‘BRUTE! BRUTE! BRUTE! AAHH!!’

A slight cackle escaped Dani Maven’s mouth as the crowds chanting changed to wordless yelling as her Grimmsnarl, Brute, was pinned in by his three opponents’ charges. The cackling only increased as she felt electricity course through the platform she was standing on and into her, piling onto the phantom pangs she felt coming from her partner.

‘Oomph, really decided to crank it up for that one huh. Three hits, two of them super effective. Guess even with Brute’s Bulk Up, they figured we should be feelin that one.’ Bracing herself against the pain racing through her, Dani glanced over at the operator booth. ‘Hah, or it’s just that prat, Kori. Gotta remember to rub how much money he’s losing on this one in his face later. Maybe he’ll really turn up the voltage next time.’

Getting her laughter under control, she returned her attention to where the three pokemon were grouped together, attempting to force Brute back. Three little heroes persevering against one big, bad bully. Time to wreck that illusion.

“Superpower, Brute. Throw’em back.”

In response, her Grimmsnarl let loose his own adorable cackle and sprung into motion. Exerting all of his strength in an explosive force, he heaved his three foes off him and across the small stadium. Using the move against all three of them drastically decreased any damage dealt but it cleared the area around him. The abnormally large brawler let out a snicker as his attackers thumped to the floor, before following up with a quick Snarl. The dark type energy soundwave that slapped against his opponents didn’t do much damage but certainly helped wear them down.

Utilizing the breathing room they’d earned, Dani took the opportunity to lazily look over the field while analyzing the battle’s first exchange. Po Town had changed a bit over the years, but it still remained the biggest slum in Alola and the only venue for this particular type of entertainment. Not allowing Protect was already unusual, but it was the one against many battles and electrified trainer platforms that really tipped it over the edge. This definitely wouldn’t fly for any official League battle.

Ringed around the small arena, she could still see several of the audience showcasing Team Skull swag. The group had technically disbanded, but the gang’s remnants still had free reign over the abandoned town. With Nanu too lazy to do anything about it, they had carved quite the little niche for themselves in the island region. As this was the headline battle for the night, the party was definitely in full swing, punctuated by free flowing booze, sets of discarded clothes, and visible poison & grass type fumes drifting through the bleachers.

In truth, with her baby blue pants and jacket over a pink, lace-up vest, she was probably the most conspicuous person there. The effect was only amplified by the blue and pink striped top hat resting atop short, pink hair. Five pokeballs lay embedded along the sides of her vest with only Brute’s ball tucked away in her pocket for easy reach. Her old brand managers had used to have fits about the get up, but she’d always shot down any changes. She might not have returned to visit Ballonlea frequently over the years, but it was still her hometown. She had been born and raised in the heart of the fairy forest and she was proud to show it.

Within the arena itself, her partner’s three opponents were rising to their feet. The Po Town battle promoter, sleazy bastard that he was, had at least come through on providing a bit of a challenge this time. Dani scanned over their opponents’ forms with an experienced eye. The Ursaring was a beast of bulking muscles, it’s fearsomeness highlighted further by a collection of old scars. The great bear was a bit on the slow side but it had the power to make it irrelevant in most battles.

Comparatively, the Toxicroak was lean and wiry, the poisonous frog seeming a bit skittish but showcasing precise aim from a distance. No real flaws she could see but she had rolled her eyes at the telltale gleam of its skin when she first saw it. A healthy Toxicroak’s skin did typically secrete a certain amount of toxin but she had sadly been around enough idiots to recognize when a pokemon had been greased up with baby oil. The last pokemon was a decent looking Bisharp. She was impressed by the gleaming edge on its head but again she had to scoff at the deliberate shine on the rest of its blades. A little polishing was healthy but it was the sharpening of those various edges that showcased a trainer’s real skill and effort. A few nicks on the arms from working on their stomach blades should be a point of pride for any Bisharp trainer.

She’d faced the former Skull grunt with the Ursaring a few times before, but the other two were clearly new to the scene. She vaguely remembered the emcee saying they’d just come off the pro circuit in Unova. Both of them wore those Ace uniform-looking jumpsuits wannabes were so fond and had slicked their hair back with copious amounts of gel. Their skills weren’t too bad though, using Bisharp and Toxicroak to capitalize on Brute’s type weaknesses and working in tandem with what’s his name’s Ursaring. The pincer tactics with Iron Head, Body Slam, and Sludge Bomb had hit Brute nearly hard enough to do some real damage. If the cloak draped around him didn’t ward off any chance of poison or paralysis, she and her partner might have even had to kick it up a notch.

All in all, she guessed the two newbies fell into the category of trainers that managed to earn their initial eight badges but couldn’t quite make it to the next level. The Skull grunt was probably around that level too, though she doubted he’d ever tried competing in an official league. Not exactly a dime a dozen, but not too rare either. Their pokemon were clearly well conditioned and experienced, but they just didn’t have that something extra a true ace-level mon had to them. Nowhere near as strong as an elite like Brute. Sadly, they were probably about as good as a shoddy operation as Po Town could pull. Except for her apparently.

As it was, outside of type advantage, the two ringers didn’t have enough power or technique to fight Brute upfront nor had they been prepped well enough on how to fight him. The Toxicroak had uselessly tried to use Toxic before being shut down by Brute’s Taunt. Bop’s… Dipp’s… Whatever, Ex-Grunt D’s scowl at the pointless command was enough to show it hadn’t been a planned test shot. Dani felt an impish thrill that mirrored her own rise up in her oldest partner. They might not be in for a real challenge, but having three sturdy training dummies to batter could be its own kind of fun.

“Orso, Bulldoze into Hammer Arm!” Ex-Grunt D recovered first. “Run him down.”

The great bear responded immediately, charging forward with its heavy arm cocked above its head. Each step it took shook the stadium, but the experienced pokemon’s stride was steady and confident as it moved. Likewise, its teammates knew enough to spread away from the quaking path the bear was creating and start to circle around Brute. Meanwhile, Brute flexed his legs loosely to ease the strain from the flooring quaking beneath him.

“Toxicroak,” called out one of the ringers, let’s just call him Dumb, once his pokemon had regained its feet while the Ursaring charged forward. “Gunk Shot!”

“Tox!”

“Brute, defend with Reflect.” Dani called out while simultaneously reaching out with her spirit, signaling him to slow down the execution of the move and prepare to dodge. If their opponents actually did have a clue about their style, then the physical barrier would at least help Brute in the long run. But if she guessed right…

“Hah, Bisharp use Taunt.”

“Yo fool, knock it off!”

…Dumber would make it irrelevant. The warning came too late as Bisharp somehow made its metallic goading snarky even to her ears. The Taunt quickly took effect and forced Brute to cancel his Reflect before dropping to the ground to avoid the incoming toxic missile. Despite not receiving any commands, Brute’s training took over and he instantly channeled the anger generated by the Taunt and having his move disrupted into the ground, slamming his hairy fists and legs into the floor repeatedly. A few laughs rang out from the stands, either at her partner’s childish action or in anticipation of the results. Brute’s empowered Stomping Tantrum shook the shoddy stadium and cracked its foundations, stumbling the incoming Ursaring before causing the ground beneath Toxicroak to violently explode. The venomous frog cried out as the super effective move landed and sent it bucking into the air.

“Orso, switch to Hyper Beam. Keep him locked down.”

“Ursa.”

‘Huh, that’s new.’

“Snarl,” Dani called out reflexively at the surprise move. Teaching Ursaring a TM move like Hyper Beam would have cost the trainer a pretty penny, especially considering how little trainers made for battles here in Po Town.

The towering bear was definitely well trained, she observed. Orso immediately pulled up from its charge and sparks of burning energy gathered in its open maw. Brute was nimbler then his hair packed frame would suggest, but it would still be hard to get out of the way before the blast struck him. The debilitating effects of Brute’s Snarl would help somewhat but tanking the hit with that alone might actually leave them in the lurch. As fun as that could be, it just wasn’t in either her or Brute’s nature to stand there and take it. At the very least, they’d meet the beam with Spirit Break she decided...

“Bisharp, back them up with Metal Sound.” In response to the command, the blade covered figure emitted a piercing wave of sound as Orso unleashed its Hyper Beam. The horrific shrieking sound crashed into the Grimmsnarl’s head, wiping out any formulated plan he or his human had been forming, and giving him the exact opportunity he needed.

Fueled by the noise induced frustration, Brute rapidly gathered dark energy into the prehensile hair on his arm and Lashed Out. Despite being stunned by the piercing Metal Sound, Dani’s mouth curled into a smile as Brute’s back-handed swing caught the beam of energy mid-way. Brute’s extended hair shook tremulously as it met with the glowing blast.

The two attacks seemed to be evenly matched for a few breaths before Brute roared with effort. His frustration fueled Lash Out pushed back against the Hyper Beam and ultimately sent it careening off toward a psychic barrier set up by a few Drowzee. Several front row viewers jumped back in alarm as the barrier bent and crackled alarmingly. The second misstep in a row by his teammates finally caused Ex-Grunt D to fully loose his cool and snap at the two ringers.

“Yo, yo!? The fuck’s wrong with you idiots? The Boss sent you a whole damn playbook of shit not to do fools. Did you read any of it?”

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““You were serious about that?””

‘Ha-ha-ha-hah. These guys are funny!’ Even Dani hadn’t expected them to play so well into her and Brute’s battle style. The Hyper Beam surprise had been great too. The punishing sensation echoing in her own hand told her Brute’s hairy hand had taken real damage from the encounter but she was probably the only one who’d be able to tell. Despite her body screaming at her that the flesh on her hand had been scorched to the bone, her face remained cocky and jovial.

It wasn’t even truly faked this time. The battle might not be a clash of titans, but at least she and Brute were being pushed enough to pull out a few favorite moves. A tingle of real excitement pulsed through her as she started to wonder what would happen next. She was almost tempted to go for the trifecta, but with the Ursaring on the field it would just play into their hands. Dani paused at that thought, mind turning over rapidly before settling on a sudden inkling. Some bad ideas could also make for a good thrill after all. Lips turning up savagely, she issued a loud command, headless of whether anyone else could hear her.

“Brute, Burning Jealousy. Fry them all!”

One of her other pokemon might have hesitated at that order. Brute was definitely experienced enough to realize the consequences of that particular command and the risks they posed. However, the two of them had been together since the beginning and trusted each other like no other. Without a second of hesitation, Brute slowly gathered a burning mass of black-tinged flames between his hands. Seeing that, Ex-Grunt D seemingly couldn’t believe his luck as he smirked victoriously.

“Swords Dance, NOW!”

Similarly sensing the opportunity, the bear rapidly formed a spinning ring of glowing blades as Brute slammed his palms together over the fire, releasing it in a wave of destruction. Orso barely managed to absorb the glowing blades into itself before the flames rushed over it and it’s two comrades. The audience of mind-altered revelers oohed happily as the flames dramatically crashed into the arena barrier.

The steel typed Bisharp let out a loud screech as the flames broiled over it, but it was actually the Toxicroak that collapsed with barely a sound. It lay trembling with its shriveled skin blacked and scorched. As the frog’s trainer also convulsed under the corresponding shocks and phantom pains, Dani idly wondered if it had just been too damaged by the Stomping Tantrum or if that particular Toxicroak had the Dry Skin ability. Either way, she was happy to watch the flames die down while one of the Drowzee’s roughly but efficiently pull the poison type out of the arena. Meanwhile, Brute gave a renewed battle-cry as he shook off the last remnants of Bisharp’s Taunt.

When the flames finally dispersed completely, Bisharp was clearly hurt with its blades slightly warped and glowing from the heat but still standing ready to fight. Dani and the audience’s attention didn’t linger there long though, as Orso let loose an explosive roar. Patches of the bear pokemon’s body glowed with vicious looking burns, but it looked more savage than ever. The beast’s muscles bulged with greater strength and a fiery red aura enveloped it like a mantle. The enraged pokemon glared at its opponent with a triumphant fury while it’s trainer let out his own, much less stadium shaking roar.

“How you like that bitch? Forgot about Orso’s Guts, yo! Orso, finish them with Façade!”

“Bisharp, circle around and cut off his escape with Iron Head.”

Hearing his teammates words, Dumber sprang into action as well. He might have gone into the fight blind, but he did seem to be an experienced trainer and knew to capitalize on moments like these. The audience seemed to lean in as one, some spectator specific sense telling them that this was the moment that battle was decided, one way or another.

As the Ursaring rushed for a full bodied tackle, an orange nimbus of aura gathered around it, mixing with the red aura from its Guts ability. The sheer power of the charge seemed to increase its size in the eyes of the spectators. Simultaneously, the bladed bishop raced to flank its foe, the large blade on its head sharpening and shining with steely light. The two pokemon charged forward with all their power as Brute stood motionlessly before them. Dani and Brute always savored moments like these, even in the fiercest battles.

There was a lot of back and forth about what reaching a certain badge level really meant, especially from region to region. Did reaching eight badges within one year make you better than someone who’d reached eight badges in two? Was it harder to earn eight badges in Galar or Sinnoh? Did earning eight badges mean you were as strong as a Gym Leader? Who the fuck knows? (Fuck no. Galar all the way. Ba-hah-hah-hah-hah-haahh!)

There were really only a few generally accepted standards. Qualifying for your first Gym battle meant you could walk and chew gum at the same time. Earning your first badge meant you could identify a weakness and act on it. Earning your second badge meant you could put together a real, viable strategy. And earning your third badge meant you at least had the potential to build up some real power. It was at the fourth badge level that things got interesting.

Any trainer able to make it past a fourth badge could consciously connect with their pokemon through aura on one level or another, but ace trainers honed that connection to perfection. The key was in how deeply a trainer connected with their partners and each trainer had their own styles. Dani knew most trainers tried to strike a balance between connecting deeply enough to communicate strategies during an intense, high-speed battle while still being separated enough to maintain an outside perspective and not get knocked out themselves after a critical hit. Dani personally had never bothered with balancing the connection, allowing herself to connect with her partners as closely as possible.

Feeling her and her pokemon’s spirits surging in unison and connected past any bond she shared with another human was what she lived for. With a bond as deep as theirs, the electrified platform they fought on was irrelevant. She’d never asked Brute to shield her from the harsher side of battling in the first place. Dani would feel her partner’s lingering aches from every set of blows, the coiling and uncoiling muscles, even the fierce joy and anticipation burning within him. And if their opponents’ blows landed, she’d feel her body break and tear long before any electricity could hit.

Even now, she let her spirit beat in unison with Brute’s so that she would feel anything he did. She didn’t try to use their connection to convey her strategy so he still didn’t know her exact plan for dealing with the incoming assault, but she knew he felt no worry. He was just happy to enjoy the moment with her while he waited. The sharp shine of Bisharp’s blade and the quaking power in Orso’s charge were certainly fun to look at. Finally, as the two pokemon closed in, Dani issued commands for their counterattack.

“Work him. Swag, sub, drop, & piston out.”

“Grimmsnarl!” came the answering cry as Brute Swaggered towards the charging Ursaring.

The Ursaring roared at the oncoming pokemon, enraged at that its foe sought to meet it without forming any type of attack. Abandoning all restraint, the great bear pushed itself into an all-out sprint. The roar of anger turned into one of triumph as Brute seemed to hesitate and try to pull up short at the last second. The ursine pokemon dipped its shoulder and barreled into the dumbstruck Grimmsnarl with all its might, only to stumble as the Substitute burst apart into a cloud of hair, the real Grimmsnarl already free of the strike zone. Even as it dazedly tried to re-orient itself, Orso’s world seemed to spin around it in a red haze and the bear stumbled.

Seeing it’s comrade fail to connect, the Bisharp rushed towards the distracted Grimmsnarl, leading with the deadly blade atop its head. Right as Bisharp lunged forward, Brute dropped boneless to the ground, ducking just under the Bisharp’s swing and positioning itself into the other pokemon’s legs. As Bisharp desperately tried to prevent itself from tripping right over its foe, Brute planted it bottom hand against the ground as he cocked his free hand. Pushing off the floor with his bottom hand, Brute drove a short, piston-like punch into the dark and steel type’s undefended stomach. The super effective blow sent the other pokemon careening into the air, only to hit the ground in an unconscious stupor.

‘Power-Up Punch, huh? He could have gone with Drain Punch to be safe and heal up a bit. Eh, if he wants to finish with a bang, who am I to deny him?’ Dani looked fondly over at her partner. At this stage of the match, she doubted Brute would need any further directions. He’d carry them through just fine and she’d just enjoy the ride. As if to challenge her inner thoughts, Ex-Grunt D’s voice rose in urgency.

“Orso, you need to finish it before he can get up,” he called out. “Façade, Façade, Façade!”

With a responding, enraged roar, the berserk Ursaring bore down on the supine Grimmsnarl. Rearing back to drive a double armed blown down onto its foe, Orso barely heard the short snicker. Before the berserk bear could swing down, Brute disappeared out from under it in a dark blur, only to suddenly drive a devastating Sucker Punch into Orso’s side. Staggering, the Ursaring attempted to lash out with Façade once more only for its opponent’s sinister face to appear in its mind. The image of the Grimmsnarl rapidly turned even more monstrous in Orso’s head, daring it to try using Façade once more.

As Brute’s Torment shut down the only move his opponent had been ordered to use, Brute smirked viciously. Slamming his knee low into the empowered Ursaring’s pelvis, Brute laughed as the devastating Foul Play sent his opponent crumbling to the ground. Dani didn’t often find a use for Foul Play with her team the way they were, but even she admitted that it was fun to watch when pokemon bolstered to the extremes fell to their own strength, the dark type energy in the move tearing and twisting at the target’s straining muscle fibers.

As Orso dazedly tried to get up, Brute enveloped himself with pink energy. Grabbing the great bear tightly, Brute scooped it off the ground before rapidly spinning around. He spun once, twice, three times before finally swinging his foe up and over his head to slam the Ursaring into the arena floor with an explosion of smoke and stars. The moves effects were so ostentatious that Dani and Ex-Grunt D were probably the only ones close enough to hear the crunch of crushed bones.

When the finale of Brute’s Play Rough ceased, Orso the Ursaring was revealed, feinted in the center of the arena’s new crater. There was a brief moment of quite as the audience took in the site of sole remaining duo, the opposing trainers mirroring their feinted pokemon except for the occasional twitching of residual electricity. It was only when Brute raised his own fist up with a triumphant roar that the audience exploded into chants and wordless screams once more.

“There you have it people! After a three-on-one, no holds bar battle royale, Po Town’s still reigning champion is victorious. We give you, the Beasts of Ballonlea, Dani & Brute!”

Dani made herself smile wildly as the audience screamed and she withdrew her spirit from Brute’s. This was great. The battle had been fun. It was better than the last three battles combined. It was interesting. It was… over.

‘Fuck, I need to punch something.’

*

‘FWAAA!’

Crunch!

The righteous sound of a fist of justice crashing through a cement block rang throughout the elite practice ground, igniting the souls of the warriors gathered within. Withdrawing his hand from the split block, Karate Master Koichi Kong, Leader of the Fighting Dojo and Rightful Leader of the Saffron City Gym, turned to look over his eager disciples with a stern expression. Inside though, he barely contained his victorious smile. Finally, after all these years, his greatest shame would finally be overcome. Without a word, the large, gi-clad man nodded sharply.

““Attention!”” his two highest ranked disciples, Cheng & Wong, swiftly called out from either side of him. In response row upon row of the dojo’s elite students and their partner pokemon went from attention to even more at attention.

Koichi grunted in satisfaction at the disciplined response. “All of you here are the strongest, the most disciplined, and the most righteous martial artists this dojo currently holds. But that alone is not enough. Only the most dedicated amongst you will join myself and your senior disciples in the grand battle to reclaim our dojo’s glory! Who amongst you will answer the call?”

“““I WILL, MASTER!”””

“““HIT!”””

“Hmph. Recite the tenants!”

“““STRUGGLE FOR VENGEANCE!”””

“““HITMON!”””

“““A COMPLICATED FRACTURE!”””

“““HITMON!”””

“““WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND!”””

“““HITMON!”””

“““ENEMIES ON EVERY SIDE!”””

“““HITMON!”””

“““SHOW NO MERCY”””

“““HITMON!”””

“Acceptable,” he grunted once more before one of the gathered students spoke out alone. Surprise at the unruly disciple for breaking his discipline nearly made Koichi miss what he said.

“Master Koichi, sir! Does this mean we’re finally ready to know the meaning behind the second tenant?”

“NO IT DOES NOT! YOU ARE DISMISSED! LEAVE US!”

Koichi glowered sternly as the shocked and shame-faced martial artist slunk from the room. Imagine that. Learning the meaning behind the second tenant when still so inexperienced. Koichi himself had been entrusted with running the old Gym for years and his master still hadn’t deemed Koichi experienced enough to know before he passed away. If that didn’t mean that nobody else would ever be worthy enough to know than what else did?

Koichi lightly coughed to reclaim the gathered martial artists’ attentions once more after the student had finally left.

“Now that such foolishness is gone, we can commence the final testing. Bring in the challenge!”

In unison, several sliding doors swept open to allow in a stream of Hitmons and Machokes carrying uniform concrete blocks, each as thick around as a hundred-year-old tree. Two blocks were quickly planted in front of each martial artist. Their experienced eyes easily picked out the differences between the two identical seeming blocks. The ones immediately in front of the humans were thick and heavy but at their core, they were just plain concrete blocks. The ones in front of their pokemon, on the other hand, were densely packed with rock and fighting type energy, increasing the hardness and durability of the blocks by several dozen-fold.

“In order to determine which amongst you has the dedication to join us in the Indigo Pillar Tournament, each of you will strike the blocks before you with your bodily strength alone. Only the three teams who persevere the longest will be deemed worthy. Pokemon, show your trainers’ your might and valor! Trainers, show your pokemon your willingness to stand beside them! Commence!”

Karate Master Koichi swept around dramatically as the sounds of his students setting about the challenge started to fill the air, righteous pride at his coming re-ascension to Gym Leader swelling within him.

Crack! “Ahhh!”

‘Hmph. I suppose the path of righteousness truly isn’t for the weak-willed.’