"Mr. Ramsay, I presume." Fernando's words were polite and welcoming, yet edged with professional rigidity. They sounded to Zac like a metal business card, offered at arms length.
    He was surprised then when Fernando offered an actual handshake. Zac got up and grabbed Fernando's offered hand with both of his own, pumping it with sizzling, nervous energy.
"Got it in one, mate. Zac Ramsay, call me Zac. And can I just say I  love what you've done with the place," Zac said.
    Zac looked into Fernando's eyes as they shook hands, and something about the connection put him on edge. Zac had been nervous a few minutes ago, but the sheer scope of what he was walking into suddenly became clear. He was shaking hands with one of the most influential people in Hoenn. This was Zac's first real brush with a Big Name, and he was not about to mess it up.  
    Non-verbal is key when dealing with Pokemon, and a lot of what Zac had learned over the years applied to people too. It was impossible to know exactly why Fernando had called him here, or what he was thinking, but when dealing with a powerful Pokemon you had to establish yourself straight away. That didn't mean anything so barbaric as a fight for dominance (Zac was certainly not here for a fight), but you did have to make it clear that you were another presence sharing the space.     
    Unbroken eye contact indicated aggression (or lustful intention), so Zac made sure to blink a normal amount. He stood up straight and adopted a more relaxed and indirect stance to show his neutral intentions. 
"Thank you for meeting with me on such short notice. We could have scheduled based off your availability, you know?” Fernando said, and Zac nodded at the courtesy. It seemed that for now the two of them were on the same page. "No worries. I was planning on coming down here anyway, and I'm sure your schedule is a fair bit busier than mine."
   Zac had no illusions as to whether Fernando had watched his interview vlogs. They were by far his least popular series, and he had only filmed a handful of episodes. They were a passion project, if nothing else. That meant he had been called here for some other reason.
    "I'm gonna go ahead and guess this is one of those off the record chats, right?" Zac made no move to get the camera out of his bag. He had toyed with the idea of a covert recording device, but at the end of the day he was no more a spy than he was a dishonest man. The idea of tricking someone like that was as out-of-reach technically as it was morally.     

"Where are we headed for our chat? I'm at your disposal."

 “I can give you a tour or we can get straight to business. Whichever you prefer.”

Fernando smiles, “I want to be mindful of your time.”

    "I've got all the time in the world for you, mate," Zac says amicably. "Cleared my whole schedule. But I must admit you've got me on tenterhooks as to this chat, so lets start there."
He had calmed down a lot since the foyer. As the two men had shaken hands, an unspoken bond had already been forged between the two of them. Part of Zac's surprise over the handshake was that Fernando had been so willing to create that connection. In ages past, the handshake was a way of showing that you came to the table unarmed. No knife in your hand, and no tricks up your sleeve. Now it was considerably more mundane, but the simple act carried with it the same ironclad promise.
    Fernando had willingly offered his hand, and in doing so had guaranteed Zac's safety within these walls.
    There had been no offer of food or drink yet, so Zac remained a little guarded. Food was the ultimate hospitality. It meant treating your guest as you would family. Not just safety, but nourishment. 
    Fernando was a man of business though, and Zac had not even expected the handshake.
I wonder if he cooks, he thought, as they headed to the room at the far end of the gym. Zac couldn't wait to see what was inside the office of such a powerful man. 

     The more Zac looked at the hard lines and minimalist decor of Fernando's office, the more he understood the man. 
An outsider could easily mistake the occupant of this office for someone simple, poor, and lacking imagination. Zac knew enough to see it for what it was. Sleek planning and unwavering attention. A single laptop and a screen for larger displays? This man was focused and direct. Like a goddamn laser beam.
    "Some footage online came to my attention recently. Remarkable stuff, really. Raikou, Entei, Suicune. All present in the aftermath of the battle in Mauville." Fernando said, as Zac took a seat. 
    Oh. Really? Zac had released the video online a few weeks ago. Almost ten minutes of raw footage, the first eight of which were just bobbing head-cam video as he tried to chase down the fleeing legendaries. Those last two minutes though...there were some seriously close shots of all three of the dogs. Especially Entei. And even one of their owner: Kyle. 
    "To catch all three on film is a testament to your camera work or an unrealized blessing at good fortune. I believe in both; I want to know more about the circumstances that led up to it."
    "Definitely more the latter than the former there," Zac said. All in all, the video had come out...lousy, if he was telling the truth. Without manual focusing, some of the footage was blurry. Though in some spots he really had caught a perfect second or two of each of the dogs. All in all about 20 seconds of the whole thing was usable, but he had dumped the whole vid online to avoid cries of it being fake or staged. Maybe Zac was being too hard on himself, but it reminded him too much of that amateur, 'In search of Suicune' show.

    "I was coming back from shooting some footage in Route 117 and going through Mauville this flash of blistering red shot off down Route 110. I followed it on foot, as you've seen, and at the end there was this trainer." Zac stopped short of saying the man's name. The video had cut off just before the introductions, and Zac saw no need to out the other man.
    "As you said mate, it was a spot of good fortune. It wasn't like I did anything to draw their attention, despite my best efforts. I was just in the right place at the right time. Sometimes life is like that, 'ay?"

    Sponsorships meant contracts, and that meant trickery. There was a good reason why the word started with con.

    Zac searched Fernando's face for ill-intent, but found only the detached professionalism of a man thinking about many things at once. Zac appreciated a good partnership. Merging resources and purpose extended the reach of everyone involved. His partnership with Charge-a-Cola had been like that.
    What Zac feared was a jumble of legalese that started with giving away a few scribbles and ended with him running every frame of his passion through some lifeless, fun-sucking 'brand management group' to make sure it captured the 'Charge-a-Spirit'. A sponsorship had meant living with an iron hand on his shoulder. Some steel phantom with a crushing grip that steered his content and whispered 'suggestions' in his ear.  
    That's how it had been in the end, and the thought of pounding a dozen cans a day left a sour taste in Zac's mouth.

    "I'm not shopping around, but I'm open to offers." he said, leaving the next part unsaid. From people I trust.

    The deal sounded good. Very good. Bordering on too good, but if Fernando was trying to trick him then Zac had yet to spot any rope or sleight of hand. "So three parts then," Zac said, holding up three fingers to summarize. "Give you a hard copy of the good stuff, sell it exclusively to you for more cash, and a bit of contract work."
    Get paid to do what he was already doing with some optional extras? He wanted to agree out of principle, but experience told him to dig further. The Dwebble is in the details, he told himself, mulling over some follow-up questions. What may look like a nice beach rock can turn around and bite you if you're not cautious. 
    "What sort of contract work are we talking? More legendary footage?" he asked, pulling out a worn pad filled with colored sticky notes and glued in scraps of obscure magazines. "You mentioned a sponsorship, which usually entails resources up front. I'm not worried about initial funds but I'm also not a fan of going into anything blind." Zac sensed something more useful than money. Information. In a way, that seemed to be exactly what Fernando was after. This man was richer than god and he was going to throw money at a question until answers fell out. Could you really bribe the universe like that? "If you're sending me out chasing creatures of myth, can I expect a briefing, or access to existing information you have?"
    Zac flipped to a page at the back of his diary. It was a list of legendaries and what was known about them. Not the stories, but what was concrete. It fit onto one page. There had to be more, and he was sitting across from the man most capable of filling in the glaring blanks.
    "If you're wanting my best work, I'll need you to bring me up to speed."

    Zac nodded as Fernando expounded on the deal. "Three separate contracts? Sounds complex, but I expected as much from a man like you." It sounded like this setup had been brewing for a while. Maybe this was the regular setup for Silph contractors. 
    “Any Legendary Pokemon I know about is already in the trusted hands of the League.” Fernando said, when Zac asked about advance information. "Damn. Well it is what it is," replied the redhead. It wasn't what he had wanted to hear, but it was what he had expected. "No problems there mate. Just thought it was worth asking. Either way, from what you've said I don't see any burs or snags."
    He stuck out a hand for Fernando to shake. Pen and paper were brittle and flimsy when compared to the simple, solid contact of a barehanded bargain.
 "You've got a deal, Fernando. Now how about that tour?"