Alex teleported back to the farm on Arcanine and immediately set up a meeting with the executive team because he wanted to strengthen the base's defenses.
Originally, he had assumed that his neighbors would fund a wall to provide extra protection against Pokémon floods, which was why he never considered fortifying the southern quarter of the base. His plan had been to rely on the neighbors to construct a wall separating them from the rest of the valley, effectively closing off the entire southern quarter between the lake, its twin walls, the east and west mountains, and the southern neighbor's wall.
Now, however, it was clear that additional defenses were needed to protect against random trainers who might attempt to pick fights. It wasn't a huge problem. He would need more of the expensive walls, adding roughly 20 million credits to the current total. In addition, he would have to install more turrets to guard those walls in case any trainer decided that trying to jump over them was a good idea.
"Alex, I just received a bill from the construction company requesting an extra million credits. What happened at the base?" Celise asked as she entered the meeting room.
"Some pricks tried to bankrupt us out of the property, but the home team stepped in and prevented further damage."
"What about this charge for psychological damage?"
"Hush money."
"So, should I pay this out?"
"Yes. Also, I want walls of the same kind as the twins to the south of the property. It should completely cut us off from the rest of the valley without disrupting the flow of the stream. Also, add a reinforced gate leading into the compound from the eastern side. Make sure it's large enough for transport vehicles and designed to allow thorough inspection of anyone passing through."
"That's going to run us an extra 20 million credits since these walls can withstand damage even at Champion rank and prevent any blowouts from raining debris onto the base."
"That's fine. I made some extra cash in Hoenn, so we can handle the additional expenditure."
"So… more turrets?" Rhea asked.
"Only along the inside of the southern wall with more concentrated on the eastern entrance. Don't overdo it. Trainers aren't as hard to hit as Pokémon, so we don't need to space them 10 meters apart."
"I'll add enough to reach a thousand turrets total."
"That's fine."
"About the information you wanted," Nyx said. "I looked into it. The group you mentioned are just a bunch of older Elites who decided to pool their savings into a property investment. Someone online pitched an idea for the land, and enough people bought in that they started a group fund to purchase the entire valley. Most of them are retired trainers or ones who think they've made enough to start investing."
"People who have nothing to do with the Underworld, basically?"
"Exactly. Bigger companies aren't interested because of the inflated prices and their lack of faith in you, even with your current track record. These Elites, on the other hand, think they could replace you if you screw up, so they moved fast to claim the valley before anyone else could."
"What about Rylan?"
"He's a senior manager from Team Vortex, oversees a few operations in the region. He's got a reputation online for being ruthless with local businesses, but nothing cutthroat. He's more docile than Marcus Halden."
"Who?"
"The guy whose company Maris absorbed after you killed him. You know, the one she was planning to sleep with before you cunt-blocked her."
"Oh, that guy," Alex said with a nod of recognition.
"You don't remember, do you?"
"No, I don't remember cunt-blocking Maris."
"Anyway, aside from being ruthless in business, Rylan's careful around powerful people. I doubt he'll start anything after you took out three of his Elites."
Suddenly, Celise's public business phone buzzed on the table. She glanced at the screen, and her eyes widened.
"Uh…"
"If it's important, you can take it," Alex said. "This isn't exactly a board meeting. No one's going to fire you for stepping out."
"I think you'll want to be part of this call," Celise said.
"Then put it on the projector," Alex replied. "Let's see what it's about."
After a brief flash, a middle-aged man in a business suit appeared on the screen. His neatly styled blue hair and composed expression projected a professional confidence born of experience. It was clear he knew exactly what he was doing.
"Rylan Kade," Alex said, his tone light and pleasant. "My managers and I were just discussing you."
"Good things, I hope?" Rylan replied with a practiced businessman's smile.
Alex's eyes darkened, his demeanor shifting to something far more confrontational. "What do you think?"
Rylan lowered his head slightly in a polite bow before speaking, his tone measured and sincere.
"I sincerely apologize for the earlier disturbance, Mr. Wattson. My team failed to do their homework, and as you can imagine, that's led to a poor first impression. I hope we can start over and move toward a more constructive relationship."
"What do you propose?"
"Firstly, you may consider any demands they may have made null and void. It does reflect our desire but not at the cost of inconveniencing you or your venture."
Alex remained silent. That was the least he was expecting out of this conversation.
"Furthermore, we're prepared to concede 10% of our shares in the venture as founders of the city. You'll hold ten out of a hundred votes in determining the city's future. Consider it an apology for our earlier indiscretion, and our lack of foresight."
That's roughly a third of Team Vortex's voting power within the council. The rest belongs to various independent trainers who bought into the venture.
Team Vortex held the dominant share, and securing the remaining 21% of votes needed for a majority wouldn't be difficult for them if they chose to influence the smaller shareholders.
By granting Alex 10%, however, they were giving him substantial leverage in the decision-making process. His opinions could tip the balance, and overturning his stance would come at a steep cost.
"That's very generous of you, Rylan."
"It's the least we can do for the protector of the valley."
"Very well. Consider our little incident water under the bridge. I look forward to seeing what Team Vortex makes of the valley."
As Alex began to signal Celise to end the call, Rylan spoke up quickly.
"There is another matter we at Team Vortex would like to discuss with you, Mr. Wattson."
Alex raised a brow and let him continue.
"We understand you have particular expertise when it comes to cleaning up certain unwanted elements."
"Only within League boundaries," Alex said. "But yes, I've dipped my toes, if you will."
"There are certain thorns on our side that may require your level of expertise to remove, surgically."
"I was under the impression Team Vortex stayed on the cleaner side of the pond."
"We try," Rylan admitted. "But trudging through a swamp will leave stains. It's in our best interest to fight fire with fire."
"Compensation?"
"We understand you've been short on certain raw materials, metals, crystals, composites, minerals, and other high-end resources. Perhaps your managers and I can work out a personal credit system to solve your needs."
"Celise?"
"I'll take care of it," she said.
"It looks like we have a deal, Rylan."
"Wonderful news, Mr. Wattson. Again, I truly apologize for the earlier misunderstanding and hope we can move forward peacefully."
Alex signaled for Celise to cut the call and then turned to the others. "What do you all think?"
"What the fuck were you two talking about? Fire? Swamps? Ponds? Give a girl a hint here," Rhea demanded.
"He wants Alex to take out some Underworld guys they're having trouble with," Nyx explained. "In exchange, they'll provide rare resources for your lab."
"Oh, that's fine then," Rhea said. "I don't care where they come from so long as the quality meets market standards."
Alex shook his head with a small smile at Rhea's antics before thinking over this change in situation. He didn't mind doing a bit of work for Team Vortex if it helped foster good relations. It wasn't a big deal to show some goodwill, especially if it kept his territory undisturbed.
Besides, Rhea had been complaining about the lack of affordable rare resources anyway. This might be a good opportunity to secure a reliable supplier. He just hoped Team Vortex understood that his time was better spent managing his own affairs than running errands for them.
Alex could feel that he was slowly moving up in the world of the powerful. Back then, Team Umbraline had the foresight to rope him in early but it was clear no one took him seriously. Now, he had some reputation in the Underworld for being a successful operative for such a long time.
If he had stayed innocent as a trainer, trouble would likely keep trying to find him rather than be resolved with greater opportunities such as what happened today.
Suddenly, Nyx's brow shot up while checking her phone right as the meeting was ending.
"The League just deposited 150 million credits into our account."
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