Jacob rose from his seat, his gaze settling on Eleanor with a calm, measured expression. "I need you to travel to Bright Sea within the next two or three months," he said. "The exact date is still to be decided."
"And what exactly would that involve?" Eleanor asked, her brow furrowing as she studied him. Then a slow smile crept across her face. "If you're planning to lure me out to sea, do away with me, and make the body disappear without a trace, you'd best abandon that idea. I have no intention of leaving the Imperial Capital."
"Oh?" Jacob's expression cooled. Eleanor's wariness had exceeded what he had anticipated. He stood and stepped toward her, looking down at her with a steady gaze. "So even you are afraid of dying?"
Despite wearing heels, Eleanor was still noticeably shorter than him. Yet she held her ground, tilting her chin up to meet his eyes without a flicker of unease. "Everyone fears death," she said evenly. "That is precisely why I have not left the Imperial Capital in quite some time."
"Relax. I have no plans to kill you." The tension between them dissolved as a smile broke across Jacob's face. He returned to the sofa and settled back into his seat. "You want a Gigantamax Pokémon — and I can provide one. But you will need to prove you are worthy of it. That means joining Team Rainbow Rocket and making a real contribution."
Eleanor's eyes narrowed slightly. "Gigantamax Pokémon? Team Rainbow Rocket?" She repeated the unfamiliar terms with a measured frown.
"That's right," Jacob confirmed. "Giant Pokémon can be grouped into three categories. The first is Dynamax Pokémon. Nearly any Pokémon is capable of Dynamaxing when its Trainer uses a Dynamax Band."
"The second category is Gigantamax Pokémon. Only a select few Pokémon can achieve this form, even with a Dynamax Band. What sets them apart from ordinary Dynamax Pokémon is not only a change in appearance, but also greater power and access to exclusive G-Max Moves."
"Both Dynamax and Gigantamax require a Dynamax Band and are temporary — the transformation lasts for only a limited number of turns. At present, I am the only one in possession of this type of Dynamax Band."
"The third category is what I call Eternal Gigantamax Pokémon. These rare individuals can maintain their Gigantamax form permanently. Their numbers are extraordinarily small — perhaps only twenty or thirty exist in the entire world."
"As for Team Rainbow Rocket, it is an organization I have built under Giovanni's identity. It will be made public before long, so there is no harm in telling you now."
Eleanor listened carefully, her expression composed, though inwardly she was taken aback. It was clear from Jacob's words that his research into Dynamax phenomena had reached an advanced stage — a fully developed theory, and a significant lead over anyone else working in the field.
"You want an Eternal Gigantamax Pokémon," Jacob continued, noting her silence. He smiled. "Simply knowing my true identity and using it as leverage will not be enough to earn you one. Everyone in Team Rainbow Rocket already knows who I am. You would need to contribute more than any of them before I would consider giving you something that rare."
"You're changing the subject," Eleanor replied, cutting straight to the point with a calm smile. "I am not in the same position as your Team Rocket members. You are all bound together — if you fall, they fall with you, so none of them would dare expose you. But I am different. I have nothing to lose."
Jacob regarded her for a long moment, then let out a quiet sigh. Eleanor was sharper than he had bargained for, and her position left him with very little room to maneuver. He fixed her with a hard look. "Eleanor, are you truly not afraid that I might simply eliminate you?"
His voice dropped, cold and deliberate, as his eyes locked onto hers. "Do you really believe that, no matter how well-protected you are, I couldn't find a way to deal with you and still walk out of the Imperial Capital?"
"I believe you could," Eleanor replied, the smile never leaving her face. "But you would not be able to do it quietly. The moment you act, your identity comes to light. And that is a risk you will not take."
"Besides..." Her smile deepened, and Jacob's frown darkened in response. "Jacob, I would imagine you've already wondered whether I've made preparations. A failsafe, for instance — something that automatically posts information about your Giovanni identity online if I go more than twenty-four or forty-eight hours without making contact."
Jacob drew a slow breath. He studied Eleanor's face, his brows pressed together. If she had truly set that up, his only option would be to have Sylvia's Porygon break into her systems and dismantle it — and that was not a simple task.
While he weighed his options in silence, Eleanor spoke again. "Jacob, the fact that I am sitting here negotiating with you at all should tell you something. I am quite certain you will not hurt me."
She leaned back slightly, her tone measured but pointed. "People are complicated — even someone like you. You have things you care about in this world: your parents, your brother, the people close to you. Those relationships are not weaknesses exactly, but they do shape your choices. They bind you, in ways both large and small."
"The more rational and calculating a person is, the more they account for consequences. You are not the type to act on impulse. You would never move unless you were completely certain — unless every variable was controlled, every loose end secured, and every possibility of exposure had been ruled out."
Jacob did not argue. She was right, and they both knew it. He had too much to protect to act carelessly.
"Jacob, a deal is a deal," Eleanor said, her voice steady and her expression unhurried. "I will keep your identity secret. You give me a Gigantamax Pokémon. I would strongly advise you not to look for a way around that arrangement." She paused, and a note of genuine curiosity entered her voice. "Though I will admit — Team Rainbow Rocket does interest me."
She tilted her head slightly. "Tell me. What drove you to walk away from a promising career and build something like this?"
Jacob looked at her for a moment, then gave a short, tired sigh. Eleanor was more trouble than he had expected, and the frustrating part was that she had leverage over him. "You wouldn't understand even if I explained it," he said at last, a thin smile on his lips. "Call it a personal ambition. Something I needed to see through."
"A personal ambition?" Eleanor repeated, her curiosity only sharpening.
"Leave it." Jacob waved a hand, cutting off that line of conversation.
Eleanor's gaze lingered on him for a moment before her tone shifted, becoming more direct. "All right, Jacob. Tell me plainly — what do you actually need me to do in Bright Sea?"
Jacob blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the turn. He studied her expression, trying to read what had prompted the change. "I need you to act as my representative and complete a transaction with Champion Meyer."
"I can do that," Eleanor said simply. "But I expect you to guarantee my safety. And do not try anything while I am there. If I lose contact for more than twenty-four or forty-eight hours, everything about your Giovanni identity goes online."