Session 49, VP2

A small amount of disquiet lingered as the group continued their travels the next day. Some of what their benefactor had said was easy to parse- though this did little to make the words more welcome. Thankfully, life on the road has a way of sweeping travelers off their feet in the most unexpected of ways.

The path to Streamsford was easy enough to follow. When they were slightly more than halfway to their goal, the trainers found their way forward barred. Two massive bear Pokemon stood back to back in the center of the trail. The Pangoro & Ursaring let out low growls as they turned to face our heroes. Now the pair stood shoulder-to-shoulder, glaring down at the party.

Though clearly ready for combat, the bears didn't seem aggressive. They gave off more of a...protective vibe. Sylvie's powers had recently grown to include communing with Pokemon; the Empath reached out to get a read on the wilds.

An image of the two dressed in black suits, wearing sunshades & ear-pieces flashed in her mind. It seemed that they were acting as bouncers for a sort of "party" happening a bit ahead. It took a bit of back & forth, but she was able to convince the guardians that the party meant no harm. Once everyone had promised they wouldn't attack or catch any of the party's guests, the bears allowed them to pass.

An odd sound became noticeable as they explored the bushes astride the trail. It almost sounded like a bunch of...springs? Sure enough, they found a large flock of Spoinks "dancing" together. No music was audible, but the pigs were all bouncing in time together in a rhythm. 

 

Lauren got a photo of the rave, shaking their head with a smile. The trainers scanned the Pokemon, & made ready to move on. Until...Sylvie & Lauren exchanged a glance of concern. They weren't sure what, but something seemed off. 

The pair focused on the assembly for a few moments. Weren't there more of the Spoink when they first spotted them? There! On the edges of the clearing, a brief flash of claws was visible for a split second: as they retracted into the undergrowth, one of the Spoink was taken with them.

With a cry of alarm, our heroes released Pokemon to defend the Spoink. Sylvie called out psychically to the bears to alert them as well. Battle was soon joined with the sneaky hunters of the wood: a pack of Sneasels! Working with the massive bouncers allowed the group to make quick work of the offenders.

As the last of the Sneasel fled, the bears began to usher the Spoink to a safer locale. Before they left, the Ursaring held its paw out for Sylvie's Pokedex. He scratched a bunch of nonsense on the touch screen before handing it back, almost as if to say "If you ever need help kid, give me a call."

The fact that the Pokemon carried no Pokedex of its own to receive such calls went unmentioned.

Streamsford came into view by the time the sun was setting. Reinhold decided to spend some time fishing Fate's Mirror while the others retired to their rooms at the inn. Just like their last visit in the town, small orbs of light began to drift above the still waters once night fell. Though the "lighthouse" they had visited previously wasn't visible from the shore, the fairy lights offered a sense of comfort nonetheless.

In the morning, our heroes continued Northwards. They noted that the Colosseum was closed as they passed by. The gladiators they had spoken to last time had mentioned an upcoming tournament in Hammerfest: maybe they were out of town to attend.

Rain poured down as they walked. The eaves of the forest provided a slight amount of shade from the elements, but they would soon be entering the open plains. When they had grown both tired & soggy, the trainers set up camp for the night. 

Strangely, a clear sky greeted them when they woke. Hadn't a similar clearing of the weather happened when they passed through this area a few weeks ago...? Whatever the cause, it was a welcome surprise.

Dew from the tall grass of the fields slicked their pant legs as they pushed on. Amidst the typical sounds of life, a faint singing drifted from somewhere nearby. Following it led the group to a round tree stump. Atop it was a regal-looking Grass Pokemon. Surrounding the stump were three Blisseys dancing in a ring.

One of the Happiness Pokemon missed a dance step, stumbling to the ground. Everything went quiet. The group's Pokedexes registered the regal Pokemon as a Tsareena. Ever interested in beautiful Grass types, Sylvie scanned the creature's mind. She recoiled only seconds before the Tsareena lashed out at the fallen Blissey with one of its mighty legs.

Before Sylvie could convey whatever she had gleaned, Bronze interrupted the proceedings to offer a dance of her own. With the kind of cold disgust only a queen could muster, the Tsareena turned hooded eyes on the Capture Specialist. 

"Look out!," Sylvie yelled, already too late. "It's a bitch!"

The Grass type leapt with stunning force, driving its outstretched legs straight into Bronze's chest. What was it with her & getting kicked by Pokemon? The group readied themselves for a fight. At least it would be easy to take out a single Pokemon...ah. Despite clearly being bullied by the Tsareena, the Blisseys moved to protect her.

Our heroes hammered into the queen as Sylvie said not to hit the Blissey. Apparently, the Tsareena had found them as baby Happinys. Over the years, she had beaten them into submission to serve as her back-up squad. Even with the trainers doing their best to avoid hurting the Blisseys, they were able to knock out the Tsareena with little effort.

Which is when one of the Blissey knocked itself out to revive her.

Seeing that their conditioning ran deep, Lauren & Sylvie moved to speak to the remaining Blisseys. They were able to convince one that they could be free of the Tsareena, but the other remained terrified into devotion. There was no other recourse. Reinhold knocked out the remaining Blissey to prevent it from continuing to heal the queen.

Without her supporters holding her up, there was only so much fight the Tsareena could put up. It occurred to the trainers that she would likely find new Pokemon to bully if they simply knocked her out & left. If they were to catch her, there was a chance they could redeem her- & if not, she'd be safer in their boxes.

One after another, they lobbed Pokeballs at the weakened queen. Her level must have been high indeed to resist the onslaught. Exhausted, Sylvie blindly reached into her pack for whatever balls she had left. Rusty's Flat Pokeball careened through the air with a whoosh. There was a burst of light as it collided with Tsareena's crown. The Frisbee-like Pokeball shook once...twice...& clicked home!

While Sylvie considered just what the Pokeball would do to the Tsareena, the group coaxed the unconscious Blisseys back to health. Recalling that the Pokemon Center in Hammerfest had appeared...understaffed, they asked the Blisseys if they would like to work at the medical center. The Blissey the trainers had talked down explained some things to its siblings for a moment.

In joyous tones, the triplets agreed to travel with the party to Hammerfest. Roughly half a day's travel yet remained to their destination, but the time would pass all the quicker with their new friends. If any town could use some extra healers on hand, it was probably Skirlic's domain. And that was before considering the death soon to come there......