Journalists gathered outside the Orre Supreme Court in Phenac. Brynlee was sentenced to 25 years in the continent's highest-security Gatas Prison for three counts of murder and over 50 counts of abuse of power and Pokémon. Her glamorous photoshoots were replaced by her mugshot and scowl on the court steps. Coren got 17 years, while Znider got 15. Verzant, standing trial in his hometown of Gateon Port, could only be charged with abusing political connections. He couldn't be blamed directly or indirectly for any physical harm and of all Cipher's Admins, he showed the most remorse and interest in an honest life. He got six months in Gateon Jail. Alfie remained forgotten in his cell in Pyrite.
The most sensational trial was yet to come. More famous faces, from Gym Leaders to Blue to Leon, appeared to testify against Gretchen than anyone above her in Cipher. The vast courtroom, with white-brick walls and seats, was seperated from a border of bubbling water by ornate rails. Light fell from the ceiling dome onto the Orrean flag. Security were poised to pounce when Gretchen, in luminous orange, sneered immediately at agitated Lyndon. Karsyn urged him to stay put. Not everyone was pleased he only faced a hospital stay. Everyone stood. The judge took her seat behind a long, raised bench.
'Good afternoon. I, Justice Dibe, am presiding over the case of the People of the Region of Orre versus Gretchen Manning. Are both sides ready to begin?'
The regional attorney, Renson Sharp, was an ex-Area Leader at Mt. Battle. She nodded confidently.
'Ready for the People, Your Honour.'
Gretchen's lawyer, Flitz Bauer, was equally imperturbable. 'Ready for the defence. Your Honour.'
The jury was sworn in. Amber had to admit to herself this was fascinating. She never expected to sit in Orre's highest court. Renson stood to introduce the case.
'Your Honour and people of the jury, Gretchen Manning has been charged with the murder of Budic Runnalls; abuse of power to take advantage of a minor, Jamal Joyner; murder and impersonation of Rosen Raco; manslaughter of foster child Cole Conredeu and nephew Lir Kovar; multiple counts of physical and emotional abuse terminating in the murder of her own daughter, Laila Raco; verbal abuse and defamation of Lyndon Massey which prompted a suicide attempt; physically and emotionally abusing her grandson Trip Raco and Bianka Tare; three robberies on behalf of Cipher; kidnapping Amber Hawthorn Fayed and April Schultz; prison escape from Gateon Jail and unlawfully fleeing Orre to the Galar region; facilitating the prison escape of two international criminals and, finally, physically assaulting Skord Luvaro and Coobragh Gellen, who remains in critical condition. The irrefutable evidence I will present will prove the defendant is guilty as charged.'
Flitz defiantly stood. 'Your Honour and people of the jury! There is no real proof these murders were committed by Gretchen. You will also come to understand any crimes committed "on behalf of Cipher" were committed in fear of this same Lyndon Massey, Cipher's Grand Master and a serial liar and manipulator, found guilty of defamation himself.'
Karsyn and Trip held Lyndon down. Flitz nonchalantly announced it was already obvious he was out of control. Witnesses were called to the stand. The International Police provided physical evidence, including hairs, fingerprints, blood and threads from Gretchen's yellow scarf. Lyndon produced incriminating diary entries from Gretchen's desk at the lab. She was enraged. Only she and Znider had access to her safe. He must have told Lyndon the combination.
Several Peons and two fellow Commanders confirmed she regularly expressed violent desires or outright threatened them and others. Gromlet claimed she bragged about her 'body count.' Even handcuffed Verzant didn't hesitate to blame her for Lyndon's suicide attempt. Dibe was the only one who noticed the almost imperceptible eye contact between him and Lyndon, as if to briefly, reluctantly apologise for their falling out. Alfie and Nolan, from his cell in Motostoke Prison, corroborated Verzant's claims that Gretchen was never promoted out of fear she'd kill everyone. The Fighting Dojo Master and Professor Oak backed up Trip's and Blue's claims via video call.
Flitz repeatedly argued that evidence of Gretchen's presence was deliberately left at crime scenes to distract from the real perpetrator, Lyndon and, at the very least, she only ever acted on his behalf. Lyndon's office was full of Cipher records he never discarded. They and the diary entries disproved every scenario Flitz proposed. There was still a long list of witnesses yet to testify when the first day ended. Lyndon wasn't the only furious victim. Budic's mother and Horbit both lunged at Gretchen as she was escorted out.
Amber's fascination was gone by the third day. It wasn't the distressing testimonies and images that wore her down. It was how tirelessly Flitz defended Gretchen and, in turn, the increasingly upset and exhausted faces of her victims. Nothing discouraged him. His arguments sometimes took hours to debunk, though Gretchen herself didn't help. When distraught outbursts erupted she smirked and, especially when Lyndon was returned to the hospital after explosively breaking down, she cackled like a movie villain. She barely bothered to argue herself. Even Flitz couldn't refute Renson's claims she showed no remorse, but he still insisted she didn't need to because Lyndon was the mastermind.
With the list of witnesses exhausted, victims and their loved ones were invited to give impact statements on the trial's fifth and final day. The first was the mother of Cole, the foster child murdered by Gretchen, Hollie Conredeu.
'My child, my precious little boy, was brutally stolen from me age nine by the very person who was supposed to, who was paid to keep him safe when authorities decided I could not. Because my child was thrown into the Pyrite Chasm where Cipher protected The Under even if police believed they could reach it, I was kept going by the unfounded hope Cole was still alive. Finding his bones and blood-stained shirt is not closure. It's trauma that will never heal. And for Cole? An innocent, helpless child? It's pure evil. Gretchen Manning is a danger to the people of Orre. To the whole world. It's quite clear from her total lack of remorse she'll never change. However, I'm not only disgusted with Gretchen. I'm disgusted with the Orrean police and justice system who failed Cole and every other victim here, or no longer here, today. I ask the court to imprison Gretchen for life without parole. Thank you.'
Next on the list in alphabetical order was the brother of Coobragh Gellen, the injured Hiker.
'My brother, who's hiked all over the world without ever being harmed before, bravely intervened when he saw a young boy being attacked by Gretchen Manning in the Galarian Wild Area. He had no idea who she was or what she and her friends were doing. Coobragh was an innocent bystander driven by his urge to help someone in need, which Gretchen responded to with a brutal crowbar attack. He may now never wake up. Not only has Gretchen deprived us all of a kind, courageous, intelligent and loving son, brother, father and husband, but the whole world of a remarkable human being. She has ruined the safe haven of the Wild Area for the people of Galar by prompting valid fears she, or another Cipher member inspired by her, might also tear their life from them. Based on this and all of Gretchen's unforgivable crimes, I also ask for her to be jailed for life without parole.'
Jamal's hands shook when he approached the stand. He was advised to face the judge, but stared Gretchen down instead.
'No statement I can prepare can accurately convey how it feels to be 15 years old, abused by someone in a position of power who forced herself on you, being too scared to approach the police in case you're somehow blamed... only for said abuser to show up at your parents' house, lie that she lost the child conceived in that forceful encounter she swore never to tell anyone about, which prompts your parents to throw you out onto the street because it can only be the stupid teenage boy lying, right? But forget me. This isn't about me. It's about that child, my daughter Laila Raco who was deprived of a father, who was killed by her own mother for refusing to join a criminal syndicate. She died alone, her cries for help ignored, unaware her father would have done anything to protect her. And she wasn't the only person deprived of a parent. The son she gave her life to protect, Trip Joyner-Massey, was deprived of a loving mother and his father, who also adored him but was scared away by Gretchen's threats to kill his son if he bothered her.'
His glare didn't waver, despite Gretchen's smirk. 'Laila wasn't only failed by her mom, but by Pyrite Police and Child Protective Services, who repeatedly dismissed – or were simply too lazy to investigate – the concerns of everyone who questioned Gretchen. And, as insignificant as it is compared to Laila's death, going back to me for a moment... even when you've overcome that experience from your teen years, you can never overcome finding out that child was never lost, that you were unwillingly absent from their miserable life but now, they're dead. You can never meet them. You can't even write a letter they'll never read to assure them you're sorry. They're just gone. I refuse to accept any outcome but life without parole. Thank you, Your Honour.'