While staying in Lilycove City, Lapis and his group learned of Team Aqua's acquisition of the new Submarine Explorer 1 in Slateport City. Knowing that they needed to accelerate their plan to get to Kyogre first, they needed to find a Pokémon who can help them dive underwater. Due to the Nuzlocke rules, Lapis was forced to surf to the next place instead of taking the ferry. Along the watery path, the Nuzlocker helped a wild Spheal rescue his fellow Pokémon from some Golbat in Shoal Cave. It turned out the Spheal, Larimar, was one of the Pokémon selected for their diving expedition by the rehabilitation center. After a quick battle, Lapis caught the Water type. After arriving on Mossdeep Island, Lapis prepared for his next Gym challenge, which is going to be both Psychic type and doubles battling. How will the teen prepare for this unusual challenge?
Lapis' Pokémon:
Zuli (Lvl. 45 Swampert, male; Item: Soft Sand): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Strength, Mud Shot, Surf
Bixbite (Lvl. 44 Camerupt, male): Bold Nature, Oblivious Ability, moves: Rock Slide, Tackle, Ember, Earthquake
Onyx (Lvl. 45 Mightyena, female; Item: King's Rock): Mild Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Tackle, Rock Smash, Sand Attack, Bite
Pearl (Lvl. 45 Grumpig, female): Lax Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Psychic, Psybeam, Shock Wave, Confuse Ray
Celestite (Lvl. 44 Altaria, female): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Fly, Safeguard, Take Down, Dragonbreath
Amethyst (Lvl. 44 Gloom, female; Item: Miracle Seed): Quiet Nature, Chlorophyll Ability, moves: Petal Dance, 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 37: A Meteoric Fall
At the PLA headquarters on Indigo Plateau, Kyushi Hōfu paced in her office.
It's been a month since I sent the complaint to Mr. Tochigi. Should I ask him for an update?
A soft knock interrupted her thoughts. After giving permission, Mr. Tochigi entered.
"Oh, Mr. Tochigi! I was just thinking about visiting you."
"Is it about the complaint you gave me?" She nodded, which made him sigh. "I'm sorry, Ms. Hōfu, but I cannot give Mr. Cowden any disciplinary action based on it."
The Hoenn representative was shocked. "M-May I ask the reason why?"
"Well, to be frank, you do not have any concrete evidence of Mr. Cowden intentionally sabotaging Mr. Eurig's Nuzlocke challenge."
"But I have witness testimony from Ms. Winona and Ms. Flannery!"
Mr. Tochigi frowned. "Yes, you do. But did you find any concrete proof that ties Mr. Cowden to providing Ms. Flannery false information or hiring Mr. Guy?"
She bit her lip. "No, but I-"
"No buts, Ms. Hōfu," Mr. Tochigi scolded. "I'm sorry."
He exited her office, leaving the woman frozen in place. I understand needing concrete proof, but still… All of this is not a coincidence.
Ms. Hōfu took deep breaths, returning her to her usual stoic self. Arian has a lot more people helping him than I thought, which is why I couldn't find that evidence. If that's the case, I need to find people I trust to help me protect Lapis. But who to contact?
Lapis groaned as he got out of bed. I'm so sore… Those two really worked me harder than I thought.
After getting Pearl's help via her psychic powers, the Nuzlocker met his traveling companions in the Mossdeep City Pokémon Center's cafeteria.
"There he is!" Harry exclaimed. "We were wondering when you were going to come, Lapis."
"We didn't train you too hard, did we?" Weldon asked with a sly smile.
"Pfft… No… It was a…piece of cake…"
Samir knowingly nodded as Pearl handed her Trainer a plate of Chansey eggs and toast. "Right… Anyway, when are you planning to challenge the Gym, Lapis?"
"Got the appointment this afternoon. Why?"
"Trinity said she wanted to come watch."
Lapis looked around. "Where's she anyway?"
"Meeting up with someone," Weldon replied. "I asked who, but she wanted to keep it a secret."
"It ain't my job to interfere. I'm just gonna do the final prep at the beach."
"Can I join you?" Harry asked. "I wanna see if I can get some waves in."
The Nuzlocker raised an eyebrow. "You brought a surfboard with you?"
"A portable one, nothing fancy."
"Okay… What 'bout you two?"
Samir replied, "Weldon and I will be exploring the city before meeting you at the Gym."
"All right then. See you later."
Lapis and Harry left the Trainers and headed to the west beach. It was a nice area with clean sand and a few palm trees. There weren't many people around except for two familiar men.
"Oh, Lapis!" Steven greeted, lowering his sunglasses. Instead of his usual black clothes, he wore a dark blue Alolan shirt and khaki shorts. "I didn't expect you to be here before your Gym match."
The teen curtly responded, "Didn't expect to see you here either, Stone. What're you and Scott doin' here?"
"Just getting a quick break before looking for some rare stones in an underground cavern near the island."
The scout chuckled. "And I'm looking for talent, as per usual."
"On an island?"
"Talent isn't restricted by locality, Lapis."
"Right…"
Scott then noticed Harry. "Oh, is this a friend of yours, Lapis?"
"Guess you can call him that…"
His friend smirked. "Looks like I'm past the 'acquaintance' space with you, Lapis. I'm Harry Waves from Dewford Town."
"Ah, yes," the scout said as they shook hands. "You're Brawly's son, right?"
"Yeah, that's right."
"It's nice to finally meet you. You might be a perfect candidate for the project I'm working on."
The surfer softly chuckled. "I don't know about that; I just want to focus on surfing right now."
Scott shrugged. "Oh well. Just give me a call if you change your mind." After he handed Harry his business card, he said, "Looks like it's time for us to go, Steven."
The stone enthusiast nodded. "I hope to see you two later, Lapis."
Harry waved goodbye to the men then turned to his friend. "Looks like the waves are good. Let me know when you're ready to go, Lapis."
"Don't drown."
Harry chuckled as he unfurled his surfboard. After the Dewford Town native ran towards the waves, Lapis looked at his tablet.
Now, who to choose for the Gym… I know for sure Amethyst won't be able to help, even though those Gym Leaders have Rock and Ground types. Onyx is the best choice due to her Dark typing, and Zuli is strong enough to help. So that leaves Celestite, Bixbite, and Pearl. Since Onyx and Zuli are at a higher level, I can use the others for the Gym Trainers so they won't be as tired.
Lapis looked at the rolling waves. They gently lapped onto the warm sand, but the motions made him feel a little nervous.
Why am I so worried? I have more of an advantage at this Gym compared to the last two. Still, I don't have that much experience with double battles. Guess it's nice that the Gym Trainers can battle that way so I can get it.
With his planning done, he let Harry enjoy the sea for a few more hours.
Later that afternoon…
Lapis and his group entered the Mossdeep City Gym. Everyone, except Lapis and Harry, were awed by the otherworldly sight.
"A-Are we in space?!" Samir exclaimed. "This is so impressive!"
"Course not," Lapis scoffed, seeing the rocket ship-shaped trophy cases and strange-looking plants. "They're just decorations."
"Don't be such a downer, Eurig," Trinity scolded.
"Whatever, Miller."
Harry smiled wistfully. "It really brings back memories of my Gym challenge years back. I'm glad they didn't change anything."
Weldon nodded, admiring the painted stars on the ceiling. "We should head up to the bleachers. Good luck, Lapis."
After the four left, the Nuzlocker saw Jim exit the hallway. "Look who's back. Where were you in Fortree City?"
The Gym guide nervously chuckled. "It's a long story, but all that matters is that I'm back now. You…already know the types strong against Psychic types, right?"
"Dark and Bug, duh. And I know there's a chance for Flying, Ground, and Rock types, so I know their type advantages too."
"Hm. Looks like you're all prepared. Guess I don't need to do my job as much anymore."
Lapis pursed his lip. "Why're you doin' this job anyway? There gotta be better payin' jobs around."
"That's…a longer story. Nothing you need to concern yourself about, Lapis. Anyway, you should head on in. The challenge is…more unusual than the ones you faced before."
"Hmph. I'll be the judge of that."
Lapis walked through the double doors and saw strange statues and step panels on the ground. He couldn't see his travel companions due to the high walls.
Another "room"-based maze. Time to see what the panels do.
He stepped on the nearest one, and to his amazement, the statues and step panels moved, revealing two Psychics ready to battle.
All right. Let's get this over with.
From the bleachers, Weldon and Samir watched Lapis' challenge intently. Harry and Trinity, however, were focused on studying a map.
Weldon crossed his arms. "Who knew the PLA had this in mind for Nuzlocke Trainers?"
"Is this your first time watching Lapis do a Gym challenge?" Samir asked.
"Yeah. He told me a little about them, but I didn't expect them to be so elaborate."
"I guess since it's the first Nuzlocke Challenge, they wanted to invest in something long-term."
"That's probably it." The Kantonian sighed. "I hope Summer beat this Gym…"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"I…haven't heard from her since we separated. What if she's forgotten about me already?"
The research assistant chuckled. "You know Summer, Weldon. She's most likely busy."
"You're right. Maybe I'm just overthinking things." Still, I hope she's okay.
"Excuse me, may I join you?"
The group looked up and saw Kyushi Hōfu descend the stairs.
"Ms. Hōfu," Weldon greeted. "It's been a while. What brings you here?"
"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Leland. I just finished talking with the Gym Leaders and saw Mr. Eurig has visitors this time around." She sat next to Weldon and adjusted her glasses. "What do you think of Mr. Eurig, Mr. Leland?"
"Well, he was pretty rude and arrogant when I first met him. He also wasn't involved with his Pokémon's welfare and training."
"And now?" the PLA representative inquired.
"Now… I would say he's less so. He's still a little standoffish, but I can see how much he cares about his Pokémon now. And he's starting to trust us more, which is good. May I ask why you're asking me about this, Ms. Hōfu?"
As Harry and Trinity moved closer, Ms. Hōfu took a deep breath. "If you truly think Lapis has changed, I need your help."
A few hours later…
Lapis returned to the Gym battlefield after braving both the warp panels and the double battles. Now that the room was less covered by walls, he was able to see the planets and comets were hanging from above.
Samir's right after all. This is pretty impressive.
Across the way were the two twin Gym Leaders, Tate and Liza. They both had dark blue hair with similar white hair ties and haircuts. Even their clothes, light blue kung fu uniforms with red trim, matched.
"So we finally meet the Nuzlocke Trainer in person," the boy, Tate, said as he stroked his chin. "He doesn't look like much to me."
"For havin' two Gym Leaders with Psychic types, neither do you," Lapis retorted.
Liza giggled. "He is brash, just like the others said he is. Well then, let's show him our…"
"Combinations," her brother finished. "Yeah, think you can…"
"Beat it? Enter into orbit, Dosei!"
"Follow Dosei, Suisei!"
A Claydol and a Xatu emerged from their Poké Balls, both Level 41. Lapis took a deep breath and threw out his two Poké Balls.
"Go, Zuli and Onyx!"
Lapis's two oldest Pokémon landed on the field, grinning at their opponents. The Mightyena growled, lowering the Psychic types' attack with her ability.
"Intimidate, huh?" Liza said with a smirk. "It'll take more than that…"
"To stop us!" Tate closed his eyes. "Suisei, Calm Mind."
The Mystic Pokémon copied his Trainer's actions and surrounded himself in spiraling orange-yellow light. The move raised the Xatu's Special Attack and Special Defense.
But the Nuzlocker remained focused. "Onyx, use Bite on Suisei! Zuli, follow it up with a Surf!"
The Dark type ran forward and bit Suisei's left wing. Despite it being a super effective attack, the Xatu was able to brush off Onyx. As she returned to Lapis' side of the field, a large wave slammed into both Psychic type Pokémon. Suisei's health was still green due to the Special Defense boost while Dosei's fell to yellow.
That Calm Mind's gonna give me more trouble than I thought.
Liza shouted, "Dosei, Earthquake!"
The Clay Doll Pokémon slammed feet first, shaking the ground below it. Suisei took no damage due to his Flying type immunity while Zuli and Onyx took all of the damage. The Swampert was able to withstand most of the damage, but the Bite Pokémon struggled to keep her footing. Suddenly, shards of dislodged rock struck her underside, knocking her into the air.
"Onyx!" Lapis and Zuli cried out.
The Mightyena landed hard onto the battlefield. His best Pokémon for the Gym was struggling to stand.
"Wow, I haven't seen that happen with any of our previous challengers," Liza noted. "That must be…"
"The critical hit we've heard about?" Tate questioned.
Lapis frantically looked at the tablet. They're right… Onyx has only 6 HP left. I know I can heal her next turn, but what if there's another critical hit? She may not be able to survive it then. I-I don't know what to do…
He looked at his first caught Pokémon panting and made the difficult decision.
From the corner of her eye, Onyx saw her Trainer hold her ball. Fear took hold of her. "L-Lapis…" she pleaded. "I-I can still battle… Y-You just need to heal me…"
"Return, Onyx…"
"No, Lapis-!"
He returned the Dark type and clutched her ball tightly. I'm sorry, Onyx. "Go, Celestite!"
The Altaria flapped over the broken field, taking her teammate's place.
"An Altaria?" Liza questioned. "An interesting switch, Lapis. Ready, Tate?"
Her brother nodded. "Suisei, use Psychic on Zuli!"
The Xatu waved his wings, and his eyes glowed magenta. Zuli was lifted up by the Mystic Pokémon's powers and slammed into the floor. His health fell to yellow, but he pried himself from the wreckage.
"Zuli, Surf!"
The starter roared, unleashing another wave onto the Gym Leaders' Pokémon. Suisei again didn't take much damage, but the super effective move was too much for Dosei. The Earthquake user clattered onto the ground.
Liza returned her Pokémon and smiled. "He really is strong. Should I…?"
"Not yet," Tate cautioned. "Let me send out my last Pokémon. You can command Suisei for the time being."
She smiled, crossing her arms. "All right then."
Can they even do that? But glancing at Ms. Hōfu's unchanged expression answered his question.
"Enter into orbit, Mokusei!" Tate shouted.
One of the Gym Leaders' signature Pokémon, a Level 42 Solrock, floated over the battlefield. With Liza taking control of her brother's Pokémon, she healed Suisei with a Hyper Potion. Lapis did the same with Zuli but at the cost of Celestite's turn.
Her brother nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, Liza. That'll definitely help."
Lapis decided to take advantage of his strongest Pokémon on the field. "Zuli, Surf!"
He nodded and sent another tidal wave their opponents. The Xatu's health was still good thanks to the healing item, but the Meteorite Pokémon's health fell to half.
"This isn't good," Tate said with a frown. "But Mokusei won't go down without a fight! Charge up a Solar Beam!"
The Solrock closed its eyes and glowed yellow-green.
Lapis clenched his fists. A two-turn move. I should have time before-
His thoughts were interrupted as he saw the Meteorite Pokémon levitating its held item close to its face.
The Nuzlocker's heart dropped. No, it can't have a Power Herb… If it is, then the Solar Beam will knock out Zuli instantly!
Luckily, it was just the typical Sitrus Berry, healing some of Mokusei's health.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Lapis now knew who to target. "Celestite, use Dragonbreath on Mokusei!"
Tate gritted his teeth, but his sister was one step ahead. "Suisei, use Confuse Ray on Celestite!"
The Xatu shot blinding white rings that momentarily stopped the Dragon type. Lapis frowned as the confusion took hold of Celestite.
"Come on, Celestite! Don't let the confusion get to you!" he shouted.
To his relief, the Altaria was able to land her attack on Mokusei. That damage, compounded with another powerful Surf, knocked out Tate's Pokémon.
The Gym Leader frowned as he returned his ace.
"Sorry, Tate," his sister apologized. "I thought that Confuse Ray would have worked in our favor."
"That's okay, Liza. I wouldn't have been able to use Sunny Day's full effects since I started charging the Solar Beam early. But now, you have full control of your Pokémon again."
Nodding, Liza took out their last Poké Ball. "All right, Lapis. Let's see how you fare against our final Pokémon! Enter into orbit, Meiousei!"
A Level 42 Lunatone, the other ace, floated over the field, ready to assist its partner.
Lapis took a deep breath. He knew that even though they were down to their last two Pokémon, it would still be difficult.
"Suisei, Sunny Day!" Tate shouted.
The Mystic Pokémon waved his arms, causing the afternoon sunlight to pour through the skylight.
Lapis shaded his eyes. Looks like they recognize how much of a threat Zuli is. And I don't have many Surfs left.
"Celestite, use Dragonbreath on Suisei!"
The Altaria regained her senses and sprayed her fellow Flying type with green flames. Another Surf from Zuli lowered Suisei and Meiousei's health by a decent amount.
"Meiousei, Calm Mind!"
The Meteorite Pokémon closed its eyes and surrounded itself with a strong orange energy.
Not again! Lapis thought as it also gained a Special Attack and Special Defense boost. I should focus on taking out one Pokémon first. Then it'll be easier to deal with the last one.
Tate waved his right arm. "Suisei, use Psychic on Celestite!"
The Xatu controlled his fellow Flying type's body, but was unable to deal more damage as she was able to avoid falling into the ground.
"Celestite, use Dragonbreath on Suisei! Zuli, follow that up with Strength!"
She flew close to Suisei and sprayed him with the green flames. He flew up to escape but was hit by a large rock. Tate's last Pokémon landed on the battlefield with a thud, his wings weakly spread out.
The male Gym Leader returned his last Pokémon and said, "It's up to you now, Liza."
She nodded. "I'll do my best, Tate." After taking a deep breath, Liza commanded, "Meiousei, Light Screen!"
The Lunatone set up the translucent blue barrier, giving it another Special Defense boost albeit a temporary one.
With these Special Defense boosts and the sun, it's not going to be taken down by Surf so easily. Guess we just gotta keep hitting it until we win. As he healed Celestite with a Super Potion to buy time, he shouted, "Zuli, Surf!"
Meiousei took the hit well, but the Water type move lowered its health to yellow. After eating its Sitrus Berry, Liza commanded, "Use Psychic on Celestite!"
The Altaria was controlled again but was unable to overcome it before hitting the ground. Lapis was forced to heal her again with another Super Potion, and he knew Zuli wouldn't be able to use Surf for much longer.
"Zuli, Strength!"
"Meiousei, Calm Mind!"
The Normal type move didn't do much damage as the Lunatone boosted its stats again. The only good thing that happened was that the effects from Sunny Day ended, making the battlefield less bright and less hot.
At least that's something. "Celestite, fly up! Zuli, Strength!"
The Swampert threw his rock as the Dragon type ascended.
Liza then took a gamble. "Meiousei, use Hypnosis on Zuli!"
The Nuzlocker braced himself. If that hits him, then I can't do anything else!
To his relief, the rock smashed through the white hypnotic rings and hit the Meteorite Pokémon. With its health closer to red, both Trainers knew it was the end.
"Now!" Lapis shouted.
Celestite dove at the Psychic type, slamming it into the battlefield. Another Surf from Zuli finally finished it off.
Lapis panted. It's finally over…
The female Gym Leader returned her Pokémon and smiled. "Looks like our combinations…"
"Have been shattered," her brother answered with a disappointed look. "It can't be helped against such a strong Trainer."
The two walked up to their challenger and handed him a pink heart pin formed into an empty teardrop shape and a magenta-colored CD labeled "TM 04".
"Take these, Lapis," Liza said. "It's the Mind Badge…"
"And the TM for Calm Mind." Tate then added, "You should also be able to use Dive outside of battle."
"Think of all the wonderful Pokémon and treasures you can find underwater!" she happily exclaimed.
Lapis nodded forcefully. "I'll kept that in mind…"
He returned to the lobby to find his group waiting for him. Then, they returned to the Pokémon Center so the Nuzlocker could heal his team.
Though the other four Trainers were engaged in discussing their next move, Lapis' mind was focused only on his Mightyena. He gritted his teeth as he remembered her horrified face when he returned her. He knew it was the right decision but couldn't help but wonder if healing her would've made the battle end quicker.
Once he received his Poké Balls back from Nurse Tokusane, the blue-haired manager with a silver Beldum pin on her hat, he immediately let out Onyx.
His heart dropped when he saw her hunched posture. "You…okay, Onyx?"
"Fine," she spat out, her voice bitter. "Just fine, Lapis. We won; that's all that matters."
He was about to respond when Steven Stone, in his usual clothes, burst into the Pokémon Center.
"Oh good! You're all here. There's big trouble in the city, and I need help from all of you!"
Lapis wanted to get more information, but his group followed the man without hesitation. He sighed before giving chase. Looks like consoling Onyx will have to wait.
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of the Gym battle?
Which other people is Kyushi Hōfu considering to help stop Arian Cowden?
What is the trouble Steven mentioned?
