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The pancakes were fluffy and warm, the fruit fresh, the syrup not too sweet. Zev tucked in with a grin, though he felt more satisfied than excited. He was lucky Nenet enjoyed cooking. Though he was just as good as she was, he derived no pleasure from the act; for him, what mattered were survival and pride in his skill.[break][break]

"Do you remember when we first met?" Nenet asked after taking a sip of her own coffee, full of milk and sugar. Their opposite taste in coffee never ceased to amuse him.[break][break]

Zev smirked at her. "I do. You had just arrived in Hoenn and were looking for a fun way to unwind from your long trip. If I recall correctly—which I do—you couldn't resist my charms."[break][break]

She chuckled, a soft sound that he loved to hear. Her eyes sparkled with amusement. "Is that how it went? If I recall, you're the one who couldn't resist me."[break][break]

He waved a hand dismissively. "Potato, potato."[break][break]

She rested her elbow on the table and her hand on her chin in a pensive posture. "Do you think things could have gone differently at all, between us? Could anything have changed between then and now?"[break][break]

Zev considered her question as he chewed. His keen eyes took in her expression, wondering if she was feeling any regret. But her face revealed no sign of such thoughts.[break][break]

"No, I don't think so. And I wouldn't want anything to change. When you were there for me after the BATTLE OF DEWFORD…" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "It meant a lot to me."[break][break]

Nenet's smile conveyed a deep pleasure. "I wouldn't want anything to change, either."

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After breakfast, Zev kissed his wife goodbye and went to work.[break][break]

But the business of running a region was not something a man could do on his own, no matter what he believed. Underbosses, Admin, Beasts, and even grunts had parts to play in the grand scheme of government. Work gave them purpose, keeping their hands and minds from too much idleness.[break][break]

Zev reviewed the reports at his desk. An email from Cillian Quinn assured him that Kanto was sending fresh troops to help quell the insurrections that still cropped up from time to time. Kanto's conquest had been the same: rebellion for a period before the masses finally cowed. Veterans from that region would know best how to put out those fires for good.[break][break]

Caleb Harcourt detailed the results of freya morningstar's interrogation. After months, she'd finally broken beneath the spell of Elisabeth Fiorelli's psychological assault. Caleb hadn't even needed to lift a finger; he'd been able to pry knowledge of dahlia goode's whereabouts with ease.[break][break]

They'd send Isaac Merlo to get her, he reassured in the report to his brother. After all, no one could escape Yveltal's chosen.[break][break]

The doors to Zev's office burst open, prompting him to look up. A Rocket Beast stood in the doorway, breathing heavily as if she'd been running, her MONFERNO by her side.[break][break]

"We finally got him, sir," she said. "kyle lopez."

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They put kyle lopez in chains, the kind forged from shards of black metal.[break][break]

And while prisoners were normally shoved into one of the many sky cells built into Sootopolis' cliffside, one wall open to the sheer, vertigo-inducing drop, they were ill-suited for housing Avatars who could disintegrate into ash on a whim.[break][break]

Instead, Zev stood facing the Top Champion in a small, dark basement cell. The chains held Kyle fast against the wall opposite the door, his arms spread uselessly to either side. Blood had dried on his face, though the wounds had already healed.[break][break]

Despite his circumstances, Kyle smiled. "You missed me that much, did you?" he said. Beneath the casual words, Zev noticed the tightness in his tone.[break][break]

Zev's own voice was hard as steel and sharp as malice. "We were never friends, Lopez."[break][break]

To the Rocket Boss' surprise, Kyle's smile took on a certain ruefulness. "You say that, but you're still my first visitor. I'd expect your brother or another pawn, but that's not what's happening."[break][break]

His laugh was full of tension, too. "This is a scene straight out of an RPG, you know."[break][break]

Zev's face twisted with mild exasperation. "This isn't one of your games, Kyle. Your capture has nothing to do with whatever friendship you perceived between us." He removed a Pokéball from his pocket, one very familiar to the man who had been Top Champion.[break][break]

Understanding flickered in Kyle's eyes. He lowered his gaze to the floor, the rueful smile persisting. "Solgaleo. Of course. With it, you can conquer the world. Maybe even ULTRA SPACE." He raised his head. "What do you need me for, then? Why chain me up here? Kill me instead."[break][break]

Zev's eyes narrowed. "I'm not a fool. You can't be killed." Not while Ho-oh's blessing still resided in him. "So you'll stay here and rot in your isolation."[break][break]

He made to leave, but Kyle's voice stopped him in his tracks.[break][break]

"Maybe I will, or maybe I won't." His smile had become amused. "I think you'll get bored. I look forward to our next chat, Zev."[break][break]

The Rocket Boss said nothing. He simply slammed the door shut as he exited and stalked away. Only later did he realize he'd called Kyle by his first name, as if they had been old friends after all.[break][break]

A slip of the tongue, of course. Nothing more.

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Zev found Neffatari Nzingha at her observatory in Mossdeep. He watched from a short distance as the shining, deadly form of Dawn Wings Necrozma descended from a WORMHOLE in the sky to greet the woman, as if familiar with her. She extended her hand toward it, unafraid.[break][break]

As Zev neared, both woman and beast turned to acknowledge him. A smile spread across Nenet's face; she reached for her husband. He took her hand and brought it to his lips, planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles.[break][break]

Dawn Wings Necrozma glowed with a brilliant, searing light. When it faded, two Pokémon loomed over the humans instead of one: Necrozma with all its razor edges and terrible darkness, and Lunala with shining wings of starlit night.[break][break]

With his free hand, Zev removed a Pokéball from his pocket. Nenet turned her gaze toward it, curiosity sparking in her eyes.[break][break]

"Is that—?" she asked.[break][break]

"Solgaleo," Zev confirmed.[break][break]

A hungry gleam entered the scientist's eyes. She took the Pokéball from him, caressing the sphere with her fingers as if it were a precious artifact. Looking up into his face, her smile turned mischievous. "Shall we?"[break][break]

A thrill swept through Zev at her eagerness. He'd known when agreeing to marry Nenet that she would support him in his endeavors, but he had not imagined they would be so aligned. His subjugation of Hoenn had removed all obstacles to her ambitions, and she repaid him daily with her devotion.[break][break]

Now, with Solgaleo in their possession, none of the worlds could stand in their way.[break][break]

Zev returned Nenet's smile with a grin of his own and a nod of his head. She opened the capsule to release the magnificent white lion. It took in its surroundings and backed up defensively, a rumble deep in its throat.[break][break]

But then Lunala neared, chirping soothing notes. The two Pokémon seemed to confer with each other.[break][break]

Necrozma simply watched and waited.[break][break]

After a moment, Solgaleo submitted. Lunala rubbed a cheek against its companion's face, then lifted into the air, great wings spread wide. Solgaleo turned to Necrozma and gave a regal nod of its majestic head. Reaching out, Necrozma grasped Solgaleo with a massive, crystalling claw. At once, the same white light from earlier engulfed them.[break][break]

When it faded, only Dusk Mane Necrozma stood where the two had been.[break][break]

Zev turned to Nenet, still holding her hand, still grinning with a vicious delight. "After you, wife."[break][break]

He helped her onto the Prism Pokémon's back, then climbed up after her. At a wordless command, Necrozma leaped into the wormhole, Lunala following it. Hoenn quickly fell away as the great void of Ultra Space engulfed them.[break][break]

A million stars glittered brightly, promising countless worlds ripe for the conquest.

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