Daycare Interlude: Little Pokemon, Big Dreamers


Callum led the way inside the festively decorated common room. "Keep it down--the younger babies are napping right now." he whispered as we quietly walked past some Pichus sleeping in a heap.

"Aw..." Trevor smiled as he admired the sleeping Azurill in his arms. "Look at them--they look so cute all relaxed like this."

"Hello, and welcome!" a breeder grinned as she carried a dozing Cleffa to the nap room. "Feel free to look around while the younger babies nap. If you have any questions, let me or one of the other breeders know."

"Okay." Shauna smiled before peeking into one of the playrooms, where some of the older babies were playing quietly, under the watchful eyes of older Pokemon. A Tyrogue was explaining the rules of a game to a crowd of Togepis, Cleffas, and Pichus before a male breeder let them all outside to play.

"They're cute, aren't they?" Tierno wheezed as he helped a Riolu put away some scarves. "My little crew and I have been dancing all morning."

"They all are." Shauna agreed before we found another playroom filled with baby Pokemon playing quietly.

A thought occurred to her when she noticed my guitar case. "Say...you could play your guitar and sing with them!"

"Or tell'em one of your campfire stories!" Tierno suggested.

I found a chair overlooking the rug in the center, where some babies were drawing or looking at picture books. "Who wants to hear some stories and songs?"

Forget drawing and picture books--I soon had a crowd of baby Pokemon sitting at my feet as I carefully and quickly tuned up. "Any ideas as to what we should sing?" Callum asked.

I just strummed an expectant D chord The more we get together, together, together, oh the more we get together, the happier we'll be...

The more we get together, together, together, oh the more we get together, the happier we'll be... Callum and Shauna joined in. For your friends are my friends, and my friends are your friends. The more we get together, the happier we'll be...

Then Callum started singing I love to go a-wandering along the mountain track
And as I go I love to sing, my knapsack on my back....

Valderi, valdera, valderi, valder-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Shauna and I eagerly joined in.
Valderi, valdera, my knapsack on my back...

"The Happy Wanderer" went over very well--the babies especially liked the "Valderi, valdera" parts. So did my version of "The Ninetales"--most versions of the song end after Old Lady Tachibana screams to John that the Pidgey's gone (the babies really got a kick out of me screaming as Old Lady Tachibana), but I add some verses that presume Ninetales makes it home with her prey. Then Callum led "Sloop John B", and Shauna practically begged for me to play "I've Been Working on the Railroad" (Callum helped by doing some train noises on a harmonica, which the babies loved), and "Clementine" (they eagerly sang along with that one)

When I ended "Yellow Submarine" hours later, I decided it was time for a story. "Once upon a time, there was a king who had seven sons, and he loved them so much that he couldn't bear to be without them, even for a few minutes."

[Aw...] an Azurill sighed dreamily.

Now, when they grew up, six of them were to find princesses of their own, but as for the youngest--we'll call him Jake--his father kept him at home." I went on. "So the king gave the elder six the finest clothes, so fine that the light gleamed from them hundreds of miles away, and each had his Ponyta, which cost many a gold piece, and so they set off."

I played a rhythmic little melody to mimic traveling. "After visiting many palaces, and just as many princesses, they came to a king who had six daughters; who were so beautiful that it was hard to find any to compare in the land."

[I'm sure they were...] a Happini mused.

"Each of the elder six took a princess as his bride, and set off for home again, but they forgot that they were to bring back with them a sweetheart for Jake, their brother, who was at home, for they were head over heels in love with their own sweethearts." I explained, to some giggles as the babies pictured the princes with heart eyes.

"But when they had gotten a good ways home, they passed close by a steep hillside, like a wall, where a giant's house was." I intoned as I played a fearful riff. The giant came out, and just by looking at them, turned them all into stone, princes and princesses alike. The king waited and waited for his six sons, but the more he waited with no word as to where they were, the more worried and sad he got."

[Poor king...] a Magby sighed.

"And if he didn't have Prince Jake, he wasn't sure how he would live without his sons." I went on. "Prince Jake felt sorry for his father, and offered to find his brothers. But his father initially said no--who was he to think he would lose Prince Jake too?"

[Did Prince Jake get to go save his brothers?] a Smoochum worried.

"But Prince Jake would not take no for an answer; and he begged and pleaded for so long that the king was forced to let him go." I continued. "The only Ponyta left in the royal stables was a very old mare--his six brothers and their retinue had taken all the other Ponytas. But Prince Jake didn't care, and set out on his sorry old steed."

"This is getting good...and then?" Callum asked.

"After he had ridden a while, Prince Jake met a Murkrow lying in the road half starved." I continued. "Not being one to see a Pokemon suffer, he gave the Murkrow some of the food he had brought with him, and the Murkrow left an emerald behind as thanks. When he had gone a bit further, he came to a sream, and he found a Seaking flopping about on the shore, trying to get back in the water again."

[So he put it back in the water?] a Pichu guessed.

I nodded. "Yes, Prince Jake put it back in the water, and a sapphire washed up on the shore, which Prince Jake figured was the Seaking thanking him, and put it with the emerald."

Shauna grinned at Callum--once I mentioned jewels in a tale, magic powers were not far behind. "After that he went a long, long way, and he found a Lucario, which was so famished that it lay and crawled along the road on its belly. Prince Jake saw his old Ponyta had died of exhaustion, and gave the meat to the Lucario. The Lucario was very thankful, and offered to let Prince Jake ride on his back. Prince Jake agreed, and the Lucario carried him to the giant's house--way faster than a Ponyta. When they got there, Prince Jake saw his six brothers and their brides turned into stone. He was afraid to go in the house at first--he knew well that giants killed humans. But the Lucario told him..."

Callum jumped in the role of the Lucario. "When you get inside, you'll find a princess named Tara, and she'll tell you what to do to kill the giant. Be sure and do everything she tells you."

I interjected with a tense riff. "Prince Jake went in, but, he was still very afraid. The giant was away at the time, but in one of the rooms sat Princess Tara, just as the Lucario had said, and she was the prettiest princess Prince Jake had ever seen."

"Why have you come here?" Shauna gasped as Princess Tara, "You'll die if the giant finds you! No one can kill him, for his heart isn't in his body."

"Prince Jake explained that he was there to save her, and save his brothers too." I narrated over a quiet Zelda-like riff. "He would save them, or die trying. Princess Tara was really happy someone had come to rescue her, and told Prince Jake..."

"Climb under the bed over there, and listen closely to what he and I talk about. But, be quiet as a Pichu." Shauna instructed as Princess Tara, to giggles from the Pichus.

"So Prince Jake climbed under the bed, and he had hardly gotten under there before the giant came." I intoned.

The babies screamed in fear and delight at this. "Ha!" Callum announced in a deeper version of himself for the giant, "what a smell of human blood there is in the house!"

"Yes, I know there is," Shauna explained as Princess Tara. "A Murkrow passed here carrying a human bone, and it fell down the chimney. I tried to get it out as best as I could, but the smell still lingers despite my efforts to get it out."

"So the giant said no more about it, and when night came, they went to bed." I went on as Callum and Shauna sprawled on the rug. "After they had laid there a while, Princess Tara said...."

"There is one thing I'd like to ask you about, if I can." Shauna whispered to Callum as Princess Tara.

"What is that?" Callum asked in character as the giant.

"Where do you keep your heart, since you don't carry it inside you," Shauna replied.

"If you must know, it lies under the doorframe." Callum mused as the giant.

"The next morning, the giant got up very early, and went off to the forest; but he was hardly out of the house before Prince Jake and Princess Tara set to work looking under the doorframe for his heart; but the more they dug, and the more they hunted, the more they couldn't find it." I continued.

"He has tricked us this time," Shauna grumbled as Princess Tara, "but we'll try again."

"So she picked all the prettiest flowers she could find, and strew them over the doorframe, which they had put back; and when the time came for the giant to come home, Prince Jake crept under the bed." I went on. "Just as he got under there, the giant arrived. He asked who it was that had strewn flowers on the doorframe."

"I did, of course," Shauna grinned as Princess Tara.

"And what's the meaning of all this?" Callum demanded as the giant.

"I'm so fond of you that I couldn't help strewing them, when I knew that your heart lay under there." Shauna explained.

"You don't say," Callum mused as the giant; "but it doesn't lie there at all."

"So when they went to bed that night, Princess Tara asked the giant again where his heart was." I narrated.

"Well," Callum mused as the giant, "if you must know, it lies in the cupboard against the wall."

"The next morning the giant was up early again, and strode off to the forest, and no sooner was he gone Prince Jake and Princess Tara were in the cupboard hunting for his heart, but the more they sought for it, the less they found it."

"Well," Shauna sighed as Princess Tara, "we'll just try again."

"So she decked out the cupboard with flowers and garlands, and when the time came for the giant to come home, Jake crept under the bed again." I went on. "The giant saw how the cupboard was all decked out with flowers and garlands; so he asked who it was that had done that. Princess Tara said she did it."

"And what's the meaning of all this tomfoolery?" Callum asked the giant, to some giggles.

"Oh, I'm so fond of you, I couldn't help doing it when I knew that your heart lay there," Shauna explained as Princess Tara.

"How can you be so silly as to believe such a thing?" Callum asked as the giant.

"How can I help believing it, when you say it?" Shauna smiled Princess Tara.

"Where my heart is, you will never know." Callum sneered as the giant over a tense riff from me.

"Well," Shauna mused as Princess Tara; "but for all that, it would be a pleasure to know where it really lies."

"The giant figured Princess Tara was up to something, but told her anyway..." I narrated.

"Far, far away in a lake lies an island; on that island stands a shrine; in that shrine is a well; in that well swims a Ducklett; in that Ducklett there is an egg, and in that egg there lies my heart." Callum smugly replied as the giant.

"In the morning, while it was still dark, the giant left for the forest again." I went on. "Prince Jake told Princess Tara goodbye, and when he got out of the giant's house, there stood the Lucario waiting for him. Prince Jake told him all that had happened , and told him to go to the well in the shrine, if he knew the way. So the Lucario started down the road, over hedge and field, over hill and dale."

After playing a rhythmic song to mimic the passage of time,I went on "After they had traveled many, many days, they came at last to the lake. Prince did not know how to cross it, but the Lucario assured him to hang on. He jumped into the lake with Prince Jake on his back, and swam over to the island. So they came to the shrine; but the keys hung way up on the top of the tower, and at first Prince Jake did not know how to get them down. Then Prince Jake remembered his emerald, held it in the air, and sang..."

Callum grinned when I sang Karuto, iichiida shou...--spellsongs were some of his favorite parts when I told stories.

[What did the spell do?] a Riolu asked.

"The Murkrow from before came, and flew up and got the keys, allowing Prince Jake inside the shrine." I explained. "But when he came to the well, there was the Ducklett, just as the giant had said. Prince Jake stood and coaxed it and coaxed it, till it came to him, and he carefully picked it up, but just as he lifted it out of the water, the Ducklett dropped the egg into the well."

Gasps went up at this, but I quickly assured them "then Prince Jake remembered the sapphire, held it in the air, and sang..." I paused to sing Rou iitsa ron selga vichii... before continuing "...and the Seaking came and got the egg from the bottom of the well. Then the Lucario told him to smash the egg on the ground, and as soon as Prince Jake did that, the giant was dead as a doornail!"

Cheers went up at the giant's demise. "With the giant gone, the six brothers and their brides were restored to their true forms." I went on over a victorious song. "Prince Jake took Princess Tara as his bride, and they all set off for home."

I grinned. "You can only imagine how glad the old king was when he saw all his seven sons come back, each with his bride. But the loveliest bride of all was Prince Jake's bride, so he got to sit at the most prominent place at the dinner table, with Prince Tara at his side."

I concluded "It wasn't long before Prince Jake and Princess Tara were married, and for all I know, they may still be celebrating today!"

The babies applauded as Shauna and Callum took a bow. We would've stayed there all day entertaining the babies, but we still had an epic journey of our own to continue!