[break]

Zev had expected the lack of recognition from Aurelie. After all, he'd trained his Zoroark to develop a disguise that looked nothing like his actual appearance. Hazel eyes, shoulder-length blonde hair—even the cut of his jaw was different. [break][break]

But the proprietor of Iron Lady Forge was an intelligent woman. Zev watched as she realized something was amiss, her warm and welcoming expression cooling into a cautious one. [break][break]

He shook his head at her questions and said instead, "Your appointment is with me." His voice, at least, was not disguised; he did not have the talent for accents or pitch change. "We need to talk in private." [break][break]

The smile Zev gave her was an amused one, a remnant of a bygone life when he'd worn a different mask.

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev closed the door to Elisabeth Fiorelli's office upon entering it, enclosing both of them in the privacy of the room. Its interior did not look much different than what he remembered, though he hadn't visited in a long time. He'd had no reason to, but words shared during a recent skirmish against in Area Zero had prompted him to seek out the underboss. [break][break]

"Fiorelli," Zev greeted her, his tone and expression neutral, betraying none of this thoughts. He crossed the room to sit in the unoccupied chair in front of her desk. Unseen, his Gengar lurked in his shadow. [break][break]

"I've been thinking about our fight against kyle lopez and MATIAS SILPH," he said, getting straight to the point. He saw no need for small talk. "Silph said something odd to me." [break][break]

"So you're the fucker Bee. Ha! You're uglier than I thought you'd be." [break][break]

Zev raised a quizzical eyebrow. "How does he know who Bee is? And why does he think I'm him?"

TAGS – Elisabeth Fiorelli[break]
NOTES – social

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The vagueness of Howard's answer would have bothered Zev if the Rocket Beast actually cared. Instead, the growing pulse of Dynergy commanded his attention as the admin led the way farther underground. [break][break]

"My resistance is fine," Zev lied, recalling how ill he'd felt after supping from a Power Spot upon Sootopolitan soil. How he'd had to expel it via laser beam afterward. [break][break]

In the chamber with the large door, he scanned the engravings with a critical gaze. They meant nothing to him, but he acted as if he knew their importance. [break][break]

"Why? What's the issue?"

TAGS – howard slayte[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev woke with a start and immediately winced as a throbbing pain shot through his head. Feeling somewhat sluggish and groggy, he pushed off the hard, cold floor— [break][break]

What? [break][break]

Adrenaline surged through him, dulling his headache and sharpening his senses. His vision fogged, and he realized with a jolt that he was peering out through a shaded visor. [break][break]

His hands flew to his head, running over the grooves of the mask over his face. Without a second thought, he tried to remove it, then choked hard as something strong and fleshy tightened around his throat, stopping him. [break][break]

What the fuck?! [break][break]

Feeling along the thick rope, Zev managed to twist the object so he could peer at it through his limited vision. A Toxic Chain. He recognized the shape from the report submitted by howard slayte. Easy enough to remove, Zev thought as he willed the crystals in his body to come to the surface. [break][break]

The Toxic Chain constricted to painful levels, jarring him violently. He curled up against the floor, gasping for breath, until eventually the coil loosened around his neck. [break][break]

Then he tried again, focusing hard on the mental image of his fingers turning into wicked, razor-sharp claws. [break][break]

The Chain tightened once more, crushing his windpipe. Stars burst in his vision. The agony lasted longer that time, finally relenting as he felt himself on the edge of passing out. [break][break]

Zev staggered to his feet, his alarm transforming into an escalating fury. Only then did he notice that he was wearing unfamiliar clothes, that he wasn't carrying any Pokéballs or weapons or tools. And when he mentally sought the psychic bond between himself and Necrozma, he felt the Toxic Chain begin to tighten once more. [break][break]

He lunged at the bars of his cell. "You!" he snarled at the nearest Megalopolan guard, every muscle tense with rage, his entire body seething. "Open this fucking door, right now!" [break][break]

The guard merely sneered, wordlessly taunting him from outside the cage. [break][break]

Zev's wrath spiked higher. Grasping the bars, he imagined himself ripping them apart and beating the guard to death with them. [break][break]

"I swear, when I get out of here, I'm going to rip your face off with my bare hands and force you to eat it!" he shouted at the alien. His voice rang through the prison, echoing off the stone.

TAGS – Neffatari Nzingha & ugly ward[break]
NOTES[break]
– Zev is in the UGLY WARD.[break]
– Zev tries to use his Avatar powers but keeps getting almost choked out, is pissed, and is yelling extremely violent threats at the Megalopolan guards.

[attr="class","pkmn"]

[break]

Zev walked through the front door of Iron Lady Forge, disguised by his Zoroark's illusion. Though the storefront was familiar to him, the man whose face he wore was not one who'd ever been a customer. And so, as the chime on the door announced his presence, he took his time to peruse the display cases of mundane items, pretending to be someone else. [break][break]

His Zoroark, taking on the appearance of an Obstagoon, stayed close by his side. [break][break]

Eventually, the Rocket Beast made his way to the counter where the shop's owner could sometimes be found. He expected to see her there, as he'd sent an encrypted message via Rocket's internal network ahead of his arrival. [break][break]

Zev was stopping by to place a bulk order for Team Rocket's use, and to satisfy his own curiosity. [break][break]

But if Aurelie wasn't at the counter, he knew she'd be in her forge, hard at work. After all, she'd received an order of significance from none other than the Calyrex who dwelled in Sootopolis.

TAGS – Aurelie Lefevre[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Unbeknownst to Jason, Zev had instructed his Pokémon not to go all-out on the mission. This tactic was for testing the grunt's capabilities, to see just what he and his Pokémon could accomplish. So when the DAZZLING GLEAM knocked both criminals' Pokémon back, Zev's Seviper and Gengar did not immediately re-engage. [break][break]

Instead, Smoke continued to chase away the Ralts and Kirlia, his HEX doing just enough injury to keep them from fighting back. Seviper, on the other hand, entered a staring match with one of the Gardevoir, the two Pokémon trying to psyche each other out. [break][break]

"Are you good over there, Huang?" Zev called over the noise of battle as panic flickered over the face of the other man. The Beast's own expression was neutral, devoid of any emotion, revealing no thought.

TAGS – Jason Huang[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev already had that exact tactic in mind, but he pretended to contemplate the suggestion before nodding his head. Jason was proving himself a proactive, strategic thinker. "Good idea. Use stealth to get close, then attack on my signal." [break][break]

Taking back the binoculars and tucking them away, Zev started down the right side of the hill toward their targets. His Seviper led the way through the tall grass, while Smoke the Gengar traveled through the phantom plane. [break][break]

Once in position, the Rocket Beast waited thirty seconds for Jason to reach the same point opposite him across the clearing. Then he made an abrupt hand gesture to his Pokémon. [break][break]

The coiled Seviper lunged forward, fangs bared at the nearest Gardevoir. At the same time, Smoke blinked into view, swooping down upon the smaller Fairy-types to send them scattering.

TAGS – Jason Huang[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

Zev took a drag of his own cigarette as he surveyed the interior of the Ancient Tomb. Memories of last summer's battle outside its walls came to the fore of his mind. The Ruinous Beasts, Zamazenta's shield, a Pokémon's trickery making his colleagues believe they had been transported back in time… [break][break]

"I've been curious about the bigger Power Spots for some time," he admitted to Howard. Even at ground level, Zev sensed the energy signature of that well of poison deep underground. It called him, a siren song that was taking all of his willpower to resist. [break][break]

His gaze dragged to the floor, to the power that pulsed beneath their feet. "How much Dynite Ore have we been able to extract from the one here?" [break][break]

Just in case, his Hatterene stood at his side, ready to use AROMATHERAPY on him in case he needed it. Not that he expected to.

TAGS – howard slayte[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]

The conflagration grew and spread. Its heat did not bother Zev, though he craved the light of it. Suppressing his hunger, he stood among the flames and watched the girl struggle. Her attention shifted to saving the forest, even as the fire encroached, penning her in. [break][break]

"Wrong move." [break][break]

Lights flashed as Zev swapped his injured Ursaluna for the towering form of a Golurk. Electricity crackled in the air as THUNDERBOLT arced toward the Blastoise. Meanwhile, Blacephalon aimed a HYPNOSIS at the Charizard.

TAGS – Yuina Higashi[break]
NOTES – mission (repeat)[break]
– Bloodmoon Ursalunsa switches with Golurk[break]
– Golurk uses THUNDERBOLT on Blastoise[break]
– Blacephalon uses HYPNOSIS on Charizard

[attr="class","pkmn"]

In the shadow of Mt. Pyre, Zev stood on a hill overlooking a clearing in the woods. A couple of Gardevoir had gathered with some of their pre-evolved forms—Ralts and Kirlia both. In total, eight wild Pokémon rested in the clearing. [break][break]

Zev watched them through hunting binoculars, tracking their movements. "We take only the Gardevoir," he reminded the grunt beside him. His tone was quiet and clinical—devoid of any passion or interest. [break][break]

"The smaller ones we can scare away, though expect them to put up a fight. So choose your Pokémon carefully." [break][break]

After handing the binoculars over to the grunt, a man named Jason Huang, Zev removed two Pokéballs from his belt. A moment later, his Gengar and Seviper appeared at his side. [break][break]

"Any questions before we start?" Zev asked, glancing sidelong at the other man.

TAGS – Jason Huang[break]
NOTES – mission

[attr="class","pkmn"]