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There weren't many Pokémon Eggs left in the incubator. Jacob quickly examined all of them but didn't find any that met his standards. He decided to save his remaining opportunity to select a non-Legendary Pokémon for another time.
At that moment, Richard's phone suddenly rang. Evidently, Jacob's earlier call had been effective.
Richard checked the caller ID, his face gradually darkening. Despite his obvious anger, he maintained his composure as he answered.
"Hello, Chief."
"Chief" typically referred to the strongest member of the Elite Four—different from the other Elite Four members. It indicated that this person was considered the strongest in the region, second only to the Champion in official rankings.
Richard listened to the voice on the other end with a grim expression, his hand trembling slightly as it held the phone.
Jacob and Nina watched Richard attentively. The call lasted a full ten minutes before ending.
Richard glared at Jacob, unable to conceal the anger and hatred in his eyes. "Fine. Very good."
"BANG!"
With that, Richard kicked the door open, venting his anger on it, and stormed out of the incubation room without looking back. The portly supervisor watched this scene with a tingling scalp, uncertain whether to stay or leave.
"I'll package your egg right away," the supervisor said with a forced smile that looked more like a grimace.
Jacob didn't regret angering Richard. Resources were limited, and if he didn't fight for them, he wouldn't willingly surrender them to others. That was simply impossible.
From the moment he decided to become a trainer, competition became inevitable.
After securing the Pokémon egg, Jacob and Nina didn't even stop to eat before rushing back to the Capital's Dragon Habitat. For safety, Nina asked Maximus to contact a King-level trainer in Drakehold to escort them.
By the time they returned to the Capital's Dragon Realm and placed the egg in the incubation room, it was already 9 PM. They were starving after going without food all afternoon and evening.
"Ms. Nina, thank you. It's late, but let me treat you to dinner," Jacob offered politely, then added, "By the way, did you mean what you said about Maximus accepting me as his apprentice?"
"I did. Your grandfather already agreed." Nina didn't hide this from Jacob. After all, becoming a disciple still required his consent. "Why, aren't you interested?"
"How could I not be? I'm extremely grateful to Maximus for his kindness." Jacob naturally wouldn't refuse such an opportunity. Maximus was so powerful—having such a master would be invaluable. "Then, Ms. Nina, does that make you my senior?"
"Yes." Nina glanced at Jacob before leading him to the cafeteria. "Two bowls of noodles."
"Senior Nina, I should treat you to a proper meal, not just noodles," Jacob insisted. Maximus and Nina had helped him tremendously, especially Nina, who had accompanied him on this exhausting journey. Jacob felt guilty at the thought of such a modest meal.
"Perhaps next time. You're exhausted today. You should rest early," Nina declined.
"Alright."
Soon, steaming bowls of noodles arrived, and the two hungry travelers began devouring their food.
Jacob had been incredibly busy recently—from developing corresponding movements for Z-Moves to exclusive Z-Crystals, attending his brother's wedding, and finally selecting a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon. For the past ten days, Jacob had been constantly occupied. Only now could he finally relax and return to his normal routine.
Lying in bed, Jacob felt physically and mentally drained. He chatted briefly with his good friend Kyle, replied to messages from other friends, and fell asleep early.
The next morning, Jacob woke up early, feeling energized. He first checked on the Dreepy egg, then took his three Pokémon out for morning exercises.
After two hours of training, Jacob headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. There, he overheard people discussing something in hushed tones.
"Have you heard? Apparently, the shiny Aegislash has been captured."
"Seems it was caught by a trainer from Kanto. The Gengar was captured by a trainer from the Pokémon League. I heard there was a conflict, and some people died."
"After a month, the League finally caught those two dangerous Pokémon."
"I can finally go shopping this weekend. I've been holding off for so long."
Jacob frowned slightly, eating breakfast while browsing the news. Just yesterday, two dangerous Pokémon in the capital had finally been captured.
A mysterious Fire-type trainer with a giant crystal lantern had captured Aegislash. This person was clearly Alora, whom Jacob and Nina had encountered.
Gengar had been captured by a League trainer.
This was excellent news for Jacob. The capture of two Ghost-type Pokémon meant he only needed to wait until the weekend before he could use special items to hunt for treasures.
However, considering his current situation—being on Richard's bad side—it would be wiser to avoid venturing out alone. Perhaps he should call Nina.
Jacob thought of his reliable protector. It would definitely be safer with Nina accompanying him. He could also treat her to that proper meal he had promised.
He also remembered his remaining reward. He could visit the treasury to select an item. The Gengar Mega Stone and Gigantamax Wishing Star had arrived, but he hadn't even opened the package yet.
Jacob couldn't help but look forward to the weekend. Even his food tasted better, prompting him to quickly devour two more bowls.
"Jacob?" Julia exclaimed in surprise as she spotted him in the cafeteria.
More than ten days had passed since they last met. Jacob's sudden disappearance after gaining recognition had led many training class students to wonder whether he had abandoned the trainer path to focus exclusively on research.
Seeing Jacob again, Julia was visibly delighted. "You haven't attended training for so long. Where have you been?"
"I was delayed by some matters," Jacob replied honestly.
"Hurry and add me as a friend so I can find you if I need help."
"What could you possibly help me with?" Jacob joked, but still took out his phone and added Julia as a contact.
The two chatted as they finished their meal and walked toward the training ground.
Jacob's appearance still attracted everyone's attention, especially Harper, who felt a sinking feeling when she saw Jacob and Julia walking together.
Nina frowned slightly upon seeing Jacob and Julia arrive together, but when she observed how quickly Jacob immersed himself in training, she didn't comment.
The students had grown accustomed to the intensive training regimen and were all focused on their exercises.
Nina approached Jacob and said, "Jacob, come here."
"Sure."
Following Nina to a secluded corner where other students couldn't overhear, Nina crossed her arms and said, "Come to my father's office at 6 PM tonight. He wants to see you."
"I'll be there."
After delivering her message, Nina turned to leave. Jacob quickly called after her, "Senior Nina."
"Address me as 'Ms. Nina' during class."
"Of course, Ms. Nina. Are you free this weekend? I'd like to treat you to a meal, and also—"
Before Jacob could finish, Nina turned and walked away, saying coldly, "I'm busy."
As Nina took a few steps, she added over her shoulder, "We'll discuss it after you make it to the National Finals."