As a reminder, you can find MORE of this on my SubStar (dot adult slash KajaWilder), it's posted up past chapter 60 there... And if you guys haven't seen an update in at least a week, please let me know! I have a busy life, and I get distracted and forget things. This story (and PTaL) are supposed to be updated WEEKLY from now until they're both caught up with each other (like I was doing with FwB until this weekend).

And if you're just interested in discussing things with other readers, of course, you can go to my DISCORD here: h- t_ t_ p-s -: -/ -/ -discord . g-g / N9yDA8t6Cw (taking out hyphens, underscores, and spaces of course).

Finally, you can also read my ORIGINAL FICTION on Kindle. If you've got Kindle Unlimited, they're all free. Here's my author page, h-t_t_p-s -:- /-/ tinyurl _._ com /- 4ffb7wph with links to everything published. (Remove all Hyphens, Spaces, and Underscores, of course... 'cause Ffnet.)

Oh, one last thing: This chapter is unusually long. It's got a fair bit of action (both Pokemon and smut)... but don't expect them to be this long very often at all going forward.

Chap. 37: Alex Used Harden!

"Alright, kid," the announcer who had been narrating a blow-by-blow of his last six battles called over the loudspeaker, "this is it! You have one more chance to use an item- just one! One more item before you face the Gym Leader herself. Best make sure your team is ready... unless you think it's wiser to bow out now. No one would think less of you. After all, everyone knows The Steelworks is a bit of a gauntlet to run!"

The woman chuckled at her own joke, but Alex glanced up at the stands, still shadowed, where he hoped Elle was watching him from, and shook his head before he called out, "Not going to happen. Your vaunted Gym Leader doesn't have a monopoly on being determined, or defensive. My Team's still at half strength or more, and I've been saving an item for just this sort of scenario."

Alex had to actually fight to contain his grin as he slid his pack off of his shoulder and reached inside the medicine pouch for the Super Potion he had been keeping in reserve for what felt like weeks. The problem was, he didn't know which Pokémon to use it on. Cock was definitely the most hurt, and his Starter was definitely the strongest Pokémon on his roster right now. He was a tough little guy, and Alex was sure he could pull off a couple more Dig and Double Kicks, but he was also extremely tired. Tired enough to make mistakes.

His hyper-aggressive Mankey might have been a good choice if it was a regular Potion, but she had barely been out of her ball, and only taken a single minor injury in the one Battle Alex had used her in. Shooter and Surtr were a little hurt too, but he didn't think it was worth using one of his two bigger potions on their relatively small, if numerous, injuries. The Ponyta was large enough to stand up to a fair bit of punishment anyway, and his Remoraid's injuries had been somewhat mitigated by going up against Grass-Steel Ferroseed. The type advantage had made that Battle among his easiest, even if it had gone on longer than he would have liked.

"Really, there's only one good option I suppose," Alex murmured to himself, then reached for one of the six balls on his belt. The distant, high-up crowd oohed and aahed with surprise when his Larvitar materialized, bleeding out of one eye socked and with a clearly broken left arm. But, like Alex, his expression was fierce and stolid as he glared toward the barely-visible stands, high above the dangerous floor of The Steelwork.

"I get what you mean, buddy," Alex said quietly as he aimed the spray-on medical treatment. How it worked was fascinating, and something he would love to study, but there were more urgent priorities. It was still interesting to watch as the swelling around Spike's eye went down, and he heard a visible pop as the snapped bones moved back into place and started to mend. "We're almost through. One last, big fight. You ready for it?"

"Larvi," the once prideful, stubborn Pokémon growled with a firm nod, then held up one tiny fist and pumped it into the air.

"You tell 'em, Spike," Alex agreed, stowing away the now empty spray bottle as he stood up and slung the pack over his shoulder again. "Should be this way. At least, the sign says Overseer's Office."

"Ooh, he can read," the mocking voice of the announcer responded, "But at least he's right! That's the way up. Get ready, everyone... we're gonna have a good time!"

At the end of the walkway, Alex and Spike, whom he hadn't returned to his ball, found a single ten-by-ten foot left with a simple two-button control unit. Up and down, marked in green and red. "Easy enough... Up we go. Looks like there isn't anything lower."

"As a matter of fact," the announcer mocked, "You do need to go down, Challenger. No room for a battle in the office!"

Much of the crowd laughed and jeered. Perhaps, if he'd come to watch like many of them did before making a Challenge, he'd have known that. But Alex did not care. Let them laugh. He'd be the one laughing when he carried a shiny new Badge. "Ignore them, buddy," he reminded his Pokémon, who was scowling even more deeply now as he reached out and touched the red button to descend.

Down, down they went, descending into darkness and the depths of the earth with a faint, rumbling vibration, until the noise of the crowd, the Steelworks, and even the city around it faded into silence.

"Don't let it get to you, Elle," Lilah said in a hushed voice, one arm moving around Elle's waist, "They did the same thing when Lana went through, too. I think it's something she does every time, almost like it's habit."

"She could put up signs," the young man Lilah's sister, Lana, who was following after Alex through the Gym, had introduced as Kenny their half-brother said.

Elle only shrugged, "I'm not letting it get to me. If it doesn't bother Alex, it won't bother me. See? He just rolled his eyes. And now he's going down... do the stands descend, or something?"

"I donno," Lilah shrugged as she straightened up, and Elle grinned softly to herself as the other girl, no mere NPC but an actual player perhaps a year older than herself, took her hand and held it on her lap. "Lana didn't get this far last time. He's gotta... Oh, shit, look at that!"

Elle couldn't have missed it. The entire area between themselves and the factory floor suddenly began to glow and shimmer as five, no, thirty thousand hologram projectors lit up, one after the other. They were so bright between them that the factory floor and even the glowing, molten steel that shone like a muted sun were blanked out behind it, and the shielding over the stands darkened to compensate. All told, it looked almost as if they were peering down into a massive battle arena from thirty feet above it, instead of ninety or a hundred feet above the floor of the plant.

Most of it was dark, but a single spotlight shone on a grated shaft, and a single line of lights appeared near the top, descending, dropping lower, until it reached the floor and the grating opened.

"He's pretty hot," Lilah giggled, giving Elle's hand a squeeze, "You're fucking him, right?"

She turned red, but it was nothing compared to Kenny's reaction. "Lilah! You- you don't just ask people that!"

"Why not?" the girl grinned, then looked at Elle as her companion peered into the darkened arena, "I would be, if I were you."

"Not yet," Elle eventually answered, "T- Tonight, probably. I've been... well... I wanted to wait. If he wins, then tonight. For sure."

"Cool. Good luck. If we see each other again, tell me how it goes, yeah?"

"S- Sure," Elle replied, her face burning.

It didn't get any better as the slightly older girl let go of her hand to put her arm over the blonde's shoulder, where it hung down onto her breast. "Maybe," Lilah hissed into Elle's ear, "you'll let me have some fun with him afterward. I know Lana would want a turn. Maybe we can even share."

Elle shuddered as the other girl gripped her breast, and shivered again when Lilah pinched her rosy bud between two of her fingers through her t-shirt and bra. "Mm. You like that idea...? I do, too. I'm sure Lana would be down, I know she thought you were cute, too."

"L- Lana...?"

"Yeah, my twin sister? The one who's Challenging?"

"Oh," Elle murmured. The two were quite pretty, nearly identical but with some subtle differences, and if she were honest with herself, she was very interested. "Wh- What about Kenny...?"
Belately, she realized he was the youngest person she and Alex had seen in the last big meeting, the one where Maline Greengrass had reminded everyone that they could and should do whatever they wanted within the bounds of not hurting other creatures or breaking obvious laws like theft. He was quite possibly the youngest person in the entire exclusive Beta test.

"He's a little young yet, but we'll break him in easily when it's time," Lilah breathed into her ear, and let her other hand fall on Elle's exposed thigh, "What do you say?"

"A- After... After she gets her Badge," the blonde forced herself to say, but she couldn't bring herself to remove either hand. "We'll... We'll do it after she gets a Badge."

"Okay," Lilah grinned, and sat up straighter. The upper hand took the place of the lower on her thigh, and both girls, only slightly distracted by each other's touch, turned to watch the match below.

The arena space ahead of him was huge, Alex could tell that just from the sound as it moved through the chamber. The P.A. System boomed and bounced, but the cheering of the stands was inaudible, just like everything else far above him. It was dark, cool, just like an underground cavern should be. The announcer's voice rang out once more as he stepped out of the elevator into darkness, "Keep walking, Challenger. There's no hazards here. Just a big-ass arena for us to battle in. An important arena."

"This- you're the Gym Leader?"

"Sure am," the voice replied, calm and cool as before, but with a trembling sense of anticipation riding through it like an undercurrent. Alex understood the feeling, his hands were shaking too. Not with fear, like they had been when he had seen Morley Vaan's humongous Golurk, or even the nervous energy he had last felt when Elle faced down with Nadine Minier.

No, this was more like the night before, when she had fought against Spar Rowe. Nerves, yes, but anticipatory, not anxious.

He was looking forward to this.

"It's an important arena, you know," she explained as he bravely walked forward into the darkness. Behind and just to his left, Spike's eyes started to glow, nearly flashlight-like, but too weak to illuminate more than a few inches ahead of him. As far as Alex could tell, the ground was flat and smooth, solid bedrock beneath a couple of feet of hard-packed dirt, if he had to guess. Provided to let Ground-types do their thing...? Using Dig would certainly be easier in even a few inches of dirt than the dust that had been on the Steelworks floor.

"You see, my great grandfather dug this out. The last Rock-type Gym Leader of Pewter. My grandmother, his daughter, thrashed his team so completely when she failed at the Indigo League challenge that year that he retired, and passed the Gym to her. Of course, she wasted no time correcting his mistake. Rock's alright for defense, we all know that... but it's nothing on Steel. Steel is Rock's natural predator, and it was only right that my dear grandmother, Alenia Stirling, smashed her father's broken-down, crumbling Gym into pebbles. That's my legacy, Challenger Alex Ward. I wonder... what do you leave behind when you die?"

"I'm honestly not that concerned about that," Alex replied with a shrug, trying to project more confidence than he felt. Which was saying something, because just then he didn't see how he could lose. Elle had done so well. Even if it had come down to the wire, she had beaten her opponent. How could he do less, when in most of their training matches he came out on top? "I'm still a little young to be thinking that way. Unless you're planning on killing me if I lose, of course."

"Hah. I like your answer, but lemme clue you in on a few things. See, the Steelworks, and this arena, are my family's legacy. My legacy is a little more personal."

Another spotlight clicked on with an audible noise that rang through the chamber like a gunshot. In its beam, directly in the center of a wide circle, was a woman that sent his brain racing into overdrive. Suddenly, the pseudonym "rock-crusher" seemed entirely appropriate, and not because her grandmother had changed the Gym to Steel-type.

She was at least six and a half feet tall, with hair as golden blonde as Elle's cut to her shoulders with a ponytail in the middle that fell to just below her shoulder blades. He could tell because she was facing away, looking at him over her shoulder. A metallic blue jacket covered only to just below an impressive set of breasts, while black spandex pants hugged her body impressively from mid-way down her hips to just above her knees. The logo of The Steelworks was on the side of one leg at the bottom, and he though the Indigo League's was on the other, though with the angle she stood at it was hard to tell. Even with only her profile visible, Alex knew she was a true beauty, and he thought he could see a black choker around her slender neck.
It was the only part of her that was slender. Brigid Stirling wasn't just tall, she was huge, a hulking mass of rippling muscle that, as she turned slowly to face him, was revealed in washboard abs that would make almost any bodybuilder jealous, a narrow waist, and thick thighs that made the spandex nearly see-through as it bulged. Beneath her jacket, which hung open, she wore a similar black sports bra that barely held her huge tits in place and displayed at least a good six inches of visible cleavage. "Holy shit," he exhaled.

The Gym Leader grinned, her pink lips curling upward in a snide, cocksure smile, "I get that a lot. Thanks, though. You aren't so shabby yourself, even if I feel like you could use a bit more time in the gym, or an actual job where you work for a living."

Alex snorted, "I did my time on a freight floor, been working since I was sixteen, so about two years. Just made shift lead when I, uh, started this."

He had been about to say, 'when I started the game,' but didn't want to break immersion for himself or any of the players. He doubted an NPC like Stirling, no matter how well-designed (and she was a work of art, even if the proverbial 'muscle mommas' weren't usually his thing), would even be able to register it either way.

Stirling nodded, "That's fair, you're a bit young so maybe I judged too harshly. You at least have the build, if not the bulk. I saw your girlfriend's match against Minier just now, she did pretty good. Shame you didn't make it past the Donphan, I'd have liked to see you go up against her."

"You... you watched her match?"

Stirling posed, no doubt for some camera hidden by the darkness of the chamber, "Sure do- I watch all the up and comers if I can. Most of us do, we've gotta be prepared for your teams. Not that we can just switch on the fly, it takes a good month for the paperwork for our official Battle Teams to go through. But we can plan, make some adjustments to the strategy or our equipment if we want. Just in case we're worried and want to give someone a little... extra challenge."

As she said the second to last word, Brigid flexed again, this time with her hands behind her back to push her chest toward him. Alex would be lying if he wasn't affected, the motion and her form certainly drew his eyes. "I... I mean, have you?"

"Nah," Stirling chuckled, waving a hand idly near her face for a moment, "No need, not yet. You're pretty good from what little was recorded of your own run, and I've heard some rumors about you two sweeping the training and practice fields around town and down in Viridian, but you're hardly the only ones to do that. You ever come for a rematch, I might have to do that, but for this time, your first run at my Gym? I'll keep it clean. Well... mostly clean."

The last couple of words were accompanied with another action that seemed designed to make Alex's travel shorts too tight to fight in. The blonde beauty reached up a hand and adjusted her sports bra in a way that seemed both casual and entirely seductive at the same time. If she wasn't a hundred yards away and conversing mostly through a loud speaker, Alex was sure he'd have been hard as a rock. "I... I appreciate that, I think."

"I'm sure you do," Stirling teased, and with the distance between them, he caught her wink. "Anyway, my legacy, Alex Ward, is personal because I've created it myself, with my own two hands. Well... my body, anyway. I've got a bit of a reputation among Gym Leaders. Plenty of us make porn on the side, because there's demand and it's easy money. Fun, too. I'm proud to say I make more than all but one Gym Leader in Kanto, and the why should be obvious if you know who it is."

"I'm afraid I don't," Alex shrugged, completely impressed with the AI and how it scripted the NPC's dialogue, "I'm new to the area and don't know much about any of the Gyms, actually. I came to Pewter thinking this was still a Rock Gym."

Stirling's booming laughter didn't need the loudspeaker or the microphone she must have had hidden somewhere on her person to be heard, "Oh, that's great- bit out of date, that. Had to scramble to adjust? Don't feel bad, you aren't the only one. News travels slowly sometimes, I guess. Anyway, I've had enough chatter. Tell you what: I have a six-Pokémon team. I'll pick one to keep, and you can discard any three others. Your choice, since we're supposed to use just three for a no-Badge rookie."

Alex's eyes narrowed, "That... that doesn't seem fair. Cutting out half your team is-"

"League rules say three, and I have six. That's what's not fair," Stirling cut him off with a swipe of her hand through the air he could swear he heard from dozens of feet off. "Letting you choose which I keep may not be 'fair', but it's not like this is the first time. Don't think you're all that, kid, just because you did well against my Gym. Played it smart is all you did, half and half, to keep your team and your own strength up. It's basic math. Against me, you'll need a little more than that. This is just me trying to even the odds a bit."

Alex shrugged, shaking his head. "Without knowing what they are, it's just random, isn't it? Just drop three of them."

"But I do know what they are, and that makes it less random. I'm keeping six, he's my baby's baby. Pick three, one through five."

With another shrug, Alex answered, "Make it easy, then. Get rid of one, two, and three."

"Fair enough," Stirling shot back, and reached for the bandolier that hung from one shoulder beneath her jacket. She stripped that article of clothing off, leaving her in just her sturdy workout boots and skin-tight black clothing, then pulled off the first three balls on her belt. She bundled them into her jacket, then walked to the far side of the spotlight and set the whole thing down on the dirt just beyond the beam. Alex's cock surged in his pants again as the distant figure presented her ass to him, but she didn't otherwise tease him until she was standing back at the center of her circle.

That was when his own spotlight clicked on with the same loud noise, and he realized he was standing right at the center of his own circle, bordering a much wider one. Stirling gestured toward him, and licked her lips before saying, "There he is, girls and boys who swing that way, and everything in between! Challenger one today, the first to reach me: Alex Ward! He bulldozed through The Underground but, like most of you, wiped out against Nadine Minier. Then he cheered on his girl-toy Elle- she's a cutie, even if I'd break her in half- against The Aerie. Now he's come to get his own first Badge. From me, can you believe it? Lucky bastard. See, Alex, there's a reason so many people challenge me: I like winners. I like those who can prove themselves worth of my Badge. And, well, I do have a popular porn business. So here's the deal: You win, you get the Badge. Easy-peasy, league rules. But- and this is a big but, not a nice one like mine- you win, and I mean take out my three Pokémon with your whole team conscious, even if they're beat to hell- and we can have some private time, cameras on or off, your choice, in my office."

Even from high above, with untold feet of earth between them, Alex could have sworn he heard the cheering of a thousand rabid fans. Maybe he was just imagining it. But he still swallowed, knowing Elle would be one of them doing the cheering. "I... oh. Okay, well, what's the catch?"
Stirling pointed at him with one finger and took up an almost arrogant pose, "No catch, kid. You even get some of the royalties from any video sales or promo shots. Well, I suppose there's one teensy catch... no substitutions mid-battle. I take out a Pokémon, it's gone for the fight. You take out one of mine and I have to pull out another, then you can switch too. One item, same as me. Fair- but no subs unless one of us had to replace a Pokémon who's knocked out."

Alex swallowed. "I'll accept, then. Are we just fighting here...?"
Stirling nodded proudly and threw her arms out, which made her tits shake even in the tight bra, "Sure are! This is my family's Gym, my family's arena, and it's as regulation as it needs to be- the same size as any Elite Four Gym!"

He gulped. "E- Elite Four?"

"Used to be one before I stepped down," Stirling answered, "But don't worry. These aren't the same Pokémon as that team. Like most Gym Leaders, I can give anyone in the current Elite Four a run for their money, but I'm not- and I've never been- good enough to be Champion. But I still think I can take you, kid."

With bravado he was only just starting to recover, Alex shot back, "You'll end up taking me thanks to that silly deal, but alright, Ms. Stirling. Let's see what you've got!"

She laughed again, loud and powerful, then reached for the fourth ball on her half-empty belt. "Alright, well, since you've discarded half my team as I asked, here's my initial Pokémon. One you've seen before, and I know you can handle them in general. This one's special, though. Get 'em, my Magnemite, Buzzkill!"

"B- Buzzkill?" Alex had indeed seen the spherical Pokémon with a U-shaped magnet on either side, a screw that rose and fell that acted as its arms, and one more at the top, with a single circular eye that all three Gyms he'd been inside used for mobile, flying cameras.

"Yep. He's good to get me going, but he never can get up the vibration to get me off, so Buzzkill. Still, he's popular on the vids, especially as a warm-up."

Somehow, Alex didn't think she was taking him all that seriously, if she was sending out Pokémon that she filmed porn with to fight. He wasn't going to look that particular mystery-gift Ponyta in the mouth, though. If she wanted to go easy on him, that was her problem. He just had to win. The only problem was, how. He had a dilemma, and didn't know what to answer it with. He could go all-out, play to win for sure, and be more likely to win the Badge but go home- or to the hotel, anyway- with only Elle to satisfy him. Not that she wouldn't, he was sure.

Or...

He could take the risk, and put his chances of winning in danger for a better victory, and have some private time with the muscle-bound bombshell across the arena from him.

He swallowed. That was really no choice at all. Elle would forgive him... at least, if he won. If he lost, she would probably be pissed. "I'll accept your deal," he murmured quietly, "and since I am, I'm going to start off with Spike, my Larvitar."

"Hah, figured you'd take that one," Stirling chuckled, "And I'll admit, it does make his Electric moves near-useless. But like I said, Buzzkill is special. Mirror Shot!"

Somehow, the sphere of metal gained a silvery sheen over its otherwise gray surface, and light gathered in the Magnemite's eye. Alex didn't bother telling Spike to dodge the attack. His main strategy of using Spike to Screech and lower the enemy's defense before switching him out wouldn't work, not if he wanted a chance with Stirling herself, and he definitely did. Instead, he had to trust his 'mon, and the Super Potion that had just reduced his wounds to practically nothing. "Bull through it, Spike! Hit that Magnemite with a Sandstorm!"

He imagined the crowd, wherever they were above him, started laughing as he called out the move. Didn't he know that Steel was just as immune to that move's damage as Rock- or Ground-types? Of course he did. But he knew something about Spike that not many others had figured out, something he doubted even Elle knew. His little Larvitar was not just a fierce fighter, he was one of Alex's most cunning and brutal Pokémon. And he knew what Alex was planning.

As the dirt that made up the arena floor whipped into the air in a driving, blinding whirlwind that tore at Alex's clothes despite the shield that kept the sand itself inside the battlefield ring, Spike disappeared. It didn't matter this round, the Sandstorm had been too slow to start, and the faster Magnemite's beam had blasted his Larvitar with a searing, scorching light that made it howl in pain.

But Alex knew his Larvitar. He knew the Pokémon was just as determined as he was himself. He would not give up. Sturdy... and Sand Veil. You can do this, buddy. I know you don't have a Ground attack, and that Magnemite can probably Levitate anyway, he thought, but you can just chomp it to bits if you have to.

Even if the crowd above them was laughing, Stirling was not. She had left Alex's visibility just as completely as he had left hers, he was sure, but she was not a fool. "You won't hit him in that, Buzzkill," he heard her shout, "switch to Sonic Boom!"

"Bite," Alex ordered, not that he thought it was necessary.

A pulse of sound sent thousands of sand and dirt particles pelting into the battlefield shields, but he heard no cry of pain from his already-wounded Larvitar. He did hear a discordant shriek of metal on bone as his own Pokémon's teeth clamped down on the Magnemite.

"Bite again!"

"Shake him off, now you know where he's at- Sonic Boom again!"

Neither of them could see what was going on, but there was no recoil, and no bounce, at least not that Alex could hear over the howling wind. The Magnemite had missed, which meant Spike must have let go at the last second. Maybe he'd done more damage, maybe not.

But the Sandstorm still raged, so he was still up, wasn't he? He had to make sure... but there was only one way to do that. The problem was, asking Spike to call out would tell the Magnemite exactly where he was. Or maybe...

"Spike, come back! I've got a Potion for you!"

"Ah, ah," Brigid laughed, "You're forfeiting your chance at this babe already? No subbing!"

"Not subbing, healing," Alex grunted back as first the silhouette and then the form of his Larvitar showed themselves through the blinding sand. He was only one the one item this battle, he had to make it count. He couldn't afford to lose... well, he could, but he sure as hell didn't want to. "Here you go, buddy. Get back out there and Bite him again as much as you can. Just chomp her little sex-toy of a Pokémon to pieces, okay?"
"Larvi," Spike grunted, flexing himself as he realized his wounds were, once again, gone.

Sturdy might even kick off again, Alex knew. He was counting on it, but even if it didn't work, he could still adjust on the fly and go for the overall win. He would miss out on his chance with Stirling, but that was alright, he still had Elle to look forward to that evening. No, don't let yourself get distracted, Alex reminded himself.

He didn't call out more commands, but Stirling did. "Sonic Boom one more time, Buzzkill. If it hits, use that to home in, and if it doesn't, try it one last time after that!"

Unfortunately for Alex, the wide-area attack did slam into his Larvitar just as he reached the Magnemite, and was sent hurtling back to bounce and roll against the Arena floor. So much for Sturdy, then. Shit.

But the follow-up Mirror Shot went wide as Spike hurled himself onto his feet and lunged to the left, landing on all fours. Then he was off, running in a zig-zag line Alex could follow for only a moment before he vanished into the sandstorm once more.

Another beam went wide, and the sandstorm started to falter. A moment later, it returned full-force as Spike used the move again. Sonic Boom blasted out for the fourth time, and missed again.

He couldn't see, couldn't help judge...

There was a flash, and Alex felt a huge weight strike his chest, followed by a silvery-white flash. "Ow! What the fuck?! Spike! Spike, you alright, buddy?"

"Nah, my 'gear shows he's out, dude. Sorry- no Steelussy today! It's how it goes, though. I tempt those who'll go for it, and it distracts them."

Alex shook his head as he recalled the Larvitar with a quiet apology, "Sorry, buddy... I really thought you had that. Bad luck, I guess. And as for you, Mrs. Stirling-"

"It's Ms, thanks," the other Trainer grumbled.

"Whatever. I wasn't distracted, you just got lucky."

"A skilled Trainer doesn't need luck," she returned without missing a beat.

"I didn't, either. It is a factor, though, and you know it. But fine. I don't get that pussy? Fine. I can still play to win, because the Badge is more important than a beefed-up hag like you."

"B- Beefed up hag? You got some nerve, Mr. Ward, I'll admit... but I'm not so easy to rile. My sales don't tell me I'm a hag, you know? Anyway, send out your next, then. Let's see if it lasts longer. I'm leaving Buzzkill out, since the Sandstorm will still go on for a bit."

He was surprised the move did last, but the wind was still whirling when Cock, his faithful Starter, hit the dirt of the arena. "Alright, buddy, I know you're hurt. I know this sandstorm is gonna suck, but it won't last forever. Start it off with Dig. I don't even care if you hit!"

"It won't," Stirling shot in a sing-song voice, "He can lev-i-taaate!"

"Counting on it," Alex growled, as his Nidoran started to Dig furiously.

He had only learned the move specifically for this Gym, and only a few days ago, but since he'd figured it out his accuracy with the move had shot up a hundred times from the early attempts, where he missed every time.

But Alex didn't care. He expected to miss. And he did, the Magnemite was probably forty feet overhead, invisible in the sandstorm, when Cock sprung from the ground in a spray that only added to the density of the storm.

"Thunder Wave!"

Shit. That wasn't good.

Cock grunted as the wide-area blast sent ripples of current through his body, making him spasm and jerk. Damn it! He had been hoping his speed would carry him through compared to the much slower Steel-type, but with Cock paralyzed he would be so much slower...

But he could still win. "Fight through, buddy. Dig again!"

Luckily, it worked, and the follow-up Mirror Shot slammed into the earth where he had just been. Unfortunately for Alex's Pokémon, the Nidoran's purple spines and pelt were a lot easier to spot than Spike's sand colored hide.

Just after another spray of dirt fell upward, the wind whipping the earth about faded all at once, and the last parts of the Dig attack cascaded helplessly and harmlessly around his still-trembling Nidoran. As he had predicted, the Magnemite was high overhead. "Left!" he cried.

It was just enough, and the Mirror Shot scorched a black line over the dirt as his Pokémon lunged for safety. "Build up some speed, jump up there and Double-Kick!"

"Ooh, he does have some spirit still," Stirling teased, and as Alex looked her direction, she shamelessly lifted one side of her bra to flash him with a gorgeous, firm breast. "But is he easily distracted still?"

"Fuck that," Alex grunted, "Make sure that Double-Kick hits, Cock!"

It did, and the Magnemite reeled, and fell with his own Pokémon twenty feet toward the ground before the Poison Pin creature had to jump away. The Magnemite started rising again without being ordered, but it paused as Brigid shouted, "Thundershock!"

The lightning tore into his Pokémon viciously, and Alex winced. Cock was already wounded... but somehow, shaking, he rose to his feet, snarling and clearly favoring his back right leg, which sizzled and smoked where it had been struck by the plasma. "You fucking rock, buddy," Alex cried, "Nail that Magnemite with another Double-Kick!"

It wasn't to be. Even though his Starter was fierce, hungry for a win, he was still paralyzed. Another bolt of lightning hit him before he could even start running, and a third just as he started to get speed.

Alex felt tears well in his eyes as his spined, porcupine-like Starter tumbled and rolled in the dirt, still spasming.

"Fine," he murmured quietly, and lifted a gritty finger to wipe away the moisture before he recalled his strongest battler. "Fine. I've tried being nice. Now it's time to play to win. Sorry, buddy... I let you down. Both you and Spike. Not anymore."

"I hope you've got a better show," Brigid Stirling said, sounding genuinely disappointed, "because you're down two by my count, and while Buzzkill's pretty hurt, I haven't even used my own Potion yet, much less called up my other two."

"Oh, I do," Alex told her as he leveled a serious gaze across the field, "I wanted them to be the ones because they've earned the win in their own ways. But I don't think either will mind if someone else gets the victory, because either way it's a win for the team. And that's what matters to me. To us."

Stirling actually straightened up from her seductive, taunting pose, then gave him a single, expressionless nod. "Well said. Show me, then."

"Sappy, my Oddish, will be next."

"Grass against Electric, smart. Mirror Shot!"

"Growth."

"Mirror Shot!"
"Growth."

His tiny little mandrake got lucky, and the second blast missed. The follow-up Thundershock didn't, but she took it like a champion. Or at least, a future Champion's Pokémon. By which Alex meant it hurt, but she was still standing, his brave little Grass/Poison-type. It would have to be enough. He knew Magnemite was a Special Attacker, and that their Special Defense was still pretty good... but Sappy was no slouch, and two Growths in would have a pretty good punch. Maybe, just maybe, it would be enough to finish the Magnemite off. And if not... he'd have to have a backup plan. Something actually good against Steel, maybe. Or next time. "Mega Drain, Sappy!"

"I almost thought you'd forgotten how to attack," Stirling chuckled, "Use another Thundershock!"

Not Mirror Shot? Not the move with better accuracy, and that his Pokémon wasn't strong against? Oh- it was too tired! The eye was red and aching, though the magnets still spun and whirled quickly to generate charge for the other attack. Alex grinned.

A quick glance at his own Pokégear showed him that yes, Sappy was still hurt after the Electric attack... but she was stronger, just a tiny bit healthier, than she had been a moment ago. His grin widened. "Mega Drain again, then use another Growth!"

"Fuck," Stirling laughed, sounding suddenly overjoyed, "He's got it! Well done, Alex, keep it up! Buzzkill, use another Thunder Wave, see if we can slow- aww, shit. Well, you did good, my old friend. Don't worry, I'll get you back in shape soon enough. That's one down on my end, Challenger Alex Ward."

"Just the first of three, I'm sure," he responded. And he meant it. True, Sappy was hardly the best match-up by Type against Steel. Half her moves, or Acid at least, were useless against the entire type, while it was resistant to Grass, the other half. But she was a tough little sprout, and Growth did add up.

"Don't substitute, just Growth again while she switches out, Sappy. Make sure you hit whatever she tosses out next as hard as you can, and we'll win this!"

"Maybe you will," Stirling acknowledged, "but we won't make it easy. Not with you having to go up against my little Forretress!"

He had never seen the Pokémon that appeared in a flash of blue and red over the scorched and torn-up battlefield, but it looked like the epitome of a Steel-type. It was shelled in something metallic and hard, rough like a meteorite, aside from along its central axis where it split apart into jaw-like formations with a red, fleshy interior. He would have thought that was a vulnerable spot, except that in four places spouts, nozzles, or some form of cannon angled out, searching up and down as it slowly rotated to face him. The face, perhaps the only vulnerable spot, was simply two eyes that peered out, insectoid, from deep within the double-layered shell.

He swallowed, "That doesn't look friendly, I'll admit."

"It's not," Stirling said, "Not at all. He's very much a tank, but that doesn't mean he's lacking in offense, either. Let's start off with a simple Bide, Lockjaw!"

He didn't have time to puzzle out what the name meant, not if she was already attacking. But he did have an answer to her strategy. "If she's using Bide, just keep using Growth, Sappy. As big as you can get!"

Three full, league-legal rounds later, 'as big as she could get' turned out to be about two feet all, just a tiny bit taller than Gobbler's normal size. But his own Grass-Poison Pokémon was just as powerful, maybe even more, than Elle's favorite toy to use on his dick. Even if she was a sweety, his favorite (maybe second, but he'd never admit it to her) plant was a stone-cold killer on the battlefield. And she was about to prove it. "Mega Drain."

Flashes of green light flew from the opposing Forretress, and he listened intently for a shout of pain.

He did not get one. The Bide had been useless, since Alex had used the whole time it had been building up power to boost his own Pokémon's, but it still seemed to hurt Sappy more as the shell threw itself at her bodily than his Mega-Drain had hurt it, despite the increase in her attack ability.

"What the..."

Stirling shrugged, then folded her arms beneath her huge chest with a smirk, "Pure chance, but this one is bad luck- even if you've no one to blame but yourself. Steel beats the Poison, and your Grass typing is beaten by his Bug."

"Steel-Bug? Fuck," Alex groaned, "And no subs."

"None. I'm afraid it's over for her."

"Yeah... probably. May as well make it quick."

"I suppose," Stirling nodded, then looked at her shelled creature. "Lockjaw, just go ahead and Takedown. I'll heal you up if I need to. If I've got time, anyway."

Alex ordered another Mega Drain, but he knew it wouldn't do any good. The Forretress didn't launch an attack with its cannons. Instead, it only hurtled with dizzying, spinning speed toward his purple ball of botanica.

The recoil, he was sad to see, did more damage to Stirling's own Pokémon than his two attacks, even boosted, had.

"Sorry, Sappy," he promised her, too, "but we're still going to win. I hope you know that. When I see you again, I'll have a Badge. Her Badge."

"Confident, are we?"

"Very," Alex replied, and sent her a, well, steely glare. "Because I'm still just getting started. Bug might be good against Grass, but you're double-weak against this one. Go, Surtr!"

"Fuck, of course you have a Ponyta," Stirling chuckled, and ran a hand over her blonde hair. "Alright... You've probably got me, then. That one will sweep a Forretress nineteen out of twenty. But I can't just give up, wouldn't be in my nature or my rules. Takedown again, do as much damage as you can before he knocks you out!"

"Start with a Flame Charge, Surtr!"

His Ponyta's hooves lit up like the mythical Nightmares as he charged forward, and met the Forretress in a clash that sent sparks flying throughout half the arena. "Again, Takedown!"

Alex had to wonder how sturdy the thing was, if it had taken the recoil of so many of those moves, plus the Flame Charge's double-super-effective damage and still stood. Or sat, as it didn't seem to have legs. "That didn't do as much as I wanted... too much Defense. Try Ember!"

Surtr was definitely oriented toward the more physical attacks, like most of his team were, but she was not a weakling as far as the sheer intensity of flames she could lash out with, either. There was no great torrent of fire like a Flamethrower might launch, but the sparks that flew from his mane arced over and around the Ponyta himself to splatter all around the area the slow-moving Forretress occupied.

That time, it did shriek, an unholy sound of terror and fury that made Alex shiver. "Fuck, he's on fire again," Stirling grumbled, "Sorry, mate... not worth healing you. One more Takedown, and I'll get you healed up!"

"No chance," Alex shouted, throwing his own arm forward in a mirror to her earlier gesticulation, "Flame Charge again!"

Faster even than before, his Ponyta lost no time rushing at the weakened, highly flammable enemy, which was trampled under fiery hooves to go bouncing and rolling, spitting sparks in Surtr's wake.

When the Ponyta came cantering back, he dared lift a hand to his largest Pokémon's neck, and patted the near-scalding fur there. "Good job, Surtr."

"You killed Lockjaw," Stirling mused. Far from Nadine Minier's displeasure at having one of her Pokémon killed, Stirling simply sounded impressed, and honestly so. "That's... not easy. Fuck. Alright, Ward... you've got my respect, win or lose. I mean, it's totally unfair in some ways, some would say. Fire against a Bug, and a Steel one, at that. But I don't agree. A Battle's a Battle. Sometimes you have the advantage, sometimes you don't, and you won this round for sure. But I'm not out yet. Not yet. In fact, I'm curious as to how you handle this little guy... my favorite Pokémon. I have seven of them, and to be honest, this guy's the weakest... but man, he's a good lay. Not as good as his older brothers, but you know, sometimes you don't want the old twat stretched four inches across. Go on, Not As Enormous Dick. Let's slaughter the rest of his team, shall we?"

Alex gaped.

He knew that Pokémon. Knew it from Generation seventy-three, which had come out when he was a kid.

It stood on four legs, was vaguely canine in appearance, with a hinged helmet on its head, leaving only two leaf-tipped spearheads that were its ears, and a rapier-like tail, flexible but straight, with curved, razor-sharp claws and steel plating around the rest of its body like an insect's layered shell. "You... you have a Galveon?"

"I do, several, like I said," Brigid said, patting the Eeveelution on its armored head fondly, "Been raising his big brother and the rest since I was a little girl."

"But... but that's not GenWun or Two," he muttered, completely confused and more than a little surprised.

Up in the stands, he would be shocked to see not just Elle, but several other players, Lilah and Kenny included, staring in just as much surprise.

"Genone? Two what?" Stirling asked, sounding suddenly just as lost as he was, "Eh, whatever. You might not know, but Galveon here has a fun little ability that'll put your Ponyta down for the count, I think. Mega Drain's good... well, except against a Forretress. But it's got nothing on Flame Absorb!"

"Fuck," Alex groaned. He knew it, the moment he had seen the shape materialize, that that would be her last Pokémon's ability. It had to be, the perfect counter to Steel's most famous and exploitable weakness.

No wonder it was her favorite, the dildo-like shaft between its hind legs notwithstanding.

But he was not done yet. Even with no Substitutions, he still had three Pokémon up, and Surtr wasn't helpless. In fact... No, he could definitely do this. He just had to be smart, and play the long game. She couldn't switch out either, after all. He patted the Ponyta one more time, then got down on one knee to look it in the eye. "Alright, man. Here's the thing. You can't use Ember or Flame Charge on that thing. It'll just make it stronger. I forget exactly how, but I know it heals it, and I think it makes its attacks stronger, too."
"Nyta...?"

Alex nodded. He was not a Pokémon Whisperer, but he was constantly amazed at how much they could convey with just variations on their names, and his own Pokémon were no exception. "Exactly. You could maybe wear it down with Tackle, I know you hit pretty hard. But I've got a different tactic. Use nothing but Tail Whip. Then, when it's hit a few times, you can start Tackling, okay? And he's gonna wear you out. Might only take a few rounds. That's okay. You are gonna get knocked out... but we will win. You hear me?"

"Po! Pony, Ta!"

He smiled as his excitable Fire-type pranced, its hooves sparking against the dirt. Alex stood up, then pointed into the field at the opponent's last Pokémon. "I'm ready, 'Rock-Crusher'. I hope you're ready to lose."

"As ready as I've ever been," she countered, grinning like a madwoman now, "Bring it on!"

The match, for the first several rounds, went exactly as Alex predicted. His Ponyta obeyed his commands perfectly, using the spinning, slashing flames of his tail to blind and disorient the Steel-type Eeveelution while causing minimal damage.

That was alright, though, he remembered what happened when they got hot. It was not something he wanted to see. Self-Destruct and Explosion were bad enough. But he'd almost cleared his final battle against the Champion of Gen Seventy-Nine when his last Pokémon, a Fire-Type like Ponyta, had fallen prey to a Nuclear Bomb.

He hadn't known, until then, that Pokémon could actually die. As a youth, it had been traumatizing.

Now, he was cautious, and justifiably so. He didn't think Stirling would just throw away her Pokémon like that, but he also didn't want to risk the chance.

Finally, he judged the Galveon was as disoriented as it was going to get by Surtr's insane, dizzying run and the flicks of its tail in his face. "Tackle!"

"About time," Stirling chuckled, having ignored his attempts to lower her Pokémon's defense in favor of using Metal Sound to do the same thing to his own Pokémon. "We'll let you get one or two hits in- Swords Dance!"

"Shit," Alex swore. Trading defense for offense was almost always a good deal, especially if you had the defense to burn. And he knew, somehow, that even with as many applications of Tail Whip as Surtr could apply under Yggdrassil's rule-set, the Galveon was still going to be hard to hurt meaningfully. At least, not without Fire, which he couldn't even use for fear of healing it.

Indeed, as Surtr bowled into the quadruped, it went tumbling, only to land in its feet with nary a scratch. Not nothing, but barely anything. Not for the first time, he wished the Pokégear would show actual Hit Points of the opposing Pokémon. It was not to be, though. Her next move made his blood run even colder: a second Swords Dance.

"Uh... Fuck. Tackle again!"

It was all he could do.

She knew she had him, at least Surtr, on the ropes. His Pokémon was faster, but it could barely hurt her own, even with its dizziness. And if it landed a hit, it would be devastating.

"Iron Head!"

With perfect timing, the Galveon lunged, sending the hardened helmet that was its skull and the spear-like ears smashing into the flanks of his Ponyta.

It staggered, thrown five or six feet to the side, and turned to tackle the Galveon again. Somehow, it was still up. "Not enough, huh?" Stirling muttered, "Alright, one more Swords Dance, then!"

This... was not going well, Alex decided. But he still couldn't do anything about it. Not until his Ponyta was out. No substitutions, he decided, was a shitty rule, and played too much to Stirling's strengths.

But he was hardly useless at the battle style himself. It was his own, after all, with some minor variations. And she might not know it, but in a way, she was playing into his hands, too.

A hand he was winning by at least two more Pokémon.

The next Iron Head knocked Surtr flying, and yet again one of his Pokémon left a furrow in the hard-packed earth before it was recalled.

This time, he didn't give Surtr words of encouragement. His Ponyta knew the plan. He would understand.

The question was... what next? He had two left. Both would work. But which would be better in the last moments?

It came down to loyalty. He knew his newer Pokémon's loyalty belonged to him, after what he'd done to earn it... but the other one had been with him longer, fought by his side many times more. Through thick and thin, even the rampage through Viridian Forest.

"I'm going with my Mankey, Fistina."

"Interesting name," the Gym Leader pointed out rather unnecessarily, "sort of like Cock. You got a thing for big things in small holes, Ward?"

"If we ever fuck, you'll find out," he answered, "but as things stand, that doesn't look likely. So I'll let my Pokémon do the talking."

"Tch, of course. As we should, we're Trainers. A Fire and now a Fighting... I wonder what other weakness you'll exploit with your last Pokémon."

"Only time will tell. That's if I need to use her at all."

Stirling nodded, "Just so. Alright- I'm predicting all-out offense. Good move at this point in the Battle. I'm wounded, so Sturdy won't work if I have it- which I don't, unfortunately, not on Little Dick. Enormous Dick has it, but he's the only one of his brothers that does. Oh well... you already know it's Flame Absorb, which seems to be useless this fight, unless you somehow have Fire Punch and are dumb enough to use it."

"Not likely. No... I'm just going for the simple moves. I've just gotta be faster. So, Fistina... get angry! That Galveon over there thinks you're ugly, and wouldn't put his steel dick in you if you were the last Pokémon on Earth!"

If he hoped to take the porn star Gym Leader by surprise with his dirty talk, he failed. But the Mankey behaved exactly as Alex predicted, and whirled from her new paramour, at whom she had been making doe-eyes, to glare, howling, across the battlefield. "Let him have it! Show him you're worthy of love, with a Swagger first!"

Stirling actually winced for the first time as the Mankey, oozing confidence, strutted across the field toward her target.

Normally a double-sided move, Swagger made the enemy Pokémon more dangerous as it lowered the user's ability to defend itself and made a rather annoying target of itself. But with Swords Dance active, there was no other effect that way, so all it did was Confuse the Galveon.

Alex wasn't sure it would make a difference, but he had to hope. Fistina was fragile for a Fighting type, and he didn't think she could stand up to the kind of punishment a fully-boosted Galveon could dish out.

"Tch, hit him- er, her- with another Iron Head!"

His Mankey dashed away, running to the right, and throwing herself into the air at the last moment, so the steel-spiked Pokémon hurtled underneath it.

Fistina landed on its back, and clutched one bladed ear with a single hand, while the other started raining blows down on the Galveon's weakened armor with Karate Chop.

"Go get him, tiger," Alex cheered, "Chop, and Chop again! Knock the shit out of that bastard Galveon!"

She got in six, then seven good hits, enough to make the Galveon stagger and limp, its eyes glassy from repeated blows to the head. Then Stirling adapted. "Fine, this is pointless as it is. Little Dick, use the move I taught you last week! Meteor Mash!"

Alex's eyes nearly bugged out of his head as the wounded Galveon flashed white, silver, and black in rapid succession, then launched itself straight into the air, carrying his Mankey on his back. Almost like Seismic Toss, the two hurtled to the top of the arena chamber. But unlike the first move, Meteor Mash sent the two down separately. Somehow, thrown off-balance by the speed of their ascent, the Galveon twisted mid-air and got all four paws on the Mankey. Just at the top, he kicked and shoved, and Fistina hurtled downward.

A Mirror Shot accelerated the enemy downward, and the body flashed white-silver-black again, and again, just as Fistina hit the dirt flat on her back. There was a spray of blood as the streak of flashing steel hit her stomach a half an instant later.

Condition Critical, his Pokégear beeped, then announced in a flat, metallic voice, Withdraw Pokémon immediately or risk death. Proceed to the nearest Pokémon Center at once.

"Fuck," Alex groaned, and brought the vicious, violent Pokémon back to her ball as quickly as he could. "That move's strong- nearly killed her."
"Hope she doesn't die," Stirling told him, and sounded quite sincere. "She's a good fighter. Hate to use that move, but sometimes you just have to go all out, and the others weren't having any luck. I'll admit it, Alex Ward, you've probably got me beat. But I want to see what you've been holding back. What's so good- or so weak- you haven't dared use it against me?"

"I don't know if it's either of those things," he told her, then held up his own last Pokéball. "This is Shooter, my Remoraid."

The fish appeared in his hand as it often did, and the eyes rolled back to look at him. "Just one last, much weaker Pokémon to go, my friend. The team's done great. Now it's time to end it."

"Mor! Ai-aid-mor, remora."

He nodded, that made sense. Shooter was a cool, collected Pokémon who seemed to be happy being used as a sniper most of the time. It made sense with his name, and even more with his move-set. Alex was about to put that to use.

Stirling only smiled faintly, "Fuck, I can't believe I'm about to get beat by one of those weaklings. I'm sure you've got it trained well- Battle Rank says it's twenty-one, after all- but on paper they're terrible until they evolve."

"Paper isn't everything."

"No," she conceded, "No it's not. Alright, Little Dick. I know you're hurting, but that's just one little Remoraid, all we have left to send this guy home. No distractions, no playtime. Just knock him out with Iron Head."

For a brief moment, Alex was shocked she hadn't gone with Meteor Mash again, and wondered why. But he didn't have time to wonder long, the Pokémon was already charging toward his own. Alex tossed the fish onto the field, where it flopped once, then shot a spout of water directly downward as it bounced. It blasted into the air as the water shot forth, and somehow, it was agile enough to twist again.

The last few moments of the battle happened in slow motion, at least in Alex's mind.

Little Dick the Galveon was coming too fast, too hard. Attack boosted as far as it could go, he was closing the distance too quickly.

Shooter was twenty feet up if an inch, turning, but too slow, too slow by half, and he was just a Water-type, with nothing to exploit. Even with it being one of the few types to do normal damage to Steel, it wasn't going to be enough. His strategy with Tail Whip wasn't going to help here, since Shooter's best attacks were all Special, not Physical.

The spear-like ears and helmet began to shine, just a foot to go.

Inches.

"Water Gun!"

His Remoraid acted at once, spewing another jet of water just like the first one.

Not at the Galveon, but at the wall nearby.

The counter-force shoved him sixteen inches to the right at the last moment, and the Galveon's eyes widened as he passed harmlessly by, his attack a clear miss.

"Another one," Stirling cried, "Iron Head again!"

"This time, finish it off with a Bubble Beam!"

Alex's call was, just like the last one, answered instantly. The high-pressure bubbles exploded all around the Galveon as it turned and started running again, bleeding and changing the momentum of its earlier attack.

It grunted, groaned, and his Pokémon started to fall.

Just before it hit the ground, he shouted, "One last Bubble Beam!"

"Dick, use Meteor- fuck!"

It had taken a dozen attacks, which felt like hundreds, but the armored Steel-type stumbled, then again, and fell face-first, digging its own line into the earth as it passed out.

Across the field, Stirling grinned, and recalled her Pokémon. "That's it, Ward... you win. Come on, let's get into the other room and get our Pokémon healed up before your Mankey bleeds out. Unfortunately, our time in the office will have to wait until that's done."

He blinked. Didn't she say that wasn't...?

No. He couldn't worry about that. His violent monkey was dying, he had to get her healed up, and fast. Without a word of protest or surprise, he hurried after her.

Far above them on the stands, Lilah pulled sticky fingers from inside Elle's shorts and licked them proudly while she watched. Panting, the blonde fought for breath. "That... that was amazing. Oh, and your fingers are pretty good, too," she shot toward the girl who'd just spent the whole Gym Leader Battle getting her off.

"Rude," Lilah laughed, "Come on, let's get out of here so we can meet your boy-toy. Coming, Kenny?"

"I gotta see Lana's match," he protested.

"Oh. Right... well, we'll see you around, Elle?"

"Count on it," the girl replied, then reached out to give her new friend a tight hug. That gave her the perfect opportunity to hiss, "And next time, fingers won't be it... I'm tasting you personally."

"I'm counting on it," the older girl answered with a grin.