Chapter Five

Young Ash in Cipher

A week passed, during which Young Ash got to know the others more closely. He managed to recruit three people in that week, hating it, but realising he might have to produce the goods to get trusted or respected enough to get taken elsewhere. Tobianna was no longer in Pyrite, he felt sure, for he had managed to drop some subtle questions in the small talk about the sort of recruits they got and how often they got them. He had steered the conversation around to hair and eye colour, and one of them had remarked offhandedly that a black-haired dark-skinned girl had been sent to work at somewhere called the Key Lair about a month before.

"She showed a lot of promise, and I think that's why one of the Admin's personal workers sent her there. He knows promise when he sees it. You know, if you keep up the good work, you could end up getting sent there too. I'll put a word in for you." The woman named Kamé said.

"Hey, thanks!" Young Ash said. He thought no more about it until somebody turned up to assess that week's recruits.

His uniform was superficially similar to everyone else's, except that the helmet was a different shape and both it and the armour had yellow flashes down it in various places. He told them to pair up and battle one another, and that he would be watching them. Based on his opinion, they would either stay there to recruit, or be moved elsewhere where their strongest talents could be utilised. Young Ash had no way of knowing what to do to be relocated to the same place Tobianna had gone to, so just did his usual battling strategy of type-matching and concentrating on removing each Pokémon one at a time and healing when necessary.

He won all his battles, even the one against Kamé, and after that their observer came over and said "You were right about this one, Kamé, he would be wasted simply recruiting. He has sound battling skills and not a little talent. We will take him to one of our installations as insurance against snoopers and invaders."

Young Ash was both elated at his success but also a bit concerned. "One of" their installations, he had said. What if he was sent to a different place to Tobianna? He supposed he could do a bunk and go looking for her, but that could prove even more dangerous, possibly to both of them if she was found consorting with a deserter. He pushed that aside: he'd deal with that if it came to it. First things first, go with the flow and see where he ended up.

"Thank you Sir." he said. The man gave a short laugh.

"Polite, too. That'll stand you in good stead, lad, you might find yourself as a personal assistant to one of the Admin if you carry on like that! I'll send you to the Key Lair: you'll do well there."

Young Ash breathed a silent sigh of relief, glad that his parents had taught him manners.

Two hours later he was sitting in the back of a big vehicle with the guy with the yellow-flashed uniform, and Kamé, who had come along to keep him company. At least that was her excuse: Young Ash wasn't sure if she had come along to break the boredom of recruiting, to see somewhere else other than Pyrite, or because she fancied him.

He was taken up a long path over a sort of maze of curved stones, through which flowed an evil-looking purple slurry. Then he was led up a long ramp, which led into a black pyramid from which odd noises of machinery sounded. At this point, his guide dismissed Kame, who gave him a longing, sidelong look before turning and walking back the way they had come.

"This is the Key Lair." His guide told him. "It's our Shadow Pokémon factory. Fourteen years ago, when Cipher first began, the amount of Pokémon we could Shadow was limited, as it had to be done one at a time, a laborious task. Nine years ago, Admins Lovrina and Gorigan developed the Shadow Process, a method of mass-producing Shadow Pokémon: in addition Admin Lovrina worked out a method to create 'XD-series Pokémon', Pokémon resistant to purification." Feeling the need to explain himself, the man continued talking.

"You see, Shadow Pokémon used to gradually open their hearts as they battled and went around with their Trainers, and have the Shadow removed by a simple ceremony. This will not happen with any of the Shadow Pokémon we've created here as they have all been put through the XD Process, and will not Purify up as the old inefficient ones did."

Young Ash nodded, seeming to approve, but he was in fact realising why his Mantine had not shown any signs of Purification. His guide continued. "You will probably see Admins Lovrina and Gorigan in your time here: Lovrina is a woman in a silver dress and boots and long pink pigtails, Gorigan is a strong giant of a man with biceps bigger around than your waist. They are both unmistakable, and your manners will set you in good stead with them. If either of them tells you to do something, do it without question, and if they call, go over to them, and if you address them it will be as Sir or Ma'am."

"Understood Sir." said Young Ash.

"Now, for your first week, until you get used to the place and understand the drills here, I'm going to place you with somebody who knows this place better." He touched a wall intercom. "Would Peon Hannah please come to the foyer, where a trainee is waiting for you." Ash waited nervously for this Hannah to come and pick him up. Inwardly he swore: how could he look for-and hopefully talk to- Tobianna with someone by his side all the time? The man must have noticed his trepidation, for he said "It's okay, Hannah has only been here a couple of weeks herself. She'll understand exactly what concerns you have, and will in fact know what to tell you that I think is bleeding obvious only because I've been here so long."

At that moment, they could hear footsteps coming down the corridor, and a female peon ran into view.

"Hannah reporting in, sir." She said. She reached up to remove her helmet, and as she did so, Young Ash had to school his features to conceal the surprise he felt.

For Cipher Peon Hannah was in fact Tobianna.