Boy it's hot today, even hotter than the previous few days. Most, if not all, of the yoshis seeked refuge in the refreshing shade that trees had to offer. This, of course, was no different for my best friend and I, already under a nearby tree no too far from the water's edge. I was on the brink of dosing off until a familiar voice prevented me from falling asleep.

"I'm bored!" a yellow yoshi exclaimed beside me.

"Kiiroshi, you can't stay still for more than five minutes." I replied with a chuckle.

"I hate sitting around doing nothing when I'm not tired, you know that."

The conversation continued on, but I was lost to memories while we were talking. I remember, five years ago, when Kiiroshi and I were but small yoshis, going about playing various games and exploring our island. We were inseparable, and still are. Actually, Kiiroshi is the only yoshi on the island that doesn't feel like I'm different from everyone, me being the only light-blue yoshi after all. Every other person would either treat me specially, while others would ignore me until we talked or something of the sort, and I hated that. All I wanted was to be treated equally, not to be treated specially or being ignored. Kiiroshi is the only yoshi, and that is why he is my best friend. I have great respect for him, because I know he respects me the same way.

Although, we do have our differences. He, being a yellow yoshi, is prone to act out of curiosity and impulse rather than thinking of what he will do. This has lead to many inconveniences. For instance, one time I tried to warn him that the fruits he was about to eat were bad, but I was too late. He, being too hungry to even think about what he would catch with that tongue of his and gulp in, he ate to his hearts content... also leading to a very bad upset stomach. Remembering this incident caused me to laugh a little.

"What? Did I say something funny?" asked Kiiroshi while giving off a small spurt of laughter of his own.

That was another one of his traits, he would almost always be in a good mood, even when being a tad confused at times.

"Wha... oh. I was just thinking."

I knew what he was thinking there, that I think too much. That would be a good way to describe me. Every time I'm not doing anything or the like, I'm thinking. Thinking of what I could be doing rather than nothing, thinking of random thoughts that would pass through my head, or thinking about why I was different from everyone and trying to figure out why. This leads others to conclude that I'll almost always be daydreaming or zoned out. And, whether I like it or not, their right.

"Hey, I was thinking..." I started to say, but was promptly interrupted by something he always says in this situation.

"When don't you, Burushi?" he stated sarcastically while giving me a friendly wink.

I couldn't hold it back, I gave off a good laugh before I could even continue my train of thought.

"As I was trying to say, with the days becoming longer and the temperature being hotter, do you think that it will be held soon?

"It? Oh, you mean that. I heard that it's going to start in two days time, you in?

"Of course, what about you?

"No, I don't want to."

To this I rose and stood from my seating place and gave off "Yellow-belly." before chuckling and running off.

"Hey, that wasn't nice" said Kiiroshi as he lumped up, while laughing at my remark, and began to chase me down.

The "it" we were referring to was what we called the Journeyman Competition. This event started from even before I was born. About eight years ago, the yoshis from our island found other yoshis stranded on the northern shore. They were taken in and tended to, and rapidly the newcomer yoshis became friends with the yoshis of the island. When someone asked where they were from, they replied that they came from Yo'ster Isle, another island with yoshis on it. They talked a lot about their island during their stay, about being connected to a kingdom filled with various inhabitants, about their popular racetrack where they would have what they called a mushroom derby, and about their leader, a yoshi named Yoshi. They said that although he didn't want to be their leader and wanted everyone to be as equals, they regarded him very highly. Because of its vagueness, many versions of this Yoshi is heard nowadays. Some say he can sprout wings at will and fly, some would say he could drink the waters between their island and the kingdom and hold it in his mouth long enough for every yoshi to cross freely, while others state he is about twenty feet tall and all-powerful. Some believe these versions, but I find them rubbish.

After staying at our island for two years, the newcomers decided to try and make it back home, even though they were not sure in which direction they came from. We had found them on the northern shore, so they set out from there. We never had any news from them since, so we hope that they made it safely.

Ever since their departure, we had this event, to determine which one of us had the skills and endurance to survive the trip across the ocean, for the island elder had forbidden anyone not qualified to set out. I have been questioning myself whether or not I would like to enter this event. I like adventuring, to see new places, to make new friends. Although I always wondered if I really wanted to do this because of adventure, I knew that that was not my reason. My reason was simple, to see this Yoshi with my own eyes, to see if all yoshis could actually live as equals. That was my motivation.

The next two nights were rather restless, the last time I was about to fall asleep was when Kiiroshi exclaimed his boredom. I was too anxious to get some rest. My thoughts and excitement gave me insomnia, and the worst part is that even without rest for two nights, I wasn't feeble and tired.

***

The day I awaited was finally here. I really wanted to make an impact and be eligible to leave and search for the person who could give me answers to my questions, Yoshi. This competition was divided in four categories: the jump, the shell, the stomach and the throw. Unfortunately, I wasn't adept at jumping and throwing, so I had to work extra hard on those. All in all, I was ready.

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