Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [382]

“Hmm?”

August raised an eyebrow as the Skull grunt suddenly paled in terror.

He hadn’t even done anything yet—just asked a question normally. Why the sudden look of panic?

But the answer came swiftly.

“We were just following Boss Guzma’s orders to search the area! We didn’t know President Lusamine was really here!” The grunt dropped to the ground, groveling as if his life depended on it. “We really don’t know anything! Please, don’t kill us!”

August: …

What the hell do you think I am? I’m a certified League officer, not some outlaw...

Still, judging from the grunt’s desperate reaction, it seemed their arrival really was a coincidence. Lusamine’s location hadn’t been leaked.

That was… a small relief.

August adjusted his tone, then asked another question.

“So what does your boss want with Lusamine?”

“She’s Skull’s main sponsor! Boss said she’s in danger, and we can’t just sit back and do nothing!”

“Danger?”

“Yes! Some group from outside Alola calling themselves Team Rocket showed up recently. We’ve already clashed with them several times!”

The grunt spilled everything he knew like a knocked-over bucket of beans.

Though frankly, that last part sounded like a stretch.

Team Skull clashed with Rocket — X

Team Rocket wiped the floor with Team Skull — ✓

August asked for more intel on Rocket, but the grunt stammered and hemmed and hawed, clearly clueless. That only reinforced August’s suspicions.

He snapped his fingers. Mew floated over and promptly knocked them all unconscious.

Gold wandered over, looking thoughtful. “Boss, everyone’s out there lookin’ for sis-in-law. What now?”

August: ?

Sis-in-law?

Were you even listening to a single thing I told you earlier?!

“I said she’s amnesiac and spouting nonsense,” August repeated, exasperated. Then, after a beat of thought: “We can steer Skull into fighting Rocket.”

“You think they’ll fall for it that easily?”

“Giovanni wouldn’t. But Guzma...”

It wasn’t that August looked down on Guzma—well, okay, maybe a little—but in his mental ranking of villain team leaders, Guzma was even lower than Maxie or Archie.

He hadn’t even bothered reserving a cell for him at the Kanto regional prison.

He summoned Mewtwo and, after a brief exchange, Mewtwo raised a hand. The grunt August had interrogated was suspended in midair, eyes glowing blue.

Mewtwo used [Hypnosis] to implant a fabricated memory.

In this version of events, the ones who’d defeated their team weren’t August and Gold, but Giovanni and Team Rocket.

Rocket had discovered Lusamine’s whereabouts and taken her.

The squad that had been sent to find her had been annihilated by Rocket—except for the one lucky grunt who’d managed to escape and report back.

Sure, there were a few holes—like why Giovanni would be using an Ambipom—but Guzma’s cognitive abilities weren’t exactly an obstacle.

As the grunt stumbled off, limping and dazed, August clapped his hands with satisfaction.

“All done! Now we just sit back and wait for Skull and Rocket to go at each other. That’ll give us cover to start Operation: Save Lillie.”

But before he could revel in his plan, a familiar, frantic voice came shouting from inside the lab.

“Where’s my husband?! Where’s my husband?!”

August: ...

Can someone—anyone—relate to what I’m going through right now?

He had to get Lusamine’s memory back. Fast.

---

Team Skull

Ever since the incident at Aether Paradise and losing contact with Lusamine, Guzma had been in a foul mood.

It wasn’t just that Lusamine was their sponsor—she was the only person who had ever truly acknowledged his strength.

“We gotta find her,” he growled to himself, clenching his fists.

Just then, a grunt stumbled in, panting.

“Boss Guzma! President Lusamine—she’s been taken! By Team Rocket!”

“What?!” Guzma shot to his feet, rage flaring across his face. “Knew it! I knew those bastards were behind this!”

Another grunt came in right after. “Boss, someone from Rocket is here. Says they wanna talk peace…”

“Peace talks? Do I look stupid to you?!”

That only made Guzma angrier. “Grab that fool! Everyone, gear up—we’re heading to Aether Paradise! I’m getting her back myself!”

The Rocket envoy sent by Ariana barely had time to process what was happening before he was surrounded by Skull grunts and knocked out cold—only managing to fire off one last message to his superior.

---

Aether Paradise

Ariana scowled at the message from her subordinate.

She honestly couldn’t understand Skull’s logic.

There was no territorial overlap. Rocket had even been actively avoiding conflict with them. So why the hell did Skull keep picking fights?

When she brought the message to Giovanni, the Rocket boss—still simmering after August had blocked him—immediately zeroed in on the perfect outlet for his frustration.

“They want war?” Giovanni’s voice was icy. “Then we’ll give them war. Wait until they make their move—then wipe them out.”

Originally, Giovanni had intended to keep things under wraps until the Ultra Beast Project was ready.

But if Skull was going to plant themselves on his face and start kicking...

If he still held back now, he might as well stop calling himself Giovanni.

As for August...

Blocking him had been petty, sure—but once Giovanni cooled down, he began noticing something off.

With what he knew of August, he wouldn’t cut communication over a few jabs. Normally, August would be digging for intel, trying to bait out a location.

So if he’d blocked Giovanni outright, it could only mean one thing—

August had already found his trail.

Maybe he was en route to Alola. Maybe he was already in Alola.

Either way, Giovanni reasoned it was better to clean up the unstable variable—Team Skull—before August had a chance to manipulate them.

Ariana bowed. “Understood, Boss Giovanni.”

---

T/N: too late LMAOO

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!