"Luke, get your butt here quickly! Boss will pulverize you if you come late!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

A 22-year-old man with dark skin and dreadlocks moaned as he cut the call on his infotainment system, his ears ringing with the honks of horns. He was in the middle of a horde of cars, adamantly waiting for the traffic signal to stop glowing red. He read the display of his interface. 9:35 AM, Monday, March 15. I'm no Monday person, for sure, he said in his mind, sulking.

It wasn't long before his eyes widened at the pointer on his fuel gauge, which was teetering close to zero. "Ack! I forgot to fill the gas yesterday!" he grumbled, "Now Boss is gonna kill me for tardiness… I shouldn't have ignored my alarm…"

The traffic signal blinked green, and Luke drove forward as the fleet eased. He kept looking for a gas station as he went past the string of buildings at a cautious speed. After about five minutes, Luke found a gas station and dutifully steered towards it. He maneuvered his hatchback onto the platform and parked it beside the gasoline pump.

"Mr. Attendant, please fill my fuel tank with two liters of gasoline," Luke told the man next to the pump as he opened his window. "How much money should I pay?"

"1 dollar and 85 cents," answered the attendant.

"Okay," Luke replied as he handed over a dollar note, "I'll wait outside as you fill my fuel tank. Please make it quick."

The youngster stepped out of his car and walked toward the side of the road, stretching his legs and arms. He glanced at the cars, bikes and trucks moving across the street, as unhandsome fantasies circled his mind.

What new punishment will Boss give me today? Luke dreaded. Is it going to be a cleaning job, or mandatory overtime? I can't take this bad luck any more-

All of a sudden, Luke's eyes caught attention of a little dog in the middle of the road, scampering past the vehicles. Its head was frantically waving back and forth amidst the chaos of the traffic, desperate to get to the other side.

Luke's bones stiffened. Please, my furry friend, he silently wished. I pray that you get past the vehicles safely.

But his wish was fruitless.

A humongous truck approached on the horizon. His heart sank. His pulse rose. His pupils narrowed. Luke was facing a precarious decision.

The truck charged closer and closer. The dog froze, staring at the incoming behemoth. Luke's skin paled and his feet twitched.

The truck continued charging, now only a few meters in front of the traumatized critter.

Luke had to act. Fast.

Luke sprinted across the road, shrieking in stress. He made a mighty dive toward the dog, under the bleak shadow of the truck, and pushed it out of the way. Now, the truck was mere inches away from his body.

At that exact moment, a bright, neon-blue light generated out of nowhere, right in front of Luke. The light expanded into a giant hole, rumbling with loud vibrations. Luke was sucked inside, still shrieking as he was thrust deep into the hole at a blazing speed. The light brightened and brightened to the point where his body disappeared into the incandescence. All he could see was white, and all he could hear was his scream and the sounds of energy.

A portal opened in front of Luke, and he saw a gray beast dozens of meters below him. The poor sop could only blink before he plummeted down the sky like an anvil, right onto the beast's stone-hard horn.

"AAAAGGGHHH!" the beast bellowed, his red eyes bulging. Luke tumbled off the beast's spiky head and plopped belly-first behind his heavy tail. His eyes twitched shut, troubled by the pain ringing through his body. He took time to get used to his senses, and fluttered his eyelids, with a vague vision of the scenery ahead. But he was interrupted.

The beast began to talk. Not roar, talk.

"Hey, you!" the beast screeched, "Trying to drag me into a half-assed training session, you brainless Lucario?!"

Luke opened his eyes and slowly got up. He turned to see the angry beast, a bipedal, saurian rhinoceros baring his fangs and crossing his thick arms. Petrified by his imposing six-foot height, Luke trembled and backed a bit, pondering over how to react to the beast. At least he can talk, so a conversation won't be a farfetched idea.

Not as farfetched as the ignorance of the black snout-like protrusion in front of Luke's sight…

"Quit staring at me, scumbag!" said the beast, flailing his arms, "What are you doing, admiring my horn for no damn reason?!"

"E-excuse me, my name's not Luke Ario!" stammered Luke, his voice now much deeper, denser and canine than before, "It's Anderson! Luke Anderson! Can you please be a little more respectful, rhino-man?"

"RHINO-MAN?!" the beast hollered, his coarse voice louder than ever, "I'm a RHYDON!" He stomped his hoof. "How could you be so stupid, calling a Pokemon by the wrong name?" The Rhydon pointed his right claw at Luke. "As payback for your dipshit, I challenge you to a battle!" He immediately entered a fighting stance and his horn spun like a drill.

"A battle?" Luke said in a puzzled tone, shuffling backward, "Sorry, I'm not an MMA fighter. Why don't you care to-"

"SHUT UP AND FIGHT!" snarled the Rhydon as he lunged. Luke made a swift turn before the Ground-type could collide with him and scooted as fast as he could. "What the hell are you doing, coward?!" the Rhydon sneered, chasing him, "You can't run away from a battle!"

Luke was smart enough to brush off the Rhydon's threats and kept running.

"Drill Run!" The Rhydon leaped at Luke and spun his whole body with the vigor of a turbine. Luke dodged to the left, causing the Rhydon to crash onto the ground.

"HELP! This rhino-man is trying to kill me!" Luke cried as he ran farther and farther from the Rhydon.

To the response of an empty field.

"I'm not trying to kill you, dunderhead!" the beast growled, heaving his stout body up, "I just challenged you to a battle! Don't you have any common sense?" He got back onto his hooves and continued to chase Luke.

Alas, Luke was already thirty feet away from him, thanks to his sluggish speed and loss of momentum. Luke breathed a sigh of relief. At least this guy is let down by his weight, he thought, I must make a beeline somewhere!

It was easier thought than done.

Fifty meters later and the Rhydon was still in hot pursuit, and Luke had no choice but to keep running. A tree was within sight of the twosome.

The Rhydon attempted another Drill Run. Luke seized the opportunity and dashed past the tree, away from the Drill Run's straight trajectory. The Rhydon slammed into the tree and dozens of Oran Berries rained on the fainted beast, enough for his body to be buried under the heap.

Now far away from what used to be a threat, Luke decelerated till he came to a stop. Surprisingly, he didn't break a single sweat throughout his escape. Running for more than 50 meters without any loss of stamina? That's superhuman! Luke had a contented look at his legs…if only for a moment.

Instead of pride, Luke was filled with bewilderment. In place of his pants was a pair of black legs and three-toed feet and aqua-blue thighs which resembled gym shorts. His torso was now fully covered in beige fur, and a metal spike was protruding from his chest. He raised his arms to chest level, only to find that they had become aqua-blue too. His hands had morphed into black paws; each had three fingers and a metal spike on the back.

"What…what have I become?" Luke muttered, staring at his peculiar new body. Luckily (or not so much) for him, there was a pond nearby. Luke walked to its bank, and observed his reflection in the water.

He was horrified by what he saw.

His reflection showed a humanoid jackal with red eyes, pointy blue ears, a long nose and black appendages dangling from his head.

Luke had become a Lucario.

The canine Pokemon slapped his paws onto his cheeks, his eyes swelled, his appendages bounced up like planks, and he screamed at the top of his voice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Just then, a Seaking emerged from the water. Luke looked at the horned fish.

"Oh, hello, traveler," said the Seaking, his round eyes sparkling, "Would you like a drink?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Again, Luke screamed at the top of his voice, at the absurdity of a talking fish. He fled in a flash, leaving a dust cloud in his wake.

"Hey, wait!" the Seaking pleaded, flailing his fins, "I'm not asking for a bribe!"

The Seaking's words fell on flat ears, and he quickly retreated underwater.

Luke was now far away from the pond. "Just...what is this place?" he groaned, glancing at his Lucario form with misery and confusion, "I've become this dog-like thing, and I've just met a murderous rhino-man and a talking fish." Just then, he noticed what looked like a settlement in the distance. That could be a town nearby, he pondered, Maybe I should go there. I hope it's not as weird as my situation...

Luke began to walk toward the settlement.

After about an hour of constant walking, Luke was hanging his tongue out and hunching his back as he leaned against a signpost. Why am I panting like a dog? Luke thought as he breathed heavily, Oh, right. I am a dog. He read the signpost:

Welcome to Square City

Where Legends Awaken

The Lucario took a minute to catch his breath as he saw a massive wall surrounding the city, with a large arch acting as the entrance. After gaining enough energy to resume walking, he went through the arch.

Instead of humans, the town was bustling with sapient monsters of all shapes and sizes. Most resembled animals, like pigeons, cats, foxes and lizards, but there were some who resembled plants, invertebrates, and even non-living things, like electromagnets. A few even had suspiciously humanoid appearances.

So, this is a town of monsters? Luke thought as he stood in place and looked around him, Definitely weirder than my situation. Dozens of monsters passed him. They remind me of those mystical creatures in folklore. What was their name? Hokeymen...or Pomeran? I can't recall that name correctly. All I know is that one is an electric mouse and another is an orange dragon...

As he continued to think, he walked along a footpath flanked with a diverse array of buildings, each crowded with monsters. Most of them were made of stone or wood, though the occasional concrete building popped up. Remarkably, for every two buildings, there was a tree; some of them were even large enough to fit wooden treehouses. The only high-rise building present was a stone tower in the skyline. Compared to his skyscraper-spangled hometown, Square City felt primitive and random to him. In addition, the air smelled clean and odorless, in contrast to the noxious exhaust fumes he used to encounter whenever he went for a drive.

Suddenly, a massive beam of white light with the rumble of electronic beeps hit Luke's back. He felt a heavy knock on his back and grimaced, but that was it. No vaporization, charred fur or collapses to the ground.

"IDIOT! YOU BLOCKED MY HYPER BEAM!" roared a reptilian voice.

Luke turned around to see an Aerodactyl glaring at him from above, flapping his huge wings. "I was about to score my first victory in 45 rounds against my rival, and you destroyed my dreams! I challenge you to a battle!"

Luke trembled and he began to run away, but it was in vain. The Aerodactyl charged at him with the speed of a fighter jet, and grabbed Luke's body in his clawed feet. The Rock-type rose several feet in the sky, carrying the Lucario, and glided above the streets of Square City.

"Let me down, please!" Luke begged as he pulled the Aerodactyl's feet, "I never did anything wrong! I was just in front of your attack, and you think I should be punished?"

"Interrupting a battle is against the rules!" growled the Aerodactyl, "Seriously, you don't know any morsel of Pokemon honor?"

I remember now! thought Luke, These creatures are called Pokemon! "I-it was an accident!" he replied, "I promise that I will never interrupt a battle ever again." He clasped his paws.

"Okay, now I can let you down," said the Aerodactyl, "LIKE THIS! SKY DROP!"

The Fossil Pokemon swooped high in the air, and dived at a blistering pace. He threw Luke downward before flying away.

Luke yelled as he fell like an iron ball and crashed onto the ground.

To his astonishment, he was still alive. That fall should have killed me, he thought as he clambered back onto his feet, Perhaps my new body has heightened strength?

"Yes, yes you have,"

Luke heard a cutesy feline voice echo in his head. "Who said that?" he replied, turning his head back and forth.

"It's me," said the voice, "Nomon else,"

Luke focused his mind. "You? Who are you?" he said.

"Gugugu, I won't tell!" the voice giggled.

"Come on. You can't keep your identity undisclosed."

"I won't!"

Luke whined in disappointment. "Okay then. What do you want to tell me?"

"You have become a Pokemon. A Lucario, to be exact. Do you know anything about Pokemon?"

"Only a little bit."

"A little bit? Gugugu! How? Haven't you been reading all those folktales?"

"Sorry, I was never that much into fantasy."

"Oh. What do you know about Pokemon?"

"Isn't that electric mouse...what was its name...Pikachu, a Pokemon?"

"Yes, you're right."

"What about the orange dragon?"

"Yes. That's called a Charizard."

"Okay. So what Pokemon am I?" Luke looked at his paws, "A Lucario?"

"Yup! I just told you! Now let me tell you what to do."

"Okay."

"You see, Pokemon are warriors. For them, fighting is a way of life. A Pokemon battles at least three times a day. You should know how to fight too."

Luke dwelled on his encounters with the Rhydon and the Aerodactyl, as well as the crazy moves they expressed. So, I am part of a race of warrior monsters. Bah! I don't want to indulge in a lifetime of mindless violence. But at least I must adapt to an environment like this.

"Mindless violence? Gugugu, Pokemon battles ain't even lethal!"

"You can read my thoughts?!"

"Yup!'

"Okay then. Can you please teach me some fighting techniques?"

"Of course! Now listen."

Luke nodded.

"You see, Lucario are famous for their use of a move called Aura Sphere. I'll teach you that."

Luke nodded again.

"First, cup your paws, concentrate, thrust them forward, and then say 'Aura Sphere'"

"Cup your paws? What does that even mean?"

"Gugugu, just put your paws in a cup shape!"

Luke clenched his fists.

"Nope, not like that, silly."

Luke formed a horizontal cup shape with his paws.

"You're getting close. Your paws should be vertical, not horizontal."

Luke cupped his paws vertically, and a ball of blue energy formed between them. He then pushed his arms forward, shooting the ball out of his paws. "Aura Sphere!" he shouted.

The Aura Sphere blasted across the street. To Luke's surprise, it swerved to the right and hit a nearby Geodude, knocking the Rock-type out. A Golem who appeared to be the mother was nearby.

Oops.

"AAAAH! WHO KO'ED MY POOR LITTLE MONLET?!" shouted the Golem. She turned to Luke. "YOU IMBECILE! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A BATTLE!"

Luke apologized with an ashamed face. "I-I'm sorry! It was an-"

"ROLLOUT!"

The Golem was having none of it. She retreated into her boulder-shaped body and rolled at Luke like a giant bowling ball, causing him to run away.

"You, messenger!" Luke said to the mysterious voice, "This beast is trying to crush me! Do something!"

"Use Extreme Speed!"

"Extreme Speed!" Luke said to himself. He gained a burst of speed and dashed like a bolt, leaving blue afterimages of himself.

The move made him so fast, he crossed around ten meters in a single millisecond...

...and collided with a Blastoise's carapace.

WHAM!

The giant turtle, startled by the noise, turned around to see the advancing Golem. He stopped the rolling Rock-type with a single hand.

The Golem retracted her head and limbs, gasping at the Water-type juggernaut. "Hey, have you seen a Lucario here?" she asked.

The Blastoise nodded his head sideways, closing his eyes and smirking.

"You tested my strength, didn't you?" said the Blastoise, "You've a lotta respect for a big guy like me. I challenge you to a battle!"

"Wait a minute, I-"

"Hydro Pump!" The Blastoise fired huge jets of pressurized water from his cannons. Luke, who was clinging to his carapace, watched as the Golem was doused in the jets. She fainted from the super effective attack.

"What are you waiting for?" said the disembodied voice, "This ain't the time for entertainment! Escape, or else the Blastoise will battle you!"

Luke listened and ran away from the Blastoise. He reached a jewelry store which was close by, and stopped behind the door.

"I've two more moves to teach you, Luke," said the voice, "Meteor Mash and Bone Rush,"

"Okay," replied Luke, "How do I use Meteor Mash?"

"Run forward, crouch, and do a jumping uppercut."

"Meteor Mash!" Luke did as instructed and jumped high in the air with his fist covered in silvery energy. "That's great!" said Luke as he landed on the ground, "What about Bone Rush?"

"Put your curled paws together and spread them apart."

Luke clenched his paws, put them together, and just when he was about to complete the action, the door behind him swung open. He was squashed between the door and the wall. A Bellossom emerged from the entrance.

The door slowly closed on its own, releasing a wobbly Luke. "Gee, how does this teeny hula girl have so much strength?" he said, looking at the pretty Grass-type stroll away.

"Did you pull off the Bone Rush?" said the voice, still monitoring Luke.

"Unfortunately, I was interrupted," said Luke.

"Aww, what a poor mon!" the voice sympathized, "No need to worry, you can always practice next time. Enjoy your new life!"

"Hey, wait! How do I get back to my own world?"

There was no response.

Just my luck, the Lucario thought, his head down, I just happened to save a dog, and now I'm in a world of bloodthirsty monsters. How could I live a life where I commit violence on a regular basis? I'll just keep these moves for self-defense. He looked at the crowds of Pokemon. What do I even do here?

The shimmers of the jewelry on display brought attention to him. Maybe I should ask the jeweler for a job, he decided.

Luke entered the store and saw a Magmar at the desk, digging a big bag of coins. "Good morning, sir," he said, bowing, "I am looking for a job right now."

"'Sir'?" replied the Magmar, not bothering to look at him, "Did you mean 'Monster'?"

"Mhm."

"You said you're looking for a job, right? As a Steel-type, can you prepare metal?"

"How do I prepare metal?" Luke said as he shrugged.

The Magmar grumbled and facepalmed. "If you're naïve enough to not know any Steel-type moves at this age, then why are you asking for a job here?"

"I know moves! Please don't dismiss me!" Luke pleaded.

"Alright," said the Magmar as he raised his head, "What moves do you know?"

"Aura Sphere, Extreme Speed, Meteor Mash and Bone Rush,"

"You already know Meteor Mash, right? Make metal from that,"

"How?"

"Just use that move."

So far, so good, Luke thought as he focused and used Meteor Mash.

Too bad the ceiling was low.

He uppercut the ceiling with a loud shatter. Splinters of wood were scattered on the floor. When Luke landed, his eyes popped at the hole above him and his appendages stuck outward.

"RAAAAGGHH!" The Magmar sprang up and roared as the flames on his head flared, "YOU CAME HERE TO SABOTAGE MY JEWELRY STORE?!"

"B-but you told me to use Meteor Mash, didn't you?" said Luke, backing away.

"I CHALLENGE YOU TO A BATTLE!" screamed the Magmar, "FLAMETHROWER!"

Not again... Luke barely turned when the Magmar breathed a large stream of fire which engulfed him.

The fire quickly subsided, leaving him covered in soot from ear to toe and with bulging eyes.

The Lucario's vision blackened and he collapsed.

Author's Notes :

So here it is. The first chapter of PMD : Ultra Brawl. This fic is heavily inspired by fighting games and shounen, as stated in the summary, so expect many familiar attacks and themes along the way.

I've always wanted to imagine Pokemon as warriors, case in point - the flashy moves, Pokemon designs and lore. I've always liked to imagine battles in a shounen style instead of the watered-down fluff we get in the official anime. Combined with my love of fighting games like Street Fighter, Tekken and SNK's oeuvre, I started this fic to portray Pokemon as an action series. I chose the Mystery Dungeon world as my setting because I feel the trainers may look useless in my brand of battles, so I decided to exclude them.

Be aware that Ultra Brawl will have frequent changes in tone. This is deliberate on my side, again to emulate the wacky mood swings in the aforementioned inspirations (like in Tekken, where devils can possibly duel with schoolgirls, kangaroos and wooden robots). As for the rating, K+ most of the time, but may veer into T from time to time (be it more violence, dark themes or mild cursing). I've rated it T though, because of the incoming dark themes.

My story is going to be a saga divided into a number of story arcs, and will have DOZENS of characters, not unlike most fighting game rosters. It is set hundreds of years after the Mystery Dungeon games, which explains the larger settlements and advanced civilization of the Pokemon world.

As for our own protagonist, no need to worry! He'll be alive and well by the next chapter. Of course, Pokemon only faint when they take too much damage, but Luke doesn't know this yet.

After all, hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Hold on your seat belts for future chapters to come; things are sure to go off the rails! (All PMD games have slow starts anyway)

Feel free to post concrits and suggestions if you'd like!

Cheers

TurboBolt99