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Buddies

A race of small, all-male, palm-sized men genetically created to resemble anthropomorphic animals, about 5-8 inches in height and all had magnificent bodies. They are quite sentient and intelligent, able to talk in any language quite fluently. So they were basically mini-men, and they quickly became a worldwide sensation.

At first, they were created as companions or pets for people to take care of during their times of loneliness. But eventually, people noticed two things: They are very sexual beings and they liked to battle. The sexual thing was explained by the original creators that it’s merely a side effect of their creation and it’s nothing to worry about.

As for the battle thing, a new sport was introduced into the world that took it by storm: Buddy Rumble.

---

Skylar smacked his alarm with all his might, almost cracking it down the middle, letting out a groan as he shuffled around under the covers, his tail poking out and lazily swaying side to side. “Ugh… why did I choose this fucking time to change my shifts?” He whined as he finally appeared from under the covers.

He was a young wolf, 21 years old, on break from college and currently working at a nearby cafe run by a friend’s family. The cafe itself was pretty close, but they open super early because they are surrounded by apartments where college students like Skylar stayed.

He got out of bed and made his way to the bathroom, basically shuffling like a zombie, looking at himself in the mirror, he groaned as he rubbed his face. “I really need to tone it down with the games.” He had dark grey fur, part of his grey wolf heritage, but also had brown, tiger-like stripes on his back, shoulders, neck, and arms. His hair was cut short and styled into a fauxhawk, dark brown in color with a streak of blonde down the right side. He wasn’t buff, but he looked fit with a well-defined bod, he took regular care of his body and worked out frequently, although most of it is thanks to full-body motion type games he loves playing.

He grabbed a shower real quick, sprayed a lot of deodorant, tidied his hair a bit, and stepped out to get dressed for the day, wearing a plain t-shirt and some sweatpants, and he can’t forget his glasses, small and rectangular in shape, he can see decently enough without them, but he can’t see too far away, nor small writing without them.

His apartment looked quite normal. Decently sized and had everything for a single person to live in, living room, kitchen-bar, bathroom with shower, and the bedroom.

With his wallet, apartment keys, and everything else he needed in hand, he headed out. He rarely interacted with his neighbors, he kinda misses the old lady that lived on that same floor, sadly she passed away about a year ago and now a young man is living in that apartment. He rarely saw the guy, but he knew it was a tall and very muscular ursine, with rugged but handsome features.

Once out of the apartment building, he greeted the guard as he headed out, taking in the fresh air with a deep breath and a sigh of content. He wasn’t a morning person, but he liked mornings, he’s complex like that according to him. But he didn’t get to enjoy the clear and clean morning as he had the morning shift this weekend at the cafe. The Burrow was a cozy cafe, looks small on the outside, but quite spacious on the inside.

“Hey Max.” Skylar greeted his friend, the one whose parents own and run the Burrows. The inside was all brown and cozy, almost like a hut, the front looked almost like a bar, complete with a long counter lined with stools, and the other side is where coffee, soft drinks, and small foods like sandwiches and such were prepared, of course anything that’s more complicated was prepared in the kitchen in the back. It also had a comfy sitting area in the corner with shelves filled with all kinds of books for those who enjoy a quiet reading or want to study, making it the perfect place for students to visit and relax before or after classes.

“Hey, Sky. Damn, you put yourself together quite nicely for a morning shift.” His friend, Maximilian, or Max for short, was a human with short, black hair, and light skin, he wore a tank top with a sleeveless hoodie on top of it, the brown apron showing the logo of the cafe, a feral bunny sitting inside its home with a tiny, cute chimney at the top, plastered on the front.

“Heya, Sky~!” Suddenly, a tiny figure, about 5 inches tall, jumped up onto Max’s shoulder, it was an anthro rabbit with a buff body, dressed in nothing but an apron and some shorts. His fur was dark brown with a cream-yellow front, his hair done in a small pomp, styled and colored to look like a cinnamon roll. “Must’ve been murder on you to wake up this early, hehe.” He giggled mockingly, teasing the wolf.

“Oh, stuff it Bonbon.” Skylar grumbled at the small rabbit as he came up to the counter.

“Ooohhh, promises, promises~” Bonbon giggled as he turned around, shaking his booty at the wolf, which just pissed off Skylar even more.

“Bonbon, stop teasing him, will ya. Don’t want him running off when we need the extra hands.” Max politely reprimanded his little friend as he prepared some coffee for himself and Skylar. “But still, I hope it wasn’t too early for you, Sky. Considering it's the weekend and all.”

“Not complaining, I’m just not used to it.” Skylar assured his friend as he took a seat on the bar stool.

“Must’ve been up all night playing games. Such a nerd.” Bonbon teased again, easily carrying a couple of paper cups, one in each hand, that were almost as tall as he was.

“Bonbon!” Max reprimanded his Buddy again, a bit more firmly this time. But Bonbon just chuckled impishly as he placed the cups beside Max. Skylar’s eyes shifted guiltily to the side. He couldn’t admit that this was the exact reason he almost missed today’s morning shift. “So, aside from working, any plans for today?”

“Nothing coming to mind. Mostly just games or anime.” Skylar replied as he accepted the cup from Max.

“Weeb.” Bonbon said under his breath, but that got him a quick flick to the back of head from Max. “Ow!”

“Ah, good morning, Sky!” Through the back door that leads to the upper level where the apartment that Sky and his parents lived in, out walked a middle-aged, chubby rabbit with soft features, dressed in a buttoned shirt and pants. “Glad to see you up and ready so early.”

“Good morning, Mr. Sykes.” Skylar greeted as he took a sip of his coffee.

About a minute after, a much taller man, a brown-furred coyote with a fit build walked out with a wide smile. “Ah, there’s my two favorite men in the world!” He grabbed the old rabbit and Max in a tight hug, giving both of them a kiss on the cheek. Then turned to Skylar. “And there’s my second favorite man in the world!” And gave him the same treatment, adding a few pats on the back. “How’re you today, son.”

“Doing great, Mr.-” Skylar started replying, but stopped in his tracks when he noticed the scowl on the coyote’s face. “Uncle Sykes.” That brought the smile back to the coyote’s face.

Mortimer and Donovan, rabbit and coyote respectively, were a married gay couple who opened the Burrows cafe about a decade ago. It was around that time when they adopted Max and the three of them have been together ever since. Donovan was a bit more affectionate and friendly than his husband, to the point that he allows his son’s friends to call him ‘Uncle’ instead of other honorary titles.

Donovan put on his apron before addressing Skylar again. “Glad to have you here this early. Although, from the looks of it…” He gestured to the somewhat empty cafe, only two customers so far, each sitting alone on different tables. “Doesn’t seem like there will be any traffic today.”

“In that case, how about we let them leave early? Both Skylar and Max?” Mortimer suggested as he stood behind the counter, making his own cup of coffee.

“Really?” Both wolf and human asked in unison.

“It’s the weekend, you know we don’t get customers, especially this early in the morning.” Mortimer waved his hand dismissively. “In fact, you can go ahead and skip work today if you want, your pops and I can handle things here.”

“Wait, are you sure?” Max asked, a mix of worry and hope glimmering in his eyes.

“Sure thing, kiddo. Not our first rodeo. You boys go ahead and enjoy your weekend.” Donovan added as he placed an arm around his husband’s shoulders.

Max grabbed both his dads in a firm hug. “You guys are the best!” He then swiped both his and Skylar’s cups, putting lids on them so they can take them out. “Come on, there’s a place I want to show you, Sky.” He said as he hooked an arm around the wolf’s arm and dragged him out, Bonbon jumping into Max’s hoodie to tag along. “Love you guys, see you later!” He called out to his dads as he and Skylar headed out.

---

The Cube was possible the biggest shopping mall in Los Angeles, it’s shape isn’t something to write home about, basically just a gigantic cube, but the inside had literally everything one could want and more, a whole grocery market in the basement, with various shops in the ground and 1st floors, while the top, 2nd floor had two, massive food courts on either side, a few small shops, and a cinema.

As Skylar and Max walked through the mall, Skylar would see all the different kinds of Buddies that many people had with them, he always wondered what the big deal was, they were basically sentient mini-pets with low maintenance. “Say, Max? How is it living with a Buddy?” He found himself asking out of nowhere as he and Max rode the escalator to the upper floor.

“Dude, I’m right here.” Bonbon piped up, glaring at the wolf.

“It’s quite fun. Bonbon would keep me company while I would study or when I’m lonely with nothing to do. It’s pretty amazing.” Max said as he picked up Bonbon from inside his hood, giving him a few loving nuzzles. “You should get one, Sky.”

“Eh, I don’t know…” Skylar murmured as he scratched his head.

“Oh, come on! They’re independent and very low maintenance. Heck, they don’t even have to go to the toilet and don’t eat much. So you won’t be spending a lot of money on them.” Skylar looked around once they were on the 2nd floor. “There! Come on!” He dragged Skylar over to a small shop that had the title of ‘Buddy Complex’. “Here we are!” Inside the shop was full of vibrant colors, and it was clear from the get go that it was a shop that exclusively caters to Buddies and their handlers. All of the customers had Buddies or wanted to buy one, as well as many shelves lined with gear for Buddies to wear and use.

Max brought Skylar over to a line of what looked like gacha machines, but instead of small balls, they had these cylindrical capsules in them with differently colored edges neatly lining a rotating platform, three rows on each machine. “You can try your luck right here!”

“Why can’t I just buy one of the Buddies already on offer?” Skylar asked, noticing the many dioramas where Buddies were casually chilling in, as well as other capsules put inside boxes along with fitting gear for the specific Buddy unit inside.

“Now where’s the fun in that~?” Max asked in his playful tone. “It’s more fun to test your luck, isn’t it?”

“Says the guy who had his own Buddy custom made.”

“Bonbon was supposed to be a mascot for our cafe, but we just grew close together, him and I.”

“Come on, man. No need to be a wuss, hehe.” Bonbon mocked with that impish giggle of his.

That pissed Skylar off, making him march to the closest machine, put a couple of coins in and pressed the button. For a few seconds, he marveled at how the machine slowly turned, giving him quite the scifi vibes, Max was right when he said that this was exciting, Skylar played a lot of gacha mobile games in the past and still does, so trying his luck in real life like that had a sprinkle of that same excitement. His heart almost skipped a bit when the machine suddenly stopped, pausing for about a second… before one of the cylinders slipped into the central tube and out of the receiver compartment for Skylar to take. “Huh… that’s a gloomy color.” The cylinder he picked up had dark colored edges to it.

“Dude! No way!” Max exclaimed a bit too loudly, catching the attention of the clerk and some of the other customers. “You got a red! A mythic-tier on your very first try!?” That certainly perked up the attention of some of the other customers who already had Buddies.

“Is… that good? I didn’t know that Buddies came in tiers.” He flipped his cylinder in the air a couple of times. “Sure feels like a real gacha.”

“Woah, dude, careful!” Max quickly stopped him. “There’s a living being in there, handle with care.”

“Oh shoot, right.” Skylar held up the cylinder to his face. “Sorry about that, um… whoever it is, in there.”

“Well? Aren’t you gonna open it?” Max asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement, an expression mirrored by Bonbon who was perched on his shoulder.

“I think I’ll do it at home. Feels like it's the best course of action.”

“Hmm, yeah true. Buddies that come from capsules like these are usually buck naked.”

“Would’ve loved to see that~” Bonbon commented, a lewd and suggestive smirk on his face.

“Oh, be quiet, you little perv, haha.” Max playfully reprimanded him, giving his head a few rubs with a finger before turning to Skylar. “Well, since we’re here, how about we check the rest of the place out, there are a few shops that opened recently and I wanna check them out.”

“Lead the way, then.” Skylar made a mocking ‘after you’ gesture, earning him a smack to the arm from his friend before they headed out. They spent quite a few hours walking around the mall and having a good time. For a few moments, Skylar even forgot all about the cylinder.

---

Later that afternoon, Max said he needed to head back and help out at the cafe, so he and Skylar parted ways as they neared the apartments. Once he got back into his own, Skylar reached into his pocket for his keys, his hand touching the Buddy container he bought earlier that morning. “Huh, forgot about this thing.” He mused to himself as he opened the door and stepped in.

He tossed his t-shirt on the couch as he took off his shoes, now wearing nothing but an undershirt tanktop, his sweatpants, and socks, carrying the cylinder to the bedroom, which was filled with all kinds of miniatures and figurines of videogame characters, anime, movies, so on and so forth, truly an otaku’s den. As he sat down at his desk, he remembered how Max commented that this was a ‘mythic’ Buddy, apparently that’s the highest rarity among Buddies and supposedly the most powerful units around.

“Alright… let’s see what we have…” He cautiously held both ends of the cylinder tightly… and slowly turning one side until he heard a *click* followed by a small jet of steam bursting out from the edges before the front flicked open, allowing more steam to flow out… and from inside the capsule, a figure emerged, sitting up inside as he woke up from his slumber. “Woooah…” Skylar marveled at the sight as the steam slowly dissipated.

The figure inside gestured for him to come closer. “Hmm?” Skylar did… and *WHACK* he got a swift and quite strong punch to the nose “Yeowch!” causing him to topple over and roll around on the floor. “Ow, ow, ow, ow!” Once the stinging on his nose calmed down, he jumped to his feet, growling at the Buddy. “The hell was that fucking for!?”

“For twirling my cylinder around like a fucking baton. Useless punk.” The Buddy stepped out of his capsule, revealing his full form. It was a wolf with snow-white fur, about 6-7 inches tall with a long, fluffy tail. He looked quite buff and ripped, his right hand and forearm looked like they were made out of a shiny metal, platinum possibly, while his body was covered in scars or ‘cracks’ that had that same shiny color. Another ‘crack’ went across his snout horizontally, and a scar went over his left eye, leaving it blind while his healthy, golden eye glared at Skylar.

“Holy shit… you look so cool~” Skylar said in awe, the initial smack to his snout all forgotten. “I’ve seen plenty of Buddies before, but never seen one like you before.”

“Cause I’m one of a kind, dipshit. Now stop gawking and get me some clothes to wear. I ain’t some animal here.” The Buddy said in a growly, demanding tone.

It was then that Skylar noticed that his new Buddy was butt-ass naked, his solid booty and heavy manhood and jewel sac on full display, both looked quite impressive for someone his size. “Uh… about that…” Skylar stated bashfully, rubbing the back of his head.

“Oh, right. You got me from a capsule.” The Buddy grumbled as he facepalmed. “And like an idiot, you forgot to buy some gear for me.”

“My friend didn’t mention that… and we got distracted.” Now Skylar was feeling guilty, pressing his fingers together.

“Ugh, of all the people out there I’m saddled with this pathetic excuse of a man. Just my fucking luck.”

“Hey, watch it! I’m your handler now, in case you haven’t noticed!”

“Not yet you are.”

… “Huh?” Skylar was flabbergasted.

The wolf Buddy facepalmed again, a bit harder this time, and dragged his hand heavily across his face. “You need to be registered at the nearest Buddy shop before you’re officially recognized as my Handler. Even though I can do better than some…” He looked around the bedroom. “Some lonely weeb.”

Skylar’s eye twitched in irritation. “For your information: Anime and movies are a whole culture of their own, one that needs deep understanding of everything that goes on, dedication to your material and content, and the determination to see everything through no matter how small or tiring it is!”

“In other words, you have way too much time on your hands.” The wolf Buddy rolled his eyes.

Skylar squinted at the Buddy. “I’m starting to like you less and less.”

The Buddy squinted right back. “Trust me, feeling’s mutual.”

“Hmph!” The two let out a synched huff as they turned away from each other. This was gonna be an interesting and tense relationship.

---

The next day, Skylar went straight to the coffee shop with his Buddy in hand, and Max was flabbergasted to say the least. “*gggaaaassspppp* Duuuude! Do you know who this is!?” The human said, his whole face beaming. Looking in wonder down at the lupine Buddy now dressed in a tiny cloth wrapped around his waist.

“Uh… my Buddy?” Skylar asked with a shrug.

“Bro! That’s not just any ‘Buddy’!” Max grabbed Skylar by the face, pulling their faces close to each other. “This is Platinum Wolf! One of Everglade’s newest Buddy units and from their most enigmatic ‘Metallia Familia’ series!” He turned both their faces to look at the lupine Buddy. “And only one of each has ever been made, so this one is one of a kind, literally!” The human was almost hyperventilating at this point.

“Told ya~” The Platinum Wolf said with a very smug look on his face, chest puffed out.

“Doesn’t look like much to me.” Bonbon grumbled, laying down with his head between Platinum's legs, looking directly under his cloth. “But the view is nice from down here- Hey!” He complained as Max picked him up by his foot.

“Stop being a perv, Bon.” Max reprimanded, poking the bunny Buddy on the nose before putting him down. “But yeah, I forgot to mention the whole registering thing. But that’s pretty easy to do at any big, Buddy store. In fact, I know the right place to do it… and get some clothes for this guy.” He leaned in to see what Platinum was wearing. “Is that your glasses cleaning cloth?”

“Had an extra one laying around. Can’t leave him naked all the time.” Skylar explained with a shrug.

“Not like it’s anything new. Us Buddies are not really into clothes much.” Platinum Wolf said with a casual tone.

“Too bad for you, that’s not how society works.” Skylar glared down at the smaller wolf before turning to Max. “Where is that shop you mentioned?”

“How about I take you there myself? I need to buy some stuff for Bonbon either way. Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be right back.” Max went into the back to tell his dads about his new plans, about a minute later, he came back without his apron and a wide smile on his face. “Come on, let’s go.”

From their, they rode the bus towards the city, Skylar could feel the many eyes of other Buddy Handlers on him the whole trip, a couple of them even sauntered over asking if they could touch, see, or get a selfie with the Platinum Wolf, this kind of attention was overwhelming for Skylar, but Platinum was eating it all up. Even though he had that bland, stoic face the whole time.

Eventually, they finally arrived at this big building, almost like a miniature mall, called ‘The Atelier’. When Skylar stepped in, it was almost like he walked into another world, a world made for Buddies. It looked like the shop they visited in the Cube yesterday, but this one was much bigger, almost ten-times bigger, and everything inside was Buddy-oriented, new Buddies fresh off the press, clothes, accessories, and even ‘Buddy Boxes’ which are like small ‘rooms’ for them that can fold into a metallic box. And he definitely couldn’t miss the massive diorama in the center, looking into it, it almost looked like a miniature society the way Buddies walked around in it and interacted with each other.

“Holy shit…” Was all he could say as he didn’t know where to look first.

“Sky! Over here!” Max called him over to one of the cashiers in the middle, a young human lady around their age with very soft and smooth features and her long, blond and pink hair was styled into one, long ponytail. “Marissa, this is my friend Skylar. Sky, this is Marissa, the one who helped me and my dads when we designed Bonbon.”

“So you’re the friend he kept talking about. A pleasure to meet you.” She held out her hand for Sky and he accepted it.

“Pleasure is mine.” He replied with a smile.

“So, let’s see what we’re- OH MY GOD!” She suddenly found herself screaming as her eyes laid on Platinum, catching the attention of everyone there. “I-I-I-Is that the P-P-Pl-P-Pla-Platinum Wolf!?” She reached out a shaky head to touch him.

And Platinum held a finger as if he’s shaking her hand. “A pleasure to meet you, my lady.” He said in a pretty suave tone, Skylar just rolled his eyes.

“Oh my god~! I-I’m really sorry for my reaction, but… the Metallia Familia series from Everglade is so secretive that people didn’t think they existed. There have been pictures and ads for sure, but no solid proof that they were produced.”

“Are they really that impressive?” Skylar glared down at Platinum. “This little shit has been a pain in my ass since yesterday.”

“Says the useless weeb who can’t get off his fat ass.” Platinum shot back.

“You tried to burn down my kitchen!”

“Well I was making breakfast because you were taking your sweet ass time in waking up!”

“It’s the fucking weekend!”

“No excuse to be a lazy bum, punk!”

The two wolves just growled at each other. “My, my, you two seem to be getting along~” Marissa said with a giggle.

“They’re just precious, aren’t they~?” Max added with his own chuckle.

“Like hell we are!” Skylar and Platinum said in perfect unison, then it was back to glaring. “Do you at least have clothes for this one?” Skylar asked grumpily.

“Of course, but how about we get you registered first?” Marissa turned to her computer and typed on it for a bit. “Your ID, please.” Skylar gave her his civil ID and she inputted some of the info on it. “Alright, now Mr. Wolf, if you’d press your hand here.” She placed a miniature palm-scanning device in front of Platinum who did as instructed. “And here we are. Oh my, he is the real deal~” Her heart almost fluttered as she continued registering them. About a minute or so later, the card printer pushed out Skylar’s Buddy License. “And there you have it! Welcome to the Buddy community. So glad to have you with us~! You can view your data and info in our application or by visiting the nearest Buddy shop.”

“Well, that was easy.” Skylar murmured to himself as he looked his license over.

“As for clothes, you are in luck, we got a fresh new shipment of gear, including from Everglade.” She reached under the counter and pulled out a box with a set of very fancy clothing for a Buddy.

“Huh…” Skylar held the box and looked it over. “Didn’t expect it to be this cheap. And the design is quite stylish and cool.”

“That’s because it’s just gear.” Max piped in, carrying a bundle of small items in his hand. “If you were buying a Buddy or a full set, then you’ll see the difference in price, but even then it’s not that much. Told you that taking care of a Buddy is cheap.”

Skylar saw the items in Max’s hand. “The heck are those?”

“A new set of thermostat for Buddies and some new flavor packets for their food.” Max placed the items on the counter for Marissa to ring them up. “Let’s check the place out more since it’s your first time. Since we’re here and all, let's buy everything you need.”

“Sure thing, but first things first.” Skylar turned back to Marissa. “Can Platinum try this outfit on?”

“Of course, this way please.” She led them to the side where a small diorama designed like a fitting room was placed. “We have replicas of all the gear and outfits we have in store, let me get the one for Platinum here.”

A few minutes later, Platinum was dressed in a fancy shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, with a dark brown vest over it, and some long, black suit pants. Fingerless leather gloves and dress shoes covered his hands and feet. Golden chains hung from the vest and belt bands of his pants. “Hmm. Not bad.” He said with a satisfied smile on his face.

“Glad you like it, dear.” Marissa said with a relieved smile.

Platinum pointed sharply at Skylar. “You. Buy it for me, now.”

“What’s the magic word~?” Skylar asked in a jovial, mocking tone.

“I won’t punch your face in. How about that?”

“You rude, little-” The two wolves were once again glaring and growling at each other.

“How adorable~” Max and Marissa said in unison.

But, Skylar did buy the actual outfit for Platinum, and the wolf Buddy wasted no time changing into it, Marissa even threw in a long, fur-trimmed coat for extra style, ‘On me’ she said. “Have fun on your new adventure together and do let me know if you need any more help.”

Max grabbed Skylar and dragged him away. “Come on!” The human was just excited that his friend, the last one from their little group, finally got a Buddy, so he wanted to show him everything he could.

And Skylar was pretty green when it came to anything Buddy related. The way they dressed, the food they ate, the other small items like health check up stuff, accessories, and even the Buddy Boxes looked quite neat. Platinum wanted Skylar to buy one, but the bigger wolf didn’t want to dive into the deep end, just yet, much to Platinum’s annoyance.

As they were conversing with another Buddy on display, someone sauntered over to them. “Well, look who it is.” Both Max and Skylar deadpanned as they turned to see who it was. “If it isn’t the Weeb Squad. Although you’re missing a couple members.”

“What do you want, Dane?” Skylar asked in an impatient tone.

Dane was a large bull, tall, black fur, blonde hair, and possibly the most muscular build the wolf has ever seen. The guy was in their college wrestling team and he was an absolute meathead with the toxic masculinity to boot. “Just surprised to see you, is all. And of course you’re surrounding yourself with more pipsqueaks.” Dane said as his eyes fell on Platinum Wolf.

“Says the biggest brute on campus.” Max said under his breath, but he made sure it was loud enough for Dane to hear.

“Maxxie, baby!” Dane said with a wide grin, rudely shoving Skylar away and onto the ground as he stepped up to Max. “How about you finally ditch the twink and spend time with me?” He began flexing and showing off his muscles, vanity oozing from him like slime. “See these big cannons? I’ll make sure you always have a good time~” He added a wider grin, showing off his pristine white teeth. “And don’t worry, El Mucho here can take care of Bonbon~”

As he said that, Dane’s Buddy jumped up onto his shoulder. It was a VERY bulky and muscular-looking crocodile, dressed in very tight spandex pants and a mask, giving luchador vibes. “Hey there, honeybuns~” Mucho greeted the bunny Buddy as he started flexing and posing, just like his Handler. Bonbon just rolled his eyes, just like his own Handler, he can’t stand either of those meatheads.

“How about you mind your own business?” Max said sharply as he walked over to Skyler, helping him up to his feet. “Come on, let’s go.”

“Why waste your time with that weakling?” Dane pressed, trying his best to hide the venom in his voice, the very idea that Max would choose someone like Skylar was nothing short of an insult. “Look at me! I’m big, strong, handsome. What does that mutt have that I don’t?”

“A bit of courtesy and humbleness, to start?” Max said in a mocking tone as he faced-off against the bull.

“Come on, let’s just get outta here.” Skylar said as he tapped Max on the arm.

“Yeah, that’s it. Running away with your tail between your legs, like always.” Dane mocked with a fake crying gesture.

“Sir, if you keep going on like this, I’m gonna have to ask you to leave.” Marissa, having had enough of the big bully, stepped up to him, arms crossed and a very cross look on her face.

“Hah, now you're letting ladies fight for you. How pathetic you are, for a wolf.” Dane just kept on hammering away.

Skylar just did his best to tune out the bull’s voice as he and Max made for the exit. “He’s not wrong.” Platinum suddenly said, sitting on a nearby shelf watching the whole thing from a distance.

“Don’t start with me, you half-baked mannequin.” Skylar growled.

“Running away from a brainless brute like that? Yeah, I consider it pathetic.” Platinum kept on going.

“Don’t act like you fucking know me. I’m no coward.” Skylar got right in the wolf Buddy’s face, fangs bared and hackles raised.

“Then prove it.” Platinum wasn’t phased, pressing his nose against Skylar’s defiantly.

For some reason, this made Skylar’s blood boil like nothing before. He’s used to Dane’s antiques, he knew the damn ox all the way back from middle school, so this was nothing new. But seeing Platinum looking down on him like that? That made his rage skyrocket like no other. But he can’t try and beat up the bull, for one thing the guy was almost twice his size in muscle, and second he can’t just attack someone in a public establishment.

“There is another way.” Bonbon suddenly piped up, jumping on Skylar’s shoulder. “This is a Buddy shop after all. And one this big always has one of those in it, somewhere.”

“Oh right! There’s always that!” It was Max’s turn to pipe up. “With Platinum on your side, you can’t possibly lose to Dane or Mucho!”

Skylar knew what they were talking about. “Dude, in case you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty new to the Buddy scene! What can I even do?”

“Not much. Just provide instructions and trust your Buddy.”

“Trust him?” Skylar pointed accusingly at Platinum, who just rolled his eyes. “HIM?”

“You have to. He is your Buddy now.”

Skylar just grumbled and rubbed his face in frustration… but this could be his chance to shut the bull up, if at least for a while. “Alright, where do we go?”

“This way, please.” Marissa appeared suddenly behind them, a wide smile but unsettling smile on her face. She then began walking away to lead them towards a door that appears to lead deeper into the store.

The dark, dimly lit hallways felt too long for Skylar, and the longer he walked through it, the more he was filled with dread. Until he felt something pinch his cheek. “Keep your head up, pup. You don’t want that bull of all people to see you curling up on yourself.” Platinum admonished him, but it almost felt… fatherly. And surprisingly enough, that calmed Skylar down instantly, allowing him to carry himself high and confidently once again.

They finally reached the end of the hallway and walked through the door on the other side… and it opened up to a massive space, a stadium if you will, complete with an audience stand and an arena of sorts in the middle that shifted between images of various places. But it was too small for actual people to use… so this must be one for Buddies.

“Hah!” Dane let out a mocking laugh as he stood on the other side of the arena. “When the clerk lady said you’d challenge me, I thought she was joking.” Skylar glared at Marissa who gave him an apologetic look. “But glad that you’re here. Finally will beat you down so hard, you won’t get back up. Well, not me directly.” He gestured to El Mucho, who made a neck-slicing gesture toward Skylar and Platinum.

“Cocky punks.” Platinum growled as he clenched his fists. Skylar was glad that he was getting motivated as well.

Skylar took his position on his side of the arena, once both Handlers took their place, a podium rose from the ground in front of each of them, it had a small screen at the center and what looked like an earpiece attached to the side. “This is what you use to communicate with your Buddy during battle.” Max explained as he handed the earpiece to Skylar, Bonbon handing a tinier one to Platinum. “Kick their ass out there.” He gave Skylar an encouraging pat on the shoulder before stepping away.

“No promises.” Skylar mumbled to himself as he put the earpiece on.

“Hey, hold this for me.” Platinum tossed his coat to Skylar without even looking. “And don’t you dare drop it.”

“Yeah, yeah. I paid actual money for this, so no need to worry.” There was a pause between the two of them as the area gave off a powerful, almost blinding shine, a diorama slowly rising from underneath. “Good luck out there.”

“Same to you.” Platinum replied before jumping into the arena was completely revealed. It almost looked like a mountain range, complete with boulders and massive rock formations.

Once both Buddies were in the arena, a large holographic display appeared in the air, capturing any and all possible angles. At the very top showed pictures of both Buddies, one showing Platinum Wolf and the other showing Brutal Maw, El Mucho’s model, which was very different from his current design. Another screen appeared with big and bold words on it.

[Ready?]

“I’m gonna enjoy this!” Mucho said as he crackled his knuckles.

[Battle Start!]

He charged at Platinum at a high speed, moving way too fast for someone of his bulk, arm pulled back as mysterious energy engulfed his clenched fist, ready to deliver a powerful strike.

“Platinum! Dodge!” Skylar yelled into the earpiece, but Platinum didn’t move. “Dude! Just get out of there!” Again, no response.

“You’re mine!” With a mad and confident grin, Mucho swing his fist with all his might. But everyone was shocked when Platinum stopped that powerful punch with a couple of fingers. “The fuck!?” He tried to push his fist in, but Platinum didn’t budge. “How!?”

“Because you're weak. That’s how.” Now it was Platinum’s turn. Slowly pulling back his other hand, the one made of metal, clenching his fist as glimmers of energy began sparkling all around it… right before bursting into a white flame that spiraled around his fist and forearm.

“The hell!? Mucho, stand back!” Dane suddenly ordered his Buddy.

Mucho tried to pull away, but Platinum quickly held onto his fist to keep him in place. “Going somewhere?” The wolf then swung, the flames bursting into a mighty fire, the contact with Mucho’s face was hard, impactful, and quite crunchy, with quite a lot of force that sent the croc flying away at high speed, crashing straight through multiple boulders before slamming hard into the very far side of the arena, pinned against the wall as a crater formed where he made impact.

“H-Holy shit…” Skylar said in awe as he watched Platinum dismissed the flames with a sharp but elegant swipe of his arm. “Dude, you’re AWESOME!”

“Don’t get cocky, pup. We still haven’t won.” Platinum reminded his Handler as he took a calm fighting stance.

Skylar clapped his cheeks to make himself focus. But after that display, it was hard not to get a tiny bit cocky. “Yeah, I hear ya. Now let’s win this thing!” Both wolves shared a confident grin as they both braced themselves for battle.

Their very first Buddy Rumble battle.