"It's not a threat."

The words come quickly, their intention perfectly plain. The admin could weave a web of lies, but the woman who sat at the pinnacle of the HBIC was not some errant grunt that Howard could humble with a wave of a hand, nor could he outplay her on a chessboard where they were both equal opponents.

No. When dealing with schemers, it was best to crush them without much care. Elisabeth had taught him that, before she had crawled her way out of hell.

"I never had the fortune to be born into nepotism like many people in this world." He smiled without humor, thinking of Fernando and Jayden and Remiel. "To me, business is a transaction and money is worthless. That's why we barter with cities instead of credit and lives instead of gold. There is only so much value in this world, Penelope. Otherwise we would mint an infinite amount of coinage."

He tapped his hand against the table. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. It was a mechanical motion, done by a clockwork doll instead of a human. How fake it would sound on an audio recording. Yet that falsehood was what made it genuine.

"Blood? That, we will never run out of." He paused to consider her request. It surprised him. It disgusted him. It impressed him. She went for something truly irreplaceable: proof of Kanto's commitment to Team Rocket's cause. "And you've chosen expensive blood indeed."

He cocked his head, musing on her words.

"Give me Rustboro as well, then. I'm sure that Cian can find a nice warehouse in Fallarbor to call his gym in the meantime. Even if gears are replaceable, Monroe is... special. He's a symbol of the Pokémon League's failure."

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PENELOPE LIVY
Continued from HERE