[attr="class","rubyw"]

For the second time since joining Rocket, Ruby had been called in to assist a Beast. To her surprise, it wasn't bryan delarosa, whom she'd worked with last summer to drive some dumbass cultists out of Sootopolis. Instead, it was the recently promoted Zev Harcourt, whom she knew basically nothing about. She vaguely remembered him being at the Rocket summit, but she couldn't remember anything specific about what he'd said or done. There had been way too much going on for her to keep up with everything. Then again, the fact that nothing about him had immediately pissed her off and stuck in her memory was a good sign. The same couldn't be said for certain others in attendance.

[break][break]The mission was to eliminate some vigilante trying to stop Rocket's smuggling operations in Lilycove. There was apparently a pair of them, but they only had a bead on one of them, who'd checked into a hotel near the city's center for the night. They probably thought they were being smart by staying separate so they'd be harder to find or something, but they'd only made it easier for Zev and Ruby to ambush them. Who cared if Ruby still wasn't sure how she felt about Rocket after METENO? She was here, and she had a dumbass to teach a lesson to.

[break][break]They were meeting outside a Sawsbucks coffee shop, which actually made Ruby a bit nervous. She wasn't well-versed in talking about Rocket business in a way that wouldn't arouse public suspicion. Her outfit was a lot more casual than Zev's, something worn for comfort and maneuverability: cargo pants, combat boots, and a military-green coat over a gray shirt. Tucked away out of sight was the pair of knives she'd had made for her a few months back. It felt good to have weapons on her, even in public like this. They made her feel safe.

[break][break]She approached Zev, hands warm in her pockets, when he flagged her down with his cup. "'Course," she said with a small yet confident smile. "Not gonna be late for something like this." That'd be a bad look on her, and she didn't know if Zev, despite his cold tone, was the type to get pissed about punctuality or something.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","rubyw"]

It seemed that Rocket Beast Zev Harcourt was all business here, making him hard to read. That was fine, Ruby decided. She'd just focus on the job instead of worrying about what a higher-up thought of her and let her work speak for itself. Hell, she liked the sound of that over trying to make a good first impression or whatever.

[break][break]Naturally, she followed him toward the hotel. He slipped so easily into code speak that it was clear how well-versed he was with this kind of work. It gave Ruby something to springboard off, too, instead of leaving her to flounder for the right words. So their "client" was out for the time being. That'd make this way easier; they could waltz right into his room like they owned the place and set up an ambush from there. She wondered if Zev had any plans up his sleeve already, but that wasn't something she knew how to ask about in public.

[break][break]"What time's he coming back?" she asked instead. In other words, how long would they have to set this ambush up?

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","rubyw"]

Ruby nodded. An hour to set up an ambush should be plenty of time. Already, she was wondering if there'd be enough room to set up Arachne so she could use Spider Web on the door to prevent the target from escaping...

[break][break]The hotel wasn't anything super-fancy, which was good. Ruby would have felt insanely out of place in a five-star establishment. It was still clean and tidy enough to be reputable, though, which was probably perfect for avoiding suspicion. People would be expecting shady dealings to go down in a cheaper hotel. Here, fewer people would be looking out for that sort of thing.

[break][break]The more Ruby thought about it, the more she realized that their target really was a dumbass.

[break][break]She nodded at the hotel's front-desk ladies, not trusting herself to come off as well-mannered as Zev. Inside the elevator, she glanced over to see him checking a pistol from a concealed holster, his movements quick and precise. For good measure, Ruby made sure her knives were still sheathed under her coat.

[break][break]The elevator stopped at the third floor, and Ruby followed Zev to room 312. He listened at the door, then whispered for Ruby to get a Poké Ball ready "just in case." Ruby thought for a moment before deciding on Arachne's Net Ball. She took a deep breath as Zev punched in the key code. Even when the door unlocked with a click, she didn't let herself relax. Zev slowly pushed the door open.

[break][break]"The hell—?"

[break][break]Shit, he'd come back early. He was sitting in an armchair near the window on the other side of the room, reading a magazine. He was already halfway out of his seat when Zev opened the door.

[break][break]With no time to think, Ruby tossed Arachne's Ball past Zev and into the room. "Grab him," she said.

[break][break]"What do you think you're—?!" His words dissolved into helpless gurgles as Arachne enveloped him in her water bubble, magazine and all. Ruby looked up and down the hallway, hoping she'd been fast enough to avoid drawing attention from any of the other guests or staff.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","rubyw"]

With the hallway clear, Zev pushed Ruby into the hotel room. She frowned, not happy with being shoved around like that, but her displeasure came second to the mission at hand.

[break][break]Zev acted on the shape in the corner first, sending out his Seviper to clash with their target's Zangoose. How fitting. Ruby went along the opposite edge of the room, eyes darting around for any other surprises. Fortunately, it seemed he only had his Zangoose out... for now.

[break][break]The vigilante landed a lucky kick on the blue bump above Arachne's eyes, making her flinch back and giving the man a chance to crawl out of the water bubble with a gasp for air. Already, he was reaching for his Poké Balls. Shit. Ruby ran behind him and pulled him up in a chokehold. He instinctively yanked at her arm, trying to get her to let go.

[break][break]"Spider Web," Ruby quickly grunted out. Arachne turned and fired a sticky thread from her rear, entangling the man's arms until they were stuck at his sides. He thrashed in her hold, choking out something unintelligible. Soon, he went limp, and Ruby let up on the pressure on his neck. As she caught her breath, she glanced toward the battle in the middle of the room.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","rubyw"]

Ruby's eyes narrowed a bit at the battle's conclusion. Her own Zangoose was immune to poison, presumably because of the ages-old feud between his species and Seviper, yet this one went down to Zev's Seviper's toxins easily. Suspecting a trick, she kept one eye on the fallen Zangoose.

[break][break]Zev didn't seem like the type to hand out empty compliments, so his praise seemed genuine. A proud smirk graced Ruby's lips for just a moment before being tamped down by her focus on what work remained. The man's pockets were empty, so all that was left was figuring out what to do with him.

[break][break]"The job's to eliminate him, right?" Ruby asked mostly hypothetically. In truth, Ruby had never killed someone like this before. Sometimes, fights resulted in deaths, especially when your go-to weapon was a bat with nails in it, but deliberately going out of her way to murder someone was new to her. Murder. If she did this, there really would be no going back, would there?

[break][break]"Do we know where his accomplice is? We could get that out of him and kill two birds with one stone."

[break][break]Ruby wasn't afraid of killing this man. She wouldn't feel particularly guilty about it, either. But the situation was making her think a lot more than she usually would, and that made her realize they could get more information out of him. The man was bound by Arachne's Spider Web, and Ruby still had an arm around his neck. They had all the advantage in the world here.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","rubyw"]

The Zoroark wasn't quite what Ruby had been expecting, but it explained why it'd been susceptible to the Seviper's poison. At least they didn't have to worry about it suddenly waking up and striking back.

[break][break]"Got it," she said to Zev's order. As much as she wanted to take one of her knives out to threaten the man with, she needed both arms free to squeeze his throat if he tried anything funny. Instead, she tilted her head to guide Arachne to stand in front of him. Her fangs would make a fine substitute for a blade.

[break][break]She smacked the side of the man's face. "Hey," she said into his ear. "Wake up."

[break][break]The man gasped, still sluggish in Ruby's grip. As soon as he saw Arachne in front of him, he started to struggle, but Ruby tightened her grip around his neck again.

[break][break]"Try anything and you're not waking up this time," she growled.

[break][break]The man hissed out a breath. "You fucks are with Rocket, aren't you?"

[break][break]"I'm asking the questions. Where's your partner? I know there's two of you."

[break][break]"I'm not telling you shit, you crazy bi—gahk!"

[break][break]This time, Ruby pressed against the front of his throat. She'd learned how to do a proper choke hold just a few years ago; specifically, she'd learned to press against the side of the neck to restrict blood flow rather than oxygen. Pressing against the throat could kill someone.

[break][break]"Talk if you wanna live."

[break][break]She loosened her grip just enough for the man to take a grateful gasp of air. "I don't care what you do to me. I'm not letting you hurt him."

[break][break]"Stubborn little shit..."

[break][break]Zev, meanwhile, seemed to be in luck. Within the vigilante's clothes was a stack of folded papers with times and locations written on them.

[attr="class","credit"]

[attr="class","rubyw"]

The vigilante's eyes stretched open in horror when he realized what Zev was holding. Ruby clicked her tongue derisively. "Sucks for you," she said. "Should have tal—agck!"

[break][break]Ruby flinched back at the sudden pain between her eyes, her grip on the man loosening. There was a hiss, then another, wetter weight on top of her. As the spots in her vision cleared, she realized two things: First, the bastard had headbutted her. Second, Arachne had pinned him down, but their close proximity meant that Ruby was pinned beneath them. She took a breath. This was what she got for thinking too much.

[break][break]"Leech Life," Ruby all but growled out. "Finish him."

[break][break]The man struggled above her, trying to break free of both the water bubble and Arachne's spindly legs, but Ruby grabbed his arms to help hold him in place. He stiffened in her grip as Arachne's fangs sunk into him. He thrashed wildly for a few moments, but his struggles quickly grew weaker until he went completely limp. Ruby pushed him away, grateful for the water bubble making him float, and pulled herself to her feet, Arachne stepping back to give her room.

[break][break]"Fucking bastard," Ruby grumbled, rubbing where he'd hit her. Her clothes were wet now, too. Great.

[break][break]The man's body floated in Arachne's water bubble, where it would stay until she was given another order. His face was twisted in fear, and his eyes were still wide open, rolled back in their sockets. Ruby averted her eyes.