Contrary to what that one researcher had said, Wes and Rui were able to exit the lab with no trouble whatsoever. Nobody appeared to challenge them to battle, and before long, they were back on Wes's motorcycle, riding off to The Under. Wes had even found yet another disc on the way out- this one was a TM, and one containing Earthquake, no less. Wes held onto this- he had an idea as to which Pokémon to teach it to…
"Ooh," Nett murmured as Wes handed him the Data Rom. "Now this looks interesting! Lemme scope it out right away." With that, he inserted the Data Rom into his computer and started working on it, his eyes focused intensely on the screen. A few minutes later, he spoke up again. "Oh, hey! It seems this Data Rom contains a list of Shadow Pokémon they've made so far… or at least, it did," he added, his grin fading somewhat. "Seems like they've wiped the data…" However, his grin returned in full force. "Wes, please leave this with me," he said. "I'll get the information out of here, even if I have to go over the whole thing little by little. You just leave it to me."
"Alright," Wes agreed. "You have my P*DA number- whatever you can find out, shoot me an email."
"Will do," nodded Nett.
The next couple of days were the quietest ones Wes and Rui had seen in some time. There was, for a while, no word on Cipher. So Wes and Rui took the opportunity to head out to Mt. Battle. Wes had wanted to try the 100-Trainer challenge for a while now, and it proved to be good training for his Pokémon as well. He didn't clear all 10 areas, but he did manage to get through the first eight before finally deciding to put the challenge on hold- the Pokémon owned by the Trainers in each area got progressively stronger, starting out laughably weaker than anything Wes had. By the time he was done battling Shobon, the eighth Area Leader, he knew he had to give it a rest- his Pokémon had pulled through and secured him the victory, but it was a close thing. It came down to Furret landing a powerful Hyper Beam on Shobon's Weezing and knocking it out. Moreover, in the process of undertaking this challenge, Wes found his Pokémon getting steadily stronger from the fighting, and he also used his TM to teach Earthquake to one of his Pokémon.
Each evening, Wes and Rui rode out to the Outskirt Stand for dinner after Wes was done at Mt. Battle for the day, after which they would find somewhere to stay for the night, which usually meant riding to Agate Village and staying at Eagun and Beluh's house. And all the while, the two of them were thoroughly enjoying themselves, not least of all due to being with each other. At one point, Wes took another six Shadow Pokémon down to the Relic Stone, and by playing the Time Flute he and Rui had found in Pyrite Town's windmill, got Celebi to appear, purifying Raikou, Suicune, Forretress, Granbull, Stantler, and Hitmontop all at once. He also spent some of his spare time working with other Shadow Pokémon. He bought some scents at the Agate Village Pokémon Mart, and found out that massaging Shadow Pokémon with them helped to open up their hearts. As a result, he managed to purify Dunsparce and Qwilfish, as well as Skiploom, Quagsire, Noctowl, Slugma, and Ledian.
It was early in the morning, almost a week after Wes and Rui had infiltrated the Shadow Pokémon Lab, when finally they got some news. Wes was awoken by his P*DA's ringtone, and upon checking the device, found something that woke him up.
"Rui, wake up," Wes said, holding his P*DA. "Listen to this."
"Mmmph… huh? Wha?" Rui murmured groggily, slowly starting to wake up. "Wes? What's going on?"
"Nett just emailed me," Wes stated. "He didn't get anything about the Shadow Pokémon list yet, but it's just as big- maybe bigger. You know that construction site not far from Pyrite?"
"Yeah, the one where they're building that huge tower?" yawned Rui. "Yeah, what about it?"
"Well, construction's finished," said Wes. "It's called Realgam Tower."
"I don't get it," Rui replied. "What's that got to do with Cipher?"
"Everything," Wes said grimly. "Realgam Tower is Cipher's base."
That woke Rui up. After yet another good breakfast, and a quick trip to the Pokémon Center to ensure Wes's Pokémon were fighting fit, they hopped on Wes's motorcycle and rode off towards where Wes remembered the construction site being.
Only the construction site was a construction site no more. Wes and Rui's faces registered identical looks of shock and awe as they saw the finished product- Realgam Tower was humongous. And the outside area looked incredible- a shiny, clean floor made of marble, with two fountains flanking the entrance. Each fountain sported a rotating crystal sculpture of a Sudowoodo. A pair of identically-dressed guards in black suits stood near the entrance.
"Hello! Welcome to Realgam Tower," smiled one of the guards as Wes and Rui got close. "Today is our opening day."
"We've been expecting you," the other guard smirked. "Please, do go in."
"Oh, yeah, that's not ominous," Wes murmured to Rui. They continued on, the door ahead sliding open automatically.
They found themselves in a small room with three other doors. In the center of the room stood a miniature model of the tower atop a table. They first went through the door to their left, and found themselves on a moving platform which shuttled them into the next small room. And once they entered that room, they stopped short, surprised at who they saw.
"Fuohohoho!" Miror B. exclaimed, grinning upon spotting Wes and Rui. "You ruined things in Pyrite for us, don't think I've forgotten!"
"Miror B.," Wes said through gritted teeth. "We missed you."
"Yeah," Rui agreed. "In fact, we're not done missing you, so if you could just go, that would be great."
"Go?" repeated Miror B. "Oh, no, no! That just ain't so. See, you know, we're not about to lose over and over to you." With that, he took a pair of Poké Balls out of his afro. "This time, I'll win! And I mean it this time!"
Wes took two Poké Balls out of his trenchcoat. "Bring it," he challenged Miror B.
Miror B. "Let the music play!" But then he shook his head. "Oh, never mind that- we'll battle right away!" Oddly, without attempting to play his usual salsa music, he threw the Poké Balls. "Ludicolo, and Golduck, let's groove!" Miror B. sang.
"Go, Plusle! Go, Espeon!" Wes exclaimed, throwing his own Poké Balls. The four Pokémon materialized simultaneously.
"Golduck! Ice Beam!" sang Miror B. "Ludicolo, Rain Dance!"
"Helping Hand and Thunder on Golduck!" Wes exclaimed.
Plusle wisely waited until Ludicolo had made it rain, then launched the boosted Thunder attack. Golduck didn't even get a chance to use Ice Beam, and Miror B. substituted another Ludicolo for Golduck. "All right!" said Miror B. "Double Giga Drain!"
"Plusle, use Thunder!" Wes ordered. "Espeon, use Psychic!"
The pair of Pokémon focused their attacks on one Ludicolo. While the other one sapped some energy from Espeon, he and Plusle managed to knock out the other one.
"Now come back, my Ludicolo!" Miror B. exclaimed, withdrawing the unconscious Water/Grass-type. "And go, go, Loudred!" he added, throwing another ball, this one unleashing a large-mouthed Normal-type.
"We can handle that," Wes smirked. "Psychic and Thunder on the other Ludicolo!"
"Giga Drain, my Ludicolo!" said Miror B. "Loudred, Earthquake!"
"What!?" Wes exclaimed, but indeed, after Plusle and Espeon managed to take out the other Ludicolo, Loudred shook the entire room. Espeon managed to hang on, but Plusle wasn't so fortunate. Wes and Miror B. withdrew their fallen Pokémon, and each sent out another one. "Feraligatr!" Wes shouted.
"Armaldo!" Miror B. sang.
Wes smirked- Miror B. had sent out a Rock-type. Against a Water-type. And it was raining. This was gonna be good. "Helping Hand and Surf!" he ordered. This wiped the grin off of Miror B.'s face, and indeed, before he could give another order, both of his Pokémon had been totally knocked out.
"Oh, no, no!" Miror B. sang sadly as he withdrew Loudred and Armaldo. "I'm an awesome dancer… but I can't win in battles!"
"Well, he's not wrong," Wes remarked to Rui. "Guy's a jerk, but he's got moves."
"I guess so," Rui conceded.
This elicited a smile from Miror B. "Well, well," he said. "Seems to me you two have better taste than I initially thought. You know… I'll be honest with you two… this life of crime, it ain't my jam."
"Then why join Cipher at all?" asked Wes. "Why be a part of this whole Shadow Pokémon deal, kidnapping Plusle, all of that?"
"Oh, that Nascour, he was quite persuasive," replied Miror B. "He complimented my dancing skills, and the way I strategized with my Pokémon, and he figured I'd make for a powerful admin. He tempted me with the allure of a unique and powerful sort of Pokémon, which you may recall being the Sudowoodo you Snagged from me. What can I say? Flattery works on me."
"So, what, are still gonna do stuff with Cipher?" asked Wes. "Me and Rui, we're trying to take Cipher down. If you'd be inclined to help us…"
Miror B. thought about this. "I'm not hating the beat you're laying down," he said thoughtfully. "I'm not so sure exactly what I could do to help you out, at least not in the long run… in the meantime, however, I can give you this." As he spoke, he pulled an ID badge out of his afro, colored a bright red. "You'll need this if you want to get to Nascour," he said, and he handed it over to Wes. "Consider this my apology for the hard time I gave you back in Pyrite."
Wes exchanged looks with Rui. "I think I can forgive him," he shrugged. "Wanting out of a life of crime… sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
"Fair enough," giggled Rui, as she kissed Wes on the cheek. Wes smiled at this, then accepted the Red ID Badge from Miror B.
"Fuohoho! The two of you make quite the cute couple," Miror B. grinned. "Now go on- this place is big, you've barely begun to scratch the surface!"
And so, Wes and Rui backtracked to the first room, and from there, they took the door directly across from the entrance. This next room contained a healing machine and a PC- a miniature Pokémon Center. "Geez," Rui murmured as Wes healed up his Pokémon. "This place has everything. What's next, a Pokémon Mart?"
"It wouldn't surprise me at this point," said Wes. He led the way back through the door, and he and Rui backtracked to the first room, and went through the only remaining door. The moving platform took them to an empty room, and through the other door in said room was another moving platform. This one took them to a dead-end room where stood none other than-
"Dakim?!" exclaimed Wes and Rui simultaneously.
"Daahahahah!" Dakim laughed. "Wes! Good to see you! Well, are you ready? I did say I wanted another battle!"
Wes couldn't help but grin. "Fair enough," he conceded. "Fair warning, though, I've improved since last time."
"I expected nothing less," Dakim grinned back, already throwing two Poké Balls from the chain around his neck. "Dakim calls Flygon and Claydol!"
Wes threw two Poké Balls as well. "Go, Furret! Go, Feraligatr!" he exclaimed.
"Daahahah! Double Earthquake!" Dakim commanded.
"Helping Hand and Blizzard!" Wes ordered.
Even as the room shook from the simultaneous Earthquake attacks, Feraligatr still unleashed a howling snowstorm from his jaws, powered up by Furret's Helping Hand. Flygon fainted immediately, but Claydol at least held on.
"Much stronger!" Dakim said approvingly as he withdrew Flygon. He then plucked another Poké Ball off the chain and threw it. "Now, Dakim calls Forretress!" he added, as the steel-shelled insect appeared.
"Helping Hand and Surf!" ordered Wes.
"Dahaha! Use Earthquake, both of you!" commanded Dakim, but before either Claydol or Forretress could attack, Feraligatr swamped them with a powerful tidal wave, made even stronger by Furret. This knocked Claydol clean out, and Forretress wasn't looking too hot, either. However, after it used Earthquake, both Furret and Feraligatr fainted.
"You're stronger, too," Wes observed as he withdrew his Pokémon. "OK," he added, throwing two more Poké Balls as Dakim threw another ball. "Espeon! Hariyama!"
"Dakim calls Whiscash!" Dakim exclaimed, sending out a dark blue fish to face Espeon and Hariyama.
"Espeon, use Reflect!" ordered Wes. "Hariyama, Earthquake!"
"HariiiiYAMAAAA!" Hariyama bellowed, stomping the floor and causing the entire room to shake. Espeon was caught up in the attack, but thanks to the Reflect, took minimal damage. Whiscash didn't seem too badly hurt, but for Forretress, this was the straw that broke the Numel's back.
"Daaaahahaha!" Dakim was laughing as he withdrew Forretress. "Excellent! I love that move! Now, Dakim calls Houndoom!" he added. "Houndoom, Protect! Whiscash, Earthquake!"
"Helping Hand and Vital Throw!" Wes ordered.
Espeon and Hariyama withstood the shaking, and once it was done, the powered-up Fighting-type executed the powerful Fighting move, and Whiscash fainted, leaving only Houndoom. Wes smirked.
"Houndoom! Fire Blast!" Dakim ordered.
"Helping Hand and Cross Chop!" Wes ordered.
"Hariiiiiiiiyama!" exclaimed the Fighting-type, charging forwards. The Fire Blast made contact, and left nasty burns, but to Wes's mild surprise, this only seemed to strengthen Hariyama's resolve, and his attack power as well. This gave Wes a shrewd idea as to what that was about, so while Hariyama was slamming Houndoom into a wall, Wes took out his P*DA and checked Hariyama's data- sure enough, his Ability was Guts, so the burn, far from weakening Hariyama, was only making it stronger. Between that, the type advantage, and the Helping Hand, it came as no surprise that Houndoom fainted.
"Ahaha… ahahahah… DAAAAHAHAHAHAH!" Dakim was laughing. "Oh, now that was a battle! Wes, my friend, you are one of the strongest Trainers I have ever battled! In all the time I've been battling, my only losses came at the hands of Nascour and you. In fact, that is why I joined Cipher- Nascour promised me strong opponents. Until I met you, I thought he had lied to me."
"Huh. Well, thanks," Wes said, taken slightly aback by Dakim's praise.
"Yes… I am beginning to think that perhaps joining Cipher was a mistake for me," Dakim stated. "Tell me, is the stubborn Wurmple with the Time Flute OK?"
"His name is Vander," said Wes. "And yeah, he's fine."
"Daahah… Good," nodded Dakim. "If you see him again, you should tell him I apologize. I had my orders to retrieve the Time Flute. It was nothing personal. I would go to tell him myself, were I not worried he would flee at the sight of my beautiful muscles."
"I'll do that," Wes nodded. "So… you want out of Cipher?"
"Yes… I think so," Dakim nodded back. "I do not need to be in Cipher to battle strong Trainers. Here," he added, taking an ID badge out of his pocket. It was shaped like the one Miror B. had, except it was green. "You aim to take down Cipher, yes? This will be useful to you then. As for me… I may be able to help you out in another way. Go on for now… I must think about something."
"Well," Wes remarked as he healed up his Pokémon, using the healing machine they had stumbled across earlier. "That's two Cipher Admins we've managed to turn good. Who'd have thought?"
"I was kinda hoping Dakim might do something like that," said Rui. "Didn't see that coming from Miror B., though. Not at all."
"Yeah, I hear you," agreed Wes. "So, let's keep going," he added, pocketing his Poké Balls and leading the way to the next doorway.