Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [571]

When Rose saw Leon arrive, a smile spread across his face—but if one looked closely, they'd notice something unnatural about that smile.

Leon didn't notice this subtlety.

“Ah, Leon, perfect timing. There's something I need to discuss with you…” Rose began.

Leon, who'd initially come looking for Rose about another matter, was a bit caught off guard. He frowned slightly and asked, “What's the matter?”

“It's about August,” Rose said, the unnatural quality in his expression becoming even more pronounced.

“August?”

Hearing Rose mention August, Leon's brows furrowed further.

He'd heard the rumors going around. He, too, didn't agree with Rose's approach of manipulating the rules to ban August's legendary Pokémon.

To Leon, Pokémon battles were supposed to be pure—simple contests of skill and spirit.

But Rose’s interference had sullied that purity.

“August has arranged for former criminal organization leaders to compete in the World Championships, including dangerous individuals like Pryce and Giovanni,” Rose explained.

Leon froze for a moment, confusion clouding his face. “And the League approved this?”

Rose feigned a heavy expression and nodded solemnly.

Leon's brows knitted tighter.

He felt August was playing a dangerous game.

Yet, he found himself unable to openly criticize August—it was, after all, their Galar region that first tampered with the tournament rules.

Still, if one of these criminals were to become champion, it would bring shame upon Galar as the hosts of the competition.

“So I’d like to get in touch with August. Perhaps I can persuade him to reconsider,” Rose said with a righteous seriousness.

Anyone watching Rose at this moment would see a man deeply burdened, tirelessly working for the honor of the Galar League.

Leon felt slightly moved by this, though he doubted Rose could convince August.

It came back to the same point: Rose had been the one to change the rules and target August first…

“Regardless, I still want to try,” Rose insisted.

“All right, Chairman,” Leon relented, seeing determination in Rose's eyes. He handed over August’s contact details.

A faint, obscure glint flickered through Rose’s eyes as he received the number. He looked back up at Leon. “Now, Leon, was there something you needed?”

Reminded by Rose's question, Leon recalled his initial purpose.

“Chairman, recently, there have been incidents across the region involving wild [Dynamax] Pokémon attacking trainers and harassing towns—”

“I’m already aware!” Rose cut Leon off abruptly. “I've already dispatched people to investigate. Right now, your priority should be preparing for the World Championships.”

Leon’s frown deepened at Rose’s dismissive response, sensing the chairman wasn't taking the matter seriously.

Yet, seeing Rose’s expression, Leon ultimately chose not to press further.

As Rose had said, since he'd already sent people to investigate, Leon could wait for the results. Right now, the most important thing was indeed preparing for the tournament. Galar was his home turf; he couldn’t lose face to a bunch of criminals!

Leon left soon after.

Sitting down at his desk, Rose pulled out his phone, staring at the number he'd just obtained.

First, he activated the recording device. Then, he dialed August’s number.

...

Having just finished dinner, August was strolling through the streets with Giovanni, dragging him out for battles to gather points.

Suddenly, the phone in his pocket buzzed.

“Vee?” Eevee, who had been holding August’s phone while watching a livestream, passed it back to him.

“Who’s that?” Gary asked.

“No idea,” August replied, equally puzzled. Everyone who had this number should be familiar. Curious, he answered the call. “This is August.”

“It’s Rose!”

Seeing Rose appear on-screen immediately caused a subtle shift in atmosphere.

August hadn't expected Rose would have the nerve to call him.

The last villain to boldly call him first was Giovanni… Did Rose assume August had no proof of his crimes?

Countless thoughts flashed through August’s mind in an instant, though outwardly—under Giovanni and Gary’s eyes—August only paused briefly before putting on a radiant smile.

“Ah, Chairman Rose! What a surprise to receive your call. How may I help you?”

“So fake,” Giovanni sharply criticized.

Gary couldn't agree more in his heart, though he dared not show it openly.

“I feel like there might be some misunderstanding between us,” Rose said carefully.

August wore an expression of innocent surprise. “Why would you think that, Chairman?”

“I admit changing the rules may have affected you, but there was no need to respond by involving criminals…”

Hearing this, August shook his head repeatedly. “Chairman Rose, you’ve misunderstood me!”

“I invited the criminals to the World Championships with absolutely no intention of targeting you personally.”

“I’m simply following the League’s new policy for improving prisoner treatment—using the Championships as an opportunity to give them some fresh air and enrich their daily lives! The League encourages this.”

“Anyone who knows me can tell you—I always follow the League’s rules to the letter.”

August’s answer was airtight.

Rose originally planned to bait August into slipping up, record it, and post it online to harness public opinion and pressure August into submission.

He never expected August wouldn't fall for the trap at all.

August, meanwhile, utterly scorned such crude fishing tactics.

The last guy who tried waging a war of public opinion against him was currently sitting all alone in a basement under the Kanto branch.

If Rose wanted to play this game, all August could say was—Rose was thinking way too highly of himself.

Seeing his plan fail, Rose dropped his facade: "Well then, I wish you luck in the World Championships."

August replied cheerfully, "Thank you, Chairman Rose. I'll do my best."

After hanging up, August scoffed, pocketed his phone, and turned to Giovanni and Gary:

"Well, did we get matched with an opponent yet?"

"Our time is tight, our task heavy—we've gotta at least hit Great Ball rank before the tournament starts."

Giovanni’s expression turned slightly strange, but he said nothing.

Gary quietly leaned in and whispered to August, "We've got a match…"

"Who’s the opponent?" Curious, August took Gary’s phone.

After seeing the opponent’s profile, August couldn’t hold it in—he burst out laughing.

Giovanni’s expression darkened instantly.

August coughed, regaining his composure, and solemnly assured Giovanni: "Actually, this is pretty normal. I mean, you lost your rank after being arrested, so starting from scratch and matching with someone like this is totally expected. Nothing embarrassing about it…"

Giovanni’s face grew even darker.

Just then, a little girl timidly approached, dressed in a full-body Eevee costume, and asked in a tiny voice, "Excuse me, is Mister 'Giovanni' here?"

Seeing the trio turn toward her—especially Giovanni’s extremely dark expression—the girl immediately stammered nervously, unable to finish her sentence.

"She’s talking to you, Giovanni!" August called out cheerfully.

Giovanni shot August a fierce glare, took a deep breath, and forced himself to answer gently, "I'm Giovanni."

Click.

August took a photo from the side.

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Saving this for posterity.

Giovanni felt his fist harden.

Seeing Giovanni's unexpectedly kind smile, the Eevee-costumed girl's nerves eased slightly, though her voice remained barely louder than a mosquito’s whisper. "M-my name’s Yui, and I came to join the World Championships."

Above them, Rotom the referee appeared in position.

Poké Kid Yui summoned her courage to issue a challenge!

Poké Kid Yui sent out Eevee.

Eevee fainted.

Poké Kid Yui sent out Milcery.

Milcery fainted.

Poké Kid Yui sent out Snom.

Snom fainted.

All three Pokémon fainted—Giovanni wins.

Poké Kid Yui used Crying attack.

Giovanni fell into a Headache state.

Finally, it was Eevee who comforted Yui after her loss and contacted her parents to pick her up. August teased, "I never thought the mighty Team Rocket Boss Giovanni could be at a total loss like this."

Giovanni: "…"

Why don’t you try handling that yourself?

Mentally exhausted, Giovanni didn't want to talk to August.

"Don't tell me every opponent after this is going to be like her. I'd rather just withdraw," Giovanni complained bitterly.

He—the great boss of Team Rocket—reduced to beating little kids for points? Giovanni couldn’t bear that disgrace.

August looked shocked. "Can you really bear to see Silver’s disappointed gaze?"

Giovanni: "…"

Seeing Giovanni fall into instant silence, August comforted, "Relax, opponents are randomly matched by the League. It's not like you'll always get matched with little kids… Ah! We've got one!"

A second opponent appeared on screen.

Good news: This opponent wasn't a little kid.

Bad news: It was a wealthy middle-aged woman.

Soon, guided by the aerial Rotom drone, an elegantly dressed middle-aged lady arrived, holding a handbag from a famous Galarian luxury brand, pearls around her neck, gemstone earrings dangling from her ears.

"Excuse me, are you Mister Giovanni?" the lady asked, eyes sparkling.

"I am," Giovanni answered, a bad premonition rising sharply.

"It really is Mister Giovanni! I'm such a huge fan!" The lady squealed enthusiastically upon confirmation.

"You’re Giovanni’s fan…?" August gasped in shock.

August wasn't shocked that Giovanni had fans—but rather that Giovanni’s fandom now included middle-aged ladies.

"Of course! A manly man like Mister Giovanni is incredibly popular among my circle of girlfriends!" The lady said shyly.

"..."

Though Giovanni didn’t speak, August could clearly see from his expression that Giovanni was currently struggling not to unleash Beedrill to commit mass murder.

In an effort to stop this woman from digging her own grave, August hurriedly signaled the Rotom referee to start the match.

Three Pokémon.

Beedrill only used three moves.

Effortlessly sweeping the lady’s team, Giovanni secured the victory.

But the wealthy lady wasn’t saddened in the slightest by her defeat. Instead, she enthusiastically asked, "Would Mister Giovanni perhaps like to exchange contacts?"

Giovanni swiftly recalled Beedrill to its Poké Ball and turned to leave immediately—afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist ending this woman if he stayed even a second longer.

…

At the end of the day, when August returned to the hotel, he discovered that everyone had made significant progress.

For villains like Pryce, former heads of criminal organizations, victories at the Poké Ball rank came as naturally as breathing.

But Giovanni made the fastest progress—he'd already reached Great Ball rank.

But the cost…

August looked at Giovanni, who sat nearby, visibly spiraling into despair.

"What did you do to Giovanni? Why does he look like he's about to have a breakdown?" Sabrina leaned closer to August and whispered.

August was extremely dissatisfied with Sabrina’s phrasing: "What do you mean, 'what did I do'? This has nothing to do with me!"

Giovanni had terrible luck with match-ups; how was that August's fault?

Sabrina clearly didn't believe him. In her view, August was the only one capable of tormenting Giovanni like this.

She turned her questioning gaze toward Gary, who’d accompanied August all day.

Reflecting on the day’s events, Gary admitted that this time it really wasn't August’s fault.

This immediately piqued Sabrina’s curiosity.

If it wasn't August, then what exactly happened to Giovanni!?

She eagerly turned to Gary. "What interesting thing happened? Come on, spill it!"

Sabrina was ready to enjoy the gossip.

Just as Gary opened his mouth, he felt Giovanni’s murderous glare land on him.

Instantly, Gary became extremely cautious.

Eventually, August himself revealed everything to Sabrina.

After hearing the story, Sabrina couldn’t hold back her laughter.

And if Sabrina knew, that meant Blue knew; if Blue knew, Silver and Zinnia would know. And if Zinnia knew—everyone would know.

Suddenly, the room was filled with joyful, carefree laughter.

Only Giovanni remained with a dark face, directing a murderous stare at August.

August looked back innocently.

Did he even do anything? He didn't exaggerate a single detail—he just described exactly what happened today.

Observing this scene, Kubfu, who regarded August as its role model, silently committed everything to memory.

August had no idea how deeply his every action influenced Kubfu.

He coughed lightly, gathering everyone’s attention, and announced:

"Starting tomorrow, let’s split up. We’ll meet up again in Hammerlocke City when the World Championships officially begin."

"Your task is to collect information regarding [Dynamax] across all of Galar’s cities."

"Report back immediately if anything unusual happens!"

Everyone nodded at August’s instructions.

Giovanni wanted to say something to Silver, but after briefly meeting his gaze, Silver immediately turned away and left.

Watching Silver’s retreating back, Giovanni furrowed his brows.

Clearly, he was deeply troubled by Silver’s continued indifference.

August sat beside Giovanni and earnestly advised him, "These things can't be rushed; Silver needs time to process it. Want me to give you some advice?"

Without so much as glancing at August, Giovanni rose and silently returned to his room.

August: "…"

How ungrateful!

---

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!