During Lapis' journey to Fortree City, the Nuzlocker and Detective Eriol Kei had to stop a Team Aqua infiltration attempt at the Weather Institute on Route 119. Although Lapis defeated Shelly, a Team Aqua Admin, the water-loving villains were able to escape. As a thank you for his help, Detective Kei told him some information about the teen's parents. Lapis then decided to stay at the Weather Institute to avoid another incoming storm. With a new day upon him, he continues his trek, only to bump into someone familiar. Who are they?
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. 35 Altaria, female): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Peck, Safeguard, Astonish, Dragonbreath
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 29: Revealing Streaks of Jade and Ruby
Lapis and Pearl exited the Weather Institute, the sun peeking over the eastern forest.
He yawned. "Man, it's so early."
The Grumpig replied, "Well, didn't we want to get a head start before the rain?"
"Oh, yeah. We better get goin' then."
Suddenly, he was hit by a speeding bike. He rubbed his chest and was about to yell at its rider, but stopped himself when he recognized who it was.
"J-Jade? What the hell- I-I mean, what're you doin' here?"
She groaned. "Apparently, running into you again. I can't believe this is what I get for waking up early…"
"You can say that again."
Jade looked up at him curiously. "Wait, you actually agree with me?"
"Yeah. Why? That so hard to believe?"
"I-I guess not."
He offered her a hand, but she got up on her own. Lapis turned it into an awkward brush behind his head.
"Anyway, why're you really here?"
She crossed her arms. "The PLA wanted me to battle you to check your progress. If you win, I'm supposed to give you something important."
The Nuzlocker froze. The PLA sent her to battle me? It's obviously a trick Cowden set up. But Jade wouldn't plot against me too…would she? I was pretty mean to her when we first met, but now, she seems to tolerate me. I think…
"Hey, earth to Lapis! Do you want to battle me or not?"
"Huh? O-Oh, yeah, whatever."
Jade pulled out her first Poké Ball. "All right then. Go, Maat!"
Her Slugma, now Level 29, incinerated the grass around her.
Pearl jumped forward, ready to battle.
"Pearl, Psybeam!" I shouted.
The rainbow-colored beam struck the Fire type, instantly knocking her out.
Jade sighed as she returned her first Pokémon, but she didn't look sad. She took out another Poké Ball and shouted, "Go, Dean!"
Her strongest Pokémon, the Level 31 Grovyle, appeared.
Lapis returned Pearl, knowing she may have some difficulty against this opponent. "Go, Amethyst!"
The Gloom emerged, smiling at her fellow Grass type. He, however, remained stoic.
Jade made the first move. "Dean, use Pursuit!"
The Grass starter bent down and ran forward, his hands glowing black. He struck Amethyst on her head, and she shook off the attack.
Lapis countered by shouting, "Amethyst, use Acid!"
She sprayed the Wood Gecko Pokémon with the super effective poisonous liquid, causing his health to drop by half. He wiped the liquid off his face as his special defense lowered.
Jade bit her lip. "Dean, use Pursuit again!"
"Amethyst, finish Dean with Acid!"
The Weed Pokémon survived another hit from Pursuit, then sprayed the Grovyle with more acid. The Poison type move was too much for him to handle, and he collapsed.
Jade returned her starter and took out her last Poké Ball. "Looks like we're almost done. Go, Hinutepo!"
A Level 29 Lombre materialized, clapping her hands rhythmically.
Seeing that Amethyst was okay to keep going, Lapis opened his mouth to utter his first command.
But Jade was faster. "Fake Out!"
Hinutepo got up in Amethyst's face and slapped it with her hands, sending shock waves throughout the Weed Pokémon's body. The Gloom temporarily froze, forcing her to skip her turn.
Damn it, I hate those kinds of moves! At least Hinutepo can't use it anymore.
Jade waved her right arm. "Now, Hinutepo, Nature Power!"
The Lombre focused a white ball of energy with her hands. Taking in the nearby surroundings of the Weather Institute building and short grass, she raised her arms and large white stars shot out of the orb.
That's Swift! "Amethyst, brace yourself and use Acid!"
She blocked the always accurate stars with her arms before shooting the poisonous liquid at Hinutepo's face. The Jolly Pokémon shrieked in pain as the super effective attack did a lot of damage.
Jade, knowing the match was nearing its conclusion, shouted, "Don't give up, Hineputo! Use Nature Power again!"
The Lombre nodded and used her environment to aim another Swift attack at her fellow Grass type.
Seeing that her health was in the red, Lapis decided not to overkill their opponent. "Amethyst, finish Hineputo with Absorb!"
The Gloom absorbed Hineputo's remaining health, and the Lombre collapsed onto the grass.
Jade sighed as she returned her last Pokémon. Then, surprisingly, she smiled. "I expected as much from you, Lapis. You've gotten a lot stronger since we last battled, and more considerate, now that I think about it."
"You ain't…mad 'bout that?"
She laughed. "No, not anymore. After looking into your challenge more, I can see why you have to keep getting stronger."
Does she know about the bet? Even if she doesn't, it's still…really nice of her to be okay with losing to a dick like me.
His thoughts were interrupted when a light blue CD was lightly tossed onto his open hands. It read "HM 02".
"The HM for Fly? That's one of the most useful things you've given me."
She snorted. "D-Don't get comfortable, Lapis! I-If I had the choice, I would've given you a Green Scarf!"
"Hm… That wouldn't be half bad… I'd just wear it instead of givin' it to someone."
"Wh-Whatever!" Jade crossed her arms, her cheeks turning red. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to call a Tropius Taxi and head back to the lab."
"Call a Tropius Taxi? Don't you have a Wingull?"
"Chalchi's a Pelipper now, and no, she's back at home. Now if you'll-" She bumped into the Nuzlocker's right arm, and she blushed, pushing him away. "Ahem… I have to go…"
She walked off to an open clearing, leaving Lapis speechless. He gently touched the spot where Jade touched. It was still tingling from the contact, and he brushed his hair back.
That felt…pleasant…
"Ah, young love. Always awkward and annoying…"
A startled Lapis turned around. Scott the scout was there, with a big grin on his face.
The teen yelled, "What the hell, man?!"
"Well, well. Someone's a little defensive about his feelings. But that's none of my concern. As for the reason I'm here, I'm just taking the long road to Crossgate Town for the PokéRinger competition today. Anyway, I better get going before it gets too crowded. See you on the flip side."
Lapis shook his head as the scout walked towards the mountains. "Always a weird one…"
Amethyst nodded, and the two ventured east until they saw massive wooden houses amongst the tree canopy. They finally arrived in Fortree City, the treetop city that frolics in nature.
The Gloom happily hugged a sapling as Lapis assessed his new surroundings. The tree houses were connected by wooden rope ladders with sturdy rope barriers, and access to the ground was via rope ladders or elevators. The Pokémon Center and PokéMart were luckily on the ground, though the aesthetics of the structures matched the tree top building counterparts. The most notable structure, which stood out amongst the natural settings, was in the center of the city: a large pyramid stone structure with a flat top.
Guess that's the Gym. I know it's a Flying type one, but why does it have to be so high up?!
After checking into the Pokémon Center, he climbed up the closest ladder and walked on the wooden platforms and bridges towards the direction of the Gym. But as he was about to descend the ladder to the Gym's entrance, he tripped. Seeing he was going to fall back onto the forest floor, he raised his arms to protect himself. Then, he fell onto something hard, but it was a shorter fall than he expected.
What the?
He shifted his arms and saw he landed on what appeared to be an invisible wall. He knocked on it, and a light rainbow sheen reverberated from the tapping. He looked around the stone structure until he saw several red zigzags moving.
What the hell are those things? Wait a minute…those stripes look familiar… Those are Kecleon! I need to find that Steven Stone guy and get that…thing...from him. But how? I don't have his PokéNav number!
Lapis heard bystanders whispering about his unusual position, so she slid back to the wooden walkway. As he walked away, he heard something interesting.
"I heard Steven Stone is on Route 120 right now."
"Really? Maybe I should try to find him and get his autograph."
Route 120, eh? That's just east of here.
Lapis ran towards the route, eager to find the former Champion. But after catching a male Oddish he named Cobalt, he ran into the reporting pair, Gabby and Ty.
"Oh, there you are, Lapis!" the interviewer cheerfully shouted as her cameraman zoomed in on their target. "Mind if we get an interview with you this time?"
"You kiddin'? The match's already over."
Confused, they turned to their left and saw Celestite and Bixbite knocking out their Loudred and Magneton.
Gabby gasped. "No, not again! The producer's gonna be furious!"
"We better heal our Pokémon right away and get that footage!" Ty suggested as he took out some Revives.
While they were occupied with curing their Pokémon, Lapis returned his Pokémon and snuck into the very tall grass. Fifteen minutes of wandering and Mightyena ambushes later, Lapis emerged from the thick vegetation, dragging a confused Celestite with him.
Not only did those Mightyena attack me, they kept using Roar and Swagger! I definitely like Onyx better than those territorial brutes.
The Altaria regained her senses and flew back up. "D-Did I get confused again?"
"Unfortunately. But you survived; that's all that matters."
She sighed as he healed her. "Have I really gotten stronger after evolving, Lapis? All I keep doing is getting you in trouble."
He petted her head. "It ain't your fault. I blame the universe for all this chaos."
The Humming Pokémon chuckled, but Lapis could tell she wasn't fully convinced. The two then saw a large wooden bridge spanning over a lake. And there, at the middle of the crossing, was Steven.
Lapis walked up to him, trying to stay calm. "H-Hey there, Stone…"
The man was surprised, yet happy to see him. "Oh, Lapis. I didn't expect to see you so soon. Were you looking for me?"
"Like I had a choice. I need that device…thing you use to see hidden Pokémon."
"Oh, the Devon Scope?" Steven took out the pair of blue futuristic binoculars from his bag. "You can have this one; I already finished testing it."
"Th-Thanks…" Lapis accepted the item and stared at it. "How…do I use it?"
Steven laughed. "Oh, right." He pointed further down the bridge, where a similar red stripe Lapis saw in Fortree City stood in place. "You just need to put the Devon Scope in front of your eyes. You'll be able to see Pokémon like Kecleon and guide your Pokémon to battle it."
"Wait, I have to battle it?"
"Well, Kecleon don't like it when their camouflages have been compromised. I believe you recall the one that ran past you on Route 118?"
"Oh, yeah. Right."
Lapis used the Devon Scope and saw the Color Swap Pokémon clearly on the device's orange-tinted lens. He lowered it, and the angry Kecleon materialized.
The Level 30 Pokémon charged at them, only to be easily beaten up by Celestite. The Normal type ran away, removing the invisible barrier he set up.
"And that's how you do it," Steven said with his hands on his hips. "Any questions?"
Lapis looked at the Devon Scope, then to Steven. "Not really. I'm surprised you gave it to me without payin' for it."
"The PLA wanted you to have it to help you on your journey, but I would've given it to you for free anyway. You need it to get to the Fortree City Gym, right?"
"H-How did-?"
The former Champion laughed. "I saw the barrier around the Gym as I flew over here. I would've dispelled it, but I was told by Ms. Hōfu that she would like you to deal with it."
"I see…" At least she's not out to get me, I think.
Steven checked his watch. "Oh, I have to get going. I'll see you around, Lapis."
He let out his Skarmory and took off.
Lapis turned to his Dragon type. "Come on, Celestite. Let's build up your strength and confidence. I definitely need your help against the Gym Leader."
The Altaria was still unsure.
Lapis then pulled out the HM he got from Jade. "This should definitely help you out."
Seeing the opportunity to use a new move, she nodded. "All right. I'll do my best."
Smiling, the two reentered the long grass, ready to face the Mightyena again.
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of Lapis and Jade's battle?
How will Lapis do against the next Gym?
