Session 48, VP2

Though the trainers had surely faced foes more powerful, there was no denying that this was the most horrifying being they’d ever come across. Reinhold & Scourge leapt into action against the plague-bearer. The Komala’s hide was coated in layers of viscous slime that dripped from many open sores: both the Martial Artist & his Pokemon came away from their attacks sneering in disgust. It would take many hours of hard cleaning for them to feel clean from the foul beast’s taint.

 

By the time the battle was done, the Komala began to shrink back to its normal size. Wisps of pink light seeped off of its form throughout. The color pink reminded everyone uncomfortably of Gyda. Could she possibly be behind…whatever this was? There was no way of telling just yet.

 

Our heroes warily continued on their path after reclaiming their belongings. It didn’t take long before they reached the spot they had run into Fragna Droyma recently- in fact, some of the Dream Doctor’s belongings had been left behind in her absent-mindedness. Lauren collected the microscope & files on the ground, while Reinhold took the folding table.

 

Bronze spotted a friendly Growlithe that was watching them from the brush. When the group called out to it, the puppy immediately came bounding into the clearing. Lauren released Delwyn, who did not quite feel like “degrading” himself to the Growlithe’s level of play. Instead, the trainers entertained the dog with a game of fetch for some time. It didn’t much convincing to get the Growlithe to join the party in a Pokeball.

 

Nearly through Skald’s Echo, the trainers felt eyes upon them. Somewhere, a sense of menace was radiating in their direction. Keeping their guard up paid off: just as they finished passing by the base of the last mountain, a barbaric cry rang out from just behind & above them.

 

Sylvie, Lauren, & Donner all had a moment of recognition as the enemy revealed themselves. Bounding onto a rocky outcropping was a furious Wigglytuff! Alongside it stood a Skuntank & a Bounsweet. The group had ample time to release their own Pokemon before the charging wilds got within range.

 

But.

 

Just before the waves met, a thin ray of pink light speared out from the nearby forest. It enveloped the Bounsweet in a shining aura. The Pokemon began to swell to at least 10 times its normal size!

 

Despite its enhanced form, the Grass type was thankfully still fairly weak. Both it & the Wigglytuff were knocked out in short fashion, leaving only the Skuntank. The Pokemon saw that it was surrounded & alone. Backed into a corner, it did the only thing it could…the Skuntank used Explosion.

 

A horrendous stink hung in the air, discoloring it. After several minutes, it had cleared enough to be seen through. The attack had been powerful, & had nailed everyone in the fight. Only Reinhold, Gary, & Donner had managed to withstand the blast. The two trainers quickly dragged their unconscious friends clear before reviving them.

 

Though everyone was back on their feet, most of the party was quite exhausted. Standing on the edge of the forest, they began to debate how to proceed. Clearly, whatever was haranguing them- Gyda?- was hiding in the boughs. Should they meet it head-on?

 

While the others discussed this, Sylvie closed her eyes. The strange force that had been boosting the wild Pokemon was not too far away, & she could its satisfaction as it watched them. Strangely, it seemed to get happier the longer the group hashed out their various ideas.

 

Relaying this to her friends motivated the group to chase their watcher down. Whatever it was, it could practically be felt laughing as it darted further into the forest. The group marched until the sun began to set. The entire way, they could feel eyes upon them from above. Needless to say, the trainers were quite stressed & annoyed by the time they set up camp.

 

Lauren began preparing a hearty stew, while Donner helped with some seasoning & taste-testing. A relatively gentle river ran closeby; though they wished to be free of the lingering stink as soon as possible, the group had decided to eat their fill first.

 

Their hidden “friend” could be heard hopping between trees as the meal cooked. Bronze’s eyes glowed a bright yellow momentarily as she attempted to scope out the presence. Even with her enhanced vision, the creature remained invisible. The Capture Specialist was at least able to identify a branch that was clearly being weighed down by something.

 

No sooner had she pointed it out than Reinhold quite literally leapt into action. Springing into the air, he kicked off one of the trees to gain more air to reach the branch. Their guest may have been invisible, but it wasn’t intangible: the Martial Artist wrapped his arms tight around the branch, feeling something fighting back as he dragged it to the ground.

 

Hoping to end the mess quickly, he pressed a rune into the invisible form. He watched with shock as the stone dissolved in his grip. This lapse in concentration was followed by the creature flinging its wings out wide to break free.

 

Everyone stood stock-still for several seconds. It was Lauren who finally broke the silence, asking the invisible watcher if they would like a bowl of stew. In response, a shape began to become visible at the edge of their campsite.

 

At first, it appeared to be nothing more than roiling pink mists. Each second, the fog became thicker, until it appeared nearly-solid. Similar to Puphest, this left a body that was somewhat transparent, revealing no interior objects- save for a beaked skull. A gleaming pink raven stood before them on the ground. Empty sockets considered the party, before the bird hopped its way to one of the seats by the fire.

 

This alone was enough to cause no small amount of shock & confusion. Feelings that were quickly amplified, as the corvid’s beak opened to eject a guttural voice.

 

UNGRATEFUL.

 

It took a beat for our heroes to regain their composure. Their questions were met with a repetition of the raven’s original greeting.

 

NO GIFTS FOR THE GIFT-GIVER?

 

When the trainers met this with blank stares, the bird introduced himself as Huginn, a Celestial Emissary. He turned down the offer of stew, explaining that the group had “fed” him earlier while they were debating ideas on what to do. Apparently, he lived off of the thoughts & ideas of those around him.

 

A coarse laugh rang out as he explained that it had been him who had been growing the wild Pokemon earlier. Knowing the group would assume it was Gyda, he had figured it would be a fun way to get their attention & test them.

 

The trainers wisely chose not to voice their disagreement with this.

 

The talk soon turned to the cause of Huginn’s visit. Though he lacked eyes, each of the trainers felt like their very souls were being examined as he turned to them in turn.

 

A FAVOR IS DUE. THE WORM DRAWS NEAR. YOU WILL BE CALLED. YOU WILL ANSWER. Notably, this last was not phrased as a question.

 

Lauren’s voice contained a slight waver as they asked the raven if this meant their dreams were true. It was impossible to discern Huginn’s emotions as he confirmed this horrible fact. Thankfully, Bronze was able to sidestep the growing tension. In a polite bow, she offered the Emissary her business card.

 

Huginn graciously took the card before tucking it under one of his wings. This prompted him to bug the others for “GIFTS”. Reinhold offered a shiny lure from his tacklebox, which the raven put on as an anklet. Lauren held out the Nugget Donner had given them, recalling from myths that the raven liked shiny objects.

 

Sylvie had been worriedly chewing on her lip as she waited for the bird to reach her. What could she offer him that would be a proper gift for…whatever he was? Huginn cleared his throat, his eyes on her face. The Empath reached into her bag, pulling out the crown she had earned at the Ohmslo Mall Tournament. Gasps came from all those gathered there-even the raven himself.

 

YOU WOULD GIVE UP YOUR TITLE?

 

Feeling that this exchange could perhaps mean more than she had intended, Sylvie nodded her agreement. The small crown flipped through the air to land just above Huginn’s head. It hovered slightly, rotating slowly. The Lord of the Mall is dead. Long live the Lord of the Mall.

 

Seemingly satisfied, Huginn hopped up to Donner. The pair appeared to stare at each other for the barest of heartbeats before the raven physically recoiled with a light gagging noise. With no further comment, it floated above the campfire.

 

In thanks for their gifts, the raven now offered for them to pose him questions. Free of charge, of course. Our heroes took turns in this. Whether they were all comforted by the responses they received, only they can say. An answer does not guarantee your understanding.

 

In time, Huginn left the group alone in the night. Donner gathered the bowls & began to wash them in the river. Sylvie quickly grabbed her clothes & left to wash off the remains of the Skuntank’s Explosion. Reinhold, Bronze & Lauren each mulled over their “wisdoms” in silence.

 

There would be much to consider in the morning. For now, they could only hope to have some mercifully restorative dreams. And as he finished toweling off the dishes, Donner thought to himself: I wonder what the bearer of that ethereal voice looked like?