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Jacob and Nina discussed the matter thoroughly during their journey and finally decided to remain cautious in the face of uncertainty. They agreed to wait two days before visiting the Ghost Secret Realm to examine the Pokemon eggs and make their final decision. At worst, they could still make a net profit of 100 million Pokédollars by selling the Gimmighoul coin they had obtained.
Upon returning to the Dragon Secret Realm, Jacob created a comprehensive new training regimen for his Pokemon team, with particular focus on Charizard. The most glaring issue that Charizard had revealed during the recent battle was its insufficient move accuracy, and this fundamental problem needed immediate attention and correction.
The rest of his Pokemon would continue following their established training routines without major changes. However, what truly surprised Jacob was that Dreepy had actually achieved a breakthrough to the Overlord level. This remarkable accomplishment made Dreepy the fastest Pokemon among all of Jacob's team members to reach the prestigious Overlord level.
The combination of A-rank dragon scales and the concentrated core energy extracted from the Poison Bottle had enabled Dreepy to experience almost explosive growth rates. Yet despite this incredible progress, Dreepy still hadn't undergone evolution, which puzzled Jacob somewhat.
In stark contrast, Bagon's development rate remained within normal parameters. Even with the benefit of A-rank dragon scales supplementing its diet, Bagon continued to maintain its position at the ordinary level without significant advancement.
Jacob returned to the house to discover Nina wearing a cooking apron while preparing dinner in the kitchen. He checked his mobile phone and began answering call after call. Throughout the day, his family members and close friends had all been following his competition performance, and after witnessing his victory, they had flooded his phone with congratulatory messages and calls.
"Mom, Dad, brother, sister-in-law," Jacob spoke warmly into the phone. "I'm doing exceptionally well here. Teacher Nina takes wonderful care of me, so you don't need to worry about my wellbeing. I miss all of you tremendously."
"Grandma, Grandpa," he continued during another call. "I promise I'll come back home to visit you next weekend."
"Kyle, what happened? You got your heart broken?!" Jacob exclaimed in surprise during yet another conversation with his friend.
At precisely 7 PM, Maximus finally returned to the house carrying two carefully protected Pokemon eggs in his arms.
"You two can choose whichever Pokemon eggs you prefer," Maximus announced, gently placing both Pokemon eggs on the dining table. Given his exceptional strength and experience as a trainer, he already possessed all the top-tier Pokemon species he desired. He wasn't particularly interested in ordinary Pokemon—his current pursuit focused exclusively on Pokemon with semi-champion or champion-level potential. "The qualifications and potential of these two Pokemon should be quite remarkable."
One of these two precious Pokemon eggs belonged to Jacob by right, while the other was naturally prepared as a gift for Nina.
Jacob's keen eyes carefully examined both Pokemon eggs resting on the table. One contained a Scorbunny, while the other housed a Sprigatito.
[Pokemon Egg] Scorbunny
Gender: Female
Type: Fire
Tera Type: Fire
Potential: King level
Ability: Libero
Moves: Unknown
[Pokemon Egg] Sprigatito
Gender: Female
Type: Grass
Tera Type: Grass
Potential: King level
Ability: Protean
Moves: Unknown
Both Pokemon were specialty species originally from the Paldea region. Although Scorbunny and Sprigatito had been successfully introduced to China during recent years, specimens possessing King-level potential had never appeared in the country before this moment.
Nina's thoughtful gaze fell upon the two Pokemon eggs positioned on the table, then she turned to look directly at Jacob. "You should choose first—I'm perfectly fine with either one of them."
Observing his daughter's completely selfless attitude, Maximus felt inexplicably frustrated and retreated to sit aside, playing a mobile game while maintaining a dejected mood.
"These two Pokemon are actually both excellent choices," Jacob replied diplomatically, glancing toward Maximus sitting nearby. "Teacher Nina, you should definitely choose first. I'm honestly fine with either one." He understood that he absolutely couldn't choose first in this delicate situation.
However, Jacob recognized that both Pokemon were genuinely powerful options. Whether considering Scorbunny with its coveted Libero ability or Sprigatito with its equally impressive Protean ability, both would prove formidable assets in competitive battles.
Although these two abilities possessed different names, their mechanical effects were functionally identical—they allowed the user to dynamically change their type when executing any move.
For example, the Fire-type Scorbunny's typing would temporarily shift to Fighting when using Fighting-type moves, and to Flying when employing Flying-type moves. This transformation not only provided same-type attack bonuses but also enabled strategic type changes to counter enemy Pokemon effectively.
Because these two abilities operated on identical principles, it ultimately didn't matter which Pokemon he selected. The primary difference lay in evolutionary paths: Sprigatito's final evolution was Meowscarada, whose dual typing of Grass and Dark could potentially help Jacob complete certain specific objectives he had in mind.
Just as Jacob prepared to voice his decision, Nina's clear voice suddenly rang out across the room.
"Let's handle this systematically," Nina said thoughtfully, appearing to have reached a sudden decision after careful consideration. "You should take Scorbunny, and I'll take Sprigatito. Currently, you only have one special attack Fire Pokemon on your team—Charizard—and adding the physical attacker Scorbunny won't create any role conflicts with Charizard's established position. Meanwhile, Sprigatito and your Sceptile would have essentially identical battlefield positioning, so training both would provide minimal strategic value, making Scorbunny significantly more suitable for your team composition."
"That arrangement works perfectly for me. Then I'll gladly choose Scorbunny," Jacob nodded approvingly.
"Ahem," Maximus cleared his throat deliberately. He felt increasingly uncomfortable listening to Nina's words and observing how she constantly prioritized Jacob's needs and considerations. He quickly pretended to cough twice more, silently picked up the ceramic teacup resting on the table, took a measured sip of the warm tea, then carefully set it down, crossed his legs casually, and resumed playing on his mobile phone with exaggerated focus.
Even though Jacob wasn't always the most socially perceptive individual, he clearly understood what needed to be done in this particular moment. He silently stood up from his chair and picked up the tea kettle to pour fresh tea for Maximus as a gesture of respect.
Time flew by remarkably quickly, and it was now the end of December. The snow was falling more heavily with each passing day, the weather was growing increasingly colder, and the New Year atmosphere was intensifying throughout the region.
Every household had been decorated with colorful lights, traditional couplets, and festive lanterns, creating an atmosphere where the celebratory mood was becoming more intense by the day.
The specialized training camp located within the secret realm also provided a rare ten-day holiday break, but Jacob chose not to return home because the prestigious College Cup would commence in just one month, and he felt compelled to seize every available opportunity to improve his strength and battle capabilities.
The father and daughter didn't return to their hometown for New Year celebrations either, primarily because Maximus was required to guard the Dragon Secret Realm even during the holiday period, which meant Nina also decided not to return home.
Regarding Nina's mother, she had passed away many years ago, leaving only the father and daughter to depend entirely on each other for emotional support. Nina had long grown accustomed to spending New Year celebrations in the Dragon Secret Realm located in the capital city.
Three days before Chinese New Year arrived, Jacob and Nina traveled together to the Ghost Secret Realm situated in Duskhollow City, Gusu Province.
Within the Duskhollow Ghost Secret Realm, Jacob encountered several Pokemon with genuinely impressive potential, including a Gym Leader-level Duskull and a Gym Leader-level Gastly, but Jacob wasn't entirely satisfied with these options despite their quality.
National selection spots were incredibly precious resources that Jacob didn't plan to use carelessly. He felt strongly that he needed to locate at least a Pokemon with King potential or higher quality. Naturally, it would be even more beneficial if he could discover a Pokemon with champion-level potential.
Including the newly acquired Scorbunny, he now possessed seven Pokemon total. What he needed to accomplish now was implementing strict quality control measures for his team composition.
He wouldn't capture Pokemon casually or impulsively. Once he captured any Pokemon, he had to be completely responsible for their training, development, and wellbeing. This philosophy also reflected Jacob's serious attitude toward all relationships in his life.
After departing from Duskhollow City, Jacob took advantage of the sparse crowds during the New Year period and traveled to the Ghost Secret Realm in Whispermere City accompanied by Nina.
In Whispermere City's Ghost Secret Realm, Jacob discovered a King level Misdreavus. He secretly made mental note of this impressive King Pokemon egg but didn't rush to make his selection immediately. Instead, he decided to visit secret realms located in several nearby provinces to explore all available options.
Flying Secret Realm, Water Secret Realm.
He didn't successfully locate any Pokemon with champion-level potential in either location, which made Jacob truly realize how incredibly precious and rare Pokemon with champion-level potential actually were in the wild.
So far throughout his extensive searching, the only Pokemon he had discovered that naturally possessed champion-level potential was his beloved Dreepy.
On the final day before New Year celebrations began, Jacob and Nina arrived at the Psychic Secret Realm located in Mindara City, Yuhang Province—the ultimate destination of their comprehensive journey. If they failed to find a suitable Pokemon in this location, they had agreed to return to the Ghost Secret Realm in Whispermere City to select the King Misdreavus they had discovered earlier.
After conducting a thorough tour of the entire Psychic Secret Realm and examining every available option, Jacob finally discovered the Pokemon he had been searching for throughout this entire expedition.
"I want this specific Pokemon egg," Jacob declared with confident determination. "I'll use my national selection quota to exchange for this Pokemon egg."
"Understood completely," came the official response.