During his journey to Lilycove City, Lapis' sidetracking got him following Team Aqua to Mt. Pyre. After gaining a Vulpix nicknamed Opal, the Nuzlocker battled several Team Aqua Grunts and encountered their leader, Archie. The man took the Red Orb from the caretakers and flew off, leaving Lapis to learn about a similar theft from Team Magma with the Blue Orb. Lapis continued to train in Mt. Pyre but got scared by a little girl's giggle and fell to the first floor. There, he reunited with familiar faces, only to be thrown into another situation where the living and the dead interact. Will Lapis be able to survive the night?
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)
Author's Note: This chapter discusses human possession and child abuse/neglect. Reader discretion is advised.
Chapter 32: Reconnecting the Lost Past
After falling for what felt like several weeks and reuniting with Summer Scorcher and Weldon Leland again, Lapis gritted his teeth. The female Trainer was lying on the ground, surrounded by a dark aura. Weldon tried to approach her but the aura was pushing him back. Then, Summer ran, or more precisely floated, upstairs.
"Summer!" Weldon screamed, chasing after her.
But the aura surrounded the entryway and prevented him from getting through.
As he pounded the translucent barrier, Lapis shouted, "What the hell's goin' on with Scorcher, Leland?!"
The Kantonian stopped slamming his fists and bit his lip. "She…She's most likely possessed by a ghost resting here."
"Ghost? Then that gigglin' we heard earlier…"
"Must've been that ghost," Zuli concluded.
Lapis groaned. "Guess we gotta stay and help 'em out too..."
His starter nodded. "Of course! We can't let Summer get hurt."
The Nuzlocker approached the downtrodden pre-teen. "Leland, we gotta come up with a strategy before you charge up there."
Weldon took some deep breaths and said, "You're right, Lapis. We need to be prepared, especially if the ghost has that much power."
"How much do you know 'bout this ghost?"
"Just what Summer told me. When she was younger, she visited Mt. Pyre and was hypnotized by a ghostly Chimecho and Vulpix owned by a young female spirit. They led her towards the cliff outside and…she almost…" He choked up, and after a few deep breaths, he continued, "That's how her fear of heights got amplified and of those two Pokémon came to be."
The teen crossed his arms. "I see…" What's the ghost's deal with Scorcher?
Lightning, Summer's Raichu, ran over, a Poké Ball wrapped around her tail.
Weldon accepted it and asked, "Where did you find this, Lightning?"
"I found it by the tombstones of Summer's ancestors' Pokémon. She must've thrown it off her belt while she was trying to fight back against that invisible force."
Weldon opened the ball, and a Noctowl appeared. "Errol!" he exclaimed.
The Flying type looked around and replied, in a strangely Galarian accent, "It is another human spirit, is it not, Mr. Leland?"
"Yeah, can you break her barrier?"
"I can most certainly try."
Errol's eyes glowed red as he focused on the spiritual barrier. After a few seconds, the barrier cracked and disappeared. Weldon ran up the stairs, with Errol and Lightning close behind.
So much for having a plan!
Feeling that they may need more help finding the ghosts, Lapis switched Zuli with Onyx, and they followed the three to the top floor.
There, they found Summer floating in front of a tombstone that looked less visited compared to the others. She touched the marker, though her movements seemed rigid and forced. Compared to the previous floors, this area was cold, almost frigid.
After Errol hid behind a gravestone, Weldon tried to sneak up on her. But when he got close, he was startled by her haunting glowing purple eyes and creepy smile.
"WhY aRe you DiStUrBiNg US?" a deep demonic voice roared from Summer's lips. "We hAtE BOYS!"
The possessed Summer raised her right arm, creating an invisible force that knocked the pre-teen back. Weldon winced in pain but stood back up.
"Summer… Snap out of it! You're being controlled!"
She laughed, raising the hair on Lapis' neck. "CoNtRoLlEd? FREED is more like IT!"
A Chimecho and Vulpix appeared from behind the tombstone, but the incense smoke still wafting around us revealed their incorporeal bodies. As they activated their psychic powers, Lapis felt a strange sensation around his waist. He looked down and saw the purple energy around his Poké Balls. Worried, he tried to activate Zuli's Poké Ball, but it didn't expand.
The Nuzlocker gritted his teeth. "Looks like we can't use any of our Pokémon that ain't out already."
Weldon confirmed this by checking his Poké Balls, but he smirked. "Then let's use the Pokémon we have out now. Lightning, use Thunderbolt! Errol, Air Slash!"
As Summer's Pokémon charged their attacks, the ghostly pair unleashed a Shock Wave and Fire Spin. The four attacks collided, creating a large cloud of black smoke. When the cloud disappeared, Summer and Errol were gone.
I don't know what's going on anymore…
Onyx then dodged an Astonish attack from the Chimecho.
Right. Gotta stay focused. He looked at Weldon, who gave him a nod. "Onyx, use Bite on Vulpix!"
She lunged at the Fire type but it evaded the fangs by using Feint Attack. Onyx was then hit on her right side, but it wasn't that effective.
The Chimecho's eyes then glowed white as the Fox Pokémon's eyes glowed black. Large white rings and black circles appeared and shot themselves at the Raichu.
"Lightning, use Iron Tail to dodge and break through the Hypnosis and Confuse Ray!" Weldon commanded.
She nodded and, using her tail as a spring, launched at the status moves. With an impressive display of speed and dexterity, she cut the hypnotic rings and lured the confusing orbs towards Chimecho. The Wind Chime Pokémon was bombarded by the Confuse Ray and became confused. Shocked, the Vulpix turned its attention to Onyx by aiming a spiral of fire at her.
Lapis gritted his teeth. "Onyx, Sand Attack!"
The Bite Pokémon turned around and sprayed the flames with dirt. The Fire type, angered at the change in momentum, morphed into an orb that darted downstairs. The ghostly Chimecho, no longer confused, turned into an orb as well and followed its companion. The room became calm and returned to its normal temperature.
The Nuzlocker wiped his brow. "So that's what normal battlin's like. So much better than what I have to do."
Weldon laughed. "Yeah, it's a lot more dynamic and less strict, right?"
Lapis raised an eyebrow. "Why're you laughin'? Summer got away 'cause we didn't come up with a plan!"
"Yeah, about that…" Weldon held onto Errol's Poké Ball. "I would've thought of one, but I didn't want the ghost to know what we're doing."
"Which is…"
"Errol can track Summer down thanks to his experience with seeing ghosts."
"Then, how's he gonna get back without 'em noticin'?"
"Errol's quite a clever Noctowl, so he'll find a way."
"Right…you have way too much faith in Summer's Pokémon."
"Hah!" Lightning exclaimed. "Errol will show you, Lapis!"
Lapis groaned. "Anyway, what do we do now?"
Weldon looked at the tombstone Summer was in front of earlier. "Hopefully, find any clues about this ghost girl."
The Nuzlocker joined him, letting the Pokémon search on their own. He read the tombstone's epitaph aloud, "Enid Ellis, beloved daughter. You were gone too soon, but you will never be forgotten. February 2, 1970, to November 5, 1977… Wow…she was only seven…"
The Kantonian wiped the dirt off the worn granite. "Yeah… That's around the age Summer had her first experience with the ghost…"
And I'm only a couple years off that age when my parents died… Lapis cleared his throat. "Not much to go on from the stone, but seems she was forgotten after all."
"It's…really sad to be honest. To be forgotten…"
The sound of sharp footsteps startled the two Trainers. The group hid behind some tombstones a few feet away from Enid's.
"Who the hell's here at this time of night?" Lapis hissed.
Weldon shushed him as a woman in her late thirties entered the floor. She wore a long black dress, black heels, and a brown handbag draped over her white Mareep wool sweater dress, highlighting her long black hair and brown eyes.
She walked over to Enid's marker and whispered, "Ena…I'm sorry it took me so long to get here." Then she noted the fresh wipe mark and gasped. "D-Did someone visit you recently? I wonder who it could be…"
Weldon and Lapis tried to sneak away, but the latter tripped and fell onto the floor.
The woman was startled. "Wh-Who's there?! Biān… Please scope out the place…"
An elderly Chimecho emerged from a Great Ball. Using her bell as a lantern, she hovered around until she found the teen sprawled on the floor.
Damn it…
The stranger was about to scream when Weldon ran out, saying, "P-Please don't shout! We're not here to hurt anyone!"
The woman relaxed as the Chimecho floated back to her. "O-Oh… I'm sorry. I just didn't expect to see anyone here so late at night. I'm Jīnglíng Yáng. Who are you two, and what are you doing here?"
"I'm Weldon and this is Lapis. My…friend, Summer, was with us, but she's now possessed by a young ghost girl."
Jīnglíng's eyes grew wide. "A-A young ghost girl?! You don't mean…"
We all looked at the tombstone. "Yeah…that's her."
She fell on her knees. "I…I don't believe it… She…She can't be a yūrei…"
"A yūrei?" Lapis asked.
"A…ghost who became vengeful due to an unfortunate circumstance that caused their death. They're well known from Kanto to Sinnoh."
Weldon crossed his arms. "In that case, how did Enid die? Do you know, Jīnglíng?"
She looked at the ground. "Y-Yes…but it was terrible."
Sensing it was going to be a long story, everyone sat in a circle.
Jīnglíng explained, "Enid, or Ena as she preferred to be called, was my best friend growing up. She was sweet, caring, and always had a smile on her face. We spent as much time together as we could, and I always enjoyed it. But after she died, I learned she didn't have a good home life. Her parents cared more about their careers and image than the wellbeing of their daughter. There were times she was covered in bruises or was so hungry that she hoarded food whenever she could. I wanted to ask her what was going on, but she kept telling me not to worry about her. Then one day…" She stared at her friend's death date. "We were playing on that date with a Chimecho we befriended when her parents came. They were really angry for some reason, angrier than I've ever seen them. They took Ena away, and the next thing I knew, she was dead."
Weldon frowned. "That sounds like child abuse. Were they ever prosecuted?"
She shook her head. "They were lawyers, so they knew how to get around breaking the law. And how to get people's sympathy." Jīnglíng turned to the tombstone and bitterly added, "They had the audacity to write those words, 'You were gone too soon, but you will never be forgotten.' Words they did and will never follow."
Lapis crossed his arms. I…I never thought people could act that way towards their children. I'm…happy Mom and Dad weren't like that, I think…
Then, Yeonhwa, the elderly female caretaker, appeared. A Shuppet wearing a purple amulet followed her closely.
"Oh, young Lapis. I didn't expect you to still be here," she said.
He shrugged. "I…got caught up in somethin' else."
"Oh?" She looked at Weldon and Jīnglíng and surmised, "From the looks on your faces, it seems something serious has happened."
The Kantonian nodded. "My name is Weldon, ma'm, and I'm looking for my companion, Summer-"
The elderly woman gasped. "Y-You mean the same Summer Scorcher who-" She exhaled sharply before looking at Jīnglíng. "And you must be…"
"Ena's friend, yes."
Yeonhwa frowned. "We must find young Summer immediately."
Her Shuppet closed her eyes. "I'm getting a mental correspondence, my lady. From an 'Errol'."
Weldon's eyes lit up. "That's Summer's Pokémon! What did Errol say?"
The Ghost type relayed, "'Ms. Summer is outside by some tombstones at the western end of the mountain.'"
Her owner gasped. "No…history is repeating itself! I must inform my husband. Quickly, you must stop her before it's too late!"
The Shuppet dissipated, leaving Lapis dumbfounded at the events. But Weldon and Lightning ran off towards the stairs. Realizing he was left behind again, the teen and Jīnglíng attempted to catch up with them.
"Ena…" she muttered. "Why would she do all this?"
"Could be 'cause Scorcher looked like you at that age. At least, that's the gist I got from Leland."
She bit her lip. "I can't let innocent people suffer anymore."
She retracted the heels on her shoes and was able to keep up with the Nuzlocker.
They headed outside and caught up to Weldon and Lightning, who were hiding behind a large rock with Errol. After they regrouped, they watched a possessed Summer hover towards the cliff edge.
"We got to stop them!" Weldon hissed.
"If you do, it ain't gonna end well," the Nuzlocker argued.
Errol frowned. "That spirit is aware of my powers now, so I will be unable to create an avenue for rescue."
Jīnglíng cleared her throat. "I'll go talk to Ena. I know she'll listen to me."
"You sure 'bout that? She ain't gonna recognize you."
She smiled. "I may look different, but I'm still the same Jīnglíng." Her Chimecho nodded.
Weldon clutched the rock. "Okay, Jīnglíng. We'll stay here and be your backup in case things go wrong."
After giving them a firm nod, the older pair walked towards the floating pre-teen.
"Ena…" the woman said in a gentle voice. "It's been a while. Can you hear me, Ena?"
The possessed Summer looked confused. "WHo…whO are YoU?"
"It's me, Jīnglíng. Don't you remember?"
"NoO… You cAn't Be HeR! You're NOT SeVeN YeArS oLd!"
"Of course not. After all…you passed when I was that age."
Summer laughed. "ThEn yOu CAN'T be HER!"
The surrounding tombstones shook in response to her energy, but the woman remained strong.
"I know you still think that, but it really is me." She motioned the old Chimecho to approach. "Remember Biān?"
The Psychic type rang her bell, releasing its soothing chime.
"B-Biān? That's…the Chimecho we played with before I…" The possessed girl stared at Jīnglíng. "You do…look like her, I guess. Fine…"
A glowing white orb emerged from Summer's body, then materialized into a little girl with blonde hair and a pink dress. An unconscious Summer fell onto the grass; Weldon held back the urge to help so Jīnglíng could continue her peace attempt.
Lapis raised an eyebrow. "That girl's Ena? She looks harmless to me."
"I know she does, Lapis. But she's dangerous if she can control Summer and those ghostly Pokémon like that," Weldon cautioned.
"True."
Ena frowned. "Jīnglíng, why did you abandon me after I called you the night I died? I…was counting on you…to save me…"
"E-Ena…" Her friend held back tears. "I-I did call the police right after I hung up, and they came as quickly as they could… But I was told they arrived too late and…you-you-" She sobbed. "I-I was in so much shock, I couldn't attend your funeral, or do anything else for a long time. I felt miserable, thinking it was all my fault you died. I'm so sorry, Ena!"
The spirit wanted to grin, but seeing her friend's sorrow and pain made her pause. "I…I didn't realize you felt that way… I wanted you to feel the same pain I did, but…I guess it was all my fault after all."
The woman wiped her eyes. "Huh? What do you mean?"
"I…I kept my abuse a secret. Even from you, my best friend. If people knew, I thought I wouldn't see Mom or Dad again. But after I died, they still abandoned me… I…really didn't deserve to live."
Ena fell to the ground, sobbing. Jīnglíng inched over and hugged the little girl.
"That's not true, Ena! The times I spent with you was the happiest times of my childhood. I could never forget you or our promises when we became adults."
"Our promises? You mean-"
Jīnglíng giggled and showed a diamond ring on her left hand. "Remember? One of them was that we promised to tell each other when one of us gets engaged so we can plan each other's weddings."
"Y-You're getting married?" Ena's sadness turned to glee. "Wh-Who is it? Where are you getting married? How are you going to-?"
The woman laughed and answered everything her ghostly friend wanted to know.
As the two boys watched the happy conversation, Weldon sighed.
"Now what's up?" Lapis inquired.
"It's just…even though Ena and Jīnglíng haven't seen each other for a long time, they still seem so close as if they never separated."
"What's wrong with that?"
The Kantonian looked glum. "I've…never had friends like that while at the academy. I'm kind of envious of those two."
"Eh, friends weigh you down, that's what I think."
"Oh really? Then what does that make us, Lapis?"
The Nuzlocker was stunned by his teasing reply. "Y-You don't count! You're…You're just…an acquaintance! That's right, an acquaintance!"
Weldon chuckled. "If you say so."
The old friends finished their chat as the sun began to rise over the water.
Jīnglíng saw the little girl's body turn as yellow as the sun's rays. "A-Are you finally at peace, Ena?"
The spirit looked at her slowly fading hands, then nodded. "Yes… All along, I knew you weren't to blame for how I died. I just…I just couldn't accept Mom and Dad would-"
"I know," the woman replied as she patted her childhood friend's head. "It took me a long time to forgive myself too. I'm just happy to see you happy again, Ena."
She sniffled. "M-Me too, Jīnglíng…" Then she took something off her neck. "Please use this for your wedding, Jīnglíng. Isn't there something about 'something old' for weddings?"
"Yes, there is. But, isn't it buried with you?"
Giggling, Ena answered, "Spirits have their ways of holding onto these kinds of material things." Sensing her time was over, she said, "Goodbye, Jīnglíng." Then, she disappeared amidst sparkles of white light.
Jīnglíng returned to the two boys and smiled, wiping her eyes with a tissue.
"Are you okay, Jīnglíng?" Weldon asked.
"Sniff… Yes, I'm fine. I'm just happy I was able to help Ena move on."
"What did she give you, if you don't mind me asking?"
She showed the pair an old silver necklace with a Chimecho on it. "We bought matching necklaces when we were younger. They make a light tinkling noise when moved."
As Jīnglíng and Weldon continued to converse, Lapis felt someone pulling on his jeans.
"Hey, Lapis," Zuli said. "The pendant feels weird."
The teen and his Pokémon walked away to another rock outcropping. "What'cha mean it feels weird?"
"I don't know. It seems like it's charged with something."
Onyx sniffed the lapis stone, only to jump back. "Ow, that hurt!"
"You okay, Onyx?"
"Yeah," she replied as she rubbed her nose. "It was like a spark of energy came out of the pendant."
"Hm…"
Lapis touched the pendant, and the electric current the Mightyena mentioned coursed through him. He yelped, but the scenery around him changed so fast, no one could hear. Instead of a cemetery on a mountain, he was in a nursery decorated in blue and yellow toys, bedding, and walls. He looked at his hand and was shocked to see it was as translucent as the spirit of Ena.
Wh-What the hell happened?! And where the hell am I?
A crying baby interrupted his confused thoughts. Lapis walked over to a crib along the wall and peered over it. The infant was wrapped in a deep blue knitted blanket and a matching knitted hat, which looked strangely familiar.
Then, two people, a man and woman, entered the room to comfort their child. Lapis couldn't make out most of the details, but he was able to make out the man's blue eyes and blonde hair as well as the woman's green eyes and long black hair.
The woman passed through Lapis' body and smiled at the child. "Aww…is someone hungry already?"
"Looks like he takes after his mother," the man jokingly replied.
"Oh, hush you!" she retorted as she fed the baby.
Their voices sounded familiar too, but Lapis couldn't remember until they continued their conversation.
"Oh, Lapis," the woman whispered as he drank the baby bottle. "You're as beautiful as the gemstone you're named after. Right, Kei?"
The man chuckled. "Yes, he certainly does, doesn't he, Esmerelda?"
Lapis stepped back in shock. Kei? Esmerelda? Detective Kei told me those were the names of my parents. Does this mean…I'm in a memory with them? But how- Then he remembered. Summer wanted to see Zuli's pendant earlier. Did she do something to it?
As he continued watching the heartwarming scene, the surroundings began to fade.
"No, wait!" he shouted, a tear falling down his face. "I want to see what you look like!"
Lapis blinked and found himself back on the top of Mt. Pyre. He clutched his heart as Zuli and Onyx looked at him with worry.
"Are you okay, Lapis?" the Dark type asked. "After you touched Zuli's pendant, you were just standing there staring at it."
"I-I'm fine. I just…I just saw something I never thought was possible."
His Pokémon were surprised by his proper use of words. Then, Zuli gave him a comforting pat. "I hope it was a good thing, Lapis."
Smiling, he replied, "Y-Yeah. It was. You two should get some rest."
With his Poké Balls released from Ena's control, he returned the two and rejoined the conversation, only to find out Jīnglíng was gone. "Where'd she go?"
Weldon replied, "Oh, there you are, Lapis. Jīnglíng left, but she wanted to thank you for helping her. She would've stayed longer to do so, but I said I can relay the message since you don't really like talking to adults that much, and all that."
"I don't hate it! It's…just a bother. But…thanks for doin' that."
They walked over to Summer, who was still not moving. Lightning tried to shake her Trainer awake, but she didn't respond. Weldon felt her pulse and breathed a sigh of relief.
"She's still alive, thank Arceus." He turned to the teen. "We can handle things from here, Lapis. You should head over to Lilycove City while it's still quiet."
"You sure?" After receiving a nod, Lapis said, "Fine. Guess I'll see you later then." Wait, why did I say that?
Weldon grinned. "I'm sure I will. After all, we are friends, no matter how much you deny it."
Lapis left with a backwards wave. As the last words rang through his ears, he thought, Do I…really have any friends? Then he saw Weldon's face, along with Summer's and Harry's, and softly smiled.
Yeah, guess it's nice to know I have friends. And…I just hope you're still watching out for me, Mom and Dad. I'll try to remember everything I can about the both of you, especially what you look like.
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of Ena's backstory?
What did you think of Lapis' memory of his parents?
What will Lapis experience in Lilycove City?