Anabel met Lyndon outside the hospital. Hop arrived with Chobin on Corviknight. Chobin was flustered even before hearing the news in full.
'M-m-ma'am!'
Unlike Courtney, being called 'ma'am' didn't bother Anabel.
'M-m-m-my Robo Rayquaza! It was stolen while I was at Citadark Isle! Th-they must have used it! To reach the Robo Pokémon!'
'I thought Lyndon gave them all back to you...'
'H-he did! He gave me a key to the lab where they were modified, so I could get them back. But even I, Chobin, could not safely remove the Robo Deoxys and Robo Jirachi from orbit!'
Lyndon stared at the ground. His arms absentmindedly hugged his body.
'I forgot they were even a thing.'
'What do they do, Lyndon?' Anabel asked, 'Do you remember?'
'I think... I mean, the idea was to end the world, so...'
'As far as I know, ma'am,' Chobin continued, 'They were fitted with extremely powerful cannons. Space is not my area of expertise. I did not dare mess with them...'
Anabel sighed. 'Well, if anything like this ever happens again... please report any unaccounted-for space junk directly to the International Police.'
'Oh, bloody hell!' Hop exclaimed, 'That's how they're causing the blackouts, innit? And hiding auras! No wonder the signal's not coming from anywhere in Orre! It's coming from fucking space! And no wonder you nicked them, Lyndon. I thought they were useless! But how powerful are they?!'
'Unmodified,' Chobin replied, 'They are simply fantastic, but they can be modified to unleash great power, as you know from the Robo Groudon, Kyogre and Suicune. It would seem the Robo Rayquaza has also been modified for space travel...'
'How do you send a bloody metal Rayquaza into space? Without killing the poor sod inside?'
'Chobin does not know...'
'Wait!'
There was a glimmer of a memory in Lyndon's eyes.
'I do remember. Coren said he kidnapped and tortured an aerospace engineer... that was Jamal. He didn't tell Coren anything, but we did get a bunch of stuff from the Space Center when that Fein guy took his key card and impersonated him... that was how my scientists modified the Robo Pokémon for space travel. And how we launched them.'
'But where did you get rocket fuel?!'
'It wasn't rocket fuel. My dad sold some of the energy they got from those Dynamax Shadow Pokémon in Galar, but a shit-ton also came to The Under. It's very similar to the Infinity Energy that powers the Hoennian rockets. I learned all about that from Team Magma and Team Aqua. I didn't tell Courtney exactly what I was doing... but I said enough for her to confirm that I had more than enough of it to destroy the whole planet.'
There was a moment of disturbed silence. Hop was the first to speak.
'It sounds scary on the surface, but when you really think about it – recycling a suicidal guy's robots is scraping the barrel. They don't want to destroy the world. They want to rule it. They're just gonna use the robots to threaten us. They'll never actually use them.'
'But I bet they have a bunker under that resort. And Ardos would rather blow up the whole planet than see Cipher go down again, as long as he survives. Just like he blows up everything inconvenient to him, including my grandpa.'
Hop grimaced. 'I didn't know he killed your grandpa. Sorry.'
'Oh... I forgot you don't know yet. I guess that's the least of our worries. But there is something I never told Ardos... or Coren... or anyone else in Cipher, except the construction workers who had no idea what they were building.'
'Oh, bloody hell...'
'I know it seems ridiculous when I was producing Shadow Pokémon... but I didn't want all those Pokémon who came to Orre to die. They hadn't done anything wrong. So I built a bunker for them. Not that I remembered when I was in that state. Obviously, if Ardos wants to blow up the whole planet, most of the world is fucked, but if they just targeted Orre...'
Anabel sighed again. 'Is there really no way to simply shut those robots down?'
'I doubt anyone can hack them in time.'
'If it might be of any help,' Chobin offered, 'I have two more Robo Rayquaza. I, however, have no idea how to modify them to safely carry someone to space.'
'I'll call Jamal.'
Though as soon as Lyndon glanced at his P★DA, he saw there was no connection. Another blackout. Anabel's radio didn't rely on a satellite. She pressed a finger to her earpiece.
'Chief to Looker. What's the situation?'
'I'm at Sunny Shores Trailer Park. This must be another blackout. Ms. Vinton wants to call her adoptive parents, but we're unable to.'
'OK. Ensure Ms. Vinton and her children are safe for now. Report back to me later.'
'Roger.'
Anabel switched channels. Maybe Pierre would know more.
'Chief to Metagross. Any info on the blackout?'
'Dr. Joyner reported eight "fireball" sightings from the staff here and civilians in Quartz Town. I'm at the Space Center. Something up there's actually destroying the satellites.'
'It's the Robo Deoxys and Jirachi. They're fitted with cannons and powered by the O-Energy stuff.'
'They must be planning a big attack while communications are down. I sent Trainee Ziyan to the resort's airport to use their connection, but there are hundreds of Peons there. They all have Shadow Pokémon. He had to retreat. Aaaaand... we just lost the military. This is bad, Chief.'
'Can I speak to Dr. Joyner?'
Sound was muffled as Pierre passed his headset to Jamal.
'Hi, Chief Inspector.'
Anabel repeated all Lyndon told her about the Robo Pokémon.
'Is there any hope for these Robo Rayquaza, Dr. Joyner?'
She took out her earpiece so Lyndon, Hop and Chobin could listen.
'Unless they can somehow get up there unnoticed, Cipher will just shoot them down.'
'They can,' Lyndon said, 'No-one had a clue I launched the Deoxys and Jirachi, after all...'
Rose knew what he was doing when he let slip what the 'weapons' were. If people weren't already preoccupied with long-lost children, they were certainly preoccupied now. The Robo Pokémon were capable of all Lyndon feared they were, but using them wasn't at the top of Cipher's priority list.
Manhole covers burst open throughout Phenac City. Shadow Pokémon leapt out. Screams echoed through the rush hour. Pedestrians were injured and cars dented by the flying manhole covers. Cipher Peons surrounded the homes of every Trainer capable of getting in their way.
Michael still had his International Police radio. Anabel connected it to their network that morning. Peons yelling about their allegiance to Alfie in the main square were forced to scatter when Lugia landed. Michael, Zane and Amethyst leapt off its back. Quick Balls flew over the heads of frightened tourists and students. Charging Shadow Pokémon were sucked in. Zane's Mega Lucario grabbed a Peon by the collar. His helmet clattered off.
'What's going on? What are you playing at? Tell me!'
'We, Alfie's Cipher, are taking over Orre!'
Threatening him was no use. His eyes glowed with such conviction, Zane wondered if some of these people truly believed they were working for Alfie. A Charizard landed behind him. Instead of putting her own clothes back on, Courtney stole a Commander's uniform. Peons saluted her. Zane recognised her hair. They pretended to argue for a moment so they could speak.
'I need to find a group of them worth fooling... do you have any idea...?'
'No clue, mate... but if they're after world domination, which they generally are, you could try the mayor's house or the governor's office? Please stay safe. We can't let anything happen to that baby.'
'I will. Take this.'
Courtney passed him the radio she received from Anabel, along with Michael, that morning.
'I'll radio you if I find something... or if I need help.'
The mayor's house was closest. Charizard dropped Courtney outside. Muffled voices and crashing came from inside. Courtney hammered on the locked door and, with her most convincing Orrean accent, yelled.
'Commander Baila here! Let me in! Now!'
Someone squinted through the peephole. The door was yanked open and slammed shut again as soon as Courtney was inside.
'Commander Baila, ma'am!'
Another Commander was about to give directions through their radios, but they didn't need to if Baila was there. They reminded her she promised them a date and disappeared. She was surprised the chaos wasn't audible several streets away. Mayor Teslor was tied, naked, to his blood-stained desk. The drawers, cabinets and bookcases were looted. A giggling woman with dyed-pink hair was about to cut Teslor's face.
'Leave him for now, or he won't do as we ask.'
'Oh!'
The woman hastily hid her knife behind her back like a naughty schoolchild. It was clear Lovrina was her idol.
'Commander Baila, ma'am.'
'I've just had word from the Grand Master. Justy and his Gym Trainers are plotting in the Pre Gym's basement. They must be stopped before they get in our way. I'll deal with this wimp. All of you, go. Now!'
'Yes, ma'am!'
Courtney didn't know what was going on upstairs, but it sounded like a party.
'That includes y'all up there!'
She almost wanted to laugh as the crowd of 17 Cipher Peons marched obediently out. She stabbed at her radio's button until she reached Justy.
'This is Courtney... I just told a bunch of Peons attacking Teslor to go the Pre Gym's basement... so maybe... we can trap them down there. Ahaha. ♪'
'Roger! I'm on it!'
Teslor was trembling. Courtney couldn't see his clothes. She ran upstairs to snatch a bathrobe that she encouraged him to pull on. Even when she untied him, he couldn't move. He wasn't simply hurt. He was paralysed by fear.
'Alfie... must be stopped...'
'Alfie is on our side.'
'No...'
When Courtney glanced up, she saw that Cipher arranged his photos of his family so they stared down at him while he was tortured. His eyes were on her stomach now.
'You understand... right?'
'For now... I think... you need medical attention. Charizard...'
Charizard picked Teslor up before he could argue. It returned once he was safely admitted to the ER. In the meantime, Courtney combed through the wreckage Cipher left, but she found nothing that hinted at their plans.