A/N: Title comes from Battle Stance by Silver Storm.
The moonlight shone down through the open roof of the arena. A roar of excitement came from the crowd. Three young men stood in the arena with their pokémon at their sides. The air was charged with excitement and expectation. Sun took a deep breath. The excitement was intoxicating. The roars of the crowd made his heart race. He'd dreamed of a moment like this since he was a toddler, and he'd been in the crowd of a local tournament cheering his mama on. Ever since that day he'd wondered what it would be like to have the crowd cheer for him like this. Now he knew: It felt incredible.
Sitting as close to the arena as the seating would allow were his parents, Professor Burnet, and Lillie. He looked at his friends standing in their own corners: Hau with his new pokémon and Gladion with Silvally. Hau beamed and waved to the crowd without a care in the world. Hau's black bull rumbled and stomped his feet in anticipation. Gladion's expression was placid, but his eyes said it all. They were as bright as a little kid's eyes at Christmas, and Sun couldn't blame him. Silvally was here in the arena, freed from that accursed mask, and able to unleash its true strength. Their clash with the Masked Royal would be broadcast throughout all of Alola, and no matter who came out on top, things were going according to plan. Team Sun would be seen. The money they'd already won from making it this far will help convince Team Skull to work with them. "Torrr…" Nero purred quietly. Sun looked down at his starter briefly, they were all excited. This was their first time being broadcast. No matter what happened next this would be a great night.
Then… "Welcome, everyone, to the Battle Royal Dome," a woman said over the loudspeaker. "Tonight my compatriots and I will be giving our commentary of this special Battle Royal between our three young contenders and the Masked Royal." Sun found her voice vaguely familiar but couldn't quite place it. "Isn't that right, Fire Jameston? Thunder Meowtaire?"
"That's right Freezer Jessip," a male voice said. "Oooh I can't wait to see how these newcomers stack up against the strongest trainer in Alola."
"Dats right yous guys," a third voice said. "We'll be givin' you all da scoop, so don't touch that dial."
Nope, Sun didn't recognize those names. Must just be the announcer voices. They all started to sound the same after watching a few league tournaments.
"In da green cornah," Thunder Meowtaire said, "we have Hau from Melemele Island. He's da grandson of Kahuna Hala, and he's determined to surpass his gramps someday. He's battlin' with a Tauros, but not just any Tauros. This is known as an Aqua Breed Tauros. Dey're fighting and water type, and native to da Paldea Region. Will having a pokémon with both of dose types assist Hau in defeatin' da Masked Royal's powerful Incineroar?!"
"In the yellow corner we have the mysterious Gladion battling alongside the equally mysterious Silvally!" Fire Jameston said. "Very little is known about this competitor or his pokémon; they both seem to have mysteriously arisen from nowhere. Perhaps they'll give the Masked Royal a run for his money with unprecedented tactics!"
"In the blue corner is Sun Ray and his Torracat, Nero," Freezer Jessin said. "Some of you may believe it's foolish to go up against an Incineroar with its previous stage, but this has been proven untrue in multiple leagues. There was once a twerp… ah, er trainer with a particular Pikachu well known for defeating his evolved form Raichu. Will the combined force of Sun and Nero be enough to bring the Masked Royal and Incineroar to their knees?!"
"No," a gruff voice said and this time it wasn't over the loudspeaker. Sun turned and saw… Professor Kukui?! He had removed his glasses and lab coat and wore a luchador mask, but there was no way Sun could mistake the man who had helped him become a pokémon trainer for anyone else. At his side was a large feline pokémon and while Jessin had already said as much, even if she hadn't, Sun would've recognized this as the final form of his starter just by looking. The same black and red stripes… A fiery belt that looked very similar to Nero's collar and bell… There were differences, of course. The fact Incineroar was bipedal was a big one. It was also far taller and more muscular than Nero currently was. Still, the resemblance was clear. "No one can match the power of the Masked Royal and Incineroar!"
The bipedal feline threw back its head and unleashed a mighty roar that shook the stadium while it slammed a fist into its palm. It glared ferociously at the pokémon that stood ready to oppose it, and each other. But give our heroes and their pokémon credit. Not a man or a mon shrank back. If anything their excitement only seemed to grow. Nero in particular gave a roar of his own. It was nowhere near as loud, and not quite as powerful, but it was extremely defiant.
"Our competitors all seem ready to go," Flame Jameston said. "The fight begins in three… two… one. FIGHT!"
Lillie watched with bated breath as the Battle Royal began. Sun directed Nero to unleash their new combo, Flame Crunch, on the Professor's Incineroar. The combo was strong, but the fact it managed to visibly damage the Heel Pokémon was a testament to how much the two had trained with their previous signature combo. After all, Incineroar resisted both of the combo's components.
"Blaster, use Aqua Jet on Nero and Incineroar before Nero can loosen his grip," Hau commanded his foreign Tauros. Lillie was shocked by Hau's use of a technique that was more suited to Sun's style.
But Blaster, as she now knew it to be named, didn't hesitate, lunging at the two fire felines in a massive, torrential charge. "Tauro…" lowed the Wild Bull as it charged forward.
"Nero, get out of there!" Sun commanded. "Quick!"
"Blaster moves in for a powerful super effective strike," Flame Jameston said. "Challenger Sun has already directed his Torracat to move, but how will the Masked Royal respond?!"
"Incineroar, grab Nero," the Professor directed. "Then throw him into Blaster's path." The Professor's mighty Incineroar did as instructed, and despite Nero's best attempts the Fire Cat couldn't get away. Blaster moved closer, closer… "Incineroar strike them both with Cross Chop!"
"ROAR!" roared the Incineroar as it slashed both pokémon with a powerful fighting type attack.
Both cat and cattle were sent flying, though Nero was launched further than Blaster due to the Torracat's comparatively lighter weight. But both came back to their feet, bruised but unbroken. They both took a step forward glares peering out from their eyes.
"An' da Masked Royal an' his Incineroar hit two of his opponents with one devastatin' strike," Thunder Meowtaire said. "But our plucky challengers stand back up, facin' da Masked Royal with all dey have. What's gonna happen next?!"
"What happens next is… Multi-Attack!" Gladion shouted dramatically. Silvally eagerly obeyed its trainer's orders clawing at the Incineroar with claws wrapped in energy. Lillie chuckled even as she clapped. Her big brother could play at being aloof all he wanted, but this was who Gladion really was: Just as hungry and passionate for battle as Sun and Hau were.
"Ooooh, the mysterious Gladion and Silvally attack with an equally mysterious move," Flame Jameston chimed in. "What will the Masked Royal do to counter this?"
"Use Bulk Up, Incineroar!" the Professor commanded.
"Incin!" the muscular feline roared, throwing back his head and flexing his muscles.
"An excellent play from the Masked Royal," Freezer Jessin declared. "Bulk Up will enhance Incineroar's offensive and defensive capabilities."
"Keep going, Silvally!" Gladion directed.
"Silva!" rumbled Gladion's ace, striking Incineroar with its energy claws. "Silvally!" Despite the boost from Bulk Up the attack struck the Heel Pokémon hard.
"Use Darkest Lariat!" Professor Kukui commanded. "It won't be able to dodge you from that close."
The feline began to spin rapidly, a veritable tornado of dark energy. Silvally tried to retreat, but the tornado of dark destruction was far too fast to escape.
"If they all ganged up on Incineroar, they might be able to win," Lillie noted as she looked over the three pokémon of her fellow Team Sun members. "Why did Hau have his Tauros attack Nero as well?"
"Because ganging up one opponent is not what a Battle Royal is about. It's not a three-on-one battle; it's a one against three battle fought four ways, every mon for themselves," Professor Burnet said. "I don't know what else your friends have in mind, but they're trying to respect what the battle format is all about."
"I see…" Lillie mused. She supposed that made sense though if she were in their shoes, she would've focused on proving the strength of Team Sun. But then, she didn't enjoy battles for the sake of battling. At least, not the way the others did. And because of that, their sanctity was far less important to her.
Sun surveyed the pokémon. They were all breathing hard, but Incineroar had definitely taken the least amount of damage. He'd gone into this knowing his pokémon was least suited to fight an Incineroar, but with the revelation of the types of Hau's new Tauros he was pretty deep in the hole as far as advantage went. What to do? What to do?
"The comp- AGH!" one of the announcers groaned in pain. What was that?!
"JA-" the other two announcers cried in unison before being cut off. Some of the excitement bled out of the air, replaced by concern and confusion. Sun and his friends looked to Professor Kukui and his Incineroar to see if this was just part of the show, but they looked just as confused as Sun felt.
"Good evening, everyone," a new voice jeered. "We interrupt your regularly scheduled show for a special grudge match. Tonight, the Revengers are here to finally crush the Masked Royal's Incineroar, and the Battle Royal Dome along with it! This bout of destruction is brought to you by Rainbow Happy Resorts."
The unfamiliar names didn't mean much to Sun, but Professor Kukui, Gladion, and, most surprisingly to Sun, Hau all scowled at both of them. The crowd was displeased as well. Most of the audience members booed loudly, and those that didn't were shouting obscene language. Still, no one seemed particularly worried. Angry at the interruption, certainly and disdainful of the Revengers and Rainbow Happy Resorts specifically, but not worried. That told Sun all he really needed to know.
Two men stepped into the ring. One heavyset man clad in red, and one man with a lightning bolt tattoo over his eye and wearing only yellow pants. They withdrew something from their belts and tossed them high in the air. And when Sun took in the distinctive shapes of the objects and the twin bursts of darkness that unleashed an Electivire and Magmortar respectively, his blood ran cold. Sun trembled and for once, it wasn't excitement or even nerves. Sun felt pure, raw terror. He'd never seen those pokéballs in person before. Very few had. But anyone who kept up with stories about Team Rocket would recognize them: Dark Balls. The pokéballs that twisted pokémon's minds, while also cranking their power up to absurd degrees. Only one man had ever known how to forge them, and he had died years ago. How had these thugs gotten their hands on something like this?
"Elec!" growled the Electivire. Its eyes were so hollow that they bordered on dead. A pokémon should not look like that while it still breathed. Electricity crackled around it, a mix of yellow and blue.
"Mort!" snarled the Magmortar viciously. Its eyes contained only rage. A hollow desire to destroy everything it saw.
Sun shivered some more. Pokémon weren't meant to look like that, either. It just wasn't natural.
"What's the meaning of this?!" Professor Kukui roared. "You're violating the sanctity of this arena." His Incineroar roared in agreement and Nero snarled along with his evolution.
"You see Royal," the heavy-set man clad in red said, "our pokémon got a little boost. This time we're gonna crush you and these pipsqueaks for the world to see."
"Do you have any idea what you've done to your pokémon?!" Sun shouted, pushing past his nerves. "Those Dark Balls are evil. They-"
"Nice try kid," the shirtless guy with the lightning tattoo said. "But there's no way it's as bad as all that. They both still obey us without hesitation."
If the situation wasn't so serious Sun would have face palmed. Not only were these guys jerks, they were morons. The boss of Team Sun sighed. Alright, Sun thought, step one: Crush these idiots. Step two: Explain to them what the Dark Balls actually were. Step three: Beat their faces in until they spill on where they obtained a piece of underworld tech as rare and dangerous as Dark Balls.
"Anyway, we're here to smash the Masked Royal, so we don't have time to waste you kid," the heavy-set man said. "You and the other brats will be fighting our compatriots tonight."
"Compatriots? What compa-" Sun started to ask, before a massive burst of water struck his starter. "NERO!"
"Torra…" groaned his first pokémon, bruised but not bowed and glaring at something just outside the arena. Sun followed the feline's golden gaze and saw a Poliwrath. "Torrr…" Nero growled.
Other pokémon stepped in from out of the shadows of the arena. More Poliwrath, what Sun assumed were Alolan Muk, and a red and yellow tortoise-looking pokémon that Sun couldn't identify. Dexter was back with Lillie or Sun would have consulted his friend for information. This wasn't good. Ordinarily Sun would've been relatively certain he and his friends could've handled any one of these pokémon, but things were different. They'd all just been in a battle against Professor Kukui and his Incineroar who Sun would freely admit were superior combatants to any on Team Sun at the moment. Sun and his friends had put up a good fight, but there's no doubting that those two were stronger. For now. But now they were outnumbered, Sun was facing opponents that were unfamiliar to him, and their pokémon were all drained. Still, if there'd ever been a chance to look impressive… "Team Sun," he shouted to his crew and their pokémon, "let's show the Revengers our power!"
The crowd, his friends, their pokémon… Everyone… roared their approval. Most of the audience might not have known what Team Sun was yet, but after tonight everyone would know their name. One way or another.
As the battle that was supposed to be a celebration was thrown into utter disarray, Lillie watched from the stands. The pale girl's hands clenched into fists as she watched people she loved come under attack. The other members of Team Sun did a decent job of keeping the lower grade Revengers from interfering with Mad Magma and Mr. Electric's attempts to beat down Incineroar, but their pokémon were getting worn down, even as they won. Sun blocked a punch from one of the goons and retaliated with one of his own, but Lillie saw the sweat drip down his brow. Her Sun was becoming just as exhausted as his starter.
She looked over at Sun's parents and noticed Dr. Ray's hands clenched in rage, shaking just like Sun always did when he was overwhelmed by passion. Mrs. Ray's eyes held a spark of anger, but her expression and posture were as cool as a cucumber.
And to be fair, despite how tired they all were, the trainers and pokémon down in the arena who weren't Revengers were doing pretty well for themselves. But then… it happened. Nero was in the wrong spot at the wrong time and took two particularly nasty blows from the Electivire and Magmortar in a one two punch. They were nasty, cruel blows. Despite orders from Mr. Electric and Mad Magma, their pokémon continued to attack Nero. It was as if the fire feline had somehow become their target instead of Incineroar.
Lillie turned to Sun's pokémon who were sitting with her and as one they all started to seethe. In that moment, Lillie knew what to do. She was an Admin of Team Sun after all, and her compatriots were down there fighting to prove they were strong. "Nebby," the pale girl said, "Teleport us all down to the arena. ASAP. They're going to need our help."
And with that, seven enraged pokémon and one very angry Admin vanished in a flash of blue.
Caligula saw the world through a haze of red. The dog had never been this angry in his very young life. He would rip every opponent who had gotten in the way of this competition to shreds. As the moon shone down on the arena the Puppy Pokémon ran wild. Normally, one of Sun's other pokémon might have helped him manage it. But tonight, they were too busy. Too many opponents to crush. Too many threats to put a stop to.
Poison Gas and Sweet Scent surrounded their opponents in a mist that both poisoned and distracted, courtesy of both Emperor and Buzzy. A Muk was blasted with twin streams of snow and water from Snowy and Bubbly. His trainer's mate and her pokémon were doing quite well. Should he look to Sun for direction? Maybe… but… but…
It was so hard to think still. The red haze increased, and slowly everyone began to look like an opponent. Who was Caligula supposed to be fighting again? Wasn't he here to defeat someone? Or had he been here to defeat everyone? Everyone here was his opponent. That sounded wrong somehow, but it felt right. Yes, he would crush everyone here and prove his strength. But who was he proving it to? And why did he care?
The Rockruff heard shouting. A human? But this was a battle of pokémon. "Stay away from Nero!" the human shouted as he moved to block something. That human seemed familiar, and so did that name. Nero. He'd heard it before, but it seemed just out of reach. Lost somewhere in the haze of red rage. An Electivire and Magmortar charged up an Electric Punch and Fire Punch respectively, aimed directly at the human. The Rockruff shook his head. Don't get distracted. Find opponents to crush.
But then four voices shouted out, "Sun, no!" along with a myriad of pokémon crying out in dismay. And for the briefest of moments the red haze cleared, and Caligula stared at his trainer with horrified eyes. Sun. His trainer. His caretaker. His friend. He and the other pokémon here that fought so desperately were Caligula's friends. The fists of electricity and flame rushed at Sun whose legs gave out.
Must protect Sun, Caligula thought as he dashed in front of his trainer, the moonlight shining down like a spotlight. The red haze crowded back in, but Caligula didn't care. The haze didn't matter. The moonlight didn't matter. All that mattered right now was protecting Sun. As the attacks struck home, and that thought filled his mind, the world filled with blue light. Beneath the moonlight and within the blue light, Caligula changed. A taller and lankier body. Crimson fur replaced brown. A mane of rocky fur. But as the blue light faded the fists of electricity and fire struck the rock type who glared at those who'd dared to attack Sun with hate-filled eyes that glowed red.
Caligula's entire body began to glow red. These creeps had interrupted what should've been a highlight of their journey. They'd disrupted a fight. And worst of all, they'd tried to hurt Sun. With a furious howl of "LYCANROC!" Caligula unleashed all the power their opponents had struck him with two-fold in a massive burst of kinetic energy. While it hit them hard, it hadn't quite knocked them out yet. Caligula made a "bring it" gesture with his forepaws. He'd absolutely crush them all. The red haze was still there, but unlike when he was still a pup, he could see through it clearly. Now it just gave him power to destroy his opponents. To smash. To tear. To crush.
"Mor!" rumbled in the Magmortar with a strangely hollow rage. For as vicious as the fire type had been, its words lacked any passion at all.
"Vire!" growled the Electivire, with the same hollow anger.
As one the fire and electric types rushed at Caligula, but Sun's mad wolf unleashed the most powerful Rock Tomb he ever had to utterly bury them. These opponents would be smashed. Torn into a million pieces. They would-
No, he'd already won. They were seeing stars from the rocks and would be out of the fight for the time being. Sun would want him to show mercy.
"Zrrrr!" a mighty beast snarled. Caligula looked up. And up. And up. Flying in the air above the arena was a Charizard. It was orange like a normal Charizard and it flew like a normal Charizard. But unlike normal Charizard it didn't radiate an aura of heat. And its aura gave off a sense of raw iron determination. Unyielding. Unbreaking. And riding atop the Charizard was the father of Caligula's trainer.
"Right, this has gone on long enough," Sun's father said. "All of you Revengers, stand down. You're not going to win and dragging this out will just get more people hurt."
"We don't take orders from you," one that had commanded a Poliwrath said. "We work for Mr. Viren."
Sun's father almost smiled. "I had hoped you'd just stand down, but Sparks and I haven't gotten a chance to blow off some steam in a while. Thank you for giving us the opportunity," he said with a finger snap. "Sparks, use Peal of Thunder!"
With a crack of thunder, lightning flooded the arena. Three of the Revengers pokémon were struck with bolts of electricity. While not all of them were knocked out, they took severe damage. It didn't help matters that they'd been fighting furiously with all of Team Sun just moments before.
"Now, like I said earlier, Revengers stand down," Dr. Ray said with a cold chuckle. "Ohhh and I wouldn't worry about Mr. Viren, he's dealing with someone much scarier than me."
Most people tended to overlook the fact that Andrea Ray's brother was a mafia kingpin. Even as the majority of Kanto condemned the rest of their family for their relation, she was left relatively unscathed. Some would say it was because she was famous before he was infamous. They'd claim it was because she was far too popular to have her name dragged through the mud, unlike poor Sun and Silver at the time. Make no mistake, that had been a part of it. The other difference was that most people saw shades of her brother in his son and nephew. There was something in them she lacked.
…Or so most people thought. Viren, with Meowy's claws against his throat, would never make that mistake ever again. "What do you want?" he asked frantically, as sweat dripped down his face. "A free stay at my hotel? It's yours. Money? Name your price. Just don't hurt me!"
Now, let us be clear. Viren was a vile, hateful man. Dirty dealings, robbery, assault… None of these things were off the table for him if it meant furthering his ends. A truly reprehensible man through and through. Luckily for him, the Ray Matriarch was no more like her brother than her beloved son was. She would not truly have her pokémon hurt a human unless it was a necessity to defend herself or another. She certainly wouldn't directly command her Meowth to do so, but he didn't need to know that.
She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Tonight was my little sun's battle," she said, steel in her voice. "I didn't want to interfere unless it was necessary. He can't grow into the man I know he can become if I make everything easy for him. Every Torchic must leave the nest, after all. But your thugs got dangerously close to crossing the line. So, here's what's going to happen: You're going to tell your men to stand down now. Then, you will tell them to wait for the police to come and arrest them, or I promise you will regret it for the rest of your very short life."
It was all a bluff, but Meowy hissed with real anger as her claws tickled his neck, so the threat seemed real. "Y-Yes, ma'am," the corrupt business mogul squeaked. He spoke into a microphone, "R-Revengers! Stand down. The Jennies are on their way, and w-we will be submitting ourselves to their judgment."
Andrea took a deep breath. Sun and his friends would be okay now. She didn't like acting that way. It scared her to use just as much as it scared the people she threatened, but the idea of Sun getting hurt, truly hurt, scared her more. She couldn't always shield him. She wouldn't even if she could, honestly. He would never grow if she always interfered, and that was the last thing she wanted. But those Dark Balls… Thank Arceus they were in the hands of some two-bit thugs that had no idea what they held. If one had ended up in the hands of someone truly evil… The brown-haired woman shuddered. It wouldn't be good for anyone.
As the carnage was cleaned up, no one noticed a young man in a suit who observed everything with curiosity gleaming in his brown eyes. "I suppose I'll have to tell the boss that the Dark Balls were a failure," he said quietly. Then he grinned. "Just as well, I didn't like them anyway. Still, I've got one left to pawn off. If it proves useless as well, maybe this'll get the boss to shelve that project."
He idly rubbed at one of the Ultra Balls at his belt, wondering if he should dispatch one of his pokémon to clean up some loose ends. A quick scrambling of the mind and that Electric idiot would never be able to tell the Jennies where he'd gotten the Dark Balls. But silencing the man would honestly cause more issues than leaving him as he was. Even if Mr. Electric talked, he didn't know the young man's name or where to find him. Leaving behind someone with an altered mind would be definitive proof of foul play.
His gaze shifted from the clean-up crew to where Sun was being fussed over by his friends and family. "Enjoy your time with your loved ones, Elio Ray," the young man said. "You never know how long it'll last." His tone was neither mocking nor malicious. It was merely wistful.
His pokégear rang in his pocket. His lips twitched in a smile when he saw who was calling. "Hey Lilith," he said.
A slightly demented giggle came through the pokégear. "Hey yourself," a feminine voice said from the other end. "Are you done with your observations, Lee-Lee?"
"Yeah, I'm about done here," the young man said with a nod. "And didn't I tell you not to call me that?"
That same demented giggle. "What am I supposed to call you then? 'Mr. Admin'? 'Boss'?" she asked teasingly and he felt the smile on his face grow just the slightest bit. Even a heart as cold as his was capable of affection. And Lilith brought it out of him in a big way.
"I'm not Boss yet," he reminded her. "So no, don't call me that. At least, not where anyone else can hear."
"Okay, Lee," the mad girl said. The young man decided he'd take what he could. It still wasn't his real name, but Lee was better than Lee-Lee. …Until she inevitably started calling him that again, at least. "Anyway, I'm bored and I'm hungry. Once you get back, let's go on a date!"
"Sure," he said, "bring me home. We can head over to Unova and grab pizza afterwards." They didn't make pizza better than Castelia City anywhere.
"Yeah! I'll bring you home now. Love you, Lee-Lee!" Two minutes, a new record for how quickly she switched back to that nickname.
Still, he thought as he vanished, it's nice to have someone who actually loves me besides my pokémon… Even if she is a bit crazy.
A/N: Who was that mysterious young man, and what is connection to Sun? Find out... as the journey continues.