Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [488]

Watching August smoothly handle Zinnia, Gary asked curiously, "So how are we getting to Unova? Are we teleporting with Hoopa?"

He glanced over at Hoopa, who was busy munching on donuts. Upon noticing Gary's gaze, Hoopa immediately hid the donut behind its back, glaring warily.

Gary: “…”

Who would steal your half-eaten donut anyway?!

August shook his head with a quick glance at Hoopa. “No, teleporting directly would attract too much attention. We’ll just hitch a ride.”

“A ride?” Gary echoed, intrigued.

Now he understood why August had brought them to Saffron City in the first place.

Just as Gary was about to ask who they'd be traveling with, a familiar voice called out from afar: "August!"

Turning, Gary saw his grandfather, Professor Oak, walking over, waving cheerfully. Alongside him were Ash's mother, Delia Ketchum, and the family Mr. Mime.

“Grandpa? Aunt Delia? What are you doing here?” Gary blurted in confusion.

His grandfather was joining him to Unova, and he'd known nothing about it until now?
Gary briefly wondered if his grandfather really was his grandfather.

Professor Oak chuckled. "I received a sudden invitation from Professor Juniper of Unova to attend an academic conference. And we're not the only ones—"

Before Oak could finish speaking, a familiar voice echoed loudly through the terminal.

"Pikachu, don’t be mad at me..."

“Pika!”

Ash came into view, pleading desperately with Pikachu, who turned its head away in clear annoyance.

“Ash?!” Gary exclaimed in shock. Why was Ash joining them, too?

"Ah! Gary!" Ash finally noticed Gary standing there. August greeted Ash with a smile, "Hey, Ash! Serena isn’t with you?"

He glanced around curiously, finding no sign of Serena—very unusual, considering her attachment to Ash.

Ash scratched his head sheepishly. "Serena got a call from her mom—something urgent came up in Kalos. She had to leave early, but I promised to visit her soon. She said she’d show me lots of Pokémon I've never seen before!"

Hmm... why does that sound familiar? August mused.

Wasn't that similar to what Ash had said to his Pidgeot back then? Hopefully, Serena wouldn’t have to wait twenty-three years too.

But he had to admit, Serena really knew Ash's weak spots, using new Kalos Pokémon as bait to keep him hooked.

August silently wished Serena luck.

Unlike Ash, Pikachu’s full attention was on August. The moment it spotted him, it hastily covered its cheeks, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

Every single time, Pikachu thought bitterly, recalling how August always tugged its cheeks mercilessly—and it had no way of resisting.

"Pikachu, you're hurting my feelings!" August teased, offering a Pokéblock. "Want a treat?"

“Pika-Pi!” Pikachu stubbornly refused, paws firmly clamped to its cheeks.

“Looks like Pikachu’s gotten smarter,” Zinnia quipped playfully.

August raised an eyebrow, turning his gaze slowly toward Zinnia.

The playful smile immediately vanished as Zinnia recalled past traumatic experiences under August’s scrutiny. She shrunk back instinctively, offering a sheepish grin instead.

Gary, watching nearby, sighed inwardly. Despite witnessing this countless times, he still marveled at the sheer terror August could inspire.

When can I achieve that level of authority? Gary fantasized briefly.

Professor Oak turned to August, curious. “Didn’t you say earlier you were going to Unova for vacation?”

Initially, he'd genuinely believed August was just traveling, but now, seeing Gary alongside him, he suspected otherwise. It wasn’t that he doubted his grandson—he just couldn't envision this group as vacationers.

August smiled knowingly, unsurprised by Oak's insight. "You guessed right, Professor. I couldn't explain over the phone earlier, but I'm actually heading to Unova on an important mission."

Professor Oak's expression grew worried. "An important mission? Is Gary really up to it?"

Hearing this, Gary immediately jumped up, indignant. "Hey, Grandpa! What's that supposed to mean?!"

It was one thing being teased by August—but now even his grandfather doubted him?

What made Gary even more frustrated was that Professor Oak’s skepticism drew nods of agreement from everyone—even Mr. Mime!

You're just a Mr. Mime! Why are you joining in on this?

Gary suspected Mr. Mime still held a grudge from when he and Ash had wrecked the house as kids, causing Mr. Mime hours of extra cleaning.

Amidst the playful chaos, August saw his chance. He swiftly reached out, precisely pinching Pikachu’s now-relaxed cheeks and tugging lightly. Before Pikachu could react, he quickly withdrew, stepping back with satisfaction.

“Pika—!”

Watching Ash twitch as Pikachu unleashed a surge of electricity, August savored the lingering feel of Pikachu’s soft cheeks and smiled contentedly. “Much better!”

Witnessing this exchange, Hoopa gained a newfound appreciation for August’s villainy. Meanwhile, Mew, lounging idly atop August’s head counting strands of his hair, remained utterly indifferent. After spending so long with August, nothing surprised her anymore.

...

After brief small talk, the group arrived at Saffron Airport.

Located just outside the city, Saffron Airport was Kanto’s largest air transport hub. Since August hadn’t chartered a private flight, their appearance immediately drew crowds of eager fans.

Surrounded by admirers, August graciously signed autographs while awaiting boarding. Professor Oak and Ash, as recent third-place winner of the Silver Conference, found themselves equally mobbed.

Gary glanced at the crowds around August, then at Hoopa quietly munching donuts next to him.

“???”

Gary’s face was full of confusion.

He understood why August was popular—he was a world champion, after all, a status deserving admiration. And his grandfather’s popularity made sense too, given his prestigious standing.

But Ash? Why was Ash getting so much attention?

Seriously, why?!

Gary was the official Indigo League champion—Ash was merely third place in Johto's Silver Conference. So why did Ash have fans and not him?!

Zinnia patted Gary's shoulder roughly. "Don’t worry. It's completely normal for an outdated champion to be less popular than a Fidough."

Gary: “...”

He felt even worse now.

Watching August and Ash still surrounded by fans, Gary resolved himself.

This is my turning point!

Determined to reclaim the spotlight, Gary vowed he'd participate in the next regional league tournament.

Zinnia overheard Gary's determined mutterings, unsure how to react. With Gary’s skill level, competing in regional leagues would be bullying kids. Did he have no shame?

After August finally escaped his admirers, the group boarded their flight. Settling comfortably into first class, August let out an exaggerated sigh. “Fame is exhausting. Having too many fans can be such a pain.”

Gary stared at August bitterly. I'd gladly endure that pain!

"Why the sour face, Gary?" August asked innocently. "Wait…don’t tell me nobody asked you for an autograph earlier?"

Gary’s expression froze instantly. August did that on purpose—he definitely did!

Before he could retort, August casually summoned a flight attendant. "Two juices, please!"

Gary brightened, touched by August's thoughtfulness.

But as the attendant returned with two freshly squeezed Applin juices, August took one, passing the other directly to Mew. He then eyed Gary with feigned confusion. "Gary, you’re not planning to steal Mew’s juice, are you?"

“Mew!” Mew protectively hugged her juice, shifting warily away from Gary.

"Pfft..." Zinnia burst into laughter.

Gary: “…”

Damn you, August! Just wait till I catch a Legendary Pokémon in Unova—I’ll get my revenge!

Meanwhile, unnoticed in the back of the plane, Jessie, James, and Meowth squeezed tightly into two economy-class seats.

"It's too crowded—why didn't we buy three seats?!" Jessie grumbled, holding Meowth.

"Exactly! We could’ve gotten first class!" James chimed in.

Meowth smacked them both with a rolled-up newspaper. "You idiots! Our goal is to rebuild Team Rocket and rescue Boss Giovanni, remember? Every penny counts, nya!"

Spotting an approaching flight attendant, Meowth instantly hid the newspaper and pretended to be an ordinary Pokémon.

"Please keep your Pokémon secured!" the attendant smiled.

Jessie and James nodded quickly.

“Nya~!” Meowth adorably stretched out a paw.

The attendant chuckled, squeezing Meowth’s paw gently. "Such a cute Meowth!"

Humiliation filled Meowth’s eyes. "No one's dared squeeze my paw pads like that except Boss Giovanni, nya!"

James comforted Meowth quickly. "Stay calm, Meowth! It's all for the Boss!"

Their morale restored, they resumed scheming how to capture Pikachu in Unova, confident this would secure Giovanni’s freedom.

...

Unova Region.

After twelve exhausting hours, the plane finally circled Castelia City, Unova's bustling metropolis.

Peering from above, Gary murmured dismissively, though his fascinated eyes never left the towering skyscrapers below.

Ash eagerly shouted, "I wonder what new Pokémon await us here?"

Gary sighed helplessly. "That’s so Ash..."

Yet rather than landing, the plane abruptly circled, prompting passengers’ confusion.

A crew member soon explained apologetically, "We’ve received notice that an organization called Team Plasma has occupied the airport runway. We're temporarily unable to land, but the authorities are resolving it urgently."

Passengers erupted in alarmed discussion. Gary and Zinnia glanced warily at August.

They hadn’t even landed yet, and Team Plasma was already stirring up trouble…

Was this supposed to be an unfriendly welcome?

---

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!