“Rapidash!”
Seeing his Rapidash get sent flying, Blaine thought he was imagining things.
Based on what he had observed earlier, Gyarados’ [Hydro Pump] wasn’t that strong.
Even in the worst-case scenario, Rapidash shouldn’t have been beaten this badly.
His gaze shifted to Gyarados.
At that moment, a glint of cunning—almost human-like—flashed through Gyarados’ eyes as it opened its mouth and unleashed a [Hydro Pump] far more powerful than before!
Blaine immediately understood—Gyarados had been faking weakness earlier.
“Rapidash, dodge!”
Already badly injured from [Aqua Tail], Rapidash wouldn’t survive a direct hit from [Hydro Pump].
Despite its injuries, Rapidash forced itself to stand and tried to evade.
But this time, Gyarados showed none of its earlier clumsiness. It expertly controlled its attack, leaving Rapidash with no way out.
Watching it unfold, Blaine finally confirmed—this Gyarados was not only strong but deviously cunning.
I thought Magikarp’s brain cells deteriorated after evolving into Gyarados, making them more violent…?
In all his years as a Gym Leader, this was the first time he had encountered such a crafty Gyarados.
Blaine poured his full focus into commanding Rapidash, attempting a last-ditch counterattack.
But Gyarados had already seized complete control of the battle. It refused to give Rapidash a single opening.
Seeing this, August finally spoke for the first time since the battle began.
“Let’s end this. Gyarados, use [Brine].”
Compared to the difficult-to-aim [Hydro Pump], [Brine] was more accurate and doubled in power against an already injured opponent—making it the perfect choice here.
Hearing the command, Gyarados perked up.
After a brief charge, it fired a concentrated blast of water—not as large as [Hydro Pump] but far more potent.
The attack was swift.
Rapidash, still caught in the rhythm of the previous exchanges, had no time to react.
The high-pressure [Brine] slammed into its body, and the combination of the super-effective Water attack and the salty sting seeping into its open wounds made Rapidash’s expression contort in pain.
Getting salt rubbed into your wounds… anyone who’s experienced it knows how unbearable it is.
Rapidash’s willpower simply wasn’t strong enough to endure it.
Its legs buckled, and with a final, exhausted tremble, it collapsed.
“Rapidash is unable to battle!” the referee announced.
Blaine recalled his fallen Pokémon and let out a sigh.
“As expected of an examiner—your strength is no joke. No wonder the League entrusted you with this assessment. At this rate, you’re sure to become one of Kanto’s Elite Four in the future.”
August smiled. “Flattering me won’t make me go easy on you.”
Blaine: “…”
So much for trying to smooth things over.
He hadn’t expected August to be completely unfazed by flattery.
Still, as long as August remained unaware of his past involvement with Team Rocket, he might be able to get through this assessment without trouble.
With that in mind, Blaine sent out his second Pokémon.
“Your turn, Arcanine!”
As the Poké Ball opened, a massive Arcanine—towering at nearly two meters—landed on the battlefield.
The moment it appeared, Arcanine locked its gaze onto Gyarados.
Its paws pressed firmly against the ground as it paced slowly, studying its opponent for weaknesses.
Being stared down like that made Gyarados incredibly uncomfortable.
“ROAR!”
It let out a deafening bellow, officially kicking off the next round of battle.
Having observed the previous fight, Blaine had a solid grasp of August’s Gyarados by now.
Cunning.
That was the word that best described it.
And so, this time, Blaine wouldn’t give it the chance to pull any tricks.
“[Extreme Speed]!”
At his command, Arcanine became a blur—closing the distance in an instant as it lunged at Gyarados with a powerful strike.
Gyarados barely had time to register the attack.
Realizing it couldn’t dodge, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes. Instead of evading, it met the incoming attack head-on.
Arcanine’s claws slammed into Gyarados’ armored scales, producing a deep, resonant thud.
Crack!
A faint sound of something fracturing echoed as cracks appeared in Gyarados’ red scales.
Its body trembled slightly, but rather than retreat, it suddenly unleashed a massive surge of water—
[Waterfall]
The force of the attack propelled Gyarados forward like a tidal wave, slamming into Arcanine.
“Awoo—!”
Arcanine yelped in pain as it was sent flying, its paws digging deep trenches into the ground in an effort to stop.
The sheer force of [Waterfall] was terrifying.
The first exchange was over.
Gyarados had taken a direct hit from [Extreme Speed], while Arcanine had been struck by [Waterfall].
Based on their current condition, Gyarados’ type advantage put it slightly ahead.
Both Pokémon locked eyes, recognizing each other as worthy opponents.
At the same time, Blaine carefully studied August.
He had noticed that, despite August’s seemingly relaxed demeanor, every command he gave had a decisive impact on the battle.
But what Blaine didn’t realize was that August wasn’t focused entirely on the fight.
He was telepathically chatting with the invisible Mew beside him.
“Did you notice Blaine’s arm?” August asked.
“He implanted Mewtwo’s cells into himself. The familiar energy you sensed was coming from there.”
“Mew!”
“You felt the active energy waves under his bandages? Yeah… that confirms it. Team Rocket has already entered the final phase of the Mewtwo Project. Mewtwo is about to be born. The cells in his arm are reacting because of that.”
“Mew~!”
“You think you can use that energy to pinpoint Mewtwo’s location? That could be useful, but let’s hold off for now…”
“Mew!” Mew protested, clearly impatient.
“I know you’re eager, but don’t rush it. Team Rocket has probably fortified New Island’s defenses by now. Giovanni himself might even be there. Charging in recklessly would be suicide.”
August reassured Mew, “Once I’ve made the necessary preparations, we’ll go find Mewtwo together.”
“But don’t get your hopes up too much. Even if we meet it…”
“There’s no guarantee Mewtwo will recognize you as its mother.”
“Mew?!”
Hearing that, Mew clenched its tiny fists.
“I’m not its mother! I’m just its fellow Pokémon!”
August sighed dramatically. “If you’d just accept the role, maybe Mewtwo wouldn’t have to go through an existential crisis.”
Mewtwo: “What is the meaning of my existence…?”
August: “Go ask your mom.”
Despite August’s ongoing telepathic conversation with Mew, the battle continued without interruption.
Gyarados, having fully evolved, had inherited Magikarp’s impressive intelligence. In practical terms, this meant August hardly needed to give it commands—it could handle the fight on its own.
[Hydro Pump] and [Fire Blast] collided, generating a thick cloud of steam that enveloped the entire ceiling of the gym.
The hazy light filtering through the mist gave the battlefield a dreamlike atmosphere.
On either side of the field, both Gyarados and Arcanine were exhausted.
Blaine’s Arcanine was high-leveled, and despite Gyarados’ type advantage, it had already endured a grueling fight earlier. It hadn’t been able to gain much ground.
Arcanine, for its part, also found Gyarados to be an incredibly difficult opponent.
The ability to fly was a massive advantage in real battles—far beyond what could be described simply as a “Flying-type trait.”
Thanks to its aerial mobility, Gyarados had managed to evade countless attacks that should have been guaranteed hits.
Both Pokémon were aware that their stamina was running low.
They locked eyes, coming to the same conclusion.
One final attack to decide the match.
With this silent agreement, they both began charging up their respective moves.
Arcanine’s body erupted into roaring flames, its massive form transforming into a blazing inferno. The intense heat drove away the surrounding mist.
Meanwhile, water swirled violently around Gyarados’ tail, creating a rising torrent.
A single droplet of condensed steam dripped from the ceiling.
At that precise moment, both Pokémon surged forward.
Blaine, fully immersed in the moment, shouted, “Burn, incinerate! [Flare Blitz]!”
Fueled by his determination, Arcanine’s fiery aura burned even brighter.
And then—
BANG!
A heavy impact.
Sparks flew.
But Arcanine didn’t react with either triumph or despair.
Instead, it stared in utter shock at what had just happened.
Right in front of it, a translucent blue barrier had materialized, completely absorbing its [Flare Blitz].
A perfectly timed [Protect].
And behind the fading shield, Gyarados’ once-determined, battle-hardened expression was replaced by something far more sinister—an unmistakably cunning smirk.
Blaine stood frozen, unable to process the moment.
“…I actually fell for it twice?!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Gyarados shattered its own protective barrier and lashed out.
The [Aqua Tail] it had been secretly charging slammed directly into Arcanine’s side.
“Argh—!”
With a pained yelp, Arcanine’s body was sent flying.
Its eyes reflected sheer unwillingness—
But ultimately, it collapsed, completely unable to continue.
The referee hesitated for a moment before hastily raising the flag. “Arcanine is unable to battle! Gyarados wins again!”
And at that very moment, August was still casually chatting with Mew.
…
August patted Gyarados, smiling. “You did great!”
At the same time, he activated his [Viridian Power], channeling its healing energy to mend Gyarados’ injuries.
The worst wound was from Arcanine’s [Extreme Speed]—a direct hit that had cracked its armor-like scales.
As the greenish energy flowed through Gyarados, its expression visibly relaxed.
The damage it had sustained rapidly faded.
In mere moments, Gyarados went from battle-worn warrior to looking as if it had just come out of its Poké Ball fresh and unscathed.
On the other side of the battlefield, Blaine stared at the scene, his face full of question marks.
He had sacrificed two of his Pokémon just to damage Gyarados—
And now August had completely undone that in a matter of minutes?
Sensing Blaine’s bewilderment, August chuckled. “It’s my special ability. I can heal Pokémon.”
Of course, Blaine knew it was a special ability.
But the problem was—he had spent two entire rounds chipping away at Gyarados’ stamina, and August had erased all of it in a blink.
How am I supposed to win this?!
He might as well surrender now.
Perhaps noticing Blaine’s inner turmoil, August reassured him, “Don’t worry. Since I used my special abilities during battle, we’ll count Gyarados as knocked out.”
Even after hearing this, Blaine couldn’t find it in himself to feel relieved.
Even without Gyarados, August still had two other Pokémon left.
Could he really pass this assessment at this rate?
Taking a deep breath, Blaine made his decision.
He reached for the Poké Ball on his belt, preparing to send out his ace.
As he tossed it into the air, a brilliant white light flashed, and the moment the Pokémon appeared, both August and Blue felt the entire battlefield heat up.
Drip…
From within the glow, a droplet of molten lava fell to the ground.
Hiss—!
The lingering moisture from Gyarados’ previous attacks instantly evaporated upon contact.
As the light dissipated, August and Blue finally saw Blaine’s choice.
“Magmortar?”
Standing before them was an unmistakably odd-looking Magmortar.
Its body was wrapped in roaring flames, the sheer intensity distorting the air around it.
Droplets of molten lava dripped from its arms, sizzling upon impact with the ground.
“Magmortar?” August studied the Pokémon with curiosity, noting its almost freshly bathed in magma appearance.
What kind of Poké Ball does Blaine even use to contain that level of heat…?
His curiosity aside, August quickly refocused on the battle.
This was the third and final round.
It was about time he addressed something important.
After a moment of thought, August glanced at the still-distracted Mew beside him.
He had been considering throwing Mew into the battle—just to give Blaine a little shock.
But before he could act—
BOOM!
A violent explosion erupted from one of the gym’s walls.
A rough voice came from the now-gaping hole.
“Blaine! You actually had the nerve to reopen your gym?! Guess you really don’t give a damn about us!”
—
T/N: NO WAY HES ABOUT TO BE EXPOSED LMAOO
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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