Tale 15: The Rogue and the Trainer (Misty)

(real tale: The Rogue and the Herdsman)


"In a far away land lived a man, his wife, and their only son named Jack." Misty begins as she adds another log to the campfire. "Jack was famous for being very lazy--he would rather spend the day dozing in the sun than do any kind of work."

"And I thought that fat Meowth in the comics was bad..." Ash agrees.

"For some years, Jack's mom and dad put up with their son's laziness." Misty continues. "But when Jack came of age, his dad asked him to go into the world and seek his fortune."

"So where did he go?" Ash is interested.

"After walking down the road for a while, he came to a large house." Misty continued. "It turned out he had arrived at the house of the chief royal Pokemon trainer."

Ash gasps at this. "Whoa, really?" He pictures himself in royal finery summoning Bulbasaur, Squirtle, and other Pokemon he has owned.

Static jolts bring Ash back to reality. "Pika pika." Pikachu gently reminds him.

"So what was Jack's first real job?" Brock asks. "Or did the chief trainer send him away?"

"Actually, the chief royal Pokemon trainer..." Misty starts.

"Tory!" Ash suggests, memories of his friend from LaRousse City dancing in his mind.

Misty considers the name for a moment. "Okay, we'll call him Tory." She thinks as to where she is in the tale, then continues. "Tory felt sorry for the boy before him, and offered him shelter if he was willing to do his fair share of work. Jack readily agreed, figuring he could learn how to make a day's wage."

The Pokemon giggle in anticipation as to what Jack will do. "Jack's first chore was to look after a herd of Grumpigs." Misty explains. "He was shown the field where the herd was, and told to drive them to a valley overlooking the mountains. But as soon as Tory left him, Jack got a better idea. He drove them to his parent's house, and needless to say, his dad was quite surprised to see his son home with a bunch of Grumpigs!"

The boys and the Pokemon howl with laughter at Jack's father's likely reaction. "Jack told his dad what had happened, and that he was having trouble doing the job." Misty continues. He then requested that his dad kill the Grumpigs, and hang their meat out to dry." More laughter fills the air. "Jack's dad looked like he'd seen a Gastly, but Jack assured his dad that he had an idea. So the Grumpigs were slain, and their meat hung to dry. Jack took the tails, tied them to a rock in a nearby swamp, and submerged it."

"Uh oh..." Ash stifles a giggle.

"Now Jack's in for it..." Brock agrees.

"Jack told his master the most heart-wrenching tale." Misty continues. "He claimed that the herd was spooked by something, and despite his efforts to round them up, they all ran into the swamp and drowned, with only their tails sticking up. Tory didn't believe Jack at first, but when he went to the swamp, there were the tails, just as Jack said."

"Pika pika..." Pikachu brushes away a tear for the dead Grumpigs.

"No matter what sort of Pokemon he was told to watch, Jack would somehow 'lose' them." Misty explained. "The royal Mareeps he claimed were lost in a tornado, leaving only the bells of the lead Flaaffy behind on a rock. Tory naturally didn't believe him, but when he approached the rock, he heard the bells just as Jack had said."

She interjects "In actuality, Jack and his family had killed and eaten the Mareeps for dinner."

Nervous giggles fill the air. "The royal trainer decided to have Jack look after a small herd of Tauros, complete with the king's prized shiny Tauros." Misty continues.

"Who wants to bet Jack loses them too?" Brock whispers to Ash, who chuckles in response.

"But Jack managed to 'lose' them too." Misty replies, seemingly answering Brock's question. "He claimed the Tauros had all disappeared into a hole. Tory went to see for himself, and it was just as Jack had said."

"So did Tory ever figure out what Jack was REALLY doing?" Brock asks.

"No, but he figured something was up." Misty assures her friend. "He led Jack to the forge the next day, and told him to make ten swords. Jack had no idea how to make a sword, much less wield one."

"There's no way he could lose a sword either..." Ash adds.

Misty just continues "He returned to his house, and told his parents that his master had promised him the princess if he could make ten swords for the guards."

"Pi pini hapi pini!" Happini smiles.

"Yeah, every fairytale has a princess in it somewhere." Brock smiles, enamored at his little one's love for princesses.

"Jack surprised his parents by putting in his fair share of the work, and it wasn't long before the ten swords were done." Misty continues. "The royal trainer was stunned that Jack had finished the ten swords so quickly, and told the king about how clever Jack was."

She concludes "The king was impressed, and offered Jack the princess' hand in marriage as thanks for the ten swords. Jack agreed, and served as the king's most trusted advisor for many years."

"Well, that was an interesting tale..." Ash muses as he applauds.

"That's not even the wildest Jack tale I've heard." Brock cautions...