It’s a big day. Saffron City is towering, intimidating, and beautiful, and Giovanni isn’t here for a play date; he’s here for business. Beyond everything else in his life, he was, first and foremost, a pokemon trainer. A gym leader, to boot, and not just any gym leader—Giovanni was Kanto’s strongest ground-type specialist. And that was part of the reason why he was at Silph Co, today. The move he developed, Fissure, was on track to become a licensed TM by the end of the fiscal quarter and distributed throughout the region.
He’d just finished going over the last bits of contract, signing what needed to be signed, shaking hands with all of the big wigs in the room when one of them announced they could begin the process that very day. Giovanni, of course, was delighted; there was some sort of pride that came with the thought of his own move undergoing production, and frankly he couldn’t wait to see the fruits of all of his years of hard work.
He was lead through Silph’s halls, listening to his current guide’s ramblings: how the programmer he was going to be working with was new, but talented, young but already proven. Always the skeptic, Giovanni chose to reserve judgement, but he couldn’t help but get excited. With that sort of praise, it was hard to imagine anything going wrong. At least, not yet.
Eventually, they came across an office door, and his guide knocked loudly before shepherding Giovanni inside. “Mathew,” his guide said, “this is the client we told you about the other day, Mr. Sakaki. He developed the Fissure move you’ll be programming. Mr. Sakaki, this is Mathew Jermain.”
Giovanni offered Mathew his most charming smile and thrust his hand out. “It’s good to meet you,” he greeted, “I’ve heard good things.”
“….I… hope he does. I haven’t…. ugh…. Look, it’s just… it’s been a while, yeah? Since I’ve…. and the last guy I was with, he—but Mathew’s so sweet. A-and he says he does. And I should trust him. Right? I don’t—fuck—I don’t…..”
“…..Understanding people is hard. And it’s none of your goddamn business.”
Looks like this precious stone needs to be shelved for a little bit! That’s okay; it gives him some time to get polished off and gleam that much brighter!
He seeks out only the brightest and finest of the land. Mathew Jermain is a name that constantly appears in even the haughtiest of mouths. Each person he meets lauds the man as someone who will help bring Magma to its full potential. But, they warn, he is of a dark past, formerly of Rocket and other shoddier details. No matter, he can help realize the ideals that I’ve once held within my hands, and have now just begun to manifest. Yes, he is the one that will help me achieve my ideals - Mathew Jermain.
The man’s lauded genius does not go unnoticed and other teams are already scrambling to obtain him but Maxie, through some pulled strings, has dangled a very large carrot in front of the man’s face - with the promise of being able to better the future of both humans and Pokemon. He knows, from the words that were spread about the scientist, that his fragility was easily manipulatable. Maxie had no need for that. He held steadfast to his ideals and believed that in due time, the young scientist would do the same. The largest part of the plan, developing the tools to awaken the legendary Groudon, was something he omitted from the email he sent to the man:
Dear Mr. Jermain,
I am Magnus Wieland, of Team Magma. I am here to seek your services in developing Technical Machines for the use of our team. Your recompense will be in the form of a large salary of several hundred thousand and a private laboratory on the team’s base. Your role will be mainly to lead the scientists already present with your vast intellect in order to create new and easily-used TMs. This will be for the betterment of both humans and Pokemon alike.
This opportunity will not last long, Mr. Jermain.
Do not disappoint me.
Regards,
Magnus Wieland
Chief Executive
Magma Tech Pte. Ltd.
Attached to the email is a simple logic puzzle that contained the coordinates to the location of the base. He sends it off, and links his hands together. All that is left to do now is to await the man’s arrival, and for that, he sends a platoon of his grunts to work on the preparations as the contract is prepared and he signs off the final bits of paperwork.
A grimace, long and thin, adorns his features as he is told of the inevitable delays that may arise or the possibility of an interception of his email. His tracer cookies are already at work, tracking down the email’s journey through cyberspace and when it hits a strange re-routed IP, he knows he’s got the right man. Only a fool would leave his real address up for grabs and he hopes that Mathew is not one of them.
You wanna know me
Well what’s to know?
Do I amuse you
When the night is slow?
Do your eyelids ever close
Caught spirits in your waking woes?
Eyelids flutter open. A dream. Just a dream. A young man just like him, working. He removes himself from the bed, slowly brings himself to the window where he gazes out, watches the skyline turn a myriad of colors in the winter dawn. Snow is falling, lightly. He gets dressed. Eats lightly with the retainers, served by the handmaids. He finishes, the plates are cleared and he walks out, the fan still within his grip. Today, he is to receive that young man. He is but one of many who have found this land and want to study it. But why would he come to him in a dream?
It is outside the castle grounds that he finds the young man waiting. His breath slows. It is cold. He is dressed in odd winter apparel but he still seems to be shivering. Today, it is colder than usual; he can feel it in himself. “こんにちは (Hello),” he begins, calling the servants waiting outside to bring in his bags. “Mathew-san, right? Welcome.” He slides the fan out of view into his pocket and bows; does not extend his hand. “Come,” comes as finality, and harshly, almost an order; he is concerned about the man standing there in the cold.
He turns away from Mathew and strides back into the castle grounds, the servants already preparing a feast for the young man. “Here,” he says to the seemingly nervous man, “take a right after the column and I’ll meet you for a quick meal soon.” He returns to his chambers, places the fan in a drawer, shuts and locks it. Just a dream… Meeting Mathew seemed like an everyday activity; he was used to diplomatic visits and this seemed just like one.
Despite this, the circumstances in which they would first correspond were a bit odd. He receives a letter by carrier pigeon, informing of a man named Mathew Jermain, wanting to spread the technology known as Technical Machines (TMs) to this region. Mitsuhide had initial thoughts about it, for his people did not have any use for such a thing but it was Mathew’s persuasion that led to today and the young warlord’s agreement.
He meets the man in the dining hall, where a sumptuous feast of fish, seasonal vegetables, chicken, pork and prawns lay on the table. “Please, Mathew-san, you can have as much as you’d like.” Rice is served in two china bowls inlaid with an Articuno design. Before allowing the man to speak, he adds on, “Thank you for coming. We look forward to having your services be put to good use.”
[text: Mathew Jermain]: You know, it’s been so long since I’ve even picked up this phone and this first thing I think of is you. Thank you so much for bringing back what I lost. Thank you.
❤ for a lusty/loving/affectionate message
[text: Mathew Jermain]: Hey kid, my house is past the Mart if you’re feeling cuddly. :)
Mitsuhide:
✘ for an unsent text
[text: こいびと; failed to send]: I don’t know how to use this piece of technology. Please help?
