August had no idea that simply subscribing to a fan membership had caused such an uproar.
He was busy reading Gary’s reply.
[Gary]: [Of course, it’s because I, the great and mighty Gary Oak, defeated Sabrina with my overwhelming strength and claimed my badge!]
August chuckled at the message.
If Gary had his badge now, it could only mean that Sabrina was getting ready to leave for the Seafoam Islands to capture Articuno.
Of course, August wasn’t about to tell him that.
Gary had suffered enough under Sabrina’s relentless beatdowns—he might as well let him enjoy this small victory.
So, he replied: [Congrats on defeating Sabrina! What’s your next plan?]
[Gary]: [I’m heading to Celadon City next to challenge Erika! Any advice?]
[Erika, huh? I know her well. I’ll put in a good word for you.]
In a Celadon City hotel, Gary’s face lit up when he saw August’s message.
He had talked big to August, acting all confident, but only he knew how painful those days of getting crushed by Sabrina had been.
If not for the mysterious “psychic tutor” that had helped him endure, he might not have made it.
Now, hearing that August had connections with Erika and was willing to help him out, Gary was thrilled.
Of course, in text, he tried to play it cool:
[Gary]: [That doesn’t seem right… wouldn’t that violate the League’s rules?]
[Don’t worry, Erika is one of our Kanto Division’s key partners. In fact, she recently spotted some Team Rocket activity in Celadon. Since you’re heading there anyway, why not take care of it while you’re at it?]
Erika had mentioned this issue before, but since the Rockets there were just small fry and well-hidden, August hadn’t bothered dealing with them himself.
But now? Perfect training material for Gary.
Meanwhile, Gary, upon learning Erika was an ally of their division, immediately relaxed.
[Gary]: [No problem! Just leave it to me—this is my chance to prove myself!]
Team Rocket? No way they’re scarier than Sabrina!
Fresh off his victory, Gary felt like nothing could stop him now.
Watching Gary’s enthusiasm, August couldn’t help but admire his resilience.
“Gary’s got almost as much fire as Ash…”
Maybe I should crank up the difficulty on him a bit more? August mused, before sending a few more words of encouragement and closing the chat.
Glancing over at Gardevoir’s usual reading spot, he noticed something.
At some point, Mew had joined Gardevoir, sitting beside her and reading a book with great interest.
Sensing August’s gaze, Mew glanced up at him—then immediately huffed and turned away.
Clearly, it was still holding a grudge over the Pokéblock incident.
August chuckled but didn’t push it.
After sending Erika a message to ask her to look after Gary, he was just about to continue watching videos when—
Riiing!
His phone rang.
Answering it, he heard a familiar voice.
“Saw that Koga didn’t escape your ‘poisonous hands’ either,” Sabrina remarked.
Koga’s arrest had been expected.
As a ninja, his strengths lay in stealth, ambush tactics, and poisons—striking quickly and retreating before retaliation.
But August had forced him into a direct battle, which was not his forte. The outcome was obvious.
“…Excuse me, what do you mean ‘poisonous hands’? I was executing justice!” August protested.
“Right, right, ‘justice,’” Sabrina replied flatly. Then, she dropped a bombshell.
“The final stage of the Mewtwo Project has begun.”
“…What?” August immediately straightened up. “How reliable is this intel?”
“I got it from Matori,” Sabrina said. “My psychic abilities tell me she wasn’t lying.”
“…Got it. Thanks for the info!”
This was perfectly timed.
He was about to go find Mewtwo anyway, and Sabrina’s intel confirmed now was the time to act.
“Hmph. Just don’t do anything weird to me again,” Sabrina muttered.
August: “…?”
What did I do now?
Why does everyone keep falsely accusing me?!
He felt deeply wronged.
But now wasn’t the time to argue—he had more pressing concerns.
“If the final stage has started, how long until Mewtwo is created?” August asked.
He needed an accurate timeframe to determine the optimal moment to act.
“Only Giovanni and Dr. Fuji know the exact schedule, but based on my intel, the earliest it can be completed is two weeks from now,” Sabrina replied.
“…That’s plenty of time.”
With Salamence’s flying speed, he could reach New Island in less than half a day.
That meant he had time for a detour—maybe head to Cinnabar Island, check in on Blaine, and enjoy the hot springs while he was at it.
“By the way,” August asked, “hasn’t Giovanni suspected me for Koga’s arrest?”
As a League examiner, August had just assessed the Celadon Gym, left Celadon for Fuchsia, and immediately after, Koga got arrested.
At first, when Koga was just detained, it made sense that Giovanni didn’t react yet.
But now that the news was official—if Team Rocket still hadn’t put two and two together, August would seriously question Giovanni’s intelligence.
“That’s my second piece of news,” Sabrina said. “Team Rocket’s strategy division has already identified several suspects. You’re one of their top suspects—an A-rank target.”
“They were bound to figure it out sooner or later.”
“Which means,” Sabrina continued, “you should expect Team Rocket to retaliate soon. Be careful.”
“…Wow, they really think highly of me,” August laughed, completely unbothered.
This was exactly as he expected.
“…You’re not worried at all?” Sabrina asked.
“Worrying won’t change anything,” August replied. “Besides, I’m the one making the first move.”
If anyone should be worried, it was Team Rocket.
Because he had all the cards.
Any one of them would be enough to ruin Giovanni’s entire operation.
Sabrina scoffed. “I just hope that when Giovanni captures you, you don’t sell me out.”
August waved it off. “No need to worry—I’m very tight-lipped.”
“Besides, that’s only if he can catch me.”
With Gardevoir and Mew, even if he was completely surrounded, he could teleport away whenever he wanted.
“…And one more thing—about your former colleagues that Lt. Surge captured…”
“What do you mean my former colleagues? They’re yours too,” August corrected. “Did you find where they’re being held?”
As unreliable as those agents were, they were still his seniors.
Rescuing them was necessary—if only to hand them over to Interpol later under the excuse of “security review.”
That way, whether the agency properly investigated them or just demoted them outright, it wouldn’t be his problem anymore.
Sabrina gave him an address.
When August heard it, he immediately cursed.
Of all places… Giovanni locked them up in his own Gym?!
And in Viridian City, which was right next to the League’s Indigo Plateau?
That’s some next-level arrogance.
Still, since they’d been captive this long, a few more days wouldn’t hurt.
“…They’ll live,” August muttered.
Sabrina could hear his indifference toward them.
“Well, that’s all I have,” she said.
“Actually, one more thing—are you sure you don’t want my help catching Articuno?” August asked. “Legendary Pokémon aren’t easy to deal with. Don’t come crying to me if you mess up.”
Sabrina almost thought he was being considerate—until she heard the last part.
“Hmph. I don’t need your help!” she snapped.
“Alright, alright. Just be careful.” August sighed.
Why does no one ever listen to good advice…?
After hanging up, August turned to Mew.
“How about a hot spring trip tomorrow?”
“Mew…?”
Mew hesitated for a long moment, torn between pride and temptation.
But in the end, it abandoned its dignity and chose the hot springs.
Since the final stage of the Mewtwo Project had begun, August didn’t plan to stay in Fuchsia City for too long.
As soon as Agatha arrived to take over as the temporary Gym Leader, August left the city with Blue and Mew.
Thanks to Salamence’s flight speed, it took them less than half a day to reach Cinnabar Island.
—
Cinnabar Island – The Volcanic Paradise
Cinnabar Island was built on the remains of an extinct volcano and was located in the southeastern part of the Pokémon League’s jurisdiction.
Thanks to its booming hot spring tourism industry, the entire island was bustling with life.
At the moment, it was peak tourist season.
The streets were crowded with travelers, vendors called out their wares, and the lively chatter of people filled the air.
As they strolled through the streets, August and Blue remained composed, but Mew—who rarely visited such lively places—was utterly fascinated.
Its round blue eyes darted around, taking in everything.
Then, it suddenly grabbed August’s arm and pointed excitedly at a street stall.
“Mew—!”
It was selling grilled rice cakes.
Mew looked at August, eyes full of expectation.
“Alright, I’ll buy it,” August said, waving his hand in agreement.
One for each of them.
A little while later, Mew spotted a mask stall.
Once again, it grabbed August’s arm, its eyes sparkling.
“You can literally shapeshift—what do you need a mask for?” August teased.
But even as he said that, he still bought Mew a Dragonite mask.
While he was at it, he also got an Gyarados mask for Eevee.
As they walked further, Mew kept getting drawn to different stalls—snacks, toys, accessories.
Every time, it would tug on August’s sleeve, and every time, August would give in and buy whatever it wanted.
By the time they reached the hot springs, Mew was happily carrying a whole bag of souvenirs.
August sighed.
“…At this point, you’re just using me as a walking wallet, huh?”
Mew, pretending not to hear him, hugged its Dragonite mask tighter.
—
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!
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