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The whisper of PHANTOM FORCE brought Zev to the rendezvous point outside Dewford Town. One of the two Team Rocket grunts assigned to this simple mission had died, caught in a skirmish between Rocket and League forces.[break][break]

The command had come down for someone more experienced to meet with the remaining grunt of the pair, so Zev went. He did not recognize Kaname Fujihara, but the other man was not likely to recognize him either thanks to the full-face mask he wore.[break][break]

"Are you Fujihara?" was all Zev asked to confirm the grunt's identity. The Beast's Gengar floated up to join the Orbeetle hovering nearby.

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The sound of Phantom Force was unfamiliar to Kaname, who resolved that it was just the sound of wind passing through tree branches. It wasn’t until his orbeetle alerted him with a psychic wave of what could be best described as anxiety that he realized someone had arrived. He quickly whipped around to face Zev Harcourt , unsure of the allegiance of the man wearing black combat gear and a full face mask.[break][break]

Kaname quickly relaxed when asked to confirm his identity. No one, save for another Rocket, should know his name. “I am,” he responded, eyeing his masked compatriot. “And you are?” In his mind, it was best to just confirm before they set off. Meanwhile the grunt's Orbeetle regarded the Gengar with caution, her compound eyes trained on the Shadow pokemon.

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The voice was Kaname's. Confident, Zev lowered his mask briefly to reveal his own face. "It's Harcourt." Then he put it back up and turned toward the direction intel had provided.[break][break]

"Let's head out. The communications relay is just down this hill. They're also using it as a first aid station, so we should hit it hard." And steal whatever medical supplies they could get their hands on.[break][break]

Zev did not wait for Kaname to stand from his hiding spot. The Beast walked off, simply expecting the grunt to follow.[break][break]

Within a few minutes, they stopped, the haphazardly assembled League station within sight. New Ranger recruits and lower ranking officers ran this way and that, applying bandages and administering potions to injured Pokémon.[break][break]

"I'll go first and cause chaos. You aim straight for the radio and destroy it," Zev said, before his Gengar enveloped him in shadow. The two vanished from sight, only to reappear in the center of the station.[break][break]

Smoke hit everything in the immediate vicinity with DAZZLING GLEAM. At the same time, Zev released a second Pokémon from one of the balls at his belt. His Hatterene emerged, her tentacle whirling in a BRUTAL SWING.

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Relief washed over the Rocket grunt upon seeing Zev’s face. It surprised Kaname that a Rocket Beast had been paired with a grunt for such a simple mission, but he wasn’t about to look a gift Rapidash in the mouth. With Zev’s experience, the chance of failure lessened. [break][break]

“Down the hill, right.” Kaname echoed, standing up and glancing over at his pensive Orbeetle. There was something that made him feel uneasy about attacking a first aid station, but every fighter who returned to the battlefield only prolonged the total amount of suffering that would occur. “We’ll hit hard. For the glory of Rocket.” [break][break]

Kaname quickly followed behind Zev as he walked towards the relay station. There was a building feeling of paranoia in his heart, what if things did go wrong?[break][break]

So, Zev would go in first and cause the distraction… and he would destroy the radio. That was easy enough, right? Kaname wanted to clarify a few… finer points about what to do about the cadets and rangers staffing the station, but it was too late for that. Zev and his Gengar were swallowed in shadows, reappearing in the center of the station to unleash hell.[break][break]

And unleash hell they did. A Dazzling Gleam from the Gengar and a Brutal Swing from the sudden Hatterene was sure to cause everyone to scatter, and those who didn’t were going to suffer for it. Kaname and his Orbeetle rushed in toward the chaos. “Psychic!” The grunt shouted and the Orbeetle obliged, her seven spots glowing as it telekinetically lifted the radio array and slammed it into the ground violently.

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Zev spotted Kaname and his Orbeetle rush out of the woods toward the camp toward the communications relay. Satisfied that the grunt would complete the job, he turned back to the chaos at hand. Now that Kaname had joined the fray, Zev's Pokémon had to protect him. That meant keeping the League distracted with his Gengar and Hatterene.[break][break]

The Beast fished in his pocket for the small Tera Orb he'd brought with him and pressed the button along its outer face. At once, Hatterene glowed, the light surrounding her appearing to encase her in crystal.[break][break]

Terastallization.[break][break]

Cackling madly, her power boosted by the Dark-type tera shard, Hatterene whipped her tentacle in another BRUTAL SWING. Tables, chairs, crates, people, and Pokémon scattered in all directions.[break][break]

Meanwhile, Gengar flew around the camp, smashing into things with BRICK BREAK before disappearing with PHANTOM FORCE, only to reappear elsewhere.

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The main task was done. The Orbeetle had smashed the communications relay with a Psychic, throwing it into the ground repeatedly before finally crushing it under a telekinetic weight.[break][break]

Meanwhile, Zev’s pokemon were making an ample distraction, a glowing Hatterene throwing people, pokemon, and things around with her Brutal Swing while the Beast’s Gengar was rapidly moving around the site, smashing what he could. Kaname pulled another pokeball from his belt and pressed the button, releasing his Crobat into the air.[break][break]

“Chase off the stragglers. Get them out of here.”[break][break]

The bat pokemon complied; flying on silent wings, it dove at any remaining personnel or pokemon brave enough to try and withstand Hatterene’s Brutal Swing. With the bat pokemon diving and threatening to Bite anyone too slow to avoid it along with Hatterene’s Brutal Swing, they were sure to scare off any foolish or brave would-be heroes.[break][break]

Not that any of it mattered now. Kaname was less interested in chasing off League cadets and injured civilians and more focused on the light that had surrounded the Hatterene earlier. She was encased in something shiny, like crystal. He’d read briefly about this phenomenon, it was…[break][break]

“Crystallization? No, that wasn’t it… Terastallization? That’s what it’s called, right? Your Hatterene, she can do Terastallization?” The grunt asked, eyeing the Hatterene as he recalled his Crobat to his pokeball as it flew overhead.[break][break]

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Seeing that Kaname's Orbeetle had thoroughly destroyed the communications relay, Zev decided they'd completed their objective and had no more reason to be surrounded by the League's ranks. If they dallied too long at the enemy camp, they might find themselves cut off from an escape.[break][break]

"Let's get out of here first," Zev said to Kaname, surprised that the other man could ask questions about Terastallization, of all things, in the middle of a skirmish.[break][break]

Whistling sharply, Zev called his Gengar to his side. Smoke appeared in a puff of shadow, then used PHANTOM FORCE to drag Zev, Kaname, and their other Pokémon back into the woods, up the hill from the League's aid station.[break][break]

"Got everything?" the Beast asked, eyeing the Orbeetle and Crobat that had come with them.[break][break]

Once Kaname answered, Zev supplied one of his own, gesturing to his Hatterene. "Yeah, it's Terastallization. I got my hands on one of the Tera Orbs our scientists made."

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His curiosity knew no bounds. Terastallization was something he’d never seen up close, so of course he was interested. The skirmish didn’t quite factor in when he asked. “Yes, sorry, let’s go…” He said sheepishly, now aware that he was currently barking up the wrong tree.[break][break]



The sudden appearance of the Beast’s Gengar followed by the Phantom Force dragging them back into the woods was… disorienting to say the least. “I- yeah, I’ve got everything.” He replied, wearily looking between his Orbeetle and Crobat. The act of teleportation was something Kaname had never experienced and it made him feel… strange. It was almost nauseating, like riding a roller coaster.[break][break]



Though he perked right up as Zev answered him about the Terastallization. “That’s interesting… I’ll have to see what reports about Terastallization exist that I can read into more thoroughly.” He mused, the thought of a new phenomena to learn about was exciting to say the least.[break][break]



“That said, I should probably make my way toward Granite Caves and join the rest of the forces, unless you have anything else for me?” He looked at the Rocket Beast, ready for his orders.

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"If it interests you that much, speak with Dr. Naomi Sato. She created our first Tera Orbs," Zev said, holding his up to show Kaname. The black sphere gleamed in his gloved hand.[break][break]

Of course, Team Rocket had bigger matters to attend that day, including the Head Scientist. He could already hear shouts from League Rangers heading in their direction, seeking them out.[break][break]

"No, that was all. We completed our objective successfully, so good job." Zev nodded a farewell to the grunt. "Try not to die."[break][break]

Then he was gone again, disappearing in a puff of smoke and wind.

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