@Scytherwolf; @Soups;

Episode 5: The Legend of the Oración

As the group arrived in a cluttered room some time later. Tonio started to dig through some old boxes. "Now, I know I had it around here someplace..."

"What, the picture of us after you rescued me from falling off a cliff?" Alice asked as she arrived in the room.

"No--I'm looking for a different picture..." Tonio replied before unearthing an old book with a red leather cover in a box. "Here it is...my great-grandfather's diary."

"Interesting, what was your great-grandfather like?" Dawn asked as Tonio carefully thumbed through the book's yellowed pages.

Tonio smiled as he discovered a picture between two pages. "This is the picture I was looking for."

"Who's the lady with your great grandad?" Ash wondered as he noticed a woman with the man in the old picture, tending to some Pokemon.

"Aw, is this you?" Brock asked Alice, enamored by a young girl holding a Vulpix in the picture.

"Yes, that little girl is me--hace mucho tiempo, of course!" Alice replied. "The lady with me and Godey, Tonio's great grandfather, was my abuela Alicia."

"Abuela" means "grandma." Brock translated. Ash nodded to show he understood.

"Can you tell us about that picture?" Dawn wondered.

"Well, a long time ago, when I was just a little tyke, Grandma heard a big commotion outside, and hurried to see what was going on..." Alice began...

In Alice's memory, Alicia rushed out of a house and gasped when she saw a group of Pokémon tossing and turning on the grass and into the road, as if they were having nightmares.

"Abuela, what's going on?" Young Alice asks as she peeks out of the house, piqued in Darkrai circling around the suffering Pokemon.

"Go back in the house, sweetie--I don't want Darkrai to hurt you." Alicia instructs young Alice.

Suddenly, a Luxray attacks Darkrai, sending him spiraling to the ground. "Alicia? Is everything okay?" Godey asks as he arrives to help.

"Stay with Darkrai--I need to calm the Pokemon." Alicia instructs.

She then picks a suitable blade of grass, shapes it into a grasswhistle, and starts playing the Oración. The song calms the Pokemon, allowing Godey to clean and dress Darkrai's wounds.

"Wow!" Young Alice is amazed at the grasswhistle. "Will you show me how to play music with grass, abuela?"

"Come here..." Alicia motions for Young Alice to join her in the grass. "First, you need to find a thick and wide piece of grass. It needs to be thick because the grass will function like a reed. This is how a clarinet or saxophone makes sound."

The flashback fades to inside the house, where Young Alice is rinsing some thick grass blades. "Now then...press the bottom of the blade of grass in between the base of your thumbs." Alicia instructs. "Next, use your fingertips to pull the blade of grass tightly to form a reed, similar to a clarinet or a saxophone."

"Like this?" Young Alice shows Alicia her first attempt.

"Yes--just like that." Alicia smiles. "Now...hold the blade of grass between the top and bottom part of your thumbs and blow through the hole--you should get a note. To get different notes, simply adjust the shape of your lips, like you are playing a trumpet."

Young Alice blows, making a Bb trying to become a C. "There you go!" Alicia smiles as the flashback ends...

"Not long after that, Abuela taught me the Oración." Alice concluded her story some time later. "Of course, I have had a lot of practice on a grasswhistle since then!"

"Remember the stone tower you saw when you arrived?" Tonio asked the group. "The tower has a music machine inside."

"Can we go see the music machine?" Ash asked.

"Not tonight--it's getting late."' Tonio yawned. "Maybe in the morning, I can show you the music machine.

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The next day, the group strolled through the market district, which was decorated festively in celebration of the Contest. "...then he created a funnel of dark energy in the ground. Tintri and I fell screaming into the void...and I woke up there." Ash explained to the others. "Darkrai was laughing the whole time."

"Sounds intense." Dawn replied before a stall selling trinkets got her attention. "What are these?" she asked as she admired some bright green feather-like ornaments on keychains.

"Those are Lunar Wings." the vendor replied. "They grant protection and good luck. Supposedly, they can summon the moonlight guardian, Cresselia."

"Wow!" Dawn was impressed. "How much for one?"

"For you, a thousand credits, good lady." the vendor replied.

"That's a fair price--I'll take it!" Dawn smiled before handing the vendor a thousand credit bill.

"A pleasure doing business with you." the vendor smiled as he gave Dawn the Lunar Wing.

"Here..." Brock clipped the Lunar Wing's keychain to Dawn's bag. "Now it'll be safe."

Tonio met the group as they departed the market district. "There you are...those stone towers over near the square are the Space-Time Towers. Not only does it keep time for the town, but my office and the music machine is there."

"Let's go!" Ash motioned for the group to follow him as he hurried towards the large building and the towers.

To Be Continued...