Three days later.
A gigantic aerial fortress emerged from within a mountain on Cinnabar Island, at the southern edge of the Kanto region.
As soon as it exited the mountain, the surface of the aerial fortress seemed to ripple like water, and then immediately disappeared into the air.
It was one of Team Rocket's secret weapons.
An aerial fortress capable of becoming invisible at high altitudes, hidden by Team Rocket on Cinnabar Island.
Cinnabar Island was a city under Team Rocket's control.
The Gym Leader of Cinnabar Island, Blaine, was precisely the one who proposed the Mew genetic modification project.
Blaine was a man of great talent, valued by Giovanni, and had become the leading figure in Mew gene research.
He had achieved remarkable success in both Pokémon research and combat, but since his research line wasn't accepted by the League, he gradually ended up joining Team Rocket.
Within Team Rocket, he could unleash his talent without restrictions.
In the control room, at the highest level of the aerial fortress, several people were present.
At the front, standing beside the window, were three figures.
Umbra, Tenebris, and Rox Nishikawa—a middle-aged man with an arrogant expression—were observing the sea of clouds.
In addition to them, the control room also housed several close subordinates of the Elite Officers, as well as members responsible for operating the fortress.
Cain was sitting on a sofa off to the side of the control room, legs crossed, playing with a few small black spheres in his hands.
He completely ignored those who were standing.
At that moment, Cain was once again wearing his characteristic black cloak. Apart from the hand playing with the black spheres and the Elite Officer insignia on his chest, no other part of his body was visible.
In the entire control room, aside from the three Elite Officers at the front, Cain was the only other member of Elite Officer rank. Because of that, even though he appeared carefree, no one dared say a word.
After giving it careful thought, Cain had decided to participate in this mission while keeping his identity hidden.
After all, his role was different from that of Umbra and Tenebris, and remaining anonymous gave him greater freedom of action.
Aside from the four Elite Officers, the rest of those present were the close subordinates of the first three. Some looked familiar to Cain.
Several of them seemed to have survived the same generation of Trial Island as him, and now were direct subordinates of the Elite Officers.
It seemed that Trial Island was indeed an effective method of selecting talented trainers, even if it was cruel and bloody. For Team Rocket, the results spoke for themselves.
Among all the people present, one individual especially caught Cain's attention:
Regi.
It had been a long time since he last saw him. He was standing not far behind his uncle, ahead of all other subordinates under Rox.
"Looks like you've recovered quite well," Cain murmured, smirking as he glanced sideways at him.
With his face concealed by psychic powers, no one could recognize him.
The small black spheres spinning between his fingers were psychic-reading blockers.
Under his control, the spheres flowed smoothly between his fingers. It was a good way to train his precision and control over his psychic abilities.
When he fully mastered the handling of those spheres, another one slid out from his sleeve and joined the group.
Even though it was just one more, the difficulty increased significantly.
Cain remained calm, looking relaxed.
The subordinates standing around, while trying to maintain their composure, couldn't help but glance at Cain out of the corner of their eyes.
Especially Regi. He felt that hooded figure looked oddly familiar.
But even with his special status, he couldn't dare to stare directly at a Team Rocket Elite Officer. Even less so if the person was a psychic—making them even more terrifying.
Not even his own uncle would want to clash with someone like that.
Even if they were weaker, just being an Elite Officer made them someone it wasn't wise to provoke.
However, the fact that there were still high-ranking members keeping their identity hidden within Team Rocket sparked some contempt in Rox.
"Someone who hides so much..." he thought with disdain.
...
The aerial fortress officially took off.
The three leaders let out a light sigh of relief.
Rox stepped forward and, without waiting, began to speak. This made Umbra frown and stop in his tracks.
Tenebris, beside him, also shook his head slightly and looked coldly at Rox.
Umbra said nothing else.
Maybe the others didn't notice anything, but Cain, from the sofa, observed it all clearly.
His smile widened even further.
"Digging his own grave... No one else to blame."
Rox, unaware of the discomfort he was causing, began to speak as if he were the supreme commander of the aerial fortress.
In his mind, Umbra and Tenebris were already dismissed.
For Rox, members of the Nishikawa family should be the center in any situation.
That arrogance deeply irritated Umbra and Tenebris.
But since the mission had just begun, it wasn't the time to start internal conflict.
"I imagine everyone knows the mission: capture the three legendary birds! These aren't the actual mythological legendary birds, but their strength should not be underestimated."
"Umbra, Tenebris, and I will face them directly. Your task will be to eliminate minor targets and clear the islands. That is your primary mission."
"Understood?"
He spoke confidently, as if everything were under his control.
At that point, Rox glanced sideways at Cain, who remained seated on the sofa. He slightly furrowed his brow but decided not to say anything.
He only wanted to be the main commander, but he wasn't a fool.
He knew who Umbra and Tenebris were, so he wasn't worried about offending them—he did it on purpose.
But he knew nothing about Cain: not his identity, not his position, not his loyalty. Only that he was an Elite Officer with psychic powers.
When facing the unknown, it was best not to provoke it.
After all, the Nishikawa family wouldn't have come this far if all its members were idiots. To survive—and thrive—within Team Rocket took more than just strength.
"Understood!" everyone replied in unison.
"Very well," said Rox. "For now, you may withdraw. Return to your stations. When the real mission begins, you'll be notified."
The subordinates all left.
Once the doors closed, only four people remained in the control room, aside from the technicians operating the fortress from outside.
(End of chapter)