Alex changed out of his armored bounty hunter gear into a plain shirt and pants and met Maylene back at her training mat battleground.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, concerned for his well-being. "You can still opt for a 3v3 or a full 6v6 Pokémon battle if you like."
"Yes, I'm sure," he said, squaring up opposite her.
"Alright, but I hope you don't take this personally."
"Everything will be left on the mat."
"I like that," she replied, settling into her stance.
Her right foot stepped forward, left foot back and bent, knees ready. Her right hand extended toward Alex with the palm open, while her left hand stretched out behind her, also open.
"Are you ready?"
He took a moment to assess her while loosening his muscles. Her stance was karate-based, emphasizing deflection and balance. Being smaller, Alex could tell she relied on speed, but that didn't mean her attacks lacked power. Her style fully leveraged her frame, while her Champion ranked strength did the rest.
In comparison, Alex was much bulkier, with a balance of power and speed that allowed him to absorb any style and counter its weaknesses, the specialty of mixed martial arts. His best approach was to let her come to him and wait for the opportune moment to lock her in a hold, shifting the battle from a striking-focused contest to a grappling-based one.
"Yeah," he replied, moving to take his own stance, but Maylene was already in front of him, throwing a straight punch.
Her first strike snapped his head back, a crisp, straight cross that merely grazed his cheek. Before he could recover, her lead leg shot out in a low kick aimed at his thigh, the force jarring his balance as he staggered sideways. She followed immediately with a quick jab to his exposed ribs, then a tight cross to his jaw, her elbows tucked, her hips rotating perfectly with each strike.
He retreated to gain distance, but she followed like a shadow, landing blows on his exposed body rather than his guarded head. Realizing her speed was an entire notch above his own, he decided to go on the offense.
He lunged forward to pressure her, throwing a quick jab, but she pivoted lightly on her heel, slipping under his extended arm.
A sharp hook landed across his ribs, followed immediately by another that staggered him backward. He felt the impact of a roundhouse hammering into his shoulder. Before he could brace, her spinning back kick whistled past, striking his midsection and driving him back 15 meters, knocking the air out of his lungs.
Each strike flowed seamlessly into the next, forcing him to react constantly rather than launch his own offense.
"You're pretty tough!" she complimented with a smile, excitement evident in her tone. "Most of my trainers would have already doubled over from that combo."
"Thanks," he said with a cough, trying to recover and regain control of his lungs. "You're not too bad yourself, although your punches could use a bit more power."
"Is that right?" she said, a spark in her eyes as she rose to the challenge.
She charged, preparing for a front kick but faking at the last second and diving in for a straight punch. Alex tried to counter with an uppercut as she leaned forward, but she suddenly angled out of range and delivered a snapping switch kick to his torso. He grunted from the impact, while a wide, excited smile spread across her lips.
Maylene rarely got to use that double-fake since most of her trainers were too weak to pose a proper challenge. Most of the time, she just had her Lucario or Machamp beat the shit out of her, which wasn't exactly much of a fight.
With Alex, though, she could unleash her harshest techniques while still being wary of counters. It was a refreshing experience to fight at her best without it being an official match. She felt the exhilaration and excitement of an even battle without having to hold back or get one-sidedly beaten up.
As Alex raised his guard, she charged in with a twirl. Her elbow came in from the side, striking his shoulder and collarbone with precision and forcing him to shift his weight to maintain balance. His muscles burned, and he felt his reaction times slow, while she maintained the same rapid, fluid rhythm.
She stepped in to finish the sequence with a final cross, and he realized this was his chance. Instead of retreating, he drove forward, slipping under her punch. Her knuckles grazed his jaw, but he surged through it, wrapping his arms around her midsection in a clinch. The sudden lock halted her momentum, and she went off balance, unable to continue her flurry.
He shifted his grip, lifted her slightly, and rotated, slamming her down beneath him. His weight pinned her shoulders and hips, while her legs squirmed under his. She tried to twist free, but he tightened the hold, trapping one arm across her chest and controlling the other beneath him.
As Alex was about to start working on her ribs, Maylene pushed off with her elbow, launching them both into the air. She took the chance to pull away now that she wasn't pinned to the ground and drew her fist back to strike his face. But he wasn't about to let go now that he had finally managed to grab hold of her.
Mid-air, Alex locked his legs around her midsection, grabbed the back of her neck, and pulled her closer. Maylene changed targets and started bombarding his ribs, trying to force him to let go, while her other hand tried to pry off Alex's grip on her neck. Finally, they crashed to the ground with a heavy thud, now flipped, Alex on his back and Maylene on top.
Realizing he wasn't letting go even with his ribs likely broken, she opted to use gravity to break his hold. Taking a kneeling position, she pushed off with one hand and rose to her feet while he still clung to her neck and midsection. Then she swung her upper body down and slammed his back onto the mat, earning a pained grunt for her trouble, but he still didn't let go.
She tried to repeat the process, but at the height of his ascent, he snaked an arm around her neck, completing a guillotine choke. Once she was firmly locked in place, he leaned back and applied pressure, forcing her to double over as panic started to set in.
"Tap out, or I'm going to break your neck," Alex said.
"No! I can still get out of this," Maylene insisted.
"Don't be stubborn. We both know you don't have a way out of this."
Maylene immediately tried to slip to the side of the choking arm to relieve the pressure, but Alex tightened the lock and shifted with her, dragging her back into his centerline before she could change the angle.
She planted a hand on the mat and tried to drive her weight forward into his torso, hoping to crush his leverage, but he adjusted his guard and lifted his hips just enough to keep the choke tight.
Gritting her teeth, she tried to pivot for a back-step into side control, but his legs cinched hard around her midsection, squeezing until her breath hitched and her balance faltered.
Every route she attempted closed the moment she opened it, his counters smooth and automatic, as if he had already mapped out every escape she could think of.
At that moment, she knew she had lost. Not just the fight; she would lose her friend's Pokémon to this man who had outmatched her at her best.
"Gah… fine. You win," she gasped, her voice trembling. "I'm tapping out."
"Wise choice," he said, releasing her before lying on the mat, arms and legs spread wide.
He was exhausted from the relatively short fight. His wind had been knocked out a few times, and a few hits had scrambled his brain. He was also fairly certain she had cracked a few ribs, which would take time to heal.
Suddenly, he heard sobs from Maylene, along with wet patches on his shoulder. She had never moved from her position once he let go. She was still on top of him, her weight pressing down on his body.
Awkwardly, Alex closed both arms around her back and head, lightly stroking her.
"There, there," he murmured, unsure of what to do. "Losing isn't that bad," he consoled, poorly.
"I'm not crying because of that, you insensitive idiot," she shouted, burying her face into his shoulder. "I got over Jenna's death a decade ago when we lost contact, but part of me still hoped she was just somewhere out of signal. I tried to find her, but no one could; her tracks ended in a dead-end underground. Now that I know she's really gone, it feels like I lost her all over again. The worst part is that I lost her Pokémon to some opportunistic bounty hunter."
Alex continued to stroke her hair and back as he listened but wouldn't let go of that last comment.
"They don't want to fight anymore," he whispered gently. "They just want to retire and live in peace. I found them fending off a Tauros nest on the 11th level of a Spacious hideaway and offered them a place at my base in Clearstone Valley, right next to a Champion ranked danger zone. We get Pokémon floods every year, and I could use their help to keep the base secure. The rest of the time, they'll be fed Elite ranked meat and they're free to do as they please."
She listened to Alex's whispers near her ear and considered his words. She hadn't really thought about the Pokémon. At most, she saw them as part of Jenna's memory and planned to treat them well, without truly considering their own desires.
"Are you sure they don't want to fight anymore?" she asked quietly.
"They lost their trainer, Maylene. They don't want another. They just want to rest in peace."
"And… and, you'll take care of them?" she asked through sobs.
"I will."
Maylene let out a soft sigh and gave a small nod before raising her head, only to meet an up-close view of Alex's handsome, smiling face.
'He looks so damn cute,' ran through her mind before becoming aware of how intimately close she was to him, pressed against his hard, muscular body.
His dark eyes drew her gaze, his warmth soothing her grieving heart, his heartbeat slowly syncing with hers. The nearness, the strength beneath her, the unspoken desire in his gaze made her pulse spike and her breath hitch.
Rather than shy away like a young maiden, she leaned in slowly and stole his lips.
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I don't know about y'all, but I giggled like a schoolgirl while writing this last part. Anyway, the R-18 of Alex's round two is up on my Patreon.
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