After his desert adventures, Lapis received a revived Lileep he nicknamed Feldspar. He then made his way back to Petalburg City for the fifth Gym challenge. Though the Gym Leader, Norman, was a tough opponent, Lapis was able to defeat him without losing a Pokémon. Arian Cowden, who watched the challenge in the Hoenn PLA representative's place, was incensed and insulted the teen. Lapis became more wary of the man's intentions and knew he needed to be more aware of his team's health. The Nuzlocker is now making his way to Fortree City, the location of the next Gym. However, he is forced to do a request for a familiar person. Who is this person and what do they want Lapis to do?
Lapis' Pokémon:
Zuli (Lvl. 37 Swampert, male; Item: Soft Sand): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Strength, Mud Shot, Surf
Bixbite (Lvl. 28 Numel, male): Bold Nature, Oblivious Ability, moves: Focus Energy, Tackle, Ember, Magnitude
Onyx (Lvl. 35 Mightyena, female; Item: King's Rock): Mild Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Tackle, Rock Smash, Sand Attack, Bite
Pearl (Lvl. 30 Spoink, female): Lax Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Magic Coat, Psybeam, Shock Wave, Confuse Ray
Celestite (Lvl. 30 Swablu, female; Item: Exp. Share): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Peck, Safeguard, Astonish, Mist
Amethyst (Lvl. 32 Gloom, female; Item: Miracle Seed): Quiet Nature, Chlorophyll Ability, moves: Absorb, Acid, Poisonpowder, Sleep Powder
Pokémon sent to the PLA: Tiger Eyes (Linoone, male), Citrine (Makuhita, female), Kyanite (Electrike, female), Moonstone (Swellow, female), SmokyQuarz (Numel, male)
Chapter 27: Resetting a Chipped Heart
Lapis, Pearl, and Zuli emerged from the waters of Route 109, drenched in seawater. The beachgoers stared at them briefly before they returned to their fun beach activities.
"Thank Arceus that's over with," the Nuzlocker said as he squeezed his clothes dry. "I don't think I can take it anymore."
Pearl spun slowly with each bounce on the sand. "I-Is the world…still spinning?"
"No, it's just you, Pearl. You know, from all the Supersonics you've been hit with."
"O-Oh yeah…" She stopped spinning and resumed her normal bouncing behavior.
"Good thing I taught you Shock Wave. Otherwise, it would've been hell to deal with all those Water types."
"What should we do now, Lapis?" Zuli asked after shaking the water off his body.
"Start headin' to the new place called…Fortree City? Or somethin' like that."
Suddenly his PokéNav vibrated.
"Huh. Who's callin' me?" He picked it up and heard an unmistakable loud, cheery voice.
{Hey there, Lapis! It's me, Wattson! You know, the Mauville City Gym Leader.}
The teen sighed. "Yeah, I remember…"
{How's it going?}
"It's goin'. What're you callin' me for?"
{Wahahahah! Blunt as always! Just seeing if you can help me out with something.}
"I'm kinda- Ow!"
The messenger Taillow smacked him in the face with his left wing. He handed the Nuzlocker a letter before taking some money and flying off.
That little jerk!
Zuli opened the letter and Lapis frowned as he read it.
"Guess I got your request now."
{Oh thank Arceus, you finally received it! I'm just surprised it took this long for the PLA to accept it.}
"Whatever," Lapis responded with a groan. "You want me to visit a place called 'New Mauville?"
{Yup, it's just along the walking path on Route 110. You should see an area where you can swim over to the island.}
"An island?"
{It'll be obvious. I have the key to enter the place, so come by anytime to the Gym to pick it up.}
"Wait, why do you need my help with this? Couldn't you do it?"
{Well…you see… Oh, I got an alert for my next Gym challenger. Don't worry, I'll tell you once you get to the Gym. See you soon!}
After he hung up, Lapis turned to his starter. "You up for more swimmin'?"
"Always," Zuli replied.
"Okay… Let's get this over with."
A few hours later…
Lapis twirled a fancy brass key as Zuli surfed on the river flowing along Route 110.
"Still don't know why Wattson wanted me to do this," Lapis pondered aloud. "His lame excuse was that he was busy and it was urgent. Turnin' off a generator ain't that hard to do."
"Maybe it's because he knows you need more places to train?" the Swampert responded.
"If that's the case, why's it so isolated and small? From what I gathered listenin' to Watson babble on and on, it's just a building with a basement."
"That is unusual. Unless…" Zuli glanced back. "You don't think…?"
Lapis clenched his fist. "Sounds like somethin' he'd scheme, huh? Let's be careful."
"You got it, Lapis. I won't let you down."
Soon, a large white building with solid doors came into view. Zuli hit the edge of the island, and the two got onto dry land. After Lapis unlocked the doors, he let the rest of the team out, except for Celestite, to train in the bright metallic space. Bixbite quickly helped the Nuzlocker catch a Magnemite, which was nicknamed Jasper and sent to the PC, before fighting against the other Electric types living there. Lapis thought the trip would be easy after seeing the levels of the wild Pokémon there, but he was wrong.
"Damn it!' he hissed as he healed Pearl with another Paralyze Heal. "Wattson didn't tell me anythin' 'bout these green 'n blue doors… Not only are we lost, but everyone except Zuli and Bixbite keeps gettin' paralyzed!"
"There's too many Pokémon that know Thunder Wave, Lapis!" Pearl complained. "And the Voltorb here also have that Static Ability."
"Don't bring them up! I got tricked by three Voltorb thinkin' we'd get something! If that man really did manipulate this quest, not only is it cheatin' but it's also strange he can do any of this!"
"Lapis!" Bixbite shouted down the corridor. "I found something!"
The rest of the team joined the Fire type in a large, almost blinding room. Lapis shielded his eyes and could make out a large steel box with a switch.
"Must be the generator Wattson talked about. All right, let's shut it off."
But before he could get closer, rows of Voltorb, Magneton, and Magnemite blocked their way. All of them looked angry as sparks flew out from them.
Damn it… It's another trap…
The five Pokémon charged at the wall of Electric types. Zuli and Amethyst focused on the Voltorb while the others turned their attention to the Steel types. Amethyst, Pearl, and Onyx easily got paralyzed and struggled to stay on the offense. The Ground types, however, supported their teammates and did more of the battling.
With his Pokémon creating a path for him, Lapis carefully walked towards the generator. Just as he was about to touch the switch, a Magneton slammed into him from the right. Lapis slid back and clutched his right arm.
Damn it… My arm better not be broken…
"Lapis!" Bixbite and Zuli cried out.
They ran towards their Trainer, but several Magneton blocked them.
"Get out of our way!" the Swampert roared as he swiped at one.
But the Magnet Pokémon grabbed his arms and dragged him away.
"Bixbite! Help Lapis!"
"Got it!" the Numb Pokémon shouted and he ran towards the human.
The Electric types used Thunderbolt on him, but it didn't do anything. Bixbite opened his mouth and used Ember, but it wasn't as effective as he thought.
No, I can't let this happen again. Lapis turned to his newest member. "You can do it, Bixbite! Get rid of these chumps!"
Hearing his Trainer's encouragement strengthened the Fire type's resolve. Bixbite stared at the opposing Pokémon and glowed white. In a few seconds, the small Numel became a large Camerupt that made the wild Pokémon shake with fear. Bixbite unleashed another Ember. This time, it was more powerful and easily knocked out the Magneton. The Eruption Pokémon helped his Trainer up and protected him as they made their way to the generator.
Lapis grunted as he switched the generator off. "There!"
New Mauville slowly dimmed before shutting down completely. The remaining wild Pokémon stopped attacking Lapis' team and looked around, confused.
"WHAT HAPPENED?" a Magneton robotically asked.
Lapis cocked his head. "You don't know what happened to you?"
"NO, STRANGE HUMAN. WE HAVE NOT SEEN OUR CARETAKER FOR SEVERAL WEEKS."
"He must mean Wattson," Zuli said as his Magneton captors let him go.
Footsteps echoed through the building. Wattson appeared, his worry turned to relief.
"Thank goodness. You're all right, Lapis."
The Nuzlocker's right arm winced. "Not…really…"
The Gym Leader waved Nurse Kintsu from the Pokémon Center inside, and he tended to Lapis.
"It's bruised, but no bones are broken. Let me make a sling for you. Don't move it too much for a couple of weeks, okay?"
"Sure…"
As Nurse Kintsu made the sling, Wattson looked at the Electric types lovingly surrounding him.
"I see… That doesn't make sense at all."
"What ain't makin' sense?" Lapis said, pained.
Wattson explained, "The Pokémon here said someone snuck into New Mauville, installed the blue and green switches, then turned on the generator." The normally cheerful man frowned and crossed his arms. "But no one can get in here without the key you have now."
Nurse Kintsu finished the sling. "All good, Lapis. How does it feel?"
He moved his secured arm. "Fine, I guess."
"Good. I'll go ahead and heal your Pokémon for you. It won't take long."
The Nuzlocker let him do his work and approached the remorseful old man.
"I'm so sorry this happened, Lapis. If I had known the Pokémon would be aggressive, I wouldn't have sent you inside."
"Eh, no point moanin' 'bout it now. Besides, it made my Numel evolve."
The Gym Leader noticed the Camerupt being tended to and smiled. "That's good to hear. Oh, before I forget, you should have this. It'll be very useful." He gave Lapis a yellow CD labeled TM24. "It contains Thunderbolt, a pretty powerful and reliable move."
"Guess I'll see if it is. Th-Thanks…"
Wattson was slightly taken aback by Lapis' response, but he beamed. "Anyway, you can leave whenever you're ready. The wild Pokémon shouldn't cause you any more trouble."
"What about you?"
"I'll stay here longer to investigate what happened. After all, this building was the starting point for my dream to have Mauville City be fully automated and modern."
"Eh, I bet it'll just be a city within a square."
Wattson laughed. "We'll see how it goes, won't we? Well, best of luck to you, Lapis."
With his Pokémon healed, Lapis nodded to both men and left New Mauville.
A few hours later…
After reaching the east bank of Route 118 by surfing, Lapis noticed two familiar annoyances on the beach and tried to walk past.
"Oh, it's Lapis Eurig!" Gabby the reporter shouted as her cameraman zoomed in on their target. "And it looks like you recently injured your arm. May we have another interview with you to discuss your recent exploits?"
"I don't give a damn 'bout your interview, lady!"
"Please, Lapis. It'll be a quick battle, promise!"
"Like what my Pokémon did to yours just now?"
The reporting pair gasped as they saw Pearl and Bixbite towering over a defeated Loudred and Magnemite.
"Darn it, that would've been a great thing to record. Quick, Ty, let's heal them up before we battle him again."
"You got it, Gabby."
As they did so, Lapis returned his Pokémon and snuck away. At the intersection between Routes 118 and 119, Onyx and Pearl helped him catch a female Manectric and a female Linoone. After naming them Sapphire and Amber respectively and sending them to his PC, Lapis' demeanor changed.
Onyx picked up on this. "You okay, Lapis?"
He sighed. "Yeah, it's just… Sapphire and Amber reminded me of…Kyanite and Tiger Eyes… I…I still can't really get over them not bein' on the team."
He sat within a small clearing within the tall grass, allowing Onyx and Pearl to comfort him. To his surprise, a Kecleon materialized from the grass and stuck his tongue at him.
"What the hell?"
Before he could do anything, the Normal type scurried off.
Steven Stone then ran over, holding a pair of strange, futuristic binoculars in his right hand. "Darn it, I thought I saw the Kecleon here."
"Uh, he ran off."
Startled, the former Champion looked down. "Oh, it's you, Lapis. I didn't expect anyone to be hiding in the tall grass. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a Pokémon."
Lapis stood up and brushed some grass off his jeans. "What's that thing?"
"Oh this? I'm testing this device for my father. It's supposed to allow you to see invisible and camouflaged Pokémon."
"Like anyone would need that kind of thing."
Steven stifled a chuckle. Then he noticed Lapis' forlorn attitude. "Is…everything all right, Lapis?"
"Just peachy."
Onyx looked at the former Champion and shook her head.
"I see." Steven sat next to them and looked at the bending blades. "Since we last saw each other in Granite Cave, I've been following your journey. I've read all about your victories and…hardships…"
He paused, expecting a retort from the Nuzlocker. When he didn't hear it, Steven continued, "I…I understand to a degree on how you feel. When I started my journey, Warrior was just a young Beldum. We struggled in our battles due to it only knowing one move, and I received countless remarks from people to change my starter or even abandon it."
Lapis clenched his fist. "H-How could people think that?"
"How indeed. Although I tried to ignore their words, they still hurt deeply. I almost quit becoming a Trainer because of that."
Huh… So he was bullied too… Wait, 'too'… Was I bullied? I…I don't remember, but it does sound familiar. Anyway, I can't let him know that. "Then why did you keep goin'?"
Steven chuckled. "Because I wanted to prove them wrong. I knew that with the proper training and care, Warrior would eventually become a powerful Metagross. I trained with it every day, and we've been winning more battles together ever since. The point I'm trying to make is that you have to accept those hardships and move past them. Your Pokémon need you as much as you need them. If you wallow in your pain and fear too long, it'll not only destroy your challenge but also your mental state."
"That's easier said than done…but you do make a fair point." Lapis petted Onyx. "You're the perfect example of that, huh, Onyx?"
"Well, you were the bully in this case. But I forgave you."
The humans chuckled.
Steven stood up and looked at the sky. "Well, it's time for me to continue my testing. I'm sure we'll see each other again, Lapis. Take care of yourself, all right?"
"If you say so. And…thanks…" Man, I've been saying that a lot lately.
Once Steven walked out of sight, Lapis got up as well. It was time to be strong and persevere through the second half of his journey.
Several police officers walked around New Mauville, taking account of any potential forensic evidence.
Inspector Caspian and Detective Kei surveyed the generator room. While the latter was alert and eager to coordinate with the officers, the former appeared to be bored.
The detective sighed. "Aren't you supposed to be more involved in these efforts, Peter? It's your case, after all."
"Oh please, Kei. This is an open-and-shut case."
"You mean the case where an unknown intruder was able to enter a locked private facility and install a device that caused the wild Pokémon to lose their senses? That screams 'open-and-shut' for sure."
"I would be careful on how you write this in the report, Detective…" the inspector growled. "That's how you got demoted in the first place."
The higher officer headed outside, infuriating the older man.
I don't know how a lazy, uncaring man like him got my position! All I did was report the truth of what happened. The detective looked at the generator. So he was the one who was sent to fix this mess. I suspected as much.
A policeman approached the Interpol officer. "Excuse me, Detective Kei."
"Oh, yes. What is it?"
"Have you seen the device that was inside the generator? I know I bagged it when we got here."
"Huh? The thing that we suspect was controlling the Pokémon? It should be…" Detective Kei turned to a table lined with evidence collected in plastic zip bags. "Wait, where did it go? That's important evidence!"
"I'll alert the other officers, and we'll do another search around the property."
"Yes, please do so."
After he left, the detective looked at a defunct security camera across from the generator.
If only you were working, we would've gotten more information. Wait…did the intruder know that? In that case…
He pulled out his notebook from his coat pocket and wrote, "Look into PLA request".
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of Lapis' adventure in New Mauville?
What did you think of Steven's conversation with Lapis?
Who do you think was the intruder in New Mauville?
