From a bird's eye view, Fletchinder was able to see everything. Such keen eyesight was a valuable asset to Zilla in her life of crime; not only did he act as a lookout, alerting his trainer to nearby police and rangers, but he was also excellent at scouting out viable targets for robbery. As such, Zilla had hoped to find something of worth here. Trouble brewing on Benoit's ranch could have posed an interesting opportunity to sneak in and snag a couple Mudsdale or Miltank, but it was ultimately a risk she wasn't willing to take.

[break][break]Being a gambling woman, she could see the odds weren't in her favor. Even if she could shake Daisuke and slip away, she now knew an Elite 4 member was likely somewhere on the property. And even if he wasn't around in that very moment, it was obvious many of his Pokemon were. The grunt eyed the Scizor as it swiftly dealt with a sneaky Morgrem — a Scizor that apparently belonged to Benoit — and cocked an eyebrow curiously. Despite Zilla having confidence in Mightyena's combat abilities, the bug's display of raw strength left her feeling less inclined to rob the place.

[break][break]"Sorry to hear you've been having such trouble," she said, doing her best to make her concern sound genuine. "Any idea what you're dealing with... or which way it went?" The truth of the matter was that Zilla wanted to know if the ranch's tormentor was worth hunting down. The Black Market would pay decent money for a powerful Pokemon. And if the wild beast in question was Houndour's pack then it would have been just as rewarding, not just for her but for Team Rocket itself.

[break][break]As if on cue, Feltchinder began squawking and Mightyena turned to face the treeline, snarling and glowering at the underbrush. Zilla took a step behind her canine companion and kept her eyes fixated on the distance as well. She didn't see or hear anything right away, but she had learned to trust her Pokemon's instincts. Fletchinder called out again, a little more alarmed this time, and the rumbling thunder of heavy footfalls quickly grew louder. Zilla glanced at Daisuke before looking back at the trees.

[break][break]Crashing through the foliage was a massive Grimmsnarl. It screamed, slammed its fists, and paused only long enough to size up the competition. "Is that the Pokemon you were looking for?" she asked as Mightyena launched himself at the enemy and bit down on its left leg with a mighty Crunch. It certainly wasn't the most effective move, but it would hopefully serve enough of a distraction to prevent Zilla or Daisuke from getting caught in the imp's rampage.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Passing on both Pokemon

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

What this Daisuke guy lacked in conversation, he made up for with powerful Pokemon. Unlike the members on her own team, his party was able to fall high-level enemies in just one or two hits. Zilla had never been too focused on combat training — she instead put a greater emphasis on stealth and defense, which would give her better opportunities to steal or traffic Pokemon — so it shouldn't have come as a surprise that the Pokemon on an Elite 4's farm was incredibly skilled in battle, but the grunt was impressed nevertheless.

[break][break]Passing on robbing the property was definitely a wise decision.

[break][break]"I'm fine," Zilla replied while motioning to her Mightyena to return to her side, but he was far too excited about having tag-teamed the Grimmsnarl to obey. The dark canine turned to Benoit's loyal Scizor and dropped into a play-bow, his tail wagging and his tongue lolling out the side of his mouth as he eagerly waited for the metallic bug to engage. Any concern Zilla may have had for his well-being after the scuffle was immediately put to rest upon witnessing his playful demeanor.

[break][break]With a sigh, Zilla crossed both arms over her chest and looked back at Daisuke. "So you don't know anything about what attacked the ranch?" she asked, eyebrow raised in suspicion and disbelief. He could've been keeping things vague because he didn't trust her and thus didn't feel comfortable opening up to a stranger, but a criminal instinct told Zilla there may have been an opportunity for good fortune if she kept pushing for details.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Passing on both Pokemon

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Despite the short description Daisuke provided, he kept a lot of information close to the chest. Zilla could see right through the veil of secrecy. She hadn't made it 14 years as a common criminal on good looks and luck alone. She could sniff out a lead from a mile away. A greed to capture the elusive Pokemon piqued her interest and drove her to pry further, but a sense of self-preservation encouraged her to leave before things turned sour.

[break][break]Against her better judgement, the former won out. "A quadruped, huh?" the grunt repeated, eying the distant fence that the intruder had apparently leaped over without an issue. "Anything smarter than a Mareep wouldn't have a problem clearing that," she scoffed, not impressed. "Don't most ranches have Stoutlands to protect livestock?" Zilla had never spent much time on ranches, so all her knowledge about farm life came from the movies she'd seen.

[break][break]Though she had little insight on how things really worked on a farm, she did pose an interesting question nevertheless. For a property belonging to an Ex-League official, it seemed surprisingly under-protected. How could a Pokemon, regardless how fast or nimble, slip in and out without anyone being able to stop it? Something wasn't adding up, but it was possible this farmhand hadn't been privy to all the information and thus couldn't share any more details.

[break][break]Zilla dipped her head and lifted a hand, silently apologizing for her speculation. "Need any help tracking down the mystery 'mon?" she asked, glancing to the side only long enough to spot the Porygon as it was captured in Daisuke's pokeball.

[break][break]Mightyena, who'd been vying for Scizor's attention, received some silent recognition as the steel bug gave a smile and nod of approval. The dog's entire back-side began to sway from side-to-side as his wagging tail sped up. Excitement got the better of him, and he popped back to his feet, barking a few times as he did.

[break][break]Eager to show off more, Mightyena glanced around for another target and began chasing after a Purrloin who'd wandered too close to the clearing. He pounced and swatted at the frustrated feline (Play Rough), driving it closer to the gathering of people and Pokemon. He missed on occasion, but the hits that did land only served to anger the cat even more. As it whirled around to scratch Mightyena's nose, Zilla tossed a pokeball in its direction.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Purrloin capture attempt

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

What did Zilla know about the current situation?

[break][break]Daisuke worked for Benoit and had stepped away from the property in search of a wild Pokemon that fled before the guards could deal with it. No one got a good look at it, save for a vague description that it was quadrupedal and managed to leap over the fence — correction, the gate. No colors were given. Nothing regarding a size estimation. Not even a comment about how it happened to slip away from experienced security. Had it used any attacks? What was it after? The livestock or something else? Did it act with intent or a primitive hunger?

[break][break]All were questions Zilla considered asking but ultimately opted against. This guy, Daisuke, wasn't the most social and there was still the possibility that he really didn't even know what they was looking for. If he did know anything more, he was keeping it close to the vest. Perhaps he was simple-minded, and he hadn't bothered asking the guards for more information before beginning the search. The grunt stifled a snicker at the thought that perhaps his low intellect was why he was a lowly farm-hand, hired to scoop manure and bathe dirty livestock.

[break][break]After Benoit's Pokemon displayed their brute strength felling a Hydreigon, Daisuke welcomed her to aid in the search for the mystery assailant. "Alright, I will," she huffed, "Why don't you lead me to the gate it jumped over?" Mightyena were known for their bite, not their tracking abilities, but they were still predatory canines, so they weren't completely helpless when it came to locating prey. Zilla's partner may have been able to use his nose to pick up a scent. It was worth a shot. Better than standing around and talking in circles, at least.

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Pass on both Pokemon

[attr="class","pokeclass"]