Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [245]

The moment Magnezone crashed to the ground, having been knocked out of the air, Nidoking, already lying in wait, launched into action.

BOOM!

Without hesitation, Nidoking unleashed [Earthquake].

Magnezone, stripped of its ability to hover, desperately wanted to dodge—but it clearly wasn’t blessed with the long, powerful legs of its ancient cousin, Iron Treads.

The shockwave hit squarely, the impact so intense it looked like Magnezone might fall apart then and there.

Before it could even recover, Nidoking was already charging forward.

The last thing Magnezone saw was the underside of Nidoking’s foot—

[Stomp]

“Magnezone is unable to battle! Nidoking wins!” the referee declared, flag swinging down.

Victory.

Gary clenched his fist in triumph. Across from him, Akira’s expression had turned ashen.

“A stunning display! Gary has successfully taken down Akira’s Magnezone with a clean counterattack! That leaves Akira with only two Pokémon remaining!”

“This is looking really bad for Akira!”

Really bad? That didn’t even begin to describe it.

Akira felt numb.

Only now did he realize—all of Nidoking’s earlier struggle had been an act. Gary had baited him, luring him into attacking just so he could bring Magnezone down with [Smack Down], then finish it with Ground-type moves.

How did I fall for that...?

Now he had only two Pokémon left: Hypno and Venusaur.

Which meant he had to defeat four of Gary’s Pokémon with just two of his own.

Is that even possible? he asked himself.

The answer was obvious: barely a chance in hell.

Still, he’d made it all the way to the finals. He couldn’t just give up.

“Let’s go, Venusaur!”

Compared to Hypno—who probably wouldn’t survive even a single punch from Nidoking—Venusaur at least had some staying power.

If he could pull off a strategy using [Ingrain], [Leech Seed], [Sleep Powder], [Stun Spore], [Toxic], and [Growth]...

Maybe he could even turn the tide.

With that desperate hope, he tossed the Poké Ball.

Venusaur appeared on the field, its massive flower blooming boldly on its back. With every movement of its body, clouds of pollen drifted visibly into the air.

And then—

Gary, looking completely at ease, calmly recalled Nidoking.

And sent out Scizor.

Scizor?

Akira froze.

Gary, however, was smiling.

He knew exactly what Akira’s last two Pokémon were: Grass/Poison-type Venusaur, and Psychic-type Hypno.

What could possibly be more fitting than Scizor, a Bug/Flying-type?

While Akira’s options were severely limited, Gary had plenty to choose from.

Scizor was, without a doubt, the ideal choice to take down Venusaur.

And Akira knew it too. He felt completely cornered.

No matter which Pokémon he chose, Gary had a perfect answer waiting.

With no real alternatives left, Akira had no choice but to grit his teeth and fight Scizor with Venusaur.

...

Ten minutes later

Venusaur, covered in slashes, collapsed from Scizor’s relentless barrage and lost the ability to battle.

Scizor had used [Air Slash] to maintain distance and cleanly avoided all of Venusaur’s powders and spores.

Even though [Magical Leaf] had homing properties and managed to land a few hits, the Grass-type attacks barely scratched Scizor.

Having lost Venusaur, Akira could only send out his last Pokémon—Hypno—with resignation.

...

Another ten minutes passed

Scizor, bloodied but unbowed, landed several [Fury Cutter] strikes before finally succumbing to Hypno’s last [Psychic].

Both Pokémon fell at the same time.

But their trainers wore very different expressions.

The referee raised his flag one last time for this year’s Indigo League Conference.

“Hypno and Scizor are both unable to battle!”

“All six of Akira’s Pokémon have been defeated. The winner of this match is Gary!”

As the words fell, the commentator’s voice surged with excitement:

“The Indigo Conference has a new champion! One of this year’s hot favorites, Gary has lived up to expectations and powered through the competition to take the title! Let’s give a huge congratulations to our new champion!”

“Don’t go anywhere, folks! After this brief commercial break, we’ll bring you the awards ceremony!”

“A special thanks to our exclusive sponsor, Silph Co.! All props and equipment used in this year’s conference were proudly provided by Silph Co....”

Nobody cared about the product placement anymore. The entire stadium erupted with cheers, chanting Gary’s name.

Especially his cheer squad, who waved their signs and shouted joyfully:

“Gary-sama is the champion!!”

Gary let out a breath of relief and stepped forward to shake hands with Akira, who, though clearly disappointed, still maintained basic sportsmanship.

Then Gary straightened his back, raised his hand with a beaming smile, and waved to the crowd—completely unbothered by the sponsor-covered cloak billowing behind him.

Only when he looked toward the VIP stands did he notice something was off—August wasn’t there.

But Ash was, smiling like an idiot.

Gary gave him a smug wave, basking in the moment.

It wasn’t until a staff member reminded him that the awards ceremony was about to begin that he snapped back to attention.

Still curious, he made his way toward the podium—and that’s when he finally spotted the person he’d been searching for.

“August? What are you doing here...?”

August smiled lightly. “Surprised? I’m the one presenting your trophy today.”

Gary’s face twitched at that. Of course it’s you again.

He suddenly recalled the last time August presented him with an award—and how humiliating that had been.

But this time was different.

“Now it’s not the same. I’m the champion,” Gary declared proudly, standing tall.

The decisive win had clearly gone to his head a bit.

“Oh?” August didn’t refute him—he simply smiled. “Then congratulations.”

“And hey, you know... every Indigo League Champion has the right to challenge the Elite Four. Want to give it a try, Champion?”

When August mentioned that, Gary was reminded of the League rule.

He had originally planned to decline.

He wasn’t some clueless rookie—he knew exactly how terrifying the Kanto Elite Four were. As someone working in the Kanto branch of the League, he was very familiar with their strength.

But just as he was about to refuse—

He heard August call him Champion.

Even though he knew the Elite Four were absurdly strong.

Even though he knew August was goading him on.

Still...

August called me Champion!

---

T/N: AHHHH FANGIRL TIMEEEE

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!