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The next day arrived with unexpected fanfare.
Jacob woke up to discover over 99 unread private messages on his social media account, along with thousands of new followers—a sight that genuinely surprised him.
Although he had anticipated gaining some followers from yesterday's impressive performance, he hadn't expected to attract this level of widespread attention.
Jacob had clearly underestimated the massive popularity of the High School Cup tournament. The annual High School Cup wasn't just another minor competition—it ranked among the most prestigious events in all of China and stood as one of the must-watch tournaments for Chinese citizens every year. The tournament could genuinely be described as a national obsession, with everyone participating by cheering for their favorite competitors, their home cities, and their respective provinces.
The High School Cup represented the ultimate competition for China's most exceptional and talented young Trainers. It was crucial to understand that nearly twelve million students participated in China's college entrance examinations annually, and the High School Cup featured only the most elite individuals selected from this massive pool of candidates. Standing out from such a vast sea of twelve million people was incredibly challenging—this wasn't some minor local tournament where anyone could easily claim victory.
Forget about winning the national championship; even capturing a provincial main event title proved extremely difficult. Precisely because of these demanding standards, the High School Cup competition maintained exceptionally high prestige and competitive value each year.
Jacob had never expected to become an overnight sensation. While he had already achieved some recognition, his previous fame had been limited primarily to young people and the scientific research community.
After a night of social media buzz, yesterday's spectacular match had successfully elevated Jacob's reputation far beyond his usual circles of influence.
Jacob's name had climbed to the top of trending search lists, and the battle video featuring Charizard versus Gengar had ranked among the most-watched clips online. This particular match had also been selected as the number one highlight in this week's "High School Cup Top Ten Amazing Moments."
Countless content creators published feature articles about Jacob, offering nothing but glowing praise. The official High School Cup social media account had pinned Jacob's battle video to the top of their page, using a stunning photograph of Jacob's Shiny Charizard as the video thumbnail. For a brief moment, Jacob could truly claim national fame.
"Six Months Later: From Research Prodigy to Rising Trainer Star"
"The Most Remarkable Charizard: The Undeniable Appeal of Shiny Pokemon"
"Dark Horse Upset: Starlight City's Greatest Pride"
"Balancing Academia and Battle: A Teenage Genius's Journey"
"The Relationship Between Teacher Nina and Jacob"
...…
Fortunately, Jacob had experienced similar situations before. As the saying goes, once is novel, twice becomes familiar—he had gradually grown accustomed to public attention. After calmly completing his morning routine, Jacob left his hotel room and traveled by car with his father to the competition venue.
Upon arriving at the tournament grounds, the moment Jacob stepped out of the vehicle, he was greeted by the wild screams and enthusiastic cheers of devoted fans. He spotted numerous supporters holding professionally made posters and wearing official Starlight City Gym battle uniforms in his honor.
The centerpiece poster featured Jacob in his distinctive Starlight City battle uniform, with Sceptile and his Shiny Charizard positioned on either side, plus an adorable Noibat hovering above his head. Jacob had no idea who had created this anime-style artwork, but he had to admit it looked incredibly impressive.
"JACOB!" "JACOB!" "JACOB, I'VE BEEN YOUR FAN FOR TEN YEARS!"
...…
The fans' intense enthusiasm still made Jacob feel somewhat overwhelmed. He quickly made his way through the player tunnel and headed to the competitor lounge to wait for his upcoming match.
...…
Meanwhile, in the capital city.
Raya sat comfortably on her luxurious sofa, her beautiful face adorned with a satisfied smile that indicated her excellent mood. After utilizing her husband's extensive business connections, both the Lin family and the Long family—who had previously refused to collaborate with her company—had finally agreed to negotiate under mounting pressure.
However, the specific details of their cooperation were still under discussion, and since the partnership directly involved Jacob, it required his personal consent before proceeding. Since Jacob remained completely focused on his High School Cup participation, he had not yet been contacted about the business arrangement.
It was estimated that after Jacob completed the tournament, all three parties would officially begin their collaboration.
Speaking of Jacob, Raya had also watched his match yesterday with great interest. She observed that Jacob's battling abilities had improved dramatically since their last encounter. Compared to his previous battle against Nathaniel, Jacob's strength had undergone remarkable growth.
At this impressive rate of development, Jacob would very likely become a Gym Leader within just a few years, or potentially even achieve the distinction of becoming the youngest Elite Four member in history.
Jacob's demonstrated talent was absolutely astonishing, but the more exceptional his abilities became, the more satisfied Raya felt with her long-term plans. She stood beside her office window, watching her daughter climb into their car to attend the day's competition, her thoughts becoming increasingly ambitious.
If Jacob could truly develop a romantic relationship with Julia, such an outcome would undoubtedly represent the ideal scenario—not to mention that her daughter genuinely liked Jacob as well.
Unfortunately, that cunning old strategist from the Lin family insisted on waiting until Jacob finished the High School Cup before seriously considering any marriage alliance discussions.
Just as Raya became lost in her strategic thoughts, Zion approached from the side with urgent news.
"Madam, we received a call from Treasure Island reporting that the master is feeling unwell and has been hospitalized," the butler Zion whispered discreetly. "You need to travel to Treasure Island immediately."
"Understood," Raya nodded with concern.
"Madam, there's one additional matter," Zion paused briefly, then lowered his voice and continued with obvious gravity. "According to reliable intelligence sources, Darkrai has been spotted near the Imperial Capital."
"When did this information come in?" Upon hearing news of Darkrai's appearance, Raya's expression instantly darkened with worry.
If that mysterious individual hadn't stolen the broken Poison Bottle artifact, she would have already begun hunting Darkrai by now.
It was crucial to understand that this particular Darkrai had not yet reached full maturity. When it first appeared months ago, it possessed only Heavenly King-level strength, but it had now achieved quasi-Champion level power and was rapidly approaching full Champion-level capabilities.
If she delayed much longer and allowed this Darkrai to reach complete maturity, she would lose any realistic chance of capturing it.
"The news just arrived from the Dawn Society," Zion whispered confidentially.
"Have we received any updates from Cloud Village?" Raya asked with a grim expression. "How is our investigation progressing? Have we discovered any leads regarding that artifact's whereabouts?"
"The foot traffic through Cloud Village remains extremely heavy," Zion reported honestly. "Far too many people have visited Cloud Village recently. We have absolutely no concrete leads, and the investigative workload has become overwhelming."
Raya's face remained stern as she maintained silence for several long minutes before responding coldly, "I understand the situation. Oh, regarding what we discussed last time—has Mason discovered anything useful?"
"Not yet, madam."
"Continue to proceed with caution."
...…
Embermere City, High School Cup Tournament, Battle Arena.
"Hello, dear audience members, this is Layne once again bringing you live coverage."
"And I'm Liliana."
"Today, we will continue presenting the top sixteen to quarterfinals matches. First, let's introduce today's competitors: Lee, the runner-up from Eldrador City, and Jacob, the Champion from Starlight City! Let's welcome both trainers to the stage with enthusiastic applause."
Thunderous applause erupted as Jacob and Lee entered the arena simultaneously from opposite sides.
"JACOB!" "JACOB, I LOVE YOU!" "SHINY CHARIZARD IS THE BEST!"
...…
Countless cheers exploded throughout the stadium, with nearly eighty percent of the audience clearly supporting Jacob, their voices completely drowning out Lee's smaller fan section.
"We can clearly hear that Jacob has an enormous fan following here today, and honestly, I consider myself one of Jacob's supporters as well," Layne joked good-naturedly. "We can hear that Jacob's fans are completely overwhelming Lee's cheering section. Lee's supporters definitely need to make more noise!"
"Alright, let's focus on the upcoming battle. Now, let's begin today's exciting match."
"TWEET!"
The referee simultaneously blew his whistle to signal the start of combat: "Battle begins!"
"Go, Pincurchin!" Lee predictably started with his setup Pokemon, just as Jacob had anticipated.
"Go, Charizard!" Jacob confidently chose to open with his reliable Charizard once again.