Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [218]

Giovanni found it difficult to accept.

He had imagined countless versions of how he might reunite with his son, Silver.

Somewhere they would embrace and weep, overwhelmed with emotion.

Somewhere his son would struggle to accept a father he hadn’t seen in years, needing time to adjust.

He’d even—he’d even once had a nightmare: that when he finally found Silver, his son no longer walked this world.

But this—this was the one scenario he had never imagined.

His son. Giovanni’s own flesh and blood. Now a member of the International Police, declaring with righteous conviction that he would arrest him and bring him to justice.

Behind Giovanni, the Rocket executives exchanged glances—part sorrowful for their boss, part... quietly gleeful in the darkest corners of their hearts.

If Giovanni’s son had become an International Police agent, then surely he couldn’t inherit Team Rocket.

Which meant that when Giovanni eventually stepped down, the next leader of Team Rocket would have to be chosen from among them.

Of course, that thought remained buried deep. Outwardly, their expressions didn’t flicker.

Giovanni remained unaware of any of this. His gaze lingered on Silver’s cold expression. After a long silence, he shifted the blame inwardly—toward August.

“August, what did you do to my son!?” Giovanni growled.

At the same time, he turned to scrutinize Silver, looking for any sign that he was being coerced.

August: “...?”

What did I do to Silver? I didn’t do anything!

How is this my fault now?

What is it with you people? Sabrina misunderstands me daily, sure, but we argue when we’re bored. It’s practically a hobby.

But you, Giovanni—you’re the leader of Team Rocket! How the hell did you jump to the conclusion that Silver turning against you is somehow my doing?

August started second-guessing himself. Wait... did I actually do something...?

He turned to Silver. “I didn’t force you to join the International Police, right?”

Silver shook his head, then addressed Giovanni directly. “I joined the Kanto branch willingly. I have only one goal: to dismantle your evil enterprise.”

“Surrender, Giovanni!”

No matter how much he wished it weren’t true, Giovanni had no choice but to accept it now—Silver had chosen a path that stood in direct opposition to his own.

Staring at this “unfilial son,” Giovanni fell silent for a long time.

His mind drifted to the time Silver had been kidnapped by Pryce, and how he’d later escaped.

Silver must’ve suffered a great deal over the years...

As an unfit father, what right did he have to judge his son’s choices now?

There was regret, a sense of loss... but more than anything, a quiet reassurance. No matter what, he had finally laid eyes on the son he had lost for so many years.

As long as Silver was alive and well, that was enough.

He had seen his son again—even if he couldn't take him back from August just yet, Giovanni was content.

Everything else was a trivial detail.

He swept his gaze over the Johto Gym Leaders surrounding him, pausing for a moment longer on Mewtwo.

He didn’t want to fight his own son.

And with most of his Pokémon either exhausted or incapacitated, staying here would only lead to being wiped out by the League. There was no value in continuing this standoff.

As for teaming up with Pryce to take down the League... what would he gain from that?

Let alone the fact that Pryce was his enemy.

The only reason he hadn’t helped the League fight Pryce was because, weighing the situation, it would’ve endangered his subordinates and the organization.

Time to go.

Just as Giovanni prepared to find an opening to retreat—

Suddenly...

The ancient shrine in the center of the forest clearing, half-buried in snow and knocked askew by the quake, began to glow softly.

A strange energy pulsed out from within.

Though the forest was now blanketed in winter, everyone present could smell a fresh, springlike fragrance in the air—like budding grass and sapling leaves.

“This is...” Bruno muttered in shock.

He remembered what August had told him about Pryce’s goal before they arrived.

He turned toward Pryce—sure enough, the man was staring at the glowing shrine, clutching the GS Ball Giovanni had given him, eyes gleaming with excitement.

“It’s finally happening!”

Without hesitation, he dashed toward the shrine.

Bruno’s heart clenched. Time travel mustn’t fall into the hands of someone like him—he can’t be allowed to capture Celebi!

“August!” he shouted.

August had already noticed the shrine’s change.

“Take care of Team Rocket!” he called, before turning to Mewtwo. “Mewtwo! Gardevoir!”

Both nodded. The three launched toward the shrine together.

By then, Pryce had already opened it.

Though the shrine looked modest from the outside, its interior was vast—bordering on infinite.

From where August stood, he could clearly see what lay inside: a world of dazzling, psychedelic colors swirling in every direction.

And in the midst of this mesmerizing realm, a small green onion-headed figure flitted through the air on tiny wings.

“Celebi!”

The moment he saw Celebi, Pryce didn’t hesitate. One hand clutched the Rainbow and Silver Feathers, the other gripped the GS Ball. With a flick of his wrist, he hurled the ball straight into that dreamlike world.

It struck Celebi dead-on, pulling it inside.

A long-held dream realized, Pryce’s eyes lit up. “Come, Celebi—take me back... bring me to the past...”

He reached for the Poké Ball containing Celebi.

Then—wobble.

In the blink of an eye, the ball snapped open!

Out popped Celebi, looking just as confused as Pryce.

Pryce: Wasn’t that supposed to be a guaranteed capture? Why did it pop open!?

Celebi: Wasn’t I supposed to get caught, then take him away?

The two stared at each other, equally dumbfounded.

Just as Celebi considered whether to pick the GS Ball back up and give him another shot, August finally arrived!

Seeing Celebi uncaptured, August wasn’t surprised at all.

Of course he wasn’t—because from the moment Giovanni had handed Pryce that GS Ball, August had been watching closely.

Back when he left the prototype GS Ball with Kurt, it was meant to keep Kurt safe. But fate had taken its course...

Giovanni had ended up with that incomplete GS Ball. Whether by accident or design, he hadn’t warned Pryce. And Pryce, too excited to notice, never even checked the ball.

Even after entering the shrine, he had no idea that the GS Ball in his hand was defective.

“You want to know why it didn’t work?” August asked.

Pryce and Celebi both turned toward him.

August held up his own GS Ball and smiled. “Because yours is the female GS Ball. Mine’s the male. Female doesn’t work when it runs into a male!”

Pryce: “???”

Celebi: “???”

With that, August tossed his GS Ball.

Thud!

The onion-headed creature took the hit squarely and staggered—then vanished into the ball.

No shaking, no struggle. It clicked shut instantly.

Pryce lunged for it, but Gardevoir waved a hand, using her psychic power to float the ball straight into August’s grasp.

Ignoring the system’s notification, August toyed with the ball in his hand, then looked to Pryce. “Wanna fight?”

He knew Pryce had to be burning with frustration.

Sure enough, Pryce wasted no time commanding his Swinub to attack.

August answered with Mewtwo.

Their unfinished battle from the Whirl Islands—resumed now, in the very depths of time’s fracture.

---

While August clashed with Pryce inside the shrine, battle erupted outside as well.

Johto Gym Leaders + Bruno
vs.
Giovanni and his exhausted executives
vs.
Four masked agents: Will, Karen, Sham, and Carl.

Though not as intense as Giovanni’s earlier fight with Pryce, the battlefield was pure chaos.

Sabrina held her own against Will, both a psychic-type specialist and a psychic himself, using her Alakazam and Kadabra to keep him completely suppressed.

Will, facing someone who could rival an Elite Four-level Pokémon with her own body, began to doubt reality itself.

Elsewhere, Blue teamed up with Silver, Gold, and Eevee that August had temporarily left under her command to take on Karen.

Though Blue was the only experienced trainer among the three, Gold’s unpredictable moves constantly threw Karen off—and that Eevee... Who trains an Eevee to the Elite Four level and doesn’t evolve it!?

The whole group plus that damn Eevee were driving Karen up the wall—and she couldn’t do a thing about it.

Meanwhile, Bruno took on Giovanni directly.

He stayed vigilant—even after August had told him Giovanni only had a severely injured Beedrill and Dugtrio left. Still, Bruno wasn’t about to get careless.

With Onix guarding him, he had his remaining Pokémon surround Giovanni.

Giovanni, frowning, used Dugtrio to unleash an [Earthquake] that forced Machamp back.

Even with my main forces down, Bruno dares face me head-on now... he thought grimly.

And his subordinates weren’t faring any better. After the previous fight, everyone was exhausted.

Giovanni made a decision. No way we’re breaking out by force... Looks like I’ll have to use it...

He reached into his coat.

Seeing this, Bruno assumed he was pulling out another hidden Pokémon and braced himself.

But instead—Giovanni drew a communicator and keyed in a command sequence.

“Calling for backup?” Bruno sneered. “It’s useless! The entire Ilex Forest is sealed off—no one’s getting in or out!”

For this operation, the League had gone all-out. Not only had August acted, but the entire League Association had made extraordinary preparations.

To prevent leaks, they had confiscated all communication devices and prohibited any external contact during the mission.

They had even mobilized a massive number of trainers to block every possible route into the forest.

If Giovanni thought reinforcements were coming—he was dead wrong.

That’s what Bruno thought, right up until—

A loud roar tore through the sky, followed by a massive shadow descending overhead.

He instinctively looked up—and his eyes went wide.

A colossal battle airship was plummeting from the clouds, descending rapidly.

The thing was huge, casting its shadow over the entire battlefield.

Giovanni, as always, hadn’t come unprepared.

His obsession with seeing his son again hadn’t blinded him—he’d had an escape route planned from the start.

Long before this confrontation, he had decided: if things went south, he’d toss the GS Ball and scroll to distract Pryce, summon the airship, and bolt.

In the end, the plan meant for Pryce ended up being used on the League instead.

Realizing the danger, Bruno shouted, “Don’t let them escape!”

But it was already too late.

At that moment, the airship launched a barrage of gas grenades.

Thick black smoke poured from the canisters mid-flight, and when they hit the ground, the entire clearing was consumed in darkness.

A perfect smokescreen.

At the same time, more gas grenades exploded amidst the chaos, adding to the confusion.

The League’s Gym Leaders scrambled to maintain control.

Giovanni, having done all he could, cast one final glance in Silver’s direction. A flicker of regret passed through his eyes.

He had wanted to take Silver with him—but there just wasn’t enough time. The smoke wouldn’t hold for long!

There were no combat personnel aboard the airship—only the crew.

Without hesitation, Giovanni let a Crobat that had descended with the gas grenades grab him by the shoulders and lift him toward the airship.

Orm followed close behind, his Jumpluff straining to carry his large frame into the sky.

But not everyone was so lucky. For instance—

“Don’t even think about running!”

Out of the smoke burst a Dragonair, releasing a precise [Dragon Pulse] that struck down the two Golbat carrying Proton, sending him crashing to the ground.

Jasmine directed her Ampharos to bring down Ariana.

But Ariana acted without hesitation. She tossed her Weezing forward as a shield, letting [Thunderbolt] char the Pokémon black as coal without so much as a twitch in her expression.

Archer came under attack as well, but managed to escape to the airship—albeit not without injury.

Only the unlucky Proton, and Petrel—still frozen like an ice sculpture and long forgotten—were left behind.

By the time the smoke cleared, Team Rocket’s airship had already risen high into the sky.

Bruno slammed his fist into a nearby ice pillar, shattering it in frustration, then turned his gaze toward the masked agents, who were nervously swallowing.

Giovanni’s escape was now irreversible. But no matter what, he couldn’t let these others get away too!

---

While the League outside was completing its roundup of the Masked Corps, the battle within the time rift was also drawing to a close.

Pryce’s Delibird hurled a barrage of [Ice Shards] toward August.

August swept his arm. “Mewtwo, [Psychic]!”

Mega evolved into the smaller, sleeker Mewtwo Y, the Psychic Pokémon simply raised its arm. With a squeeze of its fist, the incoming ice shards were crushed into dust and vanished.

And Mewtwo still had strength to spare—enough to help Gardevoir.

While Gardevoir was using telekinesis to hold off a [Blizzard] from Swinub, Mewtwo Y’s tail-like head appendage twitched slightly. A surge of mental energy joined the resistance.

The balance, which had been evenly matched, broke in an instant. The combined force overwhelmed Swinub, flipping it onto its back.

Delibird, of course, wasn’t going to stand by while its ally was attacked. It twisted in midair and became a blur, diving straight for Mewtwo Y.

Shhhk—

Seeing Delibird flying toward them at full speed, August issued the command with a thought: "Mewtwo, [Reflect]!"

It could’ve dodged with a burst of speed—but there was no need.

Hearing August’s command, Mewtwo Y tapped a finger to its brow. A glowing [Reflect] barrier of psychic energy shimmered into place before it.

Delibird didn’t see it in time—or maybe it did, but was too fast to stop.

Bang!

It smashed headfirst into the barrier. A web of cracks bloomed across the [Reflect] screen, and only then did Pryce realize what had been in Mewtwo’s path.

Delibird’s own velocity had become its worst enemy.

Dazed and staggering, it tried to distance itself from Mewtwo Y—but Mewtwo wasn’t about to let this opening slip away.

“[Psybeam]!”

Mewtwo raised its hand, and a rainbow-colored beam shot forth, hitting the dazed Delibird. Already disoriented, the creature instantly slipped into confusion.

Then—

“[Psyshock]!” August commanded.

Mewtwo’s hand glowed, and a crushing wave of psychic force slammed into Delibird.

It had already endured the fight against Giovanni, and now a barrage of Mewtwo’s attacks—Delibird could hold on no longer.

As Delibird went down, Swinub too was nearing its limit.

Even as Pryce continued barking out commands, trying to make up for the power gap with tactics—

The damage Swinub had taken earlier was worse than Delibird’s. And against the dual force of Mega Mewtwo Y and a Gardevoir powered by the Mind Plate, it was finally brought down by August as well.

“You’ve lost, Pryce.”

August once again ignored the system’s notifications and looked at the man before him.

Pryce stared silently into the depths of the time rift.

Then he glanced at his fallen Swinub and Delibird. In that moment, it was as if all the strength left his body. He slumped back into his wheelchair.

“Yes... I’ve lost.”

“I did everything... and in the end, I still failed...” Pryce pulled a Poké Ball from his coat and gazed at it. Inside, Lapras wore a worried expression.

Then he gently tossed the ball toward August. “Take care of it. Help it find its parents.”

Having said this, Pryce seemed to release something from within. A flicker of longing passed through his eyes as he began to hum the Lapras Song. Closing his eyes, he loosened his grip on the [Rainbow and Silver Feathers].

And his body began to fall—tumbling toward the depths of the time rift.

But in that instant, Pryce felt a force pulling him back.

He opened his eyes and found August standing before him, catching him mid-fall, wearing a puzzled look.

A second later, a pair of handcuffs clicked shut around Pryce’s wrists.

“Hmph. Trying to run?” August said coolly.

---

T/N: couldnt let the big boss have a scenic ending smh

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!