Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [126]

“What do I want to do?” Upon hearing President Silph’s question, August chuckled. “President Silph, don’t make it sound like I’m some kind of villain… I’m a legitimate League Trainer.”

“Besides, that’s a question I should be asking you.”

“President Silph, the League’s investigative team ran into trouble right here, in your domain.”

“I’m very curious—what exactly did they uncover that made you willing to take such a huge risk just to erase their memories?”

August’s words shattered the last shred of hope in President Silph’s heart.

What worried him even more now was whether the League had already caught wind of this.

As if reading his mind, August smiled. “Are you wondering if the League knows about this?”

“You can rest easy on that front. As of now, I’m the only one who knows. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be me standing here—it’d be Lance and his team of prosecutors.”

Hearing this, President Silph let out a breath, his mind beginning to work again.

So, only August knew…

“President Silph, you’re not thinking of doing something reckless, are you?” August’s voice was calm but carried a sharp edge. “If you stop now, I can guarantee there’s still a way out for you.”

“.....”

Having his thoughts exposed yet again, President Silph’s face twitched.

If it weren’t for the psychic interference device functioning properly in his office, he would have seriously suspected that August was using telepathy on him.

As for getting rid of August—he had considered it for a fleeting moment, but quickly dismissed the idea.

According to Sabrina, August had previously defeated Sird.

If even Sird couldn’t deal with him, what chance did he have against someone even stronger?

So, President Silph decided to take a more direct approach.

“What would it take for you to keep this secret?”

If force wouldn’t work, then bribery would.

The Silph Company might lack many things, but money wasn’t one of them. If money could solve this problem, that would be ideal.

“Bribing a League Trainer? That’s an even greater offense…” August’s voice drifted into President Silph’s ears, making his expression darken.

Just as he was about to offer an explanation, August’s tone suddenly shifted. “I won’t take your money—but we can do this another way.”

President Silph’s heart nearly jumped out of his chest from the rapid ups and downs in this conversation.

Still, he forced himself to ask, “What way?”

Instead of answering, August posed another question. “President Silph, do you know which department I represent?”

How would I know…

President Silph made a random guess. “The Inspection Department?”

After all, they were responsible for Gym assessments, which had some overlap with investigative work.

“My department should be quite familiar to you.”

Seeing the confusion on President Silph’s face, August smiled, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth. “Two months ago, your company’s Exploud-class ship explosion nearly wiped out my entire department.”

“Ah!”

At those words, President Silph could no longer maintain his composure and let out a startled cry. “You’re… International Police!”

At last, the pieces fit together.

Now he understood how August had so quickly determined that the investigation team’s memory loss wasn’t the work of Team Rocket.

It made sense—if he was with the International Police, that explained everything.

A chill crept into President Silph’s heart.

Could August be here for revenge…?

The incident with the Kanto Division had ultimately been caused by Lt. Surge, but Silph Co. was far from innocent in the matter.

“No need to be so nervous. I never said I was here to avenge my colleagues.”

August’s words offered some reassurance, but President Silph wasn’t entirely convinced. Their relationship was far too delicate for blind trust.

According to the information he had gathered through his connections in the League, the Kanto Division of the International Police had never fully recovered since its downfall.

If he were in August’s shoes, he certainly wouldn’t let Silph Co. off so easily.

Bracing himself for a major financial loss, President Silph looked at August, waiting for his terms.

August was pleased with his cooperation.

“As I said, I won’t accept bribes—because I won’t accept bribes.”

“But Silph Co. colluding with Team Rocket—there must be atonement for that.”

“You’re aware that rebuilding the Kanto Division isn’t just a matter of effort—it requires substantial funding. So…”

August’s logic was simple—he was here to sell Silph Co. an atonement bond.

Silph Co. had made a massive blunder. Shouldn’t they contribute to the League’s cause to cleanse themselves of their sins?

And who better to represent the League’s cause than him?

President Silph, a seasoned businessman, understood immediately.

Money—fine.

“The Silph Company is willing to donate one million annually to support the rebuilding of the Kanto Division!” President Silph declared.

Seeing August’s expression remain unchanged, he gritted his teeth and added, “Every year.”

Whoa.

August raised an eyebrow. He had barely hesitated, and yet President Silph had already gone all-in like this?

One million per year…

That was twice the signing fee Steven had once offered him.

Even for a corporation as massive as Silph Co., this was no small amount.

But President Silph showed no intention of backing down. To him, this wasn’t just hush money—it was also an attempt to mend ties with the International Police’s Kanto Division.

After all, the incident had happened on a ship owned by Silph Co.

As for August’s other “small” requests, President Silph readily agreed.

“I heard Silph Co. manufactures Master Balls…”

“We haven’t even properly thanked you for saving us from Team Rocket. My secretary will take you to pick one up shortly.”

“Oh, and the Kanto Division is still in need of some research equipment…”

“If we sell it, you can take whatever you need.”

“I also heard that Silph Co. had business dealings with Team Rocket. Don’t get me wrong—I’m not here to investigate you. I just need you to keep those channels open and relay any intel you gather about them to us.”

“…Fine.”

Silph Co. had been strong-armed by Team Rocket before; he had no qualms about throwing them under the bus now.

As for whether this would provoke Team Rocket…

Well, no matter how bad things got, it couldn’t be worse than when Sird personally showed up to threaten him.

Even August, as demanding as he was, had to admit he was satisfied with President Silph’s generosity.

In just a few words, he had struck a mutually beneficial deal.

Silph Co. would fund August’s noble cause, and August would, in turn, avoid prying too deeply into what the investigative team had uncovered.

After all, it wasn’t like he really wanted to dig into Silph Co.’s secrets.

Who knew what kind of skeletons might be buried there?

As for how Silph Co. would handle the League’s scrutiny…

Well, with their connections, that shouldn’t be a problem.

...

When August left Silph Co., he could only describe his departure as a resounding success.

Three Master Balls—one to give his little Lugia a more spacious home, one reserved for Mewtwo, and one kept as a backup.

The generous "donations" from Silph Co., both in funding and equipment, made the already well-financed department even more flush with resources—so much so that August felt he should start recruiting new members soon.

Otherwise, wouldn’t all that funding just go to waste?

On top of that, the smuggling intel provided by Silph Co. would make it much easier for him to track Team Rocket’s movements.

"The League really hit the jackpot putting me in charge as acting director," August mused, lying back on the couch and absentmindedly twirling a Master Ball in his hand. He turned to Blue.

"It’s only been a few months, and the Kanto division is already running better than ever. I must be miles ahead of my predecessor."

Listening to August brag, Blue could only nod in agreement. What else could she do?

Just as they were chatting, August’s phone vibrated with a notification.

A message from the special operations group chat focused on Team Rocket.

[Gary Oak]: "Just challenged Saffron Gym—Sabrina is terrifying. 😨 @Psychic, the method you taught me worked, but Sabrina doesn’t play by the rules! If I hadn’t dodged in time, I would’ve been turned into a doll. 😭"

Did Gary just get wrecked by Sabrina?

[Gardevoir Is The Best]: "Did you at least get the badge?"

[Gary Oak]: "Forget the badge! 💔 I almost got turned into a doll! I seriously suspect Sabrina has ties to Team Rocket. Should we investigate her? @Gardevoir Is The Best"

[Psychic]: "…🙂"

[Gary Oak]: "Senior! You’re finally here! The technique you taught me worked great, but do you have any way to counter Sabrina’s ‘turn-people-into-dolls’ trick? I need to get my revenge. 😤"

[Psychic]: "🤨… Turn people into dolls? You sure you didn’t just fall for an illusion?"

[Gary Oak]: "…An illusion? Oh! That makes sense! 🤯"

[Psychic]: "Exactly. It’s likely just an illusion. I’ve never heard of a Psychic move that actually turns people into dolls. Let me teach you how to break free from illusions next time—so you won’t need to dodge, just…"

As Sabrina type her explanation in the chat, Blue gave him a look.

Are you seriously just going to sit back and let Gary get toyed with by Sabrina?

If Gary actually followed Sabrina’s advice, wouldn’t he really end up as a doll?

“No need to worry,” August said casually. “Sabrina knows her limits.”

Besides, she would soon be leaving for the Seafoam Islands. Gary wouldn’t have to suffer for too long.

“And, let’s not forget—Sabrina is the Gym Leader of Saffron Gym. As a Gym Inspector, I can’t exactly step in and tell her to go easy on Gary, can I?”

“Taking a beating is a blessing in disguise. Getting to battle a Gym Leader who doesn’t pull punches is a huge opportunity for him. It’s for his own good.”

He absolutely refused to admit that he was just enjoying the entertainment.

Blue, who knew August far too well, immediately saw through him. The way his lips curled up slightly gave him away.

She sighed and mentally offered Gary two seconds of silence for his poor choice in friends.

“Where to next?” Blue asked.

With everything in Saffron City wrapped up, she wasn’t sure where August planned to go.

Would they head to Fuchsia Gym to deal with Koga, whom August suspected of being involved with Team Rocket? Or would they head all the way to Cinnabar Gym?

Considering that Fuchsia City was closer, and Cinnabar Island was way too far from here, their next stop should be Celadon City to inspect Erika’s Gym—right?

At least, that’s what Blue figured.

But August had other plans.

“We’ll head to Lavender Town first,” he said. “Lance mentioned that Agatha of the Elite Four is currently there, and it’s not far from Saffron. We might as well pay our respects.”

Blue, now used to August’s unique way of phrasing things, took a moment to process his words.

“Lavender Town… That means there’ll be lots of Ghost-type Pokémon, right?”

“Yep. What, are you afraid of ghosts?” August asked, curious.

He knew Blue had a fear of birds, but he didn’t recall her being afraid of ghosts.

“Of course not,” Blue replied quickly. “I’ve just read a lot of creepy stories about Lavender Town on the forums, so I’m curious.”

The Pokémon world had no shortage of urban legends—especially ones about Ghost-types. Reading so many of them naturally made her curious.

“Creepy stories? Please, they’re all nonsense—just Ghost-types messing around.” August dismissed them outright.

Urban legends?

Can they be more legendary than my little Lugia?

But since Blue was interested, he’d take her to check it out. Besides, he had his own goal—he wanted to catch a Gengar.

He’d always wanted to train a big, purple ghost, but he never had the chance.

Now that he’d be visiting Agatha, he might as well ask her where to find a Gengar with good potential.

As he thought about this, he absentmindedly stroked the Eevee curled up in his arms. The little Pokémon had immediately snuggled into his chest upon hearing the word ghost.

August sighed.

“You do realize you’re a Normal-type, right? What are you scared of?”

He had first noticed this little quirk back in Vermilion City.

“Vee!”

Eevee let out a quick protest.

“Yeah, yeah, I get it—you’re not scared, you just don’t like their pranks.” August rolled his eyes. “But if you’re going to say that, could you at least not be shaking?”

“Vee…”

Blushing slightly, Eevee buried its face into its own fluffy neck fur and refused to say another word.

August shook his head.

Now he definitely needed to get a Gengar. If nothing else, it might help Eevee get over its fear.

---

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!