Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [498]

Hearing August say he wasn't omniscient, and didn't know if there was one of the Seven Sages in Striaton City, Gary gave him a skeptical look. "C’mon, August, no need to pretend…"

Others might not know, but he—Gary Oak—knew perfectly well. As Employee Number 4 of the Kanto branch, he'd experienced August's terrifyingly vast intelligence network firsthand.

August: "…"

Now you won't believe me when I'm actually telling the truth?

Seeing Gary’s stubborn expression, August sighed. "Like I said, I really don't know. But since you're so sure, gathering intel on Team Plasma is now your responsibility."

Gary immediately froze.

It felt suspiciously like he'd just volunteered himself for extra work.

"Can I decline?" Gary asked weakly.

August smiled ominously. "What do you think?"

At that moment, Hoopa gallantly stepped forward, full of loyalty.

"Hoopa!" it declared proudly, pounding its tiny chest. "Let's go together!"

Gary was nearly moved to tears.

All those doughnuts I bought for Hoopa were absolutely worth it!

As Gary departed, Mew seized the opportunity. Teleporting swiftly behind Tepig when August wasn't looking, it snatched the ribbon off Tepig’s head.

Tepig's eyes welled up with tears as Mew gleefully tied the ribbon onto its own tail, waving it proudly.

But Mew’s delight was short-lived—a swift punishment followed!

August grabbed Mew firmly by the scruff of its neck:

"Return that ribbon right now."

"Mew!" Mew stubbornly protested.

"In that case, I'll have to compensate Tepig with your snacks." August turned calmly to Gengar. "Hand over Mew's treats as an apology."

Hearing this, Mew instantly panicked.

"Mew!" At unprecedented speed, it hurriedly tied the ribbon back onto Tepig’s head.

Then, thoughtfully producing a Pokéblock, it stuffed it into Tepig’s mouth to stop its tears.

Afterward, Mew flew straight back to August, wrapped itself around his arm, and began cutely rubbing against him with pleading, watery eyes.

August stared blankly at Mew's performance.

You've definitely learned that move from Eevee!

Every time Eevee wanted allowance money, it acted exactly the same way.

In the end, August left Mew’s snack stash untouched.

White, who had witnessed the entire scene, quietly asked Zinnia, "Is Mr. August always like this with his Mew?"

Zinnia replied enthusiastically, "Of course! Let me tell you a secret—but don’t tell anyone else, okay? August and Mew even have a child named Mewtwo…"

Zinnia’s behavior vividly demonstrated the meaning of "never learning from past mistakes."

White: "!!!"

She didn’t fully understand—but was profoundly shocked nonetheless.

Lost in joyful gossip, Zinnia completely missed August’s narrowed eyes behind her.

Caitlin briefly considered warning Zinnia, but after a moment’s thought, she gave up—not because she wanted to see Zinnia suffer, but because, after long observation, she suspected this might just be some sort of special role-play between the two.

What kind of sane person repeatedly provokes trouble like this?

It never occurred to Caitlin that Zinnia might not be sane in the first place.

...

After settling into their hotel, Zinnia energetically began training White, who’d finally regained her confidence. Gary had set out alone to search for signs of Team Plasma, while August and Caitlin left the hotel together, heading out onto the street.

"Where are we going?" Caitlin asked curiously.

"To find someone," August answered vaguely.

Caitlin was just about to ask more when August stopped suddenly. Before them stood a small two-story building with a sign hanging above the door.

"Dream Research Lab?" Caitlin read aloud.

"Hm? You’ve heard of it?" August raised an eyebrow.

"I have…" Caitlin’s expression became difficult to describe. "It’s quite hard not to hear about a lab that blew itself up researching dreams."

While it was common knowledge that Pokémon research could be dangerous, blowing up one's own lab was something else entirely—a real heavyweight feat.

She gave August a wary look. "Don’t tell me you're here looking for Fennel?"

August nodded cheerfully. "Professor Juniper asked me to check on her friend. Besides, I'm quite interested in dreams myself—and I happen to have Pokémon related to dreams."

Caitlin shuddered involuntarily at his words.

Fennel alone was capable of blowing up an entire lab. If August joined in…

Caitlin imagined a colossal explosion obliterating all of Striaton City.

Though she knew her imagination was running wild, Caitlin couldn't help feeling anxious.

As she quietly prayed for safety, August reached out to knock. Just as his hand was about to touch the door, it swung open, and August's knuckle landed squarely on the forehead of a purple-haired woman wearing glasses.

Thunk!

The woman in the lab coat blacked out instantly, falling straight back.

Fortunately, Caitlin reacted quickly, catching her with [Psychic].

She glanced back and forth between the unconscious woman and August, silently conveying: Just how hard did you knock?!

"She’s definitely faking it!" August protested immediately.

He swore he'd barely touched her—certainly not enough to knock anyone unconscious!

Whatever happened next clearly wasn't his fault.

"Anyway, let’s just get her inside first," August urged, noticing curious passersby glancing their way.

Caitlin nodded reluctantly.

Yet, as she carried Fennel into the lab with [Psychic], she couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling that they were illegally breaking in.

Just as Caitlin was struggling with this thought, a voice called out from inside, "Sis, didn't you go out to buy lunch? Why…?"

A girl looked up, her eyes widening in shock at the scene before her.

"Ah! Sis, did you faint from hunger again?"

"You heard her—it’s hunger-induced fainting, nothing to do with me!" August quickly clarified.

His innocence had nearly been ruined.

...

When Fennel slowly awoke, the ceiling looked familiar.

"Huh? Was it just a dream? Why am I still in the lab?" she murmured.

Her last memory was opening the door to buy lunch, then a stranger knocking her forehead—and everything had gone black.

Yet the ‘dream’ had felt startlingly real—her forehead even throbbed faintly.

Could it be a newly discovered feature of dreams?

Excited by this idea, Fennel sprang up. "Amanita! Amanita! I discovered something new about dreams!"

But then she froze, spotting the very stranger who’d attacked her earlier calmly playing checkers with her younger sister.

And the stranger’s appearance…

"I must've gotten up too quickly…I'm hallucinating the World Champion August playing checkers with Amanita…"

"I must still be dreaming," Fennel murmured, about to lie back down.

Amanita shouted sharply, "Sis, you dummy! Wake up! Professor Juniper sent someone to visit!"

Her sister's familiar voice snapped Fennel back to reality. She pinched herself sharply, finally realizing she truly wasn't dreaming.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Fennel quickly apologized, flustered.

August, who'd been preparing his own apology: "…"

Why was it now like she was the one who knocked him out?

Seeing her bewilderment, August mischievously asked, "What makes you think this isn’t still a dream?"

"I'm still dreaming?" Fennel asked blankly.

Amanita shook her head. "Big Brother August, please stop teasing my sister—she isn’t very bright!"

Seeing both August and Amanita laughing, Fennel finally realized she’d been tricked, sighing in embarrassment.

At that moment, Caitlin approached politely. "Dr. Fennel, you’re awake?"

Indeed, despite appearances, Fennel was a legitimate Pokémon Professor specializing in dreams.

Upon seeing Caitlin clearly, Fennel suddenly became nervous.

"Caitlin? Did my research violate regulations again?"

Ever since the previous Dream Lab turned into the Dreamyard, and she’d relocated to Striaton City, League inspectors frequently dropped by to check compliance and lecture her on safety.

She was now instinctively terrified of League investigators. Seeing Caitlin of the Elite Four appear personally—did the League finally decide to shut her down?

Caitlin blinked, baffled. What was Fennel talking about?

She glanced automatically toward August, silently asking if he’d said something misleading again.

"Not my fault," August quickly protested. Today, he'd been wrongly accused more than enough times.

To avoid further confusion, August hurriedly clarified, "Professor Juniper asked me to check in on your lab, and I'm genuinely interested in your dream research."

Fennel paused, surprised.

Amanita cheerfully added, "Sis, August even has Pokémon related to dreams!"

Fennel’s eyes instantly lit up. "Do you have Musharna?"

August shook his head.

"Ah, sorry—my expectations were too high. Munna would be fine too!"

August shook his head again.

Now Fennel grew confused. If it wasn’t Musharna or Munna, surely he wasn’t referring to a Pokémon like Hypno?

August smiled faintly. "None of those—but I do have another dream-related Pokémon."

Fennel immediately asked, "Which one?"

"Darkrai, the Nightmare Pokémon," August announced calmly.

Fennel and Amanita froze simultaneously.

They’d only dared hope for Munna or Musharna, yet he’d casually offered up Darkrai—jumping straight to a legendary Pokémon!

After repeatedly confirming August wasn't joking, both sisters eagerly prepared their equipment, creating ample space for August and Darkrai.

August threw a Poké Ball, and an awkward Slowpoke appeared, snoring lazily.

"Ah, sorry! Wrong one…"

Quickly correcting his mistake, August released another Poké Ball.

A cold, oppressive aura filled the lab as Darkrai appeared, warily scanning its surroundings.

Fennel and Amanita trembled, intimidated by Darkrai’s terrifying presence. Yet their research enthusiasm soon overcame fear, and they boldly approached.

"So this is Darkrai?" Fennel asked excitedly. "Could I experience its nightmare?"

August blinked, taken aback.

He’d seen many researchers obsessed with their subjects, but even so, this request was way ahead of its time…

---

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!