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POSTED ON Dec 6, 2023 5:39:49 GMT

Harvey was never a huge worrier. He let most things roll right off his shoulder, even things that most would argue were actually worth worrying about. Maybe it was because he was numb, or maybe it was because he truly didn't care. He wasn't really sure himself.

Today, however, he cared. A lot.

Zev had just slid into the passenger seat. Harvey had heard about Zev from his friend and some of the other grunts. A real Rocket Beast—emphasis on beast. Intelligent, efficient, and cold. Harvey was already a bit nervous about this being his first mission, so it didn't help to hear that his overseer would be so intimidating. Yet, as soon as the man slipped into the neighboring seat, Harvey could tell that he was nothing like he had anticipated. Zev seemed so unbothered. Cool, calm, and normal. It made the knots in Harvey's stomach yank themselves tighter, though he couldn't really place why.

Harvey attempted to roll the anxiety off his shoulder. He casually placed a sweaty hand on his knee, locking the other to the slippery steering wheel as best he could.

"Pleasure to meet you, sir. You can call me Harv. I finished my deliveries but I didn't log the last few done. We got a few hours before they start wondering where their truck is. That enough time?"
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POSTED ON Dec 6, 2023 17:47:47 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

Grunt work like transporting smuggled Pokémon was so far beneath Zev that he almost passed the job off to an Executive with more stake in Team Rocket's more trivial games. But at the last minute, he remembered that acting in his role within the organization's hierarchy kept doors open to him.[break][break]

Resources, connections, data. Anything he needed to carry out Necrozma's will.[break][break]

And so he went, meeting one Harvey Duncan at the outskirts of Slateport City well past the hour when people went to sleep. The clouds were so thick in the sky that they blocked out the stars.[break][break]

Ignoring Harvey's pleasantries, Zev commented on his concerns instead. "It should be plenty of time. The trip to Mauville won't take long, provided we don't run into any trouble."[break][break]

He entered their destination, a safehouse outside Mauville proper, into the GPS. There, the Pokémon caged in the back of the truck would be distributed into the city via black market channels.[break][break]

"This is your first job with us, right?" he asked, glancing sidelong at Harvey.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Harvey Duncan[break]
NOTES – mission

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[newclass=".zev3 .credit"]font-size:13px;[/newclass]

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Harv

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November 4th

Slateport City

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POSTED ON Dec 9, 2023 3:38:29 GMT

"That's right. But this is more or less my regular job. Should be straightforward." Harvey wasn't sure if the reassurance was for him or for Zev. Granted, Zev didn't seem to be the kind of guy who needed much reassurance about anything. He oozed a calm confidence that, as his nerves chattered, Harvey envied.

Harvey began driving the truck—carefully, so as not to make the ride too bumpy for the critters in the back. Truthfully, he didn't think much about where they'd end up once they had been delivered to the safehouse. He was just a grunt and it wasn't his business. However, as long as they were under his care, he was going to do his best to make sure they made it through the journey alright.

"Music?" Harvey offered, his eyes flickering towards the GPS as he merged lanes.
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POSTED ON Dec 9, 2023 20:01:37 GMT

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[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

Zev glanced over. He was ambivalent to music generally, having no emotional connection to it in the same way other people did. But if it made the ride go by more quickly, then he was not opposed to it, either.[break][break]

"Sure."[break][break]

The truck pulled onto the highway leading out of Slateport. As they took it north, the city's glittering skyline grew smaller in the blackness of night.[break][break]

Zev settled back in the passenger seat, his arms crossed over his chest. "Besides driving a delivery truck, what are your other skills?" he asked Harvey.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Harvey Duncan[break]
NOTES – mission

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November 4th

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POSTED ON Dec 20, 2023 0:44:58 GMT

Harvey froze.

Other skills?

He recalled the past decades of nothing, where the idea of acquiring any sort of skill was so unimportant to him that it had only made his priority list after he had almost died. He felt his hands once again wet themselves on the steering wheel as he subconsciously tapped his foot. He thought about lying, sure that he could probably deceive Zev with a close-ended, vague answer. However, he quickly decided that it was probably in his best interest to be truthful. No use in building his reputation on a shaky foundation.

"Actually, that's why I joined Team Rocket. Figured I could learn what I was best suited for and work towards it over time." Harvey replied, softly letting out a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. He clicked on the radio, a hopeful distraction from his answer.
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POSTED ON Dec 20, 2023 14:24:10 GMT

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[attr="class","zev3"]

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Zev nodded slowly. Harvey's admission matched the sparse information Team Rocket had on file for him. Most new recruits were similar blank slates, but that inexperience was often the result of their youth. Runaways, high school dropouts, or college students without prospects made up a large bulk of faceless, nameless grunts.[break][break]

But Harvey was in the middle of his life—not old, but no longer young enough to blame age for a dearth of skills. Not that he was unique; plenty of adults coasted through life without applying themselves beyond basic, daily survival.[break][break]

Something must have happened, then, to prompt a midlife crisis.[break][break]

But Zev didn't particularly care, so all he asked was, "Then is there anything that interests you to try?"[break][break]

There was no question that Team Rocket would assign Harvey to a variety of different, easy jobs to figure out his competencies. But personal interests could sway those assignments in the grunt's favor at times.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Harvey Duncan[break]
NOTES – mission

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Harv

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POSTED ON Dec 27, 2023 0:45:36 GMT

Harvey turned the thoughts over in his mind carefully. Truthfully, he still wasn't fully aware of everything that Team Rocket had to offer. His friend had given him a crash course when he was first recruited, and he had since learned quite a bit more. Still, the operations of the organization were proving to be a deeper rabbit hole than he had ever realized. He recalled all the things he had learned, all the avenues he knew he could explore within the syndicate. While Harvey was not about to assume he was free to totally let his guard down, Zev's lack of expressed concern with his previous answer was enough to prompt him to be blunt again.

"I'm interested in whatever I can get. More missions like this—" He gestured to the door that led to the back of the truck where the smuggled Pokemon resided. "—could be good. Real easy to integrate into my daily as is. But I'm hoping to try something outside of my usual soon."

Harvey switched lanes as they passed a sign indicating their approaching exit. The image of Zev as a new recruit popped into his mind, almost causing him to laugh. He could hardly imagine Zev ever being in the same league that he was currently in. Still, everyone had to start from somewhere, and that start led to him being the Beast that he is now. Zev had experience. Experience that Harvey could learn from.

"You got any recommendations?" Harvey asked, pressuring the brakes as he drove the truck through the exit.
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POSTED ON Dec 27, 2023 15:21:40 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","zev3"]

[attr="class","body"]

Once again, Harvey provided a vague answer that implied he had no specific interests. Zev glanced sidelong at the other man for a contemplative moment before returning his gaze to the road ahead of them. [break][break]

"There's a lot that goes into smuggling, so even if you stick to this, you'll learn a lot. Encounter a lot, too," the Beast replied, remembering all the times he'd clashed with law enforcement during what had initially seemed like a simple delivery. [break][break]

"Team Rocket could always use people who can blend into regular society and gather intel. Befriend people in the League government or Rangers, learn what they know, and then report it back to us." [break][break]

The scenery around them changed as they exited the highway: urban concrete and metal transformed into natural treelines as the road wound its way toward Mauville. [break][break]

"It'd be wise to learn how to fight, too—both with Pokémon and without. Do you know how to battle Pokémon, at least?" Zev asked.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Harvey Duncan[break]
NOTES – mission

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Harv

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November 4th

Slateport City

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Grunt

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POSTED ON Jan 3, 2024 2:08:15 GMT

Harvey let Zev's words stew in his mind for a moment. Learning and experiencing a lot was exactly what he was going for, making Zev's description of the smuggling route seem quite appealing. However, blending in, befriending people on the other side, gathering information...something about that struck him.

Swimming in his thoughts, Harvey nearly missed Zev's question. When he realized what Zev had asked, he felt his position in the hot seat reignite. It was another damning question with another damning answer. This time, at least, he did have a sliver of self-praise to offer his superior.

"Haven't done much of that. I'm looking at getting some practice soon. But I have plenty of experience throwing my own punches." He explained. His foot began to tap once more as he thought of a way to redirect Zev from thinking too much about the first half of his reply.

"That second job you mentioned—intel gathering. Maybe I'll look into that." He noted as he drove off the highway ramp. They were immediately engulfed in the bushy, night-cloaked streets of Mauville.

"You do jobs like that often?" He asked, a hopeful redirection.
Zev Harcourt
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The Devourer

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January 8

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heterosexual

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POSTED ON Jan 3, 2024 14:28:06 GMT

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No aspirations, no skills, no Pokémon battling experience. Harvey really had been coasting through life doing the bare minimum, at least up until that point. Zev doubted the résumé of thrown punches was the result of any proper training, either. [break][break]

Whether he picked up on Harvey's redirection or not, Zev didn't show it. Instead, he shook his head. [break][break]

"Intel gathering was not our specialty," he said. "We were a hitman, a contractor, for nearly a decade before becoming a Rocket Beast." [break][break]

And now he was something more than that. Something that transcended careers and ranks. [break][break]

"Come to the submarine sometime for a spar," Zev said, the coldness of his tone making his words sound like an order instead of a suggestion. "I'd want to see how well you throw those punches." [break][break]

The GPS piped up, indicating that the road leading to the safehouse was just ahead. They would arrive in just a few minutes.

[break][break][break]

TAGS – Harvey Duncan[break]
NOTES – mission

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Harv

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November 4th

Slateport City

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