Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [405]

Giovanni stood beneath the colossal Ultra Wormhole device, gazing up at the machinery while two expressionless Deoxys stood by his side.

Footsteps echoed behind him.

Giovanni didn’t even have to look. “August.”

He turned—and the scene before him left him momentarily speechless.

Gary stood there, looking like he had a lot to say but didn’t dare, while August was nowhere to be seen.

Giovanni: “...”

Gary: “...”

The atmosphere was awkward. Still, Giovanni hadn’t become the Rocket Boss by being easily rattled. He recovered in seconds, then shot Gary a cold glance. “Oak’s brat—where’s August? Don’t tell me he doesn’t even have the guts to face me himself!”

As he spoke, both Deoxys behind him shifted into Attack Forme.

The pressure from the two Deoxys was overwhelming. Any ordinary trainer would’ve collapsed already.

But Gary was no longer the same person he’d once been. After all he’d experienced alongside August, his strength and perspective had grown tremendously.

Even if I’m cursing August inside for leaving me to face Giovanni alone, Gary didn’t show a hint of fear on the surface.

He raised his chin. “What, you can’t even get past me and still think you can handle August?”

“Heh…” Giovanni let out a cold laugh.

With a simple wave of his hand, one Deoxys vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Gary. Its four tentacles whipped forward.

At the last second, Gary hurled a Poké Ball.

A flash of white light—Suicune materialized at Gary’s side, the gem on its forehead glowing as it blocked the Deoxys’s assault.

Giovanni’s eyes widened in surprise.

He hadn’t expected that the brat who used to trail after August had managed to capture Suicune.

Gary’s back was soaked with cold sweat.

That was close—way too close!

Even so, he couldn’t help but retort, “That’s it?”

Gary’s taunt brought up unpleasant memories for Giovanni. His expression instantly turned icy.

“Deoxys, [Shadow Ball]!”

A swirling [Shadow Ball] formed before Deoxys.

Seeing this, Gary barely had time to wipe the sweat from his brow before shouting, “Suicune, [Hydro Pump]!”

Suicune unleashed a powerful blast of water, but Deoxys dodged effortlessly and launched the [Shadow Ball].

Suicune scrambled aside.

BOOM!

The [Shadow Ball] missed Suicune and struck the ground, but the resulting explosion engulfed Suicune in debris.

The blast hit Suicune, leaving its pristine fur stained with dust, looking utterly bedraggled.

The gap in power is… a little too big…

Gary’s nerves frayed, but he still forced a stubborn front. “Getting desperate?”

Suicune: “….”

Please, just shut up already.

Giovanni’s brow twitched at how much Gary sounded like August.

He was done playing around. “Finish him—Deoxys, [Psychic]!”

Sensing his command, Deoxys went all out.

Its chest core blazed with light.

A torrent of terrifying psychic energy surged forth, about to crash down on Gary and Suicune.

Suddenly, a voice rang out from behind Gary.

“Mewtwo, [Psychic]!”

BOOM!

The collision of psychic powers twisted even the very air, space itself warping.

The two forces were almost evenly matched.

After the clash, Giovanni paused, regaining his composure, then looked past Gary with a steely gaze. “August.”

“Long time no see, Giovanni!” August greeted with a wave.

He shot Gary a look. “Didn’t I tell you to just stall him? Why’d you start a fight…?”

Relieved, Gary quickly retreated with Suicune. “It wasn’t my fault—he attacked first!”

Giovanni: “….”

Why does it sound like I’m the bully here?

But compared to August, Gary was no threat.

“I thought you’d just hide in the back and throw Oak’s brat at me as cannon fodder,” Giovanni said with a sneer.

August only looked puzzled. “If I remember right, I’ve won every time we’ve fought. How’d you come to that conclusion?”

Giovanni faltered.

“And it’s not like I was hiding—I took a detour to your Rocket data center.” August brandished a hard drive, grinning. “Thanks for sponsoring my Ultra Beast research!”

Seeing August’s smug smile and realizing he’d been played, Giovanni couldn’t help but shout, “AUGUST!!”

August casually dug at his ear. “I’m right here, no need to yell.”

“Deoxys, [Shadow Ball]!”

“Mewtwo, [Shadow Ball]!”

Twin Shadow Balls collided in midair, exploding in a massive shockwave!

August vs. Giovanni—the battle had officially begun!

As one of the top trainers in the world, Giovanni knew full well the impact of emotions on battle.

No matter how furious he was, he forced himself to calm down as the fight began.

He’d prepared for this duel for a long time. Every bit of intelligence on Mewtwo flashed through his mind. Giovanni gave a crisp command: “Deoxys, [Dark Pulse]!”

A wave of dark energy radiated from Deoxys.

Mewtwo’s psychic shield sprang up instantly, enveloping him in protective energy.

[Dark Pulse] smashed into the barrier, sending both Mewtwo and the shield flying.

Deoxys instantly switched to Speed Forme.

Now blindingly fast, Deoxys split into a thousand afterimages in the sky—even Mewtwo couldn’t track its movements for a moment.

“Behind you!” August’s voice sounded telepathically.

But even with August’s warning, Mewtwo was still a split second late.

Speed Forme Deoxys’s tentacles lashed out, battering Mewtwo’s shield.

The shield, which had survived [Dark Pulse], shattered instantly under the psychic whip.

But it bought Mewtwo enough time.

Mewtwo gripped his spoons tight and swung them behind him.

BANG!

Tentacles locked with the spoons, then coiled around them. Deoxys’s icy gaze made Mewtwo’s nerves tingle—instinctively, Mewtwo released the spoons and leaped back.

A golden [Zap Cannon] erupted from Deoxys’s chest, firing into the sky.

Mewtwo felt a shiver of dread.

If I’d hesitated, that would have paralyzed me and ended the fight.

Deoxys, unfazed by the miss, idly twirled Mewtwo’s spoon in its tentacles, further infuriating Mewtwo.

Giovanni, seeing Deoxys take the upper hand, smirked at August:
“What you stole is just an imitation based on Mew, but Deoxys is a step beyond even the Mewtwo Project!”

“Mew!”

Mew, perched on August’s shoulder, waved her tiny fists angrily at Giovanni for belittling her and Mewtwo.

August patted Mew’s head to calm her down.

Then he looked at Giovanni: “If Deoxys is really a step beyond Mewtwo, can yours mega evolve?”

Giovanni blinked, then went silent.

August smiled. “Well, mine can.”

He flashed the [Key Stone] on his wrist.

In an instant, Mewtwo was enveloped in evolutionary light—Mega Mewtwo Y appeared on the field.

The transformed Mewtwo’s eyes glowed blue, and his psychic energy surged.

The ground and buildings shuddered under the pressure. Sensing danger, Deoxys switched to Defense Forme.

Its banded arms crossed before it, shielding its core.

The next second—

Mewtwo’s vast psychic power condensed into a tangible blade and slashed down at Deoxys.

First to fall was the psychic barrier Deoxys had raised. Then the blade struck Deoxys itself, sending it flying over ten meters and slamming into a building—reducing Rocket’s freshly renovated property to rubble.

“Did that do it?” Gary, still nursing his grudge, watched eagerly.

He hadn’t fared well against Deoxys earlier, so all his hopes rested on August now.

August shook his head. “Not even close.”

No sooner had he spoken than the ruined building began to shift. Massive chunks of rubble levitated, hurtling at Mewtwo.

Mewtwo raised a hand, eyes glowing blue. Each rock shattered midair, crushed by psychic force.

Deoxys didn’t expect this to harm Mewtwo; it was just buying time.

Standing in the wreckage, its nearly-severed tentacles quickly regenerated, fully healed in seconds.

Deoxys then vanished, reappearing in Speed Forme.

A [Shadow Ball] landed where it’d just been, flattening the ruins.

Speed Forme Deoxys was still nearly impossible to track, but this time, August was prepared.

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Mewtwo, [Trick Room]!

A psychic field spread from Mewtwo, warping space and enclosing Deoxys.

Inside [Trick Room], Deoxys felt an odd dissonance.

It seemed as fast as ever, but every time it attacked, Mewtwo always beat it to the punch—and countered.

Giovanni realized what was happening in a flash. “Deoxys, Defense Forme!”

Deoxys’s body twisted, shifting into Defense Forme.

In [Trick Room], Deoxys’s speed actually outpaced Mewtwo—but in this form, its offense was blunted, and Mewtwo blocked every blow.

Now Giovanni faced a dilemma: if he wanted to pressure Mewtwo, he had to change forms—but in [Trick Room], any other form would be slower than Mewtwo.

Disgusting…

Fortunately, Defense Forme’s bulk kept Deoxys alive—Mewtwo couldn’t land a finishing blow.

The two were at a stalemate when Giovanni’s phone rang at his hip.

He picked up, and his face darkened.

August smirked. “Bad news, Giovanni?”

Giovanni shot him a deep look. “…Didn’t expect you’d bring Cynthia as backup.”

His subordinate had just reported a run-in with Sinnoh’s Champion outside—their losses were severe.

August waved it off with a smile. “Cynthia’s a friend. Who talks about ‘backup’ between friends?”

Gary muttered in his heart: You mean girlfriend…

Giovanni’s scowl deepened.

Even if Cynthia had lost to August in the World Championship, Giovanni knew better than to underestimate her.

If Cynthia finished with his subordinates and joined the fray, things would get ugly.

He took a deep breath—enough games.

With a wave, the Deoxys at his side blurred, vanishing and reappearing in the arena.

Two Deoxys!

The sudden appearance threw off Mewtwo’s rhythm. The two Deoxys fought in perfect sync, their strength not just doubled but compounded.

“Giovanni, you cheat!” August called as Mewtwo struggled to hold on.

Giovanni just sneered.

Mewtwo barely blocked one Deoxys’s strike before being blasted by the other, sent flying.

August sighed. “If that’s how it is, guess I won’t hold back either.”

He tossed a Master Ball.

“ROAR!”

Rayquaza appeared on the field.

The moment it sensed Deoxys’s alien aura, Rayquaza’s eyes sharpened instantly.

An intruder!

Deoxys, for its part, retained vivid memories of the time it first arrived on this world aboard a meteor—and had nearly been torn apart by Rayquaza.

When old enemies meet, tempers flare.

As soon as Rayquaza entered the battle, things escalated to a fever pitch.

Rayquaza let out a thunderous roar, unleashing [Draco Meteor].

Meteors rained down from the sky, targeting Deoxys, who weaved nimbly through the falling boulders. When escape was impossible, it switched to Defense Forme and braced for impact.

Rayquaza’s appearance dramatically eased the pressure on Mewtwo. Having fought alongside Rayquaza many times, Mewtwo quickly fell into step, the two launching coordinated attacks against Deoxys.

Giovanni watched the battlefield.

Rayquaza’s arrival hadn’t surprised him. After all, August’s use of Rayquaza in the World Championships had already shaken the world—everyone knew August had tamed Rayquaza.

But this was exactly why Giovanni had spent so much effort capturing Ultra Beasts—for this very moment!

“Do it!”

He spoke into his communicator, and suddenly, dozens of Rocket grunts surged in from all sides, encircling August and Gary.

“What’s a bunch of grunts gonna do…?” Gary started to scoff, but before he could finish, all those “grunts” threw out Beast Balls.

A flurry of white light—dozens of Ultra Beasts surrounded August and Gary.

Seeing this, Gary swallowed his words.

Forget I said anything…

August, meanwhile, took note of the Ultra Beasts closing in.

Nihilego, Buzzwole, Pheromosa, Xurkitree, Celesteela, Kartana, Guzzlord, Naganadel, Stakataka, Blacephalon… an entire menagerie.

Faced with such overwhelming numbers, Giovanni watched August closely, waiting for the first sign of panic.

But August didn’t even blink.

He even had the nerve to joke: “You’ve got enough here for an Ultra Beast exhibit.”

Giovanni sneered. “Still bluffing?”

Even for him, with so many Ultra Beasts, victory was all but assured.

“Bluffing?” August grinned. “You think you’re the only one with numbers?”

Giovanni frowned.

August pulled out his phone, tapped the Arceus… no, the “God Llama” app, opened the support interface, and scrolled past the icons for Origin Dialga and Origin Palkia.

He hesitated for a moment—not wanting to bother them from stabilizing spacetime—then skipped over Arceus’s icon as well.

His finger scrolled all the way down, to the very last page.

A moment later, Giovanni and all the assembled Rockets watched as the sky above split open with golden light.

The next instant—

A horde of Pokémon, each one a massive boss, descended onto the battlefield, led by five golden, glittering kings.

And that wasn’t all.

August tossed two Poké Balls—Dialga and Palkia flanked him, left and right.

From the shadows, Darkrai, once used by Sird as an escape tool, crept into the open.

And on August’s shoulder, Mew and Celebi appeared. Behind him stood Lugia and Gardevoir.

August smiled. “Let’s give it everything we’ve got.”

“….”

“What’s the matter, Giovanni? Cat got your tongue?”

Giovanni: “….”

What was there left to say?

Looking at the lineup at August’s back, Giovanni realized how badly he’d underestimated his opponent.

He’d thought he only had to deal with Rayquaza and Mewtwo. With so many Ultra Beasts, victory should have been in the bag.

Now it was obvious—that idea was pure fantasy.

“…Heh.” Giovanni lowered his head, letting out a deep, rough laugh.

August eyed him. Did I break Giovanni? Is he finally losing it?

But in the next second, Giovanni raised his head. “I didn’t realize you’d become this powerful.”

August said modestly, “It’s nothing special.”

“Which means… it’s time for me to use that.”

August cocked his head. “Which one?”

Giovanni held out his hand. “While building the Ultra Wormhole device, I accidentally connected to a certain space—where I found a sleeping Pokémon…”

“While it was still weak from waking, I used Deoxys to capture it. But I sensed destruction and ruin from it. To keep it from harming the world, I shut the wormhole.”

August nodded. “Wow, how responsible of you.”

But Giovanni continued, “Of course, I kept the coordinates.”

“Never mind then.”

“And now…”

He turned to the massive machine behind him. As Giovanni finished speaking, the device roared to life.

As the Ultra Wormhole took shape, a wild, terrifying energy seeped out, sending waves of panic through every Pokémon present.

August’s expression grew grave.

“What… is that…?”

“In that world, I found an ancient document,” Giovanni said. “The translation describes a Pokémon that feeds on light: Necrozma!”

As Giovanni’s voice fell, a jet-black claw reached out from the wormhole.

With its appearance, the very light in the air seemed to dim.

---

Aether Paradise

Playing checkers with Lillie and Yellow, Cosmog suddenly shivered and dove into Lillie’s arms, burying its head and trembling.

“Cosmog, what’s wrong?” Lillie asked, worried.

But Cosmog only quivered, refusing to look up.

Yellow watched and guessed, “Cosmog says… there’s a Pokémon coming to capture it?”

Lillie looked puzzled.

Still, she gently stroked Cosmog, comforting it. “Don’t be afraid—I’ll protect you!”

Beside her, Zorua—now thoroughly bribed by Lillie’s snacks and cozy room—nodded in support.

Cosmog felt a bit better, but kept trembling.

---

Necrozma’s body had now emerged fully from the wormhole.

Its pitch-black form absorbed all surrounding light, casting the entire sky above Po Town into darkness.

“Lihno!”

Necrozma fixed its gaze on August.

Something about August drew it in.

August stared back at Necrozma, especially as its gaze locked with his. Why me?

With everyone else here, why are you staring at me?

But Necrozma, feeling that familiar aura from August, paid no heed to anything else—it lunged for him.

“Roar!”

Dialga’s chest gem shone, unleashing a [Roar of Time] at Necrozma.

The attack, strong enough to turn a giant tree into a sapling, struck Necrozma, but only did standard Dragon-type damage—none of the temporal power seemed to touch it at all.

Palkia shot Dialga a disdainful look, then unleashed [Spacial Rend].

A pink crescent blade sliced toward Necrozma. The energy was instantly devoured by Necrozma’s darkness, but the force of the spatial cut left a painful, screeching sound—yet even as the attack faded, Necrozma’s body remained unbroken.

Palkia awkwardly averted its gaze.

After two hits, Necrozma went berserk, letting out a pained, furious roar.

“Lihno!”

It opened its mouth, gathering blinding energy, then blasted a beam straight at Palkia.

[Prismatic Laser]

Palkia: “?”

Dialga hit you too, so why are you aiming for me? Palkia thought frantically, hastily firing a [Dragon Pulse] to defend itself.

But [Dragon Pulse] lasted only a second against the oncoming [Prismatic Laser]—almost instantly, it was melted away. Fortunately, Dialga wasn’t about to just stand by and watch Palkia get blasted.

It unleashed [Flash Cannon].

The silver beam and [Prismatic Laser] clashed in midair, erupting into a massive explosion overhead.

August watched Necrozma in the sky, feeling a little nervous—but only a little. After all, this is just regular Necrozma, not Ultra Necrozma…

“How did you let that thing out?” came Cogita’s voice beside him.

August turned, startled to find Cogita standing right next to him, watching Necrozma, which had just been forced to halt midair under the combined assault from Dialga and Palkia.

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Cogita, do you know Necrozma?

[Cogita (traveling)]: What kind of silly question is that?

Cogita rolled her eyes, then looked up at Necrozma.

[Cogita (traveling)]: I’ve dealt with it before. Back then, it wasn’t like this. And now it’s even been captured by someone…

There was a hint of surprise in her tone.

[GardevoirSupremacy]: What do we do now? It doesn’t look that strong in this form, but it’s way too hard to deal with!

With Necrozma stalling both Dialga and Palkia, Giovanni had already rallied the Rocket grunts and Ultra Beasts to press their attack.

The boss Pokémon’s strength varied, but with the five Arceus-blessed kings leading the charge—plus Gary and Suicune joining in—both sides were locked in a fierce struggle.

Rayquaza and Mewtwo were still locked in battle with both Deoxys, the outcome nowhere in sight.

Against all odds, Giovanni had turned the tide just by bringing out Necrozma.

Cogita listened to August’s question, shooting him a puzzled glance. “If it came from Ultra Space, just send it back.”

“You say that like it’s easy… What, should I bring Origin Dialga and Origin Palkia here?”

“You want to throw Hisui into time-space chaos again?” Cogita said. “Besides, this isn’t its true form. In this state, it won’t last long!”

“And isn’t your specialty attacking trainers directly? Deal with Giovanni and Necrozma won’t be a problem.”

Cogita stifled a laugh behind her hand.

“Hey, that’s slander!” August protested—but his eyes were already shifting toward Giovanni.

At that exact moment, Giovanni looked back.

Evidently, he’d had the same idea.

The two locked eyes for three seconds—and, without another word, attacked simultaneously!

“Gardevoir, [Psychic]!”

“Beedrill, [Pin Missile]!”

Gardevoir, stone tablet hovering at her side, unleashed an invisible wave of psychic energy at Giovanni.

Beedrill fired a barrage of [Pin Missiles] straight at August.

BOOM!

Giovanni’s Rhyperior muscled in, shielding him from Gardevoir’s [Psychic].

On August’s side—

Mew, who had been perched on his shoulder watching Dialga, Palkia, and Necrozma fight, was yanked in front of him as a shield.

Mew had developed a reflex for this—she instantly threw up an energy barrier, protecting August, Gardevoir, and Cogita all at once.

[Pin Missiles] slammed into Mew’s shield, sending ripples across the surface—but none got through.

“Mew!” Mew complained, grabbing August’s hair.

“Hey, cut it out—this is serious!” August said, struggling to pull Mew off his head.

On Giovanni’s side, Rhyperior stomped the ground, fracturing it beneath their feet.

The quake disrupted even the battles between Ultra Beasts and boss Pokémon.

Cracks spread rapidly toward August’s group.

August immediately had Gardevoir and Mew levitate everyone into the air.

The rift kept spreading, all the way to a cluster of distant buildings.

CRASH!

The collapsing buildings hit with a force rivaling some Legendary Pokémon attacks.

Gary, who was currently battling a Guzzlord, stared wide-eyed.

Is this the true power of Earth? Just ordinary Pokémon, and they can do this…?

He resolved to study up on “the secrets of the earth” when he got home.

August couldn’t help but whistle. “Giovanni’s really getting stronger.”

Luckily, his own Pokémon weren’t standing still either. August signaled to Lugia, who unleashed a torrent of water and whipped up a mini-tsunami with its wings, sending it crashing toward Rhyperior and Beedrill.

Beedrill dodged away.

Rhyperior stomped down hard—[Earth Power].

A wall of earth rose to meet the wave. It didn’t hold for long before the water smashed it apart, but it did blunt the worst of the impact. The rest barely fazed Rhyperior.

“ROAR!”

Rhyperior pounded its chest, then hurled massive boulders at August, Lugia, and the others overhead.

[Rock Wrecker]

At the same time, Giovanni sent out another Pokémon—Marowak, who flung its bone boomerang at August.

“Gardevoir, [Psyshock]!”

Gardevoir materialized psychic energy to shatter the incoming boulders.

Mew used [Knock Off], swatting the boomerang aside—and then, as always, tried to stuff the bone into Gengar’s belly.

Gengar adamantly refused. No way am I putting that in there!

August also chided Mew, “Stop picking up random things!”

Mew pouted miserably.

At that moment, in the shadows behind August, a sudden glint of cold light flashed.

A shadow skimmed across the ground, Beedrill’s stingers gleaming as it lunged for August.

Gardevoir was busy with Rhyperior’s [Rock Wrecker].

Mew was being scolded.

Lugia was out of reach.

The perfect opening.

But from an angle Beedrill couldn’t see, August smiled faintly.

I’ve been waiting for you.

With [Aura] powers, August had perfect battlefield awareness.

No matter how sneaky Beedrill was, it couldn’t hide from him.

Suddenly, on August’s other shoulder, a little green onion head popped up.

Celebi, clutching her [Meadow Plate], flung [Leech Seed] at the oncoming Beedrill.

Vines sprouted instantly, binding Beedrill like a zongzi and slamming it to the ground.

Mew, spotting Beedrill, immediately forgot her sulk.

She conjured a [Shadow Ball], ready to hurl it at Beedrill.

But before it hit, the ground writhed—Dugtrio burst out, grabbed Beedrill, and dragged it underground.

Mew’s [Shadow Ball] hit nothing, making her puff up in frustration.

“If not for Legendary Pokémon, August, your strength would be nothing…” Giovanni taunted.

Beedrill, now free of [Leech Seed], landed by his side like a loyal bodyguard.

August didn’t care. “Legendary Pokémon are right there. If you think you can, go catch them yourself!”

Both men sneered at the same time.

Just then, the battle in the sky shifted.

Palkia dodged another [Prismatic Laser], and Dialga began gathering a massive charge of silver light before blasting Necrozma with [Hyper Beam].

Drained from its earlier fight, Necrozma took the full hit.

Its massive form crashed into distant buildings, sending up a spray of fire and debris.

Giovanni’s face darkened.

Like dominoes, Rayquaza’s body suddenly glowed with golden light.

Rayquaza [Mega Evolved], shedding green-gold light as it broke free from Deoxys.

[Dragon Ascent]

Rayquaza’s attack struck Deoxys’s core with a resounding crack.

Everyone watched as Deoxys tumbled from the sky.

Giovanni’s expression soured even more.

At that moment, Cynthia and Lusamine arrived with the Kanto team, having finished off Rocket’s resistance outside. With reinforcements on their side, Gary no longer had to command the boss Pokémon and Ultra Beasts alone.

Cynthia’s Garchomp was especially terrifying—one [Dragon Rush] flattened the Guzzlord Gary had been struggling with for ages.

Gary saw it and finally accepted: it wasn’t that he was weak—Suicune just wasn’t strong enough.

Suicune: “.....”

Giovanni’s face was pitch-black.

He knew it was over. Apart from his duel with August, every front had collapsed.

But Giovanni was nothing if not rational. He wasn’t the type to fight a pointless battle once hope was gone.

He’d prepared for scenarios like this—while it was the worst-case, it was still within his calculations.

“Hold them off!” he commanded.

The Rocket grunts answered without a word, using their actions instead.

Even with the battle lost, they directed their Ultra Beasts to launch one last attack, desperate to buy Giovanni time to retreat.

Giovanni swiftly recalled Necrozma, still reeling from [Hyper Beam]. But when he tried to recall the Deoxys whose core Rayquaza had shattered, Mewtwo intercepted the recall beam, blocking the Poké Ball’s energy.

Giovanni gave Mewtwo a long, searching look, then decisively abandoned Deoxys. He turned and, with his remaining Deoxys, did something no one expected.

He didn’t try to escape by sky, didn’t dig underground, didn’t even order Deoxys to teleport.

Instead, without looking back, he dove straight into the Ultra Wormhole.

August was stunned. “Uh… seriously?”

He’d had Rayquaza and Darkrai watching the skies, Mew on standby to use [Earthquake], Gardevoir and Mewtwo interfering with space to prevent teleportation—he’d planned for everything.

But he never imagined Giovanni would just jump into the wormhole.

That could kill you!

Silver stood frozen at the sight. Then, without a word, he grabbed Honchkrow and charged toward the wormhole after Giovanni.

“Silver!”

Gold cried out, trying to stop him—but was a step too slow.

Just as Silver was about to leap into the portal, the machine gave a loud bang, spewed black smoke, and the Ultra Wormhole vanished.

Silver stumbled and fell short.

Only then did everyone breathe a sigh of relief.

“Silver, that was reckless!” Blue scolded.

“…”

Silver just nodded in silence.

Gold still wanted to say something, but August stopped him. “Let Silver have a moment.”

Then, glancing at the ruined machine and turning to the remaining Rockets: “Giovanni’s gone. There’s no point fighting anymore—give up.”

The Rocket grunts needed no convincing. With Dialga, Palkia, and Rayquaza still present, they immediately surrendered.

As Rocket elites, they were trained for this: when defeat was certain, surrender and minimize charges, so the organization could bail them out more easily.

August signaled for Wicke to coordinate Aether Foundation staff to round up the Rocket grunts.

He then walked over to the battlefield, where the battered Deoxys lay, its eyes full of pain—whether from a shattered core or being abandoned, it was hard to say.

August knelt and held out his hand. “Would you like to be my Pokémon?”

The weakened Deoxys stared up at him, stunned.

---

T/N: of course of course

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!