Tale 131: The Bridge that Gave Plenty (Brock)

(real tale: "Folktales from Japan" episode 45, story 1)


"In a certain village by Ilex Forest lived a charcoal maker." Brock begins.

Misty suddenly cuts him off. "Seems that a lot of tales from the Azalea Town area have to do with some charcoal maker or another that gets blessed with wealth for being kind..."

"To be fair, that family has been very prosperous for years making Charcoal, so of course a lot of stories sprung up about how they got their prosperity." Brock replies. "Anyway, one day, he spotted a hungry Zigzagoon, and gave it some food. His kindness wan't just for the Pokemon--if anyone in the village needed help or was sick, he would move heaven and earth to make things right again. But one person can only do so much, so every night he worried about what people and Pokemon he wasn't able to help."

"Pika?" Pikachu wonders.

"One night, Arceus appeared to the charcoal maker in a dream, and told him that as a reward for his kindness, he would give him anything he wanted. The charcoal maker replied that he only wanted enough food and water to feed everyone in the village and himself. Arceus then instructed him to travel to a certain bridge."

"So where was this bridge?" Misty is curious.

"The next day, the charcoal maker spent hours looking for the bridge while in town. Eventually, he found a bridge leading to an array of food stalls, earning it the nickname 'the bridge that gives plenty'." Brock explains. "He stood at one end, but everyone just stared at him."

"And then?" Ash is intrigued.

"A few days went by, and on the fifth day, one of the food merchants noticed him, and asked why he was on the end of the bridge." Brock replies. "When the charcoal maker explained his dream, the merchant replies that he had a dream where Arceus appeared to him and told him he'd left a treasure somewhere in the charcoal maker's fields."

Everyone gasps as Brock continues "Excited, the charcoal maker hurried home and dug up his field. Sure enough, he found a huge stash of gold and gems--more than most people like him ever earned in a lifetime."

He concludes "He used the money to buy food for the poor and help millions more people and Pokemon, but there was enough left to ensure that he and his descendants would never have to worry about food or money either."

Misty leads the applause as Brock takes a bow...