Upon hearing Elise speak up, everyone at the table turned to look at her.
Elise remained calm and continued, "What you've been reading online is all misinformation—none of it's entirely accurate."
"The real situation is that Regieleki's Trainer attacked first. He destroyed the King, causing it to sink, and then relentlessly pursued Andrew."
"With nowhere left to run, Andrew eventually fled into the ocean. At that point, since the King was sinking, there were many survivors floating in the water. Andrew tried to hide among them, using innocent people as cover." Elise continued without pausing. "Then Regieleki's Trainer, trying to force Andrew out, ordered Regieleki to launch an indiscriminate attack on every survivor in the water. If he'd actually gone through with it, given the situation at the time, at least hundreds—possibly thousands—of people would have died."
"Just as Regieleki's lightning was about to strike, that mysterious Trainer was forced to step in and protect all the survivors at sea." Speaking of that mysterious Trainer, Elise recalled the moment of her rescue. Her eyes seemed to light up, and after a brief pause, she continued, "Then both sides became wary of each other's strength and didn't act rashly."
"Eventually, the two Legendary Pokémon Trainers reached an agreement: Regieleki's Trainer could only target Andrew and couldn't harm anyone else—especially Chinese citizens."
"Seeing the two reach this agreement, Andrew grew desperate to survive. He fled frantically and eventually took Chinese citizens hostage, trying to force the Lapras's Trainer to save him. The mysterious Trainer, wanting to protect those Chinese citizens, was forced to intervene once again."
"In the end, if the Chinese rescue team hadn't arrived when they did, those two would've definitely fought."
"Regieleki's Trainer had no choice but to flee. Andrew's act of taking Chinese hostages also enraged the Lapras's Trainer, who kidnapped him in anger."
"Actually, that mysterious Trainer never intended to kidnap Andrew in the first place."
"If you ask me, Andrew truly deserves what he got! If I were that kidnapper, I wouldn't even bother with a ransom—I'd just eliminate him directly."
...
It had to be said that Elise had quite a fiery temper. She immediately started cursing Andrew right there at the table.
Of course, she couldn't really be blamed. After all, Andrew had held her hostage, and apart from the rare few suffering from Stockholm syndrome, normal people would feel nothing but disgust toward their kidnapper.
Elise was no exception.
Hearing her sister's words, Eleanor could only manage an awkward smile. Her sister had always been like this—completely unladylike, bluntly straightforward, and thoroughly spoiled.
"Elise, watch your language," Eleanor chided her sister gently.
Many of those present, upon hearing Elise's account, were clearly skeptical. They asked, "Is what you're saying actually true? How do you know all this so clearly?"
"I was on the King at the time. What do you think?" Elise shot back directly. "If you don't believe me, I can show you my ticket purchase record on my phone right now."
When Elise displayed the ticket purchase record, the entire table erupted in surprise. No one questioned what she'd just said anymore. After all, nothing is more convincing than a firsthand witness account.
"So you personally saw Regieleki and Lapras?"
"Was it dangerous at the time?"
"Were you scared when the ship started sinking?"
...
After that, Elise completely became the center of attention at the gathering. Many people began asking her questions about what had happened on the King.
Elise responded to each inquiry, describing the two mysterious Trainers. In her retelling, Preist-3 became an utterly evil villain, while Jacob became a righteous Chinese hero.
"That mysterious Trainer must be Chinese. I don't know why, but when I heard him say that Chinese citizens couldn't be harmed, I felt incredibly safe in that moment."
"Really?"
"So that person is actually quite admirable."
...
Listening to everyone's praise, Jacob felt somewhat light-headed, though he didn't participate in the discussion. He figured he might as well secretly interact with Nina during this time instead.
...
"Jacob." However, Kyle, who was completely tactless, kept bothering him. After a while, he leaned over and asked, "Speaking of which, you're pretty well-known now. What would you do if you encountered kidnappers?"
Jacob smiled dismissively and whispered back to Kyle, "It doesn't matter. I'd handle it myself."
"You're just talking big. A High School Cup Champion thinks he can defeat a Legendary Pokémon Trainer? You're even more boastful than I am!"
"Hehe."
Elise also glanced at Jacob in that moment, thinking to herself, 'This guy really knows how to brag.'
...
After lunch ended, the afternoon was designated as free time. Eleanor and her sister planned to go shopping, while Kyle, Nikolas, and Chandler agreed to return to the dormitory together.
Julia, however, watched Jacob from a distance. Her eyes held a hint of anticipation, as though she wanted to spend the afternoon alone with him.
Jacob also noticed Julia's intense gaze and quickly spoke to Nina with a serious expression. "Teacher Nina, I have something to discuss with you this afternoon—something regarding Dragon-type Pokémon. My master should've mentioned it to you already. Let's go together."
Listening to Jacob's serious fabrication, Nina wanted to laugh. However, she also noticed Julia's gaze from the side, so she nodded and replied, "Alright, okay."
Julia, standing nearby, heard the exchange between Jacob and Nina. She swallowed all the words she'd originally wanted to say and asked, "Jacob! Are you free tonight?"
"Tonight... probably not." Jacob had to rush back to Black Dragon City tonight, so naturally he didn't have time. "I need to get back to carry out a mission."
Hearing Jacob refuse her again, Julia's smile became even more strained. She could only force herself to smile and say to Jacob, "It's okay. You go ahead with your work. This is a gift I prepared for you."
Julia felt an uncontrollable wave of disappointment, but she forced herself to stay upbeat. Doing her best to maintain a bright smile, she handed Jacob an exquisite box. "Don't open it now—wait until you get back."
"Okay." Jacob saw the disappointment on Julia's face and felt a slight twinge of reluctance in his heart. However, at this moment, he could only steel himself and refuse. "Then I'll be going."
"Mm." Julia nodded.
Watching Jacob's retreating figure, Julia felt even more distressed and called out to him. "Jacob, when you return from your mission, you absolutely must have a meal with me. My roommates have wanted to meet you for ages, and I've already promised them I'd bring you along."
Hearing Julia's words, Jacob instinctively glanced at Nina, wanting to agree but not knowing how to respond.
"Promise her," Nina seemed to understand Jacob's dilemma and whispered.
"Mm." Jacob softly acknowledged, then turned to Julia and said, "When I get back, I'll treat you all to a meal."
"Okay." Hearing Jacob agree, Julia's mood finally improved considerably, and she gave him a bright, radiant smile in return.
With that brilliant smile, Julia in her dress looked exactly like the most beautiful moonlight in a young man's heart.