Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [535]

Just as Mew continued rolling around on the sofa, Mewtwo finally couldn't stand it anymore, gently reminding her from the side.

“Mother, please mind your image!”

Hearing Mewtwo's words, Mew paused mid-roll, let out a disgruntled squeak, then dragged a cushion over her head, pretending "I can't hear anything!"

At this sight, Meloetta’s small head instantly froze up.

Mo...Mother?!

Meloetta's eyes widened dramatically upon hearing Mewtwo’s way of addressing Mew.

Only now did she begin to carefully inspect Mewtwo.

Apart from being much bigger in size, she realized Mewtwo did resemble Mew quite closely, even sharing a similar aura.

Could it really be that Mewtwo was actually Mew’s child?

She’d only been away from Mew for a short time—what on earth had happened?!

Meloetta felt like her brain was about to combust.

Standing nearby, August saw Meloetta’s blushing face and roughly guessed what was going through her mind.

He glanced helplessly at Mew hiding beneath the cushion, then sighed and spoke up, "It's not what you think…"

August successfully captured Meloetta’s attention, but before he could finish, Mewtwo interjected, "Father, please discipline Mother a bit. She really shouldn’t be acting this way..."

“Melo—!?”

As though struck by lightning, Meloetta froze stiff.

She stared at August with a look usually reserved for perverts and quietly shuffled away from him.

August: “......”

His mind flashed back two years ago, when he'd stood before Mewtwo’s incubation tank on New Island, playfully claiming Mew was Mewtwo’s mother…

Had the boomerang thrown two years ago finally swung back around to hit him?

August reached out and tugged at Mew’s tail.

Mew, come out and clear this up, will you!?

“Mew!”

The tail-pulled Mew lightly swatted August’s hand away, swiftly hiding her tail beneath her belly.

Yet to Meloetta’s eyes, this exchange resembled playful flirting between spouses—something she'd seen plenty of times on television—thus confirming her worst suspicions.

Seeing Mew still refusing to reveal her face, August heaved another sigh, resorting to his trump card.

“Gengar, Mew says she doesn't want all those snacks hidden in your stomach anymore—you can have them.”

Before August had even finished speaking, Mew shot out from beneath the cushion, panic written all over her face. “Mew!!”

When had she ever said such a thing!?

Those snacks were hers! Hers alone!

Puffing out her cheeks, she glared furiously at August, who dared threaten to confiscate her snacks.

But in the next second, August scooped the previously indignant Mew up, dangling her in front of Meloetta. “Hurry up and explain to Meloetta what really happened.”

“Mew?” Mew tilted her head, puzzled. Explain what?

“I mean the whole Mewtwo thing.”

Realization dawned across Mew’s face.

She looked straight at Meloetta, first pointing to Mewtwo, "Mew! (Child!)"

Then pointing to herself, "Mew! (Mama!)"

Finally, she pointed at August, "Mew! (Papa!)"

After completing her explanation, she cheerfully circled around August and Mewtwo.

Meloetta's last shred of doubt vanished instantly, confirmed by Mew herself, and now she regarded August with a scornful gaze, as if confronting a total scumbag.

“Melo—!”

August: “.....”

Eventually, under the threat of no more cupcakes, Mew finally explained the truth to Meloetta.

But due to her initial misunderstanding, Meloetta remained half-suspicious even after Mew raised a paw in solemn oath, continuously eyeing August warily.

Seeing Meloetta behave this way, August sighed again, resigned to the fact that rehabilitating his image with her wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

What an absolute mess…

Leaving Mew and Gardevoir to keep Meloetta company, August got up and headed toward Gary and the others.

Noticing August approaching, Gary—who’d previously perked his ears to eavesdrop—immediately straightened his posture.

“We didn’t overhear anything just now!” declared Black, betraying his lack of experience.

Hearing this, Gary and Zinnia instantly cracked.

Especially Gary, who shot Black a despairing look filled with utter disappointment.

Saying that right in front of August, isn't that just giving yourself away completely?!

Sure enough, just as Gary lamented inwardly, August narrowed his eyes at Black, smiling in a way all too familiar to Gary.

Only now did Black realize he’d slipped up, sheepishly scratching his head.

“Relax, it's not like I'm a petty guy or anything...” August said.

Black immediately sighed with relief, glancing at Gary as if to say, "See? He's not nearly as scary as you made him out to be!"

But Gary, who understood August all too well, recognized this classic opening line: "I'm not a petty guy…" Gary's expression sank like a stone.

How naïve could Black be?!

You offend August and still expect mercy?

As expected, the next second August placed a friendly hand on Gary’s shoulder. “Do you remember that talent scout from before?”

“I remember…” Gary replied hesitantly. Of course, he remembered—but coming from August, this couldn’t be good.

August smiled gently. “Lusamine told me earlier that she acquired that film studio. Let's shoot a movie before we leave Unova—a perfect finale for our journey!”

Alarm bells began screaming inside Gary’s head.

Yet everyone else lacked his keen intuition. “A movie!?”

Even Zinnia, who’d already suffered plenty from August’s schemes, eagerly lit up at the idea.

White was particularly enthusiastic. As president of BW Agency, she'd directed commercials and organized events—but never an actual movie!

Just imagining it filled her with excitement and energy!

“You see, everyone's excited—what’s with the sour face?” August said, patting Gary’s shoulder again. “Don’t tell me you’re not looking forward to it?”

“Of course I’m looking forward to it!” Gary forced an awkward smile onto his face.

“Relax, since it’s our own studio this time, I'll even let you be the lead actor.”

Gary instantly perked up, eyes sparkling: “Really?!”

“Of course, really!” August affirmed.

With that, Gary’s forced smile vanished completely, replaced by pure anticipation as he recalled the lead character from the previous script…

The Dark Knight!

Just thinking about it made his heart race with excitement.

Gary Oak was finally going to be a star!

A brilliant grin stretched across his face.

...

Pokéstar Studios was located to the north of Virbank City. It produced nearly every movie in the Unova region and was famous around the world.

Due to prior commitments, Professor Oak had already returned to Kanto with Ash and Delia. Nate and Looker stayed behind in Castelia City, organizing the reconstruction of the International Police's Unova branch.

When August and the others arrived, they saw a bustling city brimming with cinematic themes.

Film sets and artificial scenery used as filming locations sprawled throughout Pokéstar Studios, dazzling everyone’s eyes.

“This is incredible!” White’s eyes sparkled.

For the president of a Pokémon entertainment agency, Pokéstar Studios was absolutely a dream come true.

“We must seize this opportunity, Tepig! Let's become big stars!” White enthusiastically shouted to Tepig beside her.

Tepig, also captivated by the dazzling sights around them, nodded vigorously.

“Since Lusamine acquired the entire studio, the original film crew was disbanded and reorganized,” August explained. “This means we’ll personally pick every single actor ourselves!”

As they spoke, they arrived at the studio Lusamine had prepared for them.

August glanced around the fully-equipped set, picked up a clapperboard, and snapped it shut with a sharp clack.

“I hereby announce—the filming of Bat Monster vs. The Joker officially begins!”

Gary rubbed his palms together eagerly, anticipation all over his face. Then, after a moment, he finally realized what August had said.

“Wait, what? Shouldn't it be Crobatman vs. The Dark Knight?”

“Oh, the original script was a little boring, so I made some adjustments,” August replied nonchalantly. “Don't worry—the lead is still Bat... I mean, the Dark Knight. And the Joker’s still the villain.”

You definitely just tried to say Bat Monster, didn't you?! Gary screamed internally.

His premonition of impending disaster was reaching its peak.

Yet the rest of the group, who had been laughing at Gary’s misfortune, couldn’t escape either.

Black was cast as Emboar, one of Bat Monster's rivals; Rosa and her Snivy played the villainess Vine Girl; Zinnia was assigned the role of Harley Quinn, with Mew and Meloetta responsible for background music.

And Giovanni…

Giovanni’s eyelid twitched when August turned his gaze toward him.

If August dared cast him as the Joker, Giovanni would rather choose death!

Sensing Giovanni’s thoughts, August reassured him, “Relax, you won't be playing the Joker. Your image doesn’t match the Joker’s.”

“I’ll personally take on the Joker!”

“You'll play Bat Monster's elderly butler instead!”

August handed Giovanni the script.

Giovanni glanced over the lines—they looked normal enough…

Yet before Giovanni could even breathe a sigh of relief, a large rack of costume props was wheeled in. “These are your specially-made costumes!”

Gary stared in dismay at the giant Golbat-like costume in his hands, deep reluctance written all over his face.

Everyone else gazed helplessly at their own bizarre outfits as well.

Only August’s Joker outfit looked remotely normal—a sleek purple suit paired with a clown mask, somehow still charming.

Gary looked from his costume to August and asked pleadingly, “Is it too late to switch roles?”

“What do you think?”

Giovanni, staring up at the sky dressed like an oversized Crobat after donning his costume, could only feel his dignity had died completely.

...

By the time they finished filming and returned to Kanto HQ, everyone looked utterly lifeless.

Filming a movie was supposed to be fun, but this experience had somehow left August as the only one satisfied.

After escorting the utterly demoralized Giovanni back to his cell at the Kanto base…

“What happened to everyone?”

Blue looked confusedly at Gary and the others—now resembling wilted eggplants—then turned to August as he came up from the basement.

Hadn't their mission against Team Plasma been a huge success? Why did everyone look like they'd just suffered defeat?

“Probably jet lag or something,” August replied casually.

“Anyway, I heard you went with Lusamine to the Aether Foundation to settle the rescued Pokémon?”

At August's question, Blue immediately forgot the previous conversation. “Yes, everything went smoothly, and everyone adapted quickly to their new home…”

“Although some of the Minccino still miss their leader a little…”

As she spoke, Blue glanced at Minccino, who was cheerfully helping Meowstic tidy up the bar counter.

Minccino happily shook its fluffy ears, noticing August and Blue's attention.

August couldn't help but marvel at how amazing Pokémon could be—even a cat and a mouse were friends now.

“By the way, where's Cogita?” August scanned the room. Lillie and Platinum were busy introducing White and Rosa to Kanto HQ's facilities, helping them pick out their rooms.

Gold was pulling Black aside, insisting on a card game.

August had a hunch Gold’s usual cheating methods would crumble in the face of Black’s analytical skills—hopefully, it wouldn't shatter Gold’s pride too badly.

Yet despite his search, Cogita was nowhere to be found. Sabrina and Lusamine were also missing.

When August asked, Blue replied, “Fennel apparently had a breakthrough with her research, so they all went to see it!”

“Fennel succeeded already?” August was stunned.

It had only been two weeks—far quicker than he’d anticipated.

“Let’s go have a look!” August suddenly felt intrigued.

“The mission report…” Blue reminded him quietly.

August stroked his chin, scanning his surroundings.

Gary was out—he’d suffered enough…

Meeting Zinnia’s puzzled gaze, August approached her. “I have an important mission for you.”

“If you succeed, I might consider lending you Rayquaza again.”

Zinnia instantly perked up. “Really?”

“Have I ever lied to you?” August smiled lightly.

Not bothering to question further, Zinnia eagerly asked, “What's the mission?!”

For Lord Rayquaza, she would singlehandedly take down an entire evil organization without hesitation. Such was her devotion!

August praised her enthusiasm. “Good spirit! The mission report for the Team Plasma operation is now in your hands!”

“Huh!?” Zinnia looked completely lost.

A mission report? Could she really handle that?

August patted Zinnia reassuringly. “Believe in yourself! You’ve got this.”

Then he turned and walked away, leaving Zinnia frozen in confusion.

On the other side, Blue cautiously asked August, “You sure it's safe to leave the report to Zinnia?”

Although Zinnia was officially part of Kanto HQ, everyone knew…

Well, to put it bluntly, Zinnia was an idiot—an unspoken consensus in the Kanto branch.

What was August thinking, giving her the task of writing a mission report? Wasn't this pure nonsense?

“Trust Zinnia. She’ll manage,” August said confidently.

Though skeptical, Blue decided to accept it since August had already spoken. She quietly hoped the headquarters wouldn't be driven mad by Zinnia's report.

Quickly, they arrived at Fennel’s laboratory.

Inside, Sabrina, Cogita, and Lusamine were intently watching Fennel present her findings.

“…And through this device, we can finally bridge the gap between dreams and reality!”

August had arrived just in time to catch this line.

“Bridging dreams and reality?” August’s interest was piqued.

Seeing August, Lusamine’s expression instantly softened from a strong leader into a gentle smile.

Sabrina gave him a teasing look instead. “I heard someone got a very public thank-you kiss from Caitlin back in Unova?”

August suddenly felt an icy chill at his side.

“Hm?” He raised an eyebrow innocently. “Did something like that happen?”

As he spoke, he quickly scanned his memories, reviewing everyone who’d been present.

Who leaked this?!

“Oh, didn't it?” Sabrina’s tone was playful but assured.

She clearly had reliable intel.

There’s a traitor among us! August inwardly shouted.

“Well, I wasn't exactly expecting Caitlin to be that bold...” August tried.

“So it is true?” Blue asked, voice low and icy.

August: “…”

Danger!

Seeing Sabrina laughing softly behind her hand, August grit his teeth—she’d pay for this tonight.

Sensing the awkwardness, Fennel quickly intervened. “August, want to try my new device?”

August gratefully took the lifeline. “Sure, but I just got here. What's the purpose exactly?”

Fennel perked up immediately. “This device was actually a side project. My initial goal was to materialize things from the dream world into reality, but during research, I discovered dreams might be interconnected across humans and Pokémon.”

“So I created this dream-linking device. Wearing these helmets simultaneously links the dreams of two individuals!”

August held a helmet, then slowly turned toward Sabrina.

Sabrina: “?”

An ominous feeling arose inside her.

Sure enough, August smiled mischievously. “Let's test it!”

He handed Sabrina another helmet.

She hesitated—this was obviously revenge—but refused to show weakness.

“You’re not scared, are you? Surely you trust Cogita, if not Fennel!” August goaded.

Provocation was cliché but highly effective.

Sabrina snatched the helmet and donned it. The two fell asleep as the device activated.

Over time, August’s lips curled into a delighted smile, while Sabrina bit her lip, visibly struggling.

Fennel watched nervously, but Cogita simply observed knowingly, amused.

Eventually, August awoke first, looking smug. Sabrina opened her eyes, flushed deeply, and vanished instantly with [Teleport].

Confused, Fennel stared at the empty chair.

August laughed quietly. “Probably nervous.”

He praised Fennel’s innovation warmly, who was left wondering why Sabrina’s seat was inexplicably damp…

...

Life at the Kanto branch gradually settled back into its usual peaceful and leisurely rhythm.

However, after the incident in Fennel’s laboratory, August faced nightly sneak attacks from Sabrina. Each attempt ended with Sabrina utterly defeated, yet she remained persistently enthusiastic—truly the embodiment of someone who’s terrible at a game but loves playing it anyway.

One early morning, August walked into the living room and saw Meloetta conducting a chorus of Pokémon.

Mew served as the conductor, Blue’s Jigglypuff was the lead vocalist, and the choir consisted of Slowbro, Psyduck, Eevee, Togepi, and several others.

In just a few days, Meloetta had managed to transform this ragtag group of tone-deaf Pokémon into a surprisingly harmonious chorus. She truly deserved her title as the Melody Pokémon.

Yet, as soon as August appeared, Mew instantly abandoned Meloetta, landing atop his head. Eevee leapt eagerly into August’s arms, climbing up his shirt to nuzzle affectionately against his shoulder.

“Chakki-poyi~!” Togepi hurriedly waddled toward August, hoping to jump into his embrace like Eevee. Unfortunately, its tiny legs made that impossible, and despite all its effort, Togepi couldn’t even reach August’s knee.

Helplessly amused, August bent down, scooped up Togepi, and nestled it gently into his arms.

Meloetta watched August become practically covered with Pokémon. Although somewhat annoyed that he’d disrupted her carefully organized rehearsal, the past few days had made her reconsider her initial opinion of him.

Maybe August isn’t the pervert I thought he was after all...

Settling onto the sofa, August picked up the newspaper. Headlines from the past few days still revolved around the downfall of Team Plasma:

[Team Plasma Declared Illegal for Criminal Activities!]

[Mastermind Exposed: Ghetsis’s True Identity Revealed!]

[Team Plasma vs. Aether Foundation: The Battle of Pokémon Advocacy Ends Decisively!]

[Aether Foundation and Paldea League Unveil Joint Project: Area Zero Paradise Set to Open!]

Looking at the extensive advertisement for Area Zero Paradise prominently placed within these news stories, August recognized Lusamine and Geeta’s handiwork immediately.

Clearly, Geeta had spared no expense to promote Paldea and their new Area Zero initiative.

But what caught August’s attention more was another piece of news:

[World Coronation Series Committee Confirms: Next Tournament Likely in Galar, Major Rule Changes Expected!]

After previously losing the hosting rights to Chairman Rose, it seemed Rose had finally gotten his way, securing Galar as the next location. With Galar as the venue, Pokémon trainers from that region—benefiting from [Dynamaxing]—would surely enjoy an unprecedented advantage.

Curious, August opened an online forum.

Just as he expected, the forum was buzzing with activity over this news.

A popular thread titled "Leon’s Number One Fan: I Declare the Return of King Leon!" had gathered thousands of replies.

Intrigued, August tapped into the post.

The original poster passionately argued that Leon, aided by Dynamax, was unbeatable. Last year's champion August was yesterday's news—Leon’s triumphant return was inevitable!

August chuckled lightly as he read this post, scrolling further down to see the reactions.

The first reply immediately caught his eye:

[HonoraryMemberoftheGardevoirProtectionSociety]: Return of the king? Tell Leon to beat Cynthia first!
(Over 10,000 likes.)

Seeing the username, August instantly knew this was one of his people, and he smiled, tapping ‘like.’

Next was:

[RayquazaistheStrongestDragon]: Totally agree! August doesn’t even need a full team. Just Rayquaza alone could sweep Leon’s entire lineup!
(Over 7,000 likes.)

Why does this familiar style feel suspiciously like Zinnia’s alt account...?

Scrolling further down:

[AugustFanClubAdmin]: Exactly! I can’t even imagine how August could lose!

August: “?”

Did I offend you somehow? Do you really need to jinx me like that?

Scrolling through a few pages, August felt satisfaction seeing everyone dismiss the idea that Leon could beat him—debunking the supposed "Return of the King."

But just as he was about to close the thread, another comment caught his eye:

[Insider]: Do none of you actually read the news? Major rule changes are coming for the next World Coronation Series! According to my uncle on the committee, they plan to ban Legendary Pokémon this time for fairness. Not only does this massively buff Leon, it also heavily nerfs August!

Replies flooded beneath the so-called ‘Insider’:

[I’veGotTwoJynx]: Caught a wild rrrat!

[LegendaryFanatic]: No way! If they ban Legendaries, who’ll fill the void in my heart?

[HonoraryMemberoftheHypnoProtectionSociety]: Outrageous! They’re clearly targeting August!

August: “...?”

What’s with these absurd usernames? Even Hypno has a protection society now?

Still, August hadn’t heard anything about rule changes due to dealing with Team Plasma lately. Curious, he called Lance.

Lance’s voice sounded notably more relaxed compared to before Team Rocket was dismantled: “August! Did you finally remember to pick up those Team Plasma prisoners from me?”

August froze.

Honestly, if Lance hadn’t brought it up, he’d have completely forgotten about that.

Lance fell silent after hearing August’s prolonged pause.

After a moment, August coughed. “I’ll... call Alder in a few days to handle it. You know how busy things are in Unova right now...”

Before he finished, Lance sighed. “You completely forgot, didn’t you?”

“How could you accuse me of something so terrible?” August responded indignantly.

Lance: “......”

If I didn’t know you so well, you might’ve actually fooled me!

Deciding not to dwell on this pointless debate, Lance asked, “Why’d you suddenly call?”

“It’s nothing major. I just wanted to ask about the next World Coronation Series,” August said.

“So you saw the rumors online, huh?” Lance laughed.

“Enough suspense—is it true they're banning Legendary Pokémon?”

“It’s true.”

August’s heart sank.

“This is blatant sabotage! They’re targeting me specifically!” August complained indignantly.

Few trainers in the entire League actively used Legendary Pokémon, after all.

“It can’t be helped,” Lance explained. “Chairman Rose and Macro Cosmos are sponsoring this year’s championship. Rose lobbied for the rule changes personally—Leon is his biggest asset, after all.”

“Rose! I’ll remember this!” August mentally jotted down Rose’s name.

Just you wait, Rose. Sleep lightly tonight!

“Will you still compete?” Lance asked.

“Of course!” August replied without hesitation. “Quitting would just give Rose exactly what he wants.”

“But your Pokémon...” Lance hesitated.

As strong as August’s Gardevoir was, even she couldn’t go one against six.

“Relax. I’ve got plans,” August assured confidently.

As Lance was about to hang up, August suddenly asked, “By the way, Lance, does the championship have any rules against prisoners competing?”

Lance froze. “No such rule exists.”

Then realization struck him. “Wait—August, don’t tell me you’re thinking...!”

“Relax, just asking.”

After hanging up, Lance stared blankly, sensing instinctively that the next World Coronation Series would be very entertaining...

...

Celadon City.

After a long absence, August and Sabrina revisited Celadon City.

August originally wanted to check out Team Rocket’s old Game Corner, but found it replaced by a restaurant.

“Ah, my youth is truly gone...”

“What?” Sabrina asked, puzzled.

“I said my youth is over!”

August glanced once more at the former Game Corner, turning away sadly.

Sabrina followed his gaze, remarking, “Isn’t your youth locked away in your basement anyway?”

August laughed, shaking his head.

Entering Celadon University, he effortlessly bypassed security using facial recognition.

“You didn’t come here just to wander around, did you?” Sabrina asked.

“Of course not,” August replied. “I’m here to resign.”

“Resign?” Sabrina paused, vaguely recalling that August had indeed been a teacher here.

“It’s honestly embarrassing. As a professor here, I’ve yet to teach a single proper class,” August admitted.

“You really are irresponsible,” Sabrina commented.

“You couldn’t say something nicer, like ‘your heroic actions have inspired students more than any lecture’?”

“If all the students learned from you, the League would collapse,” Sabrina retorted coldly.

August grimaced, unable to argue.

Finally reaching the president’s office, August knocked and entered. The president looked astonished.

“August?! Are you finally going to teach?”

August felt embarrassed. “Actually... I’m here to resign.”

The president’s excitement evaporated instantly, replaced by resentment.

After an awkward silence, the president sighed deeply.

“I’m sorry, August—I can’t accept your resignation.”

“Huh?”

“Because you've already been appointed as a Lifetime Honorary Professor!”

August stared at the certificate. Sabrina scowled beside him, utterly speechless.

A professor who’d never taught a single class receiving lifetime honors—was there no justice left in the world?

Smug, August proudly waved the certificate at Sabrina, who pointedly looked away.

This is true influence!

August tilted his chin smugly.

Sabrina scoffed softly, refusing to indulge his obnoxious pride any further.

...

When August returned to the Kanto branch, he found Gold sitting with his head buried miserably in his hands, a look of disbelief etched onto his face.

Beside him, his Ambipom wore a similarly defeated expression.

August turned curiously toward Yellow standing nearby. "What's up with Gold?"

Yellow glanced cautiously at Gold before whispering, "Gold-senpai got caught cheating at cards ten games in a row."

August broke into a grin. Just as he’d predicted, Gold’s infamous cheating skills couldn’t withstand Black’s “Musharna-Jinchūriki” deduction mode.

He approached the gloomy-looking Gold, clapping a reassuring hand onto his shoulder. “What’s a little setback?”

Gold lifted his head to meet August’s gaze.

August nodded solemnly. "If you're bad at something, practice harder! Are you really going to let one small defeat crush your spirit?"

Gold’s eyes brightened instantly, feeling profoundly inspired. His gloom vanished, replaced by newfound determination. “I get it now, Boss August!”

Sabrina, who was quietly observing nearby, felt utterly speechless.

If anyone overheard them, they'd think it was an inspirational talk. Who’d ever guess they were discussing improving cheating techniques...?

Just as Sabrina was inwardly roasting them, Zinnia suddenly dashed into the room, shouting excitedly:

“August, August! I did it!”

August jumped slightly at her enthusiasm. “Did what exactly?”

“I finished the mission report!” Zinnia declared proudly.

August always teased her for being slow-minded, yet here she was, completing a full mission report—just like Blue. By that logic, doesn’t that make me as smart as Blue now? she thought, proudly puffing up her chest.

August waved dismissively. "Great job. Go ahead and submit it."

To him, the report was just a formality. What kind of sane person would actually read it thoroughly?

“Mm-hmm!” Zinnia nodded eagerly, then shyly glanced at August again. “So, about Lord Rayquaza...”

“Yes, you can borrow him,” August sighed, inwardly repenting for momentarily thinking Zinnia had grown smarter.

Rayquaza spent all day lounging around the Kanto branch—whether Zinnia officially borrowed him or not made absolutely no difference. If she truly wanted to borrow him, wouldn’t it make sense to wait for an actual mission?

He felt slightly guilty deceiving someone so earnest.

Watching Zinnia happily race off toward Rayquaza, August shook his head, quickly shrugging off the faint twinge of guilt.

“Where’s Gary?” August asked Gold.

Gold paused to think. "I think he’s at the training field?"

When August arrived at the training field, he spotted Gary engaged in a fierce battle against Colress.

Colress was commanding his Genesect, while Gary’s Landorus faced off against him.

However, Landorus looked different from usual, now sporting a high-tech cannon attached to its arm, remarkably similar in style to Genesect’s Techno Blast module.

Raising its arm, Landorus charged the cannon.

Seeing this, August was immediately skeptical. Is that even legal? Since when can Landorus use [Techno Blast]...?

As Landorus fired, the device suddenly emitted a puff of black smoke, accompanied by the acrid smell of burning circuits.

The high-tech cannon flickered weakly before shutting down.

Gary removed the charred module from Landorus’s arm, sighing heavily. “Failed again.”

Colress adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. “[Techno Blast] seems fundamentally incompatible with Landorus’s energy signature. We may need to rethink our approach.”

August coughed lightly, finally drawing their attention.

Noticing him, Gary hastily hid the burnt device behind his back—though clearly too late.

“What are you two up to?” August asked with raised eyebrows.

Colress answered frankly, “We’re developing wearable weaponry to enhance Pokémon battle capabilities.”

Gary, realizing hiding was futile, sheepishly held out the broken device for August to inspect.

August gave it a glance. “Interesting concept, but there are too many issues transitioning from an integrated device to a wearable one. The energy transfer and conversion efficiency alone are major hurdles.”

Colress nodded in agreement. “Precisely. But since I’m now with the International Police, modifying Pokémon directly is illegal.”

Wearable gear was permissible; direct modifications were not. Such was the current law within the League. While legality hadn't mattered much during his Team Plasma days, now Colress diligently followed the rules.

“I can suggest an alternate approach,” August offered, summoning his Gengar and retrieving a special combat suit from within.

Noticing Colress’s intrigued gaze, August introduced the item. “This is the E-Combat Suit, developed by another of your colleagues.”

“Oh?” Colress eagerly examined the suit, his excitement visibly growing. “This design is brilliant!”

It opened a completely new research pathway for him.

“Who created this? Where are they now? I'd love to meet them!” Colress's excitement was palpable.

“He’s currently in Kalos. Like you, he was a former scientist from Team Flare—”

“Could it be Xerosic?” Colress quickly interjected.

Before Team Flare’s fall, Colress had already heard of Xerosic. Afterward, he'd tried locating him, but without success. It made sense now—Xerosic had joined the International Police.

“It’s great you know him already! He’ll return to Kanto soon. You two can collaborate then.”

“I look forward to it immensely!” Colress replied with a delighted smile.

Meanwhile, Gary, completely ignored by the two scientists, couldn't hold back any longer. “Hey! Don’t just ignore me—I was here first!”

---

International Police Headquarters.

A relaxed, optimistic atmosphere filled the entire headquarters.

With August’s decisive victory over Team Plasma, the burden on the International Police had greatly eased. Nate and Looker had smoothly begun reorganizing the Unova branch; everything was trending positively.

Just then, the Chief received an email.

“Hmm? August’s mission report is finally here?”

Although Looker had already summarized the events, nothing would match reading a thorough report from the operation’s leader himself.

Filled with anticipation, the Chief clicked open the document from Kanto branch.

His first glance: something felt odd.

The second glance: definitely strange.

The third glance: utterly bizarre!

He abruptly looked away from the screen, staring blankly at the ceiling to ease the sudden mental strain.

Did August really write this? What on earth is all this nonsense about 'Lord Rayquaza'?

“Lord Rayquaza’s decisive role,” “Lord Rayquaza intervened,” “Lord Rayquaza secured victory”—absurd lines like these occupied nearly a third of the entire report.

He briefly considered sending the report back for revision, but hesitated. After August’s massive accomplishments, demanding a rewrite seemed excessively harsh.

With a sigh, the Chief braced himself, attempting to read the document word by painful word.

Ten minutes later, he finally gave up.

I can’t take it anymore! Reading this report is more exhausting than figuring out how to handle Team Plasma itself!

After regaining his composure, he picked up the phone, summoning his secretary.

“Chief, how can I help you?” she asked.

He silently pointed toward the offending mission report.

“Please condense this report into a simplified summary and submit it to me afterward.”

She hesitated briefly, surprised by the seemingly trivial task.

Since when does the Chief have trouble reading?

However, as soon as she glanced at the document herself, realization dawned:

No wonder he asked for help!

---

T/N: long chapter!

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!