Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [173]

Hearing Blue’s words, August smacked his forehead. “Almost forgot.”

Because of the whole Team Rocket situation, Sabrina had left the management of the gym to her family for the past couple of days. Now that they were returning to Saffron City, she naturally had to check in on the gym.

“What a shame. I was hoping to have Sabrina help interrogate Matori…” August said regretfully.

With Sabrina also being a former Team Rocket executive, her involvement in the interrogation would have made things much easier.

Besides, August still hadn’t forgotten how she falsely accused him before. He originally wanted her to witness the entire process and prove his innocence…

For now, he set aside the matter of interrogating Matori. He could wait until Sabrina was back.

August turned his attention to the system reward he had yet to claim.

[Mewtwo Cell (Implantable]

He had already made up his mind before, so there was no hesitation.

Still, despite his confidence, Mewtwo’s cells were undeniably dangerous. He had to take proper precautions.

Under Blue’s puzzled gaze, August put on several layers of protective gear, then called Gardevoir over for additional protection before stepping into the laboratory.

Well, let’s choose it.

A flash of white light later, the [Mewtwo Cell] materialized on the lab’s experiment table.

However, what August saw was quite different from what he had imagined.

He had expected something like the grotesque, unsettling implant that Blaine had.

But he realized he had misjudged the system.

The implant before him was just a thin sticker.

It looked almost like the temporary tattoos that came with bubble gum when he was a kid—except it was about half the size of his palm.

“Gardevoir, do you sense any danger from this thing?” August asked his Pokémon.

Even though he trusted the system, he still wanted to be extra cautious and have Gardevoir check it over.

“Garde~”

Gardevoir’s eyes glowed blue as it scanned the implant several times with its psychic energy. After a few moments, it shook its head, indicating that there was no issue.

August nodded.

He knew he was probably being overly cautious. Even if something did go wrong—if the implant took over his body like it did with Blaine—it wouldn’t be anything a trip to Mew couldn’t fix.

But still, being careful never hurt anyone.

Caution was what had kept him alive this long.

Carefully removing his gloves, August picked up the implant and placed it on the skin of his hand.

The moment it made contact, the implant activated.

Its surface rippled like a ferrofluid, forming tiny spikes before quickly merging into August’s skin. A glowing, faintly purple eye symbol appeared on the back of his hand.

A surge of power flooded into his body, instantly making him feel more energized.

At the same time, August became aware of another presence.

Following his instincts, he walked out of the laboratory and into the living room—where he found Mewtwo standing there, staring at him with a strange expression.

“August…?”

From Mewtwo’s expression, it was clear that even it was somewhat confused.

It wasn’t as though they hadn’t established a mental link before, but this felt completely different from those previous experiences.

Mewtwo couldn’t quite describe the sensation…

If it had to compare, then August now felt strangely similar to its “mother,” Mew.

Could its earlier suspicions actually be true?

Mewtwo’s expression turned unreadable.

August had no idea what Mewtwo was thinking. He only felt a strange connection form between them.

It was a peculiar sensation.

But what he cared about more was what kind of advantages the implant could provide in battle.

“Come on, Mewtwo. Let’s go to the training field!”

…

After half an hour of testing, August had discovered several abilities granted by the implant.

First, it enhanced his physical capabilities.

Unlike Blaine’s [Mewtwo Cells], which deteriorated his body, this implant seemed to have its invasive properties restricted. Instead of harming August, it actually strengthened his physique.

He could even use simple psychic abilities with the arm that had the implant.

This alone made up for one of his biggest weaknesses, significantly improving his survival chances in future high-intensity battles.

The second major effect was the resonance between him and Mewtwo.

The most direct result of this was that he could now perform [Mega Evolution].

“Mewtwo!”

Hearing August’s call, Mewtwo, holding the [Mega Stone], gave a slight nod.

As August brushed his fingers over the [Key Stone], Mewtwo was enveloped in a radiant glow of purple and pink light!

A few seconds later—

The light faded, revealing a newly transformed Mewtwo.

Compared to its original form, this one was smaller and bore a resemblance to Mew, except its tail had morphed into a long, head-like appendage.

Mega Mewtwo Y had appeared on the training field.

Floating in midair, Mewtwo examined its new form, its expression filled with curiosity.

“Try your strength,” August said, pointing to a nearby metal target.

These were high-durability metal targets he had specially ordered from Silph Co., mainly for testing Salamence and Gyarados’ moves.

Mewtwo’s eyes gleamed with blue light. With just a faint application of its psychic energy, the metal targets crumpled into twisted heaps of scrap.

August continued, “Now try using a move.”

Mewtwo nodded.

With a flick of its hand, a [Psycho Cut] carved a deep, ten-meter-long crack into the training ground.

“Amazing…” Blue murmured in awe.

Back on New Island, she had only indirectly witnessed the destruction caused by Mewtwo and Giovanni. She had never actually seen Mewtwo in action.

But now, seeing its sheer power firsthand, Blue felt like it might actually stand a chance against the Masked Man.

A glimmer of hope for revenge surfaced in her heart, putting her in a good mood.

Meanwhile, Gardevoir, standing beside August, felt a growing sense of crisis…

From the moment she had started traveling with August, she had always been his strongest companion.

But now, she felt like her position as his most powerful ally was being threatened.

Gardevoir’s gaze turned serious.

August didn’t notice the shift in her expression.

Although Mewtwo hadn’t yet reached the level described in the Pokédex—where “a mere thought could turn skyscrapers to dust”—its current strength was more than sufficient.

However, because Mewtwo was still newly born and its genes weren’t fully stabilized, its [Mega Evolution] couldn’t be maintained for long.

Soon, it reverted back to its original form.

Now back in its normal state, Mewtwo was slightly out of breath.

Seeing this, August noted on his tablet: “Mega Evolution puts a significant strain on the body.”

“It should improve once your genes stabilize a bit more,” August reassured Mewtwo.

After all, Mewtwo had only been born for about a week. The fact that it had already achieved this level of power was impressive.

Mewtwo nodded.

It looked down at its hands, still immersed in the sensation from earlier.

A tinge of regret surfaced in Mewtwo’s heart.

If it had possessed this kind of power back on New Island, it wouldn’t have been overpowered by Giovanni’s Beedrill.

Just as August was about to continue testing more abilities—

Indeedee suddenly teleported to his side and tugged at his sleeve.

“Hmm? Is dinner ready?” August turned to Mewtwo and said, “Let’s stop for now. Time to eat!”

The moment August finished speaking, a sudden whoosh sounded.

A blur of motion streaked past, heading straight for the dining room at incredible speed—so fast that even Mewtwo barely had time to react.

Looking over, August saw Salamence already seated at the table, eagerly waiting for the meal to begin.

August covered his face with his hand.

“…There’s no saving this guy.”

—

Sabrina returned to the estate in the evening. According to her, she had spent the entire afternoon dealing with challengers at the gym.

When August curiously asked her just how many challengers she had taken on, Sabrina replied uncertainly, “About… thirty or forty?”

August: “…..”

Good grief.

Taking down thirty or forty challengers in a single afternoon—that level of efficiency definitely meant she had used her full strength. He could only imagine how many rookie Trainers had walked away from Saffron Gym traumatized today.

Still, Sabrina mentioned that she had awarded the Saffron Badge to seven or eight trainers who had shown decent skill.

With that pass rate, the League wouldn’t have any grounds to complain.

“You’ve really figured out how to play by the League’s rules.”

August had to admit, it helped that Sabrina’s father held an important position in the League.

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Like I would’ve rushed through all those battles if Blue hadn’t messaged me saying you needed my help.”

Hearing that, August’s first reaction wasn’t gratitude.

Instead, he frowned suspiciously.

“Since when did you two get so close?”

Back on Cinnabar Island, Sabrina and Blue had been at each other’s throats.

How did they suddenly become friends?

Sabrina casually tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and took a sip of tea. “That’s between us girls.”

Blue, sitting beside her, flashed a smug little smile as if to say, We’re not telling you.

August, suddenly feeling excluded: “…..”

Blue, you’ve been corrupted by Sabrina.

“Fine, whatever… Come with me to the basement.” August stood up and grabbed Sabrina by the arm.

The moment he did, her composed demeanor vanished.

Sabrina tensed. “Why are we going to the basement?”

Memories of past encounters in that very place resurfaced, sending a shiver down her spine.

August raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion. “To interrogate Matori, obviously. We need to get as much valuable intel from her as possible—I’ve got a plan that requires her involvement.”

Then, as if realizing something, his eyes widened in mock surprise. “Wait… You weren’t thinking of something weird, were you? Ugh, so dirty-minded. Blue, let’s go.”

Seeing August’s disgusted expression, Sabrina felt personally attacked.

By the time she recovered from her momentary breakdown, August and Blue had already started heading downstairs.

Even though she was fuming, Sabrina had no choice but to follow.

—

Matori had already been awake for some time.

After losing consciousness during the New Island incident, she had woken up to find herself locked in this cell.

None of her subordinates were in sight. Her Poké Balls were gone.

The only thing in front of her was a newspaper.

Her fists clenched as she read the headlines:

Viridian Gym Shut Down. Giovanni Severely Injured—Whereabouts Unknown.

There was no doubt in her mind who was responsible.

“Sabrina…”

Back on New Island, she had been following Giovanni’s orders when she located Sabrina and led Team Rocket’s elite squad to ambush Lorelei.

Everything had been going according to plan—they had Lorelei completely surrounded.

But at the most critical moment, Sabrina had suddenly turned on them.

Without warning, she attacked her own side, coordinating with Lorelei to take down a majority of Team Rocket’s top forces.

Matori herself had barely escaped the first wave of Sabrina’s attacks, thanks to her subordinates’ quick reactions.

But before she could warn Giovanni about the betrayal, Sabrina had already restrained her with her psychic powers—leaving her to watch helplessly as the rest of Team Rocket’s elite were methodically taken down.

At the time, Matori had still clung to one last hope.

If Giovanni could successfully capture Mewtwo, he would return with it and wipe out both Sabrina and Lorelei.

But the article made the outcome clear.

Team Rocket lost.

One question haunted her mind—why?

Why had Sabrina, one of Team Rocket’s three high-ranking officers, chosen to betray them?

Just as Matori was struggling to understand, the door to her cell suddenly swung open.

Two Indeedees stood on either side of the entrance.

And standing between them was a figure she recognized all too well.

“The ‘Demon Ranger’… August?”

The moment she saw him, she knew—there was no way August hadn’t been involved in the attack on New Island.

August sighed at the nickname. “I haven’t been a Ranger for a long time now. I’m with Interpol these days. You guys in Team Rocket really need to update your records.”

He gestured to the Indeedees. “Take her to the interrogation room.”

“Interpol…?”

Before Matori could process the information, the Indeedees’ psychic energy had already restrained her, lifting her off the ground and escorting her out of the cell.

…

Seated in the chair, Matori locked eyes with Sabrina.

“Why did you betray Team Rocket?” she asked, voicing the question that had been tormenting her.

Sabrina didn’t answer.

She acted as if Matori weren’t even there.

In truth, Sabrina had no way to answer.

What was she supposed to say?

That she had been blackmailed into betrayal right here in this very room?

Knock knock knock.

August rapped his knuckles against the table. “Focus, prisoner. We’re the ones interrogating you, not the other way around.”

Matori turned her gaze to him. “You’re wasting your time. I won’t say a word.”

“Oh? That’s what someone else said before too…” August mused cryptically.

Then, under the table, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his foot.

Sabrina had stepped on him.

Matori, unaware of the silent exchange, assumed August was referring to Lt. Surge or Koga.

But she was confident in her willpower.

She wouldn’t reveal a single piece of information about Team Rocket.

Just as she shut her eyes, steeling herself for a battle of endurance, August’s next words made her composure shatter in an instant.

—

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!