Episode 1: The Minstrel's Wisdom

(Brock's tale)

A black haired boy watched as his companion, a blonde haired ranger, aimed her final shot of the morning at an unsuspecting Pidgey perched in a tree. While the residents of Vitiva would enjoy the small bird Pokemon's meat, the boy would use the feathers to decorate talismans and charms to sell to the town alchemist, who would in turn sell them to the public.

After a few tense seconds, the arrow went flying, and the Pidgey fell to the ground, scattering the other Pidgeys in the tree. "Nice shot, Serena." the mage smiled over the Pidgey's warning cries as he ran to retrieve their quarry.

The ranger was awed at the size of the Pidgey. "Never seen one with that much meat before...combined with the Bunearies and other Pidgeys we shot earlier today, we have enough meat for at least two weeks!"

A thought occurred to her. "Does the alchemist know how to make hunting charms, Ash?"

"It depends on what you mean by hunting charms...if you mean charms to assist a hunter's accuracy and speed, then yes, he knows how to make those." Ash replied as he deposited the lifeless Pidgey into a bag. "If we mean charms to attract game, then no."

He smiled. "But then again, you've trained to hunt and track quarry, so I don't see why you would need a hunting charm." Serena just giggled in agreement as she followed her friend back to town, where the residents of Vitiva were just beginning to wake up.

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After dropping off their haul of meat in the smokehouse to be prepared and preserved, Ash and Serena met back in the town square to share a quick breakfast of some pastries, Berries, and cheese. "Miss us, bud?" Ash grinned to the small electric mouse that clambered on his shoulder, eager to sample the Oran, Pecha, and Cheri Berries in its master's bundle of food.

"I'd say he did--Pikachu was still asleep when we left." Serena replied before biting into a cream-filled pastry.

The notes of a lute and an older male voice singing in an mystical language snapped Serena to attention. "Sir Brock's here!"

A grin formed on Ash's face as he noticed the brown haired young man in the magnificent purple, red, and gold costume of a high minstrel approaching the town square. "I was wondering if he'd ever come this week--people were saying something horrible had happened in Argenta..."

"If there were something like a flood or a rock slide in Argenta, Brock would use his magic to quickly let us know if he was all right." Serena assured Ash, her eyes sparkling with excitement over what sorts of songs and stories their minstrel friend had to tell this week.

"Thank Arceus you could make it to us this week...." Ash got up and hugged Brock as a crowd of children hurried to the square. "We were worried something had happened to you!"

"Peace, Sir Ash--I merely took a longer route to get here, since the alternative was getting lost in Glasa Forest." Brock replied.

"Some people think there's an evil wizard afoot that caused the Eight Color Blade's pedestal to appear, but who knows?" Serena reported as more and more people arrived to watch Brock's performance. "The uproar got so bad, Sage Oak decided to look into the matter to calm the townsfolk."

"If there is an evil wizard afoot, usually the fey and the elves are the first to know." Brock reminded Serena.

With that, he switched to his preferred instrument--a circle shaped silver harp with sapphire and emerald inlays--and began weaving an epic adventure for the crowd. "Those who seek the injury of another will often injure themselves; and one who spreads the traps of treachery and deception often fall into them themselves."

"A wise lesson." Ash grinned, anticipating what this story would be about.

"Hear now the tale of Jeran and Epona, and how they outwitted an old king, causing him to fall into his own trap." Brock began, quieting the excited chatter.

With that, he began "Across the wide ocean, on the further side of the mountains, beyond thick forests, in a village that faced the sky, there once lived an old peasant who had three sons. The eldest, whose name is not important to us, was the wisest young man in the village; the second, whose name is also unimportant, was of average wits; and the youngest, who was named Jeran, cared to do nothing more than lie in the corner by the stove and sleep. So the whole neighborhood called him stupid and a fool."

"Oh, but sometimes the stupid know more than we think!" Serena grinned as whispers of anger wafted through the crowd--"Jeran and Epona", and its many other versions, was one of hers' and Ash's favorites to hear.

The harp calmed the crowd's anger. "Now, one morning when the man went to his fields, he found that someone had stolen some of the hay during the night." Brock continued. "So that evening he sent his eldest son to capture the thief. The eldest son took his axe and pitchfork, and went to the field."

He played a few flowing chords to mimic a winter wind. "On this night, there was a bitter wind and heavy snow, and he said to himself, 'Why should I freeze myself stiff to save a little worthless fodder?' So, finding a warm corner, he lay down, wrapped himself in his thick fur coat and went to sleep. In the morning he saw that some of the hay had been stolen, and told his father he had chased the thief all over the field, but could not catch him, nearly freezing to death in the process. His father praised him for his efforts, and the next night sent his second son. So the middle son went to the field, but he fared no better than his big brother."

So what was taking the hay, milord?" the alchemist asked.

"The next evening the man told Jeran to try and capture the thief, although he had his doubts over how a fool could succeed where wise men had failed." Brock explained over a tense melody. "Jeran put a crust of bread under his coat and went off to the field. He did not lie down as his brothers had done, but scoured the entire field, and when Lugia took flight in his silver glory he sat down under a bush, counted the stars in the sky and ate his midnight snack...."

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"...But the beautiful Princess Marla turned away from him and said..." Brock then switched to a pitch perfect mimic of a young girl. "Your Majesty, you are wrinkled and gray, and have seen sixty summers before now, while I am only sixteen. Should I marry you, the kings and queens of all the kingdoms of the world would laugh, saying that a grandfather had taken his grandchild as his bride."

Ash and Serena laughed the loudest as the crowd pictured the ridiculous scene. "It is true that flowers do not bloom in winter and that I am no longer young." Brock explained in character as the king. "But I am nevertheless a great king."

"I will wed no one who has gray hairs and lacks teeth in his head." he replied as Princess Marla. "If you will somehow grow young again, then will I gladly wed you."

"How can a man grow young again?" he asked as the king.

"There is a way, milord." he smiled as Princess Marla. "Order three great cauldrons to be placed in thy courtyard. Fill the first with cold water, the second with boiling water, and the third with boiling milk. He who bathes one minute in the boiling milk, two in the boiling water, and three in the cold water, becomes young and so handsome that no minstrel can describe them. Do this and I will become your queen, but not before."

"No matter how many times Brock mimics a girl, it amazes me." Ash grinned.

"He's likely has had plenty of practice to mimic us both." Serena replied before turning her attention to the high minstrel.

"The king immediately had the three cauldrons prepared." Brock continued as himself. "The jealous nobles however, came to him and asked Jeran to take the trial before him, just to be sure the princess' claim was true. So the king summoned Jeran, and bade him prepare for the trial. When Jeran heard the king's command he said to himself, 'So I am to be killed like a sacrificial Mareep or Combusken...'" and trudged to the stables and told Epona..."

"You have found the Emboar with the Golden Bristles, the mare Starfire, and the beautiful Princess Marla; but now these are all as nothing and my life is as worthless as an old boot!" he sighed in frustration, using a mimic of Ash for Jeran.

"Cry not, young master." he assured an imagined person, using a mimic of Serena for Epona. "Listen closely. When you go to the courtyard, before you take off your clothes to bathe, ask he king to bring me to you, under the presumption you are bidding me farewell for the last time. He will agree and when I am brought there, lay your hands on me and sing the words 'Leishu shun ji, lei si'. Once the spell takes effect, immediately jump in the caldron of boiling milk, then into the boiling water, and finally into the cold water."

As himself, Brock went on "It was not long before the guards came to bring Jeran to the courtyard. All the advisors and ministers were there to watch, while the king looked on from a balcony. Two of the cauldrons were boiling hot, and servants fed the great fires beneath them with mountains of wood. Jeran bowed low before the king and prepared for the trial." He proceeded to do this before Sage Oak, making the sage stifle a chuckle that he had been tapped to play a role in the epic adventure.

"Your Majesty! I have but one favor to ask." he requested as Jeran. "I want Epona brought here, so that I may embrace her one last time!"

As himself, he continued "The king was in a good mood, believing he was about regain his youth, and he consented, and no sooner was Epona brought out, did Jeran lay his hands on her, singing the words Leishu shun ji, lei si...

Oohs and ahhs went up as a protective aura appeared around Brock for a moment, never mind the aura was only for show. "Without waiting a moment Jeran threw off his clothes, and jumped into the cauldrons, one after the other. While he had been good- ooking before, he emerged from the last cauldron so handsome that his beauty could neither be described with a pen nor told in a tale."

"WOW!!!" Serena gasped, starry eyed as she imagined what Jeran may have looked like.

When the king saw this, he could wait no longer." Brock continued. "He hurried down from the balcony and without waiting to undress, jumped into the boiling milk."

Laughter went up over the harp's glissando representing the king's jump. "But as he did not know the spell of protection, he was burned alive!" Brock smirked.

"Not to mention his heart was impure, as well." Sage Oak grinned.

"Princess Marla came to the balcony and spoke to the people, saying..." Brock then switched to his "Princess Marla" voice. "Your king chose me to be his queen. If you wish, I will rule this kingdom, but it will be only as the wife of him who brought me from my homeland!"

Over a festive melody, Brock went on as himself "The people, well pleased, shouted 'Long live King Jeran!'.

Cheers went up over the harp. "So Jeran led the lovely Princess Marla to the shrine, and there before Arceus they were married that very day." Brock smiled. "The bells rang, the trumpets sounded, and fireworks lit up the sky. People from far and near sat at ornate tables, drank from golden goblets, and celebrated for at least nine months. But Jeran, with his queen, ruled the kingdom wisely and well, and grew never too wise to take counsel from Epona."

The square applauded as Brock took a bow. "That story never gets old!" Serena raved as she flicked a gold coin in the harp case.

"What if we went on an adventure like that, and met Epona ourselves--if she even exists." Ash mused with a dreamy sigh.

"If what I have found in my research on Glasa Forest is any indication, you may be going on that adventure sooner than you think." Sage Oak cautioned, making both Ash and Serena freeze in terror--what had the sage discovered?