Chapter 26:

The man's gaze fell upon the Pokemon Egg in the testing machine, the flashing light that represented its advanced aptitude, and with a hint of doubt in his voice, he inquired, "How did you come by this Pokemon Egg, my boy?"

Cain, with a respectful air, replied, "I found it in a Beedrill's nest, sir. It appears to be the offspring of the Beedrill's leader. I hope to offer it as a gesture of goodwill."

The man nodded, pleased with Cain's tact.

With a wave of his hand, the man stated, "No need, I shan't take advantage of a young lad like yourself. This Weedle egg is likely worth 18,000 points. Give him 20,000 and deduct it from my card." The first part was addressed to Cain, while the second part was addressed to the staff member who stood respectfully by.

"Yes, sir." The staff member bowed hastily.

Cain stood silently. In the face of such power, if the man had insisted on taking the Pokemon Egg, Cain would have had no choice but to offer it with open hands. For to go against such a powerful figure would be akin to hitting a boulder with an egg.

This overwhelming sense of powerlessness was like a sharp knife being thrust into Cain's heart, suffocating him with an unfathomable feeling.

This is the plight of the weak, only the strong have the right to speak. Since his regression, Cain had never felt so helpless; his pride, hidden deep within him, had been torn from its tightly wrapped shell and exposed to the full light of day.

But the thought of becoming stronger never left him, this time he was more determined than ever.

Everything had gone so well in this life that he had begun to become arrogant, looking down on all his peers, believing that he had a huge advantage and that it was only a matter of time before he became powerful.

But as a true powerhouse emerged, Cain found himself vulnerable.

The mysterious man gazed upon Cain for a moment, then inquired, "Might you be interested in undertaking a task for me?"

Taking a deep breath and pushing aside all thoughts, Cain responded politely, "I would be honored, sir."

"Come find me when you've completed this week's test," the man said, placing a black medallion upon the counter.

"Yes, sir," Cain replied, his eyes flitting to the black medallion on the counter. At the sight of it, his pupils suddenly contracted.

With a nod and one final glance at Cain, who kept his head lowered, the mysterious man disappeared through the secret door. As for the Weedle egg, it would no doubt be delivered to him.

The staff member waited respectfully for the mysterious man's departure before letting out a long breath and wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Cain, too, let out a small sigh of relief and picked up the black medallion, amidst the envious and jealous gaze of the clerk.

He stared at the black medallion, whose overall shape resembled a cloud and whose pitch blackness held not a hint of any other color, with a complicated expression.

The Black Cloud, a special medallion belonging to Team Rocket's top secret force, the Shadow Unit, which took orders only from Team Rocket's boss, Giovanni.

Aside from Giovanni, only the Shadow Unit's leader and two deputies were authorized to award this medallion.

The Shadow Unit was not part of the normal Team Rocket structure and all of its members were hand-picked by the three leaders.

There were no other avenues of entry.

The three leaders of the Shadow Unit were all above Elite level, so the mysterious man must be one of them.

Though this medallion was only for reserve members, its meaning was clear: as long as one could complete the tasks given by the mysterious man, one could become an official member of the Shadow Unit.

The Shadow Unit, reporting solely to Giovanni, could also be considered his personal force and thus stood one rank higher than its peers. In simpler terms, if a Team Rocket grunt were a member of the Shadow Unit, his rank would be one level above that of an ordinary Team Rocket grunt, on par with an ordinary Team Rocket junior officer.

The legend of Team Rocket's Shadow Unit had always been whispered about. Cain had only heard of it in his past life, never expecting to encounter it in this one.

"Why did he choose me? Is it simply because of the Pokemon Egg?" Cain pondered, a frown creasing his brow.

There was no reason to award a reserve member medallion after only meeting him for the first time, and with his current strength, he should not have caught this person's attention.

Even if he had, he should not forget that his current identity was that of a trialist. Were he not a regressor, he would not have understood the weight of this medallion.

Suppressing the various speculations in his mind, he feigned confusion and queried, "Excuse me, this medallion..."

The staff member immediately donned a different smile, "I'm sorry, but I cannot reveal any information."

Cain nodded and asked no further questions. He stored the medallion in his belt. It was best to know as little as possible about this dangerous matter. Despite his newfound knowledge, Cain did not forget the main purpose of his visit. The Weedle Egg had been exchanged for 20,000 points, far exceeding his expectations.

This was 20,000 Team Rocket points. How many valuable items could be acquired in exchange? Cain felt that he must now possess the most points among the island's elite.

However, points were meaningless if they were not converted into power, emphasizing their usefulness.

Scanning the exchange list, he bypassed the inexpensive items and turned to the TM list. Cain had already analyzed which moves Murkrow needed to learn.

First and foremost, Murkrow's speed was impressive, and with the boost from Tailwind, it could be increased even further. In terms of attack, as a Dark and Flying-type Pokémon, his mastery of Flying-type moves was sufficient and their damage could be dealt effectively, likely due to his battles with Bug-type Pokémon and the resulting improvement in his proficiency with Flying Energy.

However, his Dark-type moves were a weakness, despite Dark-type being Murkrow's strongest talent. These moves could only be learned after reaching a certain level.

Therefore, in order to increase Murkrow's damage output, Cain would consider choosing some Dark-type moves.

Another consideration was Murkrow's speed, while it was difficult to find a Pokémon that could match it, it was not impossible.

Moreover, as seen in the physical battle between Murkrow and the Beedrill leader, Murkrow's body had always been his weakness. It was a species flaw that could not be fixed solely through training.

If Cain and Murkrow were to encounter a Pokemon that was equally fast and had a high attack, Murkrow could be killed in one blow. Even if they did not encounter such a Pokemon, Murkrow's fragility would make it a primary target in group battles.

Therefore, Cain prioritized the selection of life-saving moves.

At the same time, Murkrow possessed a hidden ability, Prankster, which increased the priority of its Status Moves. It was already a powerful ability and it would be a shame if it were not used to its fullest potential.

Suddenly, Cain remembered something and took out a silver-white box from his storage belt. It was the same box he had found with the treasure map and inside it was a TM, likely of the Normal-type.

He placed the box upon the counter and called out to the employee whose attitude had improved, "Please assist me in identifying what move this is."

Hearing Cain's request, the clerk opened the box with suspicion and upon seeing the TM inside, he couldn't help but show a surprised expression and think to himself, "What a fortunate child."

As the TM was placed on the special device, words appeared on the electronic screen above. There was no attempt to conceal it from Cain, so he too saw what was written, "Move: Screech, Normal-type Status Move." The explanation of the move read, "It emits a piercing sound that greatly lowers the opponent's defense."

Cain was overjoyed. It was a stroke of luck that the TM turned out to be Screech. Though this move was not as valuable as 'Protect' or 'Substitute', it was still quite rare. Additionally, it was highly suitable for Murkrow, a high-speed, high-attack Pokemon akin to an assassin.

The ability to drastically lower an opponent's defense by two stages was highly useful, particularly in group battles. Screech, paired with Murkrow's high attack and speed, could be used to instantly finish off an opponent and then retreat, perfectly aligning with Murkrow's fighting style.

Cain had also considered trading for some Status Moves to improve Murkrow's fighting ability and acquiring Screech had helped Cain save some points.

It was no wonder that when the staff member saw this TM, he couldn't help but mutter to himself about how fortunate Cain was. As someone who worked in an exchange center, he surely knew the value of this move, which was only slightly lower than that of moves such as Protect.

Cain smiled at Murkrow. He believed that after this exchange was completed, Murkrow's fighting ability would be greatly improved.