After surviving the supernatural events at Mt. Pyre, Lapis arrived in Lilycove City to begin his next step in the Nuzlocke challenge. He ran into Jade at the department store, and they decided to have another battle. Though he won, Lapis almost lost Bixbite, causing the research assistant to run off in distress. Feeling a little dejected, the Nuzlocker focused on his preparations to cross the sea. After a training session though, Lapis gets pulled into a direction opposite of where he needs to go. Where is he going and why is this happening to him?

P.S.- Thanks to Trin-Miller, who provided me with the character of Trinity! :)

Lapis' Pokémon:

Zuli (Lvl. 42 Swampert, male; Item: Soft Sand): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Strength, Mud Shot, Surf

Bixbite (Lvl. 42 Camerupt, male): Bold Nature, Oblivious Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Tackle, Ember, Earthquake

Onyx (Lvl. 42 Mightyena, female; Item: King's Rock): Mild Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Tackle, Rock Smash, Sand Attack, Bite

Pearl (Lvl. 42 Grumpig, female): Lax Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Psychic, Psybeam, Shock Wave, Confuse Ray

Celestite (Lvl. 42 Altaria, female): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Fly, Safeguard, Take Down, Dragonbreath

Amethyst (Lvl. 42 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 34: Infiltrating a Molten Rekindling

Lapis and Pearl exited the Lilycove City Pokémon Center, exhausted from their recent training session at Route 121.

"How were there so many Shuppets on that route?" the Nuzlocker said, exasperated. "Did they escape Mt. Pyre or somethin'?"

"I hope not," the Grumpig replied. "But I'm just glad we didn't lose anyone to that Curse move."

"True. Still, hope we ain't gonna run into more trouble."

Suddenly, he felt something trying to escape his bag. What the?

He opened it and saw the Magma Emblem he found a few days ago fly out. Lapis tried to grab it, but it was out of his reach.

"Pearl, use Psychic to stop that thing!"

Nodding, the Manipulate Pokémon used her powers, creating a blue light barrier that stopped the emblem from moving.

"Huh. Can't believe that actually worked."

"Most likely it's because we're not in battle," Pearl surmised. "Though, you might…want to let me know when to stop. I don't have much experience using Psychic outside of battle, so I don't know how long I can hold onto it."

"So it wants to go somewhere west… Sigh… Against my better judgment…"

He let out Celestite, who let him climb onto her back. "Celestite. When Pearl lets go that emblem, can you follow where it's goin'?"

The Altaria nodded. "I should be able to keep up."

"Pearl, return!"

Once the Grumpig went back into her ball, the Magma Emblem, no longer bound, continued its course. The pair flew after it. When they passed over Mt. Chimney, the item stopped moving and fell towards the ground. Celestite dove, and her Trainer caught it.

"Strange. Why'd it stop at Mt. Chimney?"

"I don't know, Lapis. But I can't land here, even if I wanted to."

He groaned. "Oh right… The limitations of this Fly HM. Stupid Nuzlocke rules… Fine, let's land in Lavaridge Town."

After they did just that, he let out Pearl again, and they headed up Jagged Pass. As the Psychic type looked around her former home, Lapis knew he would run into Team Magma again. But instead of running into the red and black-clothed grunts, he saw a young woman clad in black standing next to a Charizard. The two immediately hid behind some bushes.

The woman braided her long black hair, revealing her blue-gray eyes and the silver and red makeup on her lightly tanned face. After she was done, she scanned the mountainside.

"Now, where's that entrance?" she muttered.

Entrance? What's she talking about? And who is she anyway? She's definitely not a native if she's wearing all those black clothes!

Then, he felt a strange presence behind them. The teen turned around to find a sinister-looking Togepi rubbing his stubby arms.

What the-?!

Lapis stumbled out of the brush and fell onto the dirt. The girl and her Charizard glared at the embarrassed Trainer.

"Who're you?" she bluntly asked. "And what're you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing, lady."

"I found him spying on us, Trin!" the Togepi shouted as he emerged from the shadows. "Can we throw him into the volcano?"

She slyly smiled. "Hm…there's a thought."

The Nuzlocker's eyes flashed. "You cannot be serious! You're gonna take advice from a hard-boiled egg?!"

"Hey! I know a loser like you isn't good enough to give advice!" the baby Pokémon retorted.

This piqued his Trainer's interest. She grabbed the flailing Pokémon and had the Fire starter restrain him. The woman carefully observed Lapis. "How did you know what my Pokémon said, stranger?"

"That really important?" he retorted.

"Yes, it is."

Lapis chose not to respond, making it a solemn stalemate. Then, a familiar person landed on the mountain with his Fearow.

Weldon looked at the confused teen. "Lapis? What're you doing here?"

Lapis' confusion turned to frustration. "L-Leland! Of course you'd be involved. Tell me what the hell's goin' on!"

"W-Wait, Lapis! I think you got the wrong idea."

"Hm. So you know each other," she mused, crossing her arms. "Guess you aren't a stranger after all."

"You're still to me, ya know," the Nuzlocker bluntly replied.

"Oh, right." She cleared her throat. "Trinity Miller. Member of the Tairiku Hogo-sha clan. This is my Charizard, Munin, and Loki, the Togepi who loves to torture unsuspecting people."

"I'm not torturing them!" the Normal type protested. He continued trying to break free, but the starter tightened his grip.

"Anyway, I apologize for his behavior."

"Uh, sure…" Lapis said after she bowed. "So, what're you two doin' here?"

Trinity looked at Mt. Chimney. "We received word that Team Magma is further proceeding with their plan to awaken the Legendary Pokémon, Groudon. It's the duty of my clan to protect him and his rival."

"Wait, you mean the Pokémon on the mural in Granite Cave? What about…what was it…Kai-ogre? Who's stoppin' it?"

She sighed, exasperated. "It's Kyogre. And there are other people going to stop Team Aqua." Then she looked around. "Is he running late?"

"Who, Trin?" Weldon asked.

"My contact. He's supposed to meet us outside, but I haven't heard from him in a while."

"Did he get captured or somethin'?" the Nuzlocker inquired.

She shook her head. "If he did, then I would have received an emergency notification from him. Ugh…I don't know what to do now; he was our way to get into the villain's secret base."

"Secret base, huh?" Lapis noticed an indent on a boulder by the mountainside and walked towards it.

"What is it, Lapis?" the Kantonian asked.

He showed them the Magma Emblem. "I learned from a strange Ranger that secret bases typically need a trigger to open the entrance. If that's the case…"

He placed the emblem on the boulder, and the stone shook. A camouflaged door opened, revealing a cavernous area.

"Hm… You're not half bad, Lapis," Trinity complimented.

"Thanks…but the Grunt who dropped it should get the credit…"

Weldon looked inside. "It looks clear for now. Let's find a safe place where we can get an idea of the layout."

They returned their Pokémon and sneaked inside. It was eerily quiet inside the hallowed out cave, but they were able to find a small break room. Once they entered and locked the door, they started to come up with a strategy.

Man, it's so hot in here! You think those Magma goons would've been smart enough to install some air conditioning!

Trinity, not bothered by the intense heat, looked at a map of the secret base on the wall. "Hmm… Looks like there's a secret chamber that their leader, Maxie, seems interested in."

"What makes you think that?" Lapis asked.

"It says, 'Team Leader Access Only', on the map."

"Oh. Guess that's proof enough."

Weldon took a look himself. "It looks like there's a floor above and four floors below us. If we head down, then we'll likely run into Maxie and potentially Groudon."

"Should we split up then?" the Nuzlocker asked.

Trinity stroked her chin. "That would make sense, but we could run into trouble if they gang up on us separately. Especially with blondie here."

Lapis was about to interject when Weldon said, "Lapis can handle himself, Trin. Besides, I'm sure he wants to battle any Grunts we come across, right?"

"Sigh… You know me too well."

She softly smiled. "Then how about this? Let's see if we can find my contact as we head down. He's a strong Trainer, so we won't have any trouble if Team Magma outnumbers us."

"Who is your contact?" Weldon asked. "It would be helpful to know what he looks like."

"I wish I knew, but we've only contacted each other by phone. The only way I can identify him is by using a code phrase."

"We better get goin' then."

Lapis opened the door and was startled to find a wild Geodude staring at them. With his extensive experience with this species, he knew what could likely happen.

Crap! He turned to his companions and mouthed, "Don't move." Then he took out two balls.

"Pearl," he whispered as he let her out. "Use Confuse Ray."

She shot white rings of light at the Rock type, and the Geodude's eyes showed the familiar swirly pattern.

"Now, Celestite, use Take Down."

She flew into the air and was able to charge when a Team Magma Grunt entered the main floor.

"How the hell did an Altaria get in here?" he said. "And why is that Geodude glowing white?"

Double crap! Not good! Lapis ran out and threw a Great Ball at the wild Pokémon.

But it was too late. The Geodude self destructed, spraying volcanic dirt at the Grunt and Celestite.

Triple crap… Lapis quickly returned the Flying type before turning his attention to the distracted Grunt.

"I-It's the teenager the leader warned us about!" the man shouted. "Poochyena, stop them!"

The Level 29 Dark type jumped in front of his Trainer but was easily dispatched by Pearl's Shock Wave.

"D-Damn it!' he muttered. Then he ran towards an alert system button and pressed it.

A siren blared through the volcano, and the Grunt sneered. "Good luck trying to break through our Torkoal defense system!"

He descended down a ladder, laughing, as rows of Torkoal marched forward and blocked the way. The Coal Pokémon set up several Iron Defenses and Protects, creating an almost impenetrable barrier.

"Great, now what the hell're we gonna do?" Lapis griped.

But Trinity smiled. "We find a way through. Loki, you know what to do!"

The Spike Ball Pokémon emerged from her hood, waving his tiny arms about. Suddenly, large boulders with fossils embedded in them appeared and struck several Torkoal who were only protected by Iron Defense. As the other Torkoal who set up Protect lowered their guard, they were controlled by a magenta aura and thrown about. As Lapis watched the baby Pokémon wreak havoc on the Fire types, he was happy that he wasn't on the receiving end.

With the path clear, the three Trainers headed down. They continued fighting off wild Pokémon and Team Magma Grunts. Luckily for them, all of their opponents weren't able to handle their might. But as they continued their descent, Lapis felt a little nervous. The sweltering, enclosed conditions reminded him of the wildfire from his dreams. However, he couldn't focus on that now; there were slightly more important things that needed his attention.

They reached a chamber that had a stairway that looked like it was created a long time ago. At the base was Tabitha, the Admin. He saw the group approach and laughed.

"So, you actually made it, kid. And this time, you brought lackeys."

"Lackeys, huh?" Trinity replied with a scoff. "Sounds like you need a reality check. After all, your 'lackeys' have been unable to stop us."

Tabitha held back his anger. "It doesn't matter now. In a few moments, our Leader Maxie will soon awaken the Land Leviathan, Groudon! Hehehehehe!"

They were about to go around the Admin, but he tutted. "Nuh uh. You think I'd just let you waltz in here without a challenge?"

He snapped his fingers. More rows of Torkoal arrived, blocking the stairs behind him.

Lapis rolled his eyes at the man's manic laughter. "Whatever, just get out of the way, man."

"As if! I have to give Leader Maxie as much time as he needs! Go, Numel!"

The Level 26 Fire type stood in front of his Trainer, stone faced.

After Lapis sent out Celestite, Weldon shouted, "Trin and I will break through the lines! You got this, Lapis!"

Smirking, the Nuzlocker replied as his companions ran past, "Course I do. Celestite, fly up!"

She ascended towards the ceiling of the chamber.

Tabitha shouted, "Use Focus Energy!"

After the Numel pumped himself up, the Altaria slammed into him. He tumbled back and lay on the dirt.

His Trainer growled as he returned his Pokémon. "You've gotten stronger, I see. Then let's see how you handle its evolution!"

Tabitha sent out a Level 33 Camerupt, most likely the strongest member of his team. So Lapis decided to do the same.

After Lapis switched out Celestite for Zuli, the Team Magma Admin clenched his fists.

"The damned Water type…" he muttered.

The Swampert took offense and growled. Lapis, echoing his Pokémon's anger, shouted, "Surf!"

The Mud Fish Pokémon summoned a wave larger than normal and hurled it at the Fire type. Not only did it knock out the Camerupt with a critical hit, it also took out several Torkoal barricading the base of the stairs.

"Wh-What the hell?! That move shouldn't be that strong!" Tabitha grew angrier as he took out his third Poké Ball. "Mightyena, get rid of that menace once and for all!"

The Level 28 Dark type emerged, only to find the starter being replaced with his female counterpart. The two Mightyena growled at each other, lowering their respective attack stats.

That didn't stop Lapis and Onyx though. "Onyx, Rock Smash!"

She slammed her paws into the enemy Mightyena, dealing a good amount of damage and lowering his defense. But this time, their opponents were able to land a move.

"Mightyena, Swagger!"

The Bite Pokémon sneered at Onyx. "Is that the best you got? I've fought Maugrima, and she's much stronger than you."

"Hah! I beat her before and I can absolutely beat her again!"

Her eyes turned red and she lifted her right paw to slash at him, but she hit herself instead.

"Snap out of it, Onyx!" Lapis cried as the male Mightyena freed himself from her grasp.

"Finally, some damage!" Tabitha exclaimed. "Now, use Roar!"

His Pokémon roared at the confused Mightyena, forcing her to return to her ball. But the Pokémon that came out in her stead cracked his knuckles.

"You made the wrong choice insulting my friend!" Zuli roared.

The Mightyena gulped. Before Tabitha could issue a command, his Pokémon was knocked out by another Surf attack.

"No, this can't happen again! Zubat, you're the last line of defense!"

The Level 30 Poison type flew out but was easily squashed by a critical hit Rock Slide from Bixbite. At the exact moment, Trinity and Weldon took down the last of the Torkoal defense line.

"Grrr…so your lackeys are just as strong as you. Looks like I need to buy Leader Maxie more time." Tabitha smirked as he flexed his arms. "Let's see how you fare against my fists!"

The man ran forward, cocking back his right arm. Lapis prepared to counter, but Tabitha stopped, slapping his neck.

"What the? What is-" Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed face first onto the ground.

"Lapis!" Weldon shouted as he and Trinity ran over. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. But that Tabitha guy sure ain't."

Trinity examined the fallen man and pulled something out on his neck. "Looks like he's been hit with a sleeping dart."

"A sleeping dart?" the Kantonian repeated. "Why would he be hit by that? And who could've shot it in the first place?"

She smiled. "I have an idea where it came from."

A Team Magma Grunt approached them, putting away his blow dart shooter. Lapis prepared a Poké Ball, but Weldon grinned as well, almost as if he recognized the approaching person.

"What're you doin', Leland?" the Nuzlocker hissed. "He's a Grunt!"

"He's more than a simple Grunt, Lapis."

Trinity approached the strange Grunt and waited for him to speak.

"The land and sea are separated by fate."

"But the sky binds them through destiny," she replied.

Were those…code phrases? They're…pretty lame honestly.

Trinity relaxed. "It's good to see you again, Magma. I was worried you were captured since you didn't respond."

He chuckled, removing his hood and brushing back his spiky red hair. "Likewise, Trin. Sorry I wasn't able to get in touch; security was on high alert."

Suddenly, the chamber shook violently.

Magma's face became serious. "It looks like Maxie's starting his plan. You should stop him before Groudon awakens and leaves the volcano."

"What about you, Magma?" she asked.

He put his hood back on. "I have to maintain my cover. If we all survive, let's reconvene at base."

Survive? Does he think we're going to die or something?! Well, it's not the first time I've been in a dangerous situation.

As the disguised stranger returned to the main part of the base, Trinity led Weldon and Lapis up the stairs to a small cavern with bubbling magma. They hid behind some boulders and watched Maxie stand at the edge, holding a glowing blue orb in his right hand.

"Yes, Groudon," he said, his voice filled with excitement and a hint of madness. "This is what you wanted, wasn't it? The Blue Orb?"

The magma rippled, as if responding to his questions.

The leader cracked a wide grin. "Land Leviathan, awaken and show me the full extent of your power!"

The volcano shook once more, and a large pillar of magma appeared in the pool. The hot liquid then revealed a giant red Pokémon with black grooves along its body.

That must be…Groudon…

Trinity tried to approach, but Weldon motioned her to remain hidden. The reawakened Pokémon roared, causing some of the ceiling to fall into the magma and ground. But instead of approaching the man holding the blue sphere, it dove into the magma and disappeared.

Maxie was shocked, dropping the Blue Orb onto the ground. "What on earth? The Blue Orb was not the key to control it? G-Groudon… Where did you go?"

"Maxie…" Trinity growled as she marched forward. "How dare you awaken Groudon from his slumber!"

"How did you-? Scoff… I know you couldn't have gotten in here without help. Reveal yourselves, cowards!"

Seeing there was no point in hiding anymore, the boys joined the angry woman.

"You!" Maxie pointed at Lapis. "Did you pull a cheap stunt to make Groudon ignore me?!"

"How would I've done that, you idiot?" the Nuzlocker retorted. "I ain't got any of the orbs!"

The man picked up the orb and recomposed himself. "No matter. I'll just have to get rid of all of you!"

Lapis readied his first Poké Ball. "Hope you've gotten better since Mt. Chimney!"

"Trust me, we have. Eardwulf, advance."

His Mightyena, now Level 37, growled at the teen.

After letting out Celestite, her Trainer shouted, "Celestite, use Safeguard!"

The Flying type put up the status condition barrier, but their opponents were unfazed.

"Eardwulf, Take Down."

The Dark type slammed into Celestite, but she didn't take much damage. This was reflected in the little recoil damage he took.

"Celestite, Fly!"

She flew up and dove straight towards the terrestrial Pokémon.

Maxie gritted his teeth. "Scary Face."

Eardwulf glared at the approaching Altaria. As his eyes glowed red, a similar-colored illusion formed from the stare and snarl and hit her. Celestite's speed lowered greatly, but it didn't stop her from landing the attack.

Seeing they had the speed advantage, Maxie ordered, "Eardwulf, Take Down once more."

He charged into the Humming Pokémon, but it still didn't do that much damage.

But as he was about to retreat, Lapis shouted, "Celestite, Dragonbreath!"

She breathed out a stream of green flames, hitting the black Pokémon on the back. He was able to return to his Trainer's side, but sparks emerged from his fur.

The Nuzlocker smirked. So much for his speed advantage.

Maxie gritted his teeth as he took out a Super Potion.

Lapis raised an eyebrow. "Wait, you're the leader of an evil team and you're usin' a Super Potion? I'd thought you'd have Hyper Potions or even Max Potions."

"Hmph… Again with your frivolous questions. Now, Eardwulf, Take Down."

He bit through the paralysis and charged at the Dragon type.

"Celestite, finish Eardwulf with Dragonbreath!"

She circled around her opponent and sprayed him with more green flames. Despite being healed, it was still too much for Eardwulf. He fell onto the dirt, forcing Maxie to return him.

"You have indeed gotten stronger. But we shall see if you can handle my strongest Pokémon. Garland, advance."

The Level 39 Camerupt emerged, only to be greeted by a Surf from a familiar adversary.

"That damned aquaphile…" the leader muttered as he returned his fainted Pokémon. "No matter. Forbes, advance."

The Level 28 Poison type, now a Crobat, flapped his two sets of wings.

Lapis smirked as he picked the last Pokémon to beat Maxie. "Go, Bixbite!"

The Nuzlocker's Camerupt appeared, making the man clench his right first. "How dare you summon a perfect creature of the land to fight me! Forbes, Confuse Ray!"

The Bat Pokémon shot the Fire type with glowing rings of light, instantly confusing him.

Lapis took a deep breath. "Bixbite, don't give in to the confusion! Rock Slide!"

The Eruption Pokémon heard his Trainer's words and launched a storm of boulders onto the Crobat. Maxie's Pokémon took a lot of damage, forcing his Trainer to heal him with a Super Potion. But it wasn't enough. Another Rock Slide landed, instantly knocking out Forbes.

Maxie hid his anger as he returned his final Pokémon. "You're quite adept at handling your Pokémon, even though you are our enemy."

The teen smirked as he returned Bixbite. "Looks like your plan failed. Again."

"Hmph. Is that what you think? Move aside, child. We no longer need this blasted volcano, now that our hideout has now been compromised."

The man marched away, leaving Lapis alone.

"H-Hey, where did Leland and that Miller girl go?"

He exited the chamber and saw Weldon waiting for him at the bottom of the stairs.

"Leland!" he shouted. "Did you ditch me?"

"Hey, you know the Nuzlocke rules, Lapis. I can't help you if you're the main battler. Besides," Weldon said with a smirk. "I'm surprised you didn't notice that we slipped out during your battle with Maxie."

"Wh-Whatever. Let's get outta here."

"Okay. But we need to head somewhere close by when we return to Jagged Pass."

"Why? I gotta heal."

"I know you do, but it'll be important."

Lapis groaned. "Fine…"

Weldon turned to leave as the Nuzlocker pulled out a thick rope from his bag.

"Where're you goin', Leland?"

The Kantonian raised an eyebrow. "Back the way we came from…"

"This'll be quicker."

"What is that?" Weldon asked, watching his acquaintance create a circle on the ground with the rope.

"An Escape Rope. It lets ya escape places like these."

"That's pretty handy. Much better than backtracking or causing destruction via a Dig tunnel."

Once the rope was in place, a large hole materialized in the center. The two boys jumped into the dark space, and, after a few seconds, landed in front of the Team Magma Hideout entrance on Jagged Pass. Despite leaving the volcano, Lapis felt like the sun was stronger than normal.

Weldon adjusted his hat. "Come on, Lapis."

"Wait. Don't ya think it's…hotter than when we came in?"

"It feels…a little hotter, but I'm strangely fine."

Lapis then hid under a nearby pine, though it was still fairly warm in the shade. "Anyway, where're we goin'?"

Weldon motioned him to follow but whispered. "It's a secret place that you can't tell anyone else."

"Duh. That's pretty obvious."

The younger boy chuckled, and he brought the Nuzlocker to a strange-looking pine tree. Weldon pulled on a vine sticking out of the bark, revealing a ladder along the trunk. The two climbed up and entered a hollow space within the tree. It was more of a secret base in Lapis' mind, with the bare minimum furniture and a high-tech computer with a small radio dish. Trinity and Magma were sitting at the table, discussing something over tea and cookies.

Magma noticed them and smiled. "Don't just stand there! Come over here and have some Lava Cookies and lapsang souchong tea."

Lapis sat down and almost gagged at the steaming cup. A smoky tea… I'll pass.

"It's nice to see you again, Magma," Weldon said as he enjoyed the local delicacies.

"Likewise, Weldon. And this guy, you're the Nuzlocke Trainer, Lapis Eurig, right?"

Lapis sized himself up. "Yeah, got a problem with that?"

"Oh, no. I've heard about you from the other Grunts. You've been giving them hell. Though, you destroying the lava amplification device when Team Magma invaded the top of Mt. Chimney was a little unexpected. And…a little detrimental to our case against them."

How did he know all of that? the Nuzlocker thought as Magma sipped his tea. "Who're you anyway?"

The stranger pulled out an ID badge. "Magma Brandt, undercover agent for the International Police."

I-International Police?!

Lapis choked on his cookie, worrying the Kantonian. "Are you okay, Lapis?"

"Y-Yeah…"

The undercover agent scanned the teen carefully as he offered him some water. "Does my occupation bother you, Lapis?"

He became silent before replying, "I…got mixed feelings 'bout coppers."

"Is it because of your delinquent past?"

"You really know everythin' 'bout me, don't you?"

Magma's expression softened. "Only the things that are most pertinent. I know you're not the violent person they claim you to be. I'd believe anything Detective Kei says over that fraud of an inspector Caspian."

So he's friends with that detective. Lapis relaxed a little.

Sensing the tension has been cleared, Trinity said, "Magma and I have some information that can tell us where Groudon disappeared to."

Weldon placed his half-eaten cookie on the table. "What did you find out?"

After she pulled out a map of the Hoenn Region, Magma pointed to several places on it. "We believe Groudon is using the underground lava tubes to find Kyogre. Since these tubes are underneath the ocean floor, it'll be protected from the water and buy us more time to protect the other Legendary Pokémon."

"Do you know where Kyogre is resting, Trin?" the Kantonian asked.

She hesitated a little, then pointed to an area in the middle of the ocean. "It's Seafloor Cavern, here. But it won't do us any good."

"How come?"

"Team Aqua…likely knows the location already since they're executing their plan to reach it."

Magma crossed his arms. "My partner who's infiltrated Team Aqua informed me that they're going to steal a submarine currently being built in Slateport City. I'm sure you're familiar with the vehicle, Lapis, seeing that you delivered the necessary parts for its construction."

"Oh yeah. Totally forgot about that."

"Then we should head over there," Weldon said.

Magma replied, "Though I would agree, I wouldn't recommend it, at least for now."

"Why not?"

"That's that Magma and I were discussing before you and Lapis entered," Trinity answered. "Since Team Aqua knows what Lapis looks like, our chance for a surprise attack is reduced. And I received word from Aster that their infiltration into the Team Aqua Hideout has failed. We should probably regroup in Lilycove City to see if any Team Aqua members returns to their base."

"Couldn't those Aqua goons just go to Slateport while we're headin' to Lilycove?" Lapis pointed out.

"That is a good point," the black-clad woman acknowledged with a smile. "In that case, I'll go to Slateport City to watch the shipyard. Weldon and Lapis can go to Lilycove City and do what we discussed."

"What about that spy in Team Aqua?" Lapis inquired. "Ain't she able to send a message to us?"

Magma stroked his chin. "She would, but she's having more trouble with keeping in contact with me. Apparently, Team Aqua is structured on camaraderie than Team Magma, so she has to continually maintain her cover. Unless…"

"What are you thinking, Magma?" Trinity asked.

"Maybe…I should go with Weldon and Lapis for the time being."

"Uh…ain't that gonna blow your cover?"

The agent chuckled at Lapis' question. "With the way things are going, I think my cover's already been blown. Besides, I need to fill Detective Kei on what's been happening."

Weldon nodded. "I see. Then we should head out before it gets too dark."

"I need to pack everything up so I'll join you later."

Trinity stood up. "Then I'll fly to Slateport City. Weldon, I'll contact you if anything happens."

"Sounds good. Let's go, Lapis."

"Fine by me."

The Nuzlocker left the base with the Kantonian, and they flew east with the sun setting behind them.

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of Trinity and Magma?

What did you think of the infiltration of Team Magma's hideout?

Will Lapis and the group learn anything about Team Aqua before they steal the submarine?