Tale 184: The Pack, the Hat, and the Whistle (Ash)

(real tale: The Knapsack, the Hat, and the Horn)

"Once there were three brothers who were so poor, they had nothing to eat at all." Ash begins. "They all agreed that going out into the world to seek their fortunes was better than sitting at home starving."

"So what adventures met them?" Melody is intrigued by the possibility of a quest.

"So they set out the next morning, and went across many a plain, but their journeys were uneventful." Ash replies. "One day, they came to a great forest, and when they got close, they saw that it was made entirely of silver. The eldest brother took as much silver as he could carry, then returned home. But the other two had hope that there was something even more valuable out there, and so they continued onward."

"Then what did they find?" Now Brock is interested.

"After they had traveled for a few days, they came to a hill that was made entirely of gold. The middle brother filled his pockets as full as they would hold, bid good-bye to his brother, and returned home. But the youngest brother--we'll call him Martin--was wiser in heart than his brothers. While silver and gold were wonderful things, he believed he would find true treasure if he kept going, and so off he went."

"Did he find a forest made of crystals?" Misty guesses what Martin will find.

Ash is quick to shoot Misty's prediction down. "After three days, he came to a forest even bigger than the others, which stretched as far as the eye could see. He was famished from walking all day, and muttered under his breath his desire for a hot meal. Suddenly, he saw a table beneath the tree richly spread with food that was piping hot."

Misty giggles at Pikachu drooling at the sight of the feast Ash described. "That's right--Ash describes food really well."

Ash is unfazed by Pikachu's dreamy look. "Without bothering to ask who had brought the food there, he ate his fill. But when he saw the tablecloth there, he figured it would make sense to leave it behind, so he folded it up neatly and pocketed it. When dinnertime came he thought he would put the tablecloth to the test, so he spread it out and sang a song often portrayed as magical in bedtime stories..."

He pauses to sing Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... before continuing "and no sooner were the words out of his mouth, was there a feast fit for a king!"

"And then?" Melody asks, starry eyed.

"Martin was not content with only a wishing cloth--Arceus only knew what other treasures were waiting to be discovered." Ash continues. "One evening, where Ilex Forest is today, he befriended a Charcoal maker, who was roasting potatoes for dinner. He invited Martin to stay for dinner, and told him that he sometimes got sick of having potatoes every night. Martin took out the tablecloth from his pack, and after spreading it on the ground, and sang Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul...

"Pika?" Pikachu licks his lips in anticipation of the food Ash is about to describe.

"A full roast, piping hot as if it had just come from the kitchen, appeared in a flash of light." Ash continues. "The Charcoal maker wasted no time in diving right in!"

He pauses for a beat, then continues "When dinner had ended, The Charcoal maker offered to trade a soldier's pack that hung on the wall in the corner, which he claimed had wonderful qualities. Martin wasn't so sure, and pressed the Charcoal maker further."

"So what could it do?" Brock is intrigued.

"If sung to, an army of heroes would appear to do his bidding." Ash explains. Martin agreed, and the deal was sealed. Before he had got very far, he decided to try out the pack, so he sang Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... A band of seven heroes appeared before him, and the chief warrior asked what he wanted. Martin asked for them to get back the tablecloth, which the heroes accomplish some moments later.

He interjects. "If you've heard this before, it's a variant of 'The Beasts' Treasures' from east Johto."

"No wonder this is starting to sound familiar..." Brock grins before urging Ash to continue.

"This happened two more times--around sunset, he would befriend a charcoal maker, conjure a fine meal, receive a wondrous item--a magical hat that cast a spell when turned back, and a whistle that, when played, would play a note high enough and loud enough to bring down walls, then retrieve his tablecloth. After all those adventures, he was curious as to how his brothers were faring."

"Pika pi?" Pikachu asks.

"When he got home, he found that his brothers had built themselves a fine house with their silver and gold, and lived like kings." Ash replies. "He went to see them, but because he wore a worn-out coat, a shabby hat, and the old knapsack on his back, they didn't recognize him as their brother. They scolded him and drove him away, believing him to be a beggar."

"That's not nice!" Misty is appalled at this.

"Needless to say, Martin was mad." Ash assures Misty. "So mad, in fact, he conjured a hundred and fifty different heroes stood before him--warriors, archers, mages, knights, you name a type of hero, and that kind of hero was there."

"So what did Martin ask the heroes to do?" Melody asks.

"He ordered them to surround his brothers' house, and lay siege to it until they knew who he was." Ash replies. The townsfolk heard the noise and ran to see what was happening, but they could do nothing against the army of heroes. News of the ruckus finally reached the royal ears of the king, and sent a thousand men to drive the rogue out of town: but Martin summoned ten thousand heroes, who handily defeated the king's men."

He turns his hat back as he continues. "No matter how big an army the king sent, Martin would meet them with an even bigger army, and soundly defeat them. What the heroes didn't get, Martin picked off with his hat."

Everyone is on the edge of their seats to know what happens next. "The king was more than a little scared, and told Martin he would do anything if he would stop the carnage." Ash explains. "Martin told the king he would stop if he could have the hand of the princess--we'll call her Audra--in marriage, and allow him to rule as king."

After pausing to retrieve his own whistle, Ash continues "However Princess Audra was appalled that her suitor was a common man, and refused to go through with the wedding."

Brock realizes what is coming next. "Cover your ears--it's fixing to get loud." he warns the others.

Once everyone has covered their ears, Ash goes on "Martin was steamed when he heard the news, so he took the whistle and blew on it..."

With that, he blows the highest, loudest, most out-of tune note he can muster for effect. "...and down came walls and fortresses, towns and villages--but luckily Princess Audra convinced him to stop before all of Johto was reduced to ruins."

He concludes. "It wasn't long before Princess Audra came around to marrying Martin, and the two were soon married. Though Martin proved to be a wise and just ruler, no one dared challenge him for the throne again!"

"I can see why!" Melody giggles as she applauds...