Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [241]

The matter with Cynthia was, for now, set aside.

The Indigo Plateau Conference continued to unfold under the watchful eyes of countless spectators...

And as the matches progressed, the media began launching an all-out publicity campaign for Gary.

“Arcanine defeats three opponents in a row—Gary Oak storms into the semifinals as a top contender for the championship!”
“Exclusive Interview: The secret behind Gary’s rapid rise in strength!”
“Power Analysis: Just how strong is the Indigo League’s hot favorite, Gary Oak?”
“6:2 Victory—Gary advances to the finals! Is he even human?”
“Gary Oak speaks out again: ‘My grandfather is Professor Oak!’”

...

International Police HQ – League Main Office

“...This doesn’t feel right,” Gary’s voice floated from inside the room.

August replied with solemn weight, “This is a rite of passage for any star trainer.”

“But this is just—” Gary hesitated.

“What’s there to be afraid of? You’re not the first to do it. No one’s going to laugh at you.”

Gary’s voice wavered, a hint of reluctance creeping in. “You’re... sure they won’t?”

“Of course. Only the mediocre get forgotten! Look at Leon—his popularity in Galar is off the charts!”

“...Fine,” Gary muttered. “I’ll try it. But none of you are allowed to laugh!”

“Why would I laugh at you?” August said matter-of-factly.

Then Gary emerged from the room wearing the outfit August had prepared for him—a full white coat fluttering dramatically behind him.

The moment he stepped out, everyone in the room quickly covered their mouths, desperately stifling their laughter.

Gary scowled as he caught their expressions. “You said you wouldn’t laugh, and yet—!”

He was already regretting putting his trust in August.

Sabrina pressed her lips together, managing to compose her expression before saying, “Actually... it suits you.”

She glanced at the white cloak. Its design was clearly inspired by Leon, with corporate sponsors’ logos emblazoned all over it.

Gary: “.....”

Now he really regretted it. If Ash saw this, he’d never live it down.

But it was too late for regrets now. The media fluff pieces that had been hyping him up? All arranged by the sponsors...

He could only blame himself for being blinded by the benefits of becoming a celebrity trainer—and forgetting there was a price to pay.

August, noticing Gary’s gloomy face, patted his shoulder. “It’s really not as bad as you think.”

“In the end, Pokémon battles are about strength.”

“As long as you win, who’s going to laugh at the champion? Look at Leon—who makes fun of Leon?” August spread his hands.

Gary thought about it and realized—true enough. Online discussions about Leon were constant, but mocking? Virtually none.

“You’re not telling me you don’t even have the confidence to win the Indigo League, are you?” August taunted. “Ash is watching, you know.”

Even knowing it was bait, hearing Ash’s name still lit a fire in Gary. “Who said I didn’t have confidence?!”

“Just you wait—the Indigo League championship is mine!”

He took a deep breath and shoved all the doubts from his mind. Time to give the finals everything he had.

...

Indigo Plateau Main Arena

The tournament had reached its climax—the most anticipated moment of the entire Indigo League.

“Let’s welcome our two finalists to the field!” the commentator’s voice rang out with electrifying enthusiasm.

“On one side, from Pallet Town—Gary Oak! As one of the frontrunners for this year’s title, I’m sure you’re all well familiar with his strength. Let’s give Gary a big round of support!”

Gary raised his arm stiffly to wave at the crowd, his smile more of a grimace under the weight of his sponsor-plastered cloak.

“Gary-sama!!” His cheer squad—recruited from Pallet Town and tasked with caring for his Pokémon—lined the sidelines with energy and flair.

Dressed in short athletic tops and mini skirts, they were a vivid, eye-catching presence on the battlefield, immediately drawing attention away from the absurdity of Gary’s outfit.

“His opponent—hailing from Fuchsia City—is Akira!”

From the other side, Gary’s opponent entered the arena.

Up in the stands, Blue and Sabrina both cast side-eyes at August. Seriously? You even bribed the commentator? That obvious?

“Ahem... this has nothing to do with me. It’s all arranged by the Silph Co. PR team,” August insisted with innocent hands-up denial.

Though he was indeed the one pulling strings behind the scenes, the execution had been completely outsourced. Who knew Silph would do such a sloppy job?

But in the end, none of that mattered. Victory in Pokémon battles came down to strength.

Gary and Akira stood on opposite ends of the field, eyes locked.

The referee stepped forward to read out the official rules, then turned to both trainers.

“Are you ready?”

Seeing them nod in unison, he raised his flag and swung it down.

“Then—let the match begin!”

As his words fell, both trainers threw out their Poké Balls.

Boom!

A flash of white light—and before the audience could even process what was happening, Gary’s Arcanine was already in motion. Fierce-eyed and merciless, it sprang forward the instant it touched ground, launching an [Extreme Speed] straight at its opponent.

Akira was still stuck in his previous battle rhythm, completely unprepared for this sudden burst.

He froze just long enough for the charging Arcanine to close the gap.

Panicked, he blurted out the wrong move: “Swampert, [Hydro Cannon]!”

Bad call.

With Arcanine already in his face, trying to charge up [Hydro Cannon] was basically asking to be clobbered.

And sure enough, just as Swampert raised its arms to begin channeling the move, a blur slammed into it with brutal force, sending it flying.

“Whoa! Gary has opted for a speed-assault strategy, using Arcanine’s superior mobility to catch Swampert off guard with [Extreme Speed]. Akira had no time to react!” The commentator rattled off, lightning fast—Silph certainly paid for the best.

Meanwhile, Arcanine didn’t let up.

Its paws hit the ground again before Swampert even landed, streaking toward it with fangs igniting in a blaze of fire.

Whoosh!

A fiery whirlwind crashed forward—Arcanine sank its burning teeth into Swampert’s arm.

Swampert cried out in pain.

“Swampert!” Akira’s face turned pale.

He tried to rally his partner, but Gary was already locked in. “Arcanine, don’t give him a chance—[Play Rough]!”

On command, Arcanine flung Swampert into the air with a shake of its head, then surged after it, claws digging in as it launched itself skyward.

No chance for Swampert to retaliate.

The two Pokémon tangled midair as Arcanine pummeled it with playful but devastating blows.

Swampert tried multiple times to break away, but each attempt was thwarted—Arcanine yanked it back in every time.

“A relentless offensive! Gary is giving Akira no breathing room! And [Play Rough], a Fairy-type move, is especially effective against Swampert’s Fighting-type secondary—can it hang on?”

The answer was obvious.

After being hit with [Extreme Speed], [Fire Fang], and [Play Rough] in succession—and already a tier below in strength—Swampert was clearly outmatched. It collapsed, defeated.

“First match goes to Gary! In just one minute and thirty-two seconds, he takes the lead with a lightning-fast victory!” The commentator, earning his Silph paycheck, hyped it up without pause: “Let’s give Gary a huge cheer!”

The screen cut to a close-up of Gary’s beaming face, sharply contrasted by the disbelief on Akira’s.

The crowd roared in celebration.

“Go, Gary-sama!” His cheer squad squealed, faces full of pride.

Gary flipped his hair, turning to give his girlfriends a cool view of his retreating back—eliciting another wave of cheers. Deep down, though, he couldn’t help but think:

Didn’t expect August’s trick to work this well...

Before the match, just to be safe, he had sought August’s advice on what strategy to use for the finals.

He could still remember it vividly.

August had gestured casually at his Eevee—who instantly dashed forward, jumped up, and completely messed up Gary’s hair before darting back to his side.

Gary had blinked and asked, “You’re lending me Eevee? That’s a bit much, isn’t it...?”

August had looked at him like he was hopeless. “It’s a speed assault, you dummy!”

Back in the present, Akira had already recalled his Swampert.

Now facing Gary and his Arcanine with a far more serious expression, the impact of that first loss clearly weighing on him.

If we’d fought normally, with type advantage, there’s no way Swampert would’ve gone down that hard...

I have to be ready for another speed assault...

Taking a deep breath, Akira tossed out his second Poké Ball.

ROOOAR—!

With a thunderous cry, a massive Pokémon emerged, shaking the ground as it landed.

“Akira sends out Onix as his second Pokémon!” The commentator, well-versed in each finalist’s team, called out, “Akira’s Onix showed impressive strength in the semifinals!”

“Choosing Onix shows he’s anticipating Gary’s speed-based offense...”

“What strategy will Gary use now?”

While the commentator continued to stir up the crowd, Gary had already given Arcanine its next command:

“Arcanine, [Fire Spin]!”

That call caught everyone by surprise.

“[Fire Spin]... on an Onix?” Akira scoffed.

Was his Onix supposed to be afraid of that?

As the flames erupted from Arcanine’s jaws, Akira gave his response without hesitation:

“Onix, ignore the flames—use [Earthquake]!”

---

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!