Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [299]

Platinum stared at the sight before her. “All these Pokémon…”

“That’s right,” August said. “All captured by Pokémon Hunters.”

He stepped forward and picked up a Poké Ball from a nearby rack.

Each one had a label—species, gender, capture location…

The one in his hand read:

• Species: Glameow

• Gender: Female

• Ability: Limber

• Capture Location: Route 218

He released it.

A Glameow appeared, its curled tail twitching like a spring.

Clearly caught through less-than-legal means.

The moment it emerged, its back arched, claws bared, and it let out a warning growl toward August and Platinum.

Platinum flinched, instinctively tense.

But August—well-accustomed to this sort of reaction after years dealing with hunters—remained calm.

“No need to be scared.”

He released a pulse of [Viridian Power], his own unique energy. As his hand reached toward Glameow, the aura washed over her.

Soothed by the calming force, Glameow’s bristling fur relaxed. She sat, her tail swishing softly, looking… adorably docile.

Too bad its evolved form is a complete visual disaster, August thought with mild regret.

He tossed a few energy cubes her way.

Then turned his gaze to the caged Pokémon deeper in the storage room.

Meanwhile, Platinum had timidly tried to mimic him and pet Glameow herself—but the moment she got close, the supposedly docile cat instantly swiped a paw at her.

Right. She’d forgotten Glameow’s reputation as a two-faced Pokémon.
The gentleness earlier? Pure performance.

She pulled her hand back quickly and followed August as he walked toward the cages.

Platinum looked inside. “These Pokémon…?”

“Too wild to train. Locked up by the Hunters.”

As they approached, the Pokémon behind the bars glared at them with intense hostility.

Instinctively, Platinum clung to August’s arm, pressing close.

“…!”

Realizing what she’d just done, Platinum immediately let go, face flushed. She turned her head away, pretending nothing happened.

August: “…”

What are you blushing for? That just makes it more obvious!

Suppressing the urge to tease her, he turned his attention back to the cages.

He’d dealt with this sort of thing countless times.

Step one: ease the hostility.

He had Gardevoir send a wide-range telepathic message, informing the Pokémon that they were here to help.

Step two: free them.

With a snap of his fingers, Gardevoir telekinetically shattered every cage.

Step three: build trust.

August unleashed another wave of [Viridian Power] and pulled out a pack of energy cubes, tossing them toward the now-freed Pokémon.

Drawn by [Viridian Power] and the food, the Pokémon slowly gathered around.

Platinum watched in awe. Her eyes lit up with admiration.

...

Freeing these mistreated Pokémon would’ve been difficult for most.

But for August—blessed with the power of [Viridian Power]—it was simple.

One bag of Pokémon cubes and a gentle wave of [Viridian Power] were all it took.

When he told them he planned to release the Pokémon back into the wild, Platinum looked surprised.

“You’re not going to catch them, Mr. August?”

She’d assumed he’d use this opportunity to add them to his roster.

“I always respect a Pokémon’s choice,” August said seriously.

Off to the side, Gardevoir rolled her eyes.

But Platinum believed him without question, nodding respectfully.

Then hesitated.

“…Could I… catch one?” she asked, glancing down at the Leafeon that had cuddled into her lap.

It had taken a liking to her.

Still, with August turning them loose, would it be wrong for her to choose one?

The Leafeon nudged her arm affectionately.

“As long as the Pokémon agrees, go ahead.”

...

Back at the now-cleared-out Hunter Association, Anabel watched as August handed off all the captured hunters—and the Pokémon release operation—to her.

She looked down at the unconscious criminals sprawled across the floor.

Then looked back at August with a silent question in her eyes:

This is your idea of "acting with restraint"?

August shrugged. “Hey, I held back.”

If this had been a few years ago—back when he was still a forest ranger—at least a third of these guys would’ve left with broken limbs.

He was being very civilized now.

As for the buyers backing these hunters?

“You don’t need to worry about that,” August said. “I’ve already forwarded the list to Cynthia. The Sinnoh League will handle them. No one’s coming after you.”

Anabel visibly relaxed.

She was just a poor, overworked field agent.

She had no way of going up against Sinnoh’s entrenched elites on her own.

“Oh—did you find those people I asked you about?”

Hearing the question, Anabel nodded quickly. “Yes! I found them!”

She handed August two tickets.

Platinum glanced at them. “Comedy Contest…?”

...

Diamond and Pearl.

The other two protagonists of the Diamond and Pearl arc, aside from Platinum.

The two boys had always dreamed of becoming comedy performers. And they were chasing that dream with all their hearts.

“Hello everyone! We’re contestant #1—Straight Man and Funny Guy Duo from Twinleaf Town: Pearl and—Diamond!”

“We’ll now perform a short comedy skit titled—The Red Gyarados!”

“Wow—this is Lake Verity, huh? I wonder if the legendary Red Gyarados lives here?”

“Does it? Does it?”

“…”

Sitting in the audience, Platinum watched the two boys and then turned to August.

“…These are the people you were looking for?”

Seriously?

She tried to think of a suitable word to describe what she was seeing.

She couldn’t find one.

“Don’t underestimate them. They’ve got potential… probably.”

Even August sounded unsure by the end.

Especially after Diamond, distracted by a rice ball mid-sketch, forgot his lines and caused an early exit.

“…Let’s go. Time to meet our new teammates.”

...

Outside the venue, Diamond and Pearl were arguing about the botched performance.

Well—mostly Pearl was angry.

Diamond, on the other hand, was still happily sharing rice balls with Munchlax.

Just as Pearl was about to explode in frustration—

A calm voice called out:

“Hey, boys. Interested in a high-paying job with benefits, holidays, meals, housing, and bonus incentives?”

Both heads turned at once.

They saw a man holding an Eevee and a girl with striking grace watching them.

They looked at each other—then pointed to themselves.

“Us?”

August nodded. “That’s right. I saw your performance. I think you’ve got talent.”

“I’ve got a job for you. Good salary, great perks. Interested?”

They didn’t ask if he was legit.

Their first response was—

“You really think we have potential?” Pearl asked, eyes shining.

He grabbed August’s hand, overwhelmed with emotion.

August nodded with forced sincerity.

Then looked over at Diamond, who was still finishing his rice ball.

“If you join, you’ll get to eat at five-star restaurants around the world. There’s even a Galarian chef—Mr. Rime—offering private cooking lessons.”

Diamond froze.

His eyes sparkled.

He turned to Pearl. “We’re in.”

More enthusiastic than Pearl himself.

“…Aren’t you going to ask what the job actually is?” August asked.

These two… did not strike him as particularly sharp.

Especially Diamond.

“Oh! Right!” Diamond blinked. “What are we doing?”

“It’s simple. We’re fighting evil.”

“For real? That’s always been my dream!”

...

Meanwhile.

Hunter J was in a foul mood.

Her alliance with Team Galactic had taken a hit.

She’d originally agreed to help capture the lake guardians. That was the deal.

But during an operation, they’d run into Champion Cynthia—and Galactic had immediately thrown her team under the bus.

While her people held the line, Galactic ran.

Her ship was damaged. Most of her team were captured. She barely made it back.

If not for the massive payment they still owed her—and the power they had shown—she would’ve cut ties already.

Even so, her attitude toward them was ice cold.

“Mr. Cyrus,” she said flatly over video. “Your team owes me an explanation.”

Cyrus’s expression didn’t change.

“You knew the risks, Hunter J. We’re paying top dollar. You didn’t expect us to have you stand on the sidelines, did you?”

Her face darkened.

But… he wasn’t entirely wrong.

“I’m pulling my team from future missions—”

“1 billion.”

“…What?”

She blinked.

Cyrus smirked. “One billion more. On top of the original amount.”

“How’s that? Still planning to walk away, Hunter J?”

J was silent.

Refusing was hard to justify.

That money…

After a long struggle, she said coldly, “Fine. But if you throw my people under the bus again—”

She didn’t care about her subordinates much. But they were useful—and her leverage.

“Relax. Our top operatives are back,” Cyrus said. “You heard what happened to the International Police base, right? With Darkrai? The League’s no match for us anymore.”

“Reinforce your team. Our next op starts soon.”

With that, the call ended.

J stared at the black screen, deep in thought.

Another call came in.

She checked the number—it was from the recruiter she’d sent out.

She picked up—and saw her subordinate looking like he’d just survived a disaster.

“What happened?”

“Hunter J! The Pokémon Hunter Association got raided by the League!”

WHAT?!

So much for her recruitment plans…

“But I found some solid new hires!”

He dragged three people into view on screen.

Two looked like rejected comedians. The other—a girl in a cap, face partially hidden.

J narrowed her eyes.

These three looked… incredibly unreliable.

But she didn’t have the luxury to be picky.

Galactic’s operation was imminent. And for a billion…

Even cannon fodder was better than nothing.

She nodded coolly. “Good. Head to Hearthome City. The address is…”

She rattled off a location and hung up.

Bigger things awaited.

...

August looked at the blacked-out screen, tapping his chin.

“…Well, that’s convenient.”

Coincidentally, the meeting point J had given was also in Hearthome—the same city where he planned to rendezvous with Cynthia and Looker.

Everyone was converging in one place.

Easier for him.

As he thought this, Diamond and Pearl were already practicing their comedy routine again, utterly unaware of who “Hunter J” really was.

“Speaking of Pokémon Hunters…”

“They’re the classic villains of any Pokémon journey!”

“…”

August stared in silence.

…Was recruiting these two really the right call?

---

T/N: hmm i forgot what i was gonna say oh right energy cubes is just Pokémon Cubes, but like sometimes finding the special e sucks so its just energy cubes teehee tehteehtehte

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!