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"]

Talonflame glided over the forest, using the updraft of the fire to his advantage. He rode the aerial wave and seldom had to flap his wings to stay airborne; the steady current helped him hover in the sky and scan the area below for either of his missing comrades. There were plenty of bugs and birds, and even a colony of Woopers, but no sight of the mischievous dogs. Talonflame let out a loud cry, one that pierced through the chaos of the forest and echoed for miles in all directions.

[break][break]If Isaac looked up, he would have been able to spot the red-and-tan bird coasting overhead. He also would have heard its call, followed almost immediately by a tiny, eager howl some distance away, coming from the direction his Kabutops had fled.

[break][break]Mightyena heard the bird's call too, but he dared not let the pup go in order to answer. His job had been to procure the Houndour, and that's exactly what he did. The Kabutops was an unexpected surprise — one that instinctively caused his gait to slow, his hackles to raise, and his tail to lift in a show of dominance — but the ancient creature seemed more preoccupied with battling the hungry flames than picking a fight with the dark canine and his noisy pup.

[break][break]The initial tension in Mightyena's body was slow to settle as he gave the fossil Pokemon a wide birth. Bright red eyes remained locked on the stranger, however, as there was no telling if or when the Kabutops would turn its attention away from the wildfire and begin attacking the duo instead.

[break][break]The smaller canid, still held at bay by the scruff of the neck and not seeing any reason to remain silent, was quick to answer Talonflame's cry. She howled, barked a couple times at the Kabutops, then began howling again. She whimpered a bit and snarled as she tried to free herself from Mightyena's grip, but the large dog did not loosen his hold even a bit. He couldn't risk her running off again or picking a fight with the fire-fighting Pokemon.

[break][break]As the search and standoff continued deep in the forest, Zilla was met by a Dracovish, a horrifying monstrosity of a creature that proved humans were never meant to play god. The grunt instinctively took a couple steps backwards as the beast crashed through the treeline and came to an abrupt stop. In a matter of seconds, it stood up and gurgling something incomprehensible.

[break][break]Zilla stared for a long moment, thumb hitched on her belt, as she waited to see what the fossil Pokemon would do next. It didn't seem to be fleeing from the fire, or else it would have trampled over her in a desperate attempt to escape. Or perhaps it was a dumb creature, easily distracted by a human and just as easily forgetting what it had been running from. That was a possibility. Either way, Zilla was out of Pokemon so she needed to avoid doing anything that would set off the Dracovish.

[break][break]She slowly lifted both hands in front of her chest and turned her palms out so it could see that she wasn't a threat. No weapons, no nets, and no Pokeballs. "Alright, buddy. Take it easy," she murmured. There was no way for her to know that the towering beast was tamed, so she erred on the side of caution. Much like her Mightyena with the Kabutops, Zilla gave the Dracovish plenty of space and stepped out of the way, allowing the Pokemon to continue to the other side of the road without anything standing in its way.

[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Mightyena weaved through the underbrush with nimbleness and agility. His paws thundered against the moist soil underfoot, and his nostrils worked to pick up the pup's scent. She couldn't have gone too far, not only because her short legs would have failed to carry her long distances but because she was a curious kid who would have gotten distracted by a Caterpie as easily as she would a squeaky toy.

[break][break]Within a matter of minutes, Mightyena came upon the pup at the base of a tree, yipping frantically and tail wagging with great fervor. Clinging to the trunk some ways up was a Larvesta, alone and out of reach from its tiny assailant. In any other situation, Mightyena may have joined in to terrorize the local wildlife — watching wild Pokemon flee at the mere sight of him was something that filled him with great joy and pride — but he was here to retrieve Houndour, not to play.

[break][break]He stopped a couple feet away and chuffed twice to catch the pup's attention. Her ears swiveled backwards at the sound, but she kept her gaze fixated on the frightened bug above. The air was filled with more barks as she pawed at the tree, fruitlessly trying to scale it in order to catch her prey. Seeing how the pup wasn't going to come willingly, Mightyena stepped closer with the intent of grabbing her by the scruff and returning her to Zilla.

[break][break]This, unfortunately, proved enough to spook the poor Larvesta. Its abdomen wiggled a bit before searing flames erupted from its horns, engulfing the nearby branches in red-hot embers. Houndour's yips, which previously seemed to say "C'mon down here and fight me, ya big coward!" suddenly turned into angry snarls and fearful whimpers. Mightyena was quick to react. He picked up the pace, closed the distance, and snatched up the young pup before any of the flames could reach her.

[break][break]As the dark dog fled from the scene with the whelp in tow, the fire raged on, swallowing the tree Larvesta had been resting in and hopping to neighboring trees. Despite the area being humid and the ground being fairly water-logged from the nearby river, that didn't stop the flames from spreading. The heat evaporated any moisture that may have prevented the inferno from spreading, and the thicket of trees provided it with ample tinder.

[break][break]Zilla saw the smoke before the fire, and she saw wild Pokemon running for cover before her own Pokemon returned. Panic began to set in as she wondered what may have happened. The obvious answer was Houndour. With no supervision or instruction, the pup probably started a fire. Forest fires happened all the time, she thought, so there was no reason to feel guilty. It's not like someone could pin it on her... But two members of her team were missing. They were somewhere in the forest. And she was starting to worry for their well-being.

[break][break]Zilla unclipped a pokeball from her belt, and Talonflame emerged in a flash of light. "Go find Mightyena and the pooch. They're in there somewhere," the grunt said while motioning toward the billowing smoke on the horizon. The bird let out a confident cry before flapping its mighty wings and taking to the skies. With any luck, they had gotten out before the fire got too bad.

[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

It wasn't the first time Zilla trained a fire Pokemon. Talonflame was technically her first, but given the fact that he started as a Normal/Flying type, he didn't pose the same risk of setting random things ablaze the way natural fire type Pokemon did. Charmander was the second fire type who landed a long-term position on the team, and despite having a literal flame at the end of his tail, he was easy to manage. He was eager to please, intelligent enough to heed commands, and disciplined enough to not go around causing trouble. They were common starters in Kanto for a reason.

[break][break]Unfortunately for Zilla, it was the first time she'd trained such an ornery fire Pokemon. Houndoom was incredibly stubborn and hostile, and despite Houndour's playfulness, she took after her mother in ignoring commands and doing whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. This sort of dismissive behavior really proved problematic when she was around her mom. It was as if she felt more comfortable disobeying when she knew there was someone around to protect her from punishment. When separated, Houndour was generally more willing to listen.

[break][break]So as the Rocket grunt approached the shallow river on Route 103, she slowed to a stop and called Mightyena and Houndour from their balls. The dark canine immediately turned around and rubbed against Zilla's leg like a cat asking for pets. Instinctively, she began stroking his fur while keeping a steady gaze on the fire pup. The Houndour's tiny tail wagged excitedly as she looked around for her mom, and it slowed as she realized that her mama wasn't there. Eventually, her eyes met Zilla's and her tail started wagging again.

[break][break]Suddenly full of energy, the pup bounded closer and bit down on her trainer's pant leg. She pulled on the fabric and whipped her head from side to side, acting as though she'd caught some small prey and was lashing it around until dead. When the pant fabric didn't rip, she snarled in annoyance and shook her head again. "Hey, ease up!" Zilla scolded while removing her hand from Mightyena, leaning down, and picking Houndour off the ground.

[break][break]Houndour wriggled in the woman's grip and nipped at Zilla's nose as she was lifted up. "So naughty!" the grunt gasped, feigning shock at the playful pup's antics. Had she not grown up with a rowdy Poochyena, such frivolousness may have annoyed her in her adulthood; however, she knew this kind of behavior would settle down with training and age. The Houndour tried to nip again, but the indigo-haired woman continued to hold her at a distance.

[break][break]As Houndour began howling, giving up calling for her mama's aid, Zilla put her back on the ground. "Alright, now that you got that out of your system-" Zilla cut herself off as the pup turned around and raced off into a thicket of trees, disappearing from sight. With a sigh and a cross of the arms, the Rocket grunt glanced down at her Mightyena. "Go get 'er." The dark canine barked once before trotting off into the thicket.

[break][break]

+ Isaac Merlo in Fire Force

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

"Quick. Right," Zilla agreed with a nod. Regardless of the ultimate plan, they'd need to move quickly before the Ampharos spotted them and retaliated. Disrupting the light was the goal, of course, but it would have been better if the Rocket grunts could quickly knock out their target and get out before police arrived at the scene. They were already on a tight schedule given Kepler's desire to dismantle and snag one of the glass panes, so every second they could get would help in the end.

[break][break]As Kepler explained how he could use his Honedge's shadow sneak ability to slip in unnoticed, Zilla lowered one hand to her belt. Since speed and stealth were the priority, Sneasel would have probably been the better option — at least when compared to Fletchinder. She was the most agile member on the team, and her Icy Wind always worked wonders to slow down opponents by striking them with a subzero freeze. The man's Honedge was still the best choice to take the Ampharos off guard, but Sneasel and Fletchinder were excellent Plan B options.

[break][break]"Deal," Zilla said with a small smile. As Kepler prepared to stab the sword into the stone, the dealer patted Charmander on the head and recalled him. Keeping him out would prove largely useless; if anything, his presence would end up being a hindrance. Zilla didn't want to risk him getting injured or left behind. Once he was resting safely in his ball, the grunt turned to her comrade and gave another quick nod, letting him know that she was ready whenever he was.

[break][break]With any luck, the Ampharos would go down in one or two hits, but if it didn't, Zilla was ready to provide backup. Working Pokemon weren't usually the best in combat settings, especially without trainers to direct them from a distance, but it would have been foolish for either grunt to underestimate their target. "Hope for the best, prepare for the worst," as the saying goes. The beam of blinding light reached the hole overhead and began fading soon after. It was time.

[break][break]

+ kepler brueshaber
[break]+ A lazy edit of the lighthouse!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

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"]

The ascent was fairly uneventful. The entrance disappeared in darkness below them, and the oscillating beacon became steadily more visible as they climbed the stairs. With no sight or sound to indicate there was anything standing in their way of achieving their goal, the Rocket duo could breathe easy. For now, at least.

[break][break]After only a few minutes, they arrived at the top of the staircase. Peeking through the gap in the ceiling revealed an cylindrical room. The walls were made of glass panes, and a single glass-and-steel door was visible amongst the windows. If Zilla had to guess, the door likely led out onto a balcony which allowed workers to better clean the glass from the outside. Though she had no proof either way, she also assumed the door was locked as a means to prevent people from breaking in. Then again, if someone was determined enough, they could shatter one of the panes and enter that way instead.

[break][break]In the very center of the room stood an Ampharos. Surrounding the sheepish creature on all sides were warped lenses, which Zilla presumed to be the Fresnel lens Kepler was after. It was difficult to see the Ampharos beyond the glass, but the silhouette and colors were unmistakable. Looking at the light source for too long, however, proved to be blinding. Zilla crouched down and blinked rapidly in a desperate attempt to clear the stars from her eyes.

[break][break]"Your precious lens is blocking us from getting to the Ampharos," she explained in a hushed voice, "If we leave this stairway, we'll be spotted for sure." She paused a moment, as if to consider something, before speaking up again. "I don't think the lenses went over the Ampharos, just around the outside." She created a circle with her hands by touching both thumbs together and both index fingers together. "I could send out my Fletchinder to attack from above," she suggested, "But that'd blow our cover for sure..." Her voice trailed off, half hoping Kepler had a more stealthy approach.

[break][break]

+ kepler brueshaber

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Zilla waved a hand dismissively when the rancher asked if everything was okay. "Yeah, yeah," she grumbled while turning the pokeball around to better examine its opening. The capsule was sealed shut, and the ball remained motionless in her grasp. The Houndour chose to trust Zilla and go with her willingly. Only time would tell if that was a smart decision or a grave mistake. As much as she adored dog Pokemon, she wasn't exactly the most patient person and she had made a living selling wild 'mon to the Black Market. There was no telling what her end goal was for the poor pup.

[break][break]After a brief moment of silence, the grunt rose to her feet, clipped the pokeball onto her belt, and turned back to the man with the Flygon. He explained that people often mistook his identity and that he was not, in fact, a retired Elite 4 member. Zilla pursed her lips together and cocked an eyebrow as she studied the man further. She couldn't remember Benoit's hair or eye color, but his face was easily recognizable. Even still, she had no reason to doubt the man's words.

[break][break]She chuckled, "Y'know... you could be related to him." Zilla glanced at the ranch in the distance — a ranch supposedly belonging to Mister Benoit himself. And with Daisuke claiming to work under the esteemed League member, one couldn't help but wonder if the two were actually related. Brothers or cousins, maybe? Perhaps even father and son, but that seemed like a stretch. Despite the possibility, Zilla kept the speculation to herself. It didn't seem like Daisuke was all too eager to elaborate on his relationship with Thomas, so she wouldn't pry.

[break][break]The Mightyena stepped closer to his trainer and pressed his head against her hand, begging for pets, and she began absentmindedly stroking his fur. "My Fletchinder brought me here," Zilla began, using her free hand to point up at the fire bird flying in lazy circles overhead, "I thought there may've been some trouble." She glanced around, as if half-heartedly looking for something, before glancing back at Daisuke. "Is everything good here?"

[break][break]

+ Thomas Benoit
[break]+ Muse has been blah... sorry about the wait! Passing on both Pokemon.

[attr="class","pokeclass"]