Cain did not expect Umbra to ask such a question. In his impression, Umbra had always been a very efficient person, who never wasted time on unnecessary small talk.
"Has he changed his attitude today?" Cain thought silently.
Without showing any emotion on his face, he nodded honestly and replied, "I am curious, but if you don't mention it, I won't ask."
Cain had always maintained sufficient respect for Umbra, not because he was a high-ranking official in Team Rocket or the sub-leader of the Shadow Unit, but because of his elite-level strength.
The strong are always respected by others, and Cain firmly believed in the idea that only the strongest survive and rule. So, since Umbra was a true elite-level trainer, he gave him the necessary respect.
Hearing Cain's words, Umbra was surprised for a moment but then burst into laughter. "Ha ha ha, you really are something!"
From the first time he saw him, Umbra had said several times that Cain was "something," although Cain wasn't entirely sure what exactly that meant.
The first time, he understood. The second time, he reflected and understood again. But when Umbra repeated it for the third and fourth time, Cain started realizing that the "something" Umbra was referring to wasn't as simple as he thought.
After laughing, Umbra's smile gradually faded, and he said, "In a battle, to protect me, he was severely injured. I knew that in the Trial Island, there was a place where his wounds could heal quickly, and it was the same place you went to, the one inhabited by Gastly."
His gaze began to cloud slightly, as if he was remembering something. "It was the first time I discovered that place on the Trial Island. Oh, by the way, I was one of the first to have participated in the trials of Team Rocket on this island."
Cain was surprised to hear that. Umbra was one of the first on Trial Island?
Umbra, as if reading his mind, continued, "Just as you imagine. Back then, the Trial Island had just been discovered, and out of the first participants, only two of us survived. I'm one of them, and you may meet the other one someday."
Although Umbra didn't mention who the other survivor was, Cain had an idea—it was probably the other sub-leader of the Shadow Unit, Tenebris.
"Let's go back to that place where the Gastly gather. You must have noticed the stone pillar emitting ghost energy continuously, right?" Umbra shifted the topic from his past memories.
"The water there is deep, and you're not ready to explore it now. Fortunately, you didn't try to investigate too much, or you might not be here today," Umbra continued, talking to himself.
"You just need to know that few people are aware of that place, and you should make sure to keep your mouth shut. When your power is enough, you'll understand it for yourself."
Cain's eyes narrowed slightly, but then he returned to his usual expression and nodded, saying, "Understood."
Cain had no intention of investigating that pillar for now, especially since someone as powerful as Umbra had decided to preserve it instead of destroying it, which suggested it was a rather special place.
Umbra shook his head. Although Cain seemed respectful and his response was quick, Umbra could catch a fleeting expression in his eyes.
Without dwelling too much on that, Umbra continued, "You've passed my first test, which means you now have the right to know who I really am within Team Rocket."
Cain's heart raced. He already knew Umbra's true identity, but he couldn't prove it.
After all, in Team Rocket, if you didn't have enough power, you wouldn't even have the right to know of Umbra's existence.
"Show me the medal I gave you last time," Umbra instructed, referring to the black cloud-shaped medal he had given him before.
Cain took it from his Team Rocket belt and handed it over.
Umbra took it and rubbed the surface with a finger before continuing, "This medal represents the most mysterious department in Team Rocket, a medal for a reserve member of the Shadow Unit."
"From the moment you accepted this medal, the test began for you. The task you completed for me was the first step of this test."
Without pausing, Umbra continued to explain, "My name is Umbra, as you already know. I'm the sub-leader of the Shadow Unit. If you manage to complete all the tasks I assign you, you'll be able to join us."
"Although I can't tell you now what benefits or responsibilities you'll have, I can assure you that many people in Team Rocket would do anything to join us, though most don't even know we exist."
"Now you have a choice: continue with the missions until you join us or quit and keep proving yourself on the Trial Island, starting as a Grunt or a Captain, slowly climbing up the ranks." Umbra presented Cain with a rather unbalanced choice.
Cain had already made his decision a long time ago. Joining Umbra didn't conflict with his goal of rising within Team Rocket; in fact, with Umbra's help, it would be much easier.
But to avoid appearing too eager, Cain tilted his head and pretended to think.
Umbra didn't suspect anything. After all, the information about the Shadow Unit was so secret that he couldn't reveal too much. He could only rely on Cain's intuition to choose.
"I choose to continue with the missions."
After a brief pause, Cain said with determination. There was nothing to doubt; he had already made his decision a long time ago.
Hearing Cain's response, Umbra smiled. "In the future, you'll be glad you made this decision."
Cain nodded without adding anything.
Some things can't be said, but he knew his decision was the right one.
At that moment, a buzzing sound, "bzz, bzz, bzz," was approaching, growing louder and echoing in the room.
Cain recognized that sound and was somewhat surprised.
A Beedrill slowly appeared from a corner, flying toward Umbra and rubbing its arms affectionately against his.
"This is...," Cain's expression of surprise turned into understanding.
If he wasn't mistaken...
"That's right, this little guy hatched from the Pokémon egg I got from you," Umbra smiled, confirming Cain's suspicions.
So it was true.
Cain understood but then showed confusion again.
Although Bug-type Pokémon have a short growth cycle, the time between hatching and evolving in just a week was still extremely short.
Umbra stroked Beedrill's triangular head, and noticing Cain's confusion, he said, "This little guy has quite a bit of talent, and he's been training hard every day. Today he just evolved into a Beedrill."
(End of chapter)