Still stuck on Dewford Island, Lapis was beginning to lose his patience waiting for Weldon to make his decision. After a surprising heartfelt talk and several physical obstacles, Weldon left the teen to rejoin Summer. Lapis finally made his way to the next place, Slateport City. But instead of directly delivering the last item for Mr. Stone, he winds up in two unusual scenarios. What awaits him in the seaside port city, and will he be free of this long-term burden?

Lapis' Pokémon:

Zuli (Lvl. 18 Marshtomp, male): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Growl, Mud Slap, Water Gun

Citrine (Lvl. 15 Makuhita, female): Timid Nature, Guts Ability, moves: Tackle, Sand Attack, Arm Thrust, Vital Throw

Tiger Eyes (Lvl. 15 Zigzagoon, male): Quiet Nature, Pickup Ability, moves: Tackle, Cut, Tail Whip, Headbutt

Agate (Lvl. 17 Beautifly, female): Quirky Nature, Swarm Ability, moves: Tackle, Stun Spore, Gust, Absorb

Moonstone (Lvl. 19 Taillow, female): Naive Nature, Guts Ability, moves: Peck, Growl, Focus Energy, Quick Attack

Onyx (Lvl. 13 Poochyena, female): Mild Nature, Run Away Ability, moves: Tackle, Howl, Sand Attack, Bite

Chapter 14: From Sand to Structure

One-hour boat ride later, the S.S. Wingull arrived at the Slateport City Harbor.

"Slateport City!" Mr. Briney called as Peeko circled overhead.

Lapis disembarked, his legs wobbling slightly. "Finally! That trip took forever!"

"Oh, you youngsters and your desire to travel in the blink of an eye!" the retired sailor said with a hearty laugh. "Trust me, if we were sailing the bay when I was younger, it took a whole day if the weather was prefect!"

"Whatever. Anyway, guess this is where we're partin' ways."

"I believe so. Well, it's been a pleasure ferrying you around the bay, Lapis. Good luck! Perhaps we'll meet on the sea again!"

Mr. Briney revved the engine and left, with his beloved Wingull following close behind.

The teen surveyed his new surroundings. It was a seaside city with a bustling marketplace and cobblestone streets. It wasn't as developed as Rustboro City, but the crowds were there. Lapis made his way to the Pokémon Center, located a few blocks north of the harbor and lighthouse.

Once inside, he walked over to the reception desk. Other Trainers in the lobby whispered amongst themselves, recognizing him, but Lapis paid no mind.

The nurse, a young woman with gray-blue eyes and olive skin, said with a smile, "Welcome to Slateport City, Lapis. My name's Nurse Kaina. I'm surprised it took you this long to get here."

"Yeah, well I got caught up in some drama I wanted no part of. You got any rooms here?"

She brushed her black hair back, displaying her Wailord pin, as she examined the computer. "Yes, there is a single occupancy room on the second floor. I can heal your Pokémon while I fetch your room key."

Once those tasks were done, Lapis walked upstairs, placed some things in the room, and headed back outside.

"Now to rid myself of these Devon Goods at the shipyard. But where is it? Damn it, I should've asked for directions. Guess I better look 'round."

He kept walking south until he noticed a large rectangular metal building across from the marketplace. A large pointed sign read "Slateport City Shipyard".

"Huh. Looks like random wandering worked. Now to finally finish this so I can continue training for the next Gym. Ugh, I can't believe I said that."

He walked through the solid door and was surprised to see how large the building actually was. Several ships of various types and ages were either being maintained, built, or stored. He noticed a reception desk by a large white ship under construction.

The sailor at the table looked at the visitor. "Oh, welcome to the Slateport City Shipyard. What brings you here?"

"Uh… I got this thing called the Devon Goods?"

"Oh, you must be the person the boss told us about. Normally, I'd take the package, but the boss wanted to see it himself first."

Great…just great…

"Tell me where your boss's at."

The sailor stroked his chin. "I believe he's at the Slateport City Oceanic Museum up the block. You should be able to find him easily. His name's Captain Stern."

"Got it."

Lapis left without saying thanks, eager to finish this already long chore.

Suddenly, Tiger Eyes emerged from his ball and sniffed the salty air.

The teen sighed. "Now, Tiger Eyes?"

"I'm sorry, Lapis. I can't help it."

"Ugh, whatever. What is it?"

"I'm not sure… It's a weird smell though. Sweet, yet metallic…"

Once he picked up a stronger scent, he ran towards the beach on Route 109, forcing his Trainer to follow. It wasn't too crowded, most likely because the beachgoers were off having lunch. This gave Tiger Eyes ample room to search for the unusual scent.

But before they stepped onto the sand, a portly man in a white and red striped shirt and white pants marched out of a small hut by the stairs.

"You there!" he exclaimed, his blue eyes focused on the pair. "You must be that Nuzlocke Trainer I saw on the news, aren't you?"

Lapis sighed and put his hands in his pockets. "Who's askin'?"

"The PLA, of course! They said you can help with requests."

The Nuzlocker was taken aback. "Since when did they say that?!"

A Taillow flew overhead and dropped an envelope on his head. Filled with dread, he opened the letter and read,

"Dear Mr. Lapis Eurig,

To help promote the Nuzlocke Challenge, the Hoenn Branch of the Pokémon League Association has allowed residents around the region to make requests for you to fulfill. These tasks are mandatory, but for each task, the corresponding resident will reward you for your efforts. We thank you for taking on this last-minute opportunity.

Sincerely,

Kyushi Hōfu

The Pokémon League Association: Hoenn Region Representative"

Pfft. What last minute baloney… "Fine… Whatcha' need me to do?"

The man beamed, showing a large black garbage bag and a stick. "Can you clean up the beach? Normally, my staff at the Seashore House and I do it, but we gotta prepare for a big party tonight."

"Whatever, just gimme the stuff."

Lapis snatched the cleaning items and the two walked around the large stretch of sand.

"Damn it," he muttered. "Why do I have to do all this?"

Tiger Eyes' ears fell. "I'm sorry, Lapis. I didn't mean to cause you all this trouble."

To his Pokémon's surprise, the teen replied, "Eh. It's bound to happen sooner or later. Just gotta hurry up and get through this mediocrity."

As they reached a seaweed bed by the shoreline, several sailors in white uniforms trimmed with blue noticed them.

"Hey, it's that Nuzlocke Trainer!" one yelled. "Looks like we don't have to wait long to battle him and get our pay. Charge!"

Startled, Lapis stepped onto the aquatic algae. His left foot sank into the bed, and he struggled to get out. Seeing a Machop and Wingull approach him, he let out Moonstone and was forced to give commands surrounded by thick green seaweed.

Half an hour later…

"Finally!" Lapis said as he and Tiger Eyes returned to the hut with a full bag of litter. "Can't believe it took me ten minutes to escape from that seaweed!"

"It was a good thing Zuli was able to eat it," Tiger Eyes replied.

"Well, hope this reward's worth collectin' all this trash."

The hut's owner emerged, ecstatic. "My, you sure work fast! Thank you so much. In return, please have this six-pack of the best Soda Pop this side of the region!"

He gave the teen a cardboard carrier containing six thin bottles of transparent, carbonated liquid before heading back inside.

The Zigzagoon sniffed the newly obtained item. "Hey, that's what I smelled earlier! We found it!"

Lapis looked at a note on the label. "'Can be used to heal 60 HP'. Huh, might be useful. Anyway, let's head back."

One quick trip to the Pokémon Center later, Lapis was back on the city streets.

Hm… Should I do some training or catch the Pokémon on that route up north? Don't need a Pokémon from Route 109 yet; most likely a Water type I definitely won't use…

Then, he slammed into something solid. The object pushed him back and shouted, "No cuttin' in line, punk!"

Lapis rubbed his face and growled, "Punk?"

When he regained his vision, he saw it was a Team Aqua Grunt. A whole line of Grunts, in fact.

What the hell?

He looked down the queue and saw all of them were waiting to enter a large aqua green building with four pillars in the front.

The teen was suspicious. What're all these Grunts doing here? Something's going down. Ugh… what am I thinking? Should I really get involved with this?

But it was too late. For some reason, he stayed in the line of villainous cohorts and ended up at the reception desk. The volunteer, a teen girl in a dark blue T-shirt and khaki jeans, sighed.

"Welcome to the Slateport City Oceanic Museum," she said in a bored tone. "Are you with this group or by yourself?"

"Uh...by myself?"

She perked up. "Oh, finally! A person who isn't dressed like a weird pirate. I'm guessing you're younger than sixteen, so it's 50 Pokédollars for all-day admission."

50 Pokédollars?! Highway robbery! But he just grumbled and forked over the appropriate amount.

The volunteer handed him a brochure and said, "You can explore both floors of the museum. We also have a gift shop and cafe on the third floor. Enjoy your visit."

"Uh...sure…"

Lapis entered the first floor and saw displays of the various oceans around the world. Some of the exhibits included swirling waters from those said oceans in glass cylinders. To his surprise, the Grunts were actually enjoying the museum. Some of them were even taking pictures on their cameras.

The Nuzlocker rolled his eyes. I can't tell if they're evil or weirdos. Wonder why that girl only thought this was weird and not at all suspicious.

He was about to head upstairs when the Grunt from Petalburg Woods and Rusturf Tunnel blocked his path.

"Y-You!" he hissed, trying not to attract the attention of his fellow teammates. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"I can ask you and your groupies the same thing."

"I ain't telling you nothing!" he scoffed. "We're not doing anything fishy! My boss is just having a friendly conversation with the captain 'round here. Nothing fishy at all!"

The Grunt tossed a CD into the air as a distraction and dashed off. Lapis caught the black disc, which read "TM46".

Hm… That's the TM for Thief. Might be useful for Onyx. Anyways, the captain that loser mentioned must be the guy I gotta give these parts to. Guess I better head upstairs.

Lapis walked up the stairs and saw the floor covered with exhibits of famous ocean liners, steamships, and sailing ships of the past. But what was happening in the center caught his attention.

Two male Team Aqua Grunts were barking at a brown-haired man in a gray suit.

"Tell us where the goods are, Captain Stern!" one with blonde hair demanded.

Their target tried to remain calm, but his voice trembled. "I-I'm telling you for the last time, I don't have them yet."

The other Grunt with black hair grabbed Captain Stern's dark green shirt. "Don't play games with us, unless you wanna deal with the fury of Team Aqua!"

Suddenly, Onyx emerged from her ball. "You gotta do something, Lapis! We can't let them get away with more crimes!"

He shushed her. "Not the best time to interrupt, Onyx!"

But the men overheard them and whipped around.

The blonde Grunt snarled. "Looks like we got some pesky stowaways. Carvanha, take care of that Poochyena with Bite!"

He threw a Poké Ball, revealing the ferocious Water and Dark type. Despite there being no water around, he was able to swim in the air. Lapis was about to question this illogical physics when the Level 15 Carvanha charged.

Knowing she was a bad matchup, Lapis stood in front of his Pokémon and threw a Poké Ball of his own. "Go, Citrine!"

The Makuhita materialized and was able to withstand the Savage Pokémon's sharp teeth. Despite her nervousness, she waited for Lapis' command.

"Pesky, Makuhita! Carvanha, Leer!"

The Dark type glared at Citrine, lowering her defenses. But the teen was unfazed.

"Vital Throw!" Lapis commanded.

The Fighting type grabbed her opponent and threw him onto the tiled floor, instantly knocking him out. But due to the Carvanha's Rough Skin Ability, her hands were slightly scratched.

Seeing this, Lapis returned her for the time being.

The Grunt did the same. "Damn it. I'm out of Pokémon."

"Then leave it to me," his partner answered, pushing the blonde one aside. "Take them down, Zubat!"

The ubiquitous Poison and Flying type flew over the exhibits, eyeing his target.

Seeing he was Level 14, Lapis was about to select Moonstone when Onyx stepped forward.

"Let me," she said firmly. "I'm ready for this."

Surprised yet happy with her response, he replied, "If ya say so. Bite!"

The Grunt shouted, "Zubat, Astonish!"

The Dark type grabbed onto her opponent's right wing with her teeth, but the Bat Pokémon spooked her by making a scary face. Onyx landed on a display case, which was able to withstand the sudden impact.

This time, the Grunt was quicker to launch his assault. "Astonish!"

The Zubat flew close to Onyx and frightened her off the glass. She landed awkwardly on the floor and winced in pain. Though the tablet said she flinched, Lapis knew it was worse than that. But she braced herself for the next attack.

Lapis shouted, "Bite!"

Onyx launched into the air with her hind legs and clenched the Poison type's left wing.

The Grunt growled. "Leech Life!"

The Zubat bit his fangs into her neck, and light green energy transferred from her body to his. He then threw her back onto the floor, rejuvenated. Onyx returned to her feet, panting hard.

Lapis saw her health was still good, but he knew he had to finish it before she got hurt more.

"Zubat, Supersonic!"

He opened his mouth and emitted white soundwaves that made contact with Onyx's ears. She swayed back and forth, feeling the effects of the confusion.

Lapis, however, stayed firm. "Onyx, don't like that get to ya! Finish Zubat with Bite!"

Hearing her Trainer's words, she was able to focus on her opponent. She grabbed his body and hurled him into the floor. The Zubat remained motionless as she fell into Lapis' arms.

She was surprised by this action. "Why'd you do that, Lapis?"

He smirked. "What, you wanted to hit the ground again?"

She shook her head, but a soft smile crept over her face. After he returned her, another Carvanha, this time Level 14, swam in the air.

Still don't know how that makes sense, but… "Go, Agate!"

The Beautifly fluttered over the displays, angering the Savage Pokémon.

"Agate, Stun Spore!"

She released the yellow powder around the room.

The Grunt shouted, "Get under the table and use Leer!"

The Water type did so, shielding himself from the paralyzing spores. Then he glared at the Bug type, whose defenses lowered slightly.

Damn the room configuration! "Agate, Absorb!"

She got close to where the Carvanha was hiding and absorbed his energy with the super effective attack.

But before she could retreat, the Grunt countered, "Rage!"

The Carvanha glowed red, and he tackled Agate's body. She regained her balance and eyed him cautiously.

"Agate, Absorb!"

She fluttered harder, and the Grass type move sapped more energy than usual. Lapis smirked as the critical hit knocked the Carvanha onto the floor.

The brown-haired Grunt frowned as he returned his last Pokémon. "That punk's pretty strong. Who is he anyway?"

"You really didn't recognize him, boys?" a deep male voice rang behind them. "That's the one Ahab keeps blatherin' on about."

The Grunts stepped back, revealing a muscular man wearing a V-neck black long-sleeved shirt that exposed a part of his chest, flowing black pants, black shoes, and a blue bandana that matched his subordinates. An "A" shaped like a bone adorned both the bandana and bottom of the V-neck and a silver chain around his neck displayed a sterling silver anchor. With his dark beard and sideburns, he looked like a pirate captain.

"Who're you?" Lapis inquired.

The man smirked. "The name's Archie, Team Aqua's leader." He stared at the view of the ocean. "Pokémon, people... All life depends on that wild blue yonder called the sea. Team Aqua's dedicated to its expansion. Don't you agree?"

The teen made an annoyed face. "I asked for your name, not a speech."

Archie laughed. "You're almost as wild as the waves themselves. Almost. Anyway, you're still young to understand the depths of our goal." He waved to his goons. "Back to the ship, boys!"

The Grunts ran downstairs first to rally their comrades out.

The Team Aqua leader then glared at the Nuzlocker. "Mark my words, pup, don't interfere with our work again. Otherwise, you'll pay dearly."

Pup?

Archie descended to the first floor, much to the relief of Captain Stern.

"Th-Thank you so much!" he said. "I would've been Sharpedo food if it wasn't for you."

"Uh…sure…" Lapis took out the briefcase from his bag.

The man's eyes lit up. "Ah… The Devon Goods. Who would've thought my delivery man would also be my rescuer?" After accepting his long-awaited package, Captain Stern added, "I really appreciate everything you've done for me… Umm…"

"Lapis."

"Oh, yes. The teenager doing the Nuzlocke Challenge. It was a pleasure meeting you, Lapis. If you need any help traveling across the seas around Hoenn, just let me know."

The captain handed his savior his Pokégear number, then left the building.

Lapis sighed. Finally, now I can get whatever reward that Mr. Stone guy mentioned.

"That was quite a battle there," a familiar deep voice commented.

The teen turned around to see Scott watching from a distance.

"Why're you here?" Lapis demanded.

The scout just chuckled. "My job, of course. But I have to admit, you've grown quite bit since we last met. I guess I still gotta keep an eye on you."

"Now you're just sounding like a stalker."

The man laughed. "Perhaps, but you'll understand soon enough. Anyway, adios, partner."

Scott departed the museum, leaving Lapis finally alone in the building.

The Nuzlocker sighed. He's now upgraded from jerk to weirdo…

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think about Lapis' adventure at the beach?

What did you think about Lapis' time at the museum?

What Pokémon will Lapis catch on the next route?