Team GO Rocket Leaders
On October 30, 2019, Niantic officially announced the arrival of all three Team GO Rocket leaders, encountered by Willow and the respective Team Leaders while exploring during these new Willow Reports.
On October 26, Blanche encountered Cliff, a beefy Team GO Rocket Leader wearing an outfit accented with blue.
Two days later, Sieraa was revealed through an encounter with Spark, a woman wearing purple, yellow, and white.
Finally today, Arlo was encountered with Candela.
No gameplay details were revealed in this update. Candela appears to have helped Professor Willow's group make "unbelievable progress on the Rocket Radar". We'll have to wait and see how many Willow Reports we have left.
Since we have been receiving Willow Reports every other day, the next one is to be expected on November 1, the day before the "A Colossal Discovery" event is set to take place. Niantic's first in-game purchasable ticketed event doesn't have any association with the Regigigias event yet. Stay tuned for further details.
Full Announcement Text
Date: 10/26/19
Subject: [Willow Report] The first of many cliffhangers
We had our first encounter with a Team GO Rocket Team Leader today. Testing needed to be done on the Rocket Radar prototype. Blanche has been an integral part of its development so naturally I included the Team Mystic leader to assist. We set out in hopes of testing its tracking abilities, but the prototype kept malfunctioning, causing us to be led aimlessly to random PokéStops. Blanche became visibly upset, which tends to happen when things don’t go to their carefully curated plans. This was when something unexpected happened. Instead of us finding a Team GO Rocket Leader, one of them found us.
A muscular man with a distinct Poké Ball beard design, approached us. Cliff, just as he appeared in the corrupted files on my computer. His first words were a warning that we were “encroaching on Team GO Rocket territory.” His demeanor was just as stern and intimidating as his photo.
He was reluctant to battle us, and told us to retreat in a surprisingly gentle tone. It was clear that this would be the only kindness he’d show us and would not stand down if challenged to a battle. Blanche stood frozen. I made the decision for both of us to head back, we were not prepared for a face-off.
Back safely in the lab, Blanche confirmed my assumptions: it was difficult to determine the best course of action during our encounter with Cliff. Compounded with the frustration of the prototype malfunctioning, it was apparent Blanche needed some time to reassess the situation at hand.
We need to be cautious. It seems like we aren’t the only ones scouting out the situation.
—Professor Willow
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
