Lana Town, a frontier town on the edge of Lana Lake, has fallen ill. An epidemic has confined the whole population to their beds in spite of quarantine. One nurse, Banana, has resisted the illness and identified four others who are also without symptoms:

Tracy is an engineer who traveled to the mountain frontier to get away from it all, but was stranded in Lana Town after nearly drowning in the lake shortly before the quarantine was initiated.

Iaacog is a swimmer who came to participate in the Race Across the Lake, only to see it cancelled as the illness began and then to be quarantined there.

Pavrick is a mystic sent to work in divination to find veins of ore in the Northern mountains but he was fired as soon as he arrived. On his way back, he stopped in Lana Town in time to be caught up in the quarantine as well.

Jessa Bell is native to the town, but has always dreamed of travelling. She had been planning a camping trip throughout the surrounding countryside when the epidemic struck.

The five healthy individuals are called to the Mayor’s bedside where he informs them that Lana Town has been granted representation in the Pokemon League and he has been sent starting Pokemon, Pokedexes, basic equipment, and Trainer’s Licenses for five people to represent the town in the League. Though it pains him to bequeath these invaluable licenses to outsiders, he feels compelled to do so so they can have a chance of reaching a city like Percival Harbor or Cessu where they can obtain medicine for the bedridden town.

They all jump at the opportunity not only to become Pokemon trainers, but to escape the quarantine, and accept the mission to find medicine for the town. Jessa Bell receives a Cubone, Pavrick a Gastly, Iaacog a Mudkip, Tracy a Pikachu, and Banana a Bulbasaur. With their new pokemon in tow, they set out Southward, hoping to pass through the mines to Cessu, the largest city, rather than take their chances on Percival Harbor not having the medicine they need.

On their first day in the road, they encounter a Pokemon the Pokedex registers as new: a Sunrock. They decide not to battle it, since it is passive and they aren’t powerful enough to catch it, and continue in their way. That night, they are awakened with elephantine trumpeting and feel the ground trembling. They take shelter from the stampede and see Phanpy rushing to the water’s edge, where they stop.

Jessa Bell is enamored immediately and asks for help catching one. She picks one on the edge of the herd and has her Cubone get its attention with a tail whip. Pavrick’s Gastly gives it a lick, which paralyzes it! Jessa Bell throws her Pokeball and catches her first Pokemon!

In the morning, they keep South at the fork, leaving the lakeside to follow the road to the abandoned power plant and mines. That day, Iaacog notices they are being followed by a Trapinch. He perceives that its typically jagged mouth is more of a straight line. They decide to get a closer look and help it if needed, but it flees as they get closer and they chase it.

While they chase, it darts behind a boulder and by the time they get around it, they find only a handful of Skitty. Iaacog is unable to see one with the same mouth defect before they all run. Not willing to chase further, the Pokemon trainers continued down the road and made camp, wondering if they had just met an elusive Ditto.

This campaign (using the Pokemon 5e rules by Joe The DM) is going to be something like a once a month thing. My daughters are helping me DM it as an alternative to Hero Kids. They and I control Banana, my wife’s character is Jessa Bell, Uncle N is playing Pavrick, Uncle A is playing Iaacog, and Aunt A is playing Tracy.

I thought the first session was pretty rough, with only two people using their Pokemon and the group gaining little XP, but they all said they enjoyed it, so I suppose we’ll stay the course.