Thread: Live From the Fireside (Week 26: Beedrill's Search)

@Chimchar98; @Chaosj2; @Tophat Dragoneye; @Soulmaster;

Week 24: The Man Who Spoke To Pokemon

(real tale: A Time for Silence)

"Once a man--who we'll call Aidan--was walking through a forest one day when he saw a Taillow pinned beneath a rock, nearby a raging fire." Brock begins. "Aidan felt sorry for the Taillow, and carefully nudged the rock out of the way, allowing the Taillow to fly away before the place it was trapped in was consumed by the fire. It turned out that the Taillow was really Celebi in disguise." In a high pitched male voice, he says "Thank you for releasing me! As thanks for your kindness, I will take you to see the Great Lord Arceus."

As himself, he continues "Celebi took Aidan into the heavens, where he told Arceus what Aidan had done. Arceus was touched by Aidan's good deed, and told him..." In his standard "Arceus" voice, he intones "As thanks for rescuing Celebi, I will grant you one wish."

As himself, he continues. "Aidan thought for a moment about what he would wish for--the idea of riches beyond his wildest dreams was very attractive. But he remembered his Pokemon at home, and longed to understand what they said. So he told Arceus... As a young man, he asks "I wish I could understand and speak to Pokemon."

"A fine choice." he replies as Arceus. "But, you must not tell anyone of your gift."

As himself, he continues. "Aidan promised Arceus he would not tell anyone, and Arceus sang..." In character as Arceus, he sings Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul...

Excited whispers fill the air at the gibberish phrase. "Aiden glowed in many colors for a moment as Arceus' spell took effect." Brock explains as himself. "When he had thanked Arceus and returned to the earth, he set out for home. As he walked, he overheard two Murkrows chatting in a nearby tree. In a high pitched gravelly voice, he muses "If only the human knew of the treasure beneath here--he would be rich, and never worry about food or money again!"

Laughter goes up at how accurate Brock's "Murkrow" voice is "Aidan was piqued at what the Murkrows had said, and started digging. Sure enough, he found a huge stash of gold, silver, jewels, and other treasure!" Applause goes up at this. "He used the money to buy himself a new house and some land. He was kind and generous to all, and treated his hands well. He fell in love and married some months later, and generally well loved and well liked among the townsfolk. His wife, who we'll call Connie, was a different story--she was constantly pestering people and getting on the townsfolk's nerves."

Giggles go up at Connie's description. "One day, Aidan was coming to the barn when he overheard the Growlithes plotting something. In character as a older boy, he intones "Tonight,, the Mightyenas will attack the Mareeps--we will pretend to sleep, and then join in their feast!"

He interjects as himself "But the Arcanine in charge of the Growlithes was appalled at this..." In a deeper male voice, he growls "How could you all plot such a thing, after all our master has done for us? I will not allow the Mightyenas to lay a paw on the Mareeps while I am here by my master's side!"

"Aidan heard this, and told his hands to put the Growlithes away for the night." Brock continues as himself. "The Arcanine was the only one guarding the Mareeps that night, and when the Mightyenas came, he singlehandedly defeated the whole pack!" Cheers go up at this.

"Some days passed, and Aidan and Connie decided to ride into town to spend the day with friends." Brock continues. As they traveled, Aidan heard his Ponyta giggle and tell the other." In a breathy female voice, he giggles "Look at you, carrying the old nag--if I were carrying her, I would have bucked her off by now!" Laughter goes up at this. "Aidan couldn't resist laughing at the conversation, but Connie demanded to know just what was so funny." Brock intones as himself, making the laughter turn to fearful whispers--will Aidan break his promise to Arceus?

"Try as Aidan might to blow off his laughter as nothing to worry about, Connie kept bugging him about it." Brock continues. "He finally agreed to tell her that night." Gasps go up from the crowd--what will happen to Aiden once the secret is out?

"Aidan got his affairs in order, and made out a will just in case telling his secret killed him." Brock explains. "But before he could tell his secret to Connie, he heard his Arcanine howling and whining. Or at least it sounded like howling and whining to Connie--to Aidan, it sounded like plain English." In character as the Arcanine again, he pleads "Master, why are you letting your wife force you to break a promise to the Great Lord Arceus? If you die from breaking your promise, I will be forced to live alone with her, and put up with her constant pestering!"

He concludes as himself. "It dawned on Aidan that his Arcanine had a point--so he told Connie that he would not tell her or anyone else his secret, and she would just have to deal with it. Connie never pestered him about it again, and no one had any idea Aidan could speak to Pokemon."

The audience roars with applause as Brock takes a bow...

@Chimchar98; @Chaosj2; @Tophat Dragoneye; @Soulmaster;

Interlude 8: A Different Version

SunrisePearl would like to voice chat. read a Vocachat invite as Brock settled before his PC later that day. After clicking "Accept" he began "Hi, Dawn."

"Good to hear from you again." Dawn replied. "Ash and I are on our way back to you so we can help with the play. That, and your performance of 'The Man that Spoke to Pokemon' reminded me of a version we have in Shinou..."

"Oh?" Brock is interested.

"Instead of a common man, the main character is a king." Dawn explains. After she waits for Brock to get some paper, she continues. "He receives his gift from a kind fairy, who tells him not to tell anyone, or else."

"The use of Arceus was pretty clever, too." Ash adds as he peeks in the screen.

"I chose Arceus because the original involved the gift being given by an Arbok as thanks for saving an Ekans." Brock explains as he writes down what Dawn has told him so far. "The crew thought that idea was very strange. Then, Kano suggested Arceus, and the idea stuck."

"Anyway, the king and queen are having a relaxing dinner by the riverside, when the king hears two Durants fighting over a grain of rice." Dawn continues. "The queen asks why her beloved is laughing, but the king blows it off as laughing just because. They argue about this for four days, until he decides to tell her during a Ponyta ride."

"So Ponytas are still there in this version..." Brock muses as he writes.

"They come to a stream, where the king overhears two Deerling talking about him, and how foolish he is for telling his secret." Dawn continues. "The king then tells the queen that he won't tell her the real reason he was laughing, and she'll just have to deal with it. She doesn't bug him about it again."

"So aside from a few minor character changes, it's pretty much the same as what I told?" Brock asks as he reads over his notes.

Dawn nods. "Your audience may not like hearing the same story for two weeks in a row, though."

"I will still give it the cast test, but I have a different story on tap for this week--ever heard of the Ponyta eating oni Umagui?" Brock asks.

"Oh, we have plenty of Umagui stories, particularly around the Eterna area." Dawn replies. "He is said to transform into either an old man or a young lady, lure unsuspecting travelers to his house, feed them enchanted food that turns them into Ponytas, and then eat them."

"They usually end with the main character turning into a Ponyta and being eaten." Ash sighs at the memory of hearing many of the depressing folktales on that leg of his Shinou journeys.

"Well, I found one where the main characters escape Umagui's clutches." Brock smiles. "But Umagui tales with happy endings are pretty rare."

"Really?" Ash is surprised that Umagui tales with happy endings exist. "I'll be sure to tune in this week!"

Shinou? What's that?

It's the Japanese spelling of the D/P/Pt region--I just thought it looked nicer than Sinnoh

@Chimchar98; @Chaosj2; @Tophat Dragoneye; @Soulmaster;

Week 25: Umagui and the Two Boys

(real tale: "Folktales from Japan", episode 12, story 2)


"In a certain village in a far away land, there lived two boys--we'll call them Kenji and Takuya." Brock begins. "Although Kenji's family was rich and Takuya's family was poor, the two of them were very close friends."

After settling in his chair, he continues. "One day, the elder asked Kenji and Takuya to deliver a message to a neighboring village that was on the other side of a mountain. The two boys agreed, and eagerly set out on the journey the next morning."

He then gets up from the chair. "The boys delivered their message, and decided to take a route through the mountains on the way back." he explains as he walks around the center area of the stage. "However, they got horribly lost. Their first thought was to camp in the forest for the night, but Kenji spotted a house in a nearby clearing."

"The woman of the house welcomed the two boys, and gave them food and a bed for the night." Brock continues as he returns to the chair, where his guitar is waiting. "For some reason, Takuya couldn't sleep, so he got up and peeked through the door, where he could see the woman in the kitchen." Some giggles go up at Brock's "tiptoeing" melody. "He saw the woman planting seeds in the ashes of the fireplace, and gasped as a Enigma Berry tree grew!" He plays a harmonic E minor chord symbolizing the tree's magical appearance. "The woman then picked the Berries and started making them into a pie, but when she noticed Takuya watching her, she gave him the evil eye."

Fearful murmurs race through the crowd as Brock continues. "Takuya remembered stories the elder had told them about the oni Umagui--he would typically disguise himself as an old man or a young woman, invite travelers into his house, and feed them enchanted Berry pies that turned them into Ponytas, which he would then eat." He then stops his tense melody long enough to interject "That was why Umagui was often called 'the Ponyta-eater'"

"So what did Takuya do?" a boy in the front asks.

"He decided he would make a run for it at dawn's first light." Brock replied. "But the next morning, he was horrified to discover that Kenji had eaten one of the enchanted pies, turning him into a Ponyta!"

"And then?" a woman asked as she brushed away a tear, fearful for both boys.

"Try as Umagui might to get Takuya to transform into a Ponyta, Takuya escaped, and ran as fast as he could down the road in search of help." Brock continues, playing a "running" melody for effect. "A miko, or priestess, met him on the road and asked what was the matter. Takuya explained what had happened, and the miko told him..." In character as a young lady, he intones over a mystical melody "Not far from here in a certain field, a magical Berry that glows in seven colors grows. Give this Berry to your friend, and he will be human again."

As himself, he continues. "Takuya thanked the miko, and raced off to the field, where he spent a week searching for the rainbow Berry. Just when he was about to give up, he found it on the seventh day, and hurried back to the house in the woods, where a Ponyta was tied. Takuya gave the Ponyta the Berry, and the Ponyta transformed back into his friend Kenji. By the time Umagui returned, the two boys were long gone!" Giggles and sighs of relief fill the air.

"When they got home, Kenji and Takuya told the elder what had happened." Brock continues over a peaceful melody. "Kenji's father was relieved his son was all right, and gave Takuya's family a large field as thanks for saving his son, making his life a little easier. The adventure only strengthened Kenji and Takuya's friendship--and they remained best friends for as long as they lived."

The crowd roars as Brock gets up and takes a bow....

This is the final episode of Season 1, but the stories will continue in a new thread on Monday.

@Chimchar98; @Chaosj2; @Tophat Dragoneye; @Soulmaster;


Week 26: Beedrill's Search

(real tale: The Mosquitoes' Search)

Brock grinned as he looked out on the bustling cast and crew backstage. This is it--the season finale! I have the perfect tale to send it out with a bang!

After making sure that his instruments and props were accounted for, he ran onstage to greet the crowd.

When the applause had quieted, he began his tale. "You all know that long ago, a kind and generous Pokemon Mistress named Elena ruled over the world from what is now Indigo Plateau, but for a long time, it was known as Aiiro City. Our story takes place long ago in Aiiro City, when Elena was just beginning her long and prosperous rule."

He waits a moment for his background information to sink in, then continues. "Now, one night, Elena was about to go to bed when she heard a horrible screech outside the window."

Suddenly, Brock catches himself. "Okay, it wasn't a terrible noise per se, but a great river flowed by the Pokemon League..." A sound effect of a river plays for effect. "and inside the bushes on the riverbanks, hundreds of Lotads, Nincadas, and Kricketots sang late into the night." As if on cue, various night Pokemon noises fill the air. "On this particular night, the Lotads were particularly vocal, so Elena went to her window, and called down to the Lotad king..." In character as Elena, he calls "How am I supposed to sleep with all this noise?" The Pokemon sounds stop at this.

As himself, he continues "The Lotad king told Elena that they were making so much noise because the Wartortles were making the riverbanks crumble with their heavy shells. So Elena assured the Lotads she would do what she could to help. The next morning, she went to the queen Wartortle, and told her how their shells were threatening the Lotads."

He retreats to his waiting guitar and plays a calm interlude. "Queen Wartortle explained that the Wartortles carried their heavy shells on their backs because they worried the Volbeats and Illumise would burn them with their glowing tails if they left them on the ground. Elena assured the Wartortles she would do what she could to help. The next morning, she went to King Volbeat and Queen Illumise and asked why they threatened the world with their flaming tails enough to frighten the Wartortles, who then frightened the Lotads by carrying their shells.

King Volbeat told Elena that their flaming tails glowed because great swarms of Beedrills had invaded their lands, and their tails were their only protection against the thick swarms of Beedrills." Brock then stops his melody to ask "So, what did Elena tell the Volbeats and Illumise?"

"She would do what she could to help." the audience replies.

Brock smiles, pleased the audience has caught on to his refrain. "So the next morning, Elena went to the Beedrill lands, and calmly asked Queen Beedrill why they frightened the Volbeats and Illumise enough to light their glowing tails, which frightened the Wartortles, who frightened the Lotads."

Some applause goes up at how Brock can remember a complex list. "Queen Beedrill explained that the real ones to blame were the Krabbies--they pinched the Beedrills so much, they had to seek shelter elsewhere. So Elena said...what?" Brock prompts the audience to fill in the blank.

"She would do what she could to help." the audience replies.

"Elena asked Queen Beedrill to find King Krabby, so she could talk to King Krabby personally." Brock continues. "So Queen Beedrill rallied every Beedrill that could fly, and a great Beedrill swarm filled the air as they began their search." Laughter goes up from the crowd as Brock plays his own rendition of--appropriately enough--"Flight of the Beedrill"

"The Krabbies hid in their sandy holes when they heard the great swarm coming, and the Beedrill's search continues even today." Brock continues as he plays the familiar frenetic melody. "They leave no stone unturned as they look for the Krabbies, and learned how to sting as painfully as a Krabby's pinch. If you're not careful, they just might sting you!" He finishes "Flight of the Beedrill" at this point.

The crowd roars with applause, amazed at how Brock can play the challenging piece and talk to them at the same time. Brock just acknowledges his applause and takes a bow....

Season finale, huh? It's been fun reading all these Pokémonized tales you've come up with, LightningTopaz. Hope you will make just good stories in the second season as you did in the first one. :)

When Season 2 begins, the numbering will continue with Week 27 to provide consistency

I can't wait to Pokemonize another round of stories (and plays)!