"Mm." Yozora gave a slight nod.
The so-called talent for quick egg hatching was, in truth, the Flame Body ability.
In Kanto, Ponyta, Rapidash, Magby, Magmar, and even Moltres possessed this ability.
Moltres could be ruled out immediately—it was far too unrealistic.
For Ponyta and Rapidash, however, Flame Body was a hidden ability, a Dream Trait. Extremely rare—only a handful of them in existence actually carried it.
In contrast, for Magby and Magmar, Flame Body was their standard ability. The vast majority of them were born with it.
Of course, there was also Magmortar.
But even in Kanto, Magmortar was exceedingly uncommon.
As for Magmar's evolution method, very few people knew the exact process even now.
At last, Yozora arrived in Vermilion City.
After saying his farewells to Ritchie and Sherry, he headed alone to the Pokémon Center.
This trip to the Center had two purposes.
The first, naturally, was to post a request—searching for a Pokémon with the Flame Body ability.
The second was to make a few adjustments to his team.
After all, he couldn't simply leave Machop and Geodude at Professor Oak's lab forever without caring for them.
At their age, they were in their adolescent stage, the fastest period of growth and strength development!How could Yozora not take responsibility for them?
This time, he planned to send back Charmeleon, Kangaskhan, and Nidorino, freeing up three slots for Machop, Geodude, and the soon-to-hatch Magikarp.
Charmeleon had only recently evolved, and its strength had grown considerably. From here on, what it needed most was steady accumulation.
Even if Yozora kept it by his side, at its current level it would be hard to find opponents worth fighting. Sending it to Professor Oak's lab, where it could train freely, was actually the better choice.
Nidorino had also just evolved not long ago. Though another evolution required only a Moon Stone, Yozora wanted it to build up a solid foundation before advancing further.
As for Kangaskhan—
Among his current team, Kangaskhan was the oldest. It had already passed its golden years of growth, and its rate of improvement was rather slow.
So, it too would be entrusted to Professor Oak's care.
Inside the Vermilion City Pokémon Center.
Before transferring, Yozora released Charmeleon and spoke to it face-to-face:
"Charmeleon, in order to achieve my goal of becoming the strongest in the world, I need more and more partners.
I can't bring everyone with me at once, so I have to leave some with Professor Oak.
Others may not fully understand this, but you will. As one of my most trusted generals, if you're there with them, I know everyone will feel at ease."
Meeting Yozora's earnest and gentle gaze, Charmeleon nodded firmly. It patted its chest, declaring that he could leave this matter to him.
"Good. Next time we meet, I hope you'll have grown even stronger!" Yozora said, then personally secured a Luxury Ball restraint around Charmeleon before recalling it.
Once all three Poké Balls were transmitted, Yozora immediately contacted Professor Oak, requesting that Machop and Geodude be sent over.
"Yozora, you only asked for Machop and Geodude. Why send me three in exchange?" Professor Oak asked, puzzled.
Yozora chuckled softly, pulling from his pack the Pokémon Egg of Magikarp, holding it carefully in his arms.
He then explained about the cruise tournament and everything that had transpired.
"I see… An egg with Elite potential—even if it's a Magikarp—it's still worth raising." Professor Oak nodded thoughtfully.
Then he asked, "By the way, Yozora, do you know why the League rules restrict trainers to carrying only six Pokémon at once?"
Yozora nodded. Of course he knew.
Humans weren't made of steel—everyone's energy was limited.
Aside from essential training, a trainer still had to travel, battle, capture new Pokémon, and go on adventures…
Even if you carried a hundred at your side, what good would it do if you couldn't devote attention to them all?Rather than letting them sit idle, it was better to leave them at a fixed location to train on their own.
Self-training might not compare to guided training, but over time it was still effective—hundreds or thousands of times better than simply staying in their Poké Balls all day.
"Yes, what you say is true. But that only applies to ordinary trainers."
Professor Oak shook his head and smiled. "Yozora, you are different. You're not just an excellent trainer—you're also a researcher!"
"If a trainer also holds researcher status, they're permitted to carry additional Research Balls!"
"Researcher? Me?" Yozora blinked.
From childhood he had assisted Professor Oak in his research. His skills were more than enough to qualify.
Yet he had never applied for official recognition.
First, because he didn't care for titles.
Second, his research into Pokémon was mainly to deepen his understanding and prepare for his future as a trainer. His ultimate dream had always been to become a true trainer.
"Yes, I applied for you long ago—you're already a Junior Researcher!"
"Beyond the six Poké Balls of a trainer, you may carry two additional Research Balls." Professor Oak said with a smile.
Yozora froze in surprise.
He had never realized there was such a system.
It turned out the Trainer System and Researcher System were entirely independent. The Poké Balls of one did not conflict with the Research Balls of the other.
"Haha, don't look so shocked. Besides the Researcher System, the Police System also exists separately. If Officer Jenny recognizes you, you might even be granted Justice Balls!" Professor Oak laughed heartily.
He then transmitted ten brand-new Research Balls to Yozora.
Although there were ten, as a Junior Researcher he could only carry two at once. If he tried to use a third, it would automatically be sent away.
Even so, six plus two equaled eight!Yozora now had eight team slots in total!
That was more than enough to satisfy him.
For now, he didn't wish for more.
He wasn't made of iron, after all. Too many Pokémon, and he wouldn't be able to care for them properly.
"Well then, Yozora, if there's nothing else, I'll hang up. I've got research to do." Professor Oak said warmly.
"All right, Professor. Take care of your health—don't stay up too late," Yozora replied with a smile, ending the call.
As for his three Pokémon—Charmeleon, Kangaskhan, and Nidorino—being studied by Professor Oak, Yozora had no objections at all.
(End of Chapter)