Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [590]

Although these thoughts briefly crossed Calyrex's mind, now that Spectrier and Glastrier had returned to its side, Calyrex didn't dwell on them further.

It carefully untied the Reins of Unity from Ting-Lu’s antlers, then turned toward Spectrier and Glastrier.

Both steeds stood up at the same time, staring eagerly at Calyrex, each clearly hoping to be the one chosen.

But there was only one set of reins.

Considering the upcoming battle against Eternatus, Calyrex ultimately placed the reins on Glastrier.

A brilliant glow erupted from Calyrex and Glastrier simultaneously.

In the next moment, Calyrex, now mounted atop Glastrier, revealed a completely different form from when it had ridden Ting-Lu.

Its enormous bud-crown became translucent and jade-like, radiating a soft, ethereal glow. Behind it, what had originally looked like ornamental wings unfolded gracefully, resembling a regal cape.

—Calyrex (Ice Rider Forme).

Giovanni carefully observed Calyrex, and even he could clearly sense the immense leap in power Calyrex had achieved upon fusing with Glastrier.

Having finally regained its full strength, Calyrex gently raised a hand.

The bud on its crown flashed, and in the distance, a giant rock hidden beneath layers of snow suddenly lifted into the air, crashing violently into a nearby mountain and producing a thunderous boom.

"So this is Calyrex’s true form? Pretty cool," Zinnia commented. Then, she couldn’t resist adding, "Though still nowhere near as majestic as Lord Rayquaza!"

August no longer had the energy to even complain about Zinnia.

Seeing Calyrex successfully merge with Glastrier, August decided it was time to leave the Crown Tundra.

If they hurried back now, they might still make it in time for Pryce’s match against Alder!

Thinking this, August instructed Hoopa to open a portal.

The group promptly filed through.

...

When August finally returned to the Kanto Branch’s temporary residence, Gary and Ethan were already gearing up, preparing to head out for Pryce’s match.

Upon seeing August suddenly appear, Gary asked in confusion, "Weren’t you supposed to be out recruiting allies?"

"I already found one," August replied calmly.

Gary and Ethan quickly glanced behind August, only to see Calyrex proudly riding atop Glastrier, with Spectrier standing loyally at its side.

"A black horse, a white horse, and…a giant-headed goat!" Gary exclaimed in shock.

Mew immediately gave August a pointed, grumbling look, indicating that she’d always known her earlier confusion had been totally justified—after all, Calyrex really did look like a goat!

"It’s a rabbit," August corrected firmly, before adding with emphasis, "And this is Calyrex, the King of Bountiful Harvests from Galar. It’s a legendary Pokémon, so show some respect!"

Gary appeared even more shocked after hearing this.

First the King of the Sword, Zacian; then the King of the Shield, Zamazenta—and now Calyrex. Could it be that all of Galar’s kings were legendary Pokémon?

Gary instantly felt a pang of regret.

Had he known August was going out specifically to recruit a legendary Pokémon, he would’ve shamelessly insisted on tagging along no matter what!

While Gary was drowning in regret, Calyrex quietly looked around, carefully examining everyone in the room.

As its gaze passed over Cogita, it immediately dismounted Glastrier and was about to respectfully bow to her.

But midway through the motion, Cogita subtly raised a finger to her lips, signaling silence.

Calyrex paused, momentarily stunned.

It glanced toward August, who was still casually chatting with Gary, completely unfazed. Could it be August genuinely didn’t know this person’s true identity?

Of course, Calyrex had no idea that not only did August already know Cogita’s true identity, but he had even enjoyed a lap pillow from her.

Since the lady clearly didn’t want her identity revealed, Calyrex wisely decided to pretend ignorance.

...

Meanwhile, August finished briefly summarizing his adventures in the Crown Tundra—including having a statue built for him—to Gary, whose face was filled with envy.

Then, with a smile, August turned toward Calyrex, "You probably haven't seen the World Championship before, right? How about coming along with us? This competition represents the absolute pinnacle of human trainers!"

Calyrex pondered this briefly, then nodded.

Since August made it sound so impressive, Calyrex’s curiosity was definitely piqued.

After leaving Glastrier and Spectrier behind to settle in, and with Mew cheering enthusiastically for popcorn—chanting "mewmew!" excitedly—the group headed out toward Hammerlocke Stadium.

...

Hammerlocke Stadium.

When August arrived at the arena, a match had just concluded. One portion of the crowd was exiting, while a new wave of spectators was pouring in.

As he took his seat, August spotted a familiar figure once again.

“Iris?”

Hearing August's voice, Iris immediately turned around, a delighted expression appearing on her face.

“Mr. August! Gary-senpai, Ethan-senpai, Zinnia-neechan, Giovanni-san...and Mew!”

Iris waved energetically, the wide sleeves of her clothing fluttering gently. Axew, nestled in her arms, also cheerfully waved his tiny paws in greeting.

Seeing Iris wearing her characteristically oversized outfit wherever she went, August thought to himself that Iris and Iono would probably have a lot in common.

Unfortunately, Iono had gone off with Malva to shoot an interview.

Meanwhile, Iris was attempting to pet Mew, but Mew playfully dodged her hand, even sticking out her tongue mischievously.

However, after traveling with August back in Unova, Iris had already mastered the ultimate technique for dealing with Mew.

With a sly grin, Iris pulled out her secret weapon from behind—a giant lollipop.

It was practically the size of Mew’s entire head.

“Mew!”

Seeing the enormous lollipop, Mew’s expression immediately changed. She threw herself into Iris’s arms, grabbing onto Iris’s sleeve and staring intently at the candy, her eyes gleaming.

“Your attitude sure flips fast...” August remarked dryly.

Iris happily hugged Mew, and Mew happily hugged the lollipop. Both sides had gotten exactly what they wanted.

At this point, Iris finally noticed a strange Pokémon standing beside August.

“This is...a Pokémon? I've never seen anything like it!” Iris exclaimed in surprise, staring at Calyrex.

August briefly introduced Calyrex to Iris.

She immediately grew even more astonished. It had only been a few months since they last met—had Mr. August already caught another legendary Pokémon?

She felt the urge to pat Calyrex's large crown, but worried it might be rude.

Just as Iris hesitated, the match began!

As both competitors entered the arena, exciting battle music filled the stadium.

“You’re here to cheer for Alder, aren’t you?”

August noticed Alder waving at them and waved back before turning to Iris with the question.

Iris had become Alder’s disciple and was currently training under him and Marshal to eventually succeed Alder as Unova’s Champion.

“Yes, yes!” Iris nodded excitedly. “Teacher Alder has reflected deeply on his years of slacking off. He’s finally motivated again—starting with this year’s World Championship, he's determined to restore the glory of the Unova League!”

“But since he hasn’t participated in the Championship for many years, he has to start climbing from the Great Ball tier again.”

Iris spoke excitedly, clearly happy that Alder had rediscovered his spirit.

But August’s expression turned slightly odd.

“What’s wrong, Mr. August?” Iris asked, puzzled.

August shook his head slowly, turning his attention to the battlefield. “It’s nothing, just...an unfortunate coincidence.”

Should he say Alder was unlucky—or incredibly unlucky?

He finally decided to make a comeback, and yet his very first match was against Pryce.

I really hope Alder can recover quickly from the loss he’s about to suffer…

As this thought flashed through August’s mind, the match officially began!

From Alder’s perspective, the name Pryce wasn’t particularly familiar.

Due to years of idleness, Alder’s grasp of recent information was severely lacking. Although he’d urgently caught up on many details after deciding to resume his duties as Champion, his knowledge of Pryce remained superficial: Pryce had been the Mahogany Town Gym Leader in Johto, the leader of a criminal group called the Masked Legion, and was eventually captured by August. Apparently, Pryce wasn’t weak.

But aside from these basic details, Alder had nothing else to go on. So now, standing face-to-face, Alder carefully sized Pryce up in person.

Pryce sat calmly in his wheelchair, holding a cane, his expression gentle and friendly.

He shouldn’t be too hard to handle!

With this thought, Alder sent out his first Pokémon:

“Go, Bouffalant!”

In a flash of light, a muscular Pokémon appeared, shaking its large afro, two mighty horns gleaming intimidatingly atop its head.

By choosing Bouffalant first, Alder showed he was approaching this battle with caution.

At the same time, Pryce also sent out his Pokémon.

From Pryce’s lap, a small Swinub gently hopped down onto the battlefield.

The majestic Bouffalant, stomping its mighty hooves and snorting fiercely, versus one tiny, weak-looking Swinub.

The audience immediately became nervous at the sight.

Would the tiny Swinub survive even a single attack from Bouffalant...?

Even Alder frowned slightly.

He couldn't help but wonder why Pryce would choose such a Pokémon on this stage. Was this some kind of taunt?

Before Alder could fully process Pryce’s intentions, the referee called out: “Begin!”

No time for hesitation. Alder waved decisively, and Bouffalant charged forward, horns lowered aggressively.

“Horn Attack!”

Judging by their sheer size difference, this strike from Bouffalant—strong enough to derail a speeding train—would send Swinub flying hundreds of meters away.

Yet just as Bouffalant took its second step, Alder saw Pryce lightly tap his cane against the ground twice.

In the next second—

The Swinub took a deep breath, puffing its cheeks out like a hamster, and opened its mouth wide...

Whooosh!

A terrifyingly cold blast surged forth, instantly erupting into a fierce Blizzard. It swallowed the charging Bouffalant, engulfed the entire battlefield, and even triggered the arena’s defense system, something typically activated only during Dynamax battles.

“A Blizzard?!”

“How absurdly strong is this Swinub?!”

“Is Bouffalant alright??”

The spectators burst into alarmed discussion.

Iris stared at the scene, utterly shocked, suddenly deeply worried for Alder.

When the blizzard gradually subsided, everyone finally saw the result clearly.

Standing frozen solid in the middle of a thick layer of snow was an extremely lifelike Bouffalant ice sculpture.

“A single blow! Frozen solid with just one attack! Absolutely astonishing!” The commentator was stunned speechless.

He had been commentating matches for many years; the last time he had seen a Champion-level Pokémon defeated in a single hit was during August’s battles at the previous Championship.

“How could this happen...?” Iris whispered in disbelief.

“That’s Pryce’s true strength,” August remarked.

Although Pryce had sent out a small Swinub first, he clearly wasn’t holding back. Just how strong Pryce was at full power was something only two humans and two Pokémon in the entire world truly understood.

On the field, Pryce still sat there calmly, leaning lightly on his cane, the same gentle expression on his face.

By now, Alder finally understood exactly why Pryce had dared to send out such an unassuming Pokémon.

“Return, Bouffalant.” Alder withdrew his Pokémon calmly.

Although Bouffalant wasn’t technically knocked out, in battles of this caliber, being completely frozen was essentially equivalent to losing.

“I’m counting on you, Escavalier!”

The armored Pokémon appeared, brandishing its twin lances, another key player on Alder’s team.

Compared to Bouffalant, Escavalier’s Steel typing gave it a stronger resistance to Ice-type attacks.

Having already seen Bouffalant instantly neutralized, Escavalier chose to strike first immediately upon entering the battlefield.

“Fell Stinger!”

Escavalier charged forward, thrusting its sharp lances toward Swinub. The blades shone brilliantly, reflecting cold, deadly light.

Alder might have slacked off, but his instincts and sharp observational skills remained intact. He quickly identified Swinub’s key weakness—speed.

If Escavalier could close the distance and leverage its close-combat prowess, the slow-moving Swinub wouldn’t stand a chance.

But this Swinub belonged to Pryce, who naturally knew his own Pokémon’s weaknesses far better than Alder ever could.

Seeing Escavalier rapidly approaching with no room to dodge, Pryce remained unflustered, calmly tapping his cane against the ground again.

Swinub took the Fell Stinger attack head-on.

Then, the little Swinub let out a gentle squeal—

And immediately, dark clouds gathered overhead, heavy snow beginning to fall.

Snow Warning!

What started as delicate snowflakes soon escalated into a blinding blizzard, fierce winds obscuring everyone’s vision—and simultaneously activating Swinub’s ability.

Snow Cloak!

Swinub’s body seamlessly blended into the swirling snowstorm, leaving Escavalier anxiously turning in circles, unable to pinpoint its target. It seemed utterly lost.

Seizing this perfect opportunity, Swinub launched a fierce counterattack—

---

T/N: ermm so how was no highhlights let me know