Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [215]

Giovanni opened the email.

Unlike August’s usually short messages, this one was... substantial.

Scanning through, Giovanni quickly realized it was filled with intel—on the Masked Corps.

The more he read, the deeper his frown became.

Not because the information was faulty—quite the opposite. When compared with what Team Rocket had already gathered, the data checked out. In fact, it was even more detailed and comprehensive than their own files.

And that... was the problem.

Would August really send him this kind of intel out of goodwill?

Giovanni instinctively suspected a trap. He scrolled to the bottom of the email.

The first line jumped out at him:

“Don’t overthink it. No tricks.”

“.....”

Giovanni snorted coldly, already having predicted this move. Not a single word from August could be trusted.

He kept reading.

“I know you won’t believe me—but there really is no scheme.

I just think you probably can’t beat Pryce. And if you go down too quickly, no one will be left to chip away at the Masked Corps. So, I figured I’d lend a hand.”

“.....”

Giovanni clenched his fist.

This was straight-up insulting. August wasn’t even being subtle about it—he was blatantly using Team Rocket as a pawn to wear down the Masked Corps.

But this time… August might have underestimated him.

Giovanni sneered.

He held the most valuable bargaining chip to Pryce—Kurt. And all he wanted in return was for Pryce to give back his son...

Giovanni believed that as long as Pryce hadn’t gone senile, he’d know exactly what choice to make.

---

Azalea Town 

August walked up beside Blue. “The email’s been sent to Giovanni?”

At the moment, Blue was acting as the Kanto division’s interim secretary. Aside from the final section, the entire email to Giovanni had been compiled and edited by her.

“Sent... But seriously, with how direct you were, aren’t you worried Giovanni might flip and team up with Pryce instead?” she asked.

Giovanni was, after all, the boss of Team Rocket. August’s complete lack of tact in using him as a disposable pawn was... risky.

August waved her concern away. “That would only happen if the trade went smoothly. But right now, Silver’s still with us.”

Without Silver, what did Pryce have to offer in exchange for the GS Ball?

A fight was inevitable.

August glanced over at Silver.

Though he’d only had his Totodile for a few days, Silver had bonded with it quickly. At that moment, he was commanding it in a sparring match against Gold’s Cyndaquil.

Just as August was about to walk over and give the two some advice, his communicator buzzed.

He picked up.

“August, we’ve spotted the Masked Corps—large numbers of their trainers are entering Ilex Forest,” came Sabrina’s voice on the other end.

“Perfect. Our second lead just arrived... Time for me to head out.”

August left Blue, Gold, and Silver with the main force while he changed into a Team Rocket uniform he had picked up back on New Island. He applied a quick disguise to his face, adopting an unfamiliar appearance, and headed off to rendezvous with Sabrina near the forest edge where she was keeping watch on both sides.

---

Ilex Forest – South Johto, west of Azalea Town

Normally, this place would be full of Bug Catchers waiting to challenge passing Trainers for a few meager coins.

But today, the forest was eerily quiet.

August landed silently on a tree branch and tapped Sabrina on the shoulder. Through telepathy, he asked:

[GardevoirIsTheBest]: Everyone here?

Sabrina had already sensed his arrival. Receiving his message, she responded with a blank stare.

...You really haven’t changed a bit.

She suspected he did that on purpose. Not that she could prove it.

Back to business—Sabrina handed him a pair of binoculars and pointed ahead.

August followed her gesture and saw them—Giovanni and Pryce, leaders of the two biggest criminal syndicates in Kanto and Johto, facing off on either side of the shrine, each flanked by their subordinates.

August thought for a moment, then asked, “You know Team Rocket pretty well. With so many people here, I’m guessing not everyone knows each other?”

"Of course not... August, what are you planning?"

Sabrina suddenly had a very bad feeling.

Memories of August’s “creative tactics” on New Island were still fresh in her mind.

Now here he was again—in a Team Rocket uniform, acting shifty. Clearly, something was up.

"Relax..." August soothed her through telepathy. "I’m not planning anything. Just... putting in some insurance. In case this standoff fizzles."

And with that, August began creeping toward the back of Team Rocket’s ranks, casually slipping in as if he’d just returned from a bathroom break.

The movement was so smooth it was obvious this wasn’t his first time doing something like this.

Sabrina even noticed him flash a little “OK” hand sign her way.

“.....”

Sabrina could only conclude: He’s playing with fire.

But he was already embedded in their formation. There was no pulling him back now.

She had to hope August, as their field leader, knew what he was doing.

---

At the shrine, after a tense standoff, Giovanni could no longer restrain himself. His longing for his son finally drove him to speak.

“Did you bring Silver?”

Pryce’s face betrayed nothing—he gave no sign that Silver wasn’t actually with him. Calmly, he replied, “I want to see what you brought first.”

Giovanni didn’t argue. With a wave of his hand, his men brought out Kurt, bound tightly like a cocoon. Then Giovanni held up the scroll containing the GS Ball schematics.

Kurt, seeing Pryce, began mumbling frantically through the gag over his mouth.

But Pryce didn’t even glance at him. His eyes were locked onto the scroll—and the GS Ball itself.

He hadn’t expected Kurt to have an actual finished product.

If I had known that... why bother hunting down Ho-Oh and Lugia?

Giovanni quickly retracted the scroll, voice cold. “Where’s Silver?”

Pryce finally turned back to him. “Silver isn’t with me.”

Giovanni’s expression darkened instantly.

So even now, Pryce wasn’t willing to give up Silver?

Pryce continued, “Believe me or not, it’s true. I kidnapped your son back then—yes—but Silver is no longer in my custody.”

“You think I’ll believe that?” Giovanni’s tone dropped to a deadly chill.

He couldn’t believe Pryce would be so reckless. Had the man truly gone senile? Did he think a slight edge in strength meant he could dictate terms?

For a fleeting moment, Giovanni considered that Pryce might be telling the truth... but only for a moment.

Rage boiling beneath the surface, he tightened his grip on the Poké Ball, preparing to issue a final warning.

But just then—

A voice suddenly rang out from the Team Rocket crowd:

“Take down those Masked Corps bastards! Save Silver for the Boss and earn a fat promotion!”

Before the words had even faded, a [Shadow Ball] shot from the Rocket ranks, whistling through the air and slamming into the Masked Corps’ side.

BOOM!

The blast sent several of Pryce’s Trainers flying.

Like a spark to dry tinder, that [Shadow Ball] became the signal flare for war.

The Masked Corps Trainers, already tense, needed no more prompting. Their orders were clear: respond with full force to any attack.

And so, they unleashed their Pokémon without hesitation.

On the other side, the Rocket grunts—already fed up with the Masked Corps encroaching on their turf—didn’t need convincing either.

Hearing that the other side had kidnapped Giovanni’s son? That was the last straw.

Those fiercely loyal to Giovanni, along with the ambitious ones eager for advancement, all charged forward at once.

In an instant, a storm of attacks filled the air—[Acid Spray], [Air Slash], [Flamethrower], [Water Pulse]...

Massive Pokémon barreled across the field under their Trainers’ orders, bulldozing through enemy ranks.

Even the Four Rocket Executives had begun clashing with Pryce’s four lieutenants.

The entire Ilex Forest had erupted into chaos.

From afar, Sabrina stared wide-eyed.

She had just watched August, disguised as a Rocket grunt, release a Gengar and fire the [Shadow Ball] that triggered this full-scale battle.

And he’d even shouted something about “rescuing Silver for the Boss” while doing it.

What could she even say...?

It was outrageous.

And so utterly August.

Meanwhile, the instigator himself had “engaged” a Masked Corps Trainer and was now “locked in intense combat” with them—his Gengar fighting their Pokémon under the pretense of total commitment.

As for how intense it actually was...

Let’s just say—he had enough bandwidth to carry on a casual mental chat with Sabrina.

"Aren’t you afraid they’ll find you out and target you all at once?"

"Not a chance. I’m a loyal subordinate of Boss Giovanni, after all!"

Sabrina: “.....”

Only August would dare pull something like this.

And just then, Giovanni came back to his senses.

It was unexpected—but things had reached a point where there was no room for negotiation.

This time, Giovanni chose to strike first.

His hand, hidden behind his back, quietly released a Poké Ball.

A blur of motion flashed across the air—Beedrill burst forth, twin stingers glowing with a violet sheen as they carved a deadly arc through the sky, lunging straight for Pryce.

Beedrill’s movements were swift, precise, and deadly.

Its twin stingers shot straight for Pryce’s throat—a strike meant to kill.

Giovanni wasn’t holding back in the slightest.

But while his ambush was abrupt, Pryce had far more battle experience than Giovanni. The moment Giovanni had moved his hands behind his back, Pryce had grown wary.

So when Beedrill launched its assault, Pryce was already prepared.

Tap.

With a light knock of his cane—

Shhhk!

A wall of ice materialized between him and the incoming Beedrill, halting the strike mid-air.

In Pryce’s arms, his Swinub wriggled slightly and slowly closed its mouth.

Clearly, the ice wall had been conjured by Swinub.

Giovanni narrowed his eyes at the little Pokémon, a flicker of apprehension flashing across his face.

But he too had come prepared.

With a flick of his wrist, Giovanni threw out another Poké Ball.

A thunderous roar erupted through the trees as heavy footfalls shook the earth. A hulking Aggron, its steel-plated body gleaming with a silver sheen, barreled forward toward the ice wall still standing before Pryce.

[Heavy Slam]

Aggron charged, and with terrifying momentum, drove the massive horn atop its head directly into the wall of ice.

Pryce’s hastily conjured defense shattered into shards on impact.

Ice exploded outward in all directions.

But Aggron didn’t slow down. Working in tandem with Beedrill—one attacking from the ground, the other from the air—they converged on Pryce in a pincer maneuver.

Pryce didn’t hesitate. He sent out his second Pokémon.

A Delibird, tail like a sack slung behind it, shot into the air and locked eyes with Beedrill, a glint of icy sharpness flashing in its gaze.

Meanwhile, Swinub had leapt from Pryce’s arms and opened its mouth to unleash a freezing breath.

The sudden wave of sub-zero air plummeted the temperature in an instant, icing over half of Aggron’s massive body.

But even as formidable as Swinub was, Aggron wasn’t weak. With the advantage of its typing, it let out a roar and tore through the ice encasing it, revealing gleaming armor beneath that still glinted coldly.

While Swinub was holding Aggron at bay, Giovanni made his next move.

“Nidoking—[Megahorn]!”

With a growl, Nidoking burst onto the field and charged forward, flanking Pryce from the opposite side. He and Aggron now formed a deadly wedge formation.

Their footsteps pounded through the forest with such force that even the trees near the shrine trembled.

All around them, Team Rocket and Masked Corps Trainers instinctively gave the two leaders a wide berth.

After all, no one knew the power of their bosses better than their own people.

As expected—just as the clash was about to hit, Pryce’s cane tapped lightly against the ground.

Responding to the cue, Swinub’s body began to glow, a chill radiating from it in waves.

The winds surged. Snow swirled.

[Blizzard]

The sudden snowstorm didn’t hit Nidoking or Aggron the hardest.

No, the one who suffered most was Beedrill in the sky. Its flight path veered violently off-course, unable to maintain balance in the storm.

And before it could recover, Delibird struck.

Its sharp wing—iced over like a blade—slashed through Beedrill’s side, leaving a deep gash.

A wound on the wing was no minor injury—it would seriously affect Beedrill’s speed and aerial agility moving forward.

Giovanni’s expression darkened.

But after his humiliating loss at the Mahogahny Gym, he had learned to maintain composure.

Pryce favored Ice-types? Fine. He’d just counter with Pokémon that weren’t bothered by ice.

“Cloyster!”

A flash of white light, and a Cloyster, encased in layers of spiked shell armor, appeared on the field, its face sharp and focused.

Being part Ice-type, Cloyster wasn’t hindered by the blizzard—in fact, it seemed to thrive in it.

Up above, Beedrill was being chased through the sky by Delibird, looking more and more ragged by the second.

Cloyster said nothing. It simply began to charge power.

And then—

“Cloyster—[Spike Cannon]!”

---

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!