Looker met Anabel at the airport. She was yet to change into her smart suit. They stopped at a bar before the Pre Gym, where Ein's imprisoned scientists stayed after being discharged from the hospital. It was rare to see Anabel bury her face in her hands.
'Chief? Are you jetlagged? I can interview–'
'I'm fine, Looker... I'm just, like, "really?" Again? Already? They're not even scary criminals... we have a mad scientist, failed cheerleader, divorced psychopath and an 89 year-old attached to a wind machine.'
'Don't forget the disgraced Galarian businessman.'
'Oh, yes... he would get involved with Cipher, wouldn't he?'
Anabel sighed. 'The person I'm most concerned about right now is Fire Agate... because if she is in Cipher, Ein will be punishing her... and if she isn't... he'll be seeking her out to take out his rage.'
Looker slid a file across the table. Anabel flipped it open. A Phenac City Police Department report claimed they – or rather Justy, because all the cops were defeated – threw a Cipher Commander out of the hospital. She escaped on a Charizard believed to belong to Ardos.
'Ah... you think she was after the girls?'
'Not the girls themselves, per se, but their DNA.'
'I think you may be right... did you get the chance to speak with Mr. Luvaro?'
'Yes. My suspicions were correct. The young lady we discussed is his daughter. He is, however, certain that only he and Leden are aware. His wife and sons know of her existence, but not her identity.'
'Actually, Looker... we should be worried about her, too. Ardos will be as eager to destroy her as Ein is to destroy Fire Agate, if not more so. A sample from Ardos will suffice to identify his twin brother's child. She is in grave danger.'
'Eldes and Leden are reluctant to approach her for her safety and, of course, in case she has come to terms with her adoption and doesn't want to know them. We must think of another excuse to offer her protection.'
'She'll be safe at Citadark Isle... as will Fire Agate if she's one of them. Perhaps a Gym Leader can encourage them to head there right away.'
'Wyatt Jefferson may be a good choice. There is apparently animosity between him and Ms. Nedali.'
'If he's well enough, I'm sure he'll be willing to help... and they must take the ferry. Swimming is too risky. What a mess... I can't believe I didn't notice that babies were swapped...'
'How did it go with Ms. Komac?'
Eileen Komac was the crazed Alfie fan who accompanied Gretchen and Lovrina to kidnap Fire Agate. She handed herself in. She was the only one police were able to charge then. Before Anabel flew to Orre, she met Eileen at her apartment in Hau'oli City. As articles claimed, there was barely room to move amongst merchandise and props from Alfie's movies. Eileen had her own conspiracies about Fire Agate. Notice boards were covered in articles and photos. Anabel politely refused the whiskey she offered.
'So, Ms. Komac... if you still feel comfortable doing so... please tell me your side of the story, from the moment you were approached by Ms. Manning. There's nothing to fear from Cipher. They will never know you shared any information with me. If you do feel threatened at any point, we can put you under witness protection.'
'Honestly, ma'am, I really wanna see this solved myself. I'm telling you – I was conned. Gretchen Manning had been an active member of my fan forum for, like, 10 years when she contacted me. I thought at first that Lovrina Drason had been there that long, too, but Gretchen had dupe accounts. Lovrina just took over one of them.'
Eileen sighed. 'Look... I was really immature back then. Fandoms have, like, hierarchies. When you're at the top, you're basically famous yourself. It went to my head. I've dealt with enough crazy fans to swear to Arceus I am not alone there.'
'You certainly aren't. I've dealt with all kinds of cases involving celebrities. Rest assured that nothing will surprise me.'
'Well, thanks, but... they knew they could get me 'cause I hated Abbey so much. I never stopped dropping passive-aggressive comments about her on my forum. And in private groups, where Gretchen was, I openly talked shit about her and how she deserved to die. If I'd behaved like the damn adult I was, maybe none of this would have happened...'
'They would have found someone else.'
'Yeah. Anyway. I'd been talking to Gretchen privately for about three months, sometimes over the phone, before she suggested "saving" Fire Agate. I was like, "how are we going to do that?" She said she was a member of Cipher and she had an Admin, who was Alfie's "real" girlfriend, behind her. I'm not gonna lie. I agreed to kidnap her. I wanted to kidnap her, to have Alfie's kid for myself. I thought one day he might thank me for it. And definitely that I could use her to draw him to me. Was it delusional? The dumbest thing I've ever done? Yeah.'
She signed again. 'But those two weren't delusional. They were evil. Even I had second thoughts. And then – they showed up with another baby. Gretchen said we could only "save" Fire Agate by swapping them, or she'd end up back with Abbey again.'
'Did she tell you anything about the parents of the other child?'
'All she'd say was that she accidentally hurt that kid while she was babysitting. I asked her to tell me more, 'cause I could tell already that she never intended Fire Agate to end up with me. The whole point of this was to replace the kid she hurt so she didn't get in trouble. Fire Agate was only involved 'cause Lovrina was obsessed with hurting Abbey and Alfie. I didn't want to do it anymore, but they said they had the whole of Cipher – including Alfie – behind them and they'd get my fansite taken down and sell all my stuff.'
'Other members of Cipher didn't actually approve.'
'I know, but all I knew about Cipher then was what I saw in the Gale of Darkness movie. Lovrina started threatening to kill me. She even cut my wrist open.'
Eileen rolled up her sleeve to show Anabel the scar. 'Maybe it was just 'cause I didn't expect to see Alfie there on the beach, but when I saw Abbey and Fire Agate in person, I wanted to run away. She wasn't a bitch or golddigger. She was a frightened mom who would've died for her kid. I honestly think Lovrina would've killed her. She snapped out of it and ran when my Golbat bit her. That was the last time I saw her. But Gretchen stayed. I didn't even know which baby she was beating to a pulp, or if it was both of them. I couldn't bear to watch. I didn't want Alfie to see me. So I ran away, too. I just handed myself in. I felt guilty. And I was still scared for my fansite. I told the police exactly what Lovrina and Gretchen demanded.'
That was all of the information that mattered to the International Police. Eileen's conspiracy theories led to dead ends. Looker shook his head.
'At least we now have confirmation that Gretchen swapped Fire Agate for a child she injured... but we must also pursue justice for that child.'
'Yes... but for now... the most important thing is that ensuring those kids make it to Citadark Isle.'