Hearing the guard’s question, Blue’s lips twitched as she fought back laughter.
She turned to glance at August—who, to her complete lack of surprise, looked absolutely serious.
“The requirements? Of course, there are requirements.”
With the two guards staring at him expectantly, August began counting on his fingers.
“First, strength—you need to be at least on par with the organization’s elite units.”
“Second, unwavering dedication—you must carry out every mission without complaint and follow orders from superiors without question.”
“Third, discretion—Team Rocket recently lost both Lt. Surge and Koga to the League. Admin Sabrina is extremely cautious now, so confidentiality is paramount.”
“And fourth… absolute loyalty to Team Rocket.”
Watching August spout nonsense with a completely straight face while the two guards nodded earnestly, Blue didn’t know whether to laugh or admire his audacity.
She had always thought she had a solid poker face, capable of keeping her cool even when infiltrating a heavily guarded Team Rocket base.
But August?
He was operating on a completely different level.
Even Blaine, who was supposed to be playing the role of a captured scientist, looked dazed by what he was witnessing.
And just when August was patting his chest, promising to recommend these “outstanding candidates” to Admin Sabrina—
The office door swung open.
Matori stood there, staring at them with an expression full of question marks.
She frowned. “What are you all doing?”
The two guards, who had been ready to swear allegiance to Sabrina’s division, immediately stiffened at the sound of her voice. Their relaxed expressions vanished as they stood rigidly at attention.
August, on the other hand, remained completely unfazed. He turned to Matori and saluted.
“Senior Executive Matori, we were discussing ways to better serve Team Rocket.”
Matori narrowed her eyes.
Yeah, right.
In her experience, “discussing loyalty” was just code for goofing off.
But since these were Sabrina’s subordinates, she didn’t reprimand them. Instead, she simply said coldly—
“Bring Blaine inside.”
Then, without another word, she turned and walked back into the office.
August, unaffected by Matori’s dismissiveness, casually flashed the two guards an “OK” gesture before motioning for Blue to stay behind.
Then, he grabbed Blaine and followed her in.
The moment August stepped in, he immediately noted the minimalist yet efficient layout.
A massive screen occupied one side of the wall, displaying multiple segmented windows with various data feeds.
Apart from the carpet and the desk, there were no unnecessary decorations.
Three people were already inside—
Giovanni, leaning back in his chair.
Matori, standing at his side.
And Sabrina, who had turned to glance at him.
To be honest, Sabrina was nervous.
Not because she was worried that Giovanni would see through August’s disguise.
She had personally tested his transformation—there were no flaws. And since August was merely playing the role of her subordinate, there was no reason for Giovanni to scrutinize him too closely.
But…
She was afraid August would do something stupid.
Though she had only been part of the Kanto Division for a short time, she had already developed a deep understanding of August’s personality.
And that personality?
Loved causing trouble.
“Don’t do anything unnecessary.”
She sent a telepathic warning.
August, insulted by the lack of trust, responded immediately—
“I’m your superior, not the other way around! And do I look like someone who can’t tell when to hold back?!”
He had been a dedicated League operative for years, always executing his missions flawlessly.
Just ask Lance, or Bruno, or Agatha!
…Maybe don’t ask Kaiser.
“Relax, I’m a pro. I’ll blend in so well that I’ll be more Team Rocket than Team Rocket itself.”
That last statement made Sabrina’s stomach drop.
Because, based on her experience, whenever August claimed to be “reliable,” it usually meant he was about to do something reckless.
“August, I swear if you—”
Before she could finish, August shoved Blaine forward.
“Hurry up, old man! You think Boss Giovanni has time to wait for you?”
Sabrina went completely numb.
Blaine: “…..”
Matori: “……”
Even Giovanni paused for a split second.
Meanwhile, Sabrina, watching Giovanni’s expression shift, felt her heart about to leap out of her chest.
But instead of questioning August’s behavior, Giovanni merely looked surprised.
It had been a long time since he’d seen a subordinate with this much of a proper Team Rocket attitude.
It actually reminded him of his early days leading the organization.
After a brief glance at August, Giovanni turned his attention to Blaine.
“Blaine. It’s been a while.”
Hearing that, both Sabrina and Blaine felt a wave of relief.
Sabrina, meanwhile, was internally screaming.
Blaine, getting back into character, adjusted his expression and responded as rehearsed—
“If you want me to continue serving Team Rocket, you can forget it.”
Giovanni barely reacted. He had expected as much.
From what he knew of Blaine, the scientist wouldn’t have defected unless he was absolutely certain about his decision.
And if he had already made up his mind, then persuading him to return was pointless.
“I’m curious,” Giovanni mused. “What made you decide to betray Team Rocket?”
In all his years running the organization, Blaine was the first core scientist to ever defect.
That alone made Giovanni want to understand his reasoning.
Blaine instinctively touched his arm, where the Mewtwo cells had invaded his body.
After a brief pause, he answered honestly—
“Ever since those cells entered my body, I’ve been forced to reflect on my past actions.”
“In my younger years, I was so obsessed with scientific breakthroughs and the pursuit of ‘truth’ that I ignored the harm I caused to innocent Pokémon. Leaving Team Rocket… was my way of making sure I didn’t continue down that path.”
Giovanni’s expression darkened with disappointment.
“That’s it? That’s your reason?” He shook his head. “How boring. I expected something far more… significant.”
He had thought maybe Blaine had been bribed by the League, or perhaps he had uncovered something truly shocking.
But to defect over something so trivial?
It was laughable.
Blaine hesitated before adding, “There’s also Mewtwo.”
“Mewtwo is too dangerous. I had hoped my departure would delay its completion—”
“Your absence changed nothing.”
Giovanni cut him off and pressed a button on his desk.
Immediately, the massive screen behind him flickered—
Displaying a live feed of Mewtwo.
Inside its tank, the Pokémon was curled up, arms wrapped around its knees, like a slumbering infant.
Even through the screen, one could feel the overwhelming power radiating from it.
“Mewtwo is far too dangerous, Giovanni. You won’t be able to control it.”
Blaine delivered the line exactly as August had scripted it.
Giovanni scoffed. “Then watch closely. I will show you exactly how I will control Mewtwo.”
With that, he turned away, casually waving his hand.
August immediately understood the cue.
Grabbing Blaine’s shoulder, he sneered—
“You heard the boss, old man. You’re useless now! Time for you to rot in the organization’s prison.”
At those words, Giovanni’s fingers tensed slightly.
Sabrina, meanwhile, felt a giant question mark pop up in her head.
Why was he so good at this?
Just how much experience did he have playing a Team Rocket executive?!
As August stepped out of Giovanni’s office with Blaine in tow, the two Rocket guards standing watch immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
Even though they had only heard his voice through the door, August had been so loud that they caught every word.
As Rocket elites, they despised traitors like Blaine. They couldn’t openly act against him because of Giovanni’s orders, but August? He had the guts to insult Blaine right in front of the boss!
A true role model!
Before, when August had claimed to be fiercely loyal to Team Rocket, they had assumed it was just talk.
But now?
They believed every word.
Faced with their looks of admiration, August simply waved his hand humbly.
However, before he could say anything, the two guards suddenly straightened their backs.
Footsteps echoed behind him.
August turned and saw Sabrina approaching, followed by Matori.
Sabrina remained expressionless as she said, “Senior Executive Matori has something to tell you.”
Then, she stepped aside, making room for Matori to step forward.
August raised an eyebrow in curiosity as Matori scrutinized him with a slight frown.
“Boss Giovanni is quite impressed with you,” she said. “Effective immediately, you are no longer under Admin Sabrina’s command. You’ve been promoted to Squad Captain of Team Rocket.”
The two guards standing nearby were stunned.
He got promoted just by meeting the boss once?!
What kind of ridiculous luck was this?!
Even though Squad Captain was the lowest rank among Rocket executives, it was still a major leap from a regular grunt!
August himself was briefly caught off guard.
Wait… what?
He had only made a few offhanded remarks to sound more like a true Rocket member… and that alone got him promoted?!
Wasn’t that a bit too hasty?!
Seeing his blank expression, Matori’s frown deepened. “Are you refusing the promotion?”
August snapped back to reality and quickly responded, “Of course not! I’m honored!”
Even though his Rocket identity was fake, the fact that he had been promoted meant his acting skills had been recognized.
As expected—true talent shines anywhere.
Matori nodded in satisfaction before turning to Sabrina. “Since he was originally your subordinate, I’ll leave it to you to handle his paperwork. I have other matters to attend to.”
Sabrina nodded. “Leave it to me.”
As Matori disappeared back into the office, Sabrina turned to August with a bright smile.
“Let’s go.”
Then, she cheerfully walked ahead.
Behind her, Blue—who had been listening to everything—looked completely baffled.
With Blaine still in tow, she followed after them, leaving behind the two deeply envious Rocket guards at the door.
Since Blaine had been a high-ranking Rocket scientist, and because he had wiped out the squad sent to capture him, Giovanni had decided to soften his punishment.
Instead of locking him in the standard Rocket prison, he was placed under house arrest in a private room.
Before leaving, August discreetly handed him a communicator and Poké Balls, instructing him to wait for their signal.
Blue, meanwhile, stayed behind under the guise of “guarding” him.
With everything in place, August followed Sabrina toward the Human Resources Department.
“Sabrina, what the hell just happened?”
As they walked, August sent her a telepathic message.
Everything had seemed normal when he left the office—so how did he suddenly end up with a promotion?!
“t’s simple.”
Sabrina replied nonchalantly.
“With Koga and Lt. Surge captured, and the Masked Army causing serious losses in Johto, Team Rocket is short on manpower. Giovanni must have been impressed by your ‘performance’ earlier. After you left, he asked about your strength—then decided to promote you on the spot.”
August rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
“…Is my charisma really that strong?”
This identity had barely met Giovanni, and yet he had already been promoted.
If he had actually joined Team Rocket from the start instead of the League, wouldn’t he be the organization’s second-in-command by now?!
Sabrina: “…”
She had long since grown numb to August’s shameless confidence.
At this point, she just hoped he wouldn’t pull any more heart attack-inducing stunts.
…
Arriving at New Island’s HR Department, Sabrina retrieved a registration form and handed it to August with her [Psychic] powers, along with a pen.
“Fill out your ‘details’—name, age, Pokémon, specialties.”
August studied the form for a moment.
Then, the corners of his lips curled up as he began writing—
[Name: Silver]
[Age: 14]
[Pokémon: Sneasel]
[Specialties: Theft, Pokémon trade evolution]
Once he finished, he placed the form into an envelope and handed it to the Rocket staff member responsible for records.
Since it was Sabrina submitting the form, and this was mostly a formality, the staff member didn’t even bother verifying the information before filing it away.
The moment the file was placed into Team Rocket’s archive—
A system notification echoed in August’s mind.
[You have infiltrated the heavily guarded Team Rocket base under a false identity. After meeting Giovanni, your ‘exceptionally Rocket-like behavior’ earned his favor, resulting in your promotion to Squad Captain.]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the title: ‘Double Life’!]
Pen still in hand, August blinked.
…Double Life?
Why do I have a ‘double life’?!
This whole Team Rocket executive thing was just an act!
He had always been loyal to the League!
His heart had only ever belonged to one side!
This was slander! Absolute slander!
Even as he raged internally at the system’s baseless accusations, his hands instinctively moved to check the reward that came with the title.
—
T/N: S-S-SECOND IN COMMAND?
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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