Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [194]

August, of course, had no personal grudge against Cerulean Gym.

He had called out Mewtwo simply to create a proper battlefield.

“Mewtwo, make us a battle arena… same size as the one at home.”

Mewtwo nodded and extended its hand, summoning a massive psychic spoon.

With a gentle flick—

Shh, shh, shh—

Before Ash and the others could even process what was happening, a neatly formed battle arena appeared before them. Even the grass had been cleared, revealing the ground beneath, neatly compacted by Mewtwo’s psychic power.

Seeing this, Ash couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer. “August, what is that Pokémon?”

It was the second time his Pokédex had failed to identify a Pokémon.

The last time this happened was when Gary showed off that Forest Lizard Pokémon.

According to Gary’s bragging, it was one of the Hoenn starters he had received through the Kanto-Hoenn exchange program.

So… where did August get this Pokémon?

Brock and Misty were just as curious.

“You mean Mewtwo?” August said casually. “It’s the child of Mew.”

Brock’s eyes widened. “Mew?! As in the mythical Pokémon?!”

Misty also looked at Mewtwo in shock.

She had never imagined that Mew could have a child… Who was the father?!

Misty’s mind immediately ran wild with the implications.

Ash, meanwhile, was still clueless—because he didn’t even know what Mew was.

“……”

August decided to leave the explanation to Brock.

“All right, now that everything is set, let’s begin!” August said. “The battle format will be 3-on-3 as usual. Any objections?”

Misty nodded in agreement.

Both trainers took their positions on opposite sides of the field.

If he sent out a Pokémon that was too strong, it would be unfair to Misty.

If he sent out one that was too weak, it would be obvious that he was holding back.

So…

“Gengar!” August called.

“Genga!”

A chubby Gengar crawled out from August’s shadow, floating into the air and making silly faces at Misty.

Seeing her opponent, Misty quickly made a decision. “If I’m facing Gengar, then my choice is—go, Starmie!”

She had already asked Brock and her sisters about August’s battle style.

So right from the start, she sent out her strongest Pokémon.

However, just as Misty was about to throw Starmie’s Poké Ball, one of the Poké Balls on her belt popped open on its own.

A flash of white light—

And then, standing in the arena was…

A dull yellow Pokémon with vacant eyes and three tufts of hair sticking up on its head.

“Psy?”

Psyduck raised its hands and tilted its head, looking as clueless as ever.

The moment she saw Psyduck, Misty froze.

Then, her expression completely collapsed. “You’re not Starmie—you’re Psyduck!”

Frantically, she turned to August. “Sorry, sorry! This guy always acts up!”

She ran onto the field, grabbed Psyduck by the head, and dragged its confused-looking self back to the sidelines.

Then, she finally sent out Starmie.

Seeing Starmie take the field, Misty let out a sigh of relief.

At least this time, nothing had gone wrong.

“You! Stop making decisions on your own!”

She put Psyduck in a headlock and aggressively ruffled its feathers.

“Psy…”

Tears welled up in Psyduck’s eyes, making it look completely pitiful.

August watched Misty torment the duck, chuckled, and didn’t make a fuss over the earlier mishap.

He simply turned to Blue. “Cut that part from the recording.”

Then, he looked toward Brock.

Misty was now ready.

Seeing both trainers in position, Brock raised his hand—then brought it down in a swift motion.

“The Cerulean Gym reassessment battle—begin!”

As soon as the words were spoken, both trainers gave their commands.

“Gengar, [Shadow Claw]!”

“Psy—I mean, Starmie, [Water Gun]!”

Misty had been so rattled by Psyduck’s interference that she nearly called out the wrong name. Luckily, she corrected herself in time.

Gengar’s [Shadow Claw] met Starmie’s [Water Gun] head-on. The impact slightly altered Gengar’s trajectory, but it adjusted midair and continued its attack!

Due to Starmie’s lack of facial features, its expression was unreadable.

But Gengar figured it was probably panicking right about now.

“Gengar!”

With a mischievous grin, Gengar lunged forward with [Shadow Claw].

“Starmie, dodge and use [Psychic]!”

Following Misty’s command, Starmie spun swiftly, avoiding Gengar’s attack. Its core gemstone glowed with a dazzling array of colors!

A powerful psychic force tore through the air, shredding the lingering energy of [Shadow Claw] before homing in on Gengar.

Gengar raised an eyebrow—impressed, but not worried.

“Genga!”

Gengar quickly formed a highly compressed [Shadow Ball] between its hands.

Then, with a flick—

It launched the attack!

The [Psychic] and [Shadow Ball] collided midair.

Boom!

A shockwave rippled across the battlefield.

Starmie was strong—Misty’s signature Pokémon for a reason.

But August’s Gengar was stronger.

Though Gengar was briefly pushed back by the blast, it barely hesitated before launching its next attack!

A rainbow-colored light shot from Gengar’s fingertips, illuminating the battlefield.

[Confuse Ray]

The multicolored glow hit Starmie’s red gemstone, and immediately, Starmie’s movements became sluggish and unsteady.

Seeing this, Misty quickly countered. “Starmie, use [Confuse Ray] too!”

Starmie’s core began to glow in the same colorful light.

With both Pokémon using [Confuse Ray], the entire battlefield was soon filled with shifting, dizzying colors.

Ash, watching from the sidelines, started feeling lightheaded.

Even Pikachu swayed as if it had just chugged an entire bottle of booze.

Thankfully, Mewtwo intervened in time, using its psychic powers to shield everyone from the effects of the [Confuse Rays].

“Thanks, Mewtwo!” Ash rubbed his head in relief.

“Pika-pi~!” Pikachu chimed in.

Mewtwo remained silent but gave a small nod.

While it no longer harbored hostility toward humans thanks to August’s influence, it still kept its distance from people other than him.

Ash, of course, didn’t notice Mewtwo’s cold demeanor—or more likely, he was just too dense to care. “Brock, do you think Misty can win?”

Since August hadn’t sent out that ridiculously strong Eevee, nor had he used Mewtwo, Misty should have a chance, right?

Brock hesitated. “…Hard to say.”

He still remembered how August had swept his team back at Pewter Gym with just a single Marshtomp.

Just as Ash was about to ask more questions, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed!

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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!