Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [303]

Facing the oncoming Team Galactic grunts, Platinum remained impressively calm.

“Piplup!”

Her Pokémon puffed out its chest, then opened its beak and released another stream of shimmering bubbles.

This time, the target wasn’t the enemy themselves—but the ground in front of them.

“What the—?!”

The group of Team Galactic grunts rushing toward Platinum, hoping to crush what they thought was an easy target, didn’t even have time to react.

The ground ahead of them exploded, revealing a large pit beneath.

Their momentum too strong to stop, they all toppled in headfirst.

“Ah—!”

“Ugh, that hurts!”

“Damn it, you’re crushing me!”

Amid the chaotic pile-up, Platinum, Pearl, and Diamond peeked over the edge of the pit.

“That worked even better than I expected,” Diamond muttered thoughtfully.

“So what do we do next?” Platinum asked, pulling a shovel from her backpack. “Should we bury them?”

“Milady, why do you have something like that on you? And why is your first instinct to bury people?!” Pearl clutched his head, overcome by the sheer absurdity of his teammates.

“You little brats…!” one of the grunts started to threaten.

But when he saw Platinum holding a shovel, eyes gleaming with intent, he swallowed his words.

Forget it. Not worth it.

Not because I'm scared, he insisted silently.

At that moment, all three kids suddenly turned their heads in the same direction.

The grunt stiffened. What now? Reinforcements? Are our other squads already here to save us?

Just as that thought passed through his mind, he saw someone standing at the edge of the pit: a man cradling an Eevee in his arms.

The man glanced at them, then turned to the trio and said:

“You pass.”

...

Since this operation had been assigned as a “homework assignment” for Platinum, Pearl, and Diamond, August had kept his hands off for the most part. Aside from loaning them Gengar at Platinum’s request and letting Gardevoir provide positional intel on the enemies, he hadn’t interfered.

He’d watched the three of them skillfully use visibility advantage to create a sense of supernatural dread, and even had Chatot mimic Team Galactic voices to sow confusion and panic among the enemy ranks.

August had to admit—they had fully grasped the essence of his training.

“From now on, you three are officially qualified International Police,” he declared.

The grunts in the pit were dumbfounded. International Police? Weren’t they all supposed to have been wiped out by the Commanders?

Why are they still here?!

But before they could dwell on the question, August waved a hand.

Beside him, Gardevoir raised her arms. A psychic pulse swept over the pit—and in an instant, every Team Galactic member below was knocked unconscious.

Neatly packed.

August gestured for the group to move on. “Come on. Gary and Roark are probably finishing up too…”

Diamond and Pearl nodded.

Only Platinum, still holding her shovel, looked a little disappointed.

Pearl: “...”

What exactly are you disappointed about?!

...

After all three Team Galactic squads were taken care of, everyone regrouped near the exit tunnel to the surface.

Seeing the pile of grunts lying defeated, Roark finally exhaled deeply.

At last... we’ve got them all. The Oreburgh Mine can finally return to normal operations.

He looked at August’s group with deep gratitude.

Without their help, he wasn’t sure when—or if—he would’ve been able to resolve things.

After a pause, Roark reached into his bag and pulled out two fossils.

“I don’t have anything fancy to give you, but these are some fossils I dug up. Please, take them as thanks.”

August glanced at them.

As a part-time Pokémon researcher, he instantly recognized what they were.

“Cranidos and Shieldon fossils?”

Roark’s eyes lit up with surprise. “You got it!” He gave August a thumbs-up.

“The Oreburgh Museum can revive them. That’s where I got my Rampardos,” he added, patting the dinosaur-like Pokémon beside him.

But August didn’t seem too interested.

They might have ‘dragon’ in their names, but they’re not Dragon-types. And honestly… their designs leave a lot to be desired.

He turned to glance at Gary, who simply shook his head with practiced aloofness.

Please. Like I’d fight juniors over some fossils. I’m Professor Oak’s grandson, for crying out loud.

August shrugged and handed the fossils to the trio. “You guys figure out how to split them.”

...

After saying their goodbyes to Roark and leaving the Oreburgh Mine, they breathed in the crisp surface air.

Everyone felt instantly refreshed.

“So what now?” Gary asked. “You didn’t drag me all the way to Sinnoh just to deal with small fries like this, right? Where’s the real challenge?”

He struck a dramatic pose—the lonely invincible hero—earning side glances from Pearl and Diamond.

The two leaned together and whispered:

“He’s setting up the next bit.”

“Yep. Classic build-up before a comedic climax.”

Gary looked confused.

What the heck are they whispering about?!

Shaking his head, he turned back to August.

August, trying not to laugh, forced a serious expression. “Next stop—Hearthome City.”

Platinum and the others weren’t surprised.

Only Gary blinked. “Hearthome?”

August pulled out his tablet and brought up a map. As Gary glanced at it, his eyes lit up. He rubbed his hands together.

“Bike route?”

“I’m the self-declared Bike King of Pallet Town, you know. Ash couldn’t hold a candle to me.”

“August! Let’s race!”

Pearl and Diamond’s eyes widened.

Could it be that Gary-senpai is about to turn a cycling race into a performance?

It made sense. The sudden contrast between a heated race and a surprise comedic act—that would be hilarious!

They exchanged a look and said in unison, “As expected of Gary-senpai!”

Gary, misreading their admiration, puffed up his chest proudly.

August’s mouth twitched. He wasn’t sure if he should break the truth to Gary.

Off to the side, Platinum looked uneasy.

What should I do? If I say I can’t ride a bike, won’t they think I don’t belong here?

Maybe I should give it a shot…

I’ve never ridden one before, but from what I’ve seen on TV, it doesn’t look that hard... right?

She didn’t notice Mew, who had woken up on August’s shoulder and was now blinking curiously at her worried expression.

“Mew~?”

...

They didn’t head to Hearthome that evening.

Not just because it was getting late—but because they needed rest before facing Hunter J.

In their luxury hotel in Oreburgh (courtesy of Platinum, who had technically rented it out—though “rented” was generous, since it was her family’s property), the team settled in for the night.

Lying in her pajamas, Platinum tossed and turned in bed.

All she could think about was tomorrow’s bike race.

She finally shook Piplup awake. “Hey. Do you know how to ride a bike?”

“Piplup?” her Pokémon blinked sleepily.

“Right… you’re just a Piplup,” Platinum muttered, crestfallen.

Piplup didn’t know what was going on, but seeing her down, it puffed up its chest and cried:

“Piplupp!”

“You’ll help me?” she asked, touched.

“Piplup!”

The vigorous nod gave her comfort.

“Thanks, Piplup.”

She hugged him tight and drifted into sleep.

“Mew…”

From the air, Mew floated silently into the room. Seeing signs of another nightmare forming, it sighed softly, raised a paw, and sent a blue glow into Platinum’s forehead.

Minutes later, Mew, yawning, floated back to August’s room and crashed into his chest.

August, playing board games with Gardevoir and Eevee, blinked in surprise. “...?”

He picked up the sleeping Mew, shook it gently. Its head wobbled but its little paws clung to his shirt.

August sighed and gestured for Gengar to take his seat, resigning himself to the role of Mew’s cushion for the night.

...

Thanks to Mew sleeping directly on him, August barely got any rest.

In his dream, he led the Kanto division through Mt. Coronet, defeated Cyrus, Dialga, and Palkia—then even Giratina showed up. And finally, Arceus descended, screamed “THIEF!” and fired a [Judgment] straight at his chest.

“Gah—!”

He jerked awake.

And saw Mew snoring on his chest. The “[Judgment]” was… drool.

“...”

Expression dark, August peeled Mew off, now slack-pawed, and tossed it next to Eevee.

He looked toward Gardevoir, who had just opened her eyes from meditation and was now stifling laughter.

His gaze was clear: You couldn’t have helped me move it?

She just giggled.

Sighing, August cleaned up, changed out of his drool-soaked shirt, and headed for the hotel restaurant—Eevee yawning in his arms and Mew, still asleep, dangling from his shoulder.

The restaurant was empty—Platinum had booked the entire place (well, it was technically hers).

“Morning!”

August waved at Pearl and Diamond, who were in the middle of a comedy rehearsal.

“M-Morning!”

“Mmph—good morning!” Diamond, sandwich stuffed in his mouth, nearly choked. Pearl quickly handed him a glass of water.

August just raised an eyebrow.

Then the restaurant doors opened again.

Gary strode in, helmet on, wearing a full professional cycling suit and pushing a bike. He looked August up and down with a smirk.

“Well? Pretty pro, huh?”

August: “Nice helmet.”

Gary beamed, clearly expecting more.

But the silence dragged.

“...And?” Gary prompted.

August, confused: “And what?”

“You’re seriously only complimenting the helmet?” Gary demanded.

That bike had cost him nearly a month’s pay—even as an International Police officer, it had stung his wallet.

August sipped his juice. “Oh yeah, meant to tell you yesterday. Our department has a deal with the Silph Company. I called their president last night—they’re sponsoring us with the latest racing bikes.”

“...Huh?”

Gary froze.

Pearl and Diamond were about ready to applaud.

Yes! That face! Gary-senpai really gets comedy!

...

By the time Platinum arrived, she was greeted by a strange scene.

Pearl and Diamond were whispering excitedly, occasionally glancing at Gary in stunned admiration.

Gary looked like he’d just suffered a soul-crushing defeat.

August seemed normal… well, relatively normal.

He was teasing the sleeping Mew on his shoulder with a tiny cake. Just as Mew stirred from the scent, August popped the treat into his own mouth.

He then laughed maniacally as Mew stared in betrayal—and promptly got chased around the restaurant by the outraged mythical Pokémon.

“...”

Is it too late to back out of this group?

But Platinum composed herself and stepped in with renewed confidence.

Last night, her dreams had been filled with cycling techniques. She’d mastered it all in her sleep.

...

Breakfast was quick.

Soon, they arrived at the bike path leading to Hearthome.

Despite her dream prep, Platinum gulped nervously as she stared at the route.

Will dream training really work in the real world?

As the others hopped on their bikes—

Platinum grit her teeth, mounted hers, and pedaled—

WHAM.

She toppled.

Flat on her back, she stared at the sky.

“Wait… you don’t know how to ride a bike?”

“I do,” she said flatly.

“But you—”

“I do.”

She quietly picked up the bike again, inhaled deeply, and tried to recall her dream lessons.

And pedaled.

WHAM.

“…You really don’t know how to ride a bike, do you?”

---

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!