Chapter 28: EPISODE 28: Stealth*
"Sir! Sir!" A desperate grunt comes forth to the three of us. His lungs gasp for air, and his eyes are forced to enlarge. This desperate grunt looks worried and nervous, as if something wrong has happened.
"Oh my, agent Luke? What's wrong?" Arlo questions with concern.
"Mount Moon! A guy with a jacket... he defeated us, then..."
"Woah, Woah, agent Luke, relax. Try to speak slower this time." Arlo suggests with an intoned voice.
"Sir, a ten-year-old boy defeated us, he destroyed our operations in Mount Moon.
His Pokemons, I've never seen such power before, I think he's headed to Cerulean City right now." Agent Luke utters with a more calm voice than last time.
"You? Were defeated by a ten-year-old boy?! This is ridiculous, are you expecting a 'boy' to blow up Giovanni's plan?!" Arlo's tone increases, as if he is badgering the young agent.
"Sorry sir, but his Charmander is far more powerful than my Zubat. If I remember correctly... his name is Red. He literally knocked out all of my Pokemons with Ember!" Luke's tone exaggerates above his limits, fear and trouble roam his eyes, while a sensation of future defeat cripples his hopes.
"Red... So that's his name. Do not fear, Team Rocket has future agents which could soon stop the boy. Wait till the boss here's about this! Agent Luke, you are dismissed for now." Arlo utters with certainty while looking at me and Charlotte.
"Really sir?! You're going to let us catch that Red?" Charlotte's exuberance has reached its peak, her body couldn't do anything anymore except to let all her enthusiasm out.
"I said, future grunts. You may be an agent, young Charlotte, but your friend over here isn't. Anyways... his far from Saffron City, there's no way he'll be able to catch up." Arlo giggles with a malicious scowl.
Curiosity takes over, now my mind wonders about this boy, with the name of Red. Why is he, trying to stop Team Rocket, from saving the world? Or does he know Team Rocket's ultimate purpose? When the time comes, I'll let him understand.
"Luna, Charlotte, please proceed to Sierra right away, I must tell the boss about this... Red" Arlo's calm body turns into a serious one as he walks out of the academy. Why would Team Rocket be so serious about a ten-year-old boy?
"Luna! Imagine us in the near future, we'll be working together... and maybe one day, we can stop whoever that Red is from disrupting Giovanni's purpose." Charlotte's eyes gleam lustrously, while beaming with such a high amount of determination.
"Whoever that Red is, we won't meet him yet. It is better to settle on what's happening in the present rather than thinking ahead in the future. Come on, I don't want to be late for Sierra's assessment." I utter with a serious tone as the both of us walk through the halls of the academy.
"Wow, you're timid as ever aren't you? You're really not like one of them."
"What do you mean... not like one of them?"
"Nah, it's nothing. Anyways... why don't we focus on Sierra's assessment instead?" A tiny drop of sweat trickles down Charlotte's face. She has the looks of a person trying to hide something from someone.
On a large room on the fourth path of this academy, lies the assessment area of the Stealth Pillar. Only limited information is known about her, maybe this assessment will unlock more about Sierra's personality.
"Good day Luna Evergreen. I am Sierra, the Stealth pillar. My assessment is easy, for those who seek to achieve it. All you have to do is to claim the diamond located on the other edge of the room.
There's a catch, though these shades, you'll be able to see another terrain, this is what we call advanced holographic imaging. Me and Charlotte I may see you walking through a normal room, but you will be seeing a different environment.
If you succeed, you will be a Stealth Agent, but if you don't... you will repeat the whole process again. Aside from this, you will be seeing lasers throughout the place, once a part of your body touches the lasers, an alarm will go on, and it's game over for you.
Do you understand?" Sierra explains the mechanics with a rather calm tone than expected.
"Um... yes Ms. Sierra, I'm ready to take the assessment!" It's time for determination to be the one in charge of my body, despite the roaming sensation of anxiety.
The shades are like a teleportation device to me, one second you're inside the academy, the other? You're in a secret location. At first, my body reacts to the new surroundings, causing me to remove the shades. Steadily, I play with shades a bit by wearing it on and off.
"You only have five minutes to claim that diamond! Don't make a mess, let your Pokemons be of help! Timer... starts... now!" I heard the doors closing behind me, even if what I see was nothing but a hallway. I could also hear Charlotte's buzzing cheer through the window which seems like nothing but a wall to me.
In front of me, comes the lasers I have to surpass. Every single laser changes it's pointing mark, making it impossible, to either go under or over.
"Come on Luna, think!" I utter to mind, while keeping both eyes peeled. My body tries to resist the urge to gush through the halls, but it seems like it is the only option I could concur with. Sierra told me something about using my Pokemons as help, but not a single idea pops up in my mind.
"That's it! Petilil, Ralts, I'm making a mad dash through it!" When the lasers finally points to the sky for a few seconds or so, I try my best to run as fast as I can. I don't know why, but Petilil and Ralts just sighed at me.
"Come on, almost there!" My voice turns thin as a needle while sweat trickles down my face. My mind is only focused on one goal, and that is to acquire the diamond placed on top of a black marble desk.
[Gzzz!] The alarm scares the hell out of me. I tilt my head to the ground, and saw that an inch of my boots was hit by lasers.
I failed all three assessments, which means I'm back to square one. Being a member of Team Rocket is not an easy task, if only I was a profound trainer, I could've defeated Cliff right from the very start.
"What in the world was that? A mad dash?! Seriously, is that all you can think of? Why didn't you ask Ralts to use her double team to get the diamond? Sigh... You'd be captured right from the start if you continue to dash everywhere. We're talking about missions here Luna, you have to analyze everything before dashing.
Use your surroundings, do not panic, and analyze the situations. Keep calm, and your mind will work perfectly. I'm sorry if I'm being too harsh right now, but we need agents who think before they act." Sierra scolds with a very high tone. It's true about what they say about her, she's one strict person alright.
"I... I'm sorry Ms. Sierra." My voice spurts out words with somnolence. I try my best to hold off my tears from trickling like a cascade.
"I understand that you're new here, so I'm giving you one last chance to compete against the three pillars, which includes me of course. Your rematch against all our assessments begins tomorrow, I'd better train if I were you." Sierra's voice drops as she walks back to the center of the academy, leaving me and Charlotte in the halls of her assessment area.
"Come on Luna, think on the brighter side! At least you get a chance to train right?" Charlotte's spirit tries to lift up mine, but my eyes could no longer bear the tear awaiting to trickle down.
I'd never thought that this day could get any worse. I've lost to three assessments, leaving my first impressions pale and barren. I kneel down in disappointment, crying in despair. I.
"Hey... I'm with you, we can train later if you want. I can teach you some battling techniques, even if I lost against Cliff, hehe.
There's no need to be sad, Sierra really is a strict person, you can't change her, but you can change who you are." Charlotte kneels beside my body, comforting me.
"I... I don't even know who I am. I do not know what I'm destined to be?"
"Hmm, I know! Maybe some snacks will cheer you up. Come, let's get some in the cafeteria. You may not have the talent of Pokemon battling, but I'm pretty sure you can learn the skill of a Pokemon Trainer.
Maybe it's not the right time to know who you are meant to be, just... let your heart tell you who you are, I'm sure of it, all you need to do is to ask." Charlotte reassures while massaging my shoulders.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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