Welcome to...the Ultimate Arena!
Lights shine down onto the stage. A large wide-screen monitor takes up the entire back, displaying the "UA" logo in 3-D red letters, spinning in place. In the center of the stage, two Pokémon stand before the cheering crowd. The spotlight shines down on them.
A green-eyed Growlithe wearing a camouflage hoodie and blue skirt, grinning sinisterly at the crowd.
An Emboar in a white tank top and black pants with a large apron wrapped around his large physique.
Pandora: Greetings, my loyal subjects! And welcome to the Ultimate Arena! We are your hosts for this momentous occasion! I am Pandora Day, the lead inventor of the Foresters and soon-to-be overlord of your pitiful race! Mwuahahahahaha!
Lenny: And I'm Lenny Brimstar, owner of the Enchanted Bar in the Quartz Plain Village. It's an honor to be here with you all today. So much mystery behind this little pet project of PM64's, but the wait is over. Today, we will—
Pandora: Wait, wait, wait, wait! *points at Lenny* Your last name is Brimstar?
Lenny: Yes?
Pandora: I don't remember that ever being mentioned.
Lenny: Well, I am a minor character—
Pandora: That's another thing. Why am I working with this extra? I'm clearly more popular than you—no offense—and more deserving of my place in this spinoff series. Why couldn't I get a different co-host, like that tree priest or, I don't know, the Ravenfields' mother? Actually, now that I think about, I probably wouldn't want the priest here. Judging me for my behavior! How dare—
Lenny: I was the only one who volunteered.
Pandora: Eh?!
Lenny: Well, all the other characters in "Secret of the Idol" have enough credit to be in this series as fighters. I have a history as a bounty hunter, but that's about it. Someone from "Tribe of Fusions" could've taken my spot, but the only other notable character who couldn't compete as a fighter was Brea and…well, she didn't want to deal with you.
Pandora: *pouts* I am going to have words with that woman.
Lenny: There was also Irma, but she slammed the door in Brad's face when he brought it up.
Pandora: Word for her, too!
Lenny: Plus, this is free advertisement for my bar. I become a host, I get the free advertisement, even some in-jokes, and it gives me a bit of a boost past my minor character status. I mean, the only notable thing I did recently was punch a shadow monster with my exploding gauntlets.
Pandora: *eyes sparkling* I will take back everything I said if you show me this weapon.
Lenny: Annnnd, Brad needed someone levelheaded to keep an eye on you.
Pandora: *eyes widen, then glares off stage* Hey!
PM64: *off-stage* You know I'm right! Now move it along, you're taking up our air time!
Pandora: This isn't television!
Lenny: How do you know what a television is?
Pandora: How do you know? Aren't you in some weird fantasy, medieval/modern setting?
Lenny: We have crystal balls. Basically the same thing.
Pandora: *smirks* Well, I've been studying up on human culture in preparation for my starring role. I know all the slang, pop culture, and politics to get through this.
Lenny: I…don't think you want to bring up politics in this. It might start something nasty.
Pandora: *rubs her paws together evilly* That's the point~. Mwuahahahahaha!
Lenny: *rubs his temples* I'm going to need more alcohol to get through this.
Pandora: Oh, don't be a wuss. Now, are you ready to yeet our readers into the action, or shall we dab on them with the rules?
Lenny: …A lot more alcohol.
Pandora: *grins at the audience* Here in the Ultimate Arena, we're here to see who among our colorful cast of Pokémon OCs (and more depending on ratings) has what it takes to prove their worth in the battle of their lives. From magic, genetic advantages, medieval combat, demon…magic, and more, all to see if they have what it takes to overcome the odds.
Lenny: It is worth noting that the upload time for these battles will be a tad slow. This is because some of the potential fights we have planned are for characters that either haven't had much development to justify their place yet, or have not been revealed yet. And since a lot of PM64's stories have planned sequels, like the FTLOP universe or "The Phoenix Knight's Path"—
Pandora: *winks* Which is currently in production.
Lenny: It's likely it'll be a while before a full list of fights come out. Though, as "Secret of the Idol" and especially "Bandits of the Forest" progress, more fights will become eligible for competition.
Pandora: With all that out of the way, let's get down to the rules. First off, as we already discussed, a character is only eligible to compete if they come from a completed story or there's enough material on them to work with to justify a spot on Ultimate Arena. So, someone like Laura the android Pikachu and Wes Ravenfield are still eligible to compete because we have plenty of material to turn to. But someone like Jason Stormbreaker wouldn't because we haven't seen much action from him as of now. Like we said, this'll affect the time it takes for fights to come out.
Lenny: We are more than willing to look into characters outside of PM64's own lineup of OCs, though that would require permission from other creators and extensive research on the characters and their stories. Could be fun and even give some love to other stories. Heck, it might be interesting to look into characters from stories that don't have a heavy fantasy element, maybe even outside the Pokémon franchise. A celebration of OCs, if you will.
Pandora: Also, it should go without saying that we're not experts when it comes to the explosive force of TNT or any mathematical crap like that. Well, I am, but you get what we mean. Plus, this is a Fanfiction site. These feats don't have any visual aid to work with.
Lenny: We're mostly going off generalization from the text when it comes to the overall strength, speed, and durability of these characters, and relying more on general tactics and advantages characters have over each other. Unless a character actually states something concrete, generalization factors in.
Pandora: Rule 2, matchups are decided by two factors: both competing parties are scaled and measured on general strength so that there are no unfair fights. For instance, we're obviously not going to have Gwyn Belladonna fight Vivi from "Tribe of Fusions". I think we can all agree Gwyn would stomp in that fight just due to the myriad of advantages she has that Vivi simply can't counter. It's not fun if you know the obvious outcome.
Lenny: Matchups will also be decided by some general theme or commonality in their backgrounds. Maybe they share a similar power or have similar ideals. Or a combination of both. This isn't the be-all end-all for matchups, but it is worth consideration.
Pandora: Third, because our creator is a wuss, no one will die in these fights.
PM64: *off-stage* I'm not a wuss!
Pandora: Keep telling yourself that! But seriously, this isn't Death Battle where a matchup has to be decided with decapitation or complete atomization. Fights here will be decided through knockout or extreme immobilization. We're only here to figure out who would win a fight, not who can kill who faster.
Lenny: And for balanced fairness, this would also include characters who are canonically dead and/or antagonists. Oh yeah, be wary of spoilers while reading this.
Pandora: The only reasonable exception to this rule is characters who have means to survive death. So, like Jango Phoenix and his Resurrection ability, or the Darkmon if they're torn down into a single blood drop that can't possibly continue with the fight even after regeneration.
Lenny: And finally, no outside help from friends, teammates, or supernatural forces that aren't tied to the fighter. There will be cases of exceptions to this, but those will come up when they need to.
Pandora: *grins* We've been looking forward to this series for a long time now. I hope you're all ready, because things are going to get crazy.
Lenny: Then what are we waiting for? Let's—
Pandora: You know, I just realized our logo has the same initials as UA from "My Hero Academia". Crazy, huh?
Lenny: … *sighs, then gestures to the audience* Let's get started! I'm Lenny—
Pandora: And I'm Pandora!
Both: Let the Ultimate Arena commence!
Coming Up:
They may be minor characters, but these thieves will steal the spotlight and show everyone just who they are.
Episode 1: Stealing the Show
The icy reaper who controls crime and haunts the frozen streets
VS.
The treacherous thief whose avarice and penchant for scotch knows no limits