Pokemon : The Master of Dragon-Types

Chapter 463 463: 463. Kyle and Jacob

When Kyle finished speaking, Jacob took a slow, steady breath and asked, "What does the post say?"

"It says you and Julia are in a relationship, and that you're a freeloader. It goes on about how Julia comes from a wealthy family and how beautiful she is — and then calls you a nobody who's using her to climb the social ladder. It claims you've been relying on Julia to fend off challengers for you, which is supposedly why you've held the top spot among the freshmen. According to the post, you haven't accepted a single battle in over two months since school started."

Kyle's voice turned more serious. "A lot of people in the comments are piling on. They're calling you a social climber who latched onto Julia, and saying that your High School Cup Champion title was handed to you by her — that you never could have won it on your own."

Jacob listened quietly. When Kyle finished, Jacob let out a slow breath — and actually felt a wave of relief wash over him. So that's all it is. He had braced himself for something far worse, half-convinced the post had something to do with Raya. As long as it had nothing to do with Raya, he could manage the rest.

After all, you couldn't control what people said. Their mouths were their own.

"I understand," Jacob said, his voice calm.

"Jacob, whatever that post says, I've got your back — no question." Kyle could tell that Jacob wasn't particularly rattled, and his mood seemed almost light. Seizing the moment, he added with a grin, "Though honestly, I bet you just used those pretty-boy looks of yours to charm Julia into liking you, didn't you?"

"Get lost, you idiot." Jacob laughed despite himself. He was only ever this relaxed around Kyle.

"No, seriously — why do you sound almost happy right now?" Kyle asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously through the phone.

"Happy? You must be hearing things. I'm devastated. Absolutely devastated. Tears streaming down my face, on the verge of a complete breakdown," Jacob said, his tone perfectly deadpan.

Kyle paused. Then he sighed.

He knew Jacob was completely fine.

Truthfully, Kyle had always admired Jacob — quietly, though he'd never say it out loud. From a young age, Jacob had a kind of emotional steadiness that most people twice his age never developed. Very little seemed to shake him. And when something did get under his skin, he'd already figured out how to handle it before anyone else noticed.

He wasn't the type to argue for the sake of arguing, or to complain without cause, or to pass blame when things went wrong. When most people ran into a problem, their first instinct was to find someone else to pin it on. Jacob's first instinct was always to solve it — to look directly at the root of the issue and figure out the next step.

Kyle remembered what his father had said after meeting Jacob for the first time: "That boy's character and drive will take him somewhere remarkable. Whatever path he walks — research, training, anything — he'll find a way to shine."

His father had been right. Jacob shone wherever he went.

Kyle found himself thinking back to their second year of high school, when Jacob still hadn't received a starter Pokémon. There had been whispers. Jokes. Classmates who hadn't bothered to hide their opinions. Jacob had heard every word of it — and his response had been a single quiet sentence.

"The wind rises from a blade of duckweed, and the waves begin with the smallest ripple. Even at the bottom of a valley, flowers still bloom. Even at the bottom of the sea, you can still look up at the moon. Instead of staring at what stands in your way, pick up a lantern and keep walking. Wind and rain cannot break your will. Straighten yourself up, clear your mind, and move forward."

Kyle hadn't forgotten those words since.

And Jacob had done exactly what he said. In less than a year, starting from nothing, he had become the High School Cup Champion.

Kyle would never admit, out loud, that Jacob was better than him. That wasn't something you said to your best friend and rival. But in the quiet parts of his own mind, he knew. He knew better than anyone how extraordinary Jacob truly was.

Which was why, when he'd seen that post last night, he'd sat down and gone to war with every commenter he could find.

"Jacob," Kyle said, shifting his tone slightly. "Last night I went ten rounds with strangers on the internet on your behalf. A hundred enemies, easy. I charged straight into the comment section."

"How'd it go?" Jacob asked, a smile audible in his voice.

"They told me to stop hiding behind a guest account and post with my real name if I had any courage. Then the moderator banned me."

Jacob burst out laughing — a real, genuine laugh. "Why would you argue with people like that? There's a saying: the wise talk about ideas, ordinary people talk about events, and small-minded people talk about other people. If someone wants to criticize you, they'll always find a reason."

"Because you're basically my son and I felt bad seeing you get wronged. What kind of father would I be if I didn't defend his son?"

"Get lost." But Jacob was still laughing. "Alright. I'll deal with it."

"That's my boy. This father is very proud. You've grown up."

"I said get lost, you absolute idiot. I want a proper meal out of this — you find a time and take Amira and me somewhere good."

After ending the call, Jacob sat quietly for a moment, turning things over in his mind. Then he picked up his phone again and dialed Sylvia.

"Hello, Sylvia."

"Hello, Jacob." Sylvia sounded pleasantly surprised — this was the first time he'd called her this early in the morning.

"Sylvia, I need a favor. There's a post about me on the school forum. Can you help me track down who actually posted it?" Jacob kept his tone measured and direct.

He was thinking more carefully than Kyle had. The timing of the post nagged at him — it had appeared right after his falling-out with Dawson, and that felt like too much of a coincidence to ignore. Even if Dawson hadn't been the one to write it, Jacob was fairly certain that once Dawson heard about it, he'd do everything he could to add fuel to the fire.

"What post?" Sylvia asked, curious.

Jacob caught himself — he'd forgotten that Sylvia rarely read Chinese and likely never visited the school forum. "Try using a translator and logging into the school's official forum. You'll find it."

"Okay, I'll take a look."

Not long after, a message came in from Julia.

"Jacob, don't worry about what other people think. Just be yourself!"

Jacob looked at the message for a moment, a small smile crossing his face. He could picture it clearly — Julia picking up her phone, typing a sentence, deleting it, typing again, second-guessing herself, and finally hitting send on those few carefully chosen words.

He thought for a moment, then typed back: "A river without hidden rocks cannot make beautiful waves."

He put the phone down and didn't think about the post again.

Instead, he headed out to the North Bay suburbs to continue his Pokémon training.

He was harder on his team than usual that day — especially with Dragapult. Jacob pushed the Dragon-and-Ghost-type harder than he had in weeks, his voice sharp and precise with each command.

"Not fast enough, Dragapult! You can push your speed further than that!"

"Full power — don't hold anything back!"

"Why are you pulling your attacks? Don't be afraid. Hit with everything you have!"

"Dragon Darts! Use Dragon Darts!"

"Speed and accuracy — I need both. Again!"

The training continued without pause, the sound of Dragapult's cries cutting through the open air of the suburbs as Jacob pushed them both toward something sharper, something stronger.