Makoto gazed off into the distance - peering towards the cave entrance up ahead, the destination that the duo had sought. Perhaps a month or two ago, they would've been used to hide out the worst of the impending meteor strike that had been poised to destroy Hoenn as the world knew it. But with the meteor no longer a danger to anyone, the bunkers were now essentially sitting around and gathering dust. Which meant that Rocket was already closing in, ready to snap up the scraps offered. Waste not want not, they supposed.

At Belial Stone 's question, Makoto's gaze slid towards the co-captain, before nodding. "I'm prepared, sir." They responded politely, as always - a composed and calm expression across their face. Their gaze then turned towards their own shadow - and from it, they could feel Kuro's attention on them. "Scout ahead. Come back if you find anything of interest." Makoto directed.

With that, a shadowy patch split from their own shadow - darting ahead across the ground, moving from dark corner to dark corner, as the ghost-type moved to investigate the cave ahead of them. Unless anything within had a propensity for finding ghost-types, Makoto was confident in Kuro's ability to remain hidden.

But as the hisuian zorua scouted ahead, there was still the question of them both investigating - and much like Belial, Makoto had brought a flashlight with them. "How deep into the cave do you believe the bunker to be?" They'd question as they began slowly approaching the entrance - their gaze sweeping back and forth over their surroundings. The deeper it is, the more likely that wild pokemon may have made their homes here, Makoto could hazard a guess...

With the all-clear from Kuro, the duo began stepping into the cave. Although Makoto, being the cautious individual that they were, wanted to make sure that noone - and nothing - would come in behind them. Pulling out a pokeball, they'd let out Tsume - their zoroark. "Hide the entrance. Keep watch." They directed - a precaution, just to make sure that nothing unexpected happens. The last thing that they needed was for some wild pokemon to sneak up on them - unintentionally or otherwise.

In response, Tsume nodded - and leaning back against one of the walls of the cave, he'd stand vigil as an illusion fell over the entrance to the cave. From the inside, the group could see outside just fine - albeit with an almost glassy texture, as if there were a subtly textured window. But from the outside, all anyone would see was an uninteresting rocky face; just like the rest of the cliff that the cave was set into.

And with that, they were ready to follow Belial deeper into the cave - and it did not take long for the duo to reach the vault door. Kuro would be here too in physical form, examining the door - but as soon as Belial's light swept over the zorua, it jumped in surprise - before once more becoming a shadow and hiding. Kuro had no interest in remaining in plain sight around the other Rocket member, it seemed.

Large and sturdy, the door could probably take an abuse from the largest and meanest pokemon around and not budge an inch, if Makoto had to make a guess. It would prove a problem to any would-be intruders... If it weren't for the fact, that they had been given the entry code before they set out, that is. "Opening it now." Stepping up to a console set into one of the walls, they'd waste no time in plugging it in - tapping away at the buttons. The only sounds would be gentle clicks and beeps, and then a little chirp of confirmation as the code was accepted.

Slowly but surely, mechanisms in the door began to creak and turn - and the door began to open, 'sliding' out of the way. As soon as the entryway was wide enough though, Kuro slipped in - quick to scout ahead, much like before.

Belial Stone

With Tsume and Belial's spewpa both keeping watch, Makoto felt that both of their backs were plenty safe. Thus, they resisted the urge they had to glance over their shoulder every so often as the duo stepped in - Kuro's shadow visible in one of the far corners of the hallway, waiting for further instruction.

As Belial noted the map and tapped at it, Makoto would look it over as well - a number of rooms clearly marked. As the co-captain mentioned splitting up so that they could cover more ground, Makoto nodded in understanding and affirmative. "I'll check the living areas, then." They spoke - and glancing to Kuro, they'd gesture it over so that it could see the map. "Check the storage space - come track me down if you find anything of interest."

And without a sound, Kuro was off once more - his shadowy form sliding across the floor through one of the doorways.

Makoto kept a pokeball readied as they, too, stepped through another door - heading towards what might've been a basic recreational area for people to idle and socialize. If the map was correct, there would be dormitories located just beyond. Things may have been left behind by mistake here, and it'd be worth to ensure that Rocket members could comfortably hide out here.

Belial Stone