Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [594]

“It’s over!”

Though Mega Gyarados succumbed to severe poison right after defeating Muk, the result of the match was already settled.

Hearing the referee declare the final result, Koga sighed heavily.

Last time, he'd lost to August in the World Championship. This time, he lost again—to Lysandre, who'd previously been arrested by August.

He thus concluded a very important fact: it was all August’s fault!

Still, Koga’s mood was surprisingly stable. After all, Champion Alder had just been brutally beaten by Pryce earlier—compared to that, losing to Lysandre as an Elite Four member hardly seemed embarrassing.

Thinking of Alder’s miserable state, Koga’s spirits inexplicably lifted. He even smiled warmly, nodding repeatedly while shaking hands with Lysandre after the match.

Lysandre: “?”

The man standing opposite him clearly had some sort of mental issue. He’d never seen anyone so happy after losing.

But then Lysandre remembered Koga was August’s friend. Immediately, everything made sense.

August’s friends—it would’ve been weirder if they were normal.

Meanwhile, Koga, still grinning brightly, noticed Lysandre staring at him strangely. Confused, he scratched his head awkwardly.

Up in the stands…

“August, what did you think about this match?” Iono asked, holding out the microphone toward August.

“Koga did pretty well. It’s just unfortunate that Lysandre was stronger,” August replied casually.

The fact that Koga managed to defeat Lysandre’s ace, Gyarados, was already proof of his strength.

“But Koga-san didn’t seem to use Mega Evolution or Dynamax—did he choose not to?” Malva read out a comment from the stream.

This had puzzled many viewers, as Koga indeed hadn't used Mega Evolution or Dynamax throughout the entire match.

At that, August immediately slapped himself on the forehead—or rather, slapped Mew’s forehead instead.

Under Mew’s puffed-up glare and the confused stares of Iono and Malva, August coughed awkwardly, saying, “I actually prepared a Dynamax Band for Koga earlier—but forgot to give it to him.”

Malva: “...”

Iono: “...”

Was that on purpose or just careless?

Koga hadn’t performed badly against Lysandre. With the Dynamax Band, he might've stood a chance at winning.

A short distance away, Giovanni overheard August’s remark without the slightest surprise. Because...this was exactly the kind of thing August would do!

Glancing back at Iono’s livestream chat, a flood of comments reading “SO SAD!” instantly filled the entire screen, practically blocking the view entirely.

Too tragic, Koga-san!

Just as Iono ended the livestream, Koga returned to the stands after leaving the battlefield.

“What are you all chatting about?” Koga asked.

“Your match against Lysandre just now... never mind that,” August stiffly changed the subject. “Do you have any plans next?”

“Not really…” Koga replied uncertainly.

“Then I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“I need your ninja skills,” August explained seriously. “Help me keep an eye on Rose.”

Koga had long known that August intended to deal with Rose, so he nodded without hesitation. “Leave it to me.”

He might only be an Elite Four-level trainer when it came to direct battles.

But in terms of stealth, infiltration, assassination, and intelligence gathering—he was definitely Champion-level.

“If you find anything, contact me immediately!” August instructed firmly.

Koga nodded. His hands quickly formed a ninja hand seal, and with a quiet poof, smoke exploded, instantly obscuring him from view.

“Whoa—so cool!” Iono exclaimed, eyes wide with excitement.

Even the two little Magnemite floating above her head stared in astonishment.

In reality, Koga had merely used the smoke from a self-destructing Voltorb as cover, then swiftly disguised himself as an ordinary passerby, slipping away unnoticed.

Naturally, August saw right through this, but he didn't expose it. After all, this trick was Koga’s livelihood!

“Let’s go!” August beckoned to the others.

“The next match is between Maxie and Flint. You’re not watching?” Ethan asked curiously.

The leader of Team Magma versus an Elite Four from Sinnoh—August had noticed that everyone from the Kanto Branch seemed to face opponents who were at least Elite Four-level. If someone claimed this was random, he absolutely wouldn’t believe it.

But August still had confidence in Maxie’s abilities.

“You guys watch—I have something more important to do,” August said, checking his phone briefly.

“This... is the ‘more important’ thing you were talking about, August?”

Thinking August was undertaking some secret mission, Malva had tagged along out of curiosity—only to end up staring at a long line in front of a cake shop, her face filled with question marks.

“I don’t have a choice. I promised Mew I'd buy her some cakes. Isn’t my personal credibility more important than some boring match?” August asked seriously.

For a moment, Malva was genuinely speechless.

Resignedly deciding she was already here anyway, Malva queued alongside August, passing the time by looking around Hammerlocke City.

“Hammerlocke...looks incredibly prosperous!” Malva observed.

Indeed, Hammerlocke City’s bustling atmosphere rivaled even that of Lumiose City in Kalos.

Hearing Malva’s remark, August explained, “It’s the Galar League’s headquarters and the core city of the entire Galar region.”

“Rose’s talent in business really is extraordinary.”

Though their positions were opposed, August was never one to deny facts. Rose, who debuted as runner-up in a League tournament and single-handedly built the massive Macro Cosmos conglomerate—an enterprise that had essentially monopolized every aspect of daily life in Galar—was even more formidable in business than the leaders of Devon or Silph Co.

But this very talent had also fueled Rose’s paranoia and obsession with quick success.

August kept this last thought to himself, though Malva could easily guess from his subtle expression.

Just then, the long line finally reached their turn.

“Ten cupcakes and sixteen egg tarts—pack them up, please,” August ordered.

The shop employee, after packing the cupcakes, kindly reminded him upon hearing the request for additional egg tarts, “Sir, buying this much at once... If you can’t finish them soon, they won’t taste fresh later!”

“Can’t finish?” August flashed a strange smile, one that left the employee thoroughly confused.

Then, the employee watched August pat seemingly empty air above his head.

Instantly, a pink, fluffy Pokémon appeared out of thin air.

Mew leaped onto the counter, grabbing a cupcake and devouring it in one bite.

In just a moment, by the time the shop employee snapped back to reality, half the cupcakes she'd just packed were already gone.

Watching the "Mew" in front of her, the employee couldn't help muttering inwardly: Is this really a Pokémon…? Looks more like a pig.

Still, since it was able to finish the food, she didn’t comment further and quickly packaged the egg tarts for August, even adding an extra bag of small biscuits as a gift.

August took the biscuits, sampled one himself, and then casually tossed a handful to Gengar.

“Give me ten more bags of these,” August said decisively.

By the time August returned to the Kanto Branch’s temporary base with Mew and Malva, Iono and the others had also returned.

Unsurprisingly, Maxie had emerged victorious.

However, compared to the previous wins by the other Kanto Branch members, Maxie’s victory was a bit tougher—about on par with Archie’s earlier match. It was only thanks to Gigantamax Camerupt that he narrowly defeated Flint.

August had a vague feeling that among their group, the first ones likely to drop out would be Maxie and Archie…

Iono, having livestreamed all day, was now nervously editing clips to upload highlights online.

August glanced at her briefly without interrupting, then turned to look at Lillie.

Lillie was currently beside Cogita, holding a Pokémon grooming kit and carefully combing Eevee’s fur. Her gentle fingers massaged Eevee while grooming, with Cogita calmly instructing from the side, explaining key points of Pokémon massage.

August: “?”

When did Cogita become a Pokémon massage therapist...?

But considering Cogita’s vast knowledge about Pokémon, perhaps becoming an excellent Pokémon caretaker wasn't difficult for her at all.

“Vee~” Eevee let out a satisfied cry under Lillie’s gentle touch, stretching out its paws happily, even revealing its cute paw pads.

Witnessing this scene, Mew immediately tugged insistently on August’s arm, indicating clearly that she wanted the same treatment.

August glanced at Eevee, then back at Mew’s hopeful eyes.

“With the little fur you have, what’s there to groom…?” August couldn’t help retorting.

Eevee’s long, fluffy coat required careful grooming, but Mew?

Her short fur was so sparse August wouldn’t even know where to start combing.

“Stop messing around and just go eat your cupcakes,” August dismissed Mew lightly before turning toward Gary.

Noticing August’s gaze, Gary immediately tensed up. “What do you want, August?”

“Something good.”

Gary didn’t believe a word!

Since when had August ever sought him out for anything "good"?

“You have a match tomorrow, right?” August asked.

Gary nodded cautiously, his guard rising even higher.

“How’s your training with Giovanni going?” August asked suddenly.

“It’s fine—wait, how do you know about that!?” Gary blurted halfway through before realizing something wasn’t right. He’d clearly kept the special training with Giovanni a secret from August.

August sighed. “You spend all day whispering secretly with Giovanni—it's harder not to notice.”

Gary instantly looked embarrassed.

“I’ve got something good to boost your battling strength!” August continued brightly.

“How good?” Gary asked suspiciously.

“You know about Max Mushrooms, right?” August said.

“Of course!”

Gary had thoroughly researched Dynamax in preparation for the World Championship, including Max Mushrooms, which were essential for Gigantamaxing Pokémon.

With August suddenly bringing it up, could it be—

Under Gary’s expectant gaze, August revealed some Pokéblocks he'd prepared using Max Mushrooms as the primary ingredient.

“These are new Pokéblocks I developed—eat one, and your Pokémon can Gigantamax immediately!” August said confidently.

Gary swallowed audibly.

But having been tricked by August countless times, Gary quickly forced himself to calm down, cautiously asking:

“So what’s the catch?”

He’d learned his lesson—there was no way August could be this generous!

August: “...”

This time, he genuinely wanted to help Gary, completely free of charge, yet Gary clearly wasn't buying it.

Seeing Gary’s doubtful expression, August realized that if he didn't impose some kind of condition, Gary would never accept the gift. Helplessly, he had no choice but to once again play the villain.

“One battle,” August declared. “Win or lose, this whole box of Pokéblocks is yours.”

Gary’s face instantly showed an expression of "I knew it." He'd long known there was no such thing as a free lunch.

Still, for the sake of Gigantamaxing, he decided to accept. “Fine, I agree!”

With that, Gary immediately assumed a determined, ready-to-die expression.

August: “…”

He genuinely didn’t know what to say to Gary anymore.

“Slowbro, [Withdraw]!”

Following August’s command, Slowbro lay down on the ground, curling tightly into the protective shell of the Shellder on its tail, using its hard shell to block Arcanine’s incoming attack.

Seeing the first strike fail, Gary quickly ordered, “Arcanine, [Flamethrower]!”

A blazing stream of fire erupted from Arcanine’s mouth, rushing straight toward Slowbro!

“[Split attack]!” August swiftly commanded.

Instantly, Slowbro separated into two—Shellder and Slowpoke, dodging the Flamethrower by leaping apart in opposite directions.

Arcanine, suddenly faced with two opponents, hesitated, uncertain which one to attack.

At that exact moment, Shellder and Slowpoke simultaneously attacked from either side.

Slowpoke’s eyes flashed blue, using Psychic to freeze Arcanine in place.

Arcanine instantly stiffened, unable to move.

Meanwhile, Shellder snapped its shell shut tightly, leaving only a tiny gap. From this gap, a powerful jet of water burst out, rapidly spinning the Shellder’s shell like a high-speed frisbee surrounded by razor-sharp water.

Arcanine desperately tried to evade, but its body was locked in place by Psychic.

It could only watch helplessly as the spinning Shellder slammed straight into its body.

[Razor Shell]!

“Awoooo~!”

Arcanine howled in pain as Shellder struck it, before swiftly spinning back like a boomerang to latch onto Slowpoke’s tail again.

In a flash of evolution-light, Slowpoke and Shellder recombined, reverting to their original form—Slowbro.

Immediately after regaining its form, Slowbro raised its arms calmly.

Water surged swiftly before Slowbro, quickly coalescing into a massive wave that crashed down onto Arcanine.

Still reeling from the Razor Shell, Arcanine had no time to counterattack and was slammed straight into the ground.

Splash!

As the wave subsided, Arcanine lay motionless on the soaked ground, knocked out.

Arcanine lost the ability to battle—Slowbro wins!

“Bro~” Slowbro, looking rather dopey yet surprisingly cunning in battle, let out a dull-sounding victory cry.

“Dammit… Lost again!” Gary groaned in frustration.

---

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!