As everyone excitedly prepared to watch the next round of battles, a Pelipper and Altaria landed at a desert resort south of Phenac City. Governor Gwin relaxed amongst prominent Sunset City stars and CEOs in the pool. Expensive cars with plates from all over the continent were carefully lined up in the parking lot. No-one saw Ein return his Pelipper or Theta stepping off Altaria with the woman whose car they supposedly stole.
'You did a good job, sweetie. Go relax now.'
The receptionist only smiled. Like everyone at the resort, she was employed by Cipher. Outside, a private jet rumbled onto the resort's runway. More stars stepped out. The resort opened only a week ago, but billions flooded in from celebrities seeking exclusive luxury in a region that was mostly poor. Marble steps twirled up to a sumptuous ballroom's engraved doors, where the resort's first wedding was taking place. Beyond the arched windows and patios decorated with cacti were the silver petals of a rose-shaped colosseum.
'Wow!' Theta exclaimed as she looked around, 'It really is so nice! I so wish mom was here to see it.'
'Soon, Theta, dear. Soon. But indeed. I never imagined this place would be so profitable. Nascour certainly served his purpose.'
Greevil poured his fortune into the Orre League and left any remnants to Eldes and his children. Though it took him years to accept Ardos would never change, he knew not to leave him any money, or it would just go back into Cipher. Evice, on the other hand, left his P1.5 trillion to Nascour. The resort was his idea. Nascour used just over half of his inheritance to build it. Once Rose joined them, he paid for the airstrip, colosseum and promotion that was responsible for its instant popularity. It was a shame to dispose of Nascour, because he was prepared to do anything to get at Wes, but his apparent overdose could convince police that Cipher were done or at least in hiding for now. He left his money to Cipher via Ein. At least he and Theta were about to get twice as rich.
An elevator's gold-plated doors opened. Light poured from a chandelier onto mahogany walls. All of Cipher's Admins had their own suites on the top floor, but that wasn't where Ein and Theta were going. The elevator descended so smoothly they barely felt it. The storeroom they stepped out to was fusty. Its stone walls were drab. Under a crowd of golden luggage trolleys was a trapdoor.
'Oh, I so hate that we have to disappear down here.'
'Think of it this way... we are making billions from those guests we must avoid.'
The trapdoor slammed shut under the weight of the luggage trolley that Ein pulled back over it. They could barely see in the murky tunnel. Theta switched on her P★DA's torch. A mess of footprints disturbed dirt. The torchlight glinted on more luggage trolleys and discarded mattresses. Ein released his Rhyperior to lift one. He opened another trapdoor. The mattress thumped back over it as Rhyperior was zapped back to its Poké Ball.
Water rushed. This appeared to be the resort's sewer. Theta's nose wrinkled. Ein had to check the map on his P★DA. It was his first visit. To avoid wading through the brown water to a ladder, they climbed back onto Pelipper and Altaria. Theta winced as her arms scraped the damp walls. Altaria, who diligently kept its cotton wings clean, was even more upset. Pelipper's beak struggled to fit through the small opening. In its panic, it dumped Ein face-down on the tiles, slushy with the footprints of colleagues who walked through the water. Theta couldn't help staining her shirt as she steadied herself.
'Ew, ew, ew!'
The room was filled with sewage equipment. It was Amber's documentary that gave them the idea to connect their lair to the resort via the sewer and, in turn, told them all they needed to know to hide the entrance in what appeared to be an innocent sewer maintenance room.
Ein swiped a key card. A heavy door's locks clicked open. They stepped into a broom cupboard so pitch-black, it seemed to swallow even the light of Theta's P★DA. Cool, crisp air betrayed it wasn't merely a broom cupboard. Ein strode forward into what most would have assumed the wall, but was actually a pair of deep black curtains. A huge doormat crunched under their feet. There could be no hiding that this vast, sleek lobby had no place in a sewer, so Ardos placed a neon 'Cipher HQ' sign over the elevator. Four Cipher Peons guarded it.
'Master Ein! Master Theta!'
Their salutes went ignored. Once they stepped out of the elevator, sliding platforms carried Ein and Theta to their new lab. They dropped their bags and headed back. The lofty hall they entered, decorated with silky blue curtains, was nicknamed the 'throne room.' There, around a long, silver table, they finally found their colleagues: Rose, Oleana, Ardos – who sat on the 'throne' – and their most loyal and competent Peons and Commanders. The woman Theta hated didn't sit. She leaned against her chair. Her sleeping son's magenta hair was buried in her chest. A bag thumped onto the table before Theta.
'Your samples.'
Theta didn't thank her. Though her black visor hid her eyes, Theta knew they were drilling into her.
'Don't forget my bonus.'
'You will be paid,' Ardos said coolly, 'When your mission is complete. Skrub, you will accompany Diane.'
Skrub saluted. 'Yes, Grand Master!'
'You, too, will receive a bonus. You did well to capture and threaten Dakim. Theta. You will test those samples immediately.'
'OK... Grand Master.'
'Immediately. Go now.'
'I'm going, I'm going!'
Theta was originally tasked with the final step of Diane's mission. Since the mess with the Gym Challenge and the lab, she couldn't be seen in public. That annoyed her. She would prove her worth by revealing the identities of both Fire Agate and Eldes' daughter.
Ein leaned in to address a Peon whose cocky smile radiated through his visor.
'Fein. I must commend you. The police truly believe I have escaped Orre. You even made it back in one piece.'
'I am the master of disguise. Though it sure helped that they didn't even question Nella's story about how you stole her car.'
'Now, Fein,' Ardos interjected, 'You will impersonate Alfie Addison.'
He slid a case across the table. 'You must check in to a motel using this passport and leave this box of expired antipsychotics in the trash.'
'Understood.'
'If I might ask, Grand Master,' Skrub piped up, 'What about the real Alfie? He's still a prominent figure in Galar...'
'Today is Leon Fayed and Abbey Hawthorn's wedding anniversary. I have established they indeed celebrate it. He has ordered flowers. Randal Knight will dispose of Addison while they are otherwise occupied. That insufferable boy will never meddle in our affairs again.'
'Ah! Of course you have it all figured out, Grand Master.'
'Indeed. Our crews are in place. We have full control over the weapons from our airport's control tower.'
Rose smiled. 'You're welcome.'
'This time... we will not fail.'
None of his colleagues seemed to notice, but Ein had the inexplicable feeling he was being watched. Was it that stuck-up Commander, Diane? Probably. He shook the feeling off.
'Grand Master... I must admit you were right. Our success should indeed come before our reputation.'
'I knew you would see reason, Ein. Your reputation will, of course, be restored in Cipher's Orre. And our army will expand as young Trainers taste the power of the Shadow Pokémon they receive from Professor Gallego.'
Ein's eyes sparkled. Rose maintained his serene smile and Oleana her poker face.
'And you, Governor Ardos, will ensure my wife is released from jail.'
'Indeed. History will be rewritten as Addison, played by Fein, is revealed to be the delusional mastermind behind a pathetic impersonation of Cipher. Vincent and Mesquite...'
'Grand Master!'
The door flew open. Theta's boots clattered in. She was out of breath.
'The samples! Michael's sample! It matches!'
'What?'
'Michael Mesquite, Grand Master! There's a match! He's related to Lyndon Massey!'
Ardos frowned. 'What in the world...? I suppose the details are irrelevant. If they are indeed related... all the more convincing the "clan" will be. Fein, go now. Prepare your disguise and check in to the motel. Theta. Test the other samples. Establish the link between Mesquite and Massey. There are samples from Jude Mesquite in the system.'
The Grand Master's lips curled into a rare smile.
'It appears that fate is finally on our side.'
After commanding another Peon to ensure Nascour died before he talked, Ardos dismissed his minions. The room emptied. There was a barely perceptible twitch in the curtains. Green eyes peered out. Cobalt didn't even know where to start to unravel all he just learned. He wasted months skulking around the Space Center when Cipher had their own airport here. He couldn't call anyone securely. The best he could do, perhaps, would be to expose the lair on social media before destroying all he could from inside. Unless he could contact Lyndon...