Tale 54: The True Story of Golden Hood (Brock)

(real tale: The True History of Little Golden Hood)

"You all know the story of 'Little Red Riding Hood', right?" Brock asks the group.

[The one about the girl all in red who meets a fearsome Mightyena?] a Meowth asks.

"That's the one." Brock smiles. "What you may not know is they got a few details wrong when they were writing the story down...."

Ash recognizes the introduction. "I know this one! It's one of Brock's originals that's based on "Little Red Riding Hood."

"Really?" Misty is interested.

"Yeah--Brock does have a few original tales." Ash explains. "Most of them are 'sequels' to existing stories...."

"To start with, the girl's hood was not red, but gold--so she was actually called Golden Hood, or Goldie, for short." Brock explains. "The hood had been a gift from her grandma on her birthday, and she wore it every day, unaware of the magic power it held."

[Interesting--and then what happened?] Mai asked.

"One day, Goldie's mom asked her to take a basket of cakes as a gift to her grandma." Brock continues. "Her grandma lived in a town on the edge of a forest, and Goldie was told not to waste time talking to strangers on the road."

"Goldie met the Mightyena, right?" Misty guesses what happens next.

Brock nods. "Goldie had never really seen a Mightyena before, so she presumed it was a friend. the Mightyena told Goldie he would run on ahead to inform her grandma of her arrival. But when Mightyena arrived at the house, there was not a soul in sight--Goldie's grandma had gone into town minutes before."

"And he disguised himself as Grandma." Ash fills in what he figures will happen next.

"From there, the two stories remain mostly the same--Goldie arrived some time after and noticed something was off with her grandma." Brock continues. "She then told the Mightyena..."

"Oh, Grandma, what big arms you have!" Misty gasps as Goldie.

"All the better to touch you with, my dear..." Brock intones as the Mightyena. The two of them perform the timeless rigmarole together:

"Oh Grandma, what big feet you've got!"

"All the better to run to you with, my dear...

"Oh Grandma, what big teeth you have!"

The audience holds their breath, expecting Brock to say "All the better to eat you with" as the Mightyena. "Here's where the story diverges from the version we all know and love." Brock cautions as himself. "When the Mightyena sprung at Goldie, he ended up biting the golden hood instead--and its fire magic made it feel like he'd eaten a Tamato Berry!"

Everyone laughs as they picture Mightyena's dance of pain. "About then, Grandma was returning from town, so she stuffed him in a bag and threw him in the river." Brock continues. "Needless to say, the Mightyena couldn't swim, and quickly drowned."

More laughter fills the air. "After making sure Goldie was okay, Grandma prepared a huge lunch for the both of them, and they visited with each other late into the night before Goldie returned home to her mom, where she still is said to live in what is now Viridian City." Brock concludes. "It is said that if you wake up early enough, you might see her on the hill overlooking the forest."

Melody leads the applause. "Very interesting--you should tell us more of your original tales!"