Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [366]

Cynthia and Leon stepped into the battlefield with poised, deliberate strides.

As the two Champions took their places, the stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.

Up in the spectator’s box, August was enjoying himself immensely—arm cradling a massive bucket of popcorn, munching away without a care in the world.

Lance glanced over at him, something finally clicking in his mind. “Hey... why don’t I see your little Mew today?”

August was usually never without her. In fact, any time he watched a match, he’d go so far as to get Mew her own bucket of popcorn—which she used more as a bath than a snack.

And yet today… not a trace of her.

“Oh, Mew?” August blinked, finally catching up. “She lost to Latias in a game this morning and now she’s hiding under the covers crying.”

Lance: “…Mew… lost a game… and Latias made her cry?”

He understood each word individually.

But strung together like that?

Nope. Brain full. Try again later.

Still, instinct made him ask, “What game?”

August scratched his head. He’d been busy grooming Lugia Jr. at the time, but from what he remembered of Mew’s dramatic exit upstairs...

“Think it was… Checkers?” he said, uncertain.

Lance: “…..”

Before meeting August, Lance never could’ve imagined that the mysterious and aloof mythical Pokémon, revered by many, could actually be… this childish.

No offense intended.

August shrugged. “Don’t worry about her. Latias’ll cheer her up eventually.”

Still, Lance had reminded him of something. It felt oddly wrong not to have something small and fluffy in his hands.

After a moment of thought, August let out Psyduck.

“Gwaa?”

Psyduck blinked, head tilted in confusion. It clearly had no idea why it had been summoned.

“No reason,” August murmured, stroking its head.

Just as expected. The one I carefully picked out from a whole waddle of Psyduck—not only is it stubborn, but the texture of its head is top-tier.

Psyduck’s face relaxed into pure bliss under the headpats. As a Psyduck, it frequently suffered from migraines—and August’s touch did wonders for that.

By the time August’s eyes drifted back to the battlefield, Cynthia and Leon’s first match had already reached a boiling point.

Cynthia had led with Spiritomb, while Leon’s opener was Aegislash.

Type-wise, Spiritomb’s Ghost/Dark typing gave it a solid edge, completely shutting down Aegislash’s moveset.

Yet Leon, through sheer skill and the defensive power of Aegislash’s Shield Forme, had managed to hold the line.

Still, even he knew this wasn’t sustainable. After blocking Spiritomb’s [Shadow Ball] with [King’s Shield], he made the call.

“Return, Aegislash! Go, Inteleon!”

Commentator: "It looks like Leon’s realized Aegislash has no hope of winning this one, so he’s swapped in Inteleon—who Spiritomb doesn’t counter as easily!"

Lance raised an eyebrow. “Leon’s looking a little desperate…”

August nodded. “Spiritomb’s typing is tricky for him—he doesn’t really specialize in Fairy-types.”

Fairy was Spiritomb’s only weakness, and Leon’s team didn’t seem to have many options in that category.

Once Inteleon entered the field, things quickly began to stabilize. It had almost taken a [Shadow Ball] the moment it appeared, but at least there was no longer a type disadvantage.

“Inteleon, [Snipe Shot]!”

Inteleon raised its arm and fired a sleek, high-pressure stream of water toward Spiritomb.

Given how immobile Spiritomb was, dodging wasn’t really an option.

So Cynthia didn’t even try.

The attack hit squarely—but in the same breath, she issued a command:

“[Will-O-Wisp]!”

The same move she’d used against Diantha was deployed again, a wave of ghostly blue fire drifting toward Inteleon.

Leon didn’t dare take it lightly. “[Water Gun]!”

Inteleon fired, extinguishing the ghost fire midair.

But that was just the distraction.

“[Phantom Force]!”

In a blink, Spiritomb vanished.

When it reappeared, it was right behind Inteleon. A shadowy energy surged from the keystone, stretching into a sharp, brutal strike that slammed into Inteleon’s back.

Inteleon staggered, face contorted in pain, but it reacted quickly—rolling forward and spinning to counterattack.

“[Water Pulse]!”

Thanks to its [Torrent] ability, Inteleon’s moves became stronger the lower its HP. The watery burst pulsed with erratic energy, striking Spiritomb head-on. The spectral Pokémon visibly faltered, clearly confused—but its move still landed.

“[Dark Pulse]!”

A wave of shadow energy surged outward, slamming into Inteleon and making the sleek Pokémon flinch with visible dread.

Commentator: "Tough luck for both Trainers—both Pokémon have ended up afflicted with status conditions!"

In the end, it was Inteleon—still relatively fresh and full of stamina—that pulled through first.

“[Snipe Shot]!”

Without hesitation, Leon had Inteleon fire its signature move.

But just as it raised its arm—

Spiritomb stirred.

It couldn’t attack or dodge in time.

All it could do… was something else.

A shadowy aura shimmered around Spiritomb’s body—and the same glow suddenly appeared on Inteleon.

Leon’s face darkened. “Inteleon, wait—!”

But the shot had already been fired.

Spiritomb surged forward into the blast.

BANG.

The water shot struck Spiritomb cleanly. Its energy vortex snapped and withdrew into the keystone.

The moment it hit the ground, Inteleon’s body flashed—and collapsed beside it.

Commentator: "Both Spiritomb and Inteleon are unable to continue battling!"

Cynthia smiled. That outcome? A win for her, no question.

“Whew—” Leon exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders.

He looked down at his fainted Inteleon. He’d rarely faced Cynthia without using [Gigantamax]—and now, for the first time, he felt the full weight of the pressure she exerted.

And it was exhilarating.

“August,” Lance asked, “who do you think’s got the edge now?”

“Depends on who Leon sends out next.”

Announcer: "Both Trainers, please send out your next Pokémon."

Cynthia’s mind raced through Leon’s team composition. Then, recalling the plan she and August had worked out yesterday, she selected her next Poké Ball in sync with Leon.

The two Poké Balls landed on the field simultaneously.

Cynthia sent out Milotic.

Leon… sent out Aegislash again.

“Shame,” August muttered. “If Leon had picked Charizard, Cynthia could’ve basically sealed the win.”

That had been part of their sparring prep. They were sure Leon would keep Charizard as his ace, so Cynthia had planned to counter it with Milotic.

But Leon had seen it coming.

Rather than play into their strategy, he chose to reuse Aegislash, despite it having already been on the field.

Still, Cynthia held the upper hand—the initiative was clearly in her court.

Lance: “…”

You’re totally biased toward Cynthia, aren’t you?

Don’t tell me the newspaper actually got it right...

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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!