Session 42, VP1

 Solgaleo had been defeated, & Forgerun was on the road to recovery. Bergie, Gunnar, & Saffa were all eager to get back on the road…but Naivara felt something different. Seeing how injured Brunick had gotten while protecting the town, the Mystic’s heart had been stirred. How could she leave her crush her friend alone to recover?

The others were saddened to hear this. Naivara assured them that this was only a temporary goodbye, which is when Brunick chimed in. 

There had been a small amount of Solgaleo’s metal leftover after he had crafted the arm-rings. The Gym Leader had worked some into a diadem he had already been crafting: the powers in the metal should allow Naivara to warp to Bergie’s location when needed. If the remainder of the metal was kept in Forgerun, she’d be able to return just as easily.

Even with this, our heroes were still leaving the town with heavy hearts. Some wild encounters helped lend them some measure of solace as they began the trek towards Saffa’s “farm”. Both Gunnar & Bergie were able to add some new Pokemon to their teams along the way.

After a few days of travel, the forest of Idunn’s Heart was visible once again. Only a few miles more took them back to where they had left Vern. The temple-keeper was rushing around in an odd flurry of activity, clearly a bit overwhelmed.

From beneath the soil of the 5 x 5 plot, water & mud was oozing up. Their friend had been using a bucket in an attempt to keep the flooding from spreading too far. Unfortunately, this was having a very minimal effect.

Bergie quickly released Froza & instructed her to try freezing the gushing water. Once it was reduced to a thick sheet of ice, the trainers asked Vern what was going on. He explained that everything was normal until a few hours ago. The water & mud had begun flowing with no discernible catalyst, & had ceased to stop.

Curiosity got the better of our heroes. They worked with their Pokemon to dig a hole down in the center of the land. When they reached a depth of around 4’, the soil caved in to reveal a tunnel. Staring up blankly were two Quagsires & their baby Wooper.

Using rations as bait, they were able to lure the Wooper out onto the surface. Its parents stayed in the tunnel, slowly attempting to rebuild their “roof”. Gunnar began to play with the Wooper, as Bergie lowered himself into the hole.

From this vantage point, it was easy to tell what must have happened: there was a river not too far from the farm. The Pokemon must have decided to dig a tunnel nest from beneath the riverbank. The mud-loving salamanders had then begun to settle into their new home, leading to the current predicament.

Back on the surface, Gunnar & Saffa began a “mud-fight” with the Wooper. Despite its lack of limbs, it was able to take part with gusto. When its energy had finally been exhausted, Gunnar helped Bergie out of the hole. 

The Breeder had tried to convince the Quagsire to enter a Pokeball, to no avail. Not wanting to cause them any harm, the pair debated what to do. They eventually passed the question onto Saffa- it was her farm, after all.

It was clear the juggler was still somewhat disappointed with the whole situation. Her previous discussions with Gunnar hadn’t helped her much in deciding how to deal with things. But seeing how happy the Pokemon seemed…

With a sigh, Saffa took out the “deed” for her plot. She pat the Wooper on the head & held the napkin out towards it. Surely not able to understand the meaning, the Pokemon gently took the gift in its mouth before jumping back into the hole.

The group was unsure exactly where to proceed from here. There was the matter with the thieves, but they weren’t exactly unhappy to see Farmer Gregori being harassed. Should they look into things regardless? If not, Harbinger Valley wasn’t too far away, if that route still appealed to them.

For now, they would set up camp & enjoy one more night in the peaceful setting. Perhaps the light of the new dawn would help them settle on a plan. There was thankfully no pressure for them to decide right away, so some time to rest was both welcome & overdue. With a relaxed sigh, the group settled in for a night of peaceful dreams……