Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [151]

The sudden turn of events immediately drew the attention of everyone present.

The referee stood frozen, completely unsure of what was happening.

Blue subtly tightened her grip on her Poké Ball and stepped closer to August.

Meanwhile, August turned his gaze toward Blaine, an amused expression creeping onto his face.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

A series of footsteps echoed as a group of people emerged from the smoke.

Each of them bore the unmistakable crimson "R" emblem on their uniforms—Team Rocket.

Leading them was a Rocket lieutenant, who sneered as he looked at Blaine.

"Finally found you, Blaine!"

Blaine: "….."

Dealing with August’s assessment was already stressful enough. Now, with Team Rocket barging in, his mind completely blanked out.

The whole reason he had shut down the gym and gone into hiding was to avoid Team Rocket’s relentless pursuit after his defection.

Then, thanks to August’s assessment notice, he had been forced to reopen the gym, thinking he could just play along for a bit and shut it down again afterward.

But in that short window, Team Rocket had already come knocking.

Feeling August’s inquisitive gaze on him, Blaine felt a massive headache coming on.

One thing was absolutely certain—he could not let August find out about his past involvement with Team Rocket.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Blaine decided to play the victim.

"You Rockets dare attack my gym?!" he shouted in righteous fury.

Not giving the Rocket members a chance to speak, he immediately turned to his Magmortar.

"Use [Fire Blast]!"

Magmortar wasted no time, unleashing a massive, fiery blast in the shape of the kanji 大 toward the incoming Team Rocket members.

The Rocket lieutenant had just opened his mouth to speak when the attack was launched, his expression changing instantly.

However, those sent to capture Blaine were no ordinary grunts—they were some of Team Rocket’s finest.

As soon as Magmortar fired, they reacted swiftly.

Boom!

A flash of white light burst forth, and a Tyranitar materialized in front of the Rocket lieutenant.

The armored behemoth, its gaze fierce and ruthless, was thrown into the role of a living shield.

Faced with [Fire Blast], it had no room to dodge.

With a powerful stomp, Tyranitar shattered the ground beneath it, bracing itself. Then, with a single swipe of its arm, it sent countless rocks flying toward Magmortar’s attack.

Fire and stone collided midair, creating a fiery explosion.

Despite its hasty defense, Tyranitar clearly had the worst of it—it had to raise its arms to shield itself from the lingering flames and scattering debris.

When the dust settled, burn marks and gashes covered its body.

The Rocket lieutenant, who had been standing behind Tyranitar, broke out in a cold sweat.

If his Pokémon hadn’t blocked that in time, he might’ve ended up in a hospital bed.

His expression darkened. "So that’s how it is… You’re a traitor trying to silence us!"

The moment the word traitor was uttered, Blaine’s face stiffened.

His first instinct was to glance at August.

And sure enough—August was staring at him.

His face carried a mix of curiosity, surprise, disbelief… and sudden realization.

I’m not, I swear I’m not…

Blaine desperately wanted to explain himself—

But before he could, Team Rocket launched their counterattack.

Muk’s [Acid Spray], Weezing’s [Sludge Bomb], and Golbat’s [Supersonic]—

The onslaught came fast and fierce. Clearly, Team Rocket intended to overwhelm Magmortar in one decisive strike.

Instinctively, Blaine reached for his belt to release another Pokémon to defend against the attack.

But then—he froze.

His other two main battlers had already fallen in his fight against August.

Aside from Magmortar, his only remaining combat-ready Pokémon was Ninetales.

There was no time to hesitate.

"Go, Ninetales!"

The elegant fox materialized in a burst of white light, fur gleaming—only for its coat to be immediately stained by Team Rocket’s [Sludge Bomb].

"Use [Flamethrower]! Magmortar, another [Fire Blast]!"

The two Fire-types roared in unison, unleashing searing flames to counter the incoming attacks.

But… there were too many opponents.

Even though Blaine’s Pokémon were individually stronger, they were up against a force more than ten times their number.

They managed to hold off the initial barrage for only a moment before being overwhelmed.

Ninetales let out a distressed cry as the [Sludge Bomb] coated its fur, turning it an unsightly purple-black.

Magmortar, relying on its magma-coated body, barely managed to evaporate the incoming [Acid Spray].

But the toxic fumes left behind seeped into its lungs.

The poison took hold.

Seeing their overwhelming advantage, the Rocket lieutenant stepped forward from behind Tyranitar.

"You have nowhere to run, Blaine. Hand over the research data you took and come back with us."

"Our boss is willing to—"

"Wait… Did you just say 'boss'?"

A voice suddenly cut in, interrupting the lieutenant.

Annoyed, he turned toward the source of the voice.

"Who the hell—"

Mid-sentence, he froze.

Like a sound chip abruptly cut off, his voice died in his throat.

Because now, he had a clear view of who had spoken.

"...T-the Demon Ranger… August?!"

Among the internal files distributed within Team Rocket, The Demon Ranger—August—was classified as an A-rank threat.

He was listed as a trainer possessing Elite Four-level strength and was suspected of having been involved in the capture of one of Team Rocket’s Three Executives—Koga.

Why is he here?!

And when did he even get here?!

The Rocket lieutenant felt a cold sweat break out down his back.

August’s calm, smiling expression remained unchanged.

"Oh? So you know who I am?"

His voice was relaxed—almost friendly.

"Then how about you tell me a little about your boss? I’m quite curious."

The Rocket lieutenant didn’t answer.

Instead, he immediately barked out an order:

"Retreat! Get the hell out of here!"

Without a second thought, he abandoned Blaine entirely.

From his perspective, it was a no-brainer—he was merely a mid-ranking officer, leading a unit that was absolutely not equipped to handle someone as dangerous as August.

Staying here was tantamount to suicide.

Maybe if they ran now, they could at least save some of their forces.

But…

Before they could escape, an invisible, transparent barrier materialized over the gym’s ruined wall—sealing off their exit.

The Rockets stopped in their tracks, looking at each other in confusion.

August’s gentle smile remained.

"You haven’t answered my question yet."

His voice remained lighthearted.

"And after disrupting my assessment, you think you can just leave? That’s a bit rude, don’t you think?"

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This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：白良. All rights to the original work belong to the creator. Please support them by exploring their original work or sharing it with others if you can. Thank you for reading and supporting my efforts to bring this story to a wider audience!