Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [473]

Koga wasn't optimistic. Given what he knew of August, even if August didn't directly ridicule him, there was no way he'd let something like this slide easily.

But if he didn't wear these clothes, the embarrassment would be even worse when August inevitably mocked him.

After a long moment of hesitation, Koga reluctantly slipped into the Team Rocket uniform.

Even though he was dressed as Team Rocket, his heart was still with the League.

Now the problem was how to convince August of that…

Koga fell into deep contemplation.

---

Meanwhile, as Koga desperately brainstormed explanations to avoid August’s mockery—or rather, explanations so clear that not even August could twist them—events continued to unfold.

...

Holding the mask August had handed him, Gary stared blankly.

“Why are you giving this to me?”

August looked at Gary with surprise, as though the question was absurd. “Obviously, because you’re the one who'll pretend to be Giovanni!”

Gary: “…Weren't you the one planning to disguise yourself as Giovanni?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?” August responded incredulously. “I have to meet with Team Rocket to exchange the hostage!”

“Team Rocket specifically demanded that I show up. If I pretend to be Giovanni, who’s going to pretend to be me?”

Gary instinctively opened his mouth to volunteer, but immediately reconsidered. Given August’s uniquely indescribable personality, no one could convincingly imitate him—least of all Gary himself.

Fine, if August said he was Giovanni, then he was Giovanni!

“Then what about the match?” Gold asked, puzzled.

“You stay here and keep watch,” August said decisively. “I’m going to Goldenrod City with Gary to scout ahead.”

“But I want to watch Ash’s battle!” Gary shouted, dragged away helplessly by August.

August’s voice echoed back clearly: “What's so interesting about the quarterfinals? Don't tell me you think Ash might lose at this stage!”

Gold looked on sympathetically as the huge VIP lounge was suddenly left with just him.

Sinking comfortably into the soft sofa, he sighed contentedly. “Ah, this is so relaxing!”

“Toge~!” Togepi happily chirped, nodding along.

Hoopa was about to add something when suddenly the door burst open again. A hand shot inside, grabbing Hoopa and pulling it outside.

“I almost forgot Hoopa!”

“Gold, save Hoopa!” Hoopa cried desperately.

Gold could only watch helplessly as Hoopa was taken away by August, shaking his head apologetically. Right now, he could barely save himself.

...

Goldenrod City

The last time August had visited Goldenrod was…well, the last time.

This time, in addition to Gary and Hoopa, he'd dragged along Malva, who had barely woken up and hadn't even put on makeup.

“Don't you know it’s extremely cruel to drag a woman outside without letting her put makeup on?” Malva complained, voice dripping with resentment.

Faced with Malva’s bitter gaze, August’s reaction was textbook-perfect:

“You’re not wearing makeup?” August feigned surprise, then smoothly recovered. “Honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference… Actually, you might look even better. Natural beauty suits you.”

Instantly, Malva’s resentment melted away like snow in sunlight. Even though she knew August was probably just flattering her—

Still, she liked hearing it!

Gary silently took mental notes—this was definitely a line worth remembering for his future girlfriends.

At that moment, a girl accompanied by a Miltank entered the room.

“Mr. August!” Whitney greeted cheerfully.

“Let me introduce you. This is Gary, and next to him is Malva.”

Whitney knew Gary well enough; they'd fought side-by-side during the incident with Pryce in Mahogany Town.

But… Malva?

Whitney paused for a moment, then gasped loudly: “You're the Kalos Elite Four who joined Team Flare!”

Malva: “…”

Well, yes, it was technically true, but was it really necessary to shout it out so bluntly?

Kids with no sense of tact were truly annoying!

Seeing Malva’s expression, August, as her superior in the International Police, naturally felt obligated to step in.

“Malva has turned over a new leaf and joined the International Police,” August clarified smoothly. “We successfully dismantled Team Flare largely due to her assistance.”

He turned to Malva, smiling gently. “Isn't that right?”

“…Yes.”

Having joined the International Police, she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

She might as well lean into it now.

That's right—it was all her doing!

Hearing this, Whitney’s gaze shifted subtly—from looking at a criminal to looking at a criminal who'd seen the error of her ways.

Malva inwardly rolled her eyes.

What difference does it make? She’s still treating me like a criminal.

After introductions, the conversation quickly moved to their primary objective.

“Whitney, do you know any details about Koga’s capture?”

Though news of Koga’s capture wasn't widely circulated within the League, Whitney, as Goldenrod Gym’s leader, had naturally been informed.

Whitney immediately looked guilty.

“It’s all my fault!”

As Gym Leader, she'd initially been assigned to investigate Goldenrod Radio Tower, but once Koga had stepped in, she'd transferred the task to him.

In Whitney’s mind, she was responsible for what happened. Koga had taken the fall for her.

As Whitney recounted the story, she couldn't help but tear up.

August patted her comfortingly. “Don’t blame yourself. Your status is too low; even if you'd gone, it wouldn’t have changed anything. Actually, Team Rocket would've just gained another hostage.”

Whitney’s tears stopped instantly.

Gary and Malva stared in stunned silence, their mouths twitching involuntarily.

August, is this really how you comfort people…?

“Let’s first tour the site of Koga’s capture,” August declared.

Whitney nodded instinctively, then suddenly paused.

Tour?

Wasn't August’s choice of words a bit strange?

But Gary wasn’t surprised at all. The fact that August only said “tour” rather than suggesting taking commemorative photos to mock Koga later was already relatively normal.

As for Malva…

At this point, nothing August did would surprise her.

“Hoopa!” Hoopa eagerly nodded, clearly agreeing with Malva’s internal thoughts.

Immediately afterward, Hoopa took a light knock from August’s fist and lay sprawled on Gary’s head, clutching its head pitifully and dropping tiny pearls.

...

Goldenrod Radio Tower

This was where Gold’s favorite radio host, DJ Mary, worked.

When August’s group arrived, the radio station staff were receiving trauma counseling from League officials.

Team Rocket’s sudden attack had understandably startled the employees.

But to these chronically overworked office workers, shock was hardly a big deal. After a couple days off, they’d be back to normal.

Yet the station manager apparently disagreed, explicitly requesting counseling from the League.

“They really don’t treat these employees like humans,” August commented sympathetically.

For once, Gary didn’t argue. Even if August could be harsh at times, he wasn't nearly this bad.

Malva, on the other hand, was puzzled. Wasn't this normal? Back in Kalos, these things happened regularly. Did Johto have different norms?

Following Whitney’s guidance, they soon spotted DJ Mary.

As Gold’s favorite broadcaster, Mary appeared remarkably resilient. Though still a bit pale and shaken, she seemed otherwise fine.

“Hello, Ms. Mary.” August extended his hand politely.

Mary shook it gently, managing a smile. “Hello, Mr. August.”

As a journalist herself, Mary naturally recognized August. But what left a stronger impression was that one of August’s subordinates was her devoted fan.

August’s arrival made Mary visibly relax. With someone as powerful as August here, even Team Rocket wouldn’t dare to show up again.

Then she glanced at those behind August—

Mary froze.

“Miss Malva!?” As a fellow media professional, Mary was also very familiar with Malva, the "Queen of Kalos Journalism."

But hadn’t Malva been detained due to her ties to Team Flare? Why was she here now?

However, Mary quickly set that aside—Malva was her idol!

“Miss Malva, I’m such a huge fan!”

Mary enthusiastically pulled Malva aside, chattering excitedly.

Gary watched in surprise. “Who knew DJ Mary was Malva’s fan?”

Though Gary spoke casually, deep down he felt incredibly jealous.

Why didn't he have fans? He was an Indigo League Champion too, wasn't he?

“It makes sense; they're both in media…” August shrugged, paying no further attention to Malva.

Instead, his gaze turned to the signs of combat left by Koga’s battle with Team Rocket.

Bending down, he inspected some metallic debris, pinching it between his fingers.

“Fragments from a Steelix… They used Steelix inside a skyscraper? Team Rocket’s really lost their minds.”

Gary nodded thoughtfully. “Maybe they felt confident. According to our intel, this building was constructed by Team Rocket’s own subsidiary.”

“Oh, then never mind.” August shrugged.

He’d wanted to condemn Team Rocket’s recklessness, but since the building was theirs, maybe they were actually being responsible?

After all, if Team Rocket had cut corners during construction, they wouldn’t dare use a Steelix inside like this.

Walking further, they saw more extensive damage—steel impacts mixed with poison corrosion from Koga’s Pokémon. Yet despite the intense battle, the building remained remarkably intact.

It briefly crossed August’s mind that Giovanni had actually done some good.

He quickly brushed that thought aside.

Instead, his attention was drawn to a small corner where a Magnemite lay motionless, clearly playing dead.

It had secretly peeked at him earlier but had quickly shut its eyes when he looked over. Honestly, its act was quite convincing, its eyes even turning into cartoonish 'X's.

Had August not possessed Aura abilities, he might have fallen for it.

Approaching slowly, he sensed Magnemite's growing panic, though it remained motionless.

Gary stared curiously. “Is this Pokémon left behind by Team Rocket?”

Without waiting for August, Gary reached out and casually picked up the Magnemite by its magnet.

“Wait—” August warned, but too late.

“What’s wrong?” Gary asked innocently, dangling the Magnemite by its magnet.

August hesitated briefly. “Just be careful.”

This Magnemite was no ordinary Pokémon if it could remain composed even while dangling like this.

But they couldn’t let it go since it belonged to Team Rocket.

“Are you sure it's awake?” Gary shook Magnemite lightly. It hung limp, completely unresponsive.

“You’re seeing things,” Gary muttered skeptically.

August frowned, taking Magnemite himself. “Enough playing. Wake up, I know you’re conscious.”

Magnemite stayed still.

“August, are you being paranoid?” Gary said doubtfully.

August toyed with Magnemite’s head screw menacingly. “Wake up, or I’ll unscrew your head!”

Immediately, Magnemite began squirming violently, shocking Gary speechless. Unable to escape August’s grip, it unleashed a burst of [Thunder Wave].

August was prepared, Mew’s protective shield blocking it easily. Hoopa instantly hid behind August, avoiding the wave.

Gary, however, got hit squarely, collapsing twitchily.

“Ah…so numb…” Gary groaned weakly.

“I told you it was awake,” August said with a resigned sigh.

Gary could only glare silently from the floor.

You wonder why I didn't trust you? Haven’t I suffered enough from believing you already!?

---

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!