During his last preparations before heading towards the eastern part of Hoenn, Lapis was forced to help Wattson, the Mauville City Gym Leader, turn off the generator at New Mauville. The wild Pokémon, however, attacked Lapis' team. With Bixbite evolving into a Camerupt, Lapis had enough time to reach the generator and return the wild Pokémon back to normal. The Nuzlocker had a minor breakdown after he caught some new Pokémon that reminded him of the ones he lost but regained his resolve after listening to Steven Stone. Lapis continues his journey towards Fortree City but runs into a familiar authority figure and another building takeover by a villainous team. Will the teen be able to survive both of them and continue without being arrested?
Lapis' Pokémon:
Zuli (Lvl. 38 Swampert, male; Item: Soft Sand): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Strength, Mud Shot, Surf
Bixbite (Lvl. 36 Camerupt, male): Bold Nature, Oblivious Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Tackle, Ember, Magnitude
Onyx (Lvl. 36 Mightyena, female; Item: King's Rock): Mild Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Tackle, Rock Smash, Sand Attack, Bite
Pearl (Lvl. 35 Grumpig, female): Lax Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Magic Coat, Psybeam, Shock Wave, Confuse Ray
Celestite (Lvl. 34 Swablu, female; Item: Exp. Share): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Peck, Safeguard, Astonish, Mist
Amethyst (Lvl. 35 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 28: Weathering a Forecasted Storm
Lapis and Celestite trudged through the damp forest grass on Route 119, making sure he avoided their sharp blades.
"Thank Arceus it stopped rainin'," Lapis said, wiping the water from his arms. "How can the weather be so unstable here? First it was hot, then it poured… It's like the Route 108 trainin' but without the salt."
The Swablu shook her body. "I know what you mean, Lapis."
He looked at the blue Pokémon. "You know, Celestite. You've been the lead Pokémon almost all day. Onyx can take your place, you know."
She shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, Lapis. But I can't get stronger if the others battle for me. I need to get in there myself so I get more experience and evolve, like Pearl."
He chuckled. "You sound just like Onyx and Kyanite. You do have the Exp. Share right now, so you'll get more experience when in battle. Plus, you'll become a Dragon type after you evolve."
"Ooohhh… I can't wait!"
She took to the sky, only for new drops of water to fall on them.
"Damn it, not again!"
Lapis ran north, allowing his arms and legs to be cut by the grassy blades. But he didn't care. All that mattered was making sure he and his Pokémon were dry.
When he finally reached the end of the patch of grass, he saw a large three-story building made of glass and steel and covered with tropical plants.
"What the hell's a building like this doin' out in the middle of nowhere?" Lapis pondered aloud as Celestite caught up.
But he became cautious when he noticed several Team Aqua Grunts conversing outside.
Those guys again. Why are they here? It's not close to the ocean at all.
Then he thought he saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He turned to his left and saw a tree painted on a piece of weatherproof cardboard propped along the hill.
"Oh, no! I'm not fallin' for that again, Ninja Boy! Celestite, use Peck on that lame excuse for a tree!"
She flew over towards the target and poked it with her beak.
A man's voice shouted, "Ow, ow, ow! I-I'm not a N-Ninja Boy! Please, stop!"
Wait, that voice… "Celestite, it's okay. You can come back."
She nodded and returned to her Trainer's side. The now damaged disguise was discarded, revealing its user.
Detective Eriol Kei tipped his hat and opened an umbrella. "So, we meet again, Lapis."
"Detective Kei. What the hell're you doin' here? Wait, you ain't spyin' on me, are you?"
He smiled. "I am spying on someone, but it's not you, Lapis." He tilted his head towards the building. "It's those Team Aqua Grunts. I don't have the faintest idea why they want to enter the Weather Institute. The Pokémon they're looking for is not there."
"Wait, they've been lookin' for a Pokémon? I thought they just wanted to make it more wet."
"Well, yes. But if they find that Pokémon, it'll accomplish their goals much faster." The detective looked towards the forest. "Oh, he's almost here."
"Who, that stupid inspector?"
It wasn't a person, but an Absol, who landed next to Detective Kei.
Lapis recoiled. "What the hell's a doom bringer doin' here?"
"That's my doom bringer, you know." The man petted the Dark type. "What did you find out, Spinel?"
The Disaster Pokémon looked north. "Four intruders inside, two outside. They appear to be looking for a Pokémon that can forecast the weather."
"I see. Thank you for scouting out the location." After returning the Absol to a Poké Ball with the International Police logo on it, he turned to the teen and asked, "So, are you coming?"
"'Comin'? What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I thought you'd like to take this opportunity to gain more experience for your Pokémon. Especially since you battled Team Aqua before."
He does make a good point… "Ugh, fine… Don't slow me down, 'kay?"
"Don't worry about me, I know you can handle all the battling by yourself."
Of course you won't be doing anything useful…
The two left their hiding spot and walked towards the Weather Institute as Celestite flew close behind.
The pirate guards noticed them and shouted, "Halt! No one can enter until we complete our mission!"
"Does it look like I give a damn?" Lapis retorted. "Get outta the way!"
The one on the right whispered to his partner. "H-Hey… Isn't he the kid Caption Archie told us about?"
"It does look like him, along with that arrogant attitude. But who's the old man?"
Detective Kei smirked. "The one who's going to arrest you all for causing havoc in Hoenn."
The one on the left stuttered, "N-No way! It's the cops!"
The right guard pulled out a Poké Ball. "Don't be such a wimp! I'll beat up that kid and become the greatest Team Aqua Grunt ever! Go, Carvanha!"
The Level 28 Water type floated above the ground, causing Lapis to roll his eyes from the lack of physics. But he quickly regained his focus.
"Celestite, Safeguard!"
The Swablu flew ahead and created a light blue barrier around herself.
"Hah! Like that move will stop us! Use Crunch!"
The Carvanha air-swam towards Celestite and bit hard on her left wing, causing some damage.
Lapis gritted his teeth. "Celestite, come back!"
As soon as he let go, the Flying type unhappily landed on her Trainer's shoulder. The Nuzlocker gave her a reassuring pat before selecting his next Pokémon.
"Go, Amethyst!"
The Gloom materialized, enjoying the light sprinkling of water.
The right guard growled, "Grass types… Disgusting creatures… Carvanha, Screech, then Crunch!"
The Pokémon emitted sharp sound waves from his mouth before latching onto the Weed Pokémon's head. The two attacks lowered Amethyst's defense and special defense.
Lapis smiled. "If you hate them so much, I'll give you another reason to do so. Absorb!"
With her target in close range, Amethysts easily absorbed all of Carvanha's energy and regained most of her health. The Water type let go and fell onto the grass.
"No, Carvanha! If only I had more Pokémon!"
The left guard stepped forward as the right one returned his Pokémon. Grinning, he said, "Looks like I'll become the greatest Team Aqua Grunt now! Go, Zubat!"
The Swablu glared at her fellow Flying type. Knowing what she wanted, Lapis obliged her.
"Celestite, Safeguard!"
She darted forward, creating another status condition barrier.
"Zubat, Bite!"
The Level 27 Bat Pokémon bit her left wing, but the damage was much less compared to her previous opponent.
"Peck, Celestite!"
"Counter with Wing Attack, Zubat!"
She charged at the Poison type and struck him in the chest. The Zubat lifted his glowing right wing and slammed it into Celestite's head. She tumbled back but repositioned herself.
Seeing he only had a little health left compared to her, Lapis shouted, "Finish Zubat with another Peck!"
She struck the Zubat again, causing him to fall onto the grass. The Grunt gritted his teeth as he returned his Pokémon.
Then, he smirked. "Luckily, I have one more! Go, Poochyena!"
The Level 28 Pokémon materialized, growling at Celestite. Seeing she was hurt from the previous battles, Lapis took the time to heal her with a Super Potion.
But before he could issue a command, the Grunt commanded, "Poochyena, Roar!"
The Bite Pokémon roared, causing Celestite to retreat back into her Great Ball and Zuli to take her place.
The Grunt sweatdropped. "D-Damn it… I forgot he had stronger Pokémon!"
"You got that right. Zuli, Strength!"
The Swampert formed a boulder in his right hand, then threw it at the Poochyena. The Dark type was instantly knocked out upon contact.
"Now I'm not getting the honors…" the left guard lamented after he returned his last Pokémon.
The two Grunts sped off, leaving the building unprotected.
Detective Kei nodded. "That was much easier than I anticipated."
"I thought you were goin' to arrest 'em."
"Don't worry about that. They'll get arrested eventually."
Lapis rolled his eyes as he returned Zuli. "Come on, let's just get this over with."
The teen threw the doors open, revealing three Team Aqua Grunts tying several scientists up. They turned around and gasped.
"I-It's that Lapis kid! We gotta stop him before he gets to the First Mate!"
The Grunts let out three Poochyena, two Carvanha, and two Zubat ranging from levels 26 to 27.
"So that's how you wanna play, huh?" Lapis let out Celestite, Amethyst, and Pearl, the newly evolved Grumpig.
The Grunts laughed. "You're outnumbered five to three! This will be easy!"
The Nuzlocker snickered. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. Go!"
His Pokémon attacked without waiting for their Trainer's words. The villains were stunned but were able to mutter several commands.
Amethyst and Pearl were able to handle the Carvanha and Poochyena with ease using a mixture of Absorb, Acid, and Shock Wave, though Celestite struggled against the Zubat. It also didn't help that the Swablu was hit by a Swagger from a Poochyena, so she kept hitting herself. When a Zubat hit her with Wing Attack, Lapis caught her before she hit the floor.
"Come on, Celestite," Lapis encouraged as he healed her with a Super Potion. "Remember you wanted to prove yourself? Break through the confusion and use Peck!"
With his words ringing in her ears, she shook off the confusion and charged straight at one of the Zubat. The Peck made a direct hit, knocking the Bat Pokémon out. Triumphant, she let out a cry, then she glowed white. After a few seconds, the tiny Swablu became a large Altaria.
"You did it, Celestite!" her Trainer cheered as Pearl finished off the last Zubat with a Shock Wave.
She hugged him with her larger cotton wings. "Thanks, Lapis. I'll work even harder now."
The Grunts, now without any viable Pokémon, retreated. Lapis healed everyone and returned them.
As he was making final adjustments for the last battle, he noticed the detective smiling.
"What, this all fun and games to you, Detective?"
"O-Oh, no, that's not it. It's just…you've gotten so strong in such a short amount of time. You're a really good Trainer."
The teen sighed. "Look, I'm not all that special, okay? I'm just a delinquent; that's all I'll ever be."
The last sentence made him wince. It sounded familiar, but he had no time to process it. Right now, he needed to focus on the last Team Aqua member.
The two walked into the next room, where a female Team Aqua member with long wavy red hair was threatening a scared scientist. She looked more like a senior member with her Team Aqua-insignia gloves, vest, and bandana.
"Now, for the last time," she hissed. "Give us the Pokémon that can forecast the weather!"
""B-But, it's still in the testing phases! S-Surely you don't want a Pokémon like that, do you?"
She grinned. "Then it gives us a chance to mold it for our purposes."
"Pl-Please, no! Not seven years down the drain!"
"Hey! Step away from the snivelin' scientist!" the Nuzlocker roared.
The scientist wiped his nose. "I-I'm not sn-sniveling…"
The Team Aqua member turned around and laughed. "So, you're the pup the Cap's been talking about. I can see why he thought you were one of us. With your build, and your looks…"
"Yeah, like I'd join you guys."
She put her hands on her hips. "You got some spunk, pup. Cute…but disgusting. Let's see how long you'll keep it for. I, Shelly, Team Aqua Admin, won't let you escape our net! Go, Jaws!"
A Level 28 Carvanha swam in the air, making Lapis sigh.
"Pearl, use Shock Wave."
As soon as she appeared from her ball, the Grumpig zapped the Water type with the always accurate blue lightning bolt. Jaws turned on her back before falling to the floor.
The Psychic type gleefully clapped. "Zapping Pokémon is so much fun!"
Lapis chuckled. "At least you're havin' a good time, Pearl. Must be nice not to bounce constantly, huh?"
"Duh! I was getting tired doing so."
Shelly gritted her teeth as she returned her Pokémon. "Clever to have a Psychic type know an Electric type move… But we'll see if you can handle my last Pokémon. Go, Maugrima!"
A Mightyena with a notched left ear materialized. She seemed to be very aggressive, even though she was just Level 28.
Lapis returned Pearl, knowing she had the disadvantage.
But when he was about to select Zuli, Maugrima snarled, "Give me…the Mightyena…"
Lapis froze. "H-How did you know I have a Mightyena?"
The Team Aqua Admin patted her Pokémon's head. "Maugrima has…a keen sense of detecting Poochyena and Mightyena outside of her clan. She's been injured by one from a rival clan and has been seeking revenge. And it seems she finally found a member from that clan."
The teen shouted, "I won't let my Mightyena battle against someone so bloodthirsty!"
But to his surprise, his Mightyena let herself out.
"Don't worry, Lapis. I got this."
"A-Are you sure, Onyx? She could kill you."
Onyx looked at her opponent, who was licking her teeth. "I'm much stronger than her. Plus, I have my secret move, remember?"
Her Trainer chuckled. "I know. Be careful with her teeth, all right?"
She nodded before bracing herself. "You don't have to tell me twice."
Maugrima grew impatient. "Just attack already, you meadow scum!"
Lapis adjusted his bandana. "Onyx, Rock Smash!"
Shelly was shocked. "You know that-? It doesn't matter. Maugrima, Bite!"
The Dark types circled around before they lunged at each other. Onyx landed the first blow as her paws landed on Maurigama's chest and pushed her into the floor. Shelly's Mightyena ignored her defense being lowered and bit Onyx's front left leg. Lapis' Mightyena yelped, and she regained some distance from her opponent. Despite the move not being super effective, Onyx checked her leg for puncture wounds.
Seeing her leg was still fine, Lapis pressed forward. "Rock Smash again!"
She pushed Maugrima back into the floor, this time smashing several tiles. Seeing her try for the other leg, Onyx moved her leg down while still being able to keep her pinned.
Shelly shouted, "Swagger!"
The pinned Mightyena puffed out her chest. "Is that all you got? You're not so tough, you meadow scum."
Onyx's face turned red. "Meadow scum! How dare you use that slur!"
"Onyx, calm down!" Lapis shouted.
But it was no use; his Pokémon became confused from the induced anger. Seeing an opening, Maugrima pushed her adversary aside and regained her footing.
Shelly laughed. "Well would you look at that, Pokémon and Trainer having the same cute and disgusting emotion. You'll never beat us."
Lapis clenched his fists. "Sorry, Shelly. We've been through tougher situations than this! Onyx, I know you can still hear me. Use Rock Smash!"
Channeling her anger in the proper way, Onyx ran forward and tackled Shelly's Pokémon so hard, the latter smashed into a bookshelf and fell onto the floor. Lapis smiled, knowing it was a critical hit.
The Team Aqua Admin was stunned. "M-Maugrima… How can this be?" After returning her last Pokémon, Shelly sneered at the teen. "Looks like I shouldn't have underestimated you. You're disgustingly strong, but you ain't good enough to stop us."
A male Team Aqua Grunt ran into the room. "F-First Mate Shelly, we got a situation at Papa Yankee Romeo Echo!"
She sprang into action. "Then let's go. We failed our mission here anyway!"
"H-Hey!" Detective Kei shouted. "Hold on a second!"
But the Grunt threw a Smoke Ball on the floor, allowing the villains to escape unnoticed.
"Are you okay, Onyx?" Lapis asked.
She nodded, regaining her senses, but winced as she tried to put pressure on her left leg.
The detective examined it. "It doesn't look too bad; the teeth luckily didn't hit bone. I can bandage the leg now; it'll be better to have her examined at the Pokémon Center just to make sure."
The Nuzlocker was surprised by the man's kindness. "O-Okay…"
As Detective Kei worked on Onyx, the scientist clutched Lapis' left arm and cried with joy.
"Th-Thank you so much, young man! Our research is safe because of you!"
"Uh… No prob…" the teen nervously replied as he pushed the sobbing man away.
"Y-You must receive a reward equal to your heroic actions!"
"N-No, really. I don't-"
The scientist shoved a Poké Ball into his hands. "Take this, I insist! It's a Castform; one of the Pokémon we created here to help us forecast the weather. Don't worry, we have several more here at the lab to continue our experiments."
Lapis scanned the ball with his tablet. Male, Forecast Ability, Impish Nature… Guess it's better than nothing. He typed "Crystal" before sending the ball to his PC. "Thanks, I guess."
"Oh, it's no trouble at all. Feel free to rest up here before continuing on your travels. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to fix up the lab before our presentation later this week. Thanks again!"
After the scientist walked away, Lapis saw the detective finishing up his first aid work on Onyx. Seeing her smile after testing the bandaged leg made him smile too. Lapis then returned his Pokémon.
The teen rubbed the back of his head. "Thanks, but… Y-You really didn't have to do that, Detective."
He beamed. "I can never ignore anyone in need. It's why I became a law enforcement officer in the first place."
The two walked outside just as the sky turned orange. Detective Kei stretched his arms.
"Well, guess it's time to head back to the precinct. It was fun working with you today, Lapis. Even though I didn't get to arrest anyone."
Lapis was silent. How could an officer be so nice to someone like me? It doesn't make any sense…
The man was about to call for a Tropius Taxi when Lapis said, "W-Wait… C-Can I…talk to you about somethin'?"
Surprised, the detective replied, "Sure, Lapis. What is it?"
The teen chose his words carefully. "I-I seem to remember you…after I got arrested. But…you were an inspector back then. How come not anymore? And why're you the only one who was nice to me when everyone judged me because I'm a delinquent?"
"Oh… Well, it's a little bit of a long story. But if you have time, I can tell you. I'm off the clock now anyways."
Cracking a small smile, Lapis nodded. Eriol guided him to a nearby bench under a canopy and they sat down. Once they did so, the rain started again.
"Good thing we're under here," the Nuzlocker noted.
"I agree." The detective watched the falling rain drops. "You know… This weather reminds me of when I first saw you."
"At the detention facility?"
Eriol chuckled. "No, actually. It was when I saw you as a baby."
Lapis was taken aback. "Y-You knew me for that long?! I-I really don't remember that far back…"
"I didn't expect you to! Anyway, your dad, Kei, and I attended emergency occupation school together; it was kind of a coincidence we shared a name, which was how we became friends. I eventually became friends with your mom, Esmeralda, when they started dating."
"What did they do?"
"Your dad was a firefighter, a very good one. He loved his job and was willing to risk his life for others. And your mom, she was an intelligent geologist. She loved rocks, especially gemstones and minerals."
Lapis' heart stopped. He took out the gemstone box from his bag and showed it to the detective. "D-Do you know anythin' about this, Detective?"
He gasped. "I-It's your mom's gemstone box! That's where she kept all of the stones she found throughout her career. H-How did you get it?"
"It was in my bag when I got it for the Nuzlocke challenge."
"Huh, interesting…" Then, Eriol asked, "How much do you remember of them?"
The teen shuffled on the bench. "I-I really don't remember them at all. Only just…before the accident that killed them."
Detective Kei's face softened. "It's always hard to remember the good memories when the bad ones are stronger. But…meeting with me at the detention center and now. I guess it's fate."
"But wait, why are you no longer an inspector? It can't be because of my parents' accident."
The man sighed. "No, it wasn't because of that. It was…because of the grassfire arson case at National Park."
"Grassfire…arson?"
"Yes. It's been about…almost five years now. A group of boys were bullying a younger boy when one of them caused a fire to spread amongst National Park in the Johto Region. A member of that group was able to save the younger boy but was then accused of starting the fire in the first place."
Lapis' palms grew sweaty. Th-That sounds like the nightmare I had before. I knew it was too real to be just a dream. So that was why I was sent to juvie?! And why can't I remember anything else about it?!
Eriol's voice returned him to reality. "Lapis…it's okay. I know you didn't start that fire. I believed it back then, and I still do now."
"B-But…why are you telling me all of this?"
"The case may be officially closed, but I'm still investigating it on my own. But because of that, certain…colleagues of mine led the discussion of demoting me to detective and promoting the lazy and inept Peter Caspian to take my place." He sighed. "Please keep going and don't let any hurdles stop you, Lapis. I'll do everything I can in my power to help you."
He handed Lapis his business card.
The teen awkwardly took it. "Won't you be interferin' with the challenge?"
"Heh… Not unless it's against the law. Anyway, you should get some rest. Fortree City's just about a twenty-minute walk from here, but it'll be better if you go tomorrow when the weather's better."
Detective Kei stood up and called for a Tropius Taxi.
Lapis said, "Th-Thanks…for tellin' me all of this…"
"Of course, Lapis. It's fair for you to know. Good night."
The Nuzlocker waited for the detective to leave before settling in for the night at the Weather Institute.
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of the events at the Weather Institute?
What did you think of Lapis and Detective Kei's conversation?
What are your theories on the grassfire arson case?
