Tale 218: The Legend of the Pokeflute and the Whistle (Ash)

(real tale: The Woodpecker and the Flute)

(what Ash performs at the end: The North Wind/The Thunderbolt Reel)

"Once upon a time, long, long ago, a young hunter went out to hunt for food to help feed his people." Ash begins. "As he was following the tracks of a Sawsbuck, he had two thoughts on his mind. The Sawsbuck would feed his people, true. But his other thought was about a young maiden who would not pay attention to him, no matter how many times he confessed his love for her."

Once sure his Pokeflute is where he can find it, Ash goes on "He hunted for many hours, and his prey managed to elude him, but he continued to follow the Sawsbuck's tracks deeper into the forest. As the light began to fade, he noticed that the Sawsbuck's tracks disappeared, and he knew he could no longer find his way home. He would have to sleep in the forest that night."

[So what did he do?] Tarina asks, worried for the hunter.

"So he settled down, rolling out his robe and wrapping himself inside it not unlike a sleeping bag." Ash explains. "He closed his eyes and tried to sleep, but the forest was a sea of strange sounds. He heard the howling of Mightyenas, the hooting of Noctowls, the scratching of Pikachus burrowing, the rustling of leaves in the nighttime wind. Every sound aroused his senses, and he could not fall asleep."

He retrieves his Pokeflute as he continues "With his eyes wide open, he stared into the dark forest, wondering how he would survive the night. Suddenly he heard a sound like nothing he had ever heard before."

With that, he plays a few bars of the air "The North Wind" for effect. "He cocked his head to one side. The sound was beautiful, mournful, haunting. It was a sound he could not describe or explain, but it lulled him into a comforting sleep, and while he slept, he dreamed."

"What did he dream about?" Misty wonders, intrigued.

"The hunter dreamed of Suicune, the Beast of the North Wind." Ash replies. "In his dream Suicune appeared and sang the beautiful song the hunter had heard in the forest. 'Follow me,' Suicune said in the dream. 'Follow me, and I will show you how to sing this song.'"

Everyone waits to hear what happens next. "The next morning, the hunter woke up and was startled to see Suicune before him." Ash goes on. "The hunter and the Beast looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and then the Beast ran by another tree, one not far away. The hunter hesitantly stood up. Suicune ran to the next tree, and so the hunter began to follow him, remembering the words from his dream: 'Follow me, and I will show you how to sing this song.'"

He pauses for a moment, then continues "After a while, Suicune stopped, pointing out the highest branch of a cedar tree. When the hunter looked closely at the branch, he saw that bug Pokemon had hollowed out holes in it. He didn't know how or why Suicune had led him to this hole filled branch, but he knew, somehow, that he would learn something."

A wind gust bursts againt the tent, but Ash continues "Then the wind picked up as Suicune watched, and as it did, it blew hard against the tree, and the hunter heard the song again, but now he saw that it came from the branch--and when the leaves covered the holes in the branch as they were blown about in the wind, different notes were made."

[Just like a Pokeflute!] Tarina guesses.

"'Let me take this branch home,' the hunter asked, and Suicune conjured a wind gust just hard enough to make the branch fall to the ground at the hunter's feet." Ash continues, pleased Tarina has guessed what his tale is about. "He picked it up and hurried back to his village, carrying the branch as if he had found gold."

"So, how did his friends and family react to the song of the wind?" Brock wonders.

"When he returned home, his family was disappointed to see he had brought them no food, but the hunter said, 'I bring something much better.'" Ash explains. "He took the branch into his house and tried to make the branch sing. He waved it in the air like a sword..."

"Giggles fill the air as Ash does this to his own instrument. "He took it outside and held it skyward, letting the wind blow past it. But the branch would not sing for him."

He intones "That night the hunter fell asleep holding the branch. Again Suicune came to him in his dreams. 'Watch me play the branch,' Suicune said, and he transformed into a man. Then he took the branch from the hunter's hand and carved the top into a mouthpiece...." He refers to the mouthpiece of his own instrument. "He painted the branch with ivy and leaf inlays..." He refers to the diamond inlays on his own instrument. "...and he showed the hunter how to finger the holes. Then he blew into the mouthpiece, and once again the hunter heard the beautiful, melancholy song."

He plays the same phrase from "The North Wind" again. "When the hunter woke up, he saw that the branch had been transformed into the instrument Suicune had made--the first Pokeflute. He took it in his hand and stepped outside into the morning light. He fingered the holes and blew into the mouthpiece, just as Suicune had shown him in his dream. And when he did, the song rose up beside his house, and all the villagers heard the song and came running toward him, amazed in what they heard."

He smiles. "The young woman the hunter loved came, too. She listened to his song and then stepped closer. 'I love your song,' she said, and before they knew it, they were falling in love."

"Aw..." Brock grins as he eases a drum closer to him.

"Ever since then, the people of the world have made Pokeflutes and their smaller cousins the whistles, and have played all manner of songs on them." Ash concludes. "...and we continue to make and play them ourselves today, in honor of Suicune."

With that, he plays the excerpt from "The North Wind" again, only this time transitioning into "The Thunderbolt Reel" as Brock keeps the beat...