Tale 70: Arceus Saves a Princess (Misty)

(real tale: The Castle of Comorre)

"They say that long ago, Cerulean City was once a kingdom named Azulona...and the Great Lord Arceus saved its princess from the hand of a bloodthirsty count." Misty begins. "Want me to tell you about it?"

"Yeah!" Ash replies.

"Yes!" Brock replies at the same time as Ash.

"Just be forewarned that this tale is a little scary." Misty cautions. With that, she begins "Azulona's king at that time had a daughter he loved very much--we'll call her Jala. Princess Jala was as beautiful in heart as she was beautiful in looks--and her father preferred to lose everything he owned rather than see her unhappy."

"Mm-hm..." Brock motions for Misty to go on.

"One year, messengers from the land of Lavandia came to Azulona, bearing many lavish gifts." Misty continued. "The messengers said that the ruler of Lavandia, Count Ketsuki, wished to have Princess Jala in marriage--he had visited the summer festival in disguise as a soldier and fell head over heels in love with her."

"Jala's father the king said no, I'd wager." Ash muses.

"He knew very well Count Ketsuki's reputation as a tyrant with an iron fist." Misty replies. "and a black heart to match. In fact, rumors said that when he was just a boy, his mother would have the guard ring the alarm bell so everyone within miles knew he was awake. He was feared and hated by not just his homeland of Lavandia, but all over what is now Kanto."

[If he were real, I would have ripped him to shreds...] Mai mutters as she flexes her claws, as if expecting Count Ketsuki to appear at any moment.

"And to top all of that off, the last four princesses had mysteriously disappeared." Misty continues. "Whether they had died or ran away, no one knew for sure, because Count Ketsuki wasn't talking."

"En garde!" Ash brandishes a stick at the tent entrance flap like a sword, as if Count Ketsuki is really present and about to spirit Misty away into the rain.

"Needless to say, Jala's father said a resounding no, but the messengers said that Count Ketsuki would invade if he and Princess Jala did not marry." Misty continues. "So Jala's father called together the whole army, and the two armies met on a plain for battle three days later."

[What about the great Arceus?] Korra wonders.

[What did he do?] another Meowth agrees.

"He saw what was going on from the heavens, and hurried to Azulona, where Princess Jala was praying in the shrine in the town square." Misty replies. "He appeared to Jala as a mighty paladin, and pleaded with Jala to avert the impending war. Jala said no, because she feared Count Ketsuki would kill her too. So Arceus taught her some of his holy magic, and gave her a magical ring that would glow when her life was in danger. He then flew on ahead to the battlefield, where he informed the two sides of Jala's decision."

"But what happened after all the wedding festivities died down?" Ash asks as he tosses the stick away.

"The wedding was a grand affair, and for a while, Count Ketsuki didn't feel like oppressing or killing anyone." Misty continues. "Princess Jala, meanwhile, would pray in the castle shrine every day, asking Arceus to watch over the four slain princesses and to protect her."

"This is getting good--and then?" Brock asks.

"One day, there was a great gathering of kings, queens, and other royalty at the Pokemon League at Aiiro City." Misty continues. "Count Ketsuki went as well, leaving Jala the keys to the castle and allowing her to do as she wished. When he got back home six months later, he learned that Princess Jala was expecting a little princess of her own."

"Was that a good thing or a bad thing?" Melody wonders.

"It was a very bad thing--Count Ketsuki flew into a rage, and Princess Jala saw her ring glowing a bright blue--a warning from Arceus that her life was in danger." Misty replies. "She hurried to the castle shrine, and took shelter there that night. Minutes felt like hours, and hours like years, but around midnight, Arceus appeared to Princess Jala, with the spirits of the other princesses with him."

"So Count Ketsuki killed the other princesses after all..." Brock muses, thankful that Count Ketsuki only exists in the story, and its other versions he knows.

"Princess Jala was scared at first, but when she saw it was Arceus, she felt at peace." Misty continued. "Arceus warned her that Count Ketsuki planned to kill her. but Jala asked why he wanted her dead. The first spirit replied that the girl she carried was said to overthrow him, and Jala needed to flee home as fast she could. Arceus instructed her to cast a sleeping spell on his guard Houndoom, the second spirit gave her the rope that hung it, the third spirit taught her the fire spell that killed it, and the fourth spirit gave her the sword that had killed it."

"I see!" Ash puts two and two together. "The spirits are giving Jala the items that killed them to help Jala survive her quest!"

Misty smiles--Ash has clearly been paying attention. "Jala took the items, put the Houndoom to sleep, and fled into the night. She would hide during the day, and travel at night so Count Ketsuki couldn't find her. On one of these nights, as she was by the coast, it came time for her child to be born. She named the healthy little girl Meriel, since she was born by the sea."

"Meriel eventually became one of the great queens of what is now Cerulean City." Brock adds. "But that's another story entirely."

"As she neared her homeland, she spotted her father's pet Pidgeot, and gave it her ring so her father would know she was in danger." Misty continued. "No sooner did she do this did Count Ketsuki appear--he had finally caught up to her!"

"Oh no!" Ash gasps in fear for Jala.

"Jala put up a good fight, but died protecting Meriel." Misty continues, making Melody tear up. "Her father was naturally devastated when he arrived with his retinue, but Arceus appeared before them, and revived Jala before her father."

"YES!!!" Melody smiles through her tears.

"Arceus turned in the direction of Count Ketsuki's castle, and blessed Meriel with the gifts of speech and magic." Misty goes on. "The first thing Meriel did was cast a spell..."

Jao wiisha nes chiel com yutuul... Melody fills in the spellsong.

"...and Count Ketsuki's castle crumbled to the ground like dust." Misty concludes. Princess Jala and Meriel were welcomed home with a heroine's welcome, and they lived happily ever after."

[Wow!] Mai gasps in awe as the others applaud....