Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [99]

Watching the battle unfold, Gary found himself puzzled by Brock’s decision.

[Sandstorm] benefitted Rhyhorn, sure, but August’s Marshtomp was part Ground-type as well, meaning it wouldn’t take any damage from the storm at all.

Still, Brock was a Gym Leader. He wouldn’t make a move without a plan.

So…

Gary muttered to himself, "What’s Brock’s goal here?"

Ash, completely clueless, overheard him and asked, "Goal? What goal?"

Gary sighed, already exhausted. He couldn’t be bothered to explain, so instead, he pulled a book from his backpack and tossed it to Ash.

Ash instinctively caught it and glanced at the cover.

"Type Matchups & Weather Mechanics Explained—A Guide Even a Fool Can Master in Three Days?"

Reading the title out loud, Ash immediately picked up on Gary’s mockery.

"Gary, you jerk!"

Ignoring Ash and Gary’s antics, the battle continued.

Despite setting up [Sandstorm], Rhyhorn ultimately couldn’t withstand Marshtomp’s [Surf] and was knocked out.

While the storm provided a Special Defense boost for Rock-types, Rhyhorn’s Special Defense was already abysmal. Even with the buff, it barely made a difference.

As a Gym Leader specializing in Rock-types, Brock was at an inherent disadvantage—aside from Fossil Pokémon, nearly all Rock-types in Kanto carried the Ground typing as well.

And that made them far too easy for Marshtomp to counter.

Marshtomp had secured another victory, but it wasn’t in good shape.

The Sandstorm was proving troublesome.

Although its Ground typing made it immune to the storm’s damage, the dry environment was rapidly sapping moisture from its body.

Its skin was becoming dry and uncomfortable, leaving it visibly weakened.

Marshtomp instinctively burrowed back into the damp mud, trying to replenish some of its lost hydration.

"So that’s what he was going for?"

August noticed the shift in Marshtomp’s condition.

Dehydration was a real weakness for Marshtomp.

He had to give Brock credit—sacrificing Rhyhorn in exchange for weakening Marshtomp for the next round was a solid strategic move.

The Sandstorm raged on, drying out the battlefield even further.

Too bad I didn’t bring my stash of [Ability Capsules] with me when I ended up here… August thought to himself.

If I could swap Marshtomp’s ability to [Hydration], this wouldn’t even be a problem.

For now…

Marshtomp had no choice but to keep spitting out water to moisten its surroundings.

At this moment, Brock sent out his third and final Pokémon.

"This is my strongest Pokémon! Let’s go, Onix!"

BOOM!

"ROAAAR—!"

A deafening roar echoed through the arena as a massive, dark-gray Onix emerged onto the battlefield.

Its towering presence alone was enough to create immense pressure. Next to it, Marshtomp looked downright tiny.

On the sidelines, Ash instinctively glanced at the gym’s ceiling-mounted sprinklers.

Gary, meanwhile, straightened up, eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Now this is gonna be good."

The moment Onix entered the field, Brock wasted no time launching his attack.

Having already lost two Pokémon, he couldn’t afford another defeat.

If his third Pokémon went down, his position as a Gym Leader would be at risk!

For the sake of his siblings—

"Onix, use [Sand Tomb]!"

The effects of [Sand Tomb] were significantly enhanced under [Sandstorm].

Onix swung its massive tail, kicking up a vortex of sand that engulfed Marshtomp.

At the same time, the ground beneath Marshtomp rapidly turned to loose sand, draining its moisture even faster.

"This isn’t looking good for Marshtomp…"

Gary was growing concerned.

While he still believed August would win, Brock’s Onix was clearly no pushover.

After all the battles Marshtomp had already endured, it might not be able to hold out against Onix.

"Marshtomp’s in trouble!" Gary concluded.

But even if Marshtomp lost here, it had already more than proven itself—taking down two of Brock’s main Pokémon while being under-leveled was no small feat.

Considering August had only had his Marshtomp for less than a month before it evolved, this was an incredible achievement.

His Treecko definitely wasn’t at this level yet.

Of course, that was just Gary’s personal opinion.

August, however, had no intention of losing.

"All you did was neutralize my terrain advantage. That doesn’t change the fact that I still have the type advantage. Marshtomp, use [Supersonic]!"

While [Sand Tomb] restricted Marshtomp’s movement, it didn’t affect its ability to attack.

Marshtomp opened its mouth and emitted a series of sound waves aimed directly at Onix.

Confusion-inducing moves like [Supersonic] were incredibly risky to take head-on. If Onix got confused, the battle could turn on its head in an instant.

By now, the battlefield had been almost completely dried out.

With the mud washed away by the storm, Brock no longer had to worry about Onix’s joints getting clogged.

"Onix, use [Dig]!"

BOOM!

With a powerful lunge, Onix burrowed underground, kicking up a massive cloud of sand and disappearing from sight.

August glanced at the enormous hole in the gym floor.

No wonder Pewter Gym’s maintenance costs must be through the roof.

Still, he didn’t hesitate. "Marshtomp, sense the vibrations in the ground!"

Marshtomp closed its eyes, focusing on the tremors beneath it.

The moment it detected something—

It leaped to the side.

BOOM!

Just seconds later, the spot where Marshtomp had been erupted as Onix shot up from the ground.

"It dodged?! Onix, don’t stop—use [Iron Tail]!"

Without missing a beat, Onix swung its glowing white tail downward.

Brock knew he couldn’t give Marshtomp any room to counterattack.

If Marshtomp got a clean hit in, Onix would be the one in trouble.

Marshtomp, relying on its powerful legs, dodged again and retaliated with [Water Pulse].

Onix twisted its body, curling its tail around a boulder and flinging it to block the attack before rolling aside.

From the sidelines, Ash and Gary watched as the two Pokémon clashed—Onix using its raw power and size, Marshtomp leveraging its speed and type advantage.

[Rock Slide], [Earthquake], [Water Pulse]—

Each move was met with a counter.

At one point, Marshtomp attempted to use [Surf], only for Onix to interrupt it with a brutal strike, nearly constricting Marshtomp in the process.

If that move had landed, the match might have ended right there.

Both Pokémon had taken heavy damage in the exchange, but Marshtomp—being the lower-leveled one—was visibly worse off.

Despite this, August remained calm, calculating Marshtomp’s remaining stamina.

Until—

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This is a fan translation of 人在实教，一之濑你会后悔的 by 作者：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!