"...Not possible?" Blue asked in confusion.

  August had been acting all mysterious for a while now, and she had no idea what he was up to.

  "It’s nothing..."

  August stuffed the [Zap Pte] back into his backpack. Even if he wasn’t going to use it for now, he absolutely wasn’t going to evolve Eevee into Jolteon.

  If it turned into a walking bundle of spikes, how was he supposed to pet it in the future?

  Absolutely not happening!

  Scooping Eevee into his arms, August gnced up at the darkening sky. "What do you want for dinner? Since Vermilion City is a port town, it imports a lot of food from other regions. You’ll definitely find something amazing."

  At his words, Blue’s eyes lit up as she recalled the Alcremie pudding that Jigglypuff had stolen from her back at Cedon University.

  By the time they walked out of the high-end restaurant Slowpoke House, it was already past midnight.

  "Vui~!"

  Eevee y sprawled on its back in August’s arms, its four short legs sticking out as it exposed its round, stuffed belly. A blissful expression spread across its face.

  Blue, too, looked completely satisfied.

  "The food was amazing… but way too expensive!" she said.

  She still vividly remembered how long the bill was when they checked out—it had nearly given her a heart attack.

  "Don’t worry, it’s covered under expenses," August replied, completely unfazed.

  Technically, a restaurant like this wouldn’t normally be eligible for reimbursement.

  But...

  Hadn’t he just taken down Lt. Surge?

  Moments ago, he had already submitted the bill to Lance under the bel "celebratory dinner."

  It should get approved without issue.

  Hearing this, Blue rexed a little and looked around at the bustling streets.

  "Even with Lt. Surge arrested, Vermilion City doesn’t seem too affected..."

  The streets were still lively, full of people, and all the shops were operating as usual. It was as if his arrest had nothing to do with them.

  August absentmindedly rubbed Eevee’s belly.

  "There’s some fallout. The Vermilion City Shipping Association is apparently in an uproar over his arrest," he said.

  "Lt. Surge was a board member and helped Team Rocket smuggle all kinds of illegal goods. If the association cims they had no idea what he was up to, they’d be treating the League like fools."

  "So an investigation into the association is inevitable."

  "And once they start digging, who knows what else they’ll find?"

  August sounded rather entertained by the thought.

  His job was done—now he just wanted to sit back and watch the show.

  "As for others affected… mostly new trainers challenging the Gym," he added.

  "You mean because the Gym is shut down, and they can’t get their badge, so they’re compining to the League?" Blue asked.

  "No, quite the opposite. The internet is celebrating," August ughed, pulling out his phone and opening a webpage.

  Blue gnced at it.

  The screen was filled with posts from trainers whose Pokémon had been seriously injured by Lt. Surge in the past. They were all venting their frustrations.

  Lt. Surge had mercilessly mocked these rookie trainers back then. He probably never imagined he’d end up like this.

  And all the comments could be summed up in one phrase—

  "Lt. Surge deserved it. Time to pop the champagne!"

  ...

  By the time August returned to the hotel, he finally got a response from Lance.

  Not a text—Lance had called him directly.

  "I was too busy earlier to check your message. As for Togepi... they’re extremely rare in the wild. So far, we haven’t found any fixed habitats, and even the League’s breeding facilities don’t have any," Lance said.

  "The League’s breeding centers don’t have any?" That surprised August.

  The League’s breeding centers had one of the most comprehensive Pokémon collections in Kanto. Nearly every species could be found there—

  Even a Dratini.

  Of course, adopting a Dratini required strict qualifications, and raising one took an incredibly long time. Without something like August’s Dragon Core to speed up the process, it could take an entire generation to train properly.

  Which was why most League trainers gave up on getting one.

  But even those facilities didn’t have a single Togepi?

  "Don’t tell me I’ll have to find one myself..." August muttered.

  To be honest, with his luck, encountering a wild Togepi sounded next to impossible.

  Just as he was pondering his next move, Lance spoke again.

  "Actually, there’s another way."

  "Hmm?"

  "While the League’s breeding centers don’t have Togepi, there are quite a few trainers within the League who own its evolved forms. I can ask around and see if anyone has a Togepi egg."

  August hadn’t considered that, but it made perfect sense—and was definitely a more reliable option than searching blindly.

  "That would be great. Thanks."

  Lance chuckled. "It’s nothing. Just a small favor."

  "By the way, since I left, has Team Rocket made any moves?" August asked.

  With such heavy losses—two bases wiped out and a high-ranking member captured—he figured Team Rocket wouldn’t take it lying down.

  Surely Giovanni would respond.

  However, Lance’s answer was unexpected.

  "Team Rocket hasn’t reacted yet."

  August: "?"

  Was Giovanni really this calm? He just took a massive hit, and he was staying quiet?

  "But I did get word from Johto—Team Rocket seems to be searching for a group called the 'Masked Corps' over there," Lance added.

  At that, August instantly understood.

  Ohhh.

  It wasn’t that Team Rocket wasn’t taking action—

  It was that all their efforts were focused on the smokescreen he had thrown at them.

  Team Rocket vs. the Masked Corps.

  Giovanni vs. Pryce.

  He couldn’t wait for Giovanni to realize his own son had been kidnapped by Pryce.

  Just thinking about it made him giddy.

  Lance noticed August’s oddly excited reaction but didn’t dwell on it. Instead, he said,

  "When your vacation’s over, I might need your help with something."

  "Oh? What is it?"

  "The aftermath of Lt. Surge’s arrest is even more complicated than I expected. It’s going to take a while to resolve. And since Lt. Surge was tied to Team Rocket, the League’s board has decided to conduct a Gym assessment..."

  "You mean..." August had a hunch.

  Lance nodded. "That’s right. I’d like you to help me oversee the Gym Leader evaluations in Kanto."

  "....."

  August hadn’t expected Lance to actually assign him to assess Kanto’s Gym Leaders.

  Did they even need an evaluation?

  One look and he could tell they were full of problems!

  Seeing August’s expression, Lance assumed he was worried about being too strict.

  "I get what you mean. I know Kanto’s Gym situation isn’t great," Lance said. "Since things are a bit unique here, you don’t have to be too harsh. Just make sure they meet basic standards."

  He had some awareness of the situation, so he wasn’t expecting August to hold them to rigid criteria.

  August: ...

  Lance, my only fear is that you don’t know enough!

  In the end, August accepted the assignment.

  Why?

  Because it gave him a legitimate reason to get close to Bine and see if he could uncover any intel about Mewtwo.

  Plus, both Sabrina of Saffron Gym and Koga of Fuchsia Gym were Team Rocket executives.

  He might just find an opportunity to expose them.

  All in all, it was a great chance.

  With that in mind, August put down his phone and stretched.

  He had pulled an all-nighter for the Lt. Surge operation. Even though he had rested a bit during the day, he was still exhausted.

  But based on experience—

  "A good night’s sleep should fix everything!"

  With that thought, he crawled into bed and closed his eyes, ready to recharge.

  But just as he was about to drift off, he suddenly felt something heavy press down on his chest, making it hard to breathe.

  Opening his eyes—

  Eevee stood on his chest, a pillow in its mouth, staring at him.

  "....."

  No wonder he felt like he was suffocating. An average Eevee weighed about 13 pounds—anyone would feel smothered.

  "Stop messing around, Eevee. I made you a bed, didn’t I?" August sighed, picking it up.

  "Vui~!"

  Eevee dropped the pillow and looked up at him.

  "You’re scared and want to sleep with me?"

  "Vui!"

  Its little head nodded rapidly, eyes full of anticipation.

  August: "....."

  You’re practically an Elite Four-level Pokémon, what are you scared of? A Gengar?

  Resigned, he patted Eevee’s head.

  "Fine, you win."

  With Eevee curled up beside him, August finally closed his eyes again.

  As moonlight reflected off the sea, the room was calm and quiet.

  The Poké Ball on his nightstand trembled slightly—

  Then stilled.

  ,,,

  The next morning, August sipped on a gss of Moomoo Milk, but something felt off.

  He didn’t feel as refreshed as he usually did after a good night’s sleep.

  "What’s going on? Am I getting sick?"

  This had never happened before. He usually woke up feeling completely recharged, so this sudden fatigue was baffling.

  Still, it was only a slight exhaustion. August chalked it up to overexertion the past few days and didn’t dwell on it.

  He completely missed the subtle expression on Gardevoir’s face.

  At that moment, Blue, having finished breakfast, walked into his room with Happiny in tow.

  "So, what’s the pn for today?"