Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [183]

The moment Pryce turned to look in his direction, August knew that he had been discovered.

He was astonished by Pryce’s keen perception.

Instinctively, August was about to order Mewtwo to attack but suddenly stopped himself.

Wait. What was he getting so worked up about?

His disguise was still intact, and right now, Pryce was a Gym Trainer, not a Masked Man. They were both part of the Pokémon League—shouldn’t they be working together against Team Rocket?

With that thought, August shifted his approach and spoke telepathically:
"Mewtwo, Gardevoir, stay on guard and protect me."

After giving the order, August touched his face, altering his appearance to that of a random passerby he had seen before. Straightening his clothes, he stepped forward and shouted, "Pryce, watch out!"

Then, he tossed out a Poké Ball.

"Pidgeot, use [Quick Attack]!"

His recently evolved Pidgeot finally had its chance to shine. Spreading its wings, it turned into a blur, diving toward one of the Team Rocket members.

Pryce: “.....”

You shouted so dramatically—I thought you were actually going to help me.

As the Raticate lunged toward him, Pryce hesitated for a moment before deciding against using his Delibird. Instead, he raised his cane and blocked the attack.

Then, he recalled his Swinub, which had been about to attack Petrel, and used it to slam Raticate away. As a parting gift, he followed up with an [Icy Wind], freezing the Raticate solid.

Petrel's face darkened. He hadn't expected his carefully planned ambush to be thwarted so easily.

On instinct, he blamed the sudden appearance of this stranger. If that guy hadn’t warned Pryce, he might have already taken him out!

Under Petrel’s hostile gaze, August raised an eyebrow.

Seriously? Pryce’s the one who froze your Raticate—why are you glaring at me?

But Pryce wasn’t done yet. After freezing Raticate, he immediately pressed the attack on Team Rocket.

His cane tapped the ground in rapid succession, relaying his command. Swinub took a deep breath.

Its body swelled slightly, cheeks puffing out. Through his [Aura], August could clearly sense the buildup of Ice-type energy within it.

Petrel’s expression changed the moment he saw this. Without hesitation, he ordered his Weezing to shield him.

The next second—

Whoosh!

A fierce [Blizzard] erupted from Swinub’s mouth, sweeping toward Team Rocket.

Everything in its path was instantly frozen.

The luckier grunts managed to use their Pokémon as shields, barely surviving the onslaught. The less fortunate ones found themselves covered in a thick layer of ice.

Well… given the kind of endurance people have in the Pokémon world, they should be fine… probably.

Petrel was among the lucky ones—only his Weezing got frozen.

Just as Pryce was about to seize the opportunity to capture Petrel—

Petrel, without a second’s hesitation, threw out a huge pile of Poké Balls.

A horde of Koffing burst out, releasing thick clouds of black smoke the moment they appeared.

As the smokescreen billowed, Petrel made his escape without looking back, abandoning his subordinates entirely.

By the time the smoke had started to clear, the remaining Team Rocket grunts finally realized what had happened. In a panic, they scrambled to flee after their leader.

But it was too late. Pryce’s Swinub released a fine powder of snow, freezing several grunts' feet to the ground. Meanwhile, August wasn’t idle either—he directed Pidgeot to restrain a few more.

Most of the Team Rocket members were successfully captured, but the most crucial target—Petrel—had already vanished.

August clicked his tongue in admiration. No wonder he managed to escape from Pryce with Ariana before—this guy really knows how to run.

He had been tracking Petrel with his [Aura] the entire time. In the midst of the smokescreen, Petrel had changed disguises four times, finally blending in as an inconspicuous grunt and slipping away unnoticed.

As for why August hadn’t stopped him—

Besides the fact that exposing Gardevoir and Mewtwo would compromise his disguise,

He also had bigger plans.

The Four Admins were excellent tools for dealing with the Masked Army. Why would he help Pryce eliminate such a useful "ally" of his?

Of course, outwardly, August put on a regretful expression. "Damn… he got away. What a shame."

"....."

Pryce remained silent.

The reason he was here in the first place was to eliminate Petrel.

Ever since Petrel and Ariana had ruined his plans last time, he had been looking for an opportunity to get rid of them.

But they had remained holed up in Team Rocket's base, never giving him a chance to act.

This time, he had finally forced Petrel and his men into this remote forest with no witnesses—just for this moment.

Originally, he had planned to use Delibird to block Raticate’s attack and have Swinub finish Petrel off.

But this stranger had barged in and completely disrupted his plan.

Because Delibird couldn’t be exposed, Swinub had been forced to defend, and the best opportunity to take down Petrel was lost.

Annoyed by August’s meddling, Pryce debated whether or not to reveal his identity.

But something in his gut told him not to.

It was just Petrel—there would be other chances. No need to act rashly.

On the surface, however, Pryce maintained a polite smile. "I have to thank you for your warning. If not for you, I might have been in danger just now. May I ask your name?"

"My name is Hayato. I’ve long admired you, Pryce."

August used the same alias he had borrowed from Team Rocket back on Mt. Moon. "You're too kind—fighting Team Rocket is everyone's duty. Even without me, as the Gym Leader of Mahogany Town, you would have easily handled the situation."

"In fact, I might have actually interfered with your capture of Team Rocket."

Pryce: "....."

Oh, so you’re aware of that?!

But since Petrel had already escaped, there was no point in dwelling on it.

Pryce put on a warm smile.

Aging sharpens one's wits—in terms of acting skills, Pryce was even better than Giovanni.

Just as August and Pryce were exchanging pleasantries, the captured prosecutor finally regained consciousness.

He instinctively scanned his surroundings, eyes filled with wariness.

Seeing the unconscious Team Rocket members strewn across the ground, he froze in shock.

What… happened while I was unconscious?

Wasn’t I captured by Team Rocket? Why are they the ones knocked out now?

"This esteemed prosecutor, you should be thanking Gym Leader Pryce—it was he who took care of Team Rocket." August smiled.

Pryce was about to make a modest remark when August added, "Even one of Team Rocket’s Four Generals, Petrel, wasn’t his match. He nearly caught him too!"

As he spoke, he gestured with his fingers—just a tiny bit apart—to emphasize "nearly."

Pryce: "....."

Can you not bring that up?!

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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!