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After dinner, Jacob lay on his bed scrolling through his phone.
I haven't checked the stone marketplace for a while. I wonder if there are any good ones available.
He reviewed the private messages he'd received recently—most showcased useless stones that looked fancy but had no practical value. The rest were just scammers posting advertisements.
After another fruitless search, Jacob changed his location settings to the capital city. This would allow more local sellers to see his posts, increasing his chances of finding valuable treasures in the capital.
With the stone issue temporarily set aside, Jacob browsed through his other messages. Among them, Kyle had sent several photos showing himself training with his Lycanroc. Like Jacob, he had taken leave to undergo special training at the Rock Secret Realm.
To this close friend, Jacob replied with just two words: "idiot." Their brotherhood required no elaborate expressions.
Aria had also messaged him, asking how he was doing in the capital and mentioning that her three-month internship at the Flame Secret Realm was ending soon. She wondered if she could extend her stay.
Jacob felt confused. Why was she telling him this? He could only reply politely: "If you can't stay there, you're welcome to come to the Grass Insect Secret Realm in Starlight City. Starlight City would welcome you."
There were numerous other messages, mostly from young women who had joined him at the barbecue stall previously. Many sent messages like "Hey, you're so handsome!" or "Do you have a girlfriend?" The bolder ones sent Jacob provocative photos. Jacob ignored all these messages—though he did look at all the photos. Consequently, he had trouble falling asleep and didn't get to bed until midnight.
...
At six o'clock the next morning, Jacob maintained his usual two-hour training routine. When he finished, Nanny Abigail had already prepared breakfast.
The family ate while watching the news.
"The Aurora Club has been caught poaching rare Pokémon, causing significant losses to the Pokémon Association."
"Another terrifying ghost incident has occurred in the Capital. Ghost-type Pokémon are suspected to have appeared. The Pokémon Association has dispatched masters of Psychic, Dark, and Ghost types to investigate."
"Darkrai has disappeared. Experts speculate it may appear in Demon City."
"The strongest Lucario: The Pokémon Association intends to recruit Ryan as a special investigator."
...
While watching the news, Jacob packed his essential belongings and prepared to head to the Dragon Secret Realm.
The Capital's Dragon Secret Realm offered only 30 training positions each year. These spots were rarely made available to the public—they were reserved for those with connections. Obtaining a position required more than money; it demanded connections, power, strength, and reputation.
This year's thirty positions had been allocated a month ago. Naturally, Jacob hadn't qualified for the Dragon Secret Realm training camp. The most he could normally do was pay daily fees to train there and enjoy the blessing of dragon energy within the realm. However, the highly respected Elder Scott had intervened, asking Dragon King Maximus, who oversaw the Dragon Secret Realm, to make an exception and add a position for Jacob.
...
Upon arriving at the Dragon Secret Realm, Jacob first went to the dormitory where he'd be staying for the next six months to drop off his luggage. After saying goodbye to his family, he hurried to the training grounds under staff guidance to join the camp.
The Dragon Secret Realm training camp had begun two days earlier, meaning Jacob had already missed two days of training. When he reached the training grounds, the thirty students were all seriously training their Pokémon. Almost everyone had one or two Dragon-type Pokémon, which made Jacob realize how different the capital was—so many trainers with Dragon Pokémon, including several Pseudo-legendary specimens, as if they were common items at a market.
In the corner of the training ground, a tall, charming young woman leaned casually against the wall, glancing at Jacob as he arrived.
"Instructor Nina," the staff member said, bringing Jacob to the woman and bowing slightly. "This is Jacob. He's the newcomer to the training camp that Dragon King Maximus mentioned."
"I understand," the woman nodded, examining Jacob.
Nina was very tall. Despite Jacob's height of 6'3", she reached up to his nose. She had a slim figure, fair skin, and attractive features. Her long legs and small leather boots were particularly eye-catching. Her only flaw was her ordinary expression.
When she first heard about the transfer student, she had been very dissatisfied with Jacob, whom she'd never met. Adding someone to the training class outside normal procedures violated the rules, and she despised such irregular behavior. But when she learned that Elder Scott had personally called her father, she had suppressed her dissatisfaction and agreed, though she resolved to give this transfer student a warning.
Now, seeing that Jacob was half a head taller than her—forcing her to look up when speaking to him—she felt even more annoyed. She secretly decided to wear high heels tomorrow to diminish Jacob's imposing presence.
"Come register first. What Pokémon do you have?" Despite her sour expression, she maintained her professional demeanor as an instructor.
"Noibat, Grovyle, and Charmander," Jacob replied.
"Your Pokémon have mixed types—Flying, Dragon, Grass, and Fire. You should consider the Flying Secret Realm instead. Two of your Pokémon have Flying-type attributes, which would be more suitable there." She frowned as she spoke, clearly trying to redirect Jacob.
Out of three Pokémon, only one was Dragon-type—Noibat—while two had Flying-type attributes. It would obviously be better for them to train at a Flying Secret Realm. Why come to a Dragon-type realm?
Jacob was speechless, unsure how to respond. He wanted to explain that these were three future Dragon Pokémon and ask if she understood Mega Evolution. But he couldn't say these things. While he was considering how to explain, she continued, "Never mind. Since you're here, let's proceed. Which Pokémon is your main fighter? I'll help create a training plan."
"Grovyle and Charmander," Jacob answered without hesitation.
These two future champion-tier Pokémon were certainly Jacob's future trump cards. As for Noibat, while strong at the king level, it seemed relegated to second tier for now. However, Jacob still contemplated: who would receive the Mega Evolution slot in the future? Would it be Charizard or Sceptile? After reflection, he settled on Sceptile—after all, Charizard still had Gigantamax potential.
When she heard Jacob's answer, she grew even more frustrated. Among three Pokémon, only one was Dragon-type, yet the two non-Dragon types were his main fighters. What was he doing in a Dragon-type Secret Realm?
She was deeply annoyed by Jacob's apparent disregard for Dragon-type Pokémon, which she considered her ideal. Others tried desperately to enter the Dragon Secret Realm to develop Dragon-type Pokémon's strength, yet he came to train a Grass-type Grovyle and a Fire-type Charmander.
She was now thoroughly dissatisfied with Jacob. If her father hadn't agreed, she would never have accepted this transfer student. Suppressing her anger, she secretly thought she would have plenty of time to deal with Jacob later. "What are the current strength levels of your three Pokémon?"
Jacob replied, "Noibat has been with me for almost a month since hatching. It has ordinary-level strength but will soon reach rare level."
"Grovyle has just evolved and has rare-level combat power."
"Charmander hatched only two days ago."
"What?!"
She stared at Jacob in shock. Three Pokémon—two hatched less than a month ago, and the supposed ace only at rare level? What kind of beginner was this? What kind of student had her father admitted?
She knew that among the Capital's Dragon Training Camp participants, virtually everyone had a Lord-level Pokémon, with some even possessing Overlord-level Pokémon.
Wasn't this novice trainer here just to damage her reputation? To tarnish the Dragon Secret Realm's prestige? Dad, what were you thinking? Why did you agree to add such a transfer student?