Summer and Weldon visited Crys, a student Ranger and the former's pen pal, near the Hoenn Safari Zone. They met people involved with the Ranger Union in the FAO Tri-Region and Forrest, a Pokémon Ranger Summer met in the Orange Islands. During a festival celebrating Pokémon Rangers, several wild Pokémon attacked the booths. The two Trainers aided the Rangers, and they were able to not only stop the rampaging Pokémon, but also return the festival to its original state. Sensing the incident was a sign that the imminent danger is approaching, Summer and Weldon decide to go to Mt. Pyre. Unfortunately for the Hoennese, it was where one of her living nightmares occurred*. Will Summer be able to handle going back to the mountain where Pokémon rest for eternity?
*For more details on Summer's backstory, please read "Summer: The Beckoning" in the story, Backstories: A Window to the Past.
Chapter 42- Revisiting a Resting Place
Weldon, Lightning, and I flew in an Altaria-pulled taxi cab towards Mt. Pyre.
The Kantonian admired the plush blue and white interior. "I didn't realize there's another Pokémon taxi service in Hoenn."
I smiled, watching Lightning stare at the sun beginning to set. "Well, the Tropius Taxi can only take you so far since they move best during the day thanks to their Chlorophyll Ability. When it's nighttime or where people need to go to places that don't allow loud noises, like Mt. Pyre, Altaria Aviation takes over. It's a quieter ride, and the humming the Altaria make sometimes put people to sleep, making their trip feel like it went by quicker. Both services are owned by the same company, so they keep a lot of things consistent between the two."
"Wow…" His enthusiasm stopped when he saw my face become solemn. "Are you okay, Summer?"
I sighed, looking at the mountain growing closer to us. "It's been…six years since that incident in Mt. Pyre. I'm…not looking forward to being back. I have a feeling I'm going to run into that ghost girl again…"
He clasped my hand. "But this time, you're stronger…and you're with me. I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise."
"Thanks, Weldon. I…really appreciate it."
We remained quiet until we landed at the cemetery's boat dock around Lilycove Bay. Tombstones greeted us as we entered the mountain, and the marble and granite surroundings were as well maintained as the last time I was here. The air was solemn and peaceful, but my mind was a little on edge.
"I'm surprised it's pretty quiet," Weldon noted.
I checked my Pokégear. "It is getting late, so there aren't a lot of people around at this time. The mountain is open all the time though, so we don't have to worry about getting kicked out."
I looked around the area and saw a familiar plaque by the east wall. I walked to it and wistfully smiled.
"What is it?" Weldon asked as he and Lightning joined me.
"It's the plaque showing my deceased relatives on my dad's side. Including…my grandma." I rubbed my finger against Grandma Lan's name, which was more recently etched compared to the others. "They couldn't be buried here, so the plaque is a way for them to spiritually visit us if we come."
Then, I pointed to some tombstones under the plaque. "These tombstones are where Grandma Lan's Pokémon are buried. She wanted to bury them in Lavender Town, but they were running out of room. Oh, I almost forgot."
I went to the empty reception desk and took three sticks of burning incense.
After I handed one to Weldon and Lightning, the latter asked, "What do we do with these, Summer?"
I turned back to the grave markers and bowed three times, holding the stick firmly in front of me. "This is how you greet the dead in Hoenn," I explained, placing my incense into a small mound of dirt at the base of the floor.
Nodding, my companions did the same gestures, the scent wafting into the air.
A cold breeze filled the room. I turned around, only to realize it was just the wild Shuppet that appear around sunset when the visitors have left.
Suddenly, we heard someone screaming above us, scaring the Ghost type Pokémon away. We looked up and to our surprise, Lapis Eurig fell through a black hole and landed face first onto the marble tiles.
"What the heck…" he muttered as the hole closed. "Wait, why did I say-?" He looked up and frowned. "Oh, it's you two again."
I gave him an awkward smile. "It's…been a while, Lapis. How have you been?"
"Well, I just fell five stories, so no, not really good right now."
Zuli let himself out of his ball. Instead of a small Mudkip, he was now a Swampert, a large blue Pokémon with long arms and legs and black fins. The orange fins and pads on his appendages accented the gold flecks on the lapis lazuli pendant he still wore.
In a deeper voice, he said, "Come on, Lapis, don't be so mean to them."
After he helped his Trainer up, I smiled. "Looks like you evolved into your final form, Zuli."
The Water type grinned. "Thanks for noticing, Summer. We've been through a lot, so I'm just happy I can help him out more."
I sensed a sadness in his voice. "Yeah, Weldon told me about what's been going on."
"Hope you didn't say nothin' embarrassing 'bout me," the Nuzlocker replied, glaring at the Kantonian.
Weldon chuckled. "Don't worry, Lapis. I didn't. Anyway, how's the training going?"
As they continued to talk, I felt strangely drawn towards Zuli's pendant. It was like someone, maybe a person who previously owned it, wanted me to examine it.
I interrupted their conversation by asking, "Why does Zuli have that necklace, Lapis?"
"Huh? Oh, I give jewelry to all my Pokémon. At least, the ones who join the main team. Didn't you see it the first time you saw us?"
"I did, but…" After taking a deep breath, I added, "I just feel…there's something really important about it. Is it…okay if I touch it?"
Lapis shrugged. "Sure, knock yourself out."
I examined it, stroking the lapis lazuli. Then, I felt some sparks transfer from my hand to the gemstone. I winced, letting the pendant fall back onto Zuli's chest, and saw some visions of a man and woman who had similar physical characteristics to the Nuzlocke challenger.
Were those Lapis' parents? I never experienced that before since I became a Guardian.
"Are you okay, Summer?" Weldon asked.
Nodding, I straightened myself. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Lapis."
"No prob. Anyway why're you two here?"
I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, it's kind of a long story, we think something bad is going to happen here."
"Huh. Maybe you missed it."
"What do you mean, Lapis?"
He sighed, crossing his arms. "Those Team Magma and Team Aqua goons came and took some orbs from the old people here."
I gasped. "Were they the Red and Blue Orbs?"
"Red and Blue Orbs?" Weldon repeated. "What are they?"
"They're objects created by the ancient people of Hoenn, and they can control the Legendary Pokémon, Groudon and Kyogre."
Lapis smirked. "Guess I don't need to explain. Not like I got much info from them anyway."
"Well, that makes sense. After all, most of the history behind the Legendary Pokémon are hidden from the public to avoid another apocalyptic disaster."
I felt another cold breeze, but this time, it had a more ominous sensation. Growing cautious, I asked, "Lapis, I know it sounds a little odd, but did you see any ghosts around while you've been here?"
"Ghosts? Don't believe in 'em."
Zuli shook his head. "Don't deny it, Lapis. I heard a girl giggling as we were wrapping up training earlier."
The teen's solemn façade faltered. "Don't remind me, Zuli…"
Shocked, I inquired, "D-Did you see where it came from?"
Lapis raised an eyebrow. "No…why're you so worked up 'bout this, Scorcher?"
I gritted my teeth. I should tell him before-
My mind and vision suddenly started to blur. I clutched a tombstone, struggling to keep standing.
"Summer, are you okay?"
I tried to respond to Weldon, but no words came out of my mouth.
"Darn it, when I said 'knock yourself out', I didn't expect it to be so literal!"
"Lapis, now it's not the time to make jokes!"
Then, a girl's voice from my past whispered in my ear. "You're finally back… I've been waiting for you…"
I whipped my head around and saw the Vulpix and Chimecho that caused me to fear their species. I tried to grab a ball from my belt, but my body struggled to respond. In a desperate act, I ran into a nearby tombstone, hoping it would shock me out of their control.
But it was no use. They finished the deed by hypnotizing me with their ghostly white rings. My mind became blank, and I lost all of my senses.
Summer's Pokémon:
Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, Blaze Ability, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut
Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Psychic, Hypnosis, Air Slash, Heat Wave
Aurora (Dewgong, female): Calm Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Water Pulse, Ice Beam, Aqua Tail, Signal Beam
Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunderbolt, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch, Grass Knot
Rocky (Steelix, male): Lonely Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Stone Edge, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail
Olive (Grovyle, female): Timid Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Fury Cutter, Double Team, Mega Drain, Quick Attack
Weldon's Pokémon:
Venusaur (male): Serious Nature, Overgrow Ability, moves: Razor Leaf, Earthquake, Sludge Bomb, Vine Whip; in rotation- Solarbeam, Body Slam
Fearow (male): Adamant Nature, Keen Eye Ability, moves: Heat Wave, Steel Wing, Fury Attack, Aerial Ace; in rotation- Drill Peck
Golem (male): Bold Nature, Rock Head Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Earthquake, Rollout, Double Edge
Gyarados (male): Sassy Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Surf, Ice Fang, Payback, Waterfall
Arcanine (male): Naughty Nature, Flash Fire Ability, moves: Hyper Beam, Extremespeed, Flare Blitz, Fire Blast
Electabuzz (male): Rash Nature, Static Ability, moves: Thunder, Ice Punch, Brick Break, Shock Wave; in rotation- Mega Kick, Thunder Punch
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of Summer's return to Mt. Pyre?
Why did Summer have a strong reaction to Zuli's pendant?
What will happen to Summer after she's possessed?
