Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [278]

Surrounded by the swirling [Delta Stream], Mega Rayquaza bared its fangs in a feral grin.

Oh, you two were having such a great time ganging up on me a minute ago, weren’t you?

Now you want to back off?

Too late.

More importantly, ever since [Mega Evolution], Rayquaza had forged an even tighter connection with August—and it could feel his foul mood very clearly.

He’d planned to sit back, eat popcorn, and enjoy the fight. Then swoop in at the end and clean up.

Instead, he became the main target of a double beatdown.

Rayquaza channeled that indignation on August’s behalf. Its piercing gaze locked onto Groudon and Kyogre, making the two ancient Pokémon flinch.

Realizing the battle was now unavoidable, they didn’t hesitate.

They might’ve sensed they were outmatched—but fleeing before taking real damage would be too disgraceful. Might as well give it one more shot.

Kyogre opened its jaws and fired an [Ice Beam], glittering with freezing cold.

Groudon, whose Ground-type moves were ineffective against Rayquaza, went with another [Fire Blast] for support.

Rayquaza watched them calmly. Of the two attacks, only Kyogre’s had any real threat.

And even that was minimal.

August tightened his grip on the twin horns atop Rayquaza’s head. Its body shimmered emerald green as it soared higher, effortlessly dodging both attacks.

Groudon and Kyogre didn’t stop there—they prepared to attack again.

But then—

Rayquaza roared.

A surge of green energy engulfed its body.

It twisted in the air, then—clutching August tightly to its back—dove.

[Dragon Ascent]

Like a bolt of emerald lightning, Mega Rayquaza plunged from the sky, closing the hundreds of meters in a heartbeat.

Groudon and Kyogre barely managed to dodge to the sides as the attack crashed into the ocean.

BOOM!

A shockwave exploded outward, blasting both ancient Pokémon off their feet.

When Mega Rayquaza slammed into the sea, the energy sent a titanic ring-shaped tsunami rippling outward in all directions.

Seeing this, the watching Gym Leaders couldn’t stay idle any longer. They released their Pokémon, trying to shield Sootopolis from the devastating aftermath.

But even after throwing in everything they had, they could only blunt part of the impact.

The rest was only stopped by Mewtwo.

As they looked at Mega Rayquaza at the heart of the storm, they felt the gaping chasm between themselves and the realm of legendary Pokémon.

Up on Rayquaza’s head, August wasn’t doing great either.

This [Dragon Ascent] is ridiculous…

Even though Mew had shielded him in advance, the force of impact still made his head ring and vision blur.

And besides—against multiple enemies, hitting both targets cleanly in a high-speed dive was nearly impossible.

Shaking off the dizziness, August glanced at Groudon and Kyogre—both only clipped by the shockwave and still battle-ready.

Forget this all-or-nothing tactic.

Switch to [Draco Meteor]!

Rayquaza caught his intent immediately. With one claw, it slammed Groudon’s sneaky little head into the ground; with its tail, it sent Kyogre flying. Then it raised its head skyward.

A column of golden energy shot from its mouth, piercing the heavens.

It climbed thousands of meters—then exploded into starlight.

One by one, the golden motes condensed into glowing meteors, trailing fire as they hurtled downward, pulled by the planet’s gravity.

[Draco Meteor]—cataclysmic and apocalyptic—fell from the sky with a howling roar.

The meteors covered nearly all of Groudon and Kyogre’s range of movement.

The two Pokémon tried to dig and dive away—but Rayquaza pinned them both in place.

BOOM!

[Draco Meteor] landed dead-on.

One ancient beast was slammed into the ocean floor. The other, crushed into the earth.

…

The few meteors that had been on course to hit Rayquaza were destroyed mid-air by its own [Dragon Pulse]. The rest, Mew intercepted cleanly.

Rayquaza? Barely scratched.

…

Even among all of Rayquaza’s signature moves, the raw force of [Draco Meteor] in its Mega form exceeded August’s expectations.

That power…

Visually alone, it had to be twice what he’d seen back at the Sky Pillar.

Maybe those 100 extra base stats weren’t flat—they were exponential.

Staring down at the roiling sea and fresh impact craters, August let out a breath.

If Rayquaza had hit me with that back then, I would’ve run for my life.

Behind him, Zinnia was trembling with excitement, utterly lost in her Dragon gGod’s majesty.

This was the power she had devoted her life to. The proof that her faith wasn’t in vain. Only her Dragon God could save Hoenn from the meteor crisis!

Just as she was wondering if she could beg August to let her touch the Dragon God afterward, the water churned again.

Crack…

Battered and scorched, Groudon and Kyogre slowly rose from the sea.

Their resilience stunned the watching Trainers.

This… this is the strength of the ancient legendaries… Even broken and bruised, they were still willing to fight!

It was an admirable spirit.

But then…

Groudon and Kyogre lowered their heads… and respectfully turned aside—bowing to the great being still looming overhead.

Mega Rayquaza.

“….”

For a second, everyone felt a bit of disillusionment.

Even legendaries… are this pragmatic?

…

With Groudon and Kyogre thoroughly beaten, Rayquaza had vented all its pent-up fury.

The crisis in Hoenn was over. It looked like a happy ending.

Everyone was pleased.

Except August.

Standing atop Rayquaza’s head, he frowned.

Something felt… off. Incomplete.

Rubbing his chin in thought, he pulled out the [Red and Blue Orbs].

Sabrina raised a brow.

Why now? They’d already won. If he wanted to finish things, Rayquaza could just do it.

Then a terrible thought flashed through her mind.

No… he wouldn’t—

But in the next second, August stood tall atop Rayquaza, both orbs raised high, and called down to the two battered legendaries below.

“Groudon! Kyogre! Let’s finish this—once and for all!”

He, August, was going to end this millennia-old feud.

“……”

Of course…

Classic August.

…

In the end, Steven managed to drag him back.

Yes, the citizens of Sootopolis had all been evacuated. Yes, the city was already half-destroyed.

But some buildings were still standing.

If Groudon and Kyogre went another round, they'd have to rebuild the whole damn city.

Let it go. Please.

“…What a shame…”

August sighed, looking genuinely disappointed. “If you hadn’t stopped me, I could’ve resolved this once and for all.”

Steven: “……”

So now it’s my fault?

Still, considering August had just saved Hoenn, Steven let it slide.

“How do you plan to deal with Groudon and Kyogre now?” he asked, glancing at the two titans now groveling like schoolkids before Rayquaza.

August gave a surprisingly unexpected answer:

“Send them back.”

Steven blinked. “You’re not going to catch them?”

He was already bracing himself to smooth things over with the League—and August wasn’t catching them?

“Can’t afford to,” August said plainly.

Rayquaza could survive on meteors, floating in the stratosphere. Easy.

But Groudon and Kyogre? Not exactly low-maintenance.

Even finding a place to put them would be a nightmare.

They were beat to hell. They needed serious recovery time.

Underwater? Volcanic chamber?

But Kanto’s seas belonged to Lugia, and putting Groudon under Blaine’s Gym? Yeah, Blaine would absolutely lose his mind.

So… best to just leave them in Hoenn.

Steven had considered many things—but not August refusing to catch them for purely logistical reasons.

So realistic… it hurts.

Groudon and Kyogre: “…”

Good news: they wouldn’t be captured.

Bad news: they were… rejected.

They looked at August with a deeply aggrieved expression.

Of course, August had other reasons.

“I don’t need to catch them,” he said, holding up the orbs. “With these, if I call them, you think they won’t come?”

He gave them a look.

What could they do?

They’d been beaten. Obviously, they’d obey…

“….”

Steven glanced toward the two legendaries, now behaving under Mega Rayquaza’s watchful eye.

August… wasn’t wrong.

At this point, it was basically the same as catching them.

Rayquaza let out a final roar, as if to say: Enough.

Groudon and Kyogre, dragging their wounded, exhausted bodies, gave Rayquaza one last glance—then turned away.

One dove beneath the sea.

The other sank into the earth.

Soon, both their auras vanished from August’s senses.

The Gym Leaders and Elite Four who witnessed the whole thing were left awestruck.

Once Groudon and Kyogre were dealt with, Zinnia saw her chance and sidled up beside August, giving him a hopeful nudge. “Um…”

“No.”

He didn’t even let her finish.

He already knew what she wanted.

She scowled—but August ignored her, whistling as he returned the now-normal Rayquaza to its Poké Ball.

Then he waved over Blue, Sabrina, and Gary—who had just finished packing up his camera.

Time to collect their accolades at the Hoenn Pokémon Association!

---

[Broadcast: Hoenn TV]

“According to the League’s latest report, the ancient Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre—responsible for the recent extreme weather—have returned to slumber.”

“…Effective immediately, the regional alert level has been reduced from 9 to 3. The Pokémon Association will begin coordinated post-disaster reconstruction with Devon Corp.”

“Champion Steven Stone calls on all Hoenn residents to join hands and rebuild our home!”

“For more details, we turn to Indigo League Champion and International Police agent Gary Oak, who previously helped intercept Groudon. Mr. Oak, can you walk us through what happened?”

As Gary appeared on-screen, wearing a cape and speaking confidently, Giovanni sneered.

“Hiding behind his subordinates now, huh? Looks like our Kanto branch chief is finally learning what it means to be subtle…”

Ariana didn’t reply. Mostly because… she didn’t know how to respond.

The boss is definitely changing.

He never used to be like this before August came along…

She held her thoughts until the TV segment ended and Giovanni shut it off.

Then she approached with a report on the situation.

“Our drones were destroyed by Rayquaza. No direct footage.”

“But the League did release partial clips…”

She plugged in a USB and opened a file.

Onscreen: Mega Rayquaza unleashing [Draco Meteor].

Giovanni flinched. That was the move that wrecked their drone.

The video was short. Clearly edited.

Giovanni knew August had released it on purpose. A display of power. A warning.

But he dismissed the thought.

“What about Groudon and Kyogre?”

He’d already heard August didn’t capture them.

The Magma and Aqua admins had been taken out—predictable—and the ancient Pokémon were defeated by Rayquaza.

Still, their power was undeniable.

“Our agents found no trace in the Seafloor Cavern.”

“They’ve likely realized it’s unsafe. We suspect they’ve found other places to rest.”

Giovanni looked mildly disappointed. If he could have captured both, plus the soon-to-awaken Deoxys… he would’ve had an absolute advantage over August.

Shame.

Still, it wasn’t a huge setback. As long as Deoxys emerged, he had a real shot.

He shelved the thought.

No more time to waste on Hoenn.

Now—onto more urgent matters.

“Did you contact Sird like I asked?”

“She’s been informed. She’ll meet us when we reach Kanto.”

Taking down a Rocket executive who had spent years working undercover wasn’t going to be easy—especially someone as cautious as Sachi.

They’d need the perfect excuse.

“Good.”

Giovanni’s hand tightened around the Ultra Ball in his grip.

This time—he was going to tear that mole out of Team Rocket for good.

---

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!