Niantic: 'Willow Report: Looming in the Shadows'

The first of many cliffhangers.

☆ NintendObs Weekly – Monday, October 21, 2019 – Sunday, October 27, 2019.

Willow Report: Looming in the Shadows

October 26, 2019

Trainers,

Professor Willow has kept a detailed log of his research concerning Team GO Rocket. He’s shared this log with us in hopes we can support him and the team leaders when it comes to this threat. We’ve prepared his report for you below and will continue to update as he shares more of his findings.

Stay safe and stay alert, Trainers!

The Pokémon GO team

Date: 10/22/19

Subject: [Willow Report] Mysterious Components

During my investigations of these take-overs, I came across these strange objects that Team GO Rocket Grunts would drop upon being defeated in battle. For the sake of this report, I will refer to them as Mysterious Components. The exteriors of these objects seem to be made of some metal alloy, and they’re cold to the touch. The glass screens radiate a light-purple color. I touched the screen of one of the objects to see if it would react, but nothing happened.

I had a hunch that the Team GO Rocket Grunts were using some sort of device to take over PokéStops and collect resources. Based on what I know so far, these Mysterious Components I’ve found seem to be able to serve that purpose. But considering how advanced this technology is, there must be another use for it. I’ve been working on something in my lab with the help of the team leaders, and I think we might be able to use these components to track down where Team GO Rocket is hiding. I need to continue my research. We must get to the bottom of this.

—Professor Willow

Date: 10/24/19

Subject: [Willow Report] Early Rocket Radar Prototype

We’re getting closer to finding another use for these Mysterious Components. I’ve been developing a prototype for something I call the Rocket Radar by combining several of the components together, but it’s still not functioning as intended.

I believe that if I can create a functioning prototype of this Rocket Radar, we might be able to use Team GO Rocket’s own technology to find out where their hideouts are. While it’s relatively easy to find Team GO Rocket Grunts (the PokéStops they hack become noticeably discolored and have a glitch-like appearance), we’ve had a difficult time finding where the Team GO Rocket Leaders—or even Giovanni—are hiding.

These Mysterious Components hold the key to making this Rocket Radar work. I know we can uncover where the Team GO Rocket higher-ups are hiding. I need to rally our team leaders to dig further into this.

—Professor Willow

Date: 10/26/19

Subject: [Willow Report] The first of many cliffhangers

We had our first encounter with a Team GO Rocket Team Leader today. Testing needed to be done on the Rocket Radar prototype. Blanche has been an integral part of its development so naturally I included the Team Mystic leader to assist. We set out in hopes of testing its tracking abilities, but the prototype kept malfunctioning, causing us to be led aimlessly to random PokéStops. Blanche became visibly upset, which tends to happen when things don’t go to their carefully curated plans. This was when something unexpected happened. Instead of us finding a Team GO Rocket Leader, one of them found us.

A muscular man with a distinct Poké Ball beard design, approached us. Cliff, just as he appeared in the corrupted files on my computer. His first words were a warning that we were “encroaching on Team GO Rocket territory.” His demeanor was just as stern and intimidating as his photo.

He was reluctant to battle us, and told us to retreat in a surprisingly gentle tone. It was clear that this would be the only kindness he’d show us and would not stand down if challenged to a battle. Blanche stood frozen. I made the decision for both of us to head back, we were not prepared for a face-off.

Back safely in the lab, Blanche confirmed my assumptions: it was difficult to determine the best course of action during our encounter with Cliff. Compounded with the frustration of the prototype malfunctioning, it was apparent Blanche needed some time to reassess the situation at hand.

We need to be cautious. It seems like we aren’t the only ones scouting out the situation.

—Professor Willow

Source: Niantic.