It is widely said that whoever has the misfortune to tread upon, or the thoughtlessness to pull, one of a Ninetails' tails will be cursed for a thousand years. The supposed effect of this curse varies, from harmless annoyance to eternal torment, and each region – if not every grass – has a different legend explaining the origins of the taboo. Nothing is clear, and the Ninetails themselves are silent on the matter, leaving the world unsure as to whether malign consequences truly stem from harming their tails, or if it is merely folklore.
One such story tells of an exceptionally beautiful Ninetails, who was also exceedingly vain. Renowned for her beauty, she was often surrounded by admirers, who had travelled long distances to gaze upon her and stroke her luxurious tails. The Ninetails loved nothing more than to be adored in this way, and she encouraged all who left to spread tales of her loveliness, so that more would visit her in her grass. However, one day a clumsy Psyduck, jostled by the surging crowd around her, trod on one of her tails. Furious, the Ninetails unleashed a torrent of flame, which the Psyduck avoided by hiding under some water. As she was unable to get to him herself, the Ninetails spoke to her followers, exhorting them to follow the Psyduck wherever he went, ensuring that he got no peace. The Pokémon were mesmerised by her beauty, and fervently promised to obey. However, they did not realise that their promise would be binding – thus they were forced to pursue the Psyduck across the lands for all of their lives; and when they died, their spirits carried on the chase. Thus the Psyduck had no rest in death either, and his spirit was driven on and on for a thousand years.
In certain grasses to the north of the region, a different story is told. In this tale, the Ninetails was a powerful sorcerer, able to force the spirits of past and future to hasten to his every whim. He was greatly feared throughout the land, for he could make the grasses wither and die, the trees produce no berries, the hunters miss their prey. So great was this terror that he seldom had need to cast any spells, taking whatever he wanted from the local grasses simply by the threat of retribution. However, one day he travelled further than he was accustomed, and came across a grass where none had heard of his powers. When he tried to obtain food from him, they demanded payment; when he threatened to destroy their livelihoods, they asked how he would do such a thing; when he claimed to be a sorcerer, they laughed and replied that no mortal Pokémon could ever hope to control the spirits. As the Ninetails grew more and more frustrated, the younger Pokémon began to tease him, pointing and pulling on his many tails. A massive rage filled the sorcerer, and he began to enact the greatest curse he knew, made by summoning the spirits of Pokémon who were fated to murder and betray all who they loved. Although he only meant to cause the grassdwellerd a few minutes of torment, the mighty and evil spirits escaped his grasp, and form his spells gained the power to remain in this world. Thus the innocent Pokémon were cursed with the pain of a hundred tortures, and remained in torment until, a thousand years hence, the spirits were banished to that shadowy world from which they came.
A more recent story tells of a human and his companion Pokémon, a Gardevoir. Although this trainer was often harsh and cruel, the Gardevoir respected and loved him, for she had known him since his childhood. One day the trainer, upon discovering a sleeping Ninetails, awakened it by a thoughtless tug upon one of his tails. The Ninetails was suddenly enraged, and cast a terrible curse, intending to affect only the trainer – but instead, it struck the Gardevoir as she threw herself in front of her companion. As the curse took effect, the psychic Pokémon's physical body faded away, leaving her an insubstantial wraith. Alarmed to see Gardevoir disappearing, the human began to flee with great haste, not pausing to find out whether he could save her. The Ninetails was equally shocked by both the Gardevoir's selfless deed and the human's reaction to it; and so he once again cast a curse, this time taking more care with the aim. As it struck, the trainer was transformed into a Gengar, the most loathsome and feared of all the Pokémon, and his memory was erased so that he could not recall his human life. Thus was the selfish trainer punished for his vile abandonment of his companion, even after she had faithfully protected him.