Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [356]

Because this was something of an unannounced visit, Bea couldn't help feeling a bit anxious.

In her experience, many so-called “masters” were known for their eccentric tempers.

And judging by how Gary had reacted earlier, it didn’t seem like his teacher was especially mild-mannered either…

Still, her desire to grow stronger overpowered any hesitation.

Taking a deep breath, Bea rang the doorbell.

As she stood there, nerves taut with tension, the door opened. Without missing a beat, she launched into the introduction she had rehearsed countless times in her head:

“Excuse me, does Gary’s teacher live here? I’m—”

But just as she was about to say her name… she caught sight of the one who had answered the door.

That color, that shape—

“M-Mew!” Bea’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Could it be? Was Gary’s teacher actually the mythical Pokémon, Mew?!

It all made sense!

Only a legendary like Mew could possibly train a rookie like Gary into such a powerhouse in under a year.

No wonder Gary always looked so conflicted whenever someone mentioned his teacher—he probably couldn’t say it outright!

The more Bea thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

With solemn sincerity, she clasped her hands together and gave the dazed Mew a deep bow.

“My name is Bea. I’ve come to study under you. Master Mew, please teach me how to battle Pokémon!”

“Mew?”

Mew was completely stunned.

She tilted her head, scratching at it with a tiny paw, a perplexed look on her face.

Seeing Mew hesitate, Bea panicked—had she been too presumptuous? Had she offended Mew?

She’d heard that legendary and mythical Pokémon could be temperamental…

Just as she began scrambling for a way to fix her faux pas, a voice called out from inside the house.

“You’re looking for Gary’s teacher. Why are you bowing to Mew?”

Bea, whose entire focus had been on Mew, instinctively turned toward the voice.

Inside, a roomful of people were looking at her with strange expressions.

Mew, seeing August had finally spoken, let out a relieved sigh, stuck out her tongue playfully, and floated off to go find Celebi.

Only then did Bea realize she’d bowed to the wrong "person."

A flush of deep red rose up her face, and her toes curled against the floor in embarrassment. “I—uh…”

First time meeting someone, and she’d already mistaken their identity.

Unbelievable.

August smiled, stepping in to ease the awkwardness. “So you’re here to find Gary’s teacher…”

“Yes! Yes, that’s right!” Bea nodded fervently, grasping at the lifeline.

Only now did she dare look around and take stock of the people in the room.

Aside from August—who had recently surged in fame and was now a favorite to win upcoming tournaments—she recognized Misty of the Cerulean Gym, Brock of the Pewter Gym, and… Professor Oak?!

Wait—don’t tell me Gary’s teacher is Professor Oak?

I’ve heard he used to be an extremely powerful trainer back in his youth…

Could it be that August, Misty, Brock, and Gary are all Professor Oak’s disciples?

Convinced she’d cracked the case, Bea began to bow toward Professor Oak—

—only to hear August say, “Gary’s teacher is me.”

Bea’s body froze mid-motion. Her years of martial arts training were the only thing that allowed her to stop herself from finishing the bow.

“Huh?”

She stood dumbfounded.

August raised an eyebrow. “Surprised?”

“It’s not that I’m surprised…” she mumbled.

She was completely caught off guard.

Bea had expected Gary’s teacher to be someone older—someone with a white beard, white eyebrows, a legendary career, the kind of person whose very appearance radiated wisdom and respect.

Instead, she was met with August, who didn’t even seem all that much older than Gary himself.

Sure, August was undeniably strong...

But still. This was unexpected.

Even so, Bea’s determination didn’t waver.

She drew a deep breath. “Mr. August, I came here to learn. Please teach me how to battle Pokémon!”

August didn’t look particularly surprised at her request—he’d heard everything she’d said to Mew earlier.

But instead of giving her an answer, he replied, “No rush. I assume you haven’t had dinner yet? We were just about to start—let’s eat first, then talk.”

Before Bea could even react, the kitchen door swung open.

Out marched a Sirfetch’d in a chef’s hat, holding its signature leek lance high. Behind it, a line of Farfetch’d followed, each balancing trays of food as they filed out and began laying dishes on tables set up outside the villa.

“With this many guests, we’re doing buffet style tonight,” August said casually, waving Professor Oak over to the garden as he pulled out his phone and sent a message to their group chat:

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Dinner time!

It wasn’t long before a commotion could be heard from the second floor. Gold and Silver leapt over the railing in synchronized motion, snatching plates of red bean pie with blinding speed.

Silver sighed and facepalmed at Gold’s atrocious table manners.

Professor Oak and Blaine found a corner to reminisce in, tugging at their mustaches as they chatted.

Blue and Sabrina sat down beside August and Gardevoir, while Gary arrived with Ash and a whole cheering squad—and even managed to greet the still-stunned Bea.

Courtney and Daisy, back from their shopping trip, joined the crowd as well.

And then, drawn by the smell of food, Snorlax arrived and immediately claimed the central spot of the banquet alongside Garchomp.

The villa buzzed with life.

“All right, looks like everyone’s here!” August clapped his hands.

“Everyone? Where’s Zinnia?” Blue asked, scanning the crowd.

She was sure she’d seen Zinnia just yesterday. Normally, she and Gold were the first to show up at meals.

August pretended to think. “I think she went out to play or something. Don’t worry about it—she’s a full-grown person, not likely to vanish into thin air, right, Sabrina?”

Sabrina twitched her mouth into a faint smile and nodded, though her eyes said otherwise.

Blue still looked doubtful, but let it go and dragged Sabrina off to grab food.

Meanwhile, Eevee—the one who did know the truth—flattened its ears and quietly kept eating, pretending it hadn’t heard a thing.

…

To Bea, the whole experience was unforgettable.

From the embarrassment of bowing to the wrong “master” (twice), to the shock of finding out August was Gary’s teacher, to the sheer spectacle of a Sirfetch’d-led catering team—it was all seared into her memory.

Even if she wished she could forget some of it.

She popped a pastry into her mouth.

Normally, she avoided sweets in public to maintain her image for her fans.

But today was an exception.

They were just too good!

Just this once… let today be a cheat day, she told herself, grabbing another pastry.

She was about to take a bite when a voice behind her made her jump.

“How’s it taste?”

Startled, Bea almost dropped the pastry.

Luckily, Mew was quick to react, catching it mid-air.

“Thank you!” Bea said, quickly reaching for the pastry again—

Only to watch in shock as Mew grinned mischievously and popped both the pastry and Bea’s hand into her mouth.

Bea froze.

“My… pastry…”

August grabbed Mew by the scruff of her neck and hoisted her up, giving her a firm talking to as she wriggled and giggled in his grasp.

He turned to Bea and apologized, “Don’t mind her. She’s just like that—loves playing pranks.”

Bea snapped out of her daze and shook her head quickly. “It’s fine, really…”

Wow… even a mythical Pokémon like Mew is completely powerless in his hands!

Any lingering doubt she had vanished completely—August was undoubtedly the mentor she’d been looking for.

“You said earlier you wanted me to teach you how to battle?” August asked.

Bea nodded without hesitation. “Yes, Mr. August!”

“I don’t usually take students…” he said.

Bea’s eyes dimmed.

But then he added, “That said, I watched your battle with Gary. You took down two of his Pokémon without using [Gigantamax] Machamp. That was impressive. You’ve earned my recognition.”

“So, I’ll give you a chance—if you can pass my test.”

Bea straightened up, eyes shining. “I’ll pass it, no matter what it is!”

August gave her a small smile. “This trial will take you to a distant land, one that hasn’t even heard of Pokémon Trainers or Pokémon Leagues. You’ll face wild, untamed Pokémon—and real danger. Are you prepared for that?”

Bea nodded firmly. “I am!”

She would face any challenge if it meant growing stronger.

“You hear that?” August called to Gary, who happened to be walking by. “That’s the kind of drive I was hoping to see from you! I gave you the same opportunity and you blew it!”

He had originally thought of Gary the moment he got that invitation to Hisui. And what was the first thing Gary asked after arriving there? When can I come back?

Gary: “…..”

This so-called "trial" was just an excuse to get Bea to do grunt work in Hisui!

Not that he dared say it aloud.

With August’s petty streak, if he said a word, he’d be shipped back to Hisui first thing tomorrow to keep Zinnia company.

August turned to Bea. “I’ll send you the details via message. When it’s time, just confirm to accept the invitation.”

Bea nodded, determination blazing in her heart. She would pass this trial, no matter what.

…

By the time dinner ended, the sky had gone dark.

After seeing Bea off, Blue approached August, watching Bea’s retreating figure.

“So, we’re getting a new member in the department?”

August thought for a moment. “Not necessarily. Depends on her personal choice.”

Blue rolled her eyes. She didn’t believe that for a second.

He’d said the same thing to her before she joined the International Police.

But August’s offers were never the kind anyone could turn down.

Silently, she added Bea to the team roster in her head and made a note to start prepping her personnel file when they got back.

“Oh right,” Blue said. “That Aether Foundation lead you asked me to watch—something happened.”

“Hm?”

“According to HQ, there was a violent incident at their offshore facility last night. But since the base is out at sea, we haven’t been able to collect much intel yet. No way to tell exactly what went down.”

August thought it over. There were two likely explanations.

One: they screwed up experimenting with Ultra Beasts and blew up their own base—wouldn’t be the first time, based on the original storyline.

Two: Team Rocket made a move on them.

He shared both theories with Blue. “Honestly, speaking as someone outside the International Police, I’d rather it was Giovanni who struck and succeeded.”

Blue blinked. “Why?”

“Because a Team Rocket that’s operating in the open is way easier to deal with than one hiding in the shadows. Sooner or later, having them show their hand will help weaken their influence.”

Blue thought it over and nodded.

“Keep watching them. If HQ picks up anything new, let me know.”

“C’mon, let’s head back.”

As they returned to the villa, the first thing August saw was Mew and Eevee riding on baby Lugia’s back, chasing after Celebi.

“…”

Totally unfazed, August ignored the chaos and looked around for Ash.

He found him in the corner, tangled up in the vines of his Bayleef.

“Looks like you and Bayleef are pretty close,” August commented.

Ash scratched his head. “We are, but… sometimes she’s just a little too clingy.”

Bayleef often got jealous when he gave attention to other Pokémon. It was becoming a real headache.

Thinking of August’s reputation for raising harmonious teams, Ash asked, “So, how do you handle situations like this?”

“Hm? You’ve stumped me there… I’ve never had that issue. My Pokémon all get along great.”

Just then, Mew zipped by in hot pursuit of a screaming Celebi.

“Cough. Minor details. Ignore that,” August said, clearing his throat.

He looked at Bayleef. “You know, maybe you're approaching this the wrong way. Bayleef’s possessiveness—have you ever thought of it as a good thing?”

“Huh?”

---

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!