As soon as Colress was out of earshot, Zinzolin turned back to the group.
"Must we include Achroma in this? He clearly isn't interested." Zinzolin asked disdainfully.
"What is wrong with Colress Achroma?" Ghetsis raised an eyebrow, "He is more accomplished than the rest of us put together. Team Plasma will need somebody like that."
"What good are his academic accolades if he doesn't care about the cause?" asked Giallo, giving Zinzolin an approving nod.
"Right?" Bronius jumped in too. "He's just gonna ditch us when we finish school anyway. I say we ditch him first."
"Plus," Gorm smirked, "He's really weird. It's not a good look for us."
"That's not fair," interjected Rood, "We should at least give him a chance."
Ghetsis rolled his eyes. "Need I remind you that we are currently standing at eight members. I see no reason to kick one out before we hit double-digits."
"Two more members to go," Zinzolin exchanged a snicker with Gorm.
Before they could continue, a girl approached the table. A beautiful one, at that. It was Zinzolin's girlfriend, Claire. As soon as she was in arms-reach, he scooped her onto his lap.
"Hey!" she giggled, "You didn't come and sit with me today, what's going on?"
Zinzolin planted a kiss on her nose before answering, "Ah, sorry, I got caught up with Team Plasma."
Claire looked around the table at the unusual assembly of boys looking back at her.
"Team Plasma?" she asked blankly, "What's that?"
Zinzolin looked to Ghetsis, who's red eyes seemed to be watching them with an eerie intensity. Zinzolin didn't like Ghetsis much. He was barely more palatable than Colress Achroma. But Zinzolin did like adding extracurricular activities to his resume. He also liked money.
"Ghetsis explains it better than me. Ghetsis, would you? Claire could be our ninth member."
"One more 'til we get Achroma out." chuckled Gorm.
Claire listened intently as Ghetsis launched into his speech. It was the same one he'd used in his history presentation. Zinzolin watched as her expression morphed from one of polite attention, to genuine concern. By the time Ghetsis reached the mortality statistics, her eyes were wide and she was hanging on his every word.
When Ghetsis had finished, Claire was visibly moved. She glanced back at Zinzolin, her eyes sparkling. "That's... incredible. It's just not fair, is it? Pokémon should get to live freely, like we do. They deserve better."
Zinzolin, still holding her close, brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear with a smile. "That's my girl," he said proudly. "I knew you'd get it. I figured you'd want in as soon as you heard what Team Plasma's all about."
Claire turned back to Ghetsis. "I'll join. Whatever it takes to make this happen. How can I help?"
Ghetsis tilted his head, his lips curling into a small, satisfied smile. "I appreciate it, Claire. We need more people like you, who understand the truth so quickly."
Claire beamed at him, casting a sunny look at the rest of the boys. "Thank you for having me! Now, if you'll excuse me, I must steal my boyfriend for the evening. I'm afraid you'll have to share him."
Zinzolin gave Ghetsis a 'you're welcome' grin as Claire dragged him away. They retreated to his dorm room – he wasn't supposed to have girls in there, but Claire had become part of the furniture at this point so they didn't bother telling him off anymore – and she flopped onto his bed.
"Team Plasma, how exciting! I feel like we're part of something important." she said happily as Zinzolin nestled in beside her.
"I think so too... Ghetsis is really rich. This could be a career if I play my cards right." Zinzolin nodded thoughtfully.
"Zinzolin Viomare." she turned on him with a chiding look.
"Uh oh, I got surnamed." Zinzolin gave her a mock grimace.
"Too right, you did. This is about Pokémon, not money. It's like a charity, it's for a good cause. It's not an opportunity to line our pockets." she gave him a gentle smack on the arm.
Undeterred, Zinzolin gently cupped her face so that their eyes met.
"I'm never going to stop chasing our dream, Claire," he said fervently, "I don't care what it takes – money, power, whatever I can get from Team Plasma. I want you to have it all. No more cold nights in Snowpoint City, no more wondering if we have enough money to eat... I'll make sure you're warm and comfortable, with everything you've ever dreamed of. And I won't stop until I get us there."
She gazed at him, love and a touch of exasperation in her eyes. "You're such a stubborn idiot," she murmured with a small smile. "You're so busy thinking about money, you're missing the point." She placed her hand over his, squeezing gently. "Team Plasma is trying to make things better for Pokémon, to give them the same chance at a better life. That's why I want to join."
He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Fine, fine. I'll care about the 'good cause,' if it makes you happy. But you know, if Team Plasma doesn't work out... I'll still find a way. We'll get married, we'll have the life we dreamed about. I promise."
Claire softened, reaching up to play with a strand of his white hair. "I know you will. And I love that about you. Just... don't forget why we're here, okay?"
"Very well," Zinzolin grinned. "For you, anything."
Battle Studies was Zinzolin's first lesson the next day. As soon as he arrived, it was apparent that Team Plasma was causing a stir. He found Ghetsis in the centre of a loud conversation, the whole class talking over each other as the debate raged. His moving presentation from the day before was still the hot topic around the academy and Zinzolin couldn't help but marvel at the dramatic turnaround of his reputation.
Just a few days ago, Ghetsis had been nothing more than Blueberry Academy's infamous loner and troublemaker - the guy who'd scowl at everyone, knock books out of hands, and sneer if you so much as looked at him wrong. The only one who had appeared to like him was Colress Achroma, which wasn't exactly a glowing endorsement.
But now... Ghetsis was holding court like a celebrity, with their classmates listening to him as if his word was gospel.
"Don't you miss your Pokémon?" Aldith was asking Ryoku. He was visibly blushing, unused to female attention.
"I- I do miss Purrloin. But I didn't realise that I was keeping it against its will. I thought that after I released it... It might want to stay with me anyway. But it didn't." Ryoku looked down sadly.
"That proves Ghetsis is right though," Rood piped up. "Nobody wants to feel like a friendship is one-sided, but how can you know that you aren't holding them hostage if you don't give them the option to leave?"
"I've never thought about it like that," Aldith looked down at her Poké Ball, "What if Petilil doesn't want to be my Pokémon, but she can't tell me?"
Ghetsis approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. "There's only one way to find out, Aldith."
Zinzolin lingered near the back of the group, watching as Aldith released her Petilil into the Savannah Biome. It scampered away without looking back. In that moment, he made a snap decision.
Ghetsis was the key to his dreams.
He wasn't a loser, or at least, he wasn't anymore. He was rich, powerful and hopefully stupid. Zinzolin would befriend him and throw himself into whatever scheme he came up with. He would be Ghetsis' right-hand man, his invaluable ally. Before long, he'd be given funds – all organisations, even good causes, were businesses at their heart. The Harmonia fortune was a bottomless pit, so he'd been told. If he positioned himself as an indispensable cog in the machine, who'd even know if a bit of that fortune went missing? His father deserved a warm house outside of Snowpoint. His sisters would flourish in university. Claire... Well, Claire deserved every penny he could siphon off the green-haired weirdo. The more Zinzolin thought about it, the more appealing the idea looked.
He just needed Ghetsis to like him. Zinzolin had already been given the most important-sounding job out of everyone. That was a good start.
When people began to pair up, he made a beeline for Ghetsis.
"Ghetsis!" Zinzolin threw his arm around the boy, supressing a shiver. He'd never hoped to touch the guy, but... needs must. "My fellow Team Plasma visionary, shall we?"
Ghetsis gave him a brief nod, though he wore a smug smile. 'It must be a treat not getting stuck with Achroma...'
They made their way to a battlefield in the Savannah Biome, where Ghetsis wasted no time in sending out his Deino. Zinzolin had seen Ghetsis battle before - he was strong. If Zinzolin wanted to befriend him, what was his best play? Beat Ghetsis to prove his own strength? Or let him win to placate him?
As Zinzolin sent out his Sneasel, he quickly realised that he might not be able to win even if he wanted to. Sneasel was fast and had type-advantage, but Deino was unbelievably powerful. Ghetsis battled without hesitation, shouting commands without waiting to see if Deino was able to carry them out. Even so, whatever Ghetsis commanded, Deino scrambled to obey.
"Sneasel, Icy Wind!" Zinzolin shouted, covering his eyes as sand sprayed up from the force of the two Pokémon skidding around each other.
"Crunch!" Ghetsis shouted over him, a cruel smile on his lips.
'Sneasel is too fast, Deino will never be able to catch it with a move like tha- Aah!'
Zinzolin's strategies were rudely interrupted by Deino defying all odds and pinning down Sneasel in the amber sand. Sneasel let out a terrified screech as the dragon leered over it. Zinzolin cursed under his breath, averting his eyes as Deino put an aggressive end to their battle.
Zinzolin quickly arranged his face into his most charming smile – well, it worked on girls, maybe it would work on Ghetsis – and sauntered across the battlefield.
"You're every bit as strong as I imagined." he drawled, recalling his fainted Sneasel.
Ghetsis raised his eyebrow. "And I expected more of a challenge from you."
Zinzolin narrowed his eyes, faltering only for a second before his smile returned.
"I doubt there's a person in this terrarium that could best you in a battle, Ghetsis." he replied smoothly.
"Heh, I expect you're right." Ghetsis agreed with a sneer.
"But," Zinzolin added hastily, "Battling isn't where my talents lie. It isn't my battling skill that you need for Team Plasma."
"Oh?" Ghetsis turned to him, his face cold and neutral, "And what is it that Team Plasma needs from you?"
"My talent lies in having a plan... a strategy." His eyes flicked to Ghetsis, gauging his reaction. "A well-executed plan can change everything."
Ghetsis's lip quirked, his gaze flickering with interest. "So, you consider yourself a strategist, Zinzolin?"
Zinzolin gave a calculated, modest shrug. "I always see things through. Team Plasma needs direction, not just strength. I can get things done and make the vision a reality."
Ghetsis recalled his own Pokémon, clasping his hands behind his back and nodding thoughtfully. Zinzolin could see he was thinking – about what, he wasn't sure.
He decided to press on. "The way I see it, we'll be the dream team. You have the ideas. I can make them happen. You can't do everything, right? You need someone to organise the rallies, manage the members, balance the books... And, unlike some, I don't see the unglamorous tasks as beneath me."
Ghetsis gave him a nod of approval, his red eyes sparkling. "You are quite hard to figure out... A little more intelligent than I'd expected. I am fond of intelligent people, you see. Yes, hard workers are exactly what Team Plasma will need."
'Ugh,' Zinzolin scoffed internally, 'I'm smarter than you, asshole.'
"And that's exactly what you have in me," Zinzolin replied, donning his trademark appeasing smile. "Whatever I want, I make it happen. You'll see."
Ghetsis lips curled into an ugly sneer. "Good. I look forward to working with you, Zinzolin."
"And I you, Ghetsis."
'Sigh... He'd better be as rich as they say...'
A/N: Zinzolin is such a slimy bastard, I fell in love with him while writing this. This is his only POV chapter in this fic, but it inspired my next project. If you read this fic and think "I like this but I wish it was 175k words of Zinzolin being a conniving piece of shit" then I have good news for you. My Colress/Zinzolin fic is complete and being uploaded to AO3 currently. I haven't used FFN since like 2010 and I am getting through this cross-post SLOWLY :')