Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [377]

“You really pulled it off, huh? Actually became World Champion.”
In the lounge, Lance looked stunned, even though he'd predicted the outcome. Watching August holding the trophy in his hands, he still couldn’t quite believe it.

But on the upside... didn’t that make his own fourth-place finish look way more impressive?

Click!
Gary wasted no time snapping a photo with August.

A notification popped up on August’s phone.

Friend Circle
[YoungMasterGary]: Champion Meetup (hands on hips, chin up)! [Photo]

August: “...”

These two “champions” are not the same thing.

Still, Gary would probably milk this “Champion” title for years to come.

“Congratulations, August!”

Steven Stone came over, offering his heartfelt congrats.

“Thanks.”

“Since you’re officially the World Champion now… have you considered becoming the spokesperson for Devon Corp?” Steven pitched his family’s company with practiced ease.

World Champions were always a hot commodity. Once crowned, endorsement offers would flood in like a tidal wave.

Leon was a prime example.

“I’ll pass.”

Just hearing the word “endorsement” made August think of Leon’s cape, plastered with advertisements.

If he wore something like that, Giovanni wouldn’t even need arresting—he’d die of laughter on the spot.

“You sure?” Steven tried once more.

But August shook his head firmly. Steven sighed in disappointment.

If he could've gotten August to represent Devon, it would've been a massive breakthrough for expanding beyond the Hoenn market.

Now that Steven had stepped down as Champion, he’d started putting more thought into the family business.

But since August wasn’t interested, there was no point pressing.

At that moment, Gardevoir gently nudged August.

Catching her intent, he looked around the room—and spotted Diantha crouched in the corner, face buried in her hands.

August walked over with Gardevoir and called out, “Miss Diantha?”

At that, the internationally renowned actress and noblewoman of Kalos sank even lower, letting out a strange, muffled noise.

“Nnnnngh—!”

August blinked and turned to Lance, silently asking: What happened to her?

Lance gave him a you seriously don’t know? look.

August shrugged helplessly. What did I even do?

Seeing August’s confusion seemed genuine, Lance pulled out his phone and opened a video app.

The top trending video: a breaking news recap of August’s victory over Cynthia and the post-match interview.

The second video...

[World Championship — Mega Gardevoir Takes the Mic! Uncovering Diantha’s Forgotten Debut Film: “My Gardevoir Is a Mafia Heiress”]

The views and likes were skyrocketing.

“Ah...”

August instantly understood why Diantha was acting like this.

Just then, she composed herself, rising back into the poised image of an international celebrity. Looking perfectly calm, she nodded at August.

“Congratulations, August.”

“Thank you.”

August glanced at the visibly awkward Diantha, then at his Gardevoir—who looked extremely expectant.

After a moment’s hesitation, he asked, “Um, Miss Diantha, my Gardevoir... she was wondering how you’d rate her singing during the match. Out of ten, perhaps... Miss Diantha? Are you okay, Miss Diantha?”

Before he could finish, Diantha collapsed, hand over her forehead. He tried shaking her a few times—no response.

August turned back to Gardevoir with a helpless expression.

Gardevoir looked heartbroken.

“It’s okay,” August consoled her. “We can always ask again when Miss Diantha wakes up.”

Lance: “...”

You two are actual demons.

He kind of pitied Diantha now.

...

Eventually, August and Gardevoir did manage to coax a rating out of a thoroughly socially-deceased Diantha.

A perfect 10 out of 10.

Ecstatic, Gardevoir even pulled out a DVD of “My Gardevoir Is a Mafia Heiress” and asked Diantha for an autograph.

By then, Diantha was completely numb—her expression blank, soul clearly detached from her body.

But Gardevoir was utterly satisfied. Like she had fulfilled a childhood dream.

After winning the World Championship, aside from the spike in fame and the blizzard of endorsement offers, August’s life remained largely the same.

Well… mostly.

August glanced at the system notification in his mind.

[Due to your overwhelming display of power and your decisive championship win, you’ve earned a new title: “Hey, Is Your Championship Even Legit?”]

August: “...”

The League’s event committee didn’t say anything, and you’re the one being passive-aggressive?

Still, the reward wasn’t bad, so August let it slide.

[Please choose your reward:]

1. A Legendary Plate
2. Arceus (Avatar)
3. The Complete Guide to Crafting Held Items for Every Pokémon Species

August: “?”

Wow. Not even pretending anymore, huh?

After refusing the [Azure Flute] three times, they were just tossing Arceus right on the menu.

He had to admit—his heart wavered.

Even if it was just an avatar, wielding Arceus’s power, combined with the Plates he already had, would make taking down Giovanni almost too easy.

But his rational side screamed trap.

If he picked Arceus, odds were he’d end up being the one controlled—not the other way around. The last thing he needed was to bring home a god-tier freeloader.

Anyway, his current team was already strong enough to take on Giovanni.

No matter how tempting—it was a firm pass.

That left two choices.

One was another Plate—only truly useful to Arceus.

The other…

August studied the third option.

System, I choose Option 3.

As soon as he spoke, a flood of information surged into his brain.

It was massive—several times more than what he’d received when learning how to craft Pokéblocks.

Even just skimming it, August could tell this guide was no joke.

From the Kanto starters to the trickiest species in Paldea—every known Pokémon was covered.

Staring at the vast array of item recipes, August couldn’t help but feel like he’d hit the jackpot.

Lounging on the sofa, he absorbed the system’s data while petting Eevee, who was sulking over not getting fielded in the finals.

Even after August finished scanning the guide, Eevee was still moping.

“Next time” wasn’t cutting it.

So August took drastic measures: he doubled Eevee’s allowance.

From 200 PokéYen (enough for one Poké Ball) to 400 (enough for two).

A whopping 100% raise.

Eevee’s mood flipped instantly, beaming with joy.

August smiled. Eevee really is easy to please.

Then he turned—and found Sabrina giving him a deeply unimpressed look.

“Cough...” August cleared his throat. “Something up?”

“Sabrina asked me to tell you,” she said flatly. “There’s been a development in Alola—at Aether Paradise.”

“Oh?” August sat upright.

Sabrina nodded. Just as she was about to go into detail, August’s communicator buzzed.

He glanced down—it was a call from the International Police HQ.

Raising a hand to pause Sabrina, he answered: “This is August speaking.”

“Congratulations on winning the World Championship!”

“I’m flattered, sir.”

“But that’s not why I called… Tell me, how much do you know about the Alola region?”

Hmm?

August exchanged a glance with Sabrina.

Sure enough, the Chief continued, “Headquarters received intel that Team Rocket has been active in Alola.”

“They’ve made contact with the Aether Foundation—an organization we’ve monitored closely for years. Aether’s been researching highly dangerous Pokémon known as Ultra Beasts. While Alola recently joined the League, our influence there is still limited.”

“So we need someone reliable and powerful to take the lead.”

Reliable and powerful?

Sounds like me!

There was no one else in the International Police who checked both boxes quite like he did.

Plus, he’d already planned to visit Alola—to confront Giovanni, who had ghosted him after catching Deoxys.

So—

“Leave it to me,” August agreed without hesitation.

The Chief audibly relaxed. “Appreciate it, August. That said, Alola’s situation is delicate. As the League’s presence there is still weak, please avoid causing... widespread destruction during your investigation.”

August: “...”

After hanging up, he grumbled, “What’s that supposed to mean? Does he think I’m the type to cause trouble, Sabrina?”

Sabrina didn’t answer. She was too busy remembering the ruins of Sootopolis from the Rayquaza–Groudon–Kyogre brawl... and the Spear Pillar, cratered ten centimeters deeper thanks to [Draco Meteor]...

Oh, you’re absolutely that type.

August coughed awkwardly. “Right. So the thing Blue asked you to tell me about—this was it?”

Unexpectedly, Sabrina shook her head.

“That’s part of it. The other piece is from Professor Oak. His cousin in Alola, Professor Samson Oak, found someone washed up on the beach.”

She handed August a tablet.

He took it—and froze.

Onscreen was a blonde woman in white, eyes shut, clearly unconscious and possibly dreaming.

“Lusamine?!”

August was stunned.

“I was surprised too,” Sabrina said. “She probably lost to Team Rocket and ended up like this.”

“Professor Samson found her on the beach during a morning run. He suspected foul play, so he contacted Professor Oak instead of the local authorities. Professor Oak passed it on to us.”

Pure coincidence, really.

Samson had intended to hand Lusamine over to the police—until he saw Team Rocket nearby and got suspicious. His instincts as a Pokémon researcher kicked in.

“Did Professor Samson try to wake her?” August asked.

“He did,” Sabrina replied. “Used [Heal Pulse] and standard treatments—no effect. Based on his research, she may be under the influence of some unknown Pokémon. What should we do?”

August didn’t hesitate. “Prep the airship. We’re heading to Alola immediately.”

This was the perfect lead to insert himself into the region before Rocket caught on.

“Who’s going?” Sabrina asked.

“Zinnia and Courtney are still busy in Hisui. Gary’s obsessed with catching Suicune. Pearl and Diamond still need training—not ready for frontline battles against Rocket.”

“So... You, me, Blue, Gold, and Silver.” August declared. “A five-person team. We’ll take Rocket down in one strike.”

For early recon, five was just right.

“Leaving now?”

“In a bit. I’ve got a meeting with Cynthia and Iono first.”

Right on cue—knock knock—came a knock at the door.

Opening it revealed Iono and Cynthia standing side by side.

“Congrats, August!” Iono beamed. “Your documentary is already in post-production! Shouldn’t be long before it airs!”

She looked giddy just saying it.

With August’s World Champion hype at full blast, she knew the moment it aired... it was going to blow up.

---

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!