Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [254]

"August… you really just want to recruit some informants?" Gary asked, increasingly uneasy under August's ever-widening smile.

He had a bad feeling about this.

August casually opened the website as he replied, “Of course. Didn’t I already tell you? I really just want to bring on a couple of people.”

His tone was perfectly natural. Nothing sounded off—if you ignored how that grin on his face was starting to twist into something rather sinister.

Hey hey... August, your smile is literally warping now!

Gary felt like he’d just personally handed August a loaded weapon.

Still, there was one thing he clung to for reassurance—when he’d vented about August on that forum, he’d done it anonymously. His username had nothing to do with his real identity. Even August wouldn’t be able to trace it back to him…

Just as Gary was trying to console himself, August finished loading the site and typed into the forum search bar: “Young Master Gary.”

No results found.

August raised an eyebrow.

Huh? Has Gary actually gotten smarter?

He tried another search: “Ash Ketchum.”

No results found.

Ho…!

August turned and looked at Gary, and for once, he was genuinely impressed.

Gary didn’t know why August was looking at him like that, but based on his expression, he figured August must’ve come up empty.

Immediately, he felt like the sky had cleared, the weight had lifted from his shoulders.

Refreshed!

He puffed up his chest, practically glowing with smug satisfaction.

August didn’t press the issue. Instead, he rubbed his chin thoughtfully—then tried a different search term.

He typed: “Champion.”

Whrrr—

A flood of results filled the screen.

Among them were several posts ranting about how Devon Corp had teamed up with Hoenn’s Pokémon League through Steven, their heir and regional Champion, to crush Mauville Tech. Another post, by a user named “OfficeWorker,” complained about being exploited by Geeta, the top Champion of Paldea.

But most of the results came from one user in particular: “Who Isn’t a Champion, Honestly?”

August glanced over the feed, the corners of his mouth lifting, and clicked into that user’s profile.

Then he began reading aloud the top pinned post:

“Oops, accidentally became Champion. Anyone got tips on how to flex with class?”

Gary, still basking in his triumph, froze.

“Boss wants to drag me on a business trip to Hoenn without even asking. How do I shut him down so hard he can’t recover?”

The smile on Gary’s face was officially gone.

August kept going, now clearly enjoying himself:

“Anyone else got a boss who digs traps for them all day long? I need a counterattack strat. PS: Boss has way too many girlfriends…?”

Mid-sentence, August tilted his head and gave Gary a meaningful look.

At this point, it wasn’t just August staring at him. Blue, Sabrina, and even Gardevoir had all turned their eyes toward him.

“‘Who Isn’t a Champion, Honestly?’... that’s you, right, Gary?”

August’s tone was playful, but to Gary, he looked absolutely terrifying.

“Should I keep reading?” August asked with a sweet, dangerous smile.

“No, no, please stop.” Gary looked as though the life had drained from him.

What’s it like to get caught badmouthing your boss online?

Gary now had the most firsthand, soul-crushing experience possible.

He was practically a case study.

“Honestly, if you hadn’t admitted it yourself, I wouldn’t have figured out you were that active online,” August said, feigning admiration.

“Heh… haha, yeah, well…” Gary forced out an awkward laugh.

Clap.

August slung an arm around Gary’s shoulders. “Alright, alright. Don’t look so grim. I’m not a monster, am I? You really think I’d hold a grudge over a few online rants?”

He gave Gary a perfectly reasonable look.

Hearing that, Gary perked up with hope. “Really?”

Despite the number of times he’d been duped, Gary couldn’t help but wonder—maybe this time August actually meant it?

“Of course. When have I ever lied to you?” August said warmly.

Then he held up three fingers. “Here’s the deal—three tasks. Complete them seriously, and I’ll write off the whole forum thing. No hard feelings.”

“Think of it as me giving you a little training.”

“Really?” Gary brightened instantly.

That was way more convincing than August’s previous line.

Three tasks… even if they were hard, he was Professor Oak’s grandson and a Champion. He’d just power through!

Fired up, Gary clenched his fists. “What’s the first task?”

August checked his phone’s navigation, then pulled out a Poké Ball and released a Slowpoke with a vacant stare and a floating question mark above its head.

“…Slowpoke?”

Gary blinked, confused. What was the point of sending out a Slowpoke now? Was it going to quiz him or something?

August smiled. “Your first task is simple—before we reach the Team Rocket base, carry this Slowpoke on your back and catch thirty different species of Hoenn’s wild Pokémon.”

“Easy, right?”

Gary looked at Slowpoke and waved dismissively. “Piece of cake.”

He beckoned the Slowpoke over.

Slowpoke, seeing someone offering to carry it, brightened with a dopey smile. No walking? Score!

But the moment Gary got Slowpoke on his back, his expression changed.

Struggling under the weight, he looked over at August, voice strained. “August… how much does your Slowpoke weigh?”

“Oh, weight? Probably around 200 pounds… a bit heavier than average. I’ve been trying to get it on a diet, but it keeps slacking off,” August said with a sigh.

Gary nearly choked on his frustration—but held it in.

Good thing he had that legendary Protagonist Physique™. He could tough it out.

And so, the four “pilgrims” set off once more.

...

Southwest of Mauville City – Valley of Steel

Due to the abundance of aggressive wild Steel-type Pokémon, this area was practically deserted. Even non-Steel Pokémon were rarely seen.

“Why would Team Rocket choose a place like this for a base?” Blue asked Sabrina.

After all, only Sabrina had once been a Team Rocket executive…

Sabrina shrugged. “Base planning used to be Matori’s responsibility. I assume it was for secrecy.”

August offered a clearer explanation. “It’s pretty straightforward. Like Sabrina said, this place is outside of Team Rocket’s territory—they had to stay low-profile.”

“And the other reason: budget cuts.”

“Budget cuts?” Blue and Sabrina both echoed, surprised.

Especially Sabrina—as a former executive, she had no idea about that.

August chuckled. “What, surprised? The Mewtwo Project drained nearly all of Team Rocket’s liquid funds. This Hoenn outpost is just a listening post—it doesn’t generate revenue. It makes perfect sense to build it somewhere remote.”

“Oh, and Matori told me that herself.”

The moment he mentioned it came straight from Matori, they had no further doubts. No one knew Rocket’s finances better than the executive secretary herself.

“Alright, time to get moving. I think I can hear our new base calling my name,” August said as he pulled a map from Gengar’s mouth.

The location of the Team Rocket base was clearly marked.

He turned back and called to Gary, who was sprawled on a boulder, unwilling to move.

“Come on, Gary! We’re almost there! You’re not gonna give up now, are you?”

Gary responded with a feeble groan.

But he pushed himself up, forcing his legs to move and caught up with the group.

---

Team Rocket Hoenn Base – Valley of Steel

All the members stationed here were once considered nobodies—Team Rocket’s leftovers. They’d been sent to Hoenn as pioneers, exiled from the main branches.

But everything changed two weeks ago.

Giovanni himself arrived in Hoenn—right here, at the Valley of Steel base. Rumor was, he had come to enact a major operation.

The base erupted with excitement.

For these long-neglected grunts, Giovanni’s arrival meant a chance to redeem themselves, to contribute to Team Rocket’s grand mission, maybe even to get promoted into the inner circle!

Word was that the elite executive corps at headquarters had suffered serious losses. If they impressed Giovanni here, some of them could replace those fallen execs!

Everyone in the base was fired up.

So much so, they couldn’t even focus while monitoring the security feeds.

“Hey, Ōno, did a Slowpoke just wander across the screen?” one grunt suddenly asked, breaking Ōno’s daydream.

Snapped out of it, Ōno scowled. “What Slowpoke? You seeing things? This is the Valley of Steel. Steel-types only!”

“You forget how much trouble we went through just to build a base here?”

His partner laughed. “Yeah, maybe I’m just homesick for Kanto... Man, I’d kill for another bite of grilled Slowpoke tail.”

He licked his lips at the memory.

“Once Giovanni’s plan succeeds and we get promoted back to Kanto, you can eat as much as you want,” Ōno laughed. “Eat yourself to death, for all I care.”

“But what is Giovanni’s plan, anyway? He and Ariana left this morning again. No one knows where they went…”

“Who knows?” Ōno shrugged. “Stuff like that’s above our pay grade. We just do our job, and when the time comes, we show Giovanni the strength of the Hoenn branch. That’s how we get noticed.”

Ōno had his own philosophy of success.

“You’re right!” his partner said, clenching his fist. “Time to prove we’re not just dead weight out here in Hoenn!”

But before he could finish that thought, he froze.

Because the entrance camera feed suddenly showed four figures approaching the base.

One man, two women—and one person carrying a Slowpoke on his back like a complete weirdo.

He stared blankly at the screen. “Wait… is that…”

---

T/N: urgent, what to do if boss sold u out need answer immediately thanks -team rocket grunt

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!