"But to make sure you don't repeat your mistakes, you'll be under a probationary period. During this time, you'll be staying with me."
Probation… for a period of time…
Blue was completely dumbfounded.
Did this mean she'd have to follow this guy around for the foreseeable future?!
Professor Oak, on the other hand, nodded in approval.
It was a reasonable decision—giving her a chance while also keeping an eye on her. A mature way to handle things.
"Though… will this interfere with your work?"
Because there were others present, the professor didn't explicitly mention August's International Police status, opting for a more subtle approach.
August shook his head. "It won't."
In fact, keeping Blue close was part of a rger pn.
But that involved his own long-term vision for the International Police—something he wasn't ready to discuss yet.
Seeing that August was confident in his decision, Professor Oak didn't press further. Even though they had only met twice, he could already tell August was someone with a strong sense of purpose.
If he said it wouldn't be a problem, then it wouldn't be.
And so, the case of the stolen Squirtle came to an end.
Relieved to finally put the matter behind him, Professor Oak sighed and changed the topic.
"The new batch of rookie Trainers has already received their starter Pokémon. Even my grandson, Gary, has set off on his journey. If you run into him, keep an eye on him for me, will you?"
"Oh, and then there's Ash. You probably don't know him, but… well, he's a handful."
"No problem."
It was just a small favor.
August was about to end the call when he suddenly thought of something.
"Professor Oak, I ran into Team Rocket chasing Mew at Mt. Moon. If you're interested—"
Before he could finish, there was a loud ctter from the other end.
Professor Oak had knocked over his cup of instant noodles in his rush to lean closer to the screen.
"Did you just say Mew?!"
His reaction was understandable.
This was Mew they were talking about!
A Mythical Pokémon with only a handful of confirmed sightings—no recorded footage, no concrete proof of its existence.
Even in academic circles, Mew's existence was a topic of heated debate due to the ck of solid evidence.
And now August was saying Team Rocket had been pursuing it?
That was as good as confirmation!
Say what you will about Team Rocket, but they never wasted resources on baseless rumors.
"Yeah, I disrupted their operation. If you're interested, you can request a copy of Team Rocket's interrogation records from the League," August said.
He made no mention of his direct encounter with Mew.
Mew had considered him a friend, and unless it gave permission, he wouldn't share anything about it with anyone.
Besides, the intel from Team Rocket alone would be enough to keep Professor Oak busy for a long time.
…
Professor Oak hurriedly ended the call to contact his League connections.
Meanwhile, August turned to Blue.
"Alright. From now on, during your probation, you're sticking with me."
Blue: "…"
She looked absolutely miserable.
She wanted to protest, but she had no choice in the matter.
Still, she wasn't about to just accept her fate.
As long as August let his guard down, she'd find a way to escape.
She would escape.
Last time had just been an unlucky mistake.
Next time, she wouldn't fail—escape was her specialty!
But just as she was forming her pn, August suddenly spoke, as if reading her mind.
"Don't even think about running."
He gestured toward Gardevoir.
"See her? She's already pced a psychic marker on you. As long as you're within range, she can track you. Unless you have a Psychic-type Pokémon stronger than Gardevoir to remove the mark, you're not going anywhere."
Blue's heart sank.
She clung to one st hope.
"What's… Gardevoir's level?"
August smiled.
"Elite Four-level."
The light drained from Blue's eyes.
Her future had never seemed bleaker.
…
At a rented training facility, August was conducting tests on Gardevoir's power while Blue sat on the sidelines, feeding her Pokémon.
On the field—
"[Psychic!]" August commanded.
Buzz—!
Floating mid-air, Gardevoir's eyes glowed an intense blue as she clutched the [Psychic Pte] to her chest.
The next second, the steel target at the center of the field was compressed into a crumpled heap.
Watching this, Blue reevaluated Gardevoir's strength once again.
Maybe… just maybe… this level of power could match that guy…
She fell deep into thought.
August, unaware of her musings, turned to Gardevoir.
"How does it feel?"
It had been some time since he had given her the [Psychic Pte], and he had rented this facility specifically to observe any changes.
Gardevoir nded gently in front of him and responded through telepathy.
"The power of Psychic-type moves has increased by nearly 30%?"
August stroked his chin.
That was a greater boost than the 20% stated in the games, but this was reality—rigid numbers didn't always apply.
"Gardevoir~"
She raised her arm, blue psychic energy shimmering along her limbs.
"Your overall psychic reserves are growing, too?"
Gardevoir nodded.
She could feel her mental energy increasing every second—so gradually that it was almost imperceptible, but the accumution was undeniable.
More importantly, she sensed that the [Psychic Pte] was continuously refining her power, pushing her toward a higher level of ability.
Hearing this, August fell into deep thought.
He had underestimated the true power of the [Psychic Pte].
Guess that's what you'd expect from Arceus' relics.
In reality, each elemental Pte likely represented a fragment of Arceus' divine power—far more than just a simple stat boost like in the games.
This might be the key to Gardevoir reaching Champion level.
Ascending from Elite Four-level to Champion-level wasn't easy.
Many Pokémon spent their entire lives unable to reach that pinnacle.
Even though August had always believed in Gardevoir's talent, the path to Champion level was still a long one.
But now, with the [Psychic Pte]…
That journey might be significantly shorter.
Dratini and Bagon have the [Dragon Crystal], and Gardevoir has the [Psychic Pte]. Everyone's future is looking bright!
