Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [304]

On the Cycling Road, August, Gary, Pearl, and Diamond were all gathered around, watching Platinum struggle with her bike.

“I can ride!” Platinum insisted stubbornly.

Everyone else: Yeah, yeah. Sure you can.

By now, August had spent enough time around Platinum to be well acquainted with her brand of prideful denial.

“I’ll teach you,” he offered, grabbing hold of the bike and gesturing for her to hop on.

Platinum hesitated. “You mustn’t let go, okay?”

Seeing August nod, she took a deep breath and got on.

Just as she was about to ask what came next—

“Are you seated properly?” August asked.

She blinked. “Yeah, I’m ready.”

“Holding on tight?”

“Yes!”

“Good. The next part might be a little intense.” With that, August plucked Mew off his shoulder and gently set it on top of Platinum’s head.

“‘Intense’?” Feeling the soft weight press down on her hair and hearing that word from August gave her a bad feeling.

And then—

“Off you go!”

August gave the bike a sudden, powerful push.

“WAAAAAAAH!”

Platinum shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

Her speed rivaled that of a professional cyclist.

Pearl and Diamond watched in stunned silence, then glanced at August.

“Is this really safe…?” Pearl asked.

This… teaching method seemed a little too, well, direct.

Before August could reply, Gary scoffed. “Please. You don’t even know what I went through under August’s ‘training.’”

Halfway through his sentence, a chill crept up his spine.

He shut his mouth instantly.

Crap. Almost forgot how petty August is.

Good thing I stopped when I did.

“A-anyway! We should catch up with Platinum before she rides off too far!” Gary quickly changed the subject.

Only then did Pearl and Diamond realize she’d already disappeared from view.

“Don’t worry. Mew’s with her,” August said calmly as he mounted his own bike.

By the time they caught up, they found Platinum riding in circles, beaming with joy.

On top of her head, Mew was gleefully directing traffic with its tiny arms.

“She really learned how to ride!” Diamond exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Even Gary was surprised that August’s brute-force method had worked.

Maybe there’s some truth to that ‘miracles through sheer force’ philosophy he keeps preaching...

...

Hearthome City.

Tension gripped the streets.

With Team Galactic’s attacks becoming more frequent, the once-bustling city had grown noticeably subdued. People hurried by with wary glances, few lingering in public.

Leaving Gary and the others at the hotel, August, now in disguise, stepped into a café with a “Closed” sign hanging in the window.

Inside, the lighting was dim. Only one figure sat with her back to him, head bowed.

The whole setup had the air of a covert agent meeting.

August approached—only to find Cynthia, deep in thought, agonizing over two cups of ice cream.

“...”

The secret-agent tension shattered in an instant.

Still, August raised a hand in greeting. “Long time no see, Cynthia.”

“Huh? Oh—August, you’re here?” Cynthia, snapped from her ice cream dilemma, looked up.

“...”

Judging by her spacing out, August suspected that if he hadn’t spoken up, he could’ve downed an entire cup of coffee right next to her without being noticed.

Her ability to zone out was on another level.

At that moment, the café door opened again.

A man in a brown trench coat, looking every bit the classic detective, walked in.

Looker had arrived.

With brief greetings exchanged, the covert operation meeting officially began.

“I was investigating the missing agents from the Sinnoh division in Veilstone. There’s been progress,” Looker reported. “They’re being held at Team Galactic’s headquarters in Veilstone, but the place is heavily fortified. A rescue mission won’t be easy.”

“The League hasn’t made much headway either,” Cynthia added. “Since some of our people fell into Team Galactic’s hands, our operations have been repeatedly compromised. With Darkrai now under Galactic’s control, they’ve disrupted our every move. Even with help from Lorelei and Koga, we’ve lost the ability to properly defend the Lake Trio’s territories—Lake Valor, Lake Verity, and Lake Acuity.”

From their recent clashes, the Sinnoh League had determined Team Galactic’s goal: the three lake guardians.

They had barely managed to hold their ground with outside help, but Darkrai’s involvement had tipped the scales.

It was August’s turn to speak.

With both Cynthia and Looker looking at him expectantly, hoping he had good news, he said:

“Hunter J’s been recruiting to make up for her losses. I disguised myself and made contact. I’ve confirmed that Team Galactic is preparing for a major operation.”

After all three had shared their intelligence, the room fell into silence.

There wasn’t a single piece of good news between them.

Sensing the heavy mood, August cleared his throat. “Well, it’s not all bad.”

“Oh?” Cynthia perked up.

August smiled and pointed at himself. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

From anyone else, it would’ve been a light-hearted joke.

But from August, it was oddly convincing. Cynthia and Looker both nodded in agreement.

The tension eased slightly.

“Alright,” August said, leaning forward. “Let’s talk next steps.”

“We’ll need a clear objective first—”

“Rescue our captured agents,” Looker said.

“Uncover Team Galactic’s true intentions and dismantle their plan,” added Cynthia.

August shook his head.

Both turned to him, puzzled.

He placed Eevee on the table, propped his chin on his hands, and said calmly:

“How about this for a goal: Destroy Team Galactic.”

Even Cynthia was stunned.

That… was ambitious.

And yet, coming from someone who had previously crippled Team Rocket and taken down both Team Magma and Team Aqua, August had every right to say it.

Their silence was agreement.

With that, they began working on the battle plan.

As the most experienced when it came to dismantling criminal syndicates, August naturally took the lead.

While he spoke, Eevee took a lick of his coffee—then immediately spat it out, scrunching its face and pawing at its tongue in disgust.

“I’ve got a plan...”

...

Once their discussion wrapped, with all details and contingencies laid out, Looker departed first for Veilstone to begin infiltration.

Cynthia, after making a few calls to coordinate support, didn’t leave right away.

Instead, the two of them walked side by side down the street.

“I’m seriously impressed you thought to approach this through Hunter J...” she said.

“Team Galactic is nearly impossible to track, and their internal scrutiny is tight. Only a pro like Looker could sneak in without raising alarms.”

He paused, then smirked.

“By contrast, Hunter J’s team is a mess—just a bunch of Pokémon hunters. Her partnership with Galactic gave me a perfect opening to infiltrate without drawing attention.”

And it definitely isn’t because I’m still holding a grudge over her little stunt back in Kanto…

Cynthia, unaware of August’s personal motives, nodded in approval.

Without realizing it, they’d wandered over to a statue.

“This used to be where Hearthome held its annual festivals,” Cynthia said softly. “But since the city grew, hardly anyone comes here anymore.”

August studied the sculpture—a strange Pokémon that looked a bit like Dialga, a bit like Palkia.

If Dialga and Palkia ever saw this mashup, maybe they’d stop fighting just long enough to team up and obliterate Hearthome with [Roar of Time] and [Spacial Rend].

“I’ll be joining Hunter J’s crew tomorrow,” August said. “Which means causing a scene at Team Galactic’s local base—creating some real pressure—is your job.”

Cynthia nodded solemnly.

---

Hunter J was not having a good week.

Ever since she’d made the ill-advised decision to accept Team Galactic’s money and help them capture the Lake Trio, everything had gone downhill.

Her squad had been wrecked by rangers in Kanto, she was now on Sinnoh’s most-wanted list, and the last operation with Team Galactic had cost her dearly.

“Let’s hope this batch of recruits doesn’t disappoint. The payout from Galactic this time is too good to pass up…” she muttered from the command deck of her airship.

Just then, a report crackled through her earpiece.

“Lady J, the Raven has returned from Jubilife with new hires!”

August eyed the massive airship docked inside an industrial hangar, as well as the workers bustling around it.

His expression remained neutral, but inside, he was stunned.

I had no idea Hunter J had a full factory as her support base. No wonder she can afford an airship like this...

Impressive.

Starting today, this airship and the factory both belong to me.

Thanks for the generous gift, Hunter J.

He’d been jealous of Giovanni’s blimp for way too long.

With a subtle pulse of psychic energy, August sent a telepathic message to his team:

"Try not to damage the airship when the fighting starts."

Platinum and the others looked puzzled.

Gary, on the other hand, instantly understood—and silently offered Hunter J three seconds of pity.

Then he began surveying the blimp.

Maybe I can ask August for a personal cabin…

Hunter J had no idea her ship was already being mentally divided up by her “recruits.”

She strode down the ramp, eyeing August and his four disguised “Pokémon hunters.”

“From now on, you’re my crew,” she announced curtly.

August responded immediately, straight-faced. “Don’t worry, Lady J. We’ll honor your name and never bring shame to your banner!”

“Even if it means going up against Team Galactic themselves, we—”

“Stop.” Hunter J cut him off.

What the hell is he talking about?!

When did I say anything about going to war with Galactic?!

August blinked in mock confusion. “Wait, aren’t you recruiting because Galactic betrayed you? Isn’t this your move to take revenge?”

All around them, the workers—who’d been pretending to work while actually eavesdropping—froze and turned to look.

Their expressions said it all: Ohhhhhhh.

So THAT’S what’s happening!

They’d wondered why Lady J was still working with those Galactic jerks. Now it made sense—she was biding her time to strike back!

Hunter J felt their stares and ground her teeth. “No! We are allies with Team Galactic!”

August gave her a look of sudden understanding, followed by an I get it now expression.

“I see, I see! Lady J’s pretending to cooperate to gain their trust, get paid, and then—”

He covered his mouth midway, pretending to have said too much.

But the others weren’t stupid.

They’d already filled in the blanks.

And now they were all nodding, grinning knowingly.

Of course! Get the money AND revenge!

Lady J is brilliant!

Absolutely ruthless—pure legend!

Hunter J wanted nothing more than to tear August’s mouth off his face.

But with her team already thinned out, and with “Raven” usually being competent (even if he was acting weird today), she swallowed her anger.

“Stop saying crap like that,” she growled.

Then she waved them off. “Just take your new team and get to your posts.”

But to the watching crew, it looked like she’d just silently confirmed everything August had said.

They turned away, visibly excited.

They’d hated how Galactic had treated them like disposable pawns.

They’d thought Lady J was just rolling over.

But no—she was enduring, planning, plotting.

Their pride swelled.

That’s our Lady J—unbreakable queen of the Pokémon hunter world!

Hunter J looked around at her crew, now clearly misreading everything with starry eyes.

She opened her mouth to clarify, then gave up with a sigh.

I just want to make money...

---

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!