TO: Josh Devlin (josh.devlin@hoennleague.gov)
CC: NIKOLA SAMSA (nikola.catellus@hoenn.net); Andrea Vaneau (andrea.vaneau@hoenn.net)
MISSION: "Shadow Self"
PROTOCOL: Hunt
DANGER: ★★★★★

A whistleblower has exposed the location of a Rocket laboratory beneath the last-known location of the legendary bird Zapdos, at the power plant beneath New Mauville. A double agent is being held in a prison cell within the laboratory. We've put a Datathief in your supply bag. If you attach the Datathief to their mainframe, it should override their security and download the information we require.

We also need you to retrieve staff and subject ledgers to help us pin down who is responsible for this operation. Lastly, we need you to exfiltrate our double agent. It is critical that she escapes alive. You are authorized to destroy the base if necessary. Consider all military personnel expendable.

Your objectives are as follows:

A) Gain entry to lab area
B) Obtain personnel ledger
C) Obtain subject ledger
D) Download data from computer
E) Escape with double agent

Good luck! We're all counting on you.

Why in the world did the League keep assigning Josh these stealth missions? He wanted them to see his strengths and put him on operations where his speed shined. Not that he couldn't here; he had Pokémon that excelled at speed in tight quarters. He just didn't have as many.

The Gym Leader took a deep breath in front of NIKOLA SAMSA and Andrea Vaneau ; he would be heading the operation. Taking out the Datathief from his pocket, he handed it to them. "Nikola, you're best with tech. I think you should operate the Datathief once we find their mainframe. Leave the fighting to Andrea and I. We're experienced. Very experienced."

While his Sygna Suit would make him stand out, he needed the added power and protection it gave him. The Pokémon he brought with him to trigger the suit were two of his Pyroar deadliest in close-quarters combat: Kion and Vitani, a male and female. The female bucked and kicked as though she were trying to unseat someone, thrilled to see some action. He withdrew the two for the stealthiest Pokémon he had on his team: a Salazzle. Even with Josh seated on the poison-type's back, Fire Eyes moved in nearly total silence.

"Andrea, Nikola, need me to go over the briefing again before we head into action? The margin for error on this one is really slim, and our Pokémon's lives are at risk here. Not to mention our own."

nikola feels rather underdressed, being the only one who doesn't have a sygna suit. they accept the datathief from josh, handling it gingerly before pocketing it. since their encounter with the swamp megalopolans, they've been a little more proactive in trying to help out with tasks like this around the region. one might call them foolish for it, and they'd probably be right. but sometimes it takes a fool to get things done. if nobody rushes in, then it might mean nobody will go at all.

for now, they're not rushing, though. they nod to josh and andrea. they tried to bring pokemon more useful for a stealth mission, and so as andrea speaks they're already fingering flammula's pokeball. "i'll use shadow sneak to ascertain where the scientists are," they say quietly. that way they can follow the iron juggernaut without fear of running into someone who will sound the alarm.

they release their typhlosion, who immediately melts away into the shadows. the lab itself isn't particularly large, so it's not long before he's returned from his scouting. for such a large pokemon, flammula still manages to move silently. is it because he's a ghost type now? the typhlosion blinks at the three of them, and then nods and points in the direction the voices are coming from. he shakes his head and crosses his front paws in the shape of an X, indicating that that route is blocked. the other path he gives a nod, indicating that he found nobody there.

"alright," nikola whispers. "looks like the coast is clear... let's go." they'll follow the iron juggernaut where it leads them, the voices dropping off in the distance.

[ Josh Devlin Andrea Vaneau ]

The Iron Jugulis blended in with the facility's machinery, the Hisuian Typhlosion could fade in and out of the material world, and the Salazzle could crawl in near silence even while bearing Josh's weight. While the trainers were far from stealthy, the Pokémon they used to scout were! Having a Ghost-type to look down the twists and turns for them was invaluable for the trio to remain undetected. Law Enforcement wouldn't allow all three of them on this mission if they didn't think a lone operator could do a better job. It seemed that they expected this one to turn violent at some point.

Turning a corner, Josh took a peek through a small window in the middle of a sliding double door. At rest between two computer stations was a clipboard, two Rockets facing away from the desk. As the Gym Leader and his Salazzle attempted to slide the doors open, a computerized voice faintly echoed around them: "Please swipe a Clearance B keycard." Nodding, he didn't say a word. It was clear what they would have to do, and he didn't like it.

Fire Eyes' mouth glowed with the tip of a FIRE LASH, ready to perform a takedown in an instant.

the door's systems fail; the lighting in the facility fails as well. inside the room, the two scientists are their computers jolt and let out a slew of curse words as the world falls dark around them. next it's all a matter of sliding the door open and creeping inside, as stealthily as they can. nikola's typhlosion remains in the shadows for this, since the wisps at his neck would give them away immediately.

the two other people in the room don't seem to notice them. in the dim room, nikola taps both josh and andrea on the shoulder. "pull them away from their computers," they whisper as quietly as they can. "i'll hack in in the meantime." they put a hand out, and flammula's paw reaches out of the shadows and pulls them in with him. the two of them move towards the computers, with the typhlosion guiding his trainer. one might notice an odd shadow moving, but only if they were looking for it.

the only thing left for them is to wait. nikola hopes the two senior trainers don't cause too much of a commotion... and also that the power comes back on soon, because without it they can't gather any intelligence!

[ Josh Devlin Andrea Vaneau ]

Mecha-Chomper's electromagnetic pulse draped the lab in darkness, the electronic locks no longer able to hold the door sealed. Flammula and their shadow would have been completely invisible during the maneuver Nikola ordered. It did not take more than a minute for the backup power generator to kick in, but that was all the time they needed.

With the Gym Leader's reaction time, quick tags of a FIRE LASH were all Fire Eyes needed to get the Rockets to back down. A third flaming whip toward an alarm caused the device to go up in flames. While it was only one station, it was going to make it all the more difficult for Rocket to alert the entire base of their presence. For all they knew, someone upstairs could have merely tripped a breaker!

With the coast clear, Josh and Fire Eyes watching for reinforcements and ready to take them down within a split second, Nikola would be free to make unauthorized access to the Rocket laboratory's systems. Some of the files she would be able to access were downright horrific, describing inhumane experiments upon Pokémon in great detail, including those who did not survive. It also included a list of the Pokémon involved in active experiments, the list several pages long. The scope of the operation was just as disturbing as the procedures themselves. Were they to copy the list to their own storage medium, it would handily fulfill one of the items the League sought.

OBJECTIVE C: COMPLETED

Through intimidation, Josh had convinced those at the computer to flee the lab with all due haste. Too much, as it were; the clink of a small, metallic object caught his ear just as the door closed behind him. "You know, Andrea, I'm starting to learn... with the Pokémon we have, it doesn't take much convincing for those trapped in Rocket to wane to leave against their wills. And those loyal to Rocket... they are the ones that choose death."

OBTAINED A CLEARANCE A KEYCARD.

Picking up and swiping the object in the nearby card reader, the sliding door opened. Not wanting to blow their cover just yet, he swiped it a second time to close the door. "Nikola, see if can find us a schematic," the Gym Leader suggested. "That will help us know where to go. This place is way bigger than I thought it would be."

after the rockets leave the computers, nikola and flammula reappear. nikola immediately uses the datathief to hack into the terminals, downloading the information there so it can be used later. as they flick through the files, they start to feel something... odd. there's pictures of pokemon in cages and hooked up to contraptions, being tormented and having their power siphoned until there's nothing left. it's all so familiar... they stare at the monitor in front of them, trying to wrest away the knot being tied in their gut. the pokemon being tested on, the scientists testing them...

why do they see themself in both?

zoning out, nikola doesn't even hear what josh says. they're uncharacteristically quiet as the download finishes and they pocket the datathief again. then they return to reality, shaking their head to clear their thoughts. "...there's a map," they say, trying to focus. "uh... here." they bring it up on the monitor again. it looks like they're in the eastern wing, while most of the experiments go on in the central chamber. "if we go here, we can shut everything down, but... there's bound to be way more people there."

flammula is looking at nikola oddly, having noted their mood. being incapable of speech, he's unable to comment.

[ Josh Devlin Andrea Vaneau ]

Josh's remarks were harsh. Whether he wanted to or not, he had taken on parts of the opinions of many of the League's top officials. Though he didn't have the scorched-earth view of Rocket that MATIAS SILPH did, he agreed that there were some within Rocket that were irrevocable. Cillian Quinn and dorian westcliff were among them, and locking up psychopaths like those two would be too dangerous. In his mind, they deserved to have Hyper Beams put through their heads. He had learned to show the discrimination that Callan Young , Melody Miro , and Greyson Connors wanted him to. Before his training regiment to take on the Elite Four, Josh naively believed that everyone within Rocket, no matter how evil, could be saved.

His dealings with Elisabeth Fiorelli and Cillian Quinn beat into his head that some people within Rocket were beyond salvation. Those blighting Hoenn in such ways would be better off if they were wiped from existence. It may have come off as unhinged, but the look on the Gym Leader's face indicated he was serious. His time in the warzones of Meteno, Dewford, and Dewford Two had dulled his sensitivity to the finality of death. When his Pokémon died on the operating table, Josh was devastated. When his Braviary died in combat, he was over the loss within hours.

It was sickening what the reality of combat could do.

OBJECTIVE D: COMPLETED

Not only was NIKOLA SAMSA able to retrieve the experiments' data from the Rockets' network, but they were also able to locate a laboratory schematic. "Great work, Nikola," the Gym Leader gave them a pat on the back if they allowed it. "Let's make a beeline for the basement, find the staff list, and get our people out of here."

Josh took a photo of the map before leading the way to the lower level, Nikola's hacking needed a second time to get a remotely-operated security door opened. With them inside the lab area now, they had to be especially careful. Or they would have, if the alarm weren't blaring in the trio's ears.

OBJECTIVE A: COMPLETED

"We're on borrowed time," Josh urgently noted aloud, the echoing sounds of Poké Balls popping audible down the hall. "We need to finish our work, and fast, or we'll be surrounded."

so much for stealth! with the alarm blaring around them, all attention has been turned to the three intruders. well... the staff there will likely think it's two intruders, as nikola and flammula have melted away into the shadows once more. they'll have to trust that josh and andrea can handle the focus of the scientists here. or so nikola assumed, but the two rushing towards them now look a lot scarier than regular scientists. security, maybe?

there isn't much they can do about that now. they head towards the computer terminal while everyone is distracted amidst the noise and chaos. there they can apply the datathief once more, though they'll have to wait until everyone has turned their gaze toward josh and andrea. there's one particularly stubborn, hurried looking scientist in a labcoat typing away frantically at the console. still stealthing, nikola peers over their shoulder... and realizes they're trying to contact the outside world for help!

there's nothing for it, then. nikola steps out of the shadows and tackles them without hesitation, both of them flying to the ground with an "oof".

[ Josh Devlin Andrea Vaneau ]

The narrow halls made Chomper's OUTRAGE almost impossible to stop. Bodies, both human and Pokémon, went splat against the underground research facility's confines. With the Pokémaniac's dragons clearing the way, Josh and Fire Eyes were free to search the newly-accessible lower level. "Andrea, it seems like you have them under control. Fire Eyes and I are going to search for our missing person. This place isn't that big. We should be able to find them in little time at all." The schematic NIKOLA SAMSA discovered was a great help in his search, only having to go through two hallways to find the holding area.

The smell of dilapidated Pokémon remains made Josh wince and even sneeze, getting the attention of a patrolling warden that pointed a BULLET SEED automatic shotgun at him. The two stared one another down for several minutes before the Gym Leader made the first move. Rolling a Poké Ball between the warden's legs was enough for the Rocket to pull the trigger, pelting both Josh and Fire Eyes with sharp, high-speed Grass-type projectiles. There were too many of them for the lizard to block. Every muscle in his body thumped as Josh felt his strength start to leave him from how many seeds had struck him. None entered any critical parts of his body, but the sheer amount of ammunition stuck in his body would necessitate psychic surgery when they returned. At least psychic Pokémon could make the operating process much less invasive than it traditionally was.

Kion emerged in front of the assailant's Poké Ball, a HEADBUTT leaving them with quite the sizable black-and-blue mark, robbing them of their consciousness. The warden would survive, but they would not be getting back up for quite some time. Shaking from the pain of the Bullet Seed dischages tearing away at his insides, he searched the Rocket's effects for the cell key, found it, and unlocked the doors within. "Gym Leader Devlin. There's no time to explain. Let's get out of here."

In the meantime, NIKOLA SAMSA 's efforts would yield some additional data beyond what the League required. They would certainly get paid handsomely for their welcome work. After tackling the security trying to stop them, a clipboard goes flying out of one of their hands. Were they to examine it, it would be the staff list that the League wanted.

OBJECTIVE B: COMPLETED