Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [355]

The ground trembled violently, and Machamp—being closest—took the full brunt of the attack.

But she tanked the [Earthquake] through sheer tenacity and grit.

[Bulk Up]

Her muscles tightened. After using [Bulk Up], her presence intensified, her power visibly surging.

“Machamp, let’s go!”

Behind her, Bea threw a punch in sync, and Machamp charged forward with unstoppable force, slamming her feet into the ground and launching herself at Nidoking.

As she closed the distance, a sharp chill formed around her fists.

[Ice Punch]

A serious threat for Nidoking.

Gary didn’t want to let Nidoking take the hit—but for some reason, his gut told him:

There’s no way to dodge this.

That hunch sounded like superstition—but time and again in his grueling matches with August, his intuition had proven painfully accurate.

Gary’s mind raced, reviewing everything he knew about Machamp. Then, the answer hit him:

“[No Guard] ability!”

He’d read about it before in his grandfather’s research reports. Machamp had three possible Abilities: [Guts], the Hidden Ability [Steadfast]—and [No Guard].

When a Pokémon has [No Guard], all attacks—on both sides—always hit.

Wait a second...

If that’s true…

Gary had originally planned to let Nidoking poison Machamp with [Poison Point], then wear it down using his third Pokémon.

But if all moves would land, that changed everything.

And in the blink of an eye, Gary made his call.

Machamp was already right in front of Nidoking, [Ice Punch] ready to strike.

A sly smile tugged at the corner of Gary’s mouth.

“Nidoking—[Horn Drill]!”

Bea’s expression shifted immediately.

But Nidoking didn’t hesitate.

His horn gleamed with a savage light, blue spiral energy crackling around it as he charged.

A one-hit KO move.

The announcer’s voice wavered with disbelief: “Gary’s going for [Horn Drill]—but that move’s accuracy is notoriously low...!”

He never got to finish the sentence.

In front of the stunned crowd, the two Pokémon collided.

BOOM!

As [Ice Punch] struck Nidoking square in the side, Nidoking’s glowing horn drilled directly into Machamp’s chest.

The entire battlefield fell silent.

Then, both Pokémon staggered backward.

Nidoking, already worn down from earlier fights, collapsed from the icy blow and fainted.

But Machamp—with [No Guard], and against a guaranteed-hit [Horn Drill]—was doomed the moment Gary realized her Ability.

[Machamp and Nidoking are both unable to battle. Bea has no remaining Pokémon. The winner is Gary Oak!]

The announcer stammered, barely able to keep up: “It actually landed! Machamp ran straight into [Horn Drill]! Wait, let’s check—yes! Bea’s Machamp had [No Guard]! That means Gary must’ve predicted it!”

He’d nailed it.

Gary exhaled sharply, tension draining from his body.

[Horn Drill] was a high-risk move—slow and inaccurate. Under normal conditions, it almost never lands.

But [No Guard] turns even a gamble into a sure thing.

The moment Gary recognized Machamp’s Ability, the match was as good as over.

He turned to beam at August—only to find that sometime during the match, August had disappeared.

“...”

Tch. Why is it so hard to look cool in front of that guy?

Still, maybe August had left early because he’d already predicted Gary would win?

With that thought, Gary’s frustration faded a bit.

...

“You’re strong,” Bea said sincerely.

Whether it was Gary’s calm, calculated command style, or the raw power of his Arcanine and Nidoking, it was clear—he was no ordinary opponent.

He was someone worth taking seriously.

It was just a shame the match didn’t allow [Dynamax]. She hadn’t been able to give her all.

But she still had one lingering question.

“How did you know—”

“Oh, that?” Gary flicked his hair. “Just a hunch.”

But Bea didn’t look impressed. Instead, she shyly asked, “Could I... maybe meet your teacher?”

Gary: “Cough—my teacher?”

“You must have one, right...?”

Gary hesitated. “Well... yeah, I guess I do…”

Bea’s eyes sparkled. “Someone who trained a student as skilled as you must be a wise and venerable master.”

A “wise and venerable master,” huh...?

Gary pictured August juggling a snoozing Eevee in one arm and a popcorn-bathing Mew in the other... while spamming memes in the group chat.

His mouth twitched.

“I... don’t know if that’s quite the word I’d use.”

But before he could finish declining, Bea suddenly bowed a full ninety degrees.

“I know this may be asking too much—but please, introduce me to your teacher!”

Gary: “......”

They had just fought an incredible match. And since she was this sincere, what else could he do?

He sighed and gave her the villa address.

“I’m not sure if he’s home, but he should be around by evening.”

Lately, August had been staying in every night, gaming with Mew until late.

Bea smiled, eyes filled with hope. “I’ll be there—thank you!”

Gary nodded, but his mind was elsewhere now—like wondering why the hell Ash had suddenly shown up at the Battle Frontier.

---

“Professor Oak, what brings you all here?” August asked, having left the match early.

“Well...” Professor Oak looked toward Delia.

Delia smiled. “It was like this…”

As it turned out, Delia had gone shopping with her Mr. Mime and stumbled upon a store raffle. The grand prize?

Round-trip tickets to the World Championships for a whole group.

Naturally, she won.

So now Professor Oak, Delia, Daisy, Gary’s entire fangirl squad—and even Ash, Brock, and Misty from Johto—all ended up tagging along.

“...”

August had no idea which store kept holding raffles—and why Delia always won.

If she ever had a title, Pokémon Lottery Queen would be the most fitting.

But in any case, he smiled and turned toward an old friend.

“Pikachu, Ash—long time no see!”

Grabbing Pikachu with practiced ease, he popped a Pokéblock into its mouth and gave its cheeks a gentle squish.

“Pika!”

Pikachu’s fur puffed up in irritation, but… the treat was tasty, so it begrudgingly allowed it.

The price of free food is dignity, I guess...

“Mew~!”

Not to be left out, Mew reached out and grabbed Pikachu’s face with both tiny paws, giving it a good tug.

She loved the soft, rubbery feel. So she pulled harder.

Pikachu had had enough.

“PIKA—CHU!!”

Electricity crackled—

August released him just in time and ducked behind Gardevoir, avoiding the shock entirely.

Mew, however, got zapped head-on.

The blast not only forced her out of invisibility but left her fur standing on end.

“Pfft—”

August couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Mew looking like a static-charged furball.

But that joy didn’t last long.

“Mew!!”

Furious that August was laughing, Mew flew at him, latching onto his face and discharging the last of Pikachu’s electricity directly into him.

Seconds later, August emerged with a matching poofy hairstyle.

“.........”

“Pfft—HAHAHAHA!”

Gary had just walked in and nearly doubled over from laughter.

He couldn’t even say hi to Ash—he was laughing too hard.

“Is it that funny?”

A chilling voice came from directly in front of him—and a hand clapped down on Gary’s shoulder.

His laughter died instantly.

Looking up to see August’s ‘kind’ smile, he chuckled nervously. “S-So... should I say yes or no?”

August grinned.

Gary dry-laughed alongside him—but inside, he was certain: I’m dead.

...

Later, as the whole group arrived at the villa—

Gary immediately grabbed Ash and vanished with the excuse of “catching up,” while Daisy went off shopping with Courtney.

“They’re so close,” Delia smiled.

Misty nearly choked on her drink. “Cough cough—”

That’s not friendship. That’s an escape.

With Ash gone, Misty finally had time to look around the villa.

First impression: huge.

Second: so many Pokémon!

August never liked keeping his team in Pokéballs.

Aside from the ones sent back to his estate or the two—Gyarados and Milotic—lounging in the pool, every other Pokémon was freely roaming the house.

Mewtwo sat by the window, immersed in a thick book.

Slowbro and Psyduck were engaged in what looked like encrypted telepathic chatter.

A Snorlax was sprawled out on the carpet, snoring.

Two Togepi were bouncing on its belly like it was a trampoline.

The Togepi in Misty’s arms lit up. “Toki toki buii~!”

It wriggled free and joined the bouncing pair.

“Togepi!”

Now there were three of them—and Misty could no longer tell which one was hers.

And then—

Pop!

One of her Pokéballs burst open.

“Psyduck!”

Her Psyduck waddled straight over to join the ongoing “conference” with August’s Psyduck and Slowbro, completely ignoring her.

“AAAGH!”

Misty clutched her head in frustration.

August, watching her melt down, offered, “Don’t worry—it’s actually easy to tell them apart.”

Misty blinked.

August walked up, knocked gently on each Psyduck’s beak, then pointed.

“This one’s yours.”

Misty gawked.

Even Brock looked impressed. “How’d you know?”

“They look the same,” Misty said. “They even space out the same!”

August grinned. “Mine has a tougher beak. And the Togepi? That’s even easier.”

He pulled out a deck of cards. “Who wants to play?”

“Toki buii~!”

Two Togepi immediately bounced toward him, trying to reach the cards with their stubby arms.

Misty: “Huh?”

“Gold’s Togepi has... some bad habits. Mine’s picked up a few too many.”

August sighed.

“I wasn’t strict enough during its formative stage. By the time I noticed, it was already too late.”

Misty gasped.

Wait… what if mine gets corrupted too?!

…

Leaving Misty to her existential crisis, August turned to Professor Oak—who was currently being ignored by Mewtwo despite many attempts to start a conversation.

“Actually, Professor, I’m glad you’re here,” August said.

“If you hadn’t come, I was planning to visit you anyway.”

Oak turned, intrigued. “Oh? Why’s that?”

August explained the whole situation—how he’d been transported to ancient Sinnoh, the Hisui region.

Oak stood frozen in shock.

August smiled. “I’ve already contacted Professor Birch from Hoenn and Champion Cynthia. I’m forming a research group to systematically study Hisui’s environment, people, and Pokémon.”

“I wanted to ask—would you be interested in joining the project?”

Oak blinked. “If anyone else had said that, I’d think it was a joke.”

“But since it’s you…”

He hesitated. “Wait. This ‘Friend Voucher’—”

“Friend Pass,” August corrected.

“Yes, that. Can it really let someone else travel back in time with you?”

Oak was skeptical.

It was one thing for August to time-travel with the power of Legendary Pokémon.

But a smartphone mileage system that lets you send invitations across time? That was insane.

“I figured you’d ask that,” August said with a grin. “Gary’s already been to Hisui.”

“...?!”

Oak wasn’t even shocked about the time travel part anymore.

He just felt deeply betrayed.

His own grandson had gone to the past... and never even mentioned it?!

At that moment, Oak and August silently reached an agreement:

Gary needs to be dealt with.

Just as August was about to discuss the research logistics—

Ding dong!

The doorbell rang.

August frowned. Who could that be?

It couldn’t be Gary—he never bothered with the door.

Sighing, he sent a reluctant Mew to answer it.

Moments later, standing at the entrance, was Bea—nervously clutching her hands.

“Um... excuse me. Is this where Gary’s teacher lives?”

---

T/N: gary and ash together heh...

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!