After returning to the ship's cabin, Umbra sat in front of a table with tea, incense, and various tea-making utensils.
"Does the Pokémon world also have a tea tradition?" Cain thought.
Umbra gestured for Cain to sit across from him.
Cain obediently sat cross-legged. Although he hadn't shown the slightest fear when speaking to Umbra earlier, that was because he had understood Umbra's intentions.
But now, the situation was different, so Cain set aside all thoughts and emotions.
When facing an Elite-level Trainer, one must be respectful when needed.
Umbra remained silent for a long time, only handling the various tea utensils in front of him. The hand with only two fingers was covered by a leather glove, but Cain noticed that all the fingers could move.
Most likely, Team Rocket scientists had implanted mechanical prosthetics.
"I heard you went to the Hoenn region," Umbra said, breaking the silence, though he didn't look at Cain, focusing instead on the tea utensils.
"Yes," Cain replied, nodding.
Finally, Umbra finished preparing the tea, brought it to his nose to smell, and then took a sip.
He nodded in satisfaction and pushed a cup of tea toward Cain.
It wasn't clear if he was satisfied with the tea or Cain's choice to go to the Hoenn region.
"What do you think of the Hoenn region?" Umbra asked again.
"Complex and intricate, full of factions, and the League... doesn't hold much influence," Cain said, looking at the cup of tea in front of him, but not daring to drink it.
Would tea prepared by an Elite-level Trainer taste that good?
Umbra nodded again and then changed the subject. "Do you trust your success in this trial?"
He knew the situation in Hoenn better than Cain, who had only given a general summary.
"I'll do my best. I don't know my opponents' situation yet."
If it was only about the rivals on Trial Island, Cain wouldn't say he was one hundred percent confident, but he was ninety percent sure. However, regarding the people sent by Executives and Elite Officers, Cain had no point of reference.
The Senior Officer who interfered earlier must have been a subordinate of an Elite Officer or an Executive involved.
Since Cain had been off Team Rocket's radar after going to Hoenn, they didn't have a clear estimate of his strength.
That's why they sent someone with considerable strength to probe Cain, and if they had the chance, eliminate him.
Besides, Cain had caught on to Umbra's mindset, who also didn't fully know Cain's strength and wanted to observe the situation. Thus, his interests aligned with those of the Executive who wanted to test Cain.
That's why what happened before occurred.
However, Cain didn't even give the other a chance to attack—he completely overpowered him.
Aside from his Haunter, he didn't show any other Pokémon, revealing only a small portion of his power.
However, that Haunter alone said a lot. Cain recalled that Umbra had a Gengar, which at that time was probably part of his second or third line of Pokémon. What would it be like now?
"This time, four Executives and five Elite Officers will participate in the trial, and you're the only one without backing," Umbra said, smiling, after taking a sip of tea.
Four Elite-level Trainers were playing chess, five top-tier Trainers trying to navigate the board, with many others watching every move. Any minor change could unleash a fierce struggle, where everyone would try to gain an advantage.
That's how survival works in Team Rocket.
"Are the subordinates of the five Elite Officers already on Trial Island? And will the Executives' subordinates join later?" Cain asked.
He remembered three people on Trial Island: Xander with a brother at Officer level, a girl named Jasmine who led all the girls, and Alex, the strongest among the loners.
But Umbra shook his head and said wryly, "Do you think only nine people are involved in this? In reality, at least twenty are involved; these nine are just the strongest."
"Of those you saw on Trial Island, only one is one of those nine. The others are just subordinates of ordinary Officers."
"Do they really think anyone can join this? Those Officers close to Executive rank may take risks, but ordinary Officers... if they lose, they might fall into an abyss. Do they think challenging an Executive is easy?"
Umbra was, indeed, one of the Executives.
An Elite-level Trainer has their pride, and those close to that level can take risks, but those ordinary Officers, if they get involved, might die without even knowing how it happened.
Lions fighting wolves, and they expect street dogs to join?
Cain was shocked to hear this from Umbra. Only one of the people he saw on Trial Island was a subordinate of one of those nine?
Xander? Jasmine? Alex? Or someone else?
Most likely, it was Xander.
Umbra didn't say, and Cain wasn't going to ask.
What he was really concerned about were the subordinates trained by the Executives.
"The Officer you faced before is just an ordinary Officer. But he has a fairly strong Senior Officer above him. So far, you've already made an enemy of a Senior Officer and an Elite Officer. What do you think about that?"
Umbra, in the middle of his seriousness, joked with Cain again.
To this, Cain could only smile bitterly. What else could he do?
Whether it was an Elite-level Trainer or one at the peak, neither was someone Cain could currently face.
Even in his past life, when he saw these people, he could only avoid them and never dared to challenge them.
"Sir, please don't joke with me," Cain said.
In fact, Cain wasn't entirely unprotected; Umbra was his greatest backing within Team Rocket. And if he stretched the connection a bit, Sabrina could also be considered support.
After all, Sabrina and Umbra shared a special relationship.
"Hahahaha...!"
Umbra laughed heartily again. Normally serious, he had laughed many times today.
"You know, I've protected you from many people, but you must understand that when someone loses their value, the protection also disappears. This is common in Team Rocket."
"I understand. Those without power must prove their value to gain the protection of the strong. Pleading for mercy isn't a long-term strategy; the key is to grow quickly."
Cain understood what Umbra was saying.
Cain wasn't someone Umbra had raised from the beginning, but someone who joined along the way, so the trust wasn't as strong. Cain knew he had to closely follow Umbra's steps and prove his value if he wanted to keep being protected and gain some breathing room.
This was Umbra's way of giving Cain a warning to prevent him from letting his ego swell after entering the world.
(End of Chapter)