Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [193]

Seeing Ash and the others, August temporarily set aside his interrogation of the Eevee Brothers.

He smiled at Ash. “Long time no see.”

The last time they had met was during the Pewter Gym assessment. Thinking about it… it had already been nearly two months.

Time flies.

As for why he was here?

“I’m just handling a minor tax issue,” August said casually.

That nonchalant tone made the three older Eevee Brothers feel like they had been punched in the chest.

A fine that huge is just ‘a minor issue’ to him?!

But August ignored them completely and turned his attention to the Eevee in Misty’s arms. “You mentioned you were returning an Eevee?”

Misty gave August a long, searching look before handing the Eevee over.

At that moment, Mikey couldn’t hold back any longer. “That’s my Eevee!”

He ran over immediately.

“Mikey!”

His three older brothers called out, trying to stop him.

To them, August was more terrifying than the devil himself.

Rushing up to him like that…

But August’s reaction caught all of them off guard.

He simply knelt down, handed the Eevee to Mikey, and said gently, “If you raise it well, an Eevee doesn’t necessarily lose to its evolved forms.”

“Just don’t follow in your brothers’ footsteps.”

His kind expression was completely different from the cold, merciless enforcer he had been moments ago.

Mikey stared in a daze as August stood up and turned to the three older brothers.

“My people will remain here until the fines are fully paid.”

“This better be the last time. If I catch you again, it won’t just be a fine.”

Under August’s sharp gaze, the three of them nodded rapidly.

“And one more thing…”

His gaze finally settled on Pyro.

“The internet isn’t a lawless place, Mr. ‘Flareon is the Best in the World.’”

With that, he turned and left with Blue and Silver, calling out to Ash, “Wanna come along?”

Ash had been thinking about staying, but Brock and Misty quickly grabbed him and pulled him along.

Didn’t he see the storm brewing in the mansion?

Sticking around would get them beaten up.

Behind them, the auditors remained to collect the fines, while Pyro stood there, completely dumbfounded.

No matter how hard he racked his brain, he could never have guessed that he had been targeted because of a random online comment from months ago.

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With the matter in Stone Town settled…

Out in a grassy field outside the town, August playfully pinched Pikachu’s cheeks. Just before Pikachu exploded in anger, he swiftly handed it back to Ash.

Seeing Pikachu fuming but unable to retaliate, August chuckled. “From the looks of it, Ash, you’ve already won the Fuchsia Gym Badge?”

Following the usual route, Stone Town came after Fuchsia City. If Ash was here, he must have already defeated the Fuchsia Gym.

Hearing the question, Ash quickly forgot about everything else and proudly pulled out his newly earned Fuchsia Badge.

“Of course! This time, I won it all by myself! My opponent was none other than Elite Four Agatha!”

Brock and Misty simultaneously covered their faces.

Should we tell him?

If Agatha hadn’t gone easy on him, Ash wouldn’t stand a chance for at least another eight game versions.

August found it amusing but kept a straight face, feigning surprise. “Then how about a battle?”

It had been two days since he last had a proper match… his hands were getting itchy.

Especially since Gary, after learning his lesson, now refused to battle him no matter what August said.

Now that Ash was here…

He wanted to see if beating Ash again would unlock a new title.

Hearing the challenge, Blue and Silver both turned their heads away, unwilling to witness what was about to happen.

Silver, in particular, still vividly remembered the battle at Azalea Town.

Ash instinctively wanted to accept, but before he could even get the words out, Pikachu frantically grabbed his face and yanked it.

“Mmph… Pikachu, what are you doing?!”

“Pika-pi!”

No matter what Ash said, Pikachu refused to let go.

Hmph.

Ash might have the memory of a goldfish, but Pikachu remembered—it still had PTSD from getting smacked unconscious by August’s Eevee.

That was definitely not an opponent it could handle right now.

In the end, Ash couldn’t win against Pikachu’s insistence and gave August an apologetic look.

Just as August was feeling disappointed, Misty suddenly spoke up.

“I’ll battle you!”

Her words startled everyone—Ash, Brock, and even Pikachu.

August raised an eyebrow.

Misty’s expression was firm. “I want to apply for a gym reassessment right now!”

Ever since Cerulean Gym was shut down for reform, it had been a weight on her heart.

For the past two months, she had been wanting to find August for a reassessment, but she hadn’t been able to meet him.

Now that she had the chance, she wasn’t going to miss it.

Hearing her say this, everyone immediately understood—so that’s what this was about.

After all, the closure notice on Cerulean Gym hadn’t been lifted yet.

“Right now? Don’t you want more time to prepare?” August asked. “You still have a month left before the deadline. Besides, the League is in dire need of Gym Leaders right now. If you wait a bit longer, the League Council might just reinstate you without requiring an assessment.”

The initial crackdown on the Cerulean Sisters had been meant as a warning—to clean up the complacency among Kanto Gyms. It hadn’t been targeted at Misty personally.

Now that most of Kanto’s Gym issues had been addressed, August’s focus was shifting to the Johto region.

Kanto’s affairs weren’t as much of a priority anymore.

Hearing August’s words, Misty hesitated for a moment but quickly regained her determination. “I want to restore Cerulean Gym’s honor!”

If she got reinstated without a proper reassessment, people would just assume Cerulean Gym had bribed the League or pulled some strings.

She refused to let Cerulean Gym’s reputation be tainted.

Seeing her resolve, August more or less understood her mindset.

“…Alright then, if that’s what you want.”

He turned to Blue.

Understanding his intent, Blue pulled out a camera to record the match.

Then, August looked toward the referee. “Brock, you up for being the referee?”

“Of course.” Brock had no objections.

With the recording and referee sorted, the only thing left was the battlefield.

August glanced at the grassy field in front of them, considering his options.

Then, to everyone’s shock, he released Mewtwo.

Ash and the others had never seen Mewtwo before. When they pulled out their Pokédexes, the screen only displayed “Unknown Pokémon.”

Meanwhile, Blue couldn’t help but have a thought—

Wait… August isn’t seriously planning to use Mewtwo to test Misty, right…?

Does he have a grudge against Cerulean Gym or something?

First, he had taken down the Cerulean Sisters.

Now, he was bringing out Mewtwo…

Was he out for revenge on Cerulean Gym?!

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T/N: no wayyy what comment did bro even leave... WAIT ISNT IT LIKE THE FIRST CHAPTERS? DURING HIS FIRST MONTH AS INTERPOL? TAHTAS WILD

also rip misty

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!