Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [546]

Putting aside the fact that they’d already sided with August and were acting as his guides, Chi-Yu had never expected that Wo-Chien would treat its own brothers like this!

Even if you take ten thousand steps back—hadn’t they brought August here to find Wo-Chien precisely so it could live the same good life they were enjoying?

But, in the end, Wo-Chien was still their brother.

Chi-Yu decided to give it one last chance.

From its perch in the bronze cauldron on Ting-Lu’s head, Chi-Yu poked its head out once more, sending another call for Wo-Chien to surrender.

What it got in return was a barrage of [Magical Leaf].

One of the glowing leaves nearly struck Chi-Yu’s true body.

Seeing that Wo-Chien not only failed to understand its good intentions but even dared to attack, Chi-Yu felt genuinely hurt.

This… this was no longer the brother it once knew. Time to bring out the heavy hand.

But to Wo-Chien, it was Chi-Yu who had betrayed them to humans—shamelessly, no less—and now had the gall to try and make it surrender.

“Woooo—!”

Wo-Chien let out a furious bellow. The leaves draped across its body quivered, rustling in waves as countless blades spun into a protective ring around it.

At the same time, the power of the [Tablets of Ruin] flared—lowering the Attack of all three opposing Pokémon at once.

Chi-Yu glanced toward Chien-Pao and Ting-Lu beside it.

Their eyes met, and understanding passed instantly.

All three unleashed their own Ruinous powers upon Wo-Chien.

The [Vessel of Ruin] sapped Special Attack.

The [Beads of Ruin] drained Special Defense.

The [Sword of Ruin] cut down Defense.

The fierce presence Wo-Chien had just moments ago was suddenly stripped away in one decisive blow.

With that done, Chi-Yu made the first strike.

It leapt from the bronze cauldron atop Ting-Lu’s head into the air, body erupting in a searing three-thousand-degree blaze that streamed straight toward Wo-Chien.

[Burn Up]

The flames swept through, incinerating the leaves that had been shielding Wo-Chien.

Chien-Pao joined in, the pale-blue diamond patterns on its fur lighting with a faint glow as the air temperature plummeted. Under its control, tiny shards of ice formed midair, coalescing into jagged hailstones that pelted Wo-Chien.

Without the leaf barrier, the ice slammed directly into Wo-Chien, wrenching a cry of pain from it.

“Woooo—!”

With another roar, Wo-Chien shook itself violently, scattering a storm of leaves that turned into whirling blades aimed squarely at Ting-Lu.

[Leaf Storm]

Ting-Lu: “?”

They were the ones hitting you—why are you hitting me?

Picking on the honest one, is that it?

But with the [Leaf Storm] rushing straight at it, Ting-Lu, who had no wish to gang up on a former comrade, had no choice but to act.

It lifted its head high—then slammed the bronze cauldron hard into the ground.

BOOM—!

Like a temple bell crashing down, the earth shuddered violently, a crack splitting across the ground.

In the same instant, under Ting-Lu’s command, a wall of stone surged up before it.

[Earth Power]

The [Leaf Storm] struck the wall, the whirling blades slicing and chipping until they carved a hole through the rock by sheer force.

But before the attack could pierce through completely, Chi-Yu and Chien-Pao had already moved.

One to the left, one to the right.

Chi-Yu’s body temperature spiked once more, crimson fire tinged with a faint, deadly blue—so hot the surrounding air warped from the heat.

[Inferno]

At the exact same moment, countless icicles under Chien-Pao’s control launched from the other side toward Wo-Chien.

Both strikes landed at once.

Ice and fire in one breath.

Wo-Chien howled in pain.

Even with all the plant life energy it had absorbed from the southern zone, facing Chi-Yu and Chien-Pao together was too much.

Watching its suffering, Chi-Yu’s expression said plainly: Serves you right.

This was the price for turning your back on your brothers.

Watching Wo-Chien, defeated and pushed before him by the three Pokémon, August couldn’t help but sigh.

He hadn’t even lifted a hand, and his Pokémon were already able to capture one for him entirely on their own.

He stored Wo-Chien in a Master Ball.

Then released it again, treating its wounds with a Potion and the [Power of Viridian].

Before long, Wo-Chien came to.

The instant it woke, it turned a furious glare toward Chi-Yu, Chien-Pao, and Ting-Lu.

Do you even still count as the Treasures of Ruin?

Ting-Lu tilted its head to look at the sky, Chien-Pao bent down to lick a paw, and only Chi-Yu held itself with unabashed righteousness.

Just as Wo-Chien and Chi-Yu seemed ready to lock horns again—

August gave a light cough, and with a flash of light, Xerneas was sent out to keep order.

Sensing the life-filled aura of Xerneas, Wo-Chien’s body shuddered, and it quickly curled in on itself.

Xerneas cast a glance at Wo-Chien, but soon turned its gaze toward the southern zone’s forest—its plant life drained by Wo-Chien.

It frowned, displeased by the sight, and without needing any order from August, stepped forward and gently tapped the ground with its foreleg.

Its rainbow antlers unfolded, light blazing across them, and beneath that radiance the dead trees and withered earth stirred—grass and leaves returning at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Wild Pokémon that had been hiding began poking their heads out one by one, drawn by the aura of Xerneas, their eyes filled with awe and longing.

Very soon, the forest before them was more lush and vibrant than it had been before.

And it didn’t stop there. Xerneas looked toward August, expression questioning.

August nodded.

At once, Xerneas sprang into the air, its light spreading across the southern zone, restoring every bit of greenery Wo-Chien had destroyed.

Watching Xerneas vanish into the distance to heal the land, August lowered his head to Wo-Chien.

“Tell me—who released you?”

After witnessing Xerneas’s strength, Wo-Chien finally understood why its three companions had been willing to obey this human without complaint.

It was just about to answer when—

A shadow fell across them from the sky.

“Airship!” Iono shouted.

August looked up. Sure enough, an airship was hanging in the air above.

But unlike the intel he’d received before, this wasn’t the Team Plasma ship Rocket-dan had stolen—it was something else entirely.

“…Looks familiar,” August muttered, rubbing his chin.

“Wooo—!”

Wo-Chien barked from the side.

“Oh? You’re saying he’s the one who released you?” August asked.

Wo-Chien nodded.

Just then, a voice rang out from the airship’s speakers: “I am the collector Lawrence. Thank you all for bringing the Treasures of Ruin right to me—you’ve saved me so much time!”

“Now, if you would all kindly vacate the area in an orderly fashion, so no one gets hurt by accident.”

The arrogance in his tone was unmistakable.

At that, August turned to Cynthia and the others. “Does he not know who I am?”

In terms of arrogance, this guy might just be the most brazen August had ever met.

Even Giovanni wouldn’t dare talk to him in that tone.

Cynthia and the others covered their mouths to stifle laughter.

As for the name “Lawrence,” August knew it well.

The villain from the Lugia: Birth of the Sea movie.

Back when August had been a ranger, he’d already heard of him—Lawrence, code name “Collector,” a backroom buyer for multiple poaching rings.

After he’d captured those poachers, August had planned to bring Lawrence in as well, but the man’s instincts were sharp.

The moment things looked bad, he’d fled.

The airship’s mobility was too great, and at the time August couldn’t leave Kanto freely. Since Lawrence hadn’t made any major moves after that, the matter had been left alone.

He hadn’t expected the man to come deliver himself today.

Was this fate?

The voice from the airship was still droning on, but August had already lost patience.

“I don’t like talking up to people. Mewtwo!”

He sent out Mewtwo.

Light from the [Mega Stone] wrapped around it, and in moments Mewtwo’s form shifted into the smaller, sleeker Y-shape.

“Your job—get him down here.”

Mega Mewtwo Y nodded, tilting its head up toward the still-chattering Collector.

It lifted a hand.

The next moment, a terrifying wave of psychic power burst forth like a dam giving way.

VMMM—!

The airship shuddered under the impact. Lawrence’s body jerked, his voice cutting off mid-word.

Before he could react, Mewtwo’s psychic power surged again.

An ocean-deep force dragged at the vessel, metal groaning under the strain.

Hearing alarms blaring from his consoles, Lawrence snapped to his senses, face twisting. “Damn it!”

He hadn’t imagined the people below would be this strong, and he had no time to think about who they were.

He hammered at the controls, trying to force the ship higher.

The engines roared to full power, and for an instant, the descent slowed.

But only for an instant—Mewtwo poured on more strength, and the struggling engines were no match.

With a delicate downward pull of its slender arm, one of the overloaded lift engines burst into fire and black smoke.

One by one, the engines blew, until at last the ship lost all power to resist and, in a storm of alarms, was dragged down to the ground.

August stepped forward. Without a word from him, Mewtwo’s psychic power ripped open the metal door.

They moved through the corridors until, in the control room, they found the Collector, weapon in hand.

Looking at the terror written across the man’s face, August said, “Now—can you say to my face what you just said before?”

Recognition dawned in Lawrence’s eyes, and fear overtook him. “A-August…”

He swore—he truly hadn’t known the person below was August.

If he’d known, forget the tough talk—he would’ve fled as far and fast as possible.

If only he’d spent the money to replace his cameras with 4K ultra-high-def, none of this would have happened. Too late for regrets now.

“So, now that you know me, are you planning to resist arrest, or attack an officer?” August asked.

Lawrence shook his head violently, tossing his weapon aside like it was burning his hands and raising both arms high. “I surrender!”

It wasn’t that he was completely without options—

The weapon in his hand, and the Pokémon aboard his ship, could still put up a fight.

But that depended entirely on who the opponent was.

He recalled the well-known “August Rules” that circulated among Pokémon hunters:

When you encounter August—

Do not reach for your Poké Balls.

Do not make any sudden moves.

Do not try to talk tough.

Do not attempt to hide or deceive him. Confess honestly, and preferably surrender outright.

If August looks disappointed, it means you’ve just avoided disaster.

These were the hard-won lessons paid for by countless hunters with their freedom—or very long sentences.

Because he hadn’t known it was August earlier, Lawrence had already broken several rules. To avoid doubling his sentence, he now followed the code to the letter, not daring to overstep in the slightest.

Before August even asked, he spilled everything like beans from a bamboo tube—

How he’d found records of the Treasures of Ruin in ancient texts, how he’d uncovered the method to break their seals, and how he’d hired others through the black market to remove those seals all over Paldea…

Seeing him so cooperative, August’s face took on a look of disappointment.

What was with Pokémon hunters these days? All of them so spineless.

If you’re going to be this timid, why be a hunter at all?

He almost missed Hunter J—she had never been like this.

Too bad that ever since he’d caught her, he’d never met another hunter with that kind of nerve.

The moment Lawrence saw August’s disappointed expression, cold sweat ran down his back.

August was disappointed!

It was clear—had he been a moment slower to surrender, his fate would’ve been far worse.

Lawrence felt a rush of relief.

August looked at him—now handcuffed and actually smiling—and could only stare in confusion.

Is this guy seriously happy about being arrested?

Then again, anyone who went into Pokémon hunting wasn’t exactly right in the head. August didn’t bother trying to make sense of him.

With Lawrence in custody, August called Geeta.

“Wo-Chien’s dealt with, the southern zone’s recovering, and the mastermind’s been caught.”

Geeta’s face lit with surprise. “Already!?”

She knew August was efficient, but this was on another level.

“I didn’t expect him to just hand himself over,” August said, glancing at Lawrence.

Tears streamed down Lawrence’s face.

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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!