Session 11, VP2

Fearing a repeat appearance at the library, Reinhold and Kuze decided to rest there for the night. The others rested at the Pokémon Center, falling asleep to the gentle sound of rain on the roof above. Thankfully, our heroes rest was undisturbed. Together, they read over the recipe Bronze had found for the enhanced Repel. With the ingredients collected, all they needed now was a large enough container in which to brew a large amount of the Repel. 

According to the nurse on shift at the Pokémon Center, there weren't any craftspeople in town who specialized in such skills. Instead, she suggested the group try asking around at some of the restaurants in Ever Dam. 

Doing their best to ignore the misting rain, the party found their way to a small restaurant beneath an alcove in the town's architecture. An old woman was stirring a large pot of stew, which had clearly not been cleaned in many years. Reinhold attempted to ask her if there were any spare pots similar to the one she was using, but she proved to be hard of hearing. Without taking no for an answer, the woman thrust four bowls of soup towards the trainers. The stew proved to be delicious, an excellent balm against the chilling weather.  

After finishing his portion, Reinhold next hailed down one of the staff cleaning tables. The waiter checked in the kitchens and found a very old cauldron meant to be given to the blacksmith as scrap metal. A brief discussion with the old woman later, he offered to give the group the pot in exchange for any rare ingredients the party possessed. 

With everything they needed, the group debated where they could craft the Repel without causing any disruption. Reasoning that they were due to meet up with Flugil in a few hours anyway, the party decided to see if they could use her Gym. 

Upon entering, they discovered the main room of Flugil's gym was a massive wave pool, built to appear as a sea map of the nearby area. Flugil herself was engaged in underwater ballet with a long, sinuous Pokémon the party could not identify. When she eventually noticed the group's presence, she recalled her Pokémon and exited the pool. Although she was still recovering from her recent ordeal, Flugil was full of energy. As the party began to set-up the cauldron in her kitchen, Flugil set out to spread further word of the oncoming "ritual" to the townsfolk. While the brew simmered, its odor grew increasingly pungent—if the smell appeared this bad to humans, they could only imagine how bad it must be for Pokémon. 

Three hours later, the recipe was completed. The group loaded the Repel into several watering cans to allow for quicker travel. Flugil returned just as they finished loading up the last of the potion. She let the party know she had convinced most of the town to attend their ceremony in the evening. This settled, our heroes decided to check in on Donner while they waited for night to arrive. 

Back at the Pokémon Center, they knocked on the door to Donner's room. After a few moments of silence, he weakly called for them to enter. Donner sat on the edge of his bed, an air of despondency around him. His injuries looked to be on their way towards healing, but his eye was still blackened and bruised. Brushing aside their questions about his well-being, Donner asked for an update on how the plan was proceeding. Lauren explained that they were progressing well; at least, they were, before Lauren noticed Hragn talking to a few other townsfolk behind the Pokémon Center. Worried that some of the more frightened townsfolk may make another attempt to drive the Puphest off, the trainers debated their course of action. After a brief discussion, the group decided to split into two: half of them to check on the pack and explore the nearby fields, the other to keep an eye on Hragn and his cohorts. 

Lauren, Bronze, and Reinhold made their way to the Puphest swarm. Although the rain passed harmlessly through their bodies, the general mood of the ghosts was much sadder than the past few days. The Pokémon huddled close together, each keeping their eyes peeled on the entrance to Ever Dam. Thankfully, the party was able to raise the spirits of a few Puphest, even successfully convincing them to join the Trainers' teams. After collecting their new friends, the party set off into the nearby Varfjell Fields. 

Back in town, Sylvie and Donner sat on a bench outside the Pokémon Center, keeping Hragn in their sights. After a few moments of tense silence, Sylvie struck up a conversation with Donner about where he may go after Ever Dam. Hesitantly, he explained more of his uncertainty on how to move forward. The two lightly discussed the situations they each came from, until they saw Hragn's small meeting come to a close. The three men Hragn had been speaking to passed by the Pokémon Center, and into the town proper. Sylvie kept watch on them; two of the men returned to their homes, while the third made his way West, towards the docks. 

Sylvie turned back towards Donner to ask if he thought they should tail the man heading to the docks. Donner sat tensed, staring hard at Hragn's back. Beneath a tent, Hragn sharpened a large knife, staring out across the trench, his face set in a grim expression. Realizing the situation could quickly grow out of hand, Sylvie decided to give Lauren a call, as Donner closed his eyes to enter a psychic trance. 

With the wet grass of the fields leaving streaks on their clothing, the rest of the party eventually detected the sound of wild Pokémon nearby. Ever the professional, Bronze immediately folded into a silent crouch to sneak closer. Unfortunately, Lauren and Reinhold proved to be not quite as stealthy, and one of the Pokémon was notified to their presence. A light, sweet aria wound its way towards them, as they each fell asleep where they stood. Oli, Rix, and Kuze managed to avoid the Sing attack, and set to defending their trainers. 

Rix had done a great job waking the dozing trainers, and the battle had fully commenced. One by one, the wild Pokémon either fell unconscious, or were caught handily. Lauren's Pokédex began to ring, and they spoke with Sylvie as she relayed an update on things in town. During the call, Donner opened his eyes and told Sylvie that Hragn and his men were planning on attacking the pack while everyone else was distracted during the "ritual". 

Seeing that Reinhold and Bronze would be finishing the battle soon, Lauren and Oli began jogging back to town. In short order, Bronze and Reinhold followed suit. 

Once more together, the group discussed what to do. In only a few hours, Flugil would be leading most of the town in the "ritual" down at the docks. They knew now that Hragn, too, would be moving into action at the same time. If the Pokémon swarm was to be moved along peacefully, our heroes would need to not only apply the enhanced Repel but keep the scared townsfolk from causing more harm. Feeling the desperate hope resting inside their newly inhabited Pokéballs, they silently exchanged glances of resolution. Too many innocents had died already, and the party's hearts were set firmly on the path they had begun to tread. Let the obstacles mount. In the end, compassion must win out......surely.