Inside the box, a white metal bracelet and a brown crystal were securely nestled.

  “This is... a ?Fighting-type Z-Crystal!” Su Wen excimed, smming the box shut and instinctively gncing around.

  Zhou Wan and Chen You quickly processed the situation. Zhou Wan cpped her hands to her head, forcing herself to stay calm. “Don’t worry, the basement is soundproof.”

  Chen You pinched his thigh hard to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

  In the world, there were only two special methods to significantly enhance a Pokémon’s power.

  The first was the ?Z-Crystals from the White Eagle Federation, which allowed Pokémon to unleash a single, devastating attack far beyond their normal capabilities. Long Xu, the winner of the st World Championship, had been rewarded with a ?Dragonium Z.

  The second was the ?Dynamax Bands from Engnd, which enabled Pokémon to Dynamax within the special energy zones of the Ten-Nation Federation, granting them immense power for a short time.

  Compared to Dynamax Bands, Z-Crystals had fewer restrictions. However, according to the White Eagle Federation, Z-Crystals were so rare that only one could be produced each year.

  Instantly, Su Wen and the others understood why Zhou Li had hidden this Z-Crystal and its accompanying Z-Ring like a thief. In Xia, the number of people who owned Z-Crystals could be counted on one hand. If others found out Zhou Li had one, a Gym Leader-level trainer like him wouldn’t be able to keep it. Even if Elite and Champion-level trainers didn’t forcibly take it, the Pokémon League would pressure Zhou Li to exchange it for other resources.

  The sheer magnitude of this discovery left the three of them momentarily stunned.

  “Should we... just hand it over?” Chen You suggested in a whisper. To him, the Z-Crystal was a hot potato that could burn their hands off.

  “No!” Zhou Wan and Su Wen both objected at the same time.

  They exchanged a gnce, and Zhou Wan spoke first. “This Z-Crystal is definitely connected to my father’s disappearance. We can’t hand it over until he returns.”

  Su Wen thought deeper. “Not only that, but right now, the three of us are like unarmed people sitting on a treasure trove. Without Uncle Zhou or my dad here, we can’t negotiate a fair deal with the Pokémon League.”

  This was why Zhou Li had left instructions for Zhou Wan to only hand over the Z-Crystal if she felt in danger. Zhou Li hadn’t informed Su Chuan not because he didn’t trust him, but because he didn’t want to involve Su Chuan in this mess.

  Seeing that Su Wen and Zhou Wan were in agreement, Chen You didn’t argue further. Instead, he began to seriously consider the origins of this Z-Crystal.

  Chen You licked his dry lips. “Do you think Uncle Zhou stole this Z-Crystal from the Dawn organization?”

  Su Wen carefully locked the box and was about to return it to the hidden compartment when Zhou Wan stopped him.

  “No, we can’t leave it here anymore,” Zhou Wan said.

  If someone was already targeting Zhou Li, the gym was now a dangerous pce. Leaving the box here would be like storing it in the most obvious spot. Zhou Wan didn’t believe in the saying “the most dangerous pce is the safest.” She knew that if the Dawn organization was as ruthless as Su Chuan described, they wouldn’t overlook any suspicious locations—and the gym would be their first target.

  Su Wen nodded. “I get it. We need to move the Z-Crystal. Do you have any ideas for a safe hiding spot?”

  Chen You and Zhou Wan thought hard. Suddenly, all three of them looked up at the same time, realizing they’d all thought of the same pce.

  “The secret base!” they excimed in unison.

  Using the move ?Secret Power, Pokémon could carve out a small space in rocks. When they were younger, Su Wen had asked his father, Su Chuan, to create a secret base for him, Zhou Wan, and Chen You. Over time, they had abandoned it, and they hadn’t visited it in months.

  It was hidden and unknown to others—perfect for their needs.

  “Stay calm. Chen You and I will leave as usual today. I’ll take the Z-Crystal and Z-Ring to the secret base and hide them. Chen You, lend me your Rotom,” Su Wen said, thinking quickly.

  Chen You looked puzzled. “Why do you need Rotom?”

  Su Wen expined, “Rotom has the Ghost-type ability to hide and observe. It can help me see if anyone’s following me.”

  After a moment, Su Wen added, “Zhou Wan, Chen You, pack your bags tonight. Starting tomorrow, we’re moving into the school dormitories.”

  Zhou Wan frowned. “Isn’t that too obvious? Even if no one suspects us now, they will after this.”

  Su Wen shook his head. “It’s the safest option. I believe the country won’t let Gym Leader, Elite, or Champion-level trainers enter easily, but what about lower-tier trainers? Can the three of us handle an Elite-level trainer together?”

  After some thought, Zhou Wan and Chen You sighed in resignation.

  With their teamwork and the solid foundation of their Pokémon, the three of them might be able to take on an Elite-level Pokémon, but an Elite-level trainer would have more than one Pokémon.

  Seeing that Zhou Wan and Chen You had accepted his pn, Su Wen went over the details with them. At the usual time, he and Chen You left the gym as if nothing had happened.

  On the way back, even though Rotom confirmed no one was following him, Su Wen remained cautious. He returned home, changed into dark clothes, and put on a hat and mask before sneaking out through the back door.

  The secret base wasn’t far from Su Wen’s home, so it didn’t take long for him to reach the spot.

  “Rotom, are you sure no one’s around?” Su Wen asked one st time before diving into the dense grass and feeling around.

  Soon, he found the entrance to the secret base. Though overgrown with weeds from disuse, Su Wen was pleased—even he had to search for a while, so others would have an even harder time finding it.

  Pulling a ring, a password lock appeared on the ground. After turning it a few times, the ground rumbled and sank, revealing a staircase.

  “It’s so narrow now... definitely a kid’s project,” Su Wen muttered as he bent down and entered the secret base. Inside were some sealed food and water, along with childhood toys. The walls were covered in crayon drawings.

  Su Wen cut open an old stuffed toy, carefully inserted the Z-Crystal and Z-Ring, and sewed it back up with matching thread. He then casually pced the toy back in its original spot.

  Satisfied, Su Wen left the secret base and returned home to pack, ready to move into the school dormitories with Zhou Wan and Chen You the next day.