Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [205]

“Maybe I’ll just pass on this...”

Gold glanced nervously at August—he was kind of scared.

August said, “Come on, I’m a League official. What could I possibly do to you?”

“...Can’t say for sure.”

“Hm?” August raised an eyebrow.

Gold jolted. “You misheard! I meant—of course not!”

“Alright, then fill this out.”

August pulled out a document.

Gold took it hesitantly. It looked like a standard form, asking for basic personal information.

When nothing strange happened, he started to relax a little. While filling it out, he asked curiously, “Is this for claiming a prize or something?”

He’d heard that with official departments, you had to fill out paperwork before getting any rewards.

August waited until Gold had filled out most of the form and even signed his name. Then, smiling faintly, he said:

“More or less... It’s the application form for joining the International Police—as an auxiliary agent.”

“Wha... WHAT?!”

Gold, who had just handed the paper back, stared wide-eyed in shock.

Blue, watching from the side, was suddenly hit with some unpleasant memories of her own recruitment.

Sabrina looked at Gold with a glance full of pity.

Another poor soul tricked into service.

Though honestly... she still didn’t see what was so special about this one.

...

Professor Elm’s Laboratory

When August returned to the lab, Silver was just about to head out.

He blinked when he saw August.

Weren’t they supposed to split up?

Why was he back again... and with some miserable-looking guy trailing behind him?

Professor Elm was equally curious. “August, what’s going on here?”

“The Team Rocket grunts around the lab have been dealt with,” August said.

“Already... captured?”

Professor Elm was stunned. He glanced at the clock.

Not even half an hour had passed—was the International Police always this efficient?

“Well, we just got lucky,” August explained. “Ran into them right outside. They were chasing him.”

He nodded toward Gold, who still looked a little deflated.

“But I’m here for something else, actually—there’s a favor I’d like to ask of you.”

Though he was curious why the boy behind August looked so downcast, Professor Elm was clearly in a great mood after hearing Team Rocket had been apprehended.

“Sure, go ahead.”

“It’s like this...”

August explained that he wanted to award Gold with one of the remaining starters as a reward for assisting with the Rocket incident.

“Don’t worry,” he added, “Gold might seem reckless, but he’s a capable Trainer.”

“And as for the starter slot, I’ll talk to Lance and have the League cover it.”

Since August said so, Professor Elm had no objections.

He brought out the remaining two starters. “Gold, was it? Which one do you want?”

Seeing that this “reward” was real, Gold perked up immediately.

He looked left at Cyndaquil... right at Chikorita...

Then snatched up Cyndaquil’s Poké Ball.

“You’re the one!”

Poof!

With a flash of white light, Cyndaquil appeared in the lab.

“Looks pretty spirited…” Gold rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Aipom leaned in to get a closer look at the new partner.

FWOOOM—!

A burst of fire erupted from Cyndaquil’s back.

Gold jumped in surprise but quickly leaned back in with a grin. “That hair—looks just like mine! I’ll call you... Kaboomtarou!”

...

After leaving Professor Elm’s lab, August found a nearby café.

By then, Silver had already learned from his sister that Gold had also joined the International Police—well, sort of.

As Silver sized Gold up, Gold was also studying him in return.

While feeding an energy cube to Eevee, August looked over at Gold and said, “By the way, I was just teasing earlier. If you really don’t want to join, you don’t have to. We don’t force anyone—joining is totally voluntary.”

Gold’s eyes lit up. Just as he opened his mouth—

Sabrina: “Heh.”

Gold: “...”

He swallowed his words on the spot.

Feeling a little wronged, August sighed. “Don’t listen to her. I’m being serious.”

Did I ever force anyone?

Nope!

From Blue to Sabrina, Gary, Grimsley, Mewtwo, even Silver—every one of them joined willingly.

“Of course, if you don’t join... you won’t get access to any of our department’s benefits.”

Gold paused just as he’d mustered up the courage to decline. “What benefits?”

August started counting on his fingers: “High salary, paid leave, full reimbursement for meals and lodging, one-on-one training sessions with experienced veterans... Oh, and during our Johto operation, there’s a chance to meet DJ Mary from the Goldenrod Radio Station.”

That last one was August’s trump card.

As expected—Gold’s eyes lit up instantly. “For real?! I get to meet DJ Mary?!”

As her diehard fan, that was a temptation Gold couldn’t resist.

“Of course. I never lie,” August said with a smile. “If you don’t believe me, ask them.”

He looked toward Blue, Sabrina, and Silver.

Silver gave a sincere nod.

Blue and Sabrina... nodded too—albeit with the kind of dead-eyed guilt that made them feel they needed a shower afterward.

But Gold, seeing their reaction, was completely convinced.

At last, he made his decision.

“I’m in!”

“Excellent.” August looked truly pleased.

Once again, sincerity wins the day.

August called over Gengar, who popped up and opened his round belly like a four-dimensional pouch.

He handed Gold a communicator, a stash of energy cubes, a few gadgets crafted by Bill, and a full set of custom Apricorn Balls commissioned from Kurt.

“These are just some standard perks. You can request more when you run out.”

“Once we’re back, I’ll submit your info. Your first paycheck should arrive next month.”

Gold stared at the pile in front of him, eyes gleaming—it was clear he thought joining had been absolutely the right move.

“Boss August! What’s our mission?” Gold snapped into gear right away.

As of today, he was officially part of the League!

“Mission? The stuff I’m handling is too dangerous for you right now… Your strength still needs work. For now, just focus on getting stronger.” August turned to Silver. “Silver, you take him with you.”

Now that he had more people on board, August figured it was a good time to start implementing a two-person team system.

Two-person squads would make operations more manageable.

Gary and Blaine would be one team.
Gold and Silver, another.
Blue and Sabrina were getting along lately—perfect for pairing.

As for himself?

He’d stick with Mewtwo.

---

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!