Lazuli

**Lazuli** (Japanese: **ラズリ** *Razuri*) is a Pokémon Trainer from Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region. Lazuli, along with her twin brother Rollins, is the result of a one-time intimacy between Edge and Sabrina during the former's teenage years, although Edge himself wasn't aware of the children being conceived.

Despite having some degree of feelings for the Trainer, Sabrina was aware that her previous reputation of being a high-ranking member of Team Rocket wouldn't allow her to stay with Edge, and therefore kept her pregnancy a secret, and traveled to Sinnoh, where Lazuli and Rollins were born and raised.

Due to not having a father-figure around, Lazuli always looked up to her brother with admiration, but these feelings of admiration were crushed upon Rollins's crushing defeat against Brandon, which caused Rollins to retire and become a Breeder, with Lazuli disappointed in her brother's weak spirit and became determined to surpass her brother to showcase her superiority over both him and Brandon.

## **New Era**

### **Background**

When Edge and Sabrina were both healing themselves after suffering from numbness due to being trapped in Lorelei's ice, they encountered one another at the hot springs at Mt. Silver, which ultimately resulted in the one-time intimacy between the Pokédex holder and Saffron City's Gym Leader.

However, Sabrina was aware that Edge held no romantic feelings towards her, and knew that if news were to spread about them, Edge's reputation would've taken a huge hit as Sabrina was a former member of Team Rocket, and therefore kept her pregnancy a secret from everyone, including Edge. She then traveled to Sinnoh, where she gave birth to twins, Lazuli and Rollins. Sabrina raised both Lazuli and Rollins as best as she could, and while Rollins understood his father's absence, Lazuli was far more resentful.

Eventually, Edge and Roberta, who by this time were already married, discovered the truth about Edge's intimacy with Sabrina and tracked her down, and offered their full support, but Sabrina was confident about her skills as a mother, and wished to continue raising her children by herself, not wanting to become a burden on Edge's family life. Regardless, Edge and Bayley insisted on supporting her family, and Sabrina ultimately relented. Eventually, Rollins was capable of meeting his father and learning the truth behind his absence, although Lazuli remained in the dark. However, Lazuli would ultimately learn the truth as well, but unlike her twin brother, was completely indifferent towards the situation, and only cared about becoming stronger.

Shortly after embarking on her journey, Lazuli joined her brother Rollins during his challenge of the Battle Frontier, and watched his battle against Brandon at the Battle Pyramid. Having always looked up to her brother, Lazuli expected him to defeat Brandon, but was shocked to see her brother being defeated without being able to defeat any of Brandon's Pokémon, and was horrified as Rollins decided to quit being a Trainer and become a Breeder. Combined with Brandon's words of finding one's "inner strength", Lazuli became determined to surpass both Brandon and Rollins, and was adamant that through sheer power and training, she would be able to eventually accomplish what her brother couldn't: defeat Brandon.

Alongside her starter Pokémon, Turtwig, Lazuli continued her journey, eventually traveling across the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn regions, and participated in their respective regional tournaments, and emerging victorious in each one, before ultimately returning to Sinnoh to compete in the Sinnoh League.

### **Sinnoh**

Lazuli first appears when she was battling against a horde of Zubat with her Elekid, and attempted to capture a Zubat one of them, but the capture failed as the Zubat aimed at was already owned by another Trainer. Zubat's Trainer, Dwayne, arrived shortly afterwards, and Lazuli immediately recognized him, and couldn't surpress her frustration and slight anger upon seeing him.

Dwayne calls Zubat back down, who lands on his shoulder, and Professor Rowan correctly guesses that the reason why Zubat was on the area was because Lazuli had attacked them, which she confirms, saying she ventured into a nearby cave looking for Zubat to catch, but they all escaped, and Dwayne's Zubat had just prevented her from catching one. Dwayne apologizes for ruining her catch, and Lazuli then asks if Dwayne is sure the Zubat he caught is the best one. Lazuli says she watched his battle with Zubat, and says that Zubat was caught was too easily and therefore it was weak, a statement that angers Dwayne, who then asks her how can she tell if a Pokémon is strong or not.

Lazuli then explains that by scanning a Pokémon with the Pokédex, a Trainer can see what attacks it knows thereby saving a lot of time and energy in the long run. She lets three Starly out of their Poké Balls, and after scanning the three Starly to see which of them know Aerial Ace, she then returns them all to their Poké Balls. Then, after telling two of the Starly to get lost as they're not needed, she throws two of the Poké Balls which send out the Starly with a blue light, signifying their permanent release. Dwayne remarks this is an unusual way to treat Pokémon, as he believes any Pokémon has the ability to be strong, but Lazuli scoffs at this and challenges Dwayne to a three-on-three battle. Professor Rowan offers his back garden as their battlefield.

Once at Rowan's garden, Lazuli properly introduces herself, and says that she would challenge the Sinnoh League and ultimately challenge the Champion. Lazuli spells out the rules; it will be a three-on-three battle with no substitutions, the first to reach two wins will get the match. Lazuli starts with Starly while Dwayne chooses Zubat. Dwayne starts off by commanding his Zubat to use Quick Attack, but Starly manages to dodge it. Starly uses Aerial Ace. Zubat tries to counter with a Supersonic, but Starly uses Double Team followed by another Aerial Ace and as a result, Zubat is knocked out. Dwayne recalls Zubat while Lazuli recalls Starly, although she openly exclaims she wasn't impressed with Starly's performance.

Dwayne throws a Poké Ball and his Eevee emerges. Lazuli throws out her Chimchar, which Dwayne scans with his Pokédex. Eevee launches a Swift attack, but Chimchar counters with Ember and the two attacks explode on contact. Chimchar then uses Ember again, and Eevee returns the attack via Copycat. Eevee prepares to use Tackle, but Chimchar uses Flame Wheel, stopping the attack. Eevee then uses Sand-Attack, but an Ember blocks the incoming sand, and Chimchar subsequently scores a direct hit with Scratch. Dwayne orders another Tackle, as Lazuli orders Chimchar to use Fury Swipes, but Eevee jumps into the air at the last second, dodging the Fury Swipes. Eevee smashes down into Chimchar with Tackle, knocking the Chimp Pokémon out. Lazuli recalls Chimchar, scolding him for its loss and promises to deal with it later, which makes Dwayne even angrier.

Lazuli then sends out Elekid while Dwayne chooses Gardevoir, which Rowan compliments him for, stating that Gardevoir was clearly well-trained, but Lazuli doesn't seem impressed. Dwayne starts things off by ordering Gardevoir to use Psyshock, but Elekid dodges the attack. Lazuli then tells Elekid to use Thunder. Elekid revolves its arms and fires off a huge electric bolt at Gardevoir, who takes the attack head-on. Dwayne then tells Gardevoir to use Shadow Ball. Lazuli tells Elekid to use Protect to stop the attack and the attack gets blocked.

Dwayne then tells Gardevoir to use Moonblast. Seeing this, Lazuli tells Elekid to use Brick Break. Gardevoir fires off Moonblast, and Elekid's Brick Break allows the Electric-type Pokémon to bat the attack back towards Gardevoir, who takes it head-on as Elekid continues to dash foward. Just as Gardevoir charges a Shadow Ball, Elekid lands a Brick Break onto the Shadow Ball, causing an explosion that overwhelms both Pokémon, but they both remain standing. However, the strain of the battle takes its toll on both Pokémon, and Gardevoir and Elekid fall down at the same time, defeated. Rowan announces that the battle was a tie and that the whole three-on-three battle was also a tie, with both Trainers with one win, one loss, and a draw. Dwayne helps Gardevoir back to her feet, saying that since Gardevoir was the first one to go down, Dwayne considers it a loss, however Lazuli walks over to him and says that as it was called a draw, a draw is what it is. Then, Lazuli pulls a Poké Ball from her belt and releases her last remaining Starly. Dwayne asks what she did that for, and Lazuli tells him that there will be other Starly even stronger than this one. He then bows to Professor Rowan, before walking off. Dwayne stares at her angry on seeing such disrespect to Pokémon, but Rowan explains that many Trainers have different training methods and different methods to raise their Pokémon, and despite not liking how some Trainers treat their Pokémon, Dwayne needed to accept it, although Dwayne says that he still wasn't happy about it.

Lazuli meets Dwayne again when the latter is attempting to stop his Pokémon from fighting each other, clearly unimpressed about the lack of cooperation between Dwayne's Pokémon. The two exchange taunts, and Dwayne is again shocked to hear that Lazuli is also heading for the nearby Gym. Lazuli then asks if Turtwig is his, and Dwayne says that he caught it recently. Lazuli smirks, not looking impressed. Dwayne becomes angry at her arrogance, and demands a Pokémon battle from her. Lazuli agrees, pulling a Poké Ball from her belt and calls out Chimchar. Dwayne doesn't care about types, however, saying that he'll prove his Pokémon can withstand a type disadvantage. As they stand in position, Lazuli wonders if Dwayne will back out now, but Dwayne isn't about to back down and starts the battle off by ordering a Tackle.

Turtwig runs towards Chimchar, who jumps up on Lazuli's command and stops right in front of Turtwig before using a Scratch attack. Dwayne is shocked at the fire monkey's speed, but dismisses it and tells Turtwig to use Razor Leaf. Turtwig does so, but Chimchar somersaults backwards to avoid the attack. Lazuli then orders Chimchar to use Ember, which Dwayne tells his Pokémon to avoid. However, Turtwig just stands there and takes the attack, and is sent flying back. Dwayne asks what's wrong with Turtwig, wondering why his Pokémon didn't dodge any of the attacks it told it to. Turtwig only shakes its head however, and Dwayne continues to look confused. Noticing the sun, Ryder has an idea and tells Turtwig to use Synthesis.

Lazuli isn't impressed, and tells Chimchar to use Flame Wheel. His Pokémon does so, leaping up before using the flames in its mouth to surround its whole body in fire and making a blazing wheel. Turtwig again makes no effort to try to avoid the attack, and is engulfed by fire. Chimchar jumps back after smashing into the injured Grass Pokémon, and Dwayne asks Turtwig if it can continue. Dwayne tells his Pokémon to attack again, but is stopped when a horde of Beedrill suddenly burst out of the woods and attack both Trainers. Dwayne orders Turtwig to use Razor Leaf, but the Beedrill simply use X-Scissor to cut the leaves in tiny peaces. Lazuli orders Chimchar to use Flame Wheel while Dwayne orders Turtwig to use Headbutt, and both attacks land onto the horde, causing an explosion that scare off the horde of Beedrill.

The force of the explosion, however, sends Dwayne, Lazuli and Chimchar over the edge of the cliff they were fighting on. Lazuli remains focused as they fall, however, landing on a protruding tree and then jumping down from branch to branch. While Lazuli does this, Dwayne continues to fall, grabbing hold of Turtwig and landing head first into the pool of water below. As he returns to surface, Dwayne hears a sound behind him, and looks over to see Lazuli calling Chimchar back into its Poké Ball. Lazuli then starts to walk into the forest, with Dwayne calling to her to no avail. Dwayne decides to try to take the opportunity to befriend Lazuli, but Lazuli makes it clear that she has no intention of being nice to, or cooperating with Dwayne. She then continues to walk, and Dwayne tries to follow.

Lazuli soon finds Dwayne and Turtwig under the effects of a Stantler's Hypnosis and has Chimchar attack the Stantler to break Dwayne and Turtwig free from their illusion. Dwayne is about to thank Lazuli for saving him, struggling as he didn't think she would have bothered after all the arguments the two had had recently. Just then, however, one of the Stantler appears and stares angrily at Lazuli for just attacking it. Lazuli isn't impressed, and tells Chimchar to use Flame Wheel. Chimchar does so, rolling into a flaming ball and slamming hard into Stantler and knocking it back. As the Pokémon screams in pain, Lazuli throws a Poké Ball and catches it. Dwayne thanks Lazuli for helping him, but she doesn't appear interested as she examines the Poké Ball containing Stantler. Lazuli then throws the Poké Ball into the air and releases Stantler. Dwayne asks why she released it, and Lazuli tells him that it was too weak for her needs.

Later, Lazuli sees Dwayne and Turtwig running away from an angry Ursaring, but Lazuli seems unfazed by the Pokémon's rampage, and orders Chimchar to use Flame Wheel to knock out Ursaring, and Lazuli subsequently captures the Hibernator Pokémon. Dwayne isn't impressed, however, and mumbles that even though she caught it, she probably won't keep it. Lazuli scans the Poké Ball, however, and liking what she sees, puts Ursaring's ball on her belt after concluding that the Pokémon is good enough to meet her standards. After a brief conversation, Lazuli says that they should have another Pokémon battle. Dwayne wonders what Pokémon Lazuli will use, and both Trainers get into their positions. Dwayne tells Turtwig to use Tackle, and Lazuli, using Chimchar, tells it to use Scratch. This time, however, when Dwayne tells Turtwig to dodge, Turtwig does so, making Chimchar's attack miss.

Dwayne then tells Turtwig to use Razor Leaf. Turtwig does so, and Chimchar counters with Ember. Both attacks produce a stalemate however, which leads Dwayne to taking a much more direct approach by telling Turtwig to use Headbutt. Lazuli remains cool and tells Chimchar to use Dig to dodge the attack. Chimchar digs underground, dodging the Headbutt and remaining safe. As Dwayne tries to work out where Chimchar will appear, Chimchar emerges from underground and lets loose a sneak attack at Turtwig. Dwayne tells Turtwig to keep calm and use Razor Leaf, but Lazuli just responds with another Dig attack. The monkey then pops out of one after another, mocking the Grass Pokémon and confusing it. Chimchar sees this, and jumps out behind Turtwig again and attacks it with its claws. Dwayne grits his teeth, but remains confident as he tells Turtwig to use Razor Leaf on Chimchar's holes. The attack enters the holes, flushing Chimchar out as it clutches itself painfully.

Lazuli isn't impressed, and tells her Pokémon to use Ember. The attack is avoided, however, as Dwayne tells Turtwig to jump into one of the holes to dodge. Dwayne asks Lazuli how that move was, but Lazuli just arrogantly chuckles and says that she's already thought of a way to deal with it. Lazuli tells Chimchar to use Ember on the holes to flush Turtwig out, just as Dwayne just did to her Pokémon. Turtwig is flung out of the hole, engulfed in flames. Dwayne tells Turtwig to use Synthesis to heal himself, which annoys Lazuli, who decides to finish off the battle quickly by ordering a Flame Wheel attack. Chimchar rolls quickly towards Turtwig, but Dwayne tells Turtwig to stand there. Turtwig is shocked, and wonders why his Trainer didn't tell it to dodge. Dwayne tells Turtwig to trust him, and at the last moment, Dwayne tells Turtwig to jump down the hole in front of it, which it does, avoiding the attack and catching Chimchar by surprise.

As the monkey tries to find Turtwig, Dwayne tells his Pokémon to use Tackle, and then to Bite Chimchar. Turtwig does so, and Chimchar flails around madly trying to shake the Grass Pokémon off. Lazuli decides to take the battle underground, and tells Chimchar to take it and Turtwig into one of the holes with it. Dwayne is shocked, and Lazuli smiles at his reaction and tells Chimchar to use Flame Wheel. Flames burst out of the ground's holes, and both Pokémon are thrust above ground, engulfed in fire. Dwayne asks if Turtwig is okay, and his gutsy Pokémon manages to get back up. Dwayne tells Turtwig to use Tackle, and Lazuli tells Chimchar to use Flame Wheel. The two Pokémon collide, but when the smoke clears, Chimchar is the one left standing and Turtwig is knocked out, leaving Lazuli as the winner. Dwayne falls to his knees and apologizes to Turtwig, before thanking him for putting up such a great fight. Chimchar dances happily and Lazuli scolds it for doing so. Dwayne calls out to Lazuli, but Lazuli doesn't care about what anyone as weak as Dwayne wants to say, and walks off. Dwayne then stares at the departing Lazuli full of anger, as he realizes that the two of them will never be friends, but after seeing how Lazuli treated her Pokémon, Dwayne actually prefer they stay as rivals, or even full-blown enemies.

Lazuli and Dwayne crossed paths again when Lazuli was set to challenge the Oreburgh Gym, and Dwayne witnessed the battle, curious about Lazuli's battle style against someone other than himself. Lazuli then sends out her first Pokémon, Ludicolo. Dwayne remarks that Ludicolo is both a Water and Grass-type Pokémon, the perfect counter to a Rock Pokémon. Lazuli orders Ludicolo to use Hydro Pump, but is deflected perfectly by Geodude using Hidden Power. Ludicolo is sent flying, and Roark uses this to his advantage to tell Geodude to use Rollout to attack again. Geodude does so, smashing right into Ludicolo and sending it flying again. Ludicolo smashes right into the ground, and is declared unable to battle by the referee. Lazuli curses Ludicolo for its weakness, infuriating Dwayne, and sends out her next Pokémon, Elekid, which surprises Roark.

Lazuli tells her Elekid to attack with Brick Break. Elekid does so, smashing its fist right into Geodude and sending it flying back. The sheer force of the punch knocks Geodude right out, and the referee declares it unable to battle. Roark then sends out his next Pokémon, Onix. Lazuli tries to get Onix with Brick Break again, but Onix dodges easily. Onix swings its tail around and brings it down hard on Elekid's head, but Elekid manages to use Protect at the last minute and stop the attack. Onix manages to smash through the Protect, however, and Elekid goes flying. Roark then commands Onix to use Stealth Rock. Shards of rock all fly to the edges of the arena and implant themselves into it. Onix then slams right into Elekid with its tail. It jumps back however, as Elekid's Static Ability makes any Pokémon that touches it paralyzed.

The two Pokémon clash again, but Elekid doesn't appear to be able to go on, so Lazuli recalls it back to its Poké Ball to recover. Lazuli then sends out her next Pokémon, Chimchar, who is instantly attacked by the Stealth Rock. Chimchar is hurt but manages to survive the attack. Lazuli tells Chimchar to use Dig, and Roark tells Onix to watch out for Chimchar who could appear at any moment. Chimchar appears right below Onix and damaging it, much to Roark's surprise. The two continue to battle, but due to Onix's restricted actions due to being paralyzed, Chimchar is able to attack again and again with Dig. Eventually, Onix is knocked out and declared unable to battle.

Roark thanks Lazuli, saying it's been a good battle so far, before sending out his final Pokémon, Cranidos. Lazuli tells Chimchar to go underground again with Dig, and Roark tells Cranidos to focus and then use Headbutt. Cranidos does so, waiting for Chimchar to emerge and then smashes into it using Headbutt. Lazuli again tells Chimchar to Dig, but by now, Roark has caught onto Lazuli's plan and tells Cranidos to use Zen Headbutt. It smashes into Chimchar, sending it sliding across the ground. Roark tells his Pokémon to attack again, and Lazuli tries to get Chimchar to dodge with Dig. But Zen Headbutt has the side-effect of making a Pokémon flinch and unable to attack or dodge. Cranidos repeats its attack over and over, battering Chimchar to almost being knocked out. However, at this moment, Chimchar begins to glow a fiery red, signaling the unlocking of its special Ability, Blaze.

Dwayne knows that Blaze powers up a Fire-type Pokémon's attacks when they are low on energy. Roark realizes he has to finish this fast, and calls for another Zen Headbutt. Lazuli then tells Chimchar to use Flame Wheel, and Chimchar runs towards the oncoming Cranidos, turning into a blazing ball of fire. Chimchar smashes straight into and past Cranidos, causing it to reel back in pain at the force of the attack. Chimchar repeats the attack, before going underground for another Dig. Roark tells Cranidos to use Headbutt when Chimchar appears. It does so, smashing Chimchar down into the ground and knocking it out. Lazuli recalls it into the Poké Ball, angry with it for its defeat and promising to deal with it later.

Lazuli has one last chance however, and calls out Elekid who is again attacked by the Stealth Rock laid down by Onix before. Roark tells Cranidos to use Flamethrower, which Elekid dodges before smashing its fist right into Cranidos's knee and causing it to reel back in pain as the Static Ability of Elekid runs through its body and causes it to be paralyzed. Cranidos shakes off the static, however, as Roark explains his own Pokémon's special Ability, Mold Breaker. However, just as Cranidos is about to attack, the knee injury that Elekid just gave it kicks in, making it an easy target for Elekid's Thunder Punch attack which smashes right into Cranidos's head. Cranidos then smacks Elekid square in the chest with a Flamethrower. It then uses Zen Headbutt and Elekid uses Brick Break. The two attacks hit and there is an explosion as both Pokémon are knocked back. The two Pokémon the stand facing each other. Both of them are very tired, but Cranidos falls down first and is declared unable to battle by the Gym's referee.

Roark congratulates Lazuli for a great battle, and presents her with a Coal Badge for her victory. Dwayne isn't about to let Lazuli get all the glory however, and vows to get his first Badge next. Dwayne asks if Lazuli would watch his battle, and Lazuli laughs, sarcastically asking if Dwayne really wanted her to watch him lose. Roark tells Lazuli she's free to stay and watch and Lazuli, now mildly amused, agrees. Compared to Lazuli, however, Dwayne struggled greatly against Roark, causing her to lose interest in the battle, and began walking off until Dwayne's Buneary's roar of determination made her regain only some slight interest, although Dwayne was still defeated, and Lazuli walked off even more disappointed than ever before.

Sometime later, Lazuli confronts the Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia at Amity Square and challenged her to a Full Battle, which was spectacted by a large crowd of people, including Dwayne. Cynthia calls out her Garchomp, while Lazuli chooses Chimchar; a choice that surprises Cynthia, as well as the crowd, due to its disadvantage as a Fire-type. Lazuli commands Chimchar to use Fire Spin and then Dig. Once hit with Fire Spin, Garchomp also used Dig under Cynthia's command. The dig collided with Chimchar, knocking him out. As Lazuli recalls him, she scolds Chimchar for his loss, which isn't sitting too well with either Cynthia or Dwayne.

Lazuli then uses Weavile, a much better type matchup. She commands for her Weavile to use Blizzard, and despite being a super-effective hit, it does not faze Garchomp at all. Garchomp then uses Dragon Rush, which causes Weavile to freeze instead of trying to dodge. Lazuli tells Weavile to use Ice Beam. However, Garchomp is able to dodge the attack twice and slams itself into Weavile, knocking it out cold. Lazuli then sends out Murkrow. Immediately, she tells Murkrow to use Haze, which Garchomp dodges. Murkrow flies behind Garchomp and Lazuli tells it to use Sky Attack. Cynthia has Garchomp counter with Giga Impact. After returning her fallen Murkrow, Lazuli shows a rough smile while Dwayne, the crowd, as well as Cynthia are confused as to why she is doing so, due to having lost half of her team in short order. Lazuli then sends out Torterra. She commands Torterra to use Giga Drain. Since Giga Impact left Garchomp unable to move, Giga Drain was able to hit and it causes Garchomp to kneel down, much to the surprise of the crowd. After Giga Drain, Torterra uses Frenzy Plant and it causes dust to kick up. When the dust clears, Garchomp is seen blocking attack with its fins, much to Lazuli's astonishment. Cynthia then tells Garchomp to use Brick Break. Garchomp pushes the vines from Frenzy Plant away and jumps into the air, hitting Torterra with Brick Break on its head, taking it down and out.

Lazuli then gives up the battle, to which the crowd responds by poking fun at her. Dwayne, with new found respect, rebukes the crowd and compliments Lazuli on a great battle, to which Lazuli responds with an arrogant smirk. Lazuli says goodbye to Cynthia and walks away. Dwayne realizes that isn't where the Pokémon Center is, and Cynthia demands that Lazuli go to the Center to heal her Pokémon. Unfortunately, when they get there, Nurse Joy claims that she needs to perform surgery on an injured Pokémon. Cynthia decides to heal Lazuli's Pokémon by herself, to which Dwayne says that he'd love to help out. Cynthia treats Lazuli's Torterra. She moves over to Chimchar, giving him a pill, and Chimchar falls asleep.

Cynthia then tells Lazuli that her Pokémon are all healed and well trained, especially her Torterra. Lazuli then reveals that Torterra was her very first Pokémon. She also says that she traveled around Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, where she caught her Murkrow and Weavile, respectively, and won their respective Pokémon League Conferences before coming back to Sinnoh, where she caught her Chimchar. When Cynthia compliments Chimchar, Lazuli complains that Chimchar didn't do well against Garchomp. Dwayne then argues that she didn't care how many Pokémon got hurt, to which Lazuli responds by saying what his point was. Dwayne asks why Lazuli doesn't care about her Pokémon's happiness. Lazuli claims that her Pokémon will become spoiled and not try hard enough in battle, and Chimchar was the perfect example. Dwayne becomes angrier, saying that she has to support her Pokémon. Upon Lazuli saying that she wants to become stronger, Cynthia takes the two of them back to the stone tablet she was at earlier in Amity Square, and reads it to them. She claims that before reading this tablet, she used to train endlessly. Then, she discovered that all Pokémon have different personalities and she wanted to get to know all of them.

Meanwhile, back at the Pokémon Center, a group of thieves attempt to steal Lazuli's Pokémon. Before trying to steal all of her Pokémon, Nurse Joy catches them. They make a run for it, just grabbing Chimchar. Outside the center, Dwayne, Cynthia, and Lazuli are headed back and see the thieves with Chimchar. They chase after them, who try to make a get away in their SUV. Chimchar then wakes up, using Ember on the thieves. Before Dwayne can react and call out Golbat, Lazuli sends out her Ursaring and tells it to use Hyper Beam. Chimchar jumps away from the SUV right before the attack collides with it, sending the thieves flying out of the car and onto a nearby tree. Chimchar falls to the ground, getting injured once more. However, Lazuli doesn't care, calling Chimchar useless for being captured by criminals. Dwayne says that it wasn't Chimchar's fault since Chimchar was sleeping. Cynthia is able to stop the yelling, mentioning that what matters now is that Chimchar is okay. She advises Lazuli to stay the night at the Center, and she accepts her recommendation.

Lazuli later participates in the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition and much to her dismay, gets paired up with Dwayne throughout the tournament. During their first battle together, Lazuli and Dwayne summon Chimchar and Happiny, respectively, against a Rhydon and Magmar. Dwayne decides to battle his way and starts things off with a Pound attack towards Magmar. However, Rhydon intercepts and smashes Happiny with a Megahorn attack. Magmar attacks with a Lava Plume, an extremely powerful Fire-type move that affects everyone on the field. Rhydon is left barely affected thanks to its type-advantage, but the blaze of fire quickly heads toward Happiny and Chimchar. Dwayne tells Happiny to dodge, but Lazuli sends Chimchar straight into the fire. The flame on Chimchar's tail becomes bigger and Chimchar gives a powerful blast of Flamethrower, which has very little effect on Rhydon. Rhydon counters with a direct hit from a Hammer Arm. Happiny dodges with Minimize before following up with another Pound attack. Now the two opponents are aware that even with type disadvantages, Happiny shouldn't be taken lightly and have Rhydon strike back with a surprise Surf attack while Magmar uses Protect. Lazuli decides to take it head on with a Flame Wheel. Dwayne tries to convince her that Chimchar could really get hurt, but she does not care. As Happiny panics, Dwayne suddenly gets an idea and has Happiny break through the Surf with Secret Power, which slams into Rhydon. Happiny then scores a direct-hit with Pound, knocking Rhydon out and leaving Magmar alone. Happiny then goes straight for Magmar with a Pound, but Magmar deflects it with a Fire Punch. While Happiny and Magmar are fighting, Chimchar comes from beneath with a Dig that knocks out Magmar. On the sidelines, Sadie comments that Dwayne and Lazuli can't get much further unless they start working as a team.

During the night, Dwayne trains with his Pokémon, having Golbat use Air Cutter. Buizel, Turtwig, and Eevee dodge the attack with the spinning maneuver he'd used before. Golbat notices a blast of energy nearby. The explosive energy Golbat spotted earlier was Lazuli's Chimchar taking several attacks from Lazuli's Pokémon. Elekid uses Thunder, Murkrow uses Shadow Ball, Torterra uses Hyper Beam, and Ursaring uses Focus Blast. The tidal wave of attacks converges as Chimchar uses Flame Wheel to defend. Dwayne notices the brutal training as Chimchar unleashes Flamethrower, but it hits Dwayne and knocks him backward. Dwayne gets up, complimenting Chimchar's power. Lazuli calls Chimchar back for more training as Dwayne questions Lazuli's aggressive tactics. She brushes him off as she reveals her intention to get her Pokémon exposed to powerful battles. Dwayne scolds her for her selfish goals as Lazuli ignores him, mentioning that Chimchar needed to be struck by the Surf attack from the previous battle to get stronger. Dwayne tries to get her to raise Chimchar's strong points, but Lazuli mentions that it is a waste. Despite the rigor, Chimchar still wants to train. Dwayne tries to convince Chimchar that there are different ways to train and it doesn't have to do it the hard away, but Lazuli and her team walk away, as Chimchar follows sadly.

Lazuli continues training Chimchar as it dodges Ursaring's Hammer Arm. Torterra fires Leaf Storm and Chimchar gets caught in it. Murkrow executes a Sky Attack as Chimchar tries Flamethrower, but it gets hit and collapses. Lazuli orders Chimchar to stand. It tries but is too weak, collapsing. Lazuli orders Elekid to use Thunder on it, but Eevee rushes forward with Double-Edge to block. Elekid charges for another attack, but Dwayne rushes in to take Chimchar to the Pokémon Center. At the Center, Nurse Joy treats Chimchar. Joy steps out and mentions that Chimchar needs rest. Dwayne confronts Lazuli about her training methods. Although reluctant at first, Dwayne manages to get her to talk for Chimchar's safety.

Lazuli mentions how she met Chimchar, when she captured a Ninjask shortly after her return to Sinnoh. She noticed Chimchar racing through the forest, pursued by several Zangoose. The Zangoose attacked Chimchar for unknown reasons, but they were relentless. Chimchar wound up cornered at the edge of a cliff. As Lazuli watched, the Zangoose lunged forward. Chimchar activated Blaze and used a powerful Flame Wheel to consume the area with a spiral of fire. When it was over, the Zangoose were gone and Lazuli decided to catch the Chimchar, wanting that power to win battles. Dwayne understands the she has been trying to get Chimchar to duplicate that power from that situation by putting it through difficult training battles, but has not had any luck. Lazuli wants to keep going even though Dwayne urges her to let Chimchar rest. Only Nurse Joy's insistence makes her comply.

The next day, the tournament continues as Sadie and Derek make it to the next round. Dwayne and Lazuli fight in the last battle of the day as Dwayne sends Turtwig. Lazuli calls out Chimchar, shocking everyone, as they notice Chimchar still wounded. Dwayne informs Turtwig to cover Chimchar as their opponents send out Metagross and Zangoose. The sight of a Zangoose scares Chimchar while Lazuli grins at the situation. The battle starts as Metagross charges with Bullet Punch. Chimchar fires Flamethrower, but Zangoose jumps forward with X-Scissor. Turtwig uses Razor Leaf, but Zangoose swats them away. Metagross lands a hit on Chimchar as Zangoose hits Turtwig. Chimchar uses Dig as Metagross uses Magnet Rise to dodge. Zangoose jumps in with Crush Claw and sends Chimchar back. Turtwig attempts to Headbutt Zangoose, but it dodges and Metagross uses Psychic to send Turtwig back, crashing into Chimchar. Zangoose jumps forward with Crush Claw as Chimchar is paralyzed by fear. Turtwig uses Bite on Zangoose's arm to stop the attack.

Metagross charges with Bullet Punch as Lazuli orders Chimchar to use Flame Wheel on Turtwig. Chimchar refuses to attack its teammate at first, but is forced to comply. Chimchar speeds forwards and hits Turtwig and Zangoose, separating them. Chimchar is able to keep the momentum going and hits Metagross. Turtwig suffers major damage as a result, and Dwayne is furious with Lazuli for intentionally harming his Pokémon. Zangoose attempts another Crush Claw and Chimchar attempts another Flame Wheel, but Zangoose pins it and stops the attack. Lazuli orders Chimchar to use Flamethrower, but looking Zangoose in the eye paralyzes it in fear. This turns out to be the last straw for Lazuli as far as Chimchar is concerned. Turtwig uses Razor Leaf to get Zangoose off Chimchar as Turtwig steps forward, but collapses from damage. Zangoose unleashes Fire Blast as Chimchar intercepts, taking the attack and powering up. Dwayne and Chimchar wait for Lazuli's command, but Lazuli closes her eyes and turns away, having completely given up on Chimchar. Metagross heads with Bullet Punch and Dwayne, realizing Lazuli isn't going to be giving any more commands to Chimchar and is willing to let them get knocked out of the tournament, orders Chimchar to use Flamethrower, stunning everyone. Chimchar does so and hits Metagross, knocking it out. Turtwig charges forward as Zangoose uses Crush Claw. Turtwig spin dodges and uses Razor Leaf and Headbutt to knock out Zangoose. Dwayne and Lazuli win the duel, advancing to the semifinals. As Dwayne praises the two Pokémon, Lazuli still has her back turned and Chimchar is upset knowing what is in store for it.

At sunset, Lazuli releases Chimchar from her ownership, tells it to get lost, and turns to leave. Dwayne and Sadie arrive and scold Lazuli for her decision, but as far as Lazuli is concerned, the special training is over and she is going to need a new Fire-type Pokémon. Chimchar sadly turns to leave, and Dwayne is upset to see such a loyal and hard-working Pokémon treated like this. Suddenly inspiration strikes him and he decides to take action. Calling to Chimchar, Dwayne offers the Chimp Pokémon a spot on his team, stopping Lazuli in her tracks and stunning everyone. Sadie asks Dwayne if he's sure, and Dwayne is positive, promising Chimchar the chance to have fun and train. Dwayne steps up to Chimchar and kneels down, leaving Chimchar with an important decision to make. However, a disgusted Lazuli tells them that as far as she's concerned they are a perfect match; a pathetic Pokémon for a pathetic Trainer. Dwayne tells Chimchar to ignore his former Trainer, and offers the chance to prove him wrong. Chimchar happily agrees, so Dwayne throws a Poké Ball into the air. Chimchar happily jumps up and smacks the button, and without any struggle, Dwayne catches Chimchar. Later that night, Dwayne contacts Professor Oak to tell him about what has been going on. After complimenting Chimchar, Oak states that Dwayne and Lazuli need to work together to win as much as Dwayne would with his Pokémon. After hanging up, Oak fears that Dwayne and Lazuli's relationship couldn't be fixed, and wonders if sending Dwayne to Sinnoh was the right idea.

The next morning, the battles continue in the Tag Battle Competition. Sadie and Derek have already won their semi-final match. Dwayne and Lazuli each send out their respective Pokémon: Golbat and Torterra, while their opponents choose Croagunk and Farfetch'd. Dwayne commands Golbat to use Aerial Ace and Lazuli commands Torterra to use Hyper Beam, while Croagunk uses Poison Jab and Farfetch'd uses Air Slash. All of the attacks are launched, but only Hyper Beam makes its way through, hitting Farfetch'd, as well as Golbat. However, Farfetch'd is knocked out in an instant. Croagunk then uses Brick Break. Dwayne tells Golbat once more to use Aerial Ace, trying to catch Croagunk off-guard. However, Croagunk slides under the immobilized Torterra, causing Golbat to miss and have to stop its attack. Croagunk jumps out from behind Torterra, landing a hit with Brick Break on Torterra's head. However, before Croagunk can use Poison Jab, Torterra is able to move again. Croagunk jumps backwards onto the tree on its back, and Torterra uses Leaf Storm, knocking Croagunk out, and giving victory to Dwayne and Lazuli. Dwayne congratulates Golbat on a good job, only for Lazuli to angrily comment that Golbat contributed nothing to the battle.

The next day, the final battle of Sadie and Derek vs. Dwayne and Lazuli begins. Dwayne sends out Chimchar, Lazuli uses Elekid, and Derek and Sadie call out Heracross and Shellos, respectively. Dwayne's first attack is Flamethrower, followed by Elekid using Thunder. However, Shellos is able to counterattack Flamethrower with Water Pulse, which in turn is countered by Elekid's Thunder. Derek backs Shellos up by telling Heracross to use Revenge. Heracross gets in to take the Thunder attack, and uses the power of Revenge to attack Elekid. Next, Chimchar uses Dig as Sadie calls for Shellos to use Water Pulse again. Elekid uses Protect, but at the last minute, Shellos cancels Water Pulse, and Derek tells Heracross to use Feint to break the Protect, taking Lazuli off-guard. Shellos then uses Mud Bomb, hitting Elekid, but Chimchar finally hits Shellos with Dig.

Shellos counters with Hidden Power, again hitting Chimchar. Chimchar quickly recovers and uses Flamethrower on Heracross, but Shellos jumps in front of Heracross and uses Water Pulse. The attacks collide, causing an explosion. Elekid jumps through the smoke and uses Thunder Punch, while Heracross counters with Megahorn. Another explosion is created, sending Elekid flying backwards. Suddenly, Elekid begins to evolve into Electabuzz, shocking everyone, except for Lazuli. The newly evolved Electabuzz then begins to charge up its Thunder. In response, Derek tells Heracross to use Megahorn and Shellos uses Blizzard. Dwayne tells Chimchar to dodge Blizzard and to use Flamethrower on Shellos, while Electabuzz uses Thunder on Heracross. All the attacks collide, causing an explosion. Just when it seems like the battle is over, Shellos and Heracross are seen still standing once the smoke clears. However, Shellos gives its opponents a final smirk before they both fall to the ground, knocked out. Taking the win, Dwayne congratulates Chimchar, although Lazuli remarks that if Chimchar was any good, Heracross would never have got back up. However, Dwayne does not care what Lazuli thinks; as far as he is concerned, Chimchar did a fantastic job.

At the awards ceremony, Enta gets on stage to give Dwayne and Lazuli their Soothe Bells. Everyone applauds Dwayne and Lazuli, while Derek muses that for a tournament that was supposed to emphasize teamwork between Trainers, it was the team that co-operated the least that ended up winning. That evening, at the Pokémon Center, Dwayne and Sadie discuss the battles that happened. Suddenly, Lazuli passes by, tossing her Soothe Bell at Dwayne, saying that she does not need it. Dwayne notes that for Lazuli, the tournament was simply an opportunity to power up her Pokémon, and as far as she's concerned, Elekid evolving was the only good thing to come out of the competition.

Lazuli later battled against a Gliscor, the leader of a large group of Gligar when they were trapped in a town with strong winds. In a nearby alley, Lazuli confronts Gliscor and sends out Electabuzz to partner with Weavile. She orders an Ice Beam/Swift combo, but there are so many Gligar flying about neither can target. Lazuli yells at her Pokémon to focus, and orders a Brick Break from Electabuzz which hits several Gligar. Gliscor isn't happy about seeing its group attacked and uses X-Scissor on Electabuzz, which sends the Electric-type flying into Weavile and Lauzli. Dwayne arrives along with the Gligar he'd now befriended. Dwayne tells Gliscor they can help it return to the wild, but before it can answer, it is hit by Lazuli's Ice Beam/Swift combo, sending it crashing to the ground. Lazuli then throws a Poké Ball, and successfully catches the Gliscor. As usual, Lazuli scans Gliscor with her Pokédex and sees that it is quite strong and decides to keep it. Dwayne asks Lazuli about all the Gligar it was leading, but Lazuli doesn't care, but Dwayne says the Gligar could rampage around without its leader, and the town would pay the price, but Lazuli coldly states that it wasn't none of her concern. The Gligar known to Dwayne makes a run at Lazuli, but Electabuzz hits it with a Brick Break, sending it flying. Recalling her Pokémon to their Poké Balls, Lazuli criticizes Dwayne and leaves.

Lazuli and Dwayne's paths crossed once again shortly after Dwayne's participation in the Wallace Cup. Lazuli brings up Dwayne's performance in the Wallace Cup, and Dwayne defends himself by saying he entered under Wallace's recommendation, and that he saw it as a chance to help his Buizel become stronger. Lazuli retorts that's exactly why Dwayne criticized her for entering the Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition, which just makes Dwayne angry who responds that Lazuli only entered Hearthome's Tag Battle tournament so that she could put Chimchar through more rounds of torture. He criticizes Lazuli, saying that while they both share the dream of winning the Sinnoh League and challenging the Champion, Cynthia, their training methods couldn't be more different and Dwayne raises his Pokémon with love and trust. He reflects on Cynthia's helpful advice back at Amity Square, but Lazuli says that is not her way of being a Pokémon Trainer. Dwayne is determined to show Lazuli he's a good Trainer and asks for a battle, but Lazuli begins to walk away from Dwayne. Chimchar suddenly runs after Lazuli and yells at her. This seems to amuse Lazuli, who reconsiders Dwayne's offer for a battle.

It is decided the match will be three-on-three. Dwayne asks his Pokémon which one wants to battle, to which Gligar can't volunteer quick enough. Dwayne agrees and allows Gligar to participate in its first proper battle. Lazuli responds by choosing her Gliscor, and Gligar is very nervous about facing its evolved form and former friend. The battle begins and Dwayne tells Gligar to use X-Scissor, however, Gliscor pounds back with Knock Off. Gligar begins to cry on the ground, when Dwayne tells it to try Sand-Attack. Gligar gets up and starts to throw sand in Gliscor's face, but the Fang Scorp Pokémon is unaffected by the attack. Lazuli then commands Gliscor to use Guillotine, and Dwayne tells Gligar to counter with Steel Wing, but it's no good as Gliscor scores a direct hit and slams Gligar into the ground, knocking it out. Dwayne takes Gligar out and kindly tells it that's it ok and to and cheer for him with the rest of the team. Lazuli tells Dwayne that it's a good time for Gligar to learn that being defeated in battle is all the Trainer's fault, which Dwayne's Pokémon don't take kindly to.

Lazuli sends out her Ursaring next. Chimchar volunteers to fight next. Gardevoir isn't sure Chimchar is confident enough to battle Lazuli, but Chimchar turns around and tells Gardevoir that he can do it. The battle begins with Chimchar's Flamethrower. Ursaring uses Focus Blast, and both attacks cancel each other out. Chimchar uses Dig, but Ursaring uses Hammer Arm on the ground, unearthing Chimchar and knocking him into the air. Chimchar dives down with a Flame Wheel, but Ursaring catches him. Ursaring uses Secret Power at close range. Due to the mysterious power of Ursaring's Secret Power attack, Chimchar was flinched and can't attack. Despite encouragement from Dwayne and the other Pokémon, Ursaring uses Hammer Arm on Chimchar, burying him in a pile of rubble. Chimchar emerges in a flaming fury, having accessed Blaze, although it's not like any Blaze anyone's seen before. Remembering how Chimchar activated Blaze during his battle with the Zangoose, Lazuli knows that Chimchar is finally awake, as this is the power she was trying to unlock all along. Dwayne suggests that Chimchar is trying his best to defeat Lazuli, and has accessed Blaze due to the encouragement from him and the other Pokémon. Ursaring is ordered to use another Focus Blast, however Chimchar's Flame Wheel smashes through it and collides with Ursaring, knocking it out.

Even though it won the battle, Chimchar's fury appears to be rising. Dwayne tells Chimchar it's time to stop, however, Chimchar instead powers up another Flame Wheel and charges at his Trainer, who is able to get out of the way. Chimchar then goes for Lazuli, who is able to narrowly avoid being hit. Now Chimchar is bouncing all around, setting fire to the forest. Buizel uses Water Gun to put out the fires. Chimchar is now completely uncontrollable and attempts to get away, however, he is blocked by Dwayne who begs Chimchar to stop. Chimchar's escape is then blocked by Gardevoir, followed by the other Pokémon, causing Chimchar's fury to grow. Dwayne, knowing he needs to stop Chimchar here and now, grabs the Chimp Pokémon and holds him close and screams at him to stop, but Chimchar shows no sign of calming and bites him in the shoulder, causing Dwayne intense pain. The other Pokémon move to help Dwayne, but Gardevoir stops them, knowing Dwayne is able to handle this alone. The intense heat caused by Chimchar begins to burn Dwayne, but he refuses to let go and keeps begging Chimchar to stop. Eventually, under Dwayne's encouraging words, Chimchar finally calms down and regains control.

Chimchar is once again terrified, this time of Dwayne's yelling; seeing it as a possible sign of anger. However, Dwayne's yelling was due more to desperation for Chimchar to get a hold of itself, but Dwayne compliments Chimchar on its power, and says that he believes in Chimchar's power. Lazuli, however, asks what Dwayne will do the next time Chimchar ends up accessing Blaze, and if he will ever be able to control it. Dwayne believes Chimchar has the ability to handle the power it possesses. The rest of Dwayne and Lazuli's battle is called off, and Lazuli tells Dwayne he's a fool to believe that Chimchar can handle Blaze. However, she goes on to say that after Dwayne and Chimchar have learned to control Blaze, the two trainers will battle again. Dwayne embraces Chimchar and Lazuli walks away, both knowing that the two will battle again someday.

Lazuli and Dwayne met up again while they were watching Cynthia's battle against Aaron for the title of Champion. Lazuli then witnessed Dwayne's training and upon being questioned, expresses her distaste at Dwayne's lack of bitterness, which reminds her of Rollins, and gets challenged to a battle by Dwayne, which she accepts. On the battlefield, Dwayne's Turtwig stands ready as Lazuli summons her Honchkrow. Despite the type disadvantage, Dwayne is confident in Turtwig's speed. Honchkrow prepares Sky Attack, but since it takes time to ready, Turtwig strikes first with Energy Ball, but it inflicts little damage. Honchkrow charges as Turtwig jumps and spins forward, dodging the attack. Honchkrow follows up with Night Slash, but Turtwig dodges again. However, Honchkrow comes around with a second Night Slash and manages to hit. Honchkrow comes down with Aerial Ace, and Dwayne orders Turtwig to use Bite, but Honchkrow knocks Turtwig down before it can attack. Turtwig tries to get up, but Honchkrow hits with another relentless Aerial Ace. Turtwig manages to get up and begins to glow.

Right during the heat of battle, Turtwig evolves into Grotle, revitalized with new energy. Undeterred, Lazuli orders Honchkrow to execute another Aerial Ace. Dwayne tells Grotle to dodge, but as Grotle tries to, it fails to move quickly enough and gets hit. Honchkrow charges up a Sky Attack as Dwayne tells Grotle to attack with Bite, but Grotle stumbles. Grotle manages to get up as Honchkrow charges. Grotle tries to turn around but stumbles again, taking the Sky Attack. Dwayne still believes Grotle retained his speed, but Lazuli snubs Dwayne at his lack of knowledge about how much his Pokémon changed after evolving. Honchkrow fires a Dark Pulse, hitting Grotle on the head and knocking it out. Lazuli's victory was mainly due to Grotle's unability to control himself due to his sudden lack of speed, which was witnessed by her Torterra, who, being the same species as Grotle, takes pity on his pre-evolved form, and teaches Grotle how to use his newfound weight as Defense to make up for his lack of Speed, all the while against Lazuli's orders, and while Lazuli herself witnessed this, although she didn't attempt to stop her Pokémon.

Lazuli participates in the Squallville PokéRinger with her Honchkrow, where she ultimately reaches the finals, facing off against Dwayne and his Golbat. Golbat gets the ring first. Honchkrow uses Sky Attack while Golbat counters with Brave Bird. The attacks create a huge explosion, but Golbat takes damage and goes into a free fall, Honchkrow emerging relatively unharmed and rushing with Night Slash. Dwayne has Golbat dodge before heading towards the goal. Honchkrow fires Dark Pulse, hitting and Golbat briefly loses the ring, quickly grabbing it and bolting to the goal. A strong gust of wind halts Golbat as Honchkrow rides the wind, powering up Aerial Ace. The attack misses as Golbat tries to overcome the repulsion, but to no avail. Honchkrow continues to put pressure with Aerial Ace, eventually striking Golbat and knocking the ring out of Golbat's mouth. Honchkrow takes possession of the ring. Both bird Pokémon exchange glares before racing towards the goal. Golbat goes into Aerial Ace, but Honchkrow moves aside, the attack passing harmlessly. Dwayne quickly has Golbat come down with Aerial Ace, stealing the ring right out from Honchkrow's beak. While Golbat races towards the goal, Lazuli orders Honchkrow to strike with Sky Attack, hitting Golbat. As he attempts a follow-up Night Slash, Dwayne has Golbat retaliate with Brave Bird. However, Honchkrow anticipates this, dodging the attack and striking with Night Slash, sending Golbat to the ground, though he still holds the ring.

Dwayne tries to encourage Golbat to get up, but Lazuli snubs him before ordering a finishing Sky Attack. Golbat seems immobile as Honchkrow bears down, but Dwayne's encouragement gets him back into the air. Golbat spreads his wings before he begins to glow, starting the evolution process. His number of wings increases as the evolution completes with Crobat ready to fight. Not backing down, Lazuli has Honchkrow use Night Slash, both of the Pokémon's wings glowing. Crobat easily dodges the attacks, but Honchkrow eventually lands a hit and Crobat loses the ring. Both go after it, repelling each other before Honchkrow stalls Crobat with a Night Slash. Crobat quickly races towards Honchkrow, gets parallel and proceeds to attack with Cross Poison before Crobat pushes Honchkrow back with a wing strike. Excited, Dwayne has Crobat go for the ring. Crobat grabs it and races for the goal. Honchkrow tries to hit with Night Slash, but Crobat dodges, gets behind and attempts Brave Bird. Honchkrow turns around and hits with Sky Attack, the two moves creating a powerful explosion and sending the ring away. Both Trainers order their Pokémon after it. Honchkrow gets farther ahead and is almost to the ring, but Dwayne shouts to Crobat to get the ring. Crobat races forward and unexpectedly swats the ring with his wing before Honchkrow can close its beak, sending the ring onto the goal. Dwayne and Crobat win the PokéRinger, giving Dwayne his first overall win against Lazuli.

Back on the ground, Lazuli scolds Honchkrow, telling it they lost due to its slow reactions before recalling it and then after a quick glance at Dwayne, leaves. Afterwards, Dwayne poses for a picture with Crobat as he gets a plaque and the prize of Pokémon food. Since there's so much food, Dwayne decides it should be eaten right away and invites all the other competitors and their Pokémon to eat as well, and everyone thanks him for the act of kindness. At sunset, as Lazuli leaves the area, Dwayne catches up with her and gloats that the Zubat she thought was worthless evolved into Golbat, and is now a powerful Crobat. Lazuli can only respond that she considers it to have taken far too long before walking away.

Sometime later, Lazuli arrived at Snowpoint City to challenge Candice, but was asked to postpone the battle for the next day as Candace had just battled against Dwayne, and was defeated, and Lazuli accepts and begins to walk away. Later, Rollins arrives at the city to run an errand, and Lazuli runs into him, and gets soon joined by Dwayne and Sadie. Suddenly, they witness the Battle Pyramid flying by, and Lazuli becomes extremely shocked upon finding that Dwayne was capable of beating it in the past. As they reach the Battle Pyramid, Lazuli challenges Brandon to a Full Battle, which Brandon accepts, and Lazuli becomes determined to finally achieve her goal of defeating Brandon. Lazuli summons Magmar as Brandon summons Regirock. Lazuli immediately recalls Magmar, which surprises everyone, including Brandon, since the battle just started. Lazuli brings out Hitmonlee. The type matchup is positive for Lazuli as Regirock fires Stone Edge, but Hitmonlee blocks it easily. Lazuli points out that Rock-type moves won't do that much harm to Fighting-types like Hitmonlee, and asks if this is a test. Brandon smiles and states she will have to see for herself. Hitmonlee charges forward and hits with Jump Kick, but Regirock bear hugs Hitmonlee to stop the attack and uses Shock Wave at close range, causing it to stumble. Hitmonlee launches a Vacuum Wave, but Regirock moves to the side and throws a Focus Punch, knocking Hitmonlee out. As Lazuli recalls Hitmonlee, everyone is impressed at the strength of Regirock.

Lazuli calls Electabuzz. Dwayne predicts Lazuli's strategy as Electabuzz uses Brick Break to score a direct hit. Regirock fires Stone Edge, with the attack being so powerful that it even manages to smash through Protect, which greatly frustrates Lazuli, before following up with Hyper Beam to take Electabuzz out. Dwayne expresses his surprise at the easy defeat of Electabuzz while Lazuli recalls it. Brandon recalls his Regirock as well, which benefits him on not having to deal with Regirock being immobile after firing Hyper Beam. Brandon sends out Registeel as Lazuli brings Magmar back out. Magmar hits with a Flamethrower, but, to everyone's amazement, Registeel takes the super-effective attack without much falter. Rollins notes that Flamethrower must have had an effect on Registeel, but it is hanging in. Registeel launches into an Iron Head and Magmar blocks it, but it flinches, negating the Will-O-Wisp order Lazuli gave. Lazuli recalls Magmar and deploys Rhydon. Registeel fires Flash Cannon, which hits Rhydon squarely in the face, but Rhydon uses Earth Power, with Brandon showing some surprise of how Rhydon recovered), to score a direct before before launching into Horn Drill. However, Registeel dodges, although it quickly suffers a direct a hit from Rhydon's Earthquake before using Iron Head to knock it out.

Brandon begins to taunt Lazuli, reminding her that she wanted to defeat the man who defeated Rollins and put an end to his Pokémon journey. Lazuli, recalling her Rhydon, tells Brandon that the fact that Brandon defeated Rollins is the only reason why she is battling him now; all she wants is the chance to earn victory against Brandon, which her brother couldn't do. Brandon presents the ultimate challenge to all Trainers to find their inner strength and Lazuli knows what her inner strength is: her will. Brandon chastises Lazuli for this, telling her she is focusing on the past. He adds that if Lazuli is this obsessed with what happened to Rollins, she needs to question why she's on a journey in the first place. This clearly hits a nerve and Lazuli furiously brings out Onix.

Brandon recalls Registeel and brings Regice out as Onix uses Harden and Defense Curl. Rollins guesses Lazuli is trying to hang in and wait for a chance to counterstrike. Regice freezes Onix with an Ice Beam before launching Focus Punch, knocking out Onix without it being able to attack. As Lazuli recalls Onix, her emotions grow even more intense as she brings out Ursaring. Ursaring launches Hammer Arm, but Regice counters with Focus Punch and a massive backlash is created, knocking both Pokémon backwards. Ursaring prepares to use Focus Blast, but a Zap Cannon stops that attack and paralyses Ursaring. Lazuli gets even more frustrated and angry at this, and Dwayne notices Lazuli is not trying to switch out Ursaring. Brandon then recalls Regice and brings Regirock back out, much to Lazuli's anger and shock. Regirock then fires Stone Edge, and Ursaring is taken out, forcing Lazuli to recall Ursaring. Rollins notes that Lazuli did not give any orders to Ursaring, having just given up on Ursaring's chances of winning. Lazuli brings out Magmar as her last, however, with the type-disadvantage and massive difference in strength, everyone verbally agrees that Lazuli has already lost the match. Regirock easily endures Magmar's Flamethrower before knocking out Magmar with Shock Wave, therefore giving Brandon a perfect 6-0 victory over Lazuli.

Dwayne feels bad for Lazuli, who is left shocked and upset at her team being completely ripped apart by Brandon, all the while in front of her brother and peers. Lazuli then recalls her Magmar, and Brandon, recalling Regirock, then asks if the battle Lazuli just had was her true battle. He commends Lazuli on a good battle and raising and training her Pokémon very well, but notes that Lazuli let her emotions betray her during the battle. Brandon then tells Lazuli that they will battle again when she has learned to control her emotions. Lazuli silently accepts this, bowing to her elder. Outside, Lazuli still plans to challenge Candice as Candice challenges Sadie to a battle. Candice and Sadie get on Dodrio as Candice wishes Dwayne good luck in his next Gym battle. Lazuli starts to leave, but suggests a Full Battle between Dwayne and Lazuli. Brandon agrees with the idea as both Dwayne and Lazuli agree to battle, with Rollins setting the event at Lake Acuity in ten days, and Rollins and Lazuli leave in Rollins's van.

When the day of their Full Battle arrives, Lazuli and Dwayne prepare for their long-waited battle. A Coin Toss is used to decide who gets to pick their Pokémon first, and Dwayne wins. He sends out Buizel first, and Lazuli sends out her Torterra. The referee begins the match, only for Dwayne to instantly recall Buizel, similar to how Lazuli recalled her first Pokémon during the match against Brandon when she didn't like the type-matchup. Dwayne apologizes to Buizel and promises he will call on it soon, and sends out Gliscor to replace him.

The battle then begins properly as Lazuli orders Giga Drain. However, the energy-sapping tentacles plunge into the ground, missing a now flying Gliscor completely. Rollins knows that Lazuli probably intended Giga Drain to miss to try to lull Dwayne into a false sense of security and let down his guard. Dwayne then has Gliscor use X-Scissor on Torterra and it scores a direct hit. Being a Bug-type move, it causes a fair bit of damage against Torterra, but not enough to cause it to faint. Lazuli then starts to battle directly and orders Frenzy Plant, the most powerful Grass-type move. Luckily, Gliscor is fast enough to avoid the vines, and Torterra is left immobilized while it recharges. Dwayne knows he has an opening and has Gliscor use Fire Fang, which hits Torterra, and Dwayne has Gliscor follow this up with another X-Scissor. Dwayne decides to go in for one more hit and has Gliscor use Poison Jab, but as Gliscor heads towards Torterra, it recovers from Frenzy Plant and Lazuli has it use Crunch. Although Poison Jab hits, Torterra bites on to Gliscor's tail, and Gliscor struggles, but is unable to break free. Lazuli then has Torterra use Giga Drain, and this time it hits dead-on, sapping Gliscor's energy while recharging its own. Rollins realizes this was part of Lazuli's strategy, to allow Torterra to be immobilized so Dwayne would go in close-range. Gliscor is still struggling to break free from Giga Drain and Dwayne has Gliscor use Fire Fang on the energy tentacles, which hurts Torterra and sets Gliscor free. Both Gliscor and Torterra are left exhausted, and Dwayne decides to recall Gliscor for some rest, and sends out Crobat to battle next.

Ryder has Crobat begin with Brave Bird, and Crobat moves in for the hit. However, Lazuli has Torterra use Stone Edge. The pointed stones score a super-effective hit and Crobat is sent plummeting to the ground. Now everyone is aware that Lazuli left Torterra in because she knew Dwayne would switch to Crobat, and now that it has done its job, Lazuli recalls Torterra to its Poké Ball. Lazuli's second Pokémon is Weavile, and after making sure Crobat is OK to battle, Dwayne tells him to begin with Air Slash. Crobat gets the hit in, and Lazuli then has Weavile use Swords Dance. Dwayne calls for a Supersonic, and Lazuli counters this by ordering Blizzard. The Ice-type move hits Crobat hard, and Lazuli then has Weavile follow up with Metal Claw. Crobat flies low and Weavile jumps onto his back. Weavile then slashes Crobat's back and jumps off as the Bat Pokémon crashes to the ground. Lazuli orders Weavile to go after Crobat with another Metal Claw, and Dwayne has Crobat use Cross Poison. Crobat and Weavile trade blows, but Crobat is able to gain the advantage and sends Weavile flying. Crobat maintains the assault, and Lazuli orders a Blizzard while Dwayne calls for Brave Bird. Crobat flies out of range of the Blizzard and scores a direct hit with Brave Bird. Although Crobat suffers from the recoil, Weavile comes out of it far worse off and, despite its efforts, collapses to the ground unable to battle. Olivier rules Weavile as out of the battle and Dwayne, now with the advantage, commends a battered Crobat on a fantastic performance, but knows better than to get too confident over this win. Dwayne also knows that Crobat took a real beating and recalls him for some rest.

Lazuli sends out Electabuzz next while Dwayne sends out Grotle. As Electric-type moves don't work very well against Grass-types, Dwayne doesn't know what Lazuli is thinking and has Grotle use Energy Ball. Lazuli has Electabuzz use Light Screen and Electabuzz sets up a barrier which the Energy Ball smashes against, instead of getting a direct hit. Now that the Light Screen is set up, Lazuli substitutes Electabuzz with Honchkrow, a much better type-matchup against Grotle. Grotle is determined to defeat Honchkrow to make up for the defeat it suffered after evolving, and Dwayne decides to leave it in, determined to show Lazuli and Honchkrow how much Grotle has improved since then. Rollins knows this is a huge mistake on Dwayne's part due to the disadvantage as a Grass-type, especially Lazuli.

Night Slash is used by Honchkrow after a missed Razor Leaf, and although Grotle tries to stand up to it, the hit is still powerful. Dwayne orders Grotle to use Energy Ball, however Honchkrow is shielded by the Light Screen. Honchkrow uses Haze, which surrounds Grotle. Normally when Lazuli battles, it's to polish up her Pokémon's moves or to increase their power but she has a different motive during this battle. Lazuli is going for the win. Rollins explains that Lazuli has worked out Dwayne's battle style which is allowing her to keep the pressure on Dwayne. When Grotle gets Night Slashed again, Dwayne sees that it is exhausted by now, so he has it use Synthesis. As Grotle regains its energy, Lazuli takes advantage of the moment and tells Honchkrow to use Sky Attack. Honchkrow begins glowing and makes a direct line for Grotle. Dwayne has Grotle use Rock Climb to try to counter, and the attacks collide, obscuring both Pokémon, however Honchkrow flies clear while Grotle has been knocked out. Olivier rules Grotle as being unable to battle, and Dwayne recalls it as Lazuli recalls Honchkrow. Rollins, noting on Dwayne's poor judgment, points out that using Synthesis as healing moves have the disadvantage of leaving a Pokémon open to attack and a Trainer should make note of the opponent's condition before using one or be an easy target.

Both Trainers must select new Pokémon, and Dwayne sends Gardevoir into the battle. Lazuli sends in a Pokémon that surprises everyone, Magmortar, evolved from her Magmar. Dwayne orders Gardevoir to use Psyshock, but Magmortar dodges and uses Fire Punch, landing a direct hit. Worsening matters, once Gardevoir lands, she is immediately hurt by fire that surrounds her body. Rollins notes that Magmortar has the Flame Body Ability, which has a chance of burning an opponent if it makes physical contact. Lazuli smiles, and Dwayne asks Gardevoir if she wants to continue, and Gardevoir, desperate to help Dwayne defeat Lazuli, agrees. Dwayne thanks Gardevoir and commands a Shadow Ball, and Lazuli responds by ordering a Flamethrower. Magmortar fires Flamethrower from its massive bazooka-like arms and it connects with Gardevoir's Shadow Ball, causing a massive explosion. Dwayne then has Gardevoir Moonblast, and Gardevoir powers up and charges the attack. Lazuli commands Magmortar to use Rock Tomb, and Magmortar starts to fire purple energy which turns into rocks when they hit the ground. Gardevoir, unbale to cancel her attack in time to evade, gets struck by a direct hit, and subsequently continues to suffer from her burn. Lazuli then commands Magmortar to use Smog and Magmortar releases a massive poisonous cloud which heads straight towards Gardevoir. Realizing that there was nowhere for Gardevoir to dodge the massive cloud, Dwayne commands Gardevoir to dodge using Teleport, and she teleports herself within the lake to avoid getting consumed by Smog, which shocks Lazuli and impresses Rollins. However, Gardevoir is then hurt by his burn again just as Gardevoir teleports back to the battlefield. Rollins knows that this is bad and that the longer that Gardevoir carries on, the greater the disadvantage for her. Lazuli orders Magmortar to use Flamethrower. Dwayne tells Incineroar to jump and use Psyshock from above. Gardevoir jumps out of the Flamethrower's path and successfully strikes Magmortar across the head with Psyshock. Magmortar takes the hit and Gardevoir takes more burn damage. Dwayne then recalls Gardevoir for some rest after battling so hard.

Dwayne decides to use type advantage against Magmortar and sends out Buizel, who is ready to battle. Dwayne starts by ordering an Aqua Jet and Buizel speeds towards Magmortar and hits it directly on the chest, sending Magmortar reeling back, but despite the super-effective hit is still able to carry on. Dwayne then follows up with Water Pulse, and Buizel sends a wave of water towards his opponent, however Lazuli orders another Rock Tomb, and Magmortar creates a shield of rocks which protects itself from the Water Pulse. However, Dwayne quickly orders Aqua Jet. Buizel smashes through the rocks, only to find Magmortar gone. Dwayne and Buizel don't know where Magmortar is, and Buizel looks up to see a now aerial Magmortar release another Smog, which hits Buizel and poisons the Pokémon, causing Buizel to reel in pain. Rollins realizes that Rock Tomb was used to keep Buizel from seeing what Magmortar was up to. As Buizel tries to recover from his damage, Magmortar lands and Lazuli recalls it.

Lazuli then sends out Ursaring and Dwayne orders Water Gun. Lazuli is prepared for this and orders a Hammer Arm, which successfully counters the attack. Lazuli then orders Bulk Up, which increases Ursaring's strength and defense. Dwayne knows what Bulk Up does, but foolishly believes Buizel can handle it and has him use Aqua Jet while Lazuli orders Ursaring to use Slash. Ursaring, after resisting Aqua Jet, hits Buizel with its sharp claws, sending Buizel to the ground. Ursaring uses Focus Blast, and Dwayne responds by having Buizel use an Aqua Jet Counter Shield, which creates a typhoon of water upon which Focus Blast backfires onto Ursaring, and this strategy leaves Lazuli stunned, having never seen anything like it before, while Rollins calls Dwayne's innovative defensive manuever as a "stroke of genius". Dwayne then orders a Sonic Boom, and Lazuli tells Ursaring to use Hammer Arm. Ursaring runs through the Sonic Boom and lands a direct hit on Buizel, smashing him to the ground. At this point, Dwayne is ready to recall Buizel, but Buizel wants to stay in the battle so Dwayne allows him to stay. This turns out to be a mistake, because when Buizel is ordered to use Aqua Jet, the attack is countered by a dead on Focus Blast which takes Buizel out of the battle.

Dwayne then sends out Crobat, launching Brave Bird. Lazuli orders another Hammer Arm, but Crobat dodges it and scores a clean hit with Brave Bird. Lazuli orders Focus Blast, which hits Crobat in mid-air, but not critically damaging it. Dwayne orders Crobat to use Cross Poison, but despite the damage, Ursaring seems unfazed, and Hammer Arms Crobat into the ground, taking it out of the match. Dwayne returns Crobat to his Poké Ball and thanks him for a good battle. Lazuli recalls Ursaring and sends out Electabuzz, and Dwayne sends out Chimchar for his first appearance in the battle, and Chimchar shows a mean look at its former Trainer. Chimchar uses Flamethrower, but Electabuzz uses Protect to block. Lazuli has Electabuzz put up a Light Screen before immediately returning it to its Poké Ball. Rollins believes that Lazuli used Protect to cover Electabuzz then Light Screen to cover her next Pokémon. Lazuli sends out Torterra, which confuses Dwayne as Torterra, being a partial Grass-type, has a disadvantage to Chimchar, but he carries on. Dwayne orders Chimchar to use Flame Wheel, but Torterra counters with Stone Edge. Dwayne has Chimchar immediately dodge the Stone Edge by changing the direction of the Flame Wheel, but it is revealed that Lazuli has trained Torterra to change the direction of the stones, allowing them to follow Chimchar. Chimchar cannot outrun the stones and therefore suffers a super-effective hit. Dwayne has Chimchar use Flamethrower which hits successfully, but the Light Screen protects Torterra and Flamethrower only does half the damage. Realizing that Chimchar won't be able to defeat Torterra like this, Dwayne recalls him.

Ryder sends out Gliscor against Torterra again and orders X-Scissor. However, Lazuli isn't messing around with Gliscor this time, and has Torterra use Frenzy Plant, which this time is able to score a direct hit and knocks out Gliscor immediately. Dwayne returns Gliscor to its Poké Ball, and begins to consider his remaining options. He knows that Torterra was Lazuli's first Pokémon and as a result is the strongest member of her team. Dwayne decides to choose Gardevoir and as Gardevoir gets summoned, Lazuli immediately returns Torterra. Lazuli sends out Ursaring again, leaving Dwayne unsure of what to do, as he knows that Ursaring is very powerful, having taken out two of his Pokémon. Gardevoir reminds Dwayne that he has the first move, and Dwayne orders Moonblast, while Lazuli orders yet another Hammer Arm. Gardevoir launches the attack, but Ursaring's Hammer Arm knocks the attack out of the way and sends Gardevoir flying back after connecting with Hammer Arm. Gardevoir recovers and Dwayne orders Gardevoir to use Psyshock. Lazuli orders Ursaring to counter, but Ursaring suffers from poison, and Psyshock scores a clean hit, although Gardevoir still suffers damage from the burn she received from Magmortar earlier. Rollins comments that Ursaring's poison was a delayed reaction from Crobat's Cross Poison, as Lazuli had recalled Ursaring before poison could take effect on Ursaring. Just then, Ursaring's eyes begin to glow red, pleasing Lazuli.

Rollins notes that Ursaring's Guts Ability has been activated by its poison. Gardevoir sees Ursaring glowing red and screaming with rage, having suddenly just gained a lot of power. Lazuli commands Hammer Arm, while Dwayne orders Gardevoir to counter, and Gardevoir responds with a massive Moonblast, but it does not stop Ursaring. Gardevoir is Hammer Arm'd, and heaved into Lake Acuity, where after disappearing under the water, she lets out a final burst of energy. Dwayne runs into the lake looking for Gardevoir. Rollins becomes worried about Gardevoir, and even Lazuli casts a glance towards the lake where Dwayne is looking, and seemingly becomes quite worried, knowing that she probably used too much force. Gardevoir emerges from the water, seemingly okay, but she quickly faints in Dwayne's arms, not only exhausted but injured from Ursaring's attacks. Dwayne helps Gardevoir to the sidelines and promises to get her to a Pokémon Center after the battle. Dwayne attempts to recall her, but Gardevoir refuses, wanting to watch the remainder of the battle, and Dwayne relents, and Gardevoir sits next to Rollins. Dwayne knows that Lazuli still has five Pokémon while he is down to only Chimchar, but he also knows that all of Lazuli's Pokémon have taken damage and he is still determined to continue.

Dwayne sends out Chimchar while Lazuli leaves Ursaring in. Chimchar uses Flame Wheel, but Ursaring knocks it back with Slash. Dwayne then tells Chimchar to use Flamethrower, which scores a direct hit, and Dwayne has Chimchar follow up with Dig. Lazuli commands Ursaring to use Hammer Arm on the ground like before, but this time, Chimchar emerges from the ground before Ursaring can pull off the attack and causes even more damage to it. Chimchar is then commanded to use another Flamethrower, which hits Ursaring dead-on finally bringing it down. Dwayne congratulates Chimchar on doing a great job which makes the Chimp Pokémon dance with joy. Dwayne approaches Chimchar and praises his Pokémon before asking if he is okay to continue. Chimchar nods his head in agreement and then starts to glow as Chimchar has started to evolve. Everyone watches in amazement as Chimchar undergoes the transformation and evolves into Monferno. Dwayne is overjoyed over having a new Pokémon. Rollins notes that while Chimchar didn't fit Lazuli's training style, it was a perfect match for Dwayne's, and this has been displayed in Chimchar rising to Dwayne's call and evolving into Monferno, and as a result, now has new abilities and techniques at its disposal.

Monferno demonstrates this by swinging its fists quickly and effortlessly which causes them to glow. Monferno then swings at the ground which sends a gust of wind at Lazuli, who stands unflinching. Dwayne realizes that, as well as evolving, Monferno has also learned Mach Punch, which Monferno confirms by somersaulting on the spot. Rollins continues that Dwayne and Monferno are the perfect example of how compatibility between Trainer and Pokémon can mean everything. Lazuli sends out Electabuzz, who is initially surprised to see Chimchar has evolved, but is still more than ready to battle its former teammate, a sentiment Monferno agrees with. Rollins notes the two are now on equal terms, and Dwayne commands Monferno to use Mach Punch. Monferno speeds towards Electabuzz and chokes it square on the chest, sending an astounded Electabuzz flying back and smashing into a rock. Lazuli orders Electabuzz to use Thunder, which hits Monferno and makes it scream in pain. Dwayne responds to this by having Monferno use Flame Wheel, however Lazuli has Electabuzz use Protect, sending Monferno flying back. Monferno tries Flamethrower, but Electabuzz dodges and executes Thunder Punch. Monferno dodges it in mid-air, and Dwayne tells him to use Dig. Monferno tunnels underground, and when Electabuzz lands, it suffers a direct strike as Monferno emerges. Dwayne commands another Flame Wheel, and Electabuzz responds with Thunder, which heads straight towards Monferno. Dwayne has Monferno use Counter Shield with Flamethrower, and as a result, the Thunder is deflected allowing Flame Wheel to score a direct hit. Rollins is impressed by how Dwayne is using the momentum to turn the battle around.

Dwayne orders another Mach Punch, but this time, Monferno's move was blocked by Electabuzz's Protect, and Monferno gets hit by Thunder, sending him back towards Dwayne and forcing it to its knees from both the damage and paralysis. Dwayne senses something bad and tells Monferno to use Flamethrower, but as he sees Monferno can't launch the attack, he then realizes that Monferno had been paralyzed. Just then, Monferno's tail flame starts to burn more fiercely. Dwayne is delighted that Monferno is not giving up no matter what and tells him to use Mach Punch while Lazuli commands her Electabuzz to use Thunder Punch. The two Pokémon head towards each other full of fury, and both attacks connect at the same time, which causes a massive explosion in the middle of the battlefield. When the smoke clears, Monferno and Electabuzz continue to stare each other down. While Electabuzz is very weak, Monferno has taken far more damage and collapses to the ground, badly injured, to Dwayne's horror. Olivier rules Monferno as being unable to battle, which means Lazuli has won the match while Dwayne, having only managed to knock out two of Lazuli's Pokémon, has suffered his worst defeat ever. The sun starts to set on Lake Acuity, as Lazuli returns Electabuzz to its Poké Ball and Dwayne cradles Monferno in his arms, telling him that it did a great job. Rollins congratulates Lazuli on her win, and Lazuli actually smiles, acknowledging that it was indeed a spectacular battle. Lazuli promises to send Rollins her Pokémon and bids farewell to him and Olivier before leaving.

After obtaining her eight Badges to compete in the Sinnoh League, Lazuli and Dwayne crossed paths yet again, as well as Lazuli meeting Vito, whom Lazuli had never met before, and Vito admired Lazuli's strength. Vito introduces himself, tells her he has also earned eight Badges, and challenges her to a battle. Lazuli is unimpressed with Vito, however, and declines the offer, which surprises Vito. Vito tells Lazuli that she has a reputation as a really strong Trainer with really strong Pokémon and that he'd love to battle her. Lazuli responds by telling Vito that she is currently declining all challenges at the moment. She explains that since she has now earned her eighth Badges, she is in the middle of serious training for the Sinnoh League and she will not risk her Pokémon's condition by having a pointless battle, and Dwayne actually seems surprised that Lazuli shows any concern for her Pokémon's condition.

Vito insists that a battle against him won't be pointless, but Lazuli tells Vito that if he is desperate for a battle, he should battle Dwayne. Vito refuses since he doesn't believe Dwayne is on their level, given that he only has seven Badges. Dwayne then tells Lazuli that he plans on getting his eighth Badge at Sunyshore Gym. Suddenly, Lazuli furiously tells Dwayne that she does not consider Sunyshore City's Gym to be worthy of its title. A surprised Vito tells Lazuli that he considered it to be the best Gym, but she tells Vito that its is the worst of them all. Lazuli then leaves; Vito tries to shout at her, although Lazuli ignores him.

Later, Lazuli witness their battle and after the Pokémon Pinchers attempt to steal Vito's Empoleon, Lazuli summons Electabuzz to try and save Empoleon from being crushed by the villains's mecha. Suddenly, Electabuzz's Protect fails, and the mecha starts to collapse, endangering Electabuzz as well as the other Pokémon. Monferno, now back in control, powers up a Flame Wheel, and races towards the cage getting underneath and supporting it. As it supports the cage, Monferno suddenly evolves into Infernape. Dwayne has Infernape throw the cage into the air, and then has it destroyed with Mach Punch. This proves to be no problem for the powerful Pokémon as it frees Empoleon. When Empoleon starts to fall, Infernape absorbs him into a Flame Wheel to allow him to land safely. Dwayne congratulates Infernape, and Empoleon thanks Infernape for saving him. Lazuli then approaches them and explains that Monferno was not only able to control Blaze, but was able to transform it into a new kind of energy that allowed it to evolve. Infernape then releases Vito from his capsule; and Empoleon reunites with its relieved Trainer. Lazuli starts to leave, but Dwayne thanks her for helping them and tells his rival that both he and Infernape would like to have another battle against her one day. Lazuli smiles, and tells Dwayne that Rollins would also like to see another Full Battle between the two at the Sinnoh League, which Dwayne and Infernape agree to.

When the Lily of the Valley Conference kicks off, Lazuli wins her first few matches, and ends up meeting Vito in battle during the third round. In the evening, Lazuli is checking the data of Vito, when she hears Vito's voice. Vito asks Lazuli if she is looking up on him, which she confirms. After Lazuli leaves, Vito checks on Lazuli's data, as Sadie arrives and tells them that she looked at the scoreboard, and said that she would either face Dwayne or Derek in the next round depending on who won the battle. The next day, the battle between Lazuli and Vito is about to begin. A rock field will be the battlefield for their battle. Vito and Lazuli appear on both sides of the battlefield. Vito chooses Forretress as his first Pokémon and Lazuli chooses Magmortar. Vito starts the battle with Spikes. Lazuli tells Magmortar to use Flamethrower, and the strong attack takes out Forretress immediately. Vito thanks his Forretress and returns it to its Poké Ball. He sends out Empoleon. Empoleon uses Hydro Cannon on Magmortar, injuring it. Despite knowing that her Pokémon will be injured under the effects of Spikes, Lazuli calls back Magmortar and sends out Ursaring. The Spikes from before inflicts a damage on Ursaring.

Vito returns Empoleon, and chooses Hitmonlee. Lazuli tells Ursaring to use Bulk Up. Hitmonlee uses Mega Kick. Ursaring uses Hammer Arm, but Hitmonlee dodges it by jumping on a rock. Ursaring uses Slash, and Vito tells Hitmonlee to dodge it all. Then, Hitmonlee uses Close Combat. Ursaring uses Hammer Arm again and hits Hitmonlee. As Hitmonlee is about to crash onto a rock, Vito tells it to do its best. It jumps up high and uses High Jump Kick. It crashes to the ground and hits Ursaring with its other leg. Lazuli tells it to use Focus Blast. Although Hitmonlee dodges it by jumping behind a rock, the strong impact hits Hitmonlee. Ursaring uses Hammer Arm again, and Hitmonlee counters it by using Blaze Kick, burning Ursaring. Ursaring activates Guts and uses Hammer Arm to counter Hitmonlee's Blaze Kick. The strong impact causes a smoke that clears soon after. Both Pokémon are seen standing up, but Hitmonlee falls. Hitmonlee is defeated.

Vito chooses his Empoleon again. Lazuli tells Ursaring to use Slash, and Empoleon uses Drill Peck. Both Pokémon are injured. Ursaring uses Focus Blast and Empoleon uses Steel Wing to reflect the attack. The Focus Blast is sent back to Ursaring, and Ursaring suffers massive damage. Lazuli calls Ursaring back, and sends Electivire out. The Spikes hit Electivire. Dwayne comments that Lazuli's Electabuzz had evolved and knows that Vito's chances of victory are slim. Empoleon uses Hyper Beam and Electivire counters it with Thunder. The attacks collide and causes a huge smoke. The smoke clears and shows Empoleon breathing heavily, needing to recharge after using Hyper Beam. Electivire uses Thunder Punch, and Vito tells Empoleon to dodge it. Lazuli tells Electivire to continue using Thunder Punch, but Empoleon dodges them all. When Empoleon gets cornered, Electivire uses Giga Impact and Empoleon is hit at a point-blank range.

Empoleon manages to stand up. Electivire uses Thunder Punch. Empoleon fails to dodge it, and is launched back many feet, smashing rocks in the process. Empoleon tries to get up. Vito yells it to continue doing its best. Empoleon hears it and its Torrent Ability is activated. Empoleon uses Hydro Cannon. Its Torrent Ability powers up its Hydro Cannon, which is strong enough to destroy the rocky terrain of the field. Dwayne becomes pleased with this breakthough, though Lazuli just orders Electivire to use Protect. Hydro Cannon hits the protective shielding and Electivire is unaffected by Empoleon's last resort. Empoleon has to recharge from the attack. Electivire finishes it the battle off with Thunder. Empoleon stands still, taking the damage of the Thunder. Vito yells out to Empoleon. Lazuli is declared the winner. Vito thanks his Empoleon for the great battle. Later at the Pokémon Center, Vito meets up with Lazuli and asks her if she believed his skills as a Trainer met her standards, and after a brief pause of silence, Lazuli says that Vito impressed her before walking off, and Vito becomes delighted at seeing that Lazuli respected him.

During the finals of the tournament, Lazuli and Dwayne once meet in combat, in a Full Battle for the championship. Dwayne decides to start the match with Gardevoir while Lazuli chooses Steelix. Lazuli begins by having Steelix use Iron Tail, and Dwayne has Gardevoir counter with Psyshock and the two moves cancel each other out. Lazuli then tells Steelix to use Screech. A high-pitched noise is produced which causes pain to Gardevoir. Dwayne instructs Gardevoir to use Shadow Ball to stop Steelix's attack, and Gardevoir manages to pull it off, stopping Steelix as well as causing damage. Gardevoir then uses Teleport to appear behind Steelix. However, Lazuli expected this and counters with Steelix's Flash Cannon, hitting Gardevoir and sending her flying, rolling back onto her feet. Dwayne knows Gardevoir is struggling and decides to call her back to save for later and substitutes with Infernape. Up in the stands, Cynthia smiles at seeing the little Chimchar she once knew having evolved into a powerful Infernape.

Lazuli tells Steelix to use Double-Edge while Dwayne tells Infernape to counter with Flare Blitz. The two powerful and dangerous attacks collide. The two are sent backwards, and Infernape suffers from the recoil. Unfortunately, Steelix has the Rock Head Ability which cancels out the normal recoil from Double-Edge, but luckily for Dwayne, it turns out that Steelix has suffered burns from Flare Blitz. Dwayne then instructs Infernape to use Mach Punch, and Lazuli orders Steelix to use Flash Cannon, but Infernape lands the fast Mach Punch before Steelix can fire, sending Steelix flying into the wall behind Lazuli and crushing the surface on impact. When the smoke clears, Steelix is unable to battle, giving Dwayne the lead. Lazuli then sends out her Gastrodon and Dwayne calls back Infernape and sends out Crobat. Gastrodon begins with Muddy Water and Crobat uses Brave Bird; Gastrodon continues using Muddy Water, circling its head above its body, and clips Crobat. It quickly becomes clear that Gastrodon is using Dwayne's Counter Shield technique. Dwayne instructs Crobat to dive down and use Brave Bird, and Gastrodon counterattacks with Body Slam, trapping Crobat with its soft body. Gastrodon then uses Water Pulse and shoots it straight up into the sky, which then picks up speed as it comes down. Gastrodon watches it intently; Dwayne realizes that it will jump away at the last second, giving no time for Crobat to dodge it. Just when all seems lost, Dwayne has Crobat use Supersonic on the floor, lifting him up, which knocks off Gastrodon and he escapes the Water Pulse. Lazuli orders Gastrodon to use Ice Beam while falling backwards, bringing the in-flight Crobat to a screeching halt and crashing onto the field. Knowing Crobat is at a big disadvantage since Gastrodon knows Ice Beam, Dwayne decides that he will have to recall Crobat for later and change his strategy.

Dwayne calls back Crobat and sends out Buizel. At this point, Lazuli points out that what Dwayne is doing is too predictable now. She knows Dwayne is just trying to get rid of all the frustration his Pokémon felt from the loss back at Lake Acuity into his advantage here which is why he brought them all back for this battle. Dwayne states she is correct and that this is all what his Pokémon want. He knows they lost to her back at Lake Acuity, but they are still beating her here no matter what. Buizel agrees immediately to what Dwayne has said. Gastrodon uses Ice Beam again and Buizel uses Aqua Jet, turning it into **Ice Aqua Jet** to hit Gastrodon. This hits Gastrodon and causes it to jump up and Gastrodon then goes for Body Slam, and Dwayne thinks quickly and instructs Buizel to meet the attack with Ice Punch, causing Gastrodon to faint. Dwayne knows that the hard part of the battle has only just begun. At home in Veilstone City, Rollins watches the broadcast, remarking that Lazuli had a back-up plan of Gastrodon using Ice Beam if Crobat escaped, and wonders if Dwayne figured out that Lazuli had planned to sacrifice Steelix and Gastrodon all along in the first place. If not, he will need to do so right away.

Lazuli sends out Drapion and attacks with Pin Missile, which Buizel cancels out with its Counter Shield technique. Drapion then uses Cross Poison, which Buizel dodges by sliding behind Drapion. Buizel uses Sonic Boom at Drapion's back, who blocks the attack with its tail. Drapion grabs Buizel with its tail, twisting around its torso to menace the struggling Buizel. When Buizel tries to use Sonic Boom with his free tail, Drapion just grabs it with a free arm, rendering it useless. Dwayne instructs Buizel to puff up the life preserver object on his neck and then let the air out in an instant. After freeing himself, Buizel uses Water Gun to lift himself into the air, away from Drapion. With Buizel still in the air, Drapion uses Toxic Spikes, littering the field with them and poisoning Buizel. Then, Drapion uses Pin Missile to finish off Buizel, thus leaving Dwayne with five Pokémon.

Dwayne then sends out Crobat to battle Drapion next. Drapion uses Pin Missile, which Crobat effectively dodges with its high speed. It then comes down with Brave Bird, which Drapion manages to dodge at the last second, and captures Crobat like it did with Buizel. Drapion uses Pin Missile on the trapped Crobat, therefore knocking him out. Dwayne then sends out Torterra next, and Torterra feels the effect of the Toxic Spikes instantaneously. Drapion uses Cross Poison on Torterra, and Torterra sends Drapion away with Energy Ball. Dwayne quickly attacks again with Leaf Storm, hitting Drapion again. Lazuli instructs Drapion to use Pin Missile to counter the Leaf Storm, which end up neutralizing each other. Torterra comes out of the smoke with a Rock Climb, but is grabbed by Drapion when he is just about to attack and uses Poison Fang on Torterra. Torterra uses Synthesis to gain back some energy and Drapion comes to attack with Pin Missile, again, hitting Torterra and knocking it out, leaving Dwayne with three Pokémon.

Lazuli asks Dwayne if he's planning to send out Gliscor next, to which Dwayne responds that she is correct. Lazuli recalls Drapion as she tells Dwayne that she already knows all the Pokémon that Dwayne will be using because she purposely let him take out her Steelix and Gastrodon so she could be certain of Dwayne's strategy and exactly which Pokémon he'd use. Lazuli then says that ever since she kept Drapion on the field, she had been able to predict every one of Dwayne's moves, but much to her shock, Dwayne is still willing to continue. Dwayne states there is nobody like Lazuli, and he states that is why he is not losing to her that easily. Dwayne sends out Gliscor and Lazuli sends out her fourth Pokémon, Ninjask, which uses Agility right from the start. Dwayne tells Gliscor to use its newest attack, Stone Edge. However, it is easily dodged by Ninjask, still using Agility, while its Speed Boost Ability was also increasing its Speed. Ninjask comes in with a quick Fury Cutter, hitting Gliscor countless times. While falling, Gliscor regains lift and tries to use Fire Fang on Ninjask, but is unsuccessful and Gliscor falls into the field and gains the effect from the Toxic Spikes Drapion had left. Dwayne recalls Gliscor and sends out Infernape, who also gets poisoned from the Toxic Spikes. Dwayne realizes that he's at a major disadvantage while Toxic Spikes are active and tells Infernape to use Dig and leave Lazuli and Ninjask wondering where it is. Infernape uses Flare Blitz underground, illuminating the entire field in a bright red, alleviating the Toxic Spikes, and also damaging Ninjask. Lazuli tells Ninjask to use Giga Drain and begins to sap energy from Infernape. At this point, everyone notices that Ninjask is not moving as fast as it originally was shown to be. Rollins guesses that the damage from Flare Blitz must have canceled Speed Boost out for the time being. As Ninjask drains away its energy, Infernape scrutinizes Ninjask's movements carefully and lands a successful Mach Punch, knocking out Ninjask. Dwayne and Lazuli are now tied with three Pokémon each that are able to battle and Dwayne, knowing Infernape is starting to get tired, recalls it for some rest.

Lazuli sends out her next Pokémon, Froslass. Dwayne decides to send in Gardevoir again. Lazuli starts things off by having Froslass use Hail, and a thick cold mist soon surrounds the entire battlefield. Froslass begins fading in and out of view, preventing Gardevoir from following her movements. Dwayne realizes that Froslass's Snow Cloak Ability has been activated. Gardevoir tries to get an idea on where Froslass is but to no avail, and things become more urgent when Gardevoir starts to take damage from the Hail. Dwayne commands a Moonblast, and Gardevoir tries to hit Froslass, however, the Hail severely restricts the attack and she doesn't even get close to her target. Lazuli commands Froslass to use Ice Shard, which scores a direct hit against Gardevoir. As Moonblast isn't working, Dwayne tells Gardevoir to use Shadow Ball, however Froslass still manages to dodge the attack. Froslass uses Ice Shard, and Dwayne tells Gardevoir to use Shadow Ball as a shield, blocking the Ice Shard, before launching it towards Froslass and finally lands an attack, sending her flying into the ground and suffering major damage from the super-effective hit. Hail finally subsides, leaving Froslass with nowhere to hide. Lazuli orders an Ice Beam which hits Gardevoir. Lazuli tells Froslass to use Ice Shard again, but Gardevoir uses Teleport to appear behind Froslass before she can even release the Ice Shard. Gardevoir then scores a point-blank hit with Shadow Ball, and Froslass is left unable to battle, thus leaving Lazuli with just two Pokémon. Dwayne knows this battle took a lot out of Gardevoir and recalls her back to the sidelines.

Lazuli sends Drapion back out and Dwayne calls on Gliscor again. Drapion uses Pin Missile to start things off and Gliscor quickly dodges the attack. Gliscor uses Stone Edge and Drapion uses Cross Poison to neutralize the attack, leaving behind a large smoke cloud which Gliscor shields himself in. Dwayne then tells Gliscor to use Giga Impact, and Gliscor emerges only to power up and fly back into the cloud. Drapion gets ready to attack, not knowing where Gliscor will come from. Gliscor appears and Lazuli commands Poison Fang, as Giga Impact scores a direct hit. Drapion turns around to counterattack, only to be shocked that Gliscor isn't there. Lazuli and Drapion then find that Gliscor used the momentum from the attack to quickly throw itself back into the sky, safe from attack while it recharges from using Giga Impact. Rollins remarks that Lazuli's predictions have been crushed and she can no longer predict Dwayne's strategies. Lazuli realizes she allowed herself to be distracted by Stone Edge and has Drapion use Pin Missile. Gliscor dodges the attack quickly and expertly. He then powers up an X-Scissor, but it is subsequently blocked by Drapion's Pin Missile at the last moment, sending Gliscor flying back and landing on the ground. When Lazuli instructs Drapion to use Cross Poison, Dwayne calls out to Gliscor to use Fire Fang, and Gliscor is all ready to go. He jumps up, dodging the Cross Poison along the way and lands a direct hit with Fire Fang. As a result, not only does Drapion suffer major damage, but also gets burned. Lazuli is angry at once again being outmaneuvered while Dwayne grits his teeth with hope. From a combination of the damage it's received, Drapion finally faints, thus leaving Lazuli with one final Pokémon.

Dwayne decides to call back Gliscor when Lazuli sends out her final Pokémon which is none other than Electivire, the only Pokémon on Lazuli's current team that Dwayne has battled before. Dwayne knows that Gliscor is immune to Electivire's Electric-type moves, but is still concerned about leaving it in. However, Gliscor lets Dwayne know he can still battle, so Dwayne decides not to switch him out. Lazuli tells Electivire to start by using Thunder and directing it into the ground. Electivire sends its tails into the ground and directs Thunder into it, which sends chunks of the earth up into the air and falling onto Gliscor. Dwayne tells Gliscor to use Giga Impact and Electivire blocks the attack with its hands and catches Gliscor with its tails. Dwayne tries to call out a command, but Gliscor is unable to make an attack. Lazuli tells Electivire to use Brick Break on Gliscor, and it lands on Gliscor's head, causing it to faint. Thus, leaving Dwayne with two Pokémon: Gardevoir and Infernape.

Dwayne sends in Gardevoir next, and Lazuli tells Electivire to direct Thunder into the ground again. Once again, the ground erupts and rocks are sent flying to towards Gardevoir. However, Gardevoir is ready and dodges the falling rocks, even using some of them for momentum, and lands a direct hit on Electivire with Psyshock, causing damage. However, Electivire recovers and grabs Gardevoir with its tails and when Gardevoir tries to use Moonblast, Electivire jolts Gardevoir around so that she can't land the attack. Gardevoir hits the ground, but is able to escape the pseudo-Constrict by Electivire's tails by using Teleport. Lazuli tells Electivire to use Brick Break, and Gardevoir tries to prevent the attack from happening, but Electivire lands the attack dead-on. The two Pokémon jump back after clearing the impact. Dwayne tells Gardevoir to charge up Moonblast. As Gardevoir powers-up, Lazuli commands Electivire to use Thunder on itself, and Electivire unleashes a massive charge of electricity towards the sky, before it drops and hits itself. However, due to its Motor Drive Ability, Electivire's Speed increases. Lazuli commands Thunder Punch and Electivire dashes foward and lands a direct hit before Gardevoir can launch the attack, sending her crashing head-first onto the wall. Gardevoir stands up, but becomes unable to continue as she falls back down, leaving Dwayne only one Pokémon left.

Dwayne sends out Infernape. Electivire and Infernape have a long standing rivalry, even from their Chimchar-Elekid days. Electivire starts things out with a Thunder Punch and Infernape counters with Mach Punch, and the two attacks collide and neutralize each other. Infernape uses Flamethrower, which is blocked by Electivire's Protect. Electivire uses Thunder, but Infernape uses Dig to travel underground and avoid the attack. Infernape surfaces below Electivire and hits it dead-on, but then takes damage from the poison it received earlier. Electivire manages to stand up. After yet another blocked Flamethrower, Infernape and Electivire start attacking with Mach Punch and Thunder Punch, respectively continuously. They both each land an attack before another Flamethrower by Infernape is blocked by Electivire's Protect. Dwayne instructs Infernape to use Mach Punch, but Electivire dodges it and wraps its tail around Infernape's arm. Rollins, still watching the battle, pleads for Dwayne not to fall for that trick again. It uses Thunder while Infernape is connected to it, causing more damage than a normal Thunder attack. It continues to use Thunder on Infernape for a long time.

Infernape collapses to the ground when Electivire finally lets it go. As it has taken a severe beating throughout the match, it appears that Infernape can't continue battling anymore as it lays down. The referee begins to declare Infernape unable to battle when Electivire interrupts him, knowing that Infernape still has the ability to fight and wants to finish the battle properly. Lazuli tells Infernape that she thought it had become stronger, yet all its ever done is disappoint her. Infernape suddenly regains his senses and Dwayne tells Lazuli the battle isn't over yet. Much to everyone's (except Dwayne's) surprise, Infernape stands, and Dwayne declares that it's time to show Lazuli just how strong Infernape has become as he activates his Blaze.

Rollins realizes Dwayne must have wanted that Mach Punch thrown earlier to miss on purpose so he can have Infernape unlock his true power. Dwayne orders a Flamethrower, and Infernape fires a super-powerful blast at Electivire, who tries to hold it back with Thunder but can't stand up to the sheer power. Dwayne then has Infernape use Mach Punch which hits and sends Electivire flying but it still lands on its feet. Now both fully absorbed in the intensity of the match, Lazuli screams for a Thunder Punch while Dwayne orders Infernape to use Flare Blitz. The two Pokémon, battling to the limits of their power, land their attacks against the other which creates a maelstrom of fire and electricity streaming into the sky, illuminating the stadium. Eventually, Infernape ends up on the other side of Electivire, feeling the recoil from Flare Blitz, causing its fiery crown to do severe damage to Electivire, who, after a delayed reaction, feels the force of the power attack. The smoke clears, but Electivire is still standing and the two Pokémon stare each other down, as do their Trainers as a deathly silence falls over the battlefield. The two Pokémon remain perfectly still for what feels like an eternity until, finally, Electivire falls and is declared as being unable to continue, making Dwayne the victor of their truly intense battle. Sadie and Vito scream out in elation for Dwayne's victorious win over Lazuli while Rollins is overwhelmingly pleased. Lazuli walks over to Electivire and actually thanks her Pokémon for the effort it placed into the battle, even helping Electivire back to its feet. With Electivire around her arms, Lazuli looks over to Dwayne and Infernape happily celebrating their victory. Lazuli then looks over to Electivire, who looks back at her and nods, and Lazuli shows a genuine smile of happy relief as she stares at her half-brother's victory before walking away from the battlefield.

Later, Dwayne, Sadie and Vito are seen celebrating his victory of the Sinnoh League with a large banquet. As they continue to celebrate, Dwayne sees Lazuli leaving the Pokémon Center and goes over to talk to her. As she walks down some stairs, Dwayne calls out to her, and Lazuli doesn't seem surprised to see him. Dwayne asks her where she was going, and she says that she would head back to Snowpoint City to challenge Brandon to a rematch. Then, Lazuli finally admits that Infernape is strong and that Dwayne's skills as a Trainer were superior than hers. Dwayne, seeing the perfect opportunity, thanks Lazuli for the compliment, before saying that it was incredible how the finals of the tournament were between siblings. However, instead of expressing shock, Lazuli smiles at Dwayne's comment, which leaves him confused. Lazuli then says that she assumed Dwayne already knew about their blood-relation, saying that when she heard Dwayne had visited Veilstone City and met *their* brother, Rollins had revealed the truth to her, and laughs at how easy Rollins was at revealing secrets, which makes Dwayne smile at how different Lazuli's become. Dwayne then proceeds to ask exactly why Lazuli was so focused with power all these years, and free of her antagonism towards her half-brother, Lazuli claims that her main problem with Dwayne was how he talked about bringing a Pokémon's inner strength through friendship, which reminded her of Rollins, whose same methods weren't enough to defeat Brandon, and believed that Dwayne was no better than her brother. Dwayne then asks Lazuli if she resents her brother, but Lazuli says she only felt disappointed in him, as she always looked up to him as the strongest, and seeing him quit his duties as a Trainer after one defeat crushed her ideal version of him, and seeing Dwayne act the same, while also knowing that he, too, was her brother, made her want to change him as much as he wanted to change her, as she didn't want to have another weak-minded sibling.

Dwayne, however, claims that Rollins told him that she only wanted power to earn their father's love and respect, but Lazuli says it was only a façade as she didn't want Rollins to know that he was the problem, as Rollins had always been too hard with himself, and whenever he believed something was his fault, felt an undying sense of responsibility to make up for whatever he caused, and didn't want him to fall even lower than he already had. Lazuli further claims that despite never meeting her father in person, she knew how powerful he was, and always assumed that his power came from pushing his Pokémon to the absolute limit, but only recently found out that his strength came from the same methods and mindset of Rollins and Dwayne, and claims that she was the "black sheep" of their family, as she was the only one who wasn't capable of following her father's training style. However, Dwayne tells her that she could start over, and treat her Pokémon with care, but Lazuli says it was too late, but Dwayne rebuffs her claims, and mentions how she thanked Electivire for its effort and helped her Pokémon back to its feet, which Lazuli then realizes it was true, as she still doesn't know why she even did, as she was only acting on her emotions at the moment. Dwayne sees through Lazuli's face expression, and says that if her emotions at that moment were to help her Pokémon and show gratitude, then she was already becoming more like her father and brothers. Lazuli silently begins shedding a tear as Dwayne continues to talk. Dwayne's words are abruptly cut off as Lazuli runs over and hugs her half-brother for the first time, and apologizes for everything she had said and done to him over the course of their journey in Sinnoh. Despite being shocked by the sudden change, Dwayne smiles and hugs her back, saying that what family was all about as the two siblings finally make amends and become friends.

Later that night, Dwayne receives the Winner's Trophy from Cynthia for winning the Lily of the Valley Conference as all the participants gather around to applaud Dwayne on his victory. Sadie and Vito cheer him on, as well as Lazuli, who applauds her brother with a genuine smile on her face as Dwayne raises the trophy above his head, as fireworks are fired around the stadium to indicate the end of the tournament. The following morning, Dwayne steps outside the stadium and takes one final look at the arena, before gathering around Sadie, Vito and Lazuli. The three Trainers ask him where he would go next, and Dwayne decides to return to Pallet Town to see his family. Lazuli says that she would head to Veilstone City first to visit her brother before going to Snowpoint City. Vito says he would meet his father at the Battle Tower, while Sadie would return to Snowpoint City, as Candice was preparing a welcome party for her finishing at the Top 16 of the Sinnoh League. As they continue to talk about their plans, Cynthia approaches them, and all four Trainers greet her. Cynthia congratulates both Dwayne and Lazuli for the spectacular battle, as well as personally congratulating Dwayne on his victory. She then says she couldn't wait for the day that either Dwayne or Lazuli challenged her for the title of Champion, and both Trainers vow to defeat her one day.

Dwayne and Lazuli embark on a ship directly towards Sandgem Town. Upon arriving, Dwayne purchases a boat ticket that would take him directly back to Kanto, which would leave the next day. Lazuli, uncharacteristically shy, asks Dwayne whether it would be okay if she eventually decided to pay him a visit in Pallet Town. Dwayne asks whether Lazuli wanted to travel there to meet their father, and Lazuli admits Dwayne is right, and says she always wanted to meet him, but wonders whether Edge wanted anything to do with her, and Dwayne says that their father would ecstatic to see her, and urges her to meet him as soon as possible. Lazuli thanks him. The next day, Dwayne's ship leaves for Kanto and Lazuli waves him goodbye. As the ship is almost out of sight, Lazuli thinks to herself that she'll forever remain in Dwayne's debt and silently admits that she loves her little brother.

When Lazuli arrived in Snowpoint City, she asked Brandon if the Battle Pyramid could take her to Pallet Town before Dwayne's arrival, which Brandon confirmed and successfully took her there a day before Dwayne returned, and Lazuli took this time to meet Roberta, Dwayne's mother, and Professor Oak. When Dwayne arrived back in Pallet Town, Lazuli shocked him with her presence. Despite the surprise, Dwayne is happy to see Lazuli there, and asks whether Edge was also there, but Roberta explains that Edge was at the Viridian Gym, but would arrive in about an hour or so. When Dwayne asks whether Edge knew about Lazuli's arrival, Roberta says she hadn't informed him, only saying she had a "surprise" for him. When Edge finally arrives, Dwayne, Roberta, and Professor Oak greet him. When Edge asks about his "surprise", he hears a voice calling out to him, referring to him as "dad". When Edge turns around, he sees Lazuli standing, looking at him. As Lazuli tries to come up with words to talk to her father with, Edge doesn't give her the opportunity, rushing in for a hug without saying a word, which catches Lazuli off-guard. In-between tears, Edge says that he wanted to meet her for so long, and apologized for not being there for her, and Lazuli breaks down in tears, saying that she, too, had been wanting to meet him her entire life, and this makes Dwayne, Oak, and Roberta all cry, too.

A month has passed, in which Lazuli and Edge spent together reconnecting, although Dwayne notes that their way of "father-daughter bonding" was constant training at the Viridian Gym, and Roberta jokes that Lazuli inherited Edge's fighting spirit even more than Dwayne. Dwayne notes that Lazuli was training to take on Brandon, and hopes that Lazuli finally manages to achieve her long-awaited goal. At the final day of Lazuli's stay, Dwayne, Edge, Lazuli, and Roberta all decide to have a family outing, with Lazuli expressing a side of herself that Dwayne had never seen before; laughing, joking, and experiencing pure joy. Later that day, Lazuli embarks on a plane in the Pallet Town airport, and after bidding Edge and Roberta goodbye, Lazuli hugs Dwayne and profoundly thanks him. Confused, Dwayne asks what for, and Lazuli says for "fixing" her life, and Dwayne says that he didn't do anything, and Lazuli says that he did everyting, and calls him "pathetic", but for the first time, Lazuli's insult was merely playful banter rather than malicious intent. Lazuli embarks the plane for Sinnoh, and Dwayne says that he was glad to have helped Lazuli as he waves her goodbye.

## **Character**

Initially, Lazuli was very reserved and apathetic, and as such, had been shown to display very little emotion, other than an occasional rough smile when dealing with people she doesn't respect, especially Dwayne. She was also very callous, especially when battling, seeing Pokémon as tools for combat rather than living beings to make friends with, and her only concern in them was of their strength in battle. She strongly disliked weak Pokémon and had a tendency of releasing them if they continuously underperformed in battles or otherwise not meeting her expectations. To this effect, Lazuli always checked new captures with her Pokédex to learn what moves they knew, and released them if she deemed them not strong or potent enough. As for the ones she decided to keep, she was shown to be cruel, callous, and rather impatient, training them with very harsh and brutal methods to make them grow stronger as fast as possible, with little regard for their physical or emotional well-being. She felt that bonding with Pokémon would only turn them into slackers, which was proven when, on one occasion, she gave her prize Soothe Bell, an item that raises a Pokémon's happiness, away to Dwayne with little regard for it, exclaiming that she had no use for a "useless piece of metal".

She also had a habit of scolding her Pokémon for losing to opponents she felt they could have beaten, some examples being her Ludicolo, Chimchar, and Honchkrow, once again showing her distaste when expectations weren't met. Even when one of her Pokémon managed to win a battle, Lazuli would occasionally scold them nonetheless simply for not winning the battle faster than she wanted. These beliefs and behaviors were best exemplified in her harsh treatment of Chimchar, which in and of itself was noted to be much worse compared to that of her other Pokémon, and she was often shown to have fed him straight from tin cans and rushed him so they could get back to training, as well as forcing him to not dodge attacks (even super-effective ones) for the sake of being able to activate his Blaze Ability at will under pressure. She was also shown to have had her other Pokémon relentlessly attack him for this same purpose. This particularly brutal treatment had formed out of Lazuli's impatient desire to recreate the powerful first impression which led to Chimchar's capture, a result which Lazuli's training methods ultimately failed to produce. Notably, besides Chimchar, none of Lazuli's other Pokémon expressed any truly overt dislike or dissatisfaction with Lazuli as a Trainer despite her tough methods, and none are known to have ran away of their own volition, with her Electivire and Ursaring in particular becoming more powerful battlers under her training.

Lazuli's brutal and mean streak stems from her brother Rollins's decision to become a Breeder after losing to Brandon during the former's days as a Pokémon Trainer. Beforehand, Lazuli admired and looked up to her brother as the strongest Trainer she'd ever known, but after his defeat and subsequent retirement, Lazuli's idealism was shattered, and with Brandon's words of finding one's "inner strength" sticking with her, Lazuli grew determined to surpass both Brandon and Rollins, viewing the latter as having a weak-spirit.

However, Lazuli had a major turning point after her crushing loss to Brandon in a Full Battle and underwent a serious attitude adjustment; she maintained her reserved and stoical personality, but she ceased her cruel tendencies and began treating her Pokémon less like tools and more like highly professional partners. While she still didn't show them open affection, she seemed to have dropped her habit of scolding them and started to do the exact opposite and commend them not only when they won, but even when they lost, which was something she practically never did prior.

Despite her brutal and indifferent ways towards both Pokémon and Trainers, Lazuli never truly showcased being completely cold-hearted, and throughout her journey across Sinnoh, occasionally displayed signs of kindness and selflessness, seen when she first allowed her Torterra to teach Dwayne's Grotle to use its Defense to make up for its loss of Speed upon evolving, despite Lazuli prohibiting Torterra from doing so, and even witnessed her Pokémon disobeying her orders, although she remained hidden and made no attempts to stop it. Another sign of her growing kindness was when Lazuli willingly attempted to save Vito's Empoleon from being crushed by the Pokémon Pinchers's mecha after it was destroyed by Dwayne's Monferno's rampage due to his Blaze.

From the moment they met, Lazuli and Dwayne proved themselves as polar opposites in terms of training their Pokémon. While Lazuli cared only about strength and brutality, Dwayne focused more on bonding with his Pokémon and treating them with care, love and respect, something that Lazuli clearly detested. As Lazuli herself later stated, Dwayne's training style reminded her of Rollins's, and still suffering from her unability to accept her brother's decision to quit, refused to knowledge Dwayne as being her equal, not wanting to experience yet another disappointment in her family. She also held great resentment towards her half-brother due to him having lived a happier life with their father present while Lazuli was forced to live away from him due to her mother's complicated status as a former member of Team Rocket. As time passed and they continued to battle, however, Lazuli slowly began to see Dwayne in a different light, as Lazuli secretly began accepting him as not only a Trainer, but also her brother, as Dwayne's continuous efforts began to change Lazuli's mindset, seen as Lazuli began to borrow some of Dwayne's battling style, not in an attempt to taunt him, but rather because Lazuli recognized his innovative strategies, although she kept these feelings hidden. Despite their differences in terms of training, Lazuli and Dwayne also shared some similarities, such as believing that a Gym Badge was earned through sheer battling and effort, with both Lazuli and Dwayne expressing their anger at how the Sunyshore Gym initially was offering free Beacon Badges away due to Volkner's loss of interest in battling.

Lazuli's change of attitude was solidified at the Lily of the Valley Conference, as after her defeat against Dwayne in the finals, Lazuli thanked her Electivire for the effort it had placed during the battle, something she'd never done before, and even helped Electivire back to its feet, and upon seeing her half-brother celebrating, Lazuli showed a genuine smile for the first time as she felt both happy and relieved for Dwayne's victory. After the tournament, Lazuli and Dwayne finally settled their differences, with Lazuli and Dwayne having a heart-to-heart conversation about their relationship, differences, and similarities, going as far as admitting out of her siblings, Lazuli was the "flawed" one, being the only one who hasn't inherited her father's kind soul and training style, and admitted that she was wrong all along. Dwayne's words of kindness eventually caused Lazuli to shed tears for the first time, and finally released all the bitterness and resentment she'd ever held against her half-brother, hugging him and apologizing for her previous attitude, becoming deeply regretful of the awful human being she'd been her entire life, and vowed to change her ways and become a better Trainer, akin to her father and siblings.

Her change in attitude continued as after Dwayne departed back to Kanto, Lazuli took it upon herself to travel to Pallet Town first to get acquainted with his family, and surprise him. When Lazuli finally met her father, she broke down in tears, saying that she, just like Edge, had been wanting to meet him her entire life. During the month she spent with Edge, Lazuli became a completely different person from her travels in Sinnoh, displaying a side of herself that no one had never seen before; laughing, joking, and experiencing pure joy with her family. Lazuli ultimately admitted to herself that she grew to love her younger brother, although not ready to openly express this.

Lazuli has her own personal battle-cry: "**Standby for battle!**" (Japanese: **スタンバイに戦闘！** *Sutanbai Ni Sentō!*), which she uses everytime she throws a Poké Ball during a battle.

## **Pokémon**

### **With Rollins**

 **Hitmonlee** ♂
 **Weavile** ♂

### **Released**

Both Starly's known moves are Tackle\* and Sand-Attack\*.

Starly's known moves are Aerial Ace and Double Team.

Stantler's only known move is Tackle\*

When Lazuli first saw Chimchar, it was being chased by a group of Zangoose. Lazuli was impressed with it and added it to her regular team. However, this first impression did not match up to Chimchar's normal abilities and so, Lazuli regularly criticized it for being weak. After losing to Cynthia's Garchomp, Lazuli realized that Chimchar was not fulfilling her expectations. This culminated in the Heartome City Tag Battle Competition, in which Lazuli was forced to battle alongside Dwayne. During a battle against a Zangoose and a Metagross, Chimchar was too scared to make any attack when caught in Zangoose's claws, which proved the last straw for Lazuli, as Ryder commanded Chimchar for the final attack, granting them the victory. After the battle, Lazuli released Chimchar, although Dwayne quickly invited the Chimp Pokémon to join him, which Chimchar accepted.

### **Given Away**

Ludicolo's only known move is Hydro Pump.

## **Achievements**

### **Badges Obtained**

#### **Kanto Badges**

This listing is of the Badges Lazuli has obtained in the Kanto region:

* Boulder Badge
* Cascade Badge
* Rainbow Badge
* Volcano Badge
* Thunder Badge
* Soul Badge
* Marsh Badge
* Earth Badge

#### **Johto Badges**

This listing is of the Badges Lazuli has obtained in the Johto region:

* Zephyr Badge
* Hive Badge
* Plain Badge
* Fog Badge
* Storm Badge
* Mineral Badge
* Glacier Badge
* Rising Badge

#### **Hoenn Badges**

This listing is of the Badges Lazuli has obtained in the Hoenn region:

* Stone Badge
* Knuckle Badge
* Dynamo Badge
* Heat Badge
* Balance Badge
* Feather Badge
* Mind Badge
* Rain Badge

#### **Sinnoh Badges**

This listing is of the Badges Lazuli has obtained in the Sinnoh region:

* Coal Badge
* Cobble Badge
* Relic Badge
* Forest Badge
* Beacon Badge
* Icicle Badge
* Fen Badge
* Mine Badge

## **Pokémon League**

Lazuli has competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:

* Indigo Plateau Conference – Winner
* Silver Conference – Winner
* Ever Grande Conference – Winner
* Lily of the Valley Conference – Runner-Up

## **Pokémon Competitions**

Lazuli has competed in the following Pokémon competitions:

* Hearthome City Tag Battle Competition – Winner (with Dwayne)
* Squallville PokéRinger – Runner-Up