WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 61: Putting the Third-Rate Villains Through the Wash
──────
“Miss Caitlin! Hand!”
“......”
“Hand!”
“Fuck......”
“Tsk, do you want to get expelled?”
“......”
Caitlin’s expression was utterly rotten.
Her golden eyes trembled through the strands of hair hanging over her face.
Maybe it was because heat had built up inside her. The flush across the healthy bronze of her cheeks made their color seem even more vivid.
“Hand!”
“......”
“Hand!”
“Please......”
“Now, what Pokémon talks back to people?”
“What the fuck is a Pokémon, you fucking perverted bastard......?”
“Expulsion?”
“......”
She gritted her teeth and resisted, only to be sunk by a single word from me.
Pikachu’s rebellion died out in less than three minutes.
Caitlin lowered her head.
Her nicely toned shoulders trembled.
After hesitating, she finally placed her hand in my palm.
“Pi, Pika......”
“Good job~!”
Pat, pat, pat.
I ruffled her hair until it was a complete mess.
The first step toward becoming a Pokémon Master.
Build a strong bond with your partner Pokémon.
Put them through basic training, and make sure to praise them when they complete an assignment.
Perhaps Caitlin was happy to receive my praise, because she clenched her fists as they trembled.
“Good Pikachu, good Pikachu.”
“......”
Crackle, crackle.
Static kept snapping from her body. She must have been really pissed.
Either way, I pressed down on the top of her head, which was growing hotter by the second.
‘It’s way hotter than I thought.’
Maybe giving off high-voltage currents made her prone to heating up.
I could probably put a pot on her head and use her as a stove.
‘Could boil ramen, too.’
A brilliant idea flashed through my mind, but I decided to set it aside.
There was no way this world had something like ramen.
Maybe I could try it with stew or some other variation later.
“Now, Miss Caitlin.”
I’d think about that problem later.
Shaking off my stray thoughts, I continued bonding with my partner.
“Other hand!”
“Pi, Pikachu......”
“Turn around!”
“Pika......!”
“Jump on the spot!”
“Pi, ngh......”
“Make it cuter! Do it properly!”
“Pi, pi, pika...☆ Pika, pika! Pikachu!”
Caitlin held out her hand, spun around, and jumped on the spot exactly as I ordered.
The person standing there was no longer the tyrant who had ruled over Class B as its top student.
There was only a Pokémon obediently following its master’s commands.
“This is quite rewarding. I feel like the passionate cop protagonist reforming some third-rate delinquent extra villain......”
“You crazy bastard......”
Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes.
Caitlin bit down hard on her lip, enduring it with what little pride she had left.
Leaving that admirable determination behind, I pointed at the target in the center of the lecture hall.
“Go, Pikachu! Million-Volt Thunderbolt!”
“......”
“Million-Volt Thunderbolt!”
“......”
“Expulsion?”
“Pi, Pikaaa... Chuuuuu!”
Krrrzzzt!
A vicious surge of high-voltage electricity burst forth.
The attack reduced the target on the platform to ashes.
“Niiice.”
We had perfect chemistry.
At this rate, winning the world championship would be no problem.
As a reward for her hard work, I gave Caitlin’s collar a light shake.
Jingle.
“......”
Looking exhausted, she returned to her seat.
I patted her head a few more times in praise.
She looked like she was about to die of happiness, and it made me feel strangely fulfilled.
‘The world’s still a warm place.’
People helping people, guiding friends who had strayed down the wrong path back to the right one.
Not punishment for the sake of punishment, but hoping for the reformation of evildoers.
Punishing through love rather than hate.
Believing in goodness, believing that anyone could become good.
I was the first to deny that saying about people never changing.
People could start over.
People always changed.
Life was about walking along a winding, twisting curve.
Still, to keep a winding path from becoming a plunge and a stumble from becoming a fall, we had to hold one another’s hands.
People had to take each other’s hands.
If we didn’t let go, we wouldn’t plunge.
If we didn’t let go, we wouldn’t fall.
I believed we would someday learn warmth from the hands we held.
That was what I was doing for her, for these kids.
What? Wasn’t I just bullying them?
Your mom.
("American animation." That’s what I said. Obviously.)
“Hehe.”
I smiled brightly.
As though it understood my pleasure, the corner of my mask’s mouth twitched as well.
Behind us, the students of Class B stood in neat rows.
Not all of them, of course. Only the ones who had spent their time acting tough and picking fights with students from the lower-ranked classes.
“......”
The tyrant’s fall.
They stared miserably at Caitlin, reduced to a Pokémon.
Their eyes were full of resentment, but the moment I turned around, they flinched in shock.
“Everyone.”
“......”
Maybe it was because I’d shown them hell over the past week.
Even the students who had once been full of swagger had become meek little lambs.
“You know what you have to do today, right?”
“......”
“Just two hours, like yesterday.”
“......”
“Oh? No answer. Should we make it eight hours instead?”
“N-No! No, we understand! Yes, sir!”
“Sorry! We’re really sorry... We got distracted for a second!”
“So please, anything but eight hours......!”
Only then did hurried replies burst out one after another.
“Hmm.”
I rested my hand on my chin as if considering it.
The students were sweating buckets.
“You answered late... Well, should I let it slide this once?”
“Th-Thank you! Thank you for your mercy......”
“Ugh......”
The students let out sighs of relief.
Of course, that didn’t mean what awaited them was going away.
With a happy smile, I gave their backs a few light pushes.
“Shall we get going?”
“......”
Though they trembled, the students followed my orders.
We left the Class B main building and stopped on Academy Street.
Students from other classes frequently passed through this road.
The Class B students lined up in neat rows there.
“You tried it once yesterday, so you’ve got the hang of it now, right?”
“......”
“Come on, smile brightly! Think of it as bringing cheerful smiles to Grandia Academy!”
“......”
They had only one mission.
A consolation performance.
They would put on a cute little show for the other students worn out from studying.
After checking the Class B students standing in a line, I gave the signal in a booming voice.
“Then, let’s begin!”
Glance, glance.
One by one, the passing students began to take notice.
And then... Class B began to dance.
A very cute dance, the sort a girl group might perform.
“Hey, keep your dance lines straight!”
Without any music, more than a dozen students danced in a clump.
Every Class B student’s face had turned bright red.
I stood before them like some kind of director.
Holding back the twitching corners of my mouth, I warned them in a stern voice.
“Every time I see someone not dancing properly, we add another hour. Let’s finish this in one go!”
At those words, even the students who had only been flailing their arms started dancing for real.
They had practiced together for six hours yesterday, so their group choreography was starting to look pretty sharp.
It seemed becoming the world’s greatest idols wasn’t far off.
After drawing the audience’s attention, I shouted at the dancers.
“Now, greet the audience!”
“......”
“Greet them!”
“......”
“Should I add five whole hours?”
“N-No......!”
“Please, anything but that......”
The students panted from their intense dancing as they begged me.
See? It would’ve been better if they’d just done it when I told them to.
I gave the signal in a sharp voice.
“This is your last chance! Greet the audience!”
““We are the bringers of love and hope......!””
“Adorable.”
““Adorable!””
“Cute.”
““Cute!””
“Who are we?”
““The protectors of the Academy! Class B’s Idolz!!!””
Class E’s Lackeyz.
Class C’s Point Fodderz.
And now, Class B’s Idolz were born.
The students passing by wore deeply bewildered expressions.
‘Ah...’
Class B had been considered the elite class.
Its leader had become a Pokémon, and its underlings had become idols.
‘This is thrilling.’
This was it.
This was why I attended the Academy.
I laughed as I passionately directed the Idolz.
‘Who told you to bully the other kids?’
It was fine.
Most third-rate extra villains were often left unwashed, but I would personally see to your rehabilitation.
‘You’ve got it made now, punk.’
I would scrub you down until you became pristine white tissues.
* * *
“Big bro, you’re here!”
“Ah... Big bro!”
After the Idolz performance, I returned to the Class E lecture hall.
The Class E students gave me an enthusiastic welcome the moment I walked through the door.
Their unusually bright smiles filled my vision.
“Good to see you all.”
““Welcome!””
The Lackeyz even rushed over in a group and greeted me with ninety-degree bows.
Despite the slightly overwhelming atmosphere, I forced a smile.
After the ranked match, I had become nothing less than a hero to them.
I had overwhelming strength, enough to defeat Class B’s top student, and I had thoroughly taught a lesson to the Class B students who had constantly humiliated them.
‘Somehow... I’ve raised their favorability a little too much.’
I scratched my head.
Whether they knew what I was thinking or not, the Lackeyz escorted me to my seat with utmost devotion.
“Please, sit!”
“Ahaha... Thank you.”
Their eyes sparkled.
Without showing it, I gathered the other students’ attention.
“Um... Could everyone pay attention for a moment?”
“......”
Unlike Class B, the Class E students listened right away.
After clearing my throat a few times, I began.
A plan I had been forming bit by bit since right after enrollment.
It was finally time to set that plan in motion.
Ding!
[Sub Quest]
-Details: Raise every Class E student to at least B-rank.
-Quest Deadline: Before graduation
-Penalty upon Failure: None
-Reward: Character-exclusive item ‘Black Tuner’s Scales (S-)’
I would make myself some pawns.
People who would prioritize my orders no matter what happened at the Academy from now on.
While clearing the quest, I intended to select only the loyal ones and create an organization.
I held out my hand toward the students standing neatly in formation.
“Everyone.”
First, the quest.
I had to raise the students before me to at least B-rank.
“Don’t you want to become stronger?”
And then.
It was time to prepare for the next chapter.
Ding!
[Main Quest]
-Title: Water Knows the Answers!
-Details: Secure Jersian, a vampire affiliated with the New Kingdom. Make him submit through various methods of persuasion.
-Penalty upon Failure: The progress of the fourth calamity, ‘Crimson Night,’ will accelerate.
-Reward upon Success: ???
[Time Limit: 134 days]
The New Kingdom.
The scoundrels responsible for bringing about Crimson Night, the ones who had stolen Carmilla’s ordinary life.
It was time to bring that faction down.
Footnotes:
- “Water Knows the Answers!” alludes to the book title and turns the quest’s “persuasion” into a coercion joke.
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
