Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [361]

Nearby, Caitlin's eyes widened as she witnessed the scene unfold.

You still insist you’re not Arceus’s human incarnation?

---

Hisui Region

Zinnia gnawed furiously on a grilled mushroom, growing more irate the longer she thought about it.

That jerk August—cozy at home with Eevee in one arm and Mew in the other—and he had the gall to dump her out here in Hisui to do his dirty work.

Fine, she could live with the labor. But to make matters worse, he even had the nerve to send her messages nitpicking every little thing!

Unforgivable. Absolutely unforgivable.

After a long and deliberate ten-minute sulk, Zinnia arrived at a major life decision.

Slack off. She was going to slack off with everything she had.

The more August wanted her to take the job seriously, the more determined she was to mess around.

That was the core philosophy now: do the exact opposite of whatever August wanted!

Just imagining August hopping mad because she didn’t finish her assignments and missed out on earning a Friend Pass, but being unable to rush to Hisui to catch her since he had to compete in the World Championship… Zinnia actually burst out laughing.

“Heh heh—”

Gallade, standing nearby, immediately grabbed Akari’s sleeve and edged them both further away.

They say idiocy is contagious. He was not about to let his Trainer catch it.

But Akari didn’t seem to appreciate Gallade’s earnest concern. Watching Zinnia stand up, she asked, “Miss Zinnia, where are we heading next?”

“Obviously, we’re going back to sla—”

Zinnia didn’t get to finish her sentence. A sudden crack split the sky above her head, followed by a startled yelp—then someone crash-landed squarely on top of her.

“Excuse me, is this… the Hisui region?”

“You’ve got the right place, but could you please get off me first…?” came Zinnia’s muffled, wheezing voice from underneath.

Sapphire scrambled off, finally realizing there was a person beneath her. She backed away, scratching her head with an apologetic grin. “Sorry! I’m Sapphire Birch, assigned by Mr. August to assist with the expedition!”

“So, when do we start?”

Zinnia had just opened her mouth to respond—then froze.

There were only two words ringing in her mind.

Supervisor.

How shameless! August actually sent someone to spy on her so she wouldn’t slack off?!

She didn’t know how he’d figured out she’d planned to do just that, but clearly—

Her slacking-off strategy was already dead in the water.

Like a deflated balloon, Zinnia slumped. “What kind of work did August assign you?”

Sapphire tilted her head at Zinnia’s sudden loss of energy but still replied, “Defeat or capture Alpha Pokémon! Study the native species in Hisui!”

Akari, who’d been stunned ever since Sapphire fell from the sky, was still trying to process it all.

She’d thought she already knew a lot about Mr. August… but seeing this newcomer, she realized she didn’t understand him at all.

After hearing Sapphire’s response, she spoke up, “I’m familiar with this area—follow me!”

---

Once Sapphire was safely delivered to the region, the Hisui Expedition officially launched.

Compared to Zinnia, Sapphire’s enthusiasm for work was in an entirely different league.

Within mere hours of arrival, August was already receiving milestone rewards for Alpha Pokémon defeated.

At this pace, he figured he’d have enough mileage to redeem another Friend Pass in about a week, tops.

After seeing off Professor Oak and the rest…

August sank into the couch with a long sigh of relief.

“Man… the things I do to keep our research projects running smoothly.”

Caitlin rolled her eyes. “Let’s hope Zinnia agrees with your version of ‘smoothly.’”

When they string you up by a lamppost, don’t say you know me.

August chuckled.

A lamppost? Please. Zinnia? She was nowhere near that level yet.

...

Two weeks slipped by in a flash.

For August, those two weeks were pure bliss.

Thanks to Caitlin holding the #9 spot in the Masters Eight, she effortlessly filtered out every up-and-coming Ultra Ball-tier challenger before they could even dream of reaching August.

As a result, August—ranked eighth, and supposedly the easiest target—didn’t get challenged once. Not even once.

But what really grabbed the public’s attention during those weeks…

…Was a realization that sent shockwaves through the competitive scene:

Caitlin didn’t lose to August in the Masters rotation battle because she was weak.

On the contrary, against ordinary trainers, Caitlin—armed with her Mega Metagross and Gothitelle—demonstrated terrifying dominance in battle.

Whether it was Metagross’s tactical genius powered by its supercomputer brain, or Gothitelle’s overwhelming psychic abilities capable of glimpsing into the future—her opponents stood no chance.

This only deepened people’s understanding of August’s true power.

On forums, predictions for August’s final ranking in the Masters Tournament steadily climbed.

One anonymous user even claimed that what August showed during his battle with Caitlin wasn’t his true strength at all.

After browsing the forums that day, August gave all the supportive posts a thumbs-up and hit the thumbs-down on every single thread that doubted him.

Then he closed the browser.

As per routine, he sent a message to Giovanni—only to find himself still blocked.

August shook his head.

Giovanni was too petty. How could someone with such a narrow mindset hope to lead Team Rocket to greatness?

A true leader should be open to constructive criticism.

Blocking people? Seriously?

Well, never mind. Giovanni could stew in his ego for now. Once the World Championships were over, August was heading to Alola to pay him a visit—personally.

In Alola, Giovanni sneezed. A sudden, inexplicable dread crept over him.

...

With the final Ultra Ball-tier match concluded…

August finally heard the system notification he’d been waiting for:

[You’ve defeated countless opponents in the World Championships and officially advanced to the Masters Eight. Title unlocked: “Masters Eight.”]

Finally. If this notification had taken any longer, August would’ve thought his system had bugged out.

He figured the delay probably had to do with final placement validation.

After all, there had been past cases where someone reached the Masters Eight, only to get knocked back down immediately.

So the system likely waited for end-of-round confirmation.

But that didn’t matter now. What mattered was—

[Choose your reward]:

[1. Friend Pass ×2]
[2. APP: Spacetime Video Call Function]
[3. Azure Flute]

The first option was immediately off the table.

Thanks to Zinnia and Sapphire, he’d already racked up 300+ miles in the past two weeks—enough for three Friend Passes. Two more were pointless.

The second option—unlocking video call functionality in the app—was actually quite practical. Until now, he could only send one-way messages to Zinnia and Sapphire, which was a pain.

With this upgrade, he’d be able to coordinate in real time, even if he had to head to Hisui himself.

Plus, most importantly… this app would let him check remaining resource values more easily!

As for that third option, the [Azure Flute]?

He didn’t even glance at it.

That thing had shown up way too many times. Definitely a trap.

Nice try, llama. He wasn’t falling for that.

“I choose option two,” August said in his mind.

The next second, a golden light wrapped around Eevee’s phone.

With Eevee watching wide-eyed and jaw-dropped, the device floated into the air. A golden Arceus icon shimmered on the screen as a new “Video Call” button appeared on the app’s main page.

August picked up the phone, tapped Zinnia’s icon, and placed the call.

---

Hisui Region

Zinnia, Sapphire, and Akari crouched low in the grass, eyes locked on the Alpha Vespiquen ahead.

Akari whispered, barely audible: “Careful—Vespiquen is highly sensitive to scent and sound. Since she lives in a hive, we’ll need to strike fast. If she summons her Combee swarm…”

Sapphire nodded. Zinnia patted her chest with confidence. “Relax. Leave it to me!”

The Vespiquen seemed to sense something and turned her head.

Akari immediately shoved Zinnia’s head down into the grass. Vespiquen lingered, then turned away.

The three exhaled in relief. Akari whispered even more quietly than before, “Miss Zinnia, you were way too loud!”

“Mhm!” Zinnia nodded, leaves stuck to her face as she clamped her hands over her mouth.

She was Zinnia—the strongest of the current Draconids, nearly acknowledged by the Dragon Lord itself!

A mere Vespiquen…

She spotted an opening, rose quietly, and readied her Poké Ball to ambush the Alpha Vespiquen from behind—only for her phone to start ringing loudly at her waist.

Vespiquen whipped around instantly, red jewel-like eyes meeting Zinnia’s horrified gaze as she froze mid-throw, fumbling with her phone.

“Heh… haha… I-I’m just passing through…”

Why is someone calling me here of all places?!

Before she could explain, Vespiquen released a burst of orange mist.

Scented pheromones drifted on the wind.

Suddenly, the entire forest came alive with a chorus of furious buzzing.

“RUN!”

Zinnia bolted. Vespiquen and her Combee swarm gave immediate chase.

Back in the grass, watching Zinnia’s figure vanish into the woods, Akari murmured, “Miss Zinnia is so brave… even in danger, she still tried to lure Vespiquen away…”

“Uh…”

After spending some time with Zinnia, Sapphire had a different suspicion.

She thought Zinnia… might’ve just panicked.

---

Battle Frontier Villa

The call still hadn’t gone through.

August frowned. “What’s the deal? Don’t tell me the system gave me a dud.”

He tried calling Sapphire instead.

This time, the line connected quickly—though her expression was… complicated.

“What’s with the look? And where’s Zinnia? I just tried calling her, but she didn’t answer…”

Sapphire hesitated. “She was just about to ambush an Alpha Vespiquen… and forgot to put her phone on silent.”

Sapphire didn’t need to say more. August could already imagine the rest.

“.....”

Not his fault. How was he supposed to know Zinnia was mid-ambush?

Still… it was just one Vespiquen. With Zinnia’s strength, she should be fine…

…Right?

...

When August finally got a return call from Zinnia, it was half an hour later.

As soon as the call connected, he studied her closely through the screen. Confirming that she wasn’t missing any limbs, he let out a breath of relief. “Thank goodness!”

Zinnia, whose face was swollen with several bee stings: “...”

Where exactly are you seeing ‘thank goodness’ here?

“Ahem… The main reason I’m calling is to let you know the cross-temporal video call function has been activated,” August said.

Zinnia didn’t reply. She just stared stubbornly at him, her gaze unrelenting.

Even August began to feel a bit sheepish under that look. “...Fine, this one’s on me. I’m sorry!”

The moment those words left his mouth—not just Zinnia on the other end of the call, but everyone present in the Kanto branch headquarters turned to stare in unison.

Shocked!

August… actually apologized?

Especially Sabrina, who immediately leaned over to get a better look—who on earth could’ve made August apologize in person?

Then she saw the video screen: Zinnia, her face puffed up with welts, nearly unrecognizable.

“Ahem—!”

Sabrina broke into a coughing fit, trembling with suppressed laughter. She nearly dropped her teacup trying to keep it together.

If that’s the price of making August apologize, maybe it’s not worth it after all…

Zinnia shot a resentful look at Sabrina, who was practically doubled over, her shoulders shaking.

August waved Sabrina away and turned back to Zinnia. “Do you want to come back now?”

Leaving her in Hisui like this felt kind of inhumane…

But to his surprise, Zinnia shook her head without hesitation, gritting her teeth. “Not until I catch that Vespiquen. I’m not going back!”

Clearly, she wasn’t going to let this one go.

“Well…” August glanced at her, saw how determined she was, and didn’t press it. “Good luck. If you ever want to return, just let me know.”

Though now that I’ve got more Friend Passes stockpiled…

Maybe it’s time to send in backup?

August looked toward Gold and Silver. “You two interested in heading to Hisui?”

Both were strong enough to hold their own in that wilderness.

Silver, true to form, merely gave a silent nod.

Gold lit up with excitement. “Boss August! What kind of food do they have in Hisui?”

August thought for a moment. “Dried persimmons?”

Akari loved them. He’d tried them once with Zinnia too—pretty tasty, honestly.

Pearl and Diamond were also itching to go, but they weren’t quite ready yet. A bit more training wouldn’t hurt.

In the end, August decided to dispatch Gold and Silver.

As two Friend Passes were consumed, two distinct pops rang out from the other end of the video feed—startling Akari, who was just arriving with food for Zinnia.

“Huh? Platinum?” Gold’s eyes went wide.

Silver sighed. “Idiot. Look closely. That’s not Platinum—she just looks like her.”

Akari: “...”

More weird people? Mistaken identity again? Mr. August and his Team Rocket crowd were getting more mysterious by the day.

---

Back in Hisui, things instantly grew more chaotic with the arrival of Gold and Silver.

August ended the call—just in time to receive a new official notification from the tournament organizers:

【[Masters Eight] Mr. August, please arrive at the Battle Frontier Central Arena by 13:00 tomorrow for the Master Tournament placement draw!】

And right on its heels, a barrage of messages followed.

[Lance]: See you in the arena tomorrow!

[Cynthia]: Hope we don’t run into each other in round one. (lol)

[Geeta]: I was right—August, you really did make it into the Masters Eight. Have you given more thought to that matter we discussed?

[Steven]: Finally got a break. Want to talk for a bit?

August: “...”

Did they all agree to spam me at once or something?

[August (to Lance)]: See you tomorrow!

[August (to Cynthia)]: Cynthia, go easy on me, will you?

[August (to Geeta)]: I’m currently working with Cynthia, Professor Oak, and Professor Birch on a project involving ancient Sinnoh. Once that’s wrapped up, we can discuss it in detail.

[August (to Steven)]: You done with post-disaster recovery? Where are you? I’ll come find you.

[Steven]: I’m in Scott’s office. Lance is here too!

August: “...”

Yup. Totally planned it together.

Pocketing his phone, he turned to Gardevoir. “Sorry to trouble you, Gardevoir. Can you take me to Scott’s office?”

Gardevoir closed her book and nodded. She glanced at Mew, curled up in August’s arms.

Placing her hand on his shoulder, her eyes gleamed blue—and in the next instant, the two of them vanished without a trace.

Back in the villa, Mew—who had been napping in August’s lap—suddenly lost its cushion.

Plop!

It tumbled onto the sofa, blinking groggily.

“Mew?”

It rubbed its eyes in confusion.

Where’s August?

He’s so big—how did he just disappear?!

...

Scott’s Office

Steven had just set down his phone, about to tell Lance and Scott that August was on his way—when a flash of blue light lit up the room.

August and Gardevoir appeared midair, landing neatly in the center of the office.

Scott: “?”

Lance: “?”

“What’s with the looks? Steven told me to come,” August said casually.

Steven: “...I didn’t expect you to get here this fast. Psychic-types are definitely convenient.”

“Oh, like your Metagross isn’t a Psychic-type,” August shot back, flopping onto the couch and pouring himself some tea from the Brambleghast-shaped teapot. “Anyway—back to our original topic. Steven, how’s the recovery work going?”

Steven: “...You’re making me feel like I’m being questioned in a League audit hearing.”

---

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!