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Once the doctor deemed Nenet fully recovered from her ordeal at Route 105, Zev decided it was time for her to start learning about Pokémon battles. Despite the briskness of the late autumn morning, they ventured into the untamed land beyond Mossdeep City, where they would be safe from prying eyes.[break][break]

"I won't," he said, the corner of his mouth curling in a half-smirk.[break][break]

Even though he could hurt her, it was the last thing he wanted.[break][break]

Opening a Pokéball, Zev released his Dragapult. She was not one of his Pokémon trained to kill humans, but she did have battle experience—a perfect choice for this kind of practice, in his opinion.[break][break]

"Send out a Pokémon that you want to rely on for protection in the future," he instructed her. "Your Clefable, for example."

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Eyeing the Dragapult for a moment, Nenet finally gives a little nod and digs into her satchel to produce a pokeball from its depths. As Clefable lands on the brittle, cold ground he gives an indignant yelp, his little eyes wide with betrayal at the weather outside.
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"I'm sorry," Nenet offers, trying not to laugh as Clefable hops from foot to foot. "Come on, Zev's going to help us train." She tips her chin towards the Dragapult to draw Clefable's attention to their impending session.
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"Do we just start," she asks Zev, appearing uncertain as to the developments about to take place.

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Zev suppressed a sigh of exasperation at the Clefable's indignation about the cold. Nenet treated her Pokémon almost too well. They acted more like pampered pets than combat-ready creatures.[break][break]

He planned to change that, at least for some of them.[break][break]

"Yes. We're not training for a broadcasted gym battle in the safety and comfort of an arena. In the real world, anyone who wants to hurt you won't wait for you to be ready." Zev glanced sidelong at his dual-type Pokémon. "Dragapult, go."[break][break]

The Stealth Pokémon tilted her head to regard the Clefable for the briefest moment. Then, with a surge of power, she launched herself at the Fairy-type. As she neared, she opened her mouth to BITE her opponent.[break][break]

The typing match-up meant the attack would hurt only a little. Zev's intention was to provide Clefable enough space and time to learn and practice without becoming too injured in the process.[break][break]

But Clefable was not the only one being trained that day. While keeping the battle in the periphery of his vision, Zev turned his attention back to Nenet. And then he did something he never expected to do.[break][break]

He drew a combat knife from its sheath hidden under his jacket and advanced upon his wife.

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Nenet blinks once, only half-expecting Zev's intent to attack and wholly unsuspecting the man to advance on her. The grass beneath her crunches like glass as she steps back, expression somewhat hard and a sharp, "Zev?" sounding from her chest in an effort to halt the man from is impending decision.
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"What are you doing?"
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Meanwhile, Clefable took the brunt of the BITE with a surprised chirrup, his arm lifting where the Dragapult attaches herself to give a little shake. The attack that follows isn't nearly as strong as it could have been given the Clefable's shock, but the pokemon's free arm arcs back and slams into Dragapult's face with a METEOR BEAM without direction.
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Nenet's pulse quickens and her gaze darts about as she tries to plan her next move.

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Zev stopped in his tracks at Nenet's wary question and raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "What? I told you—I'm not preparing you for a gym battle, but for the real world."[break][break]

Nevertheless, he released the tension from his body, relaxing his stance. The hand holding the knife dropped to his side.[break][break]

"The man who attacked you wasn't armed only with Pokéballs. At the minimum, he had a knife similar to this one. Not any regular knife, but one made specifically for combat."[break][break]

Idly, Zev wondered just how many such knives Aurelie Lefevre had forged for other Team Rocket operatives.[break][break]

He glanced at Nenet's Clefable, who had successfully dislodged his Dragapult with the METEOR BEAM. "Your Pokémon's top priority should be your safety. If they see someone coming at you like this," he raised the weapon again, "they need to be at your side at once and target your attacker first."[break][break]

Using the flat of the blade, he tapped his own chest.

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"You can't seriously expect me to carry a weapon everywhere on top of my pokeballs," Nenet demands, while looking down at herself in an expensive trench coat, thin gloves, and heels. "It's not like I can have that at work."
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"What am I supposed to do? Hit you with my purse?"
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"Besides," she continues, not giving Zev a chance to speak and motioning with her hands in a way conveys the high level of horseshit she currently believes to be happening without outright saying it, "You also can't expect Clefable to be in two places at once."
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Clefable seems to agree with Nenet's assessment while giving Dragapult the stink eye; one moment the Clefable is there, and the next his shadow slithers across the ground to stand beside his trainer with a SHADOW SNEAK.
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Suddenly distracted from everything occurring, Nenet questions of her pokemon, "Since when could you do that?"
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Clefable shrugs.

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An exasperated sigh escaped Zev before he could suppress it, and his free hand rose to rub his forehead. He felt, for once, as if he were speaking with a child instead of a grown, intelligent woman.[break][break]

"No, damn it," he said, ignoring the Clefable's move that he recognized as SHADOW SNEAK. At least the Fairy-type knew where he needed to be.[break][break]

Zev's hand lowered to reveal black crystal on his face where he had rubbed.[break][break]

"Your Pokémon are your weapons. Keep at least two on you at all times, just in case. And one of them should know defensive moves like PROTECT or LIGHT SCREEN. Healing moves help, too."[break][break]

Dragapult floated over, sensing that the battle was now on pause while the two humans talked. Still, she kept her eyes on the Clefable, just in case.[break][break]

Zev considered Nenet's Pokémon, too. "What else can Clefable do?" he asked, doubtful that the woman was even aware of the whole moveset.

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Nenet considers telling her husband he's being an ass. She refrains for the moment.
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Pressing her eyes closed to stamp her frustration down, she answers instead, "Gravity, Meteor Beam, Moonblast, Sing, Life Dew, and Teleport. And whatever that just was."
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"I have three pokemon I can use for battling, maybe four, but this is not my speciality, Zev. My Pyroar was purchased from a breeder who does gym circuits and my Hatterene has a Megastone I obtained through work. I'm sure I can do this with time but I need you to start from the beginning and explain what needs to be done, not throw me into whatever this chaos is."
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Her expression shifting into something guarded as she watches Zev, Nenet admits after a moment's pause, "I don't know what to do."
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That fact seems to pain her.

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Zev's expression remained neutral while Nenet rattled off the moves her Clefable knew. Several of them were indeed useful, and he found himself impressed despite himself.[break][break]

But before he could comment on them, she continued in a defense of her Pokémon. As he listened, his annoyance faded—if only because he could not fault Nenet for her lack of ability. She'd never imagined herself in this scenario, married to a high-ranking member of Team Rocket, at risk of attack or injury due to her affiliation and the nature of the region they lived in.[break][break]

And most importantly, now that this was her reality, she was willing to learn. He just needed to be more patient.[break][break]

Zev returned his knife to its sheath. It disappeared beneath the hem of his jacket. "SHADOW SNEAK was the one you just saw," he informed Nenet. "And okay. We'll try again, from the beginning this time."[break][break]

Turning, he walked a few paces away to put some distance between them. Then he faced her once more.[break][break]

"First, you and your Pokémon need to be alert and aware of your surroundings, especially in dangerous areas. It could be downtown in a busy city or out in the wilderness—it doesn't matter. I'm not asking you to be paranoid, but neither can you be oblivious."[break][break]

He directed a stern gaze at Clefable. "Can you do that?" he asked the Pokémon. "Your mistress' life and safety depend on you."

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Something palpable eases in Nenet's body language when the knife disappears, its effect clear on her state of mind. She does her best to listen to Zev's instructions and her gaze inadvertently flicks around the area.

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Meanwhile, Clefable peers up at Zev, the little creature's expression one that clearly reads "who the fuck is this guy?" before he finally gives a sharp nod. As if to empasise his dedication to protecting Nenet, the Clefable takes a step closer to his trainer.

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"Should I have them out more often," she asks, her brow minutely furrowed.

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Nenet rarely had pokemon out in the open unless she was teaching or actively using them for Ranger work - most were kept in their pokeballs, tucked away inside her constant rotation of bags.

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Absently, she reaches down to lightly pat the back of Clefable's head to scold him gently, "Be nice to Zev, he's helping us."

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Despite the Clefable's rebellious expression, he nodded his head in acceptance of Zev's directive. It was enough. The man did not need any Pokémon to like him; he demanded obedience, not love.[break][break]

"That wouldn't hurt," he said to Nenet. "At least in places where you might be susceptible to danger. At work, probably not."[break][break]

Putting his hands on his hips, Zev contemplated the next lesson. Most people were familiar with the basics of battling Pokémon—the different types, their advantages, and their disadvantages, for example—but he didn't want to assume when it came to Nenet's own knowledge.[break][break]

She focused her interests on what was relevant to her work and little else.[break][break]

"For now, we should familiarize your Pokémon with battling," he decided. "I know I said real life is not like a gym battle, but if we're starting from scratch, we'll start there: as if you were a trainer interested in the gym circuit.[break][break]

"What do you know already about Pokémon battling, Nenet?"

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TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission

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"I know the basics of gym battling," Nenet hazards after a moment's thought. She also knew her pokemon's moves, insofar as what they were called and a general vague idea what those attacks did in a practical sense.
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"One person attacks and then the other sort of thing. That very clearly doesn't apply outside of the gym circuits. I know my own pokemon's weaknesses though I'm not sure I could name random pokemon's typing on the fly that I'm less familiar with."
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With a glance back towards Zev, Nenet asks, "Should my pokemon be focused on staying with me, then? Guarding?"

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Zev nodded again.[break][break]

"Yes. Clefable is a good Pokémon to have with you since he knows quite a few helpful moves. SING to incapacitate an opponent, TELEPORT to bring you to safety, and LIFE DEW to ease the pain of injuries."[break][break]

Quietly, the man resolved to check Nenet's other Pokémon when they got back for ones with defensive moves. Off the top of his head, he knew her beloved Minior could learn a few from Technical Machines.[break][break]

"Let's practice a gym-like battle, just to get your Pokémon used to fighting. Dragapult will be on the offensive, and Clefable on the defensive. Ready?"[break][break]

His Pokémon floated forward, poised to attack.

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