Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [285]

On his way to the interrogation room, Gary was brimming with anticipation.

In his mind, interrogations had always been the domain of August, Blue, and Sabrina.

And those three — without a doubt — were the most important members of the Kanto branch.

So in Gary’s thinking, being involved in an interrogation = becoming an important member of the Kanto division.

He knew August had brought in a batch of Team Magma and Aqua executives. And now, August had personally summoned him to the interrogation room. There could only be one reason!

He, Gary Oak, was finally about to become a key figure in the Kanto branch!

Suddenly, all the confusion he’d felt made sense.

Why did August bring him, and no one else, to Hoenn?

Why had he let him witness the capture of Rayquaza?

Why had he named him the official spokesperson of the Kanto branch?

He’d thought August was just messing with him — but now he realized he’d been wrong.

August was training him all along!

The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning. Gary’s face lit up with excitement.

Determined not to let August down, he adjusted his outfit and smoothed his hair, then knocked solemnly on the interrogation room door.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Gary pushed open the door — and entered with purpose.

August looked at him and couldn’t help frowning.

From head to toe, Gary was unusually... off.

His back was perfectly straight, his clothes immaculate, and his expression far too serious.

It was enough to make August wonder if this was really Gary — maybe someone was impersonating him?

He relaxed his [Aura] Sense — no, it was Gary, alright.

But... this morning during training, Gary had looked like he was on the brink of collapse. What the hell changed?

August was baffled.

While he was trying to figure it out, Gary spoke up.

“Minister, I’m here.”

August: “....”

He had no idea what to do with that.

What’s wrong with this kid?

Had he gone dumb from stress?

August couldn’t think of anything he’d done lately that would break Gary like this.

But priorities first — they had an interrogation to conduct.

Looking at Gary, who was practically beaming with expectation, August said, “Do you have your sister’s number?”

“Huh? What?”

This was not how Gary thought this was going to go.

Wasn’t August going to ask him to sit down and help interrogate the Team Magma executive across from them?

“...Your sister. Daisy Oak’s number,” August repeated.

Still baffled, Gary reached for his communicator. “Yeah... I have it. But what do you need it for?”

Even as he spoke, he was already pulling up Daisy’s contact info.

He didn’t bring me here just to ask for a phone number... right?

Oblivious to Gary’s internal spiral, August took the device and dialed.

A moment later, the image of a woman in a lab coat appeared on the screen.

“Gary? Wait—August-san?” Daisy blinked, surprised.

As Professor Oak’s granddaughter and Gary’s older sister, she naturally knew who August was.

Between her grandfather’s praise and Gary’s frequent complaints, she had quite a vivid impression of him.

Which only made her more curious — why was August using Gary’s communicator to call her?

Had something happened to her brother?

Worry crept into her heart.

But then she saw Gary peeking curiously from behind August, and her tension eased — though her confusion only grew.

“Is something wrong, August-san?”

“Nothing urgent,” August replied. “I just wanted to ask if you recognize someone...”

As he spoke, he turned the screen toward the woman seated at the table — the Team Magma executive.

Daisy looked confused at first, but when she saw the woman, her eyes widened.

“Wait... Little Courtney? What are you—?”

She recognized the uniform — Team Magma, the notorious criminal group in Hoenn.

Which made this all the more unbelievable.

They used to be friends who entered Pokémon Contests together...

Courtney lowered her head, clearly unwilling to face her old friend.

Seeing that he’d achieved what he wanted, August took back the communicator.

Daisy, still bewildered, asked, “Thank you, August-san, but—”

“I know you probably have a lot of questions. I’ll let Gary explain later,” he said, and ended the call.

Gary looked at his device, expression blank.

So I was just here to be the phone guy…?

While Gary was still processing, August turned to the now silent Courtney.

“What’s wrong? Can’t face an old friend?”

“A girl who once dreamed of Contest stardom, now a member of Team Magma...”

“Rather tragic, isn’t it?”

“But what surprises me even more is... that you still carry this.”

August held up a Contest Ribbon, twirling it between his fingers.

Courtney’s expression changed. “Give that back!”

She’d thought it was lost during the battle — she never expected it to have ended up in August’s hands.

That ribbon was a precious memory.

August smiled slightly and tossed it back to her.

The moment she caught it, his voice reached her ears, low and steady:

“Team Magma is falling apart. In Hoenn, everyone’s hunting you down...”

“Do you really want to live the rest of your life like this? Hated and hunted?”

“What are you saying...?”

“I’m offering you another path,” August said. “Cut ties with your past. Join us.”

In the original storyline, Courtney had helped Ruby stop Groudon and Kyogre, and paid for it with her life. Unlike others who’d been brainwashed by Team Magma’s ideology, she still had something worth saving.

Courtney froze. “You’re not with the League?”

In her mind, League officers would never say something like this.

“Of course I am,” August said. “But my division’s a little special. Ever heard of Interpol?”

Courtney: “...”

Of course she had.

She’d even clashed with them before — but never with someone like him. She’d never stood a chance.

August went on. “We’re preparing to wipe out the remaining Magma and Aqua bases in Hoenn. But you guys are slippery — not strong, but damned good at hiding.”

“So we need help.”

“I know you’re not as fanatical about Magma’s mission as you pretend to be.”

“And since you know Daisy, you were my first choice. So — what do you say?”

If he’d opened with that, Courtney would have rejected him outright.

But now, under August’s unnerving clarity, she felt stripped bare.

She fell silent.

And in moments like these, silence was already an answer.

She was wavering.

August didn’t push. He just smiled lightly, motioned to Gary, and left the interrogation room.

Gary, having witnessed the entire psychological takedown, no longer thought anything about his own status.

He just stared at August with something close to fear.

“She’s probably going to say yes now, right?”

But August shook his head. “Not necessarily. That was just the appetizer. We still need the final push — the most important part.”

“Huh?” Gary blinked.

She’s already wavering. What more do you need?

Without answering, August opened the door to the adjacent room.

Creaaak.

Immediately, Gary felt someone’s gaze lock onto him.

Looking over, he saw Maxie — tied to a chair, guarded by an Eevee — staring through the one-way glass into the interrogation room.

He could clearly see Courtney’s conflicted expression.

And on the wall beside her: a lie detector display.

“Maxie,” August said casually, “your subordinate’s about to switch sides. Thoughts?”

Maxie growled. “She’s just a grunt. It means nothing. But I won’t forget this — any of you!”

August, unfazed, nodded with satisfaction. Then he handed a voice recorder to Gary.

“Give this to her.”

Gary: “.....”

Unbelievable. His lack of shame is just… consistent.

Is this how you tricked Sabrina into joining, too?

Muttering internally, Gary walked off.

Later, after Courtney had listened to the recording—

August hit a button on a nearby remote.

The one-way glass became two-way.

She looked up and saw August waving at her...

...and Maxie glaring daggers.

“.....”

She knew then — there was no going back.

Courtney joining the Kanto Interpol division didn’t surprise most people.

After all, compared to a former Rocket executive, or Giovanni’s own son, a Team Magma officer wasn’t anything to write home about.

“Let’s welcome Courtney to the team,” August said to the gathered group.

Courtney remained quiet under the stares.

She wasn’t shy — but being a former enemy made things awkward.

Of those present, Gary had seen the entire process firsthand.

Blue and Sabrina already knew August intended to flip her, so they weren’t surprised.

Only Zinnia looked completely stunned.

“You!?”

She had once infiltrated Magma and Aqua to earn the favor of Lord Rayquaza, and had fought Courtney during that time.

Courtney recognized her too — and was just as surprised.

“So,” August said, “our full department name is the International Police, Kanto Division. Courtney, like Zinnia, you’ll be starting as a trainee.”

At that, Courtney glanced at Zinnia.

So she joined Interpol too... was it also because of August?

She had questions — but chose to stay silent.

August broke the silence. “Do you know where Team Magma’s remaining bases are?”

Courtney nodded, pulled out a Hoenn map, and began marking.

Within minutes, over a dozen locations were circled.

She put the pen down. “These are the key sites.”

August compared them to his intel — it was triple the number he had. She’d filled in every gap he had.

She could be trusted — for now.

“How much do you know about Team Aqua’s hideouts?”

Courtney marked a few triangles. Fewer, but still new to August.

“Knew it — no one knows Aqua better than Magma,” he muttered.

“If you need detailed info, Shelly was caught with me — she should know more,” Courtney offered.

August nodded. He already knew.

But unlike Courtney, Shelly was too deep into the ideology — he didn’t need a time bomb in his own ranks.

He wasn’t greedy. These leads would keep them busy for a while.

He snapped photos of the map and forwarded them to Steven.

Let him do the legwork.

With that done, August was about to wrap up the meeting and ask Sabrina to help Courtney integrate, when—

“Mew~!”

A familiar voice rang in his ears.

...Mew?

He turned — and froze.

There stood Mew, holding the hand of a young girl in a dress, smiling and waving at him.

Instantly, everyone in the room turned to look at August.

Even though they had no idea what was going on, they knew the story started with him.

August: “....”

Why are you all looking at me?

I don’t know her either!

Then—

"Hello!" the girl beamed, extending her hand. "Thank you for saving Hoenn!"

The voice echoed in his mind.

August had a strong suspicion of who she was...

“No need to thank me!”

He reached out to shake her hand — and the moment their hands touched, the girl grinned mischievously.

Fwoosh!

A flash of light.

The girl transformed — revealing a white-and-red Pokémon with sleek wings extending from her back.

Looking at him with a playful smile.

Latias!

August stared.

Seriously? I looked away for one moment, and Mew brings back a Latias like it’s no big deal?

Are you a stray cat or a traveling frog!?

Just as he thought that, Mew let out a cheerful “Mew~” and made a few gestures.

And August... immediately understood.

---

T/N: YESSS COURTNEYYYY and latias... this isnt breeding sim!

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!