"What's the matter? Why do you all look so… off?"
Noticing that Ethan and the others seemed uneasy, Alex raised an eyebrow. Clearly, this wasn't as simple as he thought.
"Cough cough~ Boss, I'd like you to take a look at this."
Ethan cleared his throat, deciding to avoid the topic of Zapdos for now. Instead, he reached into his backpack and pulled out the Black Belt.
"Where did you get this?"
Alex's curiosity grew as he examined the Black Belt in Ethan's hands.
"It was given to us by the Martial Arts Master Bears. They said it was a thank-you gift, but… we don't really know what it is."
Ethan quickly explained the situation.
"You guys really are lucky," Alex chuckled. "That's a Black Belt — a powerful Fighting-type attribute booster."
The Martial Arts Master Bears certainly knew how to show gratitude. They were surprisingly thoughtful for a pair of Pokémon.
"Wait… seriously? It's actually an Attribute item?"
Ethan and the others were surprised.
"Yep. Because of their special power, Attribute items are incredibly rare. Like rare evolution items, they're typically formed through natural means."
Alex rubbed the Black Belt between his fingers thoughtfully.
"Judging by its texture and color, this one's high quality — probably something the Martial Arts Master Bears used themselves."
"The better the quality of an Attribute item, the stronger the power boost it provides."
"Roughly speaking, if a Fighting-type Pokémon equips this Black Belt, their Fighting-type moves will be boosted by about 15%."
Alex smiled as he handed the Black Belt back to Ethan.
These guys had incredible luck — and the Martial Arts Master Bears were incredibly generous. Such a high-quality item wasn't something you could just find lying around.
A Rare Treasure
"Whoa…"
Logan and the others couldn't help but take a deep breath.
"OMG!"
"A 15% power boost? That's like giving the Pokémon a mini power-up move all the time!"
"Are all Attribute items this strong?!"
"Ahhh! Why couldn't it be Grass-type instead?!"
Everyone gawked in awe. It felt like giving a Pokémon a permanent power boost — practically a cheat code.
Meanwhile, Jason's eyes lit up.
Fighting-type boost? That was his specialty! This Black Belt was practically made for him!
"Only Fighting-types can use it… which means this is perfect for you, Jason."
Ethan handed the Black Belt to Jason without hesitation.
Since Jason was their group's Fighting-type specialist, there was no debate. They'd all agreed beforehand to give it to whoever needed it most.
Charlotte and the others didn't argue, though they were clearly a little envious. Still, the Black Belt was useless to them — this was the right call.
"Thank you! Seriously, thank you all!"
Jason accepted the Black Belt with excitement and bowed gratefully to the group.
This was no ordinary item — it was an extremely valuable treasure.
Even Alex had said it was high-quality, so its worth was clear.
That Ethan and the others had chosen to give it to him without hesitation? That meant a lot.
Compared to some of the so-called 'friends' Jason had back in Longridge City — the ones who only cared about partying and status — these guys felt like true friends.
"I won't say much more… but let's hit Tianxiang Restaurant tonight! Dinner's on me!" Ethan grinned.
"Ok, ok! Food's on me tonight! Haha~" Jason thumped his chest proudly.
Testing the Black Belt
"Should we test it first? Do you just… tie it to your Pokémon or something?" Charlotte asked, blinking curiously.
"Just wrap the Black Belt on your Pokémon, and it'll start working."
Alex chuckled.
"Then let's give it a shot!"
Jason eagerly grabbed his Hakamo-o's Poké Ball and released him.
Hakamo-o, still recovering from the earlier battle with Sarod, gave Jason a confused look as his trainer tied the Black Belt around his arm.
The moment the Black Belt was secured, a faint black aura shimmered around it. Hakamo-o stared at his arm in amazement.
"When you first use an Attribute item, you'll see that glow. But after a while, the item will gradually 'disappear' into the Pokémon's body."
"Of course," Alex added, "that's not permanent. The item isn't absorbed — the Pokémon can remove it at any time."
"Also, each Pokémon can only carry one Attribute item at a time. Trying to carry more than one causes the second item to stop working."
Alex explained carefully.
"Got it."
Hearing this, Ethan and the others immediately recalled the Durant Totem they had encountered in the eastern suburbs. Back then, the Metal Coat it carried had already half-merged into its body.
Finding More Attribute Items
"Boss, are these Attribute items… available for purchase?" Bai Qianqian asked curiously.
"Not yet," Alex replied with a smile.
"But you can still find them in the wild. Although, as of now, I haven't heard of any naturally occurring Attribute items in the local area."
"However," Alex added with a grin, "some powerful wild Pokémon might be carrying them."
"Powerful wild Pokémon…"
Charlotte's eyelid twitched at the thought.
It didn't take much imagination to guess what kind of monsters would be holding such rare treasures.
Pokémon strong enough to wield an Attribute item were bound to be extremely powerful — maybe even leader-level or Totem Pokémon.
And speaking of Totem Pokémon…
She suddenly remembered the Aggron Totem they'd encountered before. Just thinking about that thing's devastating Earthquake — strong enough to make an entire valley collapse — was enough to make her face pale.
"Yeah... nope. I think I'll pass on that one."
Charlotte shivered at the memory.
Free trail is available 🎉🎉🎉🎉
Advance chapter in PATREON
patreon.com/Achilles_Stein
patreon.com/Achilles_Stein