After showing Professor Oak’s letter of recommendation to the gatekeeper, August led Blue into the Cedon University campus.
The gatekeeper’s respectful expression hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Unable to hold back her curiosity, Blue asked, “What did you show him?”
They had never met before, yet the man had looked at August with such reverence.
“Professor Oak’s letter of recommendation,” August replied casually. “He’s a lifetime professor here, so his name carries a lot of weight.”
“They say he earned that title when he was only twenty-five.”
“Twenty-five…?”
Everyone knew Professor Oak was Kanto’s most renowned Pokémon Professor, but Blue hadn’t realized he had been so accomplished at such a young age.
“That’s not all. When he was younger, he was also a top-tier trainer.” August sighed.
Professor Oak’s history was nothing short of legendary.
If he hadn’t switched paths to become a Pokémon Professor, the vacant Champion seat in Kanto might have had his name on it.
As they chatted, they arrived at their destination—the university president’s office.
August had made an appointment the day before, so he knocked on the door.
“Come in!”
Pushing the door open, he stepped inside and saw Cedon University’s president—a kind-looking elderly man with a head of white hair.
He was seated behind a desk, seemingly busy with paperwork.
The man looked up and asked, “And you are?”
“August. I had an appointment yesterday.”
August smiled and handed over Professor Oak’s letter.
The moment the president saw the signature and heard August’s name, he suddenly recalled—
“Oh, I remember now! You’re the one Samuel recommended!”
Samuel Oak—Professor Oak’s full name.
Judging by how casually the president addressed him, the two must have been on very good terms.
“I’m Hiroshi Furuya, the president of Cedon University. You can just call me President Furuya.”
Smiling, President Furuya continued, “Samuel already told me about you. Honestly, you didn’t even need a recommendation letter—an official League researcher applying for a temporary lecturer position would have been more than enough.”
August merely chuckled in response.
Technically, he was qualified to apply.
In theory, any registered League researcher could apply for a temporary lecturer role at a prestigious school like Cedon University.
However, qualification didn’t mean acceptance.
To nd a teaching position, candidates typically needed notable research achievements.
Then, they had to compete with other applicants.
And even after getting hired, they had to handle a heavy teaching workload.
August did have a research achievement—Pokéblocks.
The system had provided him with master-level Pokéblock recipes, along with a comprehensive breakdown of berry properties, fvors, and nutritional compositions.
It had practically trained him from scratch to be a berry research specialist.
If he wanted, he could probably pass himself off as an expert in the field.
But… August had never forgotten his real job.
He was International Police first, not a professor.
Why go through the hassle of competing for a job when he could just use Professor Oak’s letter and get a free pass?
President Furuya seemed to understand this as well.
After the polite formalities, he got straight to the point.
“Samuel mentioned in his letter that you might not be able to teach full-time. That’s not a problem—some of our professors are frequently out doing field research as well. We’ll just follow the same arrangement.”
“Oh, and what subjects are you pnning to teach?”
August thought for a moment.
“Pokémon Battles and Berry Studies.”
President Furuya blinked. “...Battles and Berry Studies?”
Those were two completely unreted fields.
How did August even manage to put them together?
Still, since it was Professor Oak who had recommended him, there shouldn’t be an issue.
After jotting down Pokémon Battles and Berry Studies under August’s name, he continued.
“You’re free to schedule your own csses, but you need to teach at least once a year. If you pn to hold a lecture, just inform the academic office a week in advance, and they’ll arrange everything for you.”
“As for sary, the university operates under the board’s regutions, so your pay will be based on the number of lectures you give.”
In other words, he would get paid per css taught.
August had no compints. “Sounds good.”
Professor Oak’s letter of recommendation was gold.
Sure, this setup meant he wouldn’t be earning much…
But even if he maxed out his teaching hours, the sary wouldn’t compare to what he earned as an International Police officer.
The main benefit? Minimal responsibilities.
President Furuya smiled. “Anything else?”
“There is one more thing.” August leaned forward slightly. “This year’s Kanto-Hoenn Exchange Event is being hosted here, correct?”
“That’s right,” President Furuya confirmed.
News about the exchange had already spread widely, since various invitees needed to make travel arrangements.
But he wasn’t sure why August was bringing it up.
“I’d like to attend.”
As he spoke, August pulled out another letter and handed it over.
The president gnced at the signature at the bottom.
“…Lance?”
His calm demeanor finally cracked.
He looked up and studied August more carefully.
This guy… Who exactly is he?
He had letters from both Professor Oak and Lance?
August, ever humble, downpyed it.
“I made some minor breakthroughs in Pokéblock research and, through Champion Lance’s connections, secured a deal with Devon Corp in Hoenn.”
“I need to attend the exchange event to discuss a potential colboration with Steven Stone.”
President Furuya froze. “Wait… Steven Stone is coming?”
He had seen the guest list.
Nowhere on it had Steven’s name appeared.
The more he listened, the more he felt that this young man in front of him was an enigma.
August, on the other hand, was just as puzzled.
“…?”
Wait, was I and Lance the only ones who knew Steven was attending?
It wasn’t exactly cssified information, but now that he had already said this much, he simply asked the president to keep it private.
Then, with a polite smile, he concluded, “Anyway, I’ll be in your care.”
