Before Zilla had time to realize that the blaze was not only spreading in her direction but also being extinguished the same way, she was interrupted by a sight that filled her with overwhelming pride and joy: her soot-covered Mightyena and a pitiful pup in his maw. Her dark eyes widened and a toothy grin crept across her face. The larger dog, filled with a similar delight, wagged his tail upon spotting his trainer again. It had only been about a half hour since they were last together, but it had felt like so much longer. Even the Houndour, who hadn't stopped howling the entire time, seemed to calm down the moment she noticed Zilla.

[break][break]And yet, something immediately made Mightyena halt in his tracks and lift his tail in a show of dominance. Deep red eyes locked on the oversized fish as it warbled and bounced in place, unable to contain its own excitement. Whether it was thrilled about the arrival of new friends or the dying wildfire remained a mystery, but Zilla opted to intervene in order to prevent something undesirable from happening regardless. With some urgency, she stepped between Dracovish and Mightyena, one eyes still on the prehistoric creature in case it decided to charge again.

[break][break]"Easy, boy," Zilla said while reaching out to retrieve the Houndour pup. Mightyena didn't move, simply kept his gaze fixated on the blue beast. "It's an oaf," she explained, "But it's mostly harmless. Just keep your distance." The flame pup, now safe from the dangers of the forest and freed from her counterpart's teeth, licked her trainer's chin before trying to scramble free. "Ah! No ya don't. Not again," the indigo-haired woman huffed as she lifted up a pokeball and recalled the hyperactive Houndour.

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+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

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"Hey! That's my oaf, I'll have you know," a familiar voice hollered from beyond the treeline. Dracovish was already on the move, frantically charging in the speaker's direction to meet up with its trainer. Even Mightyena seemed to recognize the voice, for his stoic demeanor melted away and his tail began to wag with fervor.

[break][break]"Isaac?" the indigo-haired grunt asked, not completely convinced the mystery man was the rookie in question, despite the fact that the voice in the trees did sound like him. Her suspicions were confirmed when he emerged from the thicket, echoing the single-word sentiment by simply uttering her name aloud. A half-smirk crept across Zilla's face the moment their eyes fell on each another.

[break][break]He'd changed a lot since the last time they saw each other — the last time they saw each other in the field, that is. He was flanked by not only his unevolved Totodile but also a Blastoise, Kabutops, Dracovish, and Talonflame. No, wait. That was Zilla's Talonflame! He fluttered over the group's heads and landed on a nearby tree branch, overlooking the congregation as well as the surrounding area. If anyone or anything tried sneaking up on the group, he'd see them.

[break][break]Zilla tore her gaze from the fire bird and looked back at Isaac when he asked what kind of trouble she had gotten herself into. He was met with a scoff and crossed arms. "I should ask you the same thing," she hissed, grin still plastered on her face, "You're the one walking away from a forest fire." She nodded at the ash-choked skies above them. Though she suspected her Houndour had everything to do with it, it was more fun to push the blame off on her comrade.

[break][break]"You know, there are easier ways to get the Rangers' attention. Or maybe you lost control of your Pokemon." She eyed the horrific mutant of a Dracovish before continuing, "You lost control of one already..." Her voice faded to silence before her gaze snapped back to Isaac. "You're welcome, by the way. For calming your monster. It was rampaging through the forest like a rabid Arcanine."

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+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

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"Oh, absolutely," Zilla chuckled, "Those water attacks are as dangerous as they come."

[break][break]Had this been an argument worth having, the grunt may have pointed out that one of Isaac's other Pokemon could have started the fire; that TMs existed, so even if the Pokemon responsible wasn't a fire type, it still had the potential to use a fire move; or it could have been a wild Pokemon who was fighting back against one of his poorly trained party members — which actually had been the case, though the culprit was one of Zilla's own Pokemon, not Isaac's.

[break][break]Ultimately, countering the man's defense was pointless. She had a gut feeling Houndour was responsible, and in truth, she couldn’t have cared less. The only reason she stuck around after the forest went up in flames was to retrieve her missing Pokemon. Had they come straight back, she likely would have left the scene of the crime without ever trying to stop the wildfire from spreading.

[break][break]Her focus was instead on the fact that, out of everyone she could have run into, Isaac was the person she ended up meeting on this faithful day. And, perhaps more importantly, his mutant of a pet.

[break][break]"I'm not above admitting that that thing is an abomination," she pointed at the Dracovish. "You've gotta have a couple screws loose to think it's cute." She grimaced when the beast wiggled and snorted happily in response to Isaac patting its flank. It was ugly. It was frightening, especially when charging. It should never have been created in the first place.

[break][break]And yet, there was some charm to it. It behaved a lot like an oversized puppy, and anyone who knew Zilla also knew she had a soft spot for dogs. She'd never admit her reluctant fondness for Grimance, however. For as much as it frightened and disgusted her, she also found herself fascinated and enamored by it.

[break][break]Needless to say, the look that settled on Zilla's face was a complex emotion to read. She only became aware of her expression when Isaac asked if she was alright. Her eyes focused back on the blonde man and her face relaxed. "Yeah, of course."

[break][break]Mere seconds later, her eyes narrowed and her painted lips curled into a playful smirk before she added, "What? You're concerned for me? How cute~" She took a couple steps forward, closing the distance between them. "You always were the type to worry about others." She paused only a moment. "It's incredibly annoying." Even the insult was muttered with a coy grin and a sultry gaze. Did she really find his attitude annoying or was she just trying to egg him on?

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+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

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Zilla's grin never wavered, even as Isaac explained that he only cared for her well-being as far as logistics were concerned. He didn't want to be the one responsible for breaking any bad news to her "next of kin" — which, according to him, consisted of nothing more than "a bunch of dogs." He was wrong, of course, because both of her parents were alive and well, but bringing up such personal sentiments were against the spirit of the game. After all, she always appreciated when a cute guy could keep up with her wit.

[break][break]"Mightyena thanks you," Zilla chuckled. Despite not truly paying attention to the conversation, the dark canine heard his name and instinctively cocked his head in response. He watched his trainer for a long moment before turning to Watson and wagging his tail slowly. If the tiny gator met his gaze, Mightyena would have bowed and barked in an attempt to encourage the Totodile to play with him.

[break][break]Just as Isaac pointed out, the two hadn't seen each other in a couple months — though it was probably closer to half a year by now. Part of the blame could have been put on Team Rocket for keeping the teams separated because they had different skill sets. While Zilla was a master thief and Pokemon trafficker, Isaac required a bit more work. He had a big heart and wore his emotions on his sleeves. It made sense that they wouldn't want him poaching Pokemon, for instance, if he hadn't proven himself capable of that type of work.

[break][break]However, part of the separation had to do with Zilla having no need of Isaac's services... for field work or otherwise. As far as the latter was concerned, she'd heard rumor that he'd started seeing someone, and while she rarely held any reservations about being a home-wrecker, the fact that Isaac and his new partner were both Rocket members felt a bit too messy to risk. As such, Zilla didn't see a need to seek out Isaac's favor when other men could get the job done just well.

[break][break]"Been a while," the indigo-haired grunt agreed with a slight purr in her voice. "I see you've been using that time to grow your team," she pointed out while glancing at the group of water Pokemon standing some distance away. She stopped walking when she was within arm's reach of her comrade, and her dark eyes shifted back to meet Isaac's. "Been making some waves too, from what I hear," she murmured, her voice barely louder than a whisper, "Better be careful who you call 'friend'."

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+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

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"Not judging," Zilla replied, her smile wavering as they discussed the reality of the situation they both found themselves in, "Just reminding you exactly who you're dealing with." She was the last person to judge someone for their life of crime, but she also wasn't oblivious when it came to the syndicate she found herself aligned with. No one ought to mistake her carefree attitude and petty crimes as a reflection of Team Rocket's true intent. The organization had dirty little secrets that would even make Zilla squeamish.

[break][break]Noticing that the mood had shifted away from playful banter and onto a serious dialogue about Isaac's safety, the blonde man back-pedaled and admitted Zilla was right in her observation. They were both criminals, sure... but there were even worse people in Team Rocket, people who wouldn't hesitate to blackmail, sabotage, or even murder someone if their commanders asked. And that wasn't even talking about how the affiliation made them enemies of the state.

[break][break]It was dangerous work, but Zilla found that the pros often outweighed the cons. Pros: information about high-paying jobs, security in the form of disguises and backup, and plenty of black market connections. Cons: loyal members were willing to commit heinous crimes she didn't want to be associated with, and she risked a hit being put on her if she ever tried to leave. So long as she kept her head down, she reaped the benefits without ever being asked to do something outside her comfort zone.

[break][break]Isaac, on the other hand, wasn't the type to sit on his hands and let elite members do whatever they wanted, especially if it didn't align with his goody-two-shoes outlook of the world. As his recruiter, Zilla felt an obligation to remind him of the company he was keeping. He couldn't just start running his mouth about morality when he was under the gun. She wasn't the one holding it, but she saw the walls closing in and felt it was only right to caution her ally against making more waves.

[break][break]His response? Saying that some Rocket members deserved better and that Zilla should give them a chance. The indigo-haired grunt cocked an eyebrow. A chance to do what, she wondered, though she didn't voice the inquiry aloud. Knowing Isaac, he'd go off on a tangent about how she needed to open her heart up to people and let them in. She did, but she was also very particular about who she trusted. She'd been mingling with groups like this since her adolescence, so she knew better than to "give strangers a chance."

[break][break]Instead of trying to impart some knowledge on her peer, Zilla smirked faintly and crossed her arms over her chest again. "One of these days, you're gonna give someone a chance and get a knife in your back. Most of 'em are loyal to the team and wouldn't hesitate to take you out of the picture." She had no doubts there were others with loose loyalties to Team Rocket, but was outing oneself worth the risk of finding them or even helping them get out? Not to Zilla.

[break][break]"All I'm sayin' is you need to watch your back. Making friends is fine and all, but don't get blinded trying to find the good in everyone you meet, especially in our line of work." Her small smirk grew into a wide, playful grin as she leaned in close. "There are eyes and ears everywhere," she whispered into Isaac's right ear, her warm breath caressing his skin and sending a reminder of their history together.

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+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

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Zilla's mouth dropped open and she placed a hand over her breasts in feigned offense when Isaac compared her to a baby Deerling. "How dare!" she gasped, "I'm, at the very least, a Sawsbuck." The clarification was necessary, albeit not too important in the grand scheme of things. Perhaps she was nothing more than a frightened Deerling when seated beside the hungry predators in Team Rocket, but she wasn't helpless prey either. If she was a Sawsbuck in the metaphor, at least she'd have a fighting chance.

[break][break]"But you're right about one thing. You're definitely an Igglybyff," she giggled, absolutely reeling over the idea that Isaac wasn't just a little pink puffball but was also full of hot air. The analogy was one Zilla couldn't help laughing at.

[break][break]Even still, she wasn't dissuaded from offering a final warning despite the light-hearted direction of the conversation. She needed him to know that her concern for him was real. It was the least she could do as his mentor and as his friend, not that she'd admit the latter aloud.

[break][break]Fortunately for Zilla — or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it — Isaac had a bit of insight of his own to share. Apparently Team Rocket was "pushing for capital W war." It wasn't something the grunt had heard, specifically, but she'd definitely sensed some tension in the air around the Rocket elites. There were plenty of hushed whispers and paranoid over-the-shoulder glances to make her nervous, more so than usual.

[break][break]"You don't need t' worry about me," she purred while pulling away from her ex-fling, "I've got it all figured out." She didn't, and she would have been a fool to say Isaac was wrong. She really was something of a contractor for the organization, wasn't she? But how long would that agreement last for the syndicate, and what would she have to do to prove herself a loyal member of Rocket?

[break][break]We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Zilla told herself on repeat, even though she knew deep down that a contingency plan would be needed on the off-chance that she was asked to do something against her own morality. So far, keeping her head down and her nose out of Rocket affairs had served her well, but how long would that truly last? If push came to shove, would she put all her chips down on Team Rocket or would she gamble her life away by fleeing?

[break][break]Talonflame cawed from a nearby tree and shifted nervously, causing the indigo-haired woman to perk up and glance over her shoulder. "More importantly," she said, her voice returning to a normal volume as she took a couple steps around Isaac, "I think we should get outta here before the Rangers show up." The forest fire must have caught their attention, and Zilla wanted to be long gone before they arrived.

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+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

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