The First PayDay

"Once upon a time, there was a little Meowth who lived on the edge of a huge forest, where he had a wonderful time hunting pidgeys, rattata and pikachu.

"Never go deeper into the forest," his mother cautioned, "for there be great danger there."

But like all cats, the kitten was curious and he wondered what lay beyond those trees. Eventually, as the saying goes, curiousity got the better of him and he bravel stole away from home, entering the forest."

Before them the listeners saw the scene caome to life, the little Meowth wandering into the gloom...

"At first everything was exciting and new - there were huge trees to climb and new creatures to chase, but after a time the trees began to loom and the forest became darker.

The little Meowth became afraid and wanted to return home, but then he realised that, oh no! He was lost!

And then something caught his eyes, something that shimmered in the darkness. A great white skeletal persian, sitting in a glade amidst putrid trees and dripping vines. But that was not what captured his attention, for within the beasts skeletal chest, lay piles upon piles of shiny coins."

"I must have them," he thought to himself, for coins are round and pretty, and he liked them a lot. "But I cannot steal them for the Bone cat surely guards them. I must come upo with a plan."

"So he pondered and he wandered and he pondered some more."

"And suddenly he came across a Growlithe, chasing butterflies."

"The little Mewoth grinned to himself, and walked up to the puppy. Now remember, this tale comes from early days, before Meowths and Growlithes were fiends instead of friends."

"How would you like a huge juicy bone?" The little cat asked. The Growlithe picked up her ears.

"Very much indeed."

"Then follow me!"

So the Growlithe followed the Meowth who led her to the glade.

When she saw the cat her eyes lit up, the bones looked so delicious. She ran in and grabbed the cats foreleg. The persian turned its shiny white skull with gaping sockets to the puppy and the little Meowth darted in and grabbed as many coins as he could, storing them in his mouth and cheeks.

"You will not steal my bones!" The Bone cat bellowed and threw the puppy against the tree. The little Meowth fled and ran back towards where he thought home to be.

Before he reached home however, the Growlithe jumped out in front of him. "You tricked me!" She growled and threw herself at the cat.

Now the little Meowth was so startled by the blow, that he opened his mouth and out tumbled all the coins, showering over the puppy and knocking it back.

The little Meowth leapt over the whimpering dog and ran all the way back home. Which it had oddly enough found without problem.

And that, my friends, is how Meowth's learned to throw coins."

The Tale of the Dark Nidoran

"Legend has it, that once, a long time ago, when the earth was fresh and new and smelt of spring all year round, a young Nidoran was born. He was like a gift from the stars for his parents, who had been barren. And this kit was greatly loved, despite the fact that he was darker of fur and eye then was normal for his kin."

"Time passed, and the kit grew into a fine young male, and then disaster struck. One day when he was out foraging, a tribe of Magumarashi invaded the tunnels. Many Nidoran were slain, some choking in the smoke, others torn apart mercilessly by the fire ferrets claws. When the young Nidoran returned, all was in a terrible state. His parents were nothing but smoking, bleeding husks, their innards had been torn out by the Magumarashi's teeth, their loving eyes torn from their skulls."

"And the Nidoran swore revenge. Alone, he went up against the leader of the Magumarashi tribe - a huge beast (I've forgotten the evolved forms name...) that towered above him. It growled and sent flames at his small head, he buried it in the dirt, protecting his eyes and ears as best he could."

"But still the fires seered the fur from his head, and his ears and he drew himself from the dirt and charged at the beast's ankle, his horn taking out the back of its heel, pumping it full of poison. It batted him cruelly with one hand, taking out a chunk on his side and shattering his ribs, but still the brave young Nidoran fought, as the creature lurched to the ground, spasming as it died from the poison."

"And the Nidoran was weak, and badly wounded, so he dragged himself to the nearest warren and tried to rest there."

"But the leader of the warren looked at him, and said, 'you are a freak, we cannot have you in our warren - you will scare the kits and we cannot help you.'"

"In despair, the wounded beast left, and was turned aside from warrens everywhere, until, eventually, weak from blood loss, he died alone, his great victory unrecognised."

"But the fury and rage inside him would not rest with his body and his spirit wandered the realms, its rage at its kin's betrayal reflected in its actions."

"At night the Dark Nidoran stalked the corridors of the warrens, searching, seeking for kits that were not asleep, pretty kits that had once been admired as he had, that were loved. And he dragged them out into the hallways and back into the darkness between worlds, between the afterlife and the now-life. Their grieving parents found nothing but the smell of decay, and the absence of their children. And they would whisper..."

"... sleep little kit, all the Dark Nidoran will get you, sleep well, for else your soul will be dragged to hell and back."

Hanekko's Tale

By Lady Vaporeon

"Once, near the end of the era of the first sun, in the time in the world when the rainbows sang and clouds were gentle and giving of their bounty, a tiny seed appeared on barren ground.

The plants and animals all ignored it, for it was too small for them to notice it or care for if they did. The sun showed brightly upon it, and the moon passed it over with the stars that danced in the sky. The little seed was all alone.

One day, as the Cold North wind raced through the cloud filled skies, a new cloud was born. It was dark and frozen with a heart of ice. It set upon the earth with its blinding snow and freezing ice. The gentle clouds ran away, followed by the rainbows, animals and the sun.

The plants, knowing they would not live, sent their chidren away with the animals, clinging to their fur, sitting in their bellies or stuffed into their cheeks. Some of them were even set to flight on the warm winds that followed the sun.

Soon, the little seed was all alone and it began to cry. It cried all day and cried all night, even though it was hard to tell day from night now that the sun had left. The Moon and Stars continued to dance and ignored the seed. The Frozen cloud tired of the noise and snowed upon the ground to cover the seed up.

No matter how much it snowed, the Frozen cloud could not quiet the seed. It gave up and wandered the world, looking for other places to bring its 'gift' to. The little seed continued to cry.

It cried so loud , the Cold North could not hear its own songs over the sound.

The Cold North wind came to the little seed. "Tell me why you are crying so loud I cannot hear my own songs?"

"I am all alone" The seed sobbed," and I have always been alone"

"What is it you want more than anything?" The Cold North Wind asked.

"To be a somebody" The seed sobbed even more.

The Cold North wind carried the seed to a part of it's kingdom where its sibblings, the Warm West and the Bright East often visited. The Cold North carefully planted the seed deep into the ground and set it to sleep. Cold North then asked its sibblings to work their magic upon the tiny seed.

The seed slept. As it slept, it's body began to change. A tiny, strong root shot out from its bottom, and a spikey stem sprouted from its top. The seed grew and grew, while it was sill asleep.

The Frozen cloud had been chasing the animals and plants from every region of the world, untill they had no choice but to return to the spot they had all originated from. Warm West and Bright East returned to their kingdoms to get rid of the snow the naughty cloud had spead over thier lands.

The animals and the seed they carried from the plants who had perished in the snows were cornered in the north. There seemed to be no where to hide untill one of the birds spotted the grown up seed. "Come here, come here!" the bird called them all to the giant plant's side.

Under the branches of the grown up seed the animals found shelter. The Frozen cloud grew angry and wanted to kill the giant plant. It snowed and hailed and tried every way it could to freeze it. The giant plant snoozed peacefully. The Frozen cloud tried rain and sleet to shake it up. The giant plant ignored it still. The Frozen cloud grew furious and threw itself upon the plant, ending its life in a ball of slush. The giant plant shrugged it off.

The Animals gave up a cheer to the giant plant. "You have saved us all!!"

The Plant woke up from its slumber and stretched its many branches. The sap flowed from its insides to the tips of every leaf. The Warm West and Bright East winds returned to the lands and soon the animals departed.

The Cold North wind aproached the giant plant and smiled. "You saved them from the cold, how does it feel?"

"It feels good" the plant smiled." But I still don't know who I am, or why"

"You are 'Evergreen' and your purpose is to protect the lands from naughty clouds like the Frozen one. Your leaves will cover the seeds of your neighboring plants, and your body will be home to the creatures of the world."

Evergreen smiled. "I am somebody now"