Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [240]

The eight matches for the Top 16 to Top 8 were spread out over four days—two matches per day.

Among them, aside from Gary’s victory over Ash, Gold had also been eliminated in the Top 16. Only Silver, whose strength surpassed Gold’s, successfully advanced.

August cradled Eevee in his arms as he spoke to Silver and Gary. “According to the bracket, if you both keep winning... you’ll be facing each other in the finals.”

Silver glanced at Gary, then gave a small shake of his head.

He’d already pushed himself to the limit just to reach the quarterfinals. The idea of making it all the way to the finals was unrealistic.

But just then, Gold clapped a hand on Silver’s shoulder. “Go for it, partner! I believe in you!”

Silver looked at him—smiling, giving a thumbs-up, flashing perfect white teeth.

After a moment of silence, Silver finally nodded.

“I’ll fight hard—for both of us.”

...

League Headquarters – Conference Room

Lance, August, and Agatha sat around a long table in a private internal meeting for the Kanto League.

“The League Council has approved your proposal,” Lance announced.

“Mm...” August nodded.

But when no follow-up came, he tilted his head. “That’s it? ...And?”

Caught off guard, Lance blinked. “What do you mean, and?”

“...Don’t tell me the council spent all that time and only discussed one thing?” August asked, speechless.

“Uhh...”

Lance’s expression turned vaguely embarrassed.

He didn’t have to say it—August could already read the answer from his face.

August: “......”

He’d expected the council to be inefficient—but this was beyond belief.

The proposal was already fully drafted. All they had to do was sign off on it. And that still took this long?

Honestly...

“It’s not entirely the council’s fault,” Agatha offered, speaking up on their behalf. “The recent incident with Team Galactic drained quite a bit of attention and resources.”

August shrugged as if to say, Fair enough.

Anyway, his direct superior was the International Police. Someday, when Lance became Champion, he’d understand what real frustration felt like...

After all, even a Champion couldn’t make decisions without going through the League Council.

That thought made August glance at Lance with a touch of pity.

Lance felt the look and instantly understood what it meant.

...And yes. It gave him a headache just thinking about it.

...

That was enough griping about the council.

August reached into Gengar’s stomach and pulled out his tablet.

“I’ve got a new lead on the attacker from the incident—a tip from Giovanni.”

There was a note of surprise in August’s voice as he said it.

He hadn’t expected to hear from Giovanni—usually it was August reaching out, not the other way around.

Clearly, his little game of leaving Giovanni hanging had really gotten under the Rocket boss’s skin.

Of course, when Giovanni tried to barter for intel in return, August shut him down with a single message that no doubt made his blood pressure spike:

"Thanks for the information. But sorry—we at the International Police don’t make deals with criminals. 😊 –August"

Shame I didn’t get to see his face when he read that...

Setting aside his private amusement, August handed the tablet to Lance. “Recognize this guy?”

Lance’s expression turned complicated.

Even now, the fact that August had established such a bizarrely functional line of communication with Giovanni felt utterly surreal.

Still, he dutifully opened the file August had sent. It was extremely thorough—name, age, gender, home address, personal connections, even the attacker’s known Pokémon. More complete than even the League’s own intel archives.

Lance’s brows furrowed as he read. “Looks like someone in the League’s Logistics Department... a division head.”

“This is the one who attacked the inspector?”

Lance had always known Team Rocket had planted moles throughout the League—but he’d never imagined he’d be receiving a dossier on one from Giovanni himself.

August nodded. “Let’s verify it, just in case... though based on what I know of Giovanni, he wouldn’t bother fabricating something this small.”

“If it checks out—deal with it immediately.”

Agatha, listening to this back-and-forth, felt completely blindsided.

Did she just hear right?

August had just said Giovanni proactively handed over the identity of a Team Rocket agent—one who was also the attacker?

A criminal syndicate handing over its own infiltrator to the League... is this the new standard now?

Maybe I really am too old for this job...

As Agatha wondered whether it was time to retire, August brought the conversation back to the Indigo Conference.

“Lance, I’ve teamed up with the Silph Group for something—using this year’s tournament to create a celebrity Trainer.”

“...Gary?” Lance guessed immediately.

The papers had all been talking about Gary—how he was the top contender to win the championship.

Lance had assumed it was just that Gary’s popularity had grown.

He hadn’t expected August to be orchestrating it from behind the scenes.

Agatha perked up at the mention too—remembering that this was Professor Oak’s grandson...

“You’re not worried it’ll backfire? What if Gary doesn’t become Champion in the end?”

Lance had no doubt about Gary’s strength, especially after the Gym evaluation trials.

But anything could happen in a Pokémon battle.

“A little pressure is part of growth,” August replied with a small smile. “Gary’s been with me long enough—he can handle it.”

“Even in the worst-case scenario where he doesn’t win, grooming a star Trainer benefits the Kanto League either way.”

Lance nodded. That logic was sound.

But knowing August, if he was mentioning this now, he probably needed something from him. “What do you want me to do?”

“I’ll need you to do this during the finals... then this...” August leaned in and laid out the plan.

By the time he was finished, Agatha was once again convinced that, yes—she was far too old for this.

...

August met Cynthia at a café. She was wrapped in a light khaki trench coat and about to take a spoonful of ice cream to her mouth.

August sat down across from her, setting his tray on the table with a casual grin. “Vanilla? Why not go for chocolate?”

Cynthia paused, staring at the two cups of chocolate ice cream on his tray.

Her expression—half anticipation, half bliss—froze.

Right... why didn’t I get chocolate?

Chocolate’s delicious too...

She instantly spiraled into choice paralysis.

August smiled. He’d discovered this little “weakness” of hers over the past few days—an unexpected vulnerability.

But he hadn’t come to tease her. He had business.

“I submitted a proposal to the League to send Koga to Sinnoh for support,” he said. “The council approved it. The partnership will be officially announced after the finals.”

“Really?” Cynthia lit up with delight.

Normally so poised and composed, the sudden burst of joy on her face made her seem... dazzling, somehow.

August quickly looked away and nodded. “There’s one thing, though—Koga agreed to cut ties with Team Rocket and return to the League’s side, but for now he’s under observation. You’ll need to keep an eye on him.”

That was no problem for Cynthia.

Gaining a capable ally was already more than she’d hoped for—and if what August said was true, Koga’s strength was on par with an Elite Four.

With that kind of power on their side, dealing with Team Galactic would be a breeze.

“I speak on behalf of the Sinnoh League when I thank you,” Cynthia said sincerely.

August waved it off. “We’re all part of the same League. It’s only right.”

Just as Cynthia was about to say something more, August’s devilish grin returned.

“So... two flavors of ice cream. Have you decided which one you want, Cynthia?”

Cynthia: “.......”

---

T/N: GET BOTH CYNTHIA!!! DONT LET THIS MAN CONFUSE U

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!