Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [596]

While having dinner at the restaurant, August received a message from Koga.

It was a video.

Rose stood facing Eternatus. The gigantic form of Eternatus, set against Rose’s silhouette, created an extremely stark contrast.

[Koga]: Turns out you were telling the truth, August! Eternatus really exists!

[GardevoirSupremacy]: ? What do you mean, “turns out”? It was always real, okay?

[Koga]: Ahem... I thought...

[GardevoirSupremacy]: ......

Although Koga hadn’t typed it out, August already knew exactly what Koga was about to say. This is slander! Pure slander!

[Koga]: Anything else you need me to do?

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Just keep an eye on Rose’s movements. If he tries anything to revive Eternatus, let me know immediately.

[Koga]: Understood.

When August put away his phone, Cynthia, sitting across from him, cast a curious glance. “Who was that?”

August: “Koga… I asked him to keep an eye on Rose and Eternatus.”

Hearing August mention Eternatus, Cynthia asked, “Need more manpower? On Sinnoh’s side, Lucian and Flint are both here in Hammerlocke City.”

Cynthia wanted to help August, at least a little.

“That couldn’t be better!”

Even though he’d already made thorough preparations, having more help never hurt—after all, nobody could guarantee there wouldn’t be unexpected emergencies.

At this, August and Cynthia exchanged smiles.

Just then, Blue and Sabrina arrived together, catching exactly this moment.

Sabrina’s eyes flickered between August and Cynthia. “What are you two talking about that’s got you smiling so happily?”

Blue’s eyes also carried a probing look.

“Nothing much, just work stuff,” August said.

Hearing this, Sabrina and Blue exchanged a glance, faces simultaneously revealing suspicion.

Just work stuff? Would work stuff make people smile like that?

August felt helpless.

Why are you two acting so suspicious? Even if there really were something going on, when have I ever hidden it from you? It’s always been right in front of you!

Besides, Gardevoir and Mew can both vouch for me.

August looked towards Gardevoir.

Currently holding Mew and looking over the menu, Gardevoir felt August’s gaze, gave a quiet “hmph,” and continued staring intently at the menu.

Meanwhile, Mew excitedly pointed here and there, wanting to eat this and that, completely oblivious to August’s gaze.

And Cynthia, as the other involved party, said nothing. She seemed quite pleased to let August be misunderstood by Sabrina and Blue.

Beneath that beautiful and gentle exterior hid a person who thrived on drama.

August: “…”

Fine, whatever. Think whatever you like.

August decided to simply lie flat and let things be.

At that moment, an Indeedee serving as a waiter brought over a salad.

Having long since tied its napkin and grabbed its knife and fork, Mew’s eyes immediately lit up as it escaped from Gardevoir’s arms.

“Mew!”

Time to dig in!

And then Mew vividly demonstrated what it meant to devour an entire plate in three bites.

Seeing Mew’s antics, Blue, Sabrina, and Cynthia simultaneously cracked a smile.

The atmosphere instantly grew harmonious.

As the Indeedee kept bringing food, Mew’s little belly visibly expanded until it finally lay sprawled on its back across August’s lap, belly rounded, tail swishing back and forth, looking thoroughly contented.

…

As the World Championship reached its mid-stage excitement, public attention soared dramatically.

The audience eagerly speculated who would reach the Master Ball tier this season.

According to surveys, Pryce had the highest support, followed by Giovanni, then Lysandre and Cyrus neck-and-neck. The fewest people believed Archie or Maxie could advance.

As Archie put it, This is discrimination!

Maxie agreed completely.

Gary: “?”

So no one supports me? No one thinks I can qualify?

August: “You’re ranked 30th already; there’s no way you’re making it.”

Unless Gary challenged Pryce or Giovanni, his chances of qualifying were basically zero.

Gary: “…”

Shaking from indignation—When will we trainers ranked after 30 finally rise up?!

“Quit shaking. First, beat Bea, then talk. Don’t tell me you can’t even beat Bea,” August teased.

August had dubbed this upcoming match between Gary and Bea the “Disciple Duel,” declaring the winner would officially become his senior disciple.

Gary vigorously protested this.

Putting aside the questionable issue of him being August’s disciple, even if he won, there wasn’t any benefit!

“Oh? So you mean, you think you’ll lose?” August pretended shock.

“How could that be? I’ll definitely win!” Gary flipped his hair confidently, striding toward the locker rooms.

“Sensei, I’ll go prepare as well!” Bea said, taking her leave from August to head to her preparation room.

August and Gardevoir sat in the audience stands, while Mew perched atop August’s head activated its “Free Popcorn Radar,” scanning everywhere for traces of the Team Rocket trio.

August hadn’t seen those three for days.

“Giovanni, did your subordinates ditch you and run off…?” August asked.

Giovanni, watching the field intently and preparing to see how much Gary had learned from him: “…”

He’d honestly prefer those three good-for-nothing nuisances run off.

But he’d seen them just before entering, mingling with his former Team Rocket subordinates.

Giovanni seriously suspected they were planning his “rescue.”

Though Giovanni had long awaited this day, knowing those three, whose mission success rate hovered near zero, were involved gave him an ominous feeling.

“Giovanni, why aren’t you talking?” August waited a while but got no reply, and finally asked curiously.

Giovanni: “...The match is starting!”

At Giovanni’s words, August turned toward the field. Bea, dressed in athletic gear, faced off against Gary, who had slicked back his hair with an unholy amount of hair gel, adopting a ridiculously grown-up style.

“Who do you think will win?” August asked.

Understanding August’s personality, Giovanni knew August wouldn’t stop pestering him without an answer, so he briefly replied, “Gary.”

He had complete confidence in the student he’d personally trained these past few days.

Even though Gary had grasped only twenty or thirty percent of Giovanni’s skills, it would suffice for a battle at this level!

Just as Giovanni finished speaking, the match officially began!

Both trainers simultaneously sent out their Pokémon.

Gary’s first Pokémon was Nidoking, while Bea chose Hawlucha.

“Things look a bit rough for Gary...” Zinnia commented.

August startled at Zinnia’s sudden voice behind him, turning around in surprise. “Weren’t you out interviewing people with Iono and Malva? Why are you suddenly here?”

Mentioning this made Zinnia droop in gloom. “Those two said I was annoying, so they kicked me out.”

August: “?”

Neither Iono nor Malva seemed the type.

Seeing August’s confusion, Zinnia continued, “All I did was bring up a few times wanting to host a show featuring Lord Rayquaza, and they chased me away!”

As she spoke, she adopted a pitiful expression.

Hearing this, August finally understood.

And he was sure Zinnia had brought it up far more times than she admitted.

“Your so-called ‘a few times’—exactly how many was that?” August asked.

Zinnia counted carefully on her fingers. “Oh…maybe twenty-something times?”

“…”

Iono and Malva sure have good patience.

...

Meanwhile, after Gary and Bea briefly probed each other, the match finally kicked into gear.

Hawlucha spread its feathered wings wide, lunging fiercely toward Nidoking, shooting out a stream of star-shaped energy blasts.

[Swift]!

Nidoking lifted an arm to block, and the stars exploded against its armored forearm, throwing up smoke that blocked Nidoking’s vision.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Hawlucha stomped the ground hard, boosted itself upward with its powerful legs and flapping wings, spun nimbly in midair, and dove sharply toward Nidoking.

[Bounce]!

Hawlucha was coming in hot, while Nidoking’s vision was blocked.

This was the perfect situation for Hawlucha!

Without any accidents, Hawlucha’s attack should connect—and if luck was on its side, Bounce might even leave Nidoking paralyzed!

However, right at this moment, Gary flicked his hair and decisively gave an order:

“Nidoking, [Earth Power]!”

Hearing Gary’s command, Bea and the spectators around the arena were momentarily stunned.

[Earth Power]… against the Flying-type Hawlucha? Would that even work?

But the instant the thought formed, Nidoking stomped the ground fiercely, causing it to tremble. In the next moment, countless pillars of earth and stone surged upwards from below, rapidly intertwining to form a cage-like structure resembling a bird’s nest above Nidoking’s head.

Hawlucha, already diving rapidly from the sky with [Bounce], slammed feet-first into the defensive structure made of stone.

Boom!

The rock pillars instantly crumbled beneath Hawlucha’s powerful strike, but its attack momentum had also been thoroughly halted.

“Now’s your chance, Nidoking! [Ice Punch]!”

“ROAARR!”

With a ferocious roar, Nidoking punched forward with a fist cloaked in icy energy, roughly the size of a washbasin, shattering the remnants of its stone defense as it hurtled directly toward Hawlucha.

Hawlucha frantically flapped its wings to pull up the instant it saw [Ice Punch], but it was too late. The punch smashed into Hawlucha’s leg, sending it flying backward and crashing heavily onto the ground, tumbling several times before coming to a halt.

August looked at Hawlucha’s leg, now covered in a thin layer of ice, and then glanced at the shattered stone structures around Nidoking, turning curiously to Giovanni: “Did you teach him this?”

Gary had previously used Ground-type moves to create obstacles, but this time his reaction had clearly been faster, and the defensive structure he made was undeniably more unique.

Giovanni simply smiled slightly, saying nothing.

On the battlefield, Nidoking didn’t pause to savor its successful hit. Instead, it immediately raised its other arm and swung—

A storm of poison needles shot toward Hawlucha!

With so many toxic needles incoming, the damage from a direct hit would be secondary—far worse was the threat of becoming poisoned.

“Quick, dodge!” Bea shouted urgently.

Reacting swiftly to Bea’s warning, Hawlucha rolled across the ground, narrowly evading the volley of poison needles.

From the corner of its eye, Hawlucha glanced back to its original spot—the ground was now densely embedded with countless needles gleaming ominously.

If I hadn’t dodged just now, I'd be a pincushion right now!

But Nidoking’s offensive still hadn’t ended. It swung both arms, grabbing chunks of rock directly from the ruined stone pillars it had created earlier, then hurled them fiercely toward Hawlucha.

[Rock Tomb]!

Heavy rocks flew with a menacing howl, bringing immense pressure.

Hawlucha tried repeating its earlier move, planning to dodge—

—but right at that moment, the pain from its leg, previously struck by [Ice Punch], surged violently, slowing its movements for a fraction of a second.

At the critical instant, Hawlucha gritted its teeth, pushed through the pain, dashed forward a few steps, and furiously flapped its wings. It rocketed into the air, narrowly evading the [Rock Tomb].

“It actually dodged that?”

Gary stared at Hawlucha in surprise after it evaded Nidoking’s [Rock Tomb].

His timing for this string of attacks had been meticulous; any ordinary trainer would have already been struck down by the [Poison Sting]. He hadn’t expected Bea to dodge even the follow-up [Rock Tomb]. Clearly, Bea wasn’t someone to underestimate.

With this realization, Gary’s expression didn’t visibly change, but he’d already become serious inside.

A tough opponent. If I really lose to Bea, August will mock me over this for an entire month!

He fixed his gaze on the airborne Hawlucha. “Nidoking, [Rock Blast]!”

Nidoking swung its arms, launching a barrage of rocks toward Hawlucha.

Hawlucha desperately twisted and dodged in midair, forced into an unusually embarrassing position by Nidoking’s relentless [Rock Blast].

This was quite rare for Hawlucha, a Pokémon that typically insisted on maintaining graceful and stylish poses at all times.

Realizing Hawlucha would inevitably get hit if things continued this way, Bea’s eyes sharpened as she decisively commanded, “Hawlucha, [Acrobatics]!”

Instantly, Hawlucha dropped the berry it had been holding, activating its [Unburden] ability. Its speed surged dramatically, becoming an afterimage darting across the sky, weaving swiftly and confusing Nidoking’s eyes—finally spotting an opening.

Swoosh!

Bam!

Hawlucha dove sharply, landing a precise kick directly on Nidoking’s chest.

Nidoking’s massive body staggered backward from the force of the blow.

---

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!