32 Bill

A/N: Bill certainly has a fast turn around here. Is it because he's a total genius who can come to terms with his defeat faster? Oooor is it that pesky Defeat Fetish rearing its ugly head in a totally platonic way between two bros? No homo :V

-x-X-x-

It doesn't take long for Bill to come around to his defeat at Cam's hands. Not long at all, truth be told. Maybe a little too fast, some might say. But those people were idiots. Bill was a genius, and that meant he had little time for grudges and bad feelings. The point was, he had plans and aspirations, and even if he'd found himself stymied at Silph Co., that didn't mean his goals were suddenly impossible to achieve.

Rather, with a little bit of time to think things through, Bill had come to realize that his defeat at Cam's hands was a blessing in disguise. Because… he was never putting all of his eggs in the one basket. Sure, he'd gone in to Silph Co. with every intention of negotiating in semi-good faith with the company's President. But that didn't mean he hadn't come away with a little something-something while he was there.

See, Bill had an eidetic memory, meaning he retained everything he saw and heard, and was able to call back to it with perfect clarity. And during negotiations, he had managed to talk the President into giving him several minutes with the Master Ball's blueprints while they had been haggling over the price for both them and the Prototype. To confirm that it was all real and the science behind it wasn't flawed, obviously.

… Heh, to be fair, Bill did understand the science and engineering that had gone into Silph Co.'s newest Pokemon Capture Device. He understood it well enough to be absolutely certain that those several minutes he'd gotten with the blueprints would allow him to create one of his own.

It was, ultimately, the best possible outcome in the end. Sure, he might have gotten both the blueprints and the prototype if Cam had taken just one minute more, but now Bill realized his presence at Silph Co. would NEVER have flown under the radar if he'd actually succeeded. Either Cam or the President himself would have tattled on him to Giovanni. And not just Giovanni either, but Lance as well.

The full might of the Kanto Pokemon League AND Giovanni's Team Rocket would have been abruptly focused on Bill and Bill alone. He would have been so busy going into hiding and lying low as both the official government and the criminal underworld tried to hunt him down, that he wouldn't have been able to accomplish his goals in the first place!

… Yes, his defeat at Cam's hands truly was a blessing in disguise. And more than that, Cam positively thrashing him with that Dragonite had shown Bill a missing piece to the puzzle that he hadn't even realized he needed. Cam was the missing link to make it all a reality. That was why Bill had called the Rocket Admin up and asked him to come over to Cinnabar Island, asap.

It was a few hours ago now, so hopefully Cam was closing in. Honestly, that Dragonite should have been capable of-

The familiar cry of a Dragonite echoes overhead, and Bill shields his eyes with an arm as he looks up to see one swooping down. The magnificent Dragon Type Pokemon drops Cam off and is called back into its Pokeball a moment later, and Bill is left gaping at Cam in disbelief for a second.

"He promoted you to Executive?!"

Indeed, despite the Pokemon Collector's disbelief, the proof is staring him right in the eye. No wonder it had taken Cam a few hours to fly over to Cinnabar despite having a Dragonite. He must have stopped back at one of the Rocket Bases to get his new digs. Bill has to admit… Cam looks damn good in the all-white jacket, pants, and shoes, with the black undershirt and black belt to complete the ensemble.

No more hat either. Instead, Cam's pink hair is all over the place, wild and untamed now that it's no longer contained by one of those black Rocket hats. Indeed, if Bill didn't know any better, he'd say the kid had been living in the woods for years or something. It's like Cam has never had a freaking haircut in his life!

The one thing that hasn't changed is that dead-eyed, stoicism the young man seems to possess in spades. Staring at Bill, he nods after a moment, finally responding to Bill's admittedly rhetorical question.

"… Yes."

It's not often that the Pokemon Collector is struck speechless. Bill loves hearing himself talk after all. And yet, he's still shocked into silence for a moment, before finally recovering himself. Honestly, he's glad that he decided to come out here and wait for Cam alone. He'd originally done it because the two old men waiting inside were getting more and more impatient and cranky, but now… now he's just happy he had a chance to get his surprise out of the way ahead of time.

"Right. That's fine. Let's just… come inside, please. We need your help, and I think once you hear what I have to say, you'll be on board."

Bill turns and walks into Cinnabar Island's Pokemon Laboratory, only stopping long enough to make sure Cam is following. The newly promoted Executive does so in his own silent way, allowing Bill to lead him all the way to the final Test Chamber on the right.

As they both step inside, Fuji and Blaine look up from their quiet conversation. Bill… hadn't exactly told them who they were waiting for. He'd only told them that the fourth member of their newest project was absolutely critical to the project's success. They may have even been led to believe it was someone like Oak or something, though Bill had no clue where that old coward was currently hiding.

No, Oak had gone to ground a while ago, and not even Bill had been able to locate him. Not that it mattered. Cam was all they needed. Bill just had to convince Fuji and Blaine of that little fact as well.

"What?! No! I refuse to work with Team Rocket!"

Fuji's kneejerk reaction is expected. Blaine's on the other hand…

"Heh, so he made you an Executive for defeating me, did he? Well, I suppose that takes a little sting out of things."

Bill gives Blaine a weird look, but the old Gym Leader only has eyes for Cam… who in turn, is just staring at Fuji, as the currently loudest man in the room. Whether he even registered Blaine's quite murmur, Bill doesn't know… but he knows one thing. Cam looks ready for this to turn into a fight, and Bill has gotten a firsthand look at how Cam fights just a little while ago.

"Hey! Calm down, Fuji! Cam isn't here in his capacity as a Team Rocket Executive! Just like Blaine isn't here in his capacity as a Team Rocket toady, and you aren't here in your capacity as a Pokemon League toady!"

That causes both of the older scientists to stop and color, their faces going red and their lips pursing as Bill goes straight for the jugular. Fuji in particular bobs his throat for a moment as he swallows thickly before finally speaking.

"… You're going to tell me that you invited a Team Rocket Executive to this meeting… but have no intentions of getting Team Rocket to bank roll this project?"

Moving to the top of the room, Bill flashes a nice big smile.

"That's exactly right, old man. We don't need Team Rocket's money. We don't need Team Rocket's anything. We need Cam because he can get places we can't and retrieve things we need retrieved. Now, quiet down and listen up, and I'll explain what the fuck we're all here for."

Fuji doesn't look happy about it, while Blaine seems surprisingly content. Meanwhile, Cam is as quiet and mysterious as ever. Still, they all look to Bill with varying degrees of expectation, waiting for him to begin explaining. And so… he does.

"Right. So, the Master Ball Prototype is Team Rocket's now. Nothing we can really hope to do about that. But I just so happen to have memorized the schematics. Between the three of us scientists, we can easily make a working Prototype ourselves."

Smiling a wry smile, Bill looks between Fuji, Blaine, and Cam.

"Once the Master Ball becomes available to the public… specifically, to the government, because you know Lance and his toadies won't let Giovanni keep the blueprints for himself without a fight, the rarest and most powerful Pokemon will all be snatched up, immediately."

Shaking his head, Bill clenches a hand into a fist at his side.

"I'm not about to let that happen without a fight. So, we'll make a Master Ball of our own, and before they can, we'll capture one of the most powerful Pokemon in existence with it!"

Thrusting his fist into the air, Bill feels powerful and triumphant as he finishes delivering his speech… only for Fuji to scoff a moment later, taking some of the wind out of the Pokemon Collector's sails.

"Oh, don't tell me. This is another attempt at recapturing Mewtwo, isn't it? Don't be absurd, Bill! When are you going to get over your obsession with that Pokemon?! Is it because she came out the way she did, huh?! It'll never work, you know! Not even with the so-called 'Master Ball'."

Bill bristles at the insinuation and implication in Fuji's tone. How dare he?! Bill was a Pokemon Collector, and a lover of all things Pokemon! But he did NOT want to capture Mewtwo just because she was… ugh! More than that, he didn't actually want to capture Mewtwo at all! Before he can explain however, Blaine just has to add his own two cents.

"… He's right, you know. We designed Mewtwo from the ground up, with a fear that Johto would just throw a Pokeball at her and it would all be over. That's why we made it so she was fundamentally incompatible with the capture mechanic of every type of Pokeball in existence. She cannot be forcibly captured. She has to let her guard down, to DECIDE to let a Pokeball work on her… and even then, she won't have to stay inside of it, let alone obey her 'owner' unless she WANTS to."

Blaine pauses, and then raises a brow.

"Unless you're going to tell us that this Master Ball works on fundamentally different capture techniques?"

Even Fuji perks up at that, curiosity piqued despite his cantankerous attitude. But Bill just shakes his head.

"It doesn't. You're both right. The Master Ball will not work on Mewtwo unless she wants to be caught, and it's obvious she has no desire to be captured by any of us. But that doesn't matter! You old fools! Ignoring Fuji's slander, I don't WANT to use the Master Ball to capture Mewtwo! No, I'm aiming for something greater… something that has plagued the three of us for just as long!"

Bill grins, as he sees his words wash over Fuji and Blaine. Cam looks… as blank-faced as ever, of course, stoic and silent in the face of the revelations being tossed about. But that's alright, because Fuji gets it.

"No… you can't be serious!"

Blaine jolts a moment later.

"That… that might actually work."

Bill just grins wider still, nodding at both of them before stepping up to where Cam is waiting, watching.

"This is where you come in, Cam. We three can build the Master Ball, but we need a couple of key components that we aren't otherwise going to find anywhere else. First, I've planted a rare breed Johto Apricorns deep in Viridian Forest. One of them will have sprouted by now, and I need you to go and get it. Second and more importantly, Cam, we need access to everything Team Rocket has on Silph Co. All of their proprietary data, all of their stolen information."

Licking his lips, Bill knows this is a big moment of truth. If Cam isn't on board, they're screwed. But if Cam goes along with it, then they've got this in the bag.

"Most importantly of all, I know for a fact that Team Rocket has pirated Silph Co.'s latest high-end Pokeball processing chips. If you go to your guys' HQ in Celadon City, your status as an Executive should be able to get you in to take one, easy as pie. Once you've delivered the Apricorn and the chip to us… we can make a Master Ball."

Mouth dry as it possibly can be, Bill places a hand on Cam's shoulder, trying to convey to him just how important this is.

"Cam… we need your help in this moment. This is bigger than just us, bigger even than Team Rocket and the Pokemon League. What we're trying to do will help all of Kanto and beyond. And I can promise… the rewards for you, Cam, will be great. So please, help us. You're our only hope."

Out of the corner of his eye, Fuji stiffens, and Bill has to resist the urge to facepalm as the old man growls.

"You just told him exactly what we needed, and you can't even be certain of his loyalty? What if-!"

"Okay."

Even Bill is shocked when Cam cuts Fuji off and agrees, easy as that. Eyes wide, Bill stares at Cam's blank, dead look for a moment. Except, are his eyes dead? Or is he simply staring at Bill so intensely that it warps right back around to being dead-eyed?

Licking his lips, Bill takes a step back from Cam and forces a smile onto his face. After a moment, it even starts to feel real.

"Excellent. Superb, even. We'll leave you to it, Cam. As for us, gentlemen… we have work to do."

As Fuji and Blaine follow Bill over to a nearby machine where they can start working on creating the parts of the Master Ball that they already have the resources to create, Bill has to admit… he's pinning a lot here on Cam. But deep down, Bill knows that the Executive isn't truly loyal to Team Rocket. He doesn't know the details, and he's not sure he wants to know… but he can tell.

There's something else that pink-haired trainer wants. So long as their goals align, Bill doesn't think Cam will decide to get rid of him… of any of them, really. Hell, from the sound of things, Blaine and Fuji have found themselves on the Rocket Executive's bad side as well and both come out of it alive.

They would just have to tread carefully around the dangerous young man, and Bill in particular intended to make sure he came down on the right side of history. Whatever Cam wanted; Bill would help him get it.

-x-X-x-

A/N: Next up, Cam returns to the Celadon City Hideout for the processor chip, arriving just in time for a Jamie POV chapter. Should be a fun one~

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