"Massive ice formations have appeared offshore near Aqualis City, suspected to have been created by an Ice-type Pokémon."
"Over a dozen experts have traveled to Aqualis City to investigate the mysterious ice formations, discovering numerous battle traces and bloodstains scattered across the ice."
"According to expert assessment, the Secret Realm near the offshore area of Aqualis City was likely a Secret Realm Gap, which has now completely vanished."
Jacob, Raya, and Zion had just departed from the Secret Realm Gap when it gradually disappeared, merging seamlessly with the real world.
The sudden appearance of a massive ice formation on the ocean immediately caught the attention of the Pokémon Association.
Countless experts, riding their Flying-type Pokémon, arrived at the ice formation to analyze the bloodstains and investigate this suddenly appearing expanse of ice.
Meanwhile, the trio had already taken a long detour across the sea, returned to Aqualis City, and then departed on Raya's private plane.
Raya's private plane was exceptionally luxurious, not only featuring a private bathroom but also fully equipped with both a dining room and multiple bedrooms.
The lifestyle of wealthy people truly was beyond imagination.
Upon boarding the plane, Raya immediately went to bathe and changed into a fresh set of clothes.
A black lace-trimmed long dress showcased her stunning figure—as alluring as ever and as challenging as ever to Jacob's self-control. One had to wonder who could possibly withstand such temptation.
The moment Raya emerged from her room, Jacob's gaze was completely drawn to her.
Whether in figure or appearance, Raya was absolutely flawless.
"Where do you plan to travel next?" Raya asked Jacob as she reclined on the soft sofa in a relaxed posture.
Raya was actually quite a lazy person by nature. She would never sit if she could lie down, and never stand if she could sit instead.
"I'm not planning to travel for now." Jacob shook his head, explaining that he needed to return and train his Pokémon: "Some of my Pokémon are still too weak, so I need to train them more seriously."
Weak?
Raya couldn't help but want to object to that statement.
Are your Darkrai, Iron Valiant, and Gigantamax Lapras supposed to be weak?
Raya rolled her eyes at Jacob, but the gesture had no intimidating effect whatsoever. Instead, it carried a hint of charm. Such was the way with beautiful women—even a casual roll of the eyes revealed endless allure.
"By the way, what are you planning to do with your Gigantamax Lapras? It's quite severely injured, and you can't keep it confined in its Poké Ball forever."
"Also, I need to remind you of something important: given the enormous size of Gigantamax Lapras, the daily food consumption will be no small amount. You need to be mentally prepared for that."
"Being a good Trainer is not a simple task. It's similar to fighting a war—success depends entirely on logistics."
Listening to Raya's series of concerns, Jacob's face turned noticeably pale. He genuinely hadn't considered the living space and food consumption issues that came with Gigantamax Lapras.
With Raya's reminder, he also realized that while an Eternally Gigantamaxed Pokémon possessed tremendous strength, the cost of properly caring for one was far from cheap.
Jacob suddenly thought of Ash Ketchum. That guy had caught so many Pokémon and left them all at Professor Oak's laboratory. Thinking about it carefully, the feeding costs alone would amount to an enormous sum of money.
It had to be said, Professor Oak truly treated Ash well—practically like Ash's own father.
How should he house Gigantamax Lapras? Jacob realized he only had two realistic choices available: the first was to send it back to the Dragon-type Secret Realm and place it within the forbidden zone. While it could be accommodated there, it wasn't a long-term solution and could easily lead to its discovery.
As for the second option, it was right in front of him. Given Raya's intelligence, since she had brought up the question, she must have already thought of a solution.
Thinking along these lines, Jacob leaned closer to Raya, his tone carrying a hint of flattery: "Raya~"
"Hmm?" Raya looked at Jacob's expression, knowing perfectly well what he was scheming. Her eyes curved slightly with amusement, a faint smile playing on her lips as she turned to look at Jacob with an innocent expression: "Is something the matter?"
"Raya~" Jacob continued calling her name but still didn't voice what he actually wanted.
Listening to Jacob's intimate way of addressing her, Raya's face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but glare at him while chiding: "Just say what you want directly. Don't be so overly sweet."
"Raya, don't you already know what I'm thinking?" Jacob said.
"It's definitely not anything good." Raya turned her face away and replied, "Your mind is full of inappropriate thoughts. Just say what you want quickly."
"You definitely have a way to help me house Gigantamax Lapras, don't you?"
"Yes, I do, but why should I help you?" Raya looked at Jacob, intentionally putting on a stern expression as she asked, "My debt of gratitude to you was completely repaid today."
Although she claimed she didn't want to help, the faint smile still playing on Raya's lips betrayed her true intentions.
"Raya, you can't just stand by and watch me suffer in difficulty..."
"Help me out, and in the future, I promise I'll repay you generously."
Ultimately, Raya still agreed to help Jacob temporarily house Gigantamax Lapras in Magic City's Water Secret Realm. The Magic City Water Secret Realm, being directly adjacent to the ocean, was undoubtedly an excellent location for housing Gigantamax Lapras.
However, she also made it clear that given the enormous size of Gigantamax Lapras, she could only help with temporary housing. This arrangement was not a long-term solution, as the Secret Realm had people constantly coming and going. If Lapras stayed there for too long, it would eventually be discovered.
Jacob still needed to find a suitable permanent location to house Gigantamax Lapras as soon as possible.
This situation also gave Jacob quite a headache. Given the tremendous size of Gigantamax Lapras, there was truly nowhere to house it except somewhere in the ocean. But he couldn't exactly buy a ship, set sail, and gather a dozen companions to become some kind of pirate emperor—this world didn't have equivalents of the Seven Warlords or a World Government, after all.
Raya seemed to notice the distress evident in Jacob's eyes and said with a slight smile, "You'd better figure something out soon. I can only help you keep this concealed for at most half a year. After six months, the Water Secret Realm will be hosting a major event, and by that time, you'll have to handle things yourself. I won't be able to help you anymore."
"I understand completely." Jacob nodded in acknowledgment.
"Are you returning to the Capital tonight?" Raya asked.
"Definitely not tonight. I need to bond with Gigantamax Lapras first, so I won't be returning to the Capital today," Jacob explained.
Gigantamax Lapras had only just been caught, and now was the critical time for them to build their bond together, so he naturally couldn't leave the Water Secret Realm yet.
As for Cetitan, which was currently in the Capital's Dragon-type Secret Realm, Jacob had decided to give it to his older brother.
Originally, he had intended to give it to Nina, but Teacher Long already possessed a powerful Gyarados. His older brother, however, didn't yet have a strong Water-type Pokémon on his team.
This way, his older brother would now have two Heavenly King-level Pokémon: the Heavenly King-level Aerodactyl and the Heavenly King-level Cetitan. This combination was considerably stronger than what most Heavenly King-level Trainers typically possessed.