Session 31, VP1

Luckily, Naivara & Bergie did not have long to wait in paralyzed confusion: it was only a dozen or so minutes before Gunnar's rope reappeared, being slung down from above. Gunnar quickly followed, sliding down to the crown of the giant ash. It seemed he had safely tied the rope off on a rock near the ceiling tunnel. Weakly, he clambered back down to the cave floor, as his companions felt their worry give way to anger.

When pressed, Gunnar explained that he was hoping to examine the entrance more thoroughly. Since all of the poachers had been leaving through it, it might be worth trying to close it in some way. Bergie escorted Gunnar & Silholdra back to town for healing, leaving Naivara & Saffa in Ash Cavern.

The two whiled away the evening attempting to improvise music. Saffa used her Rabbscuttle, while Naivara banged several crystals together. In the morning, the group reunited. They set up & strengthened some of their existing defenses, before turning their attention to the ceiling.

Trying to close it off entirely would be harmful to not just the flock, but any other wildlife that relied on the entrance. After reviewing the Pokemon each trainer had, the party realized that they didn't have much that could be helpful in this case.

Still, to at least have an effect, Bergie had Rambo & Froza create a lattice of frozen leaves. With that settled, our heroes readied themselves for the day's assault. Typically, the poachers had begun their attacks shortly after noon.

Today, for whatever reason, they failed to make an appearance until closer to evening. A small amount of poachers & their Pokemon slowly became visible at the end of various tunnels. They seemed to be taking the time to study the defenses arrayed against them, an unwelcome development.

It wasn't long before the leader of the poachers, Ingrid, called out from one of the tunnels as she had a few days before. One last time, she offered to pay our heroes off: $5000 per trainer. Not a small amount by any means, but not enough to pay for the innocent lives at stake.

Ingrid continued to harangue with the group even after they turned her offer down...something seemed off. The party felt a sense of unease, but they weren't sure as to why. Until Gunnar's ears perked up at the sound of wings.

The Martial Artist quickly spun, spotting the poachers' ploy: while Ingrid had kept them distracted, her Flying type troops had entered through the ceiling entrance, descending straight upon the innocent flock. Gunnar yelled a threat out in response to the underhanded tactic, before sprinting off down the tunnel Ingrid's voice echoed from.

Once again, Bergie & Naivara found themselves abandoned by their friend. There was no time to think about it, as the two dove into action to defend the tree. Saffa & Silholdra helped hold the line as best they were able, but even together, the four trainers could not stop all of the Flying types from escaping.

Meanwhile, Gunnar sped throughout the darkened tunnel towards Ingrid's location. It didn't take long before her silhouette became visible, walking away. Without hesitation, he leapt towards her in a powerful karate chop- only to find the attack intercepted by his new-found nemesis, the Politoed.

Ingrid seemed honestly baffled by how incensed Gunnar was, but wasn't about to let him attack her. With a shrug, she released two Ampharos that flanked the Politoed in the narrow tunnel. Although he was able to deal a solid amount of damage to the Ampharos, one trainer & one Pokemon could only do so much against three fully-evolved foes. Mary was soon unconscious, & Gunnar was left stumbling in the dark, suffering from Paralysis & Confusion.

By the time he staggered back into Ash Cavern, the day's assault had finished. More birds had been lost this day than the previous 5 combined. Saffa had taken a very powerful attack from a Raichu, & Pearl had been knocked out. The heroes caught each other up in a brief discussion.

With night closing in, Gunnar, Saffa, & Naivara wearily made their way back to Stygian Falls to heal. According to what Silholdra had told them, the flock of Pokemon would be likely to move away to a safer location sometime in the next day or so. The last of the eggs had hatched, but the group couldn't take much joy in their birth. Too many had been lost already.

And if Ingrid's tactics today were any indication, the poachers would be putting forth their strongest effort on the morrow. All our heroes could do, was plan & hope......