Session 48, VP1

Another Gym Rune had been added to the trainers’ growing legend. At dinner that evening, several townsfolk begrudgingly complimented Takeru on his newly-displayed battle skills. 

 

Gunnar spoke with Morphada about Ingeborg; some of the citizens had been convinced to reconsider the term of exile. Takeru had also suggested the possibility of bringing Ingeborg along with the group, though Bergie seemed very hesitant to do so. Morphada was grateful for our heroes’ consideration, & said they could discuss it further come morning.

 

Breakfast the next day was full of one of Morphada’s typical honey-glazed delicacies- only, this time, everyone present was thoroughly enjoying them. Rather than drowning something in honey, she had instead lightly-glazed bacon strips. She had also prepared a few packages of these rations for the group’s departure.

 

About halfway through the meal, the easy conversations around the table died down. A surge of goosebumps rippled through the party. Turning, they saw Ingeborg standing in one of the doorways. The young woman had her arms crossed tightly & sneered at all present.

 

Morphada only hesitated a second before rushing over to hug her daughter. Ingeborg did not return the embrace. As Morphada began to ask how Ingeborg was feeling, she was suddenly flung violently away, even though Ingeborg had not moved a muscle. The Gym Leader landed heavily on her rear as our heroes moved to help her back up.

 

With a flourish, Ingeborg explained that everyone in The Hive was now inferior to her. The psychic backlash from her “experiment” seemed to have unlocked latent abilities inherited from her father. Hysterig had sensed this from afar, & reached out telepathically to call his daughter “home”.

 

The burgeoning psychic leveled threats against the group. These words did not matter, but the cruelty she spewed towards Morphada was different. Gunnar made sure Ingeborg was aware of how easily she could be taken down. She did her best to appear unbothered, mocking the party as they took their leave.

 

Above-ground, the trainers took some time for their eyes to readjust to sunlight. Bergie & Gunnar had made some swaps back in town; before setting out, two new Pokemon were released. Bergie’s Blastoise, Bossman, burst brightly beyond Ball-bolstered boundaries. Meanwhile, a gigantic Dunsparce named Flormir landed upon the earth with a thud.

 

Bossman was…less than enthused about his new situation. After some back & forth, Bergie was able to reach a financial agreement to “hire” the Blastoise’s services in battle. Gunnar encouraged Flormir to test out her wings. As she began to lift off, he leapt atop her back to join her flight. Takeru watched these goings-on with a bemused expression. Just what had he signed himself up for?

 

In this way, the group spent roughly half an hour. Once they & their Pokemon were sufficiently settled, they discussed where to travel. Gunnar & Bergie had wanted to visit Streamsford, then perhaps Cursestone. Bergie remarked that this was essentially a trip for both to visit home before asking where Takeru hailed from. The Ace Trainer suddenly looked shocked & slapped his forehead.

 

Gods, he’d forgotten to give his mother a call- for the past 15 years. Bergie blinked in silence for a second. When he tentatively asked if Takeru was joking around, the Ace Trainer explained it had simply slipped his mind as his living situation deteriorated. The other two trainers exchanged a look. Just what had they signed themselves up for?

 

Takeru had grown up in a small temple dedicated to Tyr, located atop the middle peak of the Skald’s Echo mountain range. Examining the map showed that it was not too far South of Streamsford. It was agreed that they would head there first, then move onto their original travel plans.

 

After they had made some headway & had lunch, George seemed eager to get Bergie’s attention. The Arcanine was able to pantomime that he had sniffed out some Pokemon nearby. Following him took the trainers towards some tall grass. The sounds coming from further in indicated that there were likely several Pokemon- not knowing if they would be hostile, the group decided to approach stealthily. 

 

The group did not approach stealthily.

 

Though Gunnar was light of foot, Takeru & Bergie managed to step on practically every branch & bramble around the area. This naturally alerted the Pokemon to the group’s presence. Seven Pokemon were gathered around a Berry bush. When the intruders became visible, all of the wilds went on the offensive!

 

Our heroes had the advantage in power, despite the enemies’ superior numbers. The wilds began to fall or be captured…which is when a high-pitched whistling sound became audible. A Brown & blue blur streaked down from above, two missiles tucked beneath its wings. Two…round, pink missiles?

 

The Machprey flared its wings just before reaching the ground. It swooped up in an arc while deploying its payload: two Jigglypuffs! The marshmallow Pokemon both began to sing simultaneously. Between the two of them, near everyone on the field was put to sleep. 

 

Takeru had luckily managed to move out of range before the Jigglypuffs’ attack, & found himself the only trainer still conscious. He recalled his sleeping Beldum to release Red Hot Chili Pepper. 

 

Before he could issue the Wattrel any commands, its wide eyes took in the battlefield. So many creatures. All sleeping so peacefully. It would just be a shame if something woke them all up. 

 

The tiny bird drew in an incredible amount of breath, his gular sac swelling large enough to obscure the rest of his body. Takeru took off, having an inkling of what was coming next. As he dove to the ground, the Wattrel reached his maximum capacity.

 

In a display that would have done numbers at the loudness contest from the week prior, Red Hot Chili Pepper released a raucous din, a cacophony of grating laughter. The Uproar damaged all those within close earshot- but it also woke them up!

 

With ringing ears, the party was able to mop up the remainder of the wilds. Takeru picked himself up from the dirt & approached to survey Red Hot Chili Pepper’s handiwork. The Wattrel waddled up to his trainer. For a brief few seconds, the pair made eye contact. Was there a hint of comradery? The beginnings of respect?

 

No. 

 

The bird began to inhale again. In a panic, Takeru fumbled to grab the Wattrel’s Pokeball. He managed to recall the Pokemon just before it could begin another sonic assault.

 

Once the group finished patching themselves & their teams up, they continued towards the mountains. By the time the sun was beginning to set, they spotted a small camp near the base of the closest of the three peaks. Four figures were moving around a campfire. It seemed the campers spotted our heroes at roughly the same time: one of them gave a hesitant wave of greeting.

 

Reaching the camp in only a few more minutes, the party introduced themselves. Of the 4 campers, one seemed fairly friendly & sociable, one seemed a bit shy, & the other two seemed a bit withdrawn. The talkative man introduced himself as Hallbjorn. The shy woman was Verdandi, the sullen man was Birger, & the wary woman was Skuld.

 

The quartet were environmental caretakers- something of a mix between gardeners & lumberjacks. They roamed the Southern half of Vanachrom to remove invasive plant growth threatening wild Pokemon’s habitats. Occasionally, they were also hired to fetch various plantlife for some of the towns.

 

Their current job was to collect some firewood for Forgerun. They had stumbled upon a patch of poison oak along the way & had decided to remove it as well. Hallbjorn continued to explain that they typically worked alongside their Pokemon, but had needed to stop doing so a few days ago. When Gunnar inquired as to why, Hallbjorn released a Pawniard.

 

Each of the caretakers was partnered with a Pawniard & a Bisharp. These Pokemon were skilled at using their blades to cut down any obstacle in their path. Being Steel type also meant they were resistant to most poison, making them doubly suited for such work.

 

Yet, for the past few days, the Pokemon had been getting weaker & weaker. A look at their blades showed signs of chipping & rust. The state of their blades would make cutting anything difficult. Not wanting to hurt their Pokemon, the caretakers had proceeded to do their work by hand.

 

Our heroes were intrigued, & asked if they could take a look at the job site for clues. The campers agreed, though Skuld asked if they could set up a short bit away- it was clear the woman was leery of letting a group of strangers sleep in their camp.

 

Gunnar was surprised to see the caretaker’s campsite already empty when he woke, used to being the earliest riser. They had left a note next to some leftover fruit pies, explaining how to reach the jobsite. 

 

Some painted wood stakes made following the path easy. The four people were already hard at work, with two working on cutting wood & two clearing out the poison oak. A squad of Pawniard & Bisharp sat on a log nearby. Every few seconds, one of the Pawniard would move to help out. The Bisharp corralled them back each time with a sigh.

 

Hallbjorn & Verdandi greeted our heroes. Bergie moved to examine the poison oak, while Takeru looked over the trees. Both were able to conclude that the plantlife could not possibly be having a detrimental effect on the Pokemon; there was nothing unusually potent or corrosive amongst the poison oak, & the trees were relatively soft wood.

 

Now just as confused as their new friends, the trainers began discussing how to proceed. It was Takeru who pointed out that there was a nearby place that specialized in Steel Pokemon: the temple to Tyr he had grown up in. Hallbjorn recalled his Pawniard & Bisharp, gladly agreeing.

 

As the party set out to hike the next mountain, several hidden sets of eyes watched them go. Their owners giggled quietly at the mischief they had begotten…