A Threesome's Tales

The Kanto Trio

in

"A Threesome's Tales"



Tale 1: The Trickster King (Ash)


"Here we are, gang!" a red haired girl smiled as she led her companions into the park. "A whole week of swimming, fishing, hiking, and generally enjoying the wonders of nature!"

"Let's not forget sharing songs and stories around the campfire!" a black haired boy agreed before some crunching in his bag got his attention. "Pikachu, you weren't supposed to get into the chocolate bars yet." he sighed when he found the small electric mouse happily munching on a chocolate bar.

"What happened?" an older boy with brown hair and tan skin asked as he began pitching his tent on near the center of the camp site.

"Pikachu found the chocolate bars we were going to use for s'mores, Brock." the boy explained.

Brock stooped down to Pikachu's eye level. "How many of those did you eat?" he asked.

"Pika pi." Pikachu replied, holding up the single bar's wrapper as proof.

"Okay, you can have that one, seeing as you're half done with it." Brock warned before getting up. "But no more until tonight, okay?"

"Pika." Pikachu replied.

The girl, meanwhile, studied a piece of paper. "Let's make sure we didn't forget anything...tents?"

"Check!" Brock reported before entering his tent.

"Food, check." the girl mused as a small pink humanoid brought her a bag of food.

Brock smiled at the humanoid. "Thank you for helping Misty with the food, Happini."

"Pini pi." Happini replied before running out to assist someone else.

"I have cooking supplies, first aid, and my guitar." Brock reported as he brought over a cooler. "Ash should have the s'mores ingredients...."

"I also brought more food, some games and toys, and fishing gear." Ash added before shooing Pikachu from his bag and pitching his own tent. "And I didn't forget the whistles and my Pokeflute either!"

"Great!" Misty smiled. "As for me, I brought some more games, first aid supplies, a park guidebook, and my fiddle for jamming around the campfire.

"That's everything, at least for me!" Ash smiled. "This'll be the best campout ever!"

That night...

The mood was festive around the campsite that night as the three friends celebrated being together for the first time in a while. Brock had made his special chili to complement the hamburgers and hot dogs, with s'mores for dessert. Once the meal was finished, music--both played and sung--filled the air.

The set list was endless as ancient songs from long ago rolled into beloved melodies from the 50's, 60's and 70's, only to be followed by spirited dance tunes, which led into haunting solos. Then the voices would return, and the cycle would begin anew.

It was when Ash concluded his rendition of "Traveler Among the Stars" that the first story of many was told. "There was once a boy who lived with his sister. While she did most of the chores, the boy--I'm gonna call him Todd--was well known for playing tricks, but not much else."

"So, did his sister tell him to go seek his fortune, or what?" Misty asked, fascinated.

"She told him to go seek his fortune, and the first place Todd went was the royal palace." Ash continued as he set his Pokeflute by a rock. "Now, the king of the land was very vain, and believed he was the very best at everything."

"Now who does that sound like?" Misty gave Brock a sly smile.

"Ash may be a great trainer and musician, and not too shabby a storyteller, but I don't know if he's the best at everything..." Brock mused.

Ash ignored his friends' commentary and continued his tale. "When the king saw Todd outside the royal palace, he challenged Todd to try and trick him. Todd told the king he'd left his bag of tricks at home, and it was too far away to walk all the way back there."

Pikachu, Azurill, and Happini laugh at this. "So the king gave Todd a Ponyta, but as soon as Todd got to town, he sold the Ponyta." Ash continues. "Understandably, the king was mad when he found he had been tricked."

"And then?" Brock asks, interested.

"However, Todd was prepared for this sort of situation--he first boiled a pot of water, and when he heard the king and his men coming, he set the pot on the floor, and started stirring vegetables." Ash explains. "The king wondered why a cooking pot was on the floor, and Todd said it was a magic pot. The king immediately offered to buy it, but Todd said it was not for sale. The king kept offering more and more gold, until Todd finally relented. The king threw a big party that night, and filled the pot with water, meat, and vegetables. But when the royal cook stirred it, the pot didn't boil. Everyone howled with laughter when they saw the king had been had."

Everyone laughs as they picture the king's reaction. "This is too funny!" Misty comments as she wipes away a tear of laughter.

"Keep it up, Ash--you're doing great!" Brock agrees.

"Pini pi?" Happini asks.

"Todd was taken to the palace and sealed in a barrel." Ash explains. "The barrel was taken to a high cliff, where it would roll into the sea in three days." He pauses his story to retrieve a whistle from his bag. "What the king didn't know was that Todd had a whistle with him in the barrel, and he spent the next two days playing any and every dance tune he knew."

Misty leads the clapping as Ash plays a set of tunes for effect. "The music attracted a rich miser, and asked Todd what he was doing in the barrel." Ash continues. "Todd explained that the king was sending him on a grand journey to the heavens. The rich miser was intrigued at what the heavens were like, and paid Todd a thousand gold pieces to take his place. Todd then went out and bought all manner of fancy clothes, jewels, and other finery."

"Pika?" Pikachu asks, stiffling a giggle at the king's likely reaction.

"The king nearly did a double take when he saw Todd all dressed up, and wondered how in the world he survived being thrown into the sea." Ash replies. "Todd explained that he had met Manaphy, the Prince of the Sea, and received all his finery as a gift. The king was enamored at Todd's stories of the undersea kingdom, Manaphy's palace, which gleamed with gold, silver, and jewels, and how generous Manaphy was. So the king sealed himself in a barrel, and it went rolling into the sea."

Brock's laughter is the loudest as Ash concludes. "Todd was then crowned the new king, and invited his sister to serve on his court. He ruled for many years with a kind and just hand, and the people of that land remember him as the trickster king."

"Bravo!" Misty led the applause.

"I have trained you well as a storyteller, Ash." Brock smiled. "Keep practicing, though!"

"Well, now that we've heard your apprentice tell, why don't we hear from the master?" Misty suggested, her eyes shining with excitement at what sort of story Brock would tell...

(real tale: The Clever King)

 

Tale 2: The Gold Berries (Brock)


"Once a man--we'll call him Kosei--was coming home from the market when thieves ambushed him and stole the food and Pokémon he had just bought." Brock begins. Misty gasps in horror, but Brock quickly assures her "Although he was quite battered, Kosei didn't despair--he knew that Arceus would give the thieves their just desserts."

"You know what they say--what goes around, comes around." Ash agrees as he adds a log to the campfire.

"Usually a little too quickly." Misty whispers. She and Ash giggle in agreement.

Brock just ignores the whispering. "When Kosei got home, he learned that many of the townsfolk had been robbed in that place. The trees and brush grew large and thick, making it the perfect spot for a thief to hide. But Kosei declared that he had a plan to catch the thieves." he quickly notes.

"Pika pikachu?" Pikachu asks.

"The other townsfolk, however, were concerned--these thieves were strong and too fast for anyone to catch." Brock tells Pikachu. "But Kosei was quick to point out that they were greedy too--and that was how he would catch them."

"If only we could catch Team Rocket like that..." Misty muses.

"So, what was Kosei's big plan?" Ash wonders

"First, Kosei bought two Deerlings and took them home." Brock explains. "Then, he returned to the place where he had been robbed, where an Aspear tree stood. He then hollowed out two of the biggest Berries on the tree and filled them full of coins. When Kosei's wife--we'll call her Saiban--heard about her husband's plan, she wanted to help out as well. They sacrificed one of their Tauros to Arceus for good luck, and Kosei concealed a skin filled with Tauros blood inside Saiban's clothing."

"And then?" Misty wasn't so sure Kosei's plan would work.

"Kosei then asked his friends to prepare a cot by the Aspear tree." Brock continues. "While his friends thought Kosei was nuts at first, they prepared the cot anyway, figuring it was a part of Kosei's plan."

"Pini?" Happini asks.

"Kosei laid on the cot and pretended to doze." Brock replies "Sure enough, the thieves returned, and asked him what he was doing in the road."

In character as an older man, he intones "I'm guarding our Aspear trees."

As himself, he continues "The thieves laughed at this--why would you need to guard a Berry tree? But Kosei gave the thieves the coin filled Berries, and no sooner had they cut them open, did coins spill everywhere!"

"I bet they were shocked!" Ash muses. A grin forms on his face as he pictures the thieves' reaction.

"Oh they were." Brock replies. "The thieves offered Kosei gold and jewels in return for what they thought was a magic tree. It was only when they offered the items that they had stolen earlier that Kosei finally relented."

Giggles fill the air at this. "It didn't take long for the thieves to find out they'd been had--they hurried to catch up with Kosei and demanded the food and Pokémon back." Brock continues. "Kosei agreed, but as it was almost dinner time, he invited the thieves to join him for dinner. He then told the Deerling at his side to tell Saiban that they had guests. When he turned the Deerling loose, it ran straight into the woods."

More laughter goes up at this. "Kosei led the thieves to his house, where Saiban and the other Deerling were waiting." Brock continues. "But before they could say anything about the seemingly magical Deerling, Kosei took a knife and stabbed at the spot where the skin of Tauros blood was, making Saiban appear to die as the thieves watched in horror."

Misty gasps at this. "Azu azu?" Azurill asks.

"No, Saiban only pretended to die." Ash assures all three Pokémon. "That's what the skin of Tauros blood was for."

"But then, Kosei took a stick..." Brock pauses to pick up a stick of his own. "and waved it over Saiban's 'dead' body as he appeared to cast a spell." He proceeds to wave the stick over the imagined body as he sings Rou iitsa ron selga vichii...

Sighs of relief fill the air as Brock continues "The thieves were stunned when Saiban seemingly came back to life, and immediately offered a thousand gold pieces for the Deerling and the stick."

He concludes "The thieves didn't know that Kosei had asked some of the royal guard to capture the thieves, and no sooner had the thieves started down the road with the stick and the Deerling, were they promptly arrested. Kosei and Saiban were hailed as heroes, and no one in that region was bothered by thieves for some time!"

"Bravo!" Ash leads the applause.

"Nothing less from a master!" Misty agrees.

"Ash and I have each told our first tale of the night, now it's your turn." Brock tells Misty.

Misty swallows hard at this--her only experience with stories is reading out of a book to Azurill. "I may not be the best storyteller, but I can try."

"That's the spirit!" Ash smiles. He watched as Misty took a few deep breaths to clear her mind and calm her nerves...

(real tale: Gourds of Gold)

 

Tale 3: The Great Feast (Misty)


Misty's mind raced as she racked her brain for a tale to tell the boys. I've never really told a story from memory before, so what's an easy one for me to remember that the boys would love?

The chili pot hanging over the campfire gave her an idea. "In a far away land, the people could not stop complaining about their vizirs."

"Azu?" Azurill asks.

"That's what an official is called in some lands." Brock explains.

"As I was saying, the people of this land could not stop talking about their vizirs." Misty continued, trying oh-so-hard to ease the Beautiflies in her stomach. "The reason? They argued over anything and everything, and once they started arguing, it was anyone's guess as to when they would stop."

"Mm-hm..." Brock nods. "Go on..."

"Now, the vizirs knew what the people were saying, and they took it upon themselves to show their people they could conduct affairs in a civil manner." Misty continues. "So one day, they went into town, making small talk amongst themselves and saying hello to all they met."

"And then?" Ash is interested--he's never seen Misty play the role of storyteller before.

"Suddenly, they found a rare black pearl embedded in the sandy road." Misty continued. "Their first thought was to debate what to do with it, but they remembered their promise to conduct affairs civilly. They decided to hold a great feast in honor of their friendship."

"Pika pi?" Pikachu asks.

"So the ten vizirs all went down to the food shop and used the black pearl to buy enough food for the whole city to be fed for a week and still have leftovers." Misty explained. "There were potstickers, and puddings, meats both from the land and the sea, vegetables of all kinds, nuts, Berries, and a bewildering array of desserts."

Pikachu notices Ash is drooling at the thought of eating all the food Misty described, and gives him a gentle shock as a reminder to pay attention. "Just hearing about all that made me hungry too." Brock smiles as he helps himself to another hot dog. "And then?"

"Just before the vizirs could sit down to their massive meal, the ninth vizir saw that the palace gate was open." Misty continued. "He told the sixth to shut it, but he believed the first vizir should shut it. The first told the eighth, the eighth asked the fourth, and before long, all ten vizirs were fighting over who should shut the gate."

"So, who broke it up? They have truckloads of food waiting..." Ash wondered as he retrieved a soda from the cooler.

"The tenth vizir finally broke it up by saying the next person to say anything or stand up would close the gate." Misty replies. "So the ten vizirs began to eat, not saying a word to each other or getting up for seconds."

Brock chuckles as he pictures what the vizirs will fight over next. Ash just sighed dreamily at the scene of the ten vizirs eating enough food to feed Pallet Town for a year.

"The open gate lured hundreds of Pokémon into the palace." Misty continued. "and they wasted no time in devouring all the meat. When every piece of chicken, beef, and fish was gone, they moved on to the vegetables, fruits, cheeses and desserts. But the vizirs just sat there, oblivious to the Pokémon eating their food."

Brock stiffles a chuckle at the imagined chaos. Just then, a Growlithe mistook the tenth vizir's lip for a piece of meat, and bit down hard!"

Ash spits out his drink, and Brock and the Pokémon howl with laughter at this. "When the others told him he had to shut the gate, they looked around and realized the food was gone, and there was now no point in closing the gate." Misty concluded. "They went their separate ways, not wanting to argue about the matter any more...at least until the next day!"

Brock leads the applause. "Not bad for someone who's never had a lesson!"

"Oh, that was so funny!" Ash agrees as he applauds.

"I just made that one up, but I know a few my sisters once told me too." Misty assures the boys. Come to think of it, this storytelling thing isn't so bad!

(real tale: The Vizir's Feast)

 

Tale 4: Beautifly's Wedding (Ash)


"Hey, Brock?" Ash asked. "May I try performing that story May gave me the bones to on her last visit?"

"Sure." Brock replied. "If you feel confident enough to perform it in front of Misty and me, go for it."

Ash took a deep breath to calm his nerves, then began. "Once upon a time, a Beautifly flew across the skies, and everywhere she went, every Pokémon looked up at her--not only was she physically beautiful, but she had a beautiful heart as well. She was kind, gentle, and never interfered with anyone nor demanded anything from them."

"Not bad on the beginning, but you're rushing a little." Brock interrupts. "Speak slowly and clearly so we can understand you."

Ash nods, and continues his tale. "On this particular day, the Beautifly--let's call her Mariposa--was looking for a mate. She wanted to raise some Wurmples, who would eventually become more Beautiflies. Ho'oh met Mariposa as she began her daily flight across the sky, and wished her well on her quest."

"Azu azu ri?" Azurill asks.

"Mariposa landed on an aster, and as she sipped at the aster's nectar, the aster couldn't help but smile. 'You are sweet, like me...Mariposa, will you marry me'? Mariposa blushed and replied 'Love you as I do, you're not the one for me.' Ash continues, making sure he is not speaking too quickly. "As Mariposa flew over the world, hundreds of Pokémon begged her to marry them. Mariposa loved them too, but she knew in her heart all her would be suitors were not the perfect mate."

"So did Mariposa ever find a perfect mate?" Misty wonders.

"One day, Mariposa met a male Beautifly--we'll call him Osumare--and the two fell wings over heels in love with each other." Ash continues. "The wedding was a grand affair--Pikachus, Spinaraks, Mareeps, Persians, even Shaymin--they and many more Pokémon came to wish the two Beautiflies well. Of course, every guest brought flowers, so the nectar flowed freely."

"Aw..." Brock sighs dreamily.

"A few weeks later, Mariposa asked Osumare to bring her some water." Ash continues. "As Osumare flew down by the riverbank, he lost his balance and fell into the water. A Magikarp was quick to swallow him!"

"Oh no!" Misty gasps, fearful for the two Beautiflies.

"A Yanma saw the whole thing, and relayed the terrible news to Mariposa." Ash then notices Brock bringing his hands together--his signal to slow down. "Mariposa burst into tears, but the other Pokémon did what they could to help."

"Pika?" Pikachu is interested.

"The Ledybas scoured the river, the Lotads searched the lilypads, and the Pidgeottos flew low, looking for the Magikarp." Ash explains to his audience and Pikachu. "The Duckletts went nuts, so the noise awakened the wisps of the forest, who began glittering wildly. But the Deerlings thought everyone was making a big fuss over nothing, so they started laughing. The laughter prompted the Magikarp to surface and open his mouth, allowing Osumare to fly out, unharmed."

Misty heaves a sigh of relief as Ash concludes "Mariposa was elated Osumare was all right. She laid many eggs that year, which hatched into Wurmples, who in turn became more Beautiflies, beginning the cycle anew."

Brock leads the applause. "Very good! Just be careful not to rush while you're telling--we can't understand you if you're going a hundred miles an hour."

Ash sweatdrops. "I need to work on not talking too fast...."

"Well, if it helps, I want you to watch how I speak clearly and pace myself in this next tale..." Brock suggests as Happini adds a stick to the fire....

(real tale: The Butterfly's Wedding)

 

Tale 5: The Haunted Pond (Brock)


"Just a word of warning--this tale might be a little scary." Brock cautions.

"Oh, a ghost story!" Misty gasps with excitement--usually Brock only tells ghost stories around Halloween.

"Bring it on!" Ash demands.

Brock just smiles at his friends' bravery. "In a certain land, there stood a pond that brimmed with Goldeens." He then catches himself. "Actually, the Goldeens only came out at night--any would-be angler that went fishing during the day wouldn't get a single bite!"

"That IS odd..." Misty notes--usually Goldeens stayed out at all hours of the day and night.

"If anyone tried to leave the pond with their catch, they would hear a ghostly voice saying..." Brock then switches to one of his go to "spooky" voices. "Leave it there...leave it there..."

Ash swallows hard. "W-was it really a ghost?"

"Just listen and you'll find out." Misty assured him.

"Because of this, no one wanted to fish there." Brock explains. "So one day, a brave man in the nearby town--we'll call him Kane--decided to fish in the haunted pond. His wife and the townsfolk tried to talk him out of it, but Kane wouldn't take no for an answer."

Misty nervously giggles at this. "Kane went to the pond, and didn't get a bite all day." Brock continues. "But when night fell, the Goldeen were biting like no tomorrow!"

"I bet he caught a zillion!" Ash smiles.

"He caught enough to fill two buckets before calling it a day." Brock replies. "As he departed with his catch, he heard the ghostly voice in the distance." In his "ghostly" persona again, he intones "Leave it there...leave it there..." As himself, he continues "But Kane paid the voice no mind and continued home."

"A-and then?" Even Misty is worried for Kane's fate.

"Kane passed by a willow tree, where a girl in a blue robe and glowing veil was resting." Brock continues. "She noticed the Goldeens Kane carried and asked him..." In character as a girl, he asks "Those Goldeens you have look tasty...won't you share with a poor traveler?"

"I caught these fair and square!" he retorts as a young man. "They will be my dinner tonight!"

Misty and Ash laugh at this. "Despite the girl's pleas, Kane refused to part with his Goldeens. But when he lifted the girl's veil to directly refuse her, he was shocked to discover she had no face!"

"AUGH!!!" Ash yelps, much to Misty's and Azurill's delight.

"Pika pika pikachu, Pikapi." Pikachu assures his master, but Ash is shaking in fear.

Brock is unfazed. "Kane ran home as fast as he could, with a death grip on his Goldeens all the while. When he got home, he told his wife what had happened as he roasted one Goldeen over the fire. But when he got to the part about his encounter with the faceless girl, the lights went out."

"Uh oh..." Misty eagerly smiles as she waits to hear what happens next. Ash, meanwhile, clings to Misty in fear.

"He suddenly heard a voice say..." In character as a girl, Brock asks "One taste?" He continues as himself. "When Kane looked to see who was in the room, he saw the faceless girl!"

"Not so hard, Mr. Scaredy-meowth..." Misty grumbles as Ash grips her back even tighter in fear.

"In his rush to get away from the faceless girl, Kane left his Goldeens and his rod behind." Brock concludes. "They say he didn't go fishing for a long time after that!"

"Now, see? Kane lived." Misty assures Ash as she peels him off of her. "For my next tale of the night, I'll tell something to calm Mr. Scaredy-meowth down...." Ash just blushes as the Pokémon laugh...

(real tale: "Folktales from Japan" episode 18, story 2)

 

Tale 6: The Celestial Harp (Misty)

Let's see, a story that won't scare Ash... Misty thinks for a moment as to what sort of story her sisters have told her that the boys would like.

"Azu azu ri rill?" Azurill asks.

"Well, some of them I read in books, and some of them I learned on my travels." Brock replies.

"You know, in olden times, wandering minstrels would sing songs and tell stories for people--because back then, songs and stories were not written down." Ash explains. "So sometimes, when Brock is telling stories on a stage, he will portray this kind of character."

"Azu..." Azurill gets stars in her eyes.

"They typically used an instrument similar to a guitar called a lute..." Brock adds before edging a smaller case to him, opening it, and taking a small silver crescent-shaped harp from inside. "Or one of these."

"Pika..." Pikachu gasps as he admires the gold inlays and sapphires decorating the harp.

Brock tuning the harp gives Misty an idea. "Say...you think you could play a little while I try out this original story?"

"Sure--I'll play when you tell me someone plays a harp." Brock replies.

Misty just begins her story. "Once upon a time, in a fair away land, there lived a king and queen. They had a son--I'll call him Alex--who dreamed of being a great hero like the minstrels sang about." Brock adds a soft chord on the harp for effect. "When Alex was old enough to choose a bride, he asked his father the king where the most beautiful princess in the world lived."

"Pini!" Happini is excited at the mention of a princess.

"So the king took Alex into the royal gallery, where the portraits of many beautiful princesses from all over the world hung." Misty continues.

"I bet Alex had a tough decision to make..." Ash muses.

"Alex looked at all the portraits very carefully...." Pikachu giggles as Misty examines a tree by the campsite, as if she is Alex examining a portrait. "He finally saw the portrait of the princess of Azulona--I'll call her Mina--and fell deeply in love with her. So with his mother and father's blessings, he left on a great journey to ask for Princess Mina's hand in marriage."

"And then?" Ash is piqued.

"As Alex traveled on his way, he saw a shining palace on a hill. When he went inside, there was not a person or Pokémon in sight." Misty continues. "But there was a room with some food and a bed, so Alex rested there for the night. "In the morning, he found the palace garden, bursting with exotic flowers he had never seen before. He eventually wandered into the royal stables, where he saw a shining Rapidash."

"Did he try to ride it?" Brock asks.

"He rode it, and no sooner had he told it giddy up, did it go speeding across the plains and hills!" Misty replied. Inspired, Brock plays a series of long glissandi to represent the Rapidash running. "They went through forests, plains, mountains and rivers...and by the time the Rapidash showed the first sign of being tired, Alex was soaked."

Ash snickers as he pictures the drenched prince. "Suddenly, the Rapidash spoke to Alex." Misty continues. "It has been many years since I last bore a great hero...I see you are strong, wise, and brave, and so I will serve you.' Alex made camp for the night, as he and his mount were very tired."

"Pini pini pi hapini?" Happini asked.

"What happened when Alex got to Azulona?" Misty smiles. "He told the king of Azulona that he wanted to take Princess Mina's hand in marriage. The king of Azulona replied that in return for Princess Mina, he would defend Azulona from an enemy army."

"Pika!" Pikachu gasps at this.

"Alex agreed, and the king held a grand feast to celebrate the engagement of Princess Mina." Misty continues. "The enemy armies approached Azulona the next morning, but Alex defeated them and captured the enemy king singlehandedly!"

'Wow!" Ash is impressed.

"With Azulona safe again, preparations were made for the wedding, but Princess Mina brought up an important point--with no minstrels due to arrive for some weeks, how would there be any music at the wedding?" Misty continued. "She told him of the dark immortal Tochisha, and the celestial harp he owned that was said to play itself."

Brock adds a soft chord at the mention of the titular instrument. "So Alex set out for the darklands, and came to a cottage where a great mage lived. He asked Alex what he was doing there, and when Alex told the mage of his quest for the Celestial Harp, he told him..."

Brock decides to fill in the mage's dialogue as he plays the Ballad of the Goddess. "When you travel to the darklands, arrive at noon. Nearby Tochisha's palace is a great garden, and in that garden, a captured princess walks. She will be glad to see you and help you on your quest, as it has been six years she has been held as Tochisha's slave. Ask for her aid, and she will guide you to the Celestial Harp."

"This is getting good...then what happened?" Ash wonders.

"Alex thanked the mage for his aid, and went on his way." Misty replies. "When he got to Tochisha's domain at noon, he heard the Celestial Harp playing a relaxing melody..."

Brock takes that opportunity to play his version of "Arran's Lullaby" for effect. "Alex then remembered his quest, and entered the royal garden, where he saw the captured princess--who I'll call Chloe." Misty explains as the last note of "Arran's Lullaby" echoes into the starry sky. "Princess Chloe was understandably scared of Alex at first, but when Alex told her of his quest, she trusted him. She told him to wait in the garden, went into the throne room, and began flattering Tochisha." In character as Chloe, she asks "My lord, is it true you will never die?"

"It is true." Brock replies in character as Tochisha over an ominous chord.

"Then where is your soul?" Misty asks as Chloe. "Is it here?"

"It is under the broom by the door." Brock replies as Tochisha.

"So Chloe tossed the broom in the fireplace, but Tochisha still lived." Misty continues as herself. "Princess Chloe pressed Tochisha further on the location of his soul, and when he finally relented, he told her..."

Brock fills in Tochisha's dialogue. "In a certain field stands three trees. Under the largest tree lives a Wurmple--and when it dies, I will die too."

"So Princess Chloe told Alex what she had learned, and Alex went out to the field with three trees and found the Wurmple, but when he killed it, Tochisha still lived." Misty continues.

"You put that part in there because you hate bugs..." Ash smugly muses.

Misty just ignores Ash's comment. "By now, Alex suspected Tochisha was hiding something, and told Chloe to really press him on where his soul was. Chloe spent several hours pressing Tochisha on his soul's location, but when he finally relented, he told her..."

Let's see how well Misty can remember a list of items! Brock thinks before filling in Tochisha's dialogue. "On a certain island grows a certain tree. Beneath the tree is a treasure chest--if you open it, you will find a basket inside. Attempt to take this basket and a Buneary will appear--when you kill it, a Pidove will appear. Follow it to its nest and take the egg inside, and inside that egg is my soul."

"Wait--this sounds like 'The Giant's Captive'!" Ash gasps, excited. "Is there any singing in this story?"

"Nope, not this time." Misty nervously stammers. "I can assure you this is different." There's no way I can remember all of that!

She sighs. Here goes nothing... "Alex set out for the island, where he found the tree..." She takes a deep breath and begins rattling off the list. "and he found the chest beneath it. He opened it and found a basket inside, but when he tried to take it, a Buneary jumped out. Alex killed it with a well placed arrow, and Pidove flew from the Buneary's body into the sky. Alex followed it to its next, took the egg inside, and smashed it on the ground--killing Tochisha."

Ash applauds and Brock plays a triumphant chord, pleased that Misty remembered the whole list. "Alex took the Celestial Harp, and took Princess Chloe home." Misty continues. "He then returned to Azulona and his beloved Princess Mina, where they were married the next day. All the wedding guests were amazed at how beautiful the Celestial Harp sounded, and it played many airs and dances for everyone to enjoy."

Brock plays a festive jig for effect as Misty concludes. "Alex returned to his homeland to a hero's welcome, where he lived happily ever after with Princess Mina." Brock finishes the song at this point.

Ash applauds his friends at this. "That was great, Misty! You're not too bad a storyteller..."

"Thanks--it's actually kinda fun--even more so when you have help." Misty replies.

"In fact, I don't know how I'm going to top that..." Ash muses. "Your tale's a tough act to follow!"

(The tale is based on a Russian folktale called "The Self Playing Harp" (available on Google Books)

 

Tale 7: The White Ekans (Ash)

"There was once a king in a far away land that had an odd custom." Ash begins. I hope this can top Misty's performance... "Every night, he would command his servants to bring him a certain covered platter. But before the king lifted off the cover, he sent the servant away."

"Hm..." Misty thinks a moment as to what is on the platter.

"Once night, the platter was left out, and one particular servant--let's call him Aidan--was curious about what was under the cover." Ash explained. "So he took it to a storage room, locked the door, and uncovered it, where he found the meat of a white Ekans!"

"Wait, Ekans can be white?" Misty is bit skeptical.

"I've heard of green Ekans, but white Ekans?" Brock is just as confused.

"Pikachupi! Pipika! Pika pikachu pika Pikapi pika pika chu, pi pika pika.' Pikachu explains.

"You're right, Pikachu..." Misty sighs. "It is just a story..."

"And anything can happen." Brock agrees, a smile forming on his face. "Including a white Ekans."

Pikachu motions for Ash to continue. "Pika pika?"

"Yeah, what happened when Aidan ate a little of the white Ekans?" Misty asks, albeit slightly disgusted at the idea of eating Ekans.

"He discovered he could understand the language of Pokémon, just like his lord the king." Ash replies. "One day, the king called him into the throne room, and told him the queen's favorite ring was missing. Aidan, however, was the prime suspect, as he was the only one allowed to look at the queen's jewels. If he couldn't find the real thief by the next day, he would die in their place."

Misty gasps, but Brock gently reminds Ash "You're rushing again...."

"Aidan left the throne room in despair--he had no clue who took the queen's ring, and the executioner would have to kill an innocent man." Ash continues, making sure to be careful not to speak too fast. "But suddenly, as he passed by the Ducklett pond in the royal garden, he overheard one Ducklett say it had swallowed the ring by mistake!"

The Pokémon heave a sigh of relief. "So Aidan brought the Ducklett to the royal cook, and she was preparing it for that night's dinner, there was the ring." Ash continues. "The king offered Aidan anything he wanted as a sign of his forgiveness."

"Did Aidan ask for the princess' hand in marriage?" Misty guesses what will happen next.

"Nope--he told the king his one wish was to see the world." Ash replies. "So the king gave him a Rapidash and some gold, and wished him well on his journeys."

"So, where did Aidan go on his trip around the world?" Now Brock is curious.

"He went to quite a few exotic lands, but no matter where he went, he helped the Pokémon." Ash explained. 'When he saw some Finneon gasping for breath in the reeds, he set them free in a river. When he heard the queen Durant complaining how the humans crushed them, he was careful to avoid the Durant hills on his way. When he stopped to camp for the night, he would give the forest Pokémon a share of his food."

"Pini?" Happini asks. "Pini pini hapi?"

"I'm getting to the princess, okay?" Ash assures Happini before continuing his tale. "Eventually, Aidan came to another land, where the king was seeking a husband for his daughter--who I'll call Sophia."

"Pini!" Happini is thrilled at the princess' chosen name.

Misty giggles. "Happini sure loves her princesses..."

"She likes minstrels too..." Brock replies. "Almost as much as princesses."

"The king didn't want Princess Sophia to go to just any old prince, so he gave her would be suitors an impossible task--and if they succeeded, they would have Princess Sophia's hand in marriage." Ash explains. "So far, every man that had tried had failed."

Pikachu swallows hard, fearful for Aidan. "So Aidan told the king he wished to seek Princess Sophia's hand in marriage." Ash continues. "The king brought Aidan to a beach, and told him that Princess Sophia's favorite ring had fallen in the water. If he could find it, Sophia was his."

"Azu azu?" Azurill asked.

"As Aidan wondered where the ring was, the Finneons he had rescued brought him an ornate emerald ring." Ash replied. "Princess Sophia was impressed, but not convinced. She led Aidan to a field, and tossed ten bags of seed into the grass. She told Aidan to pick up every last seed before dawn--or else."

"Or else what?" Misty challenges.

"Or else Aidan would die." Ash shoots back.

Misty grins, pleased at a decent "or else." "Or else" is usually just a cop out, but Ash even fills in what "or else" is!

"Aidan did what he could, but soon fell asleep." Ash continues. "But when he woke the next day, he found ten bags of seed--the Durants had gathered the seeds while he slept. It was enough to convince Princess Sophia that Aidan loved her. They married not long after, and they all lived happily ever after."

Happini's applause is the loudest as Ash takes a bow..

(real tale: The White Snake's Wisdom)

 

Tale 8: Undine and the Three Princes (Brock)


"Since you did so well telling that adventure tale, Misty, I'm gonna return the favor by teaching you a tale I learned from one of your sisters." Brock begins before playing "Arran's Lullaby" on the harp to focus his thoughts.

When all is quiet, he begins. "There was once a king who had three sons, who he loved very much. The eldest was Prince Altair, after the brightest star the king could see on the night he was born. The middle one was Prince Dolan, after the dark sky on the night he was born. The youngest one was Prince Haru--since he was born in the daytime, unlike his brothers."

Hm...Daisy didn't give the princes names... Misty muses.

"When Prince Haru came of age, the king asked the queen what her most burning desire was, and she replied that she wished to have Prince Haru be the one to succeed his father." Brock continues. The king knew well that the eldest son would inherit the kingdom when he died, as was common in that region. If something were to happen to Prince Altair before then, Prince Dolan would succeed him. If something happened to both princes before then, only then would Prince Haru be able to rule."

Ash swallows hard. "Did the queen try to kill them?"

"The king was very afraid that would happen, Ash." Brock replies. So he told Atair and Dolan that they were to go into hiding for seven years--then they could claim the kingdom that was rightfully theirs."

"Why seven years?" Misty is confused.

"Seven is seen as Arceus' number, and symbolizes perfection." Ash explains as Brock plays a tense interlude.

"When Prince Haru heard why his brothers were leaving, he begged to come with them as a sign of support." Brock continues. "They left early the next morning, and traveled until they came to a lake in the middle of a forest."

Pikachu is the most excited at hearing the Ballad of the Goddess again. "It turned out that the great water spirit Undine lived in the lake." Brock continues over the song. "She would only help those that answered a question for her--what were the good fairies like?"

"And then?" Ash is interested.

"Prince Haru came to the lake, and Undine asked him what the good fairies were like." Brock continues over a playful chord. "but when Prince Haru answered that the good fairies were like the dawn, she took him down beneath the lake. Prince Dolan grew concerned for his little brother after a while, and went to the lake himself. He answered Undine's challenge incorrectly as wall."

"But what about Altair?" Misty asks. "What did he do?"

"He too was worried for his brothers, and went to the lake himself." Brock replies before playing a flowing melody. "Undine met him in disguise as a hunter, but Altair saw right through her disguise."

"Pika pika pi?" Pikachu asks.

"Altair then proceeded to answer Undine's question correctly." Brock concludes over a soft melody. "The good fairies were like those pure of heart, pure of thought, and pure of deed. Undine was touched at Altair's answer, so she set his brothers free, and agreed to protect them for their seven years in exile. When seven years had passed, the three princes inherited their rightful kingdom, but they gave Undine the pool in the royal garden as thanks for her help."

The Pokémon's applause is the loudest as Brock takes a bow...

(real tale: The Princes and the Water Sprite)

 

Tale 9: Sorin Saves the Clouds (Misty)



"Okay, Misty--this time try telling a story on your own." Brock suggests.

Misty thinks for a moment. You know, Brock's renditions of Sorin stories are always popular--so I'll try one of those.

She clears her throat and begins. "Now everyone knows Sorin is quite the trickster...."

The Pokémon cheer at this, but the cheers are silenced when Misty tells them "But every once in a while, Sorin will play the hero--did you know he actually helped save the clouds that we see in the sky?"

"Azu?" Azurill is interested.

"You see, a long time ago, on a high mountain far from here, there lived a monster that liked to eat clouds--so the people in the valleys called him Yunshike, the cloud-eater." Misty explained. "The people all agreed Yunshike needed to be stopped, and so they all sent their bravest warriors, archers, and mages to fight him--but not a single one returned."

"Uh oh..." Ash swallows hard.

"With no clouds, there was no rain, and with no rain, plants couldn't grow, and the rivers and lakes began to dry up." Misty continued. "One day, some twin siblings--a boy and a girl--took it upon themselves to outwit Yunshike. The boy was named Celio, and the girl was named Lani."

"Nice..." Brock nods in approval of the twins' names.

"Both Celio and Lani knew that the Pokémon of the world were wise, and decided to ask them what to do." Misty continues. "Sorin spoke up immediately..." In a higher pitched version of herself she exclaims "Yunshike is full of wiles, and so you must be careful!"

As herself, she continues. "The twins listened intently as Sorin told them that Yunshike would pretend to sleep, and capture unsuspecting travelers in his hands when they passed through his legs. What he did next depended on his mood. Sometimes, he ate them, and sometimes, he threw them from a cliff. Either way, the unfortunate traveler met a grisly demise."

"And then?" Ash is interested.

"Sorin then agreed to help the twins, and the next morning, they set out for the mountain where Yunshike lived." Misty continues. "Celio took a sword, and Lani took a bow. They climbed for many hours, but as they neared Yunshike's lair, Sorin went on ahead, telling the twins to wait for him." Misty continues, trying oh-so-hard not to laugh at Pikachu dueling a leaf with a twig.

"So what did Sorin do?" Brock is curious.

"He took some dandelion seeds and some Spinarak thread, wove them into a small cover, and laid it over Yushike's eyes." Misty replies. "The twins arrived some time later and asked Yushike if they could pass to the mountain summit. Yunshike agreed, and told them to pass through his legs."

Ash grins--the exciting part is coming up!

"But the twins know Yunshike planned to capture them." Misty continues. "So Celio went to the left, and Lani supported him from the right. Yunshike tried to fight back, but with the cover over his eyes, he couldn't see where the twins were, and was quickly defeated. "Sorin and the twins were hailed as heroes, and no one in that land ever forgets the great deed they did."

She smiles at the boys' applause. I'm getting pretty good at this!

(real tale: Cloud Swallower

Author's Note A: Sorin is a Pikachu that serves as the Pokeworld's trickster, akin to Anansi, Coyote, Rabbit or Spider in our world.

Author's Note B: You may have saw I changed the twins to two boys to a boy and a girl--this is an attempt to make the tales my own by adding some strong female characters. My general rule of thumb is if I can safely change a male character to a female with no or minimal workarounds, I will make the change)

 

Tale 10: The Princess and the Shepherd's Flute (Ash)


"Now that Brock's had a turn with an instrument in a tale, I'll feature my own for my next tale." Ash muses before beginning "In a far away land, there lived a princess named Emi..."

"Pini!" Happini cheers in anticipation of a princess tale.

"Princess Emi was renowned for her beauty and wisdom, so much so that she not only attracted thousands of suitors in her homeland, but around the world as well." Ash continues. He stifles a giggle at Brock dreamily visualizing his idea of what Princess Emi looks like.

Misty snaps him back to reality with the Look. "You can daydream later, okay?"

"Okay! I'm listening!" Brock frantically yelps. "Go ahead, Ash."

Ash thinks for a moment as to where he is in his tale, then continues. "Emi was very friendly with those she knew well, but when it came to marriage, not a single one of the many princes, kings, and emperors was good enough for her. This made the king and the queen very frustrated, so one day, after she had refused her umpteenth suitor, they asked her why she kept refusing suitors."

"So why was she refusing all those princes, kings, and emperors?" Misty asks.

"It turned out that Princess Emi was torn between three boys, and worried that if she married one, she would not stop thinking about the other two." Ash replied. "The king proposed that there be a contest, and whoever won it would have Princess Emi's hand in marriage. Princess Emi loved the idea, and word was sent to every man in the land."

"What kind of contest was it?" Brock wonders.

"I'm getting to that." Ash assures his friend. "Meanwhile, not far from the city lived a young shepherd-we'll call him Kenji--who lived with his mom. Every morning, he would take his most cherished possession--a small silver flute..." Ash pauses to take a silver tin whistle with a green mouthpiece from his bag. "and drive his flocks to a valley at the foot of a mountain. Once in the valley, he would keep a watchful eye on the Mareeps from the shade of a tree, playing his flute all the while." He plays a peaceful melody to illustrate his point.

"Bravo!" Misty leads the applause.

Ash acknowledges his applause, then continues. "Kenji's mom told him that his flute was special, because it had been carved from a branch of a sacred tree long ago. He wondered if the legend of the sacred tree was true, and if so, what powers his flute held. But the thought closest to him was falling in love with a lady as wise as she was beautiful." With that, he plays the love song "Ah, Roshin" for effect.

More applause goes up when the song ends. "You still haven't told us what the contest for Princess Emi was." Brock reminds Ash.

"Back at the palace, many suitors listened as the king explained the rules." Ash continued. "He planned to shoot a Leppa Berry with one of Princess Emi's rings inside towards the mountains--and whoever found this Leppa Berry would have Princess Emi's hand in marriage."

"That sounds fair to me." Misty muses.

"So the king made his shot..." Ash pantomimes shooting a bow. "and the ground rumbled with Ponyta hooves as the hundreds of suitors left on their quest. But one by one, they returned empty handed, including the three that Princess Emi favored."

"Pini?" Happini asks.

"Pika pika?" Pikachu agrees.

"In the valley, Kenji watched over his Mareeps, playing his flute all the while." Ash continues. He plays the reel "The Arrow's Flight" for effect, then continues. "He was about to start another song, when suddenly, a Leppa Berry landed at his feet. He presumed the berry was a gift from Celebi or Shaymin as thanks for his music, and decided to have it for a snack. But he bit into something hard--an emerald ring!"

"And then?" Misty is excited.

"Kenji told his mom what had happened, and it wasn't long before word reached the palace as well." Ash concludes. "When Kenji and Emi saw each other for the first time, they fell madly in love. They were married not long after, and Kenji always played the flute for Emi as a sign of his love."

"Pretty clever, Ash!" Misty smiles as she applauds.

"The whistle's a nice touch as well." Brock agrees. Ash just grins and takes a bow...

(The real tale is based on a Persian tale named "The Sacred Flute" (availiable on Google Books)

 

Tale 11: The Finneon Knights (Brock)




"There was once a shoemaker--we'll call him Martin--who was renowned for being a hard worker." Brock begins. "Though he was a hard worker, he was very poor, and barely earned enough to buy food for himself and his wife. For a while, they made do on the meager pay he earned and wild Berries. But eventually, Martin decided to hang up his tools and decided to try fishing."

"Did that help?" Ash wonders.

"At first, Martin got very good at fishing, but before long, he was lucky to even catch an old boot." Brock replies. "He was about to give up and go try some other trade when one day, he managed to catch a Finneon, the Beautifly of the Sea."

"Is that really a Finneon's nickname?" Misty asks, interested.

"Take a look." Ash digs Dexette from his bag and invites Misty to look at the Finneon picture that blips on the screen.

Finneon, the wing fish Pokémon. Dexette begins. The way its two tail fins flutter while it swims has earned it the nickname "Beautifly of the Sea"

"I'm sure those must be beautiful to see!" Misty gasps, starry eyed.

"They are." Ash replies as he pockets Dexette. "You were saying?" he asks Brock.

Brock thinks a moment as to where he is in the tale, then continues. "As Martin unhooked the Finneon, it spoke to him."

Using a breathy young female voice, he requests "When you cook me for your dinner tonight, keep two pieces for yourselves, and bury two more in the garden."

As himself, he continues "Martin found the request odd, but respected the Finneon's wishes. When he cooked it for dinner that night, he kept two pieces for himself, and buried two more in the garden. When he came to look in the garden the next morning, he was shocked to find two newborns, a boy and a girl, under the shade of a tree."

"Aw..." Ash smiles.

"They named the boy Destin and the girl Lana, in remembrance of the waters the Finneon came from." Brock continues. Destin and Lana grew up to be kind and generous people, and very brave as well. When they came of age, they decided to go out into the world to seek their fortunes."

"And then?" Misty asked.

"With their parents' blessing, they set out early the next morning." Brock continues. "For a while, their journey was uneventful. But when they came to a fork in the road, Lana suggested they each go in a differing direction. If something wonderful happened to one of them, they would notify the other to meet them there. With that, Destin went east, and Lana went west, eager to discover what adventures awaited them."

"Pikachu?" Pikachu asks.

"Destin followed the road eastward for a while, until he came to a large city." Brock replies. "When he got there, he saw that everyone was crying. When he asked what the matter was, a townsperson explained that every year, they had to offer a maiden of pure heart to a terrifying Garchomp, lest the city be destroyed in flame. It didn't help that that year, the lot had fallen to the princess--who I'll call Isabel."

"Pini!" Happini gasps, afraid for the princess.

"Don't worry, Princess Isabel will be okay." Misty assures Happini. "Destin's gonna save her!"

Brock smiles as he takes his guitar and retunes it a little. "Destin borrowed a Ponyta, some armor, and a sword, and rode out until he came to the tree Princess Isabel was tied to. Despite Princess Isabel's pleas for him to stay away, Destin assured her he was going to save her, and end the cycle of sacrifice."

Once sure his guitar is back in tune, Brock continues "The Garchomp arrived soon after with a mighty roar, but Destin ran to battle with Princess Isabel looking on." With that, he begins playing the Zelda theme as an interlude.

"After a long battle, Destin emerged victorious!" Brock continues, playing the Zelda "got item" jingle for effect, to the Pokémon's bemused giggles. The city was elated that the Garchomp was slain, and the king offered Destin anything he wanted as a reward. Destin took one look at how beautiful Isabel was, and told the king he wished to have Princess Isabel's hand in marriage."

"See? Told'ja Destin would save the princess." Misty assures Happini.

"But what about Lana?" Ash asks. "What adventures did she get into?"

Brock is about to answer when he notices Happini is asleep at his feet. "She had plenty of adventures in her own right, but that is another story for another day."

"Yeah, we'd better get to bed ourselves." Misty agrees as she tucks Azurill in for the night. "We can always tell more stories tomorrow night!"

"Okay--you'll lead off tomorrow night's tales." Brock tells Misty as he tucks Happini in for the night.

(real tale: The Knights of the Fish

Author's note A: Yet another example where I changed two boys to a boy and a girl.

Author's note B: This tale could have easily been two stories, so I only wrote out the first part--I do hope to write out the second part as well)

 

Tale 12: The Legend of Brave Minty (Misty)



"That hike was amazing!" Ash raved as Brock started the campfire. "and the Squirtles were just so tame!"

"Well, they're probably used to humans tromping past their pond." Misty assured Ash. "Makes me wonder how your little guy's doing..."

"Probably adventuring and putting fires out with his fellow squad mates." Ash sighed dreamily before noticing Brock laying out the ingredients for the night's dinner. "What are we having tonight?"

"Tonight's menu is gonna be on the snackish side, since we had a huge lunch on the trail." Brock explained as he hung a pot of water to boil over the fire. "And what could be a better snackish meal than potstickers?"

"Those are good, but your Oran chicken you made for the trail was even better!" Ash raved.

"I could've sworn I tasted chocolate in there..." Misty mused.

Brock smiled, pleased Misty had figured out his Oran Chicken's secret ingredient. "As a matter of fact, you DID taste chocolate, Misty--I will sometimes add some dark chocolate shavings in the sauce to give it a sweet bite, balancing the sour Oran juice." he explained as he opened the cooler compartment labeled "TUESDAY" and spread out various ingredients on a wooden board.

Some mint leaves in Brock's pile of ingredients gave Misty an idea. "While you're working on dinner, may I start the tale telling while we wait?"

"Go ahead." Brock replied as he began measuring out some dough ingredients.

Misty cleared her throat and began. "In a far away land, there lived a woman with a daughter named Minty. She had gotten that name because she practically ate everything with mint--but mint was very expensive, and oftentimes, her mother barely had enough to buy any. So every night, she would sneak out to the edge of a forest where a notorious witch lived, and sneak some mint from her enchanted garden. Since it grew back every morning, the witch had no idea any mint was missing."

"Is this anything like 'Rapunzel'?" Ash interrupts.

"No, it's not a variant of 'Rapunzel'" Misty replies before continuing. "As the months wore on, the witch caught on to Minty's mother taking mint from her garden. But seeing as Minty's mother meant well, she offered to let Minty stay with her."

"Pini?" Happini asks.

"Just because the witch is nice now, doesn't mean she will be later." Brock warns Happini as he watches over the potsticker dough.

"Some years went by, and three princes came to that land in search of a bride." Misty continues. "They saw Minty out working in the enchanted garden, and all three of them fell madly in love with her--leading them to fight over her. The witch heard the ruckus and clanging swords, and turned Minty into a Lotad, saying she would only return to her true form when held by someone who truly loved her."

"First 'Rapunzel' and now 'The Lotad Prince'..." Ash muses. "Or in this case, 'The Lotad Princess'"

"Well, technically, Misty didn't say Minty was a princess." Brock interjects as he begins filling circles of his dough with meat, vegetables, and of course, the mint.

Happini gasps, excited at the mention of a princess. "Oh, Happini, there's no princess in this tale--yet!" Misty giggles. "When the princes saw Minty transform into a Lotad, they quickly made up, put their swords away, and returned to their homeland. The king of that land was old, but all three of his sons--the princes--were equally capable rulers. So he didn't know which one would be the best one to succeed him."

"That is a hard choice, especially when your three options are equally fit to rule." Brock agrees in between filling potstickers.

"The king then proposed three challenges to his sons, and whoever completed them all the best would be the heir." Misty explained. "Their first challenge was to find a piece of cloth fine enough to fit through a ring."

"And then?" Ash asks as he watches Brock spoon out finished potstickers on a platter before adding a new batch to the pot.

"The first two princes went down the well traveled roads into town, and came back with cartloads of the best cloth they could find." Misty continued. "But the youngest prince--we'll call him Caleb--took a less traveled route to town that passed through some marshland."

"Pika pika Chupi?" Pikachu wonders.

"Minty, in the form of a Lotad met Caleb on the shore and asked where he was going." Misty replies. "Prince Caleb explained his quest to the little Lotad, and Minty hopped away, returning with a piece of fabric no bigger than a human finger. When to came time to see who had completed the first challenge, Prince Caleb's tiny piece of fabric fit through the king's sapphire ring easily. Not a single piece his brothers brought back fit at all!"

"Then what did the king challenge his sons to do?" Ash wonders.

"The king next challenged the three princes to find a young Lilipup small enough to fit inside a walnut." Misty explained. "While Prince Caleb's brothers took the main roads into town, Caleb returned to the marsh, where Minty was waiting for him."

"Can Lilipups get that small?" Ash wonders. Granted he saw some tiny ones on his Unovan journey, but finding one that fit inside a nut sounded impossible.

"Ever hear of teacup Lilipups?" Brock asks.

"That's an idea..." Ash smiles as he hungrily admires a finished batch of potstickers cooling on a rock.

"Prince Caleb told Minty of his quest, and she found him the biggest walnut in the marsh." Misty continues. "Not one of the Lilipups his brothers found could fit through the walnut shell, but when the king opened the walnut Prince Caleb had brought back, did he find a very energetic Lilipup inside!"

The boys laugh as they picture the chaotic scene. "After giving out the rejected Lilipups to all the new trainers of the land, the king gave his final challenge--find the most beautiful girl in the land."

"A thousand credits says he has to kiss the Lotad." Brock whispers as he puts his final batch of potstickers in the pot to cook.

"Caleb wasn't sure how the little Lotad would help him, but he poured out his heart to her anyway." Misty continues. "As he cried and held the little Lotad close, he was surprised when he found himself embracing the most beautiful girl he had ever seen!"

"Sorry, no kissing." Ash tells Brock.

"Minty told Prince Caleb her story from start to finish, and how his faithfulness broke the spell on her." Misty concludes. "Prince Caleb led her back to the palace, were she was more beautiful than any of the ladies his brothers had found. He was named heir to the throne, and he and Minty lived happily ever after."

"Aw..." Ash smiles.

"You timed that perfectly--dinner's ready!" Brock smiles as he cleans up his work area...

(real tale: Puddocky)

 

Tale 13: The Crystal Sword (Ash)


"There was once a king and queen who desired nothing more than to have a child." Ash begins as he sets aside his empty plate from dinner. "Finally, after years of trying, they welcomed a little prince to the royal family. They named him Garet, because of his gentle nature."

"Aw..." Misty smiles.

"The festivities drew the attention of a dark fairy--who I'll call Raven." Ash continued. "The constant cheers and well wishes drove her nuts, and so she cursed the queen, killing her."

Pikachu brushes away a tear. "Pika pikachu..."

"As she died, the queen warned her beloved that if Garet ever set foot on the ground, he would be subject to Raven's whims." Ash continues. "At first, this was pretty easy to do, but as Garet grew bigger and too large for the nursemaids to carry, he was carried about on a platform."

"Well, how was he going to get any exercise if he can't touch the ground?" Brock is piqued.

"Easy--horseback riding." Ash replies. "He became quite the expert rider, and often came to the royal hunting grounds. It was on one of these excursions that the second part of Raven's curse came true. Garet had flushed a Buneary from the bush, and in the ensuing pursuit, his Ponyta tripped, sending him falling to the ground."

Brock gives Ash his "slow down" signal. "All the retinue could do was watch as Garet disappeared into the dark realm." Ash continues, acknowledging Brock's silent advice with a nod. "The king was naturally devastated, but even still, he held out hope that he would be reunited with Garet.

"So what did Raven make him do?" Misty asks, intrigued.

"She gave him a sword made of crystal, and told him to cut the brush in the dark forest." Ash replies. "She told him not to speak to anyone but her."

"This is getting good--then what happened?" Brock asks.

"No sooner did Garet try to cut some of the brush in the dark wood, did the crystal sword shatter." Ash continues, making his friends gasp. His mind raced with fear at what Raven would do to him as he wandered the dark forest, but eventually, weariness overcame him, and he fell asleep."

"Pika pika?" Pikachu asks as he splits one of the few remaining potstickers with Happini.

"A girl met him and told him that there was a way out of the dark realm--I'll call her Eliza." Ash continues. "She went on to tell him that Raven was her mother--and in order to escape the dark realm, they had to cross the river that marked the gap between worlds."

"You're rushing again..." Brock whispers.

"When Garet woke up, he was surprised to find the crystal sword by his side, and the brush cleared." Ash goes on, trying his best not to speak too fast. "He went back and told Raven he had finished his task. Raven asked if he had spoken to anyone while he worked, and Garet said no. Raven bought Garet's lie, and rewarded him with a small meal and water."

"Azu?" Azurill asked.

"Raven then asked Garet to bundle up the wood he had cut the day before." Ash explained. "At first, Garet made a good pace, but as the day wore on, he got tired and fell asleep. Eliza came while he slept and finished the job. Raven was pleased Garet finished so quickly, but deep down, she had her doubts about who was actually doing the work."

"So did Raven ever figure out who was helping Garet?" Misty swallows hard in fear for the young prince.

Ash grins--his most anticipated part of the tale is next! "Raven took Garet to a lake, and challenged him to build a castle out of gold, silver and jewels in an hour--or else. But as Garet wondered how in the world he was going to even find jewels, Eliza met him on the bank. Raven happened to see them meet, and screamed with shock!"

"Uh oh..." Even Brock is afraid for the two friends.

"Garet feared he and Eliza were done for as they ran with Raven in hot pursuit. But Eliza took a rock and casted a spell on it." Ash picks up a rock and sings Amekius zigias vike...

"Pini? Pini?" Happini asks, excited.

"The rock turned into a jewel studded castle exactly like Raven requested." Ash replies. "Raven spent hours exploring the opulent rooms, which bought Garet and Eliza plenty of time to hurry toward the river between worlds. But it wasn't long before Garet heard Raven chasing them again. Luckily, Eliza casted another spell." He then sings Lorete, sunidisa no...

"What did that spell do?" Misty asks, eager to know what happened next.

"It turned Eliza into a pool of water, and Garet into a little Ducklett." Ash replied. "But Raven saw right through the spell, and used her magic to turn them back to normal. This went on for a while--every time Eliza casted a spell in an attempt to lose Raven, Raven would dispel it with her own magic or find her way out. Finally, they made it to the river between worlds, but there was no way to get across, and Garet didn't know if they had the strength to swim across. On top of that, Raven was gaining on them!"

"Pika!" Pikachu gasps.

"Eliza told Garet that she was going to teach him a spell as thanks for his efforts to rescue her." Ash continues. "She told him the magic words, and told him to wait until Raven came into view before casting it. Raven made her way out of the forest some minutes later, but Garet and Eliza leapt into the murky water. As they fell towards the water, Garet casted the spell." He then sings Karuto, iichiida shou....

"Did they make it?" Brock asks.

"The spell gave Garet and Eliza the ability to fly, but Raven was right behind them aboard a shining black Charizard." Ash continues. "But Garet and Eliza dove towards the water, then flew upwards again. The black Charizard crashed into the water, killing it and its rider."

"Pini!" Happini cheers, elated that Garet and Eliza are safe.

"Garet and Eliza made it across the river between worlds, and back into the world of light." Ash concludes. "Garet's father the king was elated to see his son. Garet told his father of his adventure from start to finish, and not long after, he took Eliza as his bride. The wedding was a grand affair, and they all lived happily ever after."

"Wow!" Misty is impressed.

"I liked that you added some sung spell incantations of your own, but you're still prone to rushing when you tell, especially if you are excited." Brock begins. "We know you're eager to tell the story, but when you're speaking fast, we don't understand what you're saying."

Ash sweatdrops. "I need to work on not rushing..."

(real tale: The Glass Axe)

 

Tale 14: The Gold Pidgeot (Brock)


"In a far away land, there lived a king and queen that ruled over a vast kingdom." Brock begins. "They also had a son they loved very much--we'll call him Kiran. Kiran was well loved and well liked across the kingdom--he was a fine hunter, sailor, singer, and storyteller, among other things."

"Sounds a bit like you." Ash smiles.

Brock is unfazed by Ash's comment. "One year, just before Kiran came of age, the queen died from a terrible disease. The whole kingdom mourned for her, but it wasn't long before the king married again. But Kiran never forgot his mother, and cherished the memories of her." Brock continued. "Now, Kiran particularly enjoyed hunting, usually alongside a Ninetales he had befriended--we'll call her Kitsune. So one morning, he was searching for Kitsune in the forest, when he saw a great gold Pidgeot fly past him."

"Whoa!" Ash balks when he pictures what the shiny Pidgeot might have looked like in comparison to his own Pidgeot.

"I'm sure it was huge!" Misty agrees.

"Try as Kiran might to hit the majestic Pokémon, his arrows merely grazed its feathers." Brock pantomimes shooting a bow to illustrate this. "As it was getting late, Kiran took the feather and set out for home. When he got home, his stepmother desired the golden Pidgeot for herself, and banished Kiran from the castle until he found it." He next takes his guitar and starts a relaxed melody. "Kiran traveled for many hours with not so much as a sign of the gold Pidgeot. Finally, he made camp in a forest as the sun set, and drifted to sleep."

"Did he find Kitsune?" Ash asks.

Brock plays a soft harmonic chord to represent Kitsune appearing. "As Kiran slept, Kitsune met him in the forest." In his best mimic of Ash's Riolu character Erin, he intones over a mystical melody "I hear ye are on a journey, milord; so I bring ye a meager meal te get ye true te night."

As himself, he interjects "Kiran told Kitsune about his quest over the small meal of Buneary meat and Berries. Kitsune told him... As Kitsune again, he replies "Te Pidgeot ye seek belongs te a terrifying giant in te mauntains. I will show you te his house, and you are te present yeself as a servant. Treat his Pokémon well, and ye will earn his troost. One dey, he will leave on a journey himself--wait until he is out of sight, ten trow a cloak over te gold Pidgeot. Boot if even one of her gold featers touches anyting in te giant's cave, terrible tings will happen."

Misty applauds at Brock's spot on mimic of the little puppet Riolu. "That's pretty good, but Ash does the voice better." she comments.

"I've had practice." Ash replies. "Pity I don't have a puppet stage out here... then I would've packed my puppets..."

An expectant D chord snaps him to attention. "Okay, we're done talking." Misty assures Brock. "You may continue."

"Now, where was I?" Brock muses as he plays a few uncertain notes. "Oh, yes...the next morning, Kitsune led Kiran to the giant's cave, and everything happened as Kitsune said--Kiran took such good care of the giant's Pokémon, that he earned the right to handle and groom the gold Pidgeot."

Awed murmurs fill the air. "One day, the giant told Kiran he was leaving to see a friend that lived in a neighboring mountain." Brock continues. "Kiran waited until the giant was out of his sight, threw a cloak over the Pidgeot, and started for the cave entrance." Tense giggles fill the air as Brock plays a "sneaking" riff. "But he accidentally brushed a feather against the entryway--and the Pidgeot made so much noise, the giant came rushing back in seconds."

Misty gasps over Brock's tense chord. "Kiran was afraid at first, but the giant said..." In a deeper version of himself, he intones "If you want my golden Pidgeot, bring to me the Sword of Magic Auras the forest wisps guard, and I will consider."

He sets the guitar aside as he continues. "Kitsune met Kiran on the forest path, and told him..." As Kitsune, he suggests "Te forest wisps are everywhere in te wood, but teir queen lives in a wood across the sea. I will transform inte a ship te take ye tere. Ye are te present yeself as a swordsmith--treat teir bledes well, and tey will troost you with te Sword of Magic Auras. Boot if te sheath touches even wan ting in te palace, terrible tings will happen."

"With that, they arrived on the coast, and Kitsune transformed herself into a ship." Brock then sings as Kitsune Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... He continues as himself "Kiran sailed to the island wood, and everything happened as Kitsune said--he did so well polishing the various blades, that the wisp queen let him handle the Sword of Magic Auras. As he was taking it out of the palace, he tripped over a vine, making the sword fall to the floor."

"Oh no!" Ash yelps.

"Luckily, the wisp queen was feeling merciful." Brock assures his small audience before assuming a younger version of his "Kitsune" voice. "If ye want te Sword of Magic Auras, you must first trede us te shining Ponyta of the king of Fuyan."

As himself, he continues. "Kitsune met Kiran on the coast, and told him..." As Kitsune, he intones "Fuyan is fahr awey from here, so I will again transform into a ship te teke ye tere. Ye are te present yeself as a stable boy--treat te Ponytas and te Rapidashes well, and His Majesty will troost ye wit te shining Ponyta. Boot if even wan hair touches te stable..."

"Terrible things will happen." Misty and Ash repeat along with Brock.

Brock just grins. "Have you guys heard this one before?" he asks.

"It sounds like a version of 'The Golden Starly...' Ash muses.

"As a matter of fact, it is!" Misty notes. "While the version from Shinou is the best known version, other versions also exist. The one Brock is telling originates from Fuschia..."

"In addition to this and 'The Golden Starly' I've found versions featuring Taillows, Pidoves, and even Swablus." Brock explains before continuing the tale. "Anyway, Kitsune transformed herself into a ship again..." He pauses to sing as Kitsune Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... before continuing as himself. "When Kiran got to Fuyan, everything happened as Kitsune said--he took such good care of the Ponytas and Rapidashes, that the king finally trusted him with the shiny Ponyta. But as he was leading it out of the stables, he brushed against the entryway by mistake. The Ponyta made so much noise, that the king came rushing to the stables to see what was wrong.

He then assures his friends "Luckily, the king was feeling merciful..." In an older version of himself, he intones "If you desire my shining Ponyta, bring to me the princess of Atalan."

"Pini!" Happini cheers.

"You're going to cheer for every princess, aren't you?" Misty coos. Happini nods.

"Kitsune met him on the road out of the capital city, and said to him..." As Kitsune, Brock intones "Someting must nut want ye te return te your homeland for so much misfartune te befall ye. Boot I will help ye all te same--I will transform myself inte a ship to take ye to Atalan, and run agraund on te coast. Ye are te tell te king of Atalan that ye ship has wrecked and ye are the sole survivor. Also tell him tat te king of Fuyan has offered help in exchange for te princess."

He continues as himself. "Kitsune transformed into a ship again..." He again sings as Kitsune Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... "and set off for Atalan. When she had run aground on the coast, Kiran told the court of Atalan the most heartwrenching rendition of the story Kitsune had told him to tell. The princess of Atalan--we'll call her Talia--couldn't bear to see anyone in need, and so agreed to help Kiran in return for becoming the wife of the king of Fuyan. But Princess Talia saw how kind and brave Kiran was, and loved him more than the king of Fuyan."

"Odd--usually it's the boy having second thoughts..." Ash muses.

"When they arrived in Fuyan, Kitsune transformed into Princess Talia..." Brock then sings a different song as Kitsune. Imultao, ame no ga bakeno...

As himself, he continues "The king of Fuyan fell madly in love with 'Talia', and eagerly gave Kiran the shining Ponyta. As Kiran led the shining Ponyta back to where the real Talia waited, the king of Fuyan was about to crown Kitsune when she revealed herself, and gave him a Fire Fang he never forgot!"

Laughter fills the air as Misty and Ash picture the chaotic scene. "They then made their way back to the island woods, where Kitsune transformed into a shiny Ponyta." Brock then sings as Kitsune Karuto, iichiida shou...

"Pika?" Pikachu asks as he wipes away a tear of laughter.

Brock continues "The wisp queen was thrilled to see the 'Ponyta', and eagerly gave Kiran the Sword of Magic Auras. But when the wisps tried to ride Kitsune, it was a ride they never forgot!"

More laughter fills the air. "They then made their way to the giant's cave in the mountains, where Kitsune transformed herself into the sword." Brock then sings as Kitsune Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul...

Cheers go up at the gibberish song. "The giant was pleased to see the 'sword', and gave Kiran the golden Pidgeot." Brock continues. "But when he tried to wield it, Kitsune burnt him so badly that it took a long time to recover."

Misty, Ash, and the Pokémon can hardly contain their laughter at this. "It was only when Kiran arrived home did he discover Kitsune's warning was true--and that his stepmother was about to cast a dark spell on him." Brock continues.

"Azu azu ri ri?" Azurill panics, afraid for Kiran and his party.

"But the Sword of Magic Auras protected him and the Pokémon, and after a long battle, Kiran emerged victorious!" Brock assures Azurill.

Azurill heaves a sigh of relief as he concludes "Kiran and Talia were soon married, and they were revered throughout the kingdom. Kitsune received a special place on Kiran's court, for it was her cunning and magic power that guided him on many more adventures."

He smiles at his enthralled friends. "But that is another story for another day!"

(real tale: How Ian Direach Got the Blue Falcon)

 

Tale 15: The Rogue and the Trainer (Misty)


"In a far away land lived a man, his wife, and their only son named Jack." Misty begins as she adds another log to the campfire. "Jack was famous for being very lazy--he would rather spend the day dozing in the sun than do any kind of work."

"And I thought that fat Meowth in the comics was bad..." Ash agrees.

"For some years, Jack's mom and dad put up with their son's laziness." Misty continues. "But when Jack came of age, his dad asked him to go into the world and seek his fortune."

"So where did he go?" Ash is interested.

"After walking down the road for a while, he came to a large house." Misty continued. "It turned out he had arrived at the house of the chief royal Pokémon trainer."

Ash gasps at this. "Whoa, really?" He pictures himself in royal finery summoning Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and other Pokémon he has owned.

Static jolts bring Ash back to reality. "Pika pika." Pikachu gently reminds him.

"So what was Jack's first real job?" Brock asks. "Or did the chief trainer send him away?"

"Actually, the chief royal Pokémon trainer..." Misty starts.

"Tory!" Ash suggests, memories of his friend from LaRousse City dancing in his mind.

Misty considers the name for a moment. "Okay, we'll call him Tory." She thinks as to where she is in the tale, then continues. "Tory felt sorry for the boy before him, and offered him shelter if he was willing to do his fair share of work. Jack readily agreed, figuring he could learn how to make a day's wage."

The Pokémon giggle in anticipation as to what Jack will do. "Jack's first chore was to look after a herd of Grumpigs." Misty explains. "He was shown the field where the herd was, and told to drive them to a valley overlooking the mountains. But as soon as Tory left him, Jack got a better idea. He drove them to his parent's house, and needless to say, his dad was quite surprised to see his son home with a bunch of Grumpigs!"

The boys and the Pokémon howl with laughter at Jack's father's likely reaction. "Jack told his dad what had happened, and that he was having trouble doing the job." Misty continues. He then requested that his dad kill the Grumpigs, and hang their meat out to dry." More laughter fills the air. "Jack's dad looked like he'd seen a Gastly, but Jack assured his dad that he had an idea. So the Grumpigs were slain, and their meat hung to dry. Jack took the tails, tied them to a rock in a nearby swamp, and submerged it."

"Uh oh..." Ash stifles a giggle.

"Now Jack's in for it..." Brock agrees.

"Jack told his master the most heart-wrenching tale." Misty continues. "He claimed that the herd was spooked by something, and despite his efforts to round them up, they all ran into the swamp and drowned, with only their tails sticking up. Tory didn't believe Jack at first, but when he went to the swamp, there were the tails, just as Jack said."

"Pika pika..." Pikachu brushes away a tear for the dead Grumpigs.

"No matter what sort of Pokémon he was told to watch, Jack would somehow 'lose' them." Misty explained. "The royal Mareeps he claimed were lost in a tornado, leaving only the bells of the lead Flaaffy behind on a rock. Tory naturally didn't believe him, but when he approached the rock, he heard the bells just as Jack had said."

She interjects "In actuality, Jack and his family had killed and eaten the Mareeps for dinner."

Nervous giggles fill the air. "The royal trainer decided to have Jack look after a small herd of Tauros, complete with the king's prized shiny Tauros." Misty continues.

"Who wants to bet Jack loses them too?" Brock whispers to Ash, who chuckles in response.

"But Jack managed to 'lose' them too." Misty replies, seemingly answering Brock's question. "He claimed the Tauros had all disappeared into a hole. Tory went to see for himself, and it was just as Jack had said."

"So did Tory ever figure out what Jack was REALLY doing?" Brock asks.

"No, but he figured something was up." Misty assures her friend. "He led Jack to the forge the next day, and told him to make ten swords. Jack had no idea how to make a sword, much less wield one."

"There's no way he could lose a sword either..." Ash adds.

Misty just continues "He returned to his house, and told his parents that his master had promised him the princess if he could make ten swords for the guards."

"Pi pini hapi pini!" Happini smiles.

"Yeah, every fairytale has a princess in it somewhere." Brock smiles, enamored at his little one's love for princesses.

"Jack surprised his parents by putting in his fair share of the work, and it wasn't long before the ten swords were done." Misty continues. "The royal trainer was stunned that Jack had finished the ten swords so quickly, and told the king about how clever Jack was."

She concludes "The king was impressed, and offered Jack the princess' hand in marriage as thanks for the ten swords. Jack agreed, and served as the king's most trusted advisor for many years."

"Well, that was an interesting tale..." Ash muses as he applauds.

"That's not even the wildest Jack tale I've heard." Brock cautions...

(real tale: The Rogue and the Herdsman)

 

Tale 16: The Power of Song (Ash)


"In a far away land, a young princess was born." Ash begins. "However, a troubling rumor began racing through the land--that the young princess could not read. She couldn't even say the ABCs!"

"Why not?" Misty is puzzled.

"The king struggled to find an answer to that question." Ash replies. "and he called in all his scholars and sages to try and encourage his daughter--let's call her Roni--how to read. One sage suggested that Roni be put in a room with no distractions, save for books. So the king led Roni to the royal library, but that didn't work--Roni would look at the pictures in the books, but struggled to learn the words that went with them--much less the letters that made up those words."

"Poor Roni..." Brock muses--he sympathizes with the sage, having struggled with some of his own siblings when they learned to read.

"Another sage suggested that Roni be taught with others around her age, but that didn't work either--Roni was more interested in playing with her new friends than the words in her books." Ash continued. "The king tried everything to encourage Roni to read, but nothing appeared to work. Mind you, Roni did put in an effort, but she still struggled mightily. But then a sage brought up an idea that proved to be prophetic--what if Roni was taught to read in song? The king found that a silly idea, and blew off the sage's suggestion."

"This is getting interesting..." Misty muses.

"A few months went by, and rumors about the princess that couldn't read spread far and wide." Ash explained. "Then one day, a minstrel came to that land, and all who heard her singing were awed by her skill."

"Pini pi Hapi?" Happini asks.

"The minstrel came to the palace, and enthralled the king, the court, and Roni with her instruments and singing stories." Ash continues before singing a little himself. Tuadera ensilum, lalecci, noncine ieri, dammero, inmeisti.

"And then?" Brock is interested.

"The king pleaded to know more about the minstrel's song, but the minstrel sang him this song..." With that, Ash sings in gibberish again. Yea cilaf yott a, cusir ar ce wist,
Yea linda crirnpauks kol craur fitsa ca yea ptrist
A poga wott yea lewr glala yea kol ar wa durfa,
Cra kil glan cra spea, cra kil glirfa an wayf,
Kilil yor cra cror, kilil etsale sphas,
Yos miar yola wet, gos wa kor cra wyr wala

He waits for his friends' applause to die down before continuing. "When the king learned what the song meant, he pleaded with the minstrel to help Roni. The minstrel agreed, and the lessons began."

"This should be interesting..." Brock smiles.

"The minstrel started by singing Roni three notes--do, re, mi." Ash explains. "Roni hesitantly sang back the three notes. Then the minstrel added more notes, and Roni would sing them back too. The months went by, and do-re-mi quickly evolved into the complete musical scale. The musical scales became melodies, the melodies became songs, and with those songs came words--both in the minstrel's language and English. Then other languages were added, and before long, Roni was reading in song, and delighting all who heard her with sung speeches, stories, and even jokes. The king was stunned by Roni's quick progress in a few short years, and went to reward the minstrel for her service, but was saddened to learn that Arceus had led her on to another land. He never did see the minstrel again, but there were some that said the minstrel was Meloetta in human form."

He concludes "When it came time for Roni to succeed her father, she became known in the land as 'The Royal Songtress' and ruled with wisdom and kindness. Thanks to her, no one in that land forgot the power of song."

As his friends applaud, Ash notices some rustling in his bag, and retrieves a mint tin from inside. When he opens it, a small sprite Pokémon flies out from it and perches on a tree. "That was a very nice story, Ash--where did you learn it?" she asks as she brushes her music staff-like hair.

"Before that, though, some introductions are in order." Ash assures the sprite. "Misty, Brock--this is Melody, the Meloetta I rescued on my Unova journey..."

(The tale is based on a tale from Israel with the same title, which you can find on Google Books)

 

Tale 17: The Brave Water Fairy (Brock)


"There was once a king in a far away land that always found himself at war." Brock begins. "The neighboring countries found this very odd--this king was kind, content with what lands he had, and not wanting to invade other lands. They concluded that maybe he had tried a bit too hard to please everyone."

He stops to interject "And you should know that if you try to please everyone, you usually end up pleasing no one."

"Very good advice." Melody muses. Misty nods in agreement.

"But I digress..." Brock continues. "Every time this king prepared for a long siege, he would send his queen--who we'll call Maya, to a stone tower in a forest not far from the capital city. Queen Maya wanted to go with her beloved into battle, but was refused. That meant she would cry for at least a day when she got there--there wasn't much to do inside, and she couldn't go out without at least two guards, as per her beloved's request."

"I can understand wanting to keep her safe, but that seems a bit much." Ash comments.

"Now, in her homeland, Queen Maya would go outside every day, which made it even more painful to be closed up in a tower." Brock continues as he takes his guitar and begins a soft melody. "But as the weeks wore on and there appeared to be no sign of fighting in the capital, she grew bolder, and often went outside on her own." The song grows louder to emphasize his point, before it turns into a set of jigs.

Applause fills the air as the set ends. "Eventually, there came a point where no letters came from her beloved at all, and Queen Maya feared the worst." Brock continues. "She ordered her servants to build her a carriage just large enough to hold a single passenger. They were understandably concerned, but Queen Maya told them she only wanted to go hunting in the forest."

"And then?" Misty asks. "What did they catch?"

Brock just plays an exciting melody as an interlude. "One day, as Queen Maya and her retinue were chasing wild Tepigs in the forest, the Ponytas raced off down an unmarked path, away from the capital. In all the confusion, Queen Maya was thrown from her mount." He ends his set with a hard chord to represent Queen Maya landing on the ground.

"Ow..." Ash winces at the discordant jumble of notes.

"I bet that had to hurt..." Misty agrees.

"When Queen Maya came to some minutes later, she saw a tan skinned girl wearing a red tunic, with glowing mythril chain underneath." Brock continues. "Some tan leggings complemented this, so you couldn't tell if it was clothing or if it was skin. Red shoes were on her feet, a rapier was at her side, and a bow and some arrows were on her back. But what was most striking about the girl were the sparkling red wings of flame that allowed her to hover before the frightened queen."

Some oohs and ahs fill the air as the small audience pictures what the fire fairy looks like. "Queen Maya knew well stories of the fey--elemental spirits that watched over the world. If you saw one, it was best to do what it wished, for better or for worse. But before she could ask the fire fairy her name, she cast a spell..." He pauses to sing Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... "and transformed into an Entei."

Brock then plays a majestic melody. "Queen Maya was awed to see the Beast of flame, and decided to follow it. They finally came to a cave deep beneath the earth, where Queen Maya saw a great stone castle that occasionally glowed red with lava, with a moat of lava surrounding it. Not surprisingly, there were many fire Pokémon romping about."

Giggles go up from the Pokémon as Brock starts his rendition of the Hyrule Castle theme. "The fire fairy introduced herself as Leona, and asked her to build herself a house out of the stones in the cave--for she was going to be there a while."

The nervous giggles turn to gasps. "Queen Maya begged Leona to return her to the forest, but Leona told her that if it hadn't been for her finding her back in the forest, she'd be dead. That, and she figured Queen Maya would be of use to her." He plays a tense chord for effect. "Leona asked Queen Maya to make her a honey cake--but how was Queen Maia going to get any honey with no Beedrills to be found?"

"So what did Queen Maya do?" Misty asks.

"She waited until Leona had left her, then poured her heart out to Arceus about her misfortune." Brock replies. "As she cried, she heard a Murkrow off in the distance..."

Everyone jumps as they hear a Murkrow in the distance. "Nice touch." Ash comments as a pair of Murkrows fly over the campsite.

Brock thinks for a moment to remember where he is in the tale before continuing "She looked to see where the Murkrow was coming from, and when it came into view, she saw it clutched a Lotad in its talons. Inspired, the queen shot an arrow into the Murkrow's leg, causing it to drop the Lotad."

The audience waits to hear the Lotad's fate. "Queen Maya went to see if the Lotad was all right, but when she examined the tiny Pokémon, it transformed into a water fairy." Brock continues, playing a soft harmonic chord to mimic a transformation. "The fairy introduced herself as Shaila, and asked Queen Maya what she was doing there in the cave. Queen Maya told Shaila her story, and asked her how she could escape. Shaila explained that the fire Pokémon had once been humans themselves, but they had angered Leona in some way, and so she had enslaved them as one of her pets."

"That isn't very nice!" Melody gasps, appalled that Leona is so cruel.

"Then Queen Maya asked Shaila what she was doing in a fire fairy's realm." Brock continues. "Shaila explained she was on a mission to save all the people Leona had enslaved, but she had to disguise herself as a Pokémon for her safety, since fire fears water. She thanked Queen Maya for saving her, and told her she would do what she could to help her in return."

Nervous laughter fills the air at this. "Queen Maya told Shaila that Leona had asked her for a honey cake, but how was she to get honey when there were no Beedrills anywhere?" Brock explains. "So Shaila cast a spell of her own..." He then sings Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... "...and conjured more honey than Queen Maya knew what to do with. Leona was pleased when Queen Maya brought her the honey cake, and granted her some land as a reward."

He plays a sad interlude. "Queen Maya, with Shaila's help, built herself a house of stone and filled it with herbs to remind her of the surface. A few years went by, and during that time, a little princess was born." Some "aw"s fill the air at this. "Queen Maya named her Brenna, in honor of her fairy guardian that ruled over water."

"So did Queen Maya and Princess Brenna ever see the surface?" Ash asks, a note of fear in his voice.

"Princess Brenna grew up to be a kind and brave young lady, but deep down, Queen Maya wondered what had become of her beloved and her homeland." Brock goes on over a calm interlude. "So one day, she wrote a letter to her beloved explaining what had happened over seven years, and gave it to Shaila, telling her to fly as fast as she could."

He then plays a "flying" melody. "Shaila flew to the kingdom as fast as she could, and got there hours before the king was to remarry." He plays a tense chord. "The king turned white as a Gastly when he read the letter, called off the wedding, and followed Shaila to the underground cave. On the way, Shaila summoned an army of water Pokémon to protect them in case Leona attacked them." He sings again Rou iitsa ron selga vichii...

Cheers fill the air as Brock starts to play the Zelda theme. "Sure enough, Leona was waiting for them, and a great battle ensued." After playing the song for a while, he interjects "I'm pretty sure you know who won the battle, right?"

"Of course!" Ash replies.

"You said it yourself before, Brock." Misty replies. "Fire fears water."

Brock concludes over a triumphant interlude. "With Leona defeated, the fire Pokémon she kept returned to their human forms, and they were soon reunited with their families. But the biggest welcome was for Queen Maya and Princess Brenna, who never forgot the brave water fairy that protected them in their hour of need."

Melody's applause is the loudest. "Bravo! Ash was right when he said you were a great storyteller!"

(real tale: The Frog and the Lion Fairy)

 

Tale 18: Squirtle's Rain Song (Misty)


"You know, you guys have done so well singing in your stories..." Misty begins as she feeds Azurill a berry. "Now, I wanna give it a shot."

"Fire away." Brock smiles--he is intrigued by Misty using singing in her stories--something he has practiced for years and trained Ash on for what seemed like years.

"I learned this tale from my sisters--Daisy always told it when I asked why there were so many Squirtles romping in puddles when it rained." Misty explains to Melody.

Once her audience is ready, she begins. "Once a great drought struck the world, and the humans and Pokémon suffered for it. It was so bad, it dried up the rivers and the lakes, and some Pokémon and humans even died of thirst."

"Pika..." Pikachu sighs.

"The Pokémon decided that they would all sing prayers to the Great Arceus in heaven in hopes he would send rain and save the world." Misty continues. "So the Pokémon all gathered at the shore of a dried up lake to each perform. Donphan was first--his song went something like this..."

She then proceeds to sing to the tune of "Arran's Prayer" Wiaks hozaluf yowr cile Arceus,
wiados yamb etsale cror yowr etsale lewr,
Yos sarfotsat ptrilan kulas,
yowr cra we gos yos mar
Amb cra metsa gaerfat aya an yone crea,
Spiasa, Arceus, golitsa ir...
Wiaks Arceus, kawr ir daen...

Ash applauds when Misty finishes. "Not bad!"

"What a sweet song..." Melody agrees. "Even if it is probably gibberish."

"And then?" Brock asks.

"One by one, the larger Pokémon made their pleas to the heavens--Mightyena, Liepard, and even King Entei sang, but no rain came, and the sun grew hotter still." Misty continues. "As each Pokémon took their turn, a little Squirtle pleaded and pleaded to have a turn at a prayersong. But all the other Pokémon laughed at her because she was so tiny."

"So did Squirtle get to sing?" Melody asks.

"And when she did, how did it go?" Brock agrees.

"After all the other Pokémon had sang for rain with no luck, King Entei allowed Squirtle to sing." Misty continues. "Donphan lifted her up to a tree branch, so all the other Pokémon could hear her. Her song went something like this...

She then sings to the tune of "My Song is My Treasure" Crotaluf, hozaluf lor Arceus,
Aya wiadat ca yowr huks ca mala
an wir cror ree sphaesa aya yowr fitsa aya wole
Cra yost lotsa yowr yorlola aya
yowr wa cror aya cerla
Golitsa yos kir, yowr golitsa wa yolowrlenfa yamb wa sir Pokémon,
Wi wor froks gleks wi nee
Cra pest isdon aya sapasa cra mulas yowr cra wir,
suks cra metsa gaer aya crist kawr ir daen...

"Pika chu?" Pikachu asks as Misty seemingly finishes her song.

"As Squirtle kept singing, huge rainclouds started forming in the sky, and lightning flashed across it as it started pouring." Misty continues. "It rained so hard, it flooded in some places, and all the Pokémon splashed about the huge puddles as they eagerly drank their fill. Some of the big Pokémon whispered prayers of forgiveness as Squirtle continued..."

She then sings again Arceus, cra lotsa aya yowr ptralir yos wiadean,
yowr yost wa crotatrz aya metsa cerla.
wa daen crist walan watt,
Golitsa ir glan cra gaef aya,
yowr wozas ir crir wahhir
kee yos cror cea litsa.

"Wow!" Brock is impressed by the gibberish lyrics.

Misty just concludes "To this day, it is said that Squirtles continue thanking Arceus for rain as they frolic in puddles and ponds."

Brock grins as he applauds. "Maybe you should tell more singing tales!"

(The tale I based this on is an African legend called "Singing to God For Rains", which you can find on Google Books.

Author's Note: I wasn't sure if there is a true snail Pokémon yet (Shellos is actually based on a sea slug), so the first Pokémon I could think of that made sense was Squirtle)

 

Tale 19: The Lucky Warrior (Ash)


"Once there was a boy so poor, he had to travel from town to town in search of work." Ash begins as Pikachu nuzzles his hand. "I'll call him Kaoru. Kaoru would stay in one town helping out those that needed a hand, and when there was no work left to do, he would move on to another town. This often meant that he didn't have a chance for a decent meal."

"How awful!" Melody gasps.

"Azu azu..." Azurill agrees.

"Now, one day, he stopped to rest by a river that overlooked a town." Ash explains. "As he rested from his long journey, he suddenly saw a warrior's sword and clothing floating in the water."

"I hope he didn't meet up with whoever owned them..." Misty muses.

"He didn't know who the clothes and the sword belonged to, but he figured that if people thought him a warrior, he might have a chance at a well paying job." Ash assures Misty. "So he put them on, and headed into town. Needless to say, the townsfolk really did believe Kaoru was a wandering warrior, giving him a morale boost. As he strolled through town, he passed by a dojo for warriors, where he could hear the cries of the fights in progress and clangs of weapons."

"You're rushing..." Brock discretely whispers.

Ash nods, and continues his tale. "The master of the dojo saw Kaoru looking inside, and believing him to be a real warrior, invited him to spar with one of his students."

"Uh oh..." Melody giggles.

"Kaoru had no idea how to wield a sword, but at the same time, he figured he could learn, and possibly gain a steady job." Ash explains. "He accepted the master's offer, and went inside."

"Hapi pini?" Happini asks.

"Amazingly, the students were awed at the determined look in Kaoru's eyes." Ash tells Happini and the others. "Many of them deferred the match to him, they were so afraid. The dojo master was impressed by Kaoru's supposed skill and gave him a job as a teacher of swordplay."

"Hapi pini pi?" Happini asks Brock.

"To defer something means to put it off till later." Brock explains. "So if we're all playing Pokeopoly and you really, really, want to go first, I would defer my turn so you could go first." Happini nods to show she understands.

"Kaoru enjoyed his new job at first, and eventually, the dojo master's daughter--who we'll call Inari--fell in love with him." Ash continues. "However, the dojo master's top student--we'll call him Nori--had also grown fond of Inari, and was very jealous of Kaoru--he knew something wasn't right about Kaoru, but he had to figure out what."

Nervous giggles fill the air at this. "So the next day, Nori gave Kaoru a bow, and challenged him to hit a Pidgey in a tree, sitting 500 feet away, with only a single arrow." Ash explains as he pantomimes aiming a bow. Kaoru had no idea how to wield a bow, either, but he took his one shot anyway." He pantomimes shooting the imaginary arrow.

"Did he make it?" Misty is excited.

"By sheer luck, Kaoru's shot hit the Pidgey." Ash replies. "The students were amazed, and begged Kaoru to teach them how to use a bow. Kaoru wasn't sure what to make of all the attention, and frequently tried to avoid his newfound fans."

Laughter fills the air at this. "Nori, meanwhile, was determined to expose Kaoru as a fraud. So the next day, while all the students were at a lake, Nori gave Kaoru a spear." Ash continues. "He challenged him to hit one of the Duckletts in the water."

He then asks his audience "You think Kaoru knew how to wield a spear?"

"Nope." Misty replies.

"Probably not." Brock agrees.

"No..." Melody replies.

"Well, Kaoru decided he would try anyway." Ash explains. "But as he was aiming his one throw, he tripped on a rock..."

Laughter goes up as Ash actually trips on a rock, but he steadies himself by grabbing a tree branch. "and the spear went flying, skewering not one, but four Ducketts by sheer luck."

"Impressive!" Melody is more relieved Ash is okay.

"Nori was stunned, but Inari was even more impressed." Ash concludes. "It wasn't long before they were married, and Kaoru spent his days learning how to wield swords, bows, spears and many other weapons in between going on many adventures--but that is another story for another day!"

(real tale: "Folktales from Japan", episode 19, story 3)

 

Tale 20: Kanagi and Yinagi (Brock)

"You know, this has really been a banner year for the classic story of 'Snow White'." Brock muses. "Two new movies..."

"It's definitely not your grandma's 'Snow White' when the dwarves are ninjas." Ash interjects.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu agrees. He sighs as he remembers the ball scene in one of the movies.

"Plus, this year also marks the 75th anniversary of the Disney masterpiece..." Brock continues as he takes his guitar and starts playing, appropriately enough, "Someday My Prince Will Come"

"Which in turn gave the world the animated movie." Misty adds.

"I remember seeing a re-release in the theater when I was little." Ash sighs dreamily. "The washing up part and the Silly Song are the best parts!"

"So to add my two credits to the festivities, the story I want to tell next is an interesting variant of "Snow White" from Johto I learned in Mahogany Town once that, oddly enough, doesn't feature any dwarves." Brock explains to his audience.

With that, he begins his tale over "Someday My Prince Will Come". "In a far away land, a little princess was born to a king and his queen. They named her Kanagi, which means 'gold tree'. "The queen, who was named Yinagi, or 'silver tree', was very beautiful, but as Kanagi grew up, many in the kingdom said she would be as beautiful, or more, than Yinagi."

"Someday My Prince Will Come" begins to transform into a tense melody. "One day, Yinagi went to the wishing well on the castle grounds, where a Goldeen said to have magical powers lived." Brock explains as he plays. "She called down to the Goldeen..." In character as a young lady, he asks "Tell me, little Goldeen, who is the prettiest lady you have seen?"

"Why, Kanagi is the most beautiful lady I have seen." he replies in character as a young girl.

A tense chord quiets the laughter. "When Yinagi heard this, she was simply furious--she couldn't bear to have someone else be more beautiful than her." Brock explains as himself. "When the king found Yinagi crying in her room that night and asked what was wrong, Yinagi demanded that Kanagi be killed, and her heart brought to her as proof."

"So instead of a huntsman, she asks the king to do it..." Misty muses.

"And then?" Melody shudders as she thinks of Kanagi's fate.

"The king feared for Kanagi, but then he remembered that a prince from a neighboring country--we'll call him Daiki--had come to ask Kanagi's hand in marriage." Brock continues, playing a few bars of "Someday My Prince Will Come" to herald the prince's appearance in the story. "Kanagi loved Daiki very much, so after a quiet ceremony and seeing Kanagi off to her beloved's homeland, the king saved a Mareep's heart from the wedding sacrifices to Arceus, and gave that to Yinagi instead."

"I thought it was the heart of a Grumpig..." Ash protests.

"Strangely enough, the Disney version is not the only one that says it was a Grumpig's heart." Brock assures Ash. "Anyway, a few months later, Yinagi returned to the well and asked the Goldeen again..." As Yinagi, he intones "Tell me, little Goldeen, who is the prettiest lady you have seen?"

"Why, Kanagi is the most beautiful lady I have seen." he replies as the Goldeen. "She lives still in another land, for it is the the heart of a Mareep you hold in your hand."

Some "Ooh"s go up over the guitar's tense riff. "Needless to say, Yinagi was furious, and demanded to know why the king had not done as she asked. The king replied that he loved Kanagi, and couldn't bring himself to kill his own daughter." Brock continues. "So the queen traveled to Daiki's country, taking along an enchanted needle that would send whatever it pricked into a coma."

"Isn't it supposed to be a poisoned apple?" Melody is confused.

"Different versions of the story say it's different things." Misty assures Melody.

"Meanwhile, Kanagi feared that her mother would still try to kill her." Brock stops the tense riff he is playing for a moment. "So Daiki ordered the lookouts at the castle gates to be on the lookout for Yinagi. They didn't count on Yinagi to come in disguise."

He continues "Kanagi ran to meet her disguised mother, but as she placed her hand in Yinagi's, Yinagi pricked Kanagi with the needle." He plays a hard chord to symbolize the needle's prick. "Daiki, thinking that Kanagi had died, lay her in a coffin of gold and jewels with a glass top. This way, he would always be able to see his beloved."

The audience is on the edge of their seats, eager to know if and how Kanagi will wake up. "But when the royal priest came to prepare the body for burial after three days of mourning, he saw something glinting in Kanagi's hand--the needle." Brock explains. "When he took it out, Kanagi woke up, unharmed."

A fearful chord signals the story is not over yet. "A few weeks went by, and Yinagi asked the Goldeen again..." Brock switches to his Yinagi persona again. "Tell me, little Goldeen, who is the prettiest lady you have seen?"

"Why, Kanagi is the most beautiful lady I have seen." he replies as the Goldeen.

Laughter goes up at Brock's pained face, as if he is Yinagi reacting to the bad news. "So Yinagi spiked some wine with poison, and sailed to Daiki's country again. Kanagi saw the ship approaching, and told Daiki to hold a banquet to welcome Yinagi. Yinagi was welcomed with great fanfare, but Daiki secretly switched the poisoned chalice meant for Kanagi with the normal chalice meant for Yinagi, killing Yinagi with her own poison."

He concludes "Kanagi and Daiki never had to worry about Yinagi again, and they lived happily ever after." He plays a final harmonic flourish to signal the story's end.

(real tale: Gold Tree and Silver Tree)