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Blaguarro Town Abandoned District

Reader mode
Gladion looked at the computer terminal.

“I see two other options. We could see if we can get this terminal working, check if it’s an old operating system with known issues in the present day of someone’s world, if we have anyone from an appropriate world. Otherwise, at some point, this system has to send a physical electrical signal to the door. If the system’s not robust enough, we might be able to just induce a current into the right cable to open it. Not like they can hire an external security consultant to come out here, there might be flaws if they had to jury-rig it.”

Gladion walked up to the terminal. “If nobody objects, I’d like to see what this is running.”
 
"You said some funny words, magic man," Ghaspius chuckled as he exhaled a tiny bit of Radiant light. "So if I'm gettin' it, we fry some doohickey in there, and then push in the bolts to unlock this door after check out whatever's on this glowing box?"

He floated over closer, curious. "If it ain't gonna trip anythin', go right ahead."
 
Odette nodded along with Gladion's suggestion, and also walked toward the terminal with him. "I'll go with you," she said. "Two sets of eyes are better than one."
 
Steven shot a nervous glance at Laura and Seth. "I'd rather like to avoid explosions while we're underground, if it's all the same to you. I trust this Onix made some sturdy tunnels, but if we can avoid collapsing the tunnel in on ourselves, that'd be for the best."
 
After traveling through those haunting corridors and tunnels, the ensemble had reached a titanic door — a massive obstacle standing between themselves and Cipher.

Silver studied the giant door, trying to think of a way to get past it. Of course Cipher wouldn’t make things easy for intruders, and Silver betted that there were many more traps and obstacles beyond that point.

Traps, obstacles, alarms… Those circumstances were eerily similar to what happened nearly a year ago, during the events of the Goldenrod Radio Tower takeover.


“Silver! Will you help us? With the Game Corner raid, I mean!”

“…Me? Help?” He scoffed at Kotone, baffled that she reached out to him for that proposal. “Why don’t you ask Hibiki? Or Kris? Or even Wataru? Aren’t they the oh-so-great saviors of Johto who always handle this kinda stuff?”

Perhaps he had poured more bitterness into his voice than he intended to, since Kotone flinched and looked away. But as the overly sweet and patient girl she was, Kotone bounced off of that awkward moment by waving her hand and staring right into his eyes with a sad expression.

Gods. Why did her gaze always make his heart melt and his guard crumble?

“They can’t. They’re occupied with the whole tower ordeal. Besides, you know Team Rocket, dontcha? So you should know the kinda traps they use to keep away intruders or ward off potential controls. With your knowledge and intel, we could get into their base and stop them for good!”

Silver fidgeted in discomfort. To meddle with Team Rocket meant to fully expose himself as a traitor. Did he really want to take that risk after protecting himself from his past for so long? “I… well, yeah, I know of a few tricks, but…”

“We need your help, Silver.” Then, much to his shock, she grabbed his hand and held it tightly, her soft touch sending chills down his spine. Flustered, he considered yanking his hand away, but her next words froze him on the spot, “…I need your help.”

Someone… needed him and placed their faith in him? Those gentle, caring, and warm eyes reached the depths of his soul and sent a simple message that resonated with one of his greatest desires.

Aren’t you tired of everyone seeing you like a heartless delinquent that doesn’t care about anyone or anything?

And Silver, after mulling things over, relented. His heart might have been cold for far too long, but it was still mostly in the right place, and his moral compass was far from broken. Stopping Team Rocket… oh, that would be a dream come true!

“…Hmph, alright. Fine! I’ll do that if that means you’ll stop staring at me like a wounded puppy!” And to reclaim his aloof persona, he wiggled himself free and smirked defiantly. “Besides! It’s always cathartic to kick those losers’ butts.”

A joyful smile spread across Kotone’s face, and she clasped her hands together. “Yay! Thank you, Silver!” she chirped in relief. “I knew I could count on you~!”

That smile… Yeah, he was gonna do anything to protect and preserve that beautiful smile.


Silver didn’t know why his brain led him through that memory lane in the middle of a time-sensitive mission, but he gladly took that reminder over anything related to his more questionable past and lineage.

I’m not a heartless delinquent… Not anymore. Because I do care! …But I used to be a delinquent, so maybe I should think like a Rocket. Just this time.

“…Yeah, I’d keep the whole explosion thing as a last resort, too. Roof-falling-on-us aside, stealth’s our best weapon, so I’m all for attempting to hack into the system and potentially disable their alarms and whatnot.”

He crossed his arms and stared at the terminal, letting other more experienced teammates handle the technical part. “And if that doesn’t work out, then heck! Let’s brute-force this beauty with a frontal battering Gogoat impact to make it fall on the other side! I could try to weaken the hinges with some Acid Spray, too, if that’s gonna help.”
 
Odette looked over her shoulder at the sneasel--Silver, she decided his name was.

"Pretty sure Seth and Anite just found the door's elementally proofed. So Acid Spray probably won't do much here."
 
Silver nodded, understanding Odette’s point of view. “True, Cipher might’ve elementally proofed this thing against most regular attacks and Shadow moves, considering they’re working with that kinda stuff.”

He tapped his chin with a claw, then flashed a tiny smirk. “But what ’bout Radiance? I don’t think they’ve got a Saint around that’d help them figure out ways of protection against that other kinda stuff, no?”
 
Steven watched as Gladion and Odette went to tinker with the terminal. Hopefully they could get the door to work that way, and possibly disarm any alarms they might set off by breaching the door unexpectedly. Silver was right, it'd be best if they could avoid drawing extra attention to themselves, though with the camera perched above it, perhaps it was already too late...

Either way, it made sense if they could save the explosives for later. You never knew if you'd need them in an even more dire situation.

Bringing a claw to his chin, Steven studied the door for a moment before floating up to it and resting a claw against the metal. Ferrous steel. Then perhaps, if the lock was mechanical...

"If the terminal won't grant us access, I might be able to move the locking mechanism with my magnetism." He drew his claw across the door, feeling the resistive tug of the steel beneath. If he closed his eyes, would he be able to feel the door's internal structure just like the mayor's journal lock?

"I've only done it on a smaller lock, but the principle should be the same, I think," he added, a bit sheepishly.
 
A shadow Onix. That explained the tunnels then. The thought of meeting on of those sent a chill down his spine. Drapion had been terrifying enough but a massive, ranging Onix? Shaking off the thought, he focused on where they were going.

Blowing up the entire base was... risky. Laura had a point, if they could find another way, perhaps that would be ideal. But what?
His gaze shifted to the terminal as he listened to Gladion and Ghaspius. Maybe he could overload it... He waited until the others had taken time to examine it, and watched as Steven tried to open it.

If their attempts failed perhaps a combined effort could work. Regular attacks might not be enough but what about something more? "...I have an idea!"

What if he could do something, one good thing on this mission to really help the team? Hope flared inside him and he latched onto that, clinging to his excitement and determination. He let the tingling light fill him, charging his electricity. Not too much, destroying the computer probably wouldn't help either. Just enough to add a light surge and pierce protections and cause the locking mechanism to hitch. Focusing, he aimed for what resembled some kind of card reader on the terminal.

Koa used Radiant Eerie Impulse!
Click to expand...
 
Laura peered over other 'mon's shoulders, trying to get a good look at the interface. It was simple and robust – a slot for a keycard, a small intercom grill, and a keypad panel of some kind. Nothing special, just a means of providing credentials or requesting entry. They could try to impersonate a Cipher agent, perhaps...

She considered asking Bellatrix to do an impression of that 'Mirror Bee' character the Oasis squad had met, and thought better of it.

Meanwhile, other team members were discussing attacking the door.

"It's elementally proofed, so we'd be here all day getting in that way," she confirmed. "Shadow or Radiance could probably do the trick faster, but we'd be exhausting ourselves and getting dosed with exotic energy before we even got in to fight, so it's a tradeoff..."

She trailed off, one paw gripping her sack of bombs. Fortunately it looked like Steven and Koa each had some idea of how to get inside...

Whatever Koa did, it looked Radiant – and it sounded like some kind of radio static. More than a few ears flattened against heads as the move took effect. It clearly did something, though – the terminal was lighting up amber. Not green, but not red, either...

Steven, monitoring the door's locking mechanisms with his species' extraordinary magnetoreception, would sense that whatever Koa's efforts did had rendered the internal systems inoperative. Whatever the reason – sheer luck, some property of Koa's Radiance – it left the locks vulnerable to a bit of manipulation from him...

The vault doors clicked and thunk'd as Steven worked, and then with a hiss, they began to pull apart and to the sides.

The interior of Terminal Two lay ahead: a maze of steel and glass, waiting for the Wayfarers to enter its clutches..
 
Odette took a step back when Steven and Koa took a step forward, giving them room to examine whatever they'd come over to look at. She watched--with a little more apprehension than she cared to admit she had--as Steven started tapping around the door. If there was anyone who could mess with any of the magnetized metal likely holding the door shut, it was probably him. Paired with Koa's electric typing, maybe they could...?

Luckily, she had a streak of keeping smart company. Koa flared up with a Radiant light--also something that flicked her nerves for a moment--and sent a wave of energy toward the door. Steven kept up with his tinkering, and sure efuckingnough, the door gave way. She didn't do much to mask her glee.

My boys are so fucking smart.

That was definitely a Jawile thought, but it was one she had a hard time disputing, even if the wording was questionable at best. Still, there wasn't enough time in the moment to harp on it.

Clapping her hands together, she turned back to the electrike, before shooting more of a demure look Steven's way. "You little fucking geniuses you," she beamed. Pride lined her tone like a warm blanket, because boy was she fucking proud.

Settling her excitement, she turned back to the rest of the group. "Might be a good idea to avoid rushing in all at once. Tankiest should probably lead us in. Or, perhaps, the stealthiest slash fastest."
 
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It worked! Warm satisfaction rushed over Koa and he shared a glance with Steven. "That was sick," he said eagerly, keeping his voice low. He have to remember to ask Steven more about that sometime. Odette's words sent another surge of delight rushing through him, and he barely managed to restrain his tail from wagging reflexively.

Instead, he stepped back to give space for others to reach the door.
 
Steven pulled his hand back with a start as the doors gave way, his eyes wide enough to convey his amazement that it actually worked.

He still wore some of the surprise when Koa called to him, but it quickly morphed to an expression of more confidence. Confidence and admiration for Koa's trick, too. "Likewise," he returned to the beaming Electrike.

He reserved a warmer smile for Odette, catching her eye as he floated away from the doors to make way for their primary assault team. "I'm just glad to have been able to help. That, and do my part in saving the fireworks for later. Sorry, Seth."
 
Mhynt was doing double-duty, blipping to nearby areas and halls to make sure they weren't about to be ambushed or pincered. At the very least, she made sure nobody was going to get the jump on them. Occasionally, she reappeared by the others to give updates on if it was safe or otherwise--and also, making those intervals regular. That way, even her absence would alert the team that something went wrong...
 
"That, and do my part in saving the fireworks for later. Sorry, Seth."
Click to expand...

"Fine by me," growled the midnight Lycanroc, stepping through the doors the second they could fit a 'mon of his size. With what looked like a deft Shadow Accelerock, he rushed the dozing Cipher peons – a pair of Nuzleaf – meant to be manning the airlock-like security room inside.

Laura filed in along with the rest of the party, wondering if she should check for a pulse. It didn't look like they were worse than fainted, though.

"Hand me the bombs," Seth growled. "I'll plant 'em somewhere that hurts."

Laura made no objection as Seth liberated the explosives from her. Better he handle them than her, anyway.

Time to head deeper inside...
 
Bellatrix took it upon herself to keep her eyes and ears alert while the others worked to open the door. In a smaller group, she would have relied on her illusions and stealth but neither option was feasible with a group this large.

Their brief time of celebration and recuperation would be cut short. Mhynt, if she had been teleporting would hear it first, followed by Bellatrix and then, everyone else. Distant rumbling, the sound of rock scraping against rock. It wasn't much longer before everyone else heard it and the tunnels began to shake, disturbing rock and dust from the ceiling.

"Bastard's up for round two, ain't he now?" growled Anite beneath her breath. "In. Now. Unless you want to finish the job as a fine paste."

<><><>​
 
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