“Koga, you’re busted!”
The moment August’s words fell, Koga felt his heart sink.
Had his identity been exposed?
But that was impossible—he hadn’t made any mistakes.
Ever since Lt. Surge’s capture, he had been lying low, barely stepping outside.
His mind raced through the possibilities, but outwardly, Koga merely furrowed his brow.
“Examiner August, there’s a limit to your jokes,” he said coldly.
“Fuchsia Gym is a pillar of this city and an integral part of the Pokémon League.”
“You’ve been nitpicking us since you arrived—now I’m beginning to suspect you have ulterior motives. Are you trying to falsely accuse our Gym?”
He flipped the accusation back at August without hesitation.
The moment his words landed, countless ninja figures emerged from the shadows, surrounding August. Their gazes locked onto him, exuding an unmistakable pressure.
Their message was clear—if August made the wrong move, they would attack without hesitation.
But August remained completely unfazed. He swept his gaze over the encircling ninjas with mild amusement.
No wonder Koga eventually became an Elite Four in Johto. This level of gaslighting is honestly impressive.
Had it been anyone else in his position, they might have started to panic.
Unfortunately for Koga…
August’s smile vanished. His expression turned serious.
“You think I would say this without evidence?”
He let his words sink in before continuing.
“You know, I used to be a forest ranger at the nature reserve not far from here. You could say we were neighbors, Koga.”
“But let me offer you some advice—if you turn back now, you’ll still have a way out. If you keep going down this path… you’ll find yourself in a world of suffering.”
Standing nearby, Blue, who had been gripping a Poké Ball in preparation for a fight, nearly rolled her eyes.
Here we go again—August’s bluffing.
Truth be told, they didn’t have any solid evidence.
Sure, they had Sabrina as a witness, but she was still deep undercover in Team Rocket and couldn’t exactly testify in court.
But Koga believed him.
Not because he was stupid—far from it.
It was because he was cautious and meticulous that he found August’s words alarming.
If August had no evidence, then these accusations meant he was burning all bridges with Koga, a highly skilled Gym Leader.
And would someone personally chosen by Lance to oversee Gym evaluations be foolish enough to do that without proof?
Unlikely.
That left only one conclusion—August had the evidence.
Koga’s expression turned cold.
“If you really do know the truth… then I can’t let you leave here alive.”
The only way to keep his secret was to capture August.
Sure, a missing Gym Examiner in Fuchsia City would cause problems, but not as many as having his true allegiance exposed.
With swift precision, Koga tossed three Poké Balls into the air.
Three beams of white light flashed—
Crobat and Arbok launched forward, attacking August and Gardevoir from opposite directions.
Meanwhile, Muk slithered up and wrapped itself protectively around Koga.
The moment their Gym Leader acted, the surrounding ninja apprentices dropped all pretense and attacked as well—
Not just at August, but also at Blue.
Yet, despite the incoming onslaught, August looked thrilled.
“Finally, you made a move…”
As soon as the words left his lips, his figure blurred—
He reappeared instantly next to Blue, teleported by Gardevoir.
A glowing [Light Screen] rose between them, nullifying the attacks aimed at Blue.
Toxic sludge splattered against the barrier and slid down harmlessly.
August turned to Blue. “Did you record everything?”
Blue grinned and pulled out a small hidden camera. “Got it—proof that Koga just admitted to being with Team Rocket.”
August nodded in satisfaction, then turned back to Koga with an apologetic smile.
“Sorry, Koga. I didn’t actually have evidence before.”
“But no worries! Now I do.”
Koga: “???”
For a moment, he was too stunned to speak.
You had no evidence?!
Then what the hell was all that talk about turning back and avoiding suffering?!
Koga felt a sharp pain in his chest, like he might actually cough up blood.
But it was too late to turn back now—his only option was to capture August and destroy the evidence.
His gaze darkened as he snapped, “Finish him!”
A barrage of [Poison Stings] and [Acid Sprays] rained toward August.
But he didn’t even flinch.
Because he knew—
Gardevoir had it covered.
Calmly, the Psychic-type waved a hand, effortlessly blocking the attacks mid-air.
August shook his head.
“Attacking the trainer directly… You Rocket guys are just so barbaric.”
“Not like me—I always use logic and reason to convince people.”
As he spoke, an oppressive aura suddenly radiated from his body.
A suffocating pressure swept over the battlefield.
Koga instinctively tensed.
This… this is “logic and reason”?
As a high-ranking member of Team Rocket, Koga had seen his fair share of powerful figures. He quickly steadied himself.
His subordinates, however, were not so lucky.
Under August’s [Pressure], the ninja apprentices felt like a mountain had been dropped onto their backs.
Their breathing became labored, their heart rates spiked, and their expressions contorted in agony.
August, being a kind and compassionate person, decided to put them out of their misery.
He patted Eevee on the head.
“Go help them out.”
“Vee~!”
Understanding its trainer’s intent, Eevee leaped from August’s arms and dashed into the fray.
With swift, agile movements, it weaved through the battlefield—dodging [Acid], [Poison Fangs], and even a [Self-Destruct] from a Koffing.
Koga’s ninjas had no way to handle such a nimble, fluffy menace.
With its soft paw pads, Eevee tapped each opponent lightly on the head—sending them one by one into deep, peaceful slumber.
August watched with a sigh.
“I really am too merciful…”
Blue heard his remark and had to physically restrain herself from rolling her eyes.
Instead, she joined in, sending out Clefable and Chansey to assist Eevee.
Koga, watching the scene out of the corner of his eye, showed no emotion.
He had regained his composure.
By now, he wouldn’t let August get under his skin.
Capturing him personally was the only way to win.
“Crobat—[Cross Poison]!”
“Arbok—[Glare]!”
His plan was straightforward—paralyze Gardevoir with Arbok’s [Glare], then finish it with Crobat’s [Cross Poison].
It was a strategy that had never failed him before.
Gardevoir looked strong, but Crobat was on an entirely different level than the Weezing from earlier.
As long as he landed a single hit, his custom-blended toxin would be enough to—
But reality rarely bent to one’s expectations.
As Arbok’s eyes gleamed with an eerie light, Gardevoir simply… closed its eyes.
It wasn’t giving up—
It was using telepathic vision, synchronized with August’s own sight.
Crobat misunderstood.
Seeing Gardevoir close its eyes, it assumed it had flinched in fear.
A cold, cruel glint flashed in its eyes.
Spreading its wings wide, Crobat dived in at full force—
Its [Cross Poison] attack gleamed with a deep violet hue, ready to strike—
Now.
August’s mental command echoed through Gardevoir’s mind.
“[Psychic]!”
The mystic plate in Gardevoir’s grasp pulsed.
A terrifying surge of psychic energy condensed into a tangible force and struck Crobat head-on.
The bat Pokémon barely had time to react.
“SCREEEEE—!”
With a pained shriek, Crobat spiraled out of control, plummeting to the ground.
Koga barely had time to register what had happened.
Crobat wasn’t completely knocked out…
But its wings were badly damaged.
It was as good as finished.
August smirked.
“That’s it? This is just embarrassing.”
August wore an expression of sheer disappointment.
Koga, however, ignored the provocation this time. Instead, he swiftly activated a hidden mechanism nearby.
Click.
A series of mechanical sounds echoed through the room. Suddenly, the walls on either side vanished, revealing a swarm of Koffing drifting out from concealed compartments.
The moment they emerged, they began spewing [Smokescreen] wildly.
Thick black smoke engulfed the entire battlefield within seconds.
At the same time, the roof of the Gym opened. Koga wasted no time—he recalled his Pokémon, released a Golbat, and had it grab onto his shoulders.
He was making a run for it!
Gardevoir’s power was beyond his expectations.
His ace, Crobat, had been injured in just one turn. He saw no realistic path to victory.
Ninjas are meant to be free.
Rather than staying and throwing himself into a losing battle, it was better to escape while he still could and report this to Giovanni.
It was a solid plan.
But the moment he took off into the air, things took a turn.
A sudden gust of turbulence disrupted Golbat’s flight.
“What’s going on?”
Instinctively, Koga looked down.
Right at the center of the battlefield, where August had been standing moments ago, a vortex had begun to form.
If that was all, Koga wouldn’t have been too concerned.
But above them, as if mirroring the phenomenon below, a massive air current swirled within the clouds—dozens of times larger than the one below.
“What… what is that!?” Koga’s face changed drastically.
A force capable of altering the weather itself—this was not something he could brush off.
Sensing danger, he urged Golbat to fly higher, desperate to escape.
But before Golbat could react—
A sudden shockwave burst from the vortex.
Koga could only watch in horror as a tornado formed in an instant, connecting the swirling clouds above to the vortex below.
Oh, no—!
“Dodge it! Quickly!” Koga shouted.
Golbat flapped its wings furiously, trying to evade the growing tornado.
But with Koga’s added weight, it could barely maintain its balance, let alone escape.
And below—
August was watching with an amused expression.
“Gardevoir, give them a hand,” he said casually.
Gardevoir nodded.
Its eyes glowed blue.
In the next instant, Koga and Golbat—who had just been holding on—were yanked into the tornado as if their strings had been cut.
Dozens of remaining ninja apprentices inside the Gym were also sucked into the raging winds.
The tornado only lasted a few minutes, kept in check under August’s control.
But even in that short time, those caught inside were completely knocked out. Some suffered minor injuries, others had broken bones.
Koga was barely conscious, thanks to having released Muk at the last moment to shield himself.
Still kneeling on one knee, panting heavily, he lifted his head—
And finally spotted the culprit standing beside August.
“Lugia…?!”
More specifically—
Baby Lugia.
Everything clicked in Koga’s mind.
That storm just now…
If it was the work of a Legendary Pokémon, then it made sense.
…Sense, his ass!
Nowhere in Team Rocket’s intelligence reports did it mention that August had a Lugia!
Hell, not even a Mega Gardevoir! Or a Elite-level Eevee!
What the hell is our intelligence department even doing?!
Koga, despite his injuries, internally cursed his own organization.
Meanwhile, August stood beside Baby Lugia, casually feeding it an energy cube.
He looked down at Koga, shaking his head.
“I told you to turn back while you still had the chance. Now look at you—this is just embarrassing.”
August looked genuinely disappointed.
Gardevoir didn’t even need a command—she effortlessly restrained Koga with her psychic abilities.
At this point, Koga had no means of resistance.
“…Team Rocket won’t let you get away with this,” he said, his voice strained.
August groaned.
“Can you guys come up with something new? Surge said the exact same thing when I caught him.”
He dug a finger into his ear, as if physically tired of hearing the same line.
“Wait—” Koga’s eyes widened. “Surge was your doing too?!”
“Mm-hmm,” August confirmed.
“…Then how did you know about me?”
August smirked.
“Oh, that? Surge told me.”
Koga narrowed his eyes.
“Ha…”
Despite his exhaustion, he let out a chuckle.
Bullshit.
He knew Surge well enough to know that even under extreme circumstances, he wouldn’t have talked.
Besides—if Surge really had exposed him, then why was Sabrina still fine?
Why was he the one getting caught first?
This guy is messing with me.
August watched Koga’s expression shift and sighed.
Damn. Smart people are always harder to fool.
Just as he was about to say something else—
His communicator beeped.
Glancing down, he answered the call.
On-screen, Lance’s face appeared.
“August, I just saw your message. You suspect Koga of being with Team Rocket?”
—
T/N: You’re busted (busted)
Yeah, s(he)’s finally gonna see the light
This is how it’s gonna be when s(he) finds out that I was always right
You’re busted
he is lance hehehe
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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