Tale 2: The Gold Berries (Brock)

(real tale: Gourds of Gold)


"Once a man--we'll call him Kosei--was coming home from the market when thieves ambushed him and stole the food and Pokemon he had just bought." Brock begins. Misty gasps in horror, but Brock quickly assures her "Although he was quite battered, Kosei didn't despair--he knew that Arceus would give the thieves their just desserts."

"You know what they say--what goes around, comes around." Ash agrees as he adds a log to the campfire.

"Usually a little too quickly." Misty whispers. She and Ash giggle in agreement.

Brock just ignores the whispering. "When Kosei got home, he learned that many of the townsfolk had been robbed in that place. The trees and brush grew large and thick, making it the perfect spot for a thief to hide. But Kosei declared that he had a plan to catch the thieves." he quickly notes.

"Pika pikachu?" Pikachu asks.

"The other townsfolk, however, were concerned--these thieves were strong and too fast for anyone to catch." Brock tells Pikachu. "But Kosei was quick to point out that they were greedy too--and that was how he would catch them."

"If only we could catch Team Rocket like that..." Misty muses.

"So, what was Kosei's big plan?" Ash wonders

"First, Kosei bought two Deerlings and took them home." Brock explains. "Then, he returned to the place where he had been robbed, where an Aspear tree stood. He then hollowed out two of the biggest Berries on the tree and filled them full of coins. When Kosei's wife--we'll call her Saiban--heard about her husband's plan, she wanted to help out as well. They sacrificed one of their Tauros to Arceus for good luck, and Kosei concealed a skin filled with Tauros blood inside Saiban's clothing."

"And then?" Misty wasn't so sure Kosei's plan would work.

"Kosei then asked his friends to prepare a cot by the Aspear tree." Brock continues. "While his friends thought Kosei was nuts at first, they prepared the cot anyway, figuring it was a part of Kosei's plan."

"Pini?" Happini asks.

"Kosei laid on the cot and pretended to doze." Brock replies "Sure enough, the thieves returned, and asked him what he was doing in the road."

In character as an older man, he intones "I'm guarding our Aspear trees."

As himself, he continues "The thieves laughed at this--why would you need to guard a Berry tree? But Kosei gave the thieves the coin filled Berries, and no sooner had they cut them open, did coins spill everywhere!"

"I bet they were shocked!" Ash muses. A grin forms on his face as he pictures the thieves' reaction.

"Oh they were." Brock replies. "The thieves offered Kosei gold and jewels in return for what they thought was a magic tree. It was only when they offered the items that they had stolen earlier that Kosei finally relented."

Giggles fill the air at this. "It didn't take long for the thieves to find out they'd been had--they hurried to catch up with Kosei and demanded the food and Pokemon back." Brock continues. "Kosei agreed, but as it was almost dinner time, he invited the thieves to join him for dinner. He then told the Deerling at his side to tell Saiban that they had guests. When he turned the Deerling loose, it ran straight into the woods."

More laughter goes up at this. "Kosei led the thieves to his house, where Saiban and the other Deerling were waiting." Brock continues. "But before they could say anything about the seemingly magical Deerling, Kosei took a knife and stabbed at the spot where the skin of Tauros blood was, making Saiban appear to die as the thieves watched in horror."

Misty gasps at this. "Azu azu?" Azurill asks.

"No, Saiban only pretended to die." Ash assures all three Pokemon. "That's what the skin of Tauros blood was for."

"But then, Kosei took a stick..." Brock pauses to pick up a stick of his own. "and waved it over Saiban's 'dead' body as he appeared to cast a spell." He proceeds to wave the stick over the imagined body as he sings Rou iitsa ron selga vichii...

Sighs of relief fill the air as Brock continues "The thieves were stunned when Saiban seemingly came back to life, and immediately offered a thousand gold pieces for the Deerling and the stick."

He concludes "The thieves didn't know that Kosei had asked some of the royal guard to capture the thieves, and no sooner had the thieves started down the road with the stick and the Deerling, were they promptly arrested. Kosei and Saiban were hailed as heroes, and no one in that region was bothered by thieves for some time!"

"Bravo!" Ash leads the applause.

"Nothing less from a master!" Misty agrees.

"Ash and I have each told our first tale of the night, now it's your turn." Brock tells Misty.

Misty swallows hard at this--her only experience with stories is reading out of a book to Azurill. "I may not be the best storyteller, but I can try."

"That's the spirit!" Ash smiles. He watched as Misty took a few deep breaths to clear her mind and calm her nerves...