Lapis finally made it to Ever Grande Island, where Victory Road and the Pokémon League awaited him. To help prepare for the upcoming challenges inside the cavernous maze, the teen battled Quartz, who became a successful Trainer in his own right. Though the battle wasn't too hard for Lapis, he was able to reconcile with Quartz over their shared past. The Nuzlocker soon traveled through the cave and encountered unusually strong opponents. This became more apparent when a pair of Cooltrainers knocked out Bixbite. Lapis was hurt over losing another Numel line member, but the Camerupt was happy to do his part. The Fire type passed on his promise to his successor, Opal the Vulpix. But the path through Victory Road isn't over yet. Will Lapis be able to leave without losing another Pokémon?
Lapis' Pokémon:
Zuli (Lvl. 47 Swampert, male; Item: Soft Sand): Impish Nature, Torrent Ability, moves: Tackle, Strength, Mud Shot, Surf
Opal (Lvl. 34 Vulpix, female): Hasty Nature, Flash Fire Ability, moves: Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Flamethrower, Quick Attack
Onyx (Lvl. 48 Mightyena, female; Item: King's Rock): Mild Nature, Intimidate Ability, moves: Take Down, Rock Smash, Crunch, Bite
Pearl (Lvl. 48 Grumpig, female): Lax Nature, Thick Fat Ability, moves: Psychic, Psybeam, Shock Wave, Confuse Ray
Celestite (Lvl. 47 Altaria, female): Gentle Nature, Natural Cure Ability, moves: Fly, Safeguard, Take Down, Dragonbreath
Amethyst (Lvl. 48 Vileplume, 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), Bixbite (Camerupt, male)
Chapter 47- A Mental Ringing
On his third run in Victory Road, Lapis encountered another Cooltrainer with a pompous attitude.
"Your challenge will end here, Lapis Eurig!" the teenage boy taunted. "I, Vito, am not losing to you! Go, Parminder!"
A Level 42 Dodrio appeared, glaring at the Nuzlocker.
Another topaz necklace… "That's what everyone in here's been sayin', but seems you also need a reality check. Go, Onyx!"
The Mightyena growled at the Flying type, lowering his Attack.
"Onyx, use Crunch!"
"Parminder, counter with Tri Attack!"
The Dodrio created a triangle with his heads and shot it at Onyx. She was hit, but it didn't stop her from charging and chomping onto the left head's neck. Seeing his Pokémon was severely weakened, Vito healed Parminder with a Full Restore. Onyx then used Bite on the neck of her opponent's right head, and Lapis took his chance to heal her with a Hyper Potion.
"Tri Attack!"
"Use Bite!"
Onyx powered through the Normal type attack again and chomped onto the middle head's neck. Sensing her opponent falter, she retreated to her Trainer's side.
"Parminder!" Vito cried, seeing his collapsed Pokémon. "N-No way… It's the first time one of my Pokémon lost since I left my family earlier this year…"
Wait a minute…this can't be just some random Trainer like the others… Nicknamed Pokémon and a family… Then it hit him.
"Are you…one of those Winstrates?"
Vito regained his composure and chuckled. "I guess my family's reputation precedes me. Yes, I am the strongest member of the Winstrate family, Vito Winstrate! What about it?"
A strong chill entered the cave, but it wasn't coming from outside. It was coming from the teen glaring at the Cooltrainer.
"You'll pay for what your family did to my Linoone!"
Vito as taken aback. "I-I don't know what you're talking about, Lapis Eurig, but this is as far as you'll get! Go, Aristotle!"
A Level 42 Kadabra materialized, but he barely could do anything against Onyx's reliable Bite attack.
Getting frustrated, Vito exchanged Pokémon. "Return, Aristotle! Go, Sriyani!"
An Electrode, also Level 42, sneered at Onyx. But Lapis refused to be goaded by their tactics.
"Return, Onyx! Go, Zuli!"
The Swampert took his teammate's place, making the Winstrate scoff. "Rollout!"
"Zuli, use Mud Shot!"
The Water type sprayed mud at the charging Sriyani. Though he was still hit, the super effective move made the Electrode stop in its tracks and topple over.
"Return, Sriyani!" With desperation in his eyes, he threw his last Poké Ball. "Go, Vasishtha!"
A Level 42 Shiftry gave Zuli a menacing look, but Lapis again switched Pokémon.
"Go Celestite!"
The Altaria flew over the scene, reminding Lapis of her predecessor who dealt the final blows to the Pokémon that knocked out Tiger Eyes.
"Use Fly!"
Not wanting to waste a turn, Vito commanded, "Vasishtha, Growth!"
The Wicked Pokémon surrounded himself in a green light and raised his Special Attack. But in the end, the attacking Celestite made the preparation pointless.
The Winstrate fell to his knees. "No…th-this can't be. This…This is the first time I lost a battle since leaving home…"
Lapis returned the Altaria and sighed, his anger subsiding. "Sorry 'bout that outburst earlier. Your family really aggravated me when I met 'em. You should head back home and see 'em."
"B-But…I can't go back without becoming the Champion…"
"Look, man. I doubt they care 'bout that. I'm sure they miss ya."
Vito regained his composure. "I guess you're right about that. You're not so bad, Lapis. I'm sorry I was boasting earlier. I should leave. If I can remember where the exit is."
Lapis handed the Cooltrainer an Escape Rope for a quicker exit. Once Vito disappeared, he leaned against the cave wall and sighed, crossing his arms. Wish I still had parents to go back to.
A few hours later…
Finally! We're almost at the end of this wretched cave…
But another pair of Cooltrainers blocked his path.
"Look, Quincy. He finally made it."
"This is our only chance to win that bonus, Katelynn. Let's get him!"
Not again… Lapis thought as the two sent out their Level 43 Gardevoir and Slaking, who brandished their topaz accessories.
Unfortunately, when he let out Amethyst and Celestite, he knew it was an instant mistake. I hate that I have to send out the first ball on my belt automatically!
"Return, Amethyst! Go, Zuli!"
The opposing Trainers laughed at the first turn switch.
"Wow, you didn't realize you had a type disadvantage before you threw out your Pokémon? Man, you're a terrible Trainer," Quincy taunted.
It's not like I know your Pokémon ahead of time… "Celestite, Safeguard!"
After she set up the translucent blue barrier, the pair made their move.
"Slaking, use Ice Beam on Celestite!" Quincy shouted.
The Normal type shot the icy blue beam, lowering the Altaria's health by half.
Damn it… This Slaking's worse than Norman's!
Katelynn smirked. "Now, Gardevoir, use Skill Swap on Slaking!"
The Nuzlocker's face turned pale as the opposing Pokémon touched each other's hands and the Psychic type's eyes glowed blue.
Shit… Now that Slaking's unstoppable!
As he healed Celestite with a Hyper Potion, Zuli hit both Gardevoir and Slaking with a Surf attack.
Katelynn skipped her turn due to her Pokémon loafing around thanks to her new Truant Ability.
"Slaking, hit Celestite with another Ice Beam!"
He did so, but the Humming Pokémon was able to withstand the move better. Still, Lapis knew keeping her in wasn't good in the long term, especially with another Ice Beam heading towards the Dragon type.
"Return, Celestite! Go, Pearl!"
The Grumpig took her friend's place and withstood the Ice type attack well, making Quincy grit his teeth.
"Zuli, use Strength on Slaking!"
He hurled a large boulder at the Lazy Pokémon, dealing a good amount of damage.
Seeing that Slaking may not last another turn, Katelynn had Gardevoir switch their abilities back.
Lapis smirked. "Now, Pearl, hit Slaking with Psychic!"
Pearl lifted her target with her psychic powers and threw him into the wall, knocking him out. Quincy frowned, then switched his Slaking with his Level 43 Dusclops.
Zuli hurled a boulder at the Embrace Pokémon, who didn't take as much damage as Lapis hoped.
Katelynn shouted, "Gardevoir, use Skill Swap on Dusclops!"
Not again! I hate these double battle moves! I need to get rid of Quincy's involvement in this battle once and for all!
"Pearl, use Psychic on Dusclops! Zuli, follow it up with Surf!"
As if sensing Lapis' intentions, the female Cooltrainer healed her Pokémon with a Full Restore, and her fellow Trainer had his Dusclops use Protect. Though the Ghost type received no damage, the Gardevoir was hit by the tidal wave.
The Nuzlocker stayed on the offensive. "Focus on Dusclops with Psychic and Mud Shot!"
The Grumpig lifted her target into the air, leaving him open to the blast of mud. Quincy watched his last Pokémon fall onto the ground, unable to move.
He returned the Dusclops and turned to his partner. "It's all up to you now, Katelynn."
She smiled. "Don't worry, Quincy. I'll get us both the bonus."
Even with a two on one disadvantage? She's either brave or reckless.
After Pearl withstood a Thunderbolt from her fellow Psychic type, she returned the favor with a Shock Wave. A Strength attack from Zuli finally finished off the Gardevoir.
Katelynn returned her Pokémon and took a deep breath. "Go, Slaking!"
Lapis' eyes looked like they were going to bulge out of their sockets having to battle another one. Arceus damn it! Just when I thought the worst was over!
"Pearl, Confuse Ray!"
She shot the rings of light at the Normal type, making him confused.
Katelynn laughed. "You got this, Slaking! Use Shadow Ball on Pearl!"
Please hit yourself, please hit yourself, please hit yourself…
But his pleas had no effect on the Lazy Pokémon. He charged his attack, and Lapis' heart pulsated faster when the Nuzlocker saw the dark orb grow bigger.
Pearl, please survive…
The Psychic type braced herself and seemed to take the attack well. But then she faltered. Lapis watched her fall and dropped his tablet, realizing it was a critical hit.
"Pearl!"
Zuli rushed to his teammate, but she didn't move. In his rage, he launched a Mud Shot at the Slaking, but it missed.
"I did it!" the female Cooltrainer cheered. "We got the bonus too!"
As the two Trainers high fived each other, Lapis struggled to stay composed.
No…just as we thought we'd get out of here with no more losses…
"L-Lapis…" Pearl's weak voice returned him to reality. "D-Don't stop now…"
"You're right. I'll see you later, Pearl."
Nodding, she returned to her ball, and Lapis sent out Amethyst. The Vileplume was a little sad, knowing her teammate was knocked out. But she stayed strong for her team.
"Zuli, Amethyst! Take out Slaking with Surf and Petal Dance!"
Due to her Slaking loafing around, Katelynn had no choice but to watch their opponents defeat her Normal type without resistance. The Nuzlocker returned his Pokémon, but it was a bittersweet victory. Though they were boasting earlier, Quincy and Katelynn began to feel bad.
"I thought he'd get mad at us," Quincy said.
"Me too. Maybe he's not as bad as everyone made him out to be."
Lapis collected his winnings and was about to walk to the exit when his body felt heavy. A dull ringing echoed in his brain.
I…I don't know if I can do this anymore…
"Lapis, are you okay?"
He wanted to answer, but the words couldn't leave his mouth. The last thing he remembered was falling onto the wet dirt, the ringing getting louder.
"No! It's not fair!"
"Please, Lapis," his mom, Esmerelda said, exasperated. "We're almost at your school…"
"No! How come we can't go to Pik A. Choose's for my birthday party tomorrow?! I'm the last of my friends to have their birthday party there!"
His dad, Kei, tried to calm down his almost seven-year-old son. "I'm sorry, Lapis. We're trying to save up money for something really special that we know you'll love, remember?"
"Y-Yeah, but… But it's not fair!"
Esmeralda opened the school gate. "I know, but your dad and I will make sure the surprise is worth it. I promise."
But the young boy thrust her hand aside. "No! You two are the worst! I hate you!"
Before they could say anything else, Lapis ran into the school building without looking at them. He felt better as the day went on, but when school finished, his parents weren't waiting for him outside like they usually did.
He pouted. Where are they? I wanna go home!
The minutes turned to hours, and soon, he was the only child left. As a teacher went to check on him, a police officer entered the schoolyard. Lapis didn't understand most of the words the officer said to the teacher, but the ones he did understand made his heart sink.
"...Mr. and Mrs. Eurig have been in a terrible accident…"
? ? ?
Lapis bolted up, recoiling from seeing another past memory. After being temporarily blinded by the lights above, he looked at his unfamiliar surroundings.
Am I…in a hospital, again?
He heard two people talking outside the room. Though the conversation was muffled, he could make out the voices to be from a man and a woman. The door opened, revealing a nurse and someone Lapis never expected to see again.
"Norman?"
Seeing the patient was awake, the nurse left the two alone.
The man smiled. "Good to see you again, Lapis. Though, I didn't expect it to be under these circumstances."
"You're tellin' me. Where am I?"
"Ever Grande General Hospital. The Cooltrainers you last battled brought you here after you fainted. Thankfully, you don't have any serious physical injuries."
Guess I finally made it through Victory Road... "Then, why're you here? I expected Detective Kei or Stone to show up."
Norman sat on the chair at the left side of the bed, dropping a satchel onto the floor. "They're pretty busy due to the recent events involving you, and I now have some free time to help Kei's only child, thanks to the Hoenn League tournament starting."
"Wait, you knew my parents too?"
The Gym Leader chuckled. "I do. After all, I'm one of your dad's oldest friends."
Lapis gave him an incredulous look. "You're that old?"
The man frowned and sighed. "I think that's the least of your concerns, isn't it?"
Lapis then remembered the events that happened before he passed out and felt deflated. "Oh yeah… I lost two Pokémon in Victory Road… Two Pokémon I've trained for a long time…" He buried himself into his knees, hiding his tears. Why does this happen to me?
Norman clenched his hands. "I know I haven't interacted with you as much as the others, but there's actually something you should have before you battle the Elite Four."
The teen wiped away a tear. "What is it?"
Norman took out a wooden box from the satchel and gently touched its lid. "Your parents gave it to me before they…passed away… It was one of the things they wanted you to have."
Lapis looked at the chest, which was looked somewhat familiar to him. Then his face became white. "H-How come you have a box like that?"
The Gym Leader was surprised. "Wait, you've seen another one?"
Lapis took out the box he found in his bag when he started his journey. They were astounded to see the similarities between the two.
"No way… I thought this box is the only one left…"
"Whatcha mean?"
Norman clenched his right hand. "Your mom had two boxes filled with special gemstone jewelry: one for people and one for Pokémon. The gemstones were rumored to have unique qualities that can remove negative emotions or promote positive ones. To make sure their powers do not diminish, your dad crafted these oak boxes furnished with fir and elm inside to store them." He examined the underside of the boxes and pointed out a carved "KE" in the corner on both of them. "That's your dad's signature there."
The teen traced the carving with his finger, feeling a sense of nostalgia and pain. He clenched his hands and looked away.
"I don't deserve 'em," he spat out.
The Gym Leader gave Lapis an inquisitive look. "May I ask why?"
The younger Trainer winced and clutched his throbbing head as he recovered more memories. "I-I was the reason why they died…"
Norman bolted out of his seat. "Th-That's preposterous, Lapis!"
"No, it's true! They got into a car accident while traveling to the Oreburgh City Mining Museum to get things ready for my seventh birthday party. And I got mad at them… I yelled at them for not taking me to Pik A. Choose's, even though I always wanted to go to that museum. Now, I-I'm paying the price… I-If I didn't tell them I hated them… Then…Then…"
Lapis gritted his teeth, his tears falling onto the bedsheets. "They would've still been alive! I killed them!"
He was startled to feel the Gym Leader's arms wrap around him. "Don't think that, Lapis. You didn't kill Kei and Esmerelda; the other driver did."
"What, What're you talking about? The officer told me that the brakes failed and our car crashed into a pole."
Norman loosened his grip. "The other driver was a chauffeur for a rich person. And what're you talking about? Which officer gave you false information?"
"I…I don't remember…"
Norman sighed, trying to unravel this new information. "No matter, I'll have Detective Kei look into it."
He got up and handed the teen a tissue box, which he readily accepted.
After he dried his eyes, Lapis said, "Wait, if you and Detective Kei knew my parents, why didn't either of you come get me?"
Norman prepared the teen a cup of tea, pondering how to respond.
"That's…a little more complicated. We tried to, even with it being stated in their will, but the courts deemed us unworthy due to not being financially stable at the time. They sent you off to an orphanage, then we never heard from you again until you started this Nuzlocke challenge."
That must've been when I joined the gang and went to juvie… But if the truth of my parents' deaths was hidden, does that mean most of the events in my life were orchestrated? And by who?
Sighing, Lapis drank the steaming cup Norman handed him. The man was about to take the jewelry boxes when the teen stopped him.
"Wait, Norman. I'll keep 'em with me…"
"Are you sure? I can put them in a safe place until you come back to get them."
Lapis touched the last remnants of his parents. "I want 'em to join me on the last part of my journey. After all, it'll be my birthday soon."
The Gym Leader smiled. "I was hoping you would. I'd better head back to Petalburg City. Do you need anything from me before I go?"
"Hmm… Can ya reach out to these people for me?" The teen wrote some names on a piece of paper, then handed it to him.
Norman scanned the words and chuckled. "I'll see what I can do. Goodbye, Lapis. Get better soon."
The Nuzlocker nodded and watched the man leave the room. The conversation, though heavy, invigorated him. I need to make sure everyone's ready with new moves. No reason to hold onto the TMs I got anymore. Plus, I need to do some more training, especially with Opal and Pearl's replacement. The question is, who will it be?
Questions for the Chapter:
What did you think of Lapis' final battles in Victory Road?
What did you think of Lapis and Norman's conversation?
Who did Lapis want Norman to contact?
Who do you think will replace Pearl?