Rustie had no idea what was going on anymore.
Jet wouldn't speak to her or Ivor since she traded Raboot for Ivor's Octillery. She regretted it, but it was too late. Ivor had already challenged Cassia and won. He got the last seat on the Boltund to Pyrite Town. Jet was long gone. He beat Cail and was about to challenge Wyatt. Unbeknown to Rustie, who felt unbearably guilty, Ivor awoke when a Rattata leapt at his bed in the Pyrite Super Grand Hotel to find Raboot gone. This time, it wasn't close by. It was nowhere to be found.
Then the shocking news came that the Pokémon HQ Lab had been closed down. Humiliating photos of the scientists clinging to what little they could gather of their belongings outside were on the cover of every newspaper. ONBS was under investigation for siding with the lab.
Alfie avoided using his connections to the Sunset City industry at all costs, but he wasn't letting anyone arrest his son while his wife was pregnant. As soon as he was released after an aggressive interrogation, he sent one of the most infamous lawyers to get Lyndon out. The police had already got the 'proof' they wanted. After a week without his medication, he became paranoid and tried to break out himself; although really, there was good reason to feel paranoid, because neither the Mesquites nor Alfie and his family had done anything wrong.
Jet didn't challenge Wyatt. He drove to Phenac City, narrowly avoiding a collision on Highway 1 on the way. It wasn't like him, but the thought of grovelling to his father, yet again, put him off the road. Justy knew his son was in a long rebellious phase. He was surprised when Jet burst in to the Pre Gym.
'Can I tear you away from your throne for five seconds?'
'Of course you can. What's up?'
'Someone has to do something! I might be too useless and maybe you are too, but you have to get in touch with the International Police! This is an international issue!'
'What is? I just heard about the Pokémon HQ Lab...'
'Cipher! Major Gallego – calling himself Cobalt – is spying on the Quartz Space Center for a reason! He won't tell me why, because I'm too fucking pathetic to beat him, but he knows something! Cipher have to be in there!'
Jet grimaced. 'Gosh... do you have to wear that dentist's coat all the time?'
'It's not a dentist's coat.'
Justy's P★DA buzzed in his pocket. He turned the volume down.
'You have to check that, I guess...'
'No, no. Finish what you're telling me first. Cobalt – he prefers to be called that – isn't on their side, for what it's worth. He trained here for a while. He's not unlike you... he ran away because he couldn't stand his parents.'
'I didn't say I can't stand you.'
'Anyway – he's spying on the Space Center, but won't say why?'
'It's obviously because Cipher are in there. And if what he knows is so bad that he can't tell anyone who isn't strong enough to protect themselves – and it involves space – how bad is it?!'
The P★DA continued to beep. Whoever was calling overrode the 'do not disturb' mode.
'Sorry, Jet... I really am gonna have to answer this.'
It was an automated call. Another urgent Orre League meeting was hastily arranged.
'I'll relay everything you've told me to the League, Jet.'
'It's not enough to just tell them. You have to convince them to call the International Police! Can't Lyndon call them, if you're so worried about Ardos listening in?'
'I'll do my best. I promise. I'm really sorry. This is terrible timing, but I have to go.'
'Dad... I stopped talking to Rustie when she traded her friend's Raboot for an Octillery she didn't even want... but I think Theta and Ein have gone for her. Theta posted a selfie of them together.'
'Where are they?'
'The Desert Lab.'
'OK. I'll make Cassia aware. She'll do what she can to discourage Rustie from associating with them.'
Though Cassia and Cail couldn't attend the meeting in The Under. They both had challengers to face and didn't want to draw attention to the meeting by closing their Gyms for the day. When Justy stood to share Jet's concerns with his colleagues, there was an uproar, but it wasn't about what he said. It was another blackout.
As it happened, there was no need to alert the International Police. Anabel's right-hand man, Looker, was in Galar to see his 'friend,' Leon's mum Jasmine. Alfie's arrest was international news. He heard about Lyndon, too, via Jasmine. Anabel was already suspicious. The arrests were confirmation to Looker that his chief's suspicions were, as usual, accurate. He took a Flying Taxi to Wyndon. The driver got lost over Hammerlocke. His sat-nav lost its connection and he couldn't connect to the internet. Another Cabbie heading to Wyndon let him follow. The cause of the problem was immediately obvious upon landing. Wyndon's vibrant digital billboards were blank. Nothing that relied on the internet or GPS was working. This blackout didn't just affect Orre. It affected the whole planet.
Looker was flustered when he arrived at the Battle Tower. He sat beside Alfie in Leon's office. Abbey was teaching.
'È un disastro!'
'You think?' Alfie said, 'I'd never have guessed.'
'Sorry, but this is no time for sarcasm! Before the internet went out, I accessed the flight records for the days around Fire Agate's murder. Gretchen Manning indeed took a baby out of Alola, but she also arrived with a different one.'
'Look, I'm sure our hero Leon will be happy to help random strangers in need, but I only have it in me to care about my own family. I don't want or need to hear about this "hoax." I'm out. Sorry.'
Alfie stood to leave. Looker uncertainly turned.
'But Alfie...'
'Good luck.'
'But Alfie, this does concern your family... Fire Agate in particular.'
'She's dead. What she can't feel can't hurt her.'
'Fire Agate isn't dead, Alfie. Or at least she wasn't when she left Alola.'
'Y'know what? That's a hoax. They got a baby that looked like her just to fool us into wondering, 21 years later when Cipher wanted to come back.'
'It... it isn't a hoax. An Alolan colleague tested the remains...'
'You dug up her grave?!'
'It is a terrible thing to have to do, but... it wasn't her grave. The remains do not match yours or Abbey's DNA.'
Leon blinked. 'Then who was it...?'
'We do not yet know.'
'So...'
All colour had drained from Alfie's face. 'You're telling me... my whole life fell apart... and she was never dead? How did that get past the cops?!'
'Gretchen and Lovrina were not known to police then. Well, Gretchen was, but not to the extent that Alolan officers considered her presence in Alola at that time. They had no reason to believe babies could have been swapped.'
'I guess this is what Amber wouldn't tell me because she was scared I'd get on the next flight... jeez. Maybe it is for the best that Lyndon doesn't know. I can't believe he hasn't learned his damn lesson from himself and Trip and he's actually having a kid! What am I supposed to do? You can't expect me to just chill, knowing my daughter's alive and probably in danger!'
In Pyrite Town, Fateen felt deeply uncomfortable. She didn't see Looker's secret trip to Galar coming. Alfie wasn't supposed to know. His mind would be addled even if he didn't run to Orre to find Fire Agate; but the biggest risk was that he could tell Lyndon, which was exactly what Cipher wanted. Then they could capture and threaten him until he helped them.
'Wait... what if she's died since? If this was all meant to lead us to thinking she's alive now when she isn't? I mean, I'd still want to find her body, but...'
Leon shook his head. 'I don't think so. This is what Amber was alluding to when she said "someone is alive." I'm sure of it. Looker, you'll want to talk to Amber. Fateen – "Pyrite's Mother" – told her a load of stuff about this.'
'Sorry, but this is just a massive fucking joke!'
Looker did his best to sound reassuring. 'I know, Alfie. I know. I want to go there now, but I must wait. Ardos is expecting us.'
'Can't you use one of Lyndon's fake passports?'
'Even in one of my spectacular disguises, it remains very risky. We suspect Ardos has access to airport CCTV.'
'Ardos is the only one who can be bothered to spy on everyone 24/7, even if Nascour has access to his creeping tools. Don has the right idea. He needs knocking out with a nice bout of diarrhea or a permanent boner.'
'I agree. Occupying Ardos must be our top priority. Once communications are restored...'
Looker called the International Police's most talented hacker, Pierre. Calls with him were always secure. He was as protective of his devices as Lyndon.
'Bonjour, comrade! We must act now to disarm Ardos Luvaro. I need you, our professional hacker, to make a secure call to someone present at the current Orre League meeting.'
Pierre chose Michael. He was once an International Police officer himself. Everyone was relieved to hear from him.
'Yeah. We're already suspicious of whatever's going on. Don't worry. We need to get at least one officer into Orre. Whatever we're going to do about Ardos, it needs to happen, now.'
Lyndon knew Ardos ordered from Sakura's Ramen, using Verzant's name, every evening. Brass was at the meeting on Cail's behalf. She donned a blonde wig and drove to Sakura's Ramen with an out-of-date can of Impidimp Ready Dinner. The smell alone made her gag. She covered it up with a jar of garlic paste. For good measure, now the garlic smell blasted everything away, she added a Rattata dropping she spotted by the dumpsters.
The fire exit was propped open in a feeble attempt to cool the sweltering kitchen down. When Verzant's name appeared on the screen inside, Brass snuck in to grab a carton and spoonful of the ramen Ardos actually ordered. She tipped in the contents of the tin and escaped seconds before a worker trudged in. She stowed herself under the dumpster, where a Rattata sniffed at her garlic-scented hands, to wait to ensure the order went to Ardos.
He was the only customer. The worker concluded it must have been prepared for him and passed it to the delivery driver. Brass drove after him to the Turquoise Sky Motel. Lyndon said he was in room 4. She risked peeking under the curtains. The urge to cackle was hard to resist. Ardos and his Pokémon were tucking in to his ramen. Nascour, proclaiming that he loved garlic, even had a taste before concluding it was disgusting. Ardos seemed to have no sense of taste. He ate the entire carton regardless. They had no idea anyone was watching them. They thought they were too stealthy.
Ardos returned to his laptop, but he couldn't avoid a trip to the bathroom. 10 minutes later, he hadn't returned. Nascour hammered on the door, exclaiming that he had to go, but Ardos yelled at him to go away. An argument ensued. Brass texted the code for their success to her dad: Impidimp hatched.
Lyndon, dressed as a Team Magma Grunt, landed in the parking lot. He remotely wiped the motel's CCTV tapes in case Ardos wanted to pick on the delivery driver or identify Brass. Meanwhile, she checked in to room 5. This was like a soap opera. She must have been the only person in the world, other than Ardos then, who had ever heard Nascour sobbing.
Looker was on the way to Orre under a fake name. When Brass ventured outside to squint through the curtains again, the laptop was on the floor. The screen was blank. In his frenzy to crouch over the trash bin, Nascour stepped on his own P★DA. They were still safe. Brass updated Cail with the next code: Impidimp is levelling up. He was enjoying this as much as his daughter was. She sniggered at his reply.
That Impidimp is sure feeling chipper!
Brass didn't even feel tired as the night wore on. Hearing Rich Boy Ardos cursing was too entertaining. Nascour lamented that they couldn't seek medical help without being arrested.
'Do not even think about seeking help!' Ardos roared, 'This is a mere stomach bug! Pull yourself together, you pathetic old man!'
'Y-you can't really talk, Grand Master...'
'Clean up your mess!'
'We should just check out of here...'
'In this state? I think not!'
Flight MC 368 touched down early at Phenac City International Airport. Looker was safely through security. Dressed as an elderly woman, he was loudly welcomed to Justy's house as 'Bebia,' his ancestral language's term for 'grandma.'
By the time Brass texted 'Gigantamax Grimmsnarl' to Cail almost 48 hours later, meaning that Ardos had finally reopened his laptop, the necessary airport CCTV footage was automatically moved to a backup system Ardos could not access. He had no reason to. He thought no-one would dare deliberately deliver bad food to him. Successfully getting an International Police officer into Orre without him noticing was an achievement, but if Cipher's plans were truly beyond their wildest suppositions, it was only a minor one.
Meanwhile, Rustie's new Octillery defeated Cassia. The Gym Leader's tone was still cool when she handed over the Pickaxe Badge. Theta, who was as awkward at dancing as Rustie was, insisted Cassia was a sore loser. It seemed she and Ein were unaware of the blackout. They offered Rustie a lift to Pyrite Town. She didn't know what to do. She was lost and confused. Deep down, she knew they were the most likely 'bad guys,' not the Pokémon HQ Lab; but at that moment, the only challenger even pretending to be nice to Rustie was Theta. She accepted. They didn't kidnap her. They ensured she was comfortable and dropped her at the Pokémon Center.
What if... they're really not the bad guys? But the Pokémon HQ Lab can't be, either...