Mike recognized Jacob’s identity the moment Jacob removed his flame-patterned mask.

He shot to his feet, his bathrobe slipping off to reveal his muscular frame. He took a cautious step backward, putting distance between himself and Jacob.

No one could remain composed after recognizing the notorious “Giovanni.”

The Black guards stationed at the door immediately raised their weapons, fingers on triggers, ready to fire.

“Darkrai.”

Darkrai’s shadowy form Teleported in an instant, appearing before the guard like a phantom. Dark-type energy erupted from its body, engulfing the man. His body went limp immediately, collapsing to the floor like a puppet with cut strings.

“Ah!” The woman behind Mike screamed, her piercing shriek making Jacob’s expression tighten with irritation.

“Too loud. Put her to sleep, Darkrai.”

Darkrai’s form flickered, reappearing behind the woman in the blink of an eye. With a simple gesture, it caused her to fall into a deep slumber.

Meanwhile, Mike’s hand moved toward the Poké Ball at his waist. Even facing the formidable Darkrai, Mike wasn’t willing to surrender without resistance.

“Mr. Mike, I should warn you—if you release any other Pokémon, you won’t just be dealing with Darkrai.”

Jacob’s threatening tone made Mike’s hand freeze mid-motion. He understood his own capabilities clearly. This single Darkrai alone would give him serious trouble.

If Jacob added his Gigantamax Lapras to the battle, Mike would have absolutely no chance of victory.

“Giovanni…” Mike’s face paled as he stared at Darkrai, whose Haze flickered like dancing flames, then shifted his gaze to Jacob. “What do you want?”

“Mr. Mike.” Jacob settled onto the sofa and regarded Mike calmly. “I’m here to propose a partnership.”

“What kind of partnership?” Mike’s voice was cold, his heart filled with wariness as he looked at Jacob.

“It’s quite simple. Starting today, I need you to follow my instructions and have the entire Mike Group work with me,” Jacob said with a slight smile.

Partnership?

Mike’s face darkened further. You call this a partnership? This was nothing more than a hostile takeover!

Jacob’s words made Mike’s blood pressure spike, but his fear of Giovanni’s strength kept him from objecting outright. He took a deep breath and asked, “What exactly do you need us to do?”

“For now, you have only one task—gradually develop and expand your operations outward.” Jacob’s expression brightened with satisfaction. “Absorb other poaching organizations and make the Mike Group larger.”

“During this period, if you encounter any difficulties you can’t handle on your own, contact me directly. Even if you’re up against Champion-level opponents, I can help you deal with them.”

As Mike listened to Jacob’s proposal, the cunning businessman’s face took on a thoughtful expression.

The biggest obstacle to the Mike Group’s expansion had always been the lack of high-level combat power. The entire organization only had three Heavenly King-level Trainers, and two of them had just recently reached that rank with only one or two Heavenly King-level Pokémon each.

Mike himself was the only one who could truly hold down the fort.

If they could have a top-tier expert like Giovanni backing them, the Mike Group would undoubtedly soar to new heights.

Giovanni’s proposal made his heart race with excitement, but the cost was enormous. Giovanni’s real intention was to transform the entire Mike Group into his subordinate organization!

At that point, would it even still be called the Mike Group? It might as well be renamed the Giovanni Group.

“I’ll give you one week to think it over. If you refuse to cooperate, I’ll simply approach one of the other groups.”

“I’m confident that among Myanmar’s many underground forces, someone will be willing to partner with me.”

“Consider it carefully. I’ll contact you through Davis in one week.”

After Jacob finished speaking, he left the Mike Group’s headquarters with Raya and the others. The Mike Group situation was merely a minor detour.

It was simply laying groundwork for establishing his underground organization. Jacob didn’t particularly care whether Mike agreed to his terms or not.

His primary objective in coming to Myanmar was still the Gigantamax Hatterene in the Secret Realm Gap.

That remained his top priority.

Night deepened, stars glittered overhead.

In the dense tropical jungle, Jacob and his group pushed through low-hanging bushes. The roars of wild creatures echoed through the wilderness.

The silent night concealed unknown dangers.

Many nocturnal Pokémon had begun stirring. Jacob swiftly and stealthily advanced toward Gigantamax Hatterene’s location according to his intelligence.

Darkrai’s form materialized beside Jacob, pointing forward with one shadowy finger.

Faint firelight flickered in the distance, indicating the presence of many people ahead.

This development was within Jacob’s expectations.

The Underground Black Market was a profit-driven enterprise, not a charitable organization. Greed was in their nature. If they could capture Gigantamax Pokémon themselves, why would they sell information about such powerful creatures?

The Black Dragon City Underground Black Market must have already scouted this location after obtaining the intelligence. Only after confirming they’d found nothing of value would they sell the information to others.

As for the people up ahead, there was a high probability they belonged to the Qi Family.

As one of the Underground Black Market’s shareholders, the Qi Family could easily pay for information about Gigantamax Pokémon. They were likely lying in wait, hoping to ambush “Giovanni” and exact revenge.

Therefore, for safety’s sake, Jacob decided to proceed with extreme caution.

“Caleb, Davis, you two stay here. Don’t follow us inside.”

“I’ll have Darkrai put everyone to sleep first, then we’ll move quickly. We need to capture Gigantamax Hatterene as fast as possible.”

“If anything unexpected happens during this time, contact me immediately.”

“Understood.” Caleb and Davis nodded in agreement.

“Darkrai, hypnotize them. Then we’ll proceed.” Jacob’s voice cut through the quiet.

Darkrai vanished into the darkness, continuously using Dark Void to put the nearby people to sleep one by one.

Jacob immediately led Raya deeper into the tropical jungle before them. Soon, the Wishing Star Jacob carried began to react. After walking a short distance, the surrounding scenery started to shift.

“We’ve entered the Secret Realm Gap.” Jacob turned to Raya beside him.

“Right.” Raya nodded, her eyes bright with anticipation for the Gigantamax Hatterene they were about to encounter.

“Stay alert.”

The two continued pressing deeper. The jungle scenery began changing dramatically. All around them, bioluminescent plants gradually appeared, emitting dazzling light in the darkness, as if they had stepped into a fairy-tale realm.

In the air above, glowing pollen drifted down, releasing an entrancing fragrance that made people feel dizzy and drowsy.

Jacob shook his head vigorously, trying to clear the sleepiness creeping into his mind.

“Be careful. This glowing pollen has powerful hallucinogenic properties. Cover your mouth and nose—don’t inhale too much.”

“Mm.” Raya nodded slightly, her gaze scanning the darkness for any trace of Gigantamax Hatterene.

Her attention was completely focused on finding the Gigantamax Pokémon now.

However, the pitch-black environment combined with the dense forest completely obscured their vision. Aside from the sparkling bioluminescent plants, they hadn’t spotted any Pokémon yet.

“THOOM!”

Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath their feet. A massive sound drew everyone’s attention. Jacob and Raya looked up toward the source of the noise.

In the dark night sky, two enormous silhouettes gradually emerged. They pushed aside the dense jungle vegetation, advancing step by thunderous step toward them.

Gigantamax Hatterene and Gigantamax Grimmsnarl!

Two Gigantamax Pokémon!

Jacob’s expression hardened. He hadn’t anticipated finding two Gigantamax Pokémon in this Secret Realm Gap.

Double the danger—but also double the potential reward.

This was both an unexpected complication and a fortunate discovery.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep