Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [301]

After a brief silence, Pearl finally voiced the question on everyone's mind:
“Dialga and Palkia are...?”

“Oh—right, I forgot you guys didn’t know about this,” August replied, realization dawning on him. Then he launched into an explanation:

“Palkia and Dialga are known as the twin gods of space and time—two Pokémon that control those respective dimensions.”

“Legend has it that when Palkia was born, it shattered the barrier between realities and gave birth to the very concept of space. With every breath Palkia takes, space becomes more stable.”

“And it was only after Dialga was born that time itself began to exist. Every beat of Dialga’s heart causes time to flow.”

“Although these are considered legends, let me be perfectly clear—every word of it is true.”

Pearl: “......”

So we really can’t beat them, huh?!

Just breathing or having a heartbeat creates time and space? How are they even supposed to fight Pokémon like that?

It wasn’t until Officer Jenny from Jubilife City arrived to take all the Team Galactic members into custody that the shock August delivered finally began to wear off. Platinum, Pearl, and Diamond were still processing everything he had just said.

August took the initiative to break the silence.

“Oh right—I almost forgot to give you guys this.”

Under their watchful eyes, he reached into his shadow and yanked out Gengar. The ghost-type grinned, then shoved a hand into its mouth and fished out three communication devices, handing one to each of them.

August explained, “These are communicators used exclusively by the International Police. I’m adding you to our work group chat. Your seniors are all in there… and they’ll be participating in this operation too.”

The trio let out a collective sigh of relief.

Seniors from the International Police?

They must be pretty amazing… If all of them are as capable as Mr. August, then maybe, just maybe, defeating Dialga and Palkia wasn’t a completely hopeless dream.

At the very least, if the sky came crashing down, there’d be someone to catch it.

...Or so they thought—before reading the chat.

[AugustIsn’tHomeToday]: Hm? [Alert][Surprised] August tricked another newbie into joining?!

【PsychicPrettyGirl]: Welcome, newcomers… Gary, you’re at it again.

[AugustIsn’tHomeToday]: lol, like I’d be scared of August? (Eevee hands-on-hips.jpg)

[GardevoirBestGirl]: Oh?

[August Isn’t Home Today]: ...Y-yeah? What of it?! Come fight me through the internet if you dare! (Spooky face.jpg)

[GardevoirBestGirl]: Excellent. Sabrina, could you package Gary up and ship him to Sinnoh, please?

[PsychicPrettyGirl]: Sure~ (smiles)

[AugustIsn’tHomeToday]: Ha! As if you can catch m—wait, no, I’m not at the villa right now sajs＆%$....

[PsychicPrettyGirl]: All packed up. Shipping tomorrow.

[Gold]: lol.
[Blue]: lol.
[Blaine]: lol.

Platinum couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

They didn’t exactly seem like the most reliable group of elite agents…

But Pearl and Diamond were focused on something else entirely. As they stared at the chat log, it was as if a whole new world had opened up before them.

This Gary-senpai… had a gift for comedy!

When he arrived in Sinnoh, they had to ask him for tips!

...

Oreburgh City, located to the east of Jubilife and nestled against the foot of Mt. Coronet, was a mining town famous for its coal reserves.

At the heart of the city was the Oreburgh Mine, managed by the Oreburgh Gym Leader Roark.

The coal from this mine was what powered the entire city’s economy. Thanks to fully automated transport systems, the mine extended deep underground, even reaching the seabed in places.

But their visit to Oreburgh wasn’t for sightseeing.

At Oreburgh Airport—

August stood with his arms outstretched as Gary stepped off the plane, one slow step at a time. “Welcome to Sinnoh. Excited?”

“H-ha… ha ha…”

The look on Gary’s face screamed anything but excitement.

He’d lost count of how many times he wanted to slap himself.

Why did I have to mouth off and provoke August…

He’d assumed he was safe, what with August stuck in Sinnoh. What he’d forgotten was that August still had minions in Kanto...

Now he was toast.

Who knew what kind of hell August had planned for him?

Looking at August’s smiling face, Gary felt a chill run down his spine. It was the smile of a man who had plans.

Just as he was about to say something to try and talk his way out of this, he felt two pairs of hands grab him by the arms.

Gary’s face froze in terror. Is August seriously going to rough me up right here at the airport?!

But then, two voices rang in his ears.

“Gary-senpai!”

“Could you teach us how to be comedians?!”

Gary: “...Huh?”

Comedians?! Since when did he know how to do that?

And more importantly—who even are you people?!

He turned to look at the two clinging to his arms.

August introduced them, “These are Pearl and Diamond—new recruits I picked up here in Sinnoh.”

Gary sized the two up. But no matter how he looked at them, they seemed… painfully ordinary.

He glanced back at August.

“Don’t underestimate them. Pearl and Diamond are very talented,” August said.

They might seem average now, but they were… special.

Gary looked back at the two, who were still looking up at him like he was some sort of comedic messiah.

Am I just not seeing it?

After a moment’s thought, Gary came to a conclusion: That has to be it.

After all, August had discovered him, the Kanto Champion. His eye for talent was second to none. So Pearl and Diamond must have some hidden genius he couldn’t detect yet.

“And this must be Platinum…” Gary said, spotting the girl standing quietly behind August. Then his eyes gleamed mischievously. “Does Blue know about this?”

Platinum tilted her head, clearly confused.

Meanwhile, August gave Gary a long, unreadable stare—the kind that made him squirm.

Finally, August sighed.

“I was planning to let you off easy. Why do you insist on making things harder for yourself?”

Gary froze. That was not a good sign.

And sure enough—

“The higher-ups have decided. You’ll be leading the charge against Team Galactic this time.”

“Haha… it’s just… Team Galactic, right?” Gary forced a grin, but his body gave an involuntary shiver as he recalled the intel Blue had asked him to deliver to August.

Pearl and Diamond, watching the whole exchange, were amazed.

Incredible!

Gary-senpai’s comedic timing was flawless! Every reaction so natural, not a hint of performance—he had comedy woven into his life.

If he ever competed in a comedy tournament, there was no doubt: he’d take first place.

They had to seize this opportunity and ask him for his secrets!

Gary looked at them, bewildered by the worship in their eyes.

What did I even do to earn this?!

Could it be… they admired how he dared to talk back to August? Was that it?

He puffed up his chest a little. If they saw him as a brave rebel standing up to tyranny… well, he’d live up to it.

August watched this silently. He opened his mouth, hesitated, then closed it again.

Better not ruin Gary’s little fantasy. Let him have this.

Then he gestured for them to move out.

...

Inside a luxury hotel owned by the Berlitz family, August gathered everyone and laid out the next steps based on the intel they had received.

“According to the intelligence we’ve gathered, Team Galactic has stationed a small squad in the Oreburgh Mine. The League believes their objective is to interfere with coal production and drain Gym Leader Roark’s energy so that he’s unable to assist the League elsewhere.”

Platinum spoke up, “So then… what’s our role?”

“We’re going down into the mine.”

“…As miners?” she asked.

As the heiress of the Berlitz family, Platinum had never been involved in anything remotely related to mining. The moment the word left her mouth, she subconsciously began mimicking a shoveling motion, as though she were digging with an imaginary pickaxe.

August: “…”

Gary: “…”

Pearl and Diamond: “…”

It was August who finally broke the awkward silence with a cough. “Ahem. Platinum, maybe hold off on the mining pantomime…”

Her arms froze mid-motion. She quickly dropped them and replied primly, “I wasn’t.”

Pearl: “But you just—”

“I wasn’t.”

Diamond: “But we saw—”

Platinum gave Diamond a sharp look. “You were mistaken.”

Everyone wisely decided to let it go.

August continued, “Because of Galactic’s interference, the mine is already running at half-capacity. Roark has gone down to try and deal with them. Before we head for Hearthome City, our mission is to assist Roark in clearing them out.”

He looked squarely at Platinum, Pearl, and Diamond. “Think of this as your homework assignment. Any questions?”

The three shook their heads in unison. “None!”

August nodded, satisfied. “Good. Let’s move out!”

...

Oreburgh Mine

The surface area alone of the Oreburgh Mine was vast, filled with all manner of industrial mining equipment. As one of the city’s most critical assets, the scale was apparent the moment they stepped in.

Platinum, Pearl, and Diamond walked in the lead.

August and Gary followed behind.

“They’ve only just started out, right?” Gary asked. “I mean, they’ve just gotten their starter Pokémon. Is it really okay to throw them at Team Galactic like this?”

He remembered how long it had taken him to go solo against Team Rocket—he’d already earned several badges by that point. It was hard to imagine three rookies managing something similar.

“What, you questioning my judgment?” August said with a half-smile.

“What? No way!” Gary shook his head so fast it was almost a blur.

There was no way he was giving August an opening to retaliate.

“Tch…” August clicked his tongue, mock-disappointed. “Relax. They’re growing faster than you think.”

What’s the phrase again...?
Their whole art style is leagues above yours.

Gary: “Really now. I don’t buy it.”

As they were talking, the trio ahead suddenly encountered their first enemy.

BOOM!

A Graveler burst from the mine tunnel and barreled toward them.

But the three reacted immediately.

“Piplup, [Bubble Beam]!”

A stream of shining bubbles flew forward and exploded on contact with Graveler’s rocky body, halting its momentum.

Pearl and Diamond quickly followed up:

“Turtwig, [Razor Leaf]!”

“Chimchar, [Ember]!”

From both sides, Turtwig’s leaves struck the now-stationary Graveler, launching it briefly into the air. Then Chimchar spat a burst of flames that, while not very effective, temporarily blinded it.

“Now!”

“Piplup, [Bubble Beam]!”

The second blast of bubbles struck with perfect timing, knocking Graveler clear off its feet and sending it tumbling back into the mine.

August glanced at Gary. “So? Impressed?”

Most new trainers struggled to command one Pokémon, let alone execute a timed combo like that.

“It was just a Graveler…” Gary muttered.

But while his words were stubborn, his expression was much less so.

It was clear he’d acknowledged their talent.

Considering how recently they’d received their starter Pokémon, that level of coordination and timing was impressive. Maybe they weren’t quite at his level when he first started out, but they weren’t far off either.

As a trio, they could definitely handle a Team Galactic grunt.

Deeper into the mine, artificial excavation marks were clearly visible everywhere. Conveyor belts rumbled as they carried coal toward the surface.

But the number of workers was far fewer than normal.

The effect of Team Galactic’s presence was obvious.

August flagged down a miner who was wearing a safety helmet and accompanied by a Pokémon. “Have you seen Gym Leader Roark?”

The miner eyed him warily, then looked at Gary and the distinctive air around Platinum.

They clearly didn’t look like Galactic thugs.

His guard lowered slightly. “Mr. Roark’s fighting Galactic in the lower levels right now.”

At the mention of Team Galactic, the miner’s face twisted with anger.

“Those damned Galactic goons… Because of their constant interference, the mine’s been on half-capacity for days. If this keeps up, everyone’s jobs will be on the line. I just hope Roark can wipe them out soon.”

He looked back at the group. “You kids here to catch Pokémon? You should come back another day. Those Galactic guys aren’t messing around—when they attack, they’re nothing like friendly battles. They go all out.”

August gave him a respectful nod. “Thanks for the heads-up.”

Then he smiled. “But we’re not here to catch Pokémon—we’re here to deal with Team Galactic.”

---

T/N: pantomime is basically like miming

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!