Lance stared in shock at the scene before him.

  He had seen Pokémon heal themselves using [Life Dew] or [Recover], but this—a trainer healing a Pokémon with his bare hands—was a first.

  "Is this… psychic power?"

  He immediately thought of Sabrina, the Saffron City Gym Leader, and her team of psychics.

  "You could say that, but [Viridian Power] is a little different from psychic abilities," August expined. "Its main focus is communication and healing—strengthening the bond between trainer and Pokémon."

  August tugged his arm a few times, trying to free himself, but his Gardevoir clung tightly to him, refusing to let go. In the end, he gave up with a helpless sigh.

  "A bond between trainer and Pokémon, huh…"

  Lance didn't quite get the reference, but seeing the closeness between August and Gardevoir, he nodded as if he understood something profound.

  August wasn't sure what Lance thought he understood, but that wasn't his concern right now.

  Because at this moment, he was very satisfied.

  [You have defeated Kanto's Dragon-type Elite Four Lance in a 1v1 battle. Title unlocked: "Dragon Syer."]

  [Select your reward:]

  Master Ball

  Dragon Crystal

  Flying Pte

  Huh?

  Wait… a [Flying Pte]?!

  BIG RISK.

  Seeing the [Flying Pte] among the rewards, August suddenly felt like his system was trying to hint at something dangerous.

  Is this even a topic we can discuss? Are you trying to get me killed?

  And also…

  [System, did you rob Arceus or something?! Where are you getting all these Ptes?!]

  First, there was the [Fighting Pte], and now there was a [Flying Pte]?

  August was starting to fear that one day, he'd be hunted down by a very, very angry Alpaca God.

  As for which reward to choose—

  The Master Ball was immediately ruled out. Sure, it was rare, but it was still a mass-produced item. The only reason they were scarce was due to expensive materials and League restrictions on distribution.

  That left [Dragon Crystal] and [Flying Pte].

  The [Flying Pte] needed no expnation. As for the [Dragon Crystal], if August remembered correctly, it was the material used by Regigigas to create Regidrago.

  …Hold on.

  Back then, Regigigas failed to create Regidrago's full body because it didn't have enough [Dragon Crystal].

  System, did you freaking steal the missing pieces?!

  August was very suspicious.

  After thinking it over carefully, he ultimately chose [Dragon Crystal].

  Aside from being a high-concentration Dragon-type energy source, which would be useful for raising his Dratini…

  There was another important reason.

  Regigigas had [Slow Start] as its ability.

  If the [Dragon Crystal] really was stolen from it, then if Regigigas ever came after him for revenge, at least he'd have a five-turn head start to escape.

  But Arceus?

  Yeah… not happening.

  ...

  After handing over his fainted Gyarados and Dragonair to Nurse Joy, Lance turned to August.

  "So, tell me—how do you pn to conduct your investigation?"

  They were now seated in the Pokémon Center at League Headquarters.

  Lance didn't hold any grudges over losing the battles.

  After all, they were just friendly matches.

  If anything, after August's victory, Lance no longer viewed him as just a subordinate—he was now someone worth taking seriously.

  "I have a pn," August said, immediately grabbing Lance's attention.

  "I'm not going to start by investigating Lt. Surge. If he really is Team Rocket's infiltrator in the League, he must have exceptional vigince to have stayed hidden for so many years. I don't want to alert him prematurely."

  "So, I'm going to approach it from a different angle."

  Lance agreed with August's decision not to target Lt. Surge directly, but he was curious.

  "A different angle?"

  August nodded. "Yes. Based on the case file, this entire incident originated from the customs officer at Vermilion Port and the Silph Shipping Company, which was suspected of smuggling."

  "I pn to start with them."

  August understood one important principle: start with the weak targets.

  Compared to directly confronting an executive-level Team Rocket member like Lt. Surge, the customs officer and Silph Shipping were much easier targets.

  Lt. Surge would only be dealt with after solid evidence was obtained.

  Lance nodded in approval.

  Silph Co. was a corporate giant in Kanto, but Silph Shipping was just a second-tier subsidiary. Investigating them wouldn't be as politically sensitive as going after a Gym Leader.

  At the very least, Lance had enough influence to cover for August if needed.

  "In that case, submit an official field assignment request tomorrow," Lance said.

  "As for your budget… how about 10 million?"

  Lance said this in a casual, questioning tone—

  As if to suggest that if August wasn't satisfied, he could increase the amount.

  "…10 million?"

  August was stunned.

  A single investigative assignment… with a 10-million Pokédolr budget?

  Forgive his peasant mindset, but had the International Police always been this rich?!

  That was nearly his entire annual sary as a forest ranger—not even counting bonuses!

  Now he finally understood why police officers fought tooth and nail to get into the International Police, despite the danger.

  Because—the pay was insane!

  "By the way, do you only have Gardevoir as your Pokémon?" Lance suddenly asked.

  "I also have a Dratini," August replied, releasing it from its Fast Ball.

  The tiny Dratini, still half-asleep, zily opened one eye, gnced at August and Lance, then wriggled into a comfortable spot on August's p and curled up again.

  "…You already have a Dratini?"

  Lance was visibly surprised.

  As Kanto's Dragon-type expert, he knew just how rare Dratini were in this region.

  Yet August had managed to obtain one?

  "What's wrong?" August asked, sensing something was up.

  "…My Dragonite recently id an egg," Lance admitted. "I was pnning to entrust it to you for training."

  "But since you already have a Dratini, I suppose I'll have to reconsider."

  Lance sounded genuinely disappointed.

  Whether it was August's character, his ability as a trainer, or his genuine love for Pokémon, Lance saw him as an ideal candidate to raise the Dratini egg.

  But who would've thought he already had one?

  "!!!"

  August felt like he had just lost a billion-dolr lottery.

  A Dragonite egg!

  Even though he already had a Dratini, he wouldn't have minded raising another!

  Especially now that he had [Dragon Crystal]—costs weren't even an issue anymore.

  Just as August was internally screaming over his missed opportunity, Lance hesitated for a moment before making a decision.

  "…How about this?"

  He stood up and walked to the Pokémon Center's transfer terminal, inputting a series of codes.

  Beep!

  A Great Ball materialized on the machine.

  Picking it up, Lance turned to August, who was looking at him in confusion.

  "This is a Pokémon I asked a friend from Hoenn to acquire for me a while ago," Lance expined.

  "I originally pnned to raise it as part of my second team… but I ter realized its personality doesn't quite fit with my battle style."

  "If you don't mind… it's yours."

  ---

  T/N: hmm dragon type must be... so a dragon type from hoenn hmm the only dragon type i can think of is... uhhh Rayquaza yes. definitely nothging else. nope.