Draco: This seems like it might end up shorter than I expected it to. Orre is not a terribly long story. It seems longer than it is because it's got so much more to the gameplay, but the story isn't that long.
Rereading Legend of Ransei to assist with an approved translation. Point A: I'm very glad I used Bentley Jones' Into the Night for a scene where all the vocalists are drunk, because my attempted lyrics transcription is absolutely cringeworthy. Point B: going by my author's comments, I ended the Terrara party scene on a cliffhanger... and then had an update drought. #OldShame does not even BEGIN to describe my mortification on that reminder. This sort of thing is why I made my new policy for starting stories. Good Alpha.
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Chapter 11: Down to the Underground
The elevator in the Pyrite Building looked awfully old - which made it all the more surprising when they opened the door. No loud chrunk from the lock, no squeal of hinges from the door, not even a significant amount of restriction on the barrier bar that they lifted out of the way to step on. Said barrier bar was connected to a small panel with the controls; once he and Rui were both on properly, Wes hit the down button, causing the bar to drop again as it started to carry them down.
The Under was not a pleasant sight; dimly-lit by streetlights that looked like they wouldn't do much good out in the open, let alone underground. As they stepped off the elevator, Wes glanced up and saw a crack of distant light above, crossed by a shadow - and he realized this place was set into the chasm that separated Pyrite Colosseum from the rest of the town.
"So," he mused, "this is where Cipher's Shadow Pokémon are coming up from."
There was a large fenced-off area that looked ominously like a would-be jail cell across from the elevator; the rest of the town was set a little bit lower into the ground, such that there was a set of stairs connecting it. The gorge extended down enough to divide this town, as well, and like in Pyrite, it separated a Colosseum from the rest of the facilities; this one, however, had no bridge connecting it, although there was a strange platform that seemed to be floating near this side of chasm.
Rui glanced around as she and Wes started in. "Where do we even start looking?" she asked.
Wes hummed as he reached the center of town. "In Pyrite, they were being distributed through the Colosseum," he observed. "But how are we supposed to-"
A loud tune started to echo through the Under; the citizens who were outdoors started looking towards the elevator. Wes followed their gaze to find a jumbotron secured on the side of its shaft, and a broadcaster was standing there in a flashy outfit.
"Hello, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls!" she proclaimed. "It's time for the Under Time again today! Without further ado, let's bring out that special someone we've all been waiting for! Lady Venus, please!"
The display shifted to a woman in a rather extravagant-looking dress; it was a bright pink and floor-length, with what seemed to be large sapphires set into it at a little below knee height. The sleeves were broad enough to obscure her hands from the side if they were closed around a Poké Ball; she seemed to have bright red hair in an improbable pair of horns with a crescent moon behind them, but after a moment Wes realized that it was an attachment of some sort equipped to her back; her hair was a darker brunette that hung over her shoulders.
"Hi, everyone!" she cheered. "I'm your Venus!" A cheer from the other citizens around them caught Rui by surprise; this Venus must have been a celebrity of some description. "I have something terribly important to share with you today. It's horrid. There are spies right here in the Under. Can you imagine? We don't really know all the details, but if you see anyone suspicious, please let us know. I'm counting on you, everyone!"
The camera switched back to the broadcaster. "And that was Lady Venus! Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, thank you for watching. Please do tune in again!"
"No way," Rui whispered. "They know that we came here already? We're gonna have to be careful."
"Yeah," Wes agreed. "But how did they-?"
A chime from his pocket interrupted him as his PDA went off; he opened it to find a message from Sherles.
Wes! I'm sorry to tell you, but the Cipher goons we captured have managed to break out of the Pyrite jail! I've already lectured Johnson for letting them escape, but they might be after you two. Stay alert!
"So that's it," Wes observed. "The Miror Peons broke out, and told the higher-ups we'd taken their key." He pocketed his PDA again. "Let's keep an eye out."
+x+x+x+
Without being sure about how to get across to the Colosseum, they decided to search the town. The Poké Mart had a respectable supply of items, although Rui was unsurprised to find no Poké Balls; she considered it a good thing that they had gotten a good stock-up the last time they hit the Outskirt Stand. A couple roughneck trainers gave them some trouble, but more out of eagerness for a fight than any outright suspicion (although why anyone with a Magikarp was eager for a fight, Wes couldn't begin to imagine).
More concerning were the overhead snippets of conversation they picked up citizens mentioning Miror B. and Dakim - not only were they discussing Cipher so casually, but they sounded concerned about the Admins' defeat. It was clear that Cipher had a pretty firm hold on this place; it took all of Wes' willpower to avoid jumping at every shadow as they stepped into what seemed to be a mechanic's shop, and Rui was following him with her eyes closed and her braids shaking.
Feigning an interest in the stock, Wes moved closer to Rui and murmured; "Something wrong?"
"There's someone downstairs," Rui whispered back. "Seems like they're waiting for someone."
With a nod, Wes made to approach the downstairs area; the man at the counter noticed, but made no effort to stop them. As they descended, Wes heard a young voice muttering; "What I am gonna do? I've gotta deliver this thing, but I'm still not done cleaning..."
Rounding the corner revealed a young boy wearing a bandana. "Something up?" Wes asked him.
"Wah!" The boy spun around, surprised; on seeing who was there, his expression changed. "Hey, wait! Aren't you Wes and Rui?"
Rui's eyes shot open. "What!?" she demanded. "How do you know who we are!?"
"I thought so," the boy mused. "This makes things easy." He drew something out of his pocket - it looked to be a machine part of some sort. "Please, can I get you to deliver this to Nett's house?"
"O...kay," Wes murmured, accepting it, "but... that doesn't answer-"
"Just tell Nett it's from Perr," the boy insisted. "He'll give you the details. His house has a big antenna dish outside; you'll know it when you see it.
+x+x+x+
As this conversation was ongoing, a much less pleasant conversation was being held near the Colosseum.
"Venus. What is your situation?"
Venus was standing in a back room near her recording studio, accompanied by a man in a labcoat with a high collar. "Well, a couple little Rattata appear to be running loose, Nascour," she admitted to the man on the other end of the line. "But it's nothing to worry about. We'll catch them right away, pulverize them, and mash them up."
She giggled briefly, and Nascour released gave a low grumble. "...Fine," he conceded. "The priority is the distribution of Shadow Pokémon. As for you, Ein, hurry back to the Lab. I don't want these projects suffering any more delays."
"As you command, General Nascour," sighed the labcoated man. "It's not as though they're going unprogressed in my absence. But I suppose the Shadow Pokémon battle data we've received from Miror will be most useful."
"Good," Nascour affirmed. "I will be waiting for news of your completion. That is all."
The screen went out, and Ein swept at his hair. "I'd better get going," he insisted. "She's not always taking the proper precautions without me there to reprimand her."
+x+x+x+
The building that Perr had specified was indeed unmistakeable; a boy seemed to be pacing outside.
"Um, hi," Rui greeted, causing the boy to stop and face him. "Would you be Nett?"
"Who's asking?" the boy inquired.
"Perr sent us," Wes replied, drawing out the part. "Wanted us to bring you this."
"Oh!" The boy looked excited. "This is the powerup part we asked for! Thanks..." He looked back up to them, and his gaze narrowed as he regarded them. "Wait, are you... the Wes and Rui?"
"I didn't ask you to spell my name with a 'the'," Wes muttered.
"Oh, wow, this is too awesome," the boy observed. "Come on, you have to get inside! Quick, quick!"
Trading confused looks, Wes and Rui followed him inside; the main floor was mostly taken up by tech, but the boy led them down to a much more open basement, where a girl was sitting at a table with a Shroomish. "Megg! Nett! You're not gonna believe who just dropped in for a visit!"
The girl, who Wes assumed to be Megg, got to her feet. "What's got you so excited?"
The boy chuckled. "Try not to be too shocked - it's Wes and Rui!"
A surprised "What?!" emerged from behind a nearby door as Megg stepped forward. "No way! Really?!"
The door opened up, and a lanky-looking boy stepped out. "Bitt, is that true? Is that really Wes here?"
Bitt chuckled. "See for yourself!" he insisted, beckoning to them.
"I don't know whether to be concerned or not," Wes admitted.
The boy stepped forward. "Sorry," he pleaded, "I'm Nett. Secc in Pyrite has told me about what you've been doing so far."
"In Pyrite?" Rui echoed. "So you guys are with Duking?"
"In a way," Nett confirmed. "What bring you guys here?"
Wes held out the part. "Delivery from a guy named Perr," Wes replied.
"Oh, great!" Nett cheered. "This is all I need to get the Kids Grid back up and running again."
He dashed back into the room he had come from, where Wes found several computers set up. "What's this about?"
"We're using this to communicate with Secc and Marcia in Pyrite," Nett explained. "Communications signals down here in the Under are kind of touch-and-go, so I've had Nett help me set up a direct link for a little more reliability. This last boost is all we need. It should cut down on the need for hand-delivered messages."
"Yeah," Wes admitted, "I can see why Cipher wouldn't be too happy about you guys passing information about that."
+x+x+x+
After giving Nett his PDA number in case anything popped up, Wes and Rui made their way out into the Under - where something most concerning drew their attention.
"Honestly, of all the things to raise a fuss about." Someone was making his way through the town - a rather flashy individual in a bright longcoat over a slim white jumpsuit - with two Cipher Peons following behind him. "We're trying to stay on alert for the biggest threats we have, and some random child who doesn't know how to leave well enough alone decides to make a scene." He turned to face the Peons. "Keep an eye on that boy, and make sure he doesn't give anyone else trouble."
"Yes, sir!" the Peons confirmed.
Rui gave a concerned hum as they headed back towards the town entrance. "A boy who doesn't leave well enough alone?" she murmured. "Do you think...?"
Wes sighed. "It better not be Silva in trouble again," he muttered. "This is gonna be the second- huh?"
The longcoat had stepped onto the platform hovering over the chasm; he drew out a device that seemed vaguely familiar, and tapped something on its screen. After a moment, the platform started to move to the left; it stopped before a building next to the Colosseum, and he stepped off and marched inside as the platform drifted back.
"That thing is a lift of some kind?" Rui mused. "Wait, that thing that Dakim dropped on Mt. Battle..."
Wes drew it out; it was a very simple-looking device, but he realized it was the same type as the longcoat had been using. "This thing. It's some kind of... controls for the platform." He tapped its screen, causing text to appear reading Forward. "But... it doesn't look like we can follow him with this one."
Rui sighed. "Forward would just put us to the Colosseum," she observed. "Do we check it out first, or make sure Silva's okay?"
"...Let's go check on Silva," Wes replied.
The Cipher Peons were standing on guard in front of the fenced area; as Wes and Rui approached, one of them stepped forward. "Who might you be?" she demanded. "There's no need for tourists to concern themselves with some troublemaker. Go on, scram."
"Why would we do that?" Wes accused.
"Because..." The other Peon cut herself off, starting. "Wait... you two aren't from around here, are you? Don't tell me-!" She glanced at the cave before turning back to them. "He raised trouble because he came to back you up!"
Rui sighed. "Is that what he did?"
"You're not just running off!" the closer Peon reprimanded. "Wait right there!"
You are challenged by Cipher Peon!
The Peon flung a pair of Poké Balls forward, sending out a Sawk and a Joltik; as Wes was reaching for his own belt, Rui reacted. "Wes, the Sawk!"
"Gotcha," Wes confirmed, switching his grip; Espeon and Sudowoodo appeared from the ones he threw forward, and once they were ready, he gave his command. "Espeon, Hold Back!"
"Hold Back?" the Peon echoed. "Wait, you're-!"
Espeon charged at the Sawk as Sudowoodo twisted into the air and slammed its branches down; massive stones manifested above the Peon's Pokémon, falling towards them. The Joltik barely had time to aim a Signal Beam at the Imitation Pokémon in retaliation before the Rock Slide knocked her out; the Sawk fared better, but still took a good deal of damage, and as Espeon's withheld blow connected, he was a moment from following suit.
The Karate Pokémon retaliated with a Karate Chop as the Peon withdrew Joltik; once the last stones had hit the ground, she sent and send out a Volbeat to take his place. The Firefly Pokémon acted as soon as he was out, unleashing a Signal Beam towards Espeon; Wes quickly brandished an Ultra Ball in his left hand, letting the Snag Machine convert it and throwing it at the Sawk before Sudowoodo could attack again.
The Snag Ball enveloped the Shadow Pokémon as the next Rock Slide started to descend; amidst the falling stones, Wes could barely see the Ball moving.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
The Volbeat was barely awake as the Ball bounced back to Wes; an ephemeral sun appeared above Espeon to ease her wounds as Sudowoodo charged forward for a Low Kick to finish him off.
"You Snagger!" the Peon snapped. "How dare you!?"
The other stepped forward. "Tricky little punk," she growled. "I'll make you pay for that!"
You are challenged by Cipher Peon!
A Galvantula and Illumise earned an amused hum from Wes as she sent them out; he promptly withdrew Espeon, sending out Umbreon to take her place as Sudowoodo unleashed another Rock Slide. "Type specialists are always so blind," he observed mockingly.
He was eating his words as the stones ceased to fall; neither Galvantula nor Illumise had been knocked out by the attack. Galvantula retaliated first, unleashing an Electroweb that spread across both of Wes' Pokémon; Illumise quickly followed suit with a Zen Headbutt that nearly knocked out Sudowoodo. Wes cursed under his breath as the Imitation Pokémon attacked again, a Shadow Rave sending up spikes of darkness that finished off both of the opposing Pokémon.
The Peon withdrew her Pokémon as Umbreon was healing up beneath an ephemeral moon; her next Poké Ball sent out a Throh that had Rui reacting. "Wes-!"
"Got it!" Wes insisted, withdrawing Sudowoodo; as Umbreon's moon faded out, Lucario appeared at her side. "Umbreon, Hold Back! Lucario, I need you to go easy on 'em!"
With cries on the affirmative, the two charged forward; the Throh made to strike with a Body Slam, only to come off the worse for it from Lucario's Steel-type defense. As the Judo Pokémon recoiled, a shining bone manifested between Lucario's hands, and he bashed the Throh with five hits of Bone Rush; the individual blows were weak, and their combined effort wasn't enough to finish him off; as the last hit connected, Lucario drove his weapon into the ground and used it to vault aside, giving Umbreon a clear path with which to connect with a withheld blow.
The two of them retreated as Wes readied another Ultra Ball; once his Snag Machine had converted it, he hurled it forward before Throh could try to attack again. The Judo Pokémon was enveloped by the Snag Ball, and this time Wes had a clear view as it fell to the ground.
Shake... Shake... Shake... Click!
The Ball bounced back to him, and Wes caught it with a smirk as the Peon raged. "No! You little-!"
"Save it!" her partner insisted. "We've gotta report to the higher-ups!"
The two took off through town, leaving Wes to withdraw Umbreon and Lucario. "Two more."
"Looks like," Rui mused.
"Wes? Rui?" The voice from the cage drew their attention; a familiar figure was standing inside, with his hands bound behind him. "Is that you?"
"Silva!" Wes stepped up to the cage. "What are you doing here?"
"I found out that the Shadow Pokémon in Pyrite were coming to and from here," Silva insisted. "I'd barely gotten here when they nabbed me... but I did manage to filch something off of one of them."
"Filch what?" Rui asked.
Silva turned around, revealing what he was holding behind his back - a small card of some sort. "It's some kind of NFC tag," he insisted. "The goon in the fancy coat was borrowing it before they noticed me - something about 'never being too careful'."
"NFC?" Rui echoed. "You mean, like, amiibo?"
"Pretty much," Silva confirmed. "He touched it to this weird little device, and it got a ping. I guess he wasn't a hundred percent sure he had whatever result was coming from it."
"Device," Wes realized. "This must be for the controls of that platform thing."
He reached through the links of the cage; the card was just small enough to slip through the gap if it was oriented right, and Wes drew out his own device and touched it. After a moment, the screen lit up; this time with two options, Forward and Rightward.
"This should take us right on his heels," Rui observed. "Come on, let's go."
Draco: Miror's little "missed Shadow convenience" from XD gets carried over to the pseudo-remake. After his Peons break out, they'll randomly appear together in a custom battle challenge in Orre's Colosseums (as forewarned by the receptionist and decided when you enter the town, so you can do some #SaveScumming), if you've missed a Shadow Pokémon belonging to a Cipher Peon or otherwise unrematchable opponent.
Not that that's gonna come up in my literation, given my mindset towards Snagging and the story stakes, but like I said, I'm thinking this through as the game I wish happened.
A little change to the UFO system for convenience. Rather than getting multiple separate Disks that make you input directions in advance, you get a "UFO Controls" device that lets you input a direction as you get onto the UFO. And it uses magnetic levitation, which results in an unusual magnetic field in the Under that lets you evolve Magneton and Nosepass into Magnezone and Probopass.
And don't act like talking about amiibo as a point of reference isn't something that would happen in-game. Every player character in Generation VI and VII has a Wii U, and all the randoms who are talking about Pokémon trades are carrying 3DSes.