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Zev could not explain what drew him to the Ancient Tomb on Route 120. Just days after the battle, the landscape had returned to normal. Snow had given way to grass, and the deep scars in the earth caused by Pokémon attacks were starting to disappear beneath new growth.[break][break]

The Tera crystals were new to the cave system, however. Their sudden appearance following the battle prompted Team Rocket to send operatives into the tomb to investigate.[break][break]

Understanding the power in their potential, Zev offered to go — as his civilian persona, of course. After all, there was no reason to raise suspicion or cause trouble. Not yet, anyway.[break][break]

A Mightyena's bark cut drew Zev's attention away from some Tera crystals he'd been pondering. The voice that hailed him afterward sounded familiar.[break][break]

Of course, he had met kyle lopez last winter during the Snowboy Showdown. But the sudden mix of relief, satisfaction, and possessiveness he felt upon seeing the Top Champion caught Zev off guard.[break][break]

Still, he forced a pleasant, natural smile. "Hey!" he said as his Lycanroc stepped forward to sniff the Mightyena in greeting. "Gifts? I'm not sure what you mean. I'd heard about this place and thought to take a look."[break][break]

Underneath his shirt, Zev wore the dog tags he'd found in his hand.

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"Oh, you mean the big battle that took place here a few days ago. Sorry, I don't know anything about that," Zev lied, looking apologetic. The deception rolled off his tongue with ease, but at the same time, it felt incorrect.[break][break]

As if he had no habit of lying to the man before him.[break][break]

Zev brushed the feeling aside and continued, "It does look like there was a big Pokémon battle outside, but I'm more interested in the Tera crystals." He gestured to the specimens that glowed with muted light in the darkness of the cavern.[break][break]

Kyle's question caused an affable smile to spread across Zev's face. Dimples formed in his cheeks.[break][break]

"We met during the snowboy contest last winter. I remember you had all those Mightyena with you. It's hard to forget the sight," he said with a laugh. "Luna here had a blast playing with them. Didn't you, girl?"[break][break]

The blue Lycanroc barked with joy, her tail wagging at a speed to match the tail on Kyle's Mightyena. Unlike him, she observed no protocol. Instead, she dipped the front part of her body low to the ground and spread out her front paws in a request for play.

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Zev only shrugged. He didn't have the words to convince Kyle, nor did he care to put effort into convincing him. "Sometimes Pokémon just have a better understanding of things than humans," he offered.[break][break]

The Mightyena rushed at him. So used was Zev to the behavior of dogs that he was prepared for the greeting. Laughing, he ruffled the mane of fur and scratched behind both ears before letting the Pokémon go play.[break][break]

"Sure! There's safety in numbers, right?"[break][break]

Their Pokémon leading the way, Zev started down one of the tunnels, the interior lit with the soft glow of Tera crystals. Whatever pace Kyle set, Zev matched it with ease.[break][break]

"I'm Zev, by the way. I'm not sure if I ever introduced myself when we first met, and if I did, it's okay if you didn't remember." A chuckle bubbled from his lips. "You're… Kyle, right?"[break][break]

It was easier to remember the name and face of Hoenn's Top Champion.

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If Zev was surprised that Kyle knew his surname, he did not show it. After all, perhaps the other man had heard of Zev through his bar, Howling at the Moon, which had been a sponsor at Slateport's Splashfest the previous year.[break][break]

Or, like Kyle said with some haste, he suddenly remembered their encounter from the past winter.[break][break]

But a nagging feeling Zev could not seem to dismiss said otherwise.[break][break]

"No, not yet," he said, locking away that curiosity for later. Blue eyes wandered over the glittering crystals jutting out from the rock ahead of them. "Actually, I don't own any Pokémon that can terastallize," he lied.[break][break]

After all, the average bar owner had no need for such power on the battlefield.[break][break]

Zev's gaze slid sideways toward Kyle. "Do you want to try?"

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As soon as Kyle revealed that only his Mightyena could terastallize, Zev mentally filed away the information for later use. Though the Rocket Beast's instinct was to exploit this secret, another part of him closed around it like claws around a precious gem.[break][break]

Kyle's secret was safe with him, Zev thought. Almost at once, the intensity of his own determination caught him off guard.[break][break]

"Sure thing," he said, voice and expression distant.[break][break]

But then Kyle's Poochyena was terastallizing, the crystalline surface coating it casting brilliant displays of light in all directions. Zev's Lycanroc joined her own loud barks to the chorus as she trotted excitedly around the Poochyena.[break][break]

"Quiet down, we're going to draw unwanted attention—" Zev said in warning.[break][break]

Too late. A POWER GEM from a wild Glimmora came out of nowhere, smashing into the wall of the tunnel right above their heads. Loose stone, dirt, and debris rained down upon them.[break][break]

"Kyle!" Zev shouted, alarmed. Instinct brought him to the other man's side in a moment. A heartbeat later, he reminded himself that people usually voiced their concerns about others. "Are you okay?"

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Though Kyle's power lasted for only a few seconds, dissipating with the rest of the dust and debris, it did not escape Zev's notice. Yet he said nothing, merely noting it for later.[break][break]

Besides that, he had the strange feeling he'd witnessed it in person before, even though he couldn't remember when.[break][break]

He moved to crouch next to his Lycanroc, putting an arm around her to calm her down. "I agree," he said to Kyle. Zev's expression grew uncertain. "Maybe we shouldn't have come in here in the first place."[break][break]

Standing, he signaled to his Pokémon with a hand. Luna obediently fell into step beside him.[break][break]

"Maybe in the future, we can meet in less dangerous circumstances," Zev said to Kyle, matching the other man's smile with a dimpled one of his own. "Take care until then, okay?"[break][break]

Something about Kyle's well-being felt important.

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