Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [595]

Though Gary appeared frustrated by yet another defeat at August’s hands, in a way, he'd long since gotten used to it.

Throughout his entire trainer career, losing to August had become utterly commonplace—just another ordinary day, as natural as breathing.

Catching the Pokéblocks that August casually tossed his way, Gary didn’t feel the slightest discouragement. Instead, his confidence for tomorrow's match rose a little more.

After defeating Gary’s Arcanine, Slowbro waddled slowly back to August’s side, removing the Shellder from its tail and sprawling lazily on the floor. It stretched comfortably, looking exactly like a weary office worker who’d finally come home after a long day, tossing their briefcase aside and collapsing onto a beanbag sofa, unwilling to move even an inch.

But just as Slowbro began to savor its precious leisure time, a flash of light appeared. Another Pokémon, very similar-looking to itself, suddenly materialized in front of it.

This newcomer had the same pink body, but its forehead and tail were tinged with a pale yellow color.

Slowpoke stared blankly at the creature sprawled limply on the floor like a pile of melted pudding, with a tail that flopped lazily behind it—somehow even lazier than itself. Slowly, a question mark seemed to materialize over its head.

“Slow?”

“Sloooow...”

The two Slowpoke then launched into an encrypted conversation so profound that even August, who possessed Viridian Power, couldn’t decipher a single word.

“What…is going on here?” Gary couldn’t help but ask, bewildered.

“Oh, it’s a Pokémon I caught previously in the Galar region—Galarian Slowpoke,” August explained casually.

The newly released Slowpoke was precisely the Galarian Slowpoke August had captured on the Isle of Armor.

After an extended dialogue—one that even the two Slowpoke themselves might not have truly understood—the Kantonian Slowpoke crawled slowly toward the Galarian Slowpoke and, under its blank gaze, firmly bit onto its tail.

A full minute passed before Galarian Slowpoke finally realized what had happened and, following suit, slowly leaned over to bite the Kantonian Slowpoke’s tail.

Watching this strange scene unfold, August was utterly speechless.

What was this—some sort of ouroboros made of Slowpokes?

But to August’s mild surprise, the Kantonian Slowpoke didn’t seem to mind the spicy flavor of the Galarian Slowpoke’s tail at all. In fact, it even seemed to enjoy it.

“Slowpoke can… But it shouldn’t…” Gary murmured in disbelief, staring blankly at the two Slowpoke happily munching each other’s tails.

The scene before him exceeded all his knowledge and comprehension.

Even more stunned than Gary was Shellder.

It had merely come off Slowpoke’s tail for a brief rest—so now, whose tail was it supposed to clamp onto? Shellder was thoroughly confused.

Hearing Shellder’s hesitant question, both Slowpoke instantly pointed toward each other.

“Slow~”

Kantonian Slowpoke simply wished to live as an ordinary Slowpoke and refused another miserable day of being clamped by Shellder.

Galarian Slowpoke had even less desire to get bitten for no reason.

Thus, the situation reached a stalemate.

Finally, August stepped in decisively and pointed to Kantonian Slowpoke:
“Monday, Wednesday, Friday—Shellder goes with you.”

Turning to Galarian Slowpoke:
“Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday—Shellder will go with you.”

“Sunday is rest day!”

Perfectly solved!

“Slow~”

Nearby, Mew had just woken up. Looking at the two tail-biting Slowpoke, it tilted its head curiously: “Mew?”

With the historic meeting of the two Slowpoke now complete, the World Championship continued steadily.

From August’s perspective, if one ignored the ban on Legendary Pokémon, this year’s World Championship could actually be considered a great success.

Especially when it came to commercialization: whether it was sponsors or the enormous influx of tourists the championship brought to Galar, it had significantly boosted the region’s economic development.

Unfortunately, Legendary Pokémon were banned from competing this year.

“Mew!” Mew tugged impatiently at August’s sleeve, jolting him back to attention.

By this time, the match on stage had already reached its conclusion. Gary’s Gigantamax Nidoking had just blasted his opponent’s Cinderace off the field with a devastating G-Max move, successfully securing his position among the top thirty in the Championship, thanks in large part to Giovanni’s special training.

“Dammit, why’s my rank still so low?” After finishing his match, Gary felt unfairly targeted as he looked at the ranking, immediately complaining to August, “Rose must’ve secretly changed my ranking!”

Hearing Gary’s self-deceptive complaint, August remained silent.

So, Rose didn’t bother manipulating anyone else’s ranking, just yours?

But Gary’s match had only been the start.

August had specifically come to watch the battles today—and it wasn’t only Gary’s match he was interested in.

Cyrus vs. Lucian.

One was the infamous leader of Sinnoh’s most notorious villainous group, the other an esteemed member of Sinnoh’s Elite Four. The complicated grievances between these two ran especially deep.

“I never thought we’d meet again in circumstances like this,” Lucian remarked calmly. With his wine-red suit and pale gray hair, he projected an air of elegance.

“...” Cyrus remained silent as always.

Lucian wasn’t one for small talk either. Seeing Cyrus had no intention to chat, he simply nodded toward the referee, signaling that he was ready.

With the referee’s announcement, the battle began.

Without waiting, Cyrus immediately sent out his Pokémon.

A flash of light burst forth, revealing a Weavile standing on the battlefield.

Seeing Weavile appear, Lucian felt an instant headache.

“I absolutely loathe Dark-types...” As a Psychic-type Elite Four member, Dark-types represented Lucian’s greatest weakness.

Still, it wasn’t as though he was completely helpless.

Knowing well this weakness, Lucian had naturally prepared accordingly.

“Let’s go, Medicham!”

In a burst of light, Medicham appeared gracefully on the battlefield, immediately assuming a yoga stance.

Being Psychic and Fighting-type, Medicham wasn’t afraid of Dark-type moves at all.

“August, do you think Cyrus will win this?” Gary asked curiously.

August shot Gary a strange look.

Gary: “?”

“You shouldn’t be wondering if Cyrus will win,” August began, but before he could even finish—

On the battlefield, Weavile had already shot forward toward the newly summoned Medicham.

[Night Slash]!

Weavile became almost a blur as it darted forward.

Lucian and Medicham were caught slightly off guard by the sudden strike, but trainer and Pokémon reacted swiftly!

Psychic-type moves might be ineffective against a Dark-type Pokémon like Weavile, but Fighting-type moves were devastatingly effective!

“Medicham, [Detect]!”

Medicham’s eyes flashed sharply, instantly reading Weavile’s movement. It sank its stance, twisting agilely, narrowly dodging the lethal Night Slash.

“[High Jump Kick]!”

Medicham kicked upwards, aiming directly at Weavile’s midsection.

If this kick landed, even with Cyrus’s Weavile at a higher level, it might not be immediately knocked out—but it’d lose half its life right there and then!

Yet, facing the incoming kick, Cyrus’s face remained utterly impassive.

“[Agility].”

Weavile flickered, its figure instantly dissolving into an afterimage, evading Medicham’s kick with ease.

“[Ice Shard]!”

A flurry of tiny ice fragments shot forward from Weavile’s claws, striking Medicham hard. Each shard pierced into its body, and Medicham grimaced in pain.

Seeing Weavile’s frightening reaction speed, Lucian couldn’t help silently praising the man he faced.

Cyrus—captured personally by August. Without August’s intervention, who knows how much Sinnoh would’ve suffered to defeat this man.

But admiration aside—

With his initial attack failing and Medicham already injured, Lucian decisively called Medicham back to his side.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a pendant:

“Medicham, I’m counting on you!”

A dazzling light instantly burst forth, completely enveloping Medicham’s body.

Medicham Mega Evolved into Mega Medicham!

Mega Medicham floated lightly, four extra ribbon-like arms appearing beside it. Two golden rings gleamed on its wrists. At first glance…

“It looks a lot like Hoopa,” Gary murmured.

Indeed—with six floating limbs, it felt almost like a youthful, miniature version of Hoopa.

Hearing Gary’s words, Mew curiously lifted her head and wondered if Mega Medicham could also summon ice cream like Hoopa did.

Mega Medicham surged forward after Mega Evolution, its speed significantly boosted. In an instant, it appeared right in front of Weavile. But just as Mega Medicham prepared to launch another High Jump Kick—it discovered Weavile was even faster.

A sudden flash!

In a blink, Weavile’s eyes shone maliciously, claws gleaming sharply, slashing across Mega Medicham’s chest.

A direct hit!

[Night Slash]!

Struck critically, Mega Medicham flew backward.

When Mega Medicham finally landed, Lucian had no choice but to admit—though he hated to acknowledge it—that even after Mega Evolution, his Medicham was still vastly outmatched by Cyrus.

Mega Medicham staggered back onto its feet, watching Weavile warily.

Weavile wore a bloodthirsty grin. Lifting one claw, it slowly licked it before casually flicking another volley of Ice Shards toward Mega Medicham.

The ice pierced through Mega Medicham, steadily slowing its movements.

Lucian desperately tried to have Mega Medicham close the distance, wanting to force Weavile into a close-quarters fight.

But with Weavile’s terrifying speed advantage, Medicham either couldn’t get close enough—or worse, it was deliberately allowed close, only for Weavile to toy with it, landing blow after brutal blow.

After several fruitless attempts, Mega Medicham was battered and barely standing.

Lucian was incredibly frustrated.

If only his opponent weren’t Dark-type, Mega Medicham could’ve used its Psychic-type moves from a distance rather than repeatedly charging in like a fool, forced into a losing melee every time.

Finally, with another decisive Night Slash from Weavile, Mega Medicham collapsed, unable to continue.

With Mega Medicham down, none of Lucian’s remaining Pokémon posed any threat to Cyrus’s Weavile.

“Bronzong has lost the ability to battle!”

“Girafarig has lost the ability to battle!”

“All of Lucian’s Pokémon have lost the ability to battle—Cyrus wins!”

As the referee announced the result, Lucian sighed deeply. The gap was just too vast.

At this point in the tournament, aside from the top eight Masters, all participants from the Kanto Branch occupied rankings from ninth to thirtieth.

Pryce, having defeated Unova’s Champion Alder, temporarily stood at ninth place—just below the Masters Eight.

Giovanni, easily defeating Archer, ranked eleventh, with Caitlin, who had fallen from the Masters Eight in the last championship, placed just ahead of him.

Lysandre, having beaten Koga, occupied twelfth place.

Cyrus, ranked thirteenth.

Maxie, fifteenth.

Archie, sixteenth.

Gary sat at the distant thirtieth spot.

With the World Championship now entering its second round, the battle for the coveted Masters Eight positions had officially begun.

Soon, the official website announced the next matchups:

• Pryce vs. Caitlin

• Giovanni vs. Lysandre

• Cyrus vs. Raihan

• Maxie vs. Archie

• Gary vs. Bea

Excluding Gary’s battle, Pryce and the other six Kanto Branch members were divided into four groups, meaning that at least two Kanto Branch members would inevitably be eliminated this round.

August understood perfectly what Rose was scheming.

But he didn’t care.

After all, participating in the World Championship was merely a side objective for him.

As the tournament approached the Masters Eight stage, Rose’s patience must be wearing thin…

...

Hammerlocke City, Underground Energy Plant.

Rose, who should’ve been in Hammerlocke Stadium overseeing the tournament, now stood here instead, his face gloomy.

The reason he’d left the championship early for the underground energy plant was because recently he’d felt an inexplicable sense of being watched in Hammerlocke City.

As though someone’s eyes were always fixed upon him.

This unsettling feeling drove Rose nearly mad, even prompting him to mobilize all available resources to discover the source of the surveillance.

Yet no matter how hard he searched, Rose couldn’t find anyone. He’d even begun to wonder if it was just his own paranoia.

Ultimately, Rose was forced to retreat here, to the underground plant in Hammerlocke, where finally the feeling of being watched vanished.

Looking at the dormant Eternatus, Rose felt a sense of reassurance.

“Just wait a little longer. Soon it will be time for you to contribute to the prosperity of the Galar region!” Rose whispered, eyes burning fanatically.

At that very moment, Rose also received the latest match schedule from the World Championship.

He glanced over it briefly and sneered coldly, “Go ahead and tear each other apart.”

Turning away, he refocused his attention on instructing his subordinates in preparations to awaken Eternatus.

However, Rose remained oblivious that, within the narrow ventilation shaft of the underground energy plant, Koga lay silently concealed, gazing through the metal grating at Rose and Eternatus.

Shock flickered across Koga’s face as he whispered softly to himself, “So this is the Eternatus August mentioned… This is far beyond my expectations…”

---

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!