Session 58, VP2

Fresh runes added to their collection, our heroes decided to explore more of the wild cave system connected to the Hive. They passed a rundown shack on their way to the natural tunnels. It showed signs of relatively recent habitation, but was currently unoccupied.

 

Deep in the winding paths the trainers quickly found some wild Pokemon. Even to those without psychic senses, it was clear something was...off with some of the creatures. Morphada had mentioned some strange ritual her daughter had attempted to enact some weeks ago. It had begun to bind both Pokemon & humans into a connected hivemind against their will. The light pink glow to the wilds' eyes indicated there must be some lingering effects affecting the local wildlife.

 

This did nothing to deter the party from their wanderings- if anything, it gave them more reason to do so. Upon defeating the afflicted Pokemon, the hivemind spell dissipated, setting them free. Each subsequent fight saw them facing larger numbers of foes. The beasts also grew in power the further along the tunnels the group proceeded. 

 

After a few such battles, several of Lauren's Pokemon had been either knocked out or afflicted with status conditions. The Researcher, still in their detached state, used this as an excuse for them to return to town while the others continued on. Though none of their friends were happy about this, they could tell that what Lauren needed at the moment was space.

 

It had been several days since Lauren had sealed their emotions away into their mental vault. Lowering those defenses always ran a risk of overwhelming nearby people with psychic backlash. Rather then return to town, Lauren instead visited the shack from earlier. No one else was within range of their mental powers; sinking to their knees, Lauren let the walls come down.

 

Meanwhile, back in the tunnels, the other trainers had successfully caught some powerful new Pokemon. So far, their outing had been beneficial in terms of both experience & collecting. Still, something nagged at the back of their minds.

 

These tunnels were connected to The Hive, home of the Bug type specialist. They had set out with hopes of allying with some as preparation for Harbinger Valley: Bug types were known to be particularly strong against Psychic types. Why had they thus far seen practically no Bugs in the tunnels? Curious, they pressed on.

 

How much time passed while Lauren drowned in their sea of emotion, they could not tell. At length, they surfaced enough to dust themselves off & begin walking back to town. Oli weighed heavily on their mind now. The Natu had spent several days constrained- abandoned- to Lauren's box for the first time since the pair had met. This wrong needed to be righted.

 

In the tunnels, our heroes had reached a more "lived-in" stretch of catacombs. Footsteps & buzzing echoed from seemingly every direction around them, while honey dripped down the walls. At last, some Bugs! They released their Pokemon & advanced......

 

As Lauren reached the guest quarters, they noticed something: the room on the other side of the hall, the only one in the entire town with a door, was occupied. The door stood slightly ajar & light leaked out from within. Curiosity got the better of Lauren, so they approached.

 

The interior of the room was heavily decorated with posters & memorabilia of all sorts. A writing desk was practically hidden beneath blueprints & scrolls covered in cramped handwriting. And there, sitting on a bed with a picture frame in her hand, Morphada sat crying in silence.

 

Before the Researcher could back away, they were spotted. The Gym Leader quickly turned her head away while she wiped the tears from her face. Feeling slightly ashamed at intruding, Lauren was unsure how to proceed. Morphada eased the tension by inviting the younger trainer in to talk. They sat in the chair by the writing desk as Morphada gently placed the picture frame on a table beside the bed.

 

Earlier, Bergie & Gunnar had text the party about their own visit to the town. One of the things they detailed was an issue with Morphada's daughter, leading to her being exiled from the community. Unsurprisingly, this room had belonged to her: Ingeborg Vefrlauss.

 

The Gym Leader apologized for the state Lauren had found her in. As composed as she could be, she explained how Ingeborg had been the one behind the "psychic hivemind" incident through a misguided sense of ambition. This served as icing to the cake of resentment that Ingeborg had been baking all her life. The townsfolk had finally reached the limits of their tolerance, and so. Lauren knew the rest.

 

Creeping as quietly as they were able, the rest of the party advanced into the monster's den. Yes! Just as they had hoped, the cavern was rife with Bug types. There were Larvesta on the ground, Combee in the air, Wurmples on the ceiling- and so many others at work with silk & honey. This was fantastic!

 

Or, at least...that is what they first thought. Before dozens of compound eyes swiveled in their direction all at once.

 

It was easy to see how hurt Morphada was at her daughter's banishment & their parting words. It was a pain the Researcher was not unfamiliar with themselves. When they offered words of sympathy, Morphada was able to discern this. In fact, she accidentally said this aloud & looked mortified when she realized she had done so.

 

Lauren let the Gym Leader know that they were not offended. Gently, they recounted a bit of their own past. Lauren's folks had failed them in a major way when they were younger, leading to another mother raising them. 

 

There was hatred & anger in Lauren's chest for a time towards their bio-parents, it was true- but both sides had put in the work to bridge the gap that had eroded between them. Their issues were not the same as Morphada's over-doting on Ingeborg, but Lauren stood as proof that not all rifts are permanent.

 

Despite the somber topic & tone, Morphada did take some solace while hearing this. She thanked the Researcher with a warm smile. Their conversation had been the first time Morphada had seen Lauren truly display any emotions, & she remarked as such.

 

Pointedly, Lauren nodded while choosing not to expound on the reason for that. When Morphada asked if there was anything she could do to help Lauren, the trainer was quick to claim they didn't need any assistance. (Nor did they deserve any, an inner voice thought.) For a breath, it looked like that might be the end of the conversation...but Morphada's eyes were not so blind.

 

"Part of being a mother," she said as she stood, "is learning to know when a child needs something they can't see themselves." And before Lauren could respond, Morphada leaned down to wrap them in a tight hug. 

 

Would that the others were having such a time. Our heroes had been immediately besieged by a swarm of Bug types. The lingering hivemind power allowed the wilds to cooperate & strategize in dangerously effective ways. On their own, most of the insects assaulting them would be easily dealt with, but their sheer numbers were rapidly becoming a deadly advantage. Wave after wave fell in combat- on both sides of the field. Buzzing grew ever louder in the group's ears, incessant & grating. More Bugs began to clog all exits from the growing killbox.

 

It is strange: to Lauren, the sudden embrace feels heart-wrenchingly familiar. As if another set of arms were reaching across time, finally being able to give a farewell once denied by the cruelties of fate. With a sob, Lauren returned the hug. They laid their head against Morphada as a layer of ice within their soul shattered. The mother cradled the back of Lauren's head as she sung a soft, comforting lullaby.

 

Even after the tears ceased to flow, Morphada held Lauren together in her arms. It was several minutes before the Gym Leader stiffened slightly. Both trainers turned to doorway: a Volbeat had flown into the room in a panic. It seemed to tell Morphada something important before preparing to lead the way.

 

"It seems your friends are in a bit of trouble," Morphada whispered to Lauren. "Shall we go help them?" 

 

This was bad & growing worse. No matter how many insects our heroes put down, more rushed in to fill the gap. They had wanted Bugs, but not like this! Several of the Combee began to synchronize their wingbeats. The combined sound was like the whining of a drill, causing intense headaches. Their eyes were growing blurry from the confusion as their backs were pushed against the wall. 

 

Which was exactly when Lauren, Oli & Morphada burst into the cavern.

 

The sudden addition of their allies bolstered the rest of the party. Morphada's familiarity with both the tunnels & the Bugs helped them turn the tide. Finally, the onslaught had ended. Sylvie began rushing around to heal those who needed it as Bronze & Reinhold began to move the unconscious insects out of range of any accidental footsteps. 

 

Just as the trainers let out a combined sigh of relief, a new horde of Combee descended from a tunnel hidden in the ceiling. The Bugs surrounded the party & renewed their fellows' sonic assault. Even with everyone present, could our heroes withstand this last, desperate ambush?

 

No.

 

One by one, each of the trainers fell to their knees while clutching their heads. The buzzing made it impossible to think or move. All of our heroes' Pokemon were succumbing to the cacophony- or nearly all of them. 

 

Shadow the Pawniard shook as he forced himself to his feet. Next to him, Ros the Flaaffy began to crackle with blue electricity. Ros let out a bleat of defiance. Shadow scraped his knife-arms against each other savagely. 

 

The two Pokemon began to speed around the cavern, running & bounding across the stony walls. Faster & faster they careened, striking at the Combees with every pass. The intensity of Ros' light grew to blinding, reflecting off of Shadow's steely hide. With one massive flash, the Pokemon swept across the room to form an "X". Each skid to a stop in the dust...& finally, the last of the Bugs fell to the ground.

 

Ros & Shadow leapt into the air to high-five- and both began to glow. Bronze & Reinhold stared in pride & awe as their Pokemon evolved! Before the light had finished fading, both trainers had rushed over to praise their saviors.

 

No one protested a return back to town at this point. Donner & Sylvie were both heartened to see that Lauren had clearly come back from their vault. Upon reaching The Hive, the group dragged themselves to the Pokemon Center. Dinner helped relieve the exhaustion they all felt. 

Sylvie spent some time afterwards buying an eclectic mix of clothes from the townsfolk. Reinhold spoke briefly with Morphada about the plan for Harbinger Valley. He strongly disliked the idea of her needing to face her abusive ex, especially for the group's sake. The Gym Leader appreciated his concern & did her best to reassure him: right now, it was her daughter who was trapped with Hysterig. And Morphada would do anything she could to ensure her daughter was safe.

 

Back in one of their rooms, our heroes picked up the discussion about Harbinger Valley once more. They weren't entirely sure what Hysterig's plans or prophecy truly were, but they knew it involved having Sylvie marry Hestr. Gunnar's message to Lauren had further implications, but it was hard to know how much was just the Martial Artist misunderstanding the situation.

Bronze had her chin in her hands as she mused aloud. If Hysterig wanted Sylvie to marry Hestr, what if she were already married? Perhaps to Bronze? Would that curtail the prophecy & prevent her from being married a second time? This, naturally, was said exactly as Donner was entering the room. He froze & blinked several times in confusion. 

Ah, but it needn't be Bronze specifically: if Donner were to marry Sylvie, it would have the same effect, no? It would probably work even better, since the two of them clearly- blushing fiercely, Donner did an about-face & returned to his own quarters. Sylvie suddenly seemed keen to end the discussion at this point as well. Bronze & Tallulah wandered off as they discussed the finer points of prophecy & legal marriages. Lauren promised they would attempt to "dreamwalk" to Hestr overnight before following suit.

Back in their own room, Lauren laid on their bed before releasing Oli. They had retrieved the Natu on their way to help the others, but there hadn't been time for them to truly reconcile things between them. Only enough to establish "we'll talk later, but there's an emergency right now". The bird hopped onto Lauren's chest with a huff.

Lauren opened their mind fully to Oli. The two sat in silence while they communed telepathically. They pored over all that had happened since the Natu had been boxed, all the painful feelings Lauren had been hiding away. Oli sent love & reassurance, but there was no denying the undercurrent of guilt the bird felt. As if he had failed Lauren by not being there, through no fault of his own.

When Lauren promised Oli that he would never box him away like this again, the bird affirmed with this with a sharp peck to the Researcher's chest. Almost as if is to say "I'll hold you to that". The trainer couldn't stop yet more tears from filling their eyes. Not of sadness, but of relief: relief that they had not ruined this closest relationship. The tiny bird tried to reach out to wipe away the tears with his stubby wings...as those very wings began to stretch & glow. 

White light suffused the bird's body. His form began to grow in all directions, septupling in height. Strong feathers full of warmth wrapped themselves gently around Lauren's shoulders. Oli's own tears fell on Lauren's chest like rain. The glowing faded.

The pair had traveled through endless trials & pain. Like brothers, they had looked after each other so closely. From the bottom of his heart, Oli had spent months longing desperately for a way to comfort Lauren, to give them the reassurance they deserved. And now, finally, the Xatu had been given wings up to the task. 

Sylvie knocked on the doorframe to Donner's room. He looked up in surprise, in the middle of preening Duna's feathers. The group would be leaving for Harbinger Valley tomorrow, so Sylvie needed to finalize a disguise. Would...would Donner come help her? Both Psychics were a bit red in the face as he agreed.

Back in her room, Sylvie lay out the assorted clothes she had bought in town. Knowing that she was worried about her hair being a giveaway, Donner had managed to find a stylist's kit & some dye. 

The reality of the situation threatened to overwhelm Sylvie. A part of her had wished there would never be a need to return to Harbinger Valley, that there would always be some excuse she could hide behind to stay away. But fate does not need to chase us along the road to meet it: it simply needs to wait. She took a deep breath. Donner laid a hand on her shoulder, strong, reassuring. 

"Okay," Sylvie said with a sigh. "Let's get me ready to go home."