Zev wandered into the training facility, expecting to work on his usual drills and, therefore, surprised to find ameena abadi there with a Pokémon. They weren't battling, but instead appeared to be sparring like humans do. [break][break]

The woman's invitation earned her a raised eyebrow. Then Zev shrugged, accepting the offer. "Sure. I'll warn you that I've been practicing Mixed Martial Arts since I was sixteen," he said as he tossed his duffel bag and water bottle onto the floor unceremoniously. [break][break]

A few warm-up stretches later, and he stepped onto the mats next to Ameena. [break][break]

"He's yours, I take it?" Zev asked her, jerking his head toward the Urshifu. "Do you want me to hold back?" [break][break]

He did not know if the bear was one of her more prized Pokémon, and therefore didn't want to see him beaten by the Avatar of Necrozma.

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Ameena was pleased at his acceptance, though the ease in which he moved towards Urshifu reminded her that he was made of something else entirely. His connection to Necrozma was unlike one she had witnessed from the other Avatars at the Penitentiary, and she still did not know what to make of it. It seemed effortless, how he summoned the power of his deity, and she wasn't sure if it was bloodlust or apathy or something incomprehensible that motivated the destructive force of nature he became. [break][break]

"Hold back a little," she answered after some thought. Urshifu grunted unhappily, but he had battled only pokemon, sparred only her, and had not witnessed the result of something harnessing both. [break][break]

She took a cautious step back. "I think we will both end up learning from you, so if you could try not to break anything..." She did not want to hunt for more fighting types when she had one with such potential. She opened her mouth to initiate the spar, but Urshifu threw a punch in response to his injured ego.

TAGS – Zev Harcourt [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The punch from a Pokémon was nothing like the punch from another human being, even one as experienced as Zev. He knew better than to assume weakness from the Urshifu, whose DYNAMIC PUNCH could shatter bones. [break][break]

So he dodged it, grabbing the bear's arm and pivoting his body to use the Urshifu's momentum against it. At six feet tall and 230 lbs. in weight, the Pokémon possessed a build similar to many of his opponents in the ring. A properly-executed maneuver would see the Urshifu thrown over Zev's shoulder and slammed hard against the mats. [break][break]

It all happened in the blink of an eye. The Rocket Beast danced back, light on the balls of his feet, arms raised defensively.

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

She had had her doubts despite everything, but then he was flipping Urshifu onto his back. Ameena didn't have the strength herself to move something as dense as an Urshifu like that, but the weaponizing of her pokemon's momentum was a great way to toss the guy. She didn't flinch in sympathy, considering Urshifu's underhanded tactic hadn't worked. [break][break]

Urshifu didn't have a soldier's training, but it had raw instinct and ego - terrible qualities in scenarios requiring fine control - and rolled to his side. Before rising fully to his feet, Urshifu launched itself at Zev's midriff for a tackle or perhaps a grapple. This was the very assault she had a hard time redirecting against the mountain of movement that the Urshifu was.

TAGS – Zev Harcourt [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev detected the Urshifu's lack of training in an instant, but that did not mean he was safe to lower his defense. As the bear charged forward in an obvious front grapple, the Rocket Beast considered his options. [break][break]

One, he could continue keeping his distance, dancing out of the Pokémon's way. [break][break]

Or two, he could risk a last-second maneuver. [break][break]

He made his decision in a split-second. Ameena's Urshifu was nearly upon him, the beast's great head lower than Zev's hip. At the right moment, he lifted his knee, keeping his leg bent. His arms lowered ever so slightly to steady himself, and his other foot pressed deep into the sparring mat. [break][break]

The man rammed his knee into Urshifu's skull. He stumbled away, the joint smarting with pain but otherwise unbroken, as the bear toppled over. While the blow was not enough to knock the Pokémon unconscious, it was enough to disorient, perhaps even concuss. [break][break]

"Don't do that untrained," Zev said to Ameena as he put distance between himself and her Pokémon.

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Ameena took a step back as Zev raised his knee to the Urshifu's head. She feared the worst. Urshifu went down to all fours and shook his head slightly, vision probably blurring. She worried more about Zev, who had quickly reacted to the bear's assault. "Are you okay?" She blurted out the question even as she approached her Urshifu instead, cradling its head as it leaned against her and got its bearings back. [break][break]

She pet his head absently. She would have never made the same call he did, but it'd worked. Perhaps, she needed to be more aggressive in her approach. She needed to be willing to hurt herself if it hurt the enemy more, but she was so used to sustained fighting in low-resource conditions that prioritizing health was important for longevity. It didn't seem like the war would be a low-resource condition, not for them, not for Rocket who had fewer mouths to feed.[break][break]

"Untrained," she echoed belatedly. "It must take more than training to fight like that." Training gave one a familiarity with their body and their limitations, but she wasn't sure you could train someone to keep a cool head against a raging Urshifu. He had responded decisively. Maybe that was the missing piece: full commit to a plan of action. Thoughtfully, she obsered, "I would have been too overwhelmed with the different ways to respond."

TAGS – Zev Harcourt [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

"I've had worse," Zev replied dismissively, schooling the grimace out of his face. Such stoicism came easily thanks to a lifetime of practice. [break][break]

Still, he paced back and forth to shake out his knee, his hands resting on his hips. With Ameena's Urshifu regathering its senses in her arms, he took the opportunity to recover as well. [break][break]

"Training, practice. It all boils down to experience." Zev crouched with his leg extended to one side to stretch his aching joint. "Knowing what to do in a split-second can be a matter of life or death. Most people are fortunate not to need to make those kinds of decisions day-by-day, so of course, you're doubtful of your own ability." [break][break]

But he was a hitman. He made a living putting himself in those situations. [break][break]

Rising to his full height, Zev looked over at Ameena and her Pokémon. "If someone or something charges like that at you, run," he said with all his characteristic seriousness. "Never let them close the distance. That's what most people should do."

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

His tone was so matter-of-fact. She had never underestimated his capacity, but she was starting to form a better understanding of how to categorize him. She had organized the administrators and other upper-echelons of Rocket as either forces of science or forces of war. It was inherently limiting, but most that she had met fit significantly better in one or the other. [break][break]

Zev, she was thinking, might be a scientist of war, with his experience, training, knowledge, and his ability to disseminate what he knew to people who had less familiarity. His own use of his Avatarship powers likely involved a lot of hypothesis-testing, though she had only witnessed his prowess in smaller bursts that he seemed very comfortable with using and hadn't seen any of experimentation first-hand. [break][break]

Belatedly, she realized she had been looking pensive in silence for far too long. "Thank you," she finally said, "for the insight. I think I should focus on buying myself more time until I am able to make those faster decisions." Warfare for her had largely been at a distance. She looked down to her Urshifu and didn't yet push him to get back on his hind legs.[break][break]

"I plan on practicing against pokemon further. Currently, I am gathering materials to craft a Sygna suit. Given the League's own force of Avatars, I need to prepare myself for those fights." The two of them had already had a dry-run in Lulu Flint 's simulation, but Ameena still miles of growth ahead of her if she wanted to fend for herself against what was coming. "When I am more prepared, I would love to borrow you for another run." And hopefully, she would be desensitized the unsettling otherworldly crystals that Zev bore when channeling those powers.

TAGS – Zev Harcourt [break]

NOTES – [break][break]

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev nodded in silent approval of Ameena's agreement, and of her desire to acquire a Sygna Suit. The more non-Avatars within Team Rocket's ranks who had them, the greater their odds against the League's own forces. [break][break]

And what better way to practice than to clash against Avatars fighting on the side of the crime syndicate? [break][break]

It seemed Ameena's little bout with her Urshifu was over. Zev walked over to his abandoned duffel bag and removed a pair of MMA gloves. Strapping them on, he walked past the pair on the mats, pausing only when the woman spoke up again. [break][break]

"That's fine. You know how to reach me," he said, before leaving her for the punching bags lined up along the far wall.

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]