I hate humans, I hated my parents. What they had told me was a lie, and I had been stupid enough to believe it.
oo00O00oo
We were standing in front of a huge hole. Sandslash had set to work as soon as we had decided Togepi deserved a proper burial, and as she pulled the final mounds of dirt from the grave we were ready to begin. Togetic, with tears in his eyes, lowered his baby sister into the hole and placed her on the pile of heather we had placed at the bottom. Then he came back to the top and stood with the rest of us.
"Pikachu, could you… say something?" Togetic asked with tears in his eyes.
"Me?" I asked. I was surprised, I had expected Togetic to want to say something but I hadn't even thought that he might want me to do it. Looking at him though, I knew he was serious and so I cleared my throat and began to speak.
"I've heard that Togepi's grow by being shown love and happiness. Although our friend may not have seen much towards the end of her life, I know that at some point in her short time on earth she was shown all the love and happiness she needed, and I hope that now she has rejoined the moon she will once again be bombarded by kindness. I'm sure we all know Pokemon that have rejoined the moon, I myself have my whole family up there, and I hope that one day we will all meet her again when it is finally our time to return. Goodbye Togepi, enjoy your new home."
As I looked up I realised I was crying again, and looking at the others I saw that they too were weeping. I knew that everyone in the group had been affected by what had happened that day. A human had destroyed one Pokemon's life, for no other reason than that he was cruel and heartless, and I knew that like myself, all thoughts of what they had been told about humans in the past had disappeared, just as the sun disappeared at night to reveal the moon.
It was in a sad and subdued mood that we settled down to sleep last night. Togetic had separated himself from the the others and was sitting a distance away on the river back staring into the flowing water. Having lost family of my own I knew how he felt. I considered going over to him and talking to him. I didn't know if he would want to talk, but I didn't like to see him so upset and so slowly I wandered over to the grieving Pokemon.
"Hi," I murmured as I approached him. "Mind if I join you?"
"Feel free," Togetic replied. I sat down. "I'm… sorry for being like this."
"You have a perfect right to be," I sympathised. "I know what it's like to lose family, and I don't blame you for being upset."
"When you say you know what it's like." He turned to me. "What do you mean?"
"That's how I ended up on my own. I lost my whole family," I replied sadly.
"Do you mind me asking how?"
"I brought an injured Pidgey back home with me to make better. It's father thought we were trying to harm it and came and attacked, wiped out my parents and my brothers and sisters in one swoop."
"And I'm guessing you blamed yourself?" he asked.
"I had a perfect right to, it was my fault."
"It's the same with me. I blame myself for my sisters death. I was supposed to be protecting her. I failed miserably didn't I?"
"The only person you can blame for her death is Kern and his cruelty," I said bitterly.
"And the only person you can blame for your family's death is the Pidgeot who swooped and took them away from you, but it doesn't stop the guilt."
"I guess I'm the wrong person to talk to," I admitted.
"You're the only one who understands how it feels," he corrected. "I'm going to be all alone now. When Togepi was still alive she was what kept me going, I had to keep going for her sake, and now she's gone."
"You don't have to be on your own," I replied. "I'm heading off with Butterfree tomorrow, you're welcome to join us."
"You mean that?" he exclaimed. "You really want me to join you?"
"Yes," I replied with conviction in my voice. "I do."
I looked up to the sky again, and seeing the moon shining down on my prompted me to speak once again.
"Has anyone ever told you the story of the moon?" I asked.
"No," he replied, looking at me, intrigued.
"In ancient Pokemon legend it is said that all Pokemon come from the moon, and that when they die they rejoin it again. I've been brought up to believe that and pass it on to any Pokemon who hasn't heard it."
"Does that mean…?" Togetic trailed off but I knew what he was getting at by his tone of voice.
"Yes," I said, looking up at the glowing ball once again. "Togepi's up there watching us right now."