"So then, it's settled. You'll hand over the blueprints and prototype Master Ball, and I'll wire you the agreed upon sum. With their ultimate prize stolen from their grasp, the Rockets will leave you and your company alone."

The rest of Silph Co. might be in a state of chaos and anarchy right now, with Rockets and Silph Guards all running around fighting one another in the halls while Silph Co. Employees do their best to hide wherever they can and run where they can't. But the very top floor of the building, where the President's Office can be found, is actually nice and quiet. They have yet to be disturbed all the way up here, in fact.

Which is good, because it's meant that Bill and the old man have been able to have something of a chat, all this time. The President's Office isn't your usual office. Rather, it's set up more like a conference room. The old man himself is sat on a couch in the Northern side of the office, while there's a large table with a giant Pokeball Art Decoration sculpted out of stone dominating the center.

Given Silph Co.'s history as a company that sold Pokemon Capture Devices of all types, from the original Pokeball, to the Great Ball and Ultra Ball, to other special kinds of balls meant for a variety of different situations, the Art Installation isn't all that surprising.

It's that large table that Bill is currently casually leaning against, one leg crossed over the other, a broad smile on the Pokemon Collector's face as he meets the eyes of Silph Co.'s sweating President. He can tell that the old man is still on the table about this, but he's not about to let him back out now. Nor is he all that willing to keep waiting, even if he IS projecting an aura of calm right now.

"Do we have a deal, Mr. President? I can't exactly promise that this transaction will remain on the table all that much longer."

It's not that Bill is overly worried about fighting his way out of Silph Co. Worst comes to worst, he can take down a few Grunts, even an Admin or Executive. Really, the only true threat that Bill could conceivably see Team Rocket fielding against him is Giovanni himself. The Rocket Boss is no pushover. Wasn't back when he was a member of the Elite Four, and certainly shouldn't be now unless he's been resting on his laurels these past eighteen years. And somehow, Bill doesn't think that's the case.

Unfortunately for him, this was the place where he was most likely to run into Giovanni. Here, in the President's Office, where he'd been aggressively negotiating with the old man for the past few hours while Team Rocket invaded his company and set up shop in Saffron City. Let it not be said that the Pokemon Collector knew how to take advantage of the situation.

When the President had first agreed to this meeting, Bill knew the old man had truly thought this would be nothing more than a polite bit of niceties, where Bill would inquire about the Master Ball, and the President would regretfully decline to sell to him, and they would eventually go their separate ways without Bill getting what he came for.

But what Bill knew, and the President didn't, was that this was the day Rocket were making their move. He'd subverted more than a few of the Rocket Grunts, as it were. Not just that pink-haired one who Giovanni had sent to him back at his house North of Cerulean. He had spies on the inside, and people who were all too willing to inform him when something big was happening. Not to mention his ability to track things electronic.

It wasn't just people that Giovanni had to move to make this occupation of Saffron City happen, after all. It was resources too, and that tended to leave a trail, be it paper or digital. A trail that Bill had been able to see coming days in advance and use to his advantage. And now…

"… Very well. It's not like I have much of a choice, now, is it?"

Bill allows a real smile to spread across his face, flashing his teeth. At the same time, he gives the President's cute young aide a quick wink. The young woman in a tight green dress has been there the whole time, of course. Shaking like a leaf too, whenever the sounds of fighting reached them from the lower floors.

He's done what he could to… alleviate the poor dear's fears. Given the likelihood that Giovanni would want to deal with the President personally, Bill didn't think she had anything to truly worry about. Of course, he couldn't just say that. Instead, he'd done his best to take her mind off things. Mostly by flirting with her while negotiating with her boss.

Even now, when he gives the young woman a wink, she blushes and averts her gaze. Ah, if only he had more time, more room to maneuver, he'd offer to get her out of here as well. But alas, that would have to wait. For now, Bill had more important things on hand than sex. Like Pokemon Capture Devices that couldn't fail.

He resists the urge to rub his hands together gleefully, as the President reaches down to a digital pad he has with him, clearly ready to transfer the files. The prototype must be somewhere nearby as well, though Bill had been courteous enough not to go looking for it. HE wasn't here to pillage and loot the place after all. He was here to make a perfectly legitimate business arrangement, regardless of who's nose it tweaked.

Except, before the President's finger can touch any of the buttons on his digital pad, the old man pauses. Bill bristles, ready to drop the niceties and get mean, but then he realizes… the Silph Co. President is looking past him, to someone behind him.

Turning around, Bill is shocked at who he sees standing there in the doorway. Not Giovanni, as he'd feared for half a second… but Cam. That Rocket Grunt he'd suborned all the way back in Cerulean City is just standing there. More than that, he's apparently picked up a promotion to Admin somewhere along the line when Bill wasn't looking.

Gawking at the younger man for a second, Bill quickly recovers himself and lets out a little laugh.

"Well, well. If it isn't Cam. Moving up in the world, I see. I like the new outfit."

His mind races for a moment as he assimilates this new information… but ultimately, the Pokemon Collector relaxes internally, mirroring the relaxed nature he's kept up outwardly. Cam is a known quantity. This is fine.

"I just got done talking with the President here. I'm afraid you're a little too late. See, with all the hubbub down below, he's decided it would be best to sell ME the designs and working prototype for the Master Ball directly."

Cam doesn't say anything. Just continues to stare at Bill in silence. Hmph, but then, Bill already knew the kid was someone of few words. Bill had liked that about him back at his house. Now… eh, not so much.

"I hope you don't take it personally, but you've gotta look at it from my point of view, Cam. I'm a Pokemon Collector. No, I'm THE Pokemon Collector. Imagine what I could do with a Pokemon Capture Device that never failed. Imagine all the rare Pokemon I could have."

Pushing off the table, Bill saunters over to Cam, glancing down at the six Pokeballs at the Rocket Admin's waist for all of a second before letting out a quiet noise of amusement. Placing a hand on Cam's shoulder, he grins.

"In respect to our arrangement, I'm going to ask you to turn and walk away. I'll be gone in a moment, and I can promise you that our friends won't tattle on you to your boss when he finally arrives. But obviously, I need you to stay out of my hair here. You can do that for me, right?"

He'd gotten the feeling that they were kindred souls, back in his house. It only made sense, really. So, Cam should be happy to just let him have this, right? Except… no, as the young Rocket Admin makes no move to do as he's been told, Bill slowly realizes his thinking was flawed. He is a genius after all, but even geniuses can make mistakes.

He and Cam ARE kindred spirits, and very similar in a lot of ways. Which is why Bill could never expect Cam to ACTUALLY walk away in this moment. Not from something like this.

"You're really going to make me hurt you, aren't you Cam? Listen… just remember, it's nothing personal. And I'll try to be as nice as I can be here. But… I've gotta be fast."

Because if an Admin had made it to the President's Office, Giovanni was likely right behind him. Pushing off Cam's shoulder, Bill steps back to create space between them, while at the same time yanking a Pokeball from his own belt and throwing it.

"Go, Porygon!"

In the same instant, Cam reaches down, unhooks a Pokeball from his belt, and tosses it out as well.

"Go, Dragonite."

Bill's eyes widen, and he damn near bites his own tongue in shock. The exclamation wells up in his throat, as the orange-skinned evolution of Dragonair appears between them, in front of his Porygon. Cam had a Dragonite?! That wasn't possible! Where the fuck had the young man even gotten it?! No… the Prize Corner in Celadon sold Dratini, didn't it? And the Game Corner was a well-known, at least to someone of Bill's genius, haunt for Team Rocket.

But even still, to be able to train a Dratini into a Dragonite… it wasn't possible. It wasn't feasible! It was-!

"Dragonite, use Slam."

Bill jolts, as he realizes his shock is costing him. Luckily, Slam was a low-accuracy move, on account of the Pokemon having to put their full body behind the attack, telegraphing their actions ahead of time. Bill's Porygon would know exactly what direction Cam's Dragonite was coming at him, so all Bill had to do was-!

"Porygon, dod-!"

But Bill doesn't even get the second word out before the Dragonite flashes forward, far faster than Bill's expecting, and slams his Porygon right into the floor of the President's Office. There's a sickening cracking sound as the Code-Based Pokemon is fractured in ways only a Pokemon Center or a long night of work at a computer will fix. Cursing under his breath, Bill quickly calls back his Porygon and sends out his next Pokemon… his only chance, in fact.

"Dragonair, go! Use Dragon Breath!"

Bill doesn't hesitate, shouting his orders to his most beloved Pokemon in the same breath that he releases him. Bill has had this Dragonair for over a decade, almost as long as it's been since the war in fact. Dragonair is his pride and joy, a Pokemon that Bill had specifically bred so that he would know Dragon Breath as a Dratini. It was one of the most powerful Dragon Moves around. Not only that, but it also had the potential of paralyzing whatever it hit.

His quick thinking pays off, or so it seems. Dragonair's Dragon Breath washes over Cam's Dragonite, and just before his vision is obscured, Bill sees the young Rocket Admin's eyes narrowing. Yes, unlike Bill, Cam had to have gotten his Dratini from the Prize Corner. Bill had figured it all out in just a few moments of thought. Which meant Dragonite wouldn't know Dragon Breath, because it was something they had to be born with.

More than that, Cam… the only way he possibly could have evolved his Dratini into a Dragonite was through the use of copious amounts of Rare Candies, the same Rare Candies that had been in the 'Care Package' Team Rocket had sent to Bill via Cam. Bill didn't quite know what Giovanni was thinking, but clearly, he was trying to turn Cam into some sort of… secret weapon.

The problem with that plan was simple. Rare Candies might be an easy way to increase the power of your Pokemon quickly, but it was a foundation of strength built on quicksand. Put bluntly, a Pokemon jumped up on Rare Candies would NEVER be as strong as a Pokemon raised with love and care for over a decade.

Cam might have a Dragonite to Bill's Dragonair, but in the end, his Dragonair would come out on top and-

The dust finally clears, as Dragonair's Dragon Breath ends. Bill's thought process fizzles to an abrupt halt as he lays eyes upon Cam's Dragonite again. Not only is the large orange dragon Pokemon not paralyzed in the slightest, but he barely looks worse for wear. No, Dragonair's Dragon Breath didn't even singe him! He-!

"Dragonite, use Dragon Rush."

What?! No!

"Dragonair, dodge!"

Dragon Rush was another low accuracy move! This time, Bill had managed to get off his command to his Pokemon! So surely! … But it's no use. Cam's Dragonite hits Bill's Dragonair with its full force, sending the other Dragon Pokemon careening through the large table in the center of the President's Office. The stone sculpture of a Pokeball functioning as the table's centerpiece goes flying into the far wall where it embeds itself there, causing the Silph Co. President to shout in fear and his aide to shriek and draw back in terror.

Bill though, can only send out his next Pokemon. Not that it matters. With Dragonair down for the count, Bill's other three Mon are no better off. Cam's Dragonite is a monster, whether it's suped up on Rare Candies or not. Truth be told, Bill suspects it might well not be. He suspects that it's power might be earned, which is a truly terrifying thought.

His Lapras, Pinsir, and even his Kangaskhan all go down with barely a whimper. And like that, it's over. Bill has been beaten; his entire team laid to waste by a singular, impossibly strong Dragonite.

It's ridiculous, but as Cam stands there, Dragonite standing tall beside the Rocket Admin, both glaring at Bill intensely… the Pokemon Collector is forced to slowly raise his hands in surrender.

"Fine… fine! I'll go. You've fucked everything up, I hope you know that."

He's not sure why he gives even that much away, truth be told. In some ill-advised attempt at making Cam see reason, maybe? But no, he can see it in the Rocket Admin's eyes… he's resolute. The young man has his mission, and it doesn't involve letting Bill leave here with the Master Ball prototype or its blueprints.

Damn… damn! He was so close, for fuck's sake! He was so damn close! It was infuriating, but at the same time, Bill was a genius. He was so much fucking smarter than everyone else in pretty much every room he was ever in. And that meant… he knew when to cut his losses.

Glancing back to the Silph Co. President, Bill scowls, not even trying to keep a friendly face at this point.

"Deal's off, old man. Should have been faster. Good luck with the Rockets."

The President just gapes at him in wide-eyed silence, and Bill is honestly surprised that the old fuck hasn't had a heart attack after the high-stakes Pokemon Battle he just witnessed. Truth be told, Bill is surprised the room is only as messed up as it is. Dragonite were destructive fucking Forces of Nature at the best of time. This whole floor would have been open air right now, if Cam's Dragonite had gone all out.

… But then he hadn't had to against Bill. Because Bill wasn't prepared enough. He wasn't ready for all the possibilities. He'd come in here without covering all of his bases, and now there was only one option left to him… to leave with his metaphorical tail tucked between his legs.

That is, if Cam was going to let him of course. Keeping his hands up where the Rocket Admin can see them, all of his brutalized Pokemon safely tucked away in their Pokeballs, Bill begins to sidle out of the office. Thankfully, Cam watches him but also lets him go without a word. That Dragonite of his lets Bill pass as well, seeming almost docile for being one of the strongest fucking Dragon Type Pokemon in the world, and pretty much THE strongest Dragon Type Pokemon in Kanto.

As soon as Bill is around the corner, he starts to run. After all, Giovanni is still likely on his way, and Bill has no desire to run into the Rocket Boss, even if his hands are empty, and especially not without any fighting fit Pokemon.

Luckily, the Pokemon Collector is able to sneak out the back of the Silph Co. Building, through an exit he'd prepared ahead of time, knowing he might need it given he intended to use the Rocket Invasion of Saffron City to drive a hard bargain with the Silph Co. President.

As he slips free of Saffron altogether, Bill grumbles, making his way Northward, heading back home.

What had happened was categorically ridiculous and should have been impossible… but at least he could retreat to fight another day. Still, one thing was for shit-sure. Team Rocket didn't have any Pokemon as powerful as that Dragonite. And if it truly wasn't some hopped up piece of steroid-using garbage empowered by too many Rare Candies… well then, something was up with Cam.

He was no average Rocket. Not even an average Admin at that. Bill didn't know his deal… but maybe, just maybe, there was still a way to use his connection with the boy to his advantage…

-x-X-x-

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