Alex took a simple step forward, aiming for a Sirfetch’d directly in front of him, its back turned, when he was suddenly shoved forward as Arcanine rushed past behind him with Extreme Speed. Midway through falling face-first, Alex detected a Falinks to his right using Megahorn, aimed at his side. He struck at the ground with an open palm, the attack falling a few inches short but generating enough force to lift him and send him stumbling back, narrowly avoiding the strike.

Suddenly, a Brutal Swing slammed into his other side, sending him flying into the distance. He didn’t get far before crashing onto Gyarados’s back, which immediately bucked him off, launching him even farther from the center of the battle.

It sucked that he was being ragdolled, but if there was anything he had learned from years of fighting in battle royales, it was that fights were always at their most chaotic right at the start.

With a heavy thud, he landed on the ground, quickly got up, and threw a punch to his left with as much force as he could muster. The attack struck a passing Hawlucha squarely in the face, sending it sprawling to the ground, where it was trampled by a rampaging Rhyperior.

He stifled a chuckle as he jumped back, barely dodging a Hydro Pump aimed at him, fired by his own Clawitzer in the distance. It seemed she might be holding a grudge for making her heal Kubfu this entire time instead of letting her play in the waters of the Isle of Armor.

“I should give her a break sometime,” Alex considered as he ran, circling the arena in search of a decent fight while dodging charges, projectiles, and flying bodies.

He couldn’t win against a Champion ranked Pokémon; it wouldn’t even be a fair fight. He didn’t find much of a challenge in fighting Elite ranked trainers either. His best options were Champion ranked trainers and Elite ranked Pokémon.

Then he saw it.

Bea was fighting Lucas, and she was surprisingly on the back foot. She was at a clear disadvantage, sandwiched between an Elite ranked Pangoro behind her and Lucas throwing a flurry of punches from the front.

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Alex said with a chuckle as he ran toward them.

He hopped over an Onix lying on the ground, ducked under a Water Pulse that wasn’t aimed at him, and kicked away his own Kubfu before finally reaching his target. He dashed forward at full speed, leapt with all his might, and drove both feet into a dropkick, smashing into the side of Lucas’s head and sending him stumbling into a passing Hyper Beam that slammed him into the arena’s protective wall.

“Alex!” Bea shouted in pleasant surprise.

Immediately, she snapped a half-turn and delivered a devastating back kick to Pangoro’s midsection, sending it tumbling into the distance, where it was swept away by a passing Surf.

“You saved me,” she said, her eyes bright with excitement, only for them to widen in surprise as Alex’s left jab nailed her on the chin, forcing her to back away on the defensive. “Ow! Why did you do that?”

“Because,” Alex said as he stepped closer, fist raised in a boxing stance as he threw a flurry of punches, forcing Bea to block or dodge. “We haven’t fought yet, and you happen to be the strongest Champion ranked trainer on this island.”

“You could have just asked,” Bea shouted angrily as she threw a side kick at Alex’s midsection, pushing him back.

She charged in with a quick dash before executing a perfect flying kick aimed at Alex’s face.

Alex, already having his hands up to guard his head, opened his hands and grabbed at Bea’s ankle only to be surprised when she pulled it back at the last second and shifted into a knee strike instead. He still caught the attack and tried to secure a hold on Bea’s leg, only for her to extend her bent knee into a kick against his chest and push herself back to a safe landing.

“This is going to be fun,” Alex said as a wide, battle-crazed smile appeared on his face.

“You’re at least better than Lucas,” Bea taunted, a similar smile appearing on hers.

Alex charged forward in the same boxing stance while Bea stepped back and launched a lightning-fast switch kick. Alex tanked through it with his ribs and managed to close the distance, only for Bea to meet his charge with a straight punch. He slapped it away with his left and jabbed out with his right, landing clean on Bea’s cheek and snapping her head to the side. Before Alex could follow up, his advance was stopped as Bea planted her foot on his chest and pushed off, sending him skidding back for a reset.

‘She’s excellent with her feet and comfortable at both close and mid-range, but she tries too hard to maintain distance,’ Alex assessed as he charged forward again. ‘Let’s try and force her hand.’

Bea led with a right roundhouse kick, but Alex stopped his charge and raised his left leg, checking it with his shin. She winced as her lower shin slammed into his thicker upper shin, but pushed through the pain and hopped back on one foot.

Alex charged again, but Bea leaned in with a powerful right front kick to drive him back. In response, he pivoted slightly left, raised his right knee, and brought his right elbow down in tandem, both strikes crashing into her ankle. An audible crunch confirmed he’d cracked bone.

“Ugh!” Bea gasped, retreating on one foot as her injured leg hung in the air.

They both knew she wouldn’t be able to put reliable weight on it for the rest of the fight, but it wasn’t over until it was over, so he charged in again.

As Alex closed the distance, he suddenly ducked low and executed a spinning sweep aimed at her good leg. Bea, however, dove forward with both hands open and outstretched, ready to finish it on the ground, relying on her hands alone now that her footing was compromised.

Just as they were about to clash, Grim swooped down and used Breaking Swipe, launching them apart and slamming them against the arena’s protective barrier. A sweeping Flamethrower followed, bathing both of them in Champion ranked flames that nearly burned their gi off.

“I surrender!” they both declared, earning a triumphant growl from Grim, who took off to continue the rest of the Battle Royale.

“I guess time was up,” Alex said with a satisfied smile.

“That was so fast,” Bea said, breathing heavily through the pain in her leg. “I always thought I would have more time to fight.”

“Are you kidding me? We practically had the arena to ourselves,” Alex said. “It was kind of them to only knock us out now.”

They both rested their backs against the arena’s shield as they watched the rest of the battle unfold. Trainers who were knocked out or in critical condition were pulled off the arena for treatment, while Pokémon were returned to their Poké Balls upon fainting. The only ones left were the Champion ranked Pokémon, vying for supremacy.

There was Bea’s Machamp and Sirfetch’d, Alex’s Roaring Moon, Iron Valiant, Azuking, and Raticate, and Mustard’s Urshifu and Luxray. A few other Champions were still in the mix as well, but they were on their last legs and unlikely to make it to the end.

Machamp and Sirfetch’d fought as a team, holding off Azuking’s absurdly powerful attacks and his constant use of Slack Off. Grim and Knight clashed in a one-sided exchange, with Knight clearly dominating despite the lack of mobility. Urshifu chased Luxray down with a mix of Sucker Punch, Aerial Ace, and Wicked Blow, while Luxray focused purely on evasive movement, weaving and sprinting to stay out of reach. Meanwhile, Raticate was taking his sweet time, knocking out the remaining Champions one after another, clearly conserving his health and stamina.

Azuking eventually fell in the 2v1 before Machamp and Sirfetch’d turned on each other. Knight won its bout and moved on to face Urshifu, who had finally managed to take down Luxray. Raticate still stayed on the sidelines, holding off on finishing the last Champion and clearly milking the situation for everything he could get out of it.

“Can your Raticate be any more obvious?” Bea teased.

“Say what you want, but that little shit gets things done,” Alex said with a chuckle. “I wouldn’t have put my life in his hands otherwise.”

“Your starter?”

“Yeah. He almost killed me the first time we met.”

“That would be an interesting story to hear.”

Sirfetch’d had won its bout against Machamp, who was too spent fending off Azuking’s blows. Urshifu had taken down Knight, who was simply out-tanked in the end. That left just the two of them squaring off, while Raticate stood stiffly off to the side, waiting.

Suddenly, Sirfetch’d and Urshifu both rushed Raticate, who ran away with Quick Attack. He didn’t get far before Aerial Ace from both pursuers cut off his escape route, forcing him back into the fight.

In a last-ditch effort, Raticate used Protect, but it shattered under Urshifu’s Unseen Fist. A follow-up Vacuum Wave from Sirfetch’d and an Aura Sphere from Urshifu finally knocked him out, leaving only the two of them to settle it.

Their fight was dramatic, with Sirfetch’d showcasing its refined swordsmanship while Urshifu demonstrated its mastery of martial arts. In the end, Urshifu prevailed through superior speed, landing the last hit just a bit faster than its opponent.

“Winner! Master Mustard’s Urshifu!” Klara declared as the spectators cheered.

Urshifu stood in the Battle Court with its fist raised, only a sliver of strength left. It didn’t last long before it slumped to the ground in exhaustion and fainted as well.

“This was so much fun,” Bea said with a proud smile.

“It was,” Alex said. “Well done setting all of this up.”

“Thanks, and I want a rematch. I bet I could have won if that Roaring Moon hadn’t interrupted us.”

“Sure,” Alex agreed easily. “Having a human punching bag would be a nice change of pace.”