Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [204]

BAM—!

The Arbok that had taken Blastoise’s [Mega Punch] was flung backward like it had been hit by a dump truck.

Even in midair, you could see one of its fangs snap clean in half.

Hiss!

Gold shivered at the sight.

Who would’ve thought that such a pretty girl could be this violent?!

With Blastoise’s decisive strike taking out the Arbok, Blue gave Sabrina a nod. Working in perfect sync, the two swiftly defeated the rest of the Pokémon Team Rocket had sent out.

Watching Sabrina command Alakazam to handcuff each of the grunts on the ground, Gold finally realized—he had completely misjudged her.

But even if it was a misunderstanding...

“Can you please let me down now?!”

Gold flailed midair, still held in place by Alakazam’s psychic grip.

Aipom struggled along with him, swinging its tail in vain.

But Sabrina ignored him completely. Clearly, she still hadn’t let go of the “witch” comment from earlier.

Gold turned his pleading eyes toward August—the only one who’d spoken on his behalf.

August just shrugged, as if to say, Sorry, can’t help you.

He’d just teased Sabrina a bit too hard earlier—might as well let her vent a little.

Gold: “...”

Even while dangling in the air, Gold’s mouth still worked. August looked up at him, a bit curious.

“So... why were they chasing you?”

As far as he knew, Team Rocket’s real target was supposed to be Professor Elm’s lab.

Why were they gunning so hard for Gold instead?

Gold scratched his head, looking sheepish. “Well... heh, I kinda saw them huddling over some papers and whispering. I got curious, so I asked Aipom to go grab the file for a peek.”

“I swear I was just curious! But the second Aipom picked it up, they went absolutely nuts and started chasing me…”

August: “...”

Well, damn. No wonder those grunts were so aggressive.

If he were in Team Rocket’s shoes and someone swooped in and stole confidential documents out of nowhere, he’d have chased them even harder.

Still, the sheer guts it took to grab documents from a bunch of Rocket grunts like that… this kid was seriously bold.

“Can I take a look at the file?” August asked.

He wanted to know what Team Rocket was planning.

But to his surprise, Gold turned his head away. “Nope! I’m handing it over to Officer Jenny!”

He was still suspended in the air, after all. And sure, these three had beaten Team Rocket—but who knew if they were actually the good guys?

“Handing it to her or handing it to us is the same thing,” August said, pulling out his credentials. “Name’s August. International Police.”

“International Police?!” Gold’s eyes widened.

August gave a polite smile and nodded.

Gold pouted. “Never heard of it.”

August: “...”

Sabrina was right to keep him floating for a while.

Eventually, once all the Rocket grunts had been rounded up, Sabrina signaled to Alakazam to let Gold down.

“Ah—ow!”

Unprepared for the drop, Gold landed face-first and clutched his lower back—Aipom had stepped on him.

“Alright,” August said, “hand over the file. I’m not a bad guy, really.”

Still on the ground, Gold shifted slightly—then, in a flash of white light, several Pokémon appeared around him, shielding him in a protective circle.

With his team now at his side, Gold stuck out his tongue at August and Sabrina, pulling a childish face.

“Nyah! Bet you didn’t know I’m a famous Pokémon Trainer around here! I was just caught off guard earlier! You witch—there’s no way you’re catching me again!”

But to his dismay, none of the three adults reacted. Not even a flinch.

August twitched a little. “Are you always this... fearless?”

Sabrina tilted her head. “August, can I turn him into a doll?”

Blue offered diplomatically, “Maybe go easy on him… he’s still just a kid.”

...

“Let me go…!”

Gold was once again floating helplessly in the air, struggling.

A short distance away, August, Blue, and Sabrina were leaning casually against Salamence, chatting.

Not long after, the roar of a motorcycle echoed down the road. Officer Jenny pulled up with a squad of uniformed officers.

“Officer Jenny! Help! Save me!” Gold called out in desperation.

But Jenny only gave him a puzzled glance before walking straight over to August’s group.

“Apologies for the delay—and thank you, Mr. August! This was a major oversight on our part.”

August waved it off. “Don’t worry about it. Professor Elm’s been having trouble with these guys lately. When you question them, focus on anything connected to the lab.”

“Yes, sir!” Officer Jenny saluted.

Though August’s International Police unit was separate from Officer Jenny’s local department, League authority was standardized—rank was rank.

Gold stared, stunned.

He wasn’t bluffing?! He’s really with the International Police?!

A creeping anxiety set in.

Wait... does that mean I technically attacked an officer just now?

Thankfully, August never mentioned that part—not even once, even as Officer Jenny and her team escorted all the captured Team Rocket grunts away.

Gold let out a huge sigh of relief.

“So?” August smiled. “Still doubting my identity?”

Gold shook his head furiously.

“Then, mind if I take a look at the intel you grabbed from Team Rocket?” August asked.

Gold wasn’t a suspect—he’d actually helped—so August hadn’t searched him earlier.

Gold nodded quickly.

Sabrina gently lowered him to the ground, and August retrieved the document from him.

The contents were a command—

An order for the Team Rocket unit stationed in New Bark Town to abandon their operation targeting Professor Elm’s lab and immediately head to Azalea Town to join the organization’s search efforts.

Reading that, August’s brow furrowed.

As expected, Giovanni’s Rocket is no joke. They’d already sniffed out Pryce’s weak point.

If Giovanni discovered the shrine hidden within Ilex Forest, understood Pryce’s intent, and laid a trap… then even if Pryce held the upper hand in raw power, he could still be in serious danger.

But for August, this was good news.

The conflict between Team Rocket and the Masked Corps was escalating.

If they start fighting, best-case scenario? They both bleed. Then I just swoop in and pick up the pieces.

August handed the file to Blue and Sabrina, then turned to Gold with a friendly smile.

“This intel is genuinely helpful. So I’ve decided to give you a reward.”

Gold stared at him in disbelief.

This guy? Generous? The image of being suspended midair by psychic energy was still fresh in his mind.

“Uh… I-I don’t think that’s necessary. My mom’s waiting for me at home for dinner,” Gold stammered, slowly backing away.

And then—

Smack.

August clapped a hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t be afraid. It’ll be over quickly.”

---

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!