The Night of Two Moons

Story 2: The Night of Two Moons (Ash)


Ash gets up from his place at the table and begins "Once there was a hunter--we'll call him Hayate--who was renowned for his skill with the bow. His wife had succumbed to a horrible disease some years before, leaving behind two little girls. This made him even more aware of how much he killed, since he had two more to feed."

"Mm-hm..." Maya motions for Ash to continue.

"The years passed, and Hayate's daughters, Keiko and Mana, grew into fine young ladies." Ash continues. "Hayate's heart swelled with pride, and he yearned to catch something huge to celebrate their coming of age."

After a few moments, he goes on "One day, he set off on his grand hunt. After telling his girls goodbye, he set off across high mountains and crossed raging rivers in search of the perfect prey. Before long, he came to a mountain village, but the doors were locked, much to his chagrin. A man of the village explained that on the night of a new moon, a terrifying monster carrying two red moons would appear. Anyone that looked at the beast would be paralyzed, and then eaten."

[Oh no!] Tarina gasps.

"The mountain had once been beautiful, the man went on, but all the Pokemon had fled, and many people had followed." Ash goes on, making Tarina tear up. "He pleaded for Hayate to leave, since that night had a new moon. But Hayate said no--he would shoot down the twin moons, and then defeat the monster."

Everyone waits to hear what happens next. "Hayate made good on his promise, but his first shot was knocked away by the monster's tail." Ash continues. "It was not long before he was paralyzed and poisoned."

Gasps go up at the sobering turn of events. "Meanwhile, Arceus appeared to Keiko and Mana in a dream and told them that their father was in grave danger." Ash goes on, quieting the antsy crowd. "While he had purged the poison, their father was still paralyzed and weak from the long battle. The girls vowed that they would either save or avenge their father, no matter what."

Tarina swallows hard as Ash continues "Keiko and Mana were fine archers themselves, so after gathering their own bows and supplies, they set out for the mountain village. The village elder was stunned at their story, and when the girls wouldn't take no for an answer, he gave them a secret medicine that would make whoever took it immune to paralysis."

"Kinda like a Paralyze Heal." Misty notes from her place next to Ash, giggling at Tarina's dreamy look.

"The girls made camp in the village shrine, and asked Arceus to protect them and give them strength." Ash continues. "Then they took the anti paralysis medicine, and set out to meet their opponent."

He then reaveals what the monster is. "It turned out the twin moons were the eyes of a huge Arbok, and once the girls shot them out, the mountain shook, and a powerful storm blew up. The storm raged for a week before the Arbok finally succumbed inside the resulting lake."

Cheers go up at the Arbok's demise. "When the storm had subsided, the lake began to glow, and a million points of light--the spirits of those the Arbok had killed--flew out and became living people again." Ash goes on. "Keiko and Mana were overjoyed to see their father again, and they shared a long embrace."

He concludes "Father and daughters returned home as heroes, and they all lived happily ever after."