This might have been the first time he had ever lost anything in his life.

Throughout his life, Brad had always been talented, charming, full of charisma, basically getting anything he ever wanted, but now he was tasting how bitter the flavor of defeat was for the first time. If he ever wanted to sleep with someone, he did it, and nobody ever told him no. The only time he ever had to even think about being rejected was when his band split up after high school, leaving him to try and figure out a way to continue pursuing music by himself. That, however, was nothing compared to the gut wrenching pain in his stomach after remembering the faces of his pokémon while they suffered for him, just to come out of the battle with nothing to show for it.

As Brad sat in the barren pokémon center, sitting alone in a bathroom stall while he waited for his team to receive their treatment, he began to wonder whether or not it was even worth it challenging Pinkie Pie again. Just because he had suffered his first real defeat didn’t mean that he was the type to give up after one go, but he didn’t want his pokémon to continue to get hurt over and over again until he finally figured out what he was doing. He had all the chances in the world to beat Pinkie Pie, but even if he had chosen Kirlia over Steenee, he still probably wouldn’t have made it past her mismagius. The only reason he managed to beat Haunter was because he got lucky with Meloetta, who still had no chance against an opponent with destiny bond.

Had he really wanted to enter the Pokémon League, or was he just trying to run away from the pressures of making it in the music industry? Was he really serious about this, or were the others right to believe that this was just one big joke to him?

*knock, knock, knock*

“Brad?”

*knock, knock, knock*

“Brad?”

*knock, knock, knock*

“Brad?”

Before the person on the other side could knock any more, Brad stood up and opened up the stall door, seeing a tall, lanky guy with a bowl haircut and a stare just as creepy as Maud’s. How in the hell did he even know who Brad was, let alone where to find him?

“Uh… yeah?” Brad spoke with a cocked eyebrow. “Can I help you?”

“Technically, I’m here to help you. Maud said that when you left Pinkie Pie’s gym, you were basically on the verge of crying.”

“What?! I wasn’t crying!”

“Technically, on the verge of crying isn’t actually crying.”

Brad had to take a couple seconds to even come up with a comeback to this weird and awkward conversation. “Well, I don’t think I need you to help me feel better or anything. I’m just waiting for my pokémon to get healed up so that I can head back to Canterlot City.”

“Maud said you would probably overreact to the situation.”

“Oh, really? Then why don’t you bring her in here so she can tell me that herself?!”

“...Because this is the men’s room. That’s why she asked me to come in here for you.”

Brad sighed a long breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried yet again to figure out what to do in this situation. “OK. Let’s try this again. You’re here because Maud can’t go into the men’s room, right?”

“nnnYes.”

“And the reason Maud came here in the first place was to check up on me, right?”

“nnnYes.”

“For what? Does she think I’m suicidal or something?”

“Technically, all she said was that you would probably overreact in some way. Never once did she mention suicide as the primary means of coping.”

As the two of them continued to stare each other down, Brad could begin to feel his own eyes becoming as dull and lifeless as the person in front of him, and if they kept that conversation going much longer, he would probably turn into him completely. Then, without saying another word, the teenager slipped past the awkward man and headed back towards the lobby of the pokémon center, hopefully so he could give Maud a piece of his mind. It was nice of her to check up on him, but so far it seemed like she was just doing it to keep her family’s PR in good standings.

Once he got to the main lobby, however, he saw not just Maud, but Limestone and Marble as well, immediately standing from their chairs as soon as he came into view.

“There he is!” Limestone announced, almost like she was annoyed that she had to even be there. “You see? I told you he’d be alright!”

“I’m still not so sure that he is,” Maud replied, turning to face Brad’s scowl. “When you left the gym, your face was completely pale. It looked like you had just seen a ghost.”

Aaaaand here came the jokes.

“Well, thanks for checking up on me, but I’m good. As soon as my pokémon are all healed up, I think we’re just gonna head back to Canterlot City to--”

“You’re going to challenge Pinkie Pie again,” Limestone interrupted, not even giving Brad the chance to speak. “If you think you’re leaving after that one loss, you’re sorely mistaken. The four of us aren’t going to let you leave that easily.”

“Technically, it’ll be the three of you,” the weird dude added, slowly making his way out of the men’s room. “I’ve already done my part in attempting to persuade him.”

“Who the hell even are you?!”

Just as Brad was beginning to lose it, Maud then made her way over to the man with the bowl haircut, wrapped an arm around his waist and said, “Brad, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend Mudbriar.”

“Technically, we’ve already met.”

Again, Brad breathed a long sigh from his nose, rubbing his temples in a poor attempt to clear away his frustrations. “OK. Let me be a little bit more frank here. I’m not going to challenge Pinkie Pie again. I’m going to leave as soon as my pokémon are healed. I’m done being a trainer. Thanks for your concern, but it won’t be needed anymore.”

“What, just because you lost one time, you’re suddenly going to give up being a trainer forever?!” Limestone exclaimed. “Marble, doesn’t that seem a little extreme to you?”

The girl in the middle nodded her head with a smile. “Mmhmm!”

“Brad,” Maud began, “there’s something we should probably tell you about Pinkie Pie. She just started a little bit ago after taking over my position for me, but ever since she’s been gym leader, she hasn’t lost a single battle.”

“Great,” Brad replied sarcastically. “Yet for some reason, you think that someone whose pokémon won’t even listen to me will be able to beat her? And I swear, Mudbriar, if you say the word ‘technically’ one more time, I’ll break your dick in half like a stick.”

Mudbriar’s eyes went wide in fear, but before the situation got out of hand, Maud quietly intervened. “You didn’t happen to catch that Steenee in the cave right next to Route 5, did you?”

“Wait, do you know my pokémon?”

The dull woman shook her head. “I just know that there are lots of grass-types in that cave, especially in Steenee’s evolution line. I also know how dark it is in there, which means being able to catch a pokémon there must have taken a lot of skill. Usually when a pokémon acknowledges skill, they devote complete obedience to the trainer who caught them. Since Monstrous Cave is right next to Baltimare City, I’m guessing you haven’t had her for very long.”

“Well, yeah. I mean I just barely caught her like an hour ago.”

“Do you have any idea why she hasn’t learned to trust you yet?”

“Probably because I fingered her in the cave.”

“...”

“...”

“...”

“...If no one else is gonna say, I will,” Limestone announced. “Brad, that’s fucked up.”

“It was an accident!”

“I think that pokémon is going to be the key for you winning that battle,” Maud continued. “Since she’s so new to your party, it makes sense that she doesn’t trust you, seeing as how she hasn’t seen you win yet.”

“Technically, the reason she doesn’t trust him is because he raped her.”

“Can I leave now?” Brad asked, eliciting another groan from Limestone.

“Look. All we’re saying is that we can help you get Steenee on your side, but we’re only gonna do that if you battle Pinkie Pie again.”

Brad was now furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. “Why do you four want me to beat her so bad?”

“Pinkie Pie is taking this gym leader thing a little too seriously,” Maud replied. “She thinks that if she loses a single battle, she’ll be letting me down, seeing as how she replaced my position as Baltimare City’s gym leader.”

“We need you to beat some sense into our sister,” Limestone added, punching her fist into her hand. “We want her to know that win or lose, we’re still going to love her no matter what!”

“Mhmm!”

The way that all four of them were supporting him, even in defeat, was beginning to feel a little undeserved. He was, after all, still a rookie pokémon trainer, despite the fact that he had three badges already, but they still had a confidence in him that he didn’t even have in himself yet.

“Do… do you really think I can beat her?”

“Absolutely.”

“You bet!”

“Mhmm!”

“Technically, nnnyes.”

He wasn't so sure how seriously he should take the opinions of the weirdo quartet, but he was still feeling a sudden invigoration, driving that competitive side inside him despite not knowing what he would do when actually facing Pinkie Pie. Plus, if they could somehow make it to where Steenee would start listening to him, he wouldn't need to feel as bad about keeping her as part of his team. Then, just as he was about to let himself doubt his confidence at the last second, he heard a bell ring through the pokémon center, alerting Brad that his team was back to fighting fit. He would have to talk to them first before he put them in danger again, but if they said yes, he didn't really see any reason not to try at least one more time.

“Flash Sentry to the main desk, please,” the intercom announced, bringing a wide smile to his face.

The five of them all arrived at the main counter together, where he was instantly greeted by a cheering lopunny and a meloetta doing circles in the air around himself and the indescribably attractive nurse. “Your pokémon are doing much better,” Nurse Redheart said, tilting her head with a smile. “Be sure to come back if you need anything else!”

“Actually wait! I do need something else!”

“Certainly! What can we help you with?”

“I uh… I burnt my dick.”

Nurse Redheart was no longer smiling, instead giving him a half-grin, half-grimace. “Uh huh…”

“I think it just needs a check up by a medical professional such as yourself.” Brad added a wink at the end, but that just made Nurse Redheart's grin droop even further down her face.

“Unfortunately, we're out of burn heals. The pokémon center is now closed. Good bye.”

The nurse then quickly scurried into the back room, despite Brad reaching out in desperation. “Wait! The pokémon center doesn't close!”

“I… think that's enough, Brad,” Limestone said, pulling him away from the counter.

“NURSE REDHEART, HEAL ME UP! HIT ME WITH THOSE D CUPS!”

Limestone had to practically yank the teenager away from jumping over the counter, making Maud turn towards Mudbriar as if he could explain the boy's perspective. “Honestly,” Maud began, “it amazes me how you were ever able to seduce Pinkie Pie in the first place.”

“You know about that?! Wait, hold on a second. How did you two meet?”

“We met at a rock show.”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait!” Brad held up his hands in disbelief, turning towards Mudbriar as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. “You fell in love with the girl at the rock show?”

“Technically, it was a stick show.”

The teenage boy then turned his attention back to Maud, now confused as to whether she meant rock as in the genre or she legitimately went to see a bunch of stones. “What?” she asked, making him realize he was staring.

“I don't know. I guess I'm just confused is all.”

“Come on. Let's go back to the gym. We'll explain what to do on the way.”

It was amazing that a gym would still be open at two o'clock in the morning, but Pinkie had always seemed to be a little bit different than the rest of society, in more ways than one. In fact, the moment Brad and crew walked through the doors, Pinkie quickly started bouncing up and down again, seemingly filled with more energy than she had before.

“You're OK!” Pinkie exclaimed. “I was so worried about you after you left. I wanted to come see how you were doing, but I couldn't just leave the gym.”

“Don't worry about it,” Brad said with a smile, carrying his meloetta on his shoulder. “I know how you can make it up to me, but only if I win.”

“Hold on a second! You want to battle me again already?! Wowie! You're more dedicated than I thought! Can I count on you girls to be the referees again? Oops, sorry. I mean, you girls plus Mudbriar?”

The girls all took their spot in the referees’ box, but Mudbriar stayed where he was, close to Brad on the other side of the field. “I would prefer to leave calling the match to the professionals. In fact, I would much rather be Brad's cheerleader. He's going to need one.”

Needless to say, the blue-haired teenager wasn't thrilled about Mudbriar even being there in the first place, but he was at least happy that seemingly everyone was giving him their support. Even Pinkie Pie, the girl he was battling with seemed to be legitimately excited about the battle, not because she wanted to win, but because she wanted to have fun battling with her friend. Then, as Brad remembered about his own friends, he turned to the pokémon on his shoulder with a concerned look on his face.

“You sure you want to do this again? You don't have to if you don't want t--”

Before he could even finish, however, Meloetta slapped him across the face, leaving an eighth note red mark on the side of his cheek. “Mel la meloetta!”

“OK. Sorry. You're right. Just next time, instead of slapping me, maybe you could just say, “Hey, Brad! Meloetta mel la meloetta!’”

His psychic-type put her hand to her face, shaking her head as Limestone began to raise her hand from the other side of the arena. “Are both trainers ready?” Pinkie and Brad looked to each other and nodded, despite the obvious contrast in their confidence levels. “Challenger Brad vs. Gym Leader Pinkie Pie! Begin!”

“Alright, Brad! Why don't we start of where we finished last time? Mismagius! I choose you!”

Pinkie then threw her ball into her side of the battlefield, emitting a white light until the familiar ghost-type soared into the air, laughing chaotically. The sight of the monster was beginning to bring back unwanted memories, but putting them into the back of his mind, he turned his cap and threw his own pokéball into the arena.

“Steenee! You're up!”

The minute his pokéball touched down onto the gym floor, it once again released a white light that gradually transformed into his grass-type pokémon, laying down and yawning with boredom. He then turned his attention over to Pinkie Pie's sisters, all of whom were smiling at him with confidence, including the normally emotionless Maud! Although, to be fair, Brad still wasn't one hundred percent sure that she was smiling at him and not Mudbriar trying to cheer in the background.

“Two, four six, eight. Who do we appreciate? Brad! Brad! He's our man. If he can't do it, no one can.”

“This place is gonna give me nightmares,” Brad said under his breath before turning his attention back towards his grass-type. “Alright, Steenee! Are you ready for this battle?”

“Steeeeeen,” she replied with a yawn, which Brad had basically come to expect at this point.

“I understand. I'll let you go back to your nap in a second. There's just one thing I have to tell you first.” Steenee's leafy ears were now beginning to twitch as she discreetly turned her head to the side, just barely able to see over her shoulder the sight of Brad falling down onto one knee. He had to look back towards Maud, just to make sure he hadn't misunderstood her instructions, but once Maud's small smile gave him his cue, he looked back at Steenee and said, “You are my light and my sunshine, Steenee. When this battle is over, will you marry me?”

“WHAT?!” Pinkie shouted, grabbing onto her head in bewilderment. Despite how shocked she was, however, it was nothing compared to the look on Steenee's face, who was now blushing profusely.

“St-t-t-t-teenee?”

Meloetta rolled her eyes, which Brad hoped she hadn't noticed as he continued his speech. “That's right, Steenee. Win or lose, you will always be the one and only pokémon for me. Now, do you think you can help me out with this battle in the meantime?”

Steenee was silent for several moments, her cheeks so red that they were practically sizzling audibly for everyone to hear. Finally, lifting herself off of the ground, she stood up tall, facing Pinkie Pie's mismagius with a loud cry.

“Steeeeen!”

“What?!” Limestone exclaimed in total disbelief. “Did that actually work?!”

“Steenee still wasn't sure what kind of trainer Brad was,” Maud responded. “Once he decided to commit himself to Steenee, she saw that he had an emotional investment in her.”

Even having it explained to her, Pinkie Pie was still in disbelief, shaking her head to allow it all to sink in. “Alright, Brad. Your pokémon may be listening to you now, but that's not going to change the results from last time! Mismagius! Hyper beam!”

“Protect!”

Then, with a large beam of energy heading towards her, Steenee created a transparent wall in front of her, blocking Mismagius's attack before it had the chance to connect. Brad was amazed that his pokémon was actually listening to him, but he had to keep himself focused before Mismagius caught them both off guard with another attack.

“Alright, Steenee! Now hit it with a magical leaf!”

“Shadow ball, Mismagius!”

Just as Steenee was getting ready to hit Pinkie Pie’s pokémon with an attack of her own, Mismagius quickly materialized a dark, shadowy ball above its head, throwing it towards Steenee. Of course, it landed with a direct hit, making Steenee obviously wince in pain, but even so, she held strong, releasing several leaves from her body and shooting them at Mismagius, causing it to take more damage than Brad had anticipated. So far, things seemed pretty evenly matched, which was exactly what he needed considering that this was the pokémon that caused him so much trouble in the last battle.

Pinkie Pie squealed with excitement on the other side of the room, jumping up and down as she said, “This is sooooo much fun battling against you, Brad! Normally, when I have to battle someone, I just use a bunch of fairy-type moves since people usually use dark-types against me, but you’re using pokémon I’ve never battled against! I have no idea what you’re going to do next!”

Honestly speaking, if Brad had any dark-types, he probably would have used them, but seeing as how Pinkie Pie already had a plan to beat those, he was kind of relieved that his team consisted of two normal-types and a grass-type. He had a plan on how to beat Pinkie Pie, although he still needed to look back at Pinkie Pie’s sisters to make sure he should use it right now, and surely enough, all of them were nodding at him.

“OK, Pinkie Pie! This is where you’re going to lose. Steenee, use toxic!”

Steenee then opened up her mouth, projecting a purple liquid onto the mismagius, who quickly attempted to shake off the poison as it began to cover its body. As Pinkie Pie watched on, her jaw dropped, somehow confused as to what was going on in front of her, making Brad happy that he chose to trust her sisters on how to beat her.

“But… Steenee is pure grass-type!” Pinkie exclaimed. “It’s not supposed to learn any poison-type moves!”

Brad replied with a chuckle, pulling two CD’s from his jacket pocket and flashing them with a smile. “They’re called TM’s. I made sure to teach her protect and toxic before we started the battle.”

“Toxic and protect? Those seem like totally random moves to teach a pok--” Before Pinkie could finish her sentence, however, she immediately gasped, realizing Brad’s plan a little too late to be able to do anything about it. “No way!”

“Yep,” Brad said, pointing his finger towards the mismagius, which was still trying to spit out as much poison as it could. “Alright! This is your chance! Whatever you do, don’t let her hit you!”

Pinkie Pie bit her thumb, suddenly nervous about the situation, which Brad was thriving on. “OK, Mismagius! Shadow ball!”

“Protect!”

Like before, Pinkie Pie’s pokémon released a gaseous, black orb towards Steenee, but this time, Steenee raised up a clear forcefield in front of her body, protecting herself from the attack. Then, once her turn was over, Mismagius seemed to wince from pain, telling Brad that the poison was already beginning to take effect. Despite how confident she had been throughout the battle, Pinkie Pie was beginning to lose her composure, chewing at her fingernail while tapping her foot on the ground.

“Hang in there, Mismagius! Thunder!”

“Protect!”

Once again, storm clouds began to billow up against the ceiling, booming loudly until a bolt of electricity collided into the ground, just barely missing Steenee from landing a direct hit. Just like Pinkie Pie, Mismagius was beginning to lose its cool as well, once again cringing from the poison inside its body. From what Pinkie Pie’s sisters had said, toxic was an especially potent form of poison that doubled in damage after every attack, and from the looks of it, they hadn’t been wrong. Now all he had to do was wait for Pinkie Pie to call out her next move, but rather, she was just standing there, tapping her foot while she desperately tried to think of a strategy to win.

“Alright, Pinkie Pie. If you’re not going to use an attack, then I will. Steenee, finish it off with a magical leaf!”

“That’s it! Hyper beam!”

“Shit! No!”

There was no doubt that Mismagius was faster than Steenee, and as the grass-type hurriedly released as many leaves from her body as she could, Mismagius released a beam of energy, colliding into Steenee directly, sending her soaring to the other side of the gym. Without thinking, Brad turned on his heels, rushing towards his pokémon, which was now lying down on the floor, luckily landing before she had struck the wall behind her. He was so pissed off at himself. He had the perfect strategy to win, and yet he decided to get cocky and use an attack when he should have protected. As Brad lifted the grass-type into his arms, she had been seemingly knocked unconscious, further reaffirming how stupid he had been in the heat of the moment.

“I’m sorry, Steenee,” he said gently, pulling out his pokéball and summoning her back. “You did great out there.”

“Steenee is unable to battle,” Limestone then announced, lifting her hand in Brad’s direction. “Challenger Brad is now down to two pokémon! However…” As Brad looked back at the battlefield, though, Mismagius was twitching in pain, flailing in the air until it finally came down to the ground with a thud, now suddenly motionless on the floor after the poison had drained it of the rest of its energy. “Mismagius is also unable to battle! Pinkie Pie is also down to two pokémon!”

“Awwwww!” Pinkie pouted, pulling out Mismagius’s ball and summoning her back. “I thought for sure I was going to win after that hyper beam!”

“Yeah, that was kind of stupid of me to not see that coming,” Brad replied with a shrug. “So, who have you got next?”

Pinkie Pie giggled, which was even creepier considering the fact that the only light covering her face was the dim blue candlelight from the gym’s walls. “I’m glad you asked, Brad!” Then, throwing a new pokéball into the arena, she shouted, “Lampent! I choose you!”

Once the pokéball landed in the arena, the light that shone gradually began to take the shape of the candles surrounding the gym’s interior, encased by a round, glass case covered by a black lampshade. Even its cry sent shivers down his back as it called out in its eerie voice, “Laaaaampeeeeent!”

“Alright,” Brad began, pulling his next pokéball off of his belt. “If that’s what you’re thinking, then let’s do this! Lopunny! Go!”

Brad then threw his pokéball onto the field, creating a white light that morphed into the form of a rabbit, bouncing back and forth like a boxer. “Lop looooop!”

“Alright, Lampent!” Pinkie shouted. “Hit it with inferno!”

“Bounce, Lopunny!”

Just as Lampent was beginning to charge up its attack, Lopunny quickly jumped into the air, avoiding the sudden surge of fire searing the ground underneath her feet. Then, as soon as the floor was clear of fire, she catapulted herself off of the ceiling, crashing back down onto Lampent with as much force as she could muster. Lampent seemed to be in pain at first, but it quickly shook off whatever discomfort it was feeling, looking back at Lopunny in anger.

“How do you like that, Pinkie?” Brad asked with a cocky smile, making Pinkie smile creepily again, sending his gut into another uncomfortable twist.

“I like battling you, Brad! Lampent! Will-o-wisp!”

“Laampeeeent!”

Then, before Brad had the chance to get Lopunny back in the air, a circle of fire released itself from Lampent’s body, spinning around Lopunny until the flames came together, burning the fur on her body in a blue blaze. “Lopunny! Are you OK?”

“Lop! Lop!” She seemed to be ready for more, despite her fur literally burning as she spoke, obviously hiding back a wince of pain.

“Alright, then! Give it another bounce!”

“Looooop!”

Lopunny wasted no time jumping into the air again, waiting for Lampent’s response before it finished its attack, despite the pain it felt from its burn. “Waaaaait for it…” Pinkie said, giving Lopunny the go ahead to catapult herself from the ceiling and slam into Lampent once more, but this time, once the collision happened, Pinkie Pie seemed to regain all of her energy. “That’s it, Lampent! Now use overheat!”

Suddenly, Lampent’s blue flame was beginning to grow larger and larger, filling up the inside of the glass case until finally, its whole body began to shoot fire towards Lopunny, hitting her head on and making her scream in pain. This whole thing was beginning to make Brad have flashbacks from the last time, but he held his ground, waiting for the attack to be over before he decided to make any emotional decisions. Once the flames died down, Lopunny was obviously hurt, and the burn from earlier definitely wasn’t helping.

“Lopunny, do you think you’re gonna be OK?”

The bunny pokémon was slow to get up, but once she did, she immediately bounced back and forth, trying her best to bring back Brad’s confidence levels. “Lop! Lop!”

“Perfect! This is the last one! Bounce attack!”

“Quick, Lampent! Before it gets the chance! Hit it with flame burst!”

Lopunny held on for one moment too long, watching to see what the enemy lampent would do just to be hit with another fiery attack, but for some reason, once the attack was over, Lopunny didn’t seem as hurt as he thought she would be.

“What the--?” Limestone gawked. “I thought for sure that would have finished Lopunny off!”

“Not exactly,” Maud replied. “Lampent’s attacks won’t be as effective after using overheat. It’s too worn out to use the same kind of energy it had before.”

Brad looked back at Pinkie Pie’s lampent just to make sure, but sure enough, it seemed to be panting as much as a lampshade could, far weaker than it had been at the beginning of the battle. “This is it, Lopunny! Put all your strength into this next attack!” Finally, Lopunny jumped into the air again, only this time, she had no desire to see what Lampent would do in the meantime. With all the power in her body, Lopunny pushed herself off the ceiling, coming down at mach speed and putting one final smash into Lampent, who wiggled around in the air in pain until it finally dropped onto the ground.

“Lampent! No!” Pinkie Pie cried, but it was already too late. Its eyes were circling around in its head, far too weak to continue the fight.

Then, lifting her arm up towards Pinkie Pie, Limestone announced, “Lampent is unable to battle! Pinkie Pie is now down to one pokémon!”

Brad couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t beat two pokémon with a team of three the last time he tried battling her, but she was already down to one pokémon while Brad had two left over! “You did it! Good job Lopu--” Before Brad could even finish his sentence, however, Lopunny began to lose her balance, falling forward until her knees collapsed, leaving herself on the floor until the flames on her body gradually fizzled out. “What? Lopunny! NO!”

Everyone’s eyes then fell back onto Limestone’s, who was now beginning to look as disheartened as Brad was. “Lopunny is also no longer able to battle. Both trainers are now down to one pokémon.”

Crap. This was basically a nightmare for Brad. He felt confident about sending Meloetta back in, but if Pinkie Pie used Haunter again, there was no way for him to be able to win. He wasn’t entirely sure about the rules, but he was pretty sure that a draw meant a loss as far as gym badges were concerned. He needed to win, which meant that he was going to have to find some kind of plan to deal with that destiny bond.

Turning to the pokémon on his shoulder, he asked, “Meloetta, do you think you’re ready?”

“Mel la metta!”

With Brad summoning Lopunny back into her pokéball, the psychic-type floated her way into the battle, staring down Pinkie Pie as she smiled back in glee. “Ooooo! This is gonna be just like last time! Only this time, I’ve come up with a plan of attack. Haunter! I choose you!”

Finally, throwing her pokéball into the arena, she summoned her final remaining pokémon, which flew in circles around the room, laughing hysterically as it floated, giving Brad another eerie feeling. This was basically the worst situation he could think of, and he still hadn’t thought of a way to combat Pinkie’s plan from earlier. Plus, to make things even worse, it sounded like Pinkie Pie had figured out an even better strategy to beat him! If he was going to win this, he wouldn’t be able to take any chances.

“Meloetta, use psychic!”

“Dark pulse, Haunter!”

Before Meloetta could get her attack off, a sudden blast of dark energy soared through the arena, hitting Meloetta in a direct attack, making her shout out in agony. Just as Brad was about to ask Meloetta if she was OK, however, she responded to the attack angrier than ever, floating into the air with a blue aura and flicking her arms out, sending a blast of psychic energy over to the opposing haunter, making it feel just as much pain as Meloetta had felt.

This was probably the deciding moment. Both pokémon had taken more than half the amount of damage it would take to knock them out, which meant that Brad had to think of a strategy right now if he wanted to win. If he went for the wrong move now and Haunter tried using another dark pulse, it was all over, but if Meloetta went for another psychic attack and Haunter went for destiny bond, he would be even more screwed.

“Hey, Pinkie,” Brad said, trying to come off as confident, despite the sweat trickling down his face. “Just to let you know, whatever move you use next is going to be your last move of the match.”

“Oh-ho-hoooooo! You sound awfully confident about something!”

“I’m just saying to pick your next move wisely.” Brad was trying to play like he had some kind of plan, but honestly his plan was for Pinkie Pie to fuck up somewhere and give himself the advantage. At the same time, though, despite how poor of a poker player he was turning out to be, Pinkie Pie seemed to be eating up his bluffs like candy, which actually gave him one last idea. If he was wrong, he would lose, but if he was right, maybe he wouldn’t have to go back to Canterlot City after all. “Take it out, Meloetta!”

The psychic-type immediately charged towards the Haunter, glowing a blue aura. “La meeeeeeel!”

“DESTINY BOOOOND!”

This was it! This was his chance!

“SING!”

Everybody’s jaw dropped from the sudden turnabout, including Haunter, who had already released its destiny bond. Just as soon as its guard was down, however, Meloetta arrived right in front of it, channeling the blue energy into her voice and releasing it out of her mouth. “Meeeeeloeeeettaaaa, Melooooooeeeeeeeettaaaaaa!”

“Wha--wha--whaaaaaaat?!” Pinkie exclaimed, grabbing onto her poofy hair. Nobody seemed to believe what was going on. As Meloetta released her song onto Pinkie Pie’s haunter, the ghost-type tried to keep itself awake until finally, it collapsed onto the ground, sleeping soundly with a comedic bubble blowing out of its nostril. Everyone was in complete shock… that is, except for Mudbriar.

“Brad! Brad! He’s the best. He will take on any test. Go team, go.”

The teenage boy may have been a little less than thrilled about who his cheerleader was, but the fact that he actually had the chance to win at all was definitely something worth cheering about. “Meloetta! Now’s your chance! Hit it with a psychic!”

“Haunter, wake up! Dark pulse! QUICK!”

As Meloetta began to glow a bright blue, however, Haunter remained on the floor, snoring through its nose. Finally, with a blast of psychic energy, Haunter woke up from its sleep, just to shake around the arena in pain and scream out in terror until finally, the attack had ended, leaving the ghost-type unconscious on the floor yet again. Neither Pinkie nor Brad could believe what was happening, and as the two of them turned towards Limestone, it appeared as though she was just as surprised as they were.

“H-Haunter is unable to battle!” Limestone said, raising her hand in the air. “Challenger Brad is the winner!”

Brad and Meloetta looked at each other and blinked. There was no way that just happened, but even though they couldn’t believe the outcome, they both jumped into the air, cheering their hearts out. “WE DID IIIIIIIIITTT!”

“MELOETTA!”

Once the two of them landed, however, Pinkie Pie fell to her knees, crying hysterically to the point where her tear ducts became fountains, pouring out onto the gym floor like waterfalls. Before Brad could even lean over to lend a hand, however, her sisters quickly left the referees’ box and made their way over to their crying sibling, engulfing her in a large hug.

“I’m sorry, girls!” Pinkie Pie sobbed. “I didn’t mean to lose!”

“Pinkie, what are you talking about?!” asked Limestone.

“I couldn’t do the gym with the and I he didn’t I just wanted to waaaahhhhhhahahahaaaaaaah!”

Before Pinkie Pie could continue any further, however, Maud grabbed hold of Pinkie's lips, which coincidentally was also the way to keep her eyes from making the gym any wetter. “Pinkie Pie, there’s nothing wrong with losing.”

“But… *sniff* If I don’t win battles, then what’s the point of me even being a gym leader?”

“Being a gym leader doesn’t mean winning every battle. It just means that we trust you enough to be a good trainer, and you’ve proven that more than once today. You’re going to lose as a gym leader sometimes, but that just means that the trainers who beat you are one step closer to competing in the Pokémon League. Plus, we’ve all been worried about you ever since you took over my position for me, isn’t that right?”

“She’s right.”

“Mhmm!”

“nnnYes.”

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie looked up around herself to see her sisters and Mudbriar all looking down on her with caring expressions, making Pinkie Pie’s sniffles calm down, but only momentarily. “Girls… Mudbriar…” Now she was the one enveloping them in the hug. “I’m so happyyyyyyyy!” Finally, though, she met eyes with Brad, who was just kind of waiting there to get his gym badge, despite smiling faintly at the bond the family shared together. “Thank you, Brad. I guess I needed someone to finally beat me in a battle. How can I ever make it up to you?”

“Umm… The laughter badge would be a good place to start.”

“Oh! Doyyyy! Hahaha.” She then returned Haunter to her pokéball and reached into her pocket, pulling out a badge in the shape of three balloons. “Here ya go! The laughter badge is yours! Just let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you!”

“Like sex?”

“What?”

“What?”

Pinkie Pie and Brad stared at each other for several seconds, along with the weirdo quartet, which looked just as shocked that he had said those specific words as much as Pinkie Pie was. Then, before the situation got too volatile, Brad summoned Meloetta back into her pokéball, just in case he had to start running for his life. It seemed like it was worth the shot when he said it, but now he was starting to think that maybe he should just leave Pinkie Pie alone forev--

“Sure!” Again, everyone blinked in silence, completely off guard by Pinkie Pie’s comment. “You were always good at it in high school, so why not? Oh! I know! Girls, would you like to--”

“Pass.”

“Mm-mm.”

“I have a boyfriend.”

In the next moment, Pinkie Pie’s sisters along with Mudbriar began to leave the gym, giving Brad probably his easiest excuse to get laid that he had ever experienced. He then looked back at Pinkie to make sure she wasn’t just joking, but sure enough, she was bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet, giving Brad the biggest grin imaginable.

“So! What did you wanna try first?” she asked, batting her eyelashes.

Brad shrugged, still perplexed by how easy this situation was. “I don’t know. I didn’t think I’d get this far.”

Pinkie Pie then stopped bouncing while she put her finger to her lip, thinking as hard as she could. “Hmm… Well, what’s something that you’ve reeeeeeeally wanted to try out?”

“Uhh… anal?”

Pinkie Pie immediately gasped, making Brad think that yet again, he had said the wrong thing, but of course, Pinkie Pie was probably the most unpredictable person In Equestria. “Really?! Me too! It’s one of those things where it’s like I’ve always wanted to try it, but I can’t exactly go around asking people, ‘Hey, can you put it in my butt?’ Oh! But it would probably hurt a little bit if you went in dry. Is it OK if I put it in my mouth real quick before we--”

Brad didn’t waste a single second pulling his belt through its loops and undoing his jeans, tripping over his legs as he pulled the fabric down to his shoes. He was already big enough to deepthroat Pinkie Pie if she put him all the way in, making Pinkie Pie look down happily, batting her eyelashes again as her chest slowly began to rise and fall. Then, falling to her knees, she gently ran her hand back and forth against Brad’s shaft, moving her wrists in a soft pattern before tossing her hair back and slowly sliding his skin into her mouth.

Brad had missed this sensation probably more with Pinkie Pie than anyone else he had ever been with. The way Pinkie Pie moved her lips around the head of his penis before inching her way down his manhood was almost as pleasurable as the way her tongue danced around his opening. Plus, every time she came back to the edge of his member, she would place a little kiss on his dillhole while pulling her hair down her shoulder, staring up at Brad while she did so. The blue-haired teenager was now leaning forward, running his fingers through Pinkie’s poofy hair while breathing out the enjoyment stemming from his nerve endings. The feeling was so enthralling that it almost became difficult for him to breathe, just because every breath distracted him from the small, sensuous sounds of her lips sliding across his phallus.

“Ohh, Pinkie…” Brad moaned, closing his eyes. “You feel so goooooOOOH SHIT!” Then, tripping over his own jeans again, he stumbled forward, single handedly putting the entire length of his shaft into Pinkie Pie’s mouth at once, making her eyes grow wide in surprise. “Pinkie, I am so sorry! I didn’t mean to--”

“Mmmmmmm~!” Rather than getting angry, however, Pinkie Pie grabbed Brad by the butt and pulled his body in deeper, happily taking in the entirety of his cock, running her tongue all the way to his balls. Just as she was getting to the good part, however, she yanked her mouth away from Brad’s dick, sliding her lips against his skin as she went, and as soon as her mouth popped off, she wiped off some saliva dribbling off her lips with one hand while the other continued at the same pace her mouth was going. “How did you know I liked surprises?”

“Uhh… high school?”

“Hmm. Good point. Okie dokie, then!”

And just like that, she had stuck his entire member into her mouth yet again, gripping Brad’s skin with her fingernails as she closed her eyes and moved his extremity back and forth in her mouth. The sides of his shaft were rubbing up against each of her cheeks as she moved her head in an erotic pattern, gently running her teeth along his cock in a way that was subtle yet intoxifying. He had no idea how she was able to fit him so deep down her throat without hitting her gag reflex, but with her eyes closed, she seemed to pull him in like a vacuum, gripping him tight with her lips.

Then, just as he was beginning to get into the mood, however, Pinkie Pie pulled her mouth off yet again with a light strand of precum connecting her tongue to his dillhole, which she insisted on playing with before she even thought about continuing their session. Instead of returning her mouth to his genitals, however, she weakly pulled herself back up to her feet, patting the dust off of her legs and dress.

“Have you gotten bigger since the last time we had sex?” Pinkie asked, double-checking to make sure there was no more dirt on her clothes. “You seem bigger for some reason.”

“In all honesty, I don’t think I’ve ever been this big in my life.”

Pinkie Pie giggled loudly, covering her mouth with her hand while grabbing hold of her sides. “Oh, Brad. You’re so funny. Let’s just hope my butt feels as good as you taste!”

Finally, without skipping a beat, Pinkie Pie turned around, reached under her dress, and pulled down a pair of lacy, pink panties all the way down to her ankles, which she promptly spread while lifting her dress up. The way Pinkie’s vagina glistened with wetness almost made him regret selecting her backdoor as their orifice of choice, but when he looked up just slightly to see her perfect, round buttcheeks barely being pulled wide enough to display her tight anus, he knew he had made the right choice. When he placed his hands against her waist, traveling his fingers up and down her skin, he could barely believe that a body this perfect was even real, let alone that he was being given the opportunity to explore it.

With one final look at Pinkie for permission, the gym leader gave him a wink, making his cock throb in his hand, but as he made his way forward, he gently and easily pushed his cock into her butthole. Pinkie Pie bit her finger, trying her hardest to hold back a moan as the head of his dick prodded through the opening of her rectum, making him grow longer before he even pushed himself in further. Her ass was a little tighter than any hole he was used to penetrating, but after wiggling himself in a little more (eliciting even more horny groans from Pinkie Pie), he was able to slide even more of his dick inside her. Pinkie was now covering her mouth with both of her hands while Brad managed to get almost his entire cock into her anus, using her hips as support to push himself in deeper.

“It’s OK, Pinkie,” Brad said with a chuckle. “You can let me know how you’re feeling.”

“But it’s suuuper embarrassing! It’s like I’m announcing to the world that I have a dick in my ass if I moan as loud as I want to!”

“Are the walls here super thin or something?”

“Hmm… No. I guess you have a point. AAAAAHHHHNNN~!”

The sound of Pinkie Pie’s erotic voice was like heroine to the horny teenage boy, making him feel an orgasm coming up sooner than later. He would have to pace himself, both so that he could edge a little longer and so that Pinkie Pie didn’t end up in pain by the time they were done, but that was becoming increasingly more difficult with her voice ringing through the gym. The gym leader then stood herself up, lifting her leg for Brad to hold up, just so she could press her back against his body, giving him a better angle to move up her sphincter. Pinkie tried looking up at Brad so that she could give him another erotic stare, but not only was her body being bounced too hard for her to keep eye contact for long, she was also breathing heavily, making the bottom of Brad’s neck grow warm.

Meanwhile, as Brad continued to hump her backdoor, Pinkie Pie reached towards the front side of her dress, pulling the fabric up so that she could start to rub herself, giving her pleasure in two different holes at once. The more pleasure she felt from her front hole, the more her back hole clenched around his shaft, convulsing along his entire cock with her anal canals squeezing him tighter inside. Then, feeling himself getting closer to the edge already, Brad lifted both of Pinkie Pie’s legs, pulling her into the air and fucking her upwards, allowing her to freely run one hand along the back of his neck while the other slipped as deep into her pussy as she could go. His dick was throbbing, and if he continued at the rate he was going, he would be giving Pinkie an extra special surprise, complete with a creampie.

“Pinkie?”

“Yes, Flash?”

“I’m about to finish. Did you want me to pull out or--?”

Before Brad could even finish his question, though, Pinkie Pie began giggling hysterically. “Brad, it’s my butt! It’s not like you could get me pregnant.”

“Then here come the streamers!”

Brad quickly regripped Pinkie’s legs, holding her up with all of his arm strength as he moved his hips at a faster pace than he thought he could take. The sensation was making Pinkie Pie feel so good that he could feel her wetness dripping from her vagina down to his balls, creating an extra lubricant as he moved his dick in even harder. He tried breathing, even panting, but at the rate he was going, no matter how much air he breathed in, it wouldn’t be enough to fill his lungs. The sensation of her ass squeezing against his cock was taking over so much control of his mind and body that he didn’t even remember how to breathe properly anymore. Finally, he felt his testicles gripping into his skin, allowing him to close his eyes, bite down on his lip and allow the sensation that came after to give him that sweet released he was yearning for.

“Brad? Are you OK over the--AH! Ohhhhhhh… Mmmmmmmm!”

Pinkie’s butthole contracted and released, no doubt from the borderline orgasm she was feeling as her fingers slid in all the way into her vagina while Brad decorated her insides from the back. Brad couldn’t remember the last time he came this hard, shooting so much cum with every burst that his back spasmed, giving him an extra push into Pinkie Pie’s backdoor. Pinkie, meanwhile, was cooing in pleasure, running her hand all over Brad’s body while the other spread her lips below, allowing her girlcum to ooze out of her vagina. The two of them continued bouncing their pelvises together, trying to make their pleasure last as long as they possibly could, but once the liquid stopped pulsing out of both of their genitalia, Brad gently eased Pinkie Pie to his feet, allowing one last pulse of semen to throb into her butthole.

As Pinkie Pie finally touched the ground again, however, she immediately stumbled forward, bending over in pain like she was still being penetrated, causing Brad’s cock to pop out along with a trail of sperm dripping onto the floor. Even though Pinkie’s body must have been aching, however, she still managed to giggle loudly while she tried (and failed) to stand up properly.

“Wow, Brad! You didn’t hold back!”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been having wet dreams about you since back in Canterlot City.”

“OH! Speaking of Canterlot City,” Pinkie began, hobbling her way around so that she could face Brad again, “where do you think you’re heading to next?”

As Pinkie Pie waited for her ass to allow her to stand up again, however, Brad was already pulling his belt through its loops again, double-checking to make sure he didn’t accidentally drop one of his pokéballs. “I actually have no idea. I was thinking of heading to Cloudsdale Island, but I don’t have a way of getting--”

Before Brad could even finish her sentence, Pinkie Pie pulled out a boat ticket from inside her bra, handing it over to the confused trainer. “Where did you even get that?”

“From between my boobs.”

“No, I mean like before that.”

“Ohhhhh! Rainbow Dash gave it to me, silly! I would love to go visit her, but I’m so busy trying to keep this gym running that I haven’t had the chance.”

Brad chuckled. “I think you should try focusing on standing up straight first.”

Pinkie Pie, though, bent over even further, wagging her butt in an attempt to turn him on again. “Don’t act like you didn’t like it.”

“Excuse me? Is this the Baltimare City gym?”

Suddenly, both of their eyes went wide. Standing at the door was some guy with buckteeth, acne, and a bowtie that went uncomfortably well with his slicked-back hair. As he looked over at Pinkie Pie’s ass, though, his pants (which were two sizes too small) began to bulge around his crotch while his bowtie spun like a propeller.

“Aaaaand that’s my cue to leave,” Brad said, waving back at Pinkie Pie. “Have fun with your next battle.”

Before Brad had made it out of the gym entirely, though, Pinkie pulled a megaphone out of her bra and shouted, “Don’t forget to wriiiiite!”

Brad couldn’t help but chuckle. The situation was too perfect. He had left Pinkie Pie bare-bottom, bent over in front of a random trainer while he left some random nerd to take care of the rest. As for writing her back though, he quickly found himself smiling again, knowing full well that he didn’t know how to read. Now that he had the laughter badge, though, he had one more city to visit, and with his boat ticket in hand, he now had a way of getting there.

“Clousdale Island, here I come!”

Author's Notes:

This chapter is getting published a little late seeing as how I forgot to publish it on Monday. Next chapter comes out tomorrow.