Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [227]

“...So, Lance, what kind of intel did you get?” August asked, curious.

When Lance had asked him to help out, he hadn’t gone into detail, so August hadn’t pressed. But now, being assigned specifically to security for the finals—was it possible Lance had received some kind of warning? Maybe Team Rocket was planning to stir up trouble during the championship and wanted him on hand just in case?

Lance shook his head. “Team Rocket’s been hit hard—twice—by you. They’re in no shape to cause problems right now.”

“Then why...?”

“The reason I asked you to help is more about precaution,” Lance explained. “There’s a very special guest attending this year’s Indigo Conference.”

“A special guest?”

“That’s right. And you asked me a while ago to help you find a Togepi egg, didn’t you?” Lance chuckled. “She’s the one who has it. She came partly to meet you.”

Someone important enough to be a guest of honor at the Indigo Conference, and in possession of a rare Togepi egg...

August had a hunch, but he still asked Lance for confirmation. “You mean...”

Lance smiled faintly. “The Sinnoh Champion—Cynthia.”

Even though he’d suspected it, hearing her name still felt surreal to August.

Wasn’t Cynthia supposed to be busy dealing with Team Galactic back in Sinnoh? What was she doing here in Kanto?

Could it be that the situation with Galactic had already been resolved?

He hadn’t heard anything about that.

August voiced his doubts.

Lance replied, “She’s here to discuss potential cooperation between Sinnoh and Kanto.”

His expression turned slightly helpless.

After the heavy losses suffered by Team Rocket, the pressure on Kanto had lessened dramatically.

Meanwhile, Sinnoh—still under immense strain from Team Galactic—had naturally begun looking toward Kanto for support.

August: ...

Great. First Hoenn, now Sinnoh. Everyone’s got their eyes on Kanto, huh.

He was heading off to support the Hoenn region, and now Lance had to negotiate with Sinnoh... There really was no rest for the weary.

Then again, maybe the real issue was just how many lunatics existed in this world.

Sometimes August truly couldn’t understand—what had the world ever done to deserve people who spent their lives plotting to destroy it?

“So, what you’re saying is,” August summarized, “the real threat this time might not be Team Rocket—but Galactic operatives who could be tailing Cynthia, trying to sabotage this whole diplomatic effort between Sinnoh and Kanto?”

It made sense. Team Galactic would never sit back and let the Sinnoh League forge an alliance with another region’s League.

“The mission’s a tough one—I’m counting on you,” Lance added. “Also, I’ve got my hands full for the next few days, so I’ll need you to pick her up from the airport.”

He handed August a slip of paper. On it was the arrival time of Cynthia’s flight.

There were still a few days before the plane would land.

...

After leaving Lance’s office, August made his way down to the League’s cafeteria.

Inside, his Salamence was currently inhaling food like a living cyclone, with Eevee happily tagging along.

The staff had gotten used to Salamence by now—August had brought the beast here often enough that everyone was familiar with its monstrous appetite.

No need for orders—Salamence already had an entire table’s worth of dishes laid out, courtesy of the ever-prepared cafeteria crew.

Eevee, with a much smaller appetite but boundless curiosity, was content to nibble here and there. Anything it didn’t finish? Salamence took care of the rest without complaint.

Salamence never turned down food.

And when it spotted August walking in, it actually began devouring the meal even faster, as if trying to clear the table before he arrived.

By the time August sat down across from it, Salamence had just stuffed the final slice of cake into its mouth.

The table, aside from a few empty trays, was spotless.

“You really know how to time things,” August said, half amused, half exasperated. He recalled Salamence into its Poké Ball, picked up Eevee, and headed out of the cafeteria.

With the bottomless pit finally gone, the exhausted cafeteria workers let out a collective sigh of relief.

At last, peace.

...

Kanto Division – League Headquarters

At the moment, the space that once served as the Kanto division’s office had been temporarily converted into a resting area for the Indigo Conference participants. Gold and Silver were in the middle of an intense last-minute training session.

“How’d the draw go this morning?” August asked, glancing over at Gary, who was watching from the sidelines like he was enjoying a show.

The Indigo Conference used a strict knockout system. First came four rounds of preliminary matches—lose even once, and you were out.

What worried Gary and the others the most was the possibility of drawing each other during the prelims.

“How could luck ever turn against me?” Gary scoffed, handing over a printout.

August skimmed the chart. Gary and the rest had indeed gotten lucky—they’d all landed in separate groups. If everything went smoothly, the earliest they’d meet would be in the round of sixteen.

“I’m warning you now—don’t go crashing out in the prelims,” August said.

“Impossible. Not even an option!” Gary waved him off with full confidence.

Please. After spending all this time running the Viridian Gym, poring over Giovanni’s Secrets of the Earth, and surviving August’s hellish special training—if he still somehow bombed the prelims, he’d write his name backward for the rest of his life.

“Oh? Is that so?”

August raised an eyebrow at him, expression unreadable.

Gary suddenly grew suspicious. “Wait—you’re not cooking up something evil again, are you...?”

That look on August’s face... it never meant anything good.

August sighed. “So that’s how little you think of me...?”

Gary shot back without thinking, “Isn’t it true?”

...Sigh.

So misunderstood.

August quietly decided that after the conference, he’d take Gary with him to Hoenn.

Gary instantly regretted his words. Why did I provoke him for no reason...?

He braced himself for a storm—but August just patted him on the shoulder.

Which somehow made it worse.

August ignored him and stepped into the adjacent office.

Though many of the original International Police headquarters’ devices had been moved to his estate in Saffron City, this office still held a certain charm—it was where August had first joined the organization and spent a carefree, under-the-radar stretch of time. The equipment here remained largely intact.

Inside, Blue was busy sorting through data, though Sabrina was nowhere in sight.

“Where’s Sabrina?” August asked.

He’d been hoping to go over some of the upcoming security arrangements with her. After all, her psychic powers were incredibly useful in this kind of work.

“She went to attend a meeting with the Kanto Psychic Association,” Blue replied.

August walked over to take a closer look.

Blue was compiling and organizing intel related to Team Magma and Team Aqua.

“Anything useful so far?” August asked.

Sure, he knew the general plot—but after everything he’d stirred up in Kanto and Johto, the butterfly effect had already thrown the original storyline into chaos.

Blue replied, “Based on the intel we’ve gathered so far... in the standoff between Magma and Aqua, it looks like Aqua currently has the upper hand.”

“A week ago, they planted a spy inside the Devon Corporation who managed to steal partial schematics for the submarine Abyss One. They were after the core components, but Steven arrived just in time, so they only got some files.”

August understood what Aqua wanted those parts for—it was all about reaching the underwater caverns where Groudon and Kyogre slept.

If they hadn’t secured the core systems yet, that meant there was still time.

“Intel gathering’s in your hands, then. Thanks, Blue,” August said.

Just as he thought things were settling down enough to take a short break—

Blue suddenly added, “There’s one more thing... an unconfirmed report.”

“What’s it about?” August asked.

“A Team Rocket airship was spotted taking off in the Johto region. Destination unknown.”

August: ...

Seriously, these guys never rest, huh.

As for where it was heading, and who might be on board—there was no telling.

Team Rocket had operations all over the world, after all.

August thought for a moment and told Blue to keep monitoring the situation. At the same time, he pulled out his tablet and sent Giovanni an email:

[Giovanni, you’re not in Johto. Where’d you run off to? You giving up on your son now? —August]

---

On the Rocket airship—

Having delegated Johto to Archer and Orm, Kanto to Sird, and the Sevii Islands to Carr, Giovanni was now reviewing intelligence reports on Team Magma and Team Aqua.

Then his tablet pinged with a new email.

When he saw the sender’s name, Giovanni nearly threw the tablet across the room.

But with his weak point still firmly in August’s hands, he gritted his teeth and opened it.

After reading the message...

CRACK.

He still snapped the tablet clean in two.

This damn brat. After all the humiliation August had dealt him in Johto, he still had the audacity to message him asking where he’d gone?

Giovanni almost found it funny—almost.

Eventually, after calming down, he took the new tablet Athena handed him and typed a reply:

[I am in Johto. As an International Police agent, are you not worried that secretly communicating with the leader of Team Rocket could land you under investigation? —Giovanni]

A counterattack—he was threatening to report August for colluding with the enemy.

[So you admit you’re not in Johto. Accusing me of collusion doesn’t work unless someone actually believes it—your own son, Silver, doesn’t even buy it. —August]

...

Giovanni clenched his fists.

[August, don’t you think your tactics are a little despicable? —Giovanni]

[Despicable? Coming from Giovanni himself? What an honor. I’ll be sure to pass that on to Silver—he’ll be thrilled. —August]

[Heh.]

CRUNCH.

There went another tablet.

---

Back at League HQ, August waited a while longer but received no reply. He looked mildly disappointed.

Did I break him? That wasn’t even my best material...

Still, the conversation had yielded something useful.

First: Blue’s intel was legit—Giovanni was no longer in Johto.

Second: Giovanni seemed pretty confident. Confident enough to think he could still win Silver back.

And as for his current location...

August pulled up the map and immediately ruled out Kanto and the Sevii Islands. In the end, his gaze settled on the Hoenn region.

If anything could give Giovanni the confidence to face him again, it would be in Hoenn—specifically, the two specimens still housed at the Mossdeep Space Center: Deoxys A and B.

[Got it. I’ll bring your son along when I come find you. —August]

With that final message sent, August tucked his tablet away.

Giovanni, on the other hand, though annoyed that August couldn’t shut up about Silver, scoffed at his supposed deductions.

Like hell you figured out where I’m going.

Even within Team Rocket, only a few trusted lieutenants knew about his journey to Hoenn. There was no way August had gotten wind of it.

“When I succeed in creating those two Pokémon... everything I lost—I’ll take it back.”

He clenched his fists again.

Then closed the email screen and resumed studying Hoenn’s strategic data.

What he didn’t know, however, was that August had already phoned Steven and given him a full tip-off—warned him about Team Rocket activity and told him to tighten security at the Mossdeep Space Center in particular.

---

Opening Day – Indigo Conference

The torch—said to have been lit by the flames of Moltres itself—was passed through the stadium, igniting the ceremonial cauldron.

While Gary and the others were busy battling through the preliminaries, August stood with Sabrina at the airport, waiting for a certain flight to land.

“You really dragged me all the way out here just for this?” Sabrina asked, twitching slightly.

Above her hovered a giant signboard with Cynthia written across it in bold letters.

At first, she’d been thrilled when August invited her along to meet Sinnoh’s Champion.

What she hadn’t expected was to be reduced to a glorified human welcome sign.

“Ahem... It’s no big deal,” August coughed. “Besides—aren’t we here to greet Cynthia herself?”

That second part, at least, he said with perfect confidence, leaving Sabrina momentarily speechless.

Just then, a League staffer jogged over and leaned in to whisper something in August’s ear.

August: “?”

Sabrina noticed his expression and raised an eyebrow. “What happened?”

August scanned the surrounding crowd, then shook his head. “Come with me.”

Still puzzled, Sabrina followed as the staff led them deep into the airport’s restricted area.

They reached the tarmac just as the plane finished taxiing. There stood Cynthia, dressed in her signature black coat, long golden hair held back with matching clips. Beside her was her Garchomp.

And at her feet—bound tightly in rope—was a man sprawled on the ground.

As August and Sabrina approached, Cynthia turned her gaze toward them.

“Mr. August?”

“Miss Cynthia.”

After a brief greeting and a quick introduction between Cynthia and Sabrina, they got straight to the point.

August looked at the man tied up at her feet. “A Galactic agent trying to hijack the plane?”

Cynthia nodded.

August didn’t know whether to admire Team Galactic’s guts or pity their brains. Hijacking a plane that Cynthia was on? That was practically volunteering to be arrested.

“Well then, since you’ve come such a long way, Miss Cynthia, we’ll take it from here,” August said.

Seeing no objections, he signaled for the League enforcement team to come forward and escort the unlucky Galactic member away.

---

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!