Pokémon: My Titles Know No Limits! [606]

The Masters Eight drew lots: August drew number 5, Cynthia got number 1.

According to the grouping rule of numbers 1–4 and 5–8, they landed in different brackets.

Leon got number 8.

Geeta, number 4.

Diantha, number 2.

Wallace, number 6.

Giovanni, number 7.

Pryce, number 3.

Everyone’s faces were quite a sight after the draw.

Matches were arranged as follows: 1 vs 2, 3 vs 4, 5 vs 6, and 7 vs 8.

Diantha, eliminated by Cynthia in the last tournament, thought gloomily: Cynthia again...? Am I about to go home after just one round?

Wallace: I'm facing August? Is this for real?

Geeta stared at Pryce, feeling a headache coming on.

Leon and Giovanni sized each other up. Leon wanted to see just what the legendary leader of Team Rocket was capable of.

Giovanni, however, saw Leon merely as a stepping stone before battling August.

As for August... he just flashed Wallace a friendly smile.

"The draw has concluded. Please enjoy the upcoming battles," Oleana announced briefly, then left the arena in a hurry.

August watched her hastily departing back with a playful look.

Cynthia keenly noticed that the Mew perched on August's shoulder had disappeared at some point.

Just then, August turned to everyone and said, "See you all tomorrow."

After saying that, he left the arena, following Oleana.

After leaving the stadium, Oleana walked briskly down the road. She could feel the persistent sensation of someone watching from behind.

She quickened her pace even more, but couldn't shake the feeling.

Finally, furrowing her brows, Oleana turned sharply into an alleyway and spun around to face the empty space behind her.

"You've followed me all this way. What exactly do you want?"

She already had an idea who was following her.

Sure enough, August soon appeared from around the corner, though his expression was one of confusion.

"Are you talking about me, Miss Oleana? I was just passing by."

Just passing by?

Oleana's expression grew cold. Did August take her for a fool?

But since August had said so—

Oleana replied coldly, "If that's the case, please stop following me. I still have work to do."

With that, she turned and left.

This time, August didn’t follow. Instead, he waved his hand, and Mew revealed itself, having been invisible in the air.

"Mew!"

Mew extended one small paw, raising a single finger with the other.

August withdrew his gaze from Oleana’s retreating figure, glanced at Mew’s expectant pose, and said quietly, "…I won’t forget your little cake…"

Tailing Oleana was only a minor distraction. The real goal was to pressure Chairman Rose through her.

...

Meanwhile, at the Kanto Branch, Leon brought Raihan along to attend a temporary strategy meeting organized by August.

Looking at the various pieces of evidence that Koga had gathered—especially the photo of Eternatus—Lance couldn't help but sigh.

"Rose truly has guts…"

Ever since he became a trainer, among all those Lance had seen, besides August himself, nobody who attempted to manipulate Legendary Pokémon had ended well.

He knew a bit about Rose. At best, Rose was slightly stronger than Koga—far weaker than Lance himself. He truly didn't understand where Rose got his confidence to control Eternatus.

"Three key elements!" August slapped the table, drawing everyone's attention. "Time, place, and people."

"Time: Rose will definitely enact his plan during the Masters Tournament. Given what I know of him, there's a strong possibility he'll act during the final match, so everyone, be prepared."

The group nodded. August's reasoning made sense.

"Place: Stow-on-Side, the underground arena." August turned to Raihan. "Raihan, Stow-on-Side is your territory, so evacuating civilians will be up to you."

Hearing August’s words, Raihan inwardly complained about how, as a Galar Gym Leader, he somehow ended up conspiring with August against his own league chairman. Still, he glanced at Leon and gave a firm nod.

"People: primarily two individuals and one Pokémon—Rose, Oleana, and Eternatus."

"I'll handle Eternatus myself," August volunteered immediately.

Everyone present knew August’s strength, and agreed this was indeed the safest solution.

"Rose and Oleana are mine," Leon added.

He intended to confront Rose face-to-face.

Lance, who was temporarily assisting, would act as a firefighter, handling any unforeseen issues that might arise.

After quickly finalizing their plans, the atmosphere relaxed.

Soon the group began casually chatting, inevitably turning to the topic of the Masters Tournament.

Thinking about the tournament brackets, Leon felt his luck was terrible.

Giovanni went without saying. Leon had watched Giovanni's entire match against Lance, and knew he was a very tricky opponent.

As for August—

Even without the use of Legendary Pokémon, August would still be extremely difficult to beat.

...

The next morning, August arrived at the stadium bright and early.

There were two matches scheduled today: Cynthia vs. Diantha, and Pryce vs. Geeta.

August had an unavoidable reason to be here for the first match. As for the second, he was curious about what kind of strength Pryce and Geeta would display.

At this moment, Cynthia and Diantha stood at opposite ends of the battlefield.

"Hello, everyone, this is your announcer, Ball Guy! Today, I'll be bringing you commentary on the first battle of the Masters Tournament: Sinnoh’s Champion, Miss Cynthia, versus Kalos’s Champion, the Grand Duchess Diantha! These two are old rivals from the previous tournament—just what kind of sparks will fly this time?" Ball Guy announced from the commentary booth.

Diantha: "..."

Facing her best friend in the very first round meant one of them was destined to be eliminated early; Diantha couldn't help but feel helpless.

Both trainers raised their spirits to 120%.

As the referee gave the signal, the two exchanged a glance and simultaneously released their Pokémon.

Just like in the last tournament, Cynthia’s first Pokémon was Spiritomb.

Meanwhile, having learned from her previous experience, Diantha immediately called upon Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, [Mega Evolve]!"

A flash of radiant light enveloped Gardevoir.

Gardevoir → Mega Gardevoir!

"Diantha sends out her ace Pokémon Gardevoir right from the start, immediately initiating Mega Evolution! It looks like Diantha is determined to win!" Ball Guy watched the battle intently.

"Spiritomb, [Shadow Ball]!"

The green orb atop Spiritomb’s head spun rapidly, quickly forming a Shadow Ball that shot toward Diantha's Mega Gardevoir.

"Gardevoir, [Hyper Voice]!"

Thanks to Gardevoir's Pixilate ability, the normal-type move transformed into Fairy-type the moment it was unleashed.

Pale pink soundwaves surged toward Spiritomb.

The Hyper Voice collided mid-air with the incoming Shadow Ball, instantly detonating both moves.

In the clash between the two moves, Mega Gardevoir’s Hyper Voice was clearly superior, continuing toward Spiritomb and causing it to wobble from the impact.

However, for Spiritomb—with its exceptionally high Defense and Special Defense—this weakened Hyper Voice, after being partly dispersed by the Shadow Ball’s explosion, was clearly little more than an inconvenience.

Precisely because it was just an inconvenience, Spiritomb immediately counterattacked.

"[Phantom Force]."

A black portal suddenly appeared on the ground, swallowing Spiritomb. In the next second, Spiritomb reappeared behind Mega Gardevoir, ghostly energy manifesting into a physical strike aimed directly at her.

Gardevoir reacted extremely fast.

Her eyes flashed blue, launching a Psychic attack that collided directly with Spiritomb's strike.

Boom!

A loud bang echoed throughout the stadium as both Pokémon were destabilized by the explosion from their energy collision.

The purple wisps around Spiritomb’s head extended into tentacle-like claws, gripping the ground to stabilize itself.

Gardevoir used her psychic powers to levitate, hovering in midair, looking down at Spiritomb.

"Gardevoir, [Moonblast]!"

A bright moon rose behind Mega Gardevoir.

"Spiritomb, [Shadow Ball]."

Three Shadow Balls took shape above Spiritomb’s head, forming into a triangular formation.

"Both sides launch their attacks simultaneously! What will the result be?"

Under Ball Guy's anxious gaze, and amid the anticipation of every spectator, the Moonblast collided head-on with the incoming Shadow Balls.

Boom!

This frontal clash of powerful moves was truly stunning to behold.

The resulting explosion engulfed Mega Gardevoir and Spiritomb completely.

"How is it going?" Blue, now close friends with Cynthia, asked anxiously.

August lightly extended his aura to sense the battle: "Mega Gardevoir has a slight edge."

After all, Gardevoir had Mega Evolved, and Spiritomb’s special attack stats weren’t especially remarkable. This outcome was quite normal.

Sure enough, as soon as August spoke, Spiritomb came tumbling out from the smoke, looking extremely battered.

"You're saying Cynthia’s going to lose?" Hearing August's words and seeing Spiritomb’s condition, Gary couldn't help but worry.

Ever since seeing August’s little Ponyta, he had joined the prize-guessing event. He’d bet on Cynthia’s victory!

"When did I say anything like that? Don’t spread rumors!" August retorted immediately. "This is just a temporary disadvantage for Cynthia… See? She’s about to turn things around!"

On the battlefield, Spiritomb’s eyes flashed with an eerie ghostly light. In the next instant, Mega Gardevoir’s Mega Stone necklace seemed to come alive, suddenly attacking the completely unprepared Gardevoir.

[Poltergeist]!

A move that manipulated an opponent’s held item to attack them directly.

If the opponent wasn’t holding an item, this move was useless.

But Mega Gardevoir, who had Mega Evolved, clearly didn't fall into that category.

"Mega Gardevoir has been attacked by its own held item! The tide of battle is shifting!" Ball Guy shouted excitedly.

Forced to suppress the Mega Stone animated by Poltergeist, Gardevoir had to divert some psychic energy to keep it under control. But in that moment of distraction, Spiritomb seized its opportunity.

"[Confuse Ray]!"

Spiritomb emitted an eerie flash of light that enveloped Mega Gardevoir, causing dizziness and confusion just as she struggled to suppress the Mega Stone.

Her situation went from bad to worse.

And it wasn’t over yet. Dense black smoke suddenly erupted from around Spiritomb, covering half the battlefield and shrouding both Pokémon completely.

[Smokescreen]!

No one in the audience knew what was happening inside the smoke; they only heard fierce fighting sounds from within. When the smoke cleared—

Mega Gardevoir was already lying defeated on the ground.

Spiritomb, though visibly exhausted and covered in injuries, still stood on the field.

"Mega Gardevoir is unable to battle! Spiritomb wins!" The referee declared.

Diantha hadn't expected the same result, even after changing her strategy and sending out Gardevoir first.

She stared resentfully at the smiling Cynthia standing opposite her.

If things proceeded according to last tournament’s scenario, the next Pokémon she sent out would have to endure Spiritomb’s parting gift.

Thinking of this, Diantha glanced at her lineup, making a quick decision.

"I'm counting on you, Goodra!"

Covered entirely in sticky slime, the adorably gooey Goodra appeared on the battlefield.

Upon entering, Goodra cautiously eyed Spiritomb, keeping Diantha's warning in mind to beware Spiritomb’s parting gift.

But this time, Diantha guessed wrong.

Seeing that Goodra didn’t immediately attack, Cynthia’s eyes flickered with amusement. "Spiritomb, [Pain Split]!"

Pain Split combined the HP of both Pokémon, then 'amicably' shared it between the two.

As for how 'amicable' it really was... the furious look in Goodra’s eyes said it all.

Diantha: "..."

Her experience-based assumptions had truly backfired this time.

Though Goodra immediately lost some health due to Spiritomb, the battle had to continue.

"Goodra, [Dragon Pulse]!"

Goodra let out a furious yet adorable cry, then unleashed a Dragon Pulse aimed directly at Spiritomb’s position.

Spiritomb’s movements were slow, so Cynthia could only choose between defense or offense.

Since Spiritomb's current health was essentially a free gift, Cynthia decisively chose offense.

"Spiritomb, [Phantom Force]!"

A black portal once again swallowed Spiritomb, causing Goodra's Dragon Pulse to miss.

But this time, Goodra was fully prepared, paying close attention to its surroundings. The instant Spiritomb reappeared behind her, Goodra instantly responded with an Aqua Tail!

---

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!