Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [242]

Whoosh!

Flames surged from Arcanine’s jaws, forming a towering wall of fire that engulfed Onix.

Under the searing heat, the rocky plates that made up Onix’s body began to radiate intense heat.

But Onix, obeying its trainer’s command, ignored the damage from the [Fire Spin] and launched [Earthquake] without hesitation.

The arena trembled violently. Centered around Onix, the ground cracked apart in jagged lines that snaked rapidly toward Gary’s side of the field.

Seeing this unfold, a memory surfaced in Gary’s mind—one from a special training session back at the Saffron City headquarters.

He had just lost a mock battle to a Gyarados and, frustrated, asked, “August, what do I do if I run into a huge Pokémon like Gyarados during the Indigo League?”

August hadn’t replied. He simply waved his hand.

In the next instant, Gary felt a blur pass by—and then a sharp pain to the back of his head.

“Ow! You mean... ambush it?” Gary asked, clutching his skull.

August had only sighed with a helpless expression. “Blind spot, Gary. Use their lack of mobility to your advantage—find the angles they can’t cover!”

Snapping back to the match—

Gary’s eyes locked on his Arcanine, who was about to get hit by the quake. He raised his arm sharply. “Arcanine, [Extreme Speed]! Circle around!”

At his command, Arcanine burst forward, glowing with light. With nimble, near-invisible movements, it darted past the spreading fractures in the ground, weaving through the chaos and zeroing in on Onix.

Using the cover of the swirling flames and hugging the edge of the arena to minimize contact with the earthquake’s epicenter, Arcanine maneuvered behind Onix in a flash.

Akira’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected Gary’s Arcanine to charge into the [Earthquake].

“Onix, behind you!” he shouted.

Onix, reacting to its trainer, whipped its tail around in a wide arc.

But thanks to the [Fire Spin]’s obstruction, and Arcanine’s exceptional agility and high Speed stats, it slipped through every strike. Each time an opening appeared, it retaliated with bursts of [Flamethrower].

Even with its high resistance to Fire-type attacks, Onix’s surface began to show signs of wear—fine cracks spiderwebbing across its rocky plates under the relentless heat.

It let out a deep, pained roar.

“A beautiful tactical exchange!” the commentator called out. “Arcanine is using the [Fire Spin] as cover to play a game of cat and mouse with the lumbering Onix! Despite taking some damage from [Earthquake], this trade was clearly worth it!”

Realizing things couldn’t go on like this, Akira quickly changed tactics. “Onix, [Dig]!”

Already pushed to its limit, Onix responded eagerly and plunged into the ground.

Onix could tunnel at speeds up to 80 kilometers per hour—within seconds, it vanished beneath the earth with a rumble.

The commentator chimed in immediately. “Akira chooses to have Onix escape underground with [Dig]. Clearly, Gary’s Arcanine was giving it too much trouble…”

“But how will Gary deal with a burrowed Onix?”

How?

I didn’t become the Viridian Gym's apprentice trainer for nothing!

“Arcanine, [Stomp]!” Gary ordered.

Arcanine leapt into the air and came crashing down, slamming its paws into the earth. Shockwaves rippled out from the impact point.

ROAR—!

A muffled roar of pain echoed from beneath the arena floor—clearly, Onix had been struck while tunneling underground.

Still, that wasn’t nearly enough to bring it down.

Onix wasn’t known for its high Defense stat for nothing.

Before Arcanine could attack again, the ground quaked violently once more.

Having spent two grueling months at the Viridian Gym tanking Ground-types head-on, Gary had practically become a part-time Earth-type specialist.

He knew this vibration pattern well—it was Onix preparing to burst back out from underground.

Just like The Secrets of the Earth described, Gary gauged the tremor’s intensity to estimate the distance between Onix and the surface…

“Now! Arcanine, jump!”

Right as Arcanine sprang skyward, Onix’s head erupted from the ground—aimed precisely at the spot Arcanine had just vacated.

“An impeccable read!” the commentator shouted. “Gary timed that perfectly and dodged Onix’s ambush attack!”

Akira’s eyes widened. He hadn’t expected Onix’s sneak attack to fail. But he wasn’t finished yet. “It’s not over—Onix, [Stone Edge]!”

Shards of jagged rock, dislodged from Onix’s eruption, now floated in the air—suddenly, they shot toward Arcanine like missiles under Onix’s command.

This, Gary hadn’t anticipated.

Figures… anyone who makes it to the finals is no pushover.

The rocks streaked upward—Arcanine had no room to dodge.

Just then, a line from August echoed in Gary’s ears:

“Real-life Pokémon battles aren’t like online matches. In a way, they’re a coward’s game. The one who dares more—wins.”

Gary gritted his teeth, resolve flaring in his eyes. “Arcanine, tank it—then use [Reversal]!”

The stones struck—Arcanine winced, its body battered, but in the same breath, light flared around it. A surge of power erupted from within.

With a sudden burst of speed, Arcanine dove from midair—moving even faster than it had when leaping up—and slammed its paw directly into Onix’s head.

WHAM!

The crowd collectively gasped.

Despite the size and weight difference, Onix’s massive head reeled to the side from that single, decisive strike.

[Reversal]— a Fighting-type move that grows stronger the lower the user’s HP. With Arcanine fresh off a point-blank [Stone Edge], its power was at its peak.

The impact knocked Onix’s head sideways, slamming it into the ground with a quake that rattled the arena.

Half its body still buried underground, Onix didn’t move.

“Onix!” Akira called out in alarm.

But there was no response. Covered in bruises and burn marks, Arcanine stood triumphantly atop Onix’s head, chest heaving but proud.

“Onix is unable to battle—Arcanine wins!” the referee declared.

“What a spectacular battle!” the commentator boomed. “At the most critical moment, Gary made a fearless call—and it won him the match!”

Gary finally broke into a smile. But this time, he didn’t flip his hair.

Instead, he turned his head to glance up toward the VIP stands.

There, August gave him a wave, his expression warm and full of pride.

He’s grown, August thought, He’s really grown.

---

T/N: LETS GO GARYYYY SMELL YA LATER AKIRA BITCH BOY

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!