[attr="class","zilla"]

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.

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[attr="class","zilla"]

The conversation quickly came to an end and the duo approached the lighthouse. The door was locked, as expected, and Zilla took a couple steps to the side to see if she could spy something that would offer them another way inside. A backdoor or handholds along the side of the building, perhaps. She huffed in annoyance at the realization that if her Fletchinder or Charamander were evolved, they could have flown her straight up to the top. Well, there was nothing to do about that now.

[break][break]Zilla looked back at her comrade when he hissed something under his breath. Much to her surprise, he summoned a Honedge and pierced the ground with its blade. A long shadow melted down the hilt and slipped below the door before it unlocked and swung open weakly. Alright, that was impressive. There were other ways to get the job done, but Kepler's tactic involved less brute force and arson. Zilla would've been a fool to not recognize his competence.

[break][break]When the Rocket scientist asked "How’s that for a dork," Zilla smirked. She enjoyed witty banter, and much to her delight, it seemed her partner was willing to play along. "Underwhelming," the indigo-haired woman rebutted with a grin. She was teasing, of course. She had been truly impressed, but admitting that aloud wouldn't have kept the playfully snide dialogue going.

[break][break]Upon entering the lighthouse, the duo were met with a wall of darkness that was only broken up by a faint glow shining at the top of the spiral staircase. To help light their way, Zilla sent out her Charmander. He emerged with an excited cheer, which his trainer quickly hushed. As he swiveled to get a better look at his human, the flame on his tail illuminated the entryway. All things considered, it was plain, with only a hand-lantern and couple of janitorial supplies to prevent it from looking entirely abandoned.

[break][break]The stairway itself was fairly narrow, and it curled around the perimeter of the interior. "Guess we better start walking," Zilla whispered while taking a few steps up, followed closely by the small orange lizard. "Unless that big brain of yours knows of a faster way," she teased with yet another playful smirk.

[break][break]

+ kepler brueshaber
[break]+ Not a problem! It gave my time to get over Covid, lol

[attr="class","zilla"]

Mightyena felt the growing pressure, but he barely reacted to it. He'd dealt with assholes who wished to do harm to his trainer in the past, and as far as he could tell, this stranger was just another punk looking for a fight. Zilla too felt the air grow heavy, and it instinctively made her heart race a bit faster. Something wasn't right. Was this a Pokemon's doing? Her anxiety became palpable, especially to Mightyena, who picked up on her panic and lunged forward.

[break][break]Zilla was quick to reach down and grab a scruff of fur on his side, halting him in his traks. If he wanted, he could have tore free from his trainer's hold—it wouldn't have taken much energy to do so—but the touch was more symbolic than anything. She was reminding him that she hadn't given him the release command. The dark canine snarled louder, bared his fangs, and lifted his tail in a show of pure anger and dominance. He wanted so badly to teach this guy a lesson, but he knew better than to disobey his human.

[break][break]Zilla slowly released her grip and began stroking the Mightyena's side as a way to both comfort her partner and to calm her own nerves, all the while listening to what the man had to say. She knew better than to confess to anything, especially when there was a possibility of him being a shady undercover cop... But she also knew that if he was the real deal, she couldn't pass up the opportunity. "Hypothetically, if I were to say your offer interested me, what would I need to do?" she asked.

[break][break]

+ Killian Decker

[attr="class","zilla"]

This sucked. Of course Zilla knew there was a possibility the job wouldn't be as easy as delivering a couple Pokemon. She'd experienced her fair share of close calls; enough to know that no one could lower their defenses when it came to illicit affairs. And yet, she was hopeful that things would be better under Team Rocket's tutelage. Security measures were put in place to ensure they wouldn't get caught. The problem was that Zilla was the security measure in question.

[break][break]Despite this fact, she was still a lowly grunt with only a couple Pokemon to her name. Sneasel's attack appeared to have no effect as the Garchomp locked eyes with the femme fatale and began rushing toward her. Zilla instinctively raised her arms in a bracing position and attempted to step out of the way. Fortunately, Jayden was there to lend a helping hand. His Stunfisk opened a fissure in the ground, halting the towering beast's Dragon Rush.

[break][break]The interruption gave the grunt enough time to call out a second Pokemon, but her options were limited. Taking typing into account, Fletchinder wasn't a wise decision; and Mightyena, though strong and intimidating in his own right, wasn't as fast or agile as Sneasel. Her ace was already out, but if the Garchomp kept its attention fixated on Zilla and Jayden then they would be in some real trouble. A distraction was needed.

[break][break]As Sneasel leaped toward the dragon, claws bared for a Fury Swipes attack, Zilla called out Fletchinder. He immediately took to the skies and surveyed the scene. "Peck out its eyes!" Zilla shouted, a bite of frustration in her voice. The fire bird let out a cry before dive-bombing toward the Garchomp, hoping to scratch or peck at his prey's face long enough to give Sneasel the upper-hand.

[break][break]

+ jayden cross PENELOPE LIVY

[attr="class","zilla"]

As if feeling eyes boring into the back of his skull, the boy eventually turned his attention away from his Pokemon and toward Zilla. The two watched each other for the better part of a minute before the child began to approach. Once he was within talking distance, he slowed to a stop and began to speak. He pointed out how she had been staring and asked if there was something he could do for her.

[break][break]The grunt cocked an eyebrow at this. His manner of speech was unlike that of any other child she'd met before. Granted, she hadn't spoken with too many children in the past, so she didn't have much experience to draw upon, but there was clearly something off about this boy all the same. She couldn't put her finger on what made him so strange, and she was a long way off from assuming that he was a child genius.

[break][break]Instead of answering the boy and apologizing for her stare, Zilla opted to ask a question of her own. "How old are you, kid? Are your parents around somewhere? Do they know where you are?" She broke eye contact only when Mightyena delivered the slimy tennis ball. She tossed it, wiped off the grime, and looked back at the child, through her eyes drifted down to the shy Blipbug this time around. "Cute bug," she said mere seconds after the barrage of interrogating questions.

[break][break]

+ Bond Bridge Mission w/ Zagan Aamon

[attr="class","zilla"]

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","zilla"]

Upon noticing the Garchomp, Zilla called out a Pokemon of her own. If the intruder wanted a fight then a fight she would get. With a swift slide of the thumb and a press of the release button, one of the pokeballs clipped to her belt snapped open. In a flash of light, a Sneasel appeared. It looked excited for the fight ahead. While stumbling backwards in a feeble attempt to avoid getting caught in the Sand Tomb, the grunt gave only one command to her own Pokemon partner: "Freeze it!"

[break][break]With a steadily growing grin, the Sneasel opened its maw and exhaled a blast of icy wind in the Garchomp's direction. With any luck, the dragon would be too preoccupied by the assault of ice attacks to stand in Team Rocket's way or lend aid to his trainer. As Jayden approached—calling out a Seperior to keep the woman restricted as he did—Zilla shifted her attention to her feet, one of which was being held in place and battered by a small dust devil.

[break][break]With one ear on the conversation between her superior and the stranger, and another ear on the battle between Pokemon, Zilla gritted her teeth and tried to yank her leg free from the miniature sandstorm. The torque of the attack seemed to pulling her foot into the center of the storm, preventing her from slipping free despite how easy the process looked. With a strained grunt, she finally succeeded in freeing her leg from its sandy prison, though her pant leg had suffered some significant damage.

[break][break]Zilla generally had a rule against harming other human beings, but she was seriously considering making an exception this time. This woman needed to learn not to mess with Team Rocket. Despite this, the grunt stood back and eyed their surroundings in search of any more unpleasant surprises.

[break][break]

+ jayden cross PENELOPE LIVY