Author’s introduction: When I was first able to read I was fond of the fairy tale about the two most beautiful human beings in the world and the mischievous creatures who bring them together and split them apart. It wasn’t until many years later that I found out it was based on an R-rated story from the Arabian Nights. This, however, is based on the G-rated version.

I took considerable liberties with the story, and even more with Pokemon and Pokemon characters. It’s written like a fairy tale, not a parody, so people are deliberately out of character, and it’s mushy and dramatic. And I have changed the relationships between Pokemon characters in major ways in order to fit them into the story. I also thought Japanese names would sound better here, but I kept the names of Pokemon in English for convenience.

The Haunters and the Beautiful People

One day, two mischievous Haunters stood observing the world of human beings. As usual, they began to argue.

“The most beautiful human being in the world,” insisted one Haunter, “is Prince Kojiro of China.”

The other Haunter disagreed. “The most beautiful human being in the world is Princess Musashi, who lives on a small island near China.”

The King of the Haunters overheard them. “If they are so beautiful,” he said, “why don’t you bring them together.”

This idea pleased the Haunters, and that night they went into the world of human beings. They were so quiet they did not even wake Prince Kojiro’s loyal Growlithe, or Princess Musashi’s Arbok. They brought Musashi and Kojiro into a room and lay them side-by-side.

Prince Kojiro was the first one to wake up. First he saw that he was not in his room. Then he saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen lying beside him. She had delicate features, porcelain skin, and long brilliant red hair.

Then Princess Musashi woke up, and saw an amazingly handsome man sitting beside her. He had long blue hair, emerald eyes, and a quiet smile. For a moment she was frightened, but she somehow realized he intended her no harm.

“Your eyes are even more beautiful than the rest of you,” said Prince Kojiro. “But who are you, and where am I?”

Princess Musashi blushed. “I am Princess Musashi,” she replied, “and I do not know where I am either.”

“I am Prince Kojiro,” he replied. “And wherever I am, I am glad to be here with you.”

Slowly the two began to talk about themselves. Prince Kojiro told of the King and Queen, who were good to the land but cruel to their son, and the evil Prime Minister Sakaki who frightened him.

Princess Musashi told about her beautiful land, and her mother Queen Miyamoto, who loved her but did not understand how to deal with a daughter who had become a woman.

Finally Prince Kojiro told Musashi again that she was very beautiful, and this time she answered that she thought he was very handsome as well. They were too shy to say anything more, and soon they both fell asleep again.

Prince Kojiro woke for a moment, and thought that he might never find the words to tell her he loved her. So as she slept, he took a beautiful emerald ring from his finger and put it on her hand as a pledge of his love.

Princess Musashi awoke later and saw the emerald ring. And she put a beautiful pearl ring from her finger onto his hand while he was still asleep.

The Haunters were looking on, crying sentimental tears at the success of their plan. Then the King of the Haunters said, “Won’t it be even more interesting if you separate them now?”

And since the Haunters loved nothing more than playing tricks, they took the two back to their rooms while they were still asleep, and left no trace of what they had done.

When Prince Kojiro woke up in his room, at first he thought he had only had a beautiful dream. But when he saw the pearl ring on his hand, he knew that it was real. He asked his loyal Growlithe if he had seen the princess, but he had not seen anything.

That day his father the king called him into the throne room. By his father’s side was the Prime Minister, Sakaki, smiling his sly smile.

“My son, I have great news for you,” said his father. “Prime Minister Sakaki has found you a beautiful bride. She is a princess, and an alliance with her country will bring us great wealth.”

“But I have already met the woman I want to marry,” protested Kojiro.

“Nonsense, you are too young to make such a decision on your own,” replied his father. “Bring in the Princess Rumika.”

When the princess entered, Prince Kojiro caught his breath for a moment. She looked almost like Musashi. But she had a hard look in her eyes and cruel smile, and when she spoke in her syrupy voice Kojiro’s Growlithe snarled at her.

“I’m sorry, I cannot agree to marriage,” said Prince Kojiro.

“Well, I’m sure we can come to an agreement,” said Princess Rumika. And she began cracking a large whip. A Vileplume came out from behind her skirts and began to laugh at Kojiro. Growlithe began to attack the vileplume and Prince Kojiro ran from the room.

His father sent guards after him. They threw him into prison. Sakaki informed him that he would not be released until he agreed to marry Princess Rumika.

That princess tried to visit often with her whip to punish Kojiro, but his loyal Growlithe lay down in front of the prison gates and would not let her in.

Prince Kojiro sat inside, looking at the pearl ring and dreaming of Musashi.

Meanwhile, on a small island off China, Princess Musashi had woken up and seen her emerald ring. She asked her Arbok is she had seen Prince Kojiro, but Arbok had not. Princess Musashi sent Arbok out to look for him, but she did not find him anywhere.

She went to her mother, Queen Miyamoto, and told her about Prince Kojiro. But Queen Miyamoto shook her head. “I am sure you were only dreaming, child. Do you not have many rings? I will let you choose a prince to marry, but do not talk any more about this dream.”

In the next few days Miyamoto introduced Musashi to many princes and nobles from nearby islands. At first Musashi was pleasant to them, stating only that she was not interested in marriage. But finally, she lost her temper, and hit a noble in the head with her fan. Her mother was angry, and told her she would be locked in her room until she chose someone to marry.

“I have already chosen Prince Kojiro!” she said. But her mother did not listen.

Locked in her room, she had no one but Arbok to comfort her. Then one day, her loyal servant Mondo knocked on the door.

“No one believes you about Prince Kojiro, but I do. I will go to look for him and I promise I will find him for you.”

Princess Musashi gave Mondo the emerald ring as a sign, and Mondo and his loyal Ditto set off in search of Prince Kojiro.

They traveled across the sea to China and went from one kingdom to the next, but no one had heard of a handsome prince with emerald eyes and blue hair.

Finally he reached the desert. He knew he couldn’t give up now, and break Princess Musashi’s heart. So Mondo and Ditto set off across the desert.

It took days to cross the desert. He thought they had taken enough food and water but by the time they reached a town they were exhausted and hungry. His clothes were torn and he didn’t think he could move another step.

Finally he called out to the guard at the gate. “Please, we are starving, let us in!”

The guard ignored him at first. Then Mondo went on, “And please, tell me, is there a kingdom near here with a Prince named Kojiro?”

“Our prince is named Kojiro,” replied the guard.

“I have an important message for him,” said Mondo.

Everyone knew there had been trouble at the palace, so the guard decided it would be best to let Mondo in. But he warned him, “Be careful to whom you speak about Prince Kojiro. He has been thrown into prison for defying his father.”

So instead of going to the palace, Mondo went straight to the prison. Kojiro’s Growlithe still lay in front of the door. Ditto found out that he was Kojiro’s Growlithe, and that Prince Kojiro must be the one they were looking for. Ditto went in under the door, carrying the emerald ring.

When Prince Kojiro saw the emerald ring, he began to cry for joy. He wrote out a message to his father and sent it and the ring back out with Ditto. Mondo, Ditto, and Growlithe all went to deliver the message to the palace.

When Prince Kojiro’s father realized that Princess Musashi was a real woman, and a real princess, he thought he might have made a mistake putting his son in prison. When he told Prime Minister Sakaki that he would let Kojiro out, Sakaki became furious and insulted the king. Sakaki and Princess Rumika were banished from the kingdom.

When Prince Kojiro was released, the first thing he did was to organize a journey to Princess Musashi’s kingdom to ask for her hand in marriage. Kojiro, Mondo, Ditto and Growlithe traveled in a royal caravan with many servants, then got a ship to the island.

Queen Miyamoto was shocked when a real prince just like the one her daughter had described arrived at the palace with Mondo. She quickly released her daughter from her room, and Musashi went straight into Kojiro’s arms.

Soon they were married, and they ruled the two kingdoms together in peace and harmony.

The End