News of Remiel Calcifet's presence in the prison meant there was a high chance of even more League VIPs in the other wards. Zev guessed that their masks must have remained affixed to their faces for the rest of the day, though, otherwise Cillian would have known more names. [break][break]

"The Chamber is a circular room with a machine in its center. There's a mask on the machine that looks like it's been Terastallized. Velmos said that looking through it would reveal our deepest desires, but…" [break][break]

Zev paused. There was that nagging feeling again. [break][break]

"It wasn't anything I didn't already know." [break][break]

He listened to Cillian's description of the pit, recalling the pulverized corpses that fell through the hole in the center of his ward into a space beneath the floor. "That was your punishment, then?" he asked. "To fight the creature?" [break][break]

Without Pokéballs and Avatar abilities, fighting a Pokémon—even with a large group of people—was extremely dangerous. [break][break]

"How many died?"

TAGS – Cillian Quinn[break]
NOTES – prismatic penitentiary dream world

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Zev did not usually go out in public in Mossdeep without his Zoroark's illusion providing adequate disguise—mostly to avoid drawing attention to Neffatari Nzingha, since she lived and worked there. But if notorious Team Rocket underboss THEO BECKETT was going to show his face, then Zev was, too. [break][break]

He showed up at Mossdeep General Hospital wearing casual, unassuming clothing and a black Kerry cap. "Beckett," he said by way of greeting, his tone even, his expression neutral. He smoothly fell in step beside Theo. "What did you want to meet about?" [break][break]

Zev guessed already that the conversation was not going to touch on more confidential Rocket business. They'd have met somewhere more private if that was the case, like Theo's office.

TAGS – THEO BECKETT[break]
NOTES – social

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Zev's eyes fell upon the symbol Howard mentioned. He nodded, gravely serious. His own excitement was tempered by the memory of his encounter with the DRK Triad in that other universe and the revelations shared with him. [break][break]

"I didn't get a good look at it the last time I was here," he said. He hung back, however, instead gesturing for the other man to take a closer look for himself. "A Tapu Bulu attacked my wife and I when we arrived, and then when she played the flute it left behind after we chased it off, that door opened." [break][break]

He pointed at the large, circular construction high above them. [break][break]

"It summoned a Lunala. The same one that showed up during the Darkest Day." [break][break]

Reports had mentioned Valerio Dachev's appearance and how his Lunala had aided in the fight against Necrozma. Perhaps that was why, despite being injured, the celestial bat became enraged when it laid eyes on Zev.

TAGS – howard slayte[break]
NOTES – mission (repeat)

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Though Zev did not need a sword to survive the oncoming lava flow, he snatched the Honedge out of the air anyway. In that dreamscape, her SACRED SWORD cleaved the deluge of fire in two, sparing him the need to endure it. [break][break]

"Of course they're not," he said, tossing aside the Honedge so she could continue fighting on her own terms. "But until we find a way to stop the spread of Tera Crystals and stop Interdream Mist from seeping into our universe, survival is the absolute minimum. If you can't do even that, you're useless to us." [break][break]

The EXPLOSION from the Koffing sent the Groudon reeling backward, roaring in pain and frustration. The injury was not enough to bring it low, but it was enough to buy Zev time. [break][break]

The crystals along his right arm twisted and warped, transforming that limb into a cannon-like armature. As he raised his arm, light gathered at the end of it, cradled in wicked claws of alien design. The brilliant swirl of energy grew and grew, blinding in its brilliance. [break][break]

Zev aimed it at the Groudon, gritted his teeth, and fired. A massive beam of light speared the manifestation of the Continent Pokémon, sending it crashing through the walls of the laboratory. Magma rained down upon the two humans. [break][break]

Perhaps it was because they were in a dream, or perhaps something had changed ever since Zev's encounter with Lunala in Ultra Crater, but he did not feel nearly as exhausted as he normally did after firing his laser. As his arm reverted back to its normal shape, he turned to the nearest wall. [break][break]

A door opened, as if willed by his subconscious. "Through there!" he shouted at Ameena as he raced toward the entryway.

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

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"Theoretically, all options are on the table," Zev answered, "but Dewford, Mossdeep, and Pacifidlog have all been suggested at one point." [break][break]

Using the stylus, he drew circles around these towns and cities on the map. Then he glanced sidelong at Reinier, noting their quiet observation while he'd explained the situation. A keen and patient mind was valuable among the lower ranks. [break][break]

"Littleroot was also suggested once, but the League interfered with our attempts to seize it during the meteoroid incident in 2022," Zev added, drawing a red question mark next to the village's label. "There have been debates over its usefulness as a territory."

TAGS – Reinier Justice[break]
NOTES – mission (repeat)

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Ameena was mistaken. Zev had no intention of training grunts how to defeat Legendary Pokémon, or whatever else their psyches conjured. He had been specific in his demand: survive. [break][break]

Their surroundings transformed as the scientist spoke of her collaborative work with both Lulu Flint and Amor Rose. The battlefield bled away, crimson hues paling into the stark white of laboratory walls. Swatted out of the air, Ameena's Corviknight crashed through the ceiling and vanished in a puff of acrid, chemical fumes. [break][break]

"You can do that on your own time, when you are safely ensconced in your office," Zev said of her interest in studying the divine quality of the gods. "But this region does not guarantee safety." [break][break]

He turned away, appearing to tire of the conversation. [break][break]

"Enough talk. Let's end this." [break][break]

Before Ameena's eyes, Zev transformed. Pale skin rippled like an ebbing tide, revealing black shards buried beneath the surface. They spread across his form like rapid necrosis, covering him from head to toe. In less than a minute, the man appeared no more than a silhouette cut into space itself, a void that consumed all light. [break][break]

Above them, the Necrozma changed, too. Its prism-like body shed metal fragments in curtains, revealing stony skin of a deep red hue and wicked, shovel-like claws. Golden light emitted from between scales reminiscent of tectonic plates. [break][break]

"Survive for as long as possible, Abadi." [break][break]

The dream-Groudon opened its mouth and spewed forth an ERUPTION into the laboratory.

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

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A psychic blade swathed in electricity cut through the massive pillar of Necrozma's light to land a PSYCHO CUT on its prism-like body. The shard roared in frustration, causing the very air to shake. It raised a claw, summoning the surrounding darkness for a SHADOW CLAW, unaware of the blessing granted by the Comfey's Z-Move. [break][break]

As the two titans fought for dominance, Zev turned his attention back to Greyson. Just in time, too. Steel flashed like fire in the midday sun as the Elite Four raced for the Rocket Beast in a headlong charge. [break][break]

If Greyson wanted to die, then so be it. [break][break]

The Aegislash swung for Zev. Crystalline tendrils burst from his shoulder to catch the blade and force it aside. In the same fluid movement, Zev stepped into Greyson's reach. One hand seized the other man in a cruel grip, while the other raked at flesh, aiming to disembowel. [break][break]

But at that moment, Mt. Chimney shuddered. One of the Dynamaxed Pokémon had slammed into the ground. The two men were thrown into the air and forced apart; the killing blow Zev intended did not cut deeply enough. [break][break]

Still, when he recovered and saw the blood pooling from Greyson's midsection, he knew the Elite Four was not getting up. [break][break]

Let's go, Zev willed. His shard pivoted away from the Iron Valiant and scooped him up in a massive claw. As he rose high into the air, he watched Greyson's body become smaller and smaller. He can bleed out and join Kyle in oblivion. [break][break]

The Necrozma shard peeled away from the peak, seeing that its attacks were only healing its enemy. As it shrank in size, Zev finally opened another Pokéball. Shadows spilled out, coalescing into his Gengar, who whisked the three of them away with PHANTOM FORCE.

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – mission[break]
– Zev is FULLY ARMORED: nothing can break through his defense, and things that hit him may take damage on impact[break]
– Necrozma Shard is DYNAMAXED (barrier: 2/3)[break]
– Necrozma Shard is hit by PSYCHO CUT; uses SHADOW CLAW on Iron Valiant, inadvertently healing it

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"Training," Zev repeated with severity, "because it is no secret that the League has its own Legendaries, and you must be prepared to fight any of them." [break][break]

He raised his gaze to the skies above. Deoxys dealt powerful blows against the obsidian body of the Necrozma. Ameena's Corviknight wove between the two, dodging the attacks with expert aerial maneuvers. [break][break]

"This simulation, if that's what we can call it, is based on our subconscious, though—yours and mine. It's exactly how Tera Crystals and Interdream Mist function. So, of course it uses what we know." [break][break]

He himself made no move to assist. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at the woman. "You know Team Rocket's Deoxys?"

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

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Zev normally did not remember his dreams. When he did, the recent ones were filled with stardust and supernovas, memories of Necrozma conveyed by its alien thoughts. That night, however, he dreamed of a city he'd never visited, yet nonetheless felt eerily familiar. [break][break]

It was a lucid dream, he realized upon running into Cillian Quinn. Not only did both men have full awareness of their situation, but they were dreaming it together. [break][break]

Capitalizing on this revelation, Zev shared what information he deemed appropriate to tell the underboss. And when they went their separate ways, he looked for others who might also be caught in the dream realm. [break][break]

The next person he ran into was Bee (BARNABY FINCH). Their conversation took a different turn, however, when Zev remembered his agreement with Elisabeth Fiorelli. [break][break]

Finally, in an abandoned daycare center filled with glass displays of their Pokémon, he found Neffatari Nzingha. In the privacy of that macabre place, they talked freely: of their strategy for surviving and their visions seen in the mask. [break][break]

They parted ways to maintain their false tale. Zev hated to leave her, but if the dream was truly just a dream, they'd wake up in the same cell before long.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha & ugly ward[break]
NOTES[break]
– Zev is in the UGLY WARD.[break]
– Traveling through the dream world, he talks with Cillian Quinn, BARNABY FINCH, and Neffatari Nzingha.

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Zev scoffed, telling her everything she needed to know about what he thought of oaths. "It's not my business what happens between you and Underboss Quinn. After all, you said it yourself: you're just another face. You're no threat to him." [break][break]

An Electrike padded into view, sniffing around for something to eat. Instead, Zev's Type: Null surprised it with a sudden CRUSH CLAW. The dog's high-pitched yelp attracted the Beast's attention long enough for him to throw a Pokéball at it. [break][break]

Resuming the conversation with Soyeon, he said, "Don't throw your life away just to take down another person. That's stupid. If you're going to do anything, do it well. Do it with the goal of succeeding." [break][break]

They continued on down the corridor with Type: Null leading the way. [break][break]

"Rise in Team Rocket's ranks through your achievements and feats. Get close to Quinn. Make him believe you would never betray him." Zev glanced sidelong at her, judgment finally in his eyes. "And learn to control your emotions. You're too soft right now."

TAGS – soyeon kwan[break]
NOTES – duo wild (electric/steel) | catching Electrike

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The air thrummed with a sudden and violent power, interrupting Zev's concentration. He released his control over gravity, his attention now wholly captured by the sudden intrusion of sinister energy. [break][break]

Dynergy. He recognized the taste of it at once, a tainted memory that nevertheless filled him with ravenous yearning. [break][break]

The crystals covering Zev rippled in unison, reinforcing his body, transforming him into a vessel to contain Eternatus' life force. Starlight swirled in his eyes as he gazed skyward. The towering Iron Valiant swung its great lance, and he rooted himself, bracing for the inevitable impact of the NIGHT SLASH. [break][break]

Nothing could dodge such a massive blow. [break][break]

All around him, stone shattered and exploded outward. Nidoking fell, unconscious, bleeding shadow upon the barren ground. Zev recalled his Pokémon with the flick of a wrist, unfazed by the sight of such grievous injuries. [break][break]

But he did not choose another Pokéball. For an instant, it seemed the man was insane enough to face down a Dynamaxed Pokémon all by himself. Then the air high above the battlefield spasmed. Through the wormhole that opened stepped a familiar sight, all brutal angles and obsidian planes. [break][break]

[break]

The same violet light that had consumed Greyson's Iron Valiant engulfed the Necrozma shard. It grew enormous, achieving a size similar to the real Necrozma that lurked in Ultra Space. Zev felt the echo of the transformation reverberate through his body. [break][break]

Without warning, searing white light illuminated the peak of Mt. Chimney as a PHOTON GEYSER erupted around the Iron Valiant.

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – mission[break]
– Zev is FULLY ARMORED: nothing can break through his defense, and things that hit him may take damage on impact[break]
– Zev and Shadow Nidoking are hit by NIGHT SLASH; Shadow Nidoking faints[break]
– Necrozma Shard joins the battle and DYNAMAXES (barrier: 3/3); uses PHOTON GEYSER on Iron Valiant

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Compared to Ameena, Zev maintained a calmness that contrasted starkly with the monstrous terror that surrounded them. "Put it back?" he asked, his tone mocking in its detached apathy. "We're going to use this machine and its data to train grunts, Abadi. Ones like yourself." [break][break]

He tilted his head to regard her more closely. In the sky above, Necrozma unleashed a brilliant laser beam that cleaved the sky in twain. [break][break]

"If you're going to survive this kind of training, then I should be telling you that. So show me." [break][break]

Around them, hazy figures of different shapes and sizes began to coalesce. If Ameena looked closely enough, she might recognize her own Pokémon in some of their incomplete forms. Which ones manifested, however, depended upon her will. [break][break]

Zev made no movement. He simply pinned her with his starlit gaze. "Show me how you'll escape this nightmare."

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

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