Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [282]

Ariana’s words left the gathered Rocket members completely stunned.

Not because they doubted Lady Ariana’ — but because the situation was simply too unbelievable.

Sird had always been considered one of Boss Giovanni’s most trusted executives…

Wait — it was Giovanni himself who had made the move.

So… it was true!?

Finally snapping out of their daze, the Rocket members present all drew their Poké Balls, turning cautious gazes toward Sird.

With Giovanni personally taking action — and with so many Rocket members surrounding her...

“It’s over, Sird,” Ariana’ said coolly.

She was certain there was no way Sird could escape, not from this many layers of containment.

And yet, with Beedrill’s stinger pressed to the back of her neck, Sird didn’t look even slightly panicked. As if completely unbothered by the threat behind her, she looked toward Giovanni with mild curiosity and asked:

“Can I ask how I was exposed?”

The moment those words left her lips, it was a direct admission of being a spy.

Even though the Rocket members had already begun to suspect, hearing her say it aloud was still hard to accept.

Sird was a senior executive of Team Rocket — why would she ever throw that away for the likes of Team Galactic?

Even after the Rocket organization had been repeatedly targeted by the League, they were still far more powerful than Galactic in terms of sheer force.

Giovanni said nothing.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to respond… it was just that the truth was a little embarrassing.

He couldn’t exactly tell everyone here that August had tipped him off…

But not answering was, in a way, an answer in itself.

Sird’s expression darkened slightly. After briefly reflecting on who might have gotten involved in her recent operations, a name quickly came to mind.

“Heh… I see.”

She gave a low chuckle and dipped her head, obscuring her expression from view.

Giovanni had no intention of dragging things out. With a glance, he signaled one of his subordinates, who stepped forward with a pair of cuffs.

But in the very next instant—

Whoosh!

A slash of black light ripped through the air, knocking Giovanni’s Beedrill several meters back.

The sudden attack took everyone completely by surprise.

When they turned back toward Sird, a new figure had appeared — a shadowy Pokémon with white hair-like wisps, a red collar curling around its neck, floating silently behind her.

It was clear who had struck the Beedrill down.

Giovanni’s face immediately darkened. He recognized this Pokémon.

“The nightmare Pokémon… Darkrai.”

Sird gave a small, apologetic bow. “Sorry, Giovanni. I have my reasons — I can’t be caught.”

In answer, a bright light flared across the field as Beedrill [Mega Evolved], its sleek new form streaking forward like a bolt of yellow lightning straight at Darkrai.

Last time was a fluke, Giovanni thought coldly. With type advantage and [Mega Evolution], even Darkrai won’t stand a chance.

But Sird had no intention of clashing head-on. After all, having worked under Giovanni for years, she knew exactly how dangerous he was.

“[Dark Void],” Sird commanded.

Darkrai raised its hand, summoning an orb of swirling black energy. With a flick, it hurled the sphere at the incoming Beedrill.

Beedrill didn't hesitate. With a flash of its twin stingers, it slashed directly at the orb.

The moment the stingers struck—

A silent explosion.

The orb scattered into a cloud of dark mist.

Everyone — human and Pokémon alike — caught in its radius suddenly felt their minds waver, a wave of exhaustion crashing over them. Bodies swayed. Eyelids drooped.

[Dark Void] — any Pokémon it hits, and any in its vicinity, are pulled into deep sleep.

If Giovanni hadn’t reacted quickly and used Aggron as a shield, he likely would have succumbed as well.

In the midst of the confusion, Sird and Darkrai vanished without a trace…

Giovanni stared at his Beedrill, now half-asleep and barely upright, and the rest of his men, collapsed or dozing on the ground, his expression dark and unreadable.

---

August, meanwhile, had no idea that despite being well-prepared, Giovanni had still let Sird slip away.

If he had known, he would’ve definitely sent an email mocking him mercilessly.

At that moment, he was visiting Norman at the Petalburg Gym.

As a coastal city, Petalburg had also taken a serious hit from the recent disaster. Norman had spent the past few days completely tied up with post-disaster relief efforts.

Fortunately, the Devon Corporation’s reconstruction team and League support had arrived, finally giving Norman a chance to breathe.

Sitting across the table from each other, August and Norman were chatting about the current state of Hoenn.

As the Gym Leader of Petalburg, Norman had a particularly clear grasp of how catastrophic the damage would’ve been if August hadn’t intervened.

After expressing deep admiration for August’s heroism — and his willingness to stay out of the spotlight — Norman offered his heartfelt thanks.

August waved it off. “No need for thanks. Honestly, I’m more interested in having a battle with you.”

“A battle?” Norman blinked.

He hadn’t expected that — but with August asking, how could he say no?

Besides, he was curious to see August’s strength for himself.

Because of Groudon and Kyogre’s rampage, all official Gym battles had been suspended. With no repairs needed, the two made their way straight to the arena.

“I’ve heard you Hoenn folks are fans of double battles... So let’s go with that!”

Norman had no reason to refuse.

They took their places on either side of the battlefield. After a quick glance, they both released their Pokémon at the same time.

Boom—

Four flashes of light burst into the air.

Norman sent out a Slaking and a Spinda — the former lazily propping its head up with one arm, the latter staggering in dizzy, unsteady circles.

August’s eyes swept over the two before landing on the Slaking.

“So this is your Slaking, huh?”

He looked at the Pokémon, who was now lying flat on the floor, yawning.

Man… it really does look like a middle-aged uncle.

The image involuntarily brought to mind a few very specific doujinshi August had seen before his reincarnation...

Ugh. Brain. Not now.

Norman glanced at the Pokémon August had chosen. To his surprise, both were from the Hoenn region.

A strikingly beautiful Milotic, its eyes occasionally drifting toward August… and a Swampert, one of Hoenn’s starter evolutions.

He’d expected August to use Pokémon from Kanto.

But the battle had already begun.

Without another word, Norman’s eyes sharpened — fully entering battle mode.

He moved without hesitation.

“Spinda, [Guard Split]!”

Right out the gate — a stat-sharing move. Spinda raised its arms and released a glow that linked it to Swampert.

Swampert immediately felt a weakening in its defenses, a sudden sense of vulnerability. In contrast, Spinda’s body visibly stabilized.

Norman hadn’t issued any orders to Slaking, but it suddenly shifted from its lazy posture. With surprising speed, it charged toward August’s team like a hulking juggernaut.

Despite Norman seizing the initiative, August remained calm.

“Milotic, [Rain Dance]!”

“Swampert, [Muddy Water]!”

Wooooh—!

With Milotic’s haunting cry, storm clouds began to swirl beneath the gym’s ceiling — despite it being an indoor arena.

Raindrops pattered down on Swampert, whose power visibly surged. It opened its mouth and blasted a stream of thick, brown water straight at Slaking.

Though fast for its size, Slaking was mid-sprint and couldn’t dodge in time. The [Muddy Water] hit it squarely.

That wasn’t the surprising part — what caught August off guard was this:

Slaking didn’t resist. It simply dropped to the ground, letting the attack’s force roll off it like water over a boulder.

Is this that infamous “if I fall down, I’m staying down” strategy?

August shook the thought away and gave his next command.

“Milotic, [Surf]!”

Water swirled around Milotic’s body before cresting into a towering wave.

“Swampert, [Hammer Arm]!”

Swampert leapt onto the wave and rode it in, arm cocked back for a brutal smash aimed at Slaking.

Riding the wave's momentum, [Hammer Arm] would hurt if it landed — even on a tank like Slaking.

Especially since Slaking, with its [Truant] ability, couldn’t move the next turn...

But Norman was ready. “Spinda, [Skill Swap]!”

A glow enveloped Spinda once more, linking it to Slaking.

In the next second—

ROAR!

Slaking sprang to its feet, scooping the sprawled-out Spinda onto its shoulder, and swung a massive fist.

“[Hammer Arm]!”

Hammer Arm versus Hammer Arm!

The two collided with a thunderous crash that shook the battlefield.

Swampert, lighter and less powerful than Slaking, was hurled backward from the impact.

And Slaking — moments later — was swallowed by the incoming wave.

“Just as I thought… [Skill Swap].” August had already guessed Norman’s strategy the moment Spinda entered the field.

By trading Spinda’s [Own Tempo] for Slaking’s [Truant], Norman turned Slaking into a rampaging monster — free from laziness and full of destructive force.

Once the wave passed, Slaking pounded its chest, then lunged straight at Milotic.

[Giga Impact]

But after only a few steps, Slaking’s charge faltered.

Without warning, the ground beneath it turned into a pool of slick, sucking mud.

“When did that happen!?” Norman’s eyes widened.

“Right when the [Surf] hit,” August replied calmly. “It wasn’t just an attack — it masked the setup for [Sand Tomb]… or rather, a mudtrap more fitting for this stage of the battle.”

August had anticipated that Slaking — with its monstrous base 160 Attack — would come after Swampert and Milotic in close combat once freed from its [Truant] status.

So the moment [Surf] landed, he’d ordered Swampert to lay a trap in Slaking’s path.

As August finished speaking, Swampert crouched and pressed its limbs to the ground, channeling power.

A pulse of energy rippled outward — directly into the mire beneath Slaking.

[Earthquake]

The ground shook violently. Slaking let out a pained growl.

Even so, with a base stat total of 670, it wasn’t going down that easily...

Slaking wasn’t done yet.

---

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!