The Rocket Radar storyline continues with another Willow Report. The latest Report focuses on Team Valor Leader Candela and her inner turmoil. Candela is distressed by Arlo’s allegiance with Team GO Rocket, as Arlo is an old friend of hers and an ex-member of Team Valor. Arlo left Team Valor after Candela became the Leader, but Willow suspects there’s more to this story.
Earlier this week, Prof. Willow and Blanche Encountered Team Go Rocket Leader Cliff and Blanche froze completely. A few days later Spark stole The Rocket Radar prototype and encountered Team GO Rocket Leader Sierra, finally understanding that Rocket Leaders are more powerful than he imagined. Blanche and Spark are already shaken to the core, and now Candela is loosing focus.
An accidental sighting of Arlo while watching wild Ponyta helps Candela regain focus and help the team finish the work on the Rocket Radar. Candela also realized that Trainers are the key to perfecting the prototype, especially our work in collecting Mysterious Components.
Without further ado, the whole Report is available below. We strongly recommend you read this one and previous Willow Reports (Blanche’s entry, Spark’s entry), as the writing is amazing and much more mature than we expected it to be.
[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
