Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [118]

For Sabrina, this was an impossible choice.

If she remained loyal to Team Rocket, she would have to endure their relentless pursuit.

Yes, she had joined Team Rocket under Giovanni’s influence, but she had never intended to dedicate everything to the organization.

Maybe… I could just pretend to agree and report back to Giovanni?

The thought crossed her mind, but the moment she glanced at August, she saw his faint, knowing smirk.

It was as if he had read her mind.

Her gaze flickered away instinctively.

No… that won’t work.

Regaining her composure, she immediately dismissed the idea.

Even if she did report back to Giovanni, would he even believe her?

Her standing within Team Rocket was… complicated.

Aside from a passable relationship with Lt. Surge and Koga, her ties with the Three Beasts on the Sevii Islands and the Four Generals in Johto were far from friendly.

Especially Sird…

If she was suspected of betrayal, Sird would not hesitate to throw her under the bus.

And then there was the real problem—

Sabrina strongly suspected that someone in Team Rocket’s upper ranks was already working as August’s mole.

Otherwise, there was no way he could have learned all that classified intel.

With a vulture like Sird circling above her, an unknown traitor lurking in the shadows, and no logical way to explain how August knew so much—

If she tried to report him, all she would be doing was signing her own death warrant.

Which meant…

The only path left was accepting his offer.

But the sheer humiliation of being toyed with, hypnotized, and outplayed at every turn made her resist the very idea.

After hesitating for a long moment, she finally opened her mouth.

“…I—”

“Hold that thought.”

August suddenly interrupted her.

Sabrina frowned in confusion.

August casually raised his wrist, checking his watch, then flashed her an apologetic smile.

“My bad, lunchtime’s up. Since our department’s restructuring, we’ve adopted a strict no-overtime policy for non-urgent tasks.”

“So, any work-related matters… can wait until after lunch.”

He turned to Blue and nodded. Without another word, the two of them began packing up and heading toward the exit.

“Wait—”

Sabrina instinctively called out to them.

But neither August nor Blue even paused.

In a matter of seconds, she was left alone in the special holding cell.

“.....”

For the first time in her life, Sabrina hated the League’s bureaucratic policies.

...

Seated at the dining table, Blue hesitated before asking, “Are you really planning to turn Sabrina into a double agent? She’s a Rocket executive, you know.”

“Well… let’s put it this way.” August took a bite of his meal before continuing.

“If this were Lt. Surge, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.”

“Why?”

“Because Surge’s criminal record is way too long. With all the smuggling he’s done, he has no choice but to go down with Team Rocket.”

“But Sabrina’s different.”

“Her father holds an influential position in the Pokémon Association. She knows how to cover her tracks. You ever wonder why I didn’t find any concrete evidence at Saffron Gym? Or why there weren’t any Rocket grunts there?”

“That was intentional. It was her escape plan.”

“…So, you think she’s already considering leaving Team Rocket?” Blue mused.

“Not exactly. It’s more like… a subconscious choice. She probably hasn’t even realized it herself.”

“Then do you think she’ll accept your offer?”

August accepted a plate from Gallade with a quick thanks before replying, “I gave her two options, but if she’s smart, she already knows she only has one.”

“Unless she’s willing to sacrifice everything for Team Rocket.” He gave Blue a knowing look. “But… does she seem like the type?”

Blue thought for a moment—then shook her head.

“Exactly.”

August poured curry over his rice.

As long as Sabrina had even an ounce of self-preservation, she wouldn’t go down with Team Rocket.

And as for the worst-case scenario—where she pretended to comply, only to report back to Giovanni?

August had countermeasures for that, too.

He could expose Sird as a Galactic spy, throwing Team Rocket into internal chaos.

Or, he could leak the fact that Pryce had kidnapped Giovanni’s son, forcing Team Rocket to deal with him instead.

Once they were occupied, Sabrina—stripped of their protection—would be entirely in his hands.

Of course, those were his nuclear options.

He preferred to keep those in his back pocket unless absolutely necessary.

“Should we tell Lance?”

Blue hesitated. “Should we tell Lance about this?”

August waved a hand dismissively. “Nah. He’s already got enough on his plate.”

“Besides, now that I’m technically acting director of the Kanto division, I don’t need to report everything to him.”

The League’s security was laughably porous. If this went through official channels, Giovanni would hear about it in two days, tops.

And International Police agents didn’t report directly to the League anyway—their orders came from HQ.

Though Blue’s reminder was useful.

He’d have to file some sort of record with HQ for Sabrina’s official recruitment.

After finishing a meal with a distinct Galarian flavor—courtesy of Indeedee—August found himself sprawled out on the couch with Gardevoir, idly petting Eevee while watching a broadcasted battle from Galar.

On-screen, a Gigantamax Centiskorch unleashed a devastating move, knocking out a Gigantamax Pikachu.

“Vee~!”

Eevee let out an excited cheer—then perked up, ears twitching.

Turning to August, it gave him an eager, expectant look.

“Vee!”

“You want to turn big, too?”

August’s expression twitched.

“That’s a regional gimmick, you know. Galar exclusive.”

At his words, Eevee’s ears drooped.

“Vee…”

It looked up at him with an utterly heartbreaking expression.

August had no defenses against that look.

“…Fine. One day, when we have time, I’ll take you to Galar and let you try [Dynamaxing].”

Eevee instantly brightened.

August smirked internally.

I never said when.

Eevee is way too easy to trick.

As he chuckled to himself, a nagging thought surfaced in the back of his mind.

Am I forgetting something…?

He mulled it over for a moment but came up blank.

Shrugging, he put it out of his mind and returned his focus to the TV.

He clicked his tongue at the title of the current show.

“Kricketune’s Grand Adventure? Who even watches a show with a Kricketune as the protagonist?”

Meanwhile—

Back in the holding cell…

Sabrina’s stomach let out a loud, mortifying growl.

She stiffened.

Regret flooded her.

She shouldn’t have skipped dinner last night to maintain her figure.

She definitely shouldn’t have skipped breakfast while waiting for August’s Gym evaluation.

And now…

She had no choice but to suffer through this humiliation—waiting for August and Blue to finish their damn lunch break.

---

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!