• • Ways to stretch the campaign:

    • • One of the young trainers lost his bike on the road when he was attacked. If you can get it for him, he'd reward you.

        • • The Bike is in the tall grass along the road the players came through in 1-A, where the Beedrill and Weedle attacked. However, some Burmy have decided to use it as a good place to spin some webs, and they may not take kindly to their new home being disturbed.

      • There are small areas of unforested plains nearby - players could potentially catch some Grasslands-inhabiting Pokemon there, if they feel the need. (Re-use the 1-A map for these encounters.)

      • One of the trainers at the Pokemon Center, or someone who lives in town, has lost a Pokemon in the Forest. You'll know it's that Pokemon because of the blue armband it wears.

      • The guards in the Guard House are worried that the National Police are taking too long. Their radio tower is broken, however; in order to get a message out, they have to fiddle with a portable one on the roof of the guard house. Defending the guard from an onslaught of wild Pokemon might get the players a reward!

      • The Berry Farm at the edge of town has a much-needed crop of Tenga and Pecha berries in, which reduce the power of super-effective Bug-type moves and cures Poison, respectively. But they've had problems with local non-Bug Pokemon eating the berries just before they're ready to harvest! If the players protect the berries overnight, they can keep a bagful for themselves.

1-C: Access to the Woods

There's a large river which separates the forest from the town, with a large wooden bridge over it. However, the bridge is out - one of the young Trainers was accosted by Bug-types on the way back to town, and his Pokemon was a Voltorb.

The river has a few large stones in it, and both sides have a few thick-trunked trees scattered about. It's a big enough, and fast enough, river that swimming across would be difficult for weaker-armed Trainers.

If the players want to get into the woods, they'll have to get to the other side of the blasted bridge.

• • The trainers can try to swim across, or use Water-type Pokemon to help bring them over.

  • The trees can be cut down to make into a make-shift bridge, or used to string across rope or Pokemon silk.

  • There may be some rocks that can be used as stepping stones further up the river.

    • • This rocky path could be improved by pushing some boulders nearby into the stream.

  • There may be other potential solutions here; whether such solutions work or not is up to the DM.

Whatever solutions they try, it's quite likely that the players and their Pokemon will have to use skills to accomplish them. Trainers can use skills based on their attributes, while Pokemon can use skills based on their Power and Intelligence Capabilities. A d20, plus whatever attribute or capability makes the most sense for that particular action, should tell you whether or not it succeeds: if the action is difficult, they want a 13 or better; if it's only moderately difficult, they want a 10 or better; if it's relatively easy, but could still be done wrong, they want a 7 or better.

If all else fails, or if someone gets swept downriver, they should go downriver to the Fisherman, who will fish them out.

If the trainers make it across the river, they'll have a random encounter (see 1-X), before making their way to 1-E. (At the DM's discretion, the players could instead wander into 1-D from there, and then to 1-E.)

1-D: The Fisherman

The players come across a lone Fisherman, idly sitting by the river.

He's noticed the upswell in angry Bug-types, of course, but he covers himself in spray-on Repel every morning, and so they haven't bothered him. He's been fishing in these woods for years, as well, so they may just be used to him and not consider him a threat.

The Fisherman enjoys a good day's fishing, and he also enjoys a sporting Pokemon battle. Either winning a fair fight with him, or catching a particular Pokemon he has his eye on, will get the players on his good side.

Once the players are on the Fisherman's good side, he'll be happy to ferry them to and from town on his boat. It's not very fast, but it's faster than trying to cross the broken bridge every time. He can also get them across the river easily, so that they can continue on towards 1-E.

Q: "Who are you?"

A: "I'm just a fisherman who loves this river. I used to do a little of that 'travelling trainer' gig when I was younger, but I never got into the badge race. You all on some mission for Typha? Gotta go get such-and-such an herb or somesuch?"

Q: "Have you seen any researchers around here lately?"

A: He thinks for a minute. "It's been a while since I seen them. One of this river's tributaries goes right alongside their camp, y'know. Haven't been up that way in a week or two. Say, tell those eggheads to keep their trucks quiet, too. Every time one rumbles by the bugs get all in a tizzy and swarm."

Q: "How come the Bug-type Pokemon don't bother you?"

A: "Oh, the bugs? Yeah, they been getting real ornery this season. That's why I got so much Repel on - only way to keep them off. And that's only if I don't use my boat's outboard motor."

Q: "What are you fishing for?"

A: "Lots of Water-type Pokemon live in this river, but I don't usually aim to keep what I catch. It's all about the sport, y'know! But a while back I did see a West-Coast Shellos in these waters. Normally you only see East Sea Shellos, and even they ain't too common. Mostly just in the summer months. Not sure how it ended up here, but I figured, maybe I could catch it and make friends. I even had a Net Ball made up special for when I reel it in! But that means finding it first. Don't suppose a couple of pro-looking Trainers like yourselves could help me out there?"

Q: "Why should we help you catch this Pokemon? What do we get?"

A: "You find me that Shellos and put it in this here ball, and I'll be your taxi all the way up and down this river. No hard feelings if you can't or anything, but I figured I'd ask, tit for tat, that kind of thing."

Q: "What if we don't want to help you, or if we fail?"

A: "Well, I might still be convinced to help you all out too, but I reckon I'll need to blow off some steam then - a Pokemon Battle might have to go down."

The Fisherman will let the players use the Net Ball he made to try and catch the Shellos. It's hiding under the water, but the players can bring it up with any number of tricks: Sending a Water-type of their own to flush it out, placing food on the water's surface, mimicking a Shellos' cry, or, worse to worse, doing their own bit of fishing.

When the Shellos comes to the surface, there will only be 1-2 of them - the trick is to weaken them enough to make for an easy catch, but not to faint them (as a Fainted Pokemoncannot be caught with the Net Ball, or any normal Pokeball for that matter). The Shellos are Lv. 12, West-Coast variety (aka, pink). Catching the Shellos and giving it to the Fisherman does count as a "Catch" for that player's Pokedex and for feats and advanced classes, and that catch is not removed when the Shellos is given away - but for the purposes of advanced classes and feats, this does not count as a "release".

If the players fail at catching a Shellos, or just refuse to help, then the Fisherman can still be convinced to give them a ride... but only if they battle!

(Potential) TRAINER BATTLE: Fisherman's Pokemon

• • Lv. 9 Poliwag

  • Lv. 13 Wooper

  • Lv. 13 Shellos

  • Lv. 16 Magikarp

The Fisherman will only send out enough Pokemon to battle the players 1 on 1, or all of them, if the players outnumber his team. He's not skilled enough to order them all around at once, however: every time one of his Pokemon has a turn, roll a d20; on a 5 or below, it loafs around instead of attacking.

If the players walk back from the Fisherman's spot, they'll have to face a random encounter; see 1-X.

Ideas for extending the campaign:

• • If the players have met the Researchers, the Fisherman will be glad to give them a ride back to town as well.

    • • If so, the boat will be accosted by the poachers while tooling down the river. The ensuing fight has very little room to maneuver in, excepting Water-types!

  • If the players want to catch a few Water-type Pokemon of their own to beef up their team, this is an ideal place to do so. The Bug-types won't bother them here so much, and the fishing is plentiful enough that they can get an encounter or two in per day with some random groups of low-level Water-types.

1-E: The Researchers

The players come across the Researchers' camp, freshly ruined. The Researchers are okay, though.

(Define individual Researchers here - I'm thinking a professor and one-to-two undergrads?)

Read: "When you arrive at the camp, you can see the place is in disarray. Research equipment is scattered all over the place, the tents are ripped up, and supplies are spilled onto the ground. The researchers look worse for wear, as well - one is upside-down in a tree, the other face-up in front of a tent, both unconscious."

The players will be able to wake the Researchers up pretty easily, but getting them down from the tree, woken up, and feeling good enough to talk might take a skill check or two, if the GM feels like it. When they come down and come to, they'll be willing to talk.

Q: "Who are you?" and "Why are you here?"

A: "We're researchers from the Pokemon Academy east of Pewter City. We're here on a research grant to study the Bug-type population of this forest. There's always been an unusally high number and wide variety."

Q: "What happened to you?"

A: "People in black uniforms came into our camp and beat us up. They took our research on the colony, the samples of the sap... Everything."

Q: "What did you find?"

A: "We've been here for a few weeks, studying their habits and habitats. About a week in, we discovered something amazing... Not only is there a wide variety, but they actually all live *together*. We've been studying that colony since we found it. It's located in a humongous tree in the forest, and that's where the Bug-types all nest."

Q: "How could the Bug-types all live together so easily?"

A: "Something in the tree's sap makes them all treat one another as part of the same colony. We managed to collect a few samples and were analyzing it... We had even managed to isolate the active ingredients. Imagine a Repel, except instead of making Pokemon run away, it makes them think you're their friend! But we noticed the Bug-types have been getting agitated by something. We'd heard engines in the distance, but by the time we made the connection, well..."

Q: "Can you tell us more about the tree?"

A: "We call it the Whistling Tree - it's hollow inside, and sometimes you can hear the wind whistle through it and its needles... Lots of Bug-types live inside of it, and they defend it from anyone who doesn't smell like them and their tree's sap. They're led by a Vespiquen, but she seems different from the other Pokemon - we always see her with a piece of blue cloth around her neck."

Q: "Why should we care?"

A: "I don't know if you quite understand the implications of this... With those samples, any one of those criminals can just walk inside the tree and the Pokemon there would think he's one of them! Who knows what he could get up to?"

Q: "How do we get to the Whistling Tree?"

A: "We'll give you directions. It's not too far from here."

...

The Researchers were here to document the forest's strangest sight, the Whistling Tree - so named for the whistling sounds made when wind blows between its needles. It seems the tree is inhabited by large numbers and wide varieties of Bug-type Pokemon, not something commonly seen elsewhere. The Bug-types seemed to live in a kind of mega-colony, with different species caring for one another. One in particular, a Vespiqueen, seems to be the leader.

Over the past few weeks, though, the Bug-types have become more and more agitated and unfriendly towards humans; the Researchers have also seen signs of other humans in the woods, but haven't been able to find them directly. The Researchers were about to pack it in and leave while they could.

Unfortunately, before they could leave, some men in a truck came by and roughed the place up, looking for any data they had on the Bug-types - especially ways to capture or pacify them. These strange guys destroyed most of their equipment and took their supplies; they seemed well-armed, too. The ruffians left, and headed off in the direction of the Whistling Tree, or there-abouts. The Researchers suspect they were criminals of some kind.

The Researchers are glad to provide information to the players, especially on Bug-types, the Whistling Tree, and its colony structure (they've never been inside, but they've seen it up-close, and monitored the comings and goings of the various Bug-types therefrom). They can even provide directions, as can the tire tracks from the camp.

If the players ask about the Vespiqueen that leads the hive, they'll mention that their Pokedexes registered her as 'owned' - that is, she had already been captured, and probably released, by someone else.

Among the work the Researchers were doing was investigating the pheromones of the Bug-types, subtly different from those found in other environments. They suspect this is why they can all get along - they 'recognize' each other as friends, rather than as foes. The pheromones are a result of the large tree the Pokemon live inside of - the sap provides the new pheromone. They had even isolated some of these pheromones, but were unable to reproduce them; however, the bad guys took the single dose they had.

Ideas for extending the campaign:

• • The Researchers need to be escorted back to town - without their supplies, and roughed up as they are, they're helpless (they aren't allowed to have Pokemon along with them on research expeditions).

    • • The poachers may accost the Researchers again, giving them an opportunity to attack the players.

      • More Bug-type Pokemon might attack the group as well - perhaps at the same time!

      • If the players have already met the Fisherman, and are on his good side, they could use the river to bring the Researchers back to town. See the Fisherman's section (1-D) for details.

        • • For even more chaos, have the bugs attack the party while going downriver.

  • Between camp and the Whistling Tree, the players have a random encounter.

1-X: Exploring the Woods

This map is for Random Encounters and the like. They should mostly be Grass-types, Bug-types, and other Forest-appropriate Pokemon. A few Water-types can show up as well, having come from the forest's river.

For a purely random encounter with wild Pokemon, consult the "Wilds" table in the Appendix to see what Pokemon should appear. Generally, there should be about 1 Pokemon per player, but you can increase or decrease this number slightly to adjust the difficulty. You can also use a random encounter here to give the players a chance at a desired Pokemon that they want to catch, assuming it makes sense for that Pokemon to be in the forest.

Should you decide that the players deserve item rewards for completing a random encounter, see the Random Loot table in the Appendix for loot that can come from random encounters. This loot can be found on the ground, hidden in bushes, or half-buried in the dirt. The items might've been lost by another Trainer long ago, or recently, by the poachers or the researchers.

This map can also be used for battles that involve other Trainers, who are wandering the woods and looking for Pokemon to catch. If the players engage in a battle with a Trainer here, see the Money table in the Appendix to see how much cash they should receive.

Phase 2

2-A: Confrontation

Wherein, as the players approach the Whistling Tree, the Heroes have it out with the poachers who've been running around.

There are three poachers, lazily standing around outside the Whistling Tree's entrance. There are also two large cargo trucks, currently turned off, waiting for their last payload. A few tents are still set up, as well, showing that these poachers have been using this spot for a while now.

The poachers just there to make sure their leader has enough time for one last catching-run through the tree, and to serve as getaway drivers... not to mention, taking care of punks like the players.

FIGHT: 3x Grunts and their Pokemon

The Grunts will force their Pokemon to fight to fainting. They may also join in the fight themselves.

When one of a Grunt's Pokemon are defeated, it will recall it and bring out another. When they do this, be sure to signal to the players how many Pokeballs they have left on their belts - 0, 1, or even 2.

• • Grunt A: Attacks with a baseball bat. Accuracy 5, 1d8+4 damage.

    • • Lv. 14 Vulpix

      • Lv. 15 Drowzee

  • Grunt B: Attacks with a tire iron. Accuracy 5, 1d8+6 damage.

    • • Lv. 14 Slowpoke

      • Lv. 9 Ledyba

        • • The Ledyba was recently captured by the Grunt, and will not be very loyal to it; it will disobey 50% of the time. It can be convinced to switch sides by the heroes.

  • Grunt Leader: Doesn't attack on his own - tries to hide behind his lackeys. If he's KO'd, or forced to flee, his Pokemon will stop attacking. If he's the only grunt left, he'll make for a truck and attempt to use that (see below).

    • • Lv. 16 Zubat

      • Lv. 17 Raticate

Using the Trucks:

• • The trucks have their keys in the ignition already - the Rockets weren't too concerned with securing them against other humans.

  • If a Grunt runs out of Pokemon and is not subdued, he'll go after a truck and attempt to use it.

  • Similarly, a player can use a truck as well.

  • Using a truck as a weapon:

    • • The Truck has move 10.

      • Dash, range melee, 1d10+10

      • While in the truck, the driver has a +3 to all defenses. He can still be targeted, as everyone has line-of-sight on him or her through the cabin windows.

When defeated, the grunts will attempt to flee - but they'll be easy to intimidate, chase down, or otherwise subdue.

If captured, they'll spill the beans (see below). Either way, the players should know by now that they have to go into the Tree and deal with things there.

Q: Who's your leader?

A: "Mister Crane! He used to be our section leader when we were a part of Team Rocket, but now that they're kaput, he's just our boss."

Q: What's your plan here?

A: "We've been catching Bug-types left and right in this forest! All kinds! And we can sell 'em at a nice profit, too, to trainers just like you. Now that we're done, Mister Crane is in there right now, making sure that nobody hedges in on our 'product'."

Q: What do you mean by that?

A: "He's planting a bomb! Gonna blow up the big tree. No tree, no bugs - no bugs, no competition from some other outfit looking to make the same quick buck we are. Figure we can mop up whatever Bug-types are left afterwards, too."

Investigating the poachers will give the players 680 P$ to split among themselves. The trucks are currently empty - no Pokeballs, full or otherwise, are in them. However, the tents may have some random loot, as per the random loot table in the Appendix, at the GM's discretion.

Ideas for extending the campaign:

• • Give the players a name, someone Mister Crane is selling the Bug-types to, or is otherwise associated with.

    • • Perhaps a wealthy individual who needs a private garden staffed?

      • Maybe someone's trying to start up an illicit Gym to profit and gamble on?

      • Maybe it's the guy selling the Bug-types directly to Trainers?

2-B: Enter the Tree

The base of the tree is relatively small, and has two levels, with stairs going from the lower to the upper, and from the upper to the next area.

When the players enter, Bug-types will swoop in to defend the hive. They'll prefer to keep to the upper ledge, and use projectiles down onto the players, if possible.

• • FIGHT: Metapod (1 per 2 Trainers), Butterfree (1 per 3 Trainers)

    • • The Metapods will block the route to the upper door, forming a wall on the small landing above.

      • The Butterfree will try to stay towards the upper door, using ranged attacks and Powders whenever their enemies bunch up.

Whether the players fight or charm their way past the Metapod and Butterfree, they're now free to climb further up the inside of the tree.

2-C: Stairwell

The players will arrive from 2-B here. It's a central location, from which they can go towards the Sap Room, or the Cocoonery. There are no Pokemon here, just more stairs grown from the inside of the tree, leading further up and in.

The inside of the tree is pretty dark, however. Without some kind of light source, it may be hard to see - and harder to see Bug Pokemon, whether they're sneaking up on you, or you're sneaking up on them.

2-C: Sap Room

In here, the players will discover the source of the pheromones that identify one Bug-type in this tree to another: its sap. Stored in its needles, the Bug-types eat the sap, begin to 'smell' alike, and protect the tree as a home and as a food source. This is a long-term process, but the players might be able to disguise themselves with the sap by rubbing it on themselves or the like.

Of course, the room is defended by some Bug-types. They're not actively hostile, however, and may not attack as long as players don't do anything rash (like, say, take some of the sap, or try and catch one of 'em).

• • Combee (1 per Trainer) are in this room.

    • • If provoked, they'll attack, but otherwise they will let players through.

      • Taking any of the honey / sap in the room might count, but give fair warning - a growl as they reach for it, etc.

From here, the players may go to the Stairwell, the Hatchery, or the door leading up to 2-D.

2-C: Hatchery

Where the Bug-types put their eggs to hatch. This room is unguarded by adult Bug-types. While most of the spaces for eggs are empty, there are a few that are unhatched.

The eggs that are not hatched are encased in tough wax, and might be damaged in the removal attempt. Careful extraction is required if you want to get a whole egg... And the bad eggs or the destroyed eggs release toxic substances (meant to absolutely kill whatever ruined the egg, from parasites to thieves).

This amounts to more of a puzzle room - getting the egg out of its creche is difficult and delicate, and if messed up, toxins will be released onto the player and/or his Pokemon. Further, the egg might be destroyed, and adult Bug-types alerted. (If the players flee the area immediately, they won't confront them, but if they keep trying, they will.)

• • POISON:

    • • Notes:

        • • Only occurs if a player attempts to retrieve an egg.

          • If the player/Pokemon gets higher than a 15 on a non-damage roll to retrieve, the poison does not trigger.

          • If the player/Pokemon gets lower than a 5 on a non-damage roll to retrieve, or roll a natural 1, the egg is destroyed.

      • Attack:

        • • Ignore Bug- and Poison-types; they are immune.

          • Roll 1d20 for each target (Human/Pokemon) within three squares. This is modified by Physical Evasion and Speed Evasion, as a normal attack.

          • The d20 roll for a given target, as modified, must be a 6 or higher.

      • Damage:

        • • 2d8+10 damage, reduced by Sp. Def.

          • If the d20 to hit was 15 or higher, the target is Poisoned.

  • EGGS:

    • • 1 x Paras

      • 1 x Sewaddle

      • 1 x Yanma

      • Or substitute an appropriate Bug-type, if a player wanted a specific one and hasn't had a chance to go after it yet.

From here, the players may head to the Sap Room, the Back Hallway, or the door leading up to 2-D.

2-C: Cocoonery

Where the Bug-types are cocooned.

Similarly to the Hatchery, except that this branch of the tree has the cocoons hanging out of the branches, high up. Even reaching the cocoons would require climbing up a fair bit. Because it's outside, this area is lit by sunlight - no worries about darkness here.

Any player stepping out onto these branches might be attacked by Flying-types, thinking them easy, delicious snacks to eat. Also, there's the climbing to consider.

• • Pokemon in the area (one each):

    • • Kakuna

      • Swadloon

      • Metapod

      • Cascoon

      • Silcoon

If the players linger on the branches for too long, or do something to call obvious attention to themselves, they'll attract the attention of a flock of Spearow.

• • FIGHT: Spearow (1.5 per player, rounded down)

    • • The Spearow will not back down from a potential meal, but can be scared off by the players with some difficulty.

      • They tend towards targets that are moving, especially moving Bug-types.

      • If they can't reach a moving Pokemon, or think it's much too risky, they'll attack one of the non-moving, cocoon Bug-types hanging from the branches.

      • When the arrive, half of the Spearow will hang back for a turn and use Leer on likely targets. When 1-2 of the Spearow who went into melee are damaged or KO'd, they'll move in as the second wave.

From here, the players may head to the Sap Room, the Stairwell, or the Back Corridor.

2-C: Back Hall

This hall is rarely used by the bugs, but is currently inhabited by a colony of Spinarak. The Spinarak are here to capture small non-Pokemon insects that may wander into the tree: food for them, and nobody's taking the Pokemon's resources. They also serve as a deterrent to intruders.

The corridor is lined with the occasional Spinarak Web (see below).

• • TRAP: Spinarak Web

    • • Finding it:

        • • Is invisible to people unless they are looking for something out-of-the-ordinary, or otherwise would be able to notice Spinaraks or webs easily.

          • To look for it, get a 10 or better on a non-damage d20 roll related to searching. WIS is the most obvious choice, but other methods might be suitable, too, if the players can convince you.

          • When noticed, an unoccupied web can be destroyed with fire or sharp attacks (swords, Scratch, etc).

      • What it Does:

        • • When a person or Pokemon walks into the web, roll a d20, aiming for 6 or better, modified by the target's Def and SPD evasion.

          • If it hits, the target is unable to Shift. They can attempt to self-cure as with other status effects, looking for a roll of 10 or better (no modifiers).

          • If someone is removed from a web, the web is destroyed.

          • Being caught in a Spinarak web will bring out the Spinarak themselves (below).

If anyone is trapped in a Spinarak web, the Spinaraks will come out to chew on them.

• • FIGHT: Spinarak (1 per player)

    • • The Spinarak can walk in their own webs without issue (and will not trigger them).

      • The Spinarak will try to Constrict any targets in their webs.

      • The Spinarak will attempt to attack anyone caught in one of their trap-webs first.

2-D: Atop the Tree

Battle: Vespiqueen and Combees, and Poacher Leader

• • Note that the Vespiqueen cannot be captured - it is a released Trainer Pokemon; which is to say, it has technically already been captured by some other Trainer, and Pokeballs will refuse to capture it. (Need to message this to players earlier than this fight, so that they won't 'waste' Pokeballs. Alternatively, just make sure a Pokeball thrown here isn't actually 'used up'.)

The players will come up to the top of the tree, to see the Poacher Leader, Mister Crane, standing near the Vespiqueen, talking into a cell phone in his hand. There's a nefarious device near his feet, its display blinking, counting down numbers. Near Crane is the Vespiquen, a scrap of cloth around its neck - signifying that it might already belong to somebody. Though it seems to listen to Crane, it doesn't seem to like him.

When the players arrive, he say one final thing into his phone: "Bring the Capture Tank around." He'll then be open to discussing things with the players, until it's clear that they won't convince him to back down (and they won't - the best they can do is make him flee early).

If the players try to confront Crane, threaten him, or attack, the Vespiqueen and her Combees will attack the players. The players can convince the Vespiqueen to 'recognize' the Poacher as a bad guy, however, at which point she'll turn her Combees on him.

Q: "Who are you?"

A: "My name is Crane. I'm the leader of this operation. And you are?"

Q: "What are you doing here?"

A: "Capturing Pokemon, much like you. Only my methods are more efficient, and perhaps slightly less... constrained by legalities."

Q: "Is the Vespiquen your Pokemon?"

A: "No, unfortunately. It seems that she was already captured long before I got here. I'm not sure why she's here, though - I think her previous trainer let her go. What a fool!"

Q: "Why isn't that Vespiquen defending her hive from you?"

A: "Ah, we learned how to do that from those researchers down by the river. It turns out, the pheromones they discovered work perfectly well on humans, when refined and applied like a perfume. They think I'm one of them - and why would you defend your home from someone who already lives there?"

Q: "You won't get away with this!"

A: "I'm afraid I will - though I will have to dispose of you, first. Vespiquen - Attack!"

Crane will attack the players with a gun, of course. He's not here for a League-regulation Pokemon battle. If the players ask, make sure the players know that guns are rare and generally illegal in the Pokemon world (barring differences with your own campaign setting) - thus, Crane having such a weapon means he means serious business.

If Crane gets hurt, or if the Vespiquen is defeated, he will jump from the tree, open an old, faded Rocket-styled parachute, and escape (for now).

• • FIGHT: Vespiqueen (1x), Combee (1.5x per player), and Head Poacher

    • • Tactics

        • • The Vespiquen will stay back for a round or two, ordering the Combees take care of the intruders.

          • Crane has no such qualms, but he'll stay near the Vespiquen.

            • • Crane uses a gun! It does 1d10+5 damage, range 20, needs 3 to hit. It's resisted by Defense.

          • If anyone attacks the Poacher, the Vespiquen will retaliate for him on its turn.

      • Talking to Vespiquen

        • • During the fight, players or Pokemon can attempt to make the Vespiquen see that the Poacher is not its real ally.

          • A roll of 10 or better on a non-damage roll to do so (IE, 1d20+INT for a Pokemon, or 1d20+INT or WIS for a human) will make Vespiquen pause in the attack, and it won't retaliate against any attacks on the Poacher, for one round. This can be repeated every round if so desired.

            • • If that roll is 15 or better, Vespiquen and her Combees will attack Crane. If this happens, Crane will flee.

When defeated, either by the Players or the Vespiqueen, Crane will drop the bomb, and attempt to jump off the top of the tree. If he is not stopped, a parachute will deploy from his backpack, and he will escape into the Capture Tank (see below).

The bomb has a one-minute timer, but players can defuse it. They could try to move it away from the tree, but anything short of a solid fastball pitch, a Flying-type carrying it, or other seriously quick movement will not get it far enough away fast enough to prevent damage to the tree.

• • SKILL CHALLENGE: BOMB

    • • Defusing it is INT-based. It requires two checks: One better than 10 to slow the timer down, and another at 13 or better to disarm it.

      • Alternatively, they could try to get it away from the tree. A Strength/Power check of higher than 13 will throw it far enough away.

      • Other ideas are perfectly valid! Any check should aim for a 13; any useful moves or feats may knock the check from a 13 to a 10.

2-E: Capture Tank

The Head Poacher, Crane, has fled to the Capture Tank: the primary means by which the poachers catch Pokemon en masse.

For lower-level or a party of 3 or fewer Trainers, the Capture Tank will not have a Gunner (Main Body and Treads only).

If the players convinced the Vespiquen that they were on the same side in the last battle, she may may contribute as well. Her Combees will not be joining her this fight, however - they have damage to repair in the hive.

For parties with 6 or more Trainers, the Capture Tank will have 1-2 support Trainers (use the poacher loadouts from 2-A).

• • FIGHT: Capture Tank Mk. I

This battle takes place just outside the tree, on the same map as 2-A. All three sections must be destroyed individually; defeating the Main Body does not nullify the Treads or the Gunner.

The Gunner will attempt to fire at any lone individual target, tending to prefer Supersonic or Spore over Ember - he will not try to take advantage of Typing, either.

The Treads will attempt to attack as many people at once as possible. If the Treads are defeated, the Capture Tank will be unable to move, though the other sections can still attack.

The Main Body, which includes the Capture Tank's main gun, will generally fire at the nearest target, preferring to attack higher-speed targets with Icy Wind and Electroweb. This portion of the tank may take advantage of Typing, but it will not use type-effective moves on a single target twice in a row.

Players may attempt to get inside the tank, either via the Gunner's hatch or the Main Body's door. Getting inside via the Gunner's hatch requires the Gunner be defeated, but is otherwise unguarded; getting in via the main hatch requires the door to be forcibly opened (a d20+STRmod or Power, aiming for a 16 or above). If attacks are used on the interior of the Capture Tank main body (attacking any of the Tank's sections), the attack will ignore Defense and Special Defense.

When the Capture Tank is defeated, Crane and his henchmen will attempt to jump out of the Tank and surrender. Players can flee the tank without difficulty if they so choose. The Tank will then explode, causing 2d10+10 damage to anyone caught inside (but not anyone on the outside), and will be impossible to salvage.

Phase 3: Wrap-Up

With Crane's Capture Tank destroyed and both him and his cronies captured, the town is safe. The Vespiquen will tell the other Bug-types to not attack Carrico Town or its humans anymore.

The Vespiqueen will not go with the players - she has a hive to rebuild. Besides, she's done being a Trainer's Pokemon; that life is behind her, at least for now.

Carrico Town's residents, led by Typha, will give the players 1,500 P$ each as a reward. She will also allow the players to challenge her for the Reedbadge.

Gym Badge

Now that the crisis is over, Typha the Gym Leader will be glad to have the players challenge her; their efforts mean they don't have to complete any tasks or fight her apprentices to do it. The battle will take place in a hedge maze deep in the forest.

• • Each player may only use one Pokemon. Typha will match that number one-to-one with her own Pokemon.

  • That said, teaming up is allowed. Grass-types do not need to fight alone, and do not begrudge an unfair challenge; that's just how the forest is sometimes. If your honor can take the hit, then play smart, not fair.

  • No burning down, or otherwise destroying, the maze. However, you are allowed to walk through the tall grass (but not the shrubbery; those are solid walls).

  • Typha gets a short head start, to place her Pokemon and reach the center of the maze.

  • TO WIN: The players must navigate the maze, defeat all of Typha's Pokemon wandering in it, and reach the center, where Typha is, They must then defeat Typha in a true Pokemon battle.

Typha's Pokemon will be waiting for the players in the maze, hiding and ready to ambush them (or be ambushed by them). They'll try to take advantage of the tall grass in the arena, hiding in it and fighting a defensive, status-oriented battle, using lots of drain attacks, poison, and the like. The arena doesn't have any pitfalls or traps in it beyond that.

No matter how many Pokemon she sends out, Typha can still control all of them. This is solely due to her skill as a Gym Leader, and how close her bonds are with her Pokemon. However, she can still only use an item on one Pokemon per turn.

When the players have all reached the center of the maze, Typha will send out one Pokemon per Trainer to fight. She will wait until everyone has gathered; anything less simply wouldn't be fair (or dramatic).

The entire Gym Battle is a single Scene - this means that all debuffs and statuses will linger until removed manually. If you're playing in PTU, remind the players that they can Take a Breather to remove certain statuses and debuffs, though this will also remove any stat increases that they've applied.

Typha will chose Pokemon based on the Trainer's power - she'll try to match it to the Trainer/Pokemon she'll be facing. She will place weaker Pokemon in the maze, and try to use Moves that disable enemy Pokemon or lower their stats, only moving on to trying to KO them after a round or two. For the typical part of 4, she will place 5 Pokemon in the maze, and save her three strongest - A'Tuin, Ringer, and Lotus - for the battle in the center.

• • "A'Tuin", Grotle, Lv. 18

  • "Ringer", Weepinbell, Lv. 17

  • "Lotus", Lombre, Lv. 16

  • "Mafaldine", Tangela, Lv. 15

  • "Oregano", Pansage, Lv. 14

  • "Locke", Nuzleaf, Lv. 12

  • "Amanita", Paras, Lv. 10

  • "Mandrake", Oddish, Lv. 8

Note that some of Typha's Pokemon have Moves that they don't normally learn from leveling up - they were taught via TM or Tutor, or were bred into them.

(Obviously, if the party is wildly outside of the assumed level range of this module, the Pokemon selection will likely have to be modified, as well. Further, if your party of Trainers is 2 or fewer, you should only have 3 Pokemon in the maze; if it's more than 4, you should create some additional Grass-types for her to use and place in the maze.)

Upon a win, the players who participated will receive a Reedbadge, shaped like this. Further, they'll each get 2,250 P$ each. Finally, they will also receive one TM each, from the following list (GM's choice):

• • Flash

  • Attract

  • Toxic

  • Swagger

Contest

If any players express desire for a contest, instead of a Gym Badge, the local Pokemon Center may well put one on to celebrate the roads being opened shortly. The other competitors will be other trainers, including any familiar faces (see the various "Ideas for extending the campaign" sections, above).

(Include the Pokemon the other trainers might use here)

Leaving

With the adventure complete, the players can continue on their way, taking the previously-blocked road to other towns, caves, forests, beaches - anywhere their adventure takes them.

Ideas for extending the campaign:

• • The National Police may leave town quickly, hearing reports over their radio about similar poachers further down the road.

  • If the Poacher Leader escaped earlier, the National Police may begin a manhunt for him - and could use a few extra hands.

  • The deliveryman that the players hitched a ride with in the beginning may have another delivery to make in the next town over. He could probably use a few helping hands again.

  • Following a victory over her, Typha can point the players in the direction of the next Gym.

  • Following a contest, the other Trainers in that contest might point out where the nearest big contest hall is.

Appendix: Items

Random Loot

For when a player goes searching, or a Pokemon uses Pickup.

Roll 1d100 and consult the chart below.