Pokémon Obsidian | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 94: Paranoid

Several days prior, the man found by the roadside was wrapped in blankets in the International Police office. He shuddered when Jamie stood over him.

'Relax. I'm not going to eat you.'

Orvil stood behind the man. 'Mr. Hawthorn Fayed J–'

'Jamie.'

'Jamie. Well... any thoughts? Do you think he fell from the hole?'

'I do not think...'

The young man cleared his throat. His tight curls and carefully trimmed moustache were fiery red, with matching eyebrows so bright they almost looked unnatural. Before his clothes were changed, he was dressed in a torn burgundy jacket over a grey waistcoat and frilly, old-fashioned boxer shorts. The luxurious waistcoat's buttons were missing. It looked as if the poor man was dragged through a thorny bush by a Pokémon looking forward to its lunch.

'I fell out of any "hole."'

'You said you're a miner.'

Jamie's voice was as cold as his eyes. It was clear he thought the man was suspicious, but he wouldn't say why.

'But I've been in charge of the mines for the past 10 years and I don't remember any Cadeyrn Woodward. So you either fell out of the hole, or you're lying.'

If Jamie didn't tone down his hostility, Cadeyrn would be unlikely to speak at all. He was already frightened. Orvil led Jamie out into the lobby to speak to him privately.

'He's scared because he's in an unfamiliar place and time. It doesn't mean he's suspicious.'

'He's not a miner. And his name isn't Cadeyrn Woodward. He certainly isn't Eagun, like everyone else seems to think he is. Eagun was 6'2". This guy's smaller than me.'

'I don't think he's Eagun, either. But if he fell out of the hole, you wouldn't remember him. I'm sure you don't know the names of every single person who's ever worked in Orre's mines.'

'No, but I know a liar when I see one. Look – I don't have access to any of my equipment, so I can't say for sure that the hole hasn't reopened, but the army's been at Orre Colosseum since I was arrested. It's not that far from Pyrite. Someone would've seen a giant warp hole, or reported one of those infamous "flashes." This guy fell out of the hole when I did. It's incredibly unlikely that he survived for 24 days in the desert without help, just to show up at the roadside and pretend he's scared of me – which means he knows who I am.'

'If you're right and he's lying, how do we know he fell out of the hole? Instead of just dressing in vintage clothes and leaving himself there at the roadside?'

'If you give me access to my lab in Obsidian City, I can tell you.'

'OK. Let's go.'

Jamie didn't expect Orvil to agree to that immediately. He almost expected to be accused of wanting to regain access to his facilities for Cipher. Yet Orvil didn't take his Pokémon away or ask for assistance in escorting him. He let Jamie fly alone on a rented Charizard. Orvil took a Charizard, too, since he couldn't fit himself and Cadeyrn on his Pelipper or Crobat.

They landed at the dusty entrance to the Azure Mine, near the coast. Though it concealed an entrance to Obsidian City, where all products were shipped, it was a real mine that genuinely produced a large percentage of Orre's copper, gold, silver and molybdenum. A gift shop, which was still open and run by ex-Cipher Peons who hadn't done anything worthy of arrest, sold jewellery and souvenirs made from the malachite, azurite and turquoise byproducts. They nervously saluted Jamie.

For once, he didn't tell them not to. His eyes were on Cadeyrn. Because he didn't expect Orvil to agree to go there immediately, he hadn't thought about Cadeyrn's claims that he was a miner; which, given the expensive clothes he showed up in, meant he owned a mining company. He clearly didn't slave away in the mines himself. His chestnut eyes excitedly took in the fully operational and productive mine that Jamie still felt a little attached to.