Lapis finally began his next Gym challenge at the Fortree City Gym after a series of unexpected events. A different Gym guide tried to give him false information, but the Nuzlocker knew better and ignored him. Despite a semi-tough challenge from Winona, Lapis was able to defeat the Flying type Gym Leader and earn his sixth Gym Badge. He then made his way towards Lilycove City, but several more unexpected events made him take a slight detour. How will these events affect his progress in the Nuzlocke challenge?
Lapis' Pokémon:
Zuli (Lvl. 40 Swampert, male; Item: Soft Sand): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Strength, Mud Shot, Surf
Bixbite (Lvl. 40 Camerupt, male): Bold Nature, Oblivious Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Tackle, Ember, Earthquake
Onyx (Lvl. 40 Mightyena, female; Item: King's Rock): Mild Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Tackle, Rock Smash, Sand Attack, Bite
Pearl (Lvl. 40 Grumpig, female): Lax Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Psychic, Psybeam, Shock Wave, Confuse Ray
Celestite (Lvl. 40 Altaria, female): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Fly, Safeguard, Take Down, Dragonbreath
Amethyst (Lvl. 40 Gloom, female; Item: Miracle Seed): Quiet Nature, Chlorophyll Ability, moves: Absorb, Acid, Poisonpowder, Moonlight
Pokémon sent to the PLA: Tiger Eyes (Linoone, male), Citrine (Makuhita, female), Kyanite (Electrike, female), Moonstone (Swellow, female), SmokyQuarz (Numel, male)
Chapter 31: An Orb of Trouble
Lapis crouched in the grass, staring at an unsuspecting male Girafarig eating some leaves. Then, he leapt up and threw a Safari Ball. "You're mine now!"
The ball hit the Psychic type, but after two shakes, the Long Neck Pokémon escaped and ran away.
Damn it! What's the point of catching Pokémon without using yours?! After he walked out of the grass, his PokéNav vibrated. And now my time's up… What a waste of 500 Pokédollars.
He trudged back to the lobby of the Hoenn Safari Zone, a place where Trainers pay an entrance fee to catch as many Pokémon as they can within a certain amount of time.
The nice attendant asked, "How did your safari go, Mr. Eurig?"
Lapis wanted to say what he really thought, but he knew better. "Could've been better."
"Oh, I'm sorry it didn't go well. Would you like to go again?"
"No."
He walked out of the building, leaving the attendant mildly shocked. Once under the shade of a tree, he let out Onyx.
"How did it go?" the Mightyena asked, shaking her fur.
"Terrible. I kept findin' Oddish, and I missed gettin' a Girafarig. The only Pokémon I got out of it is a Phanpy…"
He held the Safari Ball holding his only capture, typed "Beryl" into the tablet, then sent it to his PC.
"Well at least you caught one Pokémon."
"True…" He sighed. "Hope we get better Pokémon on the later routes. I…I'd hate to think of replacin' any of you at this point…"
She nuzzled his leg. "Don't worry, Lapis. We'll all do our best, no matter what happens."
He smiled. Then he felt a cold presence around them. "Wh-What is that?"
The Dark type braced herself. "It better not be another rival Mightyena. I'm tired of dealing with Roar and Swagger!"
Luckily, it wasn't a Mightyena, but a Level 26 male Shuppet.
"Oh, yeah! We haven't done the capture for this route yet, Lapis. Should I weaken it?"
I crossed my arms. "You're so strong now, Onyx, you might knock it out. Let me try somethin' else."
Lapis threw a Great Ball at the curious Ghost type. Though he inflicted no damage on him, the ball successfully caught the Shuppet. Shrugging, he named the new Pokémon Hiddenite, saw it had Insomnia and a Hardy Nature, then sent it to his PC.
"Now then, should we get goin' to Lilycove City?"
Onyx nodded.
They went back to the main path of Route 121, passing by a festival in full swing, where they noticed something suspicious.
Those Team Aqua goons. What the hell are they doing here?
The pair hid behind some trees and watched the wannabe pirates jumping onto their Sharpedo swimming by the Route 122 sign.
Lapis groaned. I really don't want to get involved, but I'd rather act now than get another Taillow notice from the PLA.
They were about to leave their hiding spot when three wild Mightyena jumped them.
"Hey, that's the Mightyena Maugrima told us about! Let's get rid of her!"
Onyx growled. "Let's see you try!"
Her Trainer grinned. "Go, Onyx!"
Ten minutes later…
Lapis rode on Zuli's back in the bay of Route 122. A ferry carrying passengers sailed by, and he ignored their laughs.
Damn, I lost sight of those Team Aqua goons… I'm definitely getting a notice now.
The Swampert looked at an island in the bay. "So, what's the mountain, Lapis?"
He looked at his PokéNav. "Apparently, it's a place called Mt. Pyre. It's where dead Pokémon are laid to rest."
"Oh, I see."
The two remained quiet until they reached the dock on the island. After returning his starter, the Nuzlocker dried himself in the sun and sighed.
I haven't been to a cemetery since…that day… Mom, Dad… I wish I could remember your faces.
After he regained his composure, he entered the mountain's opening. He was surprised to see it was a well-maintained place with marble and granite walls and floors, carved tombstones, and burning incense.
Seeing people paying respects to their deceased Pokémon, he let Amethyst find a wild Pokémon on her own and took five sticks of incense from the reception desk. Lapis found a small plot of unoccupied space and placed the sticks in a pile of unoccupied dirt. He sat down and let the smell waft through the air. Then he closed his eyes and filled his mind with the images of his defeated Pokémon.
Tiger Eyes, Citrine, Kyanite, Moonstone, SmokyQuarz. I know you all aren't dead, but with you not being here, it feels like it. I hope the PLA's taking good care of you. And…I hope you miss me, like I do. I'll see you all soon, I promise.
A light tap on his leg let him know Amethyst was back.
"So, find anythin', Amethyst?"
She shook her head, then she wiggled and made a stabbing motion with her hands.
He sighed. "I figured that's bound to happen. A Shuppet used Curse and fainted. At least we caught one already." He sat up and looked around, "Guess it's time to train a bit."
A few hours later…
An exhausted Lapis returned to Mt. Pyre after healing in Fortree City. Ugh…what's the point of Fly if it only goes back to places with Pokémon Centers?! Still, guess it's better than a round trip of surfing and walking.
He let out Pearl, who looked around for wild Shuppet.
"Are we going to train in the building again, Lapis?"
He shrugged. "I don't know. You guys knocked out all the Shuppet and Duskull…and they took out most of your PP with Spite earlier…so it'll be a while for them to come back. Besides, we got all the stuff and money we can get."
"Oh yeah. Didn't you also get some TMs?"
"For Shadow Ball and Skill Swap. One's definitely better than the other."
She clapped her hands. "I hope I can learn Shadow Ball."
He chuckled. "We'll see if you need it. In the meantime, let's explore outside. There're more Pokémon there."
"Cool. Let's go."
They went down a corridor leading to the exterior of the mountain, a foggy and eerie landscape. The Grumpig then found a Level 29 Vulpix in the nearby grass. Not wanting to knock her out, the Psychic type used Confuse Ray as Lapis used several Great Balls to catch her. After the second Great Ball succeeded, the teen noted her Hasty Nature and Flash Fire Ability, named her Opal, and sent her to his PC.
As they continued up the path, past other well-kept tombstones, Lapis saw something that didn't match the surroundings.
He motioned to Pearl, and they hid behind a rocky ledge.
"Damn it, so they did come here…" he hissed, noting the same three Grunts from earlier.
"What should we do, Lapis?"
"First off, we'll beat up the Grunts. Second, we'll see what the hell's goin' on."
"Sounds good to me."
The Nuzlocker returned the Grumpig then approached the Grunts.
"Hey, wannabe pirates. What'cha doin'?"
One of Team Aqua members whispered to the others, "Who's this kid?"
"He looks familiar…"
"Wait, he's the one the Captain's told us about! Let's get him before he interferes with Captain Archie's plans!"
The three sent out two Carvanha, two Zubat, one Wailmer, and one Poochyena that were either Level 30 or Level 32.
Lapis sweatdropped. You'd think that these Grunts will have stronger Pokémon by now… "Zuli, Bixbite, stop them!"
The Swampert and Camerupt smirked as they easily knocked out the low-level Pokémon with one attack each. The Grunts, startled, ran off, clearing the way to the top.
The teen returned his Pokémon and walked up the carved stairs. At the summit, Archie stood in front of a stone pedestal and two scared elderly people.
"Pl-Please, sir…" an elderly woman in purple robes pleaded. "We already had one orb stolen; please don't take the other one."
The Team Aqua leader replied, "Sorry, landlubbing old-timer. We gotta keep one step ahead of our enemy." He picked up a red sphere and smiled. "With this orb, we'll achieve our ultimate objective. Team, we're pulling out!"
He turned around and frowned when he saw Lapis. "Ah, it's the pup. I wondered why it's been quieter than usual."
"What the hell're you doin', Archie?"
He moved the orb in his hand. "Nothing that concerns you." He let out a Crobat and took to the air. "Don't interfere with us anymore, pup! This is your last warning!" he shouted, his voice growing fainter as he flew further away.
Like I have a choice…
The elderly couple hugged each other, and the woman sobbed.
"Oh, Fuyō…what do we do now?"
The man in white robes wiped his wife's tears. "We need to let our granddaughter know, Yeonhwa. Maybe she'll have an idea on what to do."
The pair then saw the teen and quickly composed themselves. "Oh, welcome to Mt. Pyre, young one. I'm Fuyō, and this is my lovely wife, Yeonhwa. I'm…sorry you had to see all of that."
Lapis sighed. "At least no one got hurt. Name's Lapis. What's so special about that orb?"
Yeonhwa touched the empty pedestal. "The Red Orb and its companion, the Blue Orb, are ancient artifacts that have the power to control the Legendary Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre, respectively."
"Groudon and Kyogre?"
"Oh, you must not be from this region. Groudon is a Pokémon that can create continents and make harsh sunlight, resulting in devastating drought. Kyogre, on the other hand, is a Pokémon that can expand the seas and make heavy rains that cause heavy flooding. They feuded with each other many times in the past and now sleep in places suitable to their tastes."
I see. So they're doom bringers if they're free. But… Crossing his arms, the Nuzlocker asked, "If that's the case, why're they here and not at some secret vault or somethin'?"
She stared at Mt. Chimney to the northwest as her husband looked at the eastern sea.
"It's because of the Pokémon themselves," Fuyō replied. "The orbs have to be placed in a location that are equal distance from the ancient Pokémon's resting places so their powers cancel each other out. Due to the isolated and supernatural nature of this mountain, it is the best place to hide them."
"Huh. That actually makes a lot of sense." Though if that's the case, why did Team Magma take the Blue Orb and Team Aqua the Red Orb? If what the old people said is true, then wouldn't the orbs not work on the Pokémon they want to wake up?
As the sun set over the mountain, a glint on the floor caught Lapis' eye. He picked up a medium-sized gold medallion with a black, craggy "M" symbol.
"Oh, what's that, young Lapis?" Yeonhwa asked.
"Not sure, but the symbol looks familiar." Now that I think about it, it's the symbol of those Team Magma landgrabbers. Wonder what it's for?
After he pocketed the emblem, the air grew colder as the night sky emerged.
"Well, we should give our granddaughter a call," Fuyō said. "Thank you for helping us, young Lapis."
"I…didn't really do much."
"Oh, no," she reassured. "You chased those young men away and listened to our story. We only ask that you can figure out what that emblem is for."
"All right."
Lapis waved goodbye and walked back to the indoor cemetery. The atmosphere felt different; no living people were around, only the Ghost types inhabiting the tombstones.
Lapis let out his team, and they battled the wild Pokémon, progressing upwards until they reached the top of the carved tower. Along the way, the teen felt they were being watched, but he couldn't figure out who, or what, it was.
This is giving me the creeps… Once we clear out this floor, we're heading to Lilycove City.
After Celestite knocked out the last Duskull, Lapis returned quickly everyone. But as he was about to leave, a little girl's giggle startled him.
Wh-What the hell was that?! He frantically looked around but didn't see the source of the laugh. This is really creeping me out now!
He ran towards the stairs, but when he stepped on a loose tile, the floor gave way.
"AAAHHHHH!"
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think about Lapis' time at the Safari Zone and Mt. Pyre?
Why did Team Aqua and Team Magma make the mistake of getting the wrong orb?
Will Lapis survive his fall unscathed?