This wasn’t the sort of mission Lex normally took on. The thief preferred to avoid confrontation at all costs using the practiced skills of her trade. Tonight, she had taken on this mission for selfish reasons. So caught up in her need to protect herself and Killian Decker, she even agreed to take it on with a Rocket fledgling.

The last time she found herself with “Rockets” and kris flynn-edwards in an alley in Slateport, it led her to someone that could have told her what she wanted if she just had the confidence. It felt like she was thinking of another person. Although the anxiety still weighed heavy on her shoulders, she had found a new strength and purpose since Killian found her. She had something to live for and a life to fight for.

Amber eye flashed over towards Ezra Zeke, a brow peaking at his comment. Normally she wore coverings to hide her face, but this time she wanted people to recognize her so he would see the small grin tug at her cherry red lips, “I don’t know, Ezra. What is the plan?” Her grin was telling him she had a plan. Lex always had a plan. She meticulously planned everything she did. Lex was the one that provided the information on the target’s schedule. She’d watched him go in and out of this bar at least a handful of times like clockwork. In at 8, out at 9:30 (give or take a few minutes). He’d then walk south down the street towards the Lower District, passing several dark alley along the way.

This was a learning opportunity wasn’t it? So she’d make the boy work his little brain.

Ezra Zeke

I’ve Done Nothing Wrong Mission

She gonna make him work for it

Alexandria's shit eating grin said it all: this was another one of those missions. Averting his gaze back onto the tavern to their north, Ezra ran his hand through his slicked back hair, combing it back further with his fingers. There was no need for tripping over his own feet today; focus on the first task at hand without jumping ahead, and it'll all come together. "Well, if your information's correct," He began, a tinge of friendly teasing laced between his words, "our guy should be coming outta there in any second. He always head that way, right?" Ezra jabbed his thumb to their right, indicating the street the information had mentioned. "We hide out n' wait for him to walk by. When he does we just....y'know...do it."

If agreed upon, Ezra would begin to make his way down the street, shuffling forward with both of his hands buried deep within his coat pockets. His chocolate brown eyes would lazily search the area as they walked, looking both up and down for the perfect nook to hide and give enough room to get the job done. The sickly feeling of apprehension bubbled within his stomach and his lips quirked downwards into a long frown. There was no telling who this man was, what he did to deserve this, or how Ezra could even manage to get through this mission without crying. The near future was riddled with so many uncertainties that it made his head spin. The only consolation prize was the fact that he wasn't alone today.

His untrained eyes, which probably missed out on several good spots, eventually found a small alleyway along the target's laid out path. Nothing too magical: just your typical dark alley with a dumpster pushed up against one of the two building's exterior walls. After gesturing towards it, Ezra made his way over and began preparing himself by situating his body in a way that'll conceal most of his back but allow him to occasionally peak out and catch a quick glimpse of the road.

Once the two settled into their positions an awkward silence casted over them. The type of silence that beckons one to break it. So, with an awkward smile planted across his face, he did so. "So, uh, like the lip stick. It really fits this whole aesthetic you got going on."

It was very unlike Lex to be so patient during a mission. Ezra Zeke really lucked out on this one. Perhaps she was in such good spirits at the thought of possibly getting some answers to the plethora of questions she had swimming around her head. Plus, she could make him do all the dirty work. Win, win for the thief.

Lex gave a curt nod as he explained out loud his thought process. Her hand gracefully moved forward, indicating he should lead the way and she would follow.

Amber eyes traced the pattern of the shadows and streetlights. There were several places she would consider. One of them was the alley Ezra decided to choose. Lex ran her gaze over the man, he seemed about her age. She could read between the lines. Years of working in Johto taught her how to study people and their subtle quirks. He as tense, perhaps nervous? The simple fact he couldn’t let silence slip between them from too long was telling in itself. The lips on which he commented pulled into a frown, “My aesthetic?” she repeated with a small hiss, “What exactly are you getting at?” eyes narrowing with a suspicious gleam.

He may not have had time to answer that question. The sound of shuffling footsteps drew her attention back to the sidewalk. Without a word Lex silently slid to the other side of the alley. She tucked herself into a dark shadow, crouching in just the right way to where she was nearly invisible in her dark outfit.

The man’s face came into view. It as the target. Her posture stiffened, fingers dancing over a pokeball at the ready. She would have already released her pokemon but Ezra had caused a minor distraction. She expected him to take point on this and show her what tricks he had up his sleeve. Regardless, she would be ready to clean up whatever mess he caused should he prove himself incompetent.

Ezra Zeke

I’ve Done Nothing Wrong Mission

NOTES: Continue . . .

“I jus-“ Before he could get much out, the sound of heavy footsteps shattered the conversation and brought his focus back onto the mission at hand. His eyes Instantly flew towards his superior, worry splashed across his features, as he had hoped she would offer some sort of consolation as to what to do. Nope. The woman had slithered back into the darkness. It was clear by her actions that she was expecting him to prove his worth, but there was a massive issue with this plan: Ezra had no worth. Not in his mind, at least. It was like expecting a small mareep to take down an Onix - it ain’t gonna happen. But, of course, he couldn’t just admit that. This was team Rocket, after all. And, for his goals to be fulfilled, he had to gain some level of trust from his current allies.


“Dangit .” He cursed under his breath. To avoid being immediately spotted by the incoming man, Ezra pressed his back against the nearest wall, his fingers tracing the outline of one of his poke balls. There wasn’t much time left and he knew that. Yet, despite the approaching target, the cogs in his brain had frozen up. Does he throw out a Pokémon? If so, which one?


Step.


Step.


Ezra’s ears perked up as the man was about to pass their alley way. “Screw it.” With a swift flick of the wrist, he tossed out one of his poke balls. There was a bright flash of red before his Espeon, Sol, had appeared. “What the fuck-“ The man’s cries of bewilderment was cut off as Ezra had directed Sol to use psychic on the fellow with the purpose of forcibly flinging him back into the empty alley.


Colorful language filled the air as an visible aura of pink capsulated the hollering man and carried him deeper into their spider web. As she did so, Ezra looked back with a sheepish grin and said, “Good, right?”


Regardless of Lex’s response, he had spun around and began to follow Sol. She had set the man down near the back of the alley, but kept her psychic grip on him, knowing his agitation would lead him to hurt her trainer. Ezra stood there, faced to face w the furious man, unsure of what to really say. “So...we he-hey can you please stop screaming for a second? I’m trying to tell you som- cmon, just for a second.”

His methods were . . . questionable but effective, nonetheless. Everyone had their own way of doing things and Lex’s were definitely a bit stealthier then grabbing the man and pulling him into the alley. His screaming and cursing echoed off the walls, amplifying his distress to a level Lex was certainly uncomfortable with.

Stepping out of the shadows, the thief followed Ezra and the man towards the back of the alley. The group slipped further out of sight of the sidewalk. With each step, Lex grew angrier and angrier, a trait most unbecoming for the normally level-headed Rocket member. It was no secret she was one of the more “tame” members of the organization. Normally, she avoided violence and conflict, choosing to hide in the shadows rather than the spotlight. That’s where the was happiest, hidden and tucked away.

But not today. After her last run-in with the street scum of Slateport, she found they may know more than they would let on about matters she held close to her person. And with that realization, there was a fire she couldn’t smother.

“Shut up, worm,” she growled, amber eyes fixated on the man. Lex stalked right past Ezra while he stuttered over himself. Her laser focus failed to notice his hesitation. A leg raised, the sole of a boot hurling forward and smacking into the man’s chest with a thud. The goal was to knock the wind out of him long enough for him to shut up and her to gain the upper hand.

It worked. A sharp exhale was followed by a spine-curling crack when his head hit the pavement. He wasn’t left there for long as Lex stepped over him, finger curling around his ear, “Who do you work for?” Selfish business first, then Ezra could deal with him if he didn’t have any information Lex wanted.

Her shadow cast by the dull light in the alley seemed to move on its own. It lurched to the side, a pair of hungry scarlet eyes peering out of the spirit realm and onto his master.

Ezra Zeke

I’ve Done Nothing Wrong Mission

NOTES: Op, cue crazy Lex

A gasp escaped his lips as Lex lunched at her prey, as a lioness would do to a helpless zebra. His eyes widened at her general display of aggressiveness; up until now he thought of her as one of the "calm" rockets. Now...not so much. Ezra's hands twitched. Part of him wanted to stop her - there was no telling how much damaged that hit caused, and well, he didn't want to held responsible for a man's untimely death. His conscious was too weak for a burden like that. But...he didn't want her anger to be averted onto him. No no, he'd much rather watch from the sidelines than participate in whatever this was.



Still, there had to be cleaner way to do this. Something that didn't involve physical entanglements. Looking over, Ezra beckoned his Espeon closer before pointing at the man. "Try holding him down with your psychic?" Once again, Sol's eyes began to glow as a white hue encapsulated the whimpering man. After the blanket of psychic energy had set into place, Ezra took a step towards him, his eyebrows forcibly furrowed. "Answer her," He commanded, his voice barely wavering to his normal levels of anxiety. He then looked back towards his Pokémon. "Tighter." Just as he uttered the command, Sol attempted to tighten her psychic grip onto the man, making him squirm under the increased pressure. The man eventually bellowed out a response, though, Ezra wasn't quite sure it was what Lex wanted to hear. Whatever the case may be, he was here to usher the process along so he could get the hell out of here.

His ear grew hot between her fingers as curled around it harder. The man beneath her squirmed, helpless as they come with pressure in just the right places. This wasn’t the first time she had to resort to such brutal tactics. Honestly, it made her uneasy. She wasn’t used to violence in the least, avoided it at all costs. The only time she embraced the darker side of her work was when the man she loved in this world was threatened.

“I said, who do you work for?” she repeated. The man’s brutal contact with the ground made him dazed, that was clear as his eyes rolled back into place and took on the expected look of surprise. He stuttered nonsense, Lex rolled her eyes, pulling his face closer to hers, “Do you know who I am?” A terrified look combined with a quick shake of the head was enough to convince her otherwise. Regardless, she had Smoke to make sure he was telling the truth . . . and would forget their little encounter.

It was a relief and a curse all at once to learn he didn’t have the information she craved. Her hand released his ear and she stepped away with a frustrated sigh, “All yours,” a hand flicked casually towards the man as the Psychic type took hold of his body.

Fingers pressed against her temples as the act of violence wiggled its way through her conscious. She hoped Ezra could handle this last part, “Make sure he understands the consequences of his actions,” Her eyes narrowed, expecting the boy get to work.

Ezra Zeke

I’ve Done Nothing Wrong Mission

NOTES: I am SO sorry for the wait, I honestly forgot this thread existed. If I am ever more than a week late on a post please DM me <3

The vivid display of colorful emotions was certainly a new sight for him. There was history behind her rage - history he could never come to understand. But, none of that mattered to him. A rocket was a rocket, no matter how amiable or nice they were to him. She was no different. Though, despite knowing this, a part of him secretly pray for her freedom from the source of this rage.

Eyes soft, Ezra directed the Espeon to tighten her grip on the man. As she did so, a bundle of sweat began to converge on his forehead, splitting off into miniature ravines down his face. Ezra nodded at Lex before positioning himself in front of the squirming man. “You, uh, you’ve been running your mouth?” His voice wavered as he spoke, like a yo-yo thrusting itself up and down, never staying in one place for too long. “That’s...bad. Like bad bad.”

The man appeared confused by his captor’s hesitation. It was a stark contrast to that of Lex moments ago. Still, due to Sol's efforts, the man was still left helpless. The psychic grip Sol held over him continued to coil itself around him, growing tighter and tighter by the second, with no pause in sight. Eventually, the sheer pressure was enough to elicit a short Yelp from his lips.

Ezra was certainly not prepared for this. His toes would curl and uncurl in emotional pain as the man continued to struggle against Sol’s strength and his eyes would often avert their gaze away from the sight itself. But no aversion could hide the terrible pain HIS Pokémon was putting the man through. “R-release!” The sudden command sliced through the ear splitting groans of pain. It reeked of both regret and empathy - two signs of utter inexperience. He turned back to Lex. “I-I can’t do it...”

Lex turned away, giving Ezra and his charge some privacy to take care of what needed to be done. She wanted no part in it. The outburst of her won was enough excitement for one day. However, it seemed Ezra wasn’t too . . . confident.

His tone wavered, the words themselves weren’t even threatening. Lex turned back around, eyeing him curiously as she stalked over the man. The Espeon’s psychic grip squeezed harder, the man wriggling uncomfortably under the pressure. She expectantly watched Ezra, he should be saying something, doing something. Instead, he balked at the man’s yelp, the pain written on his face was clear as day. Inexperienced, empathetic . . . pathetic. It seemed Lex would be doing the heavy lifting.

Normally, she would empathize with the boy. Considering the circumstances, she was already emotionally exhausted and had no room to coddle him as well as her own conscious. Without a single word, only a cold glare, she stalked past Ezra. The thief was obviously displeased.

A sharp snap of her fingers drew the Gengar out from the shadows. The specter leapt onto the man like a hungry Liepard, pushing his cold face centimeters from the man’s. Drool leaked from the corner of his hungry lips, usually the Gengar was called forth to Hyponotize and consume the Dreams of Lex’s victims. His hunger wouldn’t be satisfied today, the man needed to remember their encounter, “Pin him down,” Smoke’s devilish smile grew . . . and grew . . . and grew, sharp fangs and a toothy smile stretched past the limits of his corporal form. His eye grew wide and dangerous, a terrifying display of his MEAN LOOK.

The man found himself frozen under the weight of the fear that gripped his very core. Lex stepped through Smoke’s body as she bent down, her own face hovering above his, “If I hear another word about Rocket come out of your filthy mouth,” a finger gently dragged across his jawline, ending at his lips, “Smoke here will consume everything you hold dear,” she whispered the promise with conviction. If Lex had learned anything in her time running, it was what people held close. Normally, it was what or who they loved. Only a few selfish ones valued their own lives more. Lex was among the former.

“Let’s go,” Smoke leapt back, melting into Lex’s shadow as she turned to leave the alleyway, “How the hell did you get involved in this anyway?” she asked the boy curiously. He didn’t seem cut out for this line of work.

Ezra Zeke

I’ve Done Nothing Wrong Mission

NOTES: We can end whenever you’re ready <3

Shrunk back into his own skin, the young man felt helpless against her look of disapproval. There was even a trickle of fear that he would prove to be the next victim to his own barrage of harshly chosen words. As Alexandra berated the man, a chill ran down Ezra's spine. Watching an actual Rocket at work was a sight he was still very much unfamiliar with. There were moments where his lips would part, as he would try to add on or maybe ease her intensity, but every attempt of interruption would end with the same result: a zipped up mouth.

Once she turned back towards Ezra, finished with the now ghoulishly pale man, he offered her a small awkward grin. "Good work, out there." He lifted his right arm and sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, eyes averted to his right. "Sorry I couldn't help out more."

Turning to leave alongside her, the dark haired man released a pent up sigh. His muscles were already aching for the well deserved bubble bath they would receive upon getting back home. This feeling of comfort immediately melted from his system as her question provoked the most intense feeling of fear out from him. Like a dear caught in headlights, he mentally froze for a moment, unable to process a proper response. But, eventually, he uttered one. "By following a dream."

And with that, he parted ways with the red head, desperately wanting to soak his piggies in warm bathwater.