"No! Run!"
Upon witnessing the appearance of Gigantamax Lapras, both the elderly man's and young man's faces turned deathly pale. While the presence of Darkrai alone couldn't confirm Jacob's identity with absolute certainty, the emergence of Gigantamax Lapras removed all doubt—everyone now recognized that the person before them was none other than Giovanni!
"He's Giovanni—we need to leave, now!"
"Think you can escape? Darkrai, pursue them!"
Jacob naturally had no intention of letting them flee. Perhaps to ensure success, Jacob turned toward Sylvia. "Don't let them escape. Sylvia, join the battle."
Upon hearing Jacob's command, Sylvia released her Rotom without hesitation, entering the fray.
"Lapras, use G-Max Resonance!"
Jacob's voice rang out clearly. The people present had obviously never witnessed such a move before.
Ice-type energy surged skyward, solidifying into an enormous ice sphere that descended from above, crashing toward the ground. Simultaneously, an Aurora Veil materialized before Lapras, protecting everyone on their side.
"Rotom, use Thunderbolt!"
Facing the combined assault of Rotom and Gigantamax Lapras, the elderly man and young man from VIP Box 3 found themselves completely powerless to retaliate, capable only of fleeing in utter disarray!
However, Darkrai's speed proved extraordinarily swift. Its shadowy, spectral figure materialized before the group, and with a raised hand, it activated Dark Void.
"Use Protect, Tropius!"
Confronting the ghost-like Darkrai, genuine panic seized everyone. Only the elderly man maintained relative composure, ordering Tropius to defend.
A protective barrier appeared before Tropius, successfully blocking Darkrai's Dark Void. However, it proved completely inadequate against Gigantamax Lapras's G-Max Resonance.
The ice sphere descending from the heavens shattered the protective barrier directly, instantly inflicting severe damage on Tropius, which possessed a quadruple weakness to Ice-type attacks.
"Go, Xatu! Clefable! Haxorus!"
The elderly man and young man released three Heavenly King-level-level and quasi-King-level-level Pokémon, desperately struggling for survival. However, Jacob refused to provide them any opportunity. "Do you think a few Heavenly King-level-level Pokémon will suffice? Lapras, use Sheer Cold!"
Sensing the terrifying Ice-type energy emanating from Gigantamax Lapras, the young man's fear became genuine, and he quickly pleaded, "Stop! We surrender, don't—"
Before the young man could complete his sentence, the intensely frigid Ice-type energy surged forth, instantly inflicting severe injuries on several Pokémon, their bodies largely encased in ice.
"Darkrai, use Dark Void!"
The moment Gigantamax Lapras's attack concluded, Darkrai's assault arrived.
Endless Dark-type energy formed a Dark Void, instantly engulfing the heavily injured Pokémon before them, plunging them into deep slumber.
"No, don't kill me—my father is—"
Before the young man could finish his declaration, Darkrai raised its hand and unleashed Dark Void, hypnotizing the entire group.
As for Anna, the internet celebrity whose hands remained bound, she too stood stunned by the scene unfolding before her. Her mouth, sealed with tape, produced continuous muffled whimpers as tears and mucus streamed down her face—clearly terrified beyond measure.
Anna's reactions caught Jacob's attention. His gaze settled upon Anna's figure, his eyes flickering momentarily before he spoke. "I can offer you an opportunity to survive, but you must assist me with something."
"After you escape, immediately use your million-follower account to post a video online, reporting that the Underground Black Market kidnapped you and conducted illegal transactions. This is footage from the Underground Black Market—it should serve adequately as evidence." Jacob tossed over the Underground Black Market footage. "Can you accomplish this? Nod if you can."
A powerful survival instinct prompted Anna to nod frantically at Jacob.
"Excellent. However, I must warn you—if I discover you haven't followed my instructions, regardless of your location, I will hunt you down. Understood?" Jacob inquired, observing Anna intently.
Anna nodded vigorously.
"Oh, one more thing." Jacob's face displayed a satisfied expression. Then, as if suddenly recalling something, he retrieved an Icicle Spear from the ground, handed it to Anna, and withdrew his phone to begin recording. "Go kill them all."
Anna's pupils reflected shock initially, but then a ruthless expression materialized on her face. Without hesitation, she accepted the Icicle Spear from Jacob's hand, approached the unconscious group, and stabbed them one by one.
Observing Anna's merciless demeanor, Jacob's eyes flickered. "Excellent work. You may leave."
Anna nodded, turned without hesitation, and stumbled toward the city.
"We should depart as well." Jacob addressed Sylvia and Caleb. "I won't be returning to Imperial City immediately. Sylvia, escort Karl and Eve back to Imperial City. Caleb, return to the Patrol Team first. I'll come find you after some time has passed. Be careful."
"Understood." Sylvia and Caleb nodded in acknowledgment.
The night returned to tranquility. Jacob reverted to his original appearance and proceeded toward the Team Zero hotel.
Shortly after the five departed, official staff from the Black Dragon City Pokémon Association arrived at the scene. Their expressions revealed profound shock as they surveyed the bodies scattered across the ground.
"So many casualties, and there are several corpses of powerful Pokémon."
"Request backup immediately."
"First priority—verify the identities of the deceased."
The staff approached the bodies, removing masks one by one. When they removed the young man's mask and glimpsed his face, their hearts seized with alarm.
"Captain, come look—it's the Qi Family's eldest son!"
Upon hearing this announcement, the Captain's body trembled slightly. He hurried over to the young man's corpse, observing his pallid face while his own complexion turned ashen.
"Immediately contact the Commander-in-Chief. This matter exceeds our authority."
The leading figure of the Qi Family's younger generation had died tragically in Black Dragon City!
Everything was about to change!
They certainly had no desire to shoulder responsibility for this incident.
"Quickly, make the call—contact the Qi Family immediately."
Undercurrents surged throughout the city, and Black Dragon City became enveloped in a murderous atmosphere. Zade and June, positioned on the investigation's front lines, sensed something unusual.
In the urban area's normally strict no-fly zone, Flying-type Pokémon occasionally streaked across the sky, leaving extended contrails.
"Is something major happening in Black Dragon City?" Zade shook his head pensively.
His and June's investigation had proceeded far from smoothly—in fact, they'd encountered constant obstacles. All evidence had been thoroughly sanitized, and their every movement remained under complete surveillance, leaving them with no operational secrecy whatsoever.
The two concluded another day of fruitless investigation, returning empty-handed. They reentered the conference room and unexpectedly encountered Jacob, whom they hadn't seen in a week.
"You've returned?" Zade remarked, acknowledging Jacob.
June glanced briefly at Jacob, silently donned her headphones, activated her music, and began reviewing recent data.
"Yes." Jacob nodded in confirmation.
"Any progress?" Zade inquired.
"No progress." Jacob waved dismissively. "What about you two?"
"Same situation—virtually no progress." Zade shook his head. "The only potentially useful development is that someone anonymously reported a small-time criminal. In my assessment, He is probably just a scapegoat they've put forward to save face for us, allowing us to return and report mission completion."
After Zade finished speaking, he smiled bitterly and shook his head. Although he'd anticipated this mission would face significant resistance, he'd never imagined the difficulty would reach such extraordinary levels.
"Forget it. Everyone's been exhausted for several days. Let's rest properly for two days first."