The Mightyena raced over to a cluster of trees and began barking ferociously, his sharp voice echoing through the clearing. With pricked ears and tail wagging, he put both forepaws on the trunk of the tree and continued his frenzy of shouts. Birds and bugs stirred in the branches above and took to the skies in a desperate attempt to get away from their noisy assailant. Satisfied by his work, the Mightyena stopped barking, pushed off the tree, and lowered his nose to the ground.

[break][break]Trailing far behind was a woman sporting casual clothes and a low ponytail, largely unfazed by the canine’s antics. Instead, she seemed more interested in the wildlife her canine companion had scared off. The frightened Pokemon rose in altitude, their wings beating rapidly and their hearts beating even faster; but just as they thought they were safe, a Fletchinder swooped in and began terrorizing them. The fire bird pecked at their bodies and crashed into them at full force, never relenting.

[break][break]The sound of more barking made Zilla tear her gaze from the skies and look at the path ahead. Mightyena probably found another tree full of wild Pokémon, she thought to herself, and so she maintained a steady pace.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Zilla watched on as a Karrablast shot out from the tree branches, striking Mightyena square in the face with a well-placed Take Down. The canine winced from the pain but did not stumble or retreat. His tail, which had previously wagged with such fervor, now stood erect in a display of dominance. His ears and hackles rose too, and a low growl sounded from deep in his chest. Despite the fact that he had been the aggressor, Mightyena was still enraged by the fact that one of his prey chose to fight back.

[break][break] The Karrablast wavered somewhat, clearly rethinking its decision to fight an enemy so much larger and stronger than itself, but it stood its ground and launched a follow-up attack: Fury Cutter. The distance between the two combatants was short, so Mightyena knew he wouldn’t be able to successfully avoid the hit. Instead, he let the wild Pokémon get closer and make contact before he chomped down on the opponent with Fire Fang.

[break][break]The Karrablast screamed out and convulsed in pain, but it still managed to wiggle free of Mightyena’s grasp. Its whole body ached with a burning sensation and its tiny heart beat rapidly as panic began to set in. It was really out of its depth. Any courage the small bug may have had vanished the moment it spotted the silhouette of a bird flying overhead. It was outnumbered and outmatched. In a matter of seconds, it turned and waddled frantically into the dense foliage, desperate to flee before it was killed.

[break][break]By that point, Zilla managed to catch up to Mightyena. She hadn’t been concerned for his well-being, so there was no reason to rush the nice stroll she was on. "Atta boy," she said while gently patting his side. The canine’s posture relaxed as the fight came to an end and his trainer praised his good work. The Fletchinder, on the other hand, seemed agitated by something. He circled overhead, twittered anxiously, then headed off toward a nearby farm. Mightyena chased after.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Pass on both Pokemon

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Zilla watched in silence as Mightyena ran after Fletchinder, knowing full well that she was losing sight of her two strongest party members. Regardless, she continued along at a leisurely pace. Traveling this route had never given her any issues in the past, and aside from the bugs and birds her starter had frightened from the trees, she hadn't seen many other wild Pokemon. Best case, she'd whistle and the duo would come running back to her side—provided they were close enough to hear. Worst case, she'd call out one of her under-leveled Pokemon to defend her while she got away.

[break][break]As if to test her might, a Pawniard emerged from the underbrush, looking angry and perhaps even a bit confused. Did the Karrablast tell the rest of the forest of the frightening Mightyena that was running around and terrorizing the locals? Certainly not. Pokemon didn't communicate like that, especially not in nature. But that didn't change the fact that a walking knife-set was now looking for a fight. Zilla slowed to a stop in the middle of the path, all the while staring down the Pawniard.

[break][break]It sharpened its blades and grunted, doing its best to challenge or scare off its human opponent. Zilla cocked an eyebrow, unclipped a pokeball from her belt, and pressed the released button. In a flash of light, a Charmander roughly the same size at the wild Pawniard emerged on the battlefield. Just as he had been trained to do, the lizard immediately growled to intimidate the enemy... but when compared to Mightyena's powerful stance and fierce snarl, Charmander's tactic was pretty adorable. Even still, the Pawniard appeared to hesitate for a moment before lunging forward.

[break][break]Charmander likely would have had more than enough time to move out of the way, but Zilla had different plans. "Take the hit!" she hollered. And like a loyal soldier, he did just that. The Pawniard slashed both hand-blades across the defenseless lizard's chest, though it held back some — no doubt a response to the not-so-intimidating growl from earlier. Even still, the blow caused the orange lizard to scream out in agony.

[break][break]Seeing him in pain like that made Zilla's heart ache, but she stayed strong. It was purely strategic, she told herself. His Blaze ability super-charged his fire attacks when he was severely injured; and despite the fact that there was no way to tell if he had suffered enough damage to activate the ability, the Pawniard was now too close to avoid a counterattack at point-blank range. "Flamethrower," Zilla said, and the Charmander once again obeyed without question.

[break][break]As the tiny knight stumbled backwards, away from the stream of fire that now engulfed its body, the Rocket grunt pulled an empty pokeball from her bag and tossed it at the wild Pokemon.

[break][break]As Zilla and Charmander waited with bated breath, Mightyena and Fletchinder arrived at the outskirts of a nearby farm where a man stood over an unconscious Drapion. The fire bird flew in lazy circles over the farm, indicating that this was where he was headed all along. Mightyena was slow to approach, not wanting to startle the stranger or start a fight without his trainer; however, introductions had to wait. The sound of rustling caught the dark dog's attention. An Anorith. Mightyena erupted into a fury of barks, alerting the farmer of the wild Pokemon's presence the same way he would have done if something was sneaking up on Zilla.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Zilla attempts to capture Pawniard.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Zilla smirked when the pokeball fell still. She wasn't the type of trainer who dreamed of catching every single Pokemon; no, when she caught Pokemon, it was usually because she had the intention of selling it to some shady dealer on the Black Market. And yet, there were exceptions. There were certain Pokemon that she warmed up to over time — Charmander being the latest one — while others were species she wanted for a long time. Pawniard was one of the latter. It was a quick and deadly member to have on the team, and Zilla was glad to have caught it.

[break][break]"Great work," she praised while clipping the pokeball on her belt and turning back to the Charmander. He was stomping in place, kicking up dust, and growling happily. The Rocket grunt chuckled at this. "Yeah, you were really strong. That Pawniard didn't stand a chance," Zilla said. Charmander roared and swiped at the air, as if proving just how tough he was and confirming everything his trainer was saying.

[break][break]Although the self-imposed congratulatory celebration was adorable, Zilla was eager to catch up with the rest of her team. She glanced down the path then looked back at the fire lizard, who was still dancing in place. "Alright. Time to rest, buddy." The Charmander lost a little of his vigor upon hearing those words, but he continued stomping around until his trainer produce his pokeball. With a final cry of joy, he was sucked into the ball by a beam of red light.

[break][break]Zilla looked toward the horizon, in the direction Mightyena and Fletchinder had fled. They could look after themselves, she knew that, but she also knew that Pokemon weren't the most coordinated when left to their own devices. Trainers were a vital asset in combat, for they could see the entire battlefield and could strategize accordingly. Without a trainer's guidance, Pokemon were at an inherit disadvantage. Arceus forbid they were ambushed by hunters or a swarm of wild Pokemon. The fear caused Zilla to pick up the pace, and her lax gait turned into a steady jog.

[break][break]Meanwhile, Mightyena was in no obvious danger. He'd arrived at the point of interest and growled at the Anorith as it emerged from the underbrush, doing his best to scare off the wild Pokemon and protect the farmhand who may or may not have noticed the intruder. Almost as soon as the ancient bug arrived, it left. There were likely a number of factors for why the Anorith left in such a hurry, but the Mightyena believed his intimidation tactics were the primary reason. Feeling exceptionally proud of his guard-dog capabilities, he began wagging his tail excitedly.

[break][break]When the man asked where the canine's master was, Mightyena simply barked and continued wagging his tail. Fletchinder, still flying in lazy circles overhead, cried out. It was unclear whether the bird was alerting the group to the presence of a threat or was just trying to say hello, but regardless of its intention, the dark hound didn't seem alarmed or worried by what the fire bird was communicating.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Pass on both Pokemon

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Upon witnessing the brutality of Flygon's battle against Scraggy, Mightyena wished to show off his own fighting prowess as well. He barked once before putting his nose to the ground and trotting off toward the treeline in search of a foe. There were all sorts of scents in the area, most of which belonged to the animals on the farm, but there were a few lingering odors from nearby wild Pokemon.

[break][break]He identified a Butterfree and Sewaddle in a nearby tree, but he also knew going after those wouldn't be fruitful. Since he couldn't climb well or fly, he needed to go after something on the ground. A Purrloin or Meowth, maybe! He would have no such luck locating a feline, however. As luck would have it, there was lone Houndour nearby. With tail wagging with a renewed vigor, the Mightyena dashed off and disappeared into the thicket.

[break][break]By about this time, Zilla had finally arrived at the farm's outskirts, where she spotted a man standing proud alongside a Flygon. His expression was unreadable, though the Rocket grunt initially presumed it to be a display of frustration or annoyance. "Hey!" Zilla shouted a she approached, hoping not to take the man too off-guard. "I hope my team didn't cause you too much trouble," she said. That was a lie. Trouble was her middle name. But at the same time, she didn't want Rangers called just because she let her Pokemon "off leash."

[break][break]After closing the gap, Zilla realized something which immediately took her off guard. She chuckled nervously. "Oh, Arceus. Are you— You're not— Has anyone told you that you look just like Benoit?" The Elite 4 were the poster children of the League, and as a long-time citizen of Hoenn, there was no way Zilla wouldn't have recognized him. Despite this, she didn't know about Benoit's personal life or what he did after retiring, and meeting someone in real life was much different than meeting them in person.

[break][break]There was no way this guy was actually Thomas Benoit of the Elite 4... Right?

[break][break]But before either could exchange proper greetings, a Houndour came barreling into the clearing, followed closely by a manic-looking Mightyena. In any other situation, Zilla would have laughed and cheered on the terrorizing, but this just felt wrong. Maybe it was because she was being watched, so she knew she had to be on her best behavior; or maybe it was because she had a soft spot for young pups, for they reminded her of when she and Mightyena were young. So as the Houndour ran to hide behind Zilla's legs, she held out a hand and ordered her partner to "Stop!"

[break][break]And he did, stopping on a dime. He panted, his tail wagged eagerly, and his legs trembled with excitement, but he remained in place all the same. He cast a goofy glance to the Benoit look-alike, and his tail seemed to wag even faster. He was desperate for some praise. "Look what I did! I can be scary and fierce too! Didn't I do a good job?" he seemed to say. Yet he received no such commendation from his own trainer.

[break][break]Zilla, meanwhile, turned and crouched down to comfort the frightened pup. Its eyes were wide and its stub-of-a-tail was tucked between its hind-legs. It was terrified without the protection of its pack. "Come with me and I'll keep you safe," Zilla said while pulling an empty pokeball from her bag. As she pressed the cool steel against the pup's nose, she added, "I'll teach you to be strong." The ball opened and the Houndour disappeared in a flash of light.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Zilla attempts to capture Houndour through befriending.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]