Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [537]

August had always felt misunderstood.

“For the sake of world peace, I’ve sacrificed far too much over these years!” he lamented dramatically.

His statement earned him a roomful of eye-rolls.

August could only comfort himself: the path of a hero is always lonely.

Thinking thus, he grabbed Slowpoke and tucked it beneath his head like a pillow. Ignoring Slowpoke's protests, he lay back on the sofa and checked the system panel he'd deliberately been ignoring.

There were several unread notifications.

Aside from the three mysterious rewards awaiting selection from earlier…

[You rescued abandoned mouse Pokémon. Title awarded: “Friend of Rodents.”]

[You arrested Ghetsis and destroyed Team Plasma. Title awarded: “Terminator of Team Plasma.”]

[You successfully directed your own film. Title awarded: “King of Comedy.”]

Comedy?!

He'd clearly filmed a superhero movie! How had it turned into comedy?!

August felt deeply wronged.

Yet, despite his frustration, curiosity about the title rewards grew irresistible.

However, the three mysterious rewards at the top left him wary. He glanced at Cogita, only to find her smiling back at him, eyes sparkling with barely concealed amusement—as if silently teasing, “Hurry and pick! There's a surprise!”

August: “...”

Like hell I’ll pick anything!

Based on past experiences, he was quite certain that “surprise” actually meant “shock.”

Thus…

Endure!

August closed the system interface again, resolutely reactivating “Do Not Disturb” mode.

This was now a test of endurance. If he resisted temptation, he couldn't get tricked again!

To distract himself, August rose and headed toward the basement.

Entering the basement, August immediately overheard Archie and Maxie teasing Giovanni mercilessly.

“Giovanni, why don’t you just join the Kanto branch? Must you keep making things difficult with your son?”

“This time, I agree with Maxie. Just give in to August already, Giovanni!”

Giovanni listened, veins pulsing visibly on his forehead. “Shut up, you two useless idiots!”

You two, with your pathetic surrender to August, dare lecture me?!

“Haha, we're all locked up down here. No one’s better than anyone else.”

“Exactly! No matter how powerful you think you are, Giovanni, didn’t you end up losing to August, too?”

Archie and Maxie, completely unfazed, continued their banter, further enraging Giovanni.

August leisurely entered the basement just then.

Giovanni, who'd been about to retort, just snorted and fell silent at the sight of August.

August chuckled inwardly but didn’t approach Giovanni. Instead, he went straight to Ghetsis. “How’s it going? Comfortable enough here?”

From the words alone, one might mistake August for a friendly landlord checking on a tenant.

Ghetsis lifted his head, glaring coldly. “I have nothing to say to you.”

August wasn’t offended at all. He simply nodded approvingly. “If you're still able to talk back, it seems you’re doing quite well.”

Ghetsis: “?”

Your definition of 'quite well' seems questionable.

August didn't elaborate, instead turning to Lysandre’s cell.

Unlike Ghetsis, who had clearly lost his composure after defeat, Lysandre appeared unchanged. Even in his cell, his suit was impeccable, his hair neatly styled—hardly like a prisoner.

Clearly, Lysandre's resolve and adaptability were remarkable.

But August wasn’t concerned. Lysandre was locked safely away; could he possibly escape?

“Lysandre, let me ask you something. How much do you know about Macro Cosmos?”

Although August had already obtained information about Macro Cosmos from Steven, he knew, as an International Police officer, never to rely on a single source of intel.

Lysandre glanced up at August, amused. “Planning your next strike against Macro Cosmos?”

“Next? I just want some basic info.” August replied innocently. “Come on, we did work together once. Surely you can satisfy this little bit of curiosity?”

Mentioning their past cooperation brought unpleasant memories flooding back for Lysandre.

He snorted coldly but didn’t refuse outright. “When I first developed the holographic projection system, Macro Cosmos attempted to buy out my lab. Although I refused, I did meet their president, Rose.”

He paused, his voice growing meaningful. “He's an ambitious man.”

Usually, ambition was meant as praise. Coming from Lysandre, though, it clearly wasn’t intended positively.

“I won’t bother mentioning information that's publicly accessible—I'm sure your sources are more than adequate. But Rose once revealed a certain plan to me. If successful, it would resolve Galar’s energy crisis, granting the region unlimited power!”

With that, Lysandre fell silent.

He hadn’t elaborated fully, but August already knew precisely what Lysandre referred to.

Hammerlocke City... the underground Energy Plant... Eternatus.

August was slightly surprised Lysandre shared such critical information.

“What’s your goal here?” August asked suspiciously.

Lysandre’s lips curled into a smile. “I'm just curious. You're the head of the International Police’s Kanto branch. I’d like to see how you fare against Rose, the chairman of the Galar Pokémon League.”

This was a battle within the Pokémon League itself.

Though August’s record was impressive, his opponent was Rose—head of Macro Cosmos and chairman of the Galar Pokémon League.

If August lost to Rose’s pressure, it’d be a deeply satisfying outcome for Lysandre. And if August won, Lysandre wouldn’t lose anything anyway.

Ghetsis, overhearing this exchange, laughed maliciously.

Giovanni, however, fell silent—not worried about August, but rather concerned about how Silver, serving under August, might be affected if things went poorly.

August merely raised an eyebrow calmly. “Well then, make sure to watch carefully.”

Ending his conversation with Lysandre, August clapped his hands and addressed the prisoners cheerfully: “Next World Coronation Series, I plan to assemble a Kanto Branch Basement team. Anyone interested, feel free to sign up with me!”

August then left the basement, leaving behind prisoners with varying, baffled expressions.

...

Safari Zone.

Breathing in the fresh air, gazing upon familiar scenery, nostalgia filled August’s eyes.

“It's been so long since I’ve been back,” he murmured.

Gardevoir nodded quietly beside him.

Suddenly, rustling noises came from nearby bushes. A group of Oddish carrying berries cheerfully walked out, bumping right into August and Gardevoir.

Both sides stared in surprise for a moment. Then, upon clearly seeing August—especially Gardevoir—

“Nassoo—!”

The previously cheerful Oddish shrieked in panic, dropping their berries and vanishing instantly into the bushes.

August: “?”

First time I’m back in ages, and this is how you greet me?!

August glanced at Gardevoir. Her expression hadn’t visibly changed, but August knew her well enough to sense her mood had darkened significantly.

“Maybe they were just too happy seeing you, and went back to get their families!” August reassured her with words he himself didn’t believe. “Don’t get upset!”

“Voir~”

Gardevoir forced a gentle smile, clearly implying she wasn’t angry at all.

August knew better—Gardevoir had definitely noted this incident down in her mental “little notebook.”

They soon reached Kaiser’s cottage. Kaiser was lounging comfortably on his old recliner, now accompanied by a Dragonite resting by his side—August’s Dragonite’s mother, recognizable by the cross-shaped scar on her forehead.

Sensing someone approaching, Dragonite opened her eyes warily. Upon seeing August and Gardevoir, her wariness immediately turned to joy. She reached out a claw, about to shake Kaiser awake, but August quickly waved for her to stop.

Approaching softly, August lifted the newspaper covering Kaiser’s face.

“Still alive?”

He glanced down; the newspaper bore headlines about Team Plasma’s collapse.

Kaiser opened his eyes warily, reaching instinctively for his belt, relaxing only when he recognized August.

“No wonder Dragonite didn’t warn me... August, could you please stop appearing out of nowhere next time? Think of an old man’s heart!”

Though Kaiser grumbled, he was clearly happy August had visited.

August grinned teasingly. “Weren’t you always bragging how strong and youthful you are? Since when did you become an old man?”

He even showed Kaiser’s recent fishing selfie from social media, smiling broadly while holding a gigantic Magikarp.

“People eventually have to admit they're getting old,” Kaiser sighed, smiling softly. “So, why are you back? Poachers again?”

“Poachers? None would dare enter Kanto anymore,” August replied casually, extinguishing Kaiser’s excitement instantly.

Realizing his mistake, Kaiser scratched his head sheepishly.

Dragonite nudged August, eyes pleading. He smacked his forehead. “Oh right, sorry!” He released his own Dragonite, who immediately embraced his mother.

Kaiser sighed softly, feeling time fly swiftly.

Suddenly realizing Gardevoir had vanished, Kaiser’s memories resurfaced, and a bad feeling took hold.

“August, where’s Gardevoir…?”

Just then, Gardevoir emerged from the woods, followed by a group of Oddish with wilted leaves, heads bowed guiltily.

Gardevoir smiled sweetly.

Kaiser: “…”

You two haven’t changed a bit.

After soothing the Oddish with Pokéblocks, August summoned Hoopa.

“A Pokémon I've never seen before!” Kaiser exclaimed.

Hoopa mimicked playfully, snatching Kaiser’s hat through a ring. Kaiser chuckled, amazed. “You’ve collected some truly unusual Pokémon.”

“Strictly speaking, Hoopa isn't my Pokémon.”

“Hoopa is Boss August’s number one underling!” Hoopa laughed, delighted.

Patting Hoopa’s head, August instructed, “Bring everyone else here.”

Before Kaiser could grasp what August meant, Hoopa opened a massive golden ring, and from within, a crowd of familiar and unfamiliar faces emerged.

"So this is the Safari Zone you used to work at, Boss?" Black asked eagerly.

Gold quickly corrected him, "Dummy, Boss August used to work at the Nature Reserve next to it!"

"Isn't the Safari Zone supposed to be full of wild Pokémon? How come we haven't seen any yet?" Rosa asked curiously, looking around.

"August’s Dragonite, and another Dragonite I don't recognize!" Zinnia shouted excitedly.

Platinum held out a box of treats. "I brought lots of snacks. Lillie, would you like to try this?"

"Um... I suppose I could have a taste," Lillie replied shyly, accepting the sweet from Platinum. Just as she was about to take a bite, a flash of pink suddenly zipped past, and the dessert vanished without a trace.

---

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!