New Island Base
Inside the room where Blaine was being held…
A researcher who had come to visit was just about to stand up and take his leave when, suddenly, a Gardevoir appeared in the room.
“What the—?!”
Before the researcher could react, Gardevoir’s eyes flashed blue, and in an instant, he collapsed unconscious onto the floor.
After completing its task, Gardevoir nodded at August, who had stepped out from an adjacent room, before retreating back into its Poké Ball.
Looking down at the unconscious researcher, Blaine’s expression turned complicated. He turned to August and asked, “Are you really going through with this now? …I can feel Mewtwo’s power growing stronger by the minute.”
Truthfully, he had thought August’s previous plan was already cautious enough—this approach felt far riskier.
August shook his head. “It’s exactly because Mewtwo is about to awaken that I need to act now.”
Hearing this, Blaine knew that August had already made up his mind. “If you insist, then I won’t stop you.”
Saying that, he helped August drag the unconscious researcher into the bathroom.
As he watched August skillfully tie up the researcher, gag him with tape, and dump him into the bathtub, Blaine’s eyelid twitched.
Just how many times has he done this to be this proficient?!
Unaware of Blaine’s thoughts, August clapped his hands together. “All set. Professor, keep an eye on this guy. Gardevoir’s [Hypnosis] should keep him out for at least 24 hours, but you never know—accidents happen. If he wakes up, just use this on him.”
As he spoke, August handed over a stun gun.
Blaine glanced between the sparking, high-voltage stun gun and the frail, unconscious researcher in the bathtub…
Would this guy even survive if he got hit with that?
Ignoring his concerns, August shoved the stun gun into his hands.
After that, he changed into a white lab coat that Sabrina had prepared for him. Then, carefully mimicking the researcher’s facial features and voice, he transformed into an exact replica of the unconscious man. Adjusting his non-prescription glasses, he turned to Blaine and asked, “Well? Do I look convincing?”
Blaine was genuinely surprised.
Given August’s usual personality, he had expected there to be some discrepancies in his disguise.
But there were none.
Seeing his reaction, August smirked. “You probably don’t know this, but I’m actually a certified Pokémon League researcher.”
Granted, he had only obtained that status to sell his custom Pokéblock recipes and conceal his true identity, but the fact remained—he was officially recognized as a researcher.
Despite knowing this, Blaine still found it hard to associate August with anything remotely academic.
Having finished his preparations, August didn’t waste any more time.
He instructed Mew to stay invisible and follow behind him, then walked out of the room in his lab coat.
As he stepped into the hallway, his gaze briefly met Blue’s, who was waiting by the door, and Sabrina’s, who was pretending to be passing by.
They exchanged subtle nods.
Then, adopting a hurried and focused demeanor, August briskly made his way toward Team Rocket’s core research facility.
Perhaps because the Mewtwo Project was nearing completion, security throughout the New Island base was tighter than ever.
But none of this posed an issue for August—his daytime reconnaissance had not been in vain.
Dressed as a researcher, with an ID badge hanging from his chest, and moving with purpose and urgency, he looked exactly like the kind of person who had no time for distractions.
This allowed him to easily pass through several security checkpoints.
However, when he reached the final gate leading into the core research area, he was stopped.
“Per Boss Giovanni’s latest orders, anyone entering the core area must undergo a full body search to ensure we aren’t infiltrated,” a Team Rocket squad captain declared, eyeing August suspiciously.
“Tch. What a hassle. Hurry up—I’m on a tight schedule,” August responded irritably.
Despite his impatient act, the Team Rocket members understood how critical the researchers were to the project. Even though they weren’t happy about his attitude, they still proceeded with the inspection.
As expected, they found nothing.
Thanks to Sabrina’s warning, August had long been prepared for this.
Before coming here, he had transferred all his Poké Balls to Gengar, who was currently hiding in his shadow.
After confirming that everything was in order, the squad captain stepped aside. “Apologies, you may proceed.”
“I told you there was no problem. What a waste of time…”
Perfectly maintaining his role as a frustrated researcher, August grumbled as he swiped his ID card and entered the core area, leaving behind a group of Team Rocket grunts who could only silently endure his attitude.
The moment he stepped inside, August could feel the intense research atmosphere.
Dozens of researchers, all clad in white lab coats, were fully engrossed in their tasks—some at experiment stations, others monitoring data on complex instruments.
At that moment, something inside August stirred—his inner researcher was awakening.
His gaze landed on an ancient mural of Mew hanging on the wall.
Through telepathic chat, he teased Mew:
“That mural is supposed to be you, right? Not gonna lie, it’s a bit abstract, but still recognizable.”
“I heard it was excavated alongside one of your eyelashes~”
Embarrassed by his teasing, Mew lightly smacked August on the head with its tiny paws.
“Mew!!”
No doubt about it—this mural was one of Mew’s biggest regrets.
Mew was utterly exasperated.
It had already gone out of its way to secretly destroy or hide every last ancient depiction of itself it could find.
And yet, somehow, humans still managed to dig up this one.
Sensing Mew’s frustration, August chuckled internally but dropped the topic.
He hadn’t come here just to tease Mew—he had business to attend to.
His gaze shifted toward the center of the lab, where a massive cylindrical containment chamber stood.
Inside, Mewtwo was curled up, its arms wrapped around itself.
Despite being restrained by countless tubes and separated by a thick layer of glass, August could still feel an overwhelming pressure emanating from it.
However, he remained composed.
Suppressing his emotions, he assumed the identity of the researcher he was impersonating and began “working”.
As he tapped away at the terminal, pretending to analyze the experiment data, he asked Mew through telepathy:
“Mew, can you sense Mewtwo’s current state? How soon will it awaken?”
Since entering the lab, Mew had been carefully observing its giant, somewhat similar-looking “counterpart.”
Hearing August’s question, Mew hesitated before responding.
“Mew…”
August raised an eyebrow.
“Something’s missing?”
That was odd. Giovanni had claimed Mewtwo would be fully awakened tomorrow.
So why was Mew saying that something was still incomplete?
“Mew~”
“You’re saying… Mewtwo’s body isn’t stable yet? If it’s forcefully awakened now, it’ll suffer damage?”
August frowned.
Was that a problem in the original timeline?
…Actually, yeah, it was.
In Pokémon Adventures, Mewtwo developed a strange symbiotic connection with Blaine due to the Mewtwo cells invading his body. Even after being captured, it had to remain inside a containment chamber for sustenance.
In the Pokémon: The First Movie, after escaping from Team Rocket, Mewtwo mind-controlled Nurse Joy to care for it, implying that its body had temporary weaknesses upon birth.
In both cases, Mewtwo experienced post-birth instability—though the problem wasn’t severe and was later resolved.
Watching the researchers bustle around the lab, August—who had been pondering how to get closer to Mewtwo—suddenly had an idea.
“Mew, can you provoke Mewtwo a little?”
“Mew?”
Mew tilted its head in confusion, unsure what he meant by “provoke.”
“I can’t get close to Mewtwo right now, so I need a little help from you. Here’s what you’ll do…”
After listening to August’s plan, Mew hesitated for a moment before nodding in agreement.
It then, while still invisible, released a small fraction of its aura.
The next second, an ear-piercing alarm rang throughout the lab.
The lab’s instruments hadn’t actually detected Mew—instead, Mewtwo itself had instinctively reacted to Mew’s presence.
On the monitors, Mewtwo’s vital signs spiked rapidly, throwing the research team into a frenzy.
“Mewtwo’s mental wave patterns are fluctuating abnormally!”
“Its heart rate is rising at an alarming rate—its genetic structure is showing signs of instability!”
“The final step isn’t complete yet! It’s not time for Mewtwo to awaken—inject the stabilizers immediately!”
After several tense minutes, and ten full doses of stabilizers, Mewtwo finally calmed down.
“What the hell caused this?!”
“Should we report this to Boss Giovanni and delay Mewtwo’s awakening?”
“Go if you want—I’m not doing it.”
As the researchers muttered amongst themselves, Dr. Fuji, the lead scientist of the Mewtwo Project, furrowed his brows.
“Enough. Quiet!”
This was the last thing he wanted—a major unknown this late in the project.
He meticulously examined Mewtwo’s vital data on the monitor but found nothing unusual.
The outburst seemed to have no clear cause, leaving them completely baffled.
While Dr. Fuji was deep in thought, August saw the perfect opening and spoke up:
“Dr. Fuji, in situations like this, wouldn’t it be a good idea to consult Blaine?”
“When I visited him earlier, he mentioned that Mewtwo’s cells had invaded his arm. He’s now developed a strange connection with Mewtwo. Maybe bringing him here would help us figure out what caused this reaction?”
The moment “Kusakawa” (August’s assumed identity) mentioned this, the lab fell silent.
Right—many of them had also visited Blaine.
Why hadn’t they thought of this before?
“Kusakawa, you’re sharp.”
“But there’s still a problem… Blaine resigned from Team Rocket. Will he even agree to help?”
Dr. Fuji also hesitated upon hearing August’s suggestion.
August, however, simply smiled.
“Blaine may have betrayed Team Rocket, but the Mewtwo cells in his arm are still eroding his body.”
“If he participates in the Mewtwo Project, he might find a way to stop the damage. I doubt he’ll refuse.”
Dr. Fuji fell into deep thought before finally making a decision.
He picked up the phone and called Giovanni.
“Mewtwo’s vitals just spiked unexpectedly. I can’t determine the cause.”
“Blaine and I were both the original architects of the Mewtwo Project—he might provide us with insight.”
“Yes, that’s right. I need his assistance.”
…
Five Minutes Later
Two Team Rocket grunts escorted Blaine into the core lab.
The moment he entered, his eyes—hidden behind his sunglasses—subtly glanced at August.
At August’s signal, Mew established a telepathic link between them.
“What the hell is going on?”
He had barely settled into his room, and now he was dragged into the lab.
He had a strong suspicion that August was definitely involved.
And sure enough…
“Mewtwo had an “incident” just now, and I recommended you as the best person to handle it. …This is actually in your favor—Mewtwo is here, and Mew is here. This might be the perfect chance to deal with the Mewtwo cells in your arm.”
“I even risked exposure by asking Mew to provoke Mewtwo just to get you in here. Feeling touched?”
Blaine was absolutely touched.
Touched to the brink of outrage!
He had suspected August was behind this, but he hadn’t expected this level of scheming.
And there was no way August had done this purely out of kindness—he was definitely using this as a setup for something else.
Despite his internal complaints, Blaine’s expression remained perfectly composed.
Pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose, he turned to Dr. Fuji.
“What happened?”
Dr. Fuji briefly summarized the situation and pulled up Mewtwo’s recent vital data for him to examine.
Since Blaine already knew that the incident was August’s doing, he wasn’t particularly concerned with the data itself.
Instead, he asked August telepathically:
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
“I need to get close to Mewtwo.”
Blaine sighed internally.
There was no turning back now—he was already on August’s pirate ship.
After skimming the data for show, he spoke up:
“The Mewtwo cells in my arm give me a connection to Mewtwo. I might be able to sense what’s going on, but I’ll need to examine it up close—and I’ll need two assistants.”
Hearing this, the Team Rocket grunts escorting him exchanged uncertain glances.
They had no authority to allow him near Mewtwo.
However, Dr. Fuji immediately resolved the issue.
“Let him go. I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.”
From Dr. Fuji’s perspective, Blaine was unarmed and inside the most heavily secured facility in Team Rocket.
There was no way he could pose a threat.
Right now, the top priority was fixing Mewtwo.
With Dr. Fuji’s approval, Blaine casually picked up a clipboard, scanned the room, and then pointed at two people.
One was a former subordinate from his Team Rocket days.
The other… was August.
“You two, assist me.”
—
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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