Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [349]

“Uh… was that [Belch] just now?” Iono hesitated mid-commentary.

[You can do that?!]
[Snorlax: Take my burp attack!]
[Okay, I admit—I didn’t see that one coming.]

The instant the belch hit, Espathra’s body froze midair, its mind blank with sensory overload.

Snorlax’s Special Attack wasn’t particularly high, and [Belly Drum] didn’t boost it, so Espathra managed to survive the hit.

But August had already achieved his goal.

Snorlax turned around, arms wide, and lunged toward the dazed Espathra.

Sensing the danger, Espathra instinctively flapped its wings in a panic, trying to evade the oncoming bulk.

But this time, Snorlax moved with shocking speed. Just as Espathra was about to lift off—

Snorlax’s paw shot out and grabbed it by the neck.

“Grrkk—!”

Espathra’s squawk was abruptly cut short.

Snorlax: ???

Lightning crackled across its other hand.

[Thunder Punch]

CRACK.

A burst of black smoke erupted from Espathra’s beak.

[Espathra is unable to battle!]

Drone Rotom’s voice rang out as Espathra collapsed in a twitching heap on the floor.

“Return, Espathra…” Larry groaned as he retrieved his fainted Pokémon.

August’s strength had far exceeded his expectations.

This badly… Two Pokémon down to just Snorlax. If I lose the next round too, Geeta’s going to lecture me for sure…

Meanwhile, Iono’s chat was already placing bets:

[Place your bets: will August pull off a solo 3v1 with Snorlax?]
[I say yes. If not, Iono gains 3 pounds!]
[I’m in too—if he loses, Iono gains 5 pounds!]

Iono: “…??”

Is there something wrong with your wagers?!

After recalling Espathra, Larry quickly sent out his third and final Pokémon.

This time, there was no hesitation.

Not because he wasn’t feeling conflicted—he simply had no other Pokémon left that could effectively counter Snorlax.

“I’m counting on you… Altaria!”

With all of Larry’s hopes riding on it, a soft, cloud-feathered Altaria emerged onto the battlefield.

“Chuu~!”

Its voice had an ethereal, bell-like quality—delicate and melodious.

But now, its eyes were wary, locked on Snorlax.

It had seen everything that happened while in its Poké Ball. Both Staraptor and Espathra had been taken down with horrifying ease.

Without needing Larry’s command, Altaria immediately used [Cotton Guard].

The feathery down around its body puffed up to double its original volume, making it look like a giant ball of yarn. Its talons and neck disappeared into the fluff, leaving only its head visible.

August stared at the orb-shaped Altaria.

“….”

How is that thing still flying?

But since the opponent was Altaria…

August pulled out a Poké Ball and, under the stunned eyes of Larry, Iono, and everyone watching the stream, returned Snorlax.

“Huh? August recalled Snorlax?” Iono blinked. “Is he switching Pokémon?”

Snorlax still seemed in good condition. Why switch now?

Iono didn’t get it—and neither did the viewers.

But…

[Alright, all bets are off. Everyone who said 3v1, tally up your numbers—how much weight is Iono gaining?]
[+1]
[+2]

The chat exploded into chaotic joy.

Larry, meanwhile, kept his gaze fixed on August, anxious to see which Pokémon would be sent out next.

August had plenty of options.

Larry had… none.

August gave a small smile and tossed out a Poké Ball. “Your turn, Glacier!”

BANG.

A burst of light.

A blue Pokémon with pale spots and a gray shell on its back emerged onto the battlefield.

Lapras.

[Is that… Lapras?! So cute!]
[Didn’t Lapras nearly go extinct from over-hunting? I can’t believe we’re seeing one live!]
[Extinct? Where I’m from, they’re everywhere because of overprotection…]
[He’s clearly banking on Lapras’s Ice-type moves to counter Altaria’s 4x weakness!]

Indeed, with Altaria’s Dragon/Flying typing, Ice moves would be devastating.

But…

[This Lapras looks kind of small… not sure it has the strength to take on an Elite Four-level Altaria.]

Compared to the imposing presence of Snorlax, Lapras gave off a gentle, even fragile, aura.

Many doubted its strength.

But not Larry.

After two punishing defeats, he knew better than to underestimate August.

And now he had zero room for error.

“This is gonna be rough…” Larry muttered, gripping his [Terastal] orb. “It’ll mess up my hair, but—time to change the wind.”

Light shimmered through the orb.

He hurled it at Altaria.

In a flash, Altaria’s body turned crystalline.

Then—shatter.

Feathers of fluff transformed into radiant crystal, refracting a kaleidoscope of color. Three balloons—one red, two green—floated above its head, unmistakably marking its new [Terastal] form.

[So sparkly!]
[That’s Terastalization, right? Why’s it got balloons on its head?]
[New here? You clearly need to rewatch Iono’s Terastal Class 101… like, a hundred times.]

Altaria’s typing changed from Dragon/Flying to pure Flying—reducing its Ice-type weakness from 4x to 2x.

At the same time, its Flying-type moves got a significant power boost.

“Chuuuuuu—!”

Its voice lost the soft lilt from before—now sharp and crystal-clear, like chimes of glass.

It flared its wings and dove straight at Lapras.

“[Acrobatics]!”

Altaria’s claws extended from the fluffy ball of feathers, slashing toward Lapras.

August: “Glacier, [Ice Shard]!”

The chat buzzed in confusion.

[Really? Just Ice Shard? After Terastalization? That seems underwhelming…]

But before they could type more—

Lapras opened its mouth and exhaled a freezing gale.

No charge-up. No dramatic animation.

Just a burst of bitter cold, dense with glittering ice shards, racing across the battlefield like a white-out blizzard.

In an instant, the arena was swallowed in a flurry of razor-edged frost.

Everyone watching stared, wide-eyed.

That’s [Ice Shard]?!

It looked more like [Blizzard] on steroids.

[Lapras is secretly an Articuno in disguise?!]

The restaurant owner nearly broke down.

Is this a Pokémon battle or a plan to turn my restaurant into an Ice-Type Gym?!

August couldn’t see the chat, but Iono’s stunned expression said it all.

This wasn’t a fluke.

This was Glacier’s normal power, amplified by the [Icicle Plate] it held.

Although Lapras wasn’t originally trained as a fighter, it had absorbed deep knowledge from its time with Pryce. With August’s guidance and the power of the Plate, it had finally unveiled its true strength on the tournament stage.

The icy hail hammered Altaria’s downy plumage. At first, [Cotton Guard] deflected most of it, but as Altaria’s body heat melted the snow into water, the damp fluff began to weigh it down.

Its defense collapsed.

The hail began landing direct hits.

Altaria winced in pain, its earlier superiority gone. Its eyes flicked nervously toward Lapras—still calm, still seemingly delicate, but now terrifying.

Iono snapped out of it. “August’s Lapras just dealt massive damage with a single [Ice Shard]!”

Larry, watching, was both distressed and—frankly—grateful.

Thank goodness he’d [Terastalized] Altaria to remove its Dragon typing.

Otherwise, that one hit would’ve ended the match right there.

He thought he’d prepared well.

But nothing could’ve prepared him for this Lapras.

Still, he couldn’t afford to falter. If Lapras got another clean hit, it’d be over.

“Altaria—[Hurricane]! Now!”

Altaria forced itself to rise, wings trembling under its own weight, and launched a howling gust of wind at Lapras, boosted by its [Terastal] form.

Larry was gambling everything on one counterstrike.

Backed by [Terastal], [Hurricane] could devastate—
—if Lapras’s defenses weren’t as strong as its offense.

August didn’t hesitate. “[Protect]!”

A green shield shimmered around Lapras.

[Hurricane] slammed into it, whipping snow and ice into a vortex.

But the barrier didn’t budge.

August’s plan was clear—he was stalling for a finisher.

Glacier’s charge-up was complete.

August smiled and raised his hand.

“[Blizzard]!”

A second storm erupted.

The howling snow overwhelmed [Hurricane], clashing in midair. Turbulence flooded the field.

Drone Rotom panicked and tried to flee—too late.

“Lotooo!”

Just as the referee was about to be caught in a blizzard-wide AoE wipe, a calm voice reached its sensor:

“Don’t panic.”

A figure appeared in front of it—tall, holding a giant psychic spoon.

Mewtwo.

It raised its hand and erected four shimmering walls of psychic energy, boxing in the storm and shielding the restaurant.

The referee was safe.

Altaria was not.

Especially since it was the one facing the storm head-on.

WHOOOOOSH—!

[Hurricane] was torn apart.

[Blizzard] swallowed Altaria whole.

“Altaria!” Larry called out, unable to see anything through the wall of snow.

But there was no answer.

As the snowstorm finally subsided…

Everyone stared at the battlefield, stunned.

There, frozen solid in midair, Altaria stood like a breathtaking ice sculpture.

“Whoa…” Iono gulped. “That’s crazy…”

And—for once—chat didn’t argue with her.

[+1]
[Agreed.]

An [Ice Shard]. A [Blizzard].

Two moves.

That was all it took to bring down [Terastal] Altaria—clean and absolute.

[Blizzard]’s sheer visual impact might have even outdone Snorlax’s [Giga Impact] earlier.

August waved to Mewtwo, signaling it to drop the barrier.

A wave of cold washed over the room.

“C-C-Cold!” Iono shivered, ducking behind her camera-carrying Bellibolt to shield herself from the breeze.

Bellibolt: “???”

The restaurant owner had nowhere to hide, shivering violently.

[Altaria is unable to battle. Lapras wins!]
[The winner is August!]
[Congratulations! Your ranking has increased from #57 to #14.]

Clearly, Larry’s position among the Elite Four wasn’t just for show.

As Drone Rotom finished the announcement, Larry hurried into the snow-covered field to check on Altaria.

Finding it merely unconscious, not injured, he let out a relieved sigh.

He returned it to its Poké Ball and looked over to where August was stroking Lapras’s head.

“…I got completely steamrolled,” Larry admitted.

“But… at least I wasn’t 3–0’d. I guess I can still half-bluff my report to Geeta…”

Noticing August’s raised eyebrow, Larry gave a tired shrug and offered some real-world working-man wisdom.

“That's how jobs are, y’know? You bluff me, I bluff you…”

But he didn’t get to finish that thought.

A voice rang out from the doorway.

“I hope I didn’t just hear that, Larry.”

Larry froze.

He turned slowly to see a woman in a sleek black-and-blue pinstripe suit, long hair flowing behind her.

Geeta.

“…..”

“We’ll discuss this in my office later,” she said coolly.

Then she turned to August with a warm smile, extending her hand.

“Welcome to Paldea, Mr. August.”

---

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!