Chapter 53:Murcott and Mandarin Island. Trovitopolis City Problem!
Sometime after obtaining a Shiny Snorlax, Lyra and the gang arrived at another island on Lapras. "Hey Tracey," Lyra looked at her Pokémon Watcher friend, "what island is this?"
"This, Lyra, is Murcott Island," Tracey said. "It is home to all sorts of Bug-type Pokémon."
Misty freaked out when she heard that. "D-d-did you say that B-B-Bug Pokémon live here?" she stuttered.
"Yes, I did. Why?" Tracey asked, confused by her reaction.
Lyra tapped Tracey's shoulder and whispered, "Misty is afraid of bugs."
"Okay," Tracey sighed. "Well, there is a Pokémon Center here. We can take Misty there first, then we can explore next."
The gang went to find the Center. Misty whimpered the whole way, terrified that a bug might appear at any second. Unfortunately for her, they spotted many: Caterpie, Weedle, Pinsir, Paras, Metapod, Venomoth, and Beedrill. Misty kept screaming, which Lyra, Tomo, and the Pokémon found ridiculous, while Tracey found it a bit hilarious.
Suddenly, Tomo spotted an injured Scyther covered in cuts and bruises. "That Scyther is in a lot of pain," he said. They ran over to it. Tracey tried to apply a potion to its wounds, but the stinging startled the Scyther, and it took a battle stance. To calm it down, Tracey had his Venonat use Sleep Powder. Once it was asleep, Tracey captured it in a Poké Ball. "It will probably be cross with me," Tracey said, "but this was the only way to get it to help."
At the Pokémon Center, Nurse Joy explained that Scyther was likely the leader of a swarm who had been beaten by a younger, stronger rival. Meanwhile, Team Rocket was in the forest, having captured the entire Scyther swarm in a sticky, high-tech net James had "borrowed" from headquarters.
Back at the Center, the old Scyther jolted out of bed and flew through the window despite its injuries. The gang followed it back to the forest, where they found Team Rocket gloating over the trapped swarm.
"It says it may not be the leader anymore," Meowth translated for the old Scyther, "but it won't let you get away with this!"
Jessie and James released their Pokémon—including several they had recently caught for themselves, like Shellder, Victreebel, and Oddish. Scyther tried to fight but was too weak. Lyra, Tomo, Misty, and Tracey stepped in. Together, Pikachu, Pichu, Growlithe, and Gloom blasted Team Rocket away. After the battle, the new leader of the swarm thanked the elder Scyther. Feeling a bond with Tracey, the old Scyther decided to stay with him.
The gang eventually reached Mandarin Island. While resting at a café, Tracey noticed a news report: Lorelei of the Elite Four was on the island. "What is an Elite Four member?" Tomo asked.
Lyra explained that they were incredibly powerful trainers, even stronger than eight Gym Leaders combined. Misty was thrilled, as Lorelei was her idol. Suddenly, a voice behind them said, "Hero, am I?"
It was Lorelei. She spoke gracefully about the beauty of nature before turning to Lyra. "It is nice to meet you, Lyra Mew Light," she said with a smile. To everyone's shock, Lorelei requested a battle. She had heard of Lyra's skills from Bruno and seen her performance in the Indigo League.
The battle was a 1-on-1: Lyra's Absol versus Lorelei's Slowbro. Absol launched a powerful Thunder that cracked the ground, surprising Lorelei. Slowbro fought back with Disable and Psychic, but Absol was relentless.
Lorelei used Heal Pulse, but Lyra countered with Agility and Sucker Punch. After a final clash between Hyper Beam and Night Slash, the smoke cleared to reveal Slowbro had fainted. Lyra had defeated an Elite Four Pokémon for the second time. Lorelei was not upset; she praised Lyra's deep connection with her Pokémon.
After traveling through a desert-like area, the gang arrived at Trovitopolis City. As they walked toward the city, they fell through a Team Rocket trap into the sewers. While searching for an exit, they saw giant vines shooting out of the water. Terrified, they scrambled up a ladder to the surface, only to be immediately arrested by Officer Jenny.
They were eventually released, but the Mayor, a mean-spirited man with a large mustache, wanted them kept locked up to keep a "sewer creature" secret before the upcoming election. Officer Jenny explained that a mysterious creature had been seen in the sewers, stealing food. The Mayor planned to send a SWAT team to destroy it.
Nurse Joy was furious. "You can't do that!" she shouted. The gang joined her, disgusted by the Mayor's cruelty. Lyra was especially angry. "He's a 100% jerk! He only cares about his title!"
They met a man named Thomas, who had known the Mayor since they were children. Thomas explained the Mayor had always been selfish. They decided to find the creature before the SWAT team could.
Lyra used her ability to sense auras to lead them through the dark tunnels. They swam through an underwater passage and found the creature: a massive Bulbasaur, twice its normal size. Thomas recognized the collar it wore. "This was the Mayor's Bulbasaur. He abandoned it years ago because it wouldn't evolve."
Thomas hugged the giant Pokémon, apologizing for its years of loneliness. The gang confronted the Mayor at City Hall. The Mayor refused to apologize, claiming he had to "maintain authority." He ordered the SWAT team to fire, but Lyra's Pichu and Pikachu shocked them, and her Venusaur swept them away with Vine Whip. The giant Bulbasaur then used its vines to toss the Mayor onto his own statue, smashing it.
With the mystery solved, Thomas adopted the giant Bulbasaur. Officer Jenny assured the gang that a new mayor would likely be elected soon. Nurse Joy pointed them toward Trovita Island, and the gang set off for their next Gym challenge.
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