Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [552]

Hearing August confirm it with his own mouth, Diancie’s eyes instantly widened.

She really couldn’t connect August with that “villain” she’d heard about back in Kalos—the one who had captured Xerneas.

There had to be some mistake.

“I’m telling you, August just loves tricking cute Pokémon like you!” Sabrina fanned the flames from the side.

August: “Sabrina…!”

From where Diancie couldn’t see, Sabrina was winking at him.

And Diancie, hearing her words, asked instinctively: “Is that true?”

“That’s right, that’s right!”

Sabrina nodded as she kept reaching out to touch Diancie.

No woman could resist a sparkling pink diamond!

Though Diancie felt Sabrina’s tone was a little strange—and that she kept patting her—she still believed her.

After all, August had deceived her all this time, calling himself Giovanni-san.

But now that “Giovanni-san” was August, a new question arose.

“Was Xerneas captured by August?” Diancie asked.

She had embarked on her journey to find Xerneas. Could it be that August’s claim of capturing Xerneas was also false?

At this, August said nothing. He only pulled out a Poké Ball—and tossed it lightly.

Bang!

A red-and-black cocoon radiating destruction appeared in the hall.

Feeling its aura, Diancie jumped back in fright.

“Y–Yveltal…!” She stammered, overwhelmed by tension at the sight of Yveltal.

On her way from Kalos to Kanto, she had read stories. She knew Yveltal was Xerneas’s enemy.

August had captured Yveltal—he really was a villain!

“Oh, sorry, wrong ball.” August recalled Yveltal.

But now that he thought about it… it had been so long, and Yveltal still hadn’t awakened from its cocoon. That seemed off.

Could it be because I beat it too hard last time?

Muttering inwardly, August pulled out another Poké Ball.

A flash of white light.

And there—Xerneas appeared, tall and majestic in the hall.

Nearly three meters tall, its horns almost brushed the ceiling; it had to crouch slightly just to make more space.

“It’s Xerneas!”

The moment Diancie saw it, she completely forgot about Yveltal, her eyes shining with reverence.

Xerneas looked at the small princess before it, puzzled.

Diancie broke free from Sabrina’s arms and gave a formal bow. “Lord Xerneas, I seek your strength to save my kingdom…”

Xerneas turned its head toward August. Seeing him nod, it lowered its head; its antlers glowed in seven colors.

[Fairy Aura]!

The light spilled onto Diancie.

The next second, she felt her body undergo a strange change.

She stretched out her hand, and with a shimmer of pink light—

A pink diamond formed in her palm.

“So pretty!” Sabrina’s eyes lit up. “Can I touch it?”

Diancie wasn’t good at refusing, so she nodded.

And in the blink of an eye, the diamond was already in Sabrina’s hands, quicker than the eye could follow.

Watching Sabrina cradle it like a priceless treasure, Diancie said softly: “The diamonds I made before never lasted long. The elders said I had to find Xerneas to create Eternal Diamonds. But even now that I’ve met Xerneas, I… I still don’t know how to make them.”

She worried that once the diamond vanished, Sabrina’s face would show disappointment.

“Not lasting long?” Sabrina rubbed the jewel between her fingers.

But time passed—and it showed no signs of disappearing.

“Normally, how long do they last?” Sabrina asked.

Diancie hesitated. “Maybe… a short while?”

As she spoke, she made another diamond.

Seeing that it too did not fade, Diancie finally realized—she now possessed the power to create Eternal Diamonds.

Her face lit up with joy.

She had succeeded!

“Thank you, Lord Xerneas!”

“Cough.” August cleared his throat.

At the sound, Diancie realized she had forgotten about him.

“Do you still think I’m a villain now?” August asked, amused.

Diancie looked at Xerneas lying peacefully on the floor, at Mew swinging playfully from its antlers, then at August. Only now did she realize—because of her assumptions, she had misunderstood him this whole time.

Her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment.

Sabrina sighed, shaking her head. She had tried so hard to help Diancie—yet in the end, Diancie still fell.

Just then, Blue arrived with Lillie, Platinum, Rosa, and White.

The moment they saw Diancie, their eyes sparkled. In an instant, they squeezed aside the two Carbink guards and surrounded her.

Lillie: “A Pokémon I’ve never seen before!”

“So pure… such diamonds.”

As a refined ojō-sama, Platinum’s eyes were fixed on the gem atop Diancie’s forehead.

Its clarity surpassed any diamond she had ever seen.

Nervous under their stares, Diancie raised her hand to shield the gem on her head.

Rosa: “So cute!”

White, meanwhile, looked her over with the sharp gaze of a talent scout. “August, is this your new Pokémon? If she were to star in movies, she’d be a superstar.”

Under everyone’s gaze, Diancie—who had never faced such a situation—was completely at a loss.

At last, August stepped in to stop them from going too far.

“Politeness. Mind your manners. Diancie is a princess, not my Pokémon.”

Only at his words did they reluctantly withdraw.

Diancie exhaled in relief—while guilt about her earlier misunderstanding deepened.

August really was a good person!

For Diancie, today was a day of joy.

She had made new friends.

She had met the Xerneas she’d always longed to see.

And now she possessed the power to create Eternal Diamonds. Once she returned, her kingdom’s crisis could be resolved…

It was only that everyone here was too enthusiastic…

Even though, thanks to August’s warning, Sabrina and the others no longer clung to her, being in the middle of their circle still left Diancie flustered.

...

After a simple dinner.

August said to her: “You should return to the Diamond Kingdom to resolve its crisis, right…?”

Diancie nodded.

That was why she had left in the first place.

And though she had faced setbacks, in the end she had met Xerneas and gained the ability she sought.

“And after the crisis is solved?” August asked.

Her face went blank.

Clearly, she had never thought that far ahead.

In her mind, once she made the Holy Diamond and saved her kingdom, everything would be finished. What came after—she had never considered.

Seeing her expression, August smiled.

“Would you like to come stay with us for a while?”

“Eh?”

He tilted his head toward Blue and the others. “You saw it yourself—everyone likes you. After you’ve saved your kingdom, why not come to my Kanto branch?”

“Here, you can train alongside Xerneas as long as you like.” August pointed at it.

Xerneas lowered its head in agreement.

“And if you ever want to return to your kingdom, just tell Hoopa. You can go anytime.” August pointed to Hoopa.

Hoopa planted one hand on its hip, the other flashing a (＾－＾)V sign.

“And besides, in the Kanto branch there are plenty of legendary and mythical Pokémon…”

He gestured at Chien-Pao, who was at that moment being bullied into running in circles by Mew, clutching its own tail—

“Uh… that one doesn’t count.”

Face darkening, August changed targets—pointing at Rayquaza, who was blissfully enjoying a massage from Zinnia.

“So… how about it?”

“Is that… really okay?” Diancie asked, uncertain.

This was her first time traveling away from home.

“There’s nothing wrong with it. So it's settled then!”

Already having grasped Diancie’s personality, August didn’t give her the chance to refuse. He made the decision for her, right there.

Though Diancie felt that something about this was off, when she remembered that August had promised she could return to her kingdom at any time, she nodded in agreement.

Seeing her agree, August’s face broke into a satisfied smile.

From a distance, Sabrina saw and shook her head, sighing. Another poor soul had fallen for August’s tricks.

“Then let’s go resolve your kingdom’s crisis now!” August stood up.

“Eh? Right now?”

“No time like the present!” He asked her for the exact location of the Diamond Kingdom.

Then he beckoned to Hoopa.

And under Diancie’s watchful gaze, Hoopa pulled out the [Prison Bottle], popped the seal, and transformed into its Unbound form.

The demon-like Hoopa slipped the golden rings from its arms, creating a portal.

Hesitating, Diancie followed August through.

The next moment—her eyes widened.

It really was her home, the familiar underground mines, her subjects before her.

That fast? Really?

“Princess!?”

“Her Highness the Princess has returned!”

“Wonderful!”

The Carbink swarmed around Diancie with joy.

But the moment they saw Hoopa emerge from the golden ring, they recoiled in fright.

The Carbink Elder scrutinized Hoopa. Then, as if certain, his voice trembled: “Princess, run! The bandit is here!”

“Bandit?” Diancie tilted her head in confusion.

Following his gaze to Hoopa, she explained, “This is Mister August’s Pokémon, not a bandit!”

But the Elder shook his head fiercely.

“I could never mistake it. According to the legends passed down through generations—in ancient times there was a bandit with six arms who plundered the crystals our kingdom mined… there is a mural to prove it!”

Curious, Diancie followed the Elder to a stone wall.

Crude brushstrokes carved in rock recorded the Diamond Kingdom’s history. One panel showed a six-armed demon stealing away every gem the Carbink had mined, slipping them into portals.

August and Diancie both turned to stare at Hoopa.

Hoopa scratched its head. Now that he thought about it… maybe something like that had happened?

Back then, he had been receiving offerings in the human world, and since he never gave anything back, he had casually snatched some diamonds.

“Hoopa~!”

Shrinking back into Confined form, Hoopa scratched his head, tongue stuck out, face full of sheepishness.

The Elder still glared.

Hoopa patted his chest, promising that he would never again steal from the Carbink.

He paid for things now, really!

August: “…..”

So you actually did do that kind of thing!

The Elder still seethed.

Even though he had been young during the time of Hoopa the Bandit, the memory of it was carved deep into him.

“I apologize on Hoopa’s behalf…” August pulled out a crate of Pokéblocks. “This is compensation for what he did.”

Only with Diancie herself pleading alongside did the Elder finally set aside the old grudge—temporarily.

Hoopa let out a sigh of relief.

Together they came before the Holy Diamond. The enormous pink crystal glowed faintly, its brilliance nearly gone.

“Good thing you returned, Princess. The Diamond is about to fade…” the Elder said.

Diancie raised her head toward it, her voice resolute. “Leave it to me.”

She lifted her hands. Light bloomed from her palms.

Under countless anxious eyes, pink radiance shimmered as motes of light gathered from the air, flowing into the Holy Diamond.

The suspended gem swelled with energy, its dim glow blazing bright once more.

In the cheers of the Carbink, its light illuminated the whole cavern.

The Diamond Kingdom would endure!

When it was done, Diancie, weakened, fell from the air. August reached out to catch her, channeling a touch of the [Power of Viridian] to restore her strength.

Though exhausted, Diancie’s face beamed with joy.

She had saved her kingdom at last.

She turned to the Elder, a little guilty: “I will follow Mister August to see the outside world… I entrust the kingdom to you. I’ll return often.”

And before the Elder could speak—

Hoopa opened a portal, swallowing August and Diancie whole.

The Elder froze, then his furious cries echoed through the mines.

“Thief! Thief!”

But this time, it wasn’t the diamonds stolen...

It was their princess.

He swore to carve this onto the mural as well, so that future generations would remember this thief!

---

T/N: THIEF THIEF!!

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!