Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [426]

Gary just couldn’t wrap his head around why Nemona kept targeting him specifically.

Could it be she was coveting his striking good looks?

The thought sent Gary eyeing Nemona warily. “Hey, I'll have you know I'm already committed to several girlfriends!”

Nemona blinked. “Huh?”

What on earth was he talking about?

Seeing Nemona’s confused expression, Gary realized he'd jumped to conclusions. He cleared his throat awkwardly, quickly changing the subject. “You've been pestering me nonstop for a battle. At least give me a reason!”

Without hesitation, Nemona declared, “Obviously, it’s because I want to become a stronger trainer!”

“There's nobody left at the academy who can match me now. You're the first trainer my age who's ever beaten me. I want to learn the secrets to growing stronger from battling you!”

Nemona’s blunt honesty momentarily stunned Gary.

But he quickly regained his wits—no matter how earnest she sounded, she was still determined to stick to him like glue.

Faced with Nemona’s eager gaze, Gary racked his brains to figure out what August would do in this situation…

Suddenly, his eyes lit up.

Putting on an air of mystery, he leaned towards Nemona conspiratorially. “You want to become stronger, huh? Actually, the reason I’m this accomplished is all thanks to my teacher’s brilliant guidance!”

“Look, as long as you stop pestering me, I'll introduce you to my teacher. Deal?”

Gary acted as if this offer was a huge sacrifice on his part.

“Your teacher?” Nemona repeated curiously.

Gary nodded solemnly. “Absolutely! My teacher is probably the strongest Pokémon trainer in the world!”

After a moment’s hesitation, Nemona cautiously nodded in agreement.

“No time like the present—let’s go find my teacher right now!”

Fearing Nemona might change her mind, Gary hurriedly led her off toward Levincia City.

…

“…So this is why you brought her here?” August asked sourly, casting a sideways glance at Nemona, who was peering over curiously from a distance.

He had just been about to set out to track down Miraidon when Gary dropped this delightful surprise on his doorstep.

Gary coughed awkwardly. “Well…I was just praising your teaching ability, August.”

Nemona’s gaze flicked between Gary and August. She immediately recognized him—he was the helpful guy who’d given her directions outside the academy gates earlier!

So that’s how he knew where Gary went.

As Nemona studied August more closely, she suddenly felt he seemed oddly familiar…

Just then, Gary turned around dramatically. “Allow me to formally introduce you to my teacher: Head of the Kanto division of the International Police, the bane of criminal masterminds everywhere, and World Championship winner—August!”

To escape Nemona's relentless pestering, Gary was more than willing to lavishly bestow the title of “teacher” upon August this time around.

Hearing Gary’s extravagant introduction, Nemona’s eyes widened in shock.

“You’re August, the World Champion?”

August stared blankly.

You only just figured that out now?

“August, sir! Please teach me Pokémon battling!” Nemona pleaded earnestly, eyes blazing with excitement.

Faced with Nemona’s scorching enthusiasm, August felt as if a Casteliacone placed before him might melt instantly…

But August wasn't Gary. This was child’s play. “Calm down first. Becoming my disciple isn’t that simple—you'll have to meet certain conditions.”

“Conditions… You mean tuition fees?” Certain she'd cracked the code, Nemona eagerly whipped out her checkbook. “Name your price, sir!”

Gary’s eyes widened at the sight of the checkbook, but August shook his head calmly. “Do you really think I lack money?”

At precisely that moment, Lusamine happened to approach, smoothly slipping her arm through August’s.

August: “…”

That’s not exactly what I meant.

But Nemona, as the daughter of the Rotom Phone Company’s owner, immediately recognized Lusamine and quickly pieced things together. Her face flushed with embarrassment. “Ah, sorry—I was too presumptuous!”

August suspected Nemona had misunderstood, but at this point, he didn’t have the energy to correct her.

“What do I have to do to become your student? If it’s within my power, I'll definitely accomplish it!”

Taking in her relentless determination, August considered briefly before answering, “In a few weeks, I'll be organizing a Battle Training Camp. If you're interested, you can join.”

With that, he pulled out his phone and sent Nemona an invitation.

[August has invited you to a battle training camp in the Hisui region, starting in 15 days. Click the link [Accept Invitation] to join August and friends!]

“Hisui? A Battle Training Camp?”

As student council president, Nemona was excellent at history, so she immediately recognized Hisui as the historical name of the Sinnoh region.

A training camp in Hisui? Was this some kind of archaeology camp?

Though slightly confused, Nemona immediately clicked accept.

Glancing at the countdown timer on her phone, she asked eagerly, “How can I contact you later, August?”

August smiled mysteriously. “You’ll know when the time comes.”

Once Nemona finally left, Gary exhaled a huge sigh of relief, happy to finally escape her clutches.

Being targeted by Nemona felt even scarier than being eyed hungrily by a starving Snorlax—second only to being targeted by August himself!

Just as Gary was mentally popping open celebratory champagne…

A hand settled heavily on his shoulder.

August’s deceptively gentle voice echoed softly beside him. “Now… shall we discuss the little matter between us?”

Gary froze, forcing a stiff smile. “August, listen—I can explain…”

“No need. I've got a task for you. Complete it, and I’ll forget everything.”

Gary visibly relaxed. “Just tell me what it is!”

He, Gary Oak, had already caught a Suicune. How hard could this task possibly be? Gary nearly thumped his chest proudly, ready for whatever August threw his way.

Seeing Gary’s overconfidence, August’s smile widened. “Oh, it's nothing too difficult… I just need a decoy while I track down Miraidon in the desert.”

Gary went utterly rigid. “Wait—WHAT!?”

...

In the endless sea of sand, Gary trudged along alone, muttering under his breath, his complaints barely audible.

August and Arven trailed behind him.

Capturing Miraidon didn't require a large group, so this mission was limited to just the three of them.

Whoosh—!

A sudden gust blew past, pelting them with grains of sand and leaving them coated in grit.

Eevee shook its fur, freeing itself from the sandy intrusion, and nestled deeper into August’s embrace.

“Vee~”

August checked his communicator, gently patting Eevee’s head. “Don't worry, we’re almost there!”

No sooner had he spoken than the ground began trembling, followed by a distant rumble echoing across the desert.

Gary turned toward the noise, his eyes widening at the massive cloud of dust rapidly approaching them.

He quickly summoned Suicune, immediately taking refuge behind the legendary Pokémon’s protective form. His voice was tense. “Is that Miraidon?”

But before August could reply, Gary saw clearly what Pokémon was causing the commotion.

It wasn’t Miraidon.

Instead, a Great Tusk far larger than any he’d encountered before charged madly across the sands, kicking up thick clouds of dust in its wake.

Gary stared in shock at the massive Pokémon. “That’s…”

“The Titan!” Arven exclaimed.

He rapidly flipped through his notebook. “When I was searching for a cure for Mabosstiff, I studied Titan Pokémon extensively… Great Tusk is the Titan of Asado Desert!”

While Arven was speaking, Great Tusk finally spotted August and the others.

Enraged by this intrusion onto its territory, Great Tusk pawed the ground aggressively, snorting hot steam.

Having faced Great Tusk in Area Zero before, Gary immediately recognized the Titan’s stance as a sign of impending battle.

“August! What should we do?” Gary called urgently, spinning around—only to discover that August and Arven had vanished from behind him. They were now standing safely behind the remains of some unknown ruins.

“You've got this, Gary! I believe in you!” August waved encouragingly, smiling cheerfully.

Gary paled. “I…”

Before he could finish protesting, Great Tusk finished gathering energy and charged straight toward him.

Gary swallowed his complaints and shouted commands to Suicune:

“Suicune! Use [Ice Beam]!”

A freezing blue ray shot from the crystal on Suicune’s forehead toward the rampaging Great Tusk.

In their haste, the [Ice Beam] wasn't precise enough—it struck Great Tusk’s tusks, instantly encasing them in ice but failing to halt the Pokémon’s advance.

With no other choice, Gary quickly mounted Suicune and dashed aside.

But everyone knew that teeth connected directly to the brain—Great Tusk, its tusks frozen, went berserk, provoked by the icy chill.

“GROOAR!”

Bellowing furiously, Great Tusk chased after Gary and Suicune.

Thus, an absurd spectacle unfolded across the desert:

Gary, astride Suicune, fleeing at full speed, with Titan Great Tusk hot on their heels.

A classic game of cat and mouse.

From the ruins, August calmly took out his phone and snapped a few commemorative pictures.

Arven glanced at him, looking like he wanted to say something but holding his tongue.

The chase lasted a full half-hour. Eventually, Gary found an opening and ordered Suicune to unleash another [Ice Beam], freezing Great Tusk completely and ending the stalemate in victory.

After capturing Great Tusk, Gary and Suicune collapsed in exhaustion, unwilling to move another muscle.

“You're really out of shape—you should work out more,” August remarked critically.

Gary: “…”

Why don’t you try doing it yourself… Wait, if August had fought, Great Tusk probably would've been finished instantly!

Did that mean Gary really wasn’t good enough?

Gary and Suicune sank into profound self-doubt.

August instructed Gardevoir to lift the exhausted Gary and Suicune with [Psychic] and carried on, guided by the detector.

Soon, they reached the entrance of a cave.

“Is it in here?” Arven asked.

August checked his device and nodded. “Looks like it.”

“So, should we…” Arven’s eyes drifted toward Gary and Suicune.

“…?”

August gave Arven a peculiar look.

“Don’t you think that's going a bit far? After all he’s been through, making Gary the bait again...”

August had always thought himself ruthless, but compared to Arven right now, he felt utterly inadequate.

Gary shot Arven a furious glare.

Who knew you were that kind of person!

Seeing the misunderstanding, Arven quickly waved his hands in denial. “No, no, I mean…should we…”

But before he could finish, August clapped Arven reassuringly on the shoulder. “No need to explain, I totally get it.”

With a resigned sigh, August stepped into the cave.

Gary quickly followed, leaving Arven alone, muttering helplessly.

“…I was just asking if they wanted to rest first!”

Shaking his head, Arven followed August and Gary into the cave.

...

Surprisingly, the cave interior wasn’t dark as expected but rather bright and clear.

Immediately upon entering, August spotted a Pokémon weakly lying atop a large rock, eyes half-closed as though resting.

“It’s Miraidon!” Gary cheered enthusiastically.

Finally, no more bait duty!

At Gary’s sudden outburst, Miraidon’s eyes snapped open, fixing him with wary suspicion.

“Uh…”

Had he just volunteered to be bait again?

Slowly, Miraidon rose to its feet, fixing its gaze directly on Gary, and began advancing toward him.

“Suicune…” Gary immediately prepared to command an attack—

But August swiftly interrupted: “Wait…It means no harm!”

August carefully studied Miraidon, detecting no hostility in its aura.

Gary hesitated. “…Really? Swear it, August!”

Though he’d never witnessed Miraidon’s strength firsthand, based on Zinnia’s descriptions, both Miraidon and Koraidon had battled evenly with Pokémon as powerful as Mewtwo and Deoxys.

Imagining a displeased Miraidon attacking made Gary’s knees weak.

The Pokémon was now just inches away, practically face-to-face with Gary. Just as Gary’s heart began to pound fiercely, Miraidon sniffed him curiously.

Then it promptly wrinkled its face in clear disdain.

Gary bristled immediately.

What’s that supposed to mean? You think I'm disgusting?!

Just as he was about to challenge Miraidon’s attitude, the Pokémon turned its head away and moved toward August instead.

After sniffing him, Miraidon’s pixel-like digital eyes instantly brightened, and it affectionately rubbed against August.

Gary grew even more indignant, loudly protesting, “That's blatant favoritism! Why treat me differently from August?”

August modestly smiled. “I guess I’m just more popular with Pokémon.”

---

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!