Draven caught something. It was a ball of paper. He threw it to Amber, though his throw was clumsy and she missed it. She snatched it from the floor seconds before the disgruntled guard, Conrad, stepped out of the cloakroom. Examining it now was too risky. She was still relieved, because only Trip could have thrown something so accurately to Draven. He hadn't forgotten her. She wasn't sure how long it was, because she wanted to save what was left of her ceramic shard in case she needed it later, but she guessed it was about four days since he was moved.
Conrad usually took a bathroom break in his first hour. He told a colleague he always took his constipation remedies before work so Cipher could pay the water bill. Today, he was apparently still constipated. He shuffled up and down. When he got bored and called his wife, Amber learned she thought he was guarding offices in Phenac City. She had nothing better to do than imagine their lives. That wasn't what she planned in her head for Conrad. She pictured him as a single grouch, gambling and smoking cigars in a run-down, shared house in Pyrite Town. A toddler giggled.
'Daddy loves you too, Litzy. I know. I can't wait to get home.'
Sometimes Bianka joined Amber in planning lives for the guards. Otherwise, she'd taken to pulling at the hems of her blanket and tying the loose threads in an endless series of knots.
'Well, that's new.'
Amber stared down at her scratches. Bianka sighed. She assured Amber she knew Trip and whatever he said wasn't personal. He was depressed.
'Amber!'
Bianka shook her arm. 'Bathroom break!'
Amber found her hands trembling as she unfurled the paper ball. It was Trip's letter from Frankie. He must have kept it in his pocket. On the back, he wrote a shaky message in the only ink available: blood.
Toilet pipes are loose. I'll throw pipe. U throw plate + food if needed. Uniforms in cloakroom. Take keys uniforms pokemon RUN
She showed it to Bianka. They both winced at the bloodied paper. Was it worth a try? Amber had no other ideas, other than claiming she could see a Shadow Pokémon and trying to overpower whoever came for her, or asking Mayson to bring Trip back and running while the cell door was open, but she knew Mayson had a strong Unfezant. He was nice because she was amenable. His attitude would change if he discovered she was planning to escape.
Draven's toilet pipe was loose, too. While the guards changed and chatted to their friends in the cloakroom, during their bathroom and snack breaks, Trip spent three days hastily – yet painfully slowly – teaching him how to throw. If only Amber could take someone on one-on-one with no Pokémon, she was sure she could overpower even a bigger man. Jovi taught her martial arts and she used her dad's gym equipment every day. Though her physical strength was fading with her sanity...
***
Parvor won his Boat Badge. Grason and two others finally beat Cail and moved on. People whispered. They asked where their competitors were. A journalist accosted Seth's mom, Rui, in their apartment block's lobby.
'Seth's taking some time out to train.'
Olivia ushered the kids upstairs. Once she was gone, Zane slid back down the bannister. He crouched at the living room door, half-hidden by one of the fake plants, to listen in. It was the International Police's third visit. Jovi joined them. She and Pierre were working together to hack Cipher, but it wasn't going well. Leon sounded angry.
'Look, this is getting ridiculous. Me and Abbey can just go and defeat every last one of–'
'No,' Anabel interrupted, 'You can't. That didn't go well last time and it certainly won't go well this time. We have no idea how strong they are.'
'It's one lab!'
That was the info Zane needed. They were at the lab. He awkwardly shuffled back up the bannister. They couldn't hear his foosteps. If they knew he was planning to go, they'd stop him. He returned to Fayiz's room with triumphant hands on hips.
'Now we just need to find out where the lab is!'
His friends smiled up from the floor, except Lumir. His gaze was guarded.
'You're certain they referred to the lab?'
'Yeah. Lee said "it's one lab."'
'They didn't mention any other facility?'
Zane frowned. 'No, they didn't. Why? You've been ever so quiet, Lumir. What do you know that we don't?'
They distantly heard Raihan snapping that Amber was his god-daughter. Lumir hesitated. He was silent, staring at the Galar League poster on the door. Seth grimaced. It was clear he was beginning to suspect Lumir again. Zane waved a hand over his face.
'Hello? Earth to Lumir?'
He flinched. His eyes betrayed opposing thoughts wrestling in his mind. He looked up.
'I know the lab's location... and I can get us in.'
'...Do you?'
'However, we can't simply rush off. You must disguise yourselves as Cipher Peons. I have some uniforms, belonging to Skord and Rezar, at my home in Quartz Town.'
Seth's cheeks puffed out. Zane blinked slowly.
'Do I even want to know?'
Cassia stared down at her painted nails. Did she still trust Lumir? Though what choice did they have? Zane heard Jovi mention 'Shadow Trainers.' She likened it to the state Leon was in when 'possessed' by his Shadow Charizard, something only those able to see auras were vulnerable to. What if that was happening to Amber? Cassia regretted the scathing things she said about Amber and Trip, not because she cared about him, but if Amber was reduced to a possessed Shadow Trainer... there were things she never planned to say, but realised now she wanted her oldest friend to know.
***
April was tossed into a cell on floor B3. Znider said they might have been gentler with her if she hadn't made so much noise, but she doubted it. The black cell was illuminated by its purple neon border. It looked through a glass door into a futuristic lab. The silver blocks, supplied with toolboxes, looked like operating tables. She was the only prisoner. The glass door looked breakable, but no matter how much she pummelled it with her remaining shoe, she barely even scratched it. A lone scientist entered. He climbed a ladder to drop a Poké Ball through a flap in the ceiling. Then he turned to leave.
'Doctor!' she yelled, 'I can help you – I know someone else who can see auras! Leon Fayed! He lives at 602 Poliwag Creek Road, Agate...'
He wasn't listening. When he checked on her later, noting his observations on a tablet, he was utterly silent. She asked what he was researching, if there was anything she could do to help, the next day. He didn't reply. In desperation, she stripped down to her lacy underwear and waited for him in a suggestive pose. No reaction. She removed her underwear. Nothing. It was as if she didn't exist. She gradually picked at the taped Poké Ball until her false nail snapped ripping it off. Maybe whatever this was could help her. She tentatively threw it. Nothing happened. She threw it again with all the enthusiasm she could muster. It hit the glass. A Loudred tumbled out. It immediately leapt at her. She was knocked to the floor. It stomped its feet, inhaling deeply to let out an ear-splitting roar. She desperately pressed her fingers to her ears. The glass shook. When she spoke, she couldn't even hear herself.
'Hey! Noisy thing! Don't you want to get out? Smash that glass! Now!'
Loudred deafened itself. It sat, out of breath and silent. Grimacing, April returned it to its Poké Ball. She didn't know, because she couldn't actually see auras, but it was a Shadow Pokémon. The glass was still shaking. She picked up her stiletto and whacked it one last time. It cracked. Her face lit up. She threw herself at it. Shards rained down. An alarm shrieked. April's ears were ringing so violently, she didn't notice.
'Yes!'
Before she made it to the door, it flew open. Burly Peons charged in. She was slammed onto a table and strapped down. The scientist scuttled after them. He stammered into his phone.
'She's tried to escape, sir...'
She recognised Znider's voice. 'You've had her for four days! And all you've got is an escape attempt?!'
'Sir – I've followed every instruction–'
'Then rewrite the instructions! You're the scientist! For fuck's sake. If we had Lovrina... but forget that.'
He tried to sweeten his tone, but it wasn't effective. 'OK. Try putting her through the Shadow Pokémon production process.'
'We're – we're yet to perfect it, sir...'
'I don't care. Better attempted on her than the others we know of. She can barely throw a Poké Ball.'
'Sir...'
'Do it!'