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Dragon-type Secret Realm.
Inside Maximus's office, because Colby was visiting today, Maximus specially retrieved a can of high-quality green tea from his drawer to entertain his guest.
"Junior Brother, come and taste this. This is my treasured premium tea," Maximus smiled as he welcomed his Junior Brother, then turned his attention to Jacob.
"Jacob, allow me to introduce you," Maximus said to Jacob. "This is my Junior Brother, Colby. You should address him as Martial Uncle."
Junior Brother? Jacob heard Maximus's words and thought to himself, no wonder Champion Colby had supported him in the meeting room earlier. So that was their relationship.
Indeed, the world operated exactly like this. As long as you possessed connections, everything became manageable, but without proper connections, it was impossible to advance even a single step.
Just like in the meeting that had concluded moments ago, what good had Westin's strong opposition accomplished? Everyone in the meeting room had been on Jacob's side. What could Westin possibly use to challenge him?
Jacob thought smugly to himself.
But how was it that Colby, despite being the Junior Brother, had already achieved Champion status, while Master remained only the Chief of the Heavenly Kings? You weren't performing particularly well, Master.
"Hello, Martial Uncle." Jacob's gaze shifted back and forth between Colby and Maximus. He was extremely curious about how Colby, a Fighting-type Champion, and Maximus, a Dragon-type specialist, could be martial brothers. "Martial Uncle is truly remarkable, achieving Champion status at such a young age. You're much stronger than my Master."
"You little rascal, are you mocking your Master?" Maximus also detected the teasing tone in Jacob's voice and couldn't help but scold him with an amused smile.
Although Colby had achieved Champion status before him, Maximus felt no anxiety whatsoever. He specialized in Dragon-types, and the growth cycle of Dragon-type Pokémon was inherently lengthy, unlike Fighting-types, which developed quickly and possessed high early potential.
Most Dragon-type Pokémon were late bloomers. As their age increased and time progressed, the strength of Dragon-type Pokémon would only continue growing stronger and stronger.
It was almost guaranteed that Maximus would become a Champion in the next term; the only uncertainty was which region he would be assigned to lead.
Colby also spoke with a smile at this moment. "My Senior Brother and I trained under the same master. Our master's ace Pokémon was Kommo-o, and each of us received one of its offspring. The difference is that your Master became a Dragon-type Trainer, while I chose to become a Fighting-type Trainer."
"Raising Fighting-type Pokémon is simpler than Dragon-types. You simply need to work diligently and be willing to endure hardships, and your strength will increase very rapidly, which is why I achieved Champion status a step ahead of him," Colby explained to Jacob with a warm smile. "However, the longer the timeframe, the stronger Dragon-type Pokémon become, and it's only a matter of time before Senior Brother achieves Champion status as well."
"Jacob, the primary reason I called you here today is to discuss two important matters with you," Maximus said with a serious expression. "Let's address the first matter initially. The first topic concerns the Charizard Special Operations Team that we discussed previously."
"Junior Brother, would you prefer to explain this to him?" Maximus looked at Colby and inquired.
"You, as his Master, should handle this responsibility," Colby replied with a smile, standing aside and gesturing for Maximus to proceed.
"Very well." Maximus didn't decline and spoke with a grave expression. "The establishment of Team Zero of the Charizard Special Operations Team is a decision recently finalized by the Pokémon Association."
"Team Zero is currently still in its preparation phase, and the Pokémon Association is presently selecting suitable reserve members from across the nation."
"The selected members are primarily young individuals, with an age restriction of eighteen to twenty-two years old. In the initial stage, one hundred reserve members will be chosen first."
"Just for these reserve member positions, numerous people are competing intensely to secure entry."
"Becoming a reserve member represents only the first hurdle. Following that, there will be extensive training and rigorous assessment, and ultimately, ninety percent of the reserve members will be eliminated, leaving only ten official positions available."
"Only by successfully becoming an official member can you truly enter Team Zero and begin your duties."
"Regarding the recommendation of reserve members, each Champion possesses three recommendation slots, and the remaining positions are recommended directly by the Pokémon Association."
"Junior Brother has three slots at his disposal, and this time I shamelessly requested one recommendation slot from Junior Brother specifically for you." Maximus paused here, then continued with a serious expression. "You still need to express your gratitude to your Martial Uncle Colby, otherwise, you might not have been able to gain entry into Team Zero."
Although he still hadn't completely understood what Team Zero's purpose was, Jacob still addressed Colby respectfully. "Thank you very much, Martial Uncle Colby."
At this moment, Maximus continued his explanation. "You are currently only a reserve member. To become an official member, you still need to undergo intensive training and comprehensive assessment. Competing alongside you will be the most outstanding Trainers from the past five years, which is certainly no simple matter."
"However, don't place excessive pressure on yourself. With your current strength and established status in the scientific research community, as long as you don't make any particularly outrageous mistakes and you approach things cautiously, you will definitely succeed in becoming an official member."
"Master, you haven't explained what Team Zero actually does," Jacob finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked directly.
"What's your rush?" Maximus replied with a slight smile. "I haven't reached that part yet."
"The reason I strongly recommend you to join Charizard Team Zero is because Team Zero possesses immense authority and power," Maximus's expression suddenly became extremely serious. "You may have heard that in recent years, corruption within the Pokémon Association has become increasingly severe, especially among Heavenly King-level Trainers who control Secret Realms and Gym Leaders in economically disadvantaged areas. Their tremendous power has bred dangerous ambition, leading them to collude with various underground criminal organizations."
"Some time ago, the Dawn Society's coordinated attack on the Dragon-type Secret Realm and their successful theft of the quasi-legendary Pokémon egg also made the Pokémon Association realize the true severity of this growing problem."
"Therefore, at the beginning of this year, the Pokémon Association convened a comprehensive meeting and discussed and unanimously passed the proposal to establish Team Zero."
"The primary purpose of establishing Team Zero is to investigate corruption and bribery among internal personnel throughout the Pokémon Association."
"Within this structure, Team Zero is divided into two distinct sub-teams. Team One is primarily responsible for investigating corruption and bribery among local Gym Leaders and Heavenly King-level Trainers who guard Secret Realms and Wilderness Areas."
"Team Two is specifically responsible for investigating the collusion between internal members of the Pokémon Association and underground criminal organizations, such as the Dawn Society and similar groups."
Jacob listened with intense concentration. This sounded like Team Zero possessed an absolutely tremendous amount of power and authority, no wonder Master valued membership so highly.
Also, Master had just mentioned that Team Zero would focus their investigations on those Heavenly King-level Trainers who guarded Secret Realms. Wasn't that describing Master himself?
Master had been guarding the Capital Dragon-type Secret Realm for many years, making him clearly a key observation target. Could it be that Master was strongly recommending him to join Team Zero because he wanted to secure a safety net for himself?
However, Jacob considered himself upright, incorruptible, and completely selfless. How could he possibly bend the law for the sake of master-disciple affection?
Of course, if Nina were to step forward and ask, he would definitely show her proper respect and consideration.
But then again, Nina, you wouldn't want your father to be investigated by Team Zero, would you?
Just as Jacob was lost in these contemplative thoughts, Maximus slapped Jacob firmly on the shoulder. "What are you thinking about so intensely?"
"N-nothing at all. Master, please continue with your explanation."