Pokémon: Chronicles of Freedom (200 - 398)

Chapter 286: Return to the Trial Island

After saying all he needed to, Umbra and Cain fell back into silence.

Following Umbra's signal, Cain finally lifted the tea cup and took a slow sip.

In truth, Cain enjoyed both tea and coffee.

That initial bitterness, gradually fading, leaving a soft sweetness in the mouth.

The contrast between sweetness and bitterness highlighted the true flavor even more.

Cain didn't care too much about the type of tea or coffee; he simply enjoyed that lingering aftertaste, unlike Umbra, who paid close attention to the art of tea.

Cain downed the contents of his cup in one go, and the bitterness in his mouth grew stronger.

Umbra shook his head and refilled Cain's cup.

For a powerful Elite-level Trainer to be serving Cain tea was a rare occurrence.

"Such good tea is wasted on you," Umbra said calmly, slightly melancholic, though with a hint of irony.

Cain, about to lift the cup, paused momentarily and then replied with a smile, "To me, it doesn't matter what kind of tea it is or what techniques are used to prepare it. What matters is that the more bitter the tea, the deeper the aftertaste."

Umbra, surprised, remained silent for a moment. Cain's words didn't seem typical for someone his age. Although he had lived much more than most people his age, he hadn't expected to hear something like that from him.

They didn't have to wait long before the ship set sail.

Originally, Umbra had been waiting for Cain's arrival, and now that Cain was on board, even though the captain (Officer) of the ship had been taken to emergency care for severe blood loss, it wasn't that important, was it?

He could easily be replaced by someone else.

The Rocket Team's cargo ship followed its course, heading toward the Trial Island along a special route, its hold filled with various supplies.

...

In a luxurious room, a frail-looking middle-aged man rested his hand on his head, looking at a videophone on the wall as he listened to the report from one of his subordinates.

If Cain were here, he would probably recognize that the person on the videophone screen was the Senior Officer he had encountered before on the cargo ship.

The Senior Officer, showing complete respect, was detailing the events that had occurred.

After listening to the report, the middle-aged man, smiling, said, "So, you, a Senior Officer, along with an Officer, were unable to uncover anything about that boy, and in addition, one of you was rendered useless?"

Although he was smiling as he spoke, no one would have thought he was actually pleased.

The Senior Officer started sweating profusely.

Quickly, he recounted exactly what Umbra had said, word for word.

"Oh? I heard he failed his last mission and his power was severely diminished. If this were before, I might have shown him some respect, but now... we'll only know who's stronger if we face off," said the man.

According to the Elite Trainer rankings, Umbra was far stronger, but on his last mission, he had suffered a major power loss, and now no one knew how much strength he had left.

"Forget it, it's pointless to continue talking about this. Tell that brat that if he doesn't get the results I expect this time in the trial, I'll send him to the Immortals Squad. The next time we face off against the League, he'll be the first to charge in."