Zev nodded in greeting at Dorian. "Westcliff. Are you here for guard duty too, or are you just taking a look?" he asked, not caring either way. [break][break]

His Bloodmoon Ursaluna, who had been sitting back on his haunches between two enormous roots, plodded over to inspect the strange man and his Houndoom. The large bear sniffed the dog curiously, then its master. [break][break]

At the same time, two children scampered up, stopping short when they noticed the two Rockets and their Pokémon. Neither did they run away, however; instead, they lingered at the edge of the great tree, whispering to each other and stealing glances at the heavy fruit hanging from the lowest branches. [break][break]

Neither Zev nor Ursaluna had noticed them yet.

TAGS – dorian westcliff[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

When Dorian moved in the direction of the children, Zev remained where he stood. He was more than content to watch the exchange from afar. Let the other man handle the kids; Zev had no interest in dealing with anyone who was not an adult. [break][break]

At Dorian's approach, the children shrank back, second-guessing their plan. One boy and one girl, they both looked about twelve years old. He had dusty blonde hair and freckles all over his face, while she was taller, with long russet-colored hair tied into a pair of braids. [break][break]

"There's no way fruit could be dangerous!" the boy declared, though a hint of nervousness stole into his face. His tone, too, was more false bravado than true courage. [break][break]

The girl tugged on his hand, and he mumbled, "No one wants the stupid fruit anyway," before they retreated from the tree. [break][break]

Zev shook his head and sighed. "We should barricade this area," he'd muse aloud to Dorian if the other man walked back.

TAGS – dorian westcliff[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

As Dorian's Pokémon set to work, Zev craned his neck to peer through the branches of the Dyna Tree again. "The Calyrex living at the top of the tree has agreed to ally with our organization," he said to Dorian. Doubt colored his tone. "It says it wants to hear stories, but I don't think that's all it wants." [break][break]

The Rocket Beast never understood the point of fiction and tales. He liked books that imparted practical knowledge, like knife-fighting or field-dressing wounds. Stories of events that never actually happened were a waste of time. [break][break]

As a result, Zev refused to believe stories were all the strange Pokémon wanted in exchange for its aid. Not that they had seen evidence of such aid yet. [break][break]

A sudden clamor tore his attention away from the branches above. Zev's Ursaluna barreled away toward the other side of the tree's wide trunk. Following the trajectory of the bear's run, Zev spied the two kids from earlier as they scrambled up onto a low branch. [break][break]

He immediately stormed after his Pokémon. "Hey! Get down from there!"

TAGS – dorian westcliff[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Dorian was right to feel dread. As Zev reached the tree, the two children started hurling insults down at him and Ursaluna. [break][break]

"Old man! Betcha can't catch us now!" [break][break]

"We sure fooled you and your dumb friend! You're both dumb!" [break][break]

Now, Zev could either order his Ursaluna to attack the children, risking damage to the tree, or he could deal with them himself. His crystals could be very precise when he needed them to be. [break][break]

He weighed his two options in a matter of seconds. Extending a hand at the boy, he let fly a black tendril of metallic shards. It moved as if it had a mind of its own, snaking toward its target. [break][break]

The boy shrieked as the tendril's razor edge bit into his shoulder. Shocked by the pain, he fell, the force of the impact knocking him to the ground. [break][break]

"Tommy! Oh my gods, Tommy!" the girl screamed. "You killed him!" [break][break]

Irritation boiled within Zev at the high-pitched screaming as he retracted the crystal into his body. "He's fine," he snapped at the girl, who was suddenly wailing. [break][break]

The boy was, in fact, alive—but sobbing uncontrollably as he curled into the fetal position. His opposite hand clutched his injured shoulder. Blood was spreading quickly over his shirt. [break][break]

"Now get out of here, or I'll do much worse. To both of you." [break][break]

Fear shot through both of them, evidenced by the way their faces paled behind their tears. The girl jumped to the ground and helped the boy to his feet. They dashed away in an instant, clutching each other and crying.

TAGS – dorian westcliff[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]