Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [344]

“August and Koga have stepped into the arena!”

“One’s a rising star who defeated Cynthia at the opening match of the tournament; the other, a top contender for Johto’s Elite Four. What kind of sparks will fly between them?”

“Let’s wait and see!”

It was clear the League’s official commentators knew exactly how to build hype.

But—

“Rising star…”

Koga glanced at August, twitching slightly at the corner of his mouth. He was having a hard time keeping it together.

August, however, seemed perfectly satisfied with the title. Catching Koga’s look, he raised an eyebrow. “What? You have a problem with that?”

“N-Nope. None at all.”

Koga waved his hands defensively.

As if he dared have a problem with August. That unlucky guy Surge had gotten himself thrown in prison just for getting on August’s bad side—and rumor had it he was still in there eating little cakes...

Luckily, the Rotom drone’s announcement came to break the tension.

[Both Trainers have confirmed the format: 1v1 Singles!]
[The battle will end when one Pokémon is unable to fight. Trainers, raise your hand when ready. Rotom~]

“Huh? August and Koga chose a 1v1? Looks like they’re both supremely confident in their abilities,” Charles said in surprise.

Iono, seated beside him, had a somewhat... complicated expression.

She knew full well that Koga had once been arrested by August. This wasn’t confidence—it was Koga trying to get it over with as fast as possible.

Of course, as an official commentator, she couldn’t exactly say that out loud.

But the livestream chat had no such restrictions.

[Oof. Koga’s probably sweating bullets right now...]
[Prisoner vs. Warden!]
[Iono, even Koga’s about to be an Elite Four—maybe it's time to think about your future too?]

Iono: “…”

What’s it like to have a chat full of people constantly trying to get you arrested?

It was exhausting, honestly.

But as a commentator, she had to smile through it.

[lmao]
[Smile through the pain.jpg]
[Iono is too cute! Don’t bully her—let me bully her instead!]

While Iono quietly despaired at her viewers, August and Koga raised their hands to signal readiness.

[Both Trainers ready. Battle start!]

As soon as Rotom gave the announcement—

Two Poké Balls flew through the air.

Boom!

With a flash of white light, both Pokémon emerged on the field!

On Koga’s side: a bat-like figure with purple skin and a pair of X-shaped wings—Crobat.

On August’s side... Slowbro scratched its head with a vacant expression, looking completely lost.

“Oh! Koga sends out Crobat, while August chooses Slowbro! From a typing perspective, August holds the advantage!” the commentator said energetically.

But Koga had a different take on it.

“Slowbro… Are you sure?”

“What, got a problem with Slowbro?”

Koga waved him off. “No, it’s just...”

He hadn’t expected Slowbro of all things.

Sure, he knew he wasn’t a match for August—forget Gardevoir or Rayquaza, even Salamence would be tough for him to beat.

But Slowbro…

Looking at the dazed Pokémon, whose very face seemed to scream I’m not very bright, Koga—who’d only intended to put up a good fight and lose with dignity—suddenly had a new idea.

If it’s 1v1… and I can get a quick knockout with Crobat…

I might actually win this?

Once that thought took root, he couldn’t shake it.

Koga was a ninja—and once a Rocket executive. He was nothing if not decisive.

In an instant, he made his move.

“Crobat, [Air Slash]!”

Crobat’s eyes narrowed. It beat its wings sharply, unleashing a blade of wind toward Slowbro.

“Koga’s Crobat opens with a long-range [Air Slash]—an excellent choice against a slow Pokémon like Slowbro,” the commentator analyzed.

Or tried to.

Because right as he got to the word slow—

Slowbro suddenly flopped belly-first onto the ground.

[Air Slash] whistled past, barely missing the Shellder clamped to its tail, and struck the floor behind it.

“Slowbro dodged in a surprisingly clever way!” Charles said, quickly jumping in to cover the fumble. “Though... whether that was intentional or not remains to be seen.”

Of course it was intentional.

Koga, now a little calmer, realized something.

He’d thought August was being arrogant by choosing Slowbro—but now he wasn’t so sure.

While he pondered, Slowbro lazily climbed to its feet.

Then—seemingly out of nowhere—it pulled out a stick wrapped with paper streamers and began performing a bizarre little dance.

Koga’s eyes widened. “That’s—[Rain Dance]! Crobat, stop it!”

Crobat flapped its wings again, this time sending out multiple, smaller wind blades.

“The second [Air Slash] is different—more numerous now! Dodging this won’t be so—”

The commentator never got to say “easy.”

Because Slowbro, still mid-dance, twisted and contorted its body in weird, fluid motions—managing to avoid most of the attacks.

Only two blades struck home—and even those just bounced off the Shellder on its tail with a dull duang duang.

The result? Two faint white marks on Shellder. Zero damage to Slowbro.

“Wha...”

Even Charles was speechless now.

Clearly, none of them had expected Slowbro to be this nimble.

Iono, already mentally braced for surprises from August, was the first to recover. “Slowbro is showing remarkable agility. Clearly, August has trained it with a unique, targeted method!”

[This is the least Slowbro-like Slowbro I’ve ever seen.]
[Anyone else notice August hasn’t given a single command yet? Slowbro’s just doing its own thing.]
[Legend-tier Trainer. Absolute chad.]

On the field, Slowbro finished its ritual.

Dark clouds formed overhead, and a light drizzle began to fall.

The rain slicked over Crobat’s wings and Slowbro’s back alike.

Rainy weather hampered Crobat’s agility—but it boosted Slowbro’s Water-type moves.

And with that dodging display earlier, Koga realized: ranged chip damage wouldn’t work.

Time to switch tactics.

“Crobat, [Tailwind]!”

Crobat flapped hard, stirring up a strong wind across the battlefield.

With rain still falling, the whole arena became a swirling storm.

Riding the gale, Crobat dove toward Slowbro—emitting a piercing shriek as it did.

[Screech]

The harsh noise visibly irritated Slowbro, lowering its Defense.

Koga’s combo was tight and well-practiced.

But August didn’t change tactics.

Getting baited into the opponent’s tempo over one status debuff? That’d be a rookie mistake.

You do you, I’ll do me, August thought. Let’s see who breaks first.

Slowbro’s eyes flashed blue.

A surge of invisible psychic force slammed into the oncoming Crobat.

Boom!

Crobat flinched mid-air, the impact jarring its whole body.

But Crobat was Koga’s ace—its willpower held strong.

Its eyes sharpened. Fangs dripping with black energy, it lunged—

[Bite]

Its jaws sank into Slowbro’s arm.

Slowbro didn’t even flinch.

Like it couldn’t feel a thing.

It immediately countered.

Water swirled around its other arm, concentrating into a tight spiral.

[Aqua Tail]

Slowbro slammed its water-cloaked tail into Crobat—

WHAM!

Crobat was flung backward, spinning through the air. It barely managed to stabilize itself mid-flight.

But Slowbro’s follow-up came fast.

A pulse of water, resonating with strange vibrations, cut through the rain.

[Water Pulse]

Crobat dodged to the side.

[Tailwind] was still active—it narrowly avoided the shot, the pulse grazing its wing as it passed.

“The match is intense—neck and neck!” the commentator cried.

Charles added, “Crobat is clearly the higher-level Pokémon, but Slowbro’s tactics are closing the gap. Koga will need to adjust soon...”

Back on the field, momentum had shifted.

Despite its surprising agility, Slowbro was still a Slowbro. With only 30 base Speed against Crobat’s 130, the gap was massive.

Koga leaned into that.

He used Crobat’s speed to kite, harass, and retreat—never giving Slowbro time to counter.

The damage added up slowly—but surely. Slowbro was falling behind.

Bit by bit, Crobat took control.

“Who do you think will win?” Charles asked.

“August,” Iono answered instantly.

[Cold-blooded confidence.]
[Iono, blink twice if he’s threatening you.]

Even the chat had started doubting August.

In 1v1 battles, there's barely room to execute strategy. Speed usually wins.

Once again, Crobat’s [Poison Sting] was barely blocked by Shellder on Slowbro’s tail.

Looking at his Pokémon clearly at a disadvantage, August let out a sigh.

“I wanted to fight you as a normal man... but I see now you forced my hand.”

He raised his wrist.

A radiant light burst from his [Keystone]—matching the glow around Slowbro on the field.

Koga’s expression twisted.

Evolution light burst across the stadium.

And when it faded—

A bizarre form stood in Slowbro’s place: body almost completely swallowed by Shellder, encased in spiral shell armor, with only its limbs and head poking out—

Mega Slowbro.

“Unbelievable! August was hiding a [Mega Evolution] this whole time!”

“Mega Slowbro’s Defense skyrockets—Crobat’s chip tactics won’t work now!”

At the edge of the field, Zinnia had just arrived after finishing her own match.

The moment she saw Mega Slowbro—

“My [Mega Stone]…”

All of August’s [Mega Stones]… had been tricked out of her.

Back in the ring—

Koga was stunned.

He finally understood why August had felt so bold sending just a Slowbro.

Every one of his ace Pokémon—Weezing, Venomoth, Muk, and even Crobat—none of them could [Mega Evolve].

August had known that.

The rules allowed one [Mega Evolution] or one [Z-Move] per battle.

Just because Koga couldn’t use it didn’t mean August couldn’t.

Now, faced with this tank-like, armor-clad Mega Slowbro—

Crobat’s attacks might as well have been tickles.

Forget [Poison Sting]—[Bite] didn’t even have a place to land.

Even if it could gnaw somewhere, the only thing it’d bite off would be its own teeth.

---

T/N: bro is a bully

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!