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Decision making task.
The two choices were very obvious. The first option was to repair the Prison Bottle, which would be an extremely challenging task. It required collecting three different essences from Arceus, but the rewards were also quite generous—the ability to summon a Mythical Pokémon directly.
If Jacob were already a top-tier Trainer, he might have been interested in this choice, but as it stood, he was just a novice. It would be wiser for him not to get involved in such formidable matters.
The second option was much simpler, though it offered no explicit reward—or rather, the process of completing the task was itself the reward.
Jacob made his decision without much deliberation. He would obviously choose the second option. His current strength simply didn't allow him to pursue the first one. He declined the grand promise offered by the system and instead opted for more immediate, practical benefits.
Besides, Jacob already had a lead on the Latios and Latias mission. The most important thing right now was to bolster his strength.
Particularly valuable was the Ghost-type Core Energy from the second option, which would accelerate the growth of Ghost-type Pokémon—crucial for Jacob. It would be perfect for the yet-unhatched Dreepy, completely accelerating its development.
As for the Dark-type Core Energy, Jacob would need to capture a Dark-type Pokémon. Currently, there were only three Pokémon that were both Dark and Dragon-type: Hydreigon, Guzzlord, and Roaring Moon.
Among them, Roaring Moon was an ancient species of Salamence. Ancient and future species were called Paradox Pokémon and hadn't been discovered in this world yet.
If Roaring Moon couldn't be captured, then Jacob's only choices were Hydreigon and Guzzlord. The rarity of these two Pokémon made them extremely difficult to obtain. Hydreigon, a pseudo-Legendary Pokémon, was incredibly challenging to acquire, and Jacob couldn't possibly obtain one in the short term. Guzzlord, as an Ultra Beast, was even more difficult to obtain than a pseudo-Legendary.
This forced Jacob to consider waiting until he had collected all six Dragon-type Pokémon before attempting to capture a Dark-type, or perhaps giving the energy to his father or brother. However, it seemed neither of them had any Dark-types with good potential, so he could only wait and see.
In the short term, Jacob wouldn't be able to use the Dark-type Core Energy and could only apply the Ghost-type Energy Core to Dreepy first.
As for how to use Arceus's remaining Water and Fire essence after consuming the energy cores, Jacob was still contemplating. Obviously, the Fire essence should go to Charmander, but what about the Water essence?
Jacob shook his head. He couldn't think that far ahead at the moment and would need to take one step at a time.
After storing the Prison Bottle in his inventory, Jacob directed Grovyle to help close the coffin and refill it with soil, trying to preserve its original appearance to avoid anyone discovering that the coffin had been disturbed.
"Sorry, brother. I disturbed your rest. It's alright, you can continue sleeping. I'm leaving." Jacob bowed to the tombstone again, then climbed over the iron fence with Grovyle and returned to the hot spring resort.
Jacob quietly opened the door and entered the building. Not daring to turn on any lights, he tiptoed back to his room and fell into a deep sleep.
...
Two hours later, while it was still dark—around 5:30 in the morning—Jacob's alarm clock rang. With dark circles under his eyes and a haggard appearance, he struggled to get up. He hastily washed and changed clothes, then went to wake up Nina.
The previous day, Nina had repeatedly reminded Jacob to wake her up early this morning so they could rush back to the Dragon Sanctuary, prompting him to set the alarm for 5:30 AM.
"Trainer Nina, Trainer Nina." Jacob knocked on the door gently, but there was no response from inside.
"Knock! Knock! Knock!"
Checking the time, Jacob had to knock louder: "Trainer Nina!"
The room remained silent. After waiting without response, Jacob had no choice but to try the door. To his surprise, it turned easily and opened.
What does Trainer Nina mean by this? Does she trust me so much that she doesn't lock her door? Am I missing something?
Jacob set aside these distracting thoughts, entered the room, and switched on the light. He saw Trainer Nina still wearing what she had worn in the hot spring, sleeping in an undignified posture with only a thin quilt draped over her, barely covering her form.
After swallowing nervously, Jacob approached Nina and called out, "Hey, Trainer Nina, wake up, we're going to be late."
"Hmm?" Nina finally responded to Jacob's voice. She hummed drowsily, her voice melodious: "Jacob? Why are you in my room?"
"Trainer Nina, we're going to be late. We have training today. You asked me to wake you up," Jacob said loudly.
When Nina awoke and heard about the training, she immediately regained awareness. She remembered what had happened the night before and was startled. She quickly sat up and realized she was still wearing the same clothes from last night. Seeing Jacob standing beside her, her face flushed, and she hastily pulled the quilt to cover herself.
"Ah! Get out! I'll be ready in a minute."
"Okay, please hurry, Trainer Nina."
...
At 6:30 in the morning, Jacob and Nina returned to the Dragon Sanctuary right on schedule. Today, Jacob thoroughly experienced what it meant to rush at lightning speed.
The security guard at the entrance of the Dragon Sanctuary observed Nina and Jacob's early morning arrival with a peculiar expression. Surprised internally, he silently covered his face with a newspaper, reclined in his chair, and pretended he hadn't seen anything.
What's going on? Does the Dragon Master know? Should I tell him?
...
Jacob went directly to the training ground and began his exercises. Nina returned to the dormitory, quickly changed her clothes, and took a hot shower.
She looked at the swimsuit still in the laundry basket, felt the warm water cascading over her body, and her face flushed. Remembering the way Jacob had looked at her that morning, she cursed him in her mind, "What a pervert."
...
Jacob, severely sleep-deprived, was in a terrible mood outwardly, but inwardly he was quite excited. The weekend excursion had gone quite smoothly, and he had gained significantly. Next, he needed only to continue training while waiting for Dreepy to hatch.
With just five months remaining before the College Cup officially commenced, Jacob felt a growing sense of urgency. He planned to dedicate most of his time during the next five months to training his Pokémon, with a smaller portion devoted to capturing his fifth Pokémon.
He truly needed the six Dragon Scales of exceptional quality that would be rewarded for capturing five Pokémon. These high-grade Dragon Scales could greatly accelerate the growth of Dragon-type Pokémon, providing substantial assistance to Jacob and giving him a better chance of reaching the finals.
For the present, Jacob would focus all his energy on these two objectives. As for scientific research, he would have to set it aside temporarily.
Next, the intensive special training would begin!