Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [84]

Thankfully, August had stopped Little Lugia just in time—otherwise, this would have turned into major news.

Still, the sheer power Little Lugia had displayed far exceeded August’s expectations.

If a juvenile Legendary Pokémon, combined with a Plate, could unleash such force… then what about a fully grown Lugia?

Could a single [Gust] from an adult Lugia trigger a hurricane and send tsunamis crashing over an entire city?

August recalled the murals he had seen in the ruins—those depictions of massive Lugia towering over the ocean.

Perhaps… the ancient civilization hadn’t been exaggerating after all?

There was no way to verify it now, though.

Pushing the thought aside for the moment, August was just about to get up when his communicator suddenly buzzed at his waist.

A glance at the caller ID—Professor Cerise.

“Hello, Professor Cerise. What’s up?”

The professor’s voice sounded urgent.

“The Vermilion Weather Research Institute just detected the formation of a typhoon near Lampurchi! They were about to issue an emergency evacuation notice. I remembered you were still there, so I wanted to warn you. Are you okay?!”

August: “...”

“…Hello? August, are you still there?”

After a brief silence, August finally responded. “…Yeah, I’m here. Professor Cerise, you can tell them to cancel the alert. Everything’s fine now.”

“Everything’s fine? But…”

Cerise trailed off as if a realization struck him.

“Uh… is it what I think it is?”

“If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, then yes, it’s exactly that.”

A long silence followed. Then, in the most diplomatic tone possible, Cerise advised:

“…Maybe next time, test out moves in a less populated area. Thirteen cargo ships and three cruise liners have already postponed their departures because of the sudden storm.”

“…Ah.”

Hanging up, August exhaled as he gazed at the remnants of the now-fading storm vortex.

Good thing he had stopped Little Lugia in time—he had nearly caused a massive incident.

Thankfully, no real damage had been done.

Shifting his gaze, he spotted Blue sitting far off to the side, clutching Happiny tightly.

“Blue, are you still scared?”

“I’m trying not to be.”

Blue’s eyes were still filled with nervous tension as she stared at Little Lugia.

Sensing her unease, Little Lugia curiously extended a wing, as if attempting to comfort her.

Blue was visibly touched by the gesture… and then—

Her body went completely stiff. Frozen in place, she didn’t move a muscle.

Seeing this, August sighed and gestured for Little Lugia to lower its wing.

As Little Lugia tilted its head in confusion, August gave it a reassuring pat. “It’s okay. Give her some time.”

This wasn’t something that could be forced—Blue had to overcome it on her own.

Pulling Eevee into his lap, August put on his sunglasses, leaned back on a sun lounger, and let himself enjoy the rest of his vacation.

---

Even after Lt. Surge’s arrest, Vermilion City remained as lively as ever—perhaps even more so due to the ongoing Gym Leader selection tournament.

“…Why am I wasting my time watching a bunch of rookies flail at each other?”

August walked out of the Vermilion Gym with a deadpan expression, questioning his life choices.

Having just wrapped up his vacation, he had initially come to observe the Gym Leader selection process out of curiosity—wanting to see how Kanto handled things.

But after watching for a while… it was just a bunch of amateurs struggling against each other. Even Gary, who had been crushed by August before, was leagues ahead of these contenders.

Despite the trainers having decent Pokémon levels, their battle sense, coordination, and understanding of abilities and move interactions were downright awful.

“If they actually pick one of these clowns, then Kanto’s League is beyond saving,” August muttered.

Blue nodded in agreement.

After watching those matches, she felt like she could do better.

Eevee, who had been napping on August’s head, suddenly woke up and glanced around in confusion.

“Buii?”

What’s beyond saving? What are we talking about?

“Not your concern. Go back to sleep.”

August plucked Eevee off his head and held it in his arms. Last night, Little Lugia had insisted on sleeping next to August, which resulted in Eevee getting no sleep at all. Today, it had been sluggish and groggy the entire time.

Though August still didn’t understand why Lugia crowding the bed had caused Eevee to lose sleep.

“So, should we head to… uh, Bill?” Blue asked after a moment, trying to recall his name.

August nodded.

“That’s right. I checked with Professor Cerise earlier—Bill is currently at a lighthouse near the coast, not far from Vermilion City.”

“Apparently, Bill’s lighthouse was damaged by some unknown Pokémon. He’s packing up and planning to move back to his research lab in Cerulean City soon.”

“We should head there sooner rather than later.”

With that, August and Blue started making their way out of Vermilion City.

But just as they reached a street corner—

Three figures suddenly jumped out in front of them.

“Congratulations, sir and madam! You’ve won the grand prize!”

“Our shipping company is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and you two happen to be the 99th couple to pass this intersection today!”

“As a special reward, we’re giving you three luxury cruise tickets for the S.S. Anne!”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime offer, meow~!”

The three figures took turns speaking, their voices filled with enthusiasm and persuasion.

August was certain that if these three ever became salespeople on a shopping channel, they’d set record-breaking sales numbers.

But—

I literally arrested Lt. Surge, and the S.S. Anne still can’t escape Team Rocket’s grasp?

Looking at the trio dressed as shipping company employees, August internally sighed.

Ever since he suspected Ash might be in Vermilion City, he had figured these three wouldn’t be far behind.

But he hadn’t expected them to run into him—and even try to gift him tickets to the S.S. Anne scam.

As August remained silent, the three turned to Blue expectantly.

Noticing August’s contemplative expression, Blue quickly pieced things together. Her gaze lingered on Meowth for a moment before she suddenly gasped in apparent excitement.

“Really?! We really won?!”

Her tone was a perfect blend of surprise and joy.

Team Rocket’s trio failed to detect anything suspicious.

Jessie, with exaggerated enthusiasm, chimed in, “Yes! You two are unbelievably lucky!”

James added, “And don’t worry—there’s absolutely no hidden fees involved in this grand prize!”

Just as Meowth was about to speak, Blue abruptly crouched down, reaching out to tug at its cheek.

Then she turned to August and, in an astonished voice, exclaimed:

“Honey, look! It’s a talking Meowth!”

August: “???”

---

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!