Chapter 3 – Return of the Unexpected

Present Day

"Okay, kid, I'm not playing games. Get out of this shop and wait till you're older!"

Keiran Valdoa struggled to hold his mounting anger in check as he futilely tried to convince the bouncer outside of Rashan's Mecha Parts that he was indeed fourteen, and not a little child. "Look, can't you tell by my voice that I'm no little kid?" he asked incredulously. "Just because I'm short does not mean I'm too young to be buying parts for a motor scooter! And since when does a mechanical component dealer need a bouncer, anyway?"

"Kid, I'm just doing what I'm told, m'kay? No one under thirteen unless you have special permission, and you, my friend do not. So get out of my sight, got it?"

"How about a battle to loosen you up?" Keiran suggested darkly. He was fed up with the bouncer's attitude problem.

The burly man laughed heartily. "You? I still don't believe you're fourteen, kid. You must have some nerve. But okay; a battle's a battle. You lose, you get out of here. Got it?"

Keiran set a hand on his Pokeballs in answer. "Yeah, whatever."

Five rather seemingly unfair minutes later, the bouncer threw his hands up in defeat. "Since when do little kids come so strong lately…" he muttered darkly as he stormed off in search of a Pokemon center.

"Perr? Hey, Perr! I have a few questions, if you don't mind!" Keiran hollered when walked inside. The proprietor was a good friend of his, and the seventeen-year-old mechanical genius slipped in through the back door that led to his workshop.

"Huh? Oh, hey, Keiran. I wasn't expecting you today. What ya need?"

"A few answers, first, if you don't mind?" Keiran nodded at the door and the bouncer, who had returned. "Why do you need bouncers in a mechanical parts shop, first off, and why do they come so stupid?"

Perr Rashan looked at his friend apologetically. "Sorry, I didn't realize he would cause a problem for you. I didn't have the money to hire some battle whiz so he was all I could find."

"But it's not like people come in here and cause trouble, like they do in bars, right?"

Perr shook his head. "Not lately. I don't know if you've heard the rumors, but…" he lowered his voice to a whisper and motioned for Keiran to come closer. "CIPHER's back. They're stronger this time, too."

"CIPHER?" Keiran exclaimed, eyes wide.

"Shh, not so loud!" Perr said quickly, looking nervously at the windows. "You never know who's listening, and because this is a port town, you tend to get a lot of shady people walking around. But someone, and I'm pretty sure I know who, was getting little kids to sneak in here and steal parts. You know, small guys that can dart in and dart back out without me noticing. I caught a couple, but they were too scared of whoever hired them to say much. I couldn't hire someone to keep everyone out, but the least I can do now is keep little kids from coming in here, whether they come to play around or steal."

His eyes darkened. "They say CIPHER has a new Grandmaster, a wily one with unbelievably strong Pokemon. That's what was going on for the past two or three years; CIPHER's change of leadership. See, most of the admins and whatnot were unbelievably loyal to Grandmaster Evice, and when he was overthrown by another man, his underlings stuck with him. Needless to say, the new leader appointed four new admins and other completely different people as various officers."

Keiran shook his head, confused. "But how come no one, well, not many people know about it, then? I mean, CIPHER's big news and all, but how do you know if it's true?"

"I heard the news personally from Nett of ONBS. Orre News Broadcasting System…only they haven't aired anything yet because they're still confirming everything." Perr shivered. "Plus, you keep seeing members of Team Snagem at the Bed and Brawler's, which is the bar most known for true information, and most of them you can hear complaining about how much they hate CIPHER."

"That's new," Keiran said thoughtfully. "I thought Team Snagem was allied with CIPHER."

"They were," Perr answered. "But the new Grandmaster severed all connections with Team Snagem. Needless to say, Gonzap was probably very angry. Who could blame them? I mean, they lost their most powerful ally, and now they're most likely facing destruction."

Keiran shivered. If CIPHER was back…and with his father gone, how would they finish the Purification Chamber in time? "Anyway," he said, burying his fears under the tasks he had to do, "the reason I came was because I need a new engine on my scooter."

"But it's only been, what, a year and a half? That engine should last you another three years," Perr pointed out.

The short redhead grinned. "Yeah, well, let's just say it doesn't go fast enough."

"Ah." Perr nodded knowingly. "Well, I have something you might like, in that case…"

"Keiran Valdoa?"

A neat, well-dressed young woman stuck her blonde head in the parts shop and glanced at him. "You are Keiran, am I correct?"

He nodded slowly, taking in her pristine appearance with more than a little suspicion. "Yeah, why?"

She flashed a brilliant smile. "Is your father's name Jesse Valdoa?"

Keiran snorted in contempt. "Not anymore. He died three years ago. What do you want?"

The woman's eyes widened and she held a hand up to her mouth. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I had no idea…it's just been so long…"

She calmed herself after a moment and began, "My name is Alice van Norton. I was Jesse's lab partner all through high school and I was sent to invite him to a reunion…"

Frowning, Keiran fiddled with his jacket as he cocked his head sideways in confusion. "Wait, that can't be true. Dad never went to high school; his parents enrolled him in the university when he was fifteen."

A dark gleam of fury appeared in Alice's eyes at her careless trip-up. "Okay! Fine! You weren't supposed to be that crafty, but I guess I just have to blame the goons that did my research for me. Come on, Valdoa; you're coming with me."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," Perr broke in, setting a firm hand on the woman's shoulder. "I know you, Alice; your older brother comes here a lot. Tell me, am I correct in that you work for…" he ripped her left shirtsleeve with a deft movement of his hand, revealing the intricate CIPHER emblem tattooed on her shoulder.

Keiran gasped. He had somewhat doubted Perr's story, but now he was certain. "So it is true!" he exclaimed.

"Alice, how could you?" Perr shook his head sadly. "I remember you used to be one of the biggest CIPHER haters I knew. What made you change your mind?"

"Grandmaster Greevil is the greatest leader I have ever seen, Perr," she said sharply, eyes flaring. "Evice was a joke. Now, with Grandmaster Greevil at the head of CIPHER, I understand the driving force behind this organization."

"What, greed? Hungering for money, is that it?" Perr asked heatedly.

"How dare you!" she cried. "Power, Perr! He has promised me great things if I can excel, and excel I will! The XD project will succeed, you mark my words, and CIPHER will be known throughout this world, in every region from Orre to Kanto. Even the distant Orange Isles will know our name, and they will bow down in reverence!"

"The XD project…" Keiran bit his lip. The words sounded somewhat familiar, but he couldn't seem to place it…

"Alice, get out of here," Perr spat. "You disgust me. People like you disgust me. Throwing everything you know and love away for the mere promise of power, and for what? What if you fail?"

"If I fail, he will help me rise back to the top," she whispered.

Perr walked her to the door and opened it violently. "Just get out."

She turned and slunk out of the shop. "Mark my words, Perr," she said, turning around briefly. "You will all pay in the end. Just you wait!"

"Wait, my ass," Perr growled as he slammed the door with so much force the merchandise on the walls shook and made light tinkling noises. Somewhere, an unbalanced bike piece crashed to the floor and left a nasty scuff mark on the polished wood floor.

Keiran slowly let out the breath he had been holding in. "So CIPHER is really back," he said slowly. "I almost can't believe it."

"They never went away," Perr replied in exasperation. "I say that, but no one seems to believe me. Like I told you earlier, they just popped back out of hiding."

Keiran nodded slowly. "Yeah, well, I'll…um…I'll get my engine later. I have to go tell the Professor…"

He backed out of the shop…

…and into the waiting arms of Alice and the bouncer.

"I said you would come with me, kid," Alice whispered as she clapped a gloved hand over Keiran's mouth. "You better not have brought reinforcements if you value your life. Nefis, take him and do something with him."

"Sure thing, miss." The bouncer grabbed him and shoved him roughly into a burlap sack. "What exactly do you plan to do with the kid?"

Alice pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Hold him at the desert lab. I'll have to have a word with Lovreena."

Nefis nodded obediently. "Yes ma'am." He lifted the sack holding the struggling Keiran and loaded it in a waiting motorboat. The boat would go south and stop at a deserted pier where they could take their captive and transport him to the lab without notice of the Gateon townspeople.

Meanwhile, Keiran, who was not having a pleasant time of it in the burlap sack, realized his Pokeball belt was no longer on his waist. "Oh, no! Those buffoons must have taken it!"

He bit his lip in anger and frustration. This was now getting personal.

That, of course, was his last thought as he felt something hard come in contact with his skull and everything around blurred and vanished into a dark void.