Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [573]

“It’s Ball Guy!”

Gloria shouted excitedly, eyes sparkling with delight.

“What's a Ball Guy?” Gary stared skeptically at the strange figure Gloria had called "Ball Guy" standing in the distance.

“A Ball Guy is just… Ball Guy!” Gloria replied matter-of-factly.

Red T-shirt, gray shorts, and a giant Poké Ball helmet—no matter how you looked, this guy was definitely weird.

Gary muttered, “Sounds like some creepy uncle tricking kids with candy.”

Surely… Surely no one would actually fall for something like this, right?

At this moment, Ball Guy also spotted August and the others approaching.

“Hey there, friends! It’s me, everyone’s favorite Ball Guy! Would you all like some fantastic Poké Balls?” Ball Guy posed enthusiastically.

Gary remained skeptical. “You’re really giving them away?”

He'd been asking casually, expecting nothing, but surprisingly Ball Guy reached into his backpack.

Gary watched in astonishment as Ball Guy pulled out a green Friend Ball and handed it to him.

Gary was dumbstruck!

I was just joking around—he actually gave me one!

Gloria explained earnestly, “Ball Guy is super popular in Galar, you know! There’s even a trending hashtag online!”

Gloria hurriedly opened her social media app, but the screen immediately displayed Marnie practicing her smile by awkwardly pulling her cheeks.

Feeling August’s knowing gaze, Gloria blushed furiously and stammered, “Not this—!”

She quickly switched to a page titled ‘#CatchingBallGuy.’

It was filled with selfies of trainers across Galar posing happily with Ball Guy, showing off what Poké Balls they'd received from him.

“Am I really this famous now?” Ball Guy puffed up proudly. “Seems I’m another step closer to becoming the official Galar League mascot!”

...

Stow-on-Side Stadium.

Gloria and Bea stood on opposite sides of the arena.

Unlike August’s previous casual visit, this was an official Gym match, so the stands were filled with spectators.

Many were local residents of Stow-on-Side.

Since they’d have to deal with noise at home anyway, might as well watch the match in person.

“August, who do you think will win?” Gary asked.

Instead of answering directly, August turned toward Giovanni. “Giovanni, who do you think will win?”

Giovanni: “?”

One’s your disciple, one’s your friend—what does who wins or loses have to do with me?

Giovanni ignored August entirely.

Seeing Giovanni’s stubborn silence, August sighed in boredom.

“How dull.”

August looked genuinely disappointed that Giovanni hadn’t taken the bait, denying him some entertainment.

“…” Giovanni’s forehead twitched. So you asked me just to mess around?

Meanwhile, Gloria and Bea had already summoned their Pokémon.

Bea’s choice was a Hitmontop.

Hitmontop was rhythmically shifting its feet, stepping lightly in small circles, carefully sizing up its opponent with an oddly mesmerizing dance.

Gloria’s Pokémon was a low-key form Toxtricity. With its electric-blue head spike and a permanently disdainful expression, Toxtricity radiated rebelliousness.

In terms of type matchup, Gloria’s Electric/Poison-type Toxtricity clearly had the edge over Bea’s Fighting-type Hitmontop.

“Toxtricity, use [Shock Wave]!”

Toxtricity strummed the electrical organs on its chest, instantly producing a bass-like reverberation. Brilliant blue electric arcs surged forth, crackling toward Hitmontop.

Bea’s Hitmontop, meticulously trained, reacted with perfect agility.

“Dodge it, Hitmontop!”

Hitmontop easily evaded, lightly hopping with both hands supporting itself.

But Bea didn’t relax—she knew the attack wouldn’t end there.

Sure enough, Toxtricity immediately unleashed a second, double-volley of [Shock Waves].

Hitmontop was airborne this time, seemingly cornered midair.

Right at this critical moment, Bea shouted decisively, “[Rapid Spin]!”

Twisting violently midair, Hitmontop’s body spun rapidly, like a gyro, adjusting its balance and miraculously avoiding the electricity.

Yet, upon landing, Hitmontop didn’t pause—instead, it pivoted sharply on the spike atop its head and sped toward Toxtricity at dizzying speeds.

“Go, Hitmontop!”

August-sensei always taught her that the best defense was a fierce offense.

Hitmontop, spinning erratically, rapidly closed the distance. After several missed electric attacks, Gloria quickly changed tactics.

“Toxtricity, [Screech]!”

Toxtricity instantly strummed its chest organ, unleashing an ear-splitting soundwave.

The piercing noise caused Hitmontop’s body to shudder briefly. A normal Pokémon would’ve surely lost momentum here—but Bea’s specially trained Hitmontop persevered, spinning relentlessly forward.

“[Triple Kick]!”

Though called “Triple Kick,” with both legs and its tail whirling at high speed, Hitmontop delivered countless rapid strikes in mere moments, each strike amplified by its Technician ability.

Toxtricity was instantly sent flying, severely injured.

Seeing Toxtricity hurtling through the air, Bea recalled August’s advice clearly: Once you gain the upper hand, never give your opponent any chance to recover!

She immediately shouted, “Don’t let up, Hitmontop—finish with [Close Combat]!”

“Toxtricity, [Acid Spray]!”

Gloria desperately tried using [Acid Spray] to repel Hitmontop—but Bea’s Pokémon was fearless.

Facing the corrosive liquid sprayed from Toxtricity’s mouth, Hitmontop directly kicked it away, enduring the burning sensation, and struck Toxtricity head-on with a furious [Close Combat].

A flurry of blows followed.

Toxtricity collapsed, utterly defeated.

“Bea!”

“So cool, Hitmontop!”

Cheers erupted from the spectators around the arena.

Many of those present were Bea’s fans. Although they'd long suffered from the noise disturbances at Stow-on-Side Stadium, this did nothing to diminish their passion for Pokémon battles.

“So she lost,” Gary remarked. “Looks like Bea’s stronger after all. Gloria probably won’t get the badge today.”

Stroking Mew’s chin, August gazed at the field and mused, “Not necessarily…”

“Hmm?” Gary looked at him curiously.

“Firstly, Gloria's improvement exceeded my expectations,” August explained calmly.

Her Toxtricity wasn’t extraordinarily powerful, but certainly not weak either. Considering Toxtricity evolves at level 30 at the earliest, it was surprising Gloria had managed to catch one at all.

“Secondly, this is only a Gym challenge match. Bea wouldn’t show her real strength here.”

Gary slapped his forehead upon hearing this.

I almost forgot… It’s just a Gym challenge, Bea probably went easy on her.

---

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!