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As soon as he arrived, Zev spotted Anahel at once. She stood out in the crowd of other grunts, with her small frame and pale hair. He watched her fire several rounds at the paper target, waiting for a pause to approach. After all, startling someone with a loaded gun was never smart.[break][break]

When the pause came, he stepped into her lane, which was just wide enough to fit both of them. "Let's see how well you did," he said in his detached tone, raising his voice only because of the noise in the range and the earplugs in their ears.[break][break]

With a flick of a switch, the carrier system wheeled Anahel's target to where they stood at the firing line. All the bullet holes clustered together in the chest, at least, but not close enough for Zev's liking.[break][break]

"The heart is here," he said, pointing, "and the lungs. You want to have tighter clusters in these areas. Otherwise, you raise the chance of hitting non-vital areas."[break][break]

She hadn't asked for advice, but he didn't care. As a Beast, his job was to train the grunts.

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It did not take long for Zev to show up. He silently approached the lane just as Anahel finished with the target.[break][break]
After reeling the paper in, he started to critique the girl's aim. While good for a beginner, it was not up to the standards of a trained assassin.[break][break]
Anahel nodded. She didn't mind his no nonsense way of giving advice. It would honestly be more insulting if he complimented her, as it would've been an obvious lie coming from someone of his caliber. [break][break]
Taking his words to heart, she set up the next target. [break][break]
"So," she said before firing a few rounds."Want to finish where we left off?" Referencing back to the night of their mission together.[break][break]
Her eyes stayed locked onto the target, but her ears were ready for answers. She quickly finished off the remaining bullets to give the man a proper window to talk.

Zev Harcourt

NOTES

✦ Zero to One Hundred Mission

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Anahel's reaction to the critique—silent acceptance and a willingness to try again—was a good sign. Though Zev said nothing, he noted her response with silent approval.[break][break]

"Avatars," he said with a nod. "Hoenn sees a lot of phenomena that don't exist in other regions: Mega Evolution and Terastallization, for example. Avatarship is another."[break][break]

Gunfire filled the air as Anahel pulled the trigger for a few rounds. Zev waited for a pause in her shooting before continuing.[break][break]

"For one reason or another, Legendary Pokémon come to Hoenn. But on top of that, they choose to share some of their powers with individual humans. These humans are called Avatars, and the Legendary Pokémon are their patrons.[break][break]

"In our organization, we have a few. Underbosses Cillian Quinn and Elisabeth Fiorelli are Avatars of Lugia and Wo-Chien, respectively."[break][break]

Zev paused, realizing Anahel probably did not recognize the latter Pokémon. "Wo-Chien being one of the four Ruinous Beasts who have recently made their identities—but not their motives—known."[break][break]

He moved on.[break][break]

"We also have Beast bryan delarosa and Xerneas, Head Scientist Naomi Sato and the Unown, Admin fern delaney and Tapu Koko, and Admin jayden cross and Chien-Pao, another Ruinous Beast. Then there's the Boss himself, declan walsh. His patron is Darkrai."[break][break]

Here, Zev paused again to allow Anahel a moment to absorb the information and ask any questions.

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Anahel listened intently to the man's words. She had heard about Mega Evolutions and Terastallization, but Avatars... This was new to her.[break][break]
Finished with the current target, she flipped the switch to have the paper return back to their stall.[break][break]
Zev went on to explain the cause of Avatars, and who had been gifted with the status in Rocket. The girl examined her aim while he went into detail about the Ruinous Beasts.[break][break]
This was a lot of information to take in, and all it did was make Anahel feel insignificant. If there were such gifted people wandering around this world, how was she ever to achieve her goal.[break][break]
The girl sighed. It was unclear if the cause was her aim or the realizations forming in her head. "Here," she said handing Zev the gun.[break][break]
After setting up the next target, she took a step back, giving Zev the space to shoot. Watching a professional such as him would be nothing short of a learning experience.[break][break]
"And you?" She asked in a disconnected voice. "Are you an Avatar as well?"

Zev Harcourt

NOTES

✦ Zero to One Hundred Mission

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The second paper target showed no improvement, just bullet hole clusters in different places, but that was expected. A new shooter didn't improve in the span of unloading a single magazine.[break][break]

Anahel was likely still getting used to the feel of the gun in her hands, sighting down the lane, and the proper stance. She was still flinching, too, with every gunshot.[break][break]

It was all normal. She'd make progress as long as she kept practicing.[break][break]

"I'm not an Avatar, but I have Avatar powers," Zev said. Not one yet, anyway.[break][break]

He took the gun from Anahel and squared up at the firing line. He fell into the stance as if he had been born into it. Instead of closing his non-dominant eye as most beginners are wont to do, he kept both eyes open.[break][break]

Aimed. Inhaled.[break][break]

Caressed the trigger. Gently, so gently.[break][break]

Exhaled and fired.[break][break]

Ten rounds later, Zev recalled the target. The bullet holes were practically on top of each other, five in the center of the head, five in the heart.[break][break]

"The Pokémon that gave me my powers is Necrozma," he continued.[break][break]

Necrozma, the blight of Galar for six months in 2022. The scourge of worlds, the eater of light. Even if Anahel had never encountered the monster, surely she'd heard about it on the news.

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The girl raised an eye brow upon Zev clarifying he was not an Avatar. He becomes more and more mysterious by the second. All the powers, but not the title?[break][break]
Anahel closely examined her superior's technique. His stance, his eyes, the way he held the gun. There was a level of comfort that Ana was no where near replicating. She could not help, but be impressed by how elegantly he fired each bullet.[break][break]
Amazing... she quietly muttered to herself.[break][break]
It was then upon hearing the name Necrozma that Anahel's heart sank. [break][break]
She took a slight step back. The revelation had the girl in a minor state of shock. Memories of the Ultra Beasts. The tragedies that lead to the culmination of Necrozma's appearance years ago. It was during this period of time the girl lost everything. It was the source of her resolve that led her in joining Rocket.[break][break]
"May I ask," Anahel forced through the traumatic memories. "Why was it that you joined Rocket?"

Zev Harcourt

NOTES

✦ Zero to One Hundred Mission

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As Zev replaced the paper target with a fresh one, he contemplated his answer. Few people had bothered to ask him, over the years, why he worked with Team Rocket. For the majority of his career, the answer had been obvious: money.[break][break]

But then he had become a Beast, promoted into the position out of the common ranks. An assassin indifferent to the crime syndicate's cause had no reason to pledge himself to it.[break][break]

"The League took something from me," he said at length.[break][break]

The motor of the target carrier system whirred as it brought the fresh paper back to the target line.[break][break]

"I joined to take it back."[break][break]

Zev turned to Anahel. He held the gun with the grip toward her so she could take it from him. His eyes were icy, blue pits as he stared down at her.

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After hearing Zev's words, his eyes made a little more sense to the girl.

[break][break]
His cold demeanor wasn't just due to his work as an assassin. He too was a victim of this world. [break][break]
Realizing this made Anahel feel a little closer to the man. The blue abyss called for her. She wanted to know what laid behind that look, that stare he can not help but make. [break][break]

Taking the gun, she thought on his answer. It was impossible to not compare them to her reasons for joining. [break][break]Ana's head shifted downward, as she relived the pain of the past.[break][break]

"It would be too easy for me to blame the League," she said copying Zev's stance from before. Aiming, inhaling, gently moving her finger to the trigger. She thought back to every detail of his technique.[break][break]

Exhaling, she took her first clean shot at the target.[break][break]

"The world is what stole everything from me." Anahel aimed down again, repeating the steps from before. "And no matter how far I fall, I will do what needs to be done to change it."

Zev Harcourt

NOTES

✦ Zero to One Hundred Mission

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Zev listened to Anahel's admission with a neutral expression. Behind the mask, however, he turned her words over in his mind.[break][break]

Her desire for revenge, an emotional motivation, made her susceptible to relating more easily with those possessing similar goals. Losing everything meant that she could be more prone to latching on to those who became constants in her life. And it meant she might feel indebted to those who enabled her pursuits.[break][break]

When Anahel emptied the gun of bullets, Zev flipped the switch to bring the target forward. "Better," he said after scanning the paper, though his tone did not reflect the words of praise. "You have one magazine left."[break][break]

He changed the target for her, then stepped back to give her space.[break][break]

"What's your civilian cover? Are you a student, or do you work?" he asked. "If you need a part-time job, I run a bar in Slateport City."[break][break]

The offer was delivered casually, but his intention was clear. If Anahel worked for him, she could learn from him, and deliver her hell upon the world.

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There was visible improvement in Anahel's aim after she took notice of Zev's technique. The results still paled in comparison to his, but it was a step in the right direction.[break][break]
While the girl changed the magazines out in the gun, Zev inquired on Ana's civilian cover.[break][break]
Aiming down for the last target of the day, she replied, "A student." Following the steps from before, she took her first shot. "I enrolled last week."[break][break]
Another clean hole through the heart.[break][break]
"It's only natural that a girl my age would be pursuing higher education," she said before exhaling and pulling the trigger again.[break][break]
Finishing the last of the ammunition, she returned the gun to its holster and turned to Zev.[break][break]
"I appreciate your help today..." The girl was unsure how to finish the sentence. "How should I refer to you?"

Zev Harcourt

NOTES

✦ Zero to One Hundred Mission

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'Student' made sense for exactly the reason Anahel provided. "Good choice. Consider volunteering with the Rangers as an extracurricular, too. You might get opportunities to get close with some of them and gather useful intelligence."[break][break]

Perhaps she would find Caleb Harcourt among them. After his escape from imprisonment, he had all but disappeared. But Zev had a feeling he hadn't gone far, especially considering his injuries.[break][break]

Anahel emptied the last clip, signaling the end of her session at the shooting range. Zev checked her aim on the final paper target, then handed it to her. She could keep it or throw it out if she wished.[break][break]

"Most grunts just call me Mr. Harcourt, or Beast Harcourt if they're especially anxious around me. Pick whichever suits you."[break][break]

Very few people in Team Rocket called him by his first name, but he wasn't opposed to it. Isaac Merlo had when they had been mentor and apprentice, but that relationship had withered and died with Isaac's defection.[break][break]

"Keep practicing," Zev said to Anahel as he turned to leave. "I'll test you again in a month, and we'll compare your old targets to the new ones."

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