Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [246]

The moment August praised him as a future Champion, Gary puffed up with pride, straightening his back and dramatically flicking his cape. “Of course I’m going to challenge the Elite Four!”

As soon as he said that, the runners-up waiting beside him all turned their heads.

They stared at Gary in surprise, clearly not expecting him to be this bold.

Feeling the attention on him, Gary only grew more fired up.

“I only narrowly lost to Elite Four Agatha last time—this time I’ll prove myself!”

He said it with confidence and high spirits...

But he didn’t notice August’s expression shift into something... odd.

Gary was about to say more.

But just as he opened his mouth, a sudden chill ran down his spine. His whole body involuntarily shivered.

He turned around instinctively—

Standing not far behind him was Agatha, leaning on her cane with a smile on her face. Her Gengar hovered at her side, pulling a grotesque face right at Gary.

“So ambitious, aren’t you, grandson of Professor Oak...” Agatha said in a tone that sounded kind and friendly. “I accept your challenge.”

But Gary, who was well aware of the long-standing grudge between Agatha and his grandfather, felt a full-body shudder at her words.

“.....”

Can I still say I was just joking around? Just talking big? Is it too late...?

...

Throughout the rest of the award ceremony, Gary looked completely out of it, his expression dazed.

Even during the photo op, he forced a smile so stiff it hurt to look at.

It wasn’t until August shoved the trophy into his hands that his expression finally improved a little.

When the ceremony was over—

August glanced at the now-dejected Gary, who had dropped the act and was openly sulking. “Come on, don’t look so miserable... Cheer up a little! You did just win the championship, after all!”

He couldn’t help but laugh as he spoke.

Honestly, he’d only meant to rile Gary up a bit—he hadn’t expected Agatha to walk in halfway through his speech.

Gary: “......”

He suspected August had planned it on purpose, but he had no proof.

Seeing this, August added, consolingly, “You really don’t have to worry that much. I mean, Agatha’s strong, but can she possibly be stronger than me?”

At that, Gary paused and thought about it. August... wasn’t wrong.

In terms of strength, August was definitely above Agatha!

And if he’d survived August’s brutal beatdowns, then... what was Agatha, really?

Thinking that, Gary straightened his back again, confidence restored.

He was the Champion, dammit!

...

League HQ – Conference Room

“A pleasure working together!”

The room lit up with camera flashes.

Just an hour ago, Lorelei had flown in from the Sevii Islands to the Indigo Plateau, where she now shook hands with Cynthia on behalf of the Kanto League—officially announcing the beginning of Kanto and Sinnoh’s alliance.

In a corner of the room, August stood watching Koga, who had just been released, with a suspicious gaze that made Koga’s skin crawl.

Finally, Koga couldn’t take it anymore and muttered, “August... what exactly are you trying to do? I told you, I’m not with Team Rocket anymore!”

August chuckled. “Oh, nothing. Just wanted to see whether you’re really defecting or just putting on a show.”

Koga: “.....”

But he understood well—after defecting, there was bound to be an observation period.

“By the way, do you know how to get in touch with Giovanni? I’ve been messaging him lately and he hasn’t responded.” August asked casually.

Ever since he’d taken advantage of Giovanni to get intel, the guy hadn’t replied to a single message.

August was starting to wonder if Giovanni had blocked him.

Koga raised an eyebrow. That one question alone held a lot of implications.

August was messaging Giovanni... and Giovanni wasn’t replying?

Wait, does that mean August joined Team Rocket?

Koga stayed quiet for a moment, then said, “Giovanni probably knows I’ve been captured, so he’s cut off all contact…”

As he spoke, he rattled off a phone number.

“…Wait, you actually had one?” August blinked in surprise. “I was just asking on a whim.”

“.....”

Koga nearly ground his teeth to dust.

If he weren’t now officially part of the League—and if he stood a chance in hell of beating August—he’d have smacked that smug look right off his face.

“But since you didn’t try to hide it, I’ll take it as a sign your heart’s in the right place. If you ever run for Elite Four, you’ve got my vote!” August clapped Koga on the shoulder.

Then, with Koga grimacing like he’d bitten into a lemon, August dialed the number.

Beep... Beep...

The call connected. August greeted cheerfully, “Giovanni-boss~”

Koga immediately turned to stare at him, utterly baffled.

“.....”

Seriously, which of us is the Rocket here...?

On the other end, Giovanni clearly hesitated, but then recognized the voice.

“…August.”

His tone was a mix of confusion, wariness, irritation—and a whole lot of gritted teeth.

He never imagined that even after blocking August’s email, the guy would still find a way to contact him.

But... this phone was meant only for Koga. So if August had it now—

“What did you do to Koga?”

August glanced at the man beside him, who was staring back like he was watching a ghost, and replied into the phone, “What do you mean what? Koga saw the light, realized there’s no future in Team Rocket, and joined us in the League.”

Giovanni sneered. “Heh...”

As if he’d fall for such a cheap attempt at sowing discord.

In Giovanni’s eyes, August’s credibility was already in the negatives.

August could only sigh. Man, nobody believes the truth anymore these days.

But that wasn’t the point. He had real business with Giovanni.

“Giovanni-boss, do you want to know who the Galactic mole inside Team Rocket is?”

“....”

Giovanni didn’t answer.

August had already pulled this trick on him twice. He wasn’t falling for it again.

Besides, he had more important things to deal with—

“The mole is Sird.”

August’s words slammed into Giovanni like a thunderbolt, derailing all his thoughts.

“…Sird is the mole?”

Even Giovanni couldn’t keep the shock out of his voice.

He was stunned both by the accusation—and by the fact that August just told him, straight up.

Giovanni’s brows furrowed deeply. He still didn’t fully trust August.

But August said no more. He simply hung up, leaving Giovanni with nothing but a seed of suspicion.

And August was confident—once that seed was planted, Giovanni would get to the bottom of it eventually.

When that happened, all August had to do was sit back and watch the chaos erupt inside Team Rocket... and enjoy the fallout between them and Team Galactic.

Not a bad little gift for Cynthia either, all things considered.

Just as he was thinking this, Koga turned and asked, “Wait... is Sird really a Galactic spy?”

---

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!