I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

"...!"

Zinnia still remembered her identity—and for a moment, she didn't know whether she should tell Professor Cozmo about the Draconid Tribe.

She had trusted Cozmo before… but now, with the Meteorite missing, she didn't dare trust anyone—except Gary.

What if someone discovered the location of Meteor Village and tried to steal the Rainbow Meteorite next?

"Let me explain it," Gary said calmly.

"Del," Zinnia nodded, trusting him completely.

"It's like this," Gary began, "Zinnia is actually from the Draconid Tribe. I'm not sure if you've heard of them, Professor."

Professor Cozmo's eyes widened. As someone who studied Rayquaza and the cosmos, he was well aware of Hoenn's ancient legends.

A thousand years ago, there were three ancient tribes that worshiped the super-ancient Pokémon:

The Draconid Tribe, who worshipped RayquazaThe People of the Water, who revered KyogreThe People of the Earth, who followed Groudon

Their history was recorded in ancient murals and ruins scattered across Hoenn.

"You're from the Draconid Tribe?" Professor Cozmo asked in surprise.

Zinnia nodded. "Yes."

Cozmo understood the gravity of this. Every time a satellite launch was scheduled, the Hoenn Space Center had to avoid Rayquaza's flight path. If Rayquaza mistook a rocket for a threat, it could destroy it instantly.

"What about the Meteorite?" Cozmo asked.

"The Draconid Tribe has always lived in seclusion," Gary explained. "Every so often, they choose a successor to carry out a sacred trial. Zinnia is this generation's successor. Her mission is to escort a Meteorite to the Sky Pillar and present it to Rayquaza."

"But now the Meteorite's been lost," he added grimly, "and it happened right here."

Professor Cozmo paled. He hadn't expected something so important to be in her possession. And to lose it in the Space Center? This was serious.

"Please wait—I'll check the surveillance footage right away!" Cozmo said, already hurrying off.

Zinnia stood there, rattled. She didn't know what to do. Life in Meteor Village hadn't prepared her for the complexities of modern society.

"Don't worry, Zinnia. We'll find it," Gary reassured her.

"And when I find the thief…" Zinnia's eyes narrowed, "they'll regret it."

Seeing her shift from panic to resolve made Gary feel a little better. At first, she'd just been terrified of failing her grandmother's trial. Now, she was determined to recover the Meteorite—and punish whoever took it.

Professor Cozmo took them to the security department's monitoring room to review footage near the zero-gravity simulation room.

Naturally, there was no surveillance inside the dressing room—but there was a camera just outside the door.

Gary and Zinnia had entered the zero-gravity room at 10:20 AM, so they began playback from that moment.

On the screen, Cozmo could be seen outside adjusting the simulator.

A few moments later, a woman in a white lab coat appeared, subtly bypassed Cozmo, and slipped into the dressing room. When she re-emerged, she was carrying a small box—presumably containing the Meteorite.

"Sally?! How could it be her?!" Cozmo gasped.

"You know her?" Gary asked sharply.

"She was transferred here from the Grand Aether Corporation to assist with research," Cozmo replied. "She's a professor herself... but now it's clear she came here with a purpose."

"She came to steal the Meteorite." Gary narrowed his eyes. "She planned this."

"Can we find that bad woman now?!" Zinnia asked urgently. Her patience had already run thin.

Cozmo immediately called the security team and alerted the captain. The Space Center went into lockdown—no one was allowed to leave the facility.

Gary and Zinnia could only wait in the control room, hoping the alert wasn't too late.

Gary, however, had a sinking feeling. Too much time had passed—Sally had likely already escaped.

From the time she entered the dressing room until now, over 20 minutes had gone by. She was probably long gone.

But something else didn't sit right with him.

Sally worked for the Grand Aether Corporation…

That company was a rival to the Devon Corporation. Both were major players in energy development across Hoenn and beyond. While Devon was based in Rustboro City, Grand Aether's headquarters was located in Slateport City.

If they confronted the company directly, Gary figured they would just deny everything—claim it was Sally's personal misconduct and not company-sanctioned.

"Gary, Zinnia… I'm really sorry this happened," Professor Cozmo said, deeply frustrated. "I should have been more cautious."

"Professor," Gary asked, "if we went to Grand Aether headquarters now, would they give us an answer?"

"…Probably not," Cozmo admitted. "Even though Sally is their employee, it's unclear whether this was an official operation or her own doing. Until we capture her, they can easily dodge responsibility."

"So we just have to wait?" Zinnia asked, growing more anxious.

"For now… yes. I've already dispatched our security team. We're doing all we can."

"But is the Meteorite really that important?" Cozmo asked cautiously.

Gary looked to Zinnia.

Honestly, he didn't know. In the anime, Rayquaza used the energy of a Meteorite within its body to Mega Evolve, but whether this specific Meteorite was essential wasn't certain.

He also recalled the Rainbow Meteorite in Meteor Village—it might serve a similar purpose. But still, the loss of this one couldn't be taken lightly.

"Of course it's important!" Zinnia said firmly.

"It's a sacred offering from our tribe to the Sky Dragon. It's meant to help Lord Rayquaza prepare for the coming disaster."

"Disaster?" Gary blinked. "What disaster?"

Back when they left Meteor Village, Zinnia's grandmother hadn't told him much—just that Zinnia was going on a sacred trial.

"My grandmother said there would be a catastrophe in the future," Zinnia explained.

"The Meteorite must be delivered to Rayquaza, or the world will suffer."

"…Great," Gary sighed. "That's definitely a headache."

He didn't know what disaster Zinnia was referring to, but he suspected it had something to do with the ancient Rainbow Meteorite, the reawakening of Primal Groudon and Kyogre, and Rayquaza's Mega Evolution.

If Rayquaza couldn't Mega Evolve without the Meteorite…

Then its loss could mean big trouble.