Dwayne's Lapras

**Dwayne's Lapras** (Japanese: **ドゥエインのラプラス** *Douein's Laplace*) is the only Pokémon that Dwayne captured during his travels in the Orange Archipelago, and his twelfth overall.

## **New Era**

### **Orange Archipelago**

Dwayne first met Lapras while she was being abused by three Pokémon Trainers that wanted to capture her, but were stopped by Dwayne and Jade. Despite this, Lapras refused to trust Dwayne, having grown a distrust towards humans, but nevertheless, allowed Dwayne and Jade to take her to the Pokémon Center after being convinced, albeit reluctantly.

At the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy concludes that Lapras only needs a rest, but she reveals that it is afraid to have any human contact, probably based on how the three men were abusing it, and explains that most Lapras travel in schools, and this Lapras was probably separated from her school at some point. After Lapras is healed, Dwayne and Jade want to load Lapras aboard a truck to take her back to sea, but Lapras is afraid to move. Dwayne decides to sing a lullaby, but this doesn't work, although Lapras seems somewhat amused by Dwayne's singing. Nevertheless, Lapras still won't budge from the Center pool. Dwayne tries to get close to Lapras, but she retreats underwater. Dwayne takes off his hat and vest before jumping in and swimming after Lapras. Lapras evades Dwayne, forcing him to resurface for air. Just then, the three men from before storm in, knock Jade into the pool, before dragging Lapras with ropes and loading it at the back of a truck and speeding off, but Dwayne and Jade quickly pursue them.

While the thieves follow the steep cliff roads, Dwayne and Jade cut across the hilly landscape on bicycles. Dwayne gets close enough for him to jump off his bike and directly onto the truck bed. Dwayne moves forward and climbs inside the cabin, while Jade stops pursuing due to fatigue. Dwayne fights with the three men, and during the scuffle, he accidentally presses a switch that detaches the trailer. Dwayne gets back onto the truck bed as they head up a ramp. One of the thieves brakes as the truck heads towards a steep cliff edge, but the momentum of the truck bed with Lapras behind them is enough to push them off the cliff and they fall into the ocean.

While the trailer doesn't follow suit, as Dwayne loosens the rope binding Lapras, it begins to roll backwards and towards another steep drop. Dwayne clambers to the side, and his weight helps shift and turn the trailer in time to prevent a descent. However, they quickly approach another cliff and the same technique fails. Dwayne grabs onto Lapras just before they crash into the sea. Jade follows the dirt tracks left by the truck, which lead her to the beach. In the distance, Dwayne arrives on Lapras's back. Nurse Joy notes that Lapras appears to be comfortable around Dwayne, and Dwayne agrees, and asks Lapras if it wanted to join him, and Lapras accepts. Dwayne throws a Poké Ball and catches Lapras.

Following this, Lapras acts and Dwayne and Jade's transportation throughout the entirety of the Orange Archipelago. When Dwayne challenged the Navel Gym, Lapras was used during the Gym's Water-based challenges. The first challenge is a Water Gun match-up, where a Pokémon's accuracy is tested by shooting down as many cans as possible. Lapras proves to be an even match against Cissy's Seadra, and the aim of the challenge shifts to shooting down flying plates. Both are evenly matched and manage to hit the final target at the same time. Cissy declares the first challenge a draw, and Dwayne congratulates Lapras's efforts while Seadra turns away in disgust.

For the second challenge, Dwayne will go up against Cissy in a Pokémon Wave Ride, where the aim is to swim out to a flagged buoy and return to the beach first. Cissy calls on her Blastoise, while Dwayne chooses Lapras again. During the race, they are evenly matched, so Dwayne has Lapras nudge the competition, but Blastoise responds, causing Dwayne to nearly lose his balance. The delay allows Cissy to get ahead of him, and she makes the turn around the flag first. As Dwayne catches up with Cissy, the pair notices a tidal wave suddenly appearing behind them. To Dwayne's surprise, Lapras freezes some of the wave with her Ice Beam. However, the wave still crashes into Cissy and sends her flying, but Blastoise catches her in time. Cissy once again gets ahead, but Dwayne comes up with an idea and has Lapras use an Ice Beam to make an ice-track. Lapras proves to be faster on the ice than in the water, allowing Dwayne to barely win the race. Cissy commends Dwayne's clever Ice Beam tactic, and notes that she can see why he made it so far into the Indigo League. In commemoration of his victory, she gives Dwayne a Coral-Eye Badge.

During Dwayne's Full Battle against Drake at the Orange League, Lapras was chosen as Dwayne's fourth Pokémon to battle against Drake's Gengar. Lapras avoids Gengar's initial attacks by diving underwater, emerging to hit Gengar with a Water Gun. Gengar then tries Night Shade, so Lapras uses Ice Beam. The two attacks collide in an explosion that engulfs the entire arena, leaving Dwayne and Drake in shock. After the smoke clears, both Lapras and Gengar are seen knocked out.

While returning to Pallet Town via sea, Lapras suddenly senses something, and makes a quick turn in excitement. Dwayne and Jade spot a school of Lapras ahead. Jade brings up the possibility that this school is the one Lapras belongs to. Lapras approaches the school and calls out, but everyone ignores it. One of the Lapras, a teal-colored one, tries to return the call, but the others push it away. Dwayne and Jade are left stunned as one of the Lapras attacks with Water Gun before using Mist to cover their escape.

At a nearby Pokémon Center on Tarroco Island, Dwayne talks to Professor Oak over a videophone. Oak explains that those Lapras may be scared of humans due to a previous attack. Officer Jenny approaches Dwayne and Jade, and suggests that it must be linked to Pokémon poachers in the vicinity. Jenny explains that several pirates led by Captain Crook have fired at the Lapras and attempted to catch them in a no-capture zone. Nearby, the school of Lapras moves on as the teal-colored Lapras looks out. A pirate ship manned by Captain Crook approaches them and fires cannons loaded with Poké Balls, which release several Tentacruel that surround the Lapras. They attack with Poison Sting, but the lead Lapras uses Water Gun to block the attack. The pirates deploy more Tentacruel to cut them off as Dwayne and Jade find the Lapras under attack. Jade realizes the pirates are merely using the Tentacruel to bully them.

The captain orders all of them to attack, but Dwayne's Lapras stops them with Ice Beam. The Tentacruel break off to attack Dwayne and Jade as the pirates confront them, firing cannonballs at Dwayne's Lapras. She dodges quickly as Dwayne sends out Wartortle to join Lapras in battle. Jade leads the Pokémon to fire at the ship, destroying the cannons and masts, as well as putting holes into the ship. Crook barks at them as the Water Pokémon fire at once, knocking him back. The pirates run out of cannonballs, so the captain fires Ghali at them, but Wartortle stops him with Hydro Pump.

Dwayne taunts the Tentacruel, but it fails to distract them. Dwayne's Lapras fires Water Gun at the leader, making it angry and prompting the Tentacruel to continue chasing Dwayne's Lapras, allowing the school to flee. The Tentacruel begin to catch up with Dwayne's Lapras. As the Tentacruel surround Dwayne and Lapras, Jade takes control of the ship, tying up the pirates and ordering Crook to call off the Tentacruel, but he refuses, causing Wartortle to angrily threaten to hurt him. Dwayne's Lapras fires Water Gun at a Tentacruel as the captain orders Supersonic attacks. All of the Tentacruel fire, crippling Dwayne and Lapras with headaches. The lead Tentacruel rushes forward to attack, but the school of Lapras comes to Dwayne's aid, freezing the Tentacruel with Ice Beam, sending them plummeting underwater. The school approaches and Dwayne's Lapras meets with the teal one, revealed to be her mother.

Officer Jenny arrives in a patrol boat, taking the pirates into custody. Jade allows the Tentacruel to go, and they happily swim off into the ocean. Meanwhile, Dwayne and Lapras share one last moment before she rejoins her school. Lapras dives underwater and comes under Dwayne, allowing him to get back onto the ship before rejoining the school. As they head off into the sunset, Dwayne and Jade wave Lapras goodbye and thank her for helping them, to which Lapras responds with one final jump into the air.

## **Personality and Characteristics**

Lapras was particularly afraid of all humans, namely because of the actions of three abusive Pokémon Trainers who quickly attacked her after she washed up on Tangelo Island. Even after Dwayne and Jade saved her from the abuse, Lapras was reluctant to trust Dwayne, although after witnessing Dwayne going to great lengths to protect her and try to return her to the sea, Lapras finally grew to trust him, and bonded with him to willingly choose to join his team.

Afterwards, Lapras was mainly used as Dwayne's act of transportation throughout the Orange Archipelago as the regions was mainly consisted of tropical islands divided by the ocean. Nevertheless, Lapras was critical to some of Dwayne's victories in his Orange League quest, single-handedly winning him the Coral-Eye Badge, and earning a double knock-out draw against Drake's Gengar at the Pummelo Stadium championship battle.

## **Moves used**

 A **†** shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.