Session 29, VP1

Silholdra explained that the flock would likely be leaving in 7 days. Given the large size of Ash Cavern, the group discussed how to best cover its many entrances from the poachers for the duration. After settling on a rough strategy, they dispersed across the space, each Trainer posting up near one of the various tunnels that led to the cave.

Around noon on the first day, the poachers made themselves known. A few of them tried to reach the nesting flock at the tree, alongside their own Pokemon. It was evident they hadn’t been expecting resistance, especially from powerful trainers. This wave was turned back with ease.

As the second day dawned, the party decided to take a more proactive approach. Once they had gone through their morning routines, they created a few types of obstacles at the tunnel entrances. In some cases, they dug pits, while in others, they placed heaps of stone in the path. With these new additions, our heroes once again successfully defeated the poachers who attacked that day.

On the third morning, the group expanded on these defenses: pits were filled with water to become moats, paths were coated in slippery ice & grabbing vines. They also noted, with warmth, that several of the flock’s eggs had hatched overnight.

Though they had been doing fairly well so far, Gunnar realized that having more hands on-deck could only be a benefit: he returned to town, & told Saffa about what they were doing. Moved by the Pokemon’s plight, she eagerly agreed to assist in keeping them safe.

Saffa aided by lobbing some solid curveballs at some of the poachers directly, while her Furret, Trixie, supported the group. Even with their support bolstered, the party had a bit more difficulty fighting off the attackers.

For the first time, several of the poachers' more agile Pokemon managed to nab some of the birds. They took their prizes out of the hole in the cave roof above the mighty ash. Thankfully, the losses were minimal. That evening, while the group was recovering, they heard a woman’s voice call out to them from one of the tunnels.

In a surprisingly cheerful voice, she offered to pay our heroes to leave the flock undefended. As one, the trainers scoffed at the deal. The shrug of indifference was practically audible on the woman’s voice, as she said she’d be seeing them all soon.

A small number of the poacher’s Pokemon managed to once more make off with some of the flock, but they were mostly driven off empty-handed. In a helpful turn of events, our heroes managed to detain one of the poachers for questioning.

Naivara & Gunnar worked together to coerce the woman they had caught into giving up some intel: she was able to inform them of the types of Pokemon yet to be brought to bear by the poachers. Additionally, she told them that the leader’s name was Ingrid, & that she was unlikely to be deterred by argument.

When asked why she was doing this, the young woman explained that this job seemed like her only opportunity at the time, & paid well. After a moment, Silholdra stepped forward, with both judgement & an offer. The woman would be brought back to Stygian Falls, where she would help the town with any labor they needed for a sentence of time. If she showed that she had realized the fault of her actions, Silholdra would arrange a job for her in the town upon completion of her term.

The poacher seemed legitimately surprised by the mercy on display, & eagerly agreed. Bergie & Silholdra escorted the poacher back to town, as Gunnar, Naivara, & Saffa stayed in the cavern. It seemed that the Pokemon wielded by the poachers were specifically brought for their type advantages against the flock. Unfortunately, this also made them useful against Fire & Bug types, so Bergie & Silholdra also stopped off at the Pokemon Center for healing.

There were only four days remaining until the flock would move on to the next stop on their migration. The poachers would undoubtedly be stepping up their efforts as their window closed. Armed now with the knowledge of exactly what other Pokemon they could expect, the group went to sleep as early as they could.

Even if this hadn’t been part of their deal with Silholdra, none of our heroes could have stood by as innocent Pokemon suffered. Life, of every kind, deserved to be free. So let the poachers bring their best to the field of battle…they would fall just the same.