Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [565]

Sabrina shot August a look of disdain for tricking kind, Legendary Pokémon like that.

August took her disdain as you saw nothing.

Was this called tricking?

The Eternatus business was real.

…

Following Zamazenta, they came to a set of ruins deep in the forest. A broken, arched structure sat by a lakeshore; sunlight filtered through leaves to fall across moss-shot rock, mottled with the wear of years.

Zacian was napping on the ruin’s steps.

Hearing movement, she wondered why Zamazenta’s footsteps were so messy today. When she lifted her head, she saw her brother bringing a group of unfamiliar humans.

Zacian: “?”

Weren’t you told to drive the intruders out of the forest? Why did you bring them back!?

Meeting Zacian’s questioning gaze, Zamazenta gave a “wooo—,” telling her that August knew something about Eternatus.

Zacian’s silence said it all: “…”

How did she end up with such a foolish little brother? People say something and you just believe it?

Stung by his sister’s distrust, Zamazenta looked a little wronged.

Ignoring her foolish brother, Zacian turned an assessing look on August.

By human standards he had an undeniably handsome face, and there was something about him that felt… approachable. At first glance he didn’t look like a bad person.

But Zacian did not relax her guard.

As a Legendary Pokémon of Galar, she had seen too many two-faced humans. That was why she preferred to shut herself away in the Slumbering Weald and avoid dealing with them.

Sensing Zacian’s vigilance, August smiled slightly, not minding at all.

“Sovereign of the Sword who once saved Galar…” August said. “Forgive this unannounced visit.”

At that moment, he felt the Mew perched on his head stir.

Awake at last, Mew rubbed her eyes and stretched.

Then she took in the scene—especially Zacian—

“Mew!”

Pretty big doggo!

Before August could grab her, Mew shot off his head, zipped to Zacian’s side, and circled her, peering left and right, making Zacian decidedly uncomfortable.

Zacian flicked her tail to shoo Mew away.

But Mew was quick—dodging was easy, and she even took the chance to pat Zacian’s fur.

Zacian’s coat was long, and it felt very nice to touch.

So Mew just climbed on.

“Mew!”

Zamazenta stared, shocked by Mew’s audacity.

He’d lived with his sister for ages; he knew her temperament all too well!

She actually dared to ride my sister? That’s insane!

The very next second, the red tassels that hung below Zacian’s ears seemed to come alive, snapping around Mew and hoisting her up into the air in one smooth lift.

Mew tried to squirm free, but Zacian’s bind was tight. There was no escaping.

Zacian regarded Mew’s sheepish face calmly.

“Mew…” Mew apologized in a small voice.

Then she snapped her head toward August, eyes pleading for help.

August: “…”

Oh, so now you remember to come crying to me…

He wanted to let her eat a little humble pie, but… he couldn’t bring himself to leave her hanging.

With a sigh, August said, “Sorry—Mew is still a kid. She doesn’t really know better…”

August unleashed his secret art: “She’s still just a kid.”

Zacian had never seen this kind of move before. Hearing him, she glanced at Mew’s pitiful little face, and her heart softened.

She loosened the tassels.

Freed, Mew zipped back behind August and Mewtwo, patting her chest in relief.

Scared Mew half to death!

“Are you going to run around?” August asked her.

At the sound of August’s voice, Mew—who’d just been all shaken survivor—immediately puffed out her chest, hands on hips, scars forgotten as soon as they scabbed.

“Mew!”

I’ll run, I’ll run!

On the matter of stubborn mouths, Mew’s personality and August’s were exactly the same.

August: “…”

Next time I save you, my IQ’s as low as Zinnia’s.

Ignoring Mew, August turned to Zacian and Zamazenta and got to the point, concise and clear:

“Someone’s trying to revive Eternatus.”

Zamazenta had already heard this from him, but Zacian’s brows drew tight.

That this human knew her title “Sovereign of the Sword” surprised her—but that didn’t mean she’d believe him.

The battle from three thousand years ago was vivid in her memory.

She and her brother had ended the Darkest Day together, sending Eternatus into slumber.

By her reckoning, it should take at least several thousand years more before Eternatus could stir.

So her first reaction was that August was lying.

Seeing disbelief on her face, August said, “It might be hard to accept at once, but someone really is trying to bring Eternatus back.”

“He’s gathered a large number of [Wishing Stars] to feed Eternatus energy, speeding up its recovery.”

At that, Zacian frowned.

In theory, what he described was feasible.

But…

Having lived through that ancient night, she could not wrap her head around the idea that humans would actively try to awaken Eternatus.

It was courting death.

Is life just too comfortable for them?

Catching the confusion on Zacian’s face, August spread his hands. “There are always the arrogant ones who think they can control the board. And the only lesson humans learn from history is that humans never learn any lessons.”

Granted, Rose wasn’t only arrogant—he had a sliver of sense. He knew to find someone to backstop him.

On this, Zacian strongly agreed.

She’d seen many such humans.

Which left the question: what did August want from them?

Did he want them to go stop the human who sought to awaken Eternatus?

If the goal was to stop Eternatus, she wouldn’t refuse.

But if the target was a human… honestly, Zacian didn’t want to get involved in human disputes.

That way lay endless trouble.

Then she noticed the human across from her seemed to understand exactly that. He smiled. “I’m not here to drag you into the mess.”

“I mainly came because it was on the way and I wanted to see what the legendary ‘Sovereign Shield’ and ‘Sovereign Sword’ look like—and to let you know Eternatus may revive soon.”

“Now that I’ve done that, I should take my leave.”

At his words, both Zacian and Zamazenta looked stunned.

Especially Zacian—who had just been wondering if August was like the others who had intruded into the Weald to capture them. A flicker of shame rose in her chest.

Blue and Sabrina, however, were both wearing very different kinds of surprise.

[Psychic_Pretty_Girl]: You really don’t plan to catch them?

Sabrina, who knew August well, found this unbelievable.

When did he turn over a new leaf?

Did his conscience finally wake up?

[Jigglypuff_Is_The_Cutest]: August is probably playing hard to get…

Blue knew him better.

Hearing that, Sabrina exhaled. August was still August. He’d given her a scare—she’d almost thought he’d truly grown a conscience.

As he listened to the two of them, August felt more and more put out.

What kind of adjectives are you two using?

What, I can’t just be a good person?

…Even if he was planning to play hard to get.

Seeing him about to leave—

Zacian hesitated for a moment. In the end, she couldn’t rest easy about Eternatus possibly reviving, and called out to him.

August: “?”

He wore a puzzled look, but inside he smiled.

Too easy.

Under his gaze, Zacian and Zamazenta tipped their heads back and let out long, husky howls.

“Awooo—!”

Light rose from the ruins.

A second later, two rust-pocked items appeared atop the stonework.

One was a corroded sword, broken halfway along the blade.

The other was a shield, likewise stained with rust, looking as if it might crumble at a touch.

Zacian and Zamazenta indicated that August should take these two relics. When Eternatus revived, use them to summon the pair.

Blue eyed the rusty shield and broken sword. “They won’t fall apart, right…”

Back when she was selling fake trinkets, she’d met colleagues who specialized in fragile goods—perfect for extorting passing Trainers.

This gave her the same kind of déjà vu.

At Blue’s words, Zacian felt… insulted.

Their arms might be rusty, but they were sturdy, okay!

She clamped the broken sword in her jaws, ready to demonstrate.

Light flared; Zacian’s form changed dramatically. Golden wings unfurled across her back, and a crown-like helm of gold settled upon her head.

The decayed, half-sundered sword in her mouth blazed with brilliance.

But this was still their home, and after a quick look around she couldn’t find a suitable target.

Mew, ever “helpful,” tossed up a stone slab.

Zacian saw the slab arc through the air and didn’t think twice. She struck at it with a move—

[Sacred Sword]!

Light without end burst from the rotten blade, becoming an energy sword ten-plus meters long, cleaving down toward the floating slab.

Boom!

The [Sacred Sword] hit the slab.

But the expected sight of a clean cut in two did not appear.

The slash landed… and nothing rippled. All the force sank into the slab and vanished.

Before Zacian could react—

The slab flashed.

A heartbeat later, a backlash far beyond [Sacred Sword]’s power erupted from the stone, surging back along the point of contact with the great blade.

Bang!

Zacian was launched more than ten meters and splashed into the lake.

And that wasn’t the worst part!

The worst part was—

A crisp crack reached her ears.

Snap!

Before her and Zamazenta’s incredulous eyes, fissures spread across the sword clamped in her jaws.

While the slab in the sky remained smooth and unmarked.

The sight made Zamazenta hurriedly hide his own shield behind him, terrified someone might try that on his shield too.

Thunk!

August rapped Mew on the head, face dark.

That naughty little thing had tossed out an [Arceus Plate] for Zacian to chop…

Mew knew she was in trouble and turned invisible on the spot.

As the soaked “drowned dog,” Zacian finally recovered.

She stepped from the lake, looked up at the slab now stuck in the ground—glossy as new—then down at the cracks veining her greatsword. A tangle of emotions rose within her. She hadn’t expected that one simple demonstration would cost her sword.

Is my blade… truly no good anymore?

A crisis of faith pricked at her.

Seeing Zacian so stricken, August wanted nothing more than to drag Mew out and give her a proper spanking.

But even if he turned Mew’s butt cherry-red right now, it wouldn’t fix anything.

A broken sword wouldn’t mend itself.

Watching Zacian’s hollow look, August coughed, hard. “Ahem—don’t worry. I’ll pay for it.”

Even if Zacian had chosen to show off the blade’s sharpness, it all went back to Mew’s mischief. August wasn’t an unreasonable man.

Hearing him, Zacian—wounded over the broken sword—felt a flicker of goodwill toward August.

Though she seriously doubted a human could repair her blade.

Seeing her skepticism, August said that if even he couldn’t get it fixed, probably no one in the world could.

He didn’t have the skill himself, no—but that didn’t mean the others in the Kanto branch couldn’t.

Whether it was the one who could knead out Regigigas barehanded, or Cogita, there were beings who could create Legendary Pokémon. For them, fixing a big sword should be easy.

And if, ahem, worst came to worst—even they couldn’t handle it—August had one last method.

He’d go straight to Dialga and travel back, find the sword when it was still whole, and bring that back for Zacian.

“Give me the sword,” August said. “I’ll return it once it’s fixed.”

Back in her regular form, Zacian stared at the blade veined with cracks, looking like it might crumble to dust if she breathed on it.

At his words, she was still hesitant, still not fully trusting. She wavered, then seemed to make up her mind.

Carefully, she put the sword away.

Zacian stepped up close to August.

“Woo~”

“…You’re saying,” August blinked, “you want to come with me?”

Zacian nodded!

She would personally follow August to see her sword restored!

Hearing them, Sabrina looked from Zacian to August.

Then, in a whisper via telepathy...

[Psychic_Pretty_Girl]: August, be honest—did you do that on purpose?

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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!