Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [352]

Mega Gyarados’s expression was savage, and a flash of fear showed clearly in Goodra’s eyes.

The force behind [Waterfall] finally faded, and the protective barrier of [Protect] dissipated around Goodra.

Seeing the shield vanish at last, Mega Gyarados roared. A chilling aura coated its fangs as it lunged straight for Goodra.

[Ice Fang]

Given Mega Gyarados’s terrifying 155 base Attack and Goodra’s Dragon typing, a clean hit from this move wouldn’t just sting—it could easily take half its HP or more.

Panicking, Goodra didn’t dare let itself be bitten. It scrambled back, desperately trying to escape.

But Mega Gyarados was simply faster.

Jets of water erupted again from the nozzles at its sides, propelling it forward like a missile.

It caught up in a blink and sank its icy fangs into Goodra’s arm.

A cry of pain rang out—Goodra’s limb froze over, encased in a jagged shell of ice.

Fortunately, [Hydration] was still in effect.

Rain continued to fall, and the frozen limb quickly thawed, restoring movement.

Staggering back, Goodra retaliated by spitting out a string of [Acid Sprays] to suppress Gyarados’s advance.

It was preparing to use [Rest], hoping to recover the stamina it had burned through—

But the moment it closed its eyes, it found itself completely unable to fall asleep.

Its mind was too full of anger—pure, boiling frustration directed at that overgrown red brute.

Why can’t I calm down?!

Goodra opened its eyes in confusion—only to see something wrong in Mega Gyarados’s gaze.

Instead of mindless aggression, there was a glimmer of smug, calculating mischief.

[Taunt]

Goodra’s rage surged.

“Goodra, calm down!” Raihan called.

But some things can’t be willed into submission.

Blinded by fury, Goodra fired off a [Muddy Water], its thick stream of muck striking Gyarados—not enough to seriously harm it, but enough to pin it down and prevent a clean advance.

It didn’t just charge in recklessly. No—Goodra followed up with [Thunder].

Once again, lightning danced through the clouds above.

But this time, Gyarados didn’t defend.

Still tangled in the sludge, it activated its water jets and surged forward—straight at Goodra.

[Crunch]

Gyarados’s massive jaws opened wide, dark energy crackling between its teeth.

Goodra, still casting [Thunder], had no time to dodge.

The [Crunch] landed squarely, and Goodra shrieked.

At that exact moment, the [Thunder] it had summoned crashed down from the heavens.

The bolt struck Gyarados—but because of how close the two were, the lightning arced through its body and zapped Goodra as well.

Gyarados had inherited Eevee’s double [Calm Mind] boosts, and its [Mega Evolution] removed its Flying-type weakness.

Even so, [Thunder] still hurt.

But it was nothing compared to what it did to Goodra—already weakened from [Ice Fang], now struck by its own attack.

Goodra’s whimper cut off sharply.

“The impact of [Thunder] and that last bite—Goodra’s taken serious damage, and the bolt even rebounded onto itself. Can it still stand? Let’s await the official ruling from our on-site Rotom referee!”

The hovering Rotom cautiously approached, keeping a safe distance from the snarling Gyarados.

After a few seconds of observation, it delivered its judgment.

[Goodra is unable to battle. Gyarados wins. —Roto.]

“ROAAR!!”

Gyarados let out a victorious bellow, startling Rotom into a panicked hover.

The audience in Iono’s stream was already howling with laughter—

[Professional ref? More like traumatized drone!]

[Rotom: Someone help! This thing is threatening me!]

[Clearly Gyarados is intimidating the judge into a win! (Rockruff meme)]

The Rotom incident was just a sideshow.

All eyes now turned to Raihan.

With only one Pokémon left, could he possibly turn this around?

There had been upsets before in the World Championships. Comebacks from near-impossible odds. But this?

Facing Mega Gyarados with [Calm Mind] boosts... all from just Eevee and Gyarados?

Raihan had only ever felt this kind of pressure when battling Leon.

He took a deep breath, expression grave. "Let’s go, partner. Time to show August our strength!"

ROOOAR—!

A brilliant flash of silver entered the arena—Duraludon, gleaming like a metal sculpture.

“It’s Duraludon!” Iono announced. “Raihan has sent out his final Pokémon!”

“If you watched episode 67 of Iono’s Battle Class, you might remember this one—we analyzed Raihan’s battle against Leon, where Duraludon went [Gigantamax] against Charizard and put up a fierce fight!”

“But unfortunately, the Battle Frontier doesn’t allow [Dynamaxing]. This is a huge nerf to Raihan!”

[Galar trainers are down bad this year.]

[Please. You think that’s bad? Kanto and Johto can’t even Mega Evolve yet.]

[Facts.]

Duraludon’s appearance immediately drew attention.

August was studying it closely.

Duraludon, the Alloy Pokémon. From the way it stood and moved—light on its feet, with no heavy-footed clunk—August could tell it had the [Light Metal] ability, not [Heavy Metal].

Its Steel/Dragon typing was fantastic.

But its paltry base 25 Special Defense? That was rough.

Now August understood why Raihan had chosen to send out Goodra second instead of Duraludon.

With that kind of Sp. Def, Duraludon would’ve folded instantly against a [Calm Mind]-boosted Gyarados.

On the sidelines, Hills reached the same conclusion. "Raihan’s chances of a comeback are slim..."

Even if Duraludon somehow beat Mega Gyarados—what then?

He’d still have to face Eevee, who outmaneuvered Flygon, and a third, unknown Pokémon.

The match resumed.

As Hills predicted, August shifted strategies.

No more brawling—this was now a ranged firefight.

Both sides opened up.

Duraludon launched [Flash Cannon].

Gyarados answered with [Scald].

Duraludon fired [Dragon Pulse].

Gyarados? [Scald].

Duraludon even pulled out [Hyper Beam].

Gyarados? Still [Scald].

[Why is he only using Scald? Does it have a secret effect?]

[Maybe he’s trying to burn Duraludon?]

[But Duraludon’s a special attacker. Burn barely affects it. Plus, RNG doesn’t seem to be on his side—it hasn’t burned yet.]

Even the chat didn’t get it.

Iono didn’t either.

But in recent days, she’d learned something important:

When it comes to August—don’t overthink it. Just watch.

August, of course, had his own reasons.

Because after repeated use of [Scald], the battlefield—already muddy—was now thick with rising steam.

The entire stage had become a sauna.

Duraludon was visibly uncomfortable.

Its species’ silvery, polished body was sleek—but not highly corrosion-resistant.

Moisture was seeping into its joints. At first it didn’t matter, but as the steam thickened, it started to feel like its entire body was rusting in real time.

As its movements slowed, August smiled faintly.

Now.

“Gyarados—[Dragon Pulse]!”

Exhausted from firing Scald repeatedly, Gyarados still perked up at the command.

“ROAAR!”

A charged beam gathered in its mouth.

Duraludon, a half-step too slow, couldn’t react in time.

The [Dragon Pulse] sliced through the steam, carving a clear path straight toward it.

BOOM!

The explosion sent Duraludon flying.

“Duraludon!”

Raihan called out, and Duraludon struggled to its feet.

But anyone could see—it was only hanging on out of sheer will.

…

[Duraludon is unable to battle. Gyarados wins.]

[Raihan has no Pokémon left. The winner of this match is August!]

[Congratulations! Your rank has increased from 14 to 9.]

[You are now eligible to participate in the Master Ranking Promotion Tournament. Official confirmation will follow.]

“Return, Gyarados.” August recalled his partner.

At last—he stood at the threshold of the Elite Eight.

Just one step away from becoming a Master.

Raihan didn’t seem disheartened. In fact, he sounded genuinely impressed. “You’re strong—really strong.”

“With your skills, I’ve got no doubt you’ll make the Elite Eight. Looks like Leon finally has a real challenger this year.”

August replied, “I only got this far thanks to Eevee’s [Baton Pass]. Without it, Goodra’s [Muddy Water] and [Thunder] could’ve taken out Gyarados easily.”

It wasn’t false modesty—it was the truth.

If not for Eevee’s deceptively cute appearance helping him sneak in a power boost, the match wouldn’t have gone so smoothly.

“And if [Dynamaxing] had been allowed, it would’ve been a totally different battle.”

But Raihan took that as humility. He smiled and shook his head. “I underestimated you early on. As for [Dynamaxing]... I didn’t even see your Rayquaza. I’m guessing that’s your third?”

August just smiled—neither confirming nor denying.

He wasn’t about to admit that his third Pokémon was actually Salamence.

Battles aren’t just about strength. They’re about relationships too.

Since he’d already won, best to leave Raihan with some pride.

In all his years traveling the Pokémon world, sweeping through villainous organizations, August had learned one thing above all:

Strong as he was—his greatest asset was always his network of friends.

Seeing his reaction, Raihan let out a breath of relief.

“Let’s take a pic!” Raihan said, pulling out his phone.

As a selfie connoisseur, Raihan’s feed was packed with snapshots alongside Trainers from around the world.

August didn’t refuse. Mimicking Gary’s signature pose, he flicked his hair and struck the same stance.

Click!

The camera captured Eevee sticking her tongue out, August mid-pose, and Raihan smiling at his side.

If you looked closely, you could even spot a faint Gengar silhouette behind August.

Not long after, Gary saw the pic and practically exploded.

[Gary]: Look at this! August totally stole my pose! He’s copying me!!

[System Message: 'Gary' has been muted by the group admin.]

[GardevoirSupremacy]: Huh? Did someone say something?

[LoyalServantOfRayquaza]: I didn’t hear anything.

[Gold]: Nope.

[Silver]: +1

[PsychicPrincess]: +1

[JigglypuffIsCutest]: +1

The group chat was filled with laughter.

Gary stared at his muted status, shaking with outrage.

"This group is broken!"

…

After his crushing victory over Raihan, August’s reputation online did a complete 180.

One particular forum post summed it up best:

We already know from Raihan’s past matches that: Raihan < Leon.

Now that August crushed Raihan, it follows that: Raihan < August.

Therefore: August = Leon.

Sounds totally logical, right?

It was a joke, of course.

But somehow, a surprising number of people took it seriously.

Even August, who had posted it from a burner account, was stunned.

Wait, really? I was joking. You’re not actually buying this... right?

“It makes sense,” a familiar voice said behind him. “Anyone who rises to rank 9 in Ultra Ball tier with a flawless record deserves to be seen as Leon’s equal.”

August turned around—Sabrina stood behind him, holding a teacup.

“...When did you get here?”

Not a single sound.

Did she see me post that?

Panic crept in.

Sabrina took a sip of steaming tea. “I saw everything~”

Then she leaned in and let the warmth of her breath brush against his ear.

“August, you wouldn’t want the world knowing the Kanto division chief was fluffing his own hype with a burner account... would you?”

“……”

Sabrina, who taught you to blackmail like this?

We’re International Police—how is this appropriate?!

---

T/N: August I know who taught Sabrina that! Quick they are in the bathroom above the sink!

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!