Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [318]

The moment August stepped through the entrance hall, the heavy steel door slammed shut behind him with a clang.

Almost immediately, a pack of Houndour, led by a Houndoom, surged out from all directions, encircling the three of them.

“So this is your welcome committee?”

August looked around, amused. “Pretty underwhelming...”

Compared to the opponents he’d faced before, Carr’s setup was downright laughable. If this was the grand trap he had planned, then August could only say: Disappointing.

Psyduck, on the other hand, was trembling with fear at the sight of so many Houndoom. It clung tightly to August’s leg, tail twitching like crazy.

Just then, Carr’s voice crackled through the loudspeakers:
“Sird... You really came? So you’ve become the League’s lapdog after all, haven’t you?”

“Heh...” Sird just smiled and didn’t respond.

“You’re still laughing?! Houndoom—attack!”

At Carr’s command, the Houndoom let out a long howl, and the pack of Houndour launched themselves at the trio.

August stepped back, positioning himself protectively in front of Lorelei.

Lorelei: “?”

But she was an Elite Four-level trainer—her reflexes were razor sharp.

“Jynx, [Blizzard]!”

In the sealed chamber, howling winds burst forth—

Within seconds, the room was lined with frosty statues. Houndoom and every Houndour were frozen solid.

Then August stepped forward again, tilting his head back. “So? Impressed by the strength of Lorelei, Kanto's Elite Four? If you’ve got more tricks, go ahead and try them.”

Lorelei: “??”

Okay, sure, Rocket’s the enemy, but did you really have to go and draw even more aggro onto me?

“Hmph... We’re just getting started!”

With Carr’s barked order, a group of Rocket grunts emerged from all sides—including those who had previously “fled” so pitifully.

Each of them now stood flanked by one of Rocket’s infamous starter Pokémon, faces full of menace.

They might as well have had “Don’t mess with us” written on their foreheads.

“We’re surrounded...” Lorelei muttered, then gave August a pointed look.

Are you really just going to stand there and watch?

Even for her, taking on this many Rockets at once would be exhausting.

Seeing her signal, August finally decided to step in.

He raised a hand.

“Hey—everyone, hold up a sec...”

The Rocket grunts paused, confused.

We’re enemies. Why should we stop just because you asked? Who do you think you are?!

One of them stepped forward. “Who do you th—”

Boom!

A chaotic burst of sound interrupted everything. Over the loudspeaker, the sounds of fierce battle exploded into the room: shouting, cursing, and several loud detonations.

BOOM!

The wall blew apart.

Carr, covered in soot and ash, emerged riding a Steelix, looking utterly wrecked.

He blinked at his stunned subordinates and immediately lost it. “What are you staring at?! Get over here and—”

Before he could finish, Gardevoir’s eyes flashed blue.

With its type advantage, the Steelix let out a pained roar.

Carr wobbled, lost balance, and tumbled down.

Just before he hit the floor, Gardevoir’s psychic energy caught him mid-air.

Steelix tried to surge forward to help, but Lorelei was faster. Jynx fired an [Ice Beam], locking several of Steelix’s joints in place.

Then Gardevoir’s eyes shimmered again.

Steelix’s gaze became dazed and unfocused... and then—

CRASH!

The giant serpent collapsed in a heap—Gardevoir’s [Hypnosis] had worked like a charm.

Gardevoir: Target secured. Bit of a hiccup—didn’t expect Steelix to be glued to him like that...

“Thanks, Gardevoir,” August said, then turned with a bright smile to the still-struggling Carr. “Didn’t you just say you were going to ‘make me pay’?”

Carr froze.

August’s voice was calm. “Now that you’ve seen Gardevoir... I’m sure you know who I am.”

Carr’s lips trembled as he whispered the name known to every last Rocket member:

“...August!”

How could he not know August?

This was the name Giovanni couldn’t go a day without cursing. Even if you didn’t know what August had done, you’d only need to see the look on Giovanni’s face when his name came up—gritted teeth, flared nostrils—to know just how much he loathed him.

August—the man who’d brought Rocket crashing down from its golden pedestal—was the enemy of every Rocket member alive.

“Sird... she follows your orders?” Carr asked, regaining some composure.

He looked toward her—Sird, who now stood with head slightly bowed. Carr had only ever seen her show that level of deference to Giovanni himself.

August smiled. “Take a guess.”

Carr’s face darkened—then shifted to a sly grin.

“You fell for it! Forretress—[Explosion]!”

At his command, hatches opened in the ceiling. A dozen Forretress dropped down. The moment they hit the ground, a brilliant glow flared from their bodies.

Carr laughed maniacally. “Once I take you down, Giovanni will have no choice but to name me his successor!”

And then—

Nothing happened.

Carr blinked.

Confused, he saw Psyduck emerge from behind August, scratching its head.

“What... what did you just say?” August asked pleasantly.

Carr began to tremble. “That’s...”

“[Damp]. A single Psyduck with [Damp] can nullify a dozen Forretress detonations.”

“Pokémon—aren’t they amazing?”

He gently patted the top of Psyduck’s head.

“Quack!”

Psyduck, realizing it had just saved the day, struck a proud pose, chest puffed out and hands on hips, basking in its own glory.

Even Lorelei couldn’t resist reaching out to pat its head.

“Alright. You’ve played your last card. You’ve said your piece. Now, why don’t you tell me where Giovanni is?” August asked casually.

What he didn’t expect was—

“Giovanni isn’t on Sevii Island?”

August’s expression changed.

He had considered many scenarios: that Giovanni had successfully created Deoxys and baited him here as a trap. Or that Deoxys had gone rogue, like in the legends, and Giovanni had deployed his people to hunt it down.

But never—not once—had he considered that Giovanni wouldn’t even be here.

Giovanni… You’re not on Sevii Island. Where the hell did you go?!

Carr, noticing the look on August’s face, was irritated. “Hey! What’s with that expression? You look disappointed—aren’t you happy you captured me?”

“If I’m being honest... not really,” August replied seriously.

“Come to think of it, Giovanni left you here alone... Maybe he just needed a scapegoat to distract me?”

“Why else would he leave no other executives behind—only you?”

Carr stiffened.

August’s words triggered a memory—Giovanni relocating equipment, pulling elite trainers out of Sevii Island just before leaving.

Back then, he’d thought it was all standard procedure.

But now, hearing August’s theory... a horrifying realization crept in.

Was I... abandoned?

“Heh. Carr, all these years and you’re still as pathetic as ever,” Sird said, covering a laugh behind her hand.

“Shut your mouth, you wretched woman!” Carr snapped, jumping in place. “You have no right to lecture me!”

But even as he raged, a corner of his mind admitted the truth.

He had been discarded.

And with that came a slow, simmering hatred for Giovanni.

August noticed the change in his eyes and coaxed him gently: “So... do you know where Giovanni went?”

Carr muttered, “Where did Giovanni go...?”

He wracked his brain but finally slumped in defeat. “I don’t know... He really did abandon me.”

“Then you’re useless.”

Carr opened his mouth to protest—but a sharp pain shot through his head. His vision darkened, and he passed out cold.

Jynx handed Carr over to Lorelei.

August looked around, confused. “Huh. You guys didn’t run?”

The Rocket grunts: “....”

Do you have some kind of weird misconception about us...?

We may be evil—but we’re not stupid.

Carr got taken out that easily. What makes you think we’d escape?

We’d just end up knocked out and beaten.

“Sigh... what a boring day. Lorelei, I’ll leave these guys to you.”

Stretching lazily, August had clearly lost all interest.

“You almost sound disappointed Giovanni didn’t show up,” Lorelei muttered as she turned to call in reinforcements.

August, meanwhile, ventured deeper into the base—hoping to find some clue.

---

Aboard Team Rocket’s Airship

Ariana knocked and entered Giovanni’s office.

“Boss Giovanni, as you predicted—August appeared on Sevii Island.”

“Hmph,” Giovanni grunted.

He knew August too well. After being ghosted—again—following the Sinnoh incident, he was sure August wouldn’t let it slide. He’d definitely come looking for trouble.

Which was exactly why Giovanni relocated the entire Deoxys project onto the airship.

And sure enough, he’d been right.

Sacrificing Carr was unfortunate—but worth it if it meant shaking off August.

“How long until we reach the destination?” he asked.

Ariana checked the route. “About two days.”

“Good.”

After August forced Rocket into hiding across Kanto and Johto—and kept hounding them without rest—Giovanni knew it was time to think bigger.

If Kanto and Johto were too hot to operate in... why not start fresh somewhere August couldn’t reach?

That’s when Alola caught his attention.

Primitive. Untouched. No League oversight. [Z-Moves]. And intelligence reports on Ultra Beasts...

It was like Alola was made for him.

Step 1: Successfully create Deoxys.
Step 2: Conquer Alola.
Step 3: Return with an Ultra Beast army and crush August.

Flawless.

Smirking, Giovanni rose and walked toward the research wing.

Having learned from the Mewtwo incident, he wouldn’t be leaving until Deoxys was born.

---

Back in the Sevii Island base, August found nothing of value.

As expected of Team Rocket—an organization capable of burrowing deep into the very bones of the Kanto League. Their counterintelligence skills were elite.

“Aren’t you staying here a bit longer?” Lorelei asked.

Without August, she’d still be stuck dealing with Carr. She hadn’t even had time to properly thank him, and now he was already leaving.

August shook his head. “Giovanni’s not here. No point staying.”

“The World Championship is coming up soon, anyway. I need to start training my Pokémon.”

Lorelei stared. You still need to train?

August gave a helpless shrug.

“Training” the Pokémon was only part of it—he mostly needed to retrain himself to fight under official championship rules.

He’d grown too used to opening with legendaries, fighting outnumbered, and carrying multiple held items per battle. To adapt back to fair, structured combat, he’d need time.

The battle with Gary had been good practice.

Too bad Gary bailed early.

Looks like it’s up to Sabrina now.

...

August finally left Sevii Island, bringing Sird with him.

Returning to his estate, he could already hear a ruckus from outside.

August frowned in confusion.

Stepping through the front gate, he discovered the source of the noise:

Eevee, leading a charge. Pidgeot, Mareep, and several others were sprinting wildly around the grounds, while Togepi, blindfolded, gave chase.

August: “.....”

As soon as they spotted him, the Pokémon froze.

Togepi peeked under its blindfold, confused.

Looking at them, August sighed. “Fine, carry on—but don’t trample the flowers, and don’t make more work for the housekeepers.”

“Bui!”

With Eevee’s joyful cry, the whole crew stampeded past him.

Beside him, Psyduck watched longingly.

August gave it a little wave. “If you want to join, go ahead.”

“Quack!”

Psyduck lit up and took off running.

Too fast.

It tripped on a rock and faceplanted into the ground.

“.....”

Unlike his Slowpoke—who only acted slow but was actually clever—this Psyduck might actually be kinda dumb.

---

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!