Aftermath

"Phew. Uncle Shen, you can catch it with an ordinary Poké Ball now, but you'll have to put some extra effort into raising it afterward." Xiao Ran let out a soft breath of relief as he spoke to Shen Lang. A Poké Ball was only a tool. Getting this fully grown Torkoal to obey willingly would take more work on Shen Lang's part.

Although Torkoal had been defeated, a trace of doubt arose in Xiao Ran's mind. In the games from his previous life, Dynamax was supposed to turn moves of every type into Max Moves. Yet throughout this battle, Torkoal had not used Max Flare even once. This seemed somewhat different from how Dynamax should have worked in theory.

Perhaps that was simply a difference between reality and the games. Xiao Ran could not mention it, though. After all, no Pokémon capable of Dynamax had appeared anywhere in the world yet. He had already taken an enormous risk by introducing the concept of Dynamax, and he would have to think of a convincing excuse to explain it later.

"Oh? Then I won't stand on ceremony!" Shen Lang's eyes lit up. He had wanted to catch Torkoal earlier, but he had not been certain an ordinary Poké Ball could capture such a gigantic Pokémon. Hearing Xiao Ran's words, he immediately jumped onto Charizard's back and flew toward Torkoal.

This was the first Dynamax Pokémon discovered in the world. Even if it never battled, its research value alone was immeasurable. An ordinary Trainer who caught this Torkoal and sold it could easily gather enough resources to advance to Elite Class, or even the class just below Gym Leader Class.

"Hey, Brother Shen, shouldn't a Pokémon with so much research value be handed over to our Alliance? Sending it to a research institute to uncover the secrets of Dynamax would benefit all humanity!" Su Zheng clearly did not want to let Torkoal slip away. He shot Bi Ze a meaningful glance, then called out loudly to Shen Lang.

Receiving his captain's signal, Bi Ze immediately understood. He swung himself onto the nearby Arcanine and was about to rush in, only for Shen Yue to block his path as though by accident. His movement stalled, and by the time he tried to go around her, it was already too late. Shen Lang's Poké Ball had struck Torkoal.

"Ah! I don't care, Dad! This Torkoal is mine!" Shen Yue shouted excitedly, putting on an innocent act. She spun happily in place, conveniently keeping herself right in front of Bi Ze. Xiao Ran was more than happy to see this happen.

If Torkoal went to the Alliance, it would have to be handed over to the organization, leaving them with nothing but some contribution points. But if Shen Lang caught it, he would certainly want it studied. What could a Gym Leader like him research on his own, though?

In the end, he would still send it to a research institute he trusted. And after receiving Xiao Ran's help, what institute would Shen Lang trust more than the one run by Xiao Ran's maternal grandfather? When that happened, wouldn't it simply be passing around within the family?

"Hahaha! You'll have to get stronger first! Sorry, Captain Su, but this Torkoal is very wild. I'd better keep it at my Gym and tame it first. Otherwise, I'm afraid it might hurt those valuable researchers. Besides, look how much my daughter likes it! I have to save it for her to use in the future!" Shen Lang returned after catching Torkoal and spoke with a hearty laugh.

"Hmph! A Torkoal that wild won't be easy to tame. You'd best be careful, Gym Leader Shen." Su Zheng's face was livid as he made one final attempt.

"Hahaha! Thank you for the reminder, Captain Su. But developing Trainers and taming Pokémon are our Gym's responsibilities. As its Gym Leader, I'm duty-bound to take this on." Shen Lang smiled, not taking Su Zheng's words to heart at all.

"..." Su Zheng's expression darkened. He wanted to say more, but Xiao Ran interrupted him.

"Oh, right! Jingxuan, come take a look at Gu You. The Hall captured him too, but they knocked him out and left him here." Seeing that the two sides were about to argue, Xiao Ran decisively pulled Guan Jingxuan over and pointed toward an easily overlooked corner nearby.

It was hard to say whether Gu You had been lucky or unlucky. He had discovered a brand-new Secret Realm with Xiao Ran and the others, only to be captured by the Hall shortly after entering. After revealing information about Xiao Ran's group, he had been knocked unconscious and brought into the cave.

Faced with Torkoal's Flamethrower, the Black-Robed Man had been too busy fleeing for his life to take Gu You along. Fortunately, a large boulder had shielded him, or he would have been burned to ash. Even so, extensive burns covered his entire back, all his hair had been burned away, and his body was blackened. Only the faintest signs of life remained.

"Heavens! We never noticed this corner earlier. Corsola, give him a separate Life Dew." Guan Jingxuan cried out at the sight of Gu You and hurried to begin treating him.

Besides the Corsola she had summoned earlier, she also released a Luvdisc. This fish Pokémon lived alongside Corsola. Its body resembled a heart rotated ninety degrees, and it liked to swim close behind couples.

Luvdisc could inherit the Psychic-type healing move Heal Pulse, one of the signature abilities of Chansey, a specialist support Pokémon. However, getting a Chansey was far too difficult for an ordinary person, so Guan Jingxuan had settled for a Luvdisc that had inherited the move.

"He has severe burns. I can only stabilize him for now. He still needs to be taken to a hospital as soon as possible." After administering a series of emergency treatments, Guan Jingxuan stood and addressed the others.

"Then let's take him back first. It's time we left too," Su Zheng said. After this interruption, it was awkward for anyone to resume arguing over who should get Torkoal. Apart from Bi Ze and Wei Yan, who stayed behind to investigate the mine further, everyone headed out of the cave...

"Young master, we arrived late. Are you all right?" Just as they emerged from the cave, they saw a man in his fifties approaching with over a dozen people dressed in black. Upon spotting Xiao Ran's group, he immediately walked over to Jiang Cheng and asked respectfully.

"Haha! Butler Ma, I'm fine. Did my dad come?" Jiang Cheng greeted the newcomer with a laugh.

The newcomer was the Jiang family's butler, a powerful but exceptionally low-profile older man. Jiang Cheng's father had done him a great kindness years ago, so he had willingly remained with the Jiang Family ever since. He was one of their strongest retainers.

"The master is here as well. He's discussing matters with the Alliance's people. You can go let him know you're safe first, young master," Butler Ma replied.

"Good point. I'll go let Dad know I'm safe, then." Jiang Cheng nodded, said goodbye to Shen Lang and the others, then climbed onto Butler Ma's Pidgeot and flew toward the edge of the island. Before leaving, he did not forget to claim he had left something behind and ask the older man to search the cave for it. Having grown up in a merchant family, he naturally understood the profits those Dynamax Ores could bring.

"Hmph!" Seeing the older man lead his people into the cave, Su Zheng's expression darkened further. He did not recognize the Dynamax Ores inside, but even if they were ordinary gemstones, they would still represent an enormous profit.

"Uncle Su, if you have some time, you could look around the sea outside. The Hall's main objective this time was a Giant Tentacruel in the ocean, but we ruined their capture plan." Looking at Su Zheng's gloomy face, Xiao Ran thought for a moment before speaking.

The Hall's people had been captured by the Investigators, so there was no way to hide the Giant Tentacruel's existence. He might as well tell Su Zheng now, before the prisoners were interrogated and while Su Zheng still knew nothing about it. That would count as doing him a favor. After all, everyone had to gain something for everyone to be happy. Otherwise, Su Zheng would probably hold a grudge against him.

"What? You mean there's another Giant Pokémon?" Sure enough, Su Zheng's eyes immediately lit up at Xiao Ran's words. The Giant Tentacruel was a Water-type. If he could catch it, it would be a much better deal for him than Torkoal. After all, once the research was finished, the Pokémon would ultimately be returned to him. Then he would have a powerful Dynamax Pokémon.

"Yes, but that Pokémon probably isn't Dynamaxed. It grew that large through a normal mutation, so ordinary Poké Balls might not be able to capture it. You'll need to find Poké Balls capable of catching large Pokémon," Xiao Ran said with a nod. This was hardly a secret, so there was no need to hide it.

"It isn't Dynamaxed? That does make things a little troublesome! Still, the Alliance should have a way to handle it." Su Zheng frowned. The Alliance did have Poké Balls for catching Giant Pokémon, but applying for them was rather troublesome. He would have to make arrangements in advance, or the Giant Pokémon might end up in someone else's hands.

At that thought, Su Zheng could no longer sit still. He took the others toward the entrance at top speed on their Pokémon, and the moment they landed, he hurriedly let everyone off.

"I need to return to the Alliance to report what happened, and take this boy to the hospital with Guan Jingxuan along the way. Are you coming with me, or would you like to stay here a while longer?" Su Zheng asked impatiently as soon as they landed.

"It's not every day we get to enter a Secret Realm. We'd still like to look around and broaden our horizons, so we won't be heading back just yet. Sorry for the trouble, Uncle Su, but please let our teachers know once you're outside, so they won't worry when they can't find us." Xiao Ran quickly answered before Shen Lang could speak. They had clashed with the Hall as soon as they entered and had not had a proper look around the Secret Realm yet. Why would they leave so soon? Besides, there were still plenty of things he needed to discuss with Shen Lang and Jiang Cheng's father.

"All right, then. You discovered this Secret Realm first anyway. I'll let my people know so there won't be any misunderstandings. We already notified your teachers on our way here. You're a fine young man! Just what I'd expect from Xiao Zhen's son!" Su Zheng nodded, smiling as he patted Xiao Ran's shoulder. Clearly, he had only asked out of courtesy. Reporting back was merely an excuse; he needed to hurry back and apply for Poké Balls capable of catching Giant Pokémon. He had no desire to waste more time here with them.

"Thank you, Uncle Su. Have a safe trip, Uncle Su, Jingxuan!"