Session 39, VP1

Though Party 2 had resolved to wait to visit Sol's Bed, they still rose early the next morning. At dawn, shortly after the Sun rose, a bright flare of flame could be seen distantly atop Sol's Bed. Lauren's psychic senses managed to confirm that Solgaleo seemed to be repeatedly circling the dormant volcano.

It seemed they had gotten lucky in this, at least: the beast must have only wandered into Forgerun on a whim, rather than with a reason. Reinhold & Sylvie decided to check out what supplies were still available in the local market.

The door & windows were boarded up much like the rest of the town, but this was easily surmountable. Within, the pair gathered various items for healing & support. Sylvie made sure to leave Monies by the register in exchange, hoping it would still remain when the shopkeeper returned.

Bronze & Lauren instead made their way towards Brunick's gym. One of the ideas they had discussed with the townsfolk earlier had been the possibility of creating a Lunala-shaped model to distract Solgaleo with. They knew the gym was one of the buildings that had been damaged in Solgaleo's assault, but it was possible they could still scrounge up something useful.

The front portion of the gym, effectively an open-air theater stage, was a mess of burnt & collapsed wood. The building attached to its back was still standing in part. Picking their way carefully across the rubble, the trainers entered the back stage.

Chunks of the roof littered the space. An actor's preparation desk had been crushed beneath the stone. Lauren saw that the broken mirror upon it had been surrounded by various photos & drawings, all belonging to Brunick. Unable to do much, they gathered the photos they could to save them from any further damage.

The room at the rear of the building turned out to be a dressing room. Large cabinets full of costumes lined what walls remained; the back wall seemed to have crumbled inwards, leaving a massive opening to the outdoors. The pair searched, & were able to find the remains of what must have been the Lunala model.

Sadly, they were damaged beyond repair. Four silhouettes slowly became visible within the poison mist. Riders, who stopped short at the sight of the duo's own silhouettes. The two groups moved closer, causing Lauren & Bronze to break out into grins.

Party 1 had arrived! Warm greetings were exchanged, & Lauren offered Bergie a strange runic necklace. Crafted by Brunick's grandparents, it could lend some protection to the mist's effects. The trainers briefly chatted, before making their way towards Ivar's home. Along the way, their path intersected with Sylvie & Reinhold's.

Once safely indoors, the combined group checked on Brunick. He was still unconscious as the powerful burn fought against immune system. Naivara was overcome with worry for the gym leader. While the party began to plan their journey East, she insisted she would stay to look after Brunick. Though the others would miss her aid, it was good that an experienced trainer would be able to guide the townsfolk in the event of further attacks.

On their way out of town, Bergie spent a few minutes inside the market. Realizing that most of Party 2 lacked ridable Pokemon, Party 1 shared their own. To hasten their trek, they liberally used Repels to avoid encounters with sickened Pokemon. Each dawn, they could see Solgaleo's flare once more.

By the time Sol's Bed loomed above them, our heroes were exhausted. Sylvie recalled the tunnel they had dug to the surface from the underground caverns. It was a relief to find it still accessible after a short search. Poison mist still permeated throughout it, but at a much more tolerable level: they could find no better place to camp for the night.

A plan was plotted out over dinner. The beast was clearly making an appearance at the Eastern lip of the caldera each morning. Using the Lunala echo from Mani's bed, our heroes could distract the lion before launching an ambush. Satisfied with this, they took watch shifts through the rest of the night.

Well before the Moon had vanished, the trainers woke. One short hike later, they had reached the caldera. Several of his footprints could be seen in the dirt on the Eastern side, confirming their suspicions. And so, they hunkered down to wait.

The minutes passed like hours. Each of the trainers prepared themselves for the coming fight. Rays of light began to wash away the shadows, bringing with them a welcome warmth. A warmth that steadily increased until it became uncomfortably hot.

Solgaleo was here.

The massive lion perched just feet above them. The group dared not even breathe as they waited to spring the trap. As soon as the monster began to bellow into the sky, Reinhold released the Lunala Echo from the Strange Bell. The histories were proven to be true; Solgaleo trailed off mid-roar to launch an attack at the Moon Pokemon.

"Now!" With their nerves steeled, our heroes leapt from their hiding spot, Pokemon at the ready. The battle raged as they piled onto Solgaleo. Each second the Echo bought them, they used to launch waves of attacks towards their foe. Outnumbered & surrounded, the beast let out a snarl as it emitted a blinding flash of light.

When their eyes adjusted, the trainers could see that Solgaleo seemed to be...encased within a prism of some kind. It appeared both flat & three-dimensional at the same time, warped by unfamiliar powers. The space between he & the group was now overrun with various Pokemon, all associated with the Sun.

One by one, our heroes took these defenders out of the battle. The entire time, Solgaleo's form seemed to waver like so only so much light. What could the creature be doing?

Through their combined powers, the group managed to clear the way towards the lion. Which is exactly when their plan began to fall apart. Silently, Solgaleo loosed what must have been an overwhelmingly powerful roar. Every inch of the caldera began crackle with purple energy in response. Before anyone could react, the prism surrounding the legendary shattered.

All at once, the world dissolved into a sickening swirl of color. Standing on nothing, our heroes found themselves drifting between dimensions. Their heads were spinning as the lion coalesced into view. Was it the wormhole's energy affecting their sight, or...... No.

Solgaleo bristled as it glared down at them with blazing eyes. But he did not stand alone. Aglow with radiant crimson light, a second Solgaleo flexed its claws & growled. Swallowing down their fear, the trainers braced themselves. Though the odds had changed, their mission stayed the same: drive the beast away. Or die trying.