Jacob felt like his luck had taken a turn for the worse lately.
First, his search for the Dragon Spiral Tower had only turned up a vague, unhelpful message. Second, the situation with Julia continued to give him grief. And third, despite walking away from the recent exchange with several S-rank and A-rank items and even a King-level Qualification Duraludon, he had lost a top-tier Garchomp along with its Mega Stone — a painful blow no matter how he looked at it.
He let out a slow sigh. No trainer can expect smooth sailing forever. What matters is how quickly you get back on your feet after a fall. What doesn't knock you out only makes you stronger.
Seven days had passed since the exchange with Meyer.
Layne had returned to the Imperial Capital to continue caring for Raya. Sylvia had gone back as well, throwing herself into the affairs of the Giant Laboratory. Edwin, Davis, and Zion had headed back to Siam together to manage the Paradise Group's business. Finally, Whitney had slipped away to the Northeast region, vanishing quietly into the snow-covered night.
Jacob and Nina only returned to the Imperial Capital after seeing to the injuries of all the Gigantamax Pokémon themselves.
On the surface, life seemed to have returned to normal. But Jacob knew better. This calm was nothing more than a fragile facade. He was merely lying low for now — and he had no intention of letting the grudge go unanswered.
If Whitney's Garchomp hadn't stepped in when it did, one of his own Pokémon might have been the one to fall.
This debt will be repaid.
But next time, Jacob would be far more prepared before making his move.
He began laying out a careful plan. Before any attempt on the British Empire Secret Realm, he needed to raise the overall strength of Team Rocket considerably.
As he saw it, there were several paths forward: locating the Dragon Spiral Tower, traveling to the ocean city of Alto Mare, seeking out other Secret Realm Gaps, and a few other possibilities.
After thinking it through, Jacob first crossed Alto Mare off the list.
Heading there would almost certainly stir up conflict with other major powers, and there was a real chance he'd end up facing a Champion in battle. After seeing firsthand how overwhelming a Champion's strength could be, Jacob was honest with himself — Team Rocket wasn't ready for that kind of fight. Taking unnecessary risks and losing good Pokémon wasn't a strategy. It was recklessness.
So Alto Mare was off the table.
That left the Dragon Spiral Tower at the top of his list. Subduing Zekrom would be the single fastest way to close the power gap — but finding the tower first was the problem. He thought back to what the Qi Family had passed along. He hadn't been able to make sense of the message on his own, but he could bring in historians. At least the Qi Family had already narrowed the search: the Secret Realm was somewhere within Frosthollow Province.
That meant he just needed to find a scholar with expertise in ancient history to help decode the message and pin down the location. The trouble was that historical research like this was unpredictable. It could take a few days — or it could drag on for years.
Jacob sighed. There was no shortcut. He'd reach out to the right experts and leave the rest to fate.
With those two options set aside, the Secret Realm Gap in the northwest seemed like the most reliable path to gaining strength quickly.
He had to get there soon.
Team Rocket matters already had him stretched thin, but returning to the Imperial Capital only added more to the pile. There was Julia's situation to sort out. There was the launch ceremony for the Giant Laboratory project. And on top of all that, his Pokémon still needed dedicated training time. Jacob felt the weight of it all pressing down on him.
It would sure be useful to have someone to share this load, he thought dryly.
"Sylvia," Jacob said from the sofa on the top floor of the laboratory, gazing through the floor-to-ceiling glass at the river, the hills, and the distant jungle. "How are the department staffing arrangements coming along? Have you found any researchers worth keeping?"
The surrounding land all belonged to the laboratory — Jacob's first true base of operations.
Sylvia, dressed in a white blouse and black pencil skirt, her golden hair pulled back in a neat ponytail, had been temporarily serving as his assistant. She set a warm cup of water on the table in front of him and answered evenly, "There are a few candidates, but I'm still keeping an eye on them."
"Keep watching a little longer," Jacob said, dark circles under his eyes betraying his exhaustion. "If their character holds up and they have the skill for it, move them over to the artificial Pokémon project. For the Gigantamax experiment side, we just need people to fill the positions for now."
Sylvia glanced at him quietly, then moved behind the sofa and began to knead his shoulders with a practiced touch. "That should be manageable. Though the Pokémon Association is expecting monthly progress reports from us."
Jacob's expression eased a little. "Don't let that worry you. We have complete data on Gigantamax research. We're not on their schedule."
"Won't they... push back on that?" A trace of concern crossed her face.
"They won't dare," Jacob said with a faint smile. "As long as we're clearly ahead of Jorge and Holden, the Association won't say a word — they'll be happy to send us whatever experimental materials we request."
"Understood." Sylvia pressed a little firmer, and Jacob let his eyes drift shut.
"Right there. That's the spot."
The tension in his shoulders slowly unraveled, and without quite meaning to, Jacob slipped into sleep.
Beep.
Half an hour later, the sharp ring of a Pokégear jolted him awake.
His eyes snapped open. He blinked, wiped the corner of his mouth, and slowly realized he had somehow ended up with his head resting on Sylvia's lap — and that his drool had soaked through her stockings.
Sylvia was watching him with those pale green eyes of hers, a small smile playing on her lips.
"Sorry about that," he muttered, already reaching for the Pokégear. "Hello?... What is it?"
He listened, shifting upright. "Do I really need to come in person? Things are fairly busy here at the laboratory."
Sylvia said nothing, watching the focused look settle over his face.
"Right. Understood. I'll head to the school now."
He ended the call and stood. Sylvia rose at the same moment, retrieved his coat from the hook by the door, and helped him into it without a word.
"Thanks." Jacob straightened his collar.
"It's late," she said softly. "You're going to the university now?"
"Yeah." He nodded. "It's about the Pokémon University International Exchange Competition. Apparently the International Pokémon Association changed the rules this year."
"I see."
Jacob moved toward the door. "I'll leave things here in your hands. I can't give you the Deputy Director title officially just yet, but I've upgraded your clearance to Level I."
"Okay." Sylvia smiled and followed him out into the corridor. "I'll walk you out."
"Walk me out?" Jacob glanced back at her with a dry look. "I have two perfectly good legs, Sylvia. And before you say anything — I don't need a wheelchair escort either." He gave a brief wave and headed down the hall, leaving the Giant Laboratory behind.