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Jacob followed Nina into the conference room. Sitting opposite him was an old acquaintance, his uncle Aris. Next to Aris was an unfamiliar elegant middle-aged man with a stern expression.
"Jacob." Uncle Aris had an eccentric personality and didn't look like someone from a scholarly family. Even though he was already in his forties, Aris still resembled a passionate young man in his twenties. He greeted Jacob with a bright smile.
"Uncle." Jacob responded with a smile of his own. Whatever the reason for this meeting, since it was Aris who had come, and his smile was so reassuring, it couldn't be a bad thing. This provided some comfort to Jacob.
"Let me introduce you to Ruben, the vice president of the Pokémon Association." Ruben was the vice president who had strongly opposed Jacob receiving a quasi-legendary Pokémon when discussing his reward. Aris and Ruben didn't have a good relationship and were competitors. This time, the Pokémon Association had asked Ruben to cooperate with Aris specifically to keep Aris in check.
"President Ruben." Jacob had heard his uncle mention Ruben before, so he naturally knew that Ruben wasn't as kind as he appeared, but rather a vindictive person.
"President Aris, this is your nephew! He's so young and promising. Only 18 years old, and he's already developed his own Z-Crystal. He will definitely become a pillar of our country in the future." Ruben praised Jacob with a smile. If Jacob hadn't known the two were rivals, he might have been deceived by these words.
"Thank you, President Ruben, for the compliment." Jacob responded politely.
"Alright, we're here for serious business, so let's focus on that first." Aris spoke at the perfect moment and brought the topic back to the main issue.
Seeing this, Nina stood up, preparing to leave the room. They were looking for Jacob, and since they were discussing serious business, she was an outsider, so naturally she wanted to avoid intruding.
"Nina, sit down and listen with us." Aris called to her. "Some of this concerns Dragon Master Maximus."
Hearing this, Nina nodded, sat down next to Jacob, and looked at Aris and Ruben seated opposite them.
Aris looked at Jacob with a serious expression. "According to news we just received, Dragon King Maximus appeared near the Goddess Mountain Range and joined forces with Fia, the Ice Heavenly King of the Northeast, to defeat a Heavenly King from the Dawn Society and capture one of the Four Heavenly Kings from a region alive."
Jacob listened to Aris's words, realizing for the first time that Maximus had accomplished such significant feats during the few days he'd been missing. Although Aris said it calmly, Jacob could sense the danger beneath his words.
How could battles between trainers of such caliber be taken lightly? The fighting must have been extremely brutal.
"Neither Maximus nor Fia will return in the short term. In addition to the discovery of a group of Baxcalibur in the Goddess Mountains, there's another more important discovery. Therefore, they must remain there and may not return for more than a month, possibly half a year." Aris said seriously.
"President Aris, can you tell us what specifically is happening?" Hearing it would take so long and that the matter involved her father, Nina couldn't help but ask.
"I'm sorry, this is confidential information that I can't disclose." Aris's expression was extremely serious and his tone solemn, which made Jacob and Nina realize the situation was definitely not simple, and they began to worry about Maximus.
"Don't worry, Maximus and Fia aren't in any immediate danger." Perhaps realizing his tone was too harsh, Aris quickly softened it to comfort them. However, to Nina, the phrase "immediate danger" implied a high possibility of danger in the future. Nina couldn't help becoming more worried, her face filled with concern.
"Don't worry, Maximus and Fia are blessed by fortune; they'll be fine. Now let me tell you something important. During Dragon Master's battle with the Dawn Society and the Heavenly King from other regions, the Z-Power Ring and exclusive Z-Moves developed by Jacob played a crucial role, directly defeating a King-level Pokémon on the spot." Aris generously praised his talented nephew. "With their unique exclusive Z-Moves, the both of them defeated everyone and successfully captured most of the Baxcalibur tribe. Additionally, the captured European Heavenly King is an even more valuable bargaining chip. We're currently negotiating the ransom with the European Pokémon Association."
"In his report, Dragon Master praised you highly and requested that you receive a share of the ransom." Aris smiled at Jacob. "The Pokémon Association has agreed to the Dragon Master's request. The specific reward will be discussed later. The Dragon Master also asked me to deliver a message: train seriously and don't lose face as his apprentice in the College Cup."
"I understand, Uncle. Please convey my thanks to Master as well," Jacob said respectfully.
"I will," Aris nodded.
"Ahem." At that moment, Ruben coughed slightly. Perhaps noticing the conversation had drifted, he quickly interrupted. "Let me explain what happens next."
"Because of the exposure of the exclusive Z-Move and its formidable power, all nations have begun paying attention to this new technique. As the inventor, you're likely to be in danger," Ruben looked at Jacob and continued calmly. "Even though we've limited knowledge of the exclusive Z-Move to a very small circle, many people were involved in developing the Z-Power Ring. The Pokémon Association secretly collected exclusive Z-Crystals. Anyone checking the timeline could connect it to you. Additionally, you developed the corresponding poses for the Z-Moves. These pieces can be linked together, allowing interested parties to trace you. In other words, you're likely to be targeted by various countries."
Jacob was startled. He had anticipated this possibility but hadn't expected it to be so serious. Ultimately, it was because the effect of this exclusive Z-Move was too impressive. Maximus had fully utilized the exclusive Z-Move, which attracted attention from various countries.
Seeing Jacob's expression darken, Aris quickly reassured him. "Of course, you don't need to worry too much. The Pokémon Association values you highly. As long as you stay within the Dragon Secret Realm, you'll be absolutely safe. But you need to be careful when leaving. You must be accompanied by someone who's at least a quasi-King-level trainer, preferably a King-level trainer. Simultaneously, to reduce your risk, we've decided to announce the exclusive Z-Move tomorrow to draw attention from various countries, which should relieve some pressure from you, though we won't announce the production process of the Z-Power Ring."
"Our plan is to sell the Z-Power Ring to exchange interests with other countries. The secrecy of the Z-Power Ring isn't high. Once countries obtain the first batch, they can replicate it. So we only plan to profit from the initial release. If countries want to purchase the Z-Power Ring, they must buy at least 20 units. According to regulations, you'll receive a share of the profits."
"We're primarily here today for these two matters: your safety and your rewards." Ruben took over the conversation, looked at Jacob, and said with a smile, "If you have any thoughts, please share them with us."