"Happiny, use [Disarming Voice]!"

  "Mudkip, don’t be afraid! Use [Water Gun]!"

  "Happy!"

  Happiny let out an adorable cry, attempting to deal emotional damage to Mudkip.

  "Yee!"

  Mudkip pnted its feet firmly on the ground, eyes filled with determination. Despite the damage from [Disarming Voice], it retaliated with a powerful stream of water!

  Wham!

  With a wail, Happiny was sent flying.

  Seeing her Pokémon knocked away, Blue quickly raised her hand. "I surrender..."

  She had originally pnned to have a low-level battle, hoping to snatch a rare victory from August.

  But reality was just as cruel as ever.

  Mudkip wagged its tail happily as it ran back to August. He chuckled and patted its head.

  As for Blue’s Happiny, it wasn’t seriously injured. Mudkip’s level wasn’t that high to begin with, and it had held back its attack on purpose.

  With a simple application of [Viridian Power], August healed Happiny completely.

  Feeling rejuvenated, Happiny looked up at August, then down at the round stone it held tightly in its arms.

  After a moment of hesitation, it reached out and offered the stone to him.

  That stone was Happiny’s most treasured possession, something it would only share with people it truly liked. However...

  "You want to give this to me?"

  August smiled as he took the stone from Happiny’s tiny hands, pretending to put it in his bag.

  But Happiny’s idea of "giving" was different from the usual definition—it only meant letting someone hold it for a moment. It wasn’t actually handing it over permanently.

  So when it saw August really about to keep its precious stone, its eyes welled up with tears, looking as if it were about to cry.

  Seeing this, August smirked mischievously. Bullying a baby Pokémon… this kind of evil is really fun.

  With a chuckle, he returned the stone.

  Happiny quickly hugged it to its chest and ran straight back to Blue, putting distance between itself and the vilin who had tried to take its treasure.

  "I’ll get you an even better one next time," August called out, waving.

  Happiny held its stone even tighter, clearly refusing to listen.

  Absolutely adorable.

  August sighed. He was telling the truth!

  He turned to Blue. "Wanna go for another round? I’ll use Magikarp!"

  Blue hesitated.

  Everyone knew that Magikarp was one of the weakest Pokémon in battle.

  If August really used Magikarp, she might actually win?

  She was just about to agree when she caught the grin on August’s face.

  Warning: August’s scam detected!

  After spending so much time with him, she knew better than anyone—there was no way he would willingly hand her a victory.

  Realizing she wasn’t going to fall for it, August clicked his tongue in disappointment.

  His golden Magikarp was so close to evolving. If Blue had agreed, he might have turned it into a Gyarados today.

  Looking down at the Magikarp flopping on the ground…

  "I’m telling you, you need to try harder."

  Magikarp blew a bubble in response, as if to say, Yeah, yeah, I know.

  But looking at its half-hearted effort, August had his doubts.

  "Maybe… I should just give it a good kick?" he muttered, rubbing his chin.

  Magikarp, sensing danger, suddenly shivered.

  ---

  Vermilion City Meteorological Research Institute

  This League-run research center specialized in studying marine weather patterns, providing storm warnings for ships.

  It was also Professor Cerise’s temporary workpce.

  Sitting in his office, Professor Cerise looked deeply troubled.

  Even though he had earned the title of Pokémon Professor—an achievement many researchers could only dream of—he was still struggling with one major issue: securing funding for his own research facility.

  Pokémon research was expensive.

  Unlike his mentor, Professor Oak, he didn’t have the prestige to get unlimited League funding. Nor was he like Bill, who had invented Pokémon storage technology and could live off patent royalties.

  All he could do was scrape together sponsorships bit by bit.

  After recalcuting his funds for the umpteenth time, he ran a frustrated hand through his hair.

  "No matter how I look at it, it’s still not enough!"

  Building a b wasn’t as simple as just buying a house—it required expensive research equipment.

  And since his research relied heavily on computational analysis, he needed high-performance computers, which weren’t cheap either.

  At this rate, it would take at least another three to four years before he could even start construction.

  And for a researcher, three to four years was a long time.

  Just as he was deep in thought, a knock sounded at his door.

  His assistant, Kikuna, entered.

  "Cerise, do you have a moment?"

  "If it’s the Shipping Association asking for weather reports again, tell them they’ll have it by 3 PM," Cerise said with a sigh.

  Ever since Lt. Surge was arrested, the association had suddenly become incredibly diligent—probably out of fear.

  Normally, they were rexed to the point of ziness, but now they were requesting weather updates three to four times a day.

  It was exhausting.

  However, since the association was one of his financial backers, he couldn’t exactly snap at them.

  Kikuna shook her head. "It’s not them. There’s a trainer named August here. He said he was referred by Professor Oak."

  Cerise’s eyes lit up.

  "Professor Oak… August… Oh! I remember now! Invite him—no, I’ll go meet him myself!"

  ---

  Blue curiously gnced around.

  "So, who is this Professor Cerise?"

  She had barely finished lunch when August had dragged her here. She was curious—who was so important that he had to come in person?

  "Professor Cerise? He’s one of Professor Oak’s students," August expined.

  "Professor Oak recommended him to me before. I originally pnned to ask for his help in gathering intel on Lt. Surge, but ter I realized Surge wasn’t exactly… the brightest. So I didn’t bother."

  Blue couldn’t help but ugh at that.

  At that moment, the assistant from earlier, Kikuna, returned—this time following a man.

  "You must be August! Professor Oak told me you’d be visiting soon," Professor Cerise greeted with a smile.

  "Nice to meet you, Professor. This is my partner, Blue," August introduced.

  After exchanging greetings, they moved to Cerise’s office and took their seats.

  Cerise got straight to the point.

  "Professor Oak mentioned that you needed my help, but he didn’t say what for. How can I assist you?"

  Seeing that Cerise wasn’t aware of his identity, August raised an eyebrow.

  "Huh? Professor Oak didn’t tell you who I am?"

  He hadn’t expected Professor Oak to be so tight-lipped—even keeping it from his former student.

  Cerise shook his head. He looked confused. "Your identity? What do you mean?"

  Professor Oak had only told him that August was a researcher.

  Realizing that everyone in the room was trustworthy, August didn’t bother hiding it.

  He pulled out his identification.

  "Allow me to introduce myself properly—August, Inspector of the International Police."

  Since his new credentials hadn’t arrived yet, he was still listed as an Inspector.

  But even that was enough to shock both Cerise and Kikuna.

  A young International Police officer, and already at the rank of Inspector?

  "What exactly do you need my help with?"

  Cerise was mentally preparing himself for some complicated research assignment.

  However, to his surprise, August shook his head.

  "Actually, I don’t need your help anymore."

  "...What?" Kikuna blurted out.

  It was already over before it even started?

  "Yeah, the issue’s already been dealt with," August said with a grin. "Didn’t you see yesterday’s news?"

  Yesterday… news…

  "You mean—Lt. Surge!?"

  Cerise and Kikuna were stunned.

  Their impression of August changed completely.

  But that raised a new question.

  "If it’s already resolved, then why...?"

  Cerise trailed off, but August understood what he meant.

  "If I remember correctly, Professor Oak mentioned you were trying to secure funding for your b. Are you still short on funds?"

  "I represent the International Police Kanto Division, and I’m officially inviting you to join us as a research consultant!"

  "In return, the Kanto Division will cover the remaining cost of your b’s construction."

  "What do you think, Professor Cerise?"

  This was a decision August had made after assessing the situation.

  He had even called Lance to request a special budget for it.

  Right now, the Kanto Division was severely understaffed—besides Lance (who wasn’t handling day-to-day affairs), it was just August and Blue.

  They desperately needed someone to handle data analysis and logistics.

  Cerise hesitated.

  The offer was tempting—if he accepted, he wouldn’t have to worry about funding anymore.

  But the International Police was dangerous.

  Just yesterday, they had arrested hundreds of Team Rocket members.

  A high-risk, high-reward job...

  "Let me think about it," he said after a moment of contemption.