I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master Chapter 367 - 367 · Lavaridge Town – Torchic Breeding House

"Gary, when are you going to challenge the Lavaridge Gym?" Zinnia asked.

After agreeing to visit Mossdeep City, she was eager to reach the Mossdeep Space Center as soon as possible.

"Relax—we'll get to Mossdeep eventually," Gary said. "But before we go, you should work on raising your strength."

"Why?"

Zinnia frowned. In her mind, the Space Center—run by the Hoenn League—was surely a safe place.

"Don't put the League on too high a pedestal," Gary replied. "There are bad people in every organization. So scientists ignore the lives of Pokémon in the na of research."

"Professor Cozmo didn't seem like a bad person," Zinnia argued.

"Cozmo's not the only researcher at the Space Center. Have you heard of Team Magma?" Gary asked.

"Team Magma? You an the people we ran into on the mountain today?" Zinnia blinked in confusion. She didn't see the connection.

"Right. What I'm about to say—keep it to yourself," Gary continued, lowering his voice. Zinnia nodded solemnly.

"Team Magma's leader, Maxie, used to work at the Mossdeep Space Center."

"What?!"

Zinnia jerked upright in shock, sending ripples across the hot-spring water.

Gary's cheeks turned red.

Zinnia might still be a teenager, but her one-piece swimsuit left little to the imagination.

"So… Team Magma was secretly created by the Space Center?" she asked.

"No," Gary corrected. "Maxie resigned and then founded Team Magma on his own."

Zinnia's disbelief deepened.

"And Team Aqua's leader, Archie, is also a forr League employee," Gary added.

Zinnia's eyes widened, almost to the point of tears.

Gary didn't know Archie's full résumé, but he was certain Archie had once worked with the Hoenn League. Otherwise, he wouldn't know so much about Kyogre.

"Why does the League hire people like that?" Zinnia muttered.

"The League's just a governnt agency," Gary explained. "Its staff co from the general population—good and bad alike."

"That's why I asked you to keep teor Village hidden. If Team Magma or Team Aqua learns about the Rainbow teorite, they'll co to steal it."

Gary was certain: if Maxie or Archie discovered a Rainbow teorite in teor Village, they would stop at nothing to seize it.

The reason? The teorite's energy could be absorbed by Groudon and Kyogre.

If its existence beca public, those two Legendary Pokémon—and their factions—would wage war over it.

Zinnia suddenly realized the outside world was far more dangerous than she'd imagined. She had always believed that outsiders were mostly decent—just greedy.

Learning that the leaders of both villain teams had once served the League shook her faith to its core.

"What about my identity papers?" she asked quietly.

Her original plan had been to complete her grandmother's trial and then consider limited contact with the outside world.

Now that she knew how dangerous that world could be, she feared contact might lead trouble straight to teor Village.

"To register legally, you'll still need help from the Hoenn League," Gary said. "Every opportunity carries risk. The key is finding trustworthy people."

Zinnia blew bubbles in the water, looking utterly dejected.

Gary let the topic drop.

He had already recomnded two reliable contacts: Steven Stone and Drake.

Drake had visited teor Village as a boy and had never revealed its location to anyone. Steven, despite his family's wealth and influence, would risk his life for Hoenn without hesitation.

Both n were solid allies.

The next morning, Gary skipped the Gym challenge and headed to the Torchic Breeding House on the outskirts of Lavaridge Town.

Mt. Chimney's volcanic environnt made it ideal for raising Fire-type Pokémon, so the Hoenn League had established an official Torchic nursery here.

The project had also benefited from the support of Moore—the forr Elite Four mber and Pokémon enthusiast—who admired Professor Oak's research and had championed the facility.

"Wow—so many Torchic!" Zinnia exclaid.

Inside a fenced yard, ten healthy Torchic pecked and scuffled playfully. None seed afraid of people, each one busily nibbling on stones or hopping around.

[Lv. 12 Torchic ♂ / Gym Potential][Lv. 10 Torchic ♀ / Quasi-Elite Potential][Lv. 11 Torchic ♂ / Gym Potential][Lv. 11 Torchic ♀ / Quasi-Elite Potential][Lv. 13 Torchic ♂ / Elite Potential][Lv. 15 Torchic ♂ / Elite Potential]

(…and more)

All ten had at least Gym-level potential, and a few even reached Elite-potential.

None went beyond that, but a Torchic with Elite potential already t Gary's high breeding standards.

These Torchic were scheduled for distribution to rookie Trainers who had purchased the League's expensive insurance package.

Any surplus were held in reserve and, if unclaid by year's end, were sold to the public.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Gary called.

A mont later, a middle-aged man in gray overalls stepped out of the nearby office.

"Morning. Can I help you?" he asked.

"My na's Gary Oak. I'm a Trainer from Kanto. Are these Torchic for sale?"

The caretaker's weariness vanished in an instant.

"You'd like to buy one of our Torchic?" he repeated eagerly.