Thanks for all the support on my Patreo-n so far! 3 advanced chapters at /xlucqs.

  discord:

  /VtKZqnMzmA

  Please join! Let's make it active and easier to speak with other members of the community! The community is growing and is quite active at the moment! If you wanna discuss about Pokemon, send artwork and memes, or just speak to other people, then go ahead and join!

  The quiet hum of the air-conditioner was the only sound in the dimly lit office. It buzzed in a constant rhythm—never stopping—, bringing a feeling of calm to the room.

  Maxie sat in his chair near the edge of the room, body relaxed, arms resting on his knees. The chair itself was made from memory foam, adapting to each of Maxie's movements, although in his current state, he scarcely moved.

  On the side of his desk was a peppermint-scented candle, increasing his concentration even further. His eyes were closed, and his breathing followed a steady pattern, never once straying from its course.

  Four seconds inhale. One second hold. Four seconds exhale.

  With each variable refined—hyper-tuned according to his exact parameters surmised over years of testing—it created an environment where Maxie could do one thing:

  Think.

  Maxie was in deep thought.

  The past few weeks—no, the past few months, had left much to be thought about. He often found himself in the headquarters office doing these sessions.

  Things were speeding up, and he saved moments like these to let his brain catch up, unscrambling all the elements in his head and bringing sense to them. His thoughts were like pieces of a puzzle scattered throughout his mindscape, so he often sat down to slowly match the pieces of the puzzle—too piece things together, to see possibilities no one else could, to prepare plans no one else could make.

  It didn't matter how strong or influential or powerful you were if you couldn't make sense of the board and were playing on.

  First, himself. His physical health was fine—no signs of anything concerning; his doctor's appointment last week had made sure of that. He regularly did exercise. He stretched every night shortly before bed. A warm glass of milk and some relaxing music made him sleep like a baby. Maxie had conditioned his body over decades of habit and building mental strength to fall asleep instantly and wake up exactly 8 hours later.

  His mental health…holding steady. Again, he had spent years building his mental strength through meditation and periods of reflection, and journaling. With how fast everything had been moving, he could admit that he had been going through increased periods of stress, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. It never produced any physical symptoms. He never allowed that stress to force him to succumb to any vices. His mind was as sharp as ever.

  Next up, his Pokemon. His team went through regular high-intensity training sessions, each of them carefully curated according to their personality and biology. They were fed the best food. Despite how cold he often came off to other people, his Pokemon knew better; they knew Maxie loved them.

  Team Magma was next. He shifted slightly in his chair, his heartbeat increasing slightly, before his controlled breathing brought it back down.

  Of all the things he had accomplished—creating Team Magma had been the greatest one. He had managed to make a team all dedicated to a singular goal and vision.

  The recruitment process had been strong, silent, and sound. Each member who joined was given a wage, Pokemon, and all the resources Team Magma had. They also had the option to live in the Team Magma headquarters free of charge.

  As for how they were funding all of this? The answer was simple.

  Devon Corp.

  Over his years slaving away for a mindless company, he had slowly climbed his way up the ladder. Once he got the position of COO, he had built up the loyalty of Joseph Stone and earned his trust to the point where Joseph left day-to-day operations to Maxie.

  And Maxie made sure he ran things—absolutely nothing went by him.

  Like a parasite, Maxie had trickled the ranks of Devon Corporation with people loyal to him and Team Magma.

  Courtney? His assistant, but she also personally oversaw the hiring process for most departments.

  Tabitha? He oversaw the entire retail department, which dealt with packaging and merchandise, and shipping.

  Blaise? His role was to lead the accounting department.

  A mistake in the checking books. A shipment missing some items. Maxie had been slowly funneling resources from Devon Corporation into Team Magma. After all the work he put in, it was only fair.

  But Maxie knew the situation at Devon Corp wouldn't last much longer. Steven Stone was coming into his own, and soon he would take the reins of the company his father currently "ran". When that happened, Maxie was certain one of the first things he would do was get rid of him.

  The innocent and friendly persona he put on wasn't enough to fool him. He was just like his father—hiding his true personality, though he hid it much better than Joseph. Maxie could tell that, hidden deep beneath that golden smile, was a man colder and more ambitious than his father.

  His time was fast approaching. When Steven won the conference league—which was soon—he would take over from his father.

  But by then, he would have drained Devon Corp of as many resources as he possibly could. Maxie's sudden disappearance would look suspicious, but suddenly disappearing after being fired was another thing entirely.

  That was another thing Maxie had learned— no matter how bad the situation seemed, you could always gain something from it.

  When Maxie first joined, Devon Corp was the region's leading company, yes—but what Maxie did was elevate it to an even higher level. A level where the company was practically untouchable by anyone else in the region. It was his work being credited to Joseph Stone, and the work Steven Stone would build off.

  They would get all the credit. It was how this world worked. He had played his role as a passive and loyal dog for the Stones, but soon that would be no more.

  It was time to stop being passive, and Team Magma was the conduit through which he would show the relentless ambition he had all along.

  It was a beautiful thing to see his plan finally come to fruition.

  He focused back on his breathing—he was going off course.

  Next were the obstacles standing in his way. The League was obviously the first one.

  And only a few things were standing in his way, a few obstacles that he and his team needed to overcome.

  The League was obviously the first one. They made up the majority of the country's fighting force—the Champion, the Elite Four, the Gym Leaders, and however many other trainers they had in the region. But that was a problem for the future.

  Right now, his biggest problem was Team Aqua. A criminal team operating in the same region with directly opposing goals. If it didn't spell conflict, then Maxie didn't know what would.

  Maxie had been tracking them ever since their inception. His former colleague—Archie had been the one to create the team after he left Devon Corp. Archie had been the former head of security and although he was not the smartest, Maxie had often found himself in in-depth debates with him.

  Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

  Archie saw the water as something to take advantage of. He often spoke about how defenseless and open the seas were—how there were business opportunities all across the ocean. That man loved the water— Maxie hated it.

  However, there was a certain level of respect between the two of them. Maxie had never met a man so passionate about the environment and the world, just like he was, so over the years and all the time they argued over lunch and drinks, a mutual, begrudging respect began to form between the two of them.

  When he had left Devon Corp, Maxie believed he would take his business to the seas, and he did— although it was certainly not what he was expecting.

  A criminal group by the name of Team Aqua raiding ships for all of their valuables. Archie had set out what he boisterously claimed he would do over lunches and dinners—he had controlled the seas.

  And that was when Maxie's eyes had been opened by his friend. Not everything needed to be done legally. If it was legal, it was limited. That's when he got the idea for Team Magma.

  Archie was fast in creating his team. Maxie would be slow, careful, and planned. From then on, he kept a watchful eye over Team Aqua and all that it had done. Most of it was useless information—the same boring raids they always did, the same stagnated mindset, the lack of structure in their organization

  That was until someone came along. A person known as Poseidon. From the moment he came along, he changed things. Security was tighter, raids more ambitious, and the team was more cohesive.

  All because of him—all because of Poseidon.

  But it didn't stop there. For all of his innovation and improvement, Poseidon was merely a follower of Archie. If you weren't a leader, you didn't have the complete freedom to do what you wanted. However, Poseidon knew this as well, which is why he had challenged Archie for leadership.

  He won. Archie died, and Poseidon took the reins. Since then, Team Aqua had been that much more dangerous—especially ever since their recent venture into Kanto. Team Aqua was his greatest obstacle, but it was the man leading the team that was the most dangerous.

  The pieces slowly started to come together in his brain. He needed to take care of Team Aqua sooner rather than later. And to do that, he needed to be one thing he never typically was—aggressive. They needed to attack first, strong and hard, wipe the team out before they knew what was happening.

  Yes, right now, that was the perfect option. Once Team Aqua had been taken care of, it would give him some breathing space.

  His eyes shot open. Everything had been connected. A plan had been formed. Maxie's hand went towards the phone on his desk.

  "Courtney, call a meeting." He said.

  "Between the Admins?"

  "No," Maxie shook his head. "The whole team."

  Courtney cleared her throat, "Everyone?"

  "Everyone. I have a very important announcement to make." The leather crunched beneath his weight as he stood up. Maxie took a moment to compose himself— adjusting his collar and realigning his glasses. There was a red mask in the corner of the room with a voice modulator built in.

  Maxie grabbed it. Right now, keeping his identity a secret was paramount.

  He left his office, walking through the underground hallways lined with metal plates kept in place with screws. An automatic door—decorated with the symbol of Team Magma—sensed his presence and opened. There were no lights down here; instead, the hallway was lit up with tubes responsible for the transportation of hot magma.

  It was how this base was run—they used the energy from the heat to provide all the power they needed. He traced a gloved hand over the tube, feeling the heat radiate from the wool to his skin. It was natural energy, making use of the Earth's resources in the most efficient way possible. There was no sunlight down here, so they used this.

  No artificial or man-made stuff. Of course, the rest couldn't be said for the rest of the base, otherwise their hideout would be made of dirt and stone.

  Maxie went through another door. Courtney was there to meet him, clutching a clipboard to her chest.

  "Sir, I've called all members. They are waiting in the central room." Courtney said, slightly bereft. She took a moment to compose herself. "Though I have to ask, why have you called everyone here? Is it because of that report I sent?"

  "What report?"

  Courtney cleared her throat, struggling to keep up with Maxie as he walked with purpose, "The one about Stark Mountain. If you could, sir, I would really recommend reading–"

  Maxie cut her off, "Not now, Courtney, we have more pressing matters to tackle. Time is of the essence; you will know why I've called this meeting along with the rest of the members." He quickened his stride. Courtney jogged behind him.

  "Are there any other pressing concerns I need to know about?"

  Courtney nodded, fumbling through her clipboard. "Yes, sir. I'll be quick, since, you know…We have officially begun production of the Master Ball, and the team at Devon Corp is working on it earnestly."

  "Good," There was a rare smile on Maxie's face. The muscles responsible for the grin on his lips felt tight—unused. Maybe he needed to do smiling exercises.

  "And the ETA?"

  "The team estimates it will take at least a year. According to them, resources are not the problem—it's actually making the ball itself."

  "Make it quicker. Quarter—no, an eighth of that time. There's a reason we hired the best scientists and researchers in the world–-have them show their worth. Invest more money—as much as it takes—, try and poach some Silph Co employees. Use as many incentives as you can. Promise them stocks and promotions and high wages. It doesn't matter if we promise them the world; Devon Corp will no longer be our problem in a couple of months, and we need the finished product before then. Throw everything you can at it."

  "Got it," Courtney nodded, "And one more thing, sir." She added, her voice apprehensive.

  "Make it quick, Courtney." They were almost there. Just another bend. Their footsteps clanged against the metal.

  "Of course. Those texts you were looking for—the ancient texts. We managed to get a hold of a copy."

  Maxie found himself smiling again. It was slightly easier than the last time he did it. "Good. How much money before the man finally caved? He was awfully possessive of them; just because they were passed down to him does not mean they belong to him."

  "Well…he vehemently protested against the sale. He said he would not sell them, no matter the price, even if it were the region of Hoenn itself. So…we took them by force."

  "You did what?" Maxie asked, his voice rising slightly.

  "Me and a group of the grunts broke into his house and stole them," Courtney whispered, head buried in her clipboard. "I'm sorry if I overstepped, sir. It's just that I know you wanted the texts."

  "On the contrary. You did well. We should have done that from the start. Team Magma does not negotiate—it seizes with force. You perfectly embodied those ideals."

  There was another smile on his face.

  "Well done, girl." Maxie congratulated.

  "Thank you, sir." There was a pink blush, easily visible on her pale face.

  They arrived.

  The doors opened, and they were greeted by Tabitha and Blaise. They were both dressed in their red Team Magma uniforms.

  "Boss, I came here as soon as I got the message. What's the announcement?" Tabitha asked, his voice booming through the room.

  "Would it kill you to be quiet?" Blaise yawned. "I was sleeping before I was rudely woken up by the alert system."

  "All will be answered soon," Maxie said. "Rather than having to explain myself multiple times, I'll explain it to everyone once." He looked at the massive space below, where the members of Team Magma had congregated.

  "Well, it better be good," Blaise said, wiping his eyes.

  Courtney gave him a smack on the arm.

  "Ow! What was that for?" Blaise asked, rubbing the reddened skin.

  "Show some respect to your boss!" Courtney hissed. Tabitha laughed.

  "How unwomanly," Blaise muttered.

  Maxie didn't pay any attention to them. For all of their unique personalities and quirks, they were strong, loyal, and that was all he needed.

  He brought a hand to his face, testing the stability of the mask. He then hummed, and a slightly distorted voice came out.

  Maxie walked further into the room, directly above all the members of Team Magma.

  The hall quietened. Maxie's presence seemed to freeze the environment.

  "I'm sorry for waking many of you at such a late hour. However, in my solitude, I have come to a revelation of sorts—an idea, a plan which must be acted upon as soon as possible. And here, to all of you, I will explain this plan."

  "Tomorrow, we will attack the base of Team Aqua," Maxie said plainly. Nervous murmurs grew in the crowd. Tabitha let out an excited "yes!" at his side.

  "As of right now, Team Magma has been a group that has mostly stayed in the shadows. We have been quietly recruiting individuals like you, taking on various small tasks, and keeping a low profile. This has been a smart approach—so much so that not even the government has us on their radar." He explained.

  "However, at some point, we must act. There comes a time when we must be aggressive and reveal ourselves to the world, and I believe now is the perfect time. Team Aqua is our main obstacle, standing between us and complete control of the criminal underground in Hoenn. There is no room for cooperation as we have completely opposing goals."

  Maxie left the spot where he stood, walking across the elevated platform, looking at each member in the eyes through his mask. "I know many of you joined out of necessity. Maybe you couldn't provide for your family. Perhaps you wanted strength. Maybe you wanted a community, a home, a family. I respect that people have their own reasons for joining. However, being a part of this team means you must not only hold up your own ideals but also those of Team Magma."

  "And you know our goals. You know them very well."

  "Team Magma shall expand the landmass on this earth!" He shouted with complete certainty. "We will make way for resources and space! There will be no overpopulation or overcrowding. We all have a world with enough room to build and innovate—and you will be the ones ruling it!"

  The fire that lit his ambition all those years ago slowly burned in his stomach with a blazing passion, rising like a bellowing flamethrower out of his throat. His words burned with that passion, igniting the crowd.

  He pictured all the members on fire, burning with the same feeling he had felt for as long as he could remember. If they truly resonated with his words, if they could feel how warm and comforting the fire was, if he could slowly transfer some of the truth to his followers—they would follow him to the end of the earth, knowing that even if they died, it would be for a just cause, for the right cause.

  "And it is Team Aqua who stand in the way of your future—of our future! So we will destroy them! We will be victorious! As your leader, I promise you, I will lead you to paradise!"

  The crowd roared with a burning energy of the likes he had never seen before. It was a euphoric feeling, greater than any praise from shareholders or Stones—much greater.

  "Positive engagement: 100%. Keywords used: paradise…" Courtney muttered quietly, jotting down on a piece of paper, but Maxie didn't even register the words.

  All he heard was the crowd. Only the crowd.