Gladion's fingers moved across the keyboard as he sorted through his emails.
One particular message caught his attention right away. It came from Wallace, the current Champion of Hoenn.
Wallace had taken the Champion seat after Drake stepped down and become the member of Elite four of Hoeen.
Gladion opened the email and read it carefully. Wallace wrote in a very formal tone. He requested a meeting between Gladion and a certain Hoenn prodigy and billionaire businessman.
The man in question was none other than Steven Stone. Wallace described the meeting as an opportunity for important discussions that could benefit both parties. He suggested a date just before the Indigo League reached the top eight stage.
Gladion was sure that Steven Stone was friends with Wallace and that's why he had asked Wallace to request a meeting with Gladion. A clever move considering it would be difficult for someone to reject a meeting arranged by a champion of a region.
'Hmm, this is interesting,' Gladion thought as he leaned back in his chair. He stared at the screen for a moment, letting the request sink in.
Steven Stone's name carried weight. People often compared the young Hoenn leader to Gladion himself. Both were powerful trainers, sharp minds, and successful in business. But Gladion found the comparison amusing.
'People could be quite funny. They are comparing him with me. Hahaha. He might be a strong trainer, but come on, he won't hold a candle to me or my Pokemon. While my Metagross is not as strong as his, with my psychic prowess I can enhance Ultron's powers within battle, thus giving me an edge. And let's not even talk about Colossus or Latias and Latios.'
Gladion's thoughts drifted to his memories from his previous life.
He believed Steven Stone was a pretty cool trainer. In his personal ranking, Steven sat comfortably in the top three best champions alongside Lance, Cynthia, and himself.
Steven is just as young as Gladion when he rose to fame. The man combined raw battling talent with a sharp business sense. He led Devon Corporation with the same calm confidence he showed in battles.
Gladion remembered how Devon Corporation had clashed with Vortex Industries in the past.
The two companies had engaged in several business battles over the years. Devon tried to poach Gladion's prism scale business involving Milotic. They started their own competing operations in Hoenn, offering similar services to breeders and collectors.
The attempt had not succeeded. Gladion's team had protected their market share with better quality control and exclusive partnerships.
Then there was the steel mine on Mt. Moon. Devon Corporation had pushed hard to gain access to the rich deposits there. They wanted the rare metals.
Gladion's company had secured the mining rights first. They used the resources to strengthen their own manufacturing lines. Devon walked away empty-handed on that front too.
Gladion tapped his fingers on the desk. "Well, let's meet him before the league reaches the top eight stage. I would have to be present for both of Daisy's matches as well as to present the reward fossil Pokemon," he mumbled to himself.
His voice echoed softly in the quiet office. He knew his schedule was tight. The league was heating up, and Daisy's performance demanded his attention. He also had to appear in person to hand over the revived fossil Pokemon to the eventual winner. That moment would draw massive media coverage.
'And I think I know why he wants to meet me,' Gladion thought as he began drafting a reply email to Wallace. His fingers typed quickly, agreeing to the meeting with a polite but firm tone. He set the date and suggested meeting in Rustboro City where Devon headquarters stood.
'If I am not wrong, the fossil Pokemon revival machine should have probably been developed by Devon Corporation in the future and in the original timeline. But with me here, they would no longer be able to do it.'
Gladion leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk. He considered the timeline carefully. In his previous life, Devon had eventually cracked the code to reviving fossils.
They had turned it into a major scientific and commercial success. But Gladion had beaten them to it. Vortex Industries now held the lead.
"Well, there is a reason there is a saying: if you are slow, you lose," Gladion mumbled. "But their organization should be working on building such a machine too. Now they would have realized the unavailability of large amounts of fossils."
He had spent years scouting entire regions for fossil deposits. Using his game knowledge from his past life, he pinpointed the most likely spots. Ancient ruins, hidden caves, deep mining sites, and forgotten beaches.
He and Sabrina had excavated huge quantities from Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn. While Devon Corporation and other groups likely held some fossils already, Gladion had taken the majority. He had moved fast and decisively. The result was a near-monopoly on the raw materials needed for revival research.
'So either he wants some fossils to further their research on reawakening Pokemon. He no doubt has a few fossils, but not enough to do serious research as well as sell them later on,' Gladion hypothesized.
Steven would want access to more samples to test revival methods or to study the revived Pokemon's biology.
'Or maybe he is after the mega evolution stones. Steven Stone is, after all, a collector of unique stones,' Gladion thought next. He knew Steven's passion well.
Gladion had searched and scouted entire regions for mega stones himself. He had found many through careful exploration and sometimes through deals with other trainers.
But he knew he might have missed thousands. Some stones remained hidden in remote places. Others sat in private collections or had been turned into jewelry.
People wore them as pendants or rings without knowing their true power. Steven likely had a collection that rivaled Gladion's.
'I am sure he has enough to equal my collection of mega stones, so that's unlikely,' Gladion concluded. If Steven wanted a specific mega stone, he would have asked directly.
'Or he wants to sign up some business deal. If he wants something from me like fossils or mega evolution stones, he might have something good that he believes would make me agree to whatever deal he has,' Gladion thought.
In the past, Gladion had rejected most of the deals Devon Corporation offered. Their proposals often tried to take more than they gave. He had turned them down politely but firmly. This time felt different. Since Steven wanted to meet him personally, Gladion was sure the deal would be serious. Steven would not waste his time on a weak offer.
'I wonder what he has to offer for me,' Gladion thought curiously. A spark of genuine interest flickered in his mind. He finished drafting the email and hit send. The message flew off to Wallace with a soft chime.
-----Author Notes------
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