Operation GEAR

A banner for The Angel of Reckoning

The **Operation GEAR** series is a collective universe of Pokémon fanfiction mostly written by The Great Butler/Nando/illustriousrocket, with some content contributed by others.

It generally concerns the adventures of a group of protagonists, mainly archeologist Matt Chiaki, enigmatic mercenary Nekou Lalume and young trainer Olivia Mistbloom as they find themselves in a series of situations involving a wide variety of characters, both friendly and antagonistic, and unravel the mystery behind the agenda of the cult known as Polaris.

## History

The series is the successor to the *Engima Shadow* series, and serves as a general sequel to it. However, this older trilogy is mostly no longer considered canon, outside of specific events referenced in the *Operation GEAR* stories.

### Setting

The *Operation GEAR* series is set in a timeline that combines traits from many different canon sources, including the Pokémon games, anime and various manga, then adds additional liberties. It is mainly set in the Tohjo Continent, a landmass where the regions of Kanto and Johto are situated. A new Battle Frontier has been developed in Johto, and as a result of this progress, both regions have seen a dramatic amount of development beyond that depicted in canon sources. For example, Kanto's Saffron City is heavily overdeveloped to the point where it has consumed neighboring Celadon City, turning it into a mere district of Saffron, while in Johto, Goldenrod City has become an urban utopia ringed by slums and Ecruteak City is divided into two halves, one modern and one traditional.

A major point of divergence featured in the series' timeline compared to canon is in backstory that took place in the Unova region. A battle between Team Rocket and Team Plasma was originally planned to take place early in *Pokémon the Series: Black and White* and lead into a plot based on the original *Black and White* games, but this was postponed due to the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and ultimately canceled when *Pokémon Black 2 and White 2* introduced a new story that superceded it. In *The Angel of Reckoning*, this original canceled plot is reconstructed and expanded upon as the reason for Team Rocket's current state, and it is established to have taken place in full prior to the events of the *Operation GEAR* series.

### Project Retake

On July 24, 2021, a new initiative in the series codenamed "Project Retake" was announced. The project remained in secret development until November 17, when a teaser phrase, *"Victory is written in the stars"*, was revealed, along with a date of December 16, 2021. A day prior to that date, another teaser was given, reading *"What do you dream of?"*

On December 16, the project was announced to be a remake of the second installment of *Operation GEAR*, *The Victory Star of Fate*, under the name *The Victory Star of Fate Retake*. The "Project Retake" moniker was later retroactively given to *The Gardener of Gratitude*, the 2018 remake of an *Enigma Shadow*-era story of the same name, thus establishing "Project Retake" as the collective name of remakes in the *Operation GEAR* universe.

## Stories

### Project Retake

 *The Victory Star of Fate Retake* | January 9, 2022

## Characters

### Main Characters

**Matt Chiaki**: The grandson of the legendary explorer Sutter Chiaki, and an archeologist and scientist. He generally uses Steel-type and Rock-type Pokémon, although he possesses a wide variety beyond those types. In the years following the events of *The Gardener of Gratitude*, much of his body was augmented with cybernetics as the result of a series of injuries he suffered.

**Nekou Lalume**: A woman with an outlandish personality and unclear loyalties, who joins Matt's group to pay off a debt incurred during the Indigo Plateau events. She favors Ghost-type and Dark-type Pokémon that suit the image she imagines for herself. Underneath her carefree facade, she harbors much darker emotions and obsesses over living her life to the fullest.

**Olivia Mistbloom**: The daughter of Rich Mistbloom and Anabel Mistbloom, who holds her parents in obsessively high regard. Years after her father's death, she still struggles to accept reality, and believes that if she challenges Gyms and appears in a Pokémon League tournament, she can get him to come back.

**Anabel Mistbloom**: Olivia's mother and Rich's widow, she now serves as the Commissioner of the Battle Frontier. At first still struggling with her depressed state after the crumbling of her family, she manages to snap back to her old self and fights fiercely to protect what she still holds dear. She possesses empathic abilities and uses many Psychic-type Pokémon, albeit in unconvential ways that test her opponents' capabilities to the limit.

**Amanda Chiaki**: Matt's sister, who he is very close to. She is an extremely powerful trainer, and unbeknownst to him, currently the Frontier Brain of the Battle Tower in Roséridge City. Outside of that, she is a teacher with a deeply held passion for the job. She was born with weak legs that necessitated her use of a wheelchair as a child and was later blinded in an accident, but now has a pair of prosthetic legs that allow her to walk.

**Bunny Spruce**: An archeologist who worked with Matt in the past. She has a much more even temperament than the others, and often ends up exasperated by the situations they find themselves in.

### Antagonists

**Polaris**: A cult that serves as the main antagonistic force of *The Angel of Reckoning*. Under the guidance of its enigmatic leader Father, Polaris organizes a variety of groups under the umbrella cause of tearing down the Pokémon League, due to their belief that it has irreparably corrupted society. However, they harbor a secret agenda, worshipping a celestial force known only as Dark Matter.

**Team Plasma**: A villainous team that originally operated in the Unova region, where it came into conflict with Team Rocket. It was created as a division of Polaris by its founder Ghetsis Harmonia, who schemed to overthrow Father and still does into the present day.

**Renzo Milos**: An angry young man who serves as a rival to Olivia. He harbors a hatred against her and Anabel so intense that he defines his entire life by it, although they do not understand why.

### Supporting Characters

**Giovanni**: The boss of Team Rocket, even in its ruined state. While he dreams of restoring his organization to its previous power, his main goal is to prevent Polaris from creating their new world, which will have no place for those like Team Rocket who want to live in freedom.

**Dr. Gabriel Zager**: Team Rocket's chief scientist, responsible for much of their technology. He was once a member of Polaris until escaping from the cult, and harbors a dark secret from his time there.

**Pierce**: An elite Team Rocket spy who frequently goes on missions to gather intelligence on Polaris's actions and manipulate events to Team Rocket's favor.

**Avril**: A schoolgirl who becomes a rival to Olivia after they meet in Violet City. She strives to be the top of her class at Earl's Pokémon Academy, but having to compete with her prodigy siblings Monroe and Helena frequently leaves her frustrated by feelings of inadequacy.

**Gabriella Bouchard**: The president of the Angel Corporation, a powerful multinational conglomerate with interests in many fields. Despite her prominent position, she is notorious for having a rather loopy personality that often causes her business rivals to underestimate her. In reality, however, she possesses a deadly business instinct that allows her to exploit that image well.

**Looker**: A member of the International Police who has crossed paths with Olivia, Matt and Anabel in the past. He stubbornly pursues criminal organizations the world over, and has set his sights on untangling the truth of Team Rocket, Team Plasma and Polaris's conflict.

**Mitsumi Crowe**: An International Police agent who is Looker's apprentice. She once had ties to Team Galactic that left her with a powerful hatred of such organizations today.

**Rowena Byrne**: A crusading reporter with a strong sense of justice, who works on a freelance basis for the ONBS network based in the Orre region. She pursues a variety of stories in Kanto and Johto, including searching for the truth behind Liam Everton.

**Malva**: A model and reporter from the Kalos region. She serves as the anchorwoman for FlareNet's flagship news broadcast, anchors live coverage of notable events, and maintains a side career as a high profile fashion model.

**Governor Tobias**: The governor of the Tohjo Continent, the greater region where Kanto and Johto are located. He is a powerful trainer who sometimes participates in Pokémon Leagues due to his interest in the strong leading those weaker than them.

**Zinnia**: One of the Draconids, a subset of the ancient people known as the Tenganists. She travels with a Whismur named Aster to investigate the Devon Corporation's use of Meteonites as an energy source, seeking to stop them from exploiting the life energy of the planet for their own gain.