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After Rory and his wife left, only Jacob and Raya remained in the private room, along with two opened boxes.
Raya stretched lazily on the soft sofa and crossed her legs, revealing her slender calves. She wore high-heeled shoes with thin heels. Her bright eyes focused on Jacob as she studied the sparkling stones that seemed so important to him. She was very curious about these mysterious gems that Jacob valued so highly.
Looking at Raya's relaxed and charming appearance, Jacob felt momentarily distracted. Raya truly possessed the unique charm of a mature woman that was hard to ignore.
However, Jacob, who prided himself on being a gentleman, quickly regained his composure. He chose his words carefully before speaking. "These gems are connected to my new research project."
Jacob didn't dare speak too directly about his work, so he kept his explanation deliberately vague.
"Is this research project important?" Raya had already suspected that these gems must be related to Jacob's new experiment, but she needed to understand the scope of investment required. How much funding would this new research need? How long would it take to produce results? What kind of impact and economic benefits could the research findings generate? "How much initial investment do you need for your experiment? How confident are you about achieving successful results? What kind of economic benefits could it create?"
A businesswoman through and through, she didn't understand much about scientific research and didn't particularly care about the technical details. What mattered to her were the profits and economic benefits.
In Raya's opinion, this new experiment was likely a small-scale project. No matter how significant its results might be, could they really compare to the exclusive Z-Move discovery? However, this was the first collaboration between them. Regardless of whether this experiment succeeded or whether it could generate economic benefits, she would provide strong support.
Jacob still had a long path ahead of him. Whether in his research career or his trainer journey, Jacob's future achievements would definitely be impressive. After all, Jacob possessed both a Shiny Dragonite and a mysterious Pokémon comparable to a legendary beast.
Seeing Raya's calm demeanor, Jacob realized that she must have underestimated the importance of his experiment. He silently pulled the box filled with Mega Evolution Stones and Keystones closer to himself. "What's the password for this box?"
"Three sixes and three eights."
After getting the password, Jacob suddenly felt curious about how Raya would react if she knew the true value of the box of gems he had given her.
Should he tell Raya the truth?
Jacob thought it over and decided to reveal some information.
First, they were now in a cooperative relationship. He wanted to avoid Raya feeling resentful after discovering the true value of the Mega Evolution Stones, which could damage their partnership.
Second, most of the Mega Evolution Stones and Keystones in China had already been acquired by the Long family and the Xiao family. There might be some that slipped through the cracks, but not many remained. Telling her wouldn't have much impact on the market.
Third, it could make Raya pay more attention to this research project and encourage her to collect Mega Evolution Stones and Keystones from overseas markets.
There might be none left in China, but there had to be plenty of stock available internationally! This was similar to when foreign countries developed Z-Moves in secret. They first bought up large quantities of Z-Crystals in China before announcing their discovery. By the time China realized what was happening, Z-Crystals had already become extremely scarce domestically.
This strategy was called giving someone a taste of their own medicine! Jacob might feel some psychological burden when taking advantage of his own people, but taking advantage of foreigners felt completely justified!
Jacob held the box and looked at Raya seriously, his expression grave. "Champion Raya, I need to warn you about something. This new research project is extremely important. I hope you can keep what I'm about to tell you absolutely confidential. Don't share this information with anyone."
Jacob's serious tone and his action of pulling the box closer suddenly made Raya feel that something significant was happening. Perhaps she really had underestimated this new experiment?
"Alright, I promise you that." Raya's red lips parted slightly, and the smile faded from her face. In an instant, she transformed from a gentle and caring older sister into a cold and commanding presence. She could easily control these two different personas, each radiating amazing charm. This made Jacob feel somewhat envious of Raya's husband, who had married such a multifaceted woman.
No wonder so many people wanted to marry someone who enjoyed different styles and personalities. It was quite fascinating.
"First of all, the importance of this new research project is equal to that of Z-Moves!" Jacob's voice rang out, dropping a bombshell announcement. "This new experiment is similar to Z-Moves in that once successfully developed, it can dramatically increase a Pokémon's combat power. Unlike Z-Moves, however, this combat power increase can be maintained for a considerable period of time. It will definitely have no problem sustaining throughout a long battle."
Hearing Jacob's words, Raya's smile froze on her face, while her heart raced with excitement. She hadn't expected Jacob's new research to be so groundbreaking. However, being experienced with major developments, she remained outwardly calm and asked steadily, "How much of an increase in combat power are we talking about?"
The reason Z-Moves were so precious was because they could dramatically boost combat power, helping Pokémon overwhelm opponents of the same level and even battle against stronger opponents.
Now she desperately wanted to know exactly how much Jacob's new experiment would increase combat power!
"Similar to Z-Moves," Jacob replied vaguely. In reality, the combat power increase from Mega Evolution was definitely more comprehensive and stronger than Z-Moves.
The improvement from Mega Evolution wasn't just an increase in raw strength, but a complete transformation of abilities. For example, after Diancie undergoes Mega Evolution, it changes from a defensive tank-type Pokémon into an offensive powerhouse.
There was also the change in Abilities, which was perhaps most important. Mega Charizard X's Tough Claws, Mega Gengar's Shadow Tag, Mega Charizard Y's Drought, and other Abilities were all top-tier enhancements.
Of course, Mega Evolution wasn't always an improvement. For some Pokémon, Mega Evolution could actually be counterproductive, such as with Garchomp.
"It's possible that the power increase might be weaker than a Z-Move, but I believe it should be stronger than Z-Moves in most cases."
Jacob's words struck Raya's heart like a sledgehammer. If what Jacob said was true, then this new research would undoubtedly be a revolutionary discovery. Jacob's status in China would definitely reach the level of a top scientific researcher. At the same time, it would also represent an enormous fortune.
"How confident are you about this?"
"Ninety percent certain."
"What?!" Raya lost her composure at this revelation. She couldn't help but stand up, her perfect figure on full display as she looked at Jacob intently. "Can these research results be mass-produced? How many people know about this?"
"Champion Raya, please sit down first," Jacob said calmly, his eyes briefly taking in Raya's appearance.
Are you really this surprised by Mega Evolution? You seem so inexperienced, and you're supposed to be one of the Heavenly Kings.
At this moment, Raya realized she had lost her composure. She gracefully returned to her seat on the sofa, her bright eyes gazing at Jacob. Her voice became gentle, charming, soft and sweet. "Dr. Jacob, you've truly given me an incredible surprise. It hasn't even been half a year since you announced your exclusive Z-Move discovery, and now you've come up with such a major project. You really are worthy of being called a scientific research genius that China sees once in a century. You haven't answered my previous question though. Can these research results be mass-produced and made widely available?"
Raya continued praising Jacob, her soft and charming tone making him feel somewhat flattered. "It cannot be widely distributed or mass-produced. Currently, only you and the Long family know about this research."
"The core of this experiment lies in these gemstones. I can tell you that these gems will become strategic resources as important as Z-Crystals in the future." Jacob paused slightly before continuing. "We have already acquired almost all of these gemstones available in China. Champion Raya, I suggest we turn our attention to foreign markets and make acquisitions there."