Chapter 136:

Listening to the middle-aged man's explanation, Cain felt a slight stir within him. The previous batch of trial participants? Now having the position of a captain, it seemed that after leaving the Trial Island, he would likely have been at the level of a squad leader, right?

Team Rocket's Trial Island was of a three-month period, but trials didn't occur every three months. The time between each trial varied, but it wouldn't exceed half a year.

Not everyone had the experience of being reborn like Cain, so this person named Milan, who managed to become a captain within about half a year, definitely possessed strong skills.

Milan stood to the side without speaking. People who emerged from these Trial Islands were not like those who came from schools, where seniors took care of their juniors. Generally, those from emerged were extreme egoists, only concerning themselves with matters that benefited them.

The middle-aged man didn't provide any further introduction. He had only mentioned Milan because Milan worked under him.

He took out a palm-sized black box from his bag and handed it to Cain, saying, "This is what Sir Umbra needs. I've had it prepared for quite some time. Now, I'm entrusting it to you, and you must deliver it safely."

The middle-aged man's gaze grew sharp as he spoke. He might have seemed harmless with a smile on his face, but anyone who could reach his rank within Team Rocket must have taken countless lives.

Cain solemnly accepted the box and placed it in his ring's storage space. He wasn't qualified to inquire about its contents. His mission was simply to deliver the item to Umbra.

In the Pokémon world, while teleportation methods were well-developed, some things couldn't be teleported due to their immense energy or other reasons.

For example, a high-quality Evolution Stone couldn't be teleported because its contained energy was too vast and couldn't be quantized. Thus, the occupation of courier still existed in the Pokémon world.

"Alright, if there's nothing else, don't linger here. Mahogany Town is currently unstable," the middle-aged man urged Cain after handing over the item.

"Yes," Cain nodded in acknowledgment. Indeed, Mahogany Town wasn't safe at the moment, with the potential for battles to erupt at any time.

"Boom!"

Just as he said this, the entire base suddenly shook, and countless alarms blared throughout the facility. Although the base only shook slightly, cracks began to appear on the walls.

"Damn it, they're not really attacking now, are they?" The middle-aged man's face darkened instantly. He had just mentioned the possibility of danger – could the Association be attacking? What were the guards doing up front?

Milan's expression changed too. A large-scale battle between the Association and Team Rocket would be dangerous, even for a captain like himself. There was no guarantee he'd make it out alive.

The two of them left the office without paying any attention to Cain. If the Association was indeed attacking, no one would care about a minor character like him.

Cain's expression wavered. If the Association attacked now, it was uncertain whether he could escape. He glanced at the office door. The two who left probably wouldn't return anytime soon.

"Slowpoke, set a coordinate here." Cain gritted his teeth and summoned Slowpoke.

Although the Association's attack was a disaster for Team Rocket's base, Cain saw it as an opportunity.

The main computer terminal in the research base contained valuable data. If the AI system had a chance to access it, the accumulated data he had painstakingly collected from his previous life might be dwarfed in amount.

However, the main computer was situated on the fifth floor, a place where even a Team Rocket Captain couldn't access. Only those at the executive rank or key researchers were allowed.

Cain had Slowpoke set a Psychic coordinate here, hoping he might have a chance to return later. But the risk was unpredictable, so he planned to play it by ear.

By the time Slowpoke had set the coordinates and Cain returned it back to its Poké Ball, the two men who had left earlier came back with grim faces.

Seeing that Cain was still standing here, the middle-aged man's expression became even colder, and he said impatiently, "There's an elevator here that goes directly to the surface. Get on it and don't head south. The Association is attacking from that direction. The people up front should be able to hold out for a while."

The middle-aged man signaled to Milan, who pushed Cain into the elevator, closed the door, and turned to leave without another word.

Cain stood silently inside, and after a few seconds, he felt the elevator start ascending. Half a minute later, when the elevator doors opened once more, Cain was already outside, bathed in sunlight that carried a hint of warmth.

Gazing southward, he noticed faint rumblings and the occasional flicker of flame in the distance.

"The Association seems quite determined this time," Cain murmured to himself.

In his previous life, after attaining quasi-elite status, Cain had made an effort to understand the reasons behind the Association's attack. Although his knowledge was incomplete, he gleaned some information from the scattered words of others.

It appeared that the primary research being carried out within the Lake of Rage facility touched on the Association's core interests, namely studies related to Pokémon evolution. It was unclear how far the research had progressed, but it must have been on the verge of success, otherwise, the Association would not have been compelled to act.

Instead of leaving immediately after exiting the elevator, Cain lingered, despite the danger of staying in such a place. He found it difficult to abandon the potential wealth of data and information, even if he could only obtain a small portion of it. That alone could provide him with significant assistance.

After all, weren't the various functions of the AI system only possible because of the vast amount of data stored within its database? If he could acquire some more data, perhaps he could decode the hatching method for the Larvitar egg, or even discover a reliable method for quickly enhancing his Psychic talent.

Although it was risky, the potential rewards made it worth a try. As a last resort, he had Slowpoke's Teleport as his trump card, ready to save him in case of an emergency.