Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [384]

Deoxys’s four tendrils twisted before its chest, coalescing a single, jet-black [Shadow Ball].

With the Rocket agents watching intently, it hurled the orb toward the towering wall ahead.

A black flash tore across the air—

BOOM!

A thunderous explosion shook the ground.

The towering barrier surrounding Po Town crumbled in an instant, a gaping breach blown straight through the wall.

Even the usually stoic Rocket grunts couldn’t help but cheer under their breath.

Boss Giovanni has a monster like that?!

Taking back Kanto... defeating August… reviving Team Rocket’s glory—it suddenly didn’t feel like just a pipe dream.

A rare flicker of satisfaction crossed Giovanni’s face.

Deoxys, the legendary Pokémon he had spent so much effort to acquire, had not disappointed.

But unlike his subordinates, Giovanni wasn’t swept up in blind optimism.

He knew full well: defeating August would take more than two Deoxys.

He needed Ultra Beasts.

Seizing Aether Paradise was only step one. Eliminating the nuisance known as Team Skull—that was step two.

Leading his troops into the heart of Po Town, Giovanni paused.

The place was a mess. Crumbling buildings, littered streets—more ruin than resistance.

Did I… overestimate them?

He hadn't even seen Guzma yet, but just looking at the condition of their so-called base, Giovanni had already downgraded them in his mind to little more than Alolan delinquents—on par with the biker gangs that loitered around Kanto’s docks.

Right then, the telltale sound of footsteps came echoing through the hollow town.

Guzma, in his black jacket and swagger, stormed into view, his gang scrambling behind him.

“Who dares stir up trouble on Guzma's turf!?”

But when Guzma actually saw the size of the Rocket force and the gaping hole where his wall used to be, he faltered.

Only for a moment.

Then came the fury.

“You goddamn Rockets! You blew up my wall?!”

With a furious wave of his hand, the Skull grunts launched their Poké Balls.

Salazzle. Yungoos. Pyukumuku. Trubbish...

Giovanni said nothing. His eyes narrowed. Then—he looked up at the sky, as though questioning why he’d even come here.

Was this worth my time?

Guzma clenched his jaw.

“Hey! I’m talkin’ to you!”

He hated being ignored. That was how he’d ended up forming Team Skull in the first place.

But Giovanni remained silent.

With a single wave of his hand, his own agents responded.

Weezing. Arbok. Golbat...

To the untrained eye, these Pokémon weren’t all that impressive. But in front of Skull’s ragtag monsters, they looked like demons.

Especially the Arbok with Intimidate. Its icy gaze alone sent shivers down the spines of Pokémon and Trainers alike.

Guzma’s team visibly faltered.

“Don’t back down, dammit!” he roared. “Get it together! You’re with me, remember!”

Some regained their nerve. Others clearly wanted to bolt.

And when the Rockets attacked, Skull’s front line collapsed like wet tissue.

Left with no choice, Guzma threw out his ace.

“I’m the embodiment of destruction! Get in there—Golisopod!”

The massive armored Pokémon landed in front of him with a crash, claws gleaming like blades. With a single slash, it pinned a lunging Arbok to the ground.

Guzma’s strike reinvigorated his squad.

Giovanni, who had been ready to walk away, paused—watching closely.

So they’re not completely useless...

Guzma noticed the shift in Giovanni’s expression and couldn’t help but grin smugly.

“Now you see the power of Big Boss Guzma! You'd best give up now and bow down!”

Giovanni chuckled softly.

Guzma might not be completely worthless, but he was hardly a threat.

“Deoxys—”

Before he could finish, Deoxys’s eyes flared blue.

Golisopod was hurled into the air like a ragdoll—[Psychic]—and crashed into the dirt, twitching.

Guzma barely had time to issue a counterattack.

“[Pin Missile]!”

The barrage struck, lighting up the battlefield. But as the smoke cleared...

Deoxys stood unmoved, now in Defense Forme, pristine and untouched.

Guzma stared.

“What the hell… is that thing?”

---

Elsewhere – Aether Paradise

A Rocket grunt patrolling a dim hallway suddenly froze.

“Did you see that?” he whispered. “Something’s… sticking out from that corner up ahead.”

A tail.

Fluffy. Wagging slightly.

“Looks like… some kind of Pokémon tail?” his partner guessed.

They exchanged glances, then quietly crept toward it, Poké Balls ready.

As they rounded the corner—

A lone Eevee blinked up at them innocently.

They exhaled.

“Where the hell did this Eevee come from?”

One of them stepped forward to shoo it away.

Two hands suddenly reached out from the shadows—whack!—and knocked both grunts out cold.

Eevee hopped onto their backs and leapt into August’s waiting arms.

He scratched its head. “Nice job, Eevee.”

“Bui~!”

Sabrina stared at him.

She could’ve knocked them out instantly with a flick of her mind, but no—August had insisted on doing it this way.

August just smiled. “It’s about the ritual, you know? Infiltration needs ceremony.”

...You’re ridiculous. Sabrina decided not to argue.

“So where to now?” she asked.

August carefully extricated his arm from Lusamine’s embrace.

“Which way to the control room?”

Lusamine looked around, frowning, thinking hard. “Um… I think it’s the second hallway up, then a left…?”

Great, August thought. I’m taking directions from someone with amnesia.

To be fair, she had led them through the underwater route into Aether Paradise, but he was pretty sure that was more thanks to Baby Lugia.

Still—among everyone here, she was the only one who knew the layout.

They followed her directions. A door loomed ahead.

August frowned.

It didn’t look like a control room.

But they’d come this far.

With a nod to Silver, August stepped back.

Silver’s Feraligatr stomped forward—and kicked the door clean open.

“International Police!” August shouted. “Hands where we can see them!”

Inside wasn’t a control room.

It was… a lab.

Standing there, stunned, was a woman in a tight white skirt and purple hair, adjusting her glasses.

“You’re…” she began, then stopped cold, spotting Lusamine clinging to August’s arm.

Her eyes went wide. “President Lusamine?!”

She came back?

That alone was shocking enough.

But she wasn’t just back—she was holding onto a man’s arm. And behind her was… was that Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion!?

Had she brought reinforcements?

But when did the President meet Cynthia?

She had a million questions, but before she could ask—

Lusamine blinked at her, then tightened her grip on August. “Um… sorry, who are you again?”

“I’m… Wicke!” the woman sputtered.

She doesn’t remember me...?

This soft-spoken, gentle woman in front of her—clinging to a man’s arm like a lovesick teen—was nothing like the strong, exacting Lusamine she knew.

Something was very wrong here.

She looked at August, suspicion rising.

August raised both hands.

“Okay, disclaimer: this has nothing to do with me. She was like this when I found her. Ask them—they’ll vouch for me.”

“Husband, don’t lie~ I’m not amnesiac~” Lusamine giggled, still clinging.

August: I give up.

Wicke: I’m losing my grip on reality.

It was too much.

Still, as Deputy Director of the Aether Foundation, Wicke forced herself to regroup.

“This isn’t the place to talk. The Rocket patrols—”

“They’re already taken care of,” August interrupted casually.

Wicke: “?!”

That many grunts? Gone?!

“I’m August. International Police. I’m here because Lusamine asked me to rescue Lillie. Do you know where she’s being held?”

“And where’s the control room? We need to take it over.”

Wicke hesitated—but if Lusamine trusted him...

Besides, with Rocket occupying the Foundation, things couldn’t get much worse.

“Lillie’s likely being held in the mansion at the back of Aether Paradise,” she said. “The control room’s on another floor—I’ll draw you a map.”

Compared to half-lucid Lusamine, Wicke was a godsend.

August studied the map—control room one way, mansion the other.

“We split up,” he decided. “Cynthia, you take Sabrina and Blue and secure the control room.”

Cynthia nodded.

“I’ll go with Wicke, Lusamine, and Silver to rescue Lillie.”

No one objected. Wicke glanced at Lusamine, hesitated, then gave a small nod.

The team split into two groups, heading off on their respective missions.

---

Meanwhile, Ariana, having just received word that her patrols had stopped responding, scowled.

Intruders?

But why had none of the patrols managed to report anything?

Who was it—Skull? Lusamine?

No time to guess.

“Full lockdown,” she ordered. “Find them—now.”

But before she could get a handle on the situation—

“Lady Ariana! The control room’s been compromised!”

“WHAT?!”

It had barely been a few minutes!

And she didn’t even know who the enemy was!

She reached for her phone to alert Giovanni—but her messages wouldn’t send.

Signal blocked. Only local comms remained.

Whoever this is... they’re good.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Ariana ran through the possibilities.

If they were strong enough to attack head-on, they would’ve done it. So this had to be stealth.

That meant their power level was likely low. She clung to that assumption—anything to steady her nerves.

What’s their goal?

There were only two valuable targets on the island.

First: the Ultra Space research. Rocket’s most vital project.

She contacted Faba—everything was still secure.

Which left only one possibility.

Lusamine’s daughter—Lillie.

Without hesitation, Ariana gathered her team and rushed toward the mansion.

She’d see for herself who dared to set foot on Team Rocket territory.

At that very moment, August stood outside Lillie’s door.

After knocking out two Rocket guards, he turned to Wicke.

“They really locked Lillie in here?”

---

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!