Chapter 6: Team Rocket’s Second-in-Command! [6]
Luo Yuan was no stranger to Bug Catchers.
They were a long-standing and numerous group, with their origins tracing back to the forests of Kanto, especially around Viridian Forest.
Back then, the League had just been established, and for the first time, Trainers were becoming a respected profession. This ignited a wave of "Trainer" culture across Kanto.
But technology at the time was limited; Poké Balls had to be crafted by specialist artisans, and training methods were still developing, making becoming a Trainer costly.
Many young dreamers were left standing outside the door to a Trainer's life.
Just as nothing could stop a man from venturing to the sea, nothing in the Pokémon world could stop young people from wanting to become Trainers.
Undeterred, these dreamers turned to Bug-type Pokémon—creatures that were low on attack power, posed little danger, and were relatively easy to raise.
In groups of threes and fives, with straw hats on their heads and bug-catching nets in hand, these youngsters began gathering at forest edges, catching and training Bug-types. Thus, the Bug Catcher group was born.
With the League's influence expanding, Bug Catchers soon spread across the world.
Today, you could find them in Johto, Hoenn, Kalos—you name it.
Even though capturing Pokémon had since become affordable, Bug Catchers hadn't faded into history. Instead, they'd grown as a cultural symbol, encouraged by the League to offer battle experience to rookie Trainers and spare change for their wallets.