Session 8, VP2

Flugil faded back into unconsciousness as the party watched for the sun to set. During the wait, Bronze skillfully converted an Apricorn into a Pokeball, to the amazement of Reinhold. Sylvie took stock of her ingredients, as Lauren watched the urchins through their camera.

It seemed the Pokemon would recede into the ocean roughly once an hour or so, and stay off of the island for a too- brief moment. Still, knowing their timing could only help our heroes escape. The sun was halfway behind the horizon when the swarm began its trek towards the ocean. The party didn't miss a beat, as they descended from the plateau.

Reinhold hefted Flugil, and gently lowered her down to his friends. Once he had reached the ground himself, he had them put Flugil on his back, as the others prepped themselves for the escape. Lauren had a Max Repel in their hand, at the ready.

Meanwhile, Bronze released San, and asked them to travel in sync with the party beneath the ground. With these precautions set, the charge towards the shore began. The island scenery around became a blur as our heroes pushed themselves as fast as possible. In minutes, they broke the treeline, finding themselves at the beginning of the shore.

Their dinghy lay where they had left, thankfully not damaged by the swarm. Unfortunately, a small group of Mareanie were standing on the edge of the sand, staring out at the Onaga. Lauren quickly applied their Max Repel on the party, and they started heading towards their boat. The Mareanie heard the group approaching, and turned, ready to attack these trespassers.

Just as planned, the Max Repel could be seen to have an immediate effect: although it was nearly-odorless to the trainers, the Mareanie were visually recoiling in disgust. Still, they appeared aggressive, clearly about to fire poison stings. Bronze shouted for San to explode out of the sand on the other side of the Mareanie to distract them.

As the sand plumed into the sky, the Mareanie were torn between two targets. Eventually, after retching as they continued to smell the Max Repel, the Pokemon turned, and went to investigate the distraction.

Sylvie & Lauren got into the dinghy, and helped Reinhold lower Flugil into the center of the boat. While having San loosen the ground beneath the boat, Bronze & Reinhold pushed the craft into the rippling waves. Thankfully, it seemed that Flugil had been correct; the onset of night seemed to weaken the whirlpools, making them more navigable.

The party was only fifteen feet off the shore when the swarm began to disgorge from the ocean onto the island. Although the urchins tried to launch poison stings after the boat, the darts fell short. Lauren & Reinhold set to hauling on the oars with all haste.

To everyone's surprise, Lauren threw their entire being into the effort, outstripping Reinhold's pace on the oars. After a few tense minutes on the open sea, they neared the side of the Onaga. From the deck above, they could hear cheers and shouting from the crew. As Lauren's shoulders sagged from the adrenaline rush fading, the dinghy was hauled up by the crew.

Before our heroes could disembark, they found themselves surrounded by the excited sailors, each shouting questions over the other. A terse cough came from the back of the group, and the crew quieted down as Sigyn cut through them. Seeing Reinhold carrying Flugil's unconscious form, she quickly led the group below decks to a medical room.

Once Flugil was laid out comfortably on a table, Chef Matthew entered the room, still blinking sleep from his eyes. As he tried his best to stifle yawns, the party began to explain what was wrong with Flugil. He recommended that they set out to find the necessary ingredients for an antidote as soon as possible, given Flugil's declining condition. The party headed back topside as Matthew began to hook Flugil up to an IV.

As they made their way back abovedeck, a few sailors could be seen exchanging money and talking enthusiastically. Sigyn stood in her typical roost, and turned to greet the group. They once more recounted the events in motion, and requested further use of the dinghy. Although she was concerned for Flugil's health as well, Sigyn expressed her uncertainty on the suggested course of action, instead proposing that the ship make their way towards the closest port.

The group was quiet for a moment, before Sylvie pointed out that there was no guarantee any of the nearby cities would have what they needed. Sigyn begrudgingly conceded that the party was correct, and offered the continued support of the Onaga's crew.

Not wanting to waste further time, our heroes decided to begin their search right away. The Onaga brought them as close as it could to the nearest island, and the group clambered into the dinghy once more.

After making land, Bronze took a look at the nearby foliage, recognizing a few Apricorn trees. As she collected a few of the acorns, Sylvie noticed tracks in the sand around them. The footprints were small and round, and didn't look familiar to anyone in the group. Still, this was proof that the island was inhabited. Bolstered, they began to make their way inland through the brush.

An hour passed in fruitless searching, as the group's spirits flagged. Nearly at the same time, Lauren & Bronze both let out small groans. It was no wonder they weren't able to find any Pokemon: they were still carrying the scent of the Max Repel. Realizing that the Repel's effects would last for another 10 hours, Bronze jumped into the ocean, attempting to wash the aroma off.

Unfortunately, the Max Repels had been designed perhaps too well, and were clearly designed to be slightly waterproof. Feeling the hands of the clock spinning around them, our heroes set themselves down in a small copse as they debated how to proceed. Should they wait until the scent wore off, or was there some other way they could continue with their search?

Through some discussion, it was suggested that some of the group's Pokemon could be sent out to hopefully track down any native Pokemon. Kuze, Thistle, Olli & King were released, and their trainers explained their mission. The first three were eager to assist, but King was clearly not interested in Bronze's request.

Claws raised, he kept looking out towards the shore. Bronze & Lauren tried to convince King to help out, with no success. Not willing to continue to argue with an arthropod, the group sent the other 3 Pokemon out to scan the nearby area.

Roughly 15 minutes later, Kuze came back to the party, clearly excited. He pointed Northwest into the island, and gestured to be followed. Not wanting their Pokemon to return to an empty site, Sylvie & Lauren decided to stay put, as Bronze & Reinhold went with Kuze.

Reinhold followed closely behind Kuze, with Bronze beside him. A short while away, they came to a stop as Kuze pointed through some large bushes. Bronze snuck forward, peering through the leaves. Huddled just on the other side was a small pile of sleeping Pokemon, which the Pokedex identified as Bellossom. Bronze began to take out a Pokeball as suddenly a loud snap echoed out from behind her; Reinhold had stepped on a branch, and the Bellossom were beginning to wake.

Back at camp, Sylvie collected some island foliage as Lauren took photos in the quiet of the night. Sylvie attempted to offer King some of the herbs & flowers, but was, unsurprisingly, rebuffed. Wondering where their Pokemon were, the trainers anxiously waited in the dark. King gave a start, and cocked his head to listen to something he had picked up. Not even giving the trainers a look, he began shuffling off into Southeast into the island.

Reacting quickly, Reinhold threw Shadow out from his Pokeball, yelling for him to quickly cut off one of the Bellossom's flowers. With the moonlight reflecting off of his many blades, Shadow darted forward, slashing out with surgical precision. A red flower fell to the ground. Shadow stabbed his other bladed hand through it, and ran back to the trainers. Hoping to avoid a fight, Bronze & Reinhold took flight back the way they came.

Lauren & Sylvie trundled their way through the trees, trying to stay close behind King. They were unable to hear whatever had caught his attention, but trusted that, whatever it may be, it would be something important. King suddenly paused, seeming to triangulate the sound he was chasing, before taking off at top speed.

The two athletic trainers didn't stop running for several minutes. As they caught their breath, they looked behind for signs of pursuit, finding none. Shadow gladly passed the flower to Reinhold, as the group continued walking back to their campsite.

Bursting through the brush, Sylvie & Lauren saw King standing in an intimidating stance, letting out a bubbly cry. A few feet away, 10 odd little mushroom Pokemon could be seen, carrying the unconscious forms of Olli & Thistle towards a cave. Sylvie let out a cry to catch their attention, and 3 of the Shroomish peeled off to engage in battle.

Bronze & Reinhold arrived to find the campsite empty, with no signs of where their friends had gone. They waited a few minutes, before backtracking to the dinghy, hoping to find their companions. As they made their way onto the sand, it became clear that there were no fresh tracks in sight. While they debated what to do, they faintly heard Sylvie's voice crying out somewhere in the distance.

Before either trainer could react, King darted forward and snagged one of the Shroomish in his large claw. Enraged, he began repeatedly slamming the Pokemon into the ground. Momentarily stunned at this savagery, Lauren & Sylvie released Sonic & Gingko as battle was joined.

The engaging Shroomish found themselves on the losing side of the conflict quite quickly. Still, the remaining Shroomish were continuing to carry the trainers' Starters towards the cave unabated.

As if on cue, Reinhold & Bronze came running out of the dark. Sylvie yelled and pointed at the fleeing Shroomish. Acting on instinct, Reinhold leapt into the air, using his momentum to drop kick the escaping Pokemon.

With his powerful attack, 4 of the Shroomish were bowled over, dropping Thistle to the ground. Our heroes worked together in an effort to save their Pokemon. Attacks flew through the night sky from Pokemon and trainer alike. In a short while, all but 1 of the Shroomish had been defeated. Seeing the state of things, it quickly turned tail and disappeared into the cave mouth.

Lauren & Sylvie ran over to check on their starters. Thankfully, they appeared uninjured; it looked like the Shroomish must have ambushed Olli & Thistle with Sleep Powder. Once the snoring Pokemon had been collected, Sylvie pulled out a glass vial. Scavenging amongst the knocked-out foes, she managed to fill the vial with spores from the Shroomish' caps.

Reinhold produced the red Bellossom flower, and the group felt a moment of pride. Two of the 4 ingredients were already tracked down, and they were that much closer to curing Flugil & Hylr.

Curious about what the Shroomish had been doing, the party made their own way into the small cave. After several twists & turns, they began to hear echoing voices coming from around the next corner. As cautiously as possible, the group stepped around the corner. In front of them was the injured Shroomish they had driven off, limping its way towards a vast cavern.

Filling the cavern was a massive Shroomish, easily 4-stories tell. All around it, normal-sized Shroomish chanted and bowed. Occasionally, the large Shroomish would lean over and swallow several of its brethren whole. The injured Shroomish realized it was being followed, and turned towards the party. Before it could alert its fellows, the party did their best to intimidate the Pokemon. With their best efforts, the Shroomish was sufficiently cowed, giving our heroes time to escape back to the surface.

Unsure what they had just witnessed, but sure it was too dangerous to idly engage, they loaded back up into the dinghy to continue their quest.

The next island was largely barren, resembling a large rock field, with no visible vegetation. Along the shore, a few Mareanie footprints could be spotted on the sand, though none appeared fresh. Seeing that there was a peak further inland, our heroes began clambering over the difficult terrain.

No wildlife was visible on their journey, and they reached the craggy peak. Fondly remembering Kanto folklore about Clefairy, Bronze suggested the group climb atop the large rock. Once atop the peak, they gazed in all directions across the island's surface.

Even from this vantage point, no life could be spotted. Just as they were about to begin their descent, Lauren & Bronze noticed a brief flash of white light coming from the Western-most island in the chain.

Excited, they urged their friends to rush back to the dinghy. A short while later, they made their way ashore the island they had spotted. The sand formed only a brief strip along the island's edge, quickly segueing into an abundance of verdant growth. Everywhere the party looked they saw flowers, fruits, ferns & trees. Oddly, several of the foliage on display typically grew only in specific areas far from where they now stood.

Sure that they would find something of interest on this island, they began to pick their way through the lush landscape. The further they walked, the more they began to hear a dim susurrus around them. The voices slowly resolved themselves into a musical chant, and the party began to feel their stress and injuries fade.

Further into the island, they came across a vast field of motley flowers. In the center of this field, a tree had somehow been shaped to form a natural archway. Beneath this bower, our heroes saw two Audino standing on either side of what must be a Mega Audino.

When the calm Pokemon finished their song, Sylvie & Lauren slowly approached them. The Mega Audino, while extremely large & powerful, did not radiate an aura of threat or malice. Its pink eyes seemed warm and inviting as they examined the trainers.

Taking this as an invitation, Sylvie began to explain their mission. With a smile, the Mega Audino gestured to its lesser kin. The two Audino walked up to Sylvie, putting their hands out. Lauren realized they were asking for the antidote ingredients, which the group then handed over.

The Audino returned to their positions, as they became enveloped in a pink glow. When the glow became nearly blinding, the Mega Audino closed its eyes and began to sing in a high, clear voice.

Our heroes closed their eyes for but a moment as the glow grew to envelope the entire field. When it cleared, a small bowl of luminous pink liquid lay where the three Audino had been standing seconds before. They had done it; the antidote had been made! With all haste, the group ran back to the dinghy, rowing straight to the Onaga.

Once on-board, they made their way down to the medical bay, where they found Matthew trying, and failing, to fight off sleep. Flugil didn't appear to have gotten any worse, but she still looked dangerously ill. Wasting no time, Sylvie gently opened Flugil's mouth and poured half of the antidote in. Within seconds, the angry purple lines across Flugil's skin began to fade.

Sending Matthew back to his room, the group settled in. Whatever blessing of health the Audino had bestowed on the party still lingered; the party felt no exhaustion, despite having been active for over a day. With nothing left to do, they could only wait.

The morning sun streamed trickled in through the window, as all around them, the group could hear the ship's crew starting their day. Slowly, wearily, Flugil opened her eyes. Barely conscious, she idly scratched Hilda's fur. Lauren got their companions' attention, as Flugil noticed she wasn't alone. Her voice still raspy, she sat up, about to ask them a question.

She paused, realizing that she had managed to move by herself. Looking down at her arms, Flugil saw the color returned to her skin, and no lingering sign of the vicious poison. She silently started to cry, prompting Hilda, Sylvie, & Lauren to give her a comforting hug.

Excusing herself, Flugil explained that she had been lost in horrible dreams, and had felt herself unsure if she would ever wake. She thanked our heroes several times for their selfless efforts on her behalf. With her awake, the party paid a visit to the kitchen to fetch breakfast for them all.

Once they had eaten, they began to discuss how they could possibly cure Hylr of his own ailment. When asked, Flugil mentioned that Hylr was very fond of spicy food. Reinhold suggested they use some as bait to lure Hylr to the surface. As the rest of the group continued to hash out a plan, Lauren visited Matthew once more. After explaining the situation, Matthew agreed to make a large amount of a spicy dish.

A few hours later, Matthew called them into his kitchen. In every single bowl and pot he could scrape together, Matthew had made heaps of spicy jambalaya. Now stocked up with both bait and the antidote, a course of action had to be decided.

With small input from Flugil, our heroes took turns suggesting options they could try. Each new plan drove home the fact that they were out of their depth, but they refused to let that stop them. How would they lure Hylr into range of the antidote? In what way could they guarantee the panacea would take effect? A dark cloud began to weigh over them as the continued to debate. Whichever way they decided to go, they knew that they would succeed. They had come this far after all, so how could they fail? Right?