Rustie fell asleep on the Boltund. Chalcedony watched the barren highway, dotted with gas stations and diners, roll by. She flicked through the magazines. There was an article about how Dr. Verzant Robel, a past 'sexiest man in Orre' and politician – who was secretly a Cipher Admin – lost his mind after Cipher went down. He insisted Ardos was living in the same trailer park, but the trailer he supposedly lived in belonged to Verzant himself. The police searched it and found nothing. Why did people love watching others fall apart? Chalcedony wasn't above it, because she was reading the article, but it still seemed wrong. Especially when Ardos probably was in there somehow.
Could Cipher really be back when Ardos was bumming off Verzant in a trailer park? Chalcedony assumed that boy with the flyers was a lone Thievul. It probably wouldn't be obvious for several years... and by then, whichever unlucky Trainer did the police's job for them would have a huge Infestation on their hands. Despite her jokes, she didn't want to deal with them, either.
Once the bus crossed the river and ascended through the Laztaz Highlands, the ride grew bumpy. The parts of the roads that were cobbled were dotted with potholes. The sun set over the Pokémon HQ Lab. Its Poké Ball hologram was visible from the Boltund stop. Weary Trainers shuffled out. They pitched their tents in the woods surrounding the lab. The cooler air was clear. Salandit lit a campfire to keep Chalcedony and Rustie warm in their sleeping bags.
The sky over Phenac City was starry black when Amber reemerged from the sewer. There was a particularly bad blockage near the mayor's house. She suspected it was Mayor Teslor himself flushing wet wipes, because he was the only resident who got defensive when she politely asked everyone in the neighbourhood to stop.
People smoking outside her apartment block scattered when they saw her coming. It wasn't that they didn't like her. They admired her as the best thing to ever happen to Phenac City's sewers. She was even due to appear on an ONBS documentary, Orrean Ambitions. They were just squeamish.
Her job wasn't that bad. It was certainly more interesting than Hexagon Coffee. Sometimes she made money from selling the bizarre things, from jewellery to electronics, that she fished out of the stagnant water. Far more distressing than the smell or used condoms, though, were the neglected and frightened Pokémon she found after they were flushed down toilets.
Sandile and its evoltuions adapted. They developed a Poison- and Dark-type Orrean form. Amber sent her cousin Zane off to the Pokémon HQ Lab with one of each to be studied, but his mom, Professor Jovi Mesquite, wanted to study their habitat in more detail. Her assistant Lumir got that job. He was putting it off for as long as possible.
Amber rescued an injured Zubat that day. Charizard carried it. She left her overalls in the box by the door. Her two year-old son, Camden, always charged at her before she showered. His dad Trip had to hold him back. He was used to not kissing his wife until she was clean.
He took Zubat to give it a bath. Amber scrubbed at Charizard with boiling water. That was its least favourite part of the day.
'I don't understand why you'd flush a little Zubat...'
'People don't realise they're blind. Or that they shit everywhere.'
'But they're cute! And you can train any Pokémon not to poo on you.'
'Zubat!'
Most of the Gym Leaders were still in town. Wyatt was Trip's best friend and Camden's godfather. He tried to keep him under control, but Camden still charged into the bathroom when he heard his favourite Pokémon's name.
'You look more miserable than usual, Wyatt.'
He shrugged. Trip explained.
'Chalcedony showed up.'
'Oh... has she got blue hair? I think she came in to Hexagon. She seemed really fed up.'
'That makes two of us... as soon as I think I'm over her, she comes back.'
Amber was distracted by Camden. He wanted to keep Zubat. She wasn't sure it was a good idea to let a boisterous two year-old keep a Pokémon that would indeed poo everywhere until it was trained, but she sensed that it needed to feel loved. Maybe an enthusiastic toddler was what it needed. No-one else cared about Zubat.
'Ga'an, then.'
'Yay!'
'But she's poorly. You can't hold her yet.'
Camden had to make do with holding his Zubat plush and only beaming at the real one. Amber flopped down on the couch while he had the plush Zubat battle a Charmander.
'So... you'll have to battle her, then.'
'I'd rather not...'
'But that's part of being a Gym Leader, innit? Even if Ardos challenges you, you can't say no. Well, you probably can, because you'll hopefully get him arrested, but you know what I mean. And you know what? I don't think she's over you, either. I can imagine – you go to Sunset City and it's all a big lie and you end up realising what you left behind was real.'
'Yeah, but... even if that's true... if I ever get the chance to take her back... isn't that disrespecting myself or whatever?'
'Do you think that because it's genuinely what you believe? Or because Cipher told you to?'
'Huh?'
'That's what they got you in with, innit? The only people who'll really love you are them. There's only one way to love and it's their way. Which was as fake as whatever Chalcedony found out there in the big city.'
Trip smiled. No-one ever got out of a conversation with Amber without questioning everything. Wyatt was still working through being brainwashed by Cipher. It was true that was how they got him. It was how he became one of their greatest recruiters, too. He appealed to others with what appealed to him, except he genuinely believed in whatever he promised. There was indeed something to be said for weighing up anything he believed with his new perspective, away from Cipher; but he wasn't sure yet if he believed Chalcedony's abrupt departure was unforgivable because it genuinely was, or because Cipher told him so.