Tale 5: The Cursed Blade

(real tale: "Folktales from Japan" episode 175, story 1)

"Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a small village named Kotan." Brock begins as he arrives onstage. "It was a happy place--the people laughed and sang as they plowed their fields, and the nearby river echoed with the calls of the fishermen. The chief elder of Kotan was renowned as a fine archer and hunter, and was often spotted leading hunting parties into the nearby forest."

The lights dim a little to mimic nighttime. "One night, as the elder and his family were blessing the food they had gathered from that day's journey into the forest, some old blankets that hung in the window suddenly began to glow a strange blue color." Brock intones from his spotlight. "The chief elder remembered an old story his father had told him when he was young--long ago, Kotan was plagued by bandits, and the people often went hungry because the bandits took all the food. One night, a mysterious sword appeared in the starry sky, and cut down all the bandits. The people believed the sword was a holy blade from heaven, but imagine their sorrow when the sword also killed and wounded many of their own as well. No matter how many times they tried to get the sword away from Kotan, it would always return to kill and wound more."

"Fearful murmurs race through the crowd at this. "Finally, the seven elders of the village cast a spell of sealing on the sword, wrapped it in blankets, and hung it in the window of the chief elder's house, where they hoped it would remain for all time." Brock explains. "As the chief elder looked on at the glowing blankets in awe, the house was lit up in a brilliant blue, but when the light faded, the chief elder noticed that the cursed sword had left its scabbard. Sure enough, the next morning, several villagers were badly wounded, and those that were spared pleaded with the elders to do something. As his fellow elders debated what to do about the cursed sword, the chief elder vowed he too would do whatever he could to protect his people from the cursed blade."

"So what did he do?" Yuki asks as she and some other players listen from backstage.

"First he tried leaving it in the forest, imploring Celebi and Shaymin to watch over it." Brock explains, acknowledging his co-stars' presence with a nod. "But when he arrived back home, it was hanging in the window again. Then he tried burying it deep within the ground, and still the sword returned. Next, he tried throwing in the river, in hopes it would arrive in the ocean, and Manaphy would seal its dark powers. But even that didn't work."

The audience waits to see what, if anything, can stop the cursed blade. "Finally, the chief elder called together the other elders of the village, and they traveled to a local shrine, where they asked Arceus for some way--any way at all--to get rid of the cursed sword." Brock continues. "But even then, the cursed sword's reign of terror continued."

A hopeful grin forms on his face to assure the jittery crowd all is not lost. "The elders prayed for seven days and seven nights in all, and on the seventh night, Arceus appeared to the chief elder in a dream, commanding him to drop the sword from a rock into a deep pool many miles away, casting a spell of sealing as it sank."

The lights brighten a little to mimic morning. "The next morning, the chief elder told his fellow elders about his dream, and explained he was going to find the deep pool and the rock Arceus had told him about." Brock explains as he walks around the stage, as if he is the elder. "However, Arceus did not give the exact location of the deep pool, and it wasn't long before the chief elder got horribly lost."

Laughter fills the air as the lights dim to mimic nighttime again. "Finally, just as the sun began to set, he discovered the deep pool nestled in a forest, with the rock overlooking it, just as Arceus had said." Brock explains. "He climbed the rock, and started the spell of sealing..."

With that, he sings Gatrandis favel, secret, edena...

Yuki grins, and silently urges Brock to continue the familiar melody, but Brock has other ideas. "But this was as far as he got when the scabbard started to glow--the cursed sword was awakening!"

Gasps go up at the turn of events "The chief elder panicked at first, but then a Buizel appeared, saying he would awaken the Dragonair that watched over the pool, and she would help him destroy the sword." Brock explains, quieting the fearful chatter. "The Buizel dove beneath the water, and after a few tense moments, the waters began to churn, and the great Dragonair surfaced. The chief elder then heaved the glowing scabbard into the water, casting the spell of sealing as it fell..."

He then sings the complete tune. Gatrandis favel, secret, edena...
Emusto ronzen fine el balaziis...
Katoradis favel siicletu edena...
Emusto koron zen fine, si...

When the last note dies, Brock announces "The Dragonair of the pool fired a Hyper Beam at the glowing scabbard, destroying the sword for good."

The crowd explodes into cheers as Brock concludes "The chief elder returned to Kotan a hero the next morning, and the tale of his adventure is still told among the residents of Kotan today."

The cheers intensify as Brock takes a bow....