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domesticshorthair and I are back with another fic! This time, we decided to take an adventurous turn, so enjoy the show!
Pokemon: The Rainbow Prophecy
Episode 1: Legend of the Rainbow
The morning sun shines down on a grassy plain not far from a lake. A black haired boy with a cap on his head tosses a blue Frisbee to a yellow mouse creature, who runs to catch it. "Great catch, Pikachu!" the boy smiles to the creature, who brings back the Frisbee to the boy in hopes he will throw it again. The boy throws the Frisbee again as a black haired girl watches a blue penguin creature look for any gems that wash up on the lake shore.
A pink humanoid creature picks a few reeds growing on the shore and brings them back to its master, an older brown haired boy with tan skin that is tending to a grill "Pini?" it asks.
The boy smiles as he takes the reeds. "Say, did you know you can make a flute from reeds, Happini?" he asks.
"Pini pi?" the humanoid creature is interested.
"Yeah..." The boy unzips his bag and takes out scissors, tape and some modeling dough balls. "What you do is cut the reeds into smaller lengths..." he explains as he cuts some of the reeds. "stop them at one end..." He then plugs each cut reed with a dough ball. "bundle them up so they look like a raft..." He carefully arranges the reeds in order from longest to shortest, before fitting another layer of reeds between them. "and tape them together." With that, he tapes both bundles together. "To play it, all you have to do is blow gently across the tops of the reeds, like this... He demonstrates by playing a few notes of "Ode to Joy".
"Oh, panpipes, Brock!" the girl smiles. "Play something!" the older boy smiles and proceeds to play a few bars of the Zelda theme before segueing into a calmer melody that puts the humanoid creature to sleep.
The black haired boy hears the song and interjects "Isn't there a story where one of the heroes plays panpipes?"
Brock finishes his song, then begins "In fact, there is...the story goes that in a world far away from here, there was a land named Ethea, which was protected by seven gemstones, one for each color of the rainbow. The evil demon lord Favak saw these gems, and wished to claim them for his own, as he was jealous of their beauty. So he stole the gems and hid them away in seven temples filled with many monsters and traps. The people cried to the goddess of light for help, and she responded through the oracle Mikara, who prophesied 'Three friends unite, with bow, sword and pipes of power; and seven gems will bring light, giving hope in our darkest hour.'
Not long after the prophecy was foretold, two mages and a summoner appeared, bearing the items in the prophecy..."
Some hours later...
...and ever since then, the people of Ethea remember the same prophecy--that whenever a servant of Favak attacks again, three beings bearing bow, sword, and pipes will rescue them." Brock concludes
"Wouldn't it be cool if we found a way to Ethea, Ash?" Dawn smiles, her head spinning with ideas. "It would be so cool to go on an adventure like that!"
"Oh please, it's just a story!" Ash scoffs, picturing him, Dawn, and Brock as characters in a video game based on the tale. The Ash in the dream casts a fire spell doing 100 damage to a dragon. The Brock in the dream says some gibberish and tosses a light blue ball in the air, summoning Articuno, which does 500 damage to the dragon.
"But really, what if Ethea really exists?" Dawn asks, snapping Ash from his RPG daydream. Ash groans--if Ethea exists at all, it is in a video game, or Brock's imagination, he figures. Nah--most of Brock's imagination probably has to do with girls.
"Okay, so let's suppose Ethea really exists." Ash sighs, playing along with Dawn. "Where would we find the portal, or teleport, or whatever--to get there?"
"Let's think back to Brock's story..." Dawn begins. "The portal would be in an area surrounded by rocks..."
Just then, Happini dashes back to the hill, excited, "Pini pini!" she calls, motioning for the three humans to follow her.
"What is it, sweetie?" Brock gets up, grabs the panpipes he made, and follows Happini down the hill.
"Wait for us!" Ash and Dawn are not far behind.
The group runs down the hill, through a small forest, and out to a small plain, where Happini points out a neatly made ring of rocks. "Pini!"
Brock is confused. "What's so great about a ring of rocks?"
"For one thing, who could have arranged them this neatly?" Ash agrees.
"And in the story..." Dawn continues, oblivious to the fact that Ash has tripped on something and has fallen in the grass. "There were gems nearby the rocks..."
As Ash eases himself to his feet, he sees what he tripped on--a ruby! Problem was, there were no means of mining gems on a plain--you would need to go back to the lake to do that. "Hey guys..."
"Hm?" Brock looks back and breathes a sigh of relief that Ash is okay. Dawn feels around him for any broken bones, but the only evidence the fall has left is a bruise and a few scratches.
"Why don't we go back to the lake and look for gems there?" Ash suggests.
"Before we do anything, let me be SURE you're okay..." Brock starts as he examines Ash for any injuries, but only confirms that the only injuries Ash has are a bruise and some scratches on his arm that do not appear to be serious.
Ash laughs. "I'm fine, nothing's broken! But I do appriciate the concern, though."
"Better safe than sorry." Brock cautions.
"Pika chu." Pikachu agrees as he examines Ash's legs to see if there's injuries there. Once sure his master's lower body is fine, he asks "Pika pika chu?"
"No, my shoulder's not hurt, so come on!" Ash smiles as he invites Pikachu to his usual perch. He then walks over and picks up the ruby he tripped on. "How'd this get here?" Just then, it begins to glow bright red, prompting Ash and Pikachu both to shield their eyes.
"Oh my..." Dawn gasps.
"Could it be..." Brock agrees.
Just as quickly as the light appears, it dies down. "What was that?" Dawn asks.
"I was halfway expecting... and Brock imitates a big booming voice. "A BIG BOOMING ENTITY TELLING US WE HAVE TO SAVE THE WORLD!"
"With echo..." Ash adds.
"WITH ECHO!" Brock repeats, still in character as his huge entity.
"What if that was a being from Ethea?" Dawn stammers, still shocked from the shining gem.
"Oh, come on..." Ash laughs. "If Ethea really existed, the ruby would shine again and we would get magic rings or something..." Just then, the ruby glows again, and all three gain rings on their left hands. Ash's is a ruby ring, Dawn's a sapphire, and Brock's an emerald.
"You were saying?" Dawn asks, showing Ash her ring.
Ash sweatdrops. "Maybe it is real, after all..."
"Told'ja!"
Happini, meanwhile, is admiring the emerald in Brock's ring. "Pini..." she smiles.
"Yeah...the sparkly is pretty...." Brock coos back.
"Pika..." Pikachu is impressed by Ash's ring--a teardrop shaped ruby set in white gold with some diamonds at the edges.
"Hm.." Dawn watches the circle of diamonds surrounding the sapphire in her ring sparkle. Happini, meanwhile, is admiring her reflection in the large square emerald in her "daddy"'s ring.
"You look nice in green..." Brock smiles.
Ash then gets an idea. "If these are magic, I bet the magic words are..." He holds his left hand in the air and calls "Moltres Pokemon Power, make up!" Nothing happens. Dawn and Brock stare at him, prompting him to giggle in embarrassment. "I guess those aren't the magic words, then...:"
"Pokemon! Metamorphose!" Dawn tries the transformation call from "Yes! Pokemon 5", but nothing happens. "Those aren't it either..."
"Let's try...Magic Jinx!" Brock calls, halfway expecting the music from "The Fairies Jinx" to cut on, but nothing happens. "Sorry, Happini--guess I can't become a fairy." Ash and Dawn picture Brock in a fairy costume and giggle.
"Pini pi..." Happini is disappointed. She then spots Brock's panpipes in one pocket of his bag and attempts to play "Ode to Joy", but her shaky attempt creates a swirling blue void in the ring of rocks.
Ash is shocked. "No way!" He rubs his eyes just to be sure he's not dreaming. "Someone pinch me...."
Pikachu is glad to comply with the request, making Dawn laugh as Ash yelps "OW!!!"
"You're not dreaming, Ash..." Brock gasps. "So lets go see what's on the other end of that portal!" Ash sighs and follows his friends into the void, seeing as he doesn't have much of a choice.
When the trio comes to a few minutes later, Ash gawks at the scenery--no more are they on a plain, but now they're on a cobblestone street overlooking a large temple made of white marble. "I don't think we're in the park any more..."
"I don't think we're even in Shinou any more..." Brock agrees.
Dawn examines the temple-- it has gems inlaid in the designs carved in the marble, columns in the entryway, and statues of what she figures are angels lining the stairs--just like in Brock's story! "This is Mikara's temple! Come on!" With that, she races the boys up the stairs and into the temple.
A young woman with navy blue hair and piercing yet gentle gray eyes clad in an ornate white robe with light blue, purple, and gold trim awaits the trio. "Welcome travelers...I see you are not from this world." she begins.
"We got here by accident!" Ash explains, but Dawn motions for him to quiet down.
Mikara notices Ash's ring and gasps! "Oh my! The three chosen ones have come from another world!"
"Chosen ones?" Brock is confused.
"Just smile and nod..." Ash assures his friend, as he has been through the "chosen one" routine before. Little does he know that this quest would be very different than his adventure with Lugia.
"You have not heard the prophecy?" Mikara replies. "Three friends unite, with bow, sword and pipes of power; and seven gems will bring light, giving hope in our darkest hour. The pipes are already present, but the bow and sword need to appear." Brock looks down by his side and recognizes his panpipes, which are now conveinently clipped to a small bag. "Furthermore, you would not survive very long in those clothes if you were to face a monster..."
"So what shoud I do?" Brock asks.
Mikara studies Brock's ring and starts saying something in an unknown language, none of which Brock recognizes until Mikara says "Song of Power, awaken in this gem!" The emerald glows a soft green for a moment.
"Wow!" Dawn is amazed at the glowing emerald.
"I've been pulled into a TV show..." Ash groans--he knows what is coming next.
"Now that the Song of Power has awakened within you, command it to sing within your own heart." Mikara instructs. "That will awaken your true powers"
Brock swallows hard, lifts his left hand high, and calls "Song of Power!" No sooner does he say this does he begin to glow green. "Sing within my heart!" With that, he performs a few karate moves before making a running jump into a wave of green light.
"Pini?" Happini shudders, amazed that her "daddy" is turning into a superhero just like on TV. She gets starry eyed when she imagines all the cool outfits he could possibly be wearing when he emerges. Ash and Dawn are just as awestruck.
Inside the light, what Brock is turning into is completely different than what his friends think. A beige robe appears first, which then gains a geometric pattern inset in dark brown. Some simple brown shoes appear on his feet, and a matching skullcap crowns his head. As a finishing touch, various solid colored Poke Balls appear in the small bag. Finally, the green light lands, revealing Brock in his new outfit.
"Brock's become a priest or oracle himself?" Dawn is confused.
"No--he is a summoner--one who has trained to bond with Legendary Pokemon." Mikara explains. The lightbulb goes off in Brock's head when he realizes that this is the same outfit he wore on his adventure with Lucario, but even then, his powers were temporary.
Ash facefaults--how come HE wasn't the summoner?
Inspired, Brock takes a light blue ball from the bag. "Scatter frozen blades of air!" he incants before heaving the ball skyward. "Articuno!" At this, the ball opens in a rush of chilly air and snow, which forms into an Articuno. Ash eagerly fumbles for a Poke Ball, but it is frozen by an Ice Beam. "This is mine, okay?" Brock reminds him as he calls back the Articuno. He then fishes out a white summon ball. "Shiny crystal light, energize! Jirachi!" As the ball flies skyward, it opens in a flash of light, which forms into Jirachi.
Happini jumps at the opportunity for a wish. "Happini pini pi!" she asks. Jirachi nods and conjures a stack of various candies high enough to touch the ceiling.
Ash sweatdrops. "Figured she'd wish for candy..."
"There's enough in here to start a candy factory..." Dawn gasps, marveling over the mountain's size.
Happini, meanwhile, darts towards her candy mountain and is about to snatch a bag of Gummi Teddiursas when Brock pulls her away. "Not right now--if I can find a place to store all this, we'll have some later."
"Pini?" Happini protests.
"If we were to eat all that now, you'd get sick." Brock replies as he calls Jirachi back, unaware that Ash is pilfering boxes of Minty Balls from the mountain.
Happini tears up and starts to cry. At first, Brock stands firm on his 'no candy right now' rule, but as her wails intensify, he caves in. "Okay, okay, you can have some--but only one kind for now." Happini cheers and digs into the bag of Gummis from before while the rest of the candy flies into Brock's bag, as well as conjuring a bundle for her.
"What powers do I get?" Dawn asks as Brock carefully slips Happini into the bundle. It wasn't fair for only Brock to get powers.
Mikara examines Dawn's ring and begins chanting in the odd language again, Dawn only recognizing "Light of Wisdom, awaken in this gem!" before the sapphire in her ring glows a soft blue.
"Wha..." Dawn is shocked.
"The Light of Wisdom has chosen the girl--and now she must tell it to light her way to awaken her power." Mikara explains.
Dawn musters what courage she can, lifts her left hand high, and calls "Light of Wisdom!" She begins to glow blue. "Show me the way to true power!" All Ash can see is blue light, but he knows that inside, Dawn is changing.
Inside the wave of blue, Dawn first gets small white gloves with a sapphire on the hand., Next, a white robe similar to Mikara's appears, only hers has green, blue, and silver trim. Some small boots appear on her feet, and a white ribbon with a sapphire inside appears in her hair to finish the look.
When Dawn emerges, a beautiful sword's sheath with swirls of green and blue is before her. "What is it?" she asks as it sets itself by her right side.
"That is the Rapier of Holy Auras, a special blade only a white mage like youself can wield." Mikara explains.
Dawn sees the bruise and scratches on Ash's arm from earlier, and forms a small blue light in her hands. "Life's refreshing breeze, blow in energy! Cure!" Ash watches in shock as his injuries from before are engulfed in the blue light, making them disappear.
Ash swallows hard as he approaches Mikara and offers his ring. Mikara examines it and begins the incantation a third time. All Ash can understand is "Fire of Courage, awaken in this gem!", which makes the ruby inside glow a soft red.
"Pika?" Pikachu is mystified that the gem can glow.
"The courage within you burns brightly--call upon it to awaken your power." Mikara coaxes Ash.
Ash takes a deep breath, lifts his left hand high, and calls "Fire of Courage!", making him glow red, much to Pikachu's shock. "Burn within me!" At this, Pikachu shields his eyes in fear as his master is engulfed in red light and thunderbolts. He weaves among the rings of red thunder, making a tunic appear on his body. Red gauntlets with sapphires inside appear on his hands, and leggings and boots appear on his legs and feet. A familiar wide brimmed mage's hat appears on his head, and a navy blue cape billows from his back, completing the look.
"Pika!" Pikachu recognizes this outfit--the same way Ash gained powers in his adventure with Lucario! He gasps as a miniature version of the hat and the cape appear on him with a flash of red.
"Now you're a black mage too!" Ash smiles as he invites Pikachu aboard his shoulder.
"Pika pika pikapi! Pikachu!" Pikachu calls, but nothing happens.
Just then, a beautiful spruce bow inlaid with ivory and gold appears before Ash, and a quiver filled with wing decorated arrows appears on his back. "This is the Celestial Bow of Colors, an enchanted bow black mages use to shoot enchanted arrows if they so desire." Mikara explains. "Why don't you try to hit this target?" At this, a target appears on a wall by the altar.
Ash fishes out an arrow and aims as best as he can, but his sheer nervousness causes his shot to veer off to the left, smashing a vase in the process.
"Robin Hood, Ash is not..." Dawn notes as Mikara picks up the pieces.
"I'm so sorry!" Ash begs. "I didn't mean to break it, honest!"
Mikara says a few words in the odd language, and the broken vase is magically repaired. "If you would like to train with these weapons before you leave on your quest, come downstairs."
"Quest?" Dawn gasps.
"We didn't turn into these outfits because we were on vacation, now were we?" Brock chides as the threesome follow Mikara downstairs into a small room filled with targets and practice dummies.
Some minutes later, Ash calls "Pull!" prompting Pikachu to toss a small target into the air for him to shoot. Dawn spars with a practice dummy, and Brock is studying songs to summon everything from whirlwinds to secret doors, as well as how to bond with other Legendaries. Before long, all three have some degree of proficiency with their powers, but Dawn is secretly doubting herself as the three friends depart the temple to explore the town later that afternoon: Are we really going on a quest? Will we live long enough to go home? is anyone back home worried about us?
Ash, meanwhile, is marveling over the various stone and brick houses that line the cobblestone streets, while Pikachu snaps to attention over the calls of the merchants in the marketplace.
Dawn notices Pikachu's enamored look. "You're wanting to get a souvenir, aren't you, Pikachu?" Pikachu nods as Dawn counts what little gold Mikara gave them, at the same time studying the rainbow of tunics and dresses of the people around them.
But before our heroes can continue farther down the street into the marketplace, Brock feels something clinging to him. He looks down to see a auburn haired girl looking back at him. "Lord Summoner, have you come to speak of legend?" she asks, her dark brown eyes shining hopefully.
Brock is unsure what to say at first, but then spots a boy running to him. "Show us what legends you have bonded with!" He glances back to Ash and Dawn as more children arrive, desperate for ideas on how to politely turn them away or entertain them.
"Just humor them for a while, they'd love a story." Dawn whispers.
Brock sighs and addreses the children. "Come, and I will tell you of many wondrous things."
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!" the children cheer as they follow our heroes to a fountain in the town square that overlooks the marketplace to the west.
"Even in another world, Brock has a thing for kids." Dawn smiles as the children gather around Brock.
"He does have a large family at home, after all." Ash reminds her. "And coupled with Happini, he's had lots of practice."
Once sure the children are comfortable, Brock begins his tale: "Once a landowner hired a boy skilled in woodworking--we will call him Sorin. Because of Sorin's high quality work, he was loved and respected among his people. But the other thing about Sorin the people loved was his ability to play panpipes, like summoners. So whenever they had a little time to spare, the people would stop and listen to Sorin play melodies like this..." He retrieves his own pipes and blows a few bars of Zelda's Lullaby, conjuring a few Pidgeys in the sky, much to his audience's amazement. He acknowledges his applause and goes on. "Of course, the landowner got quite sick of the pipes after some time, so he began scolding Sorin for the tiniest mistakes, saying..." He switches to an older version of his "somebody's in trouble" voice. "You lazy boy! Do I pay you just so you can play those pipes all day?" He returns to himself. "In fact, Sorin's love of the pipes did not hinder his work at all. Finally, the landowner just snapped from his rage, and beat Sorin for no reason. Even though Sorin's tears and cries for mercy were many, the landowner was not content until even the pipes were broken." He delibrately blows a squeaky note to simulate pipes being broke.
"That's not very nice!" a boy comments.
"How awful!" a girl agrees.
"Did Sorin run away?" another girl asks.
"Yes, Sorin ran away--he ran out of the house, out of town, and all the way to the small village nearby, where his grandfather lived." Brock replies. "When Sorin's grandfather saw his grandson approaching, he ran to meet him and held him close. 'My son, what brings you to me in tears?' he asked. 'Oh Grandpa, the landowner I have served for a year has beaten me, driven me away, and broke the pipes the old summoner made for me years ago.' Sorin sobbed."
"Don't cry, Sorin--you may stay with me for a while." his grandfather replied. "I will show you how to avenge yourself against the one that wronged you so."
"But did Sorin get new pipes?" a boy asks.
"Yes--his grandfather sent for the village summoner and asked him to make a set of pipes." Brock replied. "When they arrived the next day, Sorin played them for hours." He plays a few bars of Saria's Song to illustrate, making some Dratinis surface from the fountain and dance for a few seconds. "Not only did the villagers come to love his music, even the Pokemon came to listen--and Sorin befriended many of the Pokemon."
"And then?" the children beg.
"Meanwhile, back in town, the landowner called his sons together and said to them 'Last night, I dreamt of a Parchirisu that had silver fur, and shimmered like mist. I was enamored by its beauty, and wish for you to find and capture it.'" Brock continues. "The three boys balked at their father's request..." He switches to an imitation of Ash. "Father, we have never heard of such a Pokemon!" He returns to himself. "they said."
"Pika pi!" Pikachu is impressed by Brock's scarily accurate imitation of his master.
Ash just blushes in embarrassment. "I'm not that high pitched, am I?"
Dawn just bites her tongue as Brock continues. "'It doesn't matter! Go and find it for me--whoever finds it will inherit my land when I pass on.' the landowner said. "The eldest son eagerly volunteered to find the Parchirisu, and left early the next morning."
"And then?" a girl asks.
"He arrived in the village several hours later, just as Sorin's grandfather was returning with water from the well. When the eldest son explained why he had come, Sorin's grandfather replied 'My grandson should be able to help--he is in the woods hunting for our afternoon meal.' The eldest son found Sorin and asked him to find the odd Parchirisu. Sorin smiled and said. 'I will be glad to help you find it--we will hunt this evening, provided you bring a thousand pieces of gold for it.'" The children are awed by that much money. "That night, the eldest son returned with the promised gold, and found Sorin there, playing for the Pokemon. The mist Parchirisu was present in the crowd, enjoying the magical melodies as much as its fellow Pokemon. Sorin set down his pipes, carefully picked up the Parchirisu, and offered it to the eldest son. 'Be very careful with it,' he warned. 'If it gets away, I will not be responsible.' The eldest son paid his gold and started for home, but as soon as Sorin started playing again, the Parchirisu dashed from his hands and into the brush." The children giggle at this. "The eldest son had no choice but to go home empty handed. The middle son tried the next day, and the youngest son the day after, but they too suffered the same fate as their brother, and two thousand more gold pieces were wasted."
"I bet the landowner got really mad for losing that much gold." a boy comments.
"Oh, he did..." Brock continues. "So much so that he vowed to catch the mist Parchirisu himself the next day."
"He bound it in rope?" A girl guesses what will happen next.
"Set a trap?" A boy also takes a guess.
"Hired a mage to fight it?" another boy guesses.
"No, he did none of those things." Brock assures the children. "When Sorin saw the landowner returning, his eyes filled with rage, and he played a frantic melody." He plays the whistle song from Zelda to illustrate this, making an image of Suicune appear in the sky. "At the sound of the pipes, all kinds of Pokemon--Bunearies, Ursarings, Ninetales, Arcanines, Arboks, Swellows, Pidgeots, and Staraptors, to name some--they all came and surrounded the landowner. The landowner fell on his knees and pleaded for mercy, but Sorin replied 'Do you not remember how you once beat me and drove me away? At one note from these pipes, I could summon an even larger Pokemon to eat you alive.'" He switches to a scared version of his older self voice. "Oh no, please, have mercy!" He returns to himself. "the landowner begged. Sorin then said 'If you are truly sorry for what you did to me, the sell half your goods and give the gold to the poor.' The landowner agreed, went home, and did what Sorin had asked--which made him even more well loved among the people--and all because of a set of summoner's pipe's...the end." The children, Ash, and Dawn applaud.
Just then, a high pitched scream pierces the air, and a real mist Parchirisu dashes into the marketplace, enraged by someone or someTHING. "What do we do now?" Ash gasps as the children flee to their parents.
"Normally mist Parchirisus are friendly, but they can get very fierce when angered or theatened, Master Black Mage." a man explains.
Dawn draws her blade, eager to fight, but Ash is shaking as he readies an arrow--he has not counted on being attacked by something this small!
To Be Continued...
Pokemon: The Rainbow Prophecy
Episode 1: Legend of the Rainbow
The morning sun shines down on a grassy plain not far from a lake. A black haired boy with a cap on his head tosses a blue Frisbee to a yellow mouse creature, who runs to catch it. "Great catch, Pikachu!" the boy smiles to the creature, who brings back the Frisbee to the boy in hopes he will throw it again. The boy throws the Frisbee again as a black haired girl watches a blue penguin creature look for any gems that wash up on the lake shore.
A pink humanoid creature picks a few reeds growing on the shore and brings them back to its master, an older brown haired boy with tan skin that is tending to a grill "Pini?" it asks.
The boy smiles as he takes the reeds. "Say, did you know you can make a flute from reeds, Happini?" he asks.
"Pini pi?" the humanoid creature is interested.
"Yeah..." The boy unzips his bag and takes out scissors, tape and some modeling dough balls. "What you do is cut the reeds into smaller lengths..." he explains as he cuts some of the reeds. "stop them at one end..." He then plugs each cut reed with a dough ball. "bundle them up so they look like a raft..." He carefully arranges the reeds in order from longest to shortest, before fitting another layer of reeds between them. "and tape them together." With that, he tapes both bundles together. "To play it, all you have to do is blow gently across the tops of the reeds, like this... He demonstrates by playing a few notes of "Ode to Joy".
"Oh, panpipes, Brock!" the girl smiles. "Play something!" the older boy smiles and proceeds to play a few bars of the Zelda theme before segueing into a calmer melody that puts the humanoid creature to sleep.
The black haired boy hears the song and interjects "Isn't there a story where one of the heroes plays panpipes?"
Brock finishes his song, then begins "In fact, there is...the story goes that in a world far away from here, there was a land named Ethea, which was protected by seven gemstones, one for each color of the rainbow. The evil demon lord Favak saw these gems, and wished to claim them for his own, as he was jealous of their beauty. So he stole the gems and hid them away in seven temples filled with many monsters and traps. The people cried to the goddess of light for help, and she responded through the oracle Mikara, who prophesied 'Three friends unite, with bow, sword and pipes of power; and seven gems will bring light, giving hope in our darkest hour.'
Not long after the prophecy was foretold, two mages and a summoner appeared, bearing the items in the prophecy..."
Some hours later...
...and ever since then, the people of Ethea remember the same prophecy--that whenever a servant of Favak attacks again, three beings bearing bow, sword, and pipes will rescue them." Brock concludes
"Wouldn't it be cool if we found a way to Ethea, Ash?" Dawn smiles, her head spinning with ideas. "It would be so cool to go on an adventure like that!"
"Oh please, it's just a story!" Ash scoffs, picturing him, Dawn, and Brock as characters in a video game based on the tale. The Ash in the dream casts a fire spell doing 100 damage to a dragon. The Brock in the dream says some gibberish and tosses a light blue ball in the air, summoning Articuno, which does 500 damage to the dragon.
"But really, what if Ethea really exists?" Dawn asks, snapping Ash from his RPG daydream. Ash groans--if Ethea exists at all, it is in a video game, or Brock's imagination, he figures. Nah--most of Brock's imagination probably has to do with girls.
"Okay, so let's suppose Ethea really exists." Ash sighs, playing along with Dawn. "Where would we find the portal, or teleport, or whatever--to get there?"
"Let's think back to Brock's story..." Dawn begins. "The portal would be in an area surrounded by rocks..."
Just then, Happini dashes back to the hill, excited, "Pini pini!" she calls, motioning for the three humans to follow her.
"What is it, sweetie?" Brock gets up, grabs the panpipes he made, and follows Happini down the hill.
"Wait for us!" Ash and Dawn are not far behind.
The group runs down the hill, through a small forest, and out to a small plain, where Happini points out a neatly made ring of rocks. "Pini!"
Brock is confused. "What's so great about a ring of rocks?"
"For one thing, who could have arranged them this neatly?" Ash agrees.
"And in the story..." Dawn continues, oblivious to the fact that Ash has tripped on something and has fallen in the grass. "There were gems nearby the rocks..."
As Ash eases himself to his feet, he sees what he tripped on--a ruby! Problem was, there were no means of mining gems on a plain--you would need to go back to the lake to do that. "Hey guys..."
"Hm?" Brock looks back and breathes a sigh of relief that Ash is okay. Dawn feels around him for any broken bones, but the only evidence the fall has left is a bruise and a few scratches.
"Why don't we go back to the lake and look for gems there?" Ash suggests.
"Before we do anything, let me be SURE you're okay..." Brock starts as he examines Ash for any injuries, but only confirms that the only injuries Ash has are a bruise and some scratches on his arm that do not appear to be serious.
Ash laughs. "I'm fine, nothing's broken! But I do appriciate the concern, though."
"Better safe than sorry." Brock cautions.
"Pika chu." Pikachu agrees as he examines Ash's legs to see if there's injuries there. Once sure his master's lower body is fine, he asks "Pika pika chu?"
"No, my shoulder's not hurt, so come on!" Ash smiles as he invites Pikachu to his usual perch. He then walks over and picks up the ruby he tripped on. "How'd this get here?" Just then, it begins to glow bright red, prompting Ash and Pikachu both to shield their eyes.
"Oh my..." Dawn gasps.
"Could it be..." Brock agrees.
Just as quickly as the light appears, it dies down. "What was that?" Dawn asks.
"I was halfway expecting... and Brock imitates a big booming voice. "A BIG BOOMING ENTITY TELLING US WE HAVE TO SAVE THE WORLD!"
"With echo..." Ash adds.
"WITH ECHO!" Brock repeats, still in character as his huge entity.
"What if that was a being from Ethea?" Dawn stammers, still shocked from the shining gem.
"Oh, come on..." Ash laughs. "If Ethea really existed, the ruby would shine again and we would get magic rings or something..." Just then, the ruby glows again, and all three gain rings on their left hands. Ash's is a ruby ring, Dawn's a sapphire, and Brock's an emerald.
"You were saying?" Dawn asks, showing Ash her ring.
Ash sweatdrops. "Maybe it is real, after all..."
"Told'ja!"
Happini, meanwhile, is admiring the emerald in Brock's ring. "Pini..." she smiles.
"Yeah...the sparkly is pretty...." Brock coos back.
"Pika..." Pikachu is impressed by Ash's ring--a teardrop shaped ruby set in white gold with some diamonds at the edges.
"Hm.." Dawn watches the circle of diamonds surrounding the sapphire in her ring sparkle. Happini, meanwhile, is admiring her reflection in the large square emerald in her "daddy"'s ring.
"You look nice in green..." Brock smiles.
Ash then gets an idea. "If these are magic, I bet the magic words are..." He holds his left hand in the air and calls "Moltres Pokemon Power, make up!" Nothing happens. Dawn and Brock stare at him, prompting him to giggle in embarrassment. "I guess those aren't the magic words, then...:"
"Pokemon! Metamorphose!" Dawn tries the transformation call from "Yes! Pokemon 5", but nothing happens. "Those aren't it either..."
"Let's try...Magic Jinx!" Brock calls, halfway expecting the music from "The Fairies Jinx" to cut on, but nothing happens. "Sorry, Happini--guess I can't become a fairy." Ash and Dawn picture Brock in a fairy costume and giggle.
"Pini pi..." Happini is disappointed. She then spots Brock's panpipes in one pocket of his bag and attempts to play "Ode to Joy", but her shaky attempt creates a swirling blue void in the ring of rocks.
Ash is shocked. "No way!" He rubs his eyes just to be sure he's not dreaming. "Someone pinch me...."
Pikachu is glad to comply with the request, making Dawn laugh as Ash yelps "OW!!!"
"You're not dreaming, Ash..." Brock gasps. "So lets go see what's on the other end of that portal!" Ash sighs and follows his friends into the void, seeing as he doesn't have much of a choice.
When the trio comes to a few minutes later, Ash gawks at the scenery--no more are they on a plain, but now they're on a cobblestone street overlooking a large temple made of white marble. "I don't think we're in the park any more..."
"I don't think we're even in Shinou any more..." Brock agrees.
Dawn examines the temple-- it has gems inlaid in the designs carved in the marble, columns in the entryway, and statues of what she figures are angels lining the stairs--just like in Brock's story! "This is Mikara's temple! Come on!" With that, she races the boys up the stairs and into the temple.
A young woman with navy blue hair and piercing yet gentle gray eyes clad in an ornate white robe with light blue, purple, and gold trim awaits the trio. "Welcome travelers...I see you are not from this world." she begins.
"We got here by accident!" Ash explains, but Dawn motions for him to quiet down.
Mikara notices Ash's ring and gasps! "Oh my! The three chosen ones have come from another world!"
"Chosen ones?" Brock is confused.
"Just smile and nod..." Ash assures his friend, as he has been through the "chosen one" routine before. Little does he know that this quest would be very different than his adventure with Lugia.
"You have not heard the prophecy?" Mikara replies. "Three friends unite, with bow, sword and pipes of power; and seven gems will bring light, giving hope in our darkest hour. The pipes are already present, but the bow and sword need to appear." Brock looks down by his side and recognizes his panpipes, which are now conveinently clipped to a small bag. "Furthermore, you would not survive very long in those clothes if you were to face a monster..."
"So what shoud I do?" Brock asks.
Mikara studies Brock's ring and starts saying something in an unknown language, none of which Brock recognizes until Mikara says "Song of Power, awaken in this gem!" The emerald glows a soft green for a moment.
"Wow!" Dawn is amazed at the glowing emerald.
"I've been pulled into a TV show..." Ash groans--he knows what is coming next.
"Now that the Song of Power has awakened within you, command it to sing within your own heart." Mikara instructs. "That will awaken your true powers"
Brock swallows hard, lifts his left hand high, and calls "Song of Power!" No sooner does he say this does he begin to glow green. "Sing within my heart!" With that, he performs a few karate moves before making a running jump into a wave of green light.
"Pini?" Happini shudders, amazed that her "daddy" is turning into a superhero just like on TV. She gets starry eyed when she imagines all the cool outfits he could possibly be wearing when he emerges. Ash and Dawn are just as awestruck.
Inside the light, what Brock is turning into is completely different than what his friends think. A beige robe appears first, which then gains a geometric pattern inset in dark brown. Some simple brown shoes appear on his feet, and a matching skullcap crowns his head. As a finishing touch, various solid colored Poke Balls appear in the small bag. Finally, the green light lands, revealing Brock in his new outfit.
"Brock's become a priest or oracle himself?" Dawn is confused.
"No--he is a summoner--one who has trained to bond with Legendary Pokemon." Mikara explains. The lightbulb goes off in Brock's head when he realizes that this is the same outfit he wore on his adventure with Lucario, but even then, his powers were temporary.
Ash facefaults--how come HE wasn't the summoner?
Inspired, Brock takes a light blue ball from the bag. "Scatter frozen blades of air!" he incants before heaving the ball skyward. "Articuno!" At this, the ball opens in a rush of chilly air and snow, which forms into an Articuno. Ash eagerly fumbles for a Poke Ball, but it is frozen by an Ice Beam. "This is mine, okay?" Brock reminds him as he calls back the Articuno. He then fishes out a white summon ball. "Shiny crystal light, energize! Jirachi!" As the ball flies skyward, it opens in a flash of light, which forms into Jirachi.
Happini jumps at the opportunity for a wish. "Happini pini pi!" she asks. Jirachi nods and conjures a stack of various candies high enough to touch the ceiling.
Ash sweatdrops. "Figured she'd wish for candy..."
"There's enough in here to start a candy factory..." Dawn gasps, marveling over the mountain's size.
Happini, meanwhile, darts towards her candy mountain and is about to snatch a bag of Gummi Teddiursas when Brock pulls her away. "Not right now--if I can find a place to store all this, we'll have some later."
"Pini?" Happini protests.
"If we were to eat all that now, you'd get sick." Brock replies as he calls Jirachi back, unaware that Ash is pilfering boxes of Minty Balls from the mountain.
Happini tears up and starts to cry. At first, Brock stands firm on his 'no candy right now' rule, but as her wails intensify, he caves in. "Okay, okay, you can have some--but only one kind for now." Happini cheers and digs into the bag of Gummis from before while the rest of the candy flies into Brock's bag, as well as conjuring a bundle for her.
"What powers do I get?" Dawn asks as Brock carefully slips Happini into the bundle. It wasn't fair for only Brock to get powers.
Mikara examines Dawn's ring and begins chanting in the odd language again, Dawn only recognizing "Light of Wisdom, awaken in this gem!" before the sapphire in her ring glows a soft blue.
"Wha..." Dawn is shocked.
"The Light of Wisdom has chosen the girl--and now she must tell it to light her way to awaken her power." Mikara explains.
Dawn musters what courage she can, lifts her left hand high, and calls "Light of Wisdom!" She begins to glow blue. "Show me the way to true power!" All Ash can see is blue light, but he knows that inside, Dawn is changing.
Inside the wave of blue, Dawn first gets small white gloves with a sapphire on the hand., Next, a white robe similar to Mikara's appears, only hers has green, blue, and silver trim. Some small boots appear on her feet, and a white ribbon with a sapphire inside appears in her hair to finish the look.
When Dawn emerges, a beautiful sword's sheath with swirls of green and blue is before her. "What is it?" she asks as it sets itself by her right side.
"That is the Rapier of Holy Auras, a special blade only a white mage like youself can wield." Mikara explains.
Dawn sees the bruise and scratches on Ash's arm from earlier, and forms a small blue light in her hands. "Life's refreshing breeze, blow in energy! Cure!" Ash watches in shock as his injuries from before are engulfed in the blue light, making them disappear.
Ash swallows hard as he approaches Mikara and offers his ring. Mikara examines it and begins the incantation a third time. All Ash can understand is "Fire of Courage, awaken in this gem!", which makes the ruby inside glow a soft red.
"Pika?" Pikachu is mystified that the gem can glow.
"The courage within you burns brightly--call upon it to awaken your power." Mikara coaxes Ash.
Ash takes a deep breath, lifts his left hand high, and calls "Fire of Courage!", making him glow red, much to Pikachu's shock. "Burn within me!" At this, Pikachu shields his eyes in fear as his master is engulfed in red light and thunderbolts. He weaves among the rings of red thunder, making a tunic appear on his body. Red gauntlets with sapphires inside appear on his hands, and leggings and boots appear on his legs and feet. A familiar wide brimmed mage's hat appears on his head, and a navy blue cape billows from his back, completing the look.
"Pika!" Pikachu recognizes this outfit--the same way Ash gained powers in his adventure with Lucario! He gasps as a miniature version of the hat and the cape appear on him with a flash of red.
"Now you're a black mage too!" Ash smiles as he invites Pikachu aboard his shoulder.
"Pika pika pikapi! Pikachu!" Pikachu calls, but nothing happens.
Just then, a beautiful spruce bow inlaid with ivory and gold appears before Ash, and a quiver filled with wing decorated arrows appears on his back. "This is the Celestial Bow of Colors, an enchanted bow black mages use to shoot enchanted arrows if they so desire." Mikara explains. "Why don't you try to hit this target?" At this, a target appears on a wall by the altar.
Ash fishes out an arrow and aims as best as he can, but his sheer nervousness causes his shot to veer off to the left, smashing a vase in the process.
"Robin Hood, Ash is not..." Dawn notes as Mikara picks up the pieces.
"I'm so sorry!" Ash begs. "I didn't mean to break it, honest!"
Mikara says a few words in the odd language, and the broken vase is magically repaired. "If you would like to train with these weapons before you leave on your quest, come downstairs."
"Quest?" Dawn gasps.
"We didn't turn into these outfits because we were on vacation, now were we?" Brock chides as the threesome follow Mikara downstairs into a small room filled with targets and practice dummies.
Some minutes later, Ash calls "Pull!" prompting Pikachu to toss a small target into the air for him to shoot. Dawn spars with a practice dummy, and Brock is studying songs to summon everything from whirlwinds to secret doors, as well as how to bond with other Legendaries. Before long, all three have some degree of proficiency with their powers, but Dawn is secretly doubting herself as the three friends depart the temple to explore the town later that afternoon: Are we really going on a quest? Will we live long enough to go home? is anyone back home worried about us?
Ash, meanwhile, is marveling over the various stone and brick houses that line the cobblestone streets, while Pikachu snaps to attention over the calls of the merchants in the marketplace.
Dawn notices Pikachu's enamored look. "You're wanting to get a souvenir, aren't you, Pikachu?" Pikachu nods as Dawn counts what little gold Mikara gave them, at the same time studying the rainbow of tunics and dresses of the people around them.
But before our heroes can continue farther down the street into the marketplace, Brock feels something clinging to him. He looks down to see a auburn haired girl looking back at him. "Lord Summoner, have you come to speak of legend?" she asks, her dark brown eyes shining hopefully.
Brock is unsure what to say at first, but then spots a boy running to him. "Show us what legends you have bonded with!" He glances back to Ash and Dawn as more children arrive, desperate for ideas on how to politely turn them away or entertain them.
"Just humor them for a while, they'd love a story." Dawn whispers.
Brock sighs and addreses the children. "Come, and I will tell you of many wondrous things."
"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!" the children cheer as they follow our heroes to a fountain in the town square that overlooks the marketplace to the west.
"Even in another world, Brock has a thing for kids." Dawn smiles as the children gather around Brock.
"He does have a large family at home, after all." Ash reminds her. "And coupled with Happini, he's had lots of practice."
Once sure the children are comfortable, Brock begins his tale: "Once a landowner hired a boy skilled in woodworking--we will call him Sorin. Because of Sorin's high quality work, he was loved and respected among his people. But the other thing about Sorin the people loved was his ability to play panpipes, like summoners. So whenever they had a little time to spare, the people would stop and listen to Sorin play melodies like this..." He retrieves his own pipes and blows a few bars of Zelda's Lullaby, conjuring a few Pidgeys in the sky, much to his audience's amazement. He acknowledges his applause and goes on. "Of course, the landowner got quite sick of the pipes after some time, so he began scolding Sorin for the tiniest mistakes, saying..." He switches to an older version of his "somebody's in trouble" voice. "You lazy boy! Do I pay you just so you can play those pipes all day?" He returns to himself. "In fact, Sorin's love of the pipes did not hinder his work at all. Finally, the landowner just snapped from his rage, and beat Sorin for no reason. Even though Sorin's tears and cries for mercy were many, the landowner was not content until even the pipes were broken." He delibrately blows a squeaky note to simulate pipes being broke.
"That's not very nice!" a boy comments.
"How awful!" a girl agrees.
"Did Sorin run away?" another girl asks.
"Yes, Sorin ran away--he ran out of the house, out of town, and all the way to the small village nearby, where his grandfather lived." Brock replies. "When Sorin's grandfather saw his grandson approaching, he ran to meet him and held him close. 'My son, what brings you to me in tears?' he asked. 'Oh Grandpa, the landowner I have served for a year has beaten me, driven me away, and broke the pipes the old summoner made for me years ago.' Sorin sobbed."
"Don't cry, Sorin--you may stay with me for a while." his grandfather replied. "I will show you how to avenge yourself against the one that wronged you so."
"But did Sorin get new pipes?" a boy asks.
"Yes--his grandfather sent for the village summoner and asked him to make a set of pipes." Brock replied. "When they arrived the next day, Sorin played them for hours." He plays a few bars of Saria's Song to illustrate, making some Dratinis surface from the fountain and dance for a few seconds. "Not only did the villagers come to love his music, even the Pokemon came to listen--and Sorin befriended many of the Pokemon."
"And then?" the children beg.
"Meanwhile, back in town, the landowner called his sons together and said to them 'Last night, I dreamt of a Parchirisu that had silver fur, and shimmered like mist. I was enamored by its beauty, and wish for you to find and capture it.'" Brock continues. "The three boys balked at their father's request..." He switches to an imitation of Ash. "Father, we have never heard of such a Pokemon!" He returns to himself. "they said."
"Pika pi!" Pikachu is impressed by Brock's scarily accurate imitation of his master.
Ash just blushes in embarrassment. "I'm not that high pitched, am I?"
Dawn just bites her tongue as Brock continues. "'It doesn't matter! Go and find it for me--whoever finds it will inherit my land when I pass on.' the landowner said. "The eldest son eagerly volunteered to find the Parchirisu, and left early the next morning."
"And then?" a girl asks.
"He arrived in the village several hours later, just as Sorin's grandfather was returning with water from the well. When the eldest son explained why he had come, Sorin's grandfather replied 'My grandson should be able to help--he is in the woods hunting for our afternoon meal.' The eldest son found Sorin and asked him to find the odd Parchirisu. Sorin smiled and said. 'I will be glad to help you find it--we will hunt this evening, provided you bring a thousand pieces of gold for it.'" The children are awed by that much money. "That night, the eldest son returned with the promised gold, and found Sorin there, playing for the Pokemon. The mist Parchirisu was present in the crowd, enjoying the magical melodies as much as its fellow Pokemon. Sorin set down his pipes, carefully picked up the Parchirisu, and offered it to the eldest son. 'Be very careful with it,' he warned. 'If it gets away, I will not be responsible.' The eldest son paid his gold and started for home, but as soon as Sorin started playing again, the Parchirisu dashed from his hands and into the brush." The children giggle at this. "The eldest son had no choice but to go home empty handed. The middle son tried the next day, and the youngest son the day after, but they too suffered the same fate as their brother, and two thousand more gold pieces were wasted."
"I bet the landowner got really mad for losing that much gold." a boy comments.
"Oh, he did..." Brock continues. "So much so that he vowed to catch the mist Parchirisu himself the next day."
"He bound it in rope?" A girl guesses what will happen next.
"Set a trap?" A boy also takes a guess.
"Hired a mage to fight it?" another boy guesses.
"No, he did none of those things." Brock assures the children. "When Sorin saw the landowner returning, his eyes filled with rage, and he played a frantic melody." He plays the whistle song from Zelda to illustrate this, making an image of Suicune appear in the sky. "At the sound of the pipes, all kinds of Pokemon--Bunearies, Ursarings, Ninetales, Arcanines, Arboks, Swellows, Pidgeots, and Staraptors, to name some--they all came and surrounded the landowner. The landowner fell on his knees and pleaded for mercy, but Sorin replied 'Do you not remember how you once beat me and drove me away? At one note from these pipes, I could summon an even larger Pokemon to eat you alive.'" He switches to a scared version of his older self voice. "Oh no, please, have mercy!" He returns to himself. "the landowner begged. Sorin then said 'If you are truly sorry for what you did to me, the sell half your goods and give the gold to the poor.' The landowner agreed, went home, and did what Sorin had asked--which made him even more well loved among the people--and all because of a set of summoner's pipe's...the end." The children, Ash, and Dawn applaud.
Just then, a high pitched scream pierces the air, and a real mist Parchirisu dashes into the marketplace, enraged by someone or someTHING. "What do we do now?" Ash gasps as the children flee to their parents.
"Normally mist Parchirisus are friendly, but they can get very fierce when angered or theatened, Master Black Mage." a man explains.
Dawn draws her blade, eager to fight, but Ash is shaking as he readies an arrow--he has not counted on being attacked by something this small!
To Be Continued...
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