After infiltrating Team Magma's hideout in Mt. Chimney, Lapis and Weldon returned to Lilycove City to re-strategize while Trinity went to Slateport City. The Nuzlocker was almost arrested by Inspector Caspian, who informed Lapis that he was the prime suspect in Jade's disappearance. Weldon, Magma, Samir, and Harry came to the teen's rescue, and the inspector was forced to let Lapis go. The group got acquainted with each other and Wally, the Lilycove City Gym Leader. After Magma and Weldon caught everyone up on recent events, the Kantonian and Wally had a one-on-one battle while the rest watched from the sidelines. As they prepared for their sea voyage and waited to hear back from Trinity, the group learns about an incident broadcast on live television. What does this mean for Lapis and the others?
Lapis' Pokémon:
Zuli (Lvl. 42 Swampert, male; Item: Soft Sand): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Strength, Mud Shot, Surf
Bixbite (Lvl. 42 Camerupt, male): Bold Nature, Oblivious Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Tackle, Ember, Earthquake
Onyx (Lvl. 42 Mightyena, female; Item: King's Rock): Mild Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Tackle, Rock Smash, Sand Attack, Bite
Pearl (Lvl. 42 Grumpig, female): Lax Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Psychic, Psybeam, Shock Wave, Confuse Ray
Celestite (Lvl. 42 Altaria, female): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Fly, Safeguard, Take Down, Dragonbreath
Amethyst (Lvl. 42 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 36: Forging a Seaward Path
Lapis stared at Lilycove Bay as the sun rose on another day.
It's been days since we heard from that Miller woman. Scorcher and her group are doing something else because they couldn't find the Team Aqua Hideout. And the wild Pokémon here are too weak for decent training! It's so boring!
As he groaned, something small and fast smacked the back of his head. What the?
The pesky messenger Taillow was back. This time, however, he just handed the teen the envelope, took a Pokédollar from his pocket, then flew off.
No back and forth? Must be something urgent then.
He read the note inside.
"Dear Mr. Lapis Eurig,
Due to the impending crisis from Team Magma and Team Aqua's activities, your timeframe to complete the Gym challenges has been temporarily postponed."
He was about to smile when he continued reading.
"You are still required to abide by the Nuzlocke rules and obtain your remaining two Gym Badges for the time being. We will inform you when the timeframe will resume.
Sincerely,
Kyushi Hōfu"
Damn it… Why does the PLA keep doing this to me?
"Lapis?"
He turned around and saw Harry. "Oh, Waves. What's up?"
"Weldon heard back from Trinity. She said there's a strong chance Team Aqua will be at a press conference for the new submarine at Slateport City."
"Then shouldn't we head over there?"
"Weldon thought about that too, but Trinity said if we were all there, it would draw suspicion."
"True. Guess we gotta watch it from here."
He laughed. "Then you better come to the Pokémon Center. It's about to start."
They returned to the two-story building, where a small group of people were standing in front of the television in the lobby. At the front were Samir and Weldon.
"There you are, Lapis," the research assistant said with a smile. "You made it just in time."
"Anythin' happen yet?"
"No, those reporters, Gabby and Ty, are still going into the history of the submarine construction. The press conference part should begin soon though."
"Ain't Miller doin' anything to stop Team Aqua?"
Weldon replied, "I don't know. She hasn't mention to me about anything about that."
"What a lone Manectric."
"Look who's talking," the Kantonian replied, smirking.
The sound of loud clapping focused the viewers to the start of the press conference. Captain Stern, the submarine's owner and the person Lapis delivered the Devon Goods so long ago, appeared in front of a wooden podium.
After clearing his throat to hide his nervousness, the old man said, {Good morning, everyone. I'm Captain Stern, the manager of the Slateport City Harbor. I would like to thank you all for coming to the unveiling of our latest project, the Submarine Explorer 1!}
The press clapped their hands.
{The goal of this underwater vessel is to explore Hoenn marine life and the seafloor. Our first expedition to a mysterious cavern at the depths of Route 128 will begin in two weeks. We believe that-}
A loud bang interrupted the calm atmosphere.
{Wh-What on earth?}
A familiar voice boomed over the loudspeaker. {Ahoy there, landlubbers and scalawags! The submarine is now under the control of Team Aqua!}
"Archie!" Lapis exclaimed as the spectators around them became anxious.
The view shifted from the press conference to the indoor dock. Several Team Aqua Grunts entered the submarine and made insulting gestures at the camera before the vessel dove underwater.
{W-We'll be right back after this commercial break!} Gabby shouted, exasperated.
Everyone in the Pokémon Center went into a slight panic after witnessing the unexpected events. The four, however, retreated to a small meeting room to discuss.
"This isn't good," Weldon stated after the door closed. "Team Aqua's going after Kyogre now."
"What makes you say that, Weldon?" Harry asked.
"The submarine was being prepped for an expedition on Route 128, where Seafloor Cavern is. Now that Team Aqua has that information, their plan to awaken Kyogre will be quicker than we anticipated."
"Now what?" Lapis inquired. "We can't sit here, 'specially since I still gotta do that Nuzlocke challenge!"
Weldon hid a smirk. "Guess the PLA still wants you to keep at it. Does that mean you need to get to Mossdeep City too?"
"Most likely. And, followin' those stupid restrictions, I need this HM called 'Dive' to access these 'underwater spots'."
"Dive, huh? Didn't know a Pokémon needed a move for that specific purpose." Trinity entered the room, her face deep in thought.
The Nuzlocker frowned. "So much for your spy mission."
She scoffed. "Team Aqua may have gotten away, but I did some work that'll help us."
"Like…?"
"Like arranging for you to get a Pokémon who can help us with diving. I'm sure you wouldn't want your Swampert to learn that move when it could learn something better."
The Nuzlocker bit his lip. She got me there… "Wait. Shouldn't we leave now to get that HM?"
Trinity sat down. "All still part of my plan."
"Maybe you should tell us everything related to your plan," Weldon said.
"Very well. While I was in Slateport City doing my 'spy mission', as you call it, Lapis, I was able to put a low-pulsating disruption device inside the submarine."
"A low-pulsating disruption device?" Samir repeated. "The one that affects complex machinery?"
"The very one."
"But where did you-?"
"It was Magma, wasn't it?" Weldon answered.
She smiled. "Yes, he gave me the device before you and Lapis joined us after the Team Magma Hideout infiltration. But it'll only by us some time; we still need to progress with our mission to stop Team Aqua from waking Kyogre. I was able to get someone to deliver the Dive HM in Mossdeep City; we just need to pick it up from them."
"Then we should get going," Harry said. "After all, we need to get ferry tickets."
Lapis' face darkened. Which I can't use…
Seeing the Nuzlocker's expression, Weldon said, "I'll go with Lapis since he can't use the ferry."
"Me too," Samir added. "I also need to engage in some battles myself."
Trinity nodded. "All right. Harry and I will meet you at the Mossdeep City Pokémon Center. Don't take too long."
The two left, and after a few minutes, the three headed to Lilycove Bay. Weldon got onto his Gyarados as Lapis did the same with Zuli. Samir, however, boarded his Pidgeot, Terry, and flew above them. The three then traveled east along the sea-based Route 124. After a few hours, they took a break on a shoal at the Route 124-125 border.
Lapis noticed the research assistant holding a familiar Pokémon. "Patajhad, ain't that the Anorith you revived a few months ago?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm surprised you remember him. His nickname is Stego."
After the fossil Pokémon waved to them, he pointed to the water. "Can I go in now, Samir?"
His Trainer chuckled. "All right. Just don't stray too far, okay?"
Stego nodded, and he jumped into the sea.
Lapis was dumbfounded. "Why'd ya let him do that? Ain't Anorith supposed to be weak to water?"
Samir stroked his chin. "That is true, but based on fossil data, Anorith and their evolution, Armaldo, swam in the ocean to hunt. So their water weakness is likely from freshwater rather than saltwater."
"Huh. Guess that makes some sense," the teen replied as they watched the Old Shrimp Pokémon play in the water and pile some colorful shards on the beach.
Weldon asked Samir, "What happened to Helix? Isn't he also with you?"
"Helix?" Lapis inquired.
"An Omanyte I also resurrected from a fossil a few years ago. He was with me temporarily to get used to living in the present day, but I sent him back to Pewter City in Kanto to be part of their new interactive exhibit of resurrected fossil Pokémon. The last I heard, he's part of a mock battle demonstration against a Kabuto named Dome."
Helix? Dome? Sounds like it's a battle between heaven and hell.
Weldon looked at his Pokégear. "Since we'll likely reach Mossdeep City before the sun sets, why don't we do some training?"
Lapis was skeptical. "These Trainers ain't givin' me much of a challenge though."
"Then, why not battle us?" Weldon responded with a grin. "Samir and I may not be part of the Nuzlocke challenge, but we can certainly give you a tougher match."
"You're just gonna knock out my Pokémon in two moves, tops. Which I still can't lose any, by the way."
"I don't think that's Weldon's intention," Samir reassured. "You can use our Pokémon to test out strategies without the fear of losing anyone."
"Don't know how I can do 'strategies' when my Pokémon can't dodge or do that fancy move finagling!"
"That doesn't mean strategizing won't come in handy," Weldon affirmed. "Come on, let's get started."
Like I have a choice.
A few hours later…
After the training session, the three continued their eastern travel. Lapis was relieved it wasn't a waste after all; not only did his Pokémon gain more levels, he also found a very important item.
The Leaf Stone I got should come in handy when Amethyst is ready to evolve. Who knew the shards Stego found would actually be worth trading for evolutionary stones.
Suddenly, a round, blue thing smacked into Lapis' face. It was soft, but it was hard enough to make Lapis' mind a little disoriented.
What the hell was that?
When he recovered, he saw a Spheal swimming towards a cave with a small dock.
"You ain't gettin' away!" he shouted as he nudged Zuli in that direction.
"But Lapis," the Swampert protested. "It was an accident."
"There was intent, Zuli! I know it."
Sighing, the Water type headed to the dock, and Samir and Weldon were forced to follow. After getting on, they read the sign on top of the entrance, "Shoal Cave and Spheal Rehabilitation Center".
The group followed the Water type's path around the cave. Then, they noticed several Spheal cowering on a small shoal as a group of Tentacool encircled them. The Spheal that hit Lapis earlier tried to defend his friends, but the Poison types were too fast. He was stopped by an Acid attack, and Lapis acted instinctively.
"Celestite, chase those Tentacool off with Dragonbreath!" he shouted while throwing her ball.
She exhaled the green flames, which singed one of the Jellyfish Pokémon. Weldon and Samir added to their defense with Fearow and Terry, respectively. Knowing their opponents were much stronger, they dove in fear.
The Water types were relieved and headed back into the cave. The boys followed them, and Lapis noticed there was water inside the damp interior. A black-haired woman ran towards the Clap Pokémon.
"There you all are!" she exclaimed. "Thank goodness none of you were hurt! That's too many incidents in a week for me." As some people in light blue shirts tending to the Spheal, she looked at the visitors. "Oh, you must be the Trainers Trinity mentioned were coming. I'm Natasha, the crew leader on duty at the Spheal Rehabilitation Center today. Thank you for finding the Spheal; we've been so short-staffed, we weren't able to send anyone to find them."
"You're welcome," Weldon said. "What did you and Trinity arrange?"
Natasha brushed her hair back. "She told me to provide you a Spheal that can help with your diving expeditions. I selected the most suitable ones, but it seems they rolled away to explore and got themselves into trouble. Anyway, feel free to choose a Spheal for your journey. And don't worry, these ones can't be released because they're used to being around humans."
"Well, Lapis. What do you think?" Samir asked.
Lapis scanned each of them closely, especially the one who hit him earlier. To his surprise, that Spheal started to take a nap. This made him chuckle.
"Is this Spheal always like that?"
Natasha looked at the one he pointed at and smiled. "Oh, Larimar? That one tends to be relaxed most of the time. But after a recent experience with some girls who saved him in the ice room below, he's now interested in exploring underwater."
The dozing Spheal opened one eye, as if he was expecting the Nuzlocker's response.
His nickname is Larimar? That can't be a coincidence. "Wanna join us, Larimar? I gotta catch ya first, so you better not faint on me."
"Hm…" he muttered. "We'll see."
He rolled in front of Lapis, and everyone else made room for the quick battle.
The teen let out Bixbite, and he shouted, "Bixbite, Ember!"
The Camerupt sprayed the Clap Pokémon with orange flames. Though it didn't do much damage, the Fire type move left a burn mark on his chest. Larimar used Amnesia to raise his Special Defense, but flinched at the burn chipping away his health.
Hope this works. Lapis threw a Great Ball at the round Pokémon. After three shakes, the Water type was caught. Relieved, the Nuzlocker then scanned the new capture's data.
So…Level 28, Thick Fat Ability, and Relaxed Nature. I'll give him his stone later.
After sending the ball to his PC, he noticed the remaining Spheal sizing themselves in front of Celestite.
"What's goin' on?"
Natasha replied, "It looks like the Spheal want to get as strong as the one you caught. If your Altaria is up to it, I'm happy to let the Spheal try to beat her."
"Sure, why not?"
He spent the next two hours helping Natasha with the Spheal training while Samir and Weldon did some training on their own. When they were done, they said goodbye to the crew leader and finally arrived in Mossdeep City before night fell.
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of Team Aqua's takeover of the submarine?
What did you think of Lapis' bonding time with Weldon and Samir?
What did you think of Larimar?
How will Lapis do during the Mossdeep City Gym challenge?
