I, Gary, Want to Become a Pokemon Master

"Professor Cozmo, Mr. Steven is here and wants to see you," a security guard reported as he entered the room.

"Steven?!"

Both Gary and Professor Cozmo were taken aback. Neither had expected Steven Stone to appear so suddenly.

But Cozmo's initial surprise quickly turned into relief. Although Steven was no longer the Champion of the Hoenn region, he had always been a responsible leader and remained highly respected. In fact, it was largely due to Steven's efforts during his tenure as Champion that the Mossdeep Space Center had expanded into the advanced facility it was today.

"Gary," Cozmo turned, "I think Mr. Steven might be able to help. Would you like to speak with him?"

Gary nodded. "Sure, let him in."

Steven was a reliable figure. With his involvement, they might not only recover the stolen Meteorite but also address Zinnia's issues regarding unauthorized access to the center.

Moments later, Steven entered the monitoring room, led in by the guard.

"Professor Cozmo, what's going on here—Gary? Zinnia?" Steven froze when he saw them.

"You two? What are you doing here?" Steven asked in confusion.

"Mr. Steven, please help me! My Meteorite was stolen by a bad woman!" Zinnia exclaimed desperately.

Steven blinked. "Huh? What?"

He had been relaxing at his villa in Mossdeep City, intending to visit Shoal Cave for a fossil dig later. When he heard the sudden emergency alarm from the Space Center, he rushed over, expecting some technical crisis. He never imagined he'd walk into a theft case involving Gary and Zinnia.

"Zinnia, slow down and explain everything," Steven said calmly, trying to get a grip on the situation.

Seeing that Gary had already informed Professor Cozmo about her background, Zinnia didn't hesitate. She began explaining about the Draconid Tribe, the sacred mission involving the Meteorite, and her role as the chosen successor meant to deliver the stone to Rayquaza at Sky Pillar.

"I see," Steven murmured, nodding as he processed the information. He folded his arms and stood silent in deep thought for a few seconds.

"Mr. Steven," Zinnia pressed, "now that you understand, what should we do? How do we find the woman who stole it?"

"She's probably long gone," Steven said bluntly. "We won't be able to track her down easily now. But... leave this to me. I'll help you recover the Meteorite."

"Then I want to come with you!" Zinnia insisted without missing a beat.

"That's too dangerous," Steven cautioned. "It's better if you stay out of this."

"If you don't take me, I'll go to the Aether Foundation and raise havoc myself!" she threatened, eyes burning with frustration.

Steven winced slightly.

He already understood Zinnia's personality. Having grown up secluded in Meteor Village, she didn't grasp the unspoken rules of modern society. If left to her own devices, she could genuinely do something reckless and dangerous.

Turning to Gary, Steven gave him a silent, pleading look—hoping he could rein her in.

But Gary just shook his head. "You're wasting your time if you want me to talk her out of it. Once she makes up her mind, she doesn't back down. Honestly, I think you should take her with you. She listens during action, and she has some rare abilities related to Dragon-types. She could actually help."

Steven raised an eyebrow, intrigued by that last part. "Alright then... Gary, you'll come too."

"Okay!" Zinnia blurted out before Gary even had a chance to respond.

Gary sighed. He had briefly considered leaving Zinnia in Steven's care and avoiding involvement, but he'd made a promise to her grandmother back in Meteor Village—to escort her safely to Sky Pillar. That promise hadn't changed.

"Alright then, Mr. Steven," Gary said. "What's the plan?"

Gary didn't know much about the Aether Foundation—only that it was a major energy conglomerate providing power to cities across Hoenn. The Devon Corporation, Steven's family company, also operated in the energy sector. Both corporations were essentially rivals, often neck-and-neck in various industries.

In recent years, with increasing focus on environmental sustainability, Devon had begun developing eco-friendly energy solutions. The Aether Foundation, however, had struggled to keep up.

"Let's go to Rustboro City," Steven said, pulling out a sleek phone to make a call.

Gary glanced at it—it had a crystal-clear LCD screen and seemed years ahead of his own Pokégear.

"Let's move," Steven said.

The three left the Mossdeep Space Center, which was now on lockdown while the security team continued investigating the theft. Once the inspection was complete, the blockade would be lifted.

Outside the facility, a sleek black helicopter awaited them on the helipad.

"What is that?!" Zinnia gasped, eyes wide with amazement.

She had seen planes in the sky before, but never up close—especially not a helicopter.

"That's a helicopter," Gary explained. "It's like a plane, but it can take off vertically. It can't carry as many people though."

Still new to modern civilization, Zinnia often acted like a curious child—asking endless questions and showing wonder at things most people took for granted.

"Let's go," Steven said, boarding the helicopter first.

Gary and Zinnia followed. Once they were strapped in, the rotors spun to life, and the aircraft rose into the air, heading west across Hoenn.

The helicopter landed in Rustboro City at exactly 3 PM.

Surprisingly, Steven didn't lead them to the towering Devon Corporation headquarters in the city center. Instead, they traveled to a coastal energy research base located on the outskirts—far from residential areas. The reason was clear: energy research, especially involving new experimental fuels, could be volatile and needed isolation in case of accidents.

With Steven leading them, the trio passed security and entered the facility's control room with no trouble.

The room was bustling with scientists in white coats, moving efficiently between high-tech consoles and instruments. Screens displayed graphs, energy signatures, and simulation data.

"Professor Bori, how's the search progressing?" Steven asked as he approached a stout, balding man intently studying a monitor.

"No sign of Infinity Energy yet," Professor Bori replied. "But I promise—if anyone attempts to test it, we'll detect the signal instantly."

"Understood. Thank you for your diligence," Steven said. "Please continue your work—even if it means overtime."

"No problem at all," Bori nodded and returned to his instruments.

Zinnia stood quietly, looking around. She wanted to help, but all the charts and flashing data meant nothing to her. It felt like trying to read an alien language.

"Mr. Steven," Gary suddenly spoke up, "what is Infinity Energy?"

Steven looked over, pausing for a moment. He had mentioned it to Professor Bori in passing earlier, but now it was time to explain. After all, Infinity Energy was no ordinary power source—it was directly tied to the powers of Mega Evolution… and to Rayquaza.