Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [417]

“My parents caught them?” Arven stared in surprise.

He hadn’t expected August to say that.

“Isn’t it possible they were caught by one of the earlier Area Zero survey teams?” Gary suggested.

Before August could answer, Larry was already shaking his head. “If that were true, those people wouldn’t have vanished without a trace…”

He’d just witnessed the power of Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon—never mind whether the survey teams could have caught them, the real issue was that if they had, they wouldn’t have left them here.

So the only real possibility was that Professor Sada and Professor Turo were their Trainers.

As for why they were fighting each other…

Considering those radically different calls from Professor Sada and Professor Turo… Could the married couple have gotten into a serious argument?

Of course, Larry kept that thought to himself.
After all, speculating about the private life of the two professors who’d developed the [Tera Orb] seemed a little disrespectful.

But unbeknownst to him, August was thinking the exact same thing.

Based on everything he’d seen—and his own grasp of the plot—
August felt pretty confident that all the chaos Sada and Turo had stirred up could be traced back to a marital spat.

After returning Gardevoir to her Poké Ball, the group pressed on and soon arrived at the third observation station.

Inside, the setup was just as before. There was still no sign of the missing survey team.

But this time, while searching, Lusamine stumbled across something new.

[...The time machine research is a success. This is an unprecedented, historic breakthrough!]
[...We argued because our research directions were so different…]
[...That idiot is completely hopeless!]
[We’ve put the fight on hold for now and decided to work in parallel. I’ll prove it—my research is the right path!]

“What’s this…?” Lusamine stared at the notebook, then hurriedly called August over. “Honey, come look at this!”

Larry: “?”

Arven: “?”

Penny: “…?”

Iono: “???”

Except for Gary, Zinnia, and Cogita, the entire group stared with wide eyes.

Especially Iono, who gawked at Lusamine and August in shock.

She wanted to say something, but all that came out was a flustered string of “aba aba” noises...

She really hadn’t expected that after just a few weeks apart, August would have pulled off something this dramatic!

This was… too much fun.

It was obvious that after spending so much time online, Iono was evolving into a full-blown “let’s-go-for-the-drama” internet gremlin.

Larry, though, quickly moved from surprise to admiration. Like any seasoned working man, he gave August a stealthy thumbs-up.

His eyes shone with pure envy.

To be married to the Aether Foundation’s president… With Lusamine as his wife, August’s future was set for life!

Meanwhile, Arven and Penny had their eyes on Lillie. Lillie called Lusamine “Mom,” Lusamine called August “Honey,” and August was Lillie’s teacher… Was this one of those “home tutor and student’s mom” stories?

August was going numb.

He took the notebook from Lusamine—who, for her part, had managed to force an apologetic smile—and passed it to the group to read.

Once everyone had skimmed it, more or less distracted,

August clarified, “First of all, it’s not what you all think!”

Everyone nodded vigorously, all looking like we totally get it.

Especially Iono, who patted her chest and promised, “Don’t worry, August! We’ll keep your secret, cross our hearts!”

I don’t trust you at all. And Lusamine and I are completely innocent…!

He glared at the smirking Gary and Zinnia. Cogita’s upturned lips, though, he could do nothing about.

August insisted, “Believe what you want, but it really isn’t what you’re imagining.”

He closed the subject with a final disclaimer.

Knowing that explaining more would only make everyone more curious, August quickly pointed to the notebook on the table and shifted the topic:
“Anyway, things are pretty clear now… Professor Sada and Professor Turo had a falling out over their research.”

“One focused on the ancient Paradox Pokémon, the other on the future ones. I’m guessing that’s why they gave such different phone updates earlier—and it’s the reason Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon ended up leading their teams into a battle just now.”

Sure enough, after August spoke, all eyes turned to him.

Especially Arven, who was clearly stunned by this revelation.

So that’s why his parents left him behind… because they had a fight and split up?

Larry tried to comfort him: “Not really a divorce. According to the League, Sada and Turo are still officially married…”

Everyone: “….”

Nice job, Larry. Really comforting.

Arven finally snapped out of it. He clenched his fists and muttered through gritted teeth, “I’m going to find them and get answers!”

He pushed open the door and headed out.

The rest exchanged looks, then followed after him.

Only Lusamine lingered at the back, whispering to August, “I’m sorry… I just couldn’t hold back after seeing the notes about Sada and Turo’s argument…”

Seeing Lusamine—so strong and commanding at work—look suddenly timid, and noticing Lillie surreptitiously eavesdropping, August didn’t get angry.
Or rather, he wasn’t mad to begin with—just a little exasperated.

“It’s fine. At this point, enough people know that a few more won’t make a difference.”

He just hoped finding their son could help Lusamine recover her memories.

Lusamine visibly relaxed, and a bright smile lit up her face.

When no one was looking, she quickly pecked August on the cheek. “Thank you, honey!”

August: “……”

Woman, don’t push your luck!

Mew, perched on August’s shoulder, witnessed the whole thing, so shocked she dropped her potato chips and didn’t even notice.

Even the Poké Balls at August’s waist shook violently—he had to spend a good while calming Gardevoir down.

Cogita, for her part, didn’t turn around, but her lips curled in amusement.

No one noticed that Lillie’s steps had grown clumsy, and her ears were so red they looked ready to drip blood.

…

Facing the massive chasm ahead and the rainbow-glinting crystals within, Zinnia and Iono’s eyes lit up. “So pretty!”

Penny couldn’t resist snapping a photo with her phone.

Mew darted from August’s shoulder, flying straight to a crystal, trying to gnaw off a piece for herself.

Instead, she bumped her teeth with a pitiful whimper.

August plucked Mew off the crystal and scolded her, “Eating everything you see will only get you in trouble!”

“Mew~!”

Mew waved her arms in protest, insisting she only wanted a piece as a keepsake.

August released Mewtwo.

Hearing Mew’s plea, Mewtwo’s spoon twisted and reformed into a chef’s knife.

With a sharp swipe, Mewtwo sliced a huge chunk off the crystal and handed it to “Mommy” Mew.

Mew beamed with happiness.

Hugging the crystal—which was bigger than she was—she started planning to decorate her little den in the Tree of Beginnings.

August had Mewtwo cut another large piece to display in the Kanto branch’s lobby.

Then he cut one more chunk for Iono as hush money.

“I want one too!” Zinnia chimed in.

August didn’t even look back. “Get it yourself.”

“…Stingy jerk.”

Zinnia puffed up her cheeks, then sent out her Baxcalibur. It took quite a bit of work, but she finally managed to pry off a small chunk.

Just as Zinnia turned to ask Lillie if she wanted a piece, she noticed something odd—Lillie’s face was bright red and she looked dazed.

Zinnia: “Huh? Lillie, are you sick? Why are you so flushed?”

Zinnia’s question only made Lillie blush harder, but she snapped back to her senses and shook her head, hugging Cosmog tightly.

Cosmog tried to say something, but Lillie quickly covered its mouth, muffling its words.

Zinnia looked completely baffled.

Just as she was about to keep asking, a new commotion caught her attention.

Right next to Cogita, a Pokémon had appeared—one that looked a little like a Mismagius, but not quite.

Looking closer, Zinnia saw that this Pokémon’s colors were even more vivid, and its flowing hair had turned into feathered wings.

“It’s Flutter Mane!”

Watching the extremely docile Flutter Mane next to Cogita, Larry couldn’t help blurting out, “That shouldn’t be possible—Flutter Mane’s supposed to be as aggressive as any ancient Paradox Pokémon, so why…?”

He’d already had enough surprises for one day, but this still stunned him.

As if on cue, Flutter Mane turned and fixed Zinnia with a fierce, challenging glare—just as the reports described.

But the moment Cogita reached out and stroked its head, all aggression vanished, replaced by a look of utter contentment.

Larry understood instantly—it wasn’t a matter of species or biology, it was about the person.

Just who is this Cogita woman, anyway, to make even a wild ancient Paradox Pokémon so gentle?

Come to think of it, everyone around August seems out of the ordinary… even Gary!

Larry, utterly mystified, followed August into the cavern, heading deeper into Area Zero.

Despite being a cave, the glowing crystals lit up the place like daylight—it didn’t feel dark at all.

Winding through the tunnels, the group finally reached the fourth observation station—the last one on record.

As soon as they stepped inside, the scene shocked them.

Inside, much of the equipment was ruined, and even the walls had partly caved in. The place was in shambles.

“What happened here…?” Arven murmured, a deep unease creeping into his heart.

August surveyed the room. “These marks are old. Probably a research accident…”

Everyone glanced at Larry.

Larry shook his head. “Professors Sada and Turo never submitted any incident reports to the League!”

“They’re not… hurt, are they?” Arven couldn’t help asking.

His face was tight with worry.

“Don’t worry. You’ve got me here.” August gave him a reassuring pat.

But Arven couldn’t relax at all—his mind was flooded with fear for his parents.

“August!”

Lusamine called out again, passing him a battered notebook.

August couldn’t help grumbling internally.

What is it with these two? Every time we hit a new observation station, there’s a new diary. What is this—a third-rate tabletop RPG scenario?

Are we really supposed to piece the truth together clue by clue…?

Still, he opened the notebook.

The handwriting was instantly familiar.

[The tension keeps getting worse. We haven’t spoken for three days…]
[My research is making great progress. I’m about to succeed in summoning No. 2!]
[Good news—I succeeded. Bad news—No. 2 has a temper, and he’s managed to summon a second one himself…]
[…My health isn’t great lately…]

Reading the abrupt end, Arven’s anxiety only deepened.
This time he bolted for the door, running for the lower lab before anyone could stop him!

He barely made it a few steps before Mew pinned him in place with psychic power.

“Calm down, Arven! There are still a lot of Paradox Pokémon down there—it’s dangerous to go alone!” August called.

Arven wanted to argue, but remembering the power those Paradox Pokémon had shown, he fell silent.

Once he’d cooled down, August signaled Mew to release him.

“There’s nothing to be gained by rushing now. Let’s take our time and do this right.” August said.

Arven nodded quietly, taking the notebook from August and tucking it into his bag.

Just as the group was about to leave the fourth observation station, a sudden explosion and the shouts of Trainers rang out from outside.

Everyone exchanged startled glances. Larry’s face brightened with excitement.

Could it be—the League’s missing Area Zero survey team?

With that hope, Larry pushed the door open and hurried out.

Everyone followed the sounds down the path.

And then… what they saw left them all frozen—Larry most of all.

On the open ground at the bottom of Area Zero, two groups were locked in battle.

One group was the Paldea League survey team sent to investigate Area Zero.

The other group… was also the Paldea League survey team sent to investigate Area Zero.

Seeing League agents fighting each other, Larry was utterly dumbfounded.

“What is going on…!”

---

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!