Tale 210: The Brave Little Tailor (Brock)

(real tale: The Valiant Little Tailor)


[I want to hear the story about the brave little tailor that killed seven in one blow.] Tarina requests.

"Oh, that Mickey Marill cartoon was one of my favorites!" Ash smiles, sighing nostalgically as he remembers the timeless cartoon.

"I practically wore out the poor cartoon DVD because Azurill likes it too." Misty agrees. "It's a cute cartoon, but it loses its charm when you watch it fifty times a day."

"Oh, but in my version of the tale, the titular character does more than kill a single giant." Brock smiles as Tarina clambors into his lap.

With that, he begins "On one warm summer's morning in a far away land, a little tailor--we'll call him Tomlin--was sitting by the window, happily sewing as he always did. Though the pay he earned wasn't much, it was enough to get by from day to day."

He adds as an aside "It helped that Tomlin enjoyed his work."

He continued "On this particular day, a Berry girl came to town, calling for anyone longing for fresh jam to come and buy. Her call got Tomlin excited, and he eagerly bought a jar of Grepa jam. Next, he got the bread out of the cupboard, cut himself a piece, and spread the jam over it."

Tarina and Pikachu lick their lips as Brock pantomimes spreading jam on a piece of pantomime bread. "But then he saw the half done jacket he'd been sewing, and decided that his snack could wait. So after setting the bread aside, he sewed on, quickly, yet carefully. The smell of the sweet jam started attracting Venonats...."

"Ew!" Misty winces as she pictures Venonats landing on a piece of bread.

"Hey! Who invited you?" Ash calls to some imagined Venonats as Tomlin.

"...Tomlin yelled as he shooed the Venonats away." Brock narrates, trying oh-so hard not to laugh at Ash shooing away pantomime Venonats. "The Venonats, meanwhile, did not understand a word of English, and kept coming back in ever-increasing swarms."

Tarina's laughter is the hardest as she pictures the comical scene. "Eventually, Tomlin lost his patience, got a bit of cloth from under his worktable, and clomped it down hard on the table. When he counted how many he had killed, he saw he had managed to kill seven with one blow." Brock continues. "Needless to say, he could not help admiring his own bravery."

"The whole town will know of this!" Ash grins as Tomlin.

"So Tomlin eagerly set to work making a suit of cloth armor, with a huge number 7 embroidered in red on the torso." Brock narrates, tracing out the 7 over his own shirt to show Tarina where the 7 was.

"Why stop at just the town?" Ash brags as Tomlin. "The whole world will hear of it!"

"So Tomlin put on his armor, and decided to go out into the world, because he thought his workshop was too small for his valor." Brock continues. "Before he left, he looked around the house to see if there was anything he could take with him; but he found nothing but some hard cheese, which went in his pocket. In front of the door he found a Fletchling which had gotten caught in the bush. It went in his pocket with the cheese."

"Mm-hm, no different than the cartoon so far...except the armor bit." Misty muses.

"The road led him up a mountain, and when Tomlin had reached the peak, there sat a powerful giant looking about him quite comfortably." Brock continues. "Tomlin strolled up to him and said..."

"Good day, comrade, sitting there overlooking the whole wide world!" Ash announces as Tomlin. "I am just on my way there, and want to try my luck. Want to come with me?"

"You ragamuffin! You miserable creature!" Brock roars as the giant, making the young Pokemon squeal in fear and delight.

"Oh, indeed?" Ash replies before proudly displaying his shirt to Brock, as if the red 7 is on it.

"The giant saw the big red 7 and thought that the number signified people Tomlin had killed, and began to feel a little respect for the little guy." Brock narrates as himself. " But as a test, the giant took a stone in his hand and squeezed it so that water ran out of it."

"If you can do that, I will trust you." he tells Ash as the giant.

"Is that all?" Ash retorts, "That's child's play!"

"Tomlin put his hand into his pocket, brought out the cheese, and pressed it until the liquid ran out of it." Brock continues as himself. "The giant did not know what to say, and could not believe his eyes, so he devised one more test. He picked up a stone and threw it so high up, no human eye could see it."

"Let's see you top that." he challenges as the giant.

"Well thrown," Ash grins as Tomlin, "but what goes up must eventually come down--I will throw you one that doesn't come back at all."

"Tomlin put his hand into his pocket, took out the Fletchling, and threw it into the air, where it flew away and did not come back." Brock continues as himself

"How does that please you, comrade?" Ash smirks as Tomlin.

"You can certainly throw," Brock confesses as the giant, "but now we will see if you are able to carry anything properly."

As himself, he goes on "He took the little tailor to a mighty oak tree which lay on the ground, and said..."

As the giant, he instructs "If you are strong enough, help me carry the tree out of the forest."

"Sure!" Ash grins as Tomlin. "Take the trunk on your shoulders, and I will carry the branches and twigs; they are the heaviest."

"The giant took the trunk on his shoulder, but Tomlin sat on a branch, and since the giant couldn't see him, he had to carry away the whole tree, and Tomlin too." Brock goes on. "Eventually the giant could go no further, and had to set the tree down. Tomlin climbed down, grabbed the tree with both arms as if he had been carrying it, and said to the giant..."

"You are such a great fellow, and yet you can't even carry the tree!" Ash taunts as Tomlin.

"They went on together, and as they passed a Cheri tree, the giant carefully gripped the top of the tree where the ripest Berries were hanging, bent it down, and gave some to Tomlin." Brock continues. "But Tomlin was much too weak to hold the tree, and when the giant let it go, it sprang back again, and Tomlin went flying into the air with it."

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" Ash screams for effect, making everyone laugh.

Even Brock is laughing before he composes himself. "What is this? Are you not strong enough to hold the weak twig?" he asks as the giant.

"There is no lack of strength," Ash explains as Tomlin. "Do you think that could be anything to a man who has killed seven in one blow? I jumped over the tree because the hunters are shooting down there in the thicket. Jump as I did, if you do it."

"Well, the giant made a valiant effort, but could not get over the tree, and got stuck in the branches." Brock narrates

As the giant, he offers "If you are such a valiant fellow, come with me into our cave and spend the night with us."

He continues as himself "Tomlin was willing, and followed him. When they went into the cave, other giants were sitting there by the fire, and each of them had a roasted Mareep in his hand. Tomlin looked round and thought, 'It is much more spacious here than in my workshop.' The giant showed him a bed, but it was much too big for a person like Tomlin. He did not lie in it, but crept into a corner. Around midnight, when the giant thought that Tomlin was fast asleep, he got up, took a great iron bar, and cut through the bed with one blow, thinking he had killed Tomlin once and for all."

"He obviously didn't..." Melody grins.

"Imagine the giants' surprise when Tomlin walked up to them unharmed." Brock affirms Melody's prediction. "They were terrified, and ran away in a great panic."

The tent explodes in laughter as the group imagines the giants fleeing. "Tomlin went on his way, following where the wind led him." Brock continues. "After he had walked for a long time, he came to the courtyard of a royal palace, and as he was very tired, he lay down on the grass and fell asleep. While he was lying there, the people came and saw the big red number 7 on his armor, and wondered what a great warrior was doing there in a time of peace. They concluded he was a great lord, so they went and told the king, and explained if war ever broke out, this would be a good person to have in their ranks. The advice pleased the king, and he sent one of his courtiers to Tomlin to offer him service in the royal court."

"That's why I came here," Ash smiles as Tomlin, "I would be more than honored to enter His Majesty's service."

"He was honorably received, and he got his own house all to himself." Brock continues. "The other soldiers, however, were very jealous of Tomlin. They knew well if they argued with him, and it came to blows, seven of them would fall at every blow. So they came to the king and said they were not prepared to stay with a man who kills seven in one blow. The king was sorry that for the sake of one he had to lose all his faithful servants, and thought seriously about running Tomlin out of town. But he decided against it, he feared Tomlin would strike him and all his people dead, and place himself on the royal throne."

[So what did he do?] Korra wonders.

"He summoned Tomlin, and told him that in a certain forest lived two giants, who caused great terror with their robbing, murdering, plundering, and burning, and no one could approach them without putting himself in danger." Brock explains. "If Tomlin killed these two giants, he would give him his only daughter, Princess Natalie, as his bride and half the kingdom as a wedding gift. On top of that, a hundred cavalry would go with him to assist him. "

"That would be a wonderful thing for someone like me!" Ash muses as Tomlin. "It's not every day one is offered a beautiful princess and half a kingdom!"

He then addresses Brock "I will soon subdue the giants, and do not require any help to do it; he who can hit seven in one blow, has no need to be afraid of two."

"And so, Tomlin went forth, and the hundred cavalry followed him. When he came to the outskirts of the forest, he said to his party..." Brock narrates.

"Wait here, I will soon finish off the giants." Ash instructs an imagined crowd.

"Then he bounded into the forest and looked around." Brock narrates as Ash does this. "After a while he spotted both giants. They were sleeping under a tree, and snored so much that the ground shook. Tomlin, meanwhile, gathered two pockets full of stones, and climbed up the tree. When he was halfway up, he slipped down by a branch, until he sat just above the sleeping giants, and then let one stone after another fall on one of the giants. For a long time the giant felt nothing, but eventually he woke up, pushed the other, and accused him of shoving him. They argued about it for a while, but as they were both tired, they let the matter go, and their eyes closed once again. Tomlin began his game again, picked out the biggest stone, and threw it with all his might onto the first giant."

[Uh oh...] Tarina giggles.

"He was understandably angry, and pushed his companion against the tree until it shook." Brock continues. "The other pushed him likewise, and they got into such a fight that they tore up trees and struck each other for so long, that at last they both fell down dead on the ground at the same time."

"It is a lucky thing," Ash adds in an aside as Tomlin, "that they did not tear up the tree I was sitting in, or I should have had to jump onto another like a Parchirisu; but we tailors are nimble."

"He drew his sword and gave each of them a couple of wounds in the torso..." Ash pantomimes a few sword moves with a stick, to Misty's bemusement. "and then went out to the cavalry and said..." Brock narrates.

"The battle is over; I have given both of them their final blow, but it was hard work! They tore up trees to use as weapons, but all that is to no avail when someone like myself comes, who can kill seven in one blow." Ash brags as he sheathes his pantomime sword.

"But are you not wounded?" Melody asks as one of the cavalry.

"You need not worry about that," Ash assures Melody as Tomlin, "They have not harmed one hair of mine."

"The cavalry understandably did not believe him, and rode into the forest." Brock continues "But sure enough, they found the giants swimming in their own blood, with the torn-up trees nearby, just as Tomlin had said."

Misty starts to applaud, but the grin on Brock's face signals the story is not quite over. "Tomlin demanded has promised reward; but the king reneged on his promise."

"Before you receive my daughter, and half my kingdom," he instructs Ash as the king. "you must perform one more heroic deed. In the forest roams a wild Beast which does great harm, and you must catch him first."

"I fear one Beast still less than two giants. Seven in one blow, is my kind of affair." Ash smiles as Tomlin.

"He took a rope and a bow with him, went into the forest, and bade those who were sent with him to wait outside." Brock continues. "He didn't have to look for too long--a wild Raikou soon approached, and rushed directly on Tomlin, as if it would eat him right there. Tomlin stood still and waited until the majestic Pokemon was quite close, shot an arrow with a rope around it into the tree..." Ash pauses to pantomime firing a bow. "then leaped like a Sawbuck behind the tree. The Raikou was easily tangled in the rope, and struggled mightily to get out, to no avail. He led the Beast away and took it to the king."

"Pika?" Pikachu asks, sparking happily.

"The king still would not give him the promised reward, and made a third demand--before the wedding Tomlin was to catch a certain wild Emboar that wreaked great havoc in the forest, and the huntsmen would give him their help." Brock narrates.

"Willingly," Ash grins as Tomlin, "that is child's play!"

"He did not take the huntsmen with him into the forest, and they were well pleased that he did not, for the wild Emboar had often ambushed them." Brock explains. "When the Emboar spotted Tomlin, it charged at him, and was about to throw him to the ground, but Tomlin hurried into an abandoned shrine which was close by, and went in and out the window. The Emboar ran in after him, but Tomlin ran around outside and shut the door behind it, and then the raging Pokemon, which was much too heavy to fit through the window, was caught."

"Wow!" Misty is impressed at Tomlin's cleverness.

"Tomlin called the huntsmen over, so they could see the Emboar with their own eyes." Brock narrates. "He returned to the king, who was now, whether he liked it or not, obliged to keep his promise, and gave him Princess Natalie and half of his kingdom."

He concludes "The wedding was held with great magnificence and equally great joy, and out of a tailor a king was made."

"Bravo!" Misty leads the applause. "I'd take your version over Mickey Marill any day!"