Gladion leaned back in his chair. With the gym's opening and a televised Ace Challenge looming in just a few days, he had a lot of work to do.
But new challenges were brewing, and Gladion's sharp mind was already plotting moves to outmaneuver them. He humd as he scrolled through PokéGram, his smirk fading at a flood of ads from Hoenn's Devon Corporation.
The ads were slick, touting Devon's tal Coats as "the pinnacle of quality," promising Steelix with "unbreakable defense" and "unmatched toughness."
Gladion's eyes narrowed, his psychic senses catching a whiff of desperation. 'They know about the Mt. Moon mine,' he thought, muttering, "Oh, so they found out about finding the mine. It's not even official yet—they must have an insider in the League. Ugh, corruption even in this world."
He leaned back, chuckling darkly. 'Figures. Soone in the DRMA's probably pocketing Devon cash to leak my claim.'
The mine, a massive deposit of rare tal alloy for tal Coats, was his golden ticket, but Devon's preemptive campaign showed they were rattled.
'They're hyping their overpriced Coats before I can flood the market with cheap ones. Smart, but too early.'
Gladion's grin returned, his calm unshaken. "They can spam ads all they want—I haven't even started mining yet. It'll be a year, maybe two, before my tal Coats hit the shelves. Let 'em sweat. Besides, Do they think that they would be able to compete with my advertisong strategy? Fools are using my own sites to promote their product. Well, they know that I can't just stop putting their ads since that would an unfair play and they could use that to pressure Hoeen governnt to ban his sites in their region and then develop their own site. Smart but I can just play my ads more frequently than theirs and if they want their frequency to increase, they can pay more. Anyways, I would be the one making money in the whole deal."
His Vortex Vault shop, stocked with evolution stones and rarities, was already a trainer magnet, and the mine would make Moonwood a global hub.
'Devon's just buying ti. They'll learn soon enough—nobody outplays a Vortex.'
A ping from his inbox drew his attention—a new email from Devon Corporation. Gladion raised an eyebrow, opening it, his psychic senses probing the subtext as he read.
Subject: Partnership Opportunity for Mt. Moon Mine
Dear Mr. Vortex,
Devon Corporation congratulates you on your discovery of the Mt. Moon tal deposit, a remarkable find for the Pokémon training community. As leaders in evolutionary item production, we see imnse potential in your venture. We propose a partnership: Devon can invest in your mining operations, providing capital and expertise, or purchase the extracted tal at 10% above market rates, ensuring mutual profit.
We value our existing trade relationships, including the supply of Hoenn-sourced evolutionary stones to your Vortex Vault. We hope to maintain our competitive pricing for these goods, but market fluctuations may necessitate adjustnts should new dynamics arise.
We look forward to your response and a fruitful collaboration.
Best regards,
Cassandra Holt
Director of Strategic Partnerships, Devon Corporation
Gladion chuckled, his psychic aura flaring with amusent. "A business deal that favors them and a polite little threat? How wonderful. So friendly competition."
The offer was a carrot—investnt or a premium buyout—but the veiled threat was clear: 'Play ball, or we'll jack up the prices of Fire Stones and Water Stones for your shop.'
Devon sourced many of the Vault's Hoenn-exclusive stones, and a price hike would dent his profits. 'Cute move, Cassandra,' he thought, smirking. *But I'm not biting. Devon won't go full Rocket and break laws—they're too corporate for that. I'll just ignore 'em for now.' He archived the email, his mind already shifting to a bigger threat: Team Rocket.
'Rocket's the real problem,'Gladion mused, his psychic senses tingling with foresight. 'They control the black-market tal Coat trade—my cheap Coats will tank their sales. If I were Giovanni, I'd want that mine, and I'd undermine to get it.'
His thoughts raced, strategic as a chess master. 'How would he do it? Hit the mine when I'm distracted, make it look like I can't protect it, force the League to reassign the rights since the mine was going to be important for Kanto's economy as a whole.'
The timing was obvious: "The Ace Challenge next week, then the gym's opening the day after—the League season's start. I'll be swamped." He considered sending his 12-year-old assistant trainers, to guard the mine, but dismissed it.
'Nah, they are too young, too green—Rocket'd eat 'em alive.* A sly grin spread across his face, "But I've got the perfect one to protect the mine. Heh, Rocket's in for a nasty surprise." He kept the guardian's identity locked in his mind,
'Let's just say Giovanni's grunts won't know what hit 'em.; Alright now on to the next business. The ace match.'
Gladion's gaze shifted to a file on his desk: intel on his Ace Challenge opponent, a Bug-type specialist nad Roland, a veteran with a reputation for tricky strategies.
'Bug-types, huh?' He scanned the roster—Scizor, Heracross, among others. "I won't need more than three Pokémon," he muttered, his psychic mind mapping the battle. "Arsenal's Magmortar can roast half his team. Roland's Scizor versus mine. It would be good test for and boost up Scizor's confidence if he wins. He rarely wins with anyone in my team. For the last slot…" He paused, grinning. "Let's go with Hisoka. He's been restless lately—ti to let him burn off so energy."
---Author Notes------
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