Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [435]

As August approached the card table, Diamond swiftly gave up his seat.

He’d initially planned to join Pearl in watching the local Hisuian comedians perform to gather some comedic inspiration. Instead, he’d been dragged into playing cards by Gold. Now, seeing August approach, he gratefully seized the opportunity to slip away.

At that moment, Silver entered the room as well. Pearl immediately seized the chance to press Silver into the now-vacant seat, dragging the still-dazed Diamond out with him, leaving only a quick explanation behind: “We’re heading off to watch the performance!”

Now there were only four at the table: August, smiling brightly; Gold, eagerly rubbing his hands together; Silver, quietly focused; and Giovanni, secretly scheming.

Well… that last description was August’s personal assessment.

How best to describe Giovanni’s expression right now?

Giovanni was looking toward Silver, his eyes filled with a father’s gentle affection.

“Deal the cards!”

With Gold’s enthusiastic shout, his Togebo, clutching the deck, began passing out cards to the players.

Giovanni glanced curiously at the delinquent-looking Togepi dealing cards, his expression subtly puzzled…

“Is something wrong, Giovanni? Anything unusual?” August asked with exaggerated concern.

Giovanni shook his head politely. “It’s nothing. I was merely curious. From the few memories I retain, Togepi shouldn’t look… quite like this.”

Listen to that phrasing: "the few memories I retain." So careful and precise—truly worthy of Giovanni!

Inwardly admiring Giovanni’s meticulous caution, August maintained a perfectly friendly smile. “Ah, Gold’s Togebo hatched with a slight… deviation. Don’t let appearances fool you; Togebo is actually very kind-hearted!”

Hearing August praise him, Togebo happily handed August another card.

“Cha-ki Bo~i!”

August flipped it over, revealing…

Oh? A Ho-Oh!

Pokémon-themed playing cards in this world were essentially identical to those of his previous life, except that the jokers were replaced by Legendary Pokémon.

With the cards fully dealt, August saw he held an exceptionally strong hand. He had to admire Gold’s Togepi—not only had it learned Gold’s reckless attitude perfectly, but it also mastered card cheating to an art form.

But August wasn’t truly focused on the game.

While casually throwing out cards, he asked lightly, “Giovanni, how are you feeling? Have the side effects from the time travel subsided?”

Giovanni played a card, shifting his gaze from Silver briefly as he answered, “Thank you for your concern. I feel much better after resting.”

So polite—far too polite!

So polite, it hardly seemed like Giovanni at all.

Silver silently threw down a card, mercilessly countering Giovanni’s play. “When I came back, I saw him already sitting in the lobby.”

Staring helplessly at his terrible hand, Gold shot a glare at Togebo, sighing in resignation. “Pass…”

August calmly placed a card to top Silver’s. “Come on, Silver. Giovanni is your father, after all. Even though he spent most of his time undercover and couldn’t be around for you, you shouldn’t be so cold.”

Giovanni had never found August’s words harder to endure. He nearly slipped and broke his composure. Fortunately, he maintained his flawless poker face, showing just the right amount of guilt. “Silver, it’s entirely my fault.”

Silver remained silent, calmly studying his cards.

Finally able to play, Gold eagerly tossed down another card and turned to August. “Boss August, what’s tomorrow’s summer camp event?”

August feigned surprise. “You didn’t know?”

Gold looked even more confused. “Boss, you haven’t announced it yet. How could I know?”

“Oh, I thought you'd guessed already.” August chuckled lightly. “Tomorrow’s event is a fishing competition!”

“Any prizes?” Gold’s eyes sparkled enthusiastically.

Fishing was practically his specialty! He was confident in securing first place.

“Of course! It’s fine if I tell you early,” August answered as he played another card. “First place wins a complete set of evolutionary stones. They're from my first big prize at a Rocket Game Corner. Highly sentimental—I kept them all this time.”

Giovanni: “…”

“Second prize is a specially selected Riolu egg.”

“And third prize…”

“Another Pokémon egg?” Gold asked excitedly.

August shook his head.

“Third place gets a box of my secret-recipe Pokéblocks.” August placed his last card down triumphantly. “And I win!”

Gold instantly deflated, shooting Togebo another resentful look.

You said you'd send all the good cards my way! As soon as August showed up, you totally forgot about me!

Meanwhile, Giovanni kept his head down. At the mention of August’s secret Pokéblocks, his eyes momentarily gleamed with interest.

According to Giovanni’s intel, August’s Lugia Jr. had recovered thanks to precisely these special Pokéblocks—a treat capable of healing even Legendary Pokémon. With them, he could finally cure his injured Deoxys and Necrozma…

The only remaining question: was this bait laid out by August specifically for him?

Although his mind raced, Giovanni’s expression didn’t waver at all. He simply maintained a fatherly smile toward Silver.

August observed Giovanni closely, eyes narrowing slightly.

He began doubting himself—had he really misjudged Giovanni’s intentions? Even dangling the special Pokéblocks hadn’t produced the slightest visible reaction!

Yet August quickly dismissed his doubt. Giovanni’s mastery of disguise far exceeded ordinary people. Without definitive proof, there was no way to confirm if he was acting or genuinely amnesiac.

As he'd thought before:

No rush—let’s keep playing this game, Giovanni.

...

They played until nightfall, at which point August finally released Giovanni from the table.

At dinner, Blue mentioned casually, “Professor Oak says he'll be staying in Galaxy Team’s quarters for a couple of days. He's busy discussing Pokémon research with Professor Laventon.”

August wasn’t surprised. Two experts in Pokémon, though separated by a thousand years, were sure to generate fascinating ideas when their perspectives clashed. Oak’s discussions with Laventon were exactly as expected.

After mentioning Professor Oak, Blue excitedly shared how she had spent the day gathering berries in the wild with Lillie, Sapphire, and Courtney.

As August patiently fed Eevee, he acted as a perfect listener, smiling warmly as Blue recounted her adventures.

…

The first day in Hisui ended pleasantly for August.

Regardless of how others felt, August himself was thoroughly satisfied.

Just as he lay down in bed, ready to sleep, his door quietly creaked open.

August’s eyes narrowed sharply.

At this hour… silently sneaking into my room… could it be Giovanni, planning a nighttime ambush to eliminate me?

Too vicious!

Quickly waking Mew, who slept like a Swinub nearby, August covered her mouth to prevent any sound. Using telepathy, he signaled Gardevoir and Mew to prepare an ambush to catch Giovanni red-handed.

He missed the faint hesitation on Gardevoir’s face.

The shadow silently approached August’s bed, reaching out cautiously—

The covers flew up.

“Mew!!” With a startled cry, a pink blur was tossed at the intruder.

Before the visitor could react, Mew latched tightly onto her face, muffling her panicked cries.

“Good job, Mew!”

August gestured urgently for Gardevoir to flip on the lights.

Standing there, in pajamas… was Zinnia?!

August stared blankly. Although he’d realized it probably wasn’t Giovanni, he’d expected maybe Sabrina—but never Zinnia!

“Zinnia, what are you doing sneaking into my room at night?”

“Mmfff…!” Zinnia mumbled desperately.

August sighed, resigned. “Let her go, Mew. It's just this dummy.”

Rubbing her reddened face, Zinnia muttered, “I… I couldn’t sleep. I wanted to borrow Lord Rayquaza’s Poké Ball to hold onto…”

“That’s it? You disrupted my sleep for that? You just broke my uninterrupted year-long Pokémon Sleep record!” August scolded.

Zinnia pleaded pitifully, “Please, August, I really can’t sleep without it!”

Unmoved, August turned away, covering himself again. “Mew, take her back to her own room.”

“Mew~!” Mew happily teleported away, returning moments later clutching a package of dried persimmons.

Just as the delighted Mew was about to eat, August’s voice interrupted sternly: “Eating before sleep makes you gain weight. Gardevoir, put those in the fridge.”

Instantly deflated, Mew sank grumpily into Eevee’s little bed, pushing Eevee toward August.

Eevee stirred sleepily. “Buii?”

“It’s nothing. Go back to sleep.” August gently patted Eevee, reassuring her.

As Eevee curled contentedly beside August, Mew sulked alone in the tiny bed.

August raised an eyebrow. Smirking slightly, he turned playfully to Gardevoir. “Since Mew wants to sleep alone, I guess you can sleep beside me tonight, Gardevoir.”

“Garde?” Gardevoir tilted her head, puzzled, but obediently took her place beside him.

Click.

The lights went out.

Mew watched August, Eevee, and Gardevoir lying together like a happy little family. Overwhelmed by loneliness, tears quietly welled up in her eyes.

August sighed softly, finally reaching out and pulling Mew gently between himself and Gardevoir.

Instantly comforted, Mew’s tears turned to smiles, and nestled safely between August and Gardevoir, she slowly drifted off into peaceful dreams.

...

“Huh? What happened to Mew’s eyes?”

“She stole a bag of dried persimmons from Zinnia last night. I wouldn't let her eat them, so she hid under the covers and cried until her eyes got red.”

“And Gardevoir?”

“Mew kept her awake all night with her fussing. She’s still asleep.”

“Then why does Eevee look so energetic?”

“Oh, Eevee always sleeps like a log—nothing Mew does could wake her up.”

Between August and Gary’s rapid-fire Q&A, breakfast swiftly concluded.

Holding a plate of dried persimmons, Mew munched defiantly, clearly still holding a grudge about being denied her snack the previous night.

August shook his head. Who on earth taught Mew to be this petty?

Well, he knew it definitely wasn't him.

Once everyone finished breakfast, August clapped his hands to gather their attention. “Alright, everyone! It’s time for the first event of our Hisui Summer Camp—the fishing competition!”

Apparently, Gold wasn’t the only one unaware of today's activity.

The crowd murmured excitedly.

Ash clenched his fists, eager to show off.

Gary tilted his chin, full of confidence.

But if anyone had absolute certainty, it had to be Misty. As a Water-type Gym Leader, she was convinced her fishing skills were unmatched.

“Come get your fishing rods in an orderly fashion,” August instructed.

Once everyone was equipped, he continued, “Remember, you're not allowed to use your Pokémon to attack underwater Pokémon before they're pulled ashore.”

“The rankings will be determined by the total weight of your catches.”

“The first-place winner receives a complete set of evolutionary stones. Second place gets a Riolu egg. And third place wins a box of my special handmade Pokéblocks!”

August subtly glanced at Giovanni as he mentioned the Pokéblocks. Giovanni remained perfectly composed, not a hint of reaction on his face.

August continued calmly, “I’ll send out judges to monitor the event. They’ll determine rankings and disqualify anyone breaking the rules.”

“Judges?” Everyone exchanged puzzled looks.

They hadn't seen anyone who looked like judges around.

“Don’t worry.” August checked the time on his phone. “They’ll be here soon!”

No sooner had he spoken than the door swung open.

Seated in a wheelchair, cradling a small Swinub, Pryce entered, pushed along by Archie and Maxie, who were visibly shivering, still slightly frosted from the night before.

Behind them, Cyrus followed expressionlessly, evidently having been persuaded by Cyllene through some unknown means.

Next to Cyrus was Sird, who initially wore a polite smile, but upon noticing Giovanni standing near August, her expression froze into utter disbelief.

Sird's gaze bounced incredulously between Giovanni and August.

Seeing her confusion, August explained cheerfully, “Allow me to introduce Giovanni—he’s actually an undercover agent we planted in Team Rocket.”

Giovanni smiled warmly, nodding to everyone.

Sird: “……”

Had she not been Giovanni’s trusted subordinate herself, she might've genuinely believed August’s nonsense.

What exactly had happened to Giovanni to make him stand so amicably next to August?

Having introduced Giovanni, August turned back to the group. “These judges are Pryce, Maxie, Archie, Cyrus, and Sird. Those who’ve watched the news probably know them quite well. Yes, it’s exactly as you suspect—they'll be our judges for today’s competition.”

“Gulp…” Misty swallowed nervously.

The judges ranged from former Team Rocket Executives to outright criminals who once plotted world destruction.

Having them as judges felt like tempting fate!

Brock was equally wary, though he thought one step further. “If August dares let them judge, then he must be confident they won’t harm us!”

Hearing this, Maxie turned towards Brock and offered a menacing grin.

But feeling Pryce’s cold stare immediately afterward, Maxie shrank back meekly.

Only Ash remained blissfully ignorant. “News? What news? Do you guys know these people?”

…

Cobalt Coastlands.

Standing at the shore, August announced, “This is where we'll hold our fishing competition!”

“Aww, Spheals are so cute!”

Misty immediately knelt down to pet a Spheal that rolled up to her. It purred contentedly under her touch.

Soon, more Spheals rolled over, quickly surrounding Misty, who felt she might faint from happiness.

August smiled mischievously. “Cute, aren't they? Well, your challenge today is to fish while being distracted by these adorable Spheals!”

“Piece of cake!”

Gary confidently set down his stool, baited his hook, and cast his line, determined to get a head start.

But almost immediately, a cluster of curious Spheals rolled over, nudging and bumping against Gary affectionately.

Gary’s balance quickly became precarious. Keeping a grip on the fishing rod was challenging enough—actually catching something felt nearly impossible.

Frustrated, Gary almost reached for his Poké Ball, ready to chase away these pesky Spheals, when August’s voice floated over:

“No Pokémon allowed until the catch is on shore~”

Gary froze mid-action.

So that's why August made that rule! I thought it was to prevent people from cheating with electric attacks. Turns out it was just to torment us even more!

“Damn it…”

Reluctantly, Gary gripped his rod tightly, struggling desperately to maintain balance amidst the Spheal stampede, hoping they'd eventually grow bored and leave.

But his hopes shattered instantly.

August casually tossed out a handful of Pokéblocks, drawing a horde of Spheals. They happily munched on their snacks, clapping their flippers joyously.

The cacophony created by dozens of excited Spheals rivaled even an Exploud's roar—pure torment for anyone trying to fish quietly.

Everyone finally realized the true difficulty of August’s challenge, quickly seeking quieter spots.

But Spheals were both numerous and endlessly curious. Soon, the entire beach echoed with Spheals rolling around, begging for belly rubs, and happily clapping.

“How’s my event design?” August asked Sabrina cheerfully.

Sabrina, banned from competing due to her psychic abilities, merely raised an eyebrow. “Exactly what I expected from you.”

Could a normal person even design something this sadistic?

Every step was meticulously crafted to torture participants. Even demons would bow in admiration.

Blue nodded fervently in rare agreement. Cogita and Lusamine also gave approving nods.

August hadn’t expected even Lusamine to defect to their side!

Could she have recovered her memories?

“I’ll take that as a compliment!” August insisted, then pointed, “Besides, it’s not really that hard. Look at Giovanni…”

Sabrina glanced in Giovanni’s direction.

Rather than fishing immediately, Giovanni had formed a hierarchical relationship with two Spheals. With their protection, other Spheals were swiftly driven away, leaving Giovanni with a rare spot of peace.

August sighed admiringly. “That damn charisma of his! Even Spheals bow down to him… He truly is a born leader.”

Giovanni wasn’t the only one adapting effectively.

Gold charmed a large group of Spheals effortlessly, entertaining them with tall tales while casually fishing.

Pearl and Diamond teamed up, Diamond distracting the Spheals while Pearl fished. After some time, they'd switch roles.

Sapphire lay utterly still on the sand, blending seamlessly with the surroundings; Spheals didn't even notice her presence.

Platinum and Lillie simply gave up fishing, leaving their rods unattended as they happily played with Spheals instead.

Nemona employed her wealth as the heir of the Rotom Phone Company, donning noise-canceling headphones and tossing out expensive Pokéblocks to keep Spheals occupied elsewhere.

Bea demonstrated remarkable strength and focus, maintaining perfect balance despite constant Spheal nudges. Judging by her determined expression, Bea considered this a form of training, with catching fish merely a secondary goal.

As for Iono, the Spheals became props for her livestream. They obediently lined up to shake hands and take selfies, clapping cheerfully upon seeing their images onscreen. The interference turned into a fan meet-and-greet.

After surveying the scene, August noticed only Ash and Gary were floundering helplessly.

Ash’s chaos was standard.

But Gary…

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Embarrassing...

[CallMeYoungMasterGary]: It—it’s just getting started! Just you wait; I'll get first place for sure!

[GardevoirSupremacy]: I know you’re anxious, but calm down…

While August deliberately messaged Gary to make things harder, Blue suddenly tugged at his sleeve.

“August, look at Giovanni!” she whispered urgently.

August turned immediately.

Giovanni had simply closed his eyes, looking utterly relaxed, as though on vacation without a care about catching any fish.

Not only that—August had Gardevoir confirm telepathically—Giovanni hadn’t even placed bait on his hook.

Had Giovanni given up completely?

An idea briefly flashed through August's mind.

He quickly shook his head in denial. "No, he isn't just slacking off. Giovanni might be planning a precise score control!"

This wasn't baseless speculation—it was quite logical.

The prizes for first and second place were meaningless to Giovanni. Only the third-place reward held any value to him.

Ensuring he specifically finished third rather than first or second required extreme precision. Without relying purely on luck, Giovanni would first need to ascertain the sizes of the second- and fourth-place catches, and then carefully fish up a Pokémon of the exact required size.

August didn’t know where Giovanni found the confidence to achieve such perfect control, but seeing Giovanni’s behavior, he must have been confident enough to attempt it.

“Giovanni, you've finally shown your hand,” August chuckled softly.

Blue quickly leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Should we arrest Giovanni now? It's obvious he's regained his memories."

If they caught Giovanni, Silver could spend every day with his father.

August shook his head. “Not yet. Let’s toy with him a little longer.”

"Giovanni wants to control his score precisely? Then I'll make sure he doesn't get his way."

After all, the entire reason he'd placed the most useful reward in third place was precisely to lure Giovanni into this situation!

With a mischievous grin, August pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Volo, you may begin."

---

On the opposite end of Cobalt Coastlands, Volo put away his walkie-talkie.

He waved toward Team Rocket's infamous trio nearby. "Off you go! Giovanni needs your help. Your bright future as executives is just ahead!"

Hearing Volo's words, Jessie, James, and Meowth felt an adrenaline rush of enthusiasm.

They quickly jumped into their Magikarp submarine, furiously pedaling it beneath the sea toward the fishing contest area.

Watching the submarine disappear beneath the waves, Volo shook his head in amazement. No matter how many times he saw it, he couldn't help but marvel.

With a handful of basic materials, they managed to craft futuristic transportation. In a way, perhaps these three were geniuses?

...

Underwater, the Team Rocket trio pedaled their Magikarp submarine forward.

Thanks to August clearing out dangerous aquatic Pokémon earlier for the competition, they faced no trouble along the way.

As they approached, Pryce briefly opened his eyes, sensing the subtle movement underwater. He glanced toward August, who subtly shook his head.

Immediately understanding, Pryce closed his eyes again, ignoring the intrusion. If Pryce didn’t act, Archie and the others behind him certainly wouldn’t meddle.

Thus, the trio successfully slipped beneath the fishing spot unnoticed.

Having identified Giovanni's position earlier, they moved directly beneath his fishing line.

James pinched his nose, opened the hatch of the submarine, and quickly released a massive Whiscash they'd painstakingly caught earlier with Volo's help, tranquilized and ready. James carefully hooked the giant Whiscash onto Giovanni's empty fishing line and gave the line a gentle tug as a signal.

Giovanni, who was resting quietly and preparing his precise strategy, suddenly felt a pull on his fishing line.

Opening his eyes, confusion flashed across his face.

He hadn't even used bait—how could something possibly bite?

Underwater, James saw no immediate reaction and assumed Giovanni hadn't noticed, so he tugged the line again more forcefully.

Feeling a more pronounced pull this time, Giovanni drew unwanted attention from those around him.

Resigned, Giovanni began to reel in the line.

Well, I didn't use bait, so it shouldn’t be large anyway. As long as I control the biggest catch later...

As Giovanni pondered, he lifted his rod—

To everyone's astonishment, a colossal Whiscash burst from the water, flopping down heavily in front of Giovanni.

The Whiscash stared blankly, mouth opening and closing, directly at Giovanni.

Giovanni froze in shock.

What on earth is going on here!?

"Don't just stand there, Giovanni! Capture it already!" August urged cheerfully from the sidelines.

Giovanni suppressed his confusion and irritation at his ruined plan, casually tossing a Poké Ball at the Whiscash.

He wasn't even trying—if Whiscash broke free, he’d conveniently pretend to lose it.

Yet, as if the heavens themselves mocked him, Whiscash didn't even struggle. With a soft ding, it obediently remained inside the Poké Ball.

Giovanni: "……"

August clapped his hand onto Giovanni's shoulder with exaggerated enthusiasm. "Incredible, Giovanni! With such a huge Whiscash, you’re definitely going to be our fishing champion this year!"

"Truly deserving of your Ground-type specialty!"

"The first-place reward is the complete set of evolutionary stones I won from Team Rocket’s game corner back then. It symbolizes the beginning of my war against Team Rocket, truly priceless!"

Hearing August’s passionate speech, those unaware looked on with envy.

But for those who knew the truth… if Giovanni weren't standing right there, they’d likely have burst out laughing.

August was really something else, gifting Giovanni an item he’d literally stolen from Team Rocket in the first place.

Meanwhile, Giovanni was inwardly seething, stomach knotted in frustration, but outwardly he maintained a painfully stiff smile—after all, Silver was watching.

With Giovanni’s catch, everyone else suddenly seemed to have better luck as well, quickly entering a fruitful period of fishing.

Eventually, the results of the fishing competition were clear.

In undisputed first place: Giovanni.

No one came close to matching his Whiscash’s immense weight.

Forcing a smile, Giovanni accepted August's "historically significant evolutionary stone set," bitterly aware of the irony.

In second place was Gold.

The fishing prodigy had managed to reel in an Octillery. Even though it sprayed ink all over his face, Gold proudly claimed second place.

Though… considering Gold’s penchant for raising troublesome Pokémon, August privately worried about the future of that poor Riolu egg.

Third place turned out to be somewhat unexpected—

Pearl and Diamond, having shared a single fishing rod, bowed repeatedly while clutching their prize—a box of August's secret recipe Pokéblocks.

They’d successfully caught a Basculegion, narrowly edging out Sapphire’s Overqwil.

Giovanni stared silently at the box in their arms, then glanced at his own painfully ironic set of evolutionary stones. For a brief moment, he felt an overpowering urge to throw them into the sea.

But with August still watching, Giovanni restrained himself.

Instead, he could only maintain his forced, awkward smile until his cheeks grew numb.

---

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!