[Both of Niou's eyebrows rise at that, and he goes stock still as the man leaning on him flickers and vanishes in a swirl of smoke — and in its place, snarling at the Espeon, stands what's become a very familiar sight over the past few days. His Zorua looks entirely affronted at the attack with her tail bushing out behind her.]

Huh. So that's where the thing got off to.

[His tone is still a little surprised. He hadn't bothered actually using his Gear on either of his pokemon, not yet, when he was more interested in figuring out the workings of Team Rocket than a bunch of critters from a video game that he'd thought (assumed) were only good for battling. He's starting to think that was a mistake, though.

With an irritated huff, the Zorua darts behind Niou's legs, presumably to hide from Lady, and Niou laughs, all traces of his discomfort vanishing.]

Didn't realize they could do that. [and to the pokemon:] You're a lot more useful than you look.

[The gleam in Niou's eyes as he leans over to fish the Zorua out and set it on his lap, mirroring Yagyuu's earlier position, is calculating and familiar. He's already got a hundred ideas for what he can do with this fun new tidbit.]