Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [108]

With Sird gone, the remaining Rockets inside the Silph Co. building stood no chance.

Especially with Sabrina helping.

Aside from one desperate grunt who commanded his Weezing to [Self-Destruct]—only to nearly blow himself to pieces—there were no unexpected complications.

August glanced at Sabrina, who was dutifully overseeing the capture of the remaining Rockets, her expression entirely serious.

His feelings were… complicated.

If he didn’t already know she was a Rocket executive—if it weren’t for the fact that she had so obviously stopped him from chasing Sird earlier—he might have genuinely believed she was just a dedicated Gym Leader doing her job.

Yet, back when she could have teamed up with Sird against him, she didn’t. She just stood by and watched him drive Sird away, only stepping in to block his pursuit at the very last moment.

August had no idea what Sabrina was thinking anymore.

What exactly is she up to?

As they moved through the building, August and his team gradually freed the imprisoned Silph Co. employees.

Eventually, they found the missing League investigators.

But something was off.

These investigators seemed… disoriented. When asked about their mission, they had no recollection whatsoever.

August had Gardevoir perform a quick scan.

They’ve been affected by psychic energy.

Hearing this, August instinctively glanced at the woman beside him—Sabrina.

If there was anyone in Saffron City who had mastered psychic power to such a degree, it was her.

Still, there were too many Psychic-type Pokémon out there to jump to conclusions just yet.

He mentally filed the information away and contacted Lance to arrange proper handling of the situation.

With that settled, they finally arrived at the president’s office.

August released his Pokémon, prepared for a fight, and pushed open the door—

Only to be met with a sight completely different from what he had expected.

He had assumed the Silph Co. president would be under heavy guard, or at the very least tied up.

Instead, the man was sitting comfortably behind his desk, completely unharmed, with no signs of captivity whatsoever.

And when he saw them—especially Sabrina—he let out a visible sigh of relief.

"Thank heavens, Sabrina, you’re finally here."

Before August could say anything, Sabrina spoke up first.

"As the Gym Leader of Saffron City, this failure is my responsibility."

"Nonsense. Saffron Gym has protected this city for years—this was just an unfortunate accident. You can’t be blamed."

"???"

August stared at the two of them, utterly baffled.

I’m sorry—who exactly was it that drove Sird away?

No wonder this guy got himself kidnapped. If he was treating Rocket executives like saviors, it was a miracle his company hadn’t been taken over sooner.

After some polite pleasantries, Sabrina turned to August and introduced him.

"President Silph, in truth, it was Agent August here who led the effort to repel Sird."

"....."

The president stiffened slightly, realizing he had been directing his gratitude at the wrong person.

Still, as the head of a massive corporation, he was skilled at controlling his expressions. Without missing a beat, he smoothly redirected his attention.

"Agent August, young and accomplished… Hmm, wait, I feel like I’ve heard your name before?"

August smirked, already knowing where the man had encountered his name.

So he simply supplied a few key words:

"Pokéblocks. Devon Corp. Steven Stone."

The moment he said them, something clicked in President Silph’s mind. His expression subtly shifted.

For good reason.

Silph Co. and Devon Corp. had been neck-and-neck competitors in the Pokéblock market for a long time—sometimes, Silph even held a slight advantage.

But last month, Devon Corp. had launched a new line of Pokéblocks that sold like crazy, dramatically eating into Silph’s market share.

Even in Kanto and Johto, where Silph had dominated for years, Devon had managed to push their way in.

And the person who owned the patent for those Pokéblocks… was August.

August, however, paid no mind to the man’s complicated emotions. He simply smiled.

"I’m here at the request of Champion Lance to assist Silph Co. The League has some questions regarding why Rocket targeted you."

He continued, "Additionally, the League’s investigative team was captured. Their memories were tampered with by an unknown Psychic-type Pokémon, and all their reports have disappeared. Would you happen to have any leads?"

The weight of August’s words completely wiped away any lingering joy from the president’s face.

After taking a moment to compose himself, President Silph finally began explaining.

"Rocket attacked us to seize control of Silph Co.…"

...

By the time August, Blue, and Sabrina left the Silph Co. building, the sun was already beginning to set.

League officials had taken over, treating the wounded, securing captured Rocket members, and conducting a thorough search to ensure no Rockets remained hidden in the building.

Sabrina turned to August with a polite smile.

"Agent August, if you plan to take the Gym challenge, Saffron Gym will always welcome you."

Contrary to the rumors of her being cold and unapproachable, she was being incredibly pleasant.

August returned her smile.

"Of course! But I won’t be holding back."

After saying their goodbyes, August watched her leave before finally relaxing.

He had Gardevoir scan the area.

Once he was certain no one was eavesdropping, he let out a quiet sigh of relief.

Blue, puzzled by his cautiousness, asked, "August, didn’t you already drive Rocket out? Why are you still so on edge?"

"You’re wondering why I’m still being this careful, right?"

Blue nodded.

"What do you think of Sabrina?" August asked instead of answering.

Blue considered for a moment.

"Well… even though you said earlier that she might be suspicious, after today, she seemed like a very responsible Gym Leader."

"Really? But what if I told you that if Sabrina hadn’t been here today, I would’ve already captured Sird?" August asked.

"That…"

Blue looked surprised but didn’t question it. She trusted August’s judgment.

"If you suspect her, should we report this to Lance?" she asked.

"No rush. I don’t have any solid proof yet." August stretched lazily. "I’ll deal with her when I challenge the Gym."

"For now, we’ve got another problem to handle—Silph Co."

He frowned.

"The League’s investigative team lost their memories, and all their findings disappeared. President Silph was obviously holding back information and trying to mislead us."

He smirked slightly.

"This whole mess is going to give Lance a major headache."

---

T/N: LANCE U JOBBER!@!!

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!