Chapter 121: Backstage Confrontation

The backstage area crackled with tension as Margaret Judith, Northam Group's lead developer, processed the implications of Pokemon Biotech's reveal. Her analytical mind, honed by decades of corporate research and development, was already cataloging the technological achievements on display - each Pokemon representing breakthroughs that Northam's research teams had spent years and millions in funding pursuing without success.

The sheer breadth of innovation before her threatened to shatter the carefully maintained facade of Northam's market dominance.

Evolution protocols that had eluded their best geneticists. Hydrogen-oxygen catalysis systems that their engineers had declared theoretically impossible. Plant-body symbiosis that made their most advanced attempts look primitive in comparison.

Nuclear waste purification methods that could revolutionize environmental cleanup efforts worldwide. The list of proprietary technologies grew with each Pokemon she identified, and all apparently developed by a single designer rather than Northam's extensive research teams with their state-of-the-art facilities and virtually unlimited resources.

Her fingers twitched almost imperceptibly, a tell that only those who had worked closely with her would recognize as mounting frustration. Each creature represented not just a technological marvel, but a direct challenge to Northam's carefully constructed narrative of technological supremacy.

"Quite the menagerie you've been hiding, Mr. Grave," Judith's voice carried across the crowded space with practiced precision, drawing attention from other corporate representatives who had been pretending not to watch the encounter. Her tone carried decades of corporate authority, wrapped in a thin veneer of professional courtesy. "Though quantity doesn't always equate to quality. Mass production often comes at the cost of... refinement."

Annie tensed beside Ethan, her tablet forgotten as she assessed potential PR implications. The newer Pokemon had clustered protectively behind their more experienced counterparts - Wartortle and Timmy taking point with the practiced coordination of security professionals, while Suicune maintained its characteristic poise, its presence a reminder of power held in elegant reserve. The younger Pokemon's behavior itself was telling - displaying complex social dynamics that Northam's creations had never achieved.

"Quality speaks for itself," Ethan replied evenly, his calm demeanor a stark contrast to the mounting tension. "As Japan recently discovered." The reference to Suicune's widely publicized environmental rescue hung in the air like a perfectly placed chess piece.

Judith's expression tightened, the slight movement of facial muscles betraying the impact of the verbal riposte. She gestured to her prized creation - a humanoid Pokemon with a crimson mane that flowed like a cape, its engineered musculature a testament to Northam's focus on raw power over sophistication. The creature's enhanced biology was impressive, but to educated observers, it represented an increasingly outdated approach to genetic engineering - brute force rather than elegant design.

Without warning, she stepped forward, deliberately forcing her way through the assembled Pokemon. The move was calculated to provoke a response, a corporate power play disguised as casual movement.

The reaction was immediate and revealing. The younger Pokemon scattered with coordinated precision rather than panic, but Timmy and Wartortle held their ground, forming a defensive line that spoke of tactical training rather than mere instinct.

Behind them, Suicune's ruby eyes locked onto the approaching threat, its presence somehow becoming more substantial without moving a muscle. The temperature in the immediate vicinity began to fluctuate subtly - a warning as elegant as it was clear.

"Your creatures are blocking official access," Judith switched to English, her tone carrying the weight of Northam's corporate authority and generations of assumed supremacy. "Move them." The language choice was deliberate - a power play designed to emphasize the international corporate hierarchy.

Annie translated unnecessarily - Ethan's grasp of English was solid, though he preferred to let competitors underestimate him. It was one of many cards he kept close to his chest.

The gathering crowd of corporate representatives and staff created an expectant atmosphere, their private cameras and recording devices capturing every moment. Everyone knew the tension between Pokemon Biotech and Northam Group, but open confrontation was unprecedented. The political implications would ripple through boardrooms across the sector.

"Last warning," Judith's engineered Pokemon flexed its enhanced musculature, a display of power that seemed almost crude compared to the subtle positioning of Ethan's creatures. "Clear the path."

Ethan's voice remained calm, but carried an edge that made Annie glance sharply at him - she had never heard that particular tone before. "Suicune. Sheer Cold. Targeted demonstration."

The temperature in the backstage area plummeted with surgical precision. Suicune's attack manifested not as a raw display of power like that seen during the Japan cleanup, but as a controlled demonstration of technical superiority.

Crystalline ice encased the caped Pokemon's arms and lower body, the formation so rapid that steam rose from the perfect surface. The ice structure itself was a testament to advanced engineering - each crystal aligned with molecular precision, creating a lattice structure that shouldn't have been possible outside of laboratory conditions.

Gasps rippled through the watching crowd as the implications became clear. The attack hadn't been just a display of power - it was a masterclass in genetic engineering. The precision control of temperature, the perfect crystalline structure of the ice, the careful limitation of affected areas - all pointed to neural architecture far beyond anything Northam had achieved. Several corporate observers were already reaching for their phones, no doubt contacting their research departments.

"Impossible," Judith whispered, her corporate mask cracking as she stared at the ice formation. Every attempt Northam had made at temperature manipulation had resulted in broad, unfocused effects. This level of precision shouldn't have been possible with current genetic engineering techniques. Her mind was already calculating the research and development implications - and the potential stock market response when this demonstration became public knowledge.

"I suggest," Ethan said quietly, his words carrying clearly in the hushed atmosphere, "that Northam Group reconsider its approach to corporate cooperation. The biotech sector is evolving rapidly." He gestured almost casually, and Suicune released its hold on the ice, letting it sublimate harmlessly into the air - another demonstration of precise environmental control. "Some of us are simply evolving faster than others." The double meaning was clear to everyone present.

The caped Pokemon stumbled as it was released, its enhanced strength useless against technical superiority. The moment perfectly encapsulated the shifting balance of power in the biotech sector - raw strength giving way to sophisticated design. Annie was already documenting the encounter, her fingers flying across her tablet as she calculated how to leverage this demonstration in future negotiations.

"This isn't over, Grave," Judith's voice was low, meant only for him, though in the dead silence of the backstage area, it carried further than she intended. "The board won't ignore this demonstration."

"I'm counting on it," Ethan replied, watching her retreat with her chastened Pokemon. The confrontation had served multiple purposes - demonstrating Pokemon Biotech's capabilities, establishing clear technological superiority, and sending a message to Northam's board about the true balance of power in the sector. Each moment had been choreographed to maximize its impact in the corporate theater.

As the crowd dispersed, already breaking into huddles of urgent discussion and hurried phone calls, Annie stepped closer. "That was calculated," she observed quietly, her tone suggesting she was reevaluating several of her previous assumptions about her employer.

"Everything is calculated," Ethan replied, reaching down to reassure one of the younger Pokemon that had hidden behind Suicune during the confrontation. The gentle interaction contrasted sharply with the corporate power play they had just executed. "The Orange League registration, the Victoria show reveal, and now this. The board wanted corporate theater - I'd say we gave them quite a performance."

His hand rested briefly on Suicune's flank, a gesture of appreciation that spoke of partnership rather than ownership. In that moment, the difference between Northam's approach to genetic engineering and Pokemon Biotech's philosophy was stark - one sought to create tools, the other to develop partners. The implications of that fundamental difference would reshape the industry in ways that Margaret Judith was only beginning to comprehend.