Pokémon Obsidian | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 8: Lover

Shellshocked Jamie was carried into an ambulance. Laila followed, but he buried his face in the detergent-scented plastic he was laid on. Even when Amber and Trip arrived with their youngest daughter Tahirah – who adored her brothers as much as Laila did – Jamie said nothing. Was it fear, or shame, or the Shadow Pokémon? The doctors didn't know. They eventually concluded it must have been the Shadow Pokémon and called the Pokémon HQ Lab. Jovi's assistant, Lumir, arrived on his Salamence to offer Jamie warm, fruity tea that helped all other survivors of Shadow Pokémon attacks. That seemed to relax his frozen muscles a little. There was clearly more on his mind. Laila wanted to know. They all needed to know if it was what she suspected it was.

'You're freaked out because you know it was Camden... aren't you?'

Amber was startled. 'What?'

Jamie remained silent. When he lowered his gaze, Laila knelt to stare up at him.

'Aren't you?'

'Laila... I don't know who he is.'

'You do. You at least think it's Camden.'

'But it could also be... other people. I don't want to point fingers until I know more...'

'Like who?'

'Like whoever else is around 6'0" and struts like that.'

'What, like Kazuki? Lyndon?'

'It's not Lyndon, silly. He was there.'

'Kazuki wasn't...'

'Kazuki was at football practice,' Trip said, 'That's what he posted on Rotogram.'

'But he was supposed to be at work. Aiko tried to radio him. At the very, very least, Jamie... you think it's someone we're related to. That's why it shocked you.'

Jamie sighed. 'Laila, I said... I don't want to point fingers until I know more. And maybe I'm shocked because I think it's someone I expect better of. Whether I'm related to them or not. It could be Chess O'Reilly for all I know. I'm not saying it is! I just don't want you pointing fingers, either.'

Chess was the guitarist in Scandal. They sought a guitarist so Aiko was free to run around. He was also the child of Agate Village's Gym Leader, Dirk and Rustie, whose biological parents were Eldes and his brother's wife, Leden.

Ilirian, Holly and Aiko's best friend and Eldes' legitimate grandson, was Scandal's drummer. If Chess was in on it, could Ilirian be, too? Surely, Laila thought, Aiko and Holly would know if two of their bandmates were secretly Cipher-ing.

'What if it's multiple people? Or a woman? Or enby? We don't know for sure that it's a bloke.'

'No... it's all the same guy. I'm positive.'

'Where did they go? The resort?'

Amber nodded. 'It's surrounded by police already, so they at least pretended to go that way.'

'But as usual,' Tahirah said as she scrolled through news on her P★DA, 'It looks like no-one's been in those tunnels for years.'

Laila frowned. 'Shouldn't there be footprints and stuff from the International Police? They've been in at least five times that I remember.'

'They're obviously doing something to make it look abandoned...'

'Someone with access to movie sets wouldn't have any trouble with that.'

'What about Wilmot?' Tahirah suggested, 'He's a weirdo. He looks like a bad guy.'

'Can't disagree with that,' Jamie said, 'He looks like Znider. And Gretchen, actually...'

Gretchen was a bloodthirsty Cipher Commander and serial killer. She was also Trip's grandma. It was her who murdered his 15 year-old mom, Laila's namesake. It was common knowledge in Cipher that Gretchen was a little too close to Admin Znider, who served his 10 years in Gatas and was back out there in Orre now.

'Ew, ew, ew!' Tahirah exclaimed, 'He does! That's nasty! D'you think he is...?'

Trip was taken aback. 'I'm sure I'd know if she had another kid when I was... how old is he?'

'44, according to Roto-Search.'

'So I would've been one... nah. Mom was still alive. She would've told Dad. He's nothing to do with Gretchen, Tahirah. And he's too big to be this GoD guy, unless he's shoving pillows in his metallic suits.'

Jamie insisted on joining his family when Laila and Trip went to help clean up the city. It didn't stop people, from passersby to the media, whispering that the Champion – and his generation in general – couldn't handle Shadow Pokémon, unlike their forebears. That was what Cipher wanted, although they didn't expect a crowd of past Gym Challengers and Team Magma Grunts to impede them. They certainly didn't expect Lyndon to show up. He should have been out of reach atop Mt. Battle.

GoD planned to triumphantly walk free, his enemies powerless, which in a way he did; but he wasn't happy. He was furious. Raidne and Leucosia savoured being the ones to comfort the Grand Master. They knew exactly who was under that helmet. Leucosia was proud that she could barely walk the next morning. Raidne, however, found herself unsettled. She was beginning to resent sharing her lover with her sister... and they weren't the only ones who knew his body as well as his identity.

The only thing GoD craved as much as power was sex. He didn't care who he slept with as long as they were attractive; but even that didn't matter as much as how fervently they worshipped him. The only other person Raidne was sure he slept with as Grand Master of Cipher was Brynlee, an Admin suspected to be a serial killer. She too was released after 10 years in Gatas because, as she smugly put it, 'no body, no crime.'

She was old enough to be GoD's grandmother. That didn't matter, either. Her entire life was Cipher and he was Cipher incarnate. He loved being worshipped by a 59 year-old who, before she was exposed as a Cipher Admin, was lusted after as a singer. Otherwise, his partners were lured in by his innocent charm outside of Cipher. They had no idea who he truly was.

Raidne tossed and turned, unable to dispel the unravelling ball of discomfort in her stomach, the following lonely night. GoD had that innocent charm to maintain. He returned to Phenac City, as a concerned helper, to clean up his own mess. If his fellow helpers had known he was amongst them, it wouldn't have told them anything. Everyone Laila even considered suspecting, from Camden to Kazuki to Rustie and Chess, came to help. With motivated swathes of Camden's fans, the wreckage was quickly cleared. He took off on Crobat before his relatives could attempt any meaningful conversation with him. As much as it pained Laila, that only intensified her suspicion.