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BY GUNSMILE

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"Sune." Zev peeled away from the shadows of the lobby. "Good. You're on time."[break][break]

He withdrew a Pokéball from his pocket and opened it. From within the capsule emerged his Gengar, a wide grin beneath eyes burning red like HELLFIRE.[break][break]

"Our objective is simple and straightforward. No survivors," Zev continued. All this information was in the mission briefing forwarded to Anahel that morning, yet he reminded her anyway.[break][break]

"They have some hand-to-hand combat experience and some shooting skill, but they shouldn't have any firearms in their possession. Keep an eye out for knives. But," he added, "they'll likely rely on their Pokémon more than anything else."[break][break]

Zev started up the stairs, fully expecting Anahel to follow without prompting. His Gengar swooped up ahead of him, eager for the fight.[break][break]

"Any questions?"

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BY GUNSMILE

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They climbed the stairs, taking their time. When they reached the landing, Zev's Gengar sank into the shadows at his feet and disappeared from sight. His stride down the hallway was confident, but his body was tense with anticipation, his senses on high alert.[break][break]

Though the targets were only grunts, Zev and Anahel faced uneven odds. He and his Pokémon should not have any problem, but he didn't know how the girl would act when the job demanded brutality.[break][break]

Yes, she'd shown fearlessness against League officers, but had ultimately acted in her own defense. This time, she was the hunter.[break][break]

Just in case, he removed the gun from the holster hidden beneath his suit jacket. He clicked off the safety.[break][break]

At the door of the apartment where the grunts were hiding, Zev knocked. From within, he heard nothing for a long moment, then the muffled sound of footsteps as someone approached. The door opened.[break][break]

As soon as Zev saw the face of one of the defectors from the mission briefing, he leveled his pistol at the man's forehead and fired.[break][break]

Chaos erupted at once. Zev kicked open the door as his Gengar launched himself from the shadows, hitting everything inside with a DAZZLING GLEAM. A Bronzong, Leafeon, and Greedent staggered beneath the attack, but only momentarily. They lunged.[break][break]

The two remaining grunts—one a woman with long, red hair; the other a man with tattoos and a shaved head—rushed to escape Zev's charge. He clocked doors leading from the main living space, likely leading to a bedroom or two.[break][break]

Half-turning, he commanded Anahel, "Get the redhead one! I've got the other!"

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BY GUNSMILE

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While Gengar and Gardevoir fought the three hostile Pokémon, Zev ran after the tattooed man. The red-haired woman and Anahel dashed into one bedroom, while his own prey ducked into what looked like an office. Zev immediately noticed the two windows there.[break][break]

They were on the fifth floor. A drop from that height had a high chance of being fatal.[break][break]

The defector must have realized this at the same time, for he whirled to face Zev and pulled out a knife. Zev raised his gun and fired twice in one fluid motion. The other man's corpse fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.[break][break]

Kneeling beside the growing pool of blood beneath the body, Zev checked the man's throat for a pulse. Nothing.[break][break]

Satisfied, the hitman exited the office and burst into the bedroom where Anahel and the redhead had rushed into. He found them grappling on the floor, a knife dangerously close to the blonde's neck.[break][break]

Zev kicked the red-haired traitor in the face with enough force to shove her off Anahel. Screaming and sobbing, the other woman clutched at her broken nose and shattered teeth with both hands.

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BY GUNSMILE

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Zev watched in silence as the older woman tried to reason with Anahel. He said nothing when she shot the traitor, nor when she insisted against her weakness. Her words of promise meant nothing to him; she would have to prove it instead.[break][break]

While Anahel disappeared back into the main living area of the apartment, Zev checked the dead woman for a pulse. None. He also dug through her pockets for anything useful, finding her phone and spare change but nothing else. The man in the office yielded his wallet along with his phone and the keys to the apartment.[break][break]

Emerging from the smaller rooms, Zev noticed that the Pokémon battle had ended. The Bronzong, Leafeon, and Greedent lay inert upon the floor, unconscious. When Smoke approached his master, Zev nodded at the Gengar. "Good job."[break][break]

Finally, the Beast turned to Anahel. "Do a sweep of the apartment. Look for anything useful. Anything that might have been stolen from Team Rocket, too," he said, tossing the phones he'd collected onto the kitchen counter.[break][break]

"Tomorrow evening, meet me in the training room on the submarine." Taking out his own phone, Zev dialed the number for the cleaners. As he put the phone to his ear, he leveled a cold, hard look at Anahel. "If you want to get stronger, you need to learn how to fight properly."

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BY GUNSMILE