August was confident that he had hidden himself well—so well that he shouldn't have been discovered.

  However, what he didn't know was that he wasn't the only one confused at this moment. Even Team Rocket Captain Ijun, who had spotted him, looked utterly baffled.

  Ijun gnced down at the device in his hand, then back at the figure standing before him.

  He couldn't understand why the equipment, designed specifically to track Mew's traces, had locked onto "Hayato" instead.

  Where's Mew?

  The Rocket Grunts standing beside him erupted into chaos.

  "Hayato! What the hell are you sneaking around for?!"

  "Where's Daisuke? Wasn't he guarding the entrance with you?"

  "Be careful! Something's off with Hayato!"

  Though the Rockets were disorganized, they had all come to the same conclusion—there was definitely something wrong with "Hayato."

  Ijun thought so, too. But unlike his subordinates, he was thinking deeper. Amidst the noisy chatter, he kept his eyes fixed on the figure ahead while recalling the intelligence on Mew he had reviewed before this mission.

  Mew was adept at invisibility and possessed the ability to transform...

  Could it be…?

  A sudden possibility fshed through his mind, making his eyes gleam. He pointed at August and excimed, "I get it now—he's Mew in disguise!"

  Mew had the ability to transform. The tracker in Ijun's hand was specifically designed to detect Mew, and yet it had locked onto "Hayato."

  The logic checked out!

  August, who had been bracing himself for a tough battle, stumbled in shock upon hearing those words, nearly losing his bance.

  August: ?_?...

  I can be Mew now?!

  August seriously wondered if Team Rocket had gone insane from their obsession with finding Mew. How on earth did he bear even the slightest resembnce to that mythical Pokémon?

  It was absurd to him, but the Rockets on the other side actually seemed to believe it.

  After all, they knew their captain had a device specifically designed to track Mew. If he was saying that the guy who looked like Hayato was actually Mew, then there was an extremely high chance that he was right!

  Without hesitation, the Rocket Grunts quickly spread out, forming a tight encirclement around August. Meanwhile, some of them began assembling a special weapon—one that had been specifically prepared for capturing Mew.

  Watching this unfold, August's mouth twitched.

  He wanted to say something but, after opening his mouth, ultimately decided against it.

  What's the point of arguing with these lunatics? Whether or not they were experiencing some kind of collective psychosis, the best course of action was simply to take them down first.

  With that thought in mind, August immediately released Gardevoir.

  "Gardevoir? Since when does Mew use Poké Balls?"

  "You idiot, he's a Trainer!"

  At that moment, the Rockets realized—this wasn't Mew at all. It was just a Trainer!

  And… this shiny Gardevoir—where had they seen it before?

  "The demon ranger August?!"

  Ijun, the Rocket Captain, instantly recognized the rare shiny Gardevoir.

  He never would have imagined that the man standing before him was none other than the infamous "Demon Ranger." Realizing how foolish he must have looked just now, his face twisted in humiliation.

  Being recognized didn't surprise August.

  His shiny Gardevoir was one of a kind in Kanto—anyone who saw it would immediately know who he was.

  But he didn't care. As long as his identity as an International Police agent wasn't exposed, that was all that mattered.

  Without another word, he wiped his face, revealing his true appearance. Then, speaking directly into Gardevoir's mind, he commanded:

  Gardevoir, full power—[Psychic]!

  August had always believed that there was no need to py fair when dealing with criminals.

  Attacking the Trainer directly and eliminating the problem at its source was the most efficient approach.

  And when it came to incapacitating Trainers, Psychic was one of the most effective moves avaible.

  At his command, Gardevoir closed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

  The mind bends reality.

  A surge of overwhelming psychic energy surrounded her as her body lifted off the ground. Every ounce of her power was being mobilized, her flowing white dress billowing under the invisible force.

  The Rockets felt the sheer intensity of her power, their faces draining of color.

  They had encountered Psychic-type Pokémon before—some of them even had their own—but this level of power…

  "This has to be a joke. That's really a Gardevoir?"

  Some of the newer recruits, who had never faced an Elite-ranked Pokémon before, murmured in disbelief.

  The more experienced Rockets, however, wasted no time. They released their own Pokémon as shields and began silently praying.

  For Pokémon, the Elite Four level was a critical threshold. Any opponent beyond that level wasn't just strong—it was an overwhelming force.

  Boom!

  The psychic pressure descended like a tidal wave.

  In the next instant, the Rockets felt as if a hammer had smashed into their skulls.

  Those with weaker wills immediately bcked out, colpsing to the ground, completely out of commission.

  August surveyed the battlefield.

  Out of nineteen Rocket members, half had been taken down by that single Psychic attack. Even the Arbok and Weezing that had been thrown forward as shields were now unconscious. Only nine people remained standing.

  But even those nine were barely holding on. Their faces were pale, their bodies trembling.

  The only one still maintaining his composure was Ijun, the Rocket Captain.

  His Crobat had managed to counter the psychic assault at the st moment with a Dark Pulse, shielding him from the full brunt of the attack.

  Ijun looked around at his fallen subordinates, his expression dark as night.

  "August, you've already resigned from the League. Why are you still standing against Team Rocket?"

  August tossed a Fast Ball in his hand and scoffed. "What nonsense are you spouting? What does my resignation have to do with kicking Team Rocket's ass?"

  "Fine. We'll remember this!"

  Leaving behind a parting threat, Ijun slowly backed away, clearly realizing he was outmatched and pnning to retreat.

  However—just as he was withdrawing…

  Whoosh!

  From the shadows beside him, a Weezing surged forward, radiating an eerie and terrifying energy.

  A blinding white light fred across its normally purple body, streaking from the strange white patterns covering its form.

  "Go to hell! [Self-Destruct]!"

  Ijun, who had been pretending to retreat, suddenly roared with madness. His ace Weezing detonated itself in an earth-shaking explosion!

  Boom!

  Bzing fire and shockwaves consumed August and Gardevoir in an instant.

  At the same time, the force of the bst tore through the reinforced tunnel walls, triggering a colpse. Massive chunks of rock tumbled down, completely burying the spot where August had been standing.

  Ijun kept his eyes locked on the pile of debris.

  "Is it over?"