I had a little bit of time before the press conference, so I assembled the… Well, I couldn’t really call them my A team as Dennis and Rocko were both on leave while Forrest was on his journey.

I tilted my head and considered the room. I’d been able to get Rachel, Yolanda, Missy, Bethany— the old reception lady—, Lawrence, and Stephen. They weren’t the people who would serve this discussion best, perhaps, but they had their strong points that I’m sure they’d bring to the table.

Oh, who am I kidding? This was very slapdash.

I coughed. “Alright gang, I called you here because there’s going to be a press conference in an hour, and while there’s going to be some talking points about the match, I pretty much know what I’m going to talk about for the most part.” Rachel and Lawrence shared a look; both of them looked nervous for some reason.

“So what are we here for?” Yolanda asked.

I raised a hand. “Bouncing an idea off mostly and also some impromptu research,” I waved a hand at the computers we had. Then I raised a hand to forestall any further comments. “What I want to do is see how good an idea it would be to advance up the Ace rankings.”

That got a few whistles of surprise. Yolanda perked up. “That’s a great idea!” she said.

I shot her a pleased look while the others looked thoughtful. I coughed. “Now, that being said, I’d need to start from the basics. My own ranking.”

I brought up a computer that projected the image of the screen onto the wall with my trainer ranking. “Sixty-second?” I said. I tilted my head.

“Wasn’t it higher the other day?” said Yolanda, mirroring my own thoughts.

Missy coughed. “While Brock faces lots of challengers, they’re not all Ace challenges that are determined by a points system. Now one of the issues is that the more you fight, the more you gain points. The top tier ace trainers also have their for and against rankings taken into account but every month a negative of a sort is applied that forces trainers to continually be fighting and performing.”

Missy walked up and tapped on another icon on the profile page to display a graph. Sure enough, a drop in my ranking did occur when the month ticked over.

“Huh, I didn't know about that,” I said casually.

“It’s something that you probably wouldn’t encounter much of. It’s crazy how high you got from just people challenging you to test themselves against a trainer that beat Lance,” she said, pointing at the highest point.

Yolanda chewed her lip. “Will… he doesn’t really need to challenge you again… or any of the Gyms, does he?”

I grimaced. “No, but there is a certain prestige associated with it. While most of us aren’t ranked on the Ace leaderboard, we are acknowledged as some of the most powerful trainers around.”

Yolanda waved a hand. “What is the lowest rank he needs to reach to be able to challenge for an Elite Four position?”

Missy hummed in thought. “Top ten, at least, and then he can attend an invitational midseason tournament where the prize is a lot of money or a shot at the Elite Four. Otherwise, he needs to attain the number one position by the end of the circuit for his next shot. Then an end-of-season tournament will occur between the top twenty trainers with a larger prize pool as well as a right of challenge.”

Yolanda frowned. “So… the winner from the mid-season tournament, the end of season number one, the winner of the end of year circuit, the end of year Ace circuit, and the Gym Leaders… Why aren’t there more challengers against the Elite Four?” Yolanda said with a tilt of her head.

Missy hummed. “A lot of Ace trainers make good money once they make the top thirty,” At Yolanda’s confused look Missy elaborated. “It’s enough to retire after a year or two from sponsorship deals good money. For them, it would be worse to take on a position as an Elite Four member financially, and it is a lot more stressful with having to be part of the government.”

Missy rubbed her chin. “That being said, I have spoken with a number of Ace trainers, and there is a stipulation that if they make it to the Elite Four, they get a lot of money. Usually, there are… like two or three attempts a year?”

“I still would have thought that there would have been more changes in the Elite Four,” Yolanda said.

Stephen coughed. “I think living with Brock has somewhat skewed your perception of strength.”

I shot him a look, and Stephen shrugged. “You have a solid pokemon team, and I think your Ace ranking isn’t reflective of your strength.”

“Hmmm,” I said, unsure what to say about that. “Well we’ve gotten off-topic; I think it would be worth it to advance up the rankings. I don’t want Will to have any choice but to have a rematch with me through social pressure or a tournament. That midseason tournament is perfect. Can I make the top ten in the next two months?”

Missy rubbed her chin. “I think it's doable. You can start facing some stronger trainers. I think once you reach the top thirty, you’ll need to be careful.”

“And what about the top ten?”

Missy sucked on her teeth. “In reality, the top five is the position you want. The positions of sixth through ten change hands a lot as they are constantly challenged or challenging above them. You could return to fighting one or two matches a week and then ramp up to two or three in the month leading up to it,and I think you’d make it.”

“Top five, hmmm? Who are they currently?”

Missy tapped on the computer and brought up a list of names.

Missy brought up a profile and I blinked when a masked visage stared out from the screen. The mask was that of an angry Noctowl.

Missy coughed. “The fifth position is a trainer that has always been a masked…” Missy trailed off as the section next to the name was clearly visible.

“Walker?” I tilted my head to the side. Why was that name familiar?

Missy opened up her own transceiver and loaded up the profile. “Huh,” she said eloquently.

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s up?”

She turned her transceiver around to show that her account didn’t list the fifth position’s name. They were merely listed as Masked Owl. I blinked and looked at my computer. My computer was linked to my Gym and potentially my Guardian information network. I… was pretty sure I had disconnected that but… no this must have been a Gym level information setting that was allowing me to see Masked Owl’s name.

“Oh,” I said, realising that without meaning to, I’d accidentally unmasked an apparent celebrity and high-ranking Ace trainer to the room. I flicked a glance over the room. No one seemed to have made the connection just yet as to why a man named Walker might be interested in rising up the ranks of the Ace standings.

Bethany adjusted her glasses and stared at the projected image. “Isn’t that Shafner’s boy?”

With that, the pokepenny dropped. Lawrence hissed in surprise. “That’s the former leader of the Violet City gym!”

Yolanda gasped. “That’s Falkner’s dad?!” she said.

I grimaced. “Whoops! So I guess I can expect a lot of Flying types from him then?” I said, deciding to ignore the accidental reveal. It honestly wasn’t too crazy when you thought about it.

A disgruntled and shamed former Gym Leader, son of the former Elite Four, dons a mask and rises through the ranks. Eventually, he earns the right to challenge the Elite Four, which he takes. Then with his victory, he reveals himself.

Much drama, very wow.

I didn’t care.

I’d check later if it was my Gym Leader account or my Guardian’s intelligence that granted me the reveal. One of them implied that Falkner, and indeed most of the higher-ranked League officials, might know what Walker was doing, while the other might mean something else.

Regardless, it wasn’t what I was here for.

… I might smack him around if I encountered him.

For Falkner’s sake, of course. I wasn’t going to project because of how Flint and Walker’s situations were similar. Yup, for Falkner’s sake!

“So! Moving on!” I said, causing the rest of the room to gape at me.

Stephen shot to his feet. “You can’t just drop knowledge like that on us and not expect us to talk about it!”

“I can and I will! This is a dictatorship!” I said, loading up the Ace in the Fourth position.

A picture clicked into place, and I blinked as a ridiculously young trainer was revealed. I frowned as I read the kid’s biography.

“Carr, He was runner-up for his circuit run three years ago. He went pro and has been clawing his way up the ranks as the youngest in the top ten in years.” I tilted my head. “This kid is sixteen? He looks like he’s ten!” I said, indicating the picture that was smirking in a manner that only a child could manage.

Stephen shrugged. “Might just be a late bloomer or not look his age?”

I huffed and inspected the kid… the young man’s pokemon team. Steelix, Skarmory, Forretress, Scizor, Aggron, Magneton, Blastoise, Golem, Sudowoodo, Arbok, Weezing, and Raticate. Interesting. I looked for anything else note-worthy about him, but apart from his age… and childish appearance, he otherwise seemed to be a strong trainer.

“Corey, third-ranked on the Ace circuit currently,” I said, deciding to keep moving. I clicked on his profile, and his image and information popped up.

Something about this young man gave me pause. His face looked familiar to me for some reason. I looked at his pokemon team and found that he had a Pidgeot, Scyther, Hitmonlee, Venusaur, Sandslash, Tauros, Raichu, Fearow, Poliwrath, and a Rhyhorn as some of the pokemon he had used so far. Something about this kid… I couldn’t put my finger on why I thought I knew this guy.

I shook it off and looked at the next trainer.

Number two was a young woman by the name of Valerie from Ecruteak City. Her pokemon team was listed as a Mr Mime, Mawhile, Clefable, Azumarill, Wigglytuff, Granbull, Persian, Lickitung, Furret, Smeargle, Farfetch’d, Dodrio, and Pidgeot.

“Lots of Fairy and Normal-typed pokemon,” I said aloud as reviewed her pokemon. “She’d have a lot of pokemon with good versatility, however.” Yolanda agreed with a nod while Stephen shifted in his seat.

“That typing is still up for debate, Brock,” he said, like someone pointing out a technicality.

I rolled my eyes only to find a note on Valerie’s file. “She’s sponsored by Samurai Furret, the television show?” I said.

“Oh! She is too! It says that the Furret they use for inspiration is her pokemon!” Yolanda said with a laugh.

I chuckled, amused at how things were going, but I made a note that if I ever met Valerie, I would ask her for a picture with Furret. My family would love it.

“Number one!” I said, looking to quickly wrap things up.

I clicked on the link, only to be surprised when a man appeared with numerous brands and logos appeared. His profile was littered with links to products and there was an in-built advertising segment.

“Bruce… of Blackthorn City,” I said as a suspicion formed in my mind. I scrolled down to his pokemon team and hummed. Charizard, Gyrados, Altaria, Ampharos, Machamp, Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Pidgeot, Dodrio, Vileplume, Starmie, Lapras, and a Kirlia were all listed as part of his team.

His profile had a small bio on it. “A cousin of the current Champion and the Leader of the Blackthorn Gym, Bruce stands as another standout member of the Blackthorn clan. One who has travelled far and wide. Some of his pokemon have been considered contentious, but he is considered the strongest trainer beneath the Elite Four on the Ace circuit.”

I called Tauros shit.

This had to be something the Blackthorn clan had set up to help protect Lance from getting challenged from trainers that rose up the Ace circuit.

“How many of the challenges that The Elite Four have faced in the last few years have been this guy?” I asked.

“About three? Recently, he’s waived his right to challenge, just accepting the money,” Missy said.

I hummed. “Right. Well, good for him,” I said. If Lance and the Blackthorn wanted to play things that way, they were welcome to it. In the end, it might just be another method that could be used to deny Will the opportunity to challenge for an Elite Four position.

I did a quick search for Karen and was pleased to find her currently sitting in ninth place in the Ace standings. A search for Will revealed him to be thirty-first. With a number of matches already lined up for him in the coming week.

With my curiosity quenched for now, I turned my attention to the list of trainers ahead of me on the standings. “Alright, I need to challenge some people. I have an idea of who I want to challenge first but any other suggestions?”

Bethany surprisingly spoke up first. “Oh, Brock, you should challenge young Gertrude Goody! I know her grandmother, and she says the dear is a skilled trainer, but she needs some more attention brought her way!”

I blinked, unsure what to make of the recommendation to go and beat a person Bethany was family friends with? I swear, only in a pokemon world… I coughed. “I’ll take that under advisement, thanks.”

“Alright, so I have an idea of who I want to challenge first. Do we have any space in the schedule?” I said toggling the Gym’s schedule. I had a break on Thursday. I quickly blocked it out for the Ace match I had planned. I then went into the coming weeks and blocked out two or three-time slots more. If I was going to do this, I needed to be proactive.

When that was done, I straightened up. “Alright, that will do for today. Bianca, it might be a good idea if you stick around; I have someone coming into the Gym later on that I’d like you to talk with.” I glanced at my transceiver and saw that it was time for the press conference.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Time for me to go throw some chum in the water for the Sharpedo.”

Rachel shot upright. “Right! Brock, before you go in there I compiled a list of questions you should look over!” She handed me a clipboard, and I hummed as I glanced over the list. She’d also penned in some responses, ranging from no comment to…

“If they ask, do I think Will cheated?” I read out loud glancing from the clipboard to Rachel. “I should say, anything from is the sky blue? Would you trust your child with a Kangaskhan? To a flat stare down before asking if that was an actual question.”

I shot Rachel an amused look as the rest of the room tittered in amusement.

Lawrence coughed. “With what Lance asked from us, perhaps it might be best to skirt around that.”

I hummed and tapped the clipboard. “No, I don’t think that is actually the right option. Will… he has to know that those moves and strategies would have gotten to me. I think I shouldn’t curb my response too much. I won’t say anything more aside from hoping that League officials consider this in the future and pay close attention to complaints of this sort of behaviour.”

I looked back over the list of questions. “Hmmmm responses to Gawain… how do I think I could have prepared for this match better? Where did I fail? What was my favourite part of the match…” I let a small smirk play out as I remembered Titan whipping that Alakazam like a ragdoll.

I flicked over the rest of the notes and grunted before handing it back. “Right, thanks for that. Let’—” I started to move off, only for my transceiver to call with a number that identified itself as Silph Co. I frowned. What did they want? I rejected the call and waved a hand to indicate we should move along, as I departed, I turned back to the room to find Yolanda, Missy, Stephen, and A.J. standing around the whiteboard, writing down trainers that I could challenge in future.

“Don’t stick around too long, everyone!” I said to them; they waved back, far too absorbed in their project of ‘optimising a run’ for me to take a top ten position in the Ace circuit. I noticed that Yolanda seemed to be very invested in it, which made me pause and observe her before I was nudged by Rachel to keep moving.

We walked to the arena, where the stands on one side were almost filled with technicians, reporters, cameramen, and various other people setting up for the press conference. When I entered, people shot to their feet, only for me to wave them down.

I marched to the setup table, which had a rolled-out banner wall featuring the boulder badge behind me. As I sat down, Rachel moved to stand in front of me, her back to the cameras. She fussed over me for a little bit before nodding. She then reached into her bag and deposited a small bottle of moo moo milk in front of me. I chuckled and nodded while she grinned.

“She’s good people!” she said with a fake accent.

I just shook my head. “I know that,” I said, not at all bothered by the show of support for a local business.

I chuckled and took in the stands. Instead of indicating I was ready, I set up the table to my liking and allowed myself to become comfortable. My transceiver buzzed again, with Silph Co being shown as the caller ID. I again hung up on them. Then I nodded to the crowd at large while reaching out and popping the cap on the milk bottle. I took a quick sip and sighed contentedly.

“Ah, that was good. Alright, sorry for the delay on this press conference, but I had to see to my pokemon yesterday, and after the battle, I needed some time to gather my thoughts. I understand that yesterday’s match wasn’t what people expected from myself or Will, but it happened, and I think it brought a number of points to light that I’m sure you’d like my thoughts on.”

I waved a hand, and in doing so, I released a deluge of voices that broke through the reporter's restraint.

“Gym Leader Brock!” “Brock!” “Gym Leader!” “—you think that you could have—” “—allegations of—” “—underperforming?” “—advancing despite your demand for a rematch?”

I raised a hand and shook my head while chuckling to myself. “Yeah, I didn’t think that would work, but I decided to allow it anyway. Let’s do it another way,” I said before glancing down at the entirely byzantine seating chart that had been placed before me.

“Let’s start local Pewter radio; you’re up!” I said.

A man shot to his feet. “You revealed a new pokemon to the world with your Kleavor! How long have you had another ancient pokemon?”

“Gawain has been with us for a while now and has been a pokemon that I was building up to be part of my Elite pokemon team. He adds a wonderful set of abilities while being a solid performer, despite only having a handful of Ace battles to his name. I was pleasantly surprised when things worked out the way they did, Professors’ Oak and Elm have already documented a number of his abilities and have some of the resident aides further recording observations about him. His reveal was something I always hoped to have occur soon and Will’s announced specialty typing of Psychic pokemon made him an excellent first pick.” I glanced down again.

“Kanto daily edition?” I said.

This time, a woman shot to her feet. “Will used some questionable tactics; would you care to comment?”

I hummed in thought. “Yes, I would, those tactics seem to be largely exploitative of existing gaps, and while they are within the rules, I can’t say that they were in the spirit. I doubt that the people who wrote the rulers ever thought they would be used in the manner they were; I have in fact heard that a number of people consider the minute we already give trainers to return their pokemon as too long. Will’s tactics yesterday add a new element to that debate.”

“Are you considering suing Will!?” shouted one reporter.

I frowned before shaking my head. “I’m sorry but I’m not going to run the session like that, or else things will devolve into chaos and no one will get to talk,” I said, deciding not to feed the troll, as some in my previous life would have said.

“Indigo Illusive?” I prompted.

“Yesterday, the President of the League suggested different formats such as best of three or best of five matches. What is your take on that?”

I hummed. “I hadn’t seen that comment from President Kruger, but it sounds like a novel way of avoiding off-matches that can have lasting impacts. I think best-of-one matches have their place and are certainly electrifying as they matter a lot, but there is also room for slower formats. I’m sure people would enjoy nothing less than for a trio of matches to play out. It would certainly change the way pokemon battles play out and the strategies that are required. I’d be interested in seeing such a format, perhaps in a tournament setting,” I said.

“Do you think you’d do better!?” called out another voice.

I sighed. “I’m going to have to ask the next person to shout out questions like that to please leave the press conference as it is disruptive and I’m not going to acknowledge that behaviour,” I said channeling my rock energy to not snap the words out.

“Battlecast?” I said next.

A woman stood and smiled. “I’m sorry, but this will be a two-parter if that’s allowed?”

“I’m sure if you make it interesting, none of the other reporters will mind,” I said, causing a chuckle to run through the crowd. I nodded and waved for her to continue.

“What is your take on the two self-proclaimed Elite Four contenders that have emerged and begun to challenge Gyms in the Indigo region at large? Karen has swept through Johto, while Will is now going to make his way through Kanto, it would appear.”

I rubbed my chin in thought. “Honestly, I think it's a good way to draw attention to a traditional advancement. Some of the gyms might be better challenges, but it's also a wonderful way of building your name and allowing a connection to the common trainer. People will share links with those who do it that way, as they can see that they have gone through the same rite. The difference becomes that the Ace circuit is very different compared to the starter circuit.”

The woman nodded her head. “In that regard, with this being an Ace challenge compared to a Gym challenge, there is no requirement for Will to fight you again. How does that make you feel?”

I exhaled like a tauros through my nose. “Well….,” I said, dragging the word out.

“First of all, I need to point out that Gym Challenges don’t mean people have to keep challenging me, as by the end of the circuit, trainers only need eight badges from the gyms of Kanto or Johto to qualify for the end-of-year tournament. Most will typically camp out and continue to challenge, as there is an ongoing idea that not challenging a gym again is showing weakness by backing down.”

I raised a hand to allow that comment to sit for a moment. “That perception is not true, and with the number of trainers this year, there is an increased demand on trainers to be especially strategic in how much time they allow themselves. People who challenged and lost against me when the initial surge of trainers came in had to wait at least a month, which would have seriously delayed their progression if they’d stuck around. I think at the end of the day, you need to figure out how much it will cost you to stay around a gym, to backtrack, or to simply not challenge a gym. You can go for all or just enough badges with how things work; it all depends on what the trainer wants.”

I made a circling gesture. “That being said, you are correct. Will does not need to face me again.”

I once again allowed my words to hang in the air. No one spoke; they instead watched me, cameras and microphones poised to capture what I said next. They knew I wasn’t going to leave it at that.

“That being said, I think I and much of Indigo would be missing out if I didn’t demand a rematch from Will. He can call it what he wants—a tactical decision—not investing more time and energy into a battle that’s already been fought, but I can't let that sit.” I thumped a finger into the table to underline my point. “I am not happy with the result as it stands.”

I huffed. “I can’t say that I came into that match as prepared as I would have liked considering the circumstances. I can’t be happy with the way that Will advanced through the ranks while camping in the Gym, observing how I fought for weeks before lodging his challenge, only to then use the tactics he used. I can’t be happy with a draw. I know I and my team can do better. I think on some level Will knows that as well, so he’s going to back down from a fight.”

I crossed my fingers and smiled. “So I’ve decided to not leave it up to him. Starting today, I am going to make a concerted effort to rise up the Ace rankings so that I can attend the midseason tournament, where it may come down to another match.” I allowed a dark smile to appear.

“To that end, I am going to throw down the following official Ace challenge to Gavin Glady: I saw what you’ve been saying, and I have time in my schedule. Now it comes down to whether or not you want to put up or shut up.”

I stared right into a camera as I said this, and for a long moment, no one spoke.

I then chuckled. “Heh, sorry about that, got a bit intense there for a moment didn’t it?” I said rubbing the back of my neck sheepishly. I glanced down only to sigh.

“PTN?” I said with some dread.

A man stood up, and damn, that was yet another punchable face. He smirked down at me as if I’d already fallen for his trick question. “Two parter,” he said before running a hand back through his greasy hair.

I huffed and waved for him to continue. I noted he expected to get away with it rather than asking for permission.

“Do you think that you’ll do better in a rematch? Will has already faced you and now knows some of your tricks, like with your ‘Gawain’,” he said with air quotes.

I stared at him. “Yes, obviously I do,” I said, deciding to give that a quick response.

The man snorted at my comment, only to make a show of flicking over the page of his notepad.

“Are you going to be suing?” he said. His eyes drifted to the side. “I can only assume that’s why you brought your lawyer along today?”

Instantly, cameras swung to the side and locked onto Lawrence, who was standing next to Rachel. Lawrence merely inclined his head towards the crowd while Rachel waved merrily.

I coughed. “Lawrence is my lawyer, yes, but he is also a good friend. He gives more than great legal advice; he also gives me advice on certain topics. I will be leaving the official investigation to the League, as Will’s match did highlight a number of shortcomings that have previously not garnered public attention. Now they are in the public eye, and they are an eyesore, you could say.”

I started to look down for another person, only for the man to not sit. Rather, he huffed in annoyance. “That’s not what I meant. What about Silph Co? I assume you purchased their pokeball and used them during your match? Their failures led to your pokemon not being able to be withdrawn, effectively costing you the match.”

I blinked. I hadn’t expected that. I glanced down at my transceiver. Was that why Silph Co was trying to call me?

I tilted my head in thought. “I think that’s something I hadn’t considered to any degree. I will have to say no comment for now.”

The man opened his mouth, only for his neighbour to grab him and drag him down. I nodded at the man, happy and yet slightly disappointed that they’d done so. I would have kicked out the PTN reporter if they’d kept pushing.

I rattled through a number of other reporters and made good progress before wrapping things up. I knew I’d tossed a Meowth into the Pidgey as I marched away because of how happily a number of the reporters were buzzing as they helped pack up.

As I departed, Silph Co. once again called me.

I waved Lawrence over and indicated the transceiver. He hummed in thought, running a hand through his mohawk. “Hmmmm, do you want to talk with them or do anything serious like made some noise over your pokeballs failing you?”

I shook my head. “I don’t want to make any noise over it… but I would like their insight into it.”

Lawrence nodded. “Them, or an Apricorn pokeball creator would be your best bet for understanding what was going on with Jynx,” he said. “Let’s see what they have to say?”

I nodded and led him to my office while answering the call. “This is Gym Leader Brock,” I said neutrally.

On the screen, the clean-shaven face of a middle-aged man appeared. He was wearing a suit and appeared to be sitting in a high-rise office. “Ah! Gym Leader! I’ve been trying to get hold of you for a while. I understand you needed some time to look at your pokemon after yesterday’s… fiasco.”

I raised an eyebrow. “I wouldn’t call it that,” I said pointedly. Thing is… As Sabrina would tell me, while not ideal, it could have been much worse.

“Well for you, certainly not… but for us… well…” He trailed off and gestured expansively with his hands.

Lawrence coughed pointedly and mouthed ‘Who is this?’

I coughed, realising I hadn’t gotten a name. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.” Lawrence nodded at me, and I didn’t meet his gaze. This was the Timothy situation all over again.

“Oh! My apologies! I’m so used to moving in the business world where everyone knows everyone!” He said like that explained anything.

“Ah, I see,” I said, pretending I had any idea what that meant.

He coughed into a fist. “I am Howard Bronze, Vice President of Marketing!” he said officiously.

I nodded. “Right,” I said slowly as Lawrence quickly looked up the man on his own transciever. He found a profile on the Silph Co website that highlighted the man. I nodded, realising that Lawrence was doing this to vet the man as an imposter, something I hadn’t considered. I gave him a nod and directed my attention towards Howard. “So, what are you reaching out to me for?”

Howard smiled. “Well, we were hoping to trade out your… damaged pokeballs for some rather nicer models. We were thinking of giving you six Luxury balls for the hassle.”

I blinked. That seemed… Well, it was nice, but at the same time, I felt odd about this. I glanced at Lawrence and he pointed frantically at the mute button. “I’m just going to mute you for a moment, something’s come up on my end.”

I did so and looked at Lawrence.

Straight away, he shot his arms into an X. “Do not, and I repeat! Do not accept that deal! That is a pittance they are offering you, and it is frankly insulting.”

I tilted my head. “I thought something was weird, but walk me through it?”

Lawrence chuckled. “They don’t want to trade you out of two broken pokeballs for six Luxury balls. That’s how they’re presenting the deal,” he said, making gestures with his hands. “What they want is the ability to say that they handled an issue of publicity with their product breaking down. They will have it handled. For the average trainer, six luxury balls are a status symbol, and while nice to have, they are not what Silph Co should be paying.”

I rubbed my chin. “They will also be looking into the pokeballs to see how they broke, so this is a research opportunity for them,” I said.

Lawrence snapped his fingers. “That! Yes! That right there!” he said.

I nodded. “So what should I say?”

Lawrence rolled his hand about. “Oh make a ridiculous demand and make Howard go back to the drawing board. Let them know you understand that what you have is valuable to them. We can ask for something else.” Lawrence scratched his head. “Just need to work out what that will be really.”

I nodded and pursed my lips. Something Silph Co could provide for me. Something ridiculous… Well, only one thing came to mind.

I unmuted Howard, and his blurred-out image returned. “Howard, are you still there?” I said.

Howard perked up and nodded. He’d gained a cup of tea in the span of time we’d been talking. He had the air of a man who was about to conclude a bit of business in a satisfactory manner.

“Yes, so how about it? Six Luxury ball—”

“I was actually interested in another product you’ve been working on.”

“Oh?” Howard said, lowering his teacup.

I nodded and gave him my most innocent smile. “Yeah! I think I’d like to trade them for a Masterball,” I said.

Howard froze, and I watched as sweat broke out over his forehead. If I’d waited long enough, he might have taken a sip of tea, and then I’d have gotten a spittake. Oh well, missed opportunities.

“You want… the Masterball?” he said, the words rasping as they emerged from his mouth.

I nodded. “Yup! I think that’s a fair deal, “ I said. Lawrence shot me a thumbs up while grinning wolfishly.

Howard drew out a handkerchief and dabbed at his head. “Well, that is… I’m not sure that is entirely fair.”

I smiled. “I disagree, after all, your product failed me in a crucial period.” I shook my head. “I’ll need to ask around for what that actually means. It certainly makes me less confident in your product, though,” I said reasonably. I made sure to add an inflection to certain words.

Howard swallowed and finished wiping the sweat off his forehead. “I see, I will need to talk to the CEO. I’ll get back to you soon!” he said.

I nodded amicably and signed off.

Lawrence gave me a thumbs up. “Perfect! I had heard something about a supposed Masterball but I thought those were just rumours.”

I hummed. “You don’t think I was being too mean?”

Lawrence snorted. “Oh please he just tried to treat you like an idiot. You just made him stand up and treat you seriously. You’ll get a proper offer next time they talk to you.”

I nodded and rubbed my chin. “Toss me some ideas?” I asked.

He nodded before stretching out. “Oh, for sure, we shouldn’t hear from them for a few more days, so I’ll email you my thoughts. Otherwise, I think that’ll about do it for me today! Unless you need something else?”

When I shook my head, he clapped me on the shoulder. “Later Brock!” he said.

I watched him go while tossing around the idea of Silph Co. in my mind. According to the games, they’d be a target for Team Rocket. If I could steal their prize… Hmmmm Will might have cheated me out of a win, but he was definitely giving me options I wouldn’t have considered or had before.

A ping on my transceiver had me glancing down to see a message from ‘Old Jenny’.

Coming in hot! It read. It took a moment for me to realise that meant I needed to move quickly to meet her. I jogged to the front.

Today was certainly a lot more eventful than I’d thought it would be when I woke up.