Jacob walked along the winding mountain path, his gaze constantly sweeping across the mountains and forests on either side of the road as he carefully examined the Pokemon perched on the branches.
From time to time, Pokemon like Rattata and Skwovet could be spotted among the foliage, but precisely because they were so common, their potential wasn't particularly impressive.
Actually, Jacob had a soft spot for these small Pokemon—species like Emolga, Pikachu, Togedemaru, and Maushold held a certain charm for him.
However, the potential of these rodent-type Pokemon was quite limited. Most of them possessed only Elite-level potential at best. Forget about Heavenly King level—even Overlord Class and Gym Leader level potential were exceptionally rare among their kind.
Their innate disadvantages severely restricted the ultimate potential these Pokemon could achieve.
Of course, if he truly encountered one of these Pokemon with Heavenly King level or higher potential, he would never let the opportunity slip away. But the probability of that happening was roughly equivalent to winning the lottery.
Given Jacob's recent string of luck, he figured he shouldn't even entertain such thoughts.
After walking continuously for nearly two hours, Jacob felt physically tired, but more than that, his heart felt weary.
While the Sun Wilderness Reserve certainly housed numerous Pokemon, high-potential specimens seemed to be hiding themselves, remaining completely out of sight.
This situation left Jacob feeling somewhat discouraged, and he couldn't help wanting to find a place to rest and recover from his physical and mental exhaustion.
Just then, a series of sounds suddenly erupted from the mountain forest. Jacob looked up to see countless Flying-type Pokemon taking flight from the trees like startled birds.
This scene piqued Jacob's curiosity, and he headed toward the section of the forest where the commotion originated.
As he drew closer, Jacob finally identified the source of the disturbance within the mountain forest.
A Pidgeot and a Fearow were locked in fierce combat over territory.
After quickly assessing the potential of both Pokemon, Jacob couldn't help but sigh in disappointment. Both Pokemon possessed only Overlord Class potential, which left Jacob feeling somewhat regretful.
His luck lately seemed genuinely terrible.
Continuing his journey with frequent stops along the way, Jacob encountered many Pokemon but still hadn't discovered a single one with Heavenly King level potential.
As night descended, darkness enveloped the sky, and a full moon hung high above.
Darkrai made eerie, unsettling sounds from the branches nearby.
Lying inside his tent, Jacob was already preparing for sleep. He planned to rest through the night and resume exploring the Sun Wilderness Reserve the following day.
If he still hadn't encountered any high-potential Pokemon by then, he would simply pack up his belongings and depart.
Before long, Jacob, lying comfortably in his tent, drifted into a deep sleep, his gentle snores rising and falling rhythmically.
In the middle of the night, the temperature dropped sharply. Lightning flashed across the sky, and a thunderclap jolted Jacob from his slumber.
Simultaneously, a torrential downpour suddenly began pouring from the heavens.
The rainfall intensified rapidly, like floodgates opening, falling harder and harder until it drenched the entire mountain forest.
Fortunately, the tent Jacob had purchased was high quality; otherwise, it might not have withstood such a severe storm.
Lightning flashed, thunder roared, and rain poured relentlessly.
It was destined to be a sleepless night.
The rain continued intensifying, drumming against the tent with crisp, rhythmic sounds that disturbed Jacob, leaving him restless and unable to sleep.
"Boom!"
Another thunderclap rang out, completely shocking Jacob awake.
Just as Jacob sat up, preparing to wait out the storm.
Suddenly, a massive impact struck without warning, instantly disintegrating and destroying Jacob's tent. The remaining force continued surging directly toward Jacob.
In this critical moment between life and death, Iron Valiant emerged from its Poke Ball without hesitation, immediately crossing its twin blades before itself to block this sudden, potentially fatal attack.
Jacob, having narrowly escaped death, remained stunned for several seconds before recovering. His cold gaze fixed on the distance ahead.
At that moment, his tent lay mostly destroyed, and rain fell upon him, thoroughly soaking his clothes.
Jacob looked forward and discovered that his attacker was an Annihilape.
Annihilape, the evolved form of Primeape, is a Fighting and Ghost-type Pokemon with a bias toward physical attacks. It possesses a fiery and irritable temperament and demonstrates extreme aggression.
Annihilape's disheveled fur was drenched with rain, and its crimson eyes locked onto Jacob with hostile intent.
Jacob immediately assessed the strength of this Annihilape: Heavenly King strength, Heavenly King level potential.
Jacob frowned deeply. Although he had finally encountered the high-potential Pokemon he'd been seeking, he certainly didn't wish to experience such a dangerous encounter a second time.
Jacob studied Annihilape while secretly wondering whether this Pokemon was wild or under someone's control.
"Forget it. Whether it's wild or not doesn't really matter right now. If Iron Valiant hadn't reacted so quickly just now, I might have genuinely met my end here."
Jacob fixed his gaze on the Annihilape before him. He decided that regardless of whether this Annihilape was a wild Pokemon or belonged to a trainer, he would deal with it immediately.
"Iron Valiant, use Dazzling Gleam!" When facing Annihilape, which possessed a Fighting-type, Jacob naturally chose to have Iron Valiant employ its STAB Dazzling Gleam.
This strategy would provide both the same-type attack bonus and deal super-effective damage to his opponent.
Although Iron Valiant's strength completely outclassed Annihilape, making such caution seemingly unnecessary, Jacob still opted to play it safe.
Iron Valiant's body erupted with brilliant light as terrifying Fairy-type energy instantly burst forth, sweeping toward Annihilape.
"Annihilape, use Protect!"
A voice called out from the darkness. Jacob looked up but found the person strangely familiar.
Alora.
Jacob's frown deepened as he recognized the woman's identity immediately. Alora was the Japanese woman who had long served under Dante's command.
An Elite Four-level trainer who specialized particularly in Ghost-type Pokemon.
Her ace Pokemon included a massive Chandelure and a Shiny Aegislash. When had she acquired an Annihilape?
As Jacob pondered this question, the Fairy-type energy erupting from Iron Valiant surged forward like an unstoppable torrent, completely engulfing Annihilape.
Even though Annihilape had already activated Protect, the protective barrier proved useless.
A crisp, glass-like shattering sound echoed through the air. The light shield didn't even last a full second before being destroyed by Dazzling Gleam, and the remaining power struck Annihilape directly, severely wounding it with a single blow.
"Iron Valiant, full power Dazzling Gleam!" Jacob had no intention of giving Annihilape any opportunity to recover.
Seeing the Fairy-type energy surrounding Iron Valiant's body grow even denser, another voice rang out from the darkness: "Stop this, Metagross!"
"Roar!" A mechanized metallic sound resonated through the air. An azure body with a streamlined metallic appearance emerged, and the X-shaped silver metal cross on its face appeared particularly imposing.
Metagross's massive and heavy body tore through the darkness, materializing in front of Annihilape and using its metallic frame to intercept the Dazzling Gleam meant for Annihilape.
At the same time, from within the darkness, a man in his fifties wearing a raincoat appeared before Jacob.
"Boom!"
Lightning struck overhead.
By the flash of lightning, Jacob clearly saw the man's face.
His heart trembled. Even though this was their first meeting, Jacob had seen countless photographs and videos of this man before.
This man carried too many titles: the most terrifying criminal, a bloody executioner, and more. However, his most significant identity was founder and president of the Dawn Society—Huxley.