Tale 41: Saving the Combusken (Ash)

(real tale: The Cock and the Bean)


"Once a Combusken was scratching for food when he accidentally swallowed a bean." Ash begins. "Try as he might, he just couldn't swallow the bean. So he laid down on the ground, in hopes the new position would help the bean along."

"Did he choke?" Melody asks, concerned.

"No, it was just hard for him to swallow." Ash assures Melody. "His trainer, a young girl, saw him lying there and asked what the matter was. The Combusken explained what had happened, and told his master to ask the Miltank for some butter. So the girl went and told the Miltank that her Combusken was struggling to swallow a bean. The Miltank agreed, in return for some fresh hay. So the girl went out to the field where the farm hands were working, and asked them to bring the Miltank some fresh hay, so she could make some butter, so she could help her Combusken that was struggling to swallow a bean."

Brock raises an eyebrow at the tale Ash is telling. "A chain tale?"

"Who wants to bet he forgets half the things in the list?" Misty mutters--she knows Ash has a spotty track record with remembering a list.

"Relax--I've been teaching him some tips to remember a list." Brock assures Misty.

"Why is it called a chain tale?" Melody is curious.

"Because the events of the plot build on each other, like the links in a chain." Brock explains. "The challenge for any storyteller is remembering the list of items."

Melody nods to show she understands. "So what did the farm hands say?" she asks Ash.

"The farm hands had been working all morning, and they were pretty hungry." Ash continued. "So they told the girl to ask the oven for some loaves of bread. So the girl asked the oven for some loaves of bread to feed the farm hands, so they would bring the Miltank some fresh hay, so she could make some butter, so she could help her Combusken swallow a bean. The oven said that he couldn't bake anything without some wood for the fire. So the girl went out to the forest, where some woodcutters were working. She asked them for some wood for the oven, so he could bake some loaves of bread to feed the farm hands, so they would bring the Miltank some fresh hay, so she could make some butter, so she could help her Combusken swallow a bean."

"Pika?" Pikachu is interested in the chain's next link.

"The woodcutter's last axe had broken, so they couldn't cut any wood." Ash replies, making Pikachu facepalm. "So the girl went to the smithy in town, and asked him to make a new axe for the woodcutters..."

"So they could cut some wood for the oven, so he could bake some loaves of bread to feed the farm hands, so they would bring the Miltank some fresh hay, so she could make some butter, so she could help her Combusken swallow a bean." Misty, Brock, and Melody say along with Ash.

"Have you heard this one before?" Ash smiles.

"Actually, the list of items is getting long enough that you may start forgetting things." Melody cautions.

"So we're saying the list along with you to help you remember the items." Brock adds.

Ash nods, then thinks as to where he is in the tale. "The smith agreed, but he had no charcoal for his forge. The girl went out to the forest and burned some sticks into charcoal...." He sighs, and silently prays he can remember the list. "and the smith gave her an axe, so the woodcutters cut some wood for the oven, who then baked some loaves of bread to feed the farm hands, and they brought the Miltank some fresh hay, and she made some butter, which the girl fed to the Combusken in hopes it would help him swallow a bean."

"YESSS!!!!" Misty is stunned Ash remembered the whole list.

"Very good!" Brock agrees as he applauds.

"The Combusken was so relieved to finally swallow the bean, he let out a mighty cry of thanks." Ash concludes. "Needless to say, he was very careful about what he ate after that!"

Brock leads the applause. "Maybe you're ready to try a longer chain tale...."

"Couldn't the girl just given the Combusken the Heimlich maneuver?" Misty is unimpressed that the girl had to go through all that trouble for a bean.