Zev took a final drag from his cigarette, relishing the tingle of nicotine and the taste of tobacco before exhaling the smoke from his lungs. Then he dropped butt onto the sidewalk and crushed it beneath his shoe.[break][break]

He did not bother correcting the boy's use of the word 'monster'. Plenty of people within Team Rocket saw him that way, and they weren't exactly wrong.[break][break]

"That's up to me to decide," he said in response to Kouji's confident remark. Compared with the boy's animated, cocky behavior, Zev spoke with a cold, callous apathy. "I'm here to evaluate your performance and make sure the job goes smoothly."[break][break]

And to take over in case Kouji was on the verge of royally fucking up. Zev recalled Cillian Quinn's note in the mission briefing he received: "May need to be brought into line."

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Kouji raised an eyebrow at that remark; after everything he had been through; he just didn’t see himself messing up in anyway, not on a mission like this. He’d survived monsters, what were a couple of thugs running a fighting ring going to be able to do?
[break][break]
”Then get comfortable, ‘cos this is gonna be the smoothest job you’ll see.” He said as he stuck his hands into his pocket; following the crowd of people he raised his hood, and pulled up his face mask, covering his nose and mouth both. It helped, at least just a little bit. "I hope you sing my praises to the bosses."
[break][break]
If nothing else, it protected his cheeks and nose from that cutting breeze.
[break][break]
His golden eyes danced around from one member of the crowd to another member of the same crowd, they moved, and then split; only a singular flow went into the alleyway, and that was the first conundrum. He saw people walk ahead, some stop at a door that lead into a basement, and another set turn elsewhere.
[break][break]
”The hell?” He muttered, it was a little more complex than the fighting rings he and his friends had taken part in during the past. His instinct was to go for the first door, and so the first thought was the one he followed.
[break][break]
Stepping down, step by step, Kouji found the door closed as the next person went into it, his ears had barely caught a word; but an eye slit opened up. Gray eyes glared into his own eyes, before a gruff, raspy voice peaked through. ”Password.”
[break][break]
”Jester.” He repeated the word, and found the slit shut into his face.
[break][break]
So why wasn’t the door opening?

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Like Kouji, Zev put on a mask, the kind that covered only the lower half of his face. His blue eyes scanned the crowd, watching the way people flowed through the alley. Following Kouji down a set of stairs into a basement, Zev observed the boy attempt to get past the door, only to be denied entry.[break][break]

"Not here," the Beast told Kouji. "Back to the street."[break][break]

Once they had crested the stairs and returned to the alley, he gestured to the second flow of traffic turning around the corner.[break][break]

"They have different entrances for attendees and fighters. This arena is bigger than what local gangs can put together, so I think the people in charge have a lot of cash to burn. If they're not on the city council, then they're probably funded by the executives of Lilycove's department store."[break][break]

Zev followed the crowd feeding into the ground-level entrance. A man at this door was taking money for the entrance fee while his Machoke stood guard, eyeing each guest closely.[break][break]

Without hesitating, Zev pulled out his wallet. "How much?" he asked the doorman.[break][break]

"Twenty PD each," was the reply.[break][break]

Money exchanged hands, and Zev and Kouji were ushered inside.

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Kouji looked to Zev who took over without a moment of hesitation. He didn’t pout, because a young man of his age did not make such a childish expression, but he did push out his lips ever so slightly, his cheeks inflated, and then he blew out a sigh. ”Gottit boss.” He said as he looked over to the other crowd, it made sense so he couldn’t quite argue, he followed quietly, and looked at the exchange of coin.
[break][break]
Once they were inside, the atmosphere changed greately. ”I thought that 20 was low, but guess they make a good buck on bets, huh?” He said as he looked around, large cages kept them out of reach from the stage itself, and the crowd was pushed up against it, everyone attempting to get their view. Boxes were piled up on for those in the back to stand upon.
[break][break]
He knew this sight, he had seen it in his dream, alongside Michael Navidson, the opposition, and his eyes wandered up; to the highest position in that place. A number of people sat around a round table, perhaps they might have put up the front of equals, but the man with the large jacket, puffed up and feathery, seemed to be the head honcho.
[break][break]
”I’m going up.” He put a hand in his pocket, his favored knife, and his favored pokeball sat alongside each other.
[break][break]
”Gonna watch the brawls, or you following?”
[break][break]
Just as he had stated such, two doors cracked open, a Machop and a large burly man came out from either side. Man vs Pokemon; the crowd had gone wild, loud; yet Kouji didn’t seem interested.
[break][break]
”Idiot, you can’t just beat your way past anything.” He stated, annoyance on his face.
[break][break]
It’s a shame hypocrisy was not a word in his vernacular

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The organizers did indeed make their profits off bets. Bookies ran the crowd, collecting money and making notes on tablets. Zev observed them for a moment before turning away from the ring, his eyes rising to the uppermost platform that overlooked the entire arena.[break][break]

Kouji noticed at the same time the Beast did and was already making his way up. Zev fell into step behind the boy, not bothering to reply, his hand resting against his belt where his Pokéballs were clipped. A gun sat in the concealed holster at his waist.[break][break]

The cheers of the crowd below them filled Zev's ears as he and Kouji stepped onto the balcony. A member of security stepped in their way, broad-shouldered "Who are you?" he demanded.[break][break]

Zev's gaze flickered to Kouji to see how the boy would handle this obstacle.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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Kouji loved moments such as this; the walk, the feeling of his heart beating in his chest; the adrenaline rushing through him. The heat rushed to his head; pokeball, or knife? Knife, it was a quick decision for him as he was asked the question.
[break][break]
And he answered, lunging forward, his left foot slid in between the large guards, before he swept it outwards to unbalance him; his hand shot forward, and the knife buried itself in the man’s other leg. ”Rocket. How about you listen up, and let us through, okay?” He said as he dug it in deeper, it was followed by a scream of pain, the shuffling of chairs, and the fast approach of footsteps.
[break][break]
”Oi oi, you’re really gonna end up bleeding out here.”
[break][break]
”F-Fuck you.” The man shouted in time with the click of a button and a flash of red light as a Gurdurr entered the fray, the crowd cheered loudly just as a crack went through the air, yet Kouji only had eyes for that support beam as it swung through the air; he ducked as the man he had stabbed fell.
[break][break]
”Shit. You’re up, Absol.” He took out his own pokemon in that moment but a Mach Punch flew through the air.
[break][break]
And it did not come from Gurdurr.

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A flash of steel as Kouji drew his knife. A scream of pain.[break][break]

Inwardly, Zev sighed. So this is what Cillian Quinn had meant.[break][break]

He released his own Pokémon as soon as he saw the security guards reach for their Pokéballs. A Gurdurr and a Monferno descended upon Kouji, forcing him to release the man he'd stabbed. A MACH PUNCH from the latter smashed into Kouji's Absol seconds before Zev's high-pitched whistle cut through the air.[break][break]

His Genesect launched an ELECTROWEB, ensnaring the primate in a net of electricity.[break][break]

Everyone in the room froze at the sight of the artificial Pokémon. New war machines built in Team Rocket's laboratories, Genesect were exceedingly rare, and the common man — like the bigwigs standing around their table in alarm — had never encountered one before.[break][break]

Zev's voice filled the silence with an icy tension. "That's enough," he said, both to Kouji and to the men they had come to see. He eyed the gang leaders. "Sit down. Tell your guards to recall their Pokémon."[break][break]

Slowly, they did as he commanded, their eyes never leaving Genesect's looming form.[break][break]

"Team Rocket, huh? What do you want with us? We ain't done nothin' to you," said one of the gangsters.

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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The room stilled in a moment; it was strange, Kouji had seen it in effect before but this wasn’t the person he associated with that. Zev, so this was a Rocket Beast? He couldn’t tell, was it the pokemon he used, Kouji had never seen it before, but he understood. Genesect. There was no extra drop of blood spilled, no extra words, no extra fists swung.
[break][break]
It felt over.
[break][break]
So he took his knife back with a rough tug, he had no intention of losing the stone embedded at its base; he heard the question, and was quick to reply. ”Why else? You guys are getting a nice heavy profit from crime, and we ain’t involved.” His voice was more even than before, stiller; calmer.
[break][break]
But it only hid the smoldering emotions below the surface; anger danced in his eyes, he should have been the one to do it. ”How about you pay up?” He should have shut his mouth after that enough, but the glower in his town was there.
[break][break]
”Why would we do that? Rocket ain’t helped us build it, and you guys want a cut in the money without doing a thing?”

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Zev had heard this argument many, many times before. He calmly approached the table, his hands at his sides, and leveled a stony glare at the speaker. "You're right, we didn't help you build it. But we can absolutely tear it away from you in a matter of moments."[break][break]

Below them, the unsuspecting crowd cheered as one contender pummeled the other into submission.[break][break]

"So you have a choice. You can either comply, paying us a fee so we let you continue your business, or you can lose everything you've worked so hard to build. What do you say?"[break][break]

The response came from another man just outside Zev's field of vision, a gang leader with a jagged scar across half his face. "You're a fucking asshole, you know that? Think you're so high and mighty you can just waltz in here and tell us what to do?! Here's what I say!"[break][break]

Heedless of the Genesect that still lurked in a corner of the platform, the scarred man swung at Zev with a switchblade.[break][break]

But Genesect did not budge.[break][break]

Instead, Zev stepped inside the attacker's range and smashed the heel of his palm into the oncoming man's nose. Blood sprayed everywhere, including on Zev's clothes. Unfazed, he grabbed the man's arm, pivoted, and threw him onto the ground. Stomping on his face to pin him down, Zev then twisted his arm painfully.[break][break]

The Beast eyed the other gangsters still seated at the table. "Anyone else have objections?"

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Kouji didn’t know how to react for a moment; seeing the idiotic man run towards Zev; he almost moved to intercept but there was a quiet confidence in that man’s movement, and in the lack thereof from his pokemon. A smooth series of movements that showed a self-awareness of one’s point of balance in comparison to his enemies; it was the kind of fighting style Kouji could respect.
[break][break]
But he was surprised at his own surprise, had he understimated this man who was above him? Or perhaps he had assumed he was the best fighter around now, but in a few movements, Kouji wasn’t sure who would come out on top in a close engagement.
[break][break]
But he snapped his mind out of that in a moment, slight movement caused him to flick his knife back out; and stare into the corner. With Zev’s authority, the room was far more quiet, willing to listen, and now with his show of violence, it seemed that they had lost some of their gusto.
[break][break]
”I’m rearing for a fight, and I’m sure the boss ain’t a stranger to one either. We could kill ya all, and wait to see if the next guys are any more willing to listen.” Kouji added ontop, but it might have been the wrong move as eyes hardened for a moment.
[break][break]
”How much.” It was an aged voice, cracked and croaky from years of abuse. It didn’t show admittance of defeat, but it did show at least a willingness to consider it. Everyone knew just how much influence Rocket had regained ever since they came back together, but at the same time.
[break][break]
People loved money even more than their own wellbeing.
[break][break]
Kouji however didn’t pay attention to them, his eyes went to Zev before he tried to regain the situation, it was his own mission after all. ”25% of money you take in, and we’ll even cover you guys if other troublemakers come up around the area.” He tried to answer, but he didn’t know anything about rates, numbers, what was fair, what wasn’t. He just went for a number he thought fit well.
[break][break]
”No deal. You ain’t asking for 25% of our profits, but our total revenue. No way, that’d leave almost nothing for us. How about you shut up kid, and let the adults talk.”

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25 percent was a lot, but Zev assumed Kouji knew nothing about numbers. The boy was barely an adult; how many contracts had he negotiated in the past? Probably none.[break][break]

"20 percent and we turn a blind eye to the hard drugs you're peddling on the far end of the alley where the attendees enter," Zev offered. "You get to keep all your revenue from those sales. We won't touch that."[break][break]

The gang leaders exchanged uneasy looks, some of them leaning toward each other to murmur their opinions. Finally, the veteran among them nodded at Zev. "Deal."[break][break]

The Beast released his victim, stepping off his head so that the man could untwist into a relaxed pose. A whimper of relief escaped him before he scooted away, cradling his arm. Ignoring him, Zev removed a business card from the inside pocket of his jacket and tossed it onto the table.[break][break]

"Get in touch with the number on that card and they'll make arrangements," he instructed. Then, without so much as a farewell, he turned on his heel and proceeded toward the stairs leading back to the ground level.[break][break]

As he passed Kouji, he told the boy, "Let's go."

MADE BY GUNSMILE

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The deal was done in a moment, and Kouji hadn’t even noticed the drug peddling, it seemed so obvious in hindsight, he had done the same, a simple peddler back when he first dropped out of school. He stopped short of slapping his forehead onto his face, and drew back his Absol instead as Zev began to leave.
[break][break]
He waited, until a quiet moment, until they were far enough away from the rest, and then he finally asked the burning question that had been on his mind. ”What’s the difference?” Was it about the rates? Was it about the drugs? Was it about their methods? Their background? Their History?
[break][break]
He didn’t know the first time he had asked the question, but the second time he most certainly had an idea.
[break][break]
”What’s the difference between how I handled the opening, and the way you handled the discussion? We were both violent, I don’t get it.” That was perhaps the most burning question on his mind as they moved beyond the crowd, just in time for a final cheer as a head flew across their way, a human head.
[break][break]
And he could only see a bloody machop, inside a blood covered stage.
[break][break]
Really, what was it? He couldn’t figure it out, and that was what annoyed him. He had failed, he knew he had failed, but he couldn’t figure out why.

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Zev's Genesect returned to its Pokéball a second before its master descended the stairs. He waited until the crowd had finished roaring in the wake of the Machop's victory before answering Kouji.[break][break]

"Controlling a situation is not always about who is more violent," the man explained. "Violence is a tool like any other. When you want to nail some boards together, you use a hammer, not a screwdriver. The screwdriver will work, but the hammer is designed for the job."[break][break]

He led Kouji out through the attendees' entrance, past the doorman and his Machoke. Outside, the alley had all but emptied, its only occupants the drug dealers at its far end.[break][break]

"What's important is knowing when violence will give you the best outcome, and when it won't. Breaking out the knife as soon as you meet someone gives you the advantage in some scenarios, but not when you're outnumbered and have lost the element of surprise."[break][break]

Zev stopped beneath a street lamp to light a cigarette. The smoke drifted upward lazily, curling around his shadowed features as he eyed Kouji.[break][break]

"You're young. You have a lot of potential, but it's raw and unrefined, like iron ore. You won't get far if you remain as you are now," the assassin said. "You can hit someone over the head with a lump of iron, or you can slit their throat with well-crafted steel. Which do you want to be?"

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