When Cain turned around to leave, he took a quick glance at Soros' Koffing.
Pokémon: Koffing (Dark Yellow)
Gender: Male
Level: 17
Type: Poison
Ability: Levitate
Held Item: None
Egg Moves: Stockpile
Basic Moves: Poison Gas, Tackle, Smog, Smokescreen, Assurance, Clear Smog
Learned Moves: Haze
TM Moves: None
It was a Koffing with decent strength. Although its potential was somewhat low, its level was relatively high. Based on its training status, it also seemed well-developed.
"He definitely has some skill," Cain murmured.
A person as cunning as him could manage well, as long as he wasn't caught.
Cain returned to the exchange center. Since the tests had just been carried out, there weren't many people there yet.
As soon as Cain entered, the employee who had helped him swap moves the day before recognized him immediately. They exchanged a brief glance, and upon seeing Cain's inquisitive look, the employee nodded silently, indicating for him to lead Cain to the mysterious person.
With a simple look, the employee quickly led Cain toward a secret door.
To be honest, he was more anxious than Cain. He knew that person had returned, and since Cain had taken his time arriving, the employee was feeling uneasy. Once Cain showed up, he could breathe a bit easier.
He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then used his knuckles to knock on the secret door in a specific rhythm.
"Crack." With a soft click, the secret door opened.
He motioned for Cain to enter quickly.
When Cain stepped through the door, he saw a long hallway. The dim candlelight provided a faint glow, barely enough to see the way ahead.
Accompanied by Murkrow, Cain silently walked down the hall for a few minutes until they finally arrived at a spacious room.
Half of the room's space was taken up by bookshelves filled with books, Cain estimated there were more than ten thousand volumes. He couldn't help but be silently surprised; gathering so many books in a place like Judgment Island wasn't easy.
In the center of the room was a desk with a lamp. A mysterious man in a black robe sat there, reading intently. He didn't seem to notice Cain's arrival.
Cain wasn't naive enough to think the man wasn't aware of his presence. He motioned for Murkrow to perch on the ground and respectfully approached the desk, waiting for the mysterious man to finish reading.
Noticing Cain's action, the corner of the man's lips under the black robe curled slightly, but he quickly refocused on the book.
Time passed swiftly, and just when Murkrow was starting to lose patience, the mysterious man slowly lifted his head.
He looked at Cain and Murkrow, and spoke in a hoarse, slow voice: "Go fetch me something. When you return, I'll reward you with ten thousand points."
As he spoke, he pulled a map from his robe, placed it on the table, and slowly pushed it toward Cain without asking if he accepted the mission.
When Cain saw the man's hand, with only two fingers left, his pupils contracted abruptly.
Cain recognized that wound immediately: it was the result of poison damage.
The fact that someone as strong as this mysterious man, who must have been at least an elite-level trainer, had suffered such damage and been forced to amputate his poisoned fingers, was proof of how powerful his opponent must have been.
Cain quickly hid his surprise and took the map the man handed him, examining it closely.
He couldn't deny that, compared to the crude treasure maps made by Team Rocket, this map was of extreme precision. Every feature of the path, every detail, was drawn meticulously.
Without making the man wait long, Cain nodded, stowed the map in his storage belt, and said, "Yes, sir."
The mysterious man gave a barely perceptible nod and waved his hand to indicate that Cain could leave.
Without hesitation, Cain prepared to depart along with Murkrow.
Suddenly, the man, with his head bowed, murmured: "My name is Umbra."
Hearing this, Cain halted his steps and replied respectfully, "Yes, Sir Umbra."
Seeing that Umbra gave no further instructions, Cain and Murkrow slowly left the mysterious room.
When they stepped through the secret door, the bright light disoriented them a bit. After spending so much time in the dark, their eyes didn't adjust well to the sudden change in light.
Cain closed his eyes to adjust, while Murkrow covered his with his wings, creating a humorous image.
"Umbra..." As he walked out, Cain murmured, making sure no one was paying attention before leaving the exchange center.
He recalled a rumor from his previous life that circulated within Team Rocket: the two sub-leaders of the Shadow Unit were called Umbra and Tenebris. It was said that Giovanni had taken them in as orphans and given them those names.
Though traces proving the existence of the sub-leaders Umbra and Tenebris could be found, no one, except Giovanni, had ever seen the leader of the group. It was even rumored that the leader's position was vacant because no one had met Giovanni's standards.
Cain shook his head slightly; those matters were far beyond his reach. It was better to focus on how to complete the Shadow Unit's trial mission.
Even though Umbra believed Cain didn't understand the significance of the badge, Cain had hidden it well, but that didn't mean he was truly unaware.
Cain had no objections to joining the Shadow Unit. Although they would face greater dangers, the opportunities and resources would be proportional, which aligned with his initial intentions.
However, would the Shadow Unit's trial be that simple?
Cain gave a wry smile. "This is just the beginning," he thought.
He prepared all the necessary supplies for the expedition. Honestly, Cain was already feeling that the one-square-meter storage space wasn't enough. He filled it with all kinds of medicine and food.
He donned the white Team Rocket uniform, put on the exclusive belt, and fully transformed into a Team Rocket member.
Cain and Murkrow's departure didn't attract attention. Following the route marked on the map Umbra had given him, they ventured into the forest.
Judgment Island belonged to a semi-developed forest area. As one of Team Rocket's important resources, the island hadn't been overly exploited for its resources. With the "slow but steady" policy, the forest was well-preserved.
The trees in the forest were tall and lush, so much so that the dense leaves blocked the sun, leaving only spots of light on the ground.
Because of this, the light in the forest wasn't very good, and when occasional clouds blocked the sun, the forest seemed a bit dark.
Due to the favorable environment, there were also many Pokémon in the forest. Over time, they had left paths in the forest. If you could find one that took you in the right direction, traveling through the forest would be much easier.
As they moved forward, Pokémon appeared more frequently. Grass-type Pokémon, hidden in the grass, camouflaged themselves when they saw Cain and Murkrow.
Weedle and Caterpie could be seen scattered around, slowly moving along the trees or diligently eating leaves, waiting to evolve. Sometimes, Spinarak and Ledyba could also be spotted.
There were also Pidgey and Spearow hidden in the treetops, hunting bug Pokémon in a struggle for survival.
Of course, besides Pokémon, there were also many wild animals that frequently appeared before Cain.
Cain was always alert to his surroundings, and the system was activated, scanning every Pokémon that entered his range. Even those well-camouflaged Grass-type Pokémon were detected, and their data was stored in the system.
Since they were still in the outer part of the forest, the Pokémon that appeared weren't very strong, so Cain didn't pay much attention to them.
The objective for Cain wasn't clear on the map, so he had to rely on his intuition to navigate.
The day slowly passed as Cain and Murkrow moved forward without encountering any significant danger.
Cain stopped by a stream to let Murkrow drink some water.
The sound of the running water had a calming effect, allowing Cain to reflect on the situation he was in. Aware that the trial wouldn't be easy, he decided to stay alert.
In the sky, the sun was beginning to set, casting the forest into growing twilight.
"We need to move faster," Cain thought, determined to find a safe place to camp before total darkness fell upon them.
With the fading light, Cain and Murkrow resumed their march, venturing deeper into the mysterious and dangerous forest.
(End of chapter)