Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [238]

Though Cynthia had her fair share of internal commentary, she had to admit—Gary’s skills were solid.

Right now, he was commanding a Nidoking in a match against Ash’s Kingler.

Despite the type disadvantage, Nidoking handled Kingler’s attacks with ease under Gary’s precise direction.

“Kingler, use [Bubble Beam]!” Ash shouted, sweeping his hand forward.

Kingler raised its massive claw, aimed it squarely at Nidoking, and unleashed a flurry of glowing bubbles.

From the sidelines, the commentator's voice swelled with excitement: “Ash’s Kingler is going for a [Bubble Beam]! Let’s see how Gary plans to counter!”

“Oh! Gary’s chosen to have Nidoking tank the [Bubble Beam] head-on!”

“Nidoking’s face is contorted in pain! But wait—he’s charging Kingler! Nidoking’s using [Earthquake]!”

With a savage grin, Nidoking stomped the ground hard. Cracks split the field from under him, snaking forward like a massive serpent hunting its prey—straight toward Kingler.

“Kingler, dodge it!” Ash called out, eyes wide.

Kingler scrambled to the side, trying to avoid the oncoming quake.

But before it could get far, another fissure erupted in its path, boxing it in.

Trapped between two ruptures, Kingler had nowhere to go.

Nidoking seized the moment and slammed down with [Earth Power], sending Kingler flying.

“Kingler!” Ash shouted.

Thud.

When Kingler hit the ground, it didn’t get back up.

“Kingler is unable to battle! Nidoking wins!” the seasoned referee declared.

“A spectacular match!” the commentator praised. “Gary used Kingler’s lateral movement limitation to trap it, then followed up with a decisive blow! No wonder he’s the top contender to win this year’s Indigo Conference!”

The flattery was so enthusiastic it gave everyone goosebumps.

“That’s laying it on thick... Did someone pay that guy off?” Sabrina muttered from the side.

Even as she teased, her gaze shifted over to August and Cynthia.

August, hearing her, raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Wait, how did you know the commentator was working for me?”

“...Huh? You actually did pay him?”

Sabrina was stunned.

She’d just been joking. But August really had the commentator in his pocket?

Cynthia, too, turned her gaze toward him with curiosity.

August quickly waved it off. “That’s slander—slander, I tell you!”

“No, of course I didn’t pay him. That would be way too crude. It’s just that this year’s Indigo Conference is sponsored by the Silph Group, and the commentator works for one of their networks. I may have... casually brought Gary up when chatting with their CEO.”

“Why though...?” Sabrina asked, clearly suspicious.

August was usually relentless with Gary, setting impossibly high expectations. Now he was having people sing Gary’s praises on-air? It was very out of character.

After getting burned a few times, Sabrina had developed a sixth sense—any time August acted oddly, there was probably a trap involved.

“I get the feeling you’re saying nasty things about me in your head...” August gave her a sidelong glance.

Sabrina quickly looked away.

Still, August went on to explain, “Don’t you think that as our Kanto division expands, we’re starting to lack Trainers who can shoulder responsibilities independently? Aside from me, that is.”

Sabrina had half a mind to ask if she didn’t count—but stopped herself just in time. Based on past experience, any time she challenged him on something like this, it ended in self-inflicted embarrassment.

Cynthia nodded thoughtfully. “...You’re thinking of doing what the Galar League did—cultivating a celebrity Trainer?”

As Sinnoh’s Champion, Cynthia knew a great deal about how each region operated. Every League had its own distinct flavor.

The Galar League, for example, was famous for turning its Gym Leaders into public icons.

Under the leadership of League Chairman Rose, head of Macro Cosmos, Galar had transformed into a highly commercialized league, complete with [Dynamax] battles, flashy gym presentations, and their prized discovery: the so-called “Unbeatable Champion,” Leon.

So of course Cynthia would draw the connection.

“That’s the general idea,” August admitted. “But this is just a trial run.”

The pressure of being a Gym Leader wasn’t enough to push Gary any further. So August had decided to shape him into the ‘face’ of the Kanto division—a public figure who could shoulder visible pressure, and hopefully grow stronger through it.

He’ll thank me later, August thought.

While they chatted, the second match of the day was reaching its peak intensity.

Since these two Trainers were long-time rivals, their Pokémon jumped straight into hand-to-hand combat.

The force of their physical blows had the commentator practically shouting: “Incredible! Absolutely incredible! This is a match worthy of the finals!”

“I can’t believe we’re witnessing a battle like this in the Top 16—it’s heartbreaking that one of these Trainers won’t make it to the quarterfinals!”

With the commentator’s voice riling up the crowd, the stadium atmosphere was electric.

As cheers roared from every corner, Nidoking charged Charizard with a deafening bellow and slammed a [Thunder Punch] right into its head.

But what should have knocked Charizard out cold... didn’t.

Its face twisted in pain, but deep in Charizard’s eyes—flashes of memory. The time Nidoking had beaten it. The grudge still burned.

Then, catching Nidoking off guard, Charizard retaliated without hesitation, unleashing a [Flamethrower] point-blank.

The fire engulfed Nidoking with no room to dodge. The blast sent it flying.

Nidoking was thrown over ten meters, tumbling violently across the field.

Charizard wasn’t unscathed either. Even though it wasn’t hit directly, the shockwave knocked it off its feet.

And so, both Pokémon ended up collapsed on the battlefield.

The referee watched them intently.

Who would get up first?

The outcome had every spectator on edge.

As the count neared its end, just as the ref was about to declare a double knockout, Charizard pushed itself up—shaking, battered, but still burning with defiance.

Its body was covered in wounds, its cheek swollen, but that fierce glint in its eyes brought the entire stadium to its feet.

Even the commentator was awed. “What a show of resilience! Ash’s Charizard rises again through sheer willpower!”

“Let’s hear it for Charizard!”

As the crowd erupted into cheers, Sabrina turned to August. “Was this part of your plan too?”

She was hoping—hoping—to catch him off guard.

But she was disappointed.

August was still smiling.

“You’re trying to build a star Trainer, right?”

“I am,” August nodded, unbothered. “But I never said it had to be Gary. It’s not like we’re strangers.”

“If Ash manages to beat Gary, he’d make a fine star Trainer too.”

“Of course, I don’t think Ash can beat Gary.”

The moment the words left his mouth, Charizard—who had just been basking in cheers—suddenly wobbled and collapsed with a heavy thud.

---

T/N: FUCKKKKKKKKKKKK CHARIZARD YOU FUCKING DISAPPOINTMENT WHYYY NIDOKING WAS ALREADY AFTER ONE MATCH YOU KNOW WHAT ASH YOURE THE DISAPPOINTMENT CHARIZARD caN SOLO LEGENDS BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOO U CANT COMMAND FOR SHIT AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

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!