Badge #3, Pt 2: North Obsidia & Lapis

The next area is North Obsidia Ward, the third and last part of Obsidia Ward you can travel to. You can't get to it through the normal ward, so instead you should walk across the Opal bridge to the North, where the pig that was previously blocking your path has gone to guard the now-exploded stairs. Talk to Fern and then follow him up the stairs to the final ward of Reborn City: Lapis Ward.

At the top of the ward is the inaccessible Lapis Gym. The leader and her support worker are standing next to the dead body from before. Talk to them for a small cutscene before you can head back to North Obsidia to advance the plot. In the apartment building next to them is TM165 Reversal. You can also buy some Honey and a Floral Charm in the flower shop on the far left of the ward to save some backtracking in a few chapters time. One of the houses has an NPC that feels frustrated, and you can get TM21 Frustration from him. In the Pokémart is a cultist NPC that gives you TM07 Hail.

Before investigating the Grand Staircase again there's an opportunity to get your third Department Store sticker. Go into the house to the immediate right of the Pokémart and talk to the woman within; she'll tell you about her missing son who surely isn't anywhere further than the Beryl Bridge. Right?

You can find him cornered by three Venipedes in the upper part of Jasper Ward. Kill them to set him free, and he'll skedaddle back to the Lapis Ward. Follow him all the way back and talk to his mother to get your third sticker: the Drifloon sticker!

Having done all of that, you can go back to North Obsidia Ward and talk to Cain to move the story along. He distracts a piggy so that you can sneak past; if you interact with the duo you'll get some (through clenched teeth) funny dialogue here.

♫ - Pokémon Diamond and Pearl- Mt. Coronet (Remix)

Go down the ladder to find a crystal cave below the Grand Staircase. There's only one way to go here, so climb down the second ladder to make it to the next floor; walk straight down and climb down the third ladder to make it to the bottom floor. Keep going downwards until you find a handful of ledges.

Here is a little jumping "puzzle" with one-way cliffs. There's four possible paths, each indicated with a different coloured arrow.

1. The red arrow just leads you back to the start of the cave. Fuck you.
2. The blue arrow takes you to an area with a martial artist, who will give you three Medium EXP Candies, and then the route dumps you back at the start of the puzzle.
3. The green arrow is the route you actually want to take! But don't do it yet, because...
4. The orange arrows takes you to a small area that has an inaccessible Lunatone, but more importantly, it will loop back to give you an Ability Capsule!

On one of the ledges with a rock there's a hidden Focus Sash (use the Item Finder). On the third floor, you will find Greater Sephiroth (one of them, anyway) who will explain about how Reborn City is built on a holy site - the meteor. When he's done, walk down and to the left to find Victoria. Talk to the grunts for a battle, and when you've broken all four shins Victoria will make her way out of the staircase.

Heal your team and then talk to Victoria in North Obsidia. She'll ask to fight you.

Unfortunately, Fern shows up, brags about making a child cry, tries to flirt with Victoria, insults her, and challenges you to another battle.

After all of this, Victoria gives you the TMX for Rock Smash. You can't use it yet, as you need the third Gym Badge, but that's where she's heading: follow her! When you go into the Lapis Ward, the weather changes by itself to rain. Uh oh. You can't set it back to anything else with the Pokégear either. Double uh oh. Heal your team and save the game.

Now you can enter the Lap- if you try and enter the Lapis Gym, Cal (one of the duo from earlier) will come out and battle you. He uses all fire types on a Rainbow Field, created by his leading Torkoal.

Once you beat him, there's a cutscene outside the gym, and then a slightly more irritating one inside the gym. Cal suggests (a stupid fucking suggestion) to get the local psykkkiatrist to help; he's at the bottom of the Lapis Ward in the Orphanage building. Heal before you enter it as there's a cutscene followed by a battle; then return to the gym for your actual Gym battle. Oh no.