Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [249]

August and Matori reached an agreement—one that left both sides quite satisfied.

Matori passed along the crucial intel to Giovanni: that Sird was a spy for Team Galactic. In return, August obtained the location of Team Rocket’s base in the Hoenn region.

A win-win!

Well—he won twice!

After sending Matori—who still thought she’d done something noble for Team Rocket—back to her cell, August turned his gaze to Pryce, weighing the idea of bringing him along on the Hoenn mission.

It would certainly have its advantages. With Pryce's strength, he'd be a tremendous asset in any clash involving Legendaries.

But... August still didn’t fully trust him.

Let’s get a read on Hoenn’s situation first. Maybe it won’t be quite that apocalyptic after all.

With that in mind, August left the basement and began final preparations for departure.

---

Hoenn Region

Giovanni sat in silence, staring at the message Matori had just forwarded him.

With his intellect, it didn’t take long to guess what had happened.

But the moment he figured it out, his blood pressure surged like a rocket.

“August…”

Giovanni ground his teeth.

Nearby, Persian shrank back slightly, tucking in its head.

It didn’t know what had happened exactly—but its master’s temper had been getting worse by the day. Best not to risk drawing attention.

Just then, a subordinate knocked and entered the room.

“Boss, big news—Team Magma and Team Aqua are both making major moves!”

At that, Giovanni forcibly shelved the irritation August had caused him and turned his focus to more pressing matters.

“Speak.”

“Yes, sir. Here’s what happened…” The subordinate quickly gave a concise rundown.

As Giovanni listened, the tension on his face slowly eased, and a smile crept across his lips.

“They’re finally making their move…!”

---

Rustboro City

As the headquarters of Devon Corporation—Hoenn’s largest company—Rustboro had a thriving commercial scene, vibrant and prosperous.

The plane touched down.

Wearing simple glasses and dressed like a research scientist, August stepped off the plane with Eevee in his arms.

At his side were Blue and Sabrina, dressed as personal assistants. And trailing behind them… was Gary, carrying the bags.

“Why do I have to carry the bags?!” Gary griped, struggling with the weight as he followed behind. “Don’t you have Gengar?”

August did have Gengar—practically a walking four-dimensional storage space. Yet he still had Gary lug everything, and Gary couldn’t shake the feeling he was being targeted.

August turned his head and patted Gary’s shoulder, whispering, “Can’t be helped. I’m undercover as a researcher. A researcher with two female assistants—that’s standard. So you, dear Champion, have to play the bodyguard.”

“I mean… even so…” Gary wanted to argue, but nothing came to mind. In the end, he gave in. “Fine. Just this once.”

Blue and Sabrina watched the exchange, both barely suppressing their laughter.

Gary was completely under August’s thumb.

When they reached the airport’s exit, Devon Corporation’s staff was already waiting.

The moment they spotted August, they rushed over.

“Mr. August, welcome to Hoenn!”

This was no ordinary guest—this was the man who had revolutionized their Pokéblock formula, catapulting Devon’s product line into global success. Mr. August was a very important partner.

August returned their greeting with a pleasant smile.

“Hm? Where’s Steven?” He glanced around but saw no sign of him.

It wasn’t just curiosity. Before arriving, Steven had contacted him and personally offered to pick him up. Now that Steven was missing, it struck him as odd.

“Our apologies,” said the Devon staff, bowing deeply. “Something urgent came up at the company. Master Steven is dealing with the aftermath and asked us to receive you instead...”

August was momentarily speechless.

Why do all these big companies like to bow so much...?

He remembered the last time at the Silph Co. conference—their people did the same thing.

He waved a hand. “No need for all that. What exactly happened?”

Could it be… Team Magma and Team Aqua have already made their move?

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the Devon rep replied, “It’s the president. He was attacked…”

...

They traveled by car to Devon Corporation’s headquarters.

Along the way, August got a clearer picture of the situation.

In short, President Mr. Stone had been attacked by Team Aqua and was now hospitalized.

That left Steven—as both successor and Champion—responsible for managing the crisis, hosting a press conference, and stabilizing Devon’s stock price.

As for why Team Aqua had targeted Mr. Stone, the reception staff had no idea.

After all, they weren’t part of the company’s upper management.

August had his own suspicions. Gary, meanwhile, was practically itching for action—ready to face his first real battle as Champion.

Just as the Devon employees were murmuring in awe at Gary’s title, August casually remarked:

“Didn’t your first battle as Champion end with you getting wrecked by Agatha?”

“…..”

Gary froze in place.

By the time the car reached Devon’s HQ, the awkward silence had mostly faded.

The moment they stepped out, August spotted Steven.

“Steven! Long time no see!”

He extended a fist, catching Steven off guard. Steven had reached out for a handshake but recovered quickly, chuckling as he bumped fists with August.

Then Steven looked at the others trailing behind him.

He recognized Gary and Blue—they had both participated in the exchange tournament, and he’d been the one to award their prizes.

As for the last one...

“This is my assistant,” August said, giving Steven a wink.

Steven understood immediately: Keep their identities under wraps for now.

No wonder August dressed like a researcher today… well, technically, he is one.

Still, Steven wasn’t entirely convinced this cover would hold.

He knew what kind of chaos August had stirred up in Kanto and Johto. He’d forced Team Rocket to retreat, to lick its wounds and hide in the shadows.

Not quite infamous, but certainly well known.

If Team Magma and Team Aqua had even half a brain, they would’ve caught wind of that by now...

But since August had asked, Steven had no problem playing along.

It wasn’t like pretending cost him anything.

Still—this wasn’t the place to talk.

“Let’s head inside first,” Steven said.

With that, he led them into the building.

---

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!