August had clearly underestimated his own reputation.

  The moment he confirmed his identity, Officer Jenny's eyes lit up with excitement, and even Brock gnced over in surprise.

  "Am I really that well-known?"

  August was confused. Had he just been out of touch from spending too many years in the nature reserve?

  Jenny and Brock both nodded in unison.

  Mt. Moon wasn't an official nature reserve, but poachers often came here to capture Clefairy. Having caught their fair share of these criminals, the two had naturally heard the legends of the "Demon Ranger."

  In a way, the poachers themselves acted as his unofficial propaganda squad. Wherever they went, so did stories of August.

  After hearing their expnation—

  August: …

  No wonder Team Rocket had been targeting him the moment he left Indigo Pteau. This was all thanks to those poachers running their mouths.

  "I've also heard my sister mention you before! She works in the nature reserve too," Jenny added.

  She recalled the stories her sister had told her—how August had personally captured over a thousand poachers. Calling him a living legend wasn't an exaggeration.

  Taking down an entire Team Rocket squad on his own? That was practically expected.

  "You're Hiko's younger sister?" August studied her closely.

  That expined why she seemed somewhat familiar.

  Then again, that was probably just his imagination. The Jennys all looked almost identical—he wasn't like Brock, who could somehow tell them apart.

  Still, with the Jenny family spread throughout the League's police force, running into a retive of an old acquaintance wasn't surprising.

  In fact, he'd probably meet even more Jennys in the future.

  "Alright then, let's do this properly. August, former ranger, now an official League researcher."

  "Jenny Rei, head of Pewter City's Pokémon Crime Task Force."

  "Brock, current Pewter Gym Leader."

  They were all public servants under the League, and now that they had worked together against Team Rocket, their bond grew considerably.

  August proceeded to share Team Rocket's objective—capturing Mew. Of course, he conveniently left out the fact that Mew was currently invisible and lounging on his head.

  "Team Rocket was after Mew?"

  "Good thing they failed, or this could've been a disaster!"

  Both Brock and Jenny let out a sigh of relief.

  Whether it was a Legendary or a Mythical Pokémon, such beings often possessed extraordinary powers. If Mew had fallen into Team Rocket's hands, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

  "Mew isn't that easy to catch," August shook his head.

  Even he had only managed to expose Mew using Gardevoir's Mega Evolution.

  There was no way those Rocket grunts alone could pose a real threat to it.

  Of course, they might have had some unknown tricks up their sleeves, but that wasn't his problem—that was Lance's headache to deal with. After all, he was just an ordinary International Police agent.

  August turned to Brock.

  "Brock, I heard you're quite knowledgeable about rocks. I have a question for you."

  "What is it?" Brock was always happy to help.

  "Well, I have a friend who loves collecting unique stones. He's visiting Kanto soon, so I'd like to prepare a gift. Do you know of any rare stones that can be found around Mt. Moon?"

  …

  With everything settled, August politely declined their invitation to visit Pewter City.

  Pewter was just one Viridian Forest away from Giovanni's base of operations in Viridian City. Given the chaos he had just caused at Mt. Moon, it was too risky for him to linger nearby.

  After bidding them farewell, August followed the map Brock had marked, making his way through the tunnels.

  Along the way, he encountered many wild Pokémon, all of which he used as training for Dratini and Bagon.

  After days of battling and absorbing energy from the Dragon Crystals, both Pokémon had leveled up significantly.

  [Dratini LV16 → LV22][Bagon LV10 → LV17]

  At this rate, their evolutions weren't far off.

  "Raising pseudo-Legendaries isn't as hard as people say!"

  "Mew!"

  Mew flitted between Dratini and Bagon, pyfully zipping around as the two happily chased after it.

  "Oh, right—I forgot to ask. Mew, what are you doing in Mt. Moon?" August inquired.

  By all accounts, Mew was supposed to reside within the Tree of Beginning.

  "Mew…?"

  Hearing his question, Mew pced its tiny paws under its chin, deep in thought, before giving an unexpected answer.

  I sensed a familiar presence from them. I came to find it!

  "A familiar presence?"

  August froze for a moment before his expression turned strange.

  Was Mew talking about… Mewtwo?

  If he did the math, it was almost time for new Trainers to start their journeys. Ash was about to set out soon, and Mewtwo's creation was likely happening around this time.

  Had he misunderstood the situation all along?

  Maybe Mew hadn't been tracked down by Team Rocket.

  Maybe Mew had deliberately revealed itself—actively seeking them out.

  Did it intentionally lead Team Rocket here, so they would take it to Mewtwo?

  As the realization sank in, August stared at Mew in disbelief.

  Damn. This seemingly innocent little creature is actually a master of baiting criminals into traps.

  "Mew?"

  Mew tilted its head, confused by the way August was looking at it.

  Just as he was about to speak, his path was suddenly blocked.

  "Pi~!"

  Two Clefables stood firmly in his way.

  Behind them, a group of Clefairy marched in an orderly line, making their way through the tunnel.

  "Clefairy?"

  It was well known that Clefairy lived in Mt. Moon, but seeing such a rge group crossing the tunnel in formation was a first for August.

  The two Clefables were on high alert, clearly unwilling to let him pass.

  August gnced at the map. Brock's marked location was just ahead—he had come all this way, and turning back now wasn't an option.

  As he hesitated, debating whether to have Gardevoir teleport past them—

  "Mew!"

  Mew suddenly darted forward, circling the Clefables while chirping excitedly.

  After exchanging a few whispers, the two Clefables seemed to come to a decision.

  One of them turned to August and gestured for him to follow.

  What did you say to them?]August asked through telepathy.

  I told them you're a good person!

  "…"

  Completely caught off guard, August didn't know whether to ugh or cry.

  Mew just gave me a "Good Person" card…

  ---

  T/N: hehe a good person card is usually what a person says to reject someone!"You're a good person... however im not looking for a retionship right now"