Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [581]

Giovanni vs. Larry.

One, the former leader of Team Rocket now reduced to a mere prisoner; the other, a meticulously chosen super-worker of Geeta.

But of course, the important part isn’t their identities.

What truly matters is that Giovanni, a Ground-type specialist, has to face Larry, the Flying-type Elite Four.

Thinking about this, August couldn’t help but eagerly wonder what Giovanni’s expression might be right now.

And then… August saw a face that was perfectly calm, devoid of any trace of emotion.

“I say, Giovanni, aren't you worried at all?” August remarked. “If you get knocked out right in the first match of Ultra Ball Rank, wouldn’t that be utterly embarrassing?”

“Heh…”

All August received in response was Giovanni’s cold chuckle.

Clearly, Giovanni felt that this was a matter undeserving of his words.

Seeing Giovanni remain silent, August simply shrugged.

“Alright… Let’s go check out the venue first and see if there are other matches worth watching.”

Archie, who had been standing by waiting for August to give some scathing commentary on himself, momentarily failed to respond.

Only when he saw August already heading for the exit did Archie hurriedly call out, “Wait, August! What about me?”

August turned around, looking confused. “What about you?”

“My match against Drake!”

“Oh. Good luck!” August replied absently.

Looking at August’s dismissive attitude, Archie: “…”

He compared August’s attitude towards him to that toward Giovanni.

Both he and Giovanni were crime bosses who’d been captured by August, so why the hell was their treatment so different?

...

By the time August reached the league’s battle venue, there was already a battle underway on stage.

One of the battlers was his old acquaintance Norman, and the other was Wikstrom of Kalos’s Elite Four, someone he knew but had only briefly met once.

Clad in knightly armor, Wikstrom truly embodied the spirit of chivalry, both in demeanor and battle style.

“Scizor, [Bullet Punch]!”

Following Wikstrom’s command, Scizor charged forward, blazing pincers striking out—a combat style straightforward and utterly honorable.

By comparison, Norman appeared seasoned and patient, not rushing to issue commands. Only when Scizor reached right in front of Slaking did he finally instruct:

“Slaking, catch it, then [Flamethrower].”

At Norman’s words, the previously lethargic Slaking abruptly raised its hand and caught Scizor’s [Bullet Punch].

Holding Scizor in place, Slaking unleashed a fierce blast of flames from its mouth.

“Not good! Quick, [Protect]!”

Wikstrom’s expression shifted instantly, reacting as quickly as possible.

But still, he was a step too slow.

Scizor, just lifting its pincers to form Protect, was directly KO’d by Slaking’s [Flamethrower]—a devastating move with quadruple effectiveness.

Victorious, Norman revealed a triumphant smile.

With Rayquaza captured by August, Norman—who had been occupied investigating the Pokémon—was finally freed from work. Now able to spend more time with his son, their father-son relationship had vastly improved.

“Ruby must be cheering for my victory right now…”

With this thought, Norman glanced toward Ruby’s spot in the stands.

Then… Indeed, Ruby was cheering for his victory—but standing right next to the cheering Ruby was precisely the person Norman had desperately hoped wouldn’t appear, no matter how much he prepared for it.

Norman’s expression twisted instantly.

How the hell did August manage to find Ruby again!?

An immensely fierce aura erupted from Norman’s body, stunning even Wikstrom opposite him.

What was going on?

We’re just having a battle. Is there any need to look as if someone kidnapped your son?

The third round of their 3v3 hadn’t even begun, but Wikstrom was already psychologically beaten back by Norman’s sudden intensity. He faced Norman, whose mind was now consumed with concern for his son.

Finally, sensing its trainer’s turbulent emotions, Slaking launched an overwhelming Hammer Arm, smashing Probopass into the ground, never to rise again.

—[Probopass is unable to battle! Slaking wins!]

—[All three of Wikstrom’s Pokémon are unable to battle! The final winner is Norman from Petalburg City, Hoenn Region!]

The referee declared the results.

Then Wikstrom saw Norman hurriedly shake his hand, then rush off again just as quickly.

Leaving Wikstrom alone in a state of utter confusion, standing dazed in the wind.

Wikstrom was completely baffled:

“Are all Hoenn people always this straightforward and decisive?”

...

In the audience seats, August had just exchanged a few words with Ruby when he saw Norman rushing over in a panic.

August: “...Really, Norman, is this necessary?”

I'm not trying to kidnap your kid, you don't have to treat me like I'm some thief…

But for Norman, he'd spent the first half of his life chasing Rayquaza, neglecting his relationship with his son and leaving their bond strained.

Now, he finally had a chance to spend time with Ruby, slowly repairing their father-son relationship. And yet, the moment August opened his mouth, he invited Ruby to join the International Police.

From Norman's perspective, August trying to get Ruby to join the Kanto branch of the International Police was basically no different from kidnapping.

Facing Norman's suspicious glare, August helplessly brought up the promise Norman himself had once made:

“Didn’t we agree back then that we’d respect Ruby’s own decision?”

Back when they had talked in Petalburg City, Norman had said that if Ruby truly wanted to join the International Police, he wouldn't stop him.

“Did I say that? You must be misremembering, August.” Norman denied instantly.

August stared at him, wide-eyed. He never expected a guy like Norman—so upright and stern-looking—to blatantly lie through his teeth!

Who did you learn this from? Society's moral standards are truly collapsing!

August felt deeply pained by the decline of public morality.

But luckily, he still had the upper hand.

With Norman watching suspiciously, August flashed a triumphant grin, pulled out his phone, found a recording, and pressed play.

Listening to his own voice coming clearly from August’s phone, Norman was speechless: “…”

He never imagined August would record their conversation.

“There it is, evidence right here. You can’t deny it now…” August gloated.

“Mew!”

Mew, sitting atop August’s head, cheerfully chimed in.

Ruby stared blankly from the side.

One was his always-serious father; the other, publicly acknowledged as the strongest trainer in the world (legendary Pokémon included). Yet now, these two grown-ups were bickering like children over him.

Right at this moment, August turned towards Ruby.

“So? Want to join the International Police? Great pay and benefits—if you miss this chance, there won’t be another!” August tempted him.

Norman’s gaze also shifted to Ruby.

Being stared at by both August and his father, Ruby felt immense pressure, unable to make a quick decision.

After a long hesitation, Ruby finally made up his mind.

He looked apologetically at August: “August-san…”

“Hello? White, is the movie we shot last time for the Kanto branch edited yet? When can we release it?” August pretended to make a call to White.

“A movie!?” Ruby instantly got hooked by August’s words.

Hearing Ruby’s interest, August humbly waved his hand, “Ah, nothing special, just our Kanto branch team-building activity. We filmed a movie at Pokéstar Studios in Unova. It's nothing worth mentioning, really.”

But Ruby was already completely enthralled.

For Ruby, who dreamed of competing in Pokémon Contests and showing off Pokémon beauty, starring in a movie held huge appeal.

He completely forgot that moments ago he'd been about to reject August’s invitation.

“Not just movies—are you interested in the Pokémon Contests in the Sinnoh region? Cynthia and I are pretty close…I can definitely secure you a guest invitation,” August continued.

At this point, Ruby no longer hesitated at all:

“I'd love to join the Kanto branch!”

Norman immediately glared at August: “August, that was incredibly underhanded…”

“How is that underhanded? It's called playing to your strengths…” August laughed, slinging his arm around Norman’s shoulder. “Children grow up; eventually, they have to leave their parents and become independent. It’s not like you’ll never see him again—our Kanto branch is pretty flexible.”

Listening to August teaching him parenting advice felt very strange to Norman.

“You know very well that’s not what I'm worried about,” Norman retorted.

What kind of situations did August constantly involve himself in?

Legendary Pokémon. And more Legendary Pokémon.

Hoenn aside—back in Sinnoh, after August visited Mt. Coronet, the entire mountain peak had been flattened.

Near Vaniville Town, Xerneas, the legendary god of life, and Yveltal, the god of destruction, had clashed, reducing an entire mountain to scorched earth.

In Icirrus City, Unova, local witnesses said the sky itself had seemed to break open, fireballs and lightning raining down for half a day. The scene was beyond horrifying.

Every single time, these were events capable of wiping out entire regions.

Those were just the publicly known ones—never mind how many times August secretly saved the world behind the scenes.

How could Norman, as a father, possibly not worry?

Sensing Norman’s genuine concern, August reassured him, “Relax. After this one ends, there won’t be any more dangerous missions.”

Norman: “…?”

Hey, I was just voicing my worries! You're really on another dangerous mission right now!?

“Ahem, classified, keep this a secret!” August coughed hastily.

Norman cast a worried glance at Ruby but seeing Ruby’s excited, eager eyes, he finally gave in.

In the end, Ruby joined the Kanto branch—partly because he really wanted to, but mostly because August had used Dialga’s powers of time travel as a guarantee.

With Dialga around, basic safety at least wouldn’t be an issue.

Norman could finally set his mind at ease.

...

After adding Ruby to the group chat, August sat down beside Giovanni.

“Scammed another naive kid into joining?” Giovanni mocked.

“You worry about me? You’d better worry about your next battle first,” August shot back.

While August had been busy inviting Ruby into the Kanto branch, the match between Archie and Drake had already concluded.

Archie, relying on pure strength, had emerged victorious with one Pokémon to spare.

“Even though I defeated Larry easily back then, it won’t be the same for you,” August continued.

“That’s none of your concern.”

Giovanni stood up after speaking, heading toward the trainers’ preparation room.

As August watched Giovanni go, Gary leaned closer: “August, don’t you think this tournament is rigged?”

“Huh?”

“Look. It’s bad enough that Archie got matched with Drake, who constantly deals with him at sea. But Giovanni, who's famous as a Ground-type expert, just happens to run into Larry, the Flying-type Elite Four? I’m positive someone’s targeting us!”

Gary’s voice was firm.

He hadn’t named names explicitly, but it was glaringly obvious who he meant by ‘someone’:

Only one person in all of Galar had enough influence to rig matches—Rose.

After hearing Gary’s suspicion, August didn't openly agree, but instead seriously said, “Gary, we’re International Police. We need solid evidence before we act!”

Gary instantly understood.

August wanted him to gather evidence, so when they eventually arrested Rose, they could throw in the extra charge of match-rigging.

“I understand. Leave it to me!” Gary proudly assured him.

August felt deeply gratified. Gary was finally stepping up!

At this moment, the spectators burst into cheers as Giovanni and Larry entered the stage under the crowd’s eager gaze.

Dressed sharply in his black suit and gloves, Giovanni still carried himself with the unmistakable air of Team Rocket’s former leader.

Meanwhile, Larry… August wasn't sure if he was seeing things, but Larry appeared even more worn out than last time, swaying slightly as if he might collapse any second.

“How pitiful!” Gold sighed sincerely, handing popcorn to August and Gary respectively.

Mew immediately showered Gold with approving chirps.

Mew dove straight into the popcorn bucket, happily swimming through it. August ignored it and turned toward Silver instead:

“Silver, who do you think will win?”

Silver watched the battlefield and answered without hesitation:

“Fa—Giovanni!”

“Gary-senpai, what about you?” Gold asked.

“I agree with Silver.” After these few days of training with Giovanni, Gary’s eyes had truly opened.

Simple type advantages alone wouldn’t be enough to defeat Giovanni! Giovanni might specialize in Ground-types, but he certainly wasn't limited to only Ground-types.

Just as Gary finished speaking, the match began.

Both trainers released their Pokémon at the same time.

Larry’s first Pokémon was Staraptor, its black, white, and brown feathers marked distinctively by the bold red crest on its head.

Giovanni’s first Pokémon was…

“Kangaskhan!”

With its baby safely tucked in its pouch, Kangaskhan immediately fixed its sharp gaze on Staraptor soaring in the sky ahead.

---

This is a fan translation of 我，宝可梦称号大师！ by 落唯 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!