As Lapis' stay in Rustboro City continued, he got a Quick Claw from a destructive headmaster and a new Taillow, later named Moonstone, on Route 116. However, an unforeseen experience caused Moonstone's nature to change, much to Lapis' chagrin. Now came his first awaited Gym challenge. After completing a rock maze, he battled against Roxanne, whose Nosepass gave him a lot of trouble. But he was able to defeat the Gym Leader with just Zuli, earning him his first Gym badge. Before he could go to the next city, he runs into a man stealing something important from a company building. Where is this man from, and will Lapis be able to retrieve the important item?
Lapis' Pokémon:
Zuli (Lvl. 14 Mudkip, male): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Growl, Mud Slap, Water Gun
Onyx (Lvl. 11 Poochyena, female): Mild Nature, Run Away Ability, moves: Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack
Tiger Eyes (Lvl. 12 Zigzagoon, male): Quiet Nature, Pickup Ability, moves: Tackle, Tail Whip, Headbutt
Agate (Lvl. 12 Beautifly, female): Quirky Nature, Swarm Ability, moves: Tackle, String Shot, Harden, Absorb
Moonstone (Lvl. 12 Taillow, female): Naive Nature, Guts Ability, moves: Peck, Growl, Focus Energy, Quick Attack
Chapter 7: Retrieving a Stolen Cache
Lapis sat under a large pine tree at Cutter Park, staring at his newly acquired Stone Badge. As it shone in the afternoon light, he pondered at its importance.
So this is what I need to help win this Nuzlocke challenge? It's just a pin. I can't imagine why Trainers want them so badly.
Zuli popped out of his Poké Ball. "Whatcha doing, Loud Lapis?"
"Just starin' at the badge."
The Water type's eyes sparkled as the gold glint flashed. "That brings back memories."
The teen furrowed his brow at the Mud Fish Pokémon. "That was a few hours ago."
"So? I was the only one who battled against Roxanne! Nosie was tough, but I was so glad you didn't give up on me."
Lapis curiously stared at his starter. "Guess when you think about it that way, then the badge does hold some meanin' after all." He paused. "Wait...did you call me 'Loud Lapis' again?"
Zuli cocked his head. "'Again?' Yeah, why?"
"You called me 'Lapis' towards the end of the battle."
"N-No I didn't!" he protested, nervously stepping back. "Y-You just heard things wrong!"
The Nuzlocker sharply exhaled and hid a smile. Guess you kinda are like me. "Guess I misheard things."
The sounds of a shuffle interrupted the tender moment. Lapis stood up and saw on the main street, a Team Aqua Grunt wrestle something from a scientist.
Those two look familiar... Wait, are they the same people from Petalburg Woods?
The Grunt ran towards the northern edge of the city, causing the scientist to scream, "Help me! Catch that thief!"
Lapis was about to sit back down when Zuli protested, "Come on, Loud Lapis! You can't let him get victimized again!"
"It ain't our business, Zuli."
He pawed the ground, ready to run. "You wanna bet?"
Lapis groaned. "All right! But you owe me."
He returned his ecstatic Mudkip and ran out of the park. The frantic scientist sat on a bench, sobbing.
"Wh-What do I do now?!" he wailed.
Lapis tapped his shoulder, and the scientist wiped his eyes with delight.
"Oh, it's you! Can you please get my briefcase back? I hope it's not much of a bother."
"It is, but I got no choice."
The scientist pointed to the signage at the edge of town. "I think that same thief from earlier ran towards Route 116. You must stop him before he escapes through Rusturf Tunnel. Otherwise, there's no way to track him down! I'll let the police know what happened in the meantime."
Why does everyone else get the easier part? Lapis let out Onyx, whose nose would be helpful in tracking down the suspect. Then they sprinted to the route where he caught Moonstone until they stopped at a small mountain range with a series of steps and a large carved opening. At the base was a small wooden house where people traveling between Rustboro City and Verdanturf Town, located across the pass, were allowed to rest.
In front of the entrance sat an elderly man wearing a red robe trimmed in white. He appeared to be in pain, as he clutched his left ankle.
Lapis tried to walk past him. "Come on, Onyx."
But she didn't budge. "Lapis, we should really check on him. That ankle could be serious."
"You too?" He sighed. "Whatever."
The two approached the stranger cautiously.
The man saw them and pleaded, "Oh, a...somewhat friendly face! A blue and white ruffian snatched my darling Peeko and ran into the tunnel. Please sir, I need your help! Please rescue my beloved Peeko!"
Lapis felt moved to help the stranger, though he didn't know why. Maybe it was his words, or his appearance. "S-Sure. Let's go, Onyx."
Pleased, the Poochyena followed her Trainer inside. The tunnel was covered with light and dark green stones. Though there were smaller holes made by the wild Pokémon, a much larger hole was chiseled a while back to create a large straight passage. A loud shriek echoed through the tunnel.
Onyx sniffed the ground. "They definitely went this way."
"Great. Then let's get a move on."
But before they could proceed, a pink Whismur jumped onto the path. "Halt, intruders!" he whispered.
Lapis frowned. "What? I can't hear ya."
"I said, HALT INTRUDERS!"
The Dark type winced. "That was pretty loud."
His Trainer was still confused. "What did he say?"
"'Halt, intruders.'"
"Oh."
"That's right!" the Whismur softly shouted. "Now, face my wrath!"
He jumped at Onyx with his right paw outstretched, but the Pound attack didn't do much damage.
Lapis looked at his tablet. It's just level 7, but I do need backup Pokémon. Guess I gotta try to catch him. "Onyx, Tackle!"
She hit the Whismur's body, and he tumbled back. Undeterred, he stomped on the ground and screamed, flailing his arms in the air. The noise was much louder than his voice, and Onyx had to brace herself to avoid being thrown back.
Just a bit more. "Tackle again!"
Another blow to his body, and he fell onto the green dirt, panting.
Lapis took out a Poké Ball and threw it at the weakened Normal type. It went in, and after three shakes, the orb emitted the familiar stars. After he picked up the Poké Ball, he scanned it.
So, a Naughty Nature and the Soundproof Ability. He may be useful for now.
Another loud screech interrupted his thoughts.
Though she panted slightly, Onyx was raring to go. "Come on, Lapis. We need to help Peeko."
He looked at his Poochyena. "Actually, you're goin' back in the ball."
She was stunned. "B-But why?"
"If we gotta battle again, I'm gonna use someone stronger. You're only good for catchin' Pokémon."
Onyx's face fell. "I...I see."
Lapis returned her before she could say anything else and switched the order of the balls on his belt before continuing further down the path. He eventually arrived at a dead end, where the Team Aqua Grunt was struggling to climb over a pair of possibly breakable brown rocks. The stolen briefcase dangled from a rope around his waist. A Wingull was frantically trying to fly away, only for her to be held back by another rope around his waist.
"Let me go!" the Seagull Pokémon shrieked in between flaps.
The man growled, "Quit your squawking! No one's here to save you!"
"Wanna bet?" Lapis shouted.
This startled the Grunt, causing him to slip and land onto the stolen briefcase. Peeko in turn landed on her captor. He rubbed his bottom and looked at the source of the voice.
His eyes widened. "Y-You! You're that punk from Petalburg Woods!"
Lapis raised an eyebrow. "Who else would it be? Your pals?"
The Grunt got up and brushed the green dust off his pants. "I'll make ya pay for what happened then! Go, Poochyena!"
The Dark type, teeth bared, appeared in front of the teen. He looked stronger, but Lapis sneered when he saw his level on his tablet.
"Level 11? Pathetic!"
The man was confused. "'Level...11'? What're you talking about?!"
Lapis ignored his question and threw a Poké Ball in response. "Go, Tiger Eyes!"
The Zigzagoon jumped out of the orb, ready to battle.
"Tiger Eyes, Headbutt!"
He lowered his head and charged into the Poochyena, knocking the latter into the air. Lapis smiled when his saw their opponent's health drop to half after he hit the ground.
The Grunt was stunned. "Th-That Headbutt was so powerful..." Then he regained focus. "Howl!"
The Poochyena looked to the ceiling and howled. A red energy enveloped his body.
The Nuzlocker laughed. "That won't save ya! Headbutt!"
Another hit to the body threw the Dark type into his Trainer, knocking them both down.
Lapis gloated, "Looks like you're washed up again."
Tiger Eyes pondered the joke, then nodded knowingly. The Grunt sat up, returned his fainted Pokémon, and cut the ropes with a pocket knife.
"This won't be the last you hear from me, punk!" he screamed. He ran away, adding, "You'll pay!"
Lapis rolled his eyes and looked at the sad Wingull, who still had the rope around her slender body. He looked at the bondages, then to Tiger Eyes' claws.
"Cut the ropes," he demanded.
He tried to, but they barely made a scratch. "What now, Lapis?"
He covered his face with his left hand. "I can't believe this," he muttered.
He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a long yellow CD case holder with a clear lid. There were fifty slots for a section called "TMs" and eight slots for a section called "HMs". Lapis pulled out the HM he got earlier.
"Looks like you're learnin' your first HM," he stated.
Tiger Eyes curiously looked at the white disc. "Didn't that Jim guy say it only works on small trees?"
"Well, I don't believe him. It's gotta work on other things. Now, how to do this?"
He read a small booklet that was enclosed in the holder. "'Step 1. Make sure the Pokémon you choose can learn the selected the TM/HM. More information can be found on either the Celebi or Bulbapedia websites.' Well if it's got claws, it's gotta be able to learn it. 'Step 2. Take out the selected CD and place it on the chosen Pokémon's head.'". Once he did that, he continued, "'Step 3. State whether or not you want the Pokémon to learn that move.' What kinda question's that?!"
He looked at the disc, and a holographic text box with the words "YES" and "NO" appeared over it.
"Oh."
He pressed "YES", and the CD glowed white.
The Tiny Raccoon Pokémon's eyes glowed the same color as the CD. He muttered in a monotone voice, "Cut, cuts the foe with sharp scythes, claws, etc. The result is a long swipe with the scythes, claws, etc. to attack the foe; it has no secondary effects. It can also be used outside of battle to cut small trees, long blades of grass, or anything made from plants."
As soon as he uttered the last words, the CD spun clockwise for a few seconds. Tiger Eyes was surrounded by a burst of white light, then his eyes returned to normal. The CD stopped spinning and remained on the Pokémon's head. Lapis put the HM away, and his Zigzagoon easily cut the ropes with his new Cut attack.
What a hassle...
Peeko shook off the frayed strands and beamed. "Thank you so much, mister!"
He felt awkward receiving such praise from an innocent Pokémon. " We...gotta get you back with your owner."
"Oh, okay."
Lapis returned Tiger Eyes, and he carried both Peeko and the briefcase out of the cave. When he returned to the outside world, the sun was starting its descent.
The scientist and Mr. Briney were anxiously waiting for them, along with a tall man wearing a brown trenchcoat and brown fedora. The stranger's piercing blue eyes met Lapis', and he frowned.
"You're the one who went in to help these men?" he asked.
His deep voice and authoritative tone confused Lapis. His voice sounds really familiar...but I don't remember meeting him before.
"Yeah..." The teen returned the stolen briefcase and Wingull to their respective owners. Both of the men hugged their respective precious belonging.
"Thank you so much!" the scientist said with a relieved smile. "This is the second time you helped me, and I'm so grateful. I got to get this back to my company. So long!"
After he strolled back to the city, Mr. Briney shook the Nuzlocker's hand. "I appreciate your help, young man. Peeko's been through a lot the past few months, so I'm glad she's unharmed once more. If you need my help, feel free to visit my house on Route 104 near Petalburg City. Until we meet again!"
The elderly man clasped onto the Wingull's legs, and they flew south over the buildings. Lapis was surprised to see the small bird Pokémon was able to carry her owner, but the stranger interrupted him.
"What a surprise to see you here, Mr. Eurig. You're the one doing that challenge, huh?"
The Nuzlocker was cautious. "Yeah... Who are ya anyways?"
The man cocked his head. "Doesn't Interpol Inspector Caspian ring a Chingling?" He pulled out a black wallet and showed the teen his ID badge.
Lapis crossed his arms. "Maybe? I'm...not sure..."
Inspector Caspian took off his hat and brushed his strawberry blonde hair back. "I can't tell if you're lying or not, but it doesn't matter now, does it? In the meantime, you should head back to the Pokémon Center. It's getting late."
The teen raised an eyebrow. "You ain't keepin' an eye on me, copper?"
He shrugged. "No reason to. You're not causing any trouble, for now. But trust me; if we hear you're doing something illegal again, we'll arrest you quicker than a speeding Arcanine." He let out a Skarmory and took off.
Lapis rubbed his head. Guess I got my answer. But what did I do? Can't be more illegal that bullying, stealing, or talking back to authority. Anyways, guess I gotta head back.
He returned to the familiar building and healed his Pokémon. Then, he found a spare couch and let out his new Whismur. Now that he was out of his familiar environment, he was very nervous.
"Wh-Where am I?" he whispered.
"Wow, I can actually hear you now. You're in a building."
The Whisper Pokémon marveled at the manmade surroundings. "It's so quiet, but loud at the same time."
"Right... Anyway, this is for you." He printed out the Nuzlocke challenge card and took out the gemstone box.
"I see..." the Normal type muttered. "I guess it won't hurt going with you."
"Time will tell, I guess." Lapis removed a tear-shaped bluish-green stone with flecks of yellow and pink from the container. He added it to a gold chain and showed the necklace to the Whismur. "You like apatite?"
He gasped. "It's beautiful..."
"Aight. That's your nickname too."
Apatite nodded and accepted the new accessory. Lapis returned his latest capture and headed to bed, ready to continue to the next place.
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of the events in Rusturf Tunnel?
What do you think of Inspector Caspian?
What do you think of Apatite?
