Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [346]

Pearl: “!”

Gary-senpai, you’re way too easy to read!

But… who’s this Ash guy?

August paused to consider Pearl’s question, then replied, “A super rookie. Type-countering specialist. Master of releasing Pokémon.”

Pearl didn't quite get it, but she could tell it sounded impressive.

To earn that many titles, this Mr. Ash must be really powerful…!

With no opponent matched yet, August decided to squeeze in a last-minute training session with his newly caught Boss Snorlax before the official match began.

...

Training Grounds

“Snorlax, use [Giga Impact]!”

Snorlax’s eyes lit up red at August’s command. Its massive form shifted slightly to redistribute its weight—one arm braced its body while the other charged with power.

Then, it slammed its fist into the target dummy.

BOOM!

The alloy target shattered into pieces.

Iono, who had just stepped into the training arena, stared in disbelief.

T-This Snorlax…

She knew August’s Pokémon were strong, but watching Snorlax crush a metal dummy with a single blow made her gulp involuntarily.

Even ten of me wouldn’t last one punch…

Wait—why am I imagining myself as the target?!

She shook her head violently to scatter the thought, unintentionally making the Magnemite hovering above her spin dizzily from the motion.

Ignoring it, she walked over to August.

“August!”

“Hope I’m not interrupting,” Iono said.

August tossed Snorlax a box of Pokéblocks as a post-training snack. “Not at all. But I heard you’ve been swamped with commentary work—what brings you here?”

“You don’t know?” Iono blinked in surprise.

August raised a brow. “Know what?”

“Lance, one of the Elite Eight, is coming! I’m supposed to interview him…” Iono frowned. “I thought you were close with him.”

After all, nearly every time a rogue Gym Leader got busted, Lance’s name popped up in the news. Their connection couldn’t be that shallow.

“Lance is here?”

August pulled out his phone. Nothing from Lance.

That puzzled Iono too. Could it be the info she got from the League was wrong?

No way… The League can be slow, but they wouldn’t mess up something like this.

Click.

August took a photo of Iono’s confused expression, named it “iono_confused.jpg,” and added it to his meme folder.

“I’ll just call Lance and ask…”

Even with the time zone difference, he should’ve finished overtime by now…

Being a League Champion is brutal.

He shook his head and dialed Lance.

As the call connected—

“Lance?”

Busted. Lance gave a resigned sigh. “You caught me…”

He’d planned a surprise visit to catch August off guard, but the moment he reached the entrance, August called.

“Heh…”

August could already guess what Lance was plotting. Good thing he stayed sharp.

“But seriously,” he asked, “what brings you here? Finished everything with the Johto League?”

Lance winced. “Can we not talk about work?”

That told August all he needed to know—Lance had probably dumped the workload on Bruno.

“…In that case, what do you think of the media ranking you and Caitlin as the two most likely Elite Eight members to drop out this year?”

August grabbed Iono’s mic and shoved it in front of Lance.

Lance: “……”

Let’s go back to the work topic.

Iono looked on, fascinated. She’d suspected they were close, but this?

She began to wonder: First Cynthia, now Lance… Just how many big shots does August know?

Jokes aside, Lance eventually explained the real reason he came.

“You’re planning a Battle Frontier in Johto?” August was surprised.

“As the newly appointed Johto Champion, I figured I should actually do something,” Lance replied.

“Huh…”

August recalled that in HeartGold and SoulSilver, Johto did have a Battle Frontier.

He thought the idea was a solid one. Compared to other regions, Kanto and Johto did lack a unique identity.

Even if the Battle Frontier was an import, it could still enrich Johto’s battling ecosystem.

“Oh right—I’ve been meaning to ask. Who’s…” Lance looked over at Iono, whose aesthetic was… distinct.

He hadn’t had time to keep up with World Championship news, so he didn’t recognize her.

“Iono. Electric-type Gym Leader from Paldea. She’s the official livestream commentator for the tournament,” August introduced.

Iono straightened up. “Hello, Mr. Lance!”

Lance thought for a moment. “Iono… You’re that popular streamer, right?”

August’s eyes widened. “Wait, you also…?”

Iono’s expression matched his. Lance is one of my viewers?!

She was practically giddy—

Until—

“I also what?” Lance looked confused. “I saw your name in a League report. You know, from when you helped catch Koga and Surge… That whole ‘Gym Leader Curse’ meme was written into the file I received.”

Iono froze.

That "Gym Leader Curse"… made it into an official League report?!

As a Gym Leader, she knew how serious League records were.

Every report submitted was archived. For centuries.

Which meant… her nickname was now immortalized in the League archives.

The archives…

Her vision went black. She fainted backward.

August reacted quickly, grabbing her sleeve before she hit the floor. “Iono?! Are you okay?!”

Lance: “Uh…”

Did I say something wrong?

When Iono woke up, she was staring at an unfamiliar white ceiling.

“Mew?”

A pink head peeked into view.

“Mew…?” she murmured. “Did I die and go to heaven?”

But August’s voice grounded her: “You’re awake!”

She turned her head to see him accepting a neatly sliced apple from Gardevoir.

He handed it to her. She instinctively took it. “Thanks…”

Wait no—this is not the time to eat apples!

“August… was what you said earlier true?” she asked, still clinging to a sliver of hope.

August sighed. “Wish I could say no… but yeah.”

Iono: “…..”

Maybe it’d be better if I didn’t wake up after all…

Of course, she was joking. Life went on.

As a strong, determined streamer, Iono would not be defeated by a tiny setback like this!

“Where’s Mr. Lance?! I still have an interview to do…!”

She tried to sit up.

“Take it easy,” August said. “Send me your questions. I’ll have Lance answer and send them back.”

Given her current state, August worried she might faint again if she saw Lance too soon.

Iono must’ve realized that too. She nodded.

“Come to think of it,” August added, “won’t your fans worry if you don’t stream?”

Iono glanced at the time. “!”

In an instant, she sat bolt upright—so fast it startled even August.

She quickly adjusted her appearance, opened her Rotom Phone, angled the camera toward herself—

“Morning, noon, or night, I’m here to shock your sight! Who’s the streamer with the gleam? Iono’s back on the scene!”

“Time for another episode of Iono Zone LIVE~!”

August: (⊙_⊙)

Her level of professionalism put him to shame.

Kanto HQ needs talent like this.

After assisting with her stream for a bit, August finally saw Iono off. The sun was already setting.

He collapsed onto the couch and tried to remember what he’d originally planned to do today.

Training Snorlax for better coordination, right?

Did he achieve that?

He glanced toward the dining room, where Snorlax was inhaling food from a massive tray.

Hard to say.

So… whose fault was that?

After a moment of reflection, August arrived at a conclusion.

“Lance’s fault.”

...

Anabel’s Office

As he discussed logistics with Anabel, Lance suddenly sneezed.

“?”

...

Back on the couch, August—having squarely pinned the blame—relaxed with an Eevee on his lap and browsed the forums.

The World Championships dominated the conversation.

Threads about him were everywhere, with two main camps:

Overhyped. Strong, but would get exposed once he faced the Elite Eight.

Beast mode. If he could catch Rayquaza, winning the tournament was child’s play.

As someone who valued feedback, August gave all the first group downvotes, and liked every post in the second.

Justice served.

Just as he was about to start an anonymous argument with someone calling him weak, a notification popped up.

[Ranked Trainer August, based on your current standing, your opponent has been selected: Gym Leader Larry of Medali Gym. Please arrive in Medali, Paldea within one week. Failure to arrive will be considered forfeiture. Plan accordingly.]

August blinked. “…”

If he remembered correctly, Larry…

You’re not even gonna mention he’s also one of the Paldea Elite Four?!

Officially, he was a Normal-type Gym Leader. But in reality, he was also the Flying-type Elite Four member.

August had a clear memory of him—a tired-looking salaryman, juggling two jobs.

Didn’t think he’d be my next opponent.

Sabrina, who’d overheard, came over with a regretful look. “Paldea? I probably can’t go with you…”

She was planning to climb the rankings herself. Her battle was in three days.

In fact, nearly everyone from Kanto HQ except Pearl and Diamond had matches lined up.

With no one else free to travel, August called up his local contact in Paldea.

“Iono, how well do you know Larry?”

“That’s right—he’s my next opponent.”

The next day, when Iono met with August, her face was still full of shock.

She hadn’t expected Larry to be his opponent.

But as the producer of August’s documentary, she couldn’t miss this match.

So she cleared her commentary schedule and got ready to board a flight to Paldea with him.

“I’ve got a secret,” she said mysteriously. “Did you know Larry has a second identity?”

“The Paldea Elite Four,” August replied without missing a beat.

“You knew?!”

August raised an eyebrow. “Do you even know what my job is…”

Even without the fact that he was a transmigrator, the International Police database left nothing hidden from him.

Iono stuck out her tongue. Right. She forgot.

“So… should we head to the airport? If we hurry, we can catch the last flight today.”

August shook his head. “Airport? No need. I’ve got a better ride.”

Iono looked confused. “Better than a plane?”

What could be faster than a plane?

Surely not a boat—no way they’d make it in a week by sea.

Just as she was about to ask, a deep hum rolled through the sky.

She looked up—and a massive airship blocked out the sun, casting a giant shadow.

“Whoa, it’s huge!”

Smiling, August released Salamence from its Poké Ball.

He climbed on and beckoned. “Come on. Time to see something cool.”

Iono gave Salamence a curious glance.

Then she climbed aboard.

In the next moment, Salamence soared into the sky.

---

T/N: yes his own airship he got fairly

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!