Prism's voice echoed in Pink's mind, teasing yet focused. "Alright, love, we need something that screams stealth, recon, and logistics. How about... Silent Gale: Shadow's Descent? Sounds sneaky enough to keep Granny distracted and just tedious enough to bore her to tears."
Pink rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the grin from curling on her lips. Her fingers hovered over the holographic screen, selecting the newly named mission. "Silent Gale, huh? Sounds like the kind of mission that makes you wish you had a flask tucked away somewhere. Ugh, we're talking slow sniping from the top, aren't we?"
Prism's energy buzzed with mock enthusiasm. "Exactly! You'll have to pick off targets one by one, then break in and search manually for prisoners. Oh, and don't forget—while you're doing your hero act, you'll also need to paint targets for an orbital bombardment."
Pink groaned, her whole body reacting with an impatient twitch. Her muscles tensed, itching to move fast and make noise. The idea of creeping along, one cautious step at a time, was like a personal brand of torture. "God, this is going to be excruciating. If we move too fast, we trigger a tripwire or get tagged by a drone. No camo, no cloak... just me, sneaking around like a cat burglar."
Prism's laughter was light but wicked. "Exactly. Slow, methodical, and careful. The alien tech keeps us honest—no cheating with fancy cloaking tricks. Think of it as a test of your patience."
Pink's hot pink nails drummed restlessly against the console. "Patience, huh? Yeah, right. You know how I feel about moving slow." Her knee-high boots shifted on the floor, her body itching to spring into action. "I'm more of a 'hit hard and fast' kind of girl."
Prism's voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. "But that's what makes it fun, doesn't it? The challenge of staying hidden, the thrill of being on the edge... and knowing that if you slip up, the whole facility goes on lockdown. Reinforcements swarming, alarms blaring, and a hundred ways to die all at once."
Pink shivered, a mix of excitement and frustration bubbling in her chest. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. We go in quiet, stay agile, and hope none of those drones decide to peek into the shadows. But still, slow and cautious? Ugh, I'm going to lose my mind."
Prism's voice hummed with a playful lilt. "Oh, but think of the reward, darling. The satisfaction of nailing every move, of being the shadow that no one sees coming. And hey, we'll make sure to leave a little chaos in our wake. Just enough to make it memorable."
Pink's eyes narrowed, her lips curving into a sly grin. "Fine, let's do this. But if I get tagged by one of those drones, I'm blaming you."
Prism laughed. "Deal. Let's make it a game worth playing."
The simulator took its sweet time spinning up, and Pink pouted, her lips curling downward in a childish display of impatience. "Come on, come on," she whined, tapping her hot pink nails against her morpher with an exaggerated roll of her eyes. The slow whir of the simulation assets loading felt like an eternity, and she slouched dramatically, as if the weight of waiting was going to crush her.
When the environment finally solidified around her, she morphed with a burst of pink energy. Even the flash of power couldn't shake her sulk. She stomped into position, her boots making heavy, petulant thuds. "Ugh, this is such a waste of my talent," she grumbled, dragging her feet as she took up her sniper's nest.
Lining up the first shot, Pink heaved a deep, theatrical sigh. The observer drone up top was practically begging to be taken out, hovering in place like a target in a children's shooting game. "Pew," she muttered half-heartedly, pulling the trigger and watching the drone drop with zero fanfare. "So easy, it's insulting."
Prism's voice buzzed in her ear, trying to inject some motivation. "Just a few more minutes, love, and we can move on to the good part. Stay with me."
Pink puffed out her cheeks and blew out a loud breath, almost like a petulant child forced to do chores. "You know, before Ceres, I'd fail these missions on purpose. Just to get them over with." She took another effortless shot, the observer falling like it was on strings. "Boom. Mission over. At least then I didn't have to pretend to care about being sneaky."
Prism's energy rippled through their link, a mix of exasperation and amusement. "I know, I know. But patience, remember? If you get through this, we'll make it up to ourselves later."
Pink pouted again, dragging out her next breath. "Fine. But this better be worth it, or I'm going to start planting explosives just to see some fireworks."
Pink lined up another shot, her head tilted to the side in an exaggerated display of disinterest. She pulled the trigger lazily, barely aiming, and watched as another observer drone dropped with a muted burst of pixels. "Wow, thrilling," she drawled sarcastically, her voice dripping with mock enthusiasm. "I'm really on the edge of my seat here."
She took a few more shots, each one just as unenthusiastic, her shoulders slumping further with every pull of the trigger. "Boom, another one bites the dust. Oh, look, there goes another," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. The complete lack of challenge was almost painful.
Prism tried to offer some encouragement. "Just a bit longer, love. You're doing great, really. Even the simulator is bored."
Pink raised an eyebrow, a grin tugging at her lips. "Wait, what?"
Prism chuckled through their mental link. "I've been talking to the simulator... and yes, even he seems bored. He's practically begging for a more interesting mission."
Pink let out a laugh, trudging toward the simulated compound with her boots clanging dully against the virtual ground. "Well, I don't blame him," she said, a little more amused. As she reached the main entrance, a mischievous spark lit her eyes. With a bit more energy, she pulled out one of the simulation charges and slapped it onto the doorframe, a wicked grin spreading across her lips. "There. That should keep these digital idiots from making a run for it."
She patted the charge affectionately, "At least we'll get to see something go boom if they try to make a break for it."
Pink stood poised at the entrance, the charge she had planted on the door primed and ready to blow if any digital enemies dared to make a run for it. Her grin grew as the simulation buzzed around her, and she felt the first flickers of excitement warming her veins. "Alright, here goes nothing," she whispered.
Prism's voice cut in, low and deliberate, as if addressing both Pink and anyone who might be eavesdropping. "Deploy the holo decoys," she instructed. Pink tapped her morpher, and with a shimmer of hot pink light, three duplicates appeared around her, each one pulsing with barely contained energy.
The decoys sprang into action, moving down separate hallways with purpose, and Prism moved with the same effortless efficiency. She swapped the camera feed to one of the decoys' perspectives, quick and seamless, masking Pink's actual movements as she prepared to dive deeper into the simulation. "Camera feed swapped," Prism confirmed smoothly, her voice filled with a hint of satisfaction. "Now let's give them something to watch."
Pink's lips curled into a smirk, her hands clenching into fists as she stepped through the entrance and into the facility. "Hope Granny's paying attention to all the wrong things," she muttered, her voice echoing slightly in the cold, metallic hall. The sterile environment stretched out before her, dull and uninspired compared to the chaos she craved.
"Smooth, isn't it?" Prism added, her voice brimming with pride. "They won't know where to look, and by the time they do, we'll be leagues ahead."
Pink couldn't help but chuckle.
A few seconds later, Prism's voice returned, brimming with triumph. "Granny's got her eyes on the shadows and is recording data from the holo decoys. We're clear. We can go!"
Pink's whole body lit up with excitement, a giddy burst of energy coursing through her veins. "Oh, hell yes!" she nearly squealed, her boots bouncing slightly against the metal floor as she fought the urge to sprint ahead. "Finally, we get to have some real fun!"
Pink could barely contain herself, her whole body vibrating with anticipation as Prism activated the teleportation sequence. In a flash of light, she was whisked away, and the sterile simulation room gave way to the bustling Ranger Operations in Cincarion. Her heart raced with the thrill, her mind already spinning with the possibilities of what lay ahead.