"Greetings, high-ranking members of Team Rocket," Red started, smiling out at the five dozen people that were assembled in the room. Surge stood at his side, almost at attention. "Some of you may know who I am, and I am sure all of you are wondering why I am here."
His audience remained completely silent, but he did not let it bother him. He would say what he had to say, and deal with any problems as they came.
"Team Rocket has long been lurking in the shadows, known only for breaking the law again and again. The general public fears the organization, and the Pokémon Association despises it. This perception has not exactly been improved by the fighting against the Masked Rockets."
"Get to the point!" a fat man at the back of the room snarled. Red blinked, making sure to conceal his annoyance, then nodded.
"Very well. I am here to ask you to make me the new leader of Team Rocket," he said. The room quickly filled with angry murmurs, but a most of them looked interested. "Both your founder Giovanni and his son Silver, a friend of mine, were recently killed by Masked Rocket assassins. This leaves a power vacuum, which I am offering to fill. By changing the general view of the-"
"You mean you've come here to take over and change Team Rocket to suit your needs," one of the audience members interrupted. Red recognized him from one of the files Surge had supplied him with before the meeting, thanks to the bushy eyebrows and scarred face. This was one of the most important men in the organisation. "Why would we let you?"
"Because you will agree that my changes are for the better. If Team Rocket stops creating chaos and starts working for order in the regions, we will become more popular. The Association will not be able to antagonize us as easily. Our power will grow, along with your profits," he explained. By using the word us about the organisation, he was creating a sense of connection between them. By using your when talking about the possible profits, he made it sound as if they were the one that would benefit most from the relationship.
"Ah," the man with the eyebrows said, "and how exactly would you accomplish this change?"
"First, we need to wipe out the Masked Rockets. They are the main reason for our problems in Johto, right?"
"Indeed, they are," an older man near the side of the room sighed loudly. "Business has been really slow there lately. We've had to cut down greatly on costs. I can barely afford my weekly lobster dinner anymore!"
There were some polite chuckles, and Red understood why. This old man was another of the more important members. Red smiled at him, grateful at how the joke had drained some of the tension from the room.
"Giovanni held back against the Masked Rockets, generally preferring defense over offense," Red told them. "I have read the files with his plans. "I believe in another approach. If we destroy their command structure, many of the grunts can probably be persuaded to join us instead. Our organisation would grow, and a major threat would be gone. Do you have any further questions?"
When no one replied, Red stepped back and let Surge take the lead. The murmurs around the room quickly died down as Surge cleared his throat.
"Alright, all ready to vote?" Surge asked. Red himself had told Surge to lead the vote, as it would make it seem more legitimate. With a strong show of support from Surge, more people would also be willing to back him. "First vote! All in favor of Red becoming the new leader of Team Rocket, raise your arms!"
Several arms shot up right away, among them the small smuggler. The man with the thick eyebrows whispered something to the man next to him, then raised his arm a few seconds later. Others quickly followed his lead, obviously under the mans influence. When he saw the results, Red had to work hard not to laugh out loud. The results were in his favor by fifty-six to four. Over ninety percent.
"Change in leadership has been approved," Surge was saying. "Next vote..."
Red did not listen too much to the rest of the meeting. None of the other votes mattered. The second phase of his plan was complete. So far, he was winning.
"You do realize your majority vote will disappear if what's-his-name withdraws support?" Janine told Red when they were both back in his office. She had attended the meeting as well, hiding behind a screen, quick-killing poison darts ready if needed.
"You mean the eyebrows guy," Red commented, glancing at her. "His name is Dess. He seems especially popular with the Johto members. Almost half of my votes were thanks to him, it seems."
"That might become a problem. What if he tries to wrestle control from you once you've rid them of the Masked Rockets?"
"Oh, I'm counting on that," Red told her, with a humorless grin. "Team Rocket members are often predictable, at least. If you have any other concerns, please share them. I try to think of everything, but any help is welcome."
"I will," she promised. "As I am sure Surge will, as well."
"What?" Surge said, snapping back to reality. He had been standing by the window, staring out while deep in thought. A moment later, he seemed to realize what the question had been, and nodded. "Yes, of course."
"I got a message from Blue earlier," Red told him. "I'm picking her up tomorrow, so prepare a room for her somewhere in the base. Put in some basic furniture, make it seem a bit homely."
"Sure," Surge said. "I'll do it after my smoke break."
"That'll be fine," Red told him, nodding. Surge took a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and went to find a designated smoking area. It wasn't that Team Rocket cared much about smoking indoors or not, but there were a lot of labs in the building. Some of them had experiments that could wipe out part of the city if something went wrong, so it would be stupid to take any risks. When Red was certain that Surge was out of hearing distance, he turned to Janine.
"I hope my mission is more interesting than interior decorating," she said dryly.
"It is. I want you to deliver a message to the Masked Rockets. Tell them to surrender to us right away and give us all their assets."
"You're joking," Janine said, clearly astonished.
"Not at all," Red assured her. "I need to find out how they answer that. It'll help when planning our moves against them."
"I can already tell you how they will answer. They'll cut my throat! If I can even get close enough for that! Besides, we don't even know where their headquarters are."
"I don't think they will kill you, but if you distrust that you can bring a grunt, send him instead. As for the base, I'll give you a map."
"Map? You know where their base is? How?"
"I have a few ways to get information," Red replied, shrugging non-committedly. "I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't know what I'm doing, right?"
"I guess," Janine replied, frowning. "Very well, I'll bring a couple of grunts and check it out."
"I'm looking forward to your return," Red told her, producing an item from his pocket and handing it to her. "The map is on this datacard. There are also lists of who should be at that base, which rank they have, and some other useful information."
"Impressive. And you're not just trying to get rid of me?"
"Why would I do that?" Red laughed, genuinely surprised. "Besides, if I wanted to get rid of you I'd do it myself. Not trust some incompetent fools with it. Don't worry so much, you're coming across as paranoid."
"Well, you're not exactly being truthful to everyone else, are you?" she retorted. Red looked angry for a second, but then laughed.
"You got me there," he admitted. "But I only lie when I really have to. Everything I do is for a reason, as you know."
"Yeah, I know. I'll be going then," she said, turning around and exiting the office. Just before she disappered around the corner, she added, just loud enough for Red to hear: "I just hope you know what you're doing."