Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [418]

They’d spent so much effort scouring the upper levels for the missing survey team—

And it turned out the surveyors had been fighting each other the whole time?

Larry began to wonder if he’d been working too much overtime lately and was starting to hallucinate.

But no.

Everything he saw and heard told him this was real.

Larry looked to August. August looked to Gary.

Gary: “……”

Why is it always me in moments like this? Gary grumbled to himself.

With a deep breath, Gary stepped forward and shouted, “Everyone, stop!”

But his voice was either too soft, or the two sides were just too caught up in their brawl—nobody paid him any attention.

“No one’s listening to you!” Zinnia called from the side.

Gary flushed red, feeling his pride take a hit.

I actually got mocked by Zinnia!

Grinding his teeth, Gary hurled his Poké Ball: “Suicune, calm them down!”

A flash of white light—

The elegant Suicune leapt from the light, surveyed the fighting Trainers below, drew a deep breath, then unleashed a blast of icy wind.

Whoosh—

Frigid wind swept through, hitting both sides and their Pokémon without discrimination, instantly causing chaos.

“So cold!”

“Who did that?!”

“Who’s responsible?!”

After a brief panic, the two sides finally saw Suicune, Gary, and the others—Larry, August, and the rest—standing there.

“It’s Larry!” a surveyor gasped.

Larry is here—we’re saved!”

“What are you talking about? Larry is on our side!”

Gary still got ignored, and seeing the teasing looks from Zinnia and August, his face darkened.

Larry, meanwhile, listened to both sides arguing that he’d come to help their team and only frowned.

“Wait. First tell me—what happened here? Why are you fighting each other?”

His head was spinning with questions.

“Larry, let me explain—”

“No, listen to me instead!”

Both sides started talking over each other, but after a lot of confused shouting, Larry finally pieced together the story.

To summarize—

During their Area Zero investigation, both teams were attacked by Paradox Pokémon. At their most desperate, they were saved by Professor Sada or Professor Turo.

Afterwards, Sada/Turo told them the other Turo/Sada was actually an AI robot, now out of control and plotting to destroy Area Zero. They were tasked with defeating and shutting down the AI to resolve the looming crisis.

But the opposing side believed the AI’s deception instead—so they ended up fighting each other.

The stories were nearly identical, except each side stood with a different professor.

Larry frowned again.

He’d already learned from the diaries that Sada and Turo were feuding, but to accuse each other of being AI robots and send survey teams to attack the other? That was going too far.

“You just believed them?” Larry asked one of the teams.

The Paldea League only sent elite Trainers to Area Zero. How could they fall for something so basic?

Both sides hurried to show Larry their evidence.

In perfect sync, they pulled out blueprints.

“These are…”

“Professor Turo/Sada showed us the design specs for the AI Sada/AI Turo!” Each team was surprised to see the other produce the exact same blueprints.

August took the schematics for a look.

…He didn’t understand a thing.

Battling and Pokéblocks, sure—but robotics, not a chance.

Maybe the Rocket trio could make sense of this…

Larry glanced over the blueprints, then passed them to Arven, who had been waiting anxiously.

Seeing the robot versions of his parents drawn in the plans, Arven froze.

August and Larry left Arven to his thoughts for the moment.

August asked, “Do you have any evidence besides this?”

It was clear these surveyors had recognized August, the World Champion.

One of them frowned, “Isn’t this enough?”

The others all nodded—the two sides who’d just been at each other’s throats were suddenly in complete agreement.

August: “……”

Now I understand why Geeta always dumps so much on Larry. If all her subordinates were like Zinnia and then she gets a Blue in the mix, what else can she do but push it all onto Blue…

Larry was silent as well.

Meanwhile, Arven, after looking through the blueprints, was visibly shaken. He turned to a surveyor. “Where are my parents? I want to see them!”

One of the Trainers hesitated, “We’ve only gotten orders by phone…”

“We were going to enter the lab, but we were blocked!”

August was getting more and more exasperated.

Unbelievable. You didn’t even see the professors in person, and you just started fighting each other?

Larry looked embarrassed too, since these surveyors were all Paldea League personnel.

At that moment, both teams’ phones rang at once.

August and Larry exchanged glances, signaling them to answer.

Two Rotom Phones lit up—Turo’s and Sada’s voices came through.

[Arven, my son, come to the Area Zero lab. I’m waiting for you. Be careful of AI Sada/Turo—don’t trust her/him!]

The call ended.

August recalled the images of Sada and Turo, combined with the surveyors’ testimony and his own memory of the original plot, and a bold idea began to form.

But looking at Arven, he didn’t say it out loud.

Arven was now completely lost, not sure whom to trust. With his parents involved, his mind was in turmoil.

Just then, a hand landed on his shoulder.

Arven looked up instinctively.

August said gently, “No matter who you trust, you’ll know the truth at the lab.”

Hearing this, Arven’s eyes steadied. He took a deep breath. “Got it.”

Larry, meanwhile, scolded the surveyors, telling them to stay put and not go wandering off.

The group moved on, stopping at the Area Zero lab’s entrance.

Arven’s phone buzzed again with a message from Turo and Sada.

[The lab has four locks. To enter, you must unlock all four, located at Observation Stations One through Four!]

Zinnia froze.

“Wait, you mean we have to go back and unlock everything? Seriously, don’t make us do that!”

Before she could finish, a string of unlocking sounds rang out—the door’s red lights turned green, and the lab doors opened.

August turned to Zinnia. “What were you saying?”

Zinnia gawked, “!? August, how’d you do that?!”

“Not everyone’s as clueless as you…” August replied.

Even though things had gone completely off script—nothing like the Scarlet/Violet plot he remembered—there was no way he’d forget the basics. He’d had Penny unlock everything on the way here.

With Zinnia glaring, August led the way inside.

Honestly, the path into the lab felt more like a sewer than a real entrance.

They slipped through what felt like a maintenance tunnel, entering through a busted hole in the wall.

Inside, they found more ancient equipment, just like in the observation stations.

August glanced around—no sign of Sada or Turo as in the games, just an elevator.

“So, we’re supposed to take the elevator down?” Gary muttered. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

“In movies, this is always where the elevator gets stuck or something goes wrong…”

August: “If you don’t have anything useful to say, then don’t.”

“Well, the professors invited us, so wouldn’t it be rude not to accept?”
With that, he was the first to step inside.

Lusamine quickly followed, then the rest, one by one.

Gary was just about to join them when—

Beep—!

An alarm sounded.

“Ah, looks like we’re a bit over the weight limit. Gary, you’ll have to wait for the next trip,” August said with mock regret.

Gary stepped out instinctively, then seemed to realize something. He glanced at Mew on August’s shoulder…

“August, you—”

Before he could finish, the elevator doors shut, and the numbers began to drop.

Left alone in the lab, Gary finished his sentence to the empty air:

“Couldn’t you just put Mew in a Poké Ball…?”

He’s totally doing this on purpose!

With nothing to do, Gary wandered the lab, poking through its contents.

He actually found a few things—a black, uncharged [Tera Orb], and a notebook.

August’s words flashed through his mind.

“Who even keeps a diary, anyway?” he muttered, but couldn’t help opening the notebook.

And then—

Gary’s eyes widened in shock. No way…

…

The elevator continued its descent. Iono suddenly piped up, holding her Rotom Phone. “August, look—no cell signal!”

August didn’t seem surprised. “We’re probably hundreds of meters underground now. No signal is normal.”

Larry, though, was on guard.

After everything that had happened, he couldn’t help being wary of the Turo and Sada waiting below.

With a thud, the elevator stopped.

They’d arrived!

The doors slid open, revealing a vast, crystal-forged chamber.

“So bright, I’m gonna go blind!” Zinnia complained, shielding her eyes.

“It’s not that bad…” Iono replied, snapping photos with her phone.
This whole Area Zero trip has been incredible—gotta get some souvenirs!

But August, Larry, and Arven were all focused on the device at the center of the room—or more precisely, the two figures standing beside it.

Sada and Turo were there, heads bowed as if dozing.

As August and the others approached,

Both suddenly emitted mechanical voices: “Human presence detected—systems activating!”

The two of them raised their heads in the same, stiff motion.

Lusamine frowned deeply, clutching August with one arm and hugging Lillie tightly with the other.

Cogita’s eyes glinted with interest.

Clearly, this was a first for her.

At last, Sada and Turo fully activated, turning to Arven.

“My son, you’ve come!” they said together.

Arven stared, biting his lip. “Who are you? Where are my real parents?!”

The two before him might have looked exactly like his parents, but there was no way they were the real thing.

“Professors Sada/Turo’s health deteriorated—they’ve passed away. I am the AI left behind by Sada/Turo,” the robots replied.

Then, they began to tell the whole story.

During their research, the two professors had parted ways over differences in philosophy. But working alone, both decided to create an AI replica of themselves to assist with their work.

But with only one “time machine” to summon Paradox Pokémon, the two began a never-ending struggle for control.

Their method? Set ancient Pokémon against future Pokémon in battle, and let the winner decide who got to use the time machine for that cycle.

The rivalry continued with alternating victories. Research continued on and on.

But then both professors fell ill, their health declining rapidly.

In the end, only the two AI remained—each following their creators’ ideals and carrying on their unfinished research and conflict.

Without human maintenance, even the AIs began to break down.

So they reached out for help—hoping for one last battle to determine a final winner and fulfill the mission left to them by Sada and Turo.

By now, Arven could hardly listen any longer. He fell to his knees, voice trembling. “My parents… are gone?”

He’d finally cured Mabosstiff with August’s help, finally made it to Area Zero, finally gotten close to seeing his parents—

And now they told him his parents were dead?

It was too much for Arven to bear.

Larry was stunned as well.

The brilliance of Sada and Turo had been Paldea’s pride—and now they were gone?

“Then why did you summon Arven?” Larry demanded.

“We want Arven, the son of Professors Sada and Turo, to decide the future direction of Paradox research,” the AIs said.

“To carry on Sada’s legacy, studying ancient Pokémon, or to inherit Turo’s vision and pursue the future.”

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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!