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The scowl on Evice's face remained even after Nascour left.
The boy — for that was all he'd ever be to him, no matter how important he thought himself — was mouthy these days, having grown quite comfortable with his position as chief admin and decoy boss of Cipher. His subtle acts of defiance had not gone unnoticed, but unfortunately he was clever enough to know when his uncle and master was in no position to put him in his place, forced to maintain his disguise as the kind, benevolent mayor of Phenac City.
And yet, for what it was worth, Nascour was capable and completed each and every task he was given, so Evice prided himself on having trained his nephew well. The rest he could take care of later.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps, and he turned to face the doorway once more. The kind smile that first twisted, then gradually brightened his features appeared by force of habit, almost a reflex; years of masquerading as Es Cade had honed his skill to perfection.
The boy who entered appeared to be almost fully grown and was most definitely not from Phenac City, that much Evice could tell immediately. His long blue coat was dusted with fine desert sand, his silvery blonde hair was messy and his amber eyes held that ever serious, distrustful look he knew only too well from decades of dealing with Orre's criminal underground. Behind him was a girl, roughly the same age as him, but entirely different in demeanor. She was wearing a blue jacket, a white skirt and pink boots, neither fancy like the upper class of Orrean society nor practical like the common people. Most likely from another part of the region, if at all.
What could these two want, I wonder?
Evice got up from his chair and walked around his desk.
"Why hello, you two must be travelers, yes? Welcome to Phenac City!"
Even the cheerful tone came naturally to him these days. He despised it.
"I am Es Cade, the mayor."
For all intents and purposes, he was and had been for the last decade. So convincingly in fact that sometimes even Evice himself believed to hear his brother speaking in his place, as if he hadn't been gone for all this time. Still, introducing himself with his name never quite lost this strange sort of thrill that came with successful deception.
Coming to stand in front of the two teenagers, though keeping a bit of distance, he continued to smile amicably. "I take it you wanted to see me. Is there anything I can do for you?"
Rui would be lying if she claimed she wasn't still shaken from the ordeal of being stuffed into a sack and dragged around the Orrean desert by a group of shady people, but that wasn't important now. What was important was to report what she had seen to someone, some sort of authority who would be able to help. She hesitated briefly, wondering — and not for the first time — if she was overreacting, but every instinct, every fibre of her being told her that something was very, very wrong.
Wes made a small motion with his hand when Rui stepped forward from behind him, as if part of him had contemplated holding out his arm to stop her. She could sense that he was feeling uneasy, though why that was, she had no idea.
How sweet of him, a total stranger until less than an hour ago, to worry about her, she thought fondly. But this, too, would have to wait, and so she approached the mayor.
From the corner of her eye, Rui could see that Wes stayed behind, moving not even an inch.
"Um..." It occurred to her only now that she had no idea what to say. Or how to say it. At least in a way that wouldn't make her seem like she had a sunstroke. Nervously, Rui shifted her weight from one foot to the other.
Es Cade smiled encouragingly. "Yes? Is there anything I can do for a lovely little lady like you?"
"I-I saw it!" Rui exclaimed before she could stop herself.
"Saw it?" If her sudden outburst had startled the mayor in any way, he hid it well. There was no discernable shift in his demeanor, and he continued to smile. "What is it that you saw?"
"I..." Rui chewed on her bottom lip, unsure how to describe it. She knew of course what she had seen, but it was clear as day that others couldn't. There was a good chance she wouldn't be believed. And while the prospect of looking like a complete and utter fool wasn't exactly appealing, she worried about the Pokémon she'd seen.
It needed help. That she knew for sure.
"I saw a strange Pokémon... no, that's not quite right," she began her explanation. "There was something very wrong with it. It gave off a black aura and it was like a fighting machine — it would even attack people! It was unlike any Pokémon I've ever seen before..."
Evice felt the smile on his face freeze, threatening to shatter into splinters of ice.
She couldn't have possibly...
She would have to possess the ability to... but how?!
Our secret has been kept so well and now this girl...
"O-oh, my!" Neither shock nor surprise were feigned this time, and Evice hated it. "A Pokémon like a fighting machine, you say? And it attacked people?"
He paused to gaze into the girl's eyes. Big, blue and so very innocent, though filled with urgency at the moment. She was sure of what she'd seen, Evice could tell, even if the poor thing had no idea what it meant.
"That would be quite frightening, if it was true," he said, forcing a neutral tone. "However, it is a little hard to believe..."
Maybe he could still discourage her. Make her believe that she'd been mistaken or seen just one strange Pokémon.
The girl seemed to panic at his words, shaking her head vehemently. From behind her, the boy glared at him, as if the mayor's gentle dismissal of her story was a personal affront to him.
You understand nothing, foolish boy, Evice thought to himself but refused to face him. If you were smarter you'd have told your sweet little girlfriend to keep her mouth shut.
"Please, it's true! It's true, Mr. Mayor, I saw everything with my own eyes!" the girl said emphatically.
So she is sure... and will not be convinced otherwise...
What appeared as a concerned frown to unsuspecting onlookers was merely a veil for the cold, black anger that slowly but surely seeped into Evice's consciousness.
The mayor doubted her, Rui could see it. She didn't even need the feeling of unease that continued to grip her heart to tell. Still, she tried to stay focused.
What she had just said was weird. And scary too. She couldn't fault a friendly old man for not believing her — not wanting to believe her. Aggression and violence weren't too uncommon in Orre after all, neither from people nor Pokémon.
But Rui knew what she had seen and she knew she had to convince him.
"You see, I didn't want to believe it either," she explained, "but then I was kidnapped by a group of shady criminals because of what I saw. They must've overheard me talking about that strange Pokémon and didn't want people to know."
She glanced over her shoulder. "They brought me to Phenac City. I'm not sure why, but thankfully I was saved by this Trainer here."
"Hmm... I see." Es Cade appeared to contemplate her words for a moment, brows knitting together. "I understand. If that is how it is, this matter should be... investigated. Yes. I will order an investigation at once."
"You will? Thank you, Mr. Mayor!" A smile of gratitude and relief illuminated Rui's features. After everything that had gone wrong in the last few hours, she had finally found someone to help her.
Even so, a bit of unease lingered. Rui concentrated on the feeling, attempting to find out why it was there despite the mayor agreeing to help her. And then it suddenly hit her. While she had seen Es Cade's doubts, written all over his face even as he tried his very best to maintain his friendly smile, she hadn't — couldn't — sense them. Or much of anything from him, for that matter. Normally, she would have these brief moments of sensing the emotions from others, particularly strong ones, like a bike speeding past her and kicking up a cloud of sand. Like she could sense Wes' aversion.
Yet when Rui focused on Es Cade, it was like listening to static, with the occasional empty blip.
A small voice at the edge of her consciousness also wondered how a man like him, someone who seemed kind and concerned with the wellbeing of those around him, could react so calmly to the news of a kidnapping in his own city, a fairly safe place like Phenac City no less. Then again — Es Cade had appeared to be quite shocked when she had first mentioned that strange Pokémon and its black aura. Maybe he was still shaken and trying to process the news. Rui was willing to bet that he didn't receive reports like hers often, and he seemed like the peaceful, affable sort; like the elders in Agate Village, her grandparents among them. The polar opposite of the thugs she'd met in Pyrite Town.
It would be unfair of her to read too much into this.
Somehow the girl kept making things worse. Her story was far beyond anything he could reasonably ignore, and there was a witness too, standing a few feet away. Still glaring at him.
Of course Evice knew what was going on, or could guess it at least. The girl had spotted a Shadow Pokémon, asked questions and quickly gotten the attention of Cipher agents who had then attempted to capture her. Unsuccessfully, to his chagrin. And now the entire incident was being reported to him, which was both convenient and infuriating.
She can see the shadows. What were the odds that, right after his lucky little nephew — unfairly gifted bastard child that he was — left his office, another aura reader walked right in?
I wonder if he noticed her. But that was a question for another time.
The girl smiled at him, happy and relieved, cheeks blushing lightly as tension left her body. How cute. Evice responded in kind; the boy did not.
He couldn't let her reveal Cipher's plans. Not this early, not like this. He had to silence her — silence both of them.
Ideally forever.
For the first time since the start of their conversation, Evice looked directly at the boy. Something about him seemed familiar; but nothing of importance. He didn't care if that one lived or died. It would, however, be a shame to kill the pretty girl. So innocent, so sweet, and gifted with such a rare and precious ability. She could've been of great use to Cipher under different circumstances.
Would anyone notice what was happening or miss these two, Evice wondered. Shooting two teenagers in the middle of the day inside the mayor's office where everyone could walk in at any minute was suboptimal to say the least. The neighbors were nosy too, especially that one old lady who had the audacity to ogle his nephew every time he visited and ask about him afterwards.
He would have to be quick, very quick. How long would it take? Evice felt the outline of his revolver in the hidden inside pocket of his coat, lightly pressing against his chest. He would be able to reach it fast, a well-practiced motion. Neither the girl nor the boy stood further than a few feet away, separated only by air; two shots should suffice, almost guaranteed to meet their mark. Nana's old revolver had never let him down, nor had his decades of experience.
The girl would have to die first, Evice decided. While it would be easier to kill the boy first — he was the one standing further away from him, giving him an opportunity to either flee, send out his Pokémon or draw a weapon of his own — but his dead body on the carpet would be too hideous of a sight for that poor innocent girl. With her smiling at him so sweetly, he felt generous enough to grant her the mercy of dying first.
Aside from that, he could probably do it fast enough to catch the boy before he could defend himself.
And yet. Evice knew the city was bustling with activity at this time, caught glimpses of neighbors standing around outside, saw people walking past the office, all potential witnesses that could randomly decide to come in. Getting rid of the bodies would take some time too, even with Cipher agents nearby to assist him. Not to mention that he risked more than being caught in the act; he risked his carefully crafted disguise as well.
The real Es Cade would've never even thought of killing these two, Evice knew that better than anyone else.
The real Es Cade hadn't even carried a weapon to defend himself.
The risk was too great.
Evice's red eyes slowly left the boy and came to rest on the girl again, his hands remaining perfectly still by his side.
Lucky you.
"Oh, no, there is no need for thanks," Es Cade said after a small pause of contemplation. "We absolutely cannot allow these thugs to do as they wish in our beautiful city; especially when they endanger a pretty young lady like you."
Rui believed she could hear Wes inhaling sharply and felt a wave of anger emanating from him. Her own smile dimmed a little, unsettled by his reaction as well as the fact that the mayor had once again complimented her like that; but his demeanor was so friendly and jovial. He was just trying to be nice, and people in Orre tended to be more direct. After all, what else could he possibly want from a random girl who walked into his office to report a crime?
Even though Rui still felt nothing from him, strangely enough.
She shook off the thought. Not important.
"I'll have to ask that you give me a little time on this matter. But I promise we will get some useful information regarding these criminals and their strange Pokémon," Es Cade continued.
Rui looked over her shoulder again, triumphantly this time. Wes still seemed unimpressed but remained quiet. If he had any problems, he wasn't voicing them, and she sure as hell wasn't going to ask now.
It appeared that the mayor had followed her gaze and turned his head to address Wes.
"In the meantime, why don't you two distract yourselves from this unfortunate incident? You appear to be Pokémon Trainers; if so, I would recommend visiting our city's pride and joy, our Pokémon Stadium. It's breathtakingly beautiful, as you would expect from an oasis city!"
"Thank you again, Mr. Mayor. We'll be sure to visit," Rui chimed in when her companion remained quiet.
No need to be rude! She shot him a quick glare but was ignored.
Wes was still fixating Es Cade, his body stiff, his expression guarded. A curt nod was all he gave in response, then he turned and left, motioning for Rui to follow.
Evice kept smiling as he watched the girl follow the boy out of his office. His right hand twitched, still tempted to reach for his revolver to take care of these two nuisances before they could cause any more damage, but he once again reminded himself that he had to let them go. For now.
Because what they had done could not remain without consequences, no matter how lovely that little lady was.
When they were out of sight, Evice sauntered over to his desk, unlocked the uppermost drawer and pulled out a laptop. It was identical to the device he had been provided with for his work as mayor of Phenac City, but the contents were quite different to say the least. As was the network it was connected to.
Let's see what my subordinates have to say for themselves. If they were unlucky, they were going to face his simmering anger instead of the nosy girl and her rude boyfriend.
The first thing Evice saw when he accessed Cipher's hidden network was an urgent report from Ein, stating that an individual with the ability to perceive the auras of Shadow Pokémon had been discovered and recommending immediate removal or elimination of such a threat. Quick and reliable as usual. It was ironic that he was the first, considering that, unlike several other members of Cipher, the head scientist hadn't even been on the scene, neither in Pyrite nor Phenac.
Narrowing his eyes, Evice skimmed through recent correspondence. It appeared as though Miror B. and his squad were the ones who had slipped up. He was going to take note of it and hope for their sake that they — or someone else for them, if another department was so kind — were going to fix this mistake.
Nascour hadn't reported anything so far. Didn't he walk right past them? Shouldn't he have noticed another aura reader? Or is that something he can't see?
Evice shook his head in disdain. His nephew had always been a capricious and whimsical creature; sometimes he saw too much for his own good, sometimes he paid no attention at all. But no matter. There was an easier way he could clearly convey to all members of Cipher what he wanted to be done about the girl and her companion.
Wasting no more time, Evice opened the blacklist. First the boy, then the girl. He didn't even know their names, but that, too, didn't matter; their images would be pulled from the surveillance footage of his office, and with them secured, Cipher's data specialists would comb through every single database to gather every available piece of information on them. Soon they would know their names, where they came from, where they lived, their Pokémon, the names of their loved ones.
There was very little the leaders of Cipher needed to do to seal someone's fate.
With one sharp, decisive tap on the touchpad, Evice submitted the new entries.
Perhaps the girl can be captured alive at least. It would be such a terrible shame...