Pokemon Moonlight Silver (COMPLETE!!!)

[EmeraldSky]

@Scytherwolf; @Soups;

Episode 56: Air Time!

"Whitney sure was a sweetheart..." Misty smiled in between bites of lettuce. It had been a few days since they had spent the day at Whitney's uncle's farm, chasing away Team Rocket and Ash earning his third badge along the way.

"Yeah...she wasn't as tough as I thought." Ash smiled as he admired the Plain Badge that was now pinned to his vest along with his other badges.

He noticed the taco salad Misty was eating. "That looks great..."

"I couldn't decide whether to eat healthily or indulge, so this looked like the best solution." Misty explained. "Pretty tasty too...what'd you get?"

"Just your standard cheeseburger--hold the onions." Ash smiled as he offered Tintri one of the pickles still on his plate.

Brock chuckled as Tintri made a disgusted face. "A little too sour?" he grinned before taking a bite of the patty melt he had ordered.

The three friends giggling caught the attention of a young deep brown haired man. "Hi there...can I ask you three a question?"

"Sure...what about?" Ash asked as the waiter arrived with the bill and three complimentary mini sundaes, then cleared the boy's plates.

"My name's Seth Petersen--I'm the producer of 'Pokemon Profiles' on WJTO." the man began. "The guest we had lined up for this week had an emergency and couldn't come--so would any of you three like to come on the show and share your talents with the world?"

"I would be honored." Brock replied as he set down his share of the bill and the tip. "I'm competing in the Pokemon Lore Stage, so it would be a dream come true to share my stories with a wider audience."

"And Misty and I will help with any music or character voices you might need." Ash smiled as he offered Tintri what was left of the ketchup he had used for his fries.

"All right--here's my card." Seth gave Brock a business card. "Just show that to the receptionist and tell her you and your friends are here for 'Pokemon Profiles', and she'll lead you to the studio."

---------

"Formerly a Gym Leader, now a performer; he's quickly become a rising star on Kanto's storytelling scene, and now seeks to make his mark on the Pokemon Lore Stage...come get to know this true renaissance man, today on 'Pokemon Profiles'. a female DJ announced before the show's theme song started.

"Good luck, Brock..." Misty whispered as she put on her own headphones.

"Welcome to 'Pokemon Profiles'...I'm your host, Mary Austin." the female DJ began as the theme song ended. "This week, we cross over to Kanto to get to know a former Gym Leader whose true passion lies in sharing the world's lore though music, mimicry, props, and even stage archery. So please give a warm welcome to rising Lore Stage star Brock Harrison."

"Thank you." Brock acknowledged the applause of a few interns from his half of the studio. "It's an honor to be here."

"Tell me...what spurred you to begin storytelling, an art many think is relegated to summer campfires and rainy days at Grandma's?" Mary asked.

"Well, coming from a large family, reading a book often proved to be an exercise in futility." Brock explained with a chuckle. "They would always find some way to interrupt with questions or taking the story off on a tangent. By telling my siblings a bedtime story every night, I could include them in the performance, so they wouldn't interrupt me. Then I started including songs and mimicry in my performances, to the point where they were guessing what kinds of songs I would sing and voices I would do for their story that night."

He went on "My big break came when I was effectively volunteered to perform for the school book week with only a day to get ready. But my hastily thrown together show went over very well, and before long, I was being asked to tell for other schools, community events, and even festivals. I hope to one day make a career out of it--this world is filled with all kinds of lore, and stories just waiting to be told."

"I see...would you be willing to share one of your stories with us?" Mary asked.

"Sure...this is a version of the Moltres story common to Pewter and the surrounding areas." Brock explained. "It's called 'The Quest for Moltres'...

With that, he began "It happened once that a king of a far away land, who had a great kingdom and three sons, was blinded due to a mysterious disease, and no healing skill or art could restore to him his sight. After a very long time, a traveling priestess came to the palace, and told him that there was only one thing that could restore his sight, and that was to find Moltres, the Herald of Fire; her song would open the king's eyes.

When the eldest son--his name is not important to us--heard this, he offered to go in search of Moltres, the Herald of Fire, which was kept in a gilded cage by a neighboring king, and carefully guarded as his greatest treasure. The blind king greatly rejoiced at his son's resolve, decked him out in the best way he could, and let him go...."

---------

"Hearing you sing the Swanna Song never gets old..." Misty smiled when the show ended some time later. "Nor does hearing you tell--you did great in there!"

"You guys did great filling in the voices of Prince Brian and Princess Sophia." Brock replied.

"That was actually kinda fun..." Ash confessed as he returned his headphones to a tech. "I hope no one noticed I was a little nervous..."

An intern entering the room got his attention. "Boss! Mary! This week's show tapes were damaged during the storm that came through last night. Now we can't air this week's edition of the Goldenrod Radio Theater!"

"It's okay..this week's episode can still be done live." Mary assured the intern as she, and the group followed the intern down the hall to the large and roomy studio where the famous radio drama was recorded each week, where the station's resident actors were preparing to record. "Guys, you don't mind if these three join in this week's show, do you?"

"Not at all!" a blonde haired actor smiled.

"We like performing with guests." a dull green haired girl asked as she received her script.

Mary gave Ash, Misty, and Brock a script. "All right, here the scripts for your roles..."

Ash gasped when he saw the script's title. "No way--we're doing a dramatization of one of my all time favorite video games...'The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past'!"

"All you have to do is all those 'Hut's, 'Ha's, and 'Seit!'s Link does...think you can do that?" Mary asked Ash.

"Sure!" Ash replied as he accepted a headset mic from a tech, grabbed an unsharpened pencil, and stabbed at the air, channeling his best mimic of the Ocarina of Time Link. "Hut! Ha! Heya!"

"Very good!" Mary applauded. "Are we ready to get started?"

"We're on in three...two...one..." the director counted down.

---------

The familiar attract screen music started playing in all its sixteen bit glory as Brock read the iconic attract text as the opening narration. "Long ago, in the beautiful kingdom of Hyrule surrounded by mountains and forests, legends told of an omnipotent and omniscient Golden Power that resided in a hidden land. Many people aggressively sought to enter the hidden Golden Land, But no one ever returned. One day, evil power began to flow from the Golden Land, so the King commanded seven wise men to seal the gate to the Land of the Golden Power."

As the game music faded out, the director motioned for the blonde haired actor to say his first line. "Um...do we really have to act out the cut scene?" he asked. "We haven't had time to rehearse!"

"I know, but everything we recorded for this week was damaged, so we have to record this live--we can always edit out mistakes before it goes to air." Mary assured the actor. "Start from the end of the first bit of the attract music ending."

"It would be a whole lot better if Brock just read the entire attract text..." another actor added.

"If Mary wants to have the gate sealing part and Agahnim's arrival acted out, I have no problem with it." a navy haired female actor assured her costar.

"I just don't think it's right to add dialogue where there wasn't any to start with." the blonde actor protested.

'If it's in the script, that's what the director wants!" the navy haired actor protested.

"There is such a thing as artistic license..." the blonde actor retorted.

Mary winced as the actors argued. "Let's just continue reading the attract text, okay?" she told Brock before clapping to get the actors' attention, bringing the argument to a screeching halt. "Okay, focus, everyone!"

"Now, where was I?" Brock asked as he looked for the rest of the attract text in the script.

"That seal should have remained..." Ash prompted Brock.

Brock found the point Ash had mentioned, and continued reading as the sixteen bit music started again. "That seal should have remained for all time...but, when these events were obscured by the mists of time and became legend, a mysterious wizard known as Agahnim came to Hyrule to undo the seal. He eliminated the good King of Hyrule, and through his evil magic, he began to make descendants of the seven wise men vanish, one by one. Now, the time of destiny for Princess Zelda is drawing near....and it is here our story begins..."

"Okay, cut!" Mary called as the propmasters prepared the recording area to capture sounds of footsteps on various surfaces.

"Mary, Zelda's a fairly long game, and our time slot won't be enough to perform the whole game in one sitting." the dull green haired girl interjected. "What should we do?"

"We have enough time to perform up to the Sanctuary this week--we'll have our guest actors record any other dialogue we may need when our time here is done, so we can air the rest over several weeks." Mary replied before addressing Misty. "Ready for your first lines?"

"As I'll ever be..." Misty replied as the sound tech cued a sound of rain on a roof.

"Okay, action!" Mary called.

"Help me...please help me..." Misty pleaded in character as Zelda, her voice receiving an echo effect to signal the voice was in someone's head. "I am a prisoner in the dungeon of the castle. My name is Zelda. The wizard, Agahnim, has done...something to the other missing girls. Now only I remain...Agahnim has seized control of the castle and is now trying to open the seven wise men's seal...I am in the dungeon of the castle. Please help me..."

The sound of a door opening snapped Ash to attention. "Link, I'm going out for a while. I'll be back by morning. Don't leave the house." a plum haired male actor read as the uncle before walking on some wood planks to simulate someone walking out a house into the simulated "storm"

Ash carefully got up from his chair and landed on the wood planks with a THUNK. "No, that sounded too heavy for someone jumping out of bed." Mary suggested.

"Here's a tip--take off your shoes and slap them on something to get a more realistic walking sound." the navy haired girl suggested.

"Okay..." After removing his shoes, Ash tried lightly slapping them on the wood planks. "That's better." Mary replied.

Misty sighed as the memorable video game scene took shape in fits and starts. "We're gonna be here a while..."

"Focus!" Mary's call snapped her back to reality. She flipped a few pages to the next point where Zelda had lines, then watched as the plum haired boy read his next scene as the uncle, now wounded. "Unnh... Link, I didn't want you involved in this...I told you not to leave the house. Take my sword and shield and listen. You can focus power in the blade, then release it using the secret technique handed down by our people."

After some techs rattled some metal items to simulate Link picking up something metallic, the actor continued. "Link, you can do it! Save the princess!"

"Hm!" Ash replied affirmatively as Link.

"He's really getting into this..." Brock smiled as he watched Ash manipulate his shoes to mimic walking, and then a flurry of war-cries at Mary's battle cue, waving an unsharpened pencil in time with Mary's directions and the sound effects to simulate a fight.

"Would you be willing to read the role of the loyal sage too?" the dull green haired actress asked as she tried oh-so-hard not to laugh at Ash waving around a pencil and mimicking Link's war cries.

"Sure." Brock replied, turning to the appropriate point in his script.

---------

As the iconic Sanctuary music started, Brock started reading the role of the loyal sage. "Princess Zelda, you are safe! Is this your doing, Link?" he asked Ash in a gentle older man voice.

"Hm." Ash replied affirmatively.

"Yes, it was Link who helped me escape from the dungeon!" Misty replied in character as Zelda. "While I was captive, the wizard said..."

She next decided to do her best mimic of someone evil. "Once I have finished with you, the final one, the seal of the wise men will open."

Brock tried oh-so-hard not to laugh and break character at Misty's attempt at a villainous voice. "Link, you must not let the land of Hyrule fall into the wizard's clutches." Misty pleaded as Zelda again. "If he releases the seal of the seven wise men, evil power will overwhelm this land. Before that happens...before it's too late... destroy the wizard before he destroys all of Hyrule! You can do it!"

"I sense that a mighty evil force guides the wizard's actions and augments his magical power." Brock reads as the loyal sage. "The only weapon potent enough to defeat the wizard is the legendary Master Sword. It is said that the village elder is a descendant of one of the seven wise men. Maybe he can tell you more..."

After lightly pressing a stamp on some paper, Brock went on in character "I will mark his house on your map. But watch your every move! I am certain that the castle soldiers will be looking for you now!"

He noticed Ash's in character fearful look. "I will hide Princess Zelda here. Do not worry! Seek the elder!"

---------

"Well done, all three of you." Seth smiled when the marathon recording session finally ended some hours later. "You make a wonderful Link, Ash."

"Aw, it was nothing." Ash smiled. "I'd be happy to perform on the radio again, either as a guest actor or to play more music."

"It was a bit weird acting with no costumes or sets, but we had fun too." Misty smiled.

"Yeah--doing a radio play was an interesting experience." Brock agreed.

"You're always welcome to do Link the next time we do an adaptation of a Zelda game." Mary smiled as she met the group. "You at least have the war-cries down...will you do one more for me?"

Ash nodded, grabbed an unsharpened pencil, and stabbed at the air. "Hut!"

To Be Continued...