After finishing his research on the [Psychic Pte], August finally had time to deal with Blue.

  She was sitting by the training grounds, feeding her Pokémon when August approached.

  Noticing him, Blue tensed slightly.

  But to her surprise, he simply pulled out a box of energy cubes and handed it to her.

  Meeting her confused gaze, August chuckled. "That cheap Pokémon food isn't great for their growth. Try this instead."

  Blue wasn't sure what he was up to.

  However, seeing the eager expressions of her Pokémon, she hesitated only briefly before accepting the energy cubes and handing them out.

  Watching her Pokémon happily munch away, she subconsciously rexed a little.

  "What do you want?"

  She finally voiced the question that had been on her mind.

  She didn't believe in unprovoked kindness.

  August sat down beside her, not answering her question directly. Instead, he said, "A few days ago, after I caught you stealing Squirtle from Professor Oak's b, I looked into you."

  Blue's ears perked up at that.

  "During my search, I tried to find your records in the League's database, but strangely enough, there were none."

  "No insurance records, no school enrollment history—not even a social media account."

  "According to official records, your first documented appearance was at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City. Before that, there's nothing—like you just appeared in Kanto out of thin air."

  Hearing this, Blue grew visibly uneasy but remained silent.

  Seeing her reluctance to speak, August merely smiled and continued, "But here's where things get interesting. When I searched your name, I found a kidnapping case from twelve years ago in Pallet Town."

  "A girl named Blue disappeared during the incident."

  "And coincidentally, if she hadn't gone missing, she'd be the same age as you are now, according to the records at the Pokémon Center."

  "Same name, same age, even the same hair color…"

  "Who are you?" Blue finally couldn't hold back any longer.

  She had assumed that August was just one of Professor Oak's assistants or a friend who had coincidentally caught her in Cerulean City.

  But now, that assumption had been completely overturned.

  Being able to access League records, connect the dots, and deduce her identity—there was no way a simple researcher could do all that.

  "Who I am doesn't matter right now. What matters is—don't you have anything to say after hearing all this?" August asked.

  His words weren't just based on his memory of the Pokémon Adventures manga. He had actually used his clearance to check the League's database.

  After everything that had happened so far, he had realized this world wasn't solely based on the anime, games, or manga—it was a blend of all of them.

  In the Adventures manga, Blue had been kidnapped by Masked Man as a child and forced to join the Masked Children. It had taken her five years to escape before she stole Squirtle from Professor Oak to become a Pokémon Trainer.

  But now, those five years had turned into twelve. That was a significant gap, and August needed to understand why.

  Blue pursed her lips. "Since you already know everything, why ask me?"

  "My deductions need confirmation from you—the person involved," August replied as he idly pyed with her Jigglypuff.

  Blue sighed. "Fine. You're right. I am the girl who was kidnapped twelve years ago."

  "Then why didn't you say anything back when we called Professor Oak?"

  "What's the point? It doesn't change the fact that I stole Squirtle," she muttered, stroking Wartortle's smooth shell. Her tone was low, almost self-deprecating.

  "Wartortle~!"

  Sensing her mood, Wartortle nudged her gently in reassurance.

  Seeing her expression darken, August wasn't entirely convinced.

  Blue had an incredible talent for pying the victim when it suited her.

  Still, he figured a little encouragement wouldn't hurt.

  "Don't think of it that way. If you hadn't been kidnapped, as a Trainer from Pallet Town, Professor Oak would've given you a starter Pokémon without hesitation."

  Starters from the League were rare and valuable, but August knew that every Trainer departing from Pallet Town received a Pokémon from Professor Oak.

  Being born in Pallet Town was a privilege in itself.

  Unfortunately, August wasn't the best at comforting people.

  For Blue, her biggest dream was to start her journey like any normal Trainer—to receive a Pokémon, set off on an adventure, and forge her own path.

  But according to August, the Squirtle she had stolen was something other Trainers got for free just by turning old enough.

  Could there be anything more cruel?

  That hit way too hard…

  Her expression visibly dimmed—this time, it wasn't an act.

  It took a while before she composed herself again. Then she asked, "So… who exactly are you?"

  "Who am I? That's a secret for now. Maybe you'll find out ter, but not now. Just know that I'm a good guy," August said with a smirk.

  Not only was he part of the League's International Police—technically making him one of the good guys—but he also had an official "Good Person" card, issued by none other than Mew.

  That was godly certification!

  Blue remained silent, her expression unreadable. It was impossible to tell whether she believed him or not.

  "But honestly, I'm more curious about your experiences. You vanished for twelve years and suddenly returned to Kanto. What happened in between?" August asked.

  He needed to learn more about the Masked Man and the Masked Children.

  Were they the same as in Adventures, or had things changed? Understanding their operations would help him decide how to deal with them in the future.

  But Blue remained quiet.

  Through telepathy, Gardevoir informed August that she could sense hesitation and conflict in Blue's heart.

  Not enough trust yet?

  August could already guess what she was thinking.

  Her time with the Masked Children was something she didn't want to relive.

  And he had only met her twice—the first time was barely even an interaction. Opening up to a stranger about something like this wouldn't make sense.

  This would take time.

  That was one of the reasons he had assigned her an "observation period" and kept her by his side.

  Deciding not to push further, August leaned back and smiled. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

  ---

  T/N: seems characters are aged up!