"You dare to call Lord Umbra by his name! This is a great sign of disrespect," the middle-aged man said with a mocking smile.
His smile moved the scar on his face, making him look somewhat unpleasant.
Hearing this, Cain frowned and looked him up and down, finally stopping at the insignia of the Shadow Unit on his chest.
At first glance, it seemed like a common Shadow Unit insignia, but upon closer inspection, Cain noticed differences compared to his own.
While his insignia was that of a regular Shadow Unit member, and the man's represented that of a Captain, the difference didn't lie there.
Cain's insignia, which had been given to him by Umbra, had a grayish, faded color, while the man's was jet black, so dark that its details were barely distinguishable without careful observation.
Cain's eyes glimmered with understanding.
"Is this guy from the Dark Group? But I've never had any dealings with Tenebris—why would he come after me? As one of Giovanni's closest allies, he shouldn't have any reason to mistrust me."
If this man truly belonged to the Dark Group, was this provocation on Tenebris's orders, or was it a personal act? That much remained unclear.
"Did Tenebris send you?" Cain asked coldly, focusing his psychic powers on the middle-aged man.
Hearing Tenebris's name, the man's expression shifted slightly, a brief flash of discomfort that he quickly hid—but Cain noticed it.
This confirmed about eighty percent of his suspicions.
"And now you've also called Lord Tenebris by name. It seems you need to learn the rules of respect within the Shadow Unit," the man replied, his expression stern.
The middle-aged man standing before Cain was known as Rei, one of the strongest Captains of the Shadow Unit, on the verge of being promoted to a regular Officer, and someone with a certain reputation within the unit.
Although the Shadow Unit is a single organization, due to its divided management under Tenebris and Umbra, differences have emerged among its members.
Tenebris's subordinates call themselves the Dark Group, primarily tasked with the internal security of Team Rocket and Giovanni's personal protection. This is their main responsibility, alongside some basic Shadow Unit tasks.
Umbra's subordinates, on the other hand, are known as the Shadow Group and handle more complex and dangerous missions across various regions.
As a result, the differences in the missions assigned to the two groups have gradually created distinctions between them.
The Shadow Group members are relatively few because their missions are extremely dangerous, often involving incursions behind enemy lines, where survival odds are slim.
As a result, Shadow Group members who manage to survive are extremely strong, considered the elite of Team Rocket.
Meanwhile, the Dark Group members have relatively safer jobs and have gradually accumulated in number, given their focus on internal security and monitoring certain individuals within Team Rocket.
Currently, the Shadow Unit situation is such that the Dark Group vastly outnumbers the Shadow Group. However, because both Tenebris and Umbra are quite powerful, members of both groups have maintained a relatively peaceful coexistence.
Officially, the Shadow Unit is still seen as a united organization.
But things started to change. During a mission, Umbra suffered severe injuries, leading to a drastic decline in his power. Although he later regained some strength using Evolution Elixirs, he couldn't return to his former power level.
Additionally, due to the elixir's side effects, Umbra's potential was reduced.
Only a few of Umbra's closest associates knew this, but rumors soon began to spread among Dark Group members that Umbra had lost his power and that Lord Tenebris would become the true leader of the Shadow Unit.
Tenebris and Umbra are officially only deputy leaders of the Shadow Unit. The leader position has remained vacant for a long time. Whether the leader is missing or dead remains unclear.
Giovanni has given no explanation, leaving his subordinates to speculate.
Does Tenebris have what it takes to become the group's leader?
After all, Tenebris and Umbra had proven their strength simultaneously, with one handling external matters and the other internal. Tenebris, moreover, was closer to Giovanni.
As a result, Dark Group members began to take action.
Their initially small moves grew larger, starting to interfere with the Shadow Unit's operations and missions.
The man who had come this time was a Captain of the Dark Group. However, it wasn't clear why someone from the Dark Group was sent regarding a matter related to Umbra.
To Cain, at this moment, it didn't matter who the man was; after all, they were in Hoenn.
Giovanni had entrusted Cain with being Team Rocket's chief representative in the Hoenn region, with direct orders only from Umbra.
Now, this man looking for trouble with Cain was merely a Shadow Unit Captain.
Even within Team Rocket's hierarchy, he was just a relatively strong Captain.
And Cain? An Officer appointed directly by Giovanni!
Although his power and rank hadn't initially matched, after this stage of training, Cain finally met the requirements of his position.
Now, both in status and rank, Cain had the authority to confront him.
First, he needed to defeat him and then ask Umbra what was going on.
Having made up his mind, Cain's gaze at the man turned sharper.
Rei also noticed Cain's gaze and, after a brief pause, burst into laughter.
"Hahaha! Are you going to attack me? You, an Officer without the power to back your position! Do you think everyone is as weak as those from the Trial Island?"
"You talk too much!" Cain snapped disdainfully.
"Honchkrow, use Tailwind!"
Honchkrow, who had been ready to attack, immediately surrounded itself with Flying-type energy.
"You're courting death!" the man growled.
"Yanmega, use Quick Attack, then Steel Wing!"
The Yanmega floating beside Rei glared with its red eyes.
With a buzz of its four wings, it charged forward, maximizing its Quick Attack and powering up its Steel Wing, aiming directly at Honchkrow.
"Honchkrow, use Night Slash!"
Without flinching, Honchkrow flew directly toward Yanmega, with interwoven Flying and Dark energy coursing through its wings.
The two Pokémon collided in mid-air.
Though Yanmega was larger than Honchkrow, it didn't overpower it in strength.
Both Pokémon were sent flying after the impact, but Honchkrow was pushed back less.