Niantic: 'Willow Report: Looming in the Shadows' (Part 2)

Backstory on Sierra and Arlo before the big showdown.

☆ NintendObs Weekly – Monday, October 28, 2019 – Sunday, November 3, 2019.

Willow Report: Looming in the Shadows

November 4, 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: 10/28/19

Subject: [Willow Report] A shadowy sierra

Work continues to move forward on tracking Team GO Rocket. I’ve observed Blanche having a renewed sense of motivation as we improved upon the Rocket Radar prototype. Unfortunately, we had some…unexpected testing by our rambunctious Team Instinct Leader, Spark.

After his unauthorized testing, and a bit of reprimanding, Spark shared with me yet another unexpected encounter. He had ventured out on his own with the malfunctioning Rocket Radar that Blanche had been working on. He was concerned that since Team GO Rocket was stealing from PokéStops, that also meant they were taking the Eggs as well. Worried that they might hatch the Eggs and turn those Pokémon into Shadow Pokémon too, so he was determined to save as many Eggs as he could before Team GO Rocket got to them.

Even more concerning, he confirmed that he had a face-to-face with the woman in the decrypted images: Sierra. He told me that after he saved a few Eggs, Sierra appeared and mocked his rescue mission, which only riled Spark up further. He challenged her to a battle, however, his impulsiveness had gotten the best of him. His natural instinct to go out and protect these Eggs also left him completely unprepared to battle. Sierra noticed he had no Poké Balls and dismissed Spark’s challenge, saying not to waste her time as she disappeared into the shadows.

Spark told me that Sierra’s presence seemed different from the Grunts he’d encountered. He wasn’t intimidated by Team GO Rocket Grunts, but he felt small in Sierra’s presence. The way she spoke and moved gave off a sense that she had years of experience and training that outmatched his own. It appears as if Team GO Rocket has some formidable leaders after all.

Spark returned the Rocket Radar, which was still malfunctioning after Blanche’s adjustments. Blanche was obviously not amused by the adventures of a fellow team leader, but realized his use of the prototype provided additional insights into what could be causing the malfunction. The two began working together to find the source of the issue.

Since our team leaders have unique strengths (and weaknesses), I believe collaboration will be the key to our success.

—Professor Willow

Date: 10/30/19

Subject: [Willow Report] A Valor recruit no more

After all the commotion, we regrouped as a team. Blanche and Spark focused their talents on the prototype, while Candela was unfocused and frenetic. She was pacing, spinning in chairs, and sighing constantly. In hopes to get her working together with the team, I stopped her and requested she join me in scoping out a nearby field frequented by Ponyta. My purpose was to get her out of the lab and find a way to channel her fiery energy into the task at hand.

We spoke frankly on our way over to the field. I told her that I had noticed a distinct change in her behavior and mood ever since I had decrypted the images of the Team GO Rocket Leaders. She spoke in her typical passionate and animated way by quickly jumping from one topic to another, but I was able to catch the following facts.

Candela used to be close friends with one of the Team GO Rocket Leaders—Arlo. They had been a part of Team Valor together. He left suddenly after she became the Team Valor Leader, but there seems to be more to this story. She hadn’t seen him or heard from him until she saw the unencrypted photo. She has no idea how someone she had known so well could go and join an organization like Team GO Rocket. Her emotions and passion usually helped her in tough situations, but this time, she said it felt like they weighed her down. She wanted to run out the door because she wanted to do something—she wanted to help.

I told her about what happened with Blanche and Spark earlier this week. Blanche, whose logic and careful planning was usually a strength, ended up overthinking the situation and not being able to make an executive decision when facing off against Cliff. Spark, whose boldness and gut feelings usually help him out in a pinch, ended up entirely unprepared against Sierra when he acted instinctively to go and protect Pokémon. I told her that making mistakes was OK—and in fact is what’s motivating Spark and Blanche now to work even harder toward finding these Team GO Rocket Leaders and defeating them. What ultimately matters is learning to overcome weaknesses. When in doubt, you can lean on others for support.

As we arrived at our destination, we took a moment to take in our surroundings. Suddenly, Candela fell silent. I looked to see where her eyes had landed. Across the field was a large group of Shadow Pokémon and, in the center, Arlo. I was impressed by the Team Valor Leader, taking a calm approach to something that would normally cause her to rush into battle. This wasn’t the time to take on Arlo and his Shadow Pokémon, and we were fiercely outnumbered. We needed to regroup with the team, check on the progress of the Rocket Radar, and truly prep for whatever they were planning next. With a quick glance and a nod, we returned to the lab seemingly unseen.

Candela responded to my feedback quickly. I tasked her with helping me review the amazing research our Trainers around the world have been submitting in hopes of finding any leads to a solution. Almost immediately Candela realized that our Trainers were the key—their work collecting Mysterious Components combined with our research is what will perfect the prototype! She joined the others to work on the prototype, and within minutes, her suggestions caused a frenzy of activity as the three made unbelievable progress on the Rocket Radar, now seeming to function without error.

Their collaboration and combination of unique skills created the perfect balance. I love it when I’m right.

—Professor Willow

Date: 11/1/19

Subject: [Willow Report] Super Rocket Radar

Armed with the research findings that Trainers are sending in and the contributions from each of the team leaders, I’ve built the next phase of the Rocket Radar prototype. For record’s sake, let’s refer to it as the Super Rocket Radar.

Reports from Trainers trying out the Super Rocket Radar are concerning. Our initial Rocket Radar prototype focused on detecting signals to track Team GO Rocket’s hideouts, but with the advancements in the Super Rocket Radar, the new device can intercept signals allowing us to track not only Team GO Rocket’s hideouts but their headquarters as well.

Since the Super Rocket Radar devices are much more complex to build, I’m going to have to lean on our Trainers across the globe to complete Special Research. Together, we can stop Team GO Rocket.

—Professor Willow

Date: 11/3/19

Subject: [Willow Report] Encrypted file

I’ve intercepted this message but cannot seem to open the file. It’s encrypted, and I know it must hold some critical information about to Team GO Rocket. I knew we should prepare for trouble, but this is far from double.

—Professor Willow

Source: Niantic.