Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [221]

Was August afraid of being hunted down by Arceus?

If he were being honest—yeah, maybe just a little.

After all, just looking at the strength Lugia and Ho-Oh had shown—far beyond what the anime ever depicted—he couldn’t even begin to guess how powerful Arceus might be.

But then again, when you’ve got enough lice, you stop feeling itchy; when you’ve got enough debt, you stop worrying about it.

Including the [Icicle Plate] he’d just found, August now had four plates in his possession...

So he just had to move faster. The more plates he offloaded before the alpaca showed up, the less trouble he’d have on his hands.

Stowing the plates away, August turned to Celebi, ready to strike up a friendly conversation, maybe strengthen their rapport a bit.

But before he could say anything, a voice suddenly echoed in his head.

Mew?

August froze. Was he hearing things? How could he be hearing Mew’s voice? Wasn’t Mew still at the Tree of Beginning? How could it possibly—

Just as he was thinking this, the voice came again, even clearer this time.

Mew?

And this time, it wasn’t just August—Celebi heard it too.

August looked up, only to see Mew floating casually nearby, staring at the two of them.

“?!”

A look of disbelief crossed August’s face. “Mew? What are you doing back here?”

Mew~!

Mew pulled a communicator out from who-knows-where and waved it in front of August.

On the screen was a message from Mewtwo.

"..."

August didn’t even know what to say. He let out a helpless laugh.

Guess this was just karma.

He only had himself to blame for once telling Mewtwo that Mew was its mother.

At that moment, Mew floated over to Celebi.

Unlike Mewtwo, Mew and Celebi actually knew each other—and were on pretty good terms, in fact.

Mew perched on the couch, looking at Celebi. Mew? (What are you doing with August?)

Bi~

Celebi hung its head, looking dejected, unwilling to speak.

And just like that, August suddenly felt like the third wheel in the room.

This time, Mew had no intention of leaving anytime soon.

According to Mew, it had already taken care of a small issue at the Tree of Beginning and even gotten Suicune—who just happened to be passing by—to look after things in its absence. For the time being, there shouldn’t be any problems.

August: “...”

If it were any other Legendary Pokémon, August might actually trust them to take care of the Tree.

But Suicune...?

Yeah, August had his doubts.

Still, seeing how relaxed Mew looked about the whole thing, he didn’t press the issue. After all, the crime syndicates in Kanto had pretty much been cleaned up thanks to him.

Team Rocket could barely manage their own turf now. No way they’d have the resources to mess with the Tree of Beginning.

With that thought, August let the matter drop.

Just then, Blue walked into the room, only to see Mew and Celebi sitting side-by-side on the couch, holding hands. She rubbed her eyes, wondering if she’d been writing her report too long and was starting to hallucinate.

She shot August a look: What’s going on here?

“Mew’s here because Mewtwo called it over. But forget that—wanna come help interrogate Pryce?” August asked.

Blue thought for a moment. She’d been working on her paper for quite a while—taking a break didn’t sound like a bad idea.

So she nodded.

In the holding cell, Pryce had just regained consciousness thanks to Celebi’s healing.

He sat in silence, staring at August, Blue, and Celebi.

“Pryce, don’t you have anything to say?” August tapped on the table.

“What do you want to know?” Pryce replied.

That actually stumped August for a second. What did he want to ask?

Evidence? The League had already gotten most of that from the captured Masked Corps officers. If they needed anything from Pryce, it would just be minor details.

Motive? August already knew that. Pryce had turned to crime to try and save the parents of his Lapras, Glacier.

Method? They already had the evidence—did the specifics of how he did it even matter anymore?

After a moment of thought, August asked, “How exactly did you make those ice clones?”

He still hadn’t quite gotten over not picking the Silver Mask, after all.

Pryce glanced at him, studying him briefly before saying, “You won’t be able to learn it.”

“?”

August blinked, confused.

What’s that supposed to mean? I beat you, didn’t I? How can you be so sure I can’t learn it?

Seeing the look on his face, Pryce replied evenly, “If you want to learn how to make ice clones, start by getting a Champion-level Ice-type Pokémon. Then, come back when you’ve mastered at least half of my understanding of Ice-types.”

August: “.....”

Yeah, he really didn’t have that.

His strengths were in Psychic-types, and he was passable with Dragon-types.

Ice-types? He couldn’t even fake it—he knew next to nothing.

His only Ice-type Pokémon was the one Pryce had given him.

Still, no way was he going to lose face.

“Fine. I’ll come back once I’ve gotten the hang of Ice-type moves,” he said stubbornly.

Pryce gave no response.

Since failing to capture Celebi, he had fallen into complete despair. Nothing seemed to matter to him anymore.

Then Pryce’s gaze shifted from August to Blue. “Blue. We meet again. Where’s Silver?”

At the mention of that name, Blue tensed up.

But she quickly realized Pryce was already in custody. She met his gaze and said, word by word, “I’m not afraid of you anymore!”

Pryce was silent for a moment. “...I’m sorry.”

Blue pressed her lips together.

She’d imagined this confrontation countless times—questioning him, yelling at him, demanding justice. But now, faced with the broken man in front of her, she suddenly didn’t know what to say.

She already knew the full story from August.

At its core, this wasn’t a villainous scheme. It was the tragedy of someone who couldn’t accept loss—and in trying to undo one tragedy, ended up creating another...

Seeing this, August reached under the table and gently patted the back of Blue’s hand.

After comforting her, he turned back to Pryce. “Is there anything else you want to say?”

He was starting to regret bringing Blue here. He’d hoped it would help her let off some steam, but in the end, it only seemed to have made her feel worse.

“...Take care of Glacier. And if you can, help it find its parents,” Pryce said quietly. Then he closed his eyes and fell silent.

Seeing this, August gave a wave to Indeedee.

Pryce didn’t resist as Indeedee led him back to his cell.

...

The final keystroke echoed as Blue finished her mission report in the living room.

Then she handed the file over to August.

“You feeling okay?” August asked, watching her closely.

“I’m fine,” Blue replied, a little puzzled.

“Don’t push yourself too hard,” August said.

“…” Blue reached out and ruffled his hair. “You’re not running a fever or anything… so why are you saying weird stuff?”

“Back when we were interrogating Pryce…”

Hearing that, Blue suddenly understood—and then burst out laughing. “Pryce getting arrested is definitely something to celebrate. You’re not seriously thinking I’d get all depressed just because of a few words he said… right?”

August: “Alright… guess I was overthinking.”

He really had been overthinking it. Blue had once lived under the shadow of the Masked Corps. Even that environment hadn’t broken her.

How could a few words do it now?

As the two chatted, Sabrina stepped into the room and gave them a puzzled look. “What are you two doing…”

She reached for a small cake sitting on the table and took a bite, ignoring August’s half-formed warning.

Her eyes lit up. “Not bad! Did Indeedee make this?”

August sighed as she swallowed the bite. “Yeah, it did. But that was for Little Lugia.”

Sabrina froze. “…Little Lugia?”

She had a very bad feeling about this.

Sure enough, in the next second, a surge of warmth rushed through her body.

Sabrina’s face turned bright red. She glared at August. “Why didn’t you stop me?!”

With a flash of teleportation, she vanished back to her room.

Blue, having handed over the USB drive with the report, quickly ran upstairs to check on her.

Watching their retreating backs, August looked innocent. “You moved so fast I didn’t even have time to stop you…”

Oh well. It wasn’t like this was the first time Sabrina had eaten it.

Shaking his head, August plugged the USB into his computer and sent the report to Interpol HQ.

With the mission wrapped up this well, shouldn’t they at least give him a few more promotions?

Wait, no…

He’d just been promoted recently. If they bumped him up again, wouldn’t that be a little too fast?

As he mused, he scooped up Mew—who’d been playing with Celebi—and hugged it close.

Mmm… it felt amazing to hold.

...

HQ’s reply came quickly. August had sent the email around noon, and by dinner time, he already had a response.

Considering the time zone difference, August started to wonder if HQ had people working 24/7 in rotating shifts just to monitor their inbox.

The message was long.

It started with the usual congratulations and commendations on a job well done.

August skimmed past the formalities and scrolled down.

To his surprise, not only had their department’s annual budget seen a significant increase, he had actually been promoted again—despite already leaping several ranks previously.

“I’ve gotta be the fastest-promoted agent in Interpol history,” he muttered.

Blue, overhearing, leaned over with interest. “Promotion?”

“Of course. Everyone involved in the Johto operation just got bumped up a level,” August said.

That got everyone excited.

Especially Gold, who pointed at himself in disbelief. “Wait—I got promoted too?”

He’d only joined recently and didn’t feel like he’d done much. How did he end up getting a raise?

August grinned. “Blue told me how well you performed in the fight against Ariana…”

“But, your and Silver’s skills still need work. So for now, you’ll both continue as rookie trainers. Time to go train.”

Gold nodded without complaint. Silver… though still occasionally annoyed by Gold, also gave a serious nod.

He needed to get stronger.

Only then could he destroy Giovanni’s evil plans with his own hands.

“Excellent…” August smiled and handed them two registration forms. “These are for the official Pokémon Qualification Exam. Your first task as rookie trainers is to pass the test—and then enter the Indigo Conference!”

Pokémon Qualification Exam? A test?

Gold looked a bit stiff. This… wasn’t exactly his strong suit.

“Problem?” August asked. “If you’re not up for it, I won’t force you.”

Hearing that, Gold—who’d been ready to back out—felt provoked. He snatched the form from August’s hand. “Of course I’m up for it!”

Silver quietly took his as well.

Sabrina watched this play out with a sigh.

So young. They were both suckered in by such a basic reverse psychology tactic. Even Gary wouldn’t fall for that.

And only August would think of throwing rookie trainers straight into the Indigo Conference.

But August didn’t think there was anything wrong with what he was doing.

Special talent called for special measures. With the potential those two had, this kind of pressure wouldn’t crush them—it would motivate them.

Of course, having wrapped everything up, August didn’t forget to post the promotion news to their group chat.

Seeing Gary moan about how he felt like he’d missed out on a million-dollar opportunity, August stroked his chin.

Was that anonymous viewer in the livestream really Gary…?

He was very curious.

With the Johto incident officially closed—perhaps too smoothly—HQ seemed momentarily unsure what to do next.

As a result, August found himself with some rare downtime.

...

On a private beach in Lampurchi,

August lay under the sun, enjoying a peaceful sunbath at the luxury resort.

Gardevoir was stretched out next to him.

Salamence was grilling with Slowpoke, Marshtomp, and Gengar.

Mareep, who hated water, had teamed up with Blue’s Jigglypuff and Clefable, playing in the sand.

As for Eevee, Celebi, and Mew—they’d somehow ended up forming a sandcastle-building trio.

But every time Eevee tried to build a castle, something went wrong. This time was no exception: a crimson Gyarados burst out of the water, sending a gust of wind that flattened the half-finished castle into a pile of loose sand.

Eevee stared at the wrecked castle, frozen in disbelief.

Last time, Professor Oak’s Dragonite had stepped on it. Now this?

Its eyes burned with fury.

“Vee!”

Just as it stormed off to give Gyarados a piece of its mind, Celebi gently held it back.

Bi~

With a graceful wave of its hand, a ripple of energy enveloped the destroyed sandcastle.

Under Eevee’s astonished gaze, the scattered sand grains floated back up, reversing through time to form the complete castle again.

“Vee vee!”

Eevee looked at Celebi, eyes shining with admiration.

Celebi stood tall, hands on hips, chin lifted—praise me!

August had noticed their antics too. And when he saw Celebi actually use time reversal to restore a sandcastle, the corner of his mouth twitched.

Just as he was about to say something, his communicator rang.

It was a message from Blaine.

[Cinnabar Island Puzzle Master]: August, that meteorite you gave me earlier… I think I’ve found something. Want to take a look?

August blinked. Already?

It hadn’t even been that long since he’d handed it over.

He was just about to ask for details when another message came through—a picture.

August’s eyes widened, and he instantly sat up.

Inside a nutrient tank floated a very familiar figure.

Only half a body—but August recognized the Pokémon immediately…

Deoxys!

At first, August was fired up.

But his excitement cooled quickly—something was off.

For one, it was just a half-body. More importantly, the core—the most vital part—was missing.

Its colors also looked pale, as if…

As if it was one of those split forms from the original storyline—Deoxys clones without self-awareness, only capable of following basic commands.

Still, even a clone was a major breakthrough.

August quickly messaged back:
Wait for me. I’m coming now!

After sending the reply, he called out to Sabrina and Blue, who were still swimming, then summoned Salamence—who was mid-bite on a skewer—and packed up Gardevoir. After some thought, he brought Celebi and Mew as well.

And then, they flew toward Cinnabar Island.

Eevee: “?”

It looked at the castle, then at August flying off with its playmates—and suddenly felt so left out.

Out on the ocean, Blue hugged a floatie. “What do you think August was in such a hurry for?”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “Who knows. Ignore him—let’s keep going!”

She ran off into the waves with her Psyduck floatie, and Blue didn’t think much of it either—she dove in after her.

At that moment, a Dragonair surfaced from the sea, sending up a splash of glittering spray—it was a picture-perfect scene.

...

Cinnabar Island

Nearly a month had passed since August last visited this volcanic resort island.

This time, the place was even more packed—tourists filled the streets shoulder to shoulder.

“Is it hot spring season?”

He didn’t think much of it and had Salamence land directly in front of Blaine’s new lab.

One of the assistants was already waiting at the door.

Seeing August in beach shorts and a T-shirt, the assistant froze briefly, then remembered—this was the big boss.

The financial backer of the lab, practically a regional Oak-level figure in the research world.

“Mr. Blaine’s expecting you.”

Following the assistant inside, August admired the well-organized setup.

Money well spent.

He met Blaine in the core research zone.

Wasting no time, August got straight to the point. “So what did you find?”

“Follow me,” Blaine said, leading him to a large tank filled with nutrient fluid.

Floating inside was the half-bodied Deoxys from the picture.

“No need to keep you guessing,” Blaine began. “This unidentified Pokémon was cultured from the DNA on that meteorite fragment you gave me.”

“This DNA is vastly different from anything we've seen. My conclusion is that it's extraterrestrial in origin.”

August nodded. He was right on the mark.

Deoxys was born from a space virus encoded in meteorite DNA.

“Can you fully reconstruct it?” August asked.

Blaine shook his head. “Not really. What you see now is the absolute limit of what we can produce. To complete it… we’re still missing a key component.”

August knew what that was—the Deoxys core crystal.

That was its brain. Without it, it wasn’t truly Deoxys.

And that crystal was probably still in Hoenn’s Mossdeep Space Center.

Should I head to Hoenn? But there’s no legitimate reason I can give them to hand it over…

Even with his good relationship with Steven, this wasn’t something he could ask lightly.

After some thought, August decided to put it off until after the Indigo Conference.

He’d already promised Lance to help oversee security for the event.

“Professor, your discovery is huge,” August said.

If they ever managed to recover the Deoxys core, they might actually be able to bring it to life.

Blaine nodded and handed him a small box—a meteorite shard crafted into a pendant.

“This is the same meteorite, after stripping out the DNA. Based on my research, it has the ability to absorb natural energy. I thought you might find it useful.”

Considering August often faced threats ranging from top-tier trainers like Pryce and Giovanni to Legendary Pokémon, something that could absorb natural energy might be just the edge he needed.

“Perfect. Thanks!”

He tucked the pendant away, then paused. “By the way—has Ash arrived yet?”

He’d recommended Ash come here for training. Time-wise, he should be here by now.

“Ash? He’s training at the site of my old gym. I followed your request and designed a special regimen for him. He’s been improving fast.”

August had no doubts about Ash’s talent. “He’s got real potential. It’s just a shame…”

A shame his strength resets in every timeline.

“Shame what?” Blaine looked confused.

“Nothing. Just keep training him. Let’s give Gary a nice surprise later.” August chuckled.

Blaine shook his head. He’d never understand August’s bizarre sense of humor.

Still, he was more than happy to help Ash grow. In these past few weeks, he’d come to admire the boy’s spirit—and had already half-adopted him as a disciple.

Too bad Ash didn’t want to stay and inherit the Cinnabar Gym. Otherwise, he would’ve made an excellent successor.

---

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!