Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [314]

August waved a hand modestly. “I couldn’t have done it without everyone’s help.”

“The headquarters has issued a commendation for your part in this incident. Looker’s already on his way to deliver it. Be sure to sign for it when it arrives.”

“Oh? What kind of commendation?”

“Haha, let me keep the surprise. But I promise—it’ll be useful to you… That’s all for now.”

The call cut off, leaving August staring at his phone with a bewildered expression.

“What’s with all the secrecy…”

“Bui!” Eevee nodded in agreement.

Riddles. The worst kind of people.

Just then, a message buzzed on his phone.

[Looker]: August, I’m at your front door!

Already?

...

Looker came—and Looker left.

He was still tasked with leading the Sinnoh branch in rooting out the remnants of Team Galactic. He didn’t linger, leaving only a single case behind.

“What’s in the box?” Gary leaned in curiously.

“No idea. Let’s open it and see…”

August keyed in the password Looker had sent him.

With a soft mechanical whirr, the box clicked open.

Most of the box was filled with protective foam. Nestled in the center was a red, gleaming stone tablet.

Gary’s eyes widened. “Is that...”

August picked it up, instantly recognizing the size and weight.

He hadn’t expected this to be the mysterious reward.

The [Draco Plate]—the very same item he’d declined when selecting his reward from the battle with Rayquaza—had found its way into his hands anyway.

But how had HQ gotten their hands on it? Don’t tell me... they plucked it straight from Arceus too?

On reflex, August glanced at his system.

Seeing no particular response, he messaged the commander to ask.

The answer came quickly.

The plate had been discovered by the Sinnoh branch at a ruins site some time ago. Despite extensive study, they’d been unable to determine its purpose and eventually relegated it to storage.

Only after reading August’s report—specifically the mention of the [Mind Plate]—did they realize he had the ability to activate its power. That’s when they decided to hand it over.

Reading the reply, August stroked his chin thoughtfully.

“Am I... the chosen one or something?”

He barely finished the sentence before Gary burst out laughing.

“The Chosen One... pfft!”

August narrowed his eyes.

Gary: “It’s been three days since August last punched me.jpg”

Whatever the case, getting another plate was good news.

With the Sinnoh incident wrapped up and the airship that Hunter J had “sponsored” now fully repaired, August decided to head back to Kanto.

...

In the base’s main hall—

“You’re really not coming back to Kanto with us?” August looked at Platinum in surprise.

Platinum nodded firmly. “I want to stay in Sinnoh and challenge the Gyms and Battle Frontier here. I need to get stronger... at the very least, I won’t hold the team back anymore.”

Platinum had a strong and proud heart.

After seeing firsthand how powerful everyone at the Kanto branch was, she’d realized her own limitations—and resolved to grow stronger.

“But traveling alone…”

Even without Team Galactic, Sinnoh wasn’t entirely safe. And as the heiress of the Berlitz family, Platinum was essentially a walking treasure chest in the eyes of any remaining criminals.

“No need to worry, Mr. August!”

Clearly pleased at his concern, Platinum smiled—and beside her appeared the squinting form of Uxie.

“I’ve got Uxie and Prince Piplup watching over me. I’ll be fine!”

Seeing that, August relaxed. Uxie may have been roughed up pretty badly during the ambush from Team Galactic and Hunter J, but it was still a Legendary Pokémon.

With it guarding Platinum, she’d be safe.

Speaking of which… Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf had canonically been paired with Platinum, Diamond, and Pearl in the Special manga.

That got August thinking—could the other two be with Diamond and Pearl right now?

He glanced over at the two boys, who were laughing heartily as Gold told Johto jokes.

Never mind... not the time.

“Alright, see you in Kanto!”

“See you in Kanto!”

The group boarded the airship.

As the engines roared to life, the ship slowly lifted off and disappeared from Platinum’s view.

“Come on, Prince Piplup—we’ve got work to do!”

...

Back in Kanto, life remained just as peaceful as when August had left.

But the Kanto branch’s estate in Saffron City had undergone major changes.

First of all, the property had expanded to nearly triple its original size.

Three new buildings now stood tall on the grounds.

One looked sleek and futuristic—clearly the data center August had planned before leaving.

Another had a domed glass roof—a botanical garden.

The third was a multi-purpose training facility.

“Built this fast?” August blinked. It hadn’t even been a full month since he left.

“We paid five times the going rate and hired a professional team from the Silph Co.,” Sabrina explained.

Silph Co. designers made the blueprints, Machamp handled the heavy lifting, and seasoned Conkeldurr mixed the cement. The efficiency was on another level.

August nodded in understanding.

As the airship touched down on the helipad, a cheer rang out.

A powerful gust followed—and a bright orange blur barreled into August, wrapping him in a tight hug.

August froze.

...What now?

He stared at the Dragonite clinging to him, feeling its aura… and those eyes—so familiar.

A chill ran down his spine.

“...Dragonair?”

“Wuu~!”

Recognizing her, Dragonite beamed and hugged him tighter, nuzzling his face with affectionate squeals.

August’s vision went dark.

“Bui—!”

Eevee, trapped between August and Dragonite’s soft belly, gasped for air. It thrashed, trying to escape, but no amount of struggling helped—it was smothered.

Returning to Kanto came with more than a few... “surprises.”

Whether that surprise was good or horrifying, August wasn’t sure.

Dragonair’s evolution into Dragonite came with obvious pros and cons.

On the upside, its power had skyrocketed—thanks to spending every day resting on [Dragon Crystals]. It had now surpassed even the gluttonous Salamence, becoming August’s second-strongest Pokémon after the legendaries.

Now it could finally join missions instead of being stuck on reserve.

But... the downside?

August stared at its now plump, rounded figure—nothing like its once elegant, serpentine form.

Sure, Dragonite was adorable… but compared to Dragonair? Not even close.

Still a good thing overall, August thought, patting Dragonite’s head.

Dragonite squinted happily.

Eevee finally escaped from the squishy trap and collapsed on August’s shoulder, ears drooping, tongue hanging out, gasping dramatically.

It had genuinely feared suffocation.

After a round of bonding, August finally remembered the actual task at hand.

He led Hunter J, Sird, and Cyrus off the ship.

“Welcome,” he said, “to your new home.”

Their reactions varied.

Hunter J radiated pure rage.

Cyrus looked completely detached, like a statue.

Only Sird managed to keep her humor. “This is where you’re keeping Matori?”

August smiled. “Of course. I think the two of you might have lots to talk about…”

A loyal Rocket executive and a defector—stuck in the same cell. The drama practically wrote itself.

Grinning, he escorted them to the Kanto base’s underground prison.

Even the jail had been expanded since his departure.

As they entered, Archie and Maxie immediately started yelling.

“Damn you, August! Let us out!”

“Once we’re free, you’re dead meat!”

August found it hilarious—they shouted threats while side-eying the central cell where Pryce sat, clearly terrified of provoking him.

Still grinning, August’s expression suddenly turned cold. “Shut it, you idiots. You should be thanking me. If I hadn’t saved you, Groudon and Kyogre’s powers would’ve torn you apart from the inside.”

The two men looked furious but said nothing.

Pryce coughed.

And just like that, the duo fell silent—like two birds that had been strangled mid-squawk.

August glanced curiously at Pryce.

What exactly did he do to make them so obedient...?

Elsewhere, Matori spotted Sird in her Galactic uniform.

“Traitor.”

Her voice was ice.

Sird just laughed. “I am a traitor, sure. But tell me, Miss Matori—what does that make you, who leaked false intel to the League?”

“I spent years in Rocket as a double agent and didn’t do half the damage you caused in one leak.”

“You crippled the Johto division in a single move. Bravo.”

Matori sputtered. “You—!”

Direct hit. Critical damage. She fell silent.

August’s evaluation: classic Sird.

Still, he wasn’t here to spectate drama.

He had Indeedee escort Cyrus and J to a separate cell, while Sird and Matori were thrown together.

Cyrus was placed next to Maxie and Archie.

Satisfied with his reorganized prison, August turned to leave.

Once he was gone, voices started up again.

“Hey, Galactic guy,” Archie called over. “What the hell did you do to end up here?”

He’d heard of Team Galactic, but barely knew the details. He’d been too focused on flooding Hoenn with Kyogre.

Cyrus didn’t answer. He just stared at the ceiling, bathed in artificial light.

Oddly enough… he felt peaceful here.

Except for the flies buzzing beside him.

When Maxie and Archie began bickering again over something petty, Cyrus finally snapped.

“Shut up. One more word, and I’ll kill you.”

They paused.

Then burst out laughing.

“You think you’re someone important? This is prison, genius.”

“Only person we listen to here is Mr. Pryce.”

Mr. Pryce?

Cyrus frowned at the unfamiliar name.

Just then, a calm voice spoke: “That’s me. Care to tell me your story?”

Cyrus: “...”

...

Back in Kanto, August’s routine returned to its old rhythm.

Eat. Sleep. Train Slowbro and Gary. And... try to build rapport with Dialga and Palkia.

August stood before the two legendary Pokémon.

Dialga and Palkia stared back at him.

But behind their stoic silence, they were telepathically chatting.

[Dialga]: Don’t you feel like his aura’s gotten even more... like the boss’s?

[Palkia]: I thought it was just me! So wait... maybe the boss wasn’t looted?

[Dialga]: Idiot. You think the boss gets looted that easily?

[Palkia]: Who’re you calling an idiot?! You said he got looted! I’m telling the boss next time we see him.

[Dialga]: Heh. Snitch.

[Palkia]: I’m not a snitch! You’re the one who said it and now you’re blaming me?!

As tension built between them—

A new voice entered their telepathic link.

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Mind looping me in on the gossip?

[CutestMew]: mew~!

Both legendaries turned sharply toward August, who had released Mew at some point and was now clearly eavesdropping on their psychic conversation.

Did he hear... all of that?

Their dignity was on the line.

August smiled brightly.

[Didn’t catch everything... but enough to get the gist.]

[Hard to believe—the mighty gods of space and time... gossiping like this behind the scenes.]

He clicked his tongue and shook his head.

Dialga and Palkia flushed with embarrassment.

And then August struck.

“Dialga. Palkia. You wouldn’t want your majestic reputations to be... tarnished, would you?”

Dialga and Palkia: “!”

---

T/N: two more victims...

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!