Unlike in the games, the entrance to Team Rocket’s base wasn’t hidden beneath a poster next to the front desk.

  In reality, there weren’t any posters on the walls near the front desk at all.

  So, in truth, August hadn’t found any concrete evidence that Team Rocket’s base existed.

  But that didn’t stop him from passing the information along to Lance—after all, it was just his reasonable specution.

  "Once I hand over these three captives to you, you can try interrogating them."

  While Team Rocket members were notoriously tight-lipped under Giovanni’s leadership, knowing the right intelligence in advance meant they could gauge the truth from their microexpressions.

  Lance’s expression turned serious upon hearing August’s words.

  Team Rocket’s business fronts and their hidden bases were two entirely different matters. The League had already been aware of some of Team Rocket’s operations, and there were various reasons why they hadn’t taken action.

  But a base? That was another level entirely.

  So far, the only solid lead the League had on a Team Rocket base came from Lorelei, who had accidentally stumbled upon one in the Sevii Isnds.

  That was precisely why she had been stationed there all this time, searching for its exact location instead of returning to the League.

  "This information is crucial. I’ll personally handle their interrogation."

  Hearing this, August felt relieved.

  Maybe Lance wasn’t quite on Giovanni’s level, but given enough preparation, he should have no trouble dealing with Team Rocket’s Cedon City base.

  "That should keep Team Rocket too busy to come after me." August mused.

  He had just handed Team Rocket two major headaches—Lance and the Masked Corps. If they still had the spare energy to cause him trouble, well… he’d accept his fate.

  Meanwhile, on the other end of the video call, Lance seemed troubled by something else.

  "With this achievement, you’re due for another promotion. But your new credentials will take some time to be mailed from the Interpol headquarters."

  "Do you want to collect your current rank’s credentials now, or wait for the new ones?"

  To be honest, this was the first time Lance had encountered such a situation.

  "I’m in no rush. I’ll wait for the new credentials. But as for Blue..."

  August turned slightly toward her. "Blue pyed a crucial role in this mission. She was the one who came up with the couple infiltration pn, and she performed excellently throughout."

  "So, I propose officially recruiting her into Interpol!"

  August had his reasons for pushing for Blue’s official enlistment.

  Based on what he had learned at the Kanto branch, he was certain that every single one of his colleagues who had been captured by Team Rocket was utterly useless.

  To avoid being saddled with those teammates in the future, he needed reliable allies in Kanto.

  While he and Blue hadn’t known each other long, they worked together well and had great chemistry. And since they were already "familiar," she was the natural choice for his proposal.

  Lance considered his words carefully.

  He had reviewed Blue’s records before. He knew she had been kidnapped as a child, leaving a twelve-year gap in her official history.

  That kind of background was fine for an informant, but formally joining Interpol required a much stricter vetting process.

  That said, rules were rules…

  And this was a special case.

  The Kanto branch was barely functional at this point, and they were desperate for manpower.

  As the saying went—desperate times called for desperate measures.

  With August’s recommendation, Lance ultimately decided against refusing.

  "Since it’s your recommendation, I’ll approve it. But, of course, Blue still needs to go through a three-month probationary period."

  Blue hadn’t expected much. Given her past ties to the Masked Corps, she figured she’d be turned down immediately.

  But to her surprise, Lance agreed.

  For a moment, her gaze on August shone with an unreadable emotion.

  After hanging up the video call, August turned his head—only to be met with Blue’s intense stare.

  Startled, he flinched. "Why are you looking at me like that? You’re kinda freaking me out."

  "You really trust me that much? You’re not afraid I’ll deceive you? I am very good at lying, you know." Blue twirled a lock of hair between her fingers, her eyes glimmering with something unreadable.

  "Ugh, why so serious? We literally just worked as partners! Of course, I trust you at least that much." August waved a hand dismissively.

  Sure, if they hadn’t spent time together, maybe he could be fooled by her tricks.

  But now that he was familiar with her, he found her plenty trustworthy. Besides, he had always prided himself on his ability to read people.

  Seeing his casual response, Blue didn’t press further.

  She simply tucked away his words in her heart.

  "Oh, right! Now that you’re officially an Interpol agent, I should fill you in on our perks and benefits..."

  With a conspiratorial air, August began imparting his wisdom on how best to take advantage of Interpol’s resources.

  ...

  By the time he was done expining how to make the most of their privileges, it was already nighttime.

  After stuffing Blue’s head full of ideas about expense-funded meals and paid downtime, the two grabbed a quick bite at the hotel’s buffet before August returned to his room.

  He tossed the three Rocket Grunts—still under Gardevoir’s hypnosis—into the storage room.

  Only then did he finally rex.

  "So tired!"

  Sprawled on his bed, August felt as if his arms had completely detached from his body.

  Without a doubt, this was the consequence of pying slot machines all day.

  Sure, pulling a slot lever was a simple action, but after repeating it thousands of times, it took a serious toll on the body.

  The only thing that had kept him going was his unwavering determination to make Team Rocket lose money!

  "Sleep. Everything should be fine tomorrow." He reassured himself.

  Based on past experience, a good night’s rest was all he needed to recover from any kind of exhaustion.

  Maybe that was just the miraculous physiology of humans in the Pokémon world.

  Pulling the bnket over himself, August quickly drifted off.

  What he didn’t see was the slight tremor of the Poké Ball resting on his nightstand.

  Click.

  With a soft pop, the Poké Ball untched, and Gardevoir materialized beside his bed.

  She gazed down at August, noting the faint furrow in his brow.

  Scoffing slightly, she stretched out a hand, conjuring a single, crystal-clear droplet of energy in her palm.

  Using her psychic powers, she gently pressed the droplet against his arm, massaging it in with delicate, circur motions until the energy seeped into his skin.

  The process sted a full twenty minutes.

  Only when August’s furrowed brow finally smoothed out did Gardevoir withdraw her powers.

  She stood beside his bed for a moment longer, seemingly satisfied.

  Then, lightly tapping the button on her Poké Ball, she vanished into a streak of red light, returning inside.

  The room fell silent once more.

  Only the sound of August’s quiet breathing remained.

  ---

  T/N: Interpol is just short for International Police!