Pokémon Bloodstone | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 13: Drawn to Danger

Jovi took a seat in the VIP box. These early battles were her favourites. Emili's mission was to ensure her challengers were encouraged to continue, no matter how well they did. Contrasting that with the pinnacle of their journeys atop Citadark Isle was as rewarding for Jovi, who gave most of them their first Pokémon, as it was for the Gym Leaders. Most of them were there. Hebon and Cassia were already awaiting challengers, but the only other Gym Leader missing was Wyatt. No-one thought that odd. He was always moody.

'Welcome, everyone, to day four of battles here at Gateon Colosseum! We have a full house today – 10 Trainers will be facing off for the Machine Badge!'

Jovi's P★DA buzzed in her lab coat's pocket. She reached to switch it off, but it was the fourth call from Hop.

'What's up?'

'Jovi – the coppers are here!'

'What? Why?!'

'It's whatever Ein's gone and started. They want to speak to the Director. I told them you've got stuff to do and they can talk to me or Krane, but they're not having any of it...'

'That's ridiculous!'

'The sheriff's harassing Lumir. Asking if he still speaks to Ardos. They're about to send someone to investigate Leden...'

Leden was Lumir's mother and Ardos' ex-wife. They wanted nothing to do with him. Her bakery had only just reopened after Ardos burned it down almost 20 years ago.

'Oh, for Celebi's sake! How does Ein, of all people, get our useless fucking cops to actually listen to him?! OK. I'm coming.'

'Drive safe, Jovi. Don't rush. We'll be reet.'

Jovi apologised to the Gym Leaders and relatives whose knees she whacked as she rushed out to her jeep. Hop's reminder to drive safely wasn't mere politeness. If she was pulled over for dangerous driving one more time, she would lose her license for a year. That wouldn't help the lab's case.

Why was there a case? What in the world did Ein claim? The Pokémon HQ Lab was rivalled only by the Quartz Space Center as the most transparently respectable institution in Orre. Ein's lab was hardly esteemed. People protested for months about the construction that drove Pokémon away from an oasis the lab eventually swallowed as a natural swimming pool. Their work wasn't transparent, either. Jovi had no idea what they did there.

Probably Cipher-ing...

Royal blue flashed across the street. Chalcedony, Rustie and Dirk were rushing back to the colosseum. Rustie's eyes were red. They all looked distressed.

The cops can wait. This is my respectable job, Ein.

Jovi wound the window down. 'Hey, guys. What's up?'

'Professor!'

Dirk ran back to the car. 'We were looking for you! Rustie's Pokédex got stolen!'

'Stolen?! I don't like to assume the worst, but... do I even need to ask who stole it?'

'It was Theta, Professor! #14! She used Shadow Pokémon!'

Rustie shushed Dirk, but he continued regardless.

'They sure weren't normal. They were like fighting machines!'

'Oh, gosh... I'm headed back to the lab right now because her dad's actually convinced the cops to investigate us...'

'No way!' Rustie exclaimed, 'That's so unfair! What do they want? I don't get it!'

'Neither do I. Do you want to come with me to speak to the cops at the lab?'

'My Weedle's still at the Pokémon Center...'

'OK. Then I'll call Emili. She's the closest thing to actual law enforcement in this place. She'll go with you to report it to GPPD – just so there's a record of what's happened – and she'll relay it all to the Orre League. Theta can be disqualified. Rustie, I'll call you back later to talk about the Pokédex.'

'I'm really sorry, Professor...'

'Please don't blame yourself. That girl needs to learn to pick on people her own size.'

'Good luck with the cops... I hope they don't shut you down...'

'Don't worry. Some Cipher Admin can't get Orre's most respectable lab shut down. Good luck with your cops!'

Jovi drove around the corner and pulled over to call Emili. The challengers returned to the colosseum, but Emili was on the battlefield. Nasina won the first Machine Badge of the day. Emili warmly congratulated her. The Gym Trainer who took Jovi's call whispered to Emili as she returned to the locker room. She invited the challengers in. Her red hair was already escaping from its messy bun onto her sunshine yellow jersey.

'So your Pokédex was stolen, Rustie?'

'Yeah... by Theta Gallego.'

'That makes me so mad! It's totally against everything we work so hard to project here at the Orre League.'

'I knew you'd say that... but she called me "delusional" and a "sunburnt Grumpig."'

'Wow! Y'know, me and Chobin were with Jovi for the whole 10 years of the wild Pokémon project, sleeping on the edges of highways and getting heatstroke in the desert – and I don't even have a Pokédex! Why does she need one so badly? By the way, I'm sunburnt. Look!'

Emili pulled up the long sleeves of her undershirt to show painfully red arms.

'Anyway. Jovi says you thought Theta used Shadow Pokémon – is that right?'

Dirk nodded. 'They have to be! They didn't battle me. They attacked my Pokémon and me! And Rustie! They were like ruthless fighting machines!'

'They sound like Shadow Pokémon... but we have scanners at every entrance. Even on the battlefield, we've got cameras that scan for auras. Natural Gyms like Hebon's don't have any built in, but he has one on a Drone Rotom. So she's either a really awful Trainer who puts the fear of Arceus into her Pokémon, or there's something way bigger and very concerning going on.'

'But her Eevee wouldn't evolve into Sylveon if she was just a shitty Trainer, right?' Chalcedony asked, 'She must have been friends with it at some point.'

'She might've received it as a Sylveon. I shouldn't be surprised by Cipher, because I've lived through every incident, but... it really would shock me to the core if they've regrouped already. It's only two years since they last got their asses whooped. And everyone says Ardos is bumming off an ex-Admin in a trailer park...'

Rustie glanced at Chalcedony. What if mentioning Verzant somehow endangered the family? Ardos, being such a competent hacker, would know the police were coming long before they arrived. Would Emili tell the police? There were still two Gym Trainers in earshot. Neither Chalcedony nor Rustie dared mention it. Emili shook her head.

'So how could they be so strong they're already producing Shadow Pokémon that outsmart our scanners?'

Unless, Chalcedony thought, They already were... and they didn't get caught because they weren't Cipher. Who started those meetings at the trailer park? Did Ein seek out Ardos to offer his research to Cipher, or did Ardos seek Ein out to use his research for Cipher?

A voice from Emili's radio called her back to the battlefield. The challengers offered to meet her at the police station later.

'Are you sure? If you're scared to go back out there, I totally understand.'

They were sure. Dirk was no longer discouraged by Theta's strength but determined to grow strong enough to protect his Pokémon and the friends who showed him kindness when he felt worthless. Rustie, too, was fired up. She didn't want a new Pokédex. She would get her own Pokédex back. Despite Chalcedony's self-assurance she would avoid danger, she admittedly couldn't help finding herself drawn to it.

I really do never learn. But if I ever write a song anyone actually wants to hear, getting inspired by all this might be my best shot. It's not like it's as stupid as the Boltund to Unova. Is it?