Tale 194: Princess Buneary (Brock)

(real tale: The Most Beautiful Princess)


"Long ago, there was a king who got very sick." Brock begins. "He wanted a Buneary killed to make him some broth, so his only son, Prince Damian, set out to find one."

"Did he find one?" Ash asks.

"As the prince walked along the path to the forest a pretty little Buneary ran out of the hedge and crossed his path." Brock explains. "He chased it through the brush as best as he could, although the Buneary was a very swift runner. Suddenly the Buneary ran into a hole in the ground. Prince Damian did his best not to lose sight of her and soon found to his dismay that he was in a huge cave." He makes a large form in the air to illustrate his point. "and at the very back of the cave there was the most enormous giant he had ever seen."

The Pokemon swallow hard at this. "Prince Damian was understandably frightened as the giant said..." Brock switches to a deep male voice. "Oh, ho! You thought you'd catch my little Buneary, did you? Well, I've caught you instead!"

As himself, he continues "With that, the giant grabbed the prince in one of his enormous hands and tossed him into a box at one end of the cave. Once sure Prince Damian wouldn't be getting out of the box, he locked it with a big key. Prince Damian could get only a tiny bit of air through a little hole in the top, and he thought that he would pass out, and eventually die. Hours ragged by like years--sometimes Prince Damian slept, but more often than not he lay there thinking about his sick father and what he could do to get out of the box and back to his father's side."

"Did he get out?" Misty asks, worried for Prince Damian.

"Suddenly he heard the key turn in the lock." Brock assures Misty. "The cover was lifted, and he saw the most beautiful maiden he had ever seen or dreamed of--we'll call her Maribel."

"I am the Buneary you followed into the cave," Misty fills in Princess Maribel's dialogue. "I am under a spell, so even though I have to take the form of a Buneary in the daytime, at night I am free to return to my true form. You got into this mess following me into the cave and I feel so sorry for you that I am going to set you free."

"You are so beautiful that I could stay here forever and gaze into your lovely eyes," Ash sighs dreamily in character as Prince Damian.

"You would see only a Buneary in the daytime," Misty replies as Princess Maribel. "It is not always night. Besides, the giant may return at any time. He just left on a hunting trip because he thought that you would not make a sufficiently sized dinner for him. I'll show you the way out of the cave and then you must hurry home as fast as you can."

"Prince Damian thanked her for her great kindness to him and did as he was told." Brock goes on when the applause for the interplay dies down. "He went home by the nearest path, but when he reached the palace his father was already dead,and the whole palace was mourning."

"Poor Damian..." Melody sighs. Pikachu brushes away a tear in agreement.

"Prince Damian was so overwhelmed with grief, he felt that he was not worthy keep on living in the palace." Brock continues. "After his father's funeral, he went out into the world and made his keep as a fisherman, for he did not wish to be recognized as a prince."

"What became of Damian?" Now Misty is really worried.

"Since no one recognized him in fisherman's garb, he wandered from one kingdom to another." Brock explains. "He caught Magikarp for his food, and he soon recognized the fact that the net which one of his fellow fishermen had given him as a gift was magical, or even divine. The biggest Gyarados in the sea could not break through."

[Wow...] Korra gasps.

"In the course of his travels, Prince Damian arrived at a city where a great party was being held." Brock continues. "The palace was decked with beautiful banners. And every afternoon the royal heralds rode up and down the city streets proclaiming, 'The princess of our kingdom is the most beautiful princess in all the world.'"

"Or not..." Ash comments to Misty, who giggles at how ugly this princess may be compared to Maribel.

Prince Damian remembered the beautiful princess who had let him out of the giant's cave." Brock goes on. "'Surely this princess cannot be as beautiful as Maribel' he thought. 'I am going to see this princess with my own eyes and find out.' So Prince Damian went to the palace gate to watch for the princess. It wasn't long before she came to the balcony and leaned over the railing. She was very beautiful, but her nose was just a tiny bit crooked--but she did not compare at all with Princess Maribel."

"This princess is not by any means the most beautiful one in the world," Ash announces as Prince Damian. "I know where there is a princess who is much more beautiful."

"Everyone in town heard what Prince Damian said, and the townsfolk reported it to the royal guards." Brock intones. "They grabbed him and took him to the king."

"So you are the fisherman who says that my daughter is not the most beautiful princess in the world?" he asks Ash in a deeper version of his "somebody's in trouble" voice--one of his "king" voices. "You say that you know a princess who is much more beautiful. I am a just king or else I would have you put to death right now. However, I'll give you the chance to prove what you say. If you are unable to fulfill your boast and show me this princess who in the opinion of my court is more beautiful than my daughter, it will be your life in exchange. Remember that you will have to bring her here to my court to have her beauty proven."

"Thanks, your majesty," Ash gives Brock a little bow as Prince Damian. "If you will allow me two weeks to fulfill this promise, and if you'll prepare a party for the night two weeks from now, I'll endeavor to present the most beautiful princess in the world to your assembled court."

As himself, Brock continues "The king was astonished at the fisherman's words, for he had not thought that a poor fisherman like him knew many princesses. However, he allowed him to depart in search of the princess. Then Prince Damian hurried home and walked toward the forest by the same path he had gone the day he went in search of the Buneary for his father's broth. He soon found the place where the Buneary had crossed his path, and he did his best to remember the route they had followed as he pursued her into the forest. But as he traveled through the forest he saw evidence of what looked like a flood. The water had washed away every trace of the entrance of the cave. He dug and dug at the place where he thought it was, but he found nothing that looked like the cave's entrance."

"Did he ever find it?" Melody asks.

"He dug and dug at a spot nearby, and found his way barred by a massive door." Brock explains "So he knocked at the door with all his might." He knocks on a rock for effect.

"The door was opened a little bit and the face of a young woman peeked out." Brock continues when the nervous giggles quiet.

"I am the sage of the princess," Melody fills in the dialogue. "I think you are the prince she was expecting to return to deliver her from all the terrible calamities which have befallen her."

"What has happened to my beautiful princess who saved my life?" Ash wonders as Prince Damian. "I am indeed the prince, but I am surprised that you should recognize me in my fisherman's garb."

"The princess told me that I would know you by the smile in your eyes," Melody replies as the sage. "I did not look at your clothes at all. I looked at your eyes. You have the smile in them though your face is sad. Come into the cave, and I will tell you all that has happened."

"When Prince Damian was inside the cave she hastily shut the door and said..." Brock narrates.

"When the giant returned, he was angry at Princess Maribel because she had let you escape." Melody continues as the sage. "He grabbed her and put her into the box in your place. However, Princess Maribel had thrown away the key to the box when she let you out; and, search as he would, the giant was unable to find it anywhere. That made him even angrier than before. All day he sits on the top of the chest when the princess is in the form of the Buneary. At night when he goes away he causes a great river to flow around the entrance to the cave. He has placed a huge Gyarados as guard to the entrance. This Gyarados swims up and down before our door and calls out such vile names at Princess Maribel, that, when she is in her own form, she stays in the box and stuffs cotton in her ears. You got here just as the giant had left. The water must have risen as soon as you were inside our door. I hear the Gyarados now."

"Even as she spoke the prince heard the voice of the Gyarados." Brock intones. "It said such terrible words that I'm not going to repeat them here. Prince Damian instructed the sage... "

You get into the box with the princess," Ash explains as Prince Damian. "I'm a good swimmer, so I am going to open the door and swim out. The box is made of wood that will float; so, inside of it, you and the princess will float out to safety."

"How will you ever swim past this terrible Gyarados?" Melody asks as the sage..

"Don't worry," Ash explains as Prince Damian. "I have with me a net which is so strong that the biggest, fiercest Gyarados in the world cannot break it. In the meantime, tell Princess Maribel that I am here. Tell her everything will be okay and stay in the box for a few minutes."

"The old sage got into the box as Prince Damian had commanded." Brock continues. "Then he unbarred the great door. The Gyarados swam at him fiercely, but Prince Damian quickly entangled him in his strong net. Holding him down in the net, Prince Damian swam up to the surface and was soon on the bank of the raging river. Then he killed the Gyarados, scaled it, and put the scales--which were said to invoke all kinds of powers if sung to--in his pocket.

Pikachu sparks excitedly at the mention of magic. "The box, meanwhile, had floated up to the surface of the water just as Prince Diamian had said it would." Brock continues. "Prince Damian threw his net over it and drew it to land. The sage and Princess Maribel stepped out. In fact, Princess Maribel was so lovely, that Prince Damian fell on his knees before her."

"I knew all along that you would come back again," Misty smiles as Princess Maribel. "I knew that you would deliver me from my troubles, but you have been a long time getting here."

"Prince Damian told Princess Maribel all that had happened to him." Brock narrates.

"You saved my life from the giant," Ash replies as Prince Damian. "I am very glad to have had an opportunity to save your life for you. Now I must ask you to again save my life."

"Then he told her about the party where he had display the most beautiful princess in the world, or else." Brock narrates.

"I'll gladly go to the party with you," Misty smiles as Princess Maribel. "It is fortunate that it is held at night."

Princess Maribel and her sage traveled quickly with the Prince Damian to the kingdom which claimed to possess the most beautiful princess in the world." Brock continues. "It was already the night of the appointed party when they arrived. The king's army was present, and all ready to kill Prince Damian if they had to. No one dreamed that the poor fisherman would be able to bring any princess at all with him, much less a beautiful one. Prince Damian hid Princess Maribel in the box which the sage carried in her arms."

Everyone swallows hard at this. "When the poor fisherman stood before the king with a sage standing by his side, the entire court howled with laughter." Brock goes on "Just as the king's soldiers stepped forward to take the fisherman to the gallows, Prince Damian asked for a few more minutes. The king nodded his head and Prince Damian reached into the pocket of his fisherman's coat. He pulled out a handful of silver scales and threw them into the air, then sang Furiya, shuru shamato... The most beautiful silvery cloud filled the room."

Awed chatter fills the tent at this. "Then he pulled a handful of golden scales from out his pocket, threw them in the air, and sang Leishu shun ji, lei si... The most beautiful golden cloud filled the room." Brock continues. "He next pulled out a handful of jeweled scales from his pocket, threw them into the air, and sang Imultaos, ame no hao bakezo.... The most wonderful sparkling cloud of jewels fell around them. As the cloud cleared away, there stood the most beautiful princess any one had ever seen or dreamed of between the old sage and the prince in the fisherman clothes.

Everyone cheers as Brock continues "The soldiers drew back. The king looked at the floor and so did all the courtiers. The king reluctantly admitted that Prince Damian had won his bet."

He concludes Everyone returned to Prince Damian's own kingdom where the wedding of Prince Damian and Princess Maribel was celebrated with a great feast. From the moment that the Gyarados scales fell on Princess Maribel, the spell on her was broken and she never became a Buneary again. She and Prince Damian lived together happily in Prince Damian's palace, and the giant never troubled them again, though they were always careful to keep away from the forest."