Every 100 Power stones - 1 bonus chapter
Jacob had not used the Panacea since he got it.
The main reason was that he already had enough Pokémon on his team, and he hadn't found the right Pokémon to use it on yet.
As for Zekrom's Outrage, it could be used on his Steel/Dragon-type Pokémon, Duraludon, to raise its aptitude. But that wouldn't be a good use of it. Duraludon wasn't the best choice — the item would work much better on an Electric-type Pokémon.
After all, Zekrom's Outrage let an Electric-type Pokémon learn the move Bolt Strike, and gave it a small chance to also learn Fusion Bolt. That made it far more suitable for an Electric-type than for Duraludon.
Of course, the best choice would be an Electric/Dragon-type Pokémon, like Dracozolt or a Mega Ampharos. Miraidon would also work well.
The last Golden Cap was the most valuable item Jacob owned. It was an item that could instantly raise a Pokémon's aptitude all the way to Master-level.
Jacob sometimes wondered how strong he might have become if he'd had an item like this from the very beginning.
The Golden Cap was truly a top-tier treasure. It could take any Pokémon straight to Master-level aptitude in a single use. Because of that, it was also the item Jacob was most unwilling to use carelessly.
Ever since he got the Golden Cap , Jacob had been unable to decide who should receive it.
Looking at it logically, giving the Golden Cap to his unhatched Duraludon egg made the most sense. Duraludon's aptitude was currently only Heavenly King-Level. With the Golden Cap's boost, it could jump straight to Master-level — skipping two entire tiers at once.
But when Jacob thought about it emotionally, he leaned toward giving it to one of his two longtime partners, Charizard or Sceptile.
After all, out of his three strongest Pokémon from the Champion Cup, Noivern had already reached Master-level aptitude, while Charizard and Sceptile were still stuck at Champion-level.
So Jacob kept going back and forth, unable to settle on who deserved the Golden Crown.
People are strange like that. When someone has no power, all they think about is gaining strength. But once they finally have power, they start thinking about feelings instead.
… … … …
Half an hour later, Sylvia got a call from the front gate. A young woman was there, asking for Jacob.
"Let her in," Jacob said. Then he added, "Actually, Sylvia, could you go and bring her up yourself?"
"Sure," Sylvia said with a nod, and headed downstairs.
… … … …
At the laboratory's entrance, Amelia stood waiting. She wore a short down jacket and a pair of tight jeans, her eyes fixed sharply on the building ahead.
Click, click, click.
Sylvia walked up in her high heels, and Amelia's eyes turned to her. The two girls looked each other over for a moment.
Sylvia already knew that Jacob had more than one girlfriend. There was Raya, whom she was meeting here for the first time, and Nina — the well-known official girlfriend of Boss Jacob. But it was clear this new girl wasn't either of them.
Amelia was very pretty too, full of youthful energy. Even in winter, though she wore a thick jacket, she still had on tight jeans that showed off her figure. Her long, slender legs were fully on display — she had clearly dressed up on purpose to see Jacob.
"Hi, Jacob asked me to come get you," Sylvia said, swiping her card to let Amelia through the door before leading her inside.
While Sylvia studied Amelia, Amelia was quietly studying her too.
Sylvia was strikingly beautiful — a curvy, elegant figure, fair skin, and unusual blonde hair with blue eyes that were hard to look away from.
Amelia found herself wondering just what Sylvia's relationship with Jacob really was.
"What's your name?" Sylvia asked as they walked.
"Amelia," she answered softly. Then she looked over and asked, "And yours?"
"Sylvia. How do you and Jacob know each other?" Sylvia asked, curious.
"We went to the same high school, and now we go to the same university," Amelia said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "What about you? How did you two meet?"
Sylvia smiled. "Through work. Boss Jacob's laboratory was hiring, and I applied. I'm one of his staff."
Amelia nodded as she listened, then asked, "What… what's your position at the lab?"
… … … …
They kept chatting as they reached the entrance of the research building and walked in together.
"Jacob!" Amelia's eyes lit up the moment she saw him, and without thinking, she quickened her steps to reach his side.
If Sylvia hadn't been standing right there, she probably would have hugged him tightly.
Amelia held back a little, but Jacob didn't hesitate at all. He wrapped her in a gentle hug, then asked quietly, "You're here. Was it cold outside?"
"Yeah," Amelia said, nodding, while glancing briefly at Sylvia beside them. "The Imperial Capital is colder than Starlight City. But it's really warm in here — I'm actually starting to sweat."
"You can take your jacket off," Jacob said with a smile.
"Okay," Amelia said, pulling off her thick down jacket to reveal a white turtleneck sweater underneath, which showed off her figure nicely.
Jacob glanced at her, then pointed toward the incubator. "That Egg is for you. It should hatch soon."
"This is…" Amelia's face broke into a smile at the news. She leaned close to the glass, studying the Egg carefully. "An orange-yellow shell, with lightning-shaped markings for the Electric-type, and these faint purple patterns too."
"Is this… a Rotom Egg?" Amelia was clearly a sharp student — she'd identified it correctly at a glance.
"That's right," Jacob said. Hearing her answer, he decided to test her a little further. "Take a good look at the Egg. Can you guess its aptitude?"
"I… I'll try," Amelia said, crouching down to examine the Egg more closely inside the incubator.
"The Egg's size looks normal… but Rotom is a Pokémon built around Special Attack, so size alone can't tell us everything about its aptitude."
"As long as the size is normal, that's already a good sign."
"The shell is smooth and round, and the markings on it… are bright, glossy, and evenly shaped, with clean lines. The Electric-type pattern glows like real lightning — that means excellent quality."
"I'd guess it's at least Gym Leader Level… maybe even King-Level aptitude."
She looked up at Jacob eagerly, waiting for his answer.
"Hmm… we can't be sure of the exact aptitude yet," Jacob said, smiling. "We'll find out for certain once it hatches and we test it."
"Okay," Amelia said, nodding, and stood quietly beside him.
Just then, the Egg inside the incubator began shaking hard.
"It's hatching!"
All three of them turned their full attention to the small Egg.
Watching the scene, and seeing the excitement on Amelia's face, Jacob found himself thinking back to the day Noibat had hatched.
Back then, if he'd had even a single Pokémon with King-Level aptitude, he would have felt completely satisfied.