Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [598]

Having completed Gigantamax, the overwhelming presence of Machamp utterly crushed Arcanine.

“Grrrr—!”

Arcanine growled threateningly, but given the enormous size difference, one couldn’t help but wonder if Gigantamax Machamp even heard it.

Right now, Gary had two choices. One, switch out Arcanine immediately, replacing it with his Venusaur that had eaten August’s Max-Mushroom Pokéblocks, and fight Gigantamax with Gigantamax.

But deep down, Gary was reluctant to do so.

His original plan to end the battle using just Nidoking had already been shattered when Nidoking fell.

If he now withdrew Arcanine too, it would significantly weaken his momentum.

So…

Let's have Arcanine test the waters first… Gary decided inwardly.

“Arcanine, [Extreme Speed]!”

Arcanine instantly blurred into a flash, rushing straight toward Machamp.

And then…

Arcanine, who had barely begun its test run, collided head-on into Machamp’s G-Max Chi Strike.

Machamp’s imposing form suddenly erupted with a terrifying surge of power. A dazzling burst of energy flashed, and Arcanine saw a gigantic fist descending from the sky, like a meteor crashing down upon it.

BOOM!

The explosion consumed half the battlefield. The ground shattered, sending a golden pillar of energy surging upward. Shockwaves rippled out in every direction, stopped only by the field's protective barriers. Yet, the spectacle still ignited excitement from the stands.

“Bea! Bea!”

“Machamp is so strong!”

As the crowd erupted with cheers, Gary nervously stared at where Arcanine had been standing.

In the final second before impact, Arcanine had used Protect—but even Protect couldn’t fully withstand the power of a Gigantamax move.

The smoke cleared, revealing Arcanine wobbling up out of a crater, battered and covered in soot, its previous majestic appearance completely gone.

Clearly, Machamp’s attack had dealt serious damage despite being partially blocked by Protect.

Seeing that Machamp hadn’t finished Arcanine off in one go, Bea didn’t hesitate for a second. “Machamp, another [G-Max Chi Strike]!”

Watching Machamp gather power once again, Gary suddenly felt he'd made a terribly stupid decision…

But switching Pokémon now was out of the question. If he switched now, the incoming Pokémon would take a G-Max Chi Strike directly on entry. He could only use Arcanine’s remaining time on the field to do as much damage as possible.

Which move would fit best in this scenario?

Taking just 0.1 seconds to decide, Gary called out decisively:

“[Extreme Speed]!”

Covered in wounds, Arcanine blurred again into a streak, slamming directly into Gigantamax Machamp’s knee, causing it to buckle slightly. But at that exact moment, Machamp finished charging, erupting again with devastating energy, blasting Arcanine backward.

Immediately after, Machamp swung down its four terrifying fists, glowing as though dipped in molten lava, toward Arcanine.

This time, Arcanine had no Protect to shield itself.

BANG BANG BOOM!

In mere seconds, Arcanine was engulfed beneath the furious storm of Machamp’s colossal fists.

When Machamp finally withdrew its fists, Arcanine lay flat on the battlefield, eyes spinning in defeat.

“Arcanine is unable to battle—Machamp wins!”

Having consecutively defeated Gary’s Nidoking and Arcanine, the match had seemingly returned to a tie, each side with only one Pokémon remaining.

Yet Bea herself clearly understood Machamp’s situation was dire.

Poison was steadily draining Machamp’s stamina, and although Arcanine’s two Extreme Speeds seemed harmless, they’d greatly accelerated Machamp’s fatigue.

If the match dragged on any longer, and Gary switched in a nimble Pokémon to stall for time, she would undoubtedly lose!

Fortunately for Bea, Gary seemed completely oblivious to this.

Right after recalling Arcanine, Gary quickly released his third Pokémon without any hesitation or intent to delay.

From the sidelines, August saw the Pokémon Gary had sent out.

“Venusaur? Gigantamax Venusaur?”

The instant Venusaur appeared, August understood Gary’s plan.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Gary flashed his Dynamax Band, the Poké Ball rapidly expanded in his hand, and as he hurled it forward with both hands, Venusaur’s body ballooned to enormous proportions, matching Machamp’s immense size.

Venusaur’s flower grew so massively it completely covered its body like a gigantic umbrella, with two colossal vines stretching out from behind, thick and imposing.

Standing behind Gigantamax Venusaur, Gary suddenly felt incredibly relieved, the anxiety from moments ago swept clean away.

“Venusaur! [G-Max Vine Lash]!” Gary commanded firmly.

At the same moment, Bea shouted: “Machamp, [Max Hailstorm]!”

Machamp swung a giant fist wrapped in freezing energy toward Venusaur.

With its current size, Venusaur had no way to dodge anyway, so Gary decided to simply abandon evasion altogether. It’s just a straightforward slugfest! Who's afraid of whom?

Despite these bold thoughts, Gary still prudently had Venusaur use one thick vine to bind Machamp’s two arms, while the other whipped fiercely across Machamp’s torso. The moment it made contact, dazzling green light representing leaves, mixed with a surge of pink petals, erupted dramatically, engulfing Machamp’s half of the battlefield.

Machamp’s fist struck Venusaur simultaneously.

The giant flower petals on Venusaur’s back took heavy damage. Its massive body pressed downward, forcing the already-broken battlefield to fracture further.

Yet Machamp was in an even sorrier state. The G-Max Vine Lash’s lingering field effect continuously drained Machamp’s stamina. Already weakened from the poison debuff, stacking the additional G-Max Vine Lash damage was simply too much. Machamp swayed, dropping heavily to one knee.

“Huh?”

Seeing this scene, Gary, who’d braced himself for an intense showdown, stood bewildered.

Machamp was just full of energy—why can’t it hold up now?

Is my Venusaur’s G-Max Vine Lash really that powerful?

Or maybe Bea’s deliberately going easy on me out of respect as a newer trainer...?

While Gary’s head swirled with confusion, Gigantamax Machamp struggled repeatedly to stand again, but each attempt ended with its strength giving out.

Finally, under the relentless effect of G-Max Vine Lash, Machamp could no longer endure and collapsed, shrinking back to its normal size, completely fainted.

“Machamp is unable to battle! The winner is Gary!” announced the referee.

Gary and Gigantamax Venusaur stared blankly at each other for a long moment before realizing they had actually won.

Quickly regaining himself, Gary immediately struck a flashy victory pose. Bea, who had just stepped forward to shake hands, halted instinctively.

A question slowly surfaced in her mind:

Is Gary-senpai mentally okay...?

“That was truly an ugly victory…” Having witnessed the entire battle, August commented dryly.

With such a huge early advantage, Gary had nearly allowed Bea to turn the tables.

August really had no idea what Gary was thinking.

When Bea Gigantamaxed Machamp, Gary should’ve immediately responded by Dynamaxing Arcanine. Even without a Gigantamax form, Arcanine could’ve ended the battle much earlier by using its speed advantage and exploiting Machamp’s poisoned condition from Nidoking.

“Giovanni, your teaching ability is pretty questionable,” August remarked, turning to Giovanni.

Giovanni’s face immediately darkened upon hearing August’s slander: “I never taught him anything like that.”

All he'd taught Gary were Ground-type moves and tactics—besides, wasn’t Gary’s official teacher August himself?

Seeing August so quick to pin blame on him, Giovanni couldn’t help suspecting August was desperately trying to pass off responsibility.

As Gary and Bea exited, stadium staff rushed in to repair and clean the battlefield.

Several Coalossal spewed flames across the field, incinerating the pollen scattered by Venusaur’s vines and compacting the shattered ground beneath their weight. With multiple Coalossal working simultaneously, the repairs were swiftly completed. It was impressively efficient.

Bea approached at this moment, looking ashamed. “August-sensei, I’m sorry to disappoint you.”

It was clear to her that she still had quite a gap to close with Gary-senpai.

“Don’t be discouraged. Compared to Gary’s ugly performance, yours was quite good,” August consoled her.

Gary, having just walked over smugly, immediately overheard this remark: “?”

Ugly?

But I won!

Feeling deeply wronged, Gary turned to Zinnia beside him: “Zinnia, was my battle just now really that bad?”

He trusted Zinnia would give an objective evaluation!

Under Gary’s expectant gaze, Zinnia hesitated a moment before delicately answering, “It wasn’t…that terrible, I suppose…”

Gary: “......”

Oh no. If even Zinnia says that, does it mean my performance really was problematic?

Gary instantly plunged into self-doubt.

Ignoring him, August continued watching the battles on stage. The next match featured a trainer he vaguely recognized against Volkner, the Sunyshore Gym Leader.

In the end, Volkner’s Electivire secured victory with a powerful Thunder Punch.

“Speaking of which, seeing Electivire reminds me of an old acquaintance…” August began thoughtfully.

Before August even finished, Giovanni already guessed who he meant, his expression immediately darkening again.

Beside them, Gary asked curiously, “Lt. Surge?”

“Yeah, Lt. Surge… The first Team Rocket executive I personally arrested. Thinking back, it’s a bit nostalgic. I wonder how he’s doing in prison now?”

For Giovanni, this sentimental reminiscence of August’s was like a cat crying over a mouse’s funeral—utter hypocrisy.

Following Volkner and the unfamiliar trainer’s exit, the battlefield finally welcomed the two opponents August had eagerly awaited:

Maxie and Archie!

Having been fierce rivals during their villainous days, the two once again stood opposite each other—this time in the World Championship!

With August no longer suppressing them, Maxie and Archie openly displayed their intense dislike for each other.

The instant they stepped onto the battlefield, the air thickened with hostility.

“Give up, Maxie! You’re no match for me!”

“Archie, your jokes are getting funnier and funnier. You talk as if you’ve ever beaten me before!”

“Enough talk. Let's settle it right now!”

“My thoughts exactly!”

Finished taunting each other, they simultaneously turned to glare impatiently at the referee.

Faced with such intense hostility, the referee broke into a cold sweat. Under Maxie and Archie’s piercing gazes, he quickly raised his flags:

“Trainers, take your positions—the battle officially begins!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Maxie and Archie simultaneously sent out their Pokémon.

“Mightyena!”
“Walrein!”

“I knew you’d send that one out!”

Seeing their opponent’s Pokémon, both men sneered mockingly at the same time.

Without waiting for commands, Mightyena and Walrein—well-acquainted rivals themselves—skipped any cautious probing and dove directly into fierce combat.

Mightyena opened its jaws wide, spitting Flamethrower straight at Walrein, then bared sharp fangs, lunging forward to bite.

Walrein responded swiftly, countering the flames with Water Pulse, then immediately flashed its sharp tusks, striking back at Mightyena.

The spectators gasped at the sudden, violent clash unfolding before their eyes.

August, however, was unimpressed. Violent? Compared to directly firing Hyper Beams at the trainers themselves, this barely counts as an appetizer.

“These two sure have great chemistry.”

Watching Mightyena and Walrein bite furiously at each other, Maxie and Archie vividly demonstrated the saying, Your greatest rival is always the one who knows you best.

Though covered in wounds after a prolonged skirmish, neither Pokémon managed to land a decisive blow.

They’d battled too many times before, understanding each other far too well.

Realizing they couldn’t break each other's defenses, Maxie and Archie simultaneously glanced up, meeting each other’s gaze.

Maxie: “Same old moves—you haven’t changed one bit!”

Archie: “Heh, right back at you.”

“How about we try something new next?”

“Couldn’t agree more!”

Instantly, Mightyena charged fiercely forward, body-slamming Walrein.

At the same moment, Walrein heaved its heavy, blubber-covered body forward, colliding with Mightyena head-on.

BOOM!

Both Pokémon crashed together midair—Mightyena absorbing the impact with its thick fur, while Walrein’s thick fat rippled visibly, dissipating the collision force.

Both landed firmly back on the ground.

“......” ×2

Maxie and Archie simultaneously fell speechless.

This exact scenario was precisely why each despised the other.

Aside from their different obsessions—one with the land, the other with the sea—they were simply too alike!

Although their strategies were identical, Archie held the advantage in that last collision.

After all, in sheer size and weight, Walrein had an overwhelming advantage.

“Now’s our chance! Walrein, [Icy Wind]!”

Archie decisively waved his arm, Walrein immediately releasing a freezing gale toward Mightyena. Mightyena’s body quickly stiffened from the cold, significantly slowing its movements.

But Maxie had a quick countermeasure ready.

“Mightyena, [Thunder Fang]!”

Exploiting Walrein’s heavy weight and sluggish movements, Mightyena swiftly kicked off with its powerful legs, circling around Walrein to clamp down fiercely on its hind leg.

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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!