Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [411]

Nemona: Paldea’s Champion-level Trainer and Student Council President of Naranja Academy.

Hearing the cheers of the academy students around him, Gary Oak’s spirits lifted.

Finally, a real heavyweight’s shown up?

He looked up, meeting Nemona’s gaze.

The moment their eyes met, Gary was startled by the intensity in Nemona’s stare.

Whoa—why is she looking at me like she’s about to eat me alive?!

Just as Gary was reflecting on whether his earlier provocation had gone too far, Nemona strode confidently onto the battlefield, all eyes of Naranja Academy fixed on her.

“I’m Nemona. So, you say you’re the Kanto Champion?” Nemona asked.

At her words, Gary puffed out his chest. “That’s right, I’m the Indigo League Champion!”

“Awesome! Let’s battle!” Nemona grinned, excitement lighting up her face.

Gary: “?”

Wait, aren’t I supposed to be the one challenging this place? Aren’t you a student here? Why do you seem even more pumped than I am?

Gary was still caught off guard when Nemona had already pulled out a Poké Ball.

“Go, Dunsparce!”

A drowsy-looking Dunsparce with its three-segmented body wriggled onto the field, eyes half-closed.

Dunsparce began flexing for battle.

Gary stared at Nemona, now all set in her stance: “.....”

What is with this totally self-absorbed attitude?

For a second, he had the odd feeling that he was actually the challenger here.

But Gary quickly got his head back in the game. After all, the very first page of the Earth Mastery manual said it—any real Trainer never lets their emotions get in the way of battle.

Although, Gary thought, considering how often Giovanni gets completely thrown off by August, maybe that’s easier said than done—but still, the logic was sound!

“All right, let’s battle! Best of three—winner takes all!”

Gary tossed out his Poké Ball. “Let’s go, Nidoking!”

“Roooar!”

Nidoking let out a fierce bellow, its massive frame casting a shadow over Dunsparce as it loomed above.

The usually mellow Dunsparce shrank back, clearly intimidated by Nidoking’s imposing presence.

But Nemona only seemed even more hyped. “As expected—super strong!”

“Of course, I—”
Gary had just started to brag when Nemona had already made her move.

“We go first—Dunsparce, [Mud Shot]!”

A barrage of mud pellets shot from Dunsparce’s mouth, hurtling toward Nidoking.

Mid-boast, Gary felt himself get totally stuck, especially as August’s laughter rang in his ear.

[GardevoirSupremacy]: LOL

Still, after all the “training” he’d suffered at August’s hands, Gary’s reactions were as sharp as ever.

“Nidoking, use [Earth Power]!”

Nidoking stomped hard, sending a stone wall surging up from the ground, completely blocking the hail of mud.

And that wasn’t all.

Nidoking roared again.

The stone wall suddenly seemed to come alive, surging forward as if driven by Nidoking, barreling straight at Dunsparce.

“So strong!” Nemona exclaimed, fist clenched. “Dunsparce, [Drill Run]!”

Still looking half-asleep, Dunsparce suddenly lit up as it heard Nemona’s command.

It flipped around, revealing a tail like a drill bit, then spun at high speed, boring straight toward the stone wall.

Rrrrrr—!

The shrill screech of drilling echoed out.

Shards of stone and clouds of dust filled the air. And then—

BOOM!

The stone wall, conjured by [Earth Power], exploded apart, and Dunsparce barreled right through, drilling straight for Nidoking.

“Huh? That Dunsparce’s level…”
A flash of surprise crossed Gary’s face.

He hadn’t expected Dunsparce to punch through Nidoking’s move, but he adapted fast.

No dodging—Gary chose to face it head-on!

“Nidoking, [Thunder Punch]!”

Electricity crackled as Nidoking’s claws lit up with golden light, sparks sizzling. Nidoking’s fist collided with the spinning Dunsparce.

BOOM!

A brilliant flash lit up the battlefield, so bright everyone instinctively turned away.

“What happened?!”

“Did President Nemona’s Dunsparce win?!”

When the crowd looked back, they saw Nidoking clutching an injured paw, pain and ferocity mingling in its eyes—while Dunsparce lay on the ground, body twitching with [Paralysis].

It’s paralyzed!

Dunsparce’s [Serene Grace] didn’t trigger.

“That’s just bad luck for President Nemona.”

“Yeah, for sure.”

Gary didn’t pay the surrounding chatter any mind, let alone bother explaining himself.

Gary Oak has never owed anyone an explanation for his actions!

He glanced at Nemona—she didn’t look the least bit disappointed or frustrated. In fact… she seemed even happier!

Gary was now completely convinced—this Nemona girl was just not normal.

She recalled Dunsparce and sent out her second Pokémon.

“Go, Goodra!”

A glistening, gooey Goodra appeared on the field.

“Goodra, huh?”

Goodra was one of Zinnia’s signature Pokémon. Gary had seen Zinnia’s Goodra lazing around the Kanto division plenty of times, covering other Pokémon in slime as it chased them.

Gary didn’t switch out—he kept using Nidoking.

“Go for it!”

“President Nemona, teach that cocky guy a lesson!”

The students of Naranja Academy cheered in unison.

Once again, Nemona took the initiative: “Goodra, [Muddy Water]!”

A torrent of muddy water surged from Goodra, blasting toward Nidoking.

“Nidoking, [Earth Power]!” Gary countered, sticking to his plan.

After all, he hadn’t forgotten the real point of this battle—testing whether his recent theoretical research had paid off.

The ground trembled and heaved. Huge clods of earth, under Nidoking’s control, blocked the [Muddy Water] again and again.

By the time the muddy torrent finally broke through, it hardly posed any threat to Nidoking at all!

The Earth Mastery manual was right after all!

Gary gave a sharp wave of his hand. “Nidoking, [Poison Sting]!”

A hail of toxic needles shot toward Goodra.

“Goodra, dodge and use [Dragon Pulse]!”

Goodra slid smoothly to the side, most of the [Poison Sting] needles missing their mark. The few that grazed its body simply bounced off its slick, slime-covered skin.

A sphere of green light gathered in front of Goodra, charging up to fire at Nidoking.

But as Goodra searched for its target, there was only a huge hole in the ground—Nidoking had vanished.

“[Dig]—watch your feet!” a Naranja Academy student called out from the sidelines.

Gary smirked. “Too late!”

Suddenly, the ground beneath Goodra shuddered and split apart. Before Goodra could react, Nidoking’s massive form burst out of the earth, moving with surprising agility for its size. It landed a crushing Mega Punch right under Goodra’s chin.

Goodra was sent flying.

Still, Nidoking wasn’t satisfied. Because of Goodra’s sticky slime, most of the punch’s force was dispersed.

But the offensive didn’t stop there!

Gary’s lips curled upward. “Nidoking, [Earthquake]!”

Nidoking, hearing Gary’s command, mirrored that vicious little grin and stomped hard on the ground.

BOOM!

The ground shook violently. Shockwaves rippled outward from Nidoking, tearing fissures through the battlefield and churning up huge clods of earth.

Goodra, just struggling back to its feet, was the first to bear the brunt.

Even then, Nemona didn’t order Goodra to dodge.

Without the ability to fly, there was nowhere for Goodra to run. Her best option now was to fight back!

Her voice was cool and steady. “Goodra, [Ice Beam]!”

Goodra cupped its hands before its chest, condensing a glowing orb of pale blue energy that radiated biting cold. In the next instant, it unleashed a freezing blast toward Nidoking!

Gary hadn’t expected Nemona to stay this calm and command a counterattack at a time like this.

The shockwave struck Goodra just as the Ice Beam slammed into Nidoking.

Goodra staggered, pain etched on its face, its body swaying from back-to-back heavy hits, barely managing to stay upright.

Nidoking, meanwhile, found half its body encased in ice.

Seeing his Pokémon frozen, Gary could tell Nidoking could still keep fighting—but he didn’t push it.

“Come back, Nidoking!” He withdrew Nidoking to its Poké Ball.

Cheers erupted from the surrounding academy students.

In their eyes, this was a huge victory!

Hearing the applause, Gary tilted his head back, curled his lips in a familiar, cocky smile, and glanced around, imitating August’s signature look. “You really think you’ve won?”

The students quieted down, all eyes on Gary.

“Playtime’s over.” Gary unclipped a Friend Ball from his belt. “Now, let me show you what real strength looks like. Come out!”

Under everyone’s gaze, Gary tossed the Friend Ball.

A flash of white light—an elegant silhouette started to take shape.

But before anyone could get a good look, in the next instant, both Gary and his Pokémon vanished from the battlefield.

The crowd: “???”

Where did he go?

Why did they disappear out of nowhere?

Even Nemona froze for a second, bewildered by the sudden turn.

...

When Gary came to his senses, the crowd of academy students and Nemona were gone—replaced by August and Gardevoir.

“August, what the hell?!”

He’d just been getting to the good part of the match, ready to let Suicune show its stuff, when August had teleported him out…

August just looked at him. “Don’t you think it’s a bit much to use Legendary Pokémon against a bunch of students? Besides, we’re not actually here to storm the academy.”

Pokémon battles aren’t just about winning and losing—it’s about people, too.

After all, Naranja Academy’s been around for centuries. If word got out that Gary had single-handedly beaten all of them, it wouldn’t sound great. And Geeta is the school’s chairwoman—it wouldn’t do to embarrass her, either.

Gary: “......”

When you used Mewtwo against my Nidoking, didn’t hear you calling yourself excessive…

Not that he’d ever say that out loud—he only dared to mutter it inside. With August’s petty streak, he’d be asking for trouble.

While Gary was busy complaining to himself—

“August! August!”

Zinnia came running over in a hurry. “Your Eevee’s been snatched!”

August: “?”

Someone at this school actually managed to snatch Eevee? And wasn’t Eevee just with Cogita?

“Details—start from the top.”

August followed Zinnia, and when they arrived, Cogita was nowhere to be found. Instead, a girl with half her hair dyed red and blue, carrying an Eevee-themed backpack, was crouched on the ground.

In front of her sat two Pokémon—August’s own Eevee, and a Sylveon.

The two ribbons fluttered gracefully at Sylveon’s side, making it look so elegant that Eevee gazed at it with envy, little stars sparkling in its eyes.

Footsteps approached.

“That’s her! She’s the one who took Eevee!” Zinnia pointed accusingly at Penny.

Thud.

August gave Zinnia a knock on the head.

She clutched her head, face full of grievance. “Why’d you hit me, August?!”

“Don’t go accusing people for no reason.”

August beckoned to Eevee, who instantly leapt onto his outstretched arm and clambered up to his shoulder, looking innocent as ever.

“Hi, I’m August. This is Zinnia.”

The girl—Penny—clearly recognized him. She hesitated, then spoke in the tiniest voice: “…Hello, Mr. August. My name is…”

“Penny, right? I’ve heard about you!” August cut in before she could finish.

Both Penny and Zinnia stared at him.

Penny was puzzled—she knew August was the World Champion, but how did he know her?

Zinnia, on the other hand, was just shocked—how does August know everyone?

“Iono told me,” August said casually, shifting the credit to Iono. Then he looked at Penny and her Sylveon, inviting, “How about becoming an International Police officer?”

“…What?”

Penny froze.

This was the first time she’d ever met August. Wasn’t this a bit too abrupt?

“Mr. August… Are you sure you haven’t got the wrong person?”

“No mistake.” August gave her a gentle smile. “Or should I call you… ‘Queen of Hackers’?”

“You really have got the wrong person, Mr. August…”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Zinnia chimed in.

Thud.

Zinnia clutched her head again and squatted off to the side.

“Don’t stir up trouble.” August turned back to Penny, not beating around the bush. “I admire your hacking skills. Compared to hacking the League system or the Rotom Phone Company, the International Police would give you a much better stage to show what you can really do.”

Penny was trembling—like a kid who thought her mischief was safe behind a screen, only to be caught in real life.

How does August know all this…?

She stared at August’s smiling face.

Was he going to arrest her if she said no?

---

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!