Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [263]

"Dammit, let me go!"

Zinnia struggled furiously, but the handcuffs were exceptionally sturdy — there was no way she could break free.

All she could do was watch helplessly as August confiscated her Pokéballs one by one... and even stripped off the [Mega Anklet] from her ankle, the one embedded with the [Key Stone]!

Now, watching August and Gary prepare to enter deeper into the Sky Pillar with her in tow, Zinnia shouted:

"This is the resting place of the Dragon God! Intruders are forbidden!"

At August’s signal, the Eevee nestled in his arms leapt onto Zinnia’s head and knocked her smartly on the forehead.

Hearing Zinnia yelp in pain, August snorted lightly. "Intruder? A captive ought to act like one."

...

Built by the ancient Draconid People, the Sky Pillar was, to put it kindly, in a state of serious disrepair.

Aside from some murals still barely visible, the floors and stairways had deteriorated to the point where even a light step could cause them to collapse.

"I have to say," August remarked, "you Draconid People keep claiming the Sky Pillar is your sacred ground, but you sure don't do much to maintain it."

Gary, who had nearly fallen through a rotten floorboard — and only avoided a plunge thanks to Mewtwo’s quick psychic rescue — nodded vigorously in agreement.

This place was practically a deathtrap!

Zinnia, hearing August’s complaint, had no good way to explain it. Truthfully, even she didn’t understand why her people never bothered repairing the Sky Pillar. Probably a lack of funds... Their tribe had always been short on money, as far as she could recall.

But of course, she would never admit that out loud. Stubbornly, she retorted, "We deliberately leave it unrepaired — to keep out invaders like you who covet the Dragon God!"

She bared her teeth in a fierce expression. "I’m warning you — let me go now and leave, or if you disturb the Dragon God, you won’t live to regret it!"

August studied the ferocity on her face — and didn’t find it menacing at all. If anything, he found it kind of amusing.

"So what you're saying," he teased, "is that you’re actually doing us a favor?"

"Of course!" Zinnia snapped back. "I admit I’m no match for you — but you’ll never be a match for the Dragon God!"

She wasn’t just trying to scare him — she truly believed it.

Yes, Rayquaza had once been captured by the Hoenn Pokémon Association, but only through despicable means.

The man before her, August, didn’t seem to be carrying any of that specialized equipment...

Which meant — in Zinnia’s mind — he absolutely couldn't defeat the Dragon God.

"Well, we’ll just have to see, won’t we?"

With a casual remark, August continued climbing the stairs, moving up to the next level.

As they ascended, August could distinctly feel the immense and terrifying aura above them — the unmistakable pulse of Rayquaza’s presence.

Mewtwo felt it too. "I sense a powerful force," it said, glancing toward the ceiling.

Gary leaned closer and whispered, "Mewtwo... do you think you can beat it?"

His voice was low, but with so few people present, Zinnia caught it easily and strained her ears.

Mewtwo thought for a moment, then shook its head. "Hard to say..."

Gary’s heart immediately tightened with anxiety.

August, however, remained unbothered — he hadn’t come relying solely on Mewtwo. He had other Pokémon prepared as well.

Since Mewtwo communicated via telepathy, Zinnia couldn’t hear its direct words. She could only watch August and Gary’s opposite reactions — and found herself utterly baffled.

Can they win or not? Say something already!

...

Stopping here and there to snap photos of the murals, they finally reached the highest accessible floor of the Sky Pillar.

But...

"Where’s the staircase?" Gary said, frowning.

They searched the area, but there was no sign of a stairway to the top.

Gary turned to Zinnia — if anyone knew the way, it would be her.

The Draconid People had built this place, after all.

Under his gaze, Zinnia simply glared back. "Forget it! I’m not telling you anything!"

You capture me and expect me to help you reach the summit? Dream on!

But just as her defiant words fell, August calmly spoke up:

"If you want to reach the top, you have to activate a mechanism..."

He pointed at a metal ring embedded in the floor, and at a chain on the opposite side. "One person pulls the chain; another stands in the ring. Then a force will pull you upward to the summit."

"......How do you know that?!" Zinnia’s face went blank with shock.

This secret was supposed to be known only to the Draconid People — how did August know about it?!

August merely turned and smiled over his shoulder. "Take a guess."

Should I tell her I read it in a comic before I came to this world...?

He had forgotten a lot of Hoenn’s storyline over the years, but the parts involving Rayquaza — critical as they were — remained vivid in his memory.

Meanwhile, Zinnia was already deep in thought.

A bold idea surfaced in her mind.

If she remembered correctly, their tribe had once recorded that a branch of their people had left the Draconid settlement centuries ago, migrating far from Hoenn...

Could August be a descendant of those who left?

Otherwise, how could he know so much about the Draconid People — and the Sky Pillar’s hidden mechanisms?

Yes... that must be it!

Realizing this, Zinnia’s gaze toward August shifted subtly.

A trace of disappointment flashed in her eyes — disappointment that this "kinsman" had abandoned their ancient teachings, joined the League, and now sought to capture the Dragon God.

August, meanwhile, was utterly confused by the strange way Zinnia was looking at him.

What’s with that face?

Don’t tell me she’s had a mental breakdown or something...

Even so, he didn’t slow down. No matter what weird thoughts Zinnia had, he was already approaching the fiftieth floor.

First thing’s first — capture Rayquaza!

He beckoned to Gary.

"You want me to pull the chain?" Gary asked hopefully.

He was thrilled — if he stayed behind pulling the chain, it meant he wouldn’t have to face Rayquaza directly.

August rolled his eyes. "What are you dreaming about? I said the mechanism’s only for small children. I meant — step aside so you don’t get hit when I break through."

"Huh? Oh!" Realizing August was summoning Mewtwo, Gary quickly scrambled out of the way.

Zinnia, standing nearby, snorted derisively.

As if! The Sky Pillar was built with super-ancient technology. If it weren't, how could it still be standing when the internal floors are falling apart?

At that moment, Mewtwo raised its massive psychic "spoon."

Channeling its power, Mewtwo manipulated the utensil — reshaping it in midair.

In the next instant, the spoon had morphed into a gigantic, gleaming silver knife.

The blade gleamed with a cold, sharp light.

Blue light flared in Mewtwo’s eyes, and the giant knife, wrapped in psychic force, struck upward at lightning speed.

Shhhhk!

Where the psychic blade passed, even the walls and ceiling constructed with super-ancient techniques parted like butter under a hot knife.

Then — the slab above them gave way and came crashing down.

Boom!

The slab of stone smashed through the floor with a deafening crash, piercing straight through the aged, crumbling levels below — no one could tell how far down it had fallen.

Gary leaned over and peered down the newly made hole... but couldn’t even see the bottom.

Mewtwo morphed its psychic knife back into a spoon, while August stood at the edge, gazing into the passage Mewtwo had carved.

Sunlight streamed through the gap from the brilliant blue sky above, casting its light onto August.

Zinnia stood there, stunned.

"Let’s go," August said with a smile. "Rayquaza’s probably noticed us by now... We've been noisy enough. It’s time we said hello!"

With that, he tossed out another Pokéball — and Gardevoir materialized beside them.

Mewtwo led the way. August grabbed Gary, while Gardevoir hoisted Zinnia, and together they soared toward the Sky Pillar’s summit.

...

At the Top of the Sky Pillar

The Sky Pillar, towering fifty floors high, pierced through the clouds. And at this altitude came ferocious winds... and a biting lack of oxygen.

Inside the Pillar, Gary hadn’t noticed it much — but stepping onto the rooftop, he instantly felt the suffocating pressure.

Hurriedly, he put his helmet back on — the one he'd ditched earlier because it was too heavy. The moment he secured it, his breathing eased.

"At this altitude, any regular Pokémon would have its strength cut in half..." Gary muttered, not feeling very optimistic.

He turned to look at August — but August, standing without any protective gear, looked perfectly calm, unaffected by the harsh environment.

Even the Eevee tucked in his arms seemed mostly unbothered, merely struggling against the fierce wind that ruffled the fur around its neck.

Gary: "?"

Seeing this, Gary couldn’t help recalling all the promises August had made during training — how he claimed that, once you completed his training regimen, you’d be able to handle most of the world’s extreme environments.

Was he not exaggerating after all? Could I really become that strong if I train seriously...?

At that moment, August lifted his head, looking toward a particular spot.

Gary followed his gaze — and there, in the swirling clouds, a massive, indistinct figure loomed.

"Is that...?"

"That’s Rayquaza — the Dragon God!" Zinnia cried out at the same time August spoke.

It was... a little shameful, really.

As the successor to Aster among the Draconid People, this was the first time Zinnia had ever gotten so close to the Dragon God.

Even back when they’d rescued Rayquaza from the League’s clutches, she had only caught a glimpse of it from afar before it soared away.

Now, standing this close to the Dragon God, her heart pounded with excitement.

She wanted nothing more than to rush forward immediately, to prove herself worthy — to earn Rayquaza’s acknowledgment — and one day, together with the Dragon God, save Hoenn from the oncoming meteor disaster.

But just as she was about to move, the handcuffs at her wrists and the psychic force restraining her from Gardevoir yanked her back to reality.

"Let me go! If you don’t, the Dragon God will destroy you!" Zinnia yelled, writhing against her bonds.

August shot her a glance, amused. "Funny, it doesn’t look like your Dragon God cares much about you."

Despite Zinnia’s shouting, Rayquaza remained curled up in sleep.

Even when Mewtwo had ripped a hole through the Sky Pillar, Rayquaza had barely stirred. Clearly, it didn’t consider such disturbances worth its attention.

At the moment, Rayquaza remained ensconced in a dense layer of ozone — a shimmering, protective barrier wrapped tightly around it.

"What now, August?" Gary asked cautiously, snapping pictures with his phone even as he spoke.

You could tell Gary was nervous.

But even so, he hadn’t forgotten his tasks: to report back to Grandpa Professor Oak — and, more importantly, to show off to Ash later.

Yes... August figured Gary was probably more motivated by bragging rights than by duty.

As for Gary’s question, August simply snapped his fingers. "Simple. We wake it up."

"Wake it up? How?" Gary asked, bewildered.

Mewtwo had already made a ruckus earlier, and Rayquaza hadn’t even twitched. How was August planning to wake it now?

"Eevee, [Swift]!"

At August’s command, Eevee leapt forward — unleashing a barrage of shimmering, star-shaped energy projectiles.

Gary’s jaw dropped.

"This is your idea of a polite greeting?!"

Attacking someone in their sleep — how the hell is that polite!?

Before Gary could finish ranting, the [Swift] slammed into the ozone barrier surrounding Rayquaza.

Some of the stars exploded on impact, punching open holes in the barrier. The remaining stars slipped through, landing squarely on Rayquaza’s emerald-green scales.

It was like flipping a switch.

The surrounding ozone layer instantly surged inward, flowing back into Rayquaza’s body. The swirling clouds churned violently, and patches of Rayquaza’s green, ring-marked body were revealed to their stunned eyes.

Then — Rayquaza’s tightly shut eyes snapped open.

Golden, emotionless pupils locked onto them.

Among the three present, Gary — the most sensitive to atmosphere — could immediately feel the anger blazing behind that gaze.

"Rooaaarrr!"

Rayquaza’s earth-shaking roar left no doubt.

"August, are you sure this is okay?!" Gary had to shout at the top of his lungs just to be heard over the din.

August gestured for Gardevoir to pull Gary into a mental communication channel.

[GardevoirSupremacy]: "Of course it’s fine. Do I look scared to you?"

[Gary: ....]

Receiving August’s breezy response, Gary was left utterly speechless.

Seriously? Even now you’re making jokes!?

Meanwhile, Rayquaza finished reabsorbing the ozone it had shed during its slumber.

Its massive, serpentine body — far larger than any depiction August had ever seen in comics or anime — was coiled atop the dais.

Its twin horn-like protrusions jutted sharply from its head, and it lowered its gaze imperiously to the tiny figures below.

The overwhelming pressure was almost suffocating.

Even greater than the pressure Lugia had once exerted on them.

But August knew: this was just an illusion — a psychological effect caused by Rayquaza’s innate majesty.

It wasn’t [Intimidate] or any true ability.

Activating his [Aura], August felt the Mewtwo cells embedded in the back of his hand heat up slightly. Instantly, the oppressive feeling melted away.

Smiling easily, he waved at the Legendary Pokémon.

"Hello, Rayquaza!"

---

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!