Zev had no reason to disbelieve Kyle. Actually, it was more accurate to say that Zev knew he could depend on Kyle's frankness. The other man was more clever than he seemed, but he was neither deceptive nor malicious. [break][break]

Still, the foretelling did not bode well for Team Rocket. [break][break]

"Good to know," was all Zev said in response. He thought to leave then; the mist thickened around them, filling him with the sense that their conversation was coming to an end. [break][break]

And he had an obligation to pass on Kyle's warning to his superiors, anyway. [break][break]

Reaching up with a hand, Zev pulled on a thin chain that hung around his neck. Most of it had been tucked under his shirt, but as he drew it out, the twilight sun glinted on metal. They were not his black shards, but ordinary steel forged into small rectangles. [break][break]

He could not remember how he'd gotten them. [break][break]

"One last question. Do these look familiar to you?" Extending his arm toward Kyle, Zev let the dog tags sway on their chain in the breeze. [break][break]

King of the Day, they said.

TAGS – kyle lopez[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Nenet was warm and solid under Zev's palm, more real than anything else in that bizarre city. Her golden eyes were wide with a storm of emotions: confusion, disbelief, uncertainty. Instinctively, he raised his free hand to caress her other cheek, fully cupping her face in both hands, and pulled her in for a kiss. [break][break]

Yes, this was his wife, he thought confidently as his mouth moved against hers. Not an illusion, but a real woman of flesh and blood. [break][break]

Reassured, Zev drew away, but only enough to look Nenet in the eye. "What was the last thing you remember?" he asked, still holding her. One of his thumbs stroked the corner of her bottom lip. [break][break]

"I remember being in a prison cell with you, and we had these things around our necks, and masks on our faces." The more he recalled, the more his brow furrowed. "And there was another mask that looked like it was made of Tera Crystals." [break][break]

The one that had shown him his deepest, truest desire.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission | in the dream world

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Soyeon's answer did not surprise Zev in the least. Cillian Quinn's methods of punishment were well-known; they had been common practice among Team Rocket's leadership in Kanto. [break][break]

Zev knew, too, that the underboss had employed the same tactic on Isaac Merlo. Attempting to break the boy's spirit had not succeeded then. If anything, it had pushed him further away. [break][break]

Soyeon was in a precarious position. The possibility that she, like Isaac, would flee Team Rocket as a result of her ordeal existed. On the other hand, she harbored a desire that he had never developed: to ruin the man who'd traumatized her. [break][break]

In another life, Zev would have reported her to Cillian. Mutinous thoughts among the lower ranks were an internal threat to the crime syndicate. But now, in that time and place, the Devourer stood before Soyeon and made her an offer. [break][break]

"I won't tell," he said, "but I do have a question for you. Do you have any idea how you plan to cause pain to a man of that caliber? He's an underboss and an Avatar. He could destroy you with a gesture." [break][break]

Zev spoke without derision. He simply wanted to force her to think rationally, now that she had unloaded her emotions.

TAGS – soyeon kwan[break]
NOTES – duo wild (electric/steel) | skipping

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The blue aura of KING'S SHIELD forced Zev to release the Aegislash. No matter. The Infinity Energy he had sapped from it had been enough. His body overflowed with the fuel he needed keep fighting no matter what Greyson threw his way. [break][break]

Nidoking braced for impact against the SHADOW SNEAK, but no blade jutted out of the ground in front of him. Instead, it slammed into Zev from behind. So unexpected was the attack that the man lurched forward from the force of the blow. [break][break]

The Iron Valiant found no point of weakness, however. No exposed flesh. Only unyielding crystal that threatened the integrity of everything that collided with it. [break][break]

And so Zev recovered his balance without cause for concern. Keeping Greyson in the periphery of his vision, he pinned the Paradox Pokémon with his unforgiving gaze. [break][break]

"Enough of this," he said, raising a hand. [break][break]

Gravity warped. Greyson would not feel it, but his Iron Valiant would: the sudden force that pulled it downward, demanding its obeisance to the laws of the universe. [break][break]

If nothing happened to intervene, the Pokémon would become nothing but pulverized atoms and space dust in a matter of moments.

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – mission[break]
– Zev is FULLY ARMORED: nothing can break through his defense, and things that hit him may take damage on impact[break]
– KING'S SHIELD successfully stops Zev from continuing to drain Aegislash of Infinity Energy[break]
– Zev is hit by SHADOW SNEAK but isn't affected; starts to crush Iron Valiant into nothing with gravity

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Diana Cavendish had an interesting history. The former fiancée of none other than Remiel Calcifet, she had as much potential to be a liability for Team Rocket as an asset. The outcome depended entirely on how much animosity she held for Remiel and his family, as her loyalty to Team Rocket was conditional at best. [break][break]

At least, that was what Zev had gathered from reading her dossier. But it was not his responsibility to manage that situation. Instead, he had been chosen to evaluate her battling ability, in the event Team Rocket needed to call upon her to uphold her end of their deal. [break][break]

After all, Remiel was still an Avatar of Zekrom. And should Diana find herself caught in the crossfire between The Exacting and The Cursed, the show of her allegiance could be the difference between success or failure for the crime syndicate. [break][break]

"Cavendish," Zev said by way of greeting when the woman entered the training facility. He stood in the center of a small Pokémon arena, built for practice bouts between grunts. "Do you know why we're meeting here today?" [break][break]

His expression was neutral, his tone cold. And when he looked at her, his gaze was critical, as if assessing her for flaws.

TAGS – Diana Cavendish[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev took in his surroundings with a detached, clinical gaze. The soldiers on the battlefield had not seemed to notice him and Ameena, firing instead at each other. He glanced down at the device in her hands when she asked him about it. [break][break]

"No," he replied, shaking his head. "I never had a reason to study older gun models." [break][break]

Raising his own hands, he blinked in surprise at the automatic rifle cradled in them. In that historic setting, it was out of place, but he recognized the make and model instantly. [break][break]

"This is more my speed. It's a Howa Type 89, standard issue for the Kanto Army." [break][break]

Zev's hands moved with speed and precision, flipping on the safety, ejecting the magazine. He peered into the chamber to confirm it was empty and restored the firearm within seconds. The movements were as natural to him as breathing. [break][break]

Finally, he looked down at himself. Instead of the suit and tie he normally wore, he was dressed in army fatigues. The same ones he used to wear as a soldier, no less.

TAGS – ameena abadi[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev recognized the change of topic for what it was and let Kyle lead them there. It felt natural, somehow. As if they had conversed in that same manner a thousand times before. [break][break]

"Are you so sure about that? Didn't you just describe killing a loved one as 'the worst feeling'?" the assassin asked. "How do you know you haven't broken him in another way—one that makes him more susceptible to Team Rocket's ambitions?" [break][break]

The general assumption among the crime syndicate's leadership was that Matias was recovering in a secure location. His exact status, however, was unknown. [break][break]

Zev doubted that Kyle knew anything about that. And even if he did, the chance of him revealing that information was slim to none.

TAGS – kyle lopez[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

GRASS KNOT caught Zev unaware, so focused was he on a counter from the Aegislash. He tripped and fell at Greyson's feet, looking up in time to see the gleaming sword bear down upon him. Light from the SOLAR BLADE flashed along the brilliant steel. [break][break]

The sword, swung with all of Greyson's might, collided with Zev's carapace and cracked along its entire length. In the same moment, Zev siphoned the sunlight into himself. Power flared inside him, and he grabbed hold of the Aegislash's blade with a clawed hand. [break][break]

[break]

Without letting go of the Pokémon, Zev rose to his feet, drawing on its Infinity Energy through their contact. He kept his gaze fixed upon Greyson's, even as electricity crackled across the ground and charged the air around them. [break][break]

Zev paid the phenomenon no mind, for he could get rid of it at any time. [break][break]

Nidoking backed off from the Iron Valiant, keen eyes watching his foe closely, waiting to see what it would do. His bruised and battered body rose and fell with every heavy breath.

TAGS – Greyson Connors[break]
NOTES – mission[break]
– Zev is FULLY ARMORED: nothing can break through his defense, and things that hit him may take damage on impact[break]
– Trips and falls thanks to GRASS KNOT but absorbs the light of SOLAR BLADE[break]
– Grabs onto Aegislash and starts to absorb its Infinity Energy to weaken it and strengthen himself

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The pleasurable weight and warmth of Nenet's body pressing against his own set Zev's skin on fire. His hands hiked up the fabric of her nightgown until he could slip them under the edge of it. Rough, calloused palms ran up and down her curves, squeezing and caressing her sensitive flesh. [break][break]

By then, he knew with great intimacy the drop of her voice, and the particular quality it possessed when she was full of want for him. It was a sound that stoked his own desire, fanning the flames of lust that had ignited inside him. [break][break]

Small clusters of crystals emerged along his shoulders and back, black spots of void against his pale skin. [break][break]

"Of course I am," Zev rumbled, his own voice rough and low. His eyes had darkened, his pupils dilated until only a thin corona of blue remained. "We have our anniversary to celebrate." [break][break]

And then he captured Nenet's mouth in his, the kiss full of hunger and passion. He held her in a fierce embrace, tasting her with flicks of his tongue, teasing her with rough bites of her bottom lip. [break][break]

Eventually, reluctantly, he pulled back. Though he let her go, he did not take his eyes off her. "Get on the bed. I want to give you your reward for being such a good wife." [break][break]

He waited until she obeyed, then yanked her by the hips to the edge of the mattress and knelt between her legs. With uncharacteristic restraint and tenderness, he kissed the inside of one thigh—once, twice, three times—then dipped his head lower.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – social

[attr="class","pkmn"]

As soon as Zev opened his eyes, he knew at once he was no longer in that dark, filthy prison cell. The Toxic Chain around his neck was gone, and he was wearing his usual black suit and tie, not the peach-scented outfit the Megalopolans had given him. [break][break]

And above him, skyscrapers of alien architecture lanced toward a beautiful, clear sky. [break][break]

Immediately, Zev took stock of his surroundings. People walked by without paying him any heed. Upon closer inspection, he noticed the blue tinge of their skin and recognized them at once for what they were: Megalopolans. [break][break]

Where am I? the man wondered as he started down the street. It was unlike any world he'd visited before, though the prism-shaped buildings looked familiar. Where had he seen them before? [break][break]

He walked for a while, attempting to get his bearings and the lay of the land. Eventually, he stumbled upon a building that reminded him of a daycare center. It was empty inside, save for a few glass displays filled with fluid and the unconscious forms of Pokémon. [break][break]

And then there was the woman, standing in the center of the macabre exhibit. [break][break]

"Nenet? What are you doing here?" Zev asked, recognizing her. Bewildered, he approached and reached out to touch her, as if to confirm she was real and not a hallucination. [break][break]

In the quiet privacy of that empty building, they did not have to worry about playing pretend.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha[break]
NOTES – mission | in the dream world

[attr="class","pkmn"]

With the door closed, Zev finally turned away from the smart board. He leveled a scrutinizing gaze at the young grunt, as if assessing their worth. Then he gestured for Reinier to take a seat at the conference table. [break][break]

"According to your profile, you deal with reconnaissance and intelligence operations for our organization," Zev said, referring to the member database accessible by everyone in the crime syndicate. More confidential information, however, was available only to leadership. [break][break]

"As you may or may not know, our goal is the expansion of our territory until we've taken over the region. We captured Sootopolis a few years ago and have held it ever since, but there have been debates over where to expand next." [break][break]

Littleroot, Mossdeep, Pacifidlog, Dewford. All had been put forward before as possibilities, but each had their own pros and cons. [break][break]

Resting his hand on the back of another chair, Zev leaned his weight on it. "I want to hear your opinion on our different options."

TAGS – Reinier Justice[break]
NOTES – mission (repeat)

[attr="class","pkmn"]