Pokemon Chronicles of Darkness

Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Chapter 28:

The air between the two men hung heavy with silence, but it was a silence that was not at all out of place. The mysterious man, who was well-versed in the ways of TeamRocket and its inner workings, was not surprised that Viper had uncovered his actions so swiftly. After all, this was his territory and all the people here were his men. If Viper had not known, it would have been a surprise indeed.

With a low, muffled hmmm, the mysterious man gave his answer, and Viper, with hisscarred face, smiled in response. The two of them were well-acquainted, and Viper, asa senior member of Team Rocket, had some understanding of the mysterious man's identity and the Shadow Unit to which he belonged. The mysterious man's ability to notice Cain was a sure sign that there was something unique about the boy, but if the mysterious man did not wish to speak of it, Viper would not pry.

As if sensing Viper's thoughts, the mysterious man hesitated for a moment beforesaying, "I felt a darkness from this boy, and a hint of familiarity." The two men pausedfor a moment, before the mysterious man spoke again, solemnly and with great weight,

"The feeling he gave me was just like him!"

Viper, who had been leisurely wiping his Luxury Ball, heard the mysterious man's lastwords and his hand suddenly stilled, as if someone had hit the pause button. And so,they both came to a halt. After a few moments, Viper's hand trembled slightly beforeresuming his wiping motion. However, it was clear to anyone with a discerning eye thatthe words spoken had a great impact on his heart. The mysterious man, too, remainedsilent, knowing that what he had just said was shocking.

"This is truly surprising," Viper said, his words coming slowly and with great effort.

The "him" was none other than the leader of Giovanni's Shadow Unit, the most mysterious existence in Team Rocket, whose status was just below Giovanni's, a man who could be said to be below one person and above all others. And while outside rsmay have known of the strength of Team Rocket's three Senior Executives, the invincible army of the Four Executives, and the insane trio called 'The Three Beasts', they did not know of the Shadow Unit within Team Rocket, a force that was more mysterious and terrifying than the rest.

Not wanting to say too much on the subject, Viper coughed slightly to conceal hisemotions. "Ahem, I heard you got an Advanced Aptitude Pokemon egg from him?"

With a subtle nod, the mysterious man reached under his black robes and produced aPokemon egg, the same Green Aptitude Weedle egg that Cain had exchanged forpoints. Even as the deputy leader of the Shadow Unit, the mysterious man was hesitantto become too embroiled in the matter.

"A Weedle?" Viper recognized the Pokemon egg at a glance.

The mysterious man stretched out his hand, which only had two fingers left, and placedit on the egg, which gave off a warm feeling, "That's right," he replied.

He escaped under the hands of two Senior Elite Trainers and lost three of his mainPokemon, while his other main Pokemon also suffered various degrees of injury andneeded time to recover.

"With its rapid growth cycle, it can quickly become a formidable fighting force, and with a little training, it can reach the strength of a quasi-elite," the mysterious man continued. "Although its lifespan is relatively short, it's enough for a transition." He was well aware of Beedrill's weaknesses, but he never intended to train it as his main force.

"What? Your Pokemon still need a long time to recover from their injuries?" Viper asked curiously, knowing that although the mysterious man's Pokemon were badly injured, he shouldn't have needed to raise new Pokemon.

The mysterious man fell silent and sighed softly. "That's to be expected when you face a poison-type Senior Elite Trainer. I don't know when they can recover, so I'll just treat this Beedrill as a backup plan."