Baramon

Episode 3 – Grounds

“Get the fuck up, pup!”

Howl grimaced at and opened his bleary eyes. A huge row of sharp teeth was the first thing he saw and he let out a loud yelp. He immediately leapt back and slammed his back against the wall. It took him a second to register the black and orange fur that framed the fangs.

“T – Taser?” he stammered.

His eyes roved his surroundings. He was back in his room in Weed’s home. The plain, Spartan surroundings were still very alien to him. Heart racing, he slowly propped himself up and rubbed the back of his head.

“What…? What happened? Last thing I remember…?”

“You were being fucked by the Sensei on the arena floor?” sneered Taser.

“I did what?”

Yeah, Hiro said grumpily. You leapt over the barrier and made a beeline for Grounds like a dog in heat. Don’t worry, you weren’t the only one. Just the first.

He paused a moment.

“Was it good?”

Hiro just grimaced and fell silent.

Taser leaned forward and peered into his ears. “Did Grounds rupture your eardrums when he fucked you or something? You heard me. You got fucked by the Big Bear himself. Kind of an honour but probably means you’ll be lifting your tail if we ever fight him.”

“Hey! I can stand my ground against him if I have to!”

The tiger straightened and turned his back to Howl, waving a paw absently over his shoulder. “I dunno about that, pup. Newbies like you don’t usually stand up against a Sensei’s Eyes of Ruin.”

“Eyes of what?”

Taser threw a gaze over his shoulder, a mischievous smirk on his features. His bright irises suddenly turned blood red. A strange mark displaced itself over his eyes. It looked like a cross enclosed within a circle. A shudder ran through Howl’s entire body causing his hackles to rise. He suddenly became divided between the urge to dive beneath his sheets and pull up his blanket protectively over his body or to stand up, beat his chest like a beast and charge at Taser.

Whoa! Howl! What’s gotten into you!?

He blinked several times and shook his head. “What…? What was that?”

Taser frowned and turned towards him with one busy eyebrow raised. “Huh… Impressive.” He crossed his big, meaty arms. “The Eyes of Ruin is something all Psyches have. Even you, fucker. It’s what we use to start fights.”

I do recall Broderick and Butch’s eyes turning that weird colour when they fought and the Battleground was generated.

“Brodie or Weed might be able to tell you more but basically, if you activate your Eyes, the weak willed will do whatever the fuck you want but those that are strong might just fight back.” Taser shrugged his massive shoulders and held up his paws in a helpless gesture. “Generally, if a Psyche uses it against another Psyche, they trigger a battle. Use it on a human and you might just make them suck your cock. Of course, if they want to fight, you might end up punching them out anyway. Or causing them to emerge. Dunno.”

“Is that what Grounds used on us?” Howl ruffled his own hair. “I don’t remember him using it… And we were really far from him. How could I see his eyes? Last thing I remember was him stomping on the ground…”

The brawny tiger let out a soft snort. “Dude, that was it. Grounds had full-on coverage all over the stadium and he’s crazy strong. That stomp? That was just how powerful his Eyes were.”

The big, brawny tiger with the blonde dreadlocks turned again and headed towards the door. “So come on, time to eat. Then we head out to the challenge.”

“What? Already?” Howl asked. “After last night?” He grimaced and rose to his feet, rubbing his ass a little. “I still feel sore from all the fucking…”

“Get your Manifesto to heal you then. We don’t got time for your shit.”

“Hiro…”

Oh God! So you get to plough guys all night last night and become someone cum bucket and I have to heal you? How do I even do that!?

“I don’t know. It was just sort of passive for me. I just focused on the parts that hurt.”

I’m not touching your ass!

“Come on, man. You’re not really touching my ass. It’s yours too.”

That makes it even weirder!

Howl rolled his eyes and followed Taser back down to the first floor as he continued to argue with Hiro mentally. The aroma of fresh eggs, bacon and chicken sausages made his muzzle water. Gathered around the round dining table were the other members of Baramon were already eagerly digging into their meals. There was a heaping ‘volcano’ of eggs that was the centrepiece of the meal that Howl just could not take his eyes off.

“Uh… What the hell is that?” he asked.

Galahad grinned at him and pulled out the chair to his right. “Mornin’ mate. And I call it my ‘Volcanic Scramble’. Kind of a themed breakfast for today ‘cuz we’re goin’ to the Earth Challenge, ya know?”

The tower of eggs was quite incredible and Howl had to wonder how in the world the mountain of yellowish mush didn’t collapse under its own weight. There was even some artfully splattered ketchup all over the tip and the sides to give it an authentic volcanic look. There was a sea of what rice, peas, eggs and other chopped vegetables around the base of the volcano. A stack of sausages sat nearby as well arranged artfully to look like a funeral pyre and what looked like a pit of hot sauce right in the middle. By contrast, the bacon was just stacked in a huge pile right next to it in no particular pattern. Fresh fruit had also been placed nearby consisting of oranges, watermelons, bananas and apples.

Even Hiro was starting to salivate in the depths of the dark ocean.

Howl sat right next to Galahad and offered the Clydesdale his thanks. He noticed that there were also a few coolers arranged at the kitchen counter. From the smell wafting from them, there were sandwiches and more fruit in them as well as some beverages that he couldn’t quite identify.

“So we’re just going to go straight to the challenge?” he asked. “No training beforehand?”

“This is your training,” Weed said brightly. “No better way to practice than at a Gym!”

So we’ve got to humiliate ourselves in front of everyone to get better. Great. A fantastic way to learn.

“Hiro is being a pussy,” Howl said, shovelling a heap of eggs and rice onto his plate. “He’s wondering why we can’t just practice a bit first without being judged.”

That’s not what I said!

“It’s what you meant.”

“I know it’s a competition,” Weed said, the only one in human form at the table. “But don’t let what Pot said get to you or the fact that a lot of other competitors are going to try and ruffle your feathers. Remember, the original goal of the Gyms was to encourage interaction between Psyches and Manifestos in a controlled environment without killing one another or harming others. Basically, we communicate through fighting and challenging ourselves! That’s how we get stronger.”

“By absorbing EXP, right.”

“Right! But it’s not always about raw power, you know.” He winked at Howl. “After all, if we were to judge on raw power alone, Grounds and Clay would have us beat without lifting a finger! It’s how you use your skills and abilities that’s important.”

Howl shovelled the eggs into his muzzle. The ketchup added a rather nice tang to the otherwise milky eggs which again begged the question as to how in the world Galahad managed to craft it all into a volcano that remained standing. “Clay?” he asked.

His Psyche, I’m guessing.

“Cornelius Grounds’ Psyche,” provided Buck but his mannerisms revealed that it was Broderick talking. That and his dark eyes. When Howl gave him a curious look, Broderick – as a stag – gave him a shy, wry smile. “Buck is still trying to sleep off the fun from last night. We sort of got passed around the crowd like a bong…”

“No shit!” Howl laughed. “How’d you manage that? Can I try?”

Jesus Christ, Howl! Have you no standards!?

He ignored Hiro and smiled encouragingly at Broderick.

“Comes from being a traditionally ‘prey’ species,” said Broderick with a rather cute blush onto his cheeks. “A lot of guys wanted to have some ‘venison’.”

“I could use some with my breakfast,” rumbled Howl with a lick of his lips. His paws were already roving along Brodie’s strong legs and the stag quivered in anticipation.

“Save yer fucking for the challenge, kids,” Taser huffed. He tipped his head back and guzzled a whole glass of milk in one move. “This challenge is going to be tough.”

“He’s right,” Weed said with a nod. “The description was suspiciously… brief. It almost seems too simple.”

The conversation was turning to the serious so Howl reigned in his hormones and pulled his paw away from Brodie. He continued to eat while the rest of the team continued munching and talking.

“We’re still rolling a boulder that’s pretty fucking heavy,” Taser said. “Do we have a strategy?”

Their sponsor nodded and plucked an orange from the fruit bowl. Taking from his example, Howl reached forward and grabbed a handful of grapes. With his big paw, he grabbed about two bushels.

“I do have a plan,” Weed said. “First, we start hitting you really hard, Taser.”

“What!?” yowled the tiger. “Why?”

“Because you get stronger the more ya get hit, mate,” Galahad said with a bright grin. “Hey Prof, can’t we just fuck him until he gets all powered up?”

Weed shook his head grimly. “Will take too long. Remember, we’re on a time limit. Best to just hit him. Coupled with your ability to enhance his powers, Galahad, we should be able to generate enough strength to get the boulder rolling. Afterwards, it’s just a matter of controlling it. That’s where you come in, Brodie.”

“You want me to use some spells?” Brodie asked.

“Actually, no. They’d take far too long to cast. I would actually prefer you use your strong legs to kick the boulder along its path.”

The stag nodded as he swallowed some rice. “I can do that. Yeah.”

“Where do I come in?” Howl asked. He felt all eyes turn to him and he puffed out his chest, swimming in the attention. Hiro cringed as four pairs of eyes first exchanged glances before turning back to him.

“Taser’s ability has a limit as well,” Weed said. “Howl, I need you to keep hitting him to maintain his strength. By the laws of physics, that boulder will slow down. It won’t just keep rolling.”

Howl turned to Taser and grinned devilishly at him. “So do I just slap your ass or something or do I have to get a whip?”

The foul-mouthed tiger returned a vicious grin. “I can take whatever you can dish out, motherfucker.”

“Then it’s settled,” Weed said, slapping his hands against the table. “We’re scheduled to start our challenge in about four hours but I want us there early to see how the other teams are doing and how they approach the challenge. Again, the description was suspiciously… brief. I have this dark feeling there’s a stipulation that they failed to mention.”

They quickly finished breakfast. Despite the immense spread, four very hungry Psyches after a night of non-stop sex devoured the entire meal quickly with enough room to lick the plates clean. They prepared to leave by placing the coolers of food into the back of their buggies and with Howl taking his leather jacket and draping it across his shoulders as always. It was fast becoming an instinct of his and he had to admit that there was a little bit of him that felt naked without it. That and Hiro wouldn’t stop reminding him of it.

As they drove, Brodie explained that the hundreds of smaller arenas around the crater were built specifically for the Challenges. Grounds and his Trainers would only fight the teams in the second round after the first set of qualifiers passed the challenge and then only at the Main Arena.

“Over the next few days, most of the attention will be on the smaller arenas,” Brodie explained. “Fans will be watching their favourite teams and cheering them on.”

“We’ve got fans?” Howl asked excitedly, his tail wagging.

“Well no. Not really. We’ve never actually finished a Gym before so we’re not so… well known.”

“Guess that would’ve been too much to ask.” He glanced over his shoulder to where Galahad and Taser were driving a short distance behind them. “I feel sorry for Galahad, though. He’s been at this for three years and hasn’t won a single one…”

“He’s not in it for the power or the accolades. Gabe and Galahad just like meeting new people. Gabe is originally from Germany and was a backpacker until he emerged as a Manifesto. He came under Professor Weed before us. He loves to love. And make love. If you get my drift.”

Howl chuckled softly. “Damn. So we’ve got the bookish guy who is basically a were-fratboy, the foreign exchange student that likes to fuck and the cuddly kitty cat that turns into a raging tiger. Oh and let’s not forget the closeted gay guy and his overt counterpart. You think I should get a tattoo that says ‘massive slut’ on my ass? Or maybe I should start talking with a lisp?”

Don’t you fucking dare!

He had to snickered a Hiro’s discomfort but he caught Brodie’s serious look at him and his mirth faded.

“I know you two are just starting out but you really should make an effort not to tease Hiro so much, Howl,” said the stag. “Part of being a Psyche and Manifesto is being to trade places easily. You know about the Emergence and Empathy forms, right?”

He remembered the lecture they had received on the topic. “Yeah. Some alternate shapes we take based on the balance between Psyche and Manifesto. Why?”

“I can see you’re in it for the power, the victory and fame. Right?”

The wolf huffed. “Well, yeah. Hiro may think all his hard work will get him somewhere but I’m the part of him that wants to be rich and famous now!” He cocked his head to the side. “Why bring that up?”

“Because I want you to remember that Cornelius Grounds and Clay have been at this for decades. Over a century even. They’ve mastered their three forms. You’ve barely mastered your one. You want the fame and fortune? You’re going to have to work with Hiro to even stand up against Grounds.”

He’s right you know. You can’t just ignore me every time I say something.

“I don’t ignore you. I just don’t think a lot of what you have to say is valid.”

“Well bring him on!” Howl exclaimed proudly. “I’m going to beat Grounds without even shifting form! Hell, if I get to cream him without even figuring out my ability, so much the better!” He winked and lightly elbowed Brodie. “Get it? Cream? Because I’m going to fuck him.”

Brodie rolled his eyes. “Yes, Howl. I got it. Thank you.”

They approached one of the smaller arenas around the crater located just fifteen minutes away from their homestead. There were already a few teams there though Howl was slightly disappointed that Nightshade wasn’t present. It was an open-air stadium akin to a horserace track. Stands were shallow and couple probably fit, at most, five hundred people and were only positioned under the western side of the track. An enormous, perfectly round boulder sat right in front of the stands with a chequered line denoting the starting and finish line.

The teams were spread out amongst the stands with some considerable distance between them. Most, if not all, the Psyches were naked. Howl wasn’t sure how he knew but he felt like the Psyches out on the stands were all newly emerged like him. Perhaps it was how one large bull was having his fur brushed by a woman and fussing over him like a mother. The scene made for bizarre viewing.

There were few that were not competing and he guessed those humans or Manifestos that stood in the cordoned off area right next to the tracks were the spectators.

“I thought you said that all eyes were going to be on the challenges today,” Howl asked Brodie. In one hand, he was carrying a cooler.

“Bro, it ain’t like we’re hot news right now,” answered the stag. His eyes were back to being blue meaning that Buck was in control. “If you go to the Challenges closer to the Main Arena, then yeah, you’d get all the flashing lights, the reporters and shit. But us. Yeah, we’re like D-list celebrities right now. Unknowns.” He slapped Howl’s back jovially. “But man, we can be one of wildcard team this year! We can totally breeze through this Challenge, make it to challenging Grounds and get all the fucking publicity! I’ll get to show them my sweet moves!”

The stag began dancing forward, lashing out with his legs in mocking karate kicks. Taser and Galahad, however, flinched away from the flailing limbs.

“Fuck!” cried the tiger. “Watch where you’re swinging those things, asshole!”

“Yeah, careful mate. You’ll send one of us flying out of the arena!”

Are his legs that powerful?

“Remember when he fought Butch?” Howl reminded. “He launched himself ten storeys into the air without a sweat. Imagine if he were trying and he hit us with that… I’d prefer to keep my body as is seeing as you’re not willing to lick my wounds.”

Why should I clean up after your sexual escapades!?

“You know, if you’d join me, it’d be our sexual escapades and you’d actually like it. Then again, you’re being fucked right now by that stick up your ass!”

They mentally sparred all the way to where Weed took up position near the middle of the stands. There, they sat down and watched as the first team stepped forward. A group of eight bears wearing the costume of the Gym Trainers were positioned at the forefront of the stands. Howl noted that there were another three similar groups at equal distances along the track. Likely there to keep the seven and a half hundred-ton boulder from rolling off out of bounds. In the back of his mind, he imagined one such boulder being kicked by Brodie out of the arena and rolling around the crater. The idea of the excess destruction that would cause while Brodie just stood back and let out a slurred ‘Ooops, sorry bro’ made him giggle.

That’s not funny, Howl! People could get hurt!

“Shut up. It’s hilarious.”

One of the bears stepped forward, holding a microphone to his muzzle. “Morning folks!” he announced. “Welcome challengers and spectators to today’s Earth Gym Challenge right here a Sedimentary Park. We’ve got a lot of hopeful teams here so we’ll get right to it.

“The rules are simple. You have to get this big boy…” He patted the large, dusty boulder. “… around the entire race track, sticking to the track itself, for one lap in thirty minutes. If you roll it off the track, you have to get it back on the track for your victory to count. For every minute, you have a boulder off the track, you’ll be penalized another minute from your total time.”

Galahad let out a soft huff. “Clever bastards. So our time goes by twice as fast if we’re off the track.”

“Can’t we just cut across then?” Howl suggested. “Move the boulder right down the middle of the track and start halfway through?”

“Too risky, mate. If it takes us fifteen minutes to move it to the other side of the track by cutting across the middle, we’d already be out of time.”

The bear continued. “Anything goes, otherwise. You can use any abilities, any spells, any tactic and any_one _to get the boulder moving and around the track itself. Good luck, folks!” He looked at the tablet he was holding. “So first up, we have a team from Nebraska. Give it up for Taurus!”

The team consisted entirely of bulls. Even their sponsor was a big, beefy hunk of male. The four bovines took up position behind the boulder. The large screen opposite to the stands showed a timer and a close up of each of the contestants. The camera switched from each Psyche one at a time with a few stats and personal histories displayed. After they had all been shown, one of the Trainers blew a whistle and shouted ‘Go’.

The bulls immediately threw their entire weight against the boulder.

Much to Howl’s surprise, the huge sphere of rock actually began moving within a few seconds.

“Wow…” he gasped. “They’re strong.”

“I dunno ‘bout that, mate,” rumbled Galahad. “The boulder’s perfectly round. Once they get it rolling, it’ll be easy.” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “But something really is off about this…” His dark eyes went to each of the groups of bears standing at the cardinal points of the track. “What are those Trainers doing there?”

“Probably to keep the boulder from rolling off.”

“No… You’d only need one Trainer there but there’s a whole bunch of them. Something is really off about this.”

Howl was about to protest but Hiro hushed him and told him to pay attention. The bulls’ strong muscles were well at work and they were grunting and huffing as they rolled the boulder down the track. Their sponsor was shouting at them, giving them directions. It seemed there was no restrictions on the involvement of the sponsor.

“I guess the rules did say you could use anyone_…”_

You know, a clever man might actually see if any other teams might want to help out rolling the boulder. Get maybe, ten, twenty Psyches to help? Victory would only go to the one team but it’d make things easier.

“Look at you thinking about being social.”

Shut up, Howl.

“Don’t suppose we have any friends in the stands, do we?” he asked Galahad.

“The arenas the teams go to is random. Why? Got someone ya wanna meet?”

“No. Just wondering if we could rope some of the other teams to help us. They said anyone could help, right?”

The Clydesdale gave him a curious look and then beamed. “Ha! You’re right! Maybe we should –”

A loud shout erupted from the field. Both Psyches turned back towards the boulder where one of the bears near the first checkpoint suddenly tackled one of the bulls to the ground. Pillars of rock suddenly erupted from the ground and wrapped around the bull’s arms and legs, pinning him to the ground in a prone position with his ass in the air. The bear, licking his lips, tore off his shorts and immediately stuffed his huge dick into the bull’s waiting ass.

“What the hell!?” Taser roared. “That ain’t fucking fair!”

The rest of the crowd began protesting and even the other bulls stopped in shock. They charged towards the bear who was fucking their teammate but a dismissive wave of his paw sent a wall of earth blocking them both.

“I know what you’re thinking folks,” the announcer said, laughing jovially. “But like I said, anything goes. You didn’t think we’d make it easy for you, did you?”

Howl’s eyes widened. “Oh fuck me…” he murmured.

Those groups of bears… they were there to impede each of the team members. Even he couldn’t get hard as he watched the bull let out a loud ‘moo’ of ecstasy as his cock blasted out his cum like a firehose. The bovine’s entire body shuddered and quaked. Enormous muscles shrank rapidly. Silky, brown fur seeped back into pale skin and his proud horns sank back into his skull. Within moments, the bull had slumped into a puddle of his own cum, back to being human and with his Manifesto looking around, blinking in surprise.

“Time’s still ticking, Taurus!” laughed the bear.

The clock indicated that there were still twenty minutes left.

Weed slumped into his seat with a grumble. “Damn. This is what I was afraid of. There’s always a catch. Always.”

The three remaining bulls, now a man down, exchanged glances, unsure what to do. Their sponsor barked at them and the immediately threw their weight back against the boulder. Without their fourth member, the group was severely strained and progress was slowed. The sponsor charged onto the track and plucked the dazed Manifesto off the ground and took him to the stands, yelling at him. Howl guessed the poor guy was being forced to transform back but the dazed look on the poor guy’s face indicated such an explosive orgasm that all the problems of the world were secondary.

All the other teams were rapidly reconsidering their strategies.

“Prof,” Buck began. “Should we…”

Weed held up his hand. “Let’s first see how the rest plays out… This isn’t over.”

Then a bear from the second checkpoint began striding over to the bulls before they had even made it halfway. He just swaggered over, arms crossed and positioned himself beside the bulls. He just waggled his eyebrows confidently and the big boys from Nebraska just froze in terror. It seemed that the bear was playing a game of eenie-meenie-miney-moe. When he picked one, the bull panicked and bolted for the stands. The bear just licked his lips and charged after him. A stone wall erupted from the ground, boxing the bull and barring him from the crowd. Howl could only see the bear striding up to the little enclosure before disappearing behind the walls. The loud cries that emerged were cringe-worthy until they became shouts of bliss. The wall receded to the ground to once again reveal the bear standing tall and proud, licking his lips while a prone, dazed human lay in a pool of his own cum.

And now, the all-bull team was down to just two members. Progress was even slower. They were barely moving the boulder at all at this rate. To their credit, they didn’t give up even if they were barely halfway across the track. A third bear plucked off a third member of the team and the last just gave up and joined the two as they fucked out in the open.

“Looks like that’s it, folks!” laughed the commentator. “But us a second to clean up the track and move the boulder back and then we’ll move on to our next team!”

The remaining bears used their powers to repave the track, smoothening the grounds. A few of them easily rolled the boulder back into position in front of the stands where the next team was called. When the whistle blew, the second team didn’t fare much better. Wholly unprepared for the twist, they tried to put all their weight against the boulder and get it around the track faster than the Trainers could attack.

But it was still a seven and a half-tonne boulder and no matter how strong they were, they could not get it around two and a half miles before one of the Trainers struck and crippled their numbers.

“Fuck this…” Taser growled, rising to his feet. “I’m out of here.”

Howl started and Hiro flailed in the water in the surprise. “Wait. Why? Where are you going?”

The tiger flipped off the bears who were quickly chuckling at their latest conquests. “This is one of those fucking unbeatable challenges! There’s no way to win! It’s impossible!”

“That can’t be true,” Howl insisted. He turned to Buck. “What if you cast a protective spell or something? Maybe something to make the boulder lighter.”

Buck grimaced and pointed at the track. “Bro…”

The team there was desperately trying to cast spells, chanting and drawing symbols across the surface of the boulder to some effect. They seemed to start out well. Somehow, the managed to get the sphere rolling without touching it but when the Trainers came in, their whole plan went down the drain. Some sort of barrier had been erected against the bear’s approach but likewise, the Trainer had his own spells and with a fist, he punched through their shield and seized the closest Psyche.

Howl didn’t need to watch to know what that meant for the rest of the team.

“Well… Our plan could still work!”

“You don’t even know your fucking ability,” Taser growled. “How the hell are we supposed to beat this challenge when we’re already one man down!?”

The insult dug deep and he immediately sprang to his feet. “Hey! I didn’t ask to come along to this thing! You guys needed me to enter this Gym’s competition in the first place!”

“Shouldn’t have tried,” Galahad sighed softly. By the thick German accent, it was actually Gabriel in control. The Clydesdale sat between Taser and Howl so he was able to push the two of them apart to avoid confrontation. “Howl, it’s a common tactic to preserve one’s strength and admit defeat when victory is impossible. Remember, every time we get fucked by another Psyche, we make the other Psyche stronger. We don’t want to ‘feed’ the Trainers.”

Howl glanced over to the latest team that was back to human form and being dragged by their dejected sponsor to the stands. He recalled Weed’s explanation about the transference of EXP. When a Psyche was forced to have their Manifesto take control again, they expelled their EXP. Each person that lost out there was only making the Trainers stronger. A few of the bears were using their powers to collect the spilled cum and pool them into large clay bowls which they toasted and then drank.

“There’s always another Gym and next year,” Gabriel continued. “There are 52 weeks in a year and a Gym is open for four weeks every year. There will always be at least one Gym open.” He gave Howl a lopsided smile. “Perhaps next year, the Challenge won’t be so impossible.”

Professor Weed let out a resigned sigh and got up. “I’ll go tell the officials we’ll forfeit.” He glanced across the stands. “Looks like we aren’t the only ones throwing in the towel.”

Other sponsors were heading down to the bears leaving only a few to take up the challenge.

“So that’s it?” Howl said, throwing his paws into the air. “We’re giving up? That’s the end of our attempt at this Gym? We’re here one day and we don’t even try? We go home and that’s it!?”

Weed gave him a defeated smile. “We can still stay the rest of the week. Maybe hit one of the Gyms and undergo some training with the Trainers there. See the sights. Won’t be so bad.” He shrugged absently. “And I guess if we’re feeling more confident, we can try the Challenge again. After all, anyone can try it as long as the Gym is open.”

Gives me time to catch up on my studies.

“Not now, Hiro!”

Hey, this is just a competition with no real reward or merit apart from you getting bigger muscles and comparing dicks. I’m working towards a career that’ll put food on our table!

“But this is my dream!”

Since when!? You only heard about it four days ago!

“Don’t get in the way of my dream, Hiro. Not like dad.”

He felt Hiro bristle and he grimaced, knowing he had overstepped his boundaries.

Never call him that, sneered his Manifesto_. Ever._

Howl nodded slowly. “Yeah. Okay. Sorry. But still… This is important to me, Hiro. We’ve had twenty years knowing what it’s like to be human. I want to know what it’s like to be a Psyche and this is the best way. Please?”

There was a pause from Hiro’s side. Outwardly, it was less than half a microsecond but for Howl, it seemed to last an eternity. He found himself looking down into the depths of the dark ocean with Hiro’s image barely visible through the choppy waters. His human crossed his arms and a still, unreadable face.

Alright, Hiro conceded. But we’re going to have to convince these guys to fight.

“How?”

Tell them that the bears only become active every 7.5 minutes.

“Huh?”

I’ve been watching. Attention to detail, remember? 7.5 minutes. No matter what. Every 7.5 minutes and one of them moves to intercept.

Baramon was quickly dispersing so Howl had to act quick.

“The bears only intercept after 7.5 minutes,” he announced quickly. That got his team’s attention and they froze.

Hiro quickly but briefly took over to recite his observations. “They act in a counter-clockwise direction as well starting from the first group away from the finish line. They’re also cycling. The same bear that attack the previous team waits and lets another attack. Probably to make sure they’re well rested and don’t cum themselves.”

Weed paused and glanced towards the tracks. Another team was moving and they were already a man down but his eyes were on the timer. At exactly fifteen minutes past, a Trainer bolted from where he was residing and took down another of the team. At twenty-two and a half minutes, a bear from the third station – the one right before the finish line – had to bolt halfway across the track to disable the third member.

“He’s right,” he whispered softly. The professor crossed his arms and let out a soft, thoughtful hum. He plucked a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, puffing away as another team was crushed by the bears. The rest of the team quickly hovered over his shoulder, watching as another brave team took up position. “What else to do you see… uh… Hiro?”

“Yeah, it’s me,” Hiro answered. He was a little shaky in Howl’s enormous body but he managed to carry himself to stand beside the professor. “Well…” He narrowed his gaze as the next team began pushing the boulder. “The bears are definitely getting stronger but they’re losing a lot of cum and I guess EXP because they’re not sucking off the guys directly. They’re fucking the team and letting the cum fall on the ground. They collect most of it afterwards but not everything.”

“Shit…” Taser rumbled. “That true?”

“I can only assume,” Weed rumbled, a small smile crossing his features. “What else, Hiro?”

Hiro’s sharp, blue eyes wandered along the track. “They keep smoothing out the tracks to make sure that the boulder doesn’t have some path to follow. Part of the challenge is controlling the boulder and making sure it doesn’t go out of bounds. If there were grooves from where the previous team made it across, then that’d make things easier.”

“I… I didn’t even notice that,” Gabriel gasped.

“The bears also haven’t cum once.”

Buck looked impressed. “Bro… You’ve come some crazy eyes there.”

“I think your tunnel vision is actually coming handy, Hiro.”

This is important to you. The sooner we can be done with this, the sooner we can go back home and get back to work on our career. I’m not going to half-ass this because that’ll only delay us further.

“Gee… Thanks, I think.”

Weed smiled softly and pulled the cigarette out of his lips, letting out a soft puff. “I do believe we’ve found your ability, Hiro.”

“We have?” Hiro asked, puzzled. “What? All I’m doing is just calling out what I see. It’s nothing special.”

“Oh but it is. You can see and observe things faster and with far greater accuracy than the rest of us. Perhaps even bordering upon the precognition.” Weed shifted his cigarette from one side of his mouth to the other. “I’m still going to get us to forfeit. However, Hiro, Howl, I want you both to keep watching. See what you can find out about the Challenge. Report back to us what you find. Maybe we can find something to our advantage.”

Taser huffed loudly. “What the hell are the rest of us meant to do?”

“Practice. Train. Get stronger. Go to the training grounds. Beat up a few guys and see if you can get some EXP to make yourselves stronger. I’ll come with you. If a fight breaks out with a team, you’ll need at least four guys.” He placed a hand against Hiro’s shoulder. “We’re counting on you.”

So they’re just leaving us… great…

“Don’t look at it like that! We’re finally contributing to the team apart from just another seat filler! This is great! So sit your ass down and let’s watch some bears fucking!”

Urgh…

Hiro sat down on the chair, letting out a yelp as a sharp pain ran up his backside from compressing his tail. Howl took momentary control so that he could slot his tail through the little hole on the back of the chair while the rest of the team bid him good luck and headed out to practice and grow stronger. Weed spoke with the Trainers who merely shrugged as many the teams had also given up. However, there were at least twice as many who were still fighting and throwing themselves at the enormous boulder only to be crushed under a pile of bears.

Hiro rested his elbows on his knees, clasped his hands together and then rested his lupine chin on his knuckles. He watched the events unfold. One team attempted to pull the boulder instead of push. They wrapped several ropes conjured through magic around the boulder and started pulling. But their setup phase took over five minutes and they barely got anywhere before a Trainer was upon them and severely limiting their manpower. Another team actually went to the trouble of attacking the bears instead, splitting up their four-man team in an attempt to revert their attackers back to human form. They likely discovered that the first bear would not attack until seven and a half minutes had passed. But with no way of guessing which one was going to attack, the poor soul had seven and a half minutes to fuck as many bears as he could to disable them while the remaining three members tried to pull the boulder along. That didn’t work out too well either.

There’s something missing here, he surmised. There are four checkpoints. One at the start/finish line and then the other three at equal distances around the track from one another.

“So?”

Why are there still eight bears at the start/finish line? Only the checkpoints ever attack. By the time that time is up, the bears at the start/finish line will not have done anything but stand around…

His eyes went to the Trainers organising the next team to stand up.

“Admin maybe?” Howl suggested.

No… There’s still eight of them. Why…?

As the next team began pushing, Hiro noticed a few of the Trainers were talking to one another and gesturing at the boulder as it passed, their eyes on the sphere as they went along.

Wait a minute…

“Found something?”

I think so. But I need it tested… I don’t know how.

Howl understood his theory. “Let me take control for a sec.”

Hiro relinquished control and as his eyes turned back to being red, Howl made them stand and cup their paws around their muzzle.

“Hey! Why don’t you break down the boulder into bits!?” he shouted. “No one said you have to bring the whole boulder across the finish line, right!?”

The team on the ground stopped and suddenly exchanged glances. They threw a look towards their sponsor who then frantically ordered them to do just that. Each member of the team then began striking the sphere, trying to get it to crumble and break off into bits. Despite all their strength, the sphere remained stubbornly intact.

But Howl’s gaze was on the trainers at the start/finish line.

They’re keeping it intact, Hiro concluded. More than that, I bet they’re actually actively adding resistance to the boulder to stop it from moving.

He turned towards the checkpoints and as the 7.5 minute mark hit, one of the Trainers from the first checkpoint rushed forward to intercept the team.

All eyes are on the checkpoints. Through the entire Challenge, people would have easily figured out that only the bears at the other checkpoints will attack. They’ll think what you did. Those at the start/finish line are just there for admin purposes. But there’s still eight of them so they can cycle through and use their powers without exhausting themselves.

“And look! Even they’re getting the rewards of the EXP when the team falls!”

Just as he said, when the team fell, all the Trainers got their fair share of the EXP bounty. This was more than just to grow stronger. They were replenishing their strength.

Another team came rushing forward, encouraged by Howl’s suggestion. They too tried to shatter the sphere with all their strength but did nothing against its immense structure. The bears at the start/finish line were showing a little more exertion and their carefree expressions had faded as they were forced to focus more.

Howl and Hiro watched and observed throughout the day until the sun began to set. Teams once again began to forfeit when the idea of shattering the boulder petered out. Several tried other tactics like trying to dig into the earth to form a ramp for the boulder to roll through. The bears had to intervene when one of the team members was nearly crushed by the rolling rock. Another team tried to shrink down the boulder using magic to make it easier but that took far too long to execute.

When a cold breeze of night began flooding in, Hiro concluded that he had seen everything he needed.

Let’s go, Howl. Weed and the others will be eager to hear our report.

Howl, once again in control, stood up and strode out of the stadium. The others had left him one buggy with the keys in the ignition so he happily took it and began driving. Weed had written some instructions on how to get back to their homestead. There was something to be said about the honour system in the gyms in that no one stole the buggy or the instructions while he was still watching the competition.

Down the streets of the outlying suburb, he saw live television broadcasts of other competitions. It seemed that some teams actually managed to beat the Challenge. His eyebrow rose as one of the competitors, a huge orca, activated his ability and grew to the size of a skyscraper! The orca merely plucked the boulder off the ground, crouched down and idly rolled it along the racetrack like he was playing with a toy truck. Some of the teams that had won previous Earth Gym Challenges had an easier time as well and they seemed to gain some degree of celebrity status.

Howl glanced towards the main city area. Spotlights cut through the night sky and he could see the city afire with activity.

Howl… What’re you thinking?

He grinned. “Hey, it’s too nice a night to just go home, report back and go to bed!”

No! The team is counting on us! Focus!

“Come on! We sat down on a crappy plastic chair for hours watching some other guys fuck!” He reached down and massages his swollen balls. “It’s our turn.”

No, Howl! Our job was to go on a fact-finding mission!

“And we are! Let’s see what facts we can get from the city!”

Noooooo!

Hiro’s howl was ignored as Howl eagerly drove down the street and straight towards the city. The quiet of the crater’s suburbs quickly gave way to the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area. It was like being in Manhattan all over again. There were lights everywhere. Huge flashing billboards advertising this Psyche or that Manifesto were everywhere. Products for ‘enhanced performance’ were naturally plastered next to them. Unlike Manhattan, though, the gold buggies moved constantly like the constant flow of blood through the beating heart of a muscled body. Also unlike Manhattan, there were guys fucking in the streets and out in the open and were either being ignored or queried if there was room for one more.

Hiro once again turned towards the darkness of the black ocean to avoid the open debauchery around him giving Howl free reign. The golden wolf’s tail was eagerly wagging but his stomach was grumbling for some food. In the excitement of observing the competition, he had neglected to have any lunch and now he was starving.

And he had no money.

“Does this place even use currency or do we just fuck to get some food?”

Oh God! Please don’t whore yourself out for a sandwich! Let’s just go home! There’s plenty of food there!

Howl ignored his Manifesto and drove around, watching others around them. Sadly, money was indeed being exchanged for services so he was out of luck on that front. Both of them decided not to go scrounging around in the bins like they once had to. Thankfully, he didn’t have to look far for a source of food.

There was a facility right next to the Main Arena advertised as ‘Competitor Chow’. He parked the buggy and headed into the large, multi-storeyed, square hall. Inside was what appeared to be a large mess hall spanning multiple levels. The man at the entrance asked for his name and Howl gave it. After a quick check on his tablet, the man nodded and brought him into what was essentially a very large buffet just for competitors.

Licking his lips, Howl plucked a bright orange tray from the stack and hurried over to the buffet. To an empty stomach, everything looked absolutely delicious and he eagerly piled on as much food as he could carry. He was just heading over to the pasta station when a large, imposing figure appeared in front of him. A lion Psyche with a single earring on his left ear.

“Wolf Clan, eh?” growled the feline. “We don’t like your kind around here.”

Howl cocked his head to the side. “So you better leave then.”

Hiro was suddenly back and he appraised the lion. Though just an inch taller than Howl, the massive red-maned feline was enormous and built like a tank. His thick, crimson mane gave a sense of superiority about him and, for some reason, the edges constantly waved despite the lack of wind. Muscles pressed up against his flesh and fur, pushing the veins out until there was a bluish-green roadmap all over the mountains of his pectorals and biceps.

Howl was starting to drool but for another reason.

“Wise ass, huh?” growled the lion. He reached forward and seized the back of Howl’s head. “Well, looks like we’re going to have to teach you a lesson, eh pup? I always knew that wolves were butt sniffers!”

Sharp claws dug into Howl’s skull, making the wolf grimace in pain. He bared his fangs and remembered he was holding some hot soup. Before he could use that to his advantage, a loud cough came from behind him. The lion’s eyes lifted. Fear immediately filled them and he let go of Howl’s head. The feline backed away, paws raised in surrender. Curious as to who had stopped a potentially disastrous encounter, Howl turned around.

“Oh shit!” he cried.

Cornelius Grounds was far larger in person than he had appeared on stage. Even for a human he was tall, standing nearly at seven feet tall and wearing a collared shirt and black pants that barely contained his thick bulk. Every breath the massive behemoth took taxed the very buttons of his shirt, straining them and giving everyone a glimpse of the thick pelt of chest hair he had hidden underneath. His mere presence made Howl weak to his knees. Unable to control himself, his cock rose out of his sheath as a salute to the enormous Sensei. The sudden burst of arousal knocked the tray from his paws and sent his food clattering to the ground.

“Awww…” he murmured.

A huge hand rested on his shoulders and he froze like he had been turned to ice.

“Why don’t you follow me, pup?” rumbled Grounds. “If you’re eager for something to eat, I cook a mean steak.”

“Uhm… Okay. Incidentally, what does bear meat taste like?”

Howl! What are you thinking!? This is a perfect stranger! He could rape you… Oh what am I saying. You probably want him to pin you to the bed and call you his bitch.

“You know me too well.”

Grounds’ let out a soft chuckle as his enormous hand guided Howl back out of the mess hall towards a different exit leading into what appeared to be some sort of underground tunnel. It looked like the well-formed tunnels that had originally led to the crater. The same polished curved walls were only broken by the naked bear statues holding up lamps to illuminate their path. The only difference here was there was a mechanical tram system with railings across the floor. They boarded the tram and Grounds pressed a few buttons to get it going. Afterwards, the huge man sat himself down on one of the oversized seats, looking upon Howl expectantly.

“You can take a seat, you know.”

Howl realised he had just been standing awkwardly out in the open and blushed. “Ah… right… Hehe…” He awkwardly staggered towards the farthest seat away from Grounds and sat down. “Thanks for… uh… Saving me, I guess.”

“We don’t get very many Wolf Clan in the Gyms anymore,” Grounds admitted. “Especially one with such unique colourations.”

He glanced at his arms, at the golden fur that dominated his body and the clear white that covered his palms and the undersides of his body and chest. “What’s wrong with my fur?”

Grounds gave him a curious look. “Newly emerged then, huh? Again rather strange that a newly emerged Wolf would be so eager to join the Gym Season.” The man gave him a warm smile and leaned forward, setting one huge arm across his lap. “Sorry son. Let me explain. The Wolf Clan once tried to topple the Battle Circle. They were nearly successful too. They almost shattered the Gyms and exposed us all to the world. They believed that we shouldn’t be hiding. That we shouldn’t be afraid of who we are and have to suffer under the threat of Armistice. In some ways they were right but the world is full of compromises. This is what formed the Battle Circle. Compromise between the Clans.”

Howl flinched. “Hang on… So just because I’m a wolf…”

“People will automatically treat you with hostility,” Grounds finished. “The Wolf Wars was centuries ago but people are slow to forget especially in this modern age of propaganda, internet and readily available information.”

“That’s just not fair! I just emerged and I didn’t even know what a Wolf Clan was! I just felt like a wolf and it felt right! I mean my Manifesto is kind of a lone wolf and I’m more of a social guy so it sort of made sense!”

Grounds gave him a sad smile. “Unfortunately, that means nothing to people. Decent folk will protect you from unnecessary racism but there are still bigots out there. We Sensei and Trainers will try to keep you out of trouble provided you don’t go looking for it.” He grinned brightly at Howl. “When I heard that a golden Wolf had entered the competition, I thought someone was pulling my leg! Then I saw you come charging at me during the opening ceremony.”

Howl blushed and started to recall the brief flashing memories of yesterday. The big bear had been one of his firsts, but after that it was a frenzy of cocks, butts and seamen.

“…Then I hear you were riling up the people at one of the Challenges and then I find you at my mess hall!” Grounds continued.

“I didn’t mean to!” Howl exclaimed as he was brought back into reality, waving his paws madly. “Just something we noted about the Challenge, that’s all!”

“It’s a valid thought,” said Grounds with a nod. “One of the successful teams actually did what you suggested. Of course they were far more powerful than your group of teams so they managed to break the boulder and carry it across the finish line in more manageable chunks.” His grin faded and became a little sad. “But people are quick to blame anyone apart from themselves. When the teams that used your suggestion failed, they claimed you sabotaged their efforts and threw in the racism card to boot. I was actually on my way to the stadium to diffuse the situation when I heard you had come to my mess hall. So I rushed over using these tunnels.”

“That was convenient.”

“These tunnels run all over the city. It’s how I get around.” Grounds laughed brightly, a rather curious tone coming from someone with such a thick neck. “Can you imagine me walking the streets? People will be pissed at me for humiliating and fucking them and a few newbies will want to try their luck as well! I’ll be dragged into a battle at every street corner! I wouldn’t so much as get to look someone in the eye without being challenged!”

Must be lonely life being a Sensei. You’re seen both as a target and a celebrity. Can’t walk the streets without someone either attacking you or spraying you with their seed.

“That actually sounds pretty cool.”

Hiro scowled at him. You would think that.

“Still. Thanks,” Howl said. “As you can probably tell, I’m fairly new to this whole thing.”

Grounds nodded and leaned back against his seat. “I can tell.”

Ask him why having gold fur is so important.

He mentally thanked Hiro for the reminder and voiced his question. “So what’s so special about me having blonde fur? I’ve seen a couple of blondes around.”

The Sensei gave him a bitter smile. “The gold furred wolves were used as the Wolf Clan’s shock troopers. Not the most powerful by any means but their appearance on a Battlefield usually had people turning tail and running. The sigh of a gold wolf used to signal the end of the battle. Back in the day, they were feared and reviled.” The big, hairy bear sighed and ran a paw down his face. “Ah, I still remember stories from my pappy about how remnants of the Wolf Clan used to dye their fur to keep people from realising they had blonde fur. It’s a terrible thing.”

“Geez… If I had known…”

You wouldn’t have done a damn thing. If you’d known, you’d probably take on that shape anyway when you first emerged just for shits and giggles.

Howl smirked slightly. Hiro certainly new him well.

“So I suppose you’re taking me back to my team then?” Howl asked. “Sorry for the trouble.”

Grounds gave him a smile. “I don’t even know who your team is, pup. We’re heading to my place. I promised you a steak, remember?”

At the mention of food, Howl’s stomach growled and he grimaced in embarrassment. “Uh… Yeah. Thanks.”

“Besides, it’s getting late.” Grounds’ features darkened. “Stories have a way of getting out quickly and spreading like wildfire. Tonight, people are going to be talking about how Cornelius Grounds saved a gold wolf. The media will be after our asses but even they have to sleep.” He hiked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction the tram was moving. “We’re going to one of my safe houses. Away from prying eyes. Early tomorrow morning, we’ll bring you back to your place before anyone wakes up. I’m assuming the last thing you want is for people to know exactly who you are and where to find you.”

“I can take them,” Howl announced arrogantly. He punched his fist and grinned confidently.

“You’re, what? Three, four days newly emerged?” Grounds cocked his head to the side. “How much EXP have you collected?”

Howl’s confidence wavered. “Uh… I’m not entirely sure, actually…”

“Do you even know your ability?”

“My Manifesto is really observant… Does that help?”

“But do you know your ability? Do you know any spells?” Grounds shook his head. “No offense, pup, but compared to everyone here in the Gym, you’re nothing.”

“What!? I can take on anyone!” He jumped to his feet. “I’ll take you on! Come on!”

Grounds didn’t rise to the bait and waved him back to his seat. “I’m just stating fact here, pup. There are two kinds of people who come to the Gyms. Those who have trained and are confident enough in their abilities to take the Challenge and the Sensei or those who live in the Gyms who are a cut above those Manifestos and Psyches outside our little world. Remember, the inhabitants of this realm live and breathe combat, EXP and the Earth.

“For natives, beating the Challenge or me is like a rite of passage that gives them courage and strength to leave this Battleground and seek out other Gyms. Where you guys out there go through puberty, high school, college, the guys in here rarely leave the Battleground until they’ve at least beat a Challenge.”

The perspective thrust into him was daunting as Grounds explained more. This Battleground had to house millions of people even outside of the season. Instead of studying and learning through grade school and then eventually to college, they built their lives around the Gym Season. Sure there were auxiliary studies to enrich a person’s life so that they didn’t completely go out into the world without any form of training and of course the non-Manifesto/Psyches had to study to build careers as well. But the point stood that those that lived within the Battlegrounds engaged in battles constantly, accumulated EXP and made it a life goal to defeat a Challenge.

“It’s like a whole different world. An alien culture.”

What did you expect from a male-dominated society based entirely around sex?

“God… that sounds so…” Howl shook his head miserably. “I feel like I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.”

“It’s a good lesson to have,” answered Grounds. “Better to learn it now than when you’re all puffed up and high on your own celebrity status before being humiliated. I’ve faced more than my fair share of pompous asshats from other Gyms who think they’re hotshots only for me to fuck them into the ground.”

“I guess I’m really not ready for this challenge,” he sighed, slumping into his seat.

“Now don’t say that.” Grounds got off his seat and parked himself right next to howl. The tram leaned towards their side a little thanks to the shift of weight. “The Gyms are not just built for the competition, you know. It’s also about encouraging growth and development. It teaches Manifestos and Psyches to let out their grievances against one another in healthy doses.”

You mean by fucking one another wildly on the streets while others watch?

“I say just spend some time around town,” Grounds encouraged. “Take in the sights. Maybe challenge a few Psyches here and there. Get stronger. Find your ability. Then come next year, you might just make it.”

Howl grimaced and wrung his paws together. “Pity my team has so much hope on me.” A bitter laugh left him. “You know, Hiro, my Manifesto, actually discovered a few things about the Challenge that got them psyched up? They wanted to leave but then Hiro made a few points that got them excited.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah…” Howl shook his head absently. “Like for instance how the Trainers will only strike out ever seven and a half minutes. The Trainers also cycle in their groups of eight so not the same Trainer attacks the next team. Oh and he also pointed out that one group of Trainers, the ones at the start/finish line, actually maintain the integrity of the boulder with a bit of influence to keep it from shattering and probably exert some influence over it to make it harder to push.”

Grounds frowned and didn’t say anything at first. The silence caused Howl’s ears to perk up and he turned towards the disturbed Sensei.

“You Manifesto figured all that out, huh?” said the man. “I’m impressed. Very impressed. Thus far, no one had picked out that the group at the very start is actually influencing the boulder. Hiro’s ability seems to be one of keen observation. Perhaps even bordering on the supernatural.”

Now he’s just bullshitting me.

“I propose a test,” Grounds said. He waved a hand through the air and a magical symbol appeared in front of him. “Hiro, what does this do?”

Howl turned inwardly towards his Manifesto and Hiro shrugged.

How am I supposed to know? I’ve never seen that before.

“Try. Come on.”

The human sighed and shook his head.

You know I’d just be pulling something out of my ass.

“Come on, Hiro. When you set your mind on something, your focus is like a laser. It’s just powering up that laser that’s a problem. Please. Do this. For me?”

Not like I owe you anything but… Fine.

Hiro gazed at the glowing, green emblem before shrugging. He was in control again and said, “I’ve never seen that before but if I had to guess… It’s some sort of magic symbol that silently gathers dust for the express purpose of weaponizing it to… I dunno… blow directly into someone’s face and give them an asthma attack.”

Howl wrenched control from his Manifesto and stared at his reflection in the opposite window. Hiro was there and just shrugged.

“Really?”

I told you I’d pull something out of my ass.

“That’s… frightening accurate…” Grounds said, in awe. “Down to how it was to be used. I was honestly going to blow it into your muzzle and give you a coughing fit if you got it wrong!”

Now Howl turned to Grounds with an expression caught between a scowl and a look of surprise. “Wait… really?”

“Yes!” Grounds threw his head back and laughed. “Ah Hiro, you have quite an incredible gift there! I’ve known a few Psyches or Manifestos with a similar ability. Mostly those of the avian variety. But never your perfect combination of understanding and observation.”

He clapped Howl’s back. “I think you two would make fine competitors.” The tram came to a jarring halt and Grounds lifted his head.

“Here we are. Come on, pup. Let’s get you some food.”

*******

Broderick lowered the remote to the television. The volume was purposefully down because he knew that if Taser heard news that Nightshade had defeated the Challenge, he would likely become incredibly agitated and start punching walls again. They all had high hopes for this year’s Gym Season especially since they now had a full team again. But being thrown another impossible Challenge, at least for their level… Well, it had hurt. A lot.

The Challenges were designed to test and push teams to their limit, after all. Not only were these teams who were just starting but also those teams that had experience under their belt and even those that had previously defeated a Gym’s Challenge a previous year. It was meant to be a test for all levels.

He sighed as the newscaster reported that the number of teams that had made it through the Challenge had risen up to ten. That was surprisingly high but as he looked at the names, about eight of those ten were previous winners or veterans of the challenge. He tried to reason that teams that weren’t devoted to the Gym Season and lived outside of the Gyms statistically did not have a high chance of success. In the millennia since the Season had been imposed, only one person had managed to come from outside the Gyms and rise up to become part of the Battle Circle. Few made it through all the Gyms at all.

But I’m just kidding myself, Brodie said inwardly. We’re just never going to win a Season.

“Bro! Don’t think like that!” Buck exclaimed. “We can totally win!”

What’s the point, Brodie? We’re not professional athletes like some of these people. We’re just… I dunno… Fodder.

He leaned back in the big sofa, large, meaty arms of the stag he shared existence with draped across the back.

Maybe we should just enjoy our life as we have it. Not like you and I are in conflict with one another all the time so it’s not like we have to constantly fight one another for control. We don’t have any real enemies except perhaps Nightshade but even then it’s just a sort of rivalry.

Maybe it’d be better for all of us to just…

“Give up? Dude! We can’t let ourselves get fat, lazy and content! We gotta keep improving! Grow stronger!”

Brodie sighed softly and shook his head.

I don’t know, Buck. I haven’t even told my parents I’m a Manifesto. You know they still expect me to marry Melissa and give them grandchildren?

Deep within the recesses of their mind, Buck stood on the vast, open field that was their own, personal world. The stag stuck out his tongue in disgust. His eyes were towards the sky which acted like their own little window into the real world. Anything the one currently in control saw was reflected on the sky.

“You mean that skinny little Asian chick with the pigtails? Geez. You need to come out to them, bro.”

I will. Eventually.

“Or, you know. If you wanted, you can get married and any time you have to fuck her, I can do it.”

God! Buck! Gross!

“Hey! I’m bi. I’ll fuck anything.”

But you prefer guys.

“Fuck yeah!”

Brodie chuckled softly. He and Buck made quite the pair. While he was far from a prude and gave in to his sexual urges every now and then, it was always in the private when no one was looking. Buck, however, was the promiscuous horndog who would fuck anything. A reason he normally let Buck take control during fights. It was a relationship not divided between sexualities but more over how they approached sex. Brodie was more into intimate relationships and a slow build up. Buck just wanted to fuck.

The weight on the couch suddenly shifted and he found Galahad taking up position next to him with a beer in one, large, meaty hand.

“Bugger,” grunted the Clydesdale. “Looks like they’ve got a number of players this year, eh? Ten teams. Forty guys all piling on ol’ Grounds.”

“Not that the Sensei wouldn’t mind,” chuckled Brodie, turning towards the screen.

“I dunno, mate. After spendin’ over a century fuckin’, ya’d think you’d get tired o’ it all.”

Brodie gave the equine a surprised look. “That’s something coming from you, Mr. Stallion.”

The horse lifted a hand. “‘Ey I ain’t talkin’ ‘bout me. Jus’ sayin’ that Grounds has spent the past 120 years bein’ a Sensei an’ not once has he chosen a mate. Most Sensei at least have a steady sixty years in.”

That was true. It was hard not building any form of bond after spending so long with someone. Most Sensei found themselves fucking their Trainers and forming relationships with them. Some Sensei even had whole harems. He had heard that the Gyms back in Europe took more from the Roman Empire influence and usually came in pairs, an older Trainer with their younger counterpart who would take over once the elder retired. Their numbers always remained the same. Sensei had and elder as well and the line of succession was always clear.

Not like the American version which was far less… ordered.

The Land of the Free usually mean that if a Sensei retired, it was a free-for-all as to who could claim the top spot provided they win the Trials.

“I wonder what’s taking Hiro and Howl so long,” he said, glancing towards the door. “The sun has set and they’re not back yet. The Challenges would’ve ended by now.”

“Leave ‘em to their own thing,” Galahad said, waving absently. “We left ‘em instructions on how to get back.”

“What about food? They don’t have any money.”

“They’re resourceful. Besides, if Hiro’s Focus ability is as good as it seems, they’ll be okay.”

“Focus?” Brodie cocked his head to the side. “Is that what you’re calling it?”

Galahad nodded, the muscles along his long neck flexing with the movement. “Kind of fitting. I’m curious to know what Howl’s ability is but we’ll just have to see what comes out of it.” He set down his beer and belched loudly. “Anyway, you don’t need to worry about them.”

“I wish I could,” Brodie sighed. “They’re kind of my responsibility. They were dragged into this because of my fight. I wasn’t careful enough…”

The towering Clydesdale shuffled towards him, wrapping his thick arm around Brodie’s broad shoulders. “Hey, Hiro may bitch an’ moan ‘bout it all but he didn’t go to Armistice or start runnin’ off bein’ a psycho. He wants this. I like to think that it’s actually given him a purpose in life.”

“He had a purpose.”

“Ya mean study hard an’ hope ta get a decent career?” Galahad scoffed. “Naw mate. That’s ‘im lying ta himself. He knew he ain’t gonna get anywhere with the shit background he’s had. Goin’ ta college an’ studyin’? He wus jus’ conformin’ ta what he thought would lead him ta a better future. I mean, he was still undecided, right?”

Brodie shrugged and absently leaned towards Galahad. The proximity of the powerful, muscular equine started to stir his loins and Buck was already knocking at his mental door, begging to be let out. “I suppose you’re right. When did you get so good at psychoanalysing people?”

He didn’t even bother for a response and leaned towards Galahad’s crotch. The thick, splotched spire of horsemeat was just starting to rise out of the furry sheath. With a few licks from Brodie’s tongue, it reached half-mast in just a second.

Stifling a moan, Galahad said, “Ain’t me, mate. Somethin’ the Professor told me. Oooh fuck… Yer takin’ yer lessons with Buck really well…”

The stag lifted his eyes, the irises shining a bright blue. Buck smiled and licked his lips. “Thanks, bro. I’m a good teacher.”

Galahad nickered softly and Buck dove down towards the throbbing meat. His long tongue was a welcome change from Taser or Tim’s rougher one. Though both had their advantages. Buck was more sensual and knew what would turn on a man. Taser was rough and his rough thrusts was equivalent to having the cum pumped out of him.

Buck’s expert fingers trailed up his thighs, slowly spreading them wide. Rivers of precum were pouring down the horse’s dick even more than Buck could slurp up. This worked to the drooling stag’s advantage as he quickly collected some of the clear slime and gently began inching his finger towards Galahad’s hole.

Not needing further instruction, Galahad slumped back in the sofa so that his ass was a little more accessible. Incredible warmth radiated from the contact between him and Buck and his flesh begged for the stag to shove his finger into his hole. He bit his lower lip as that finger drew closer and closer, sliding over his gurgling balls and down between his muscled buns. As if sensing that with each inch that Buck covered, less lube covered that invasive finger, Galahad’s cock began pumping out precum like an open faucet. The slime was drooling over his massive cock, seeping into his short, brown fur and all over the straight, white, crotch fur that sprouted from around his balls.

Buck’s finger pressed into his hole and he threw his head back, letting out a loud whinny. He shook his head from side to side, blinded by pure ecstasy. An inch of that finger pushed into him. Though he had sex with a man at least five times per day, he never could get used to the amazing feeling of having a thick, meaty digit pushed into his ass. Gabriel always worked to make sure that they were perpetually tight and he loved the guy for it.

Another inch pushed into him and he stamped his foot, his hooves clomping on the floorboards loudly. His hips thrust upwards, driving further down Buck’s throat. The stag was an expert at giving oral sex and didn’t even choke as more of that lengthy, girthy horse mean was shoved into his muzzle. His tongue continued to lap over the flared head, diving in and out of the piss slit teasingly and lapping up every drop of precum as it was produced.

“Hey Buck…” mumbled Galahad.

The stag, naturally, could not reply and just gave a muffled rumble.

“What the fuck is your other hand doing?”

Buck rolled his cute, blue eyes and his other hand immediately came up and gave Galahad’s muzzle a light, playful shove. Galahad nipped at it but Buck knew what he wanted. The stag’s fingers roved towards the Clydesdale’s nipple and gave the fleshy, black nub a little twist.

Galahad threw his head back and let out another neigh, clomping his hooves in approval. His balls tightened against his crotch.

“Oooh fuck… Yeah. Ya know what I like, Buck.”

He leaned back, letting himself swim in the bliss of the moment as the heat in his crotch grew stronger and stronger. Buck’s suckling grew more and more persisted as another inch of his finger dove into Galahad. With every bob of his head, he would drive his finger in and out of Galahad. His other hand expertly twisted Galahad’s nipples like a dial and the equine could barely hold on.

As much as he wanted the sensation to last forever, he was more excited over what would come next.

He let out a loud whinny and bucked his hips powerfully. Hot, white cum came pouring out of his dick and straight into Buck’s muzzle. The stag took the first blast happily and swallowed but he immediately pulled away and with a laugh, grabbed Galahad’s dick with both hands. He pumped the two foot long fleshy meat over and over again, squeezing more and more seed out of the blonde-haired Clydesdale and spraying it all over himself like he was bathing from a firehouse.

Within moments, Buck was completely covered in cum and lying back against the couch with his own cock erect and a devilish grin on his face.

Galahad didn’t go soft, not even for a moment.

“Your turn,” he rumbled and dove straight at Buck.

At the same time he injected his hard dick into the stag, a loud roar erupted from the other side of the house.

Clearly Taser was having his own fun.

*******

Cornelius Grounds’ ‘safe house’ was actually an open-air quarry out in the open and outside of the crater’s limits and thus as far from the city as possible. There were no roads leading to or from the quarry but there was a large house built into one side of the miniature crater spanning three levels excluding the ground floor. The modern design was painted completely white, a stark contrast from the grey earth that surrounded the mine. There were large, perfectly cut, grey cubes of stone stacked on top one another littering the quarry.

The interior was very modern as well. The floors were made of a strange rock that had a pinkish tinge to it and radiated a soft warmth from the heating elements beneath it making sure that even Howl’s bare foot paws remained pleasantly warm as he padded across the house. Every wall was made of a grainy, white concrete that had a bit of an abrasive texture to it. Enlarged photos printed upon a canvas were placed on the walls showing what appeared to be Cornelius in his younger years and at various stages of his life. There were a lot of rocks and crystals around the house as well. Just at the entrance was an enormous triangular-shaped geode filled with amethyst crystals. What appeared to be a huge diamond hung from the ceiling on golden chains. All and all, it looked like a geologist’s wet dream.

“Have as seat in the lounge,” Grounds said, heading easily through the wide halls. It took Howl a second to notice that the ceiling, doorways and halls were specifically built for Grounds’ enormous size. “There’s a remote there if you wanted to watch the news.”

“Thanks. Don’t suppose you have cable, do you?” The last was meant as a joke.

“Yep. All the channels. All provided by Fox.”

Hiro immediately took over. “Wait? Fox? As in the super-right-wing Republican Fox? That Fox?”

Grounds poked his head around the corner. “Oh right. You’re new. Yeah, Fox is controlled by the Battle Circle.”

“What?” Hiro exclaimed, shaking his head. “But you’re undeniably gay! We’re all gay!”

“Ha! You admitted it!”

Shut up, Howl. You make me gay.

The man frowned. “No I’m not.”

“But – But you fuck men!”

“So? Most Manifestos and Psyches don’t believe in labels, erm… Hiro or Howl?”

“Hiro. When my eyes are blue, it’s Hiro.” He shook his head. “So… You like women?”

“Well I wouldn’t say I’d go out of my way to screw a female but if I’m ever to continue my family bloodline, I’d know my duty. I’d be a dutiful partner, we’d raise our kid but I’d still fuck guys. Just like she’d probably get fucked by other guys or screw another chick. Life beneath the Gyms is very different, Hiro. Being a Manifesto means that you’ve essentially split yourself down the middle so if you’re not gay, chances are your Psyche is.”

“Got that right,” Howl chuckled.

“But you’re ultimately the one being,” Grounds continued, ducking away. “Two halves of the same whole. Here, we don’t care about what gender you sleep with. Both have their advantages over the other.” The bear snickered. “I mean, being with a woman tends to be softer and you don’t have to fight for dominance like with men. Admittedly, sometimes you just want hard muscle or a big fat dick in you.” Grounds shrugged and ducked back into the kitchen. “The sooner you put aside these notions of sexuality and left or right wing, the happier you’ll be.”

Hiro shook his head. “Okay… I get that but Fox? They’re… they’re super anti… this sort of stuff!”

“Which makes them the perfect front against those that would seek us out and destroy us!” laughed Grounds. “You wouldn’t believe how many people come to the door of Fox trying to out their neighbour who’s turned into a Manifesto or something along those lines. Gives us the perfect opportunity to not only find our brothers but also spin the news of their emergence to our advantage.”

“And the hate-filled propaganda?” Hiro sneered.

“Dude, chill on the anti-Fox shit.”

He could almost feel Grounds shrugging from the kitchen even if he couldn’t see him. “A necessary evil. Besides, you’ll be surprised just how many conservatives are Manifestos.”

“Is that because they’re fucking psychotic already?”

“Be nice!”

Oh shut up and cram your crush on the bear down your cock.

“I do not have a crush on Grounds!”

Do I need to remind you who I am?

Grounds just laughed at that and a loud sizzling came from the kitchen.

Hiro growled to himself and slumped into the big, leather sofa with a huff. He ignored the pain that shot up his backside from squashing his tail until Howl pestered him about it and then he moved it out of the way. Using the remote, he switched on the local news. The anger in his chest bubbled up further when he saw the list of teams who had made it past the qualifying challenges.

“Nightshade…” Howl grumbled, his frustration bubbling up to Hiro.

“I wonder how they won…” Hiro murmured.

“Who?” Grounds asked from the kitchen.

“Nightshade.”

The bear poked his head out from the kitchen again. “Right. I was there. Pretty clever, actually. Their sponsor, Ruin, actually intercepted each of my Trainers that would have struck down the team.”

Hiro frowned. “Their sponsor can do that?”

Ground shrugged. “The rules never stipulated that you couldn’t. Remember, the Trainer should have said anyone can be used to win the challenge.” He jerked his chin towards the screen where an antelope Psyche continued the report. “A good number of the teams actually realised this and cooperated with one another to win the challenge. A friendly team would keep the bears in check while the competing team would roll the boulder. Then they’d trade places. Other times, teams would use their family members to run interference. It’s not like the teams really have to go up against one another in the future, you know. They just fight me and my Trainers.”

“Huh… That’s true.”

Hiro let out a thoughtful noise as he watched the massive wall-sized television. “So you’re not only encouraging competition between teams but also cooperation. It’s a Manifesto and Psyche’s nature to fight one another for EXP but in this way, you’re encouraging them to work with others that they would otherwise be opposed to.”

Grounds chuckled. “Very observant indeed. How did you want your steak?”

“Medium rare, please.”

“Hey Hiro,” Howl began. “I just had an idea.”

Hiro frowned.

That’d never work.

“Come on, he said anyone right? Worth a shot. Take a risk! What’ve you got to lose?”

He sighed and got up from the sofa. Though he was a little awkward in Howl’s body, the sheer size of Grounds’ house put things into perspective and made it easier to navigate around the furniture. Past the threshold into the kitchen, he found a very modern setup. White tiles covered most of the kitchen safe for the floors and the stainless-steel appliances. A large kitchen island with a black marble tabletop and sink separated him from where Grounds was cooking some steak and vegetables. From the delectable aroma, it seemed that he was cooking them in a decadent white wine and garlic butter sauce. Based on the scent, there was some sage and thyme in there too.

“Wow. So it’s not only your eyes but your sense of smell too, huh?”

What do you mean?

“When was the last time you knew what sage and thyme smelled like?”

That was true and forced Hiro to frown. A thought came to mind, an experiment. He closed his eyes and sniffed the air, catching Grounds’ attention.

“Hiro?”

He lifted a finger, indicating he needed a moment. When he was done, he opened his eyes again with a severe look on his face. “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say… For breakfast today, you have six onion bagels with pastrami and sauerkraut. Afterwards, you went down to the quarry in front of this place and pushed some of those stone blocks around as a workout. Lifted a few as well.” He frowned deeply. “Broke your record too. Managed to lift twenty of those blocks without using your powers. Afterwards, a few of your Trainers came over to take you to the city. You fucked all six of them first and foremost before heading out. You got your favourite latte with a shot of blueberry syrup at the Main Arena and made a few public appearances until lunch where you watched the Challenges. Before you ate lunch, you pulled four of your Trainers aside, screwed them in the locker rooms beneath the Arena and then went out to eat. You watched the second batch of Challenges for the rest of the evening until you came after us.”

He folded his ears back, barely realising he did it and grimaced. “I know that sounds stupid but–”

“That’s right.”

His ears perked back up and his tail began wagging though he was only aware of it when it began striking the side of the doorframe.

“How…?” Grounds blinked several times in surprise.

“I smelled it on you.” Hiro grinned sheepishly. “Howl suggested that my ‘observation’ ability extends to more than just my sight and I sniffed the air. I guess he was right. Though honestly it’s not like I actually smelled anything on you consciously. I just got your scent and then said the first things that came to my mind.”

The bear was clearly impressed. “Well that certainly is an amazing ability.”

Grounds’ bright, brown eyes suddenly turned a dark brown.

“Bet you could tell I’m also fucking horny right now, eh pup?”

Clearly this was Clay, Grounds’ Psyche, and the huge man swaggered over, gripping his crotch lewdly. Hiro’s tail stopped wagging and his ears folded back again as the towering man stood just half a foot in front of him. He was barely eye-level with Grounds thick pectorals. Howl’s perverted thoughts of tearing off his shirt and suckling on the two pink disks he had for nipples invaded his mind.

But he wrested control back.

“Your steak is burning.”

Suddenly, Grounds was back in control and he turned around towards the sizzling pan. “Oh shit!”

Seeing the enormous man scrambling towards the pan brought a smile to Hiro’s lupine muzzle. Howl still couldn’t help but drool over the bear’s large, muscled butt and rigid back but he reined his wolf in as he helped set the table. Grounds managed to salvage the mean and though Howl’s steaks was a little overcooked, it was still delicious. Hiro let Howl take over eating the meal as the slabs of beef were stacked atop one another like pancakes and just looking at it made him nauseous. The stack was no problem for the very hungry Howl who scoffed it all down with ease.

“So I was wondering,” Howl said, munching through a particularly tough steak. “Would you be able to help us on our Challenge?”

Grounds cocked an eyebrow but didn’t seem overly surprised by the question. “What do you mean?”

It was clear to Hiro that the bear had expected this question sooner or later and was just playing innocent.

“You said anyone can help in the Challenge, right? That includes you. Right?”

The bear smirked and his eye colour shifted again. Once more in control, Clay threw his head back and let out a bellowing laugh that shook the glasses sitting on the table.

“Yer ballsy, pup. Really ballsy.” Still retaining Grounds’ smirk, Clay leaned forward on the table. “Though honestly, we didn’t expect anyone to ask us until the third week or so when people were getting desperate.”

“So…?” Howl prompted.

Clay grinned at him. “Yeah. I’ll help you out. When’s your Challenge?”

“Ack! We forfeited today! We have to reschedule!”

“I actually need to ask my sponsor to set it up,” Howl admitted. “Can I use your phone?”

“Sure. It’s over there.”

Howl eagerly hurried over to where a cordless phone sat some distance away and immediately began dialling. Hiro goaded him by asking if he even knew the number he was calling and he countered by saying that he at least knew Broderick’s number. As part of them living together, their RA had insisted the roommates exchanged phone numbers in case of emergencies. Hiro hadn’t bothered to remember it but Howl did.

Thankfully, Broderick picked up.

“Hello?” asked a confused stag.

“Brodie! Hey! It’s me!”

“Holy shit! Howl? Bro! Where have you been?” Obviously, it was Buck that answered.

Wanting to keep Grounds’ involvement a secret for the moment, he said, “Just out and about. Listen, I think I figured out a way to win the Challenge. Can you get Weed to set up a run tomorrow?”

There was some hushed chatter on the other side and Hiro observed that Buck was very excited. From the muffled growls and roars, he guessed Taser was a little pissed.

“Weed says he’s already set it up. Ten o’clock in the morning tomorrow?”

It was Howl’s hush the phone and turned towards Grounds. “Ten o’clock in the morning?”

The Sensei bobbed his head from side to side. “Yeah, I can make that work. I won’t have to fight the teams that qualified until Wednesday anyway. Sure.”

He turned back to the phone excitedly. “Yep. Sounds good. I’ll see you guys in a bit.”

Suddenly, a pair of big, brawny arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him back against a wall of fur and flesh. Grounds’ lips hovered over his ear, making it twitch in anticipation.

“You’re not going to eat and run, are you? Now that’d just be rude.” Grounds said, but speaking with Clay’s much deeper voice.

His mind swam. Was he actually going to stay the night with Cornelius Grounds and Clay? His cock stirred and Grounds noticed because the man reached down and fondled his exposed balls. Barely biting down a moan, he said, “On second thought, guys, I’ll meet you at the stadium tomorrow.”

“You’re not coming home? Where are you staying?”

“I got it covered. Don’t worry. See you tomorrow.” He hung up and quivered backwards into Grounds’ arms. “So is this payment for helping us?”

The big bear of a man chuckled. “Of course not, pup. No quid pro quo here. Just thought you’d like to spend the night, we watch some Gym-exclusive movies and then we fuck the night away until we’re both exhausting then our counterparts take over and go at it like wild dogs.”

I am not going to trade places with so we can get ploughed!

“Get a change to get fucked by this Gym’s Sensei even before the big fight?” Howl grinned broadly. “You know with you helping us, it’s guaranteed we’ll be facing off against one another, right?”

Grounds leaned down and licked his cheek affectionately. “Then consider this me getting to know my opponent. You are new to the field and in my best interest, I need to know what your abilities are before we face off. I can’t make it easy on you, right?”

“You’re just looking for an excuse to fuck.”

So are you! Hiro wailed.

“Guilty.” The man gently kissed his neck, sending a shiver down his spine. “Now then…”

“Hmmmm?” Howl moaned.

Suddenly, he was whirled around, facing the kitchen table. Grounds pushed him towards his unfinished meal with a playful, but still powerful, slap to his furry rear.

“Finish your food, pup,” Grounds growled mockingly. “You don’t fuck until your plate is clean.”

Howl couldn’t stop the laugh that came out of his muzzle and sauntered back towards his plate, tail lifted and wagging happily. “Yes, daddy.”

He was too focused on his food that he never noticed how Grounds’ smile faded at the mention of ‘daddy’, the deep blush that arose across the man’s cheeks and the visible outline of his thick cock soon became apparent underneath his pants.

******

A loud purring came from the tiger who currently lay asleep and comatose on his massive bed. Pythagoras Weed pulled on his lab coat though he wore little else. As a psychologist, he knew that everyone had their nervous habits. Brodie adjusted his glasses. Buck scratched the back of his head. Gabriel scratched his left shoulder with his right arm while Galahad constantly shifted from one foot to the other. Taser was extremely temperamental and his ‘nervous habit’ involved shouting at anyone nearby while Tim would hug anything in close proximity. For Weed, he always donned his lab coat whenever we was feeling nervous.

It had been a risk to leave Howl by himself especially given his appearance. A gold wolf was not very common and many people, especially those with long memories like the populace of a Gym, still remembered what the Wolf Clan did. Still, Hiro was a resourceful guy and it seemed that they had both found some shelter in the comparatively harsh world.

Weed quietly slinked away from his room, leaving the door open for Taser’s earthshattering snores to fill the rest of the house. He headed down to stairs and out the backyard where he instinctively pulled out a cigarette, lit it and took a puff.

The night air was cool but also still. Perfect to carry the sounds and smells of countless Psyches fucking. Taser’s slumbering was a cat’s mewl compared to the howls, roars and cries of ecstasy that broke through the night. A quick glance at the clock in the dining room revealed it was just barely eight in the evening. Most people were just finishing up dinner and then diving into bed with their partners.

Sadly, for Baramon, the lethargy of helplessness had set in. A year without winning a single Gym challenge had worn down youthful enthusiasm and replaced it with weighted cynicism. Even Buck’s positivity could do little to uplift them. Gabriel was ever-helpful but he no longer offered his help voluntarily. It had to be asked of him. Galahad was introspective most of the time and remained silent unless asked. Taser was more violent than before and since they had arrived in the Gym, Tim hadn’t surfaced. He knew that Broderick was merely making excuses for their failings while Buck remained the only bastion of hope, a lighthouse that was keeping them afloat. Even Howl and Hiro’s presence did little to encourage them.

“Doesn’t help that they met Tony and Aurochs yesterday,” Primal rumbled.

Somehow, Weed suspected that Pot’s appearance just before the opening ceremony was far from coincidental. A historian by trade, Pot was still as good at analysing people’s behaviour as Weed and had likely been sent by their mutual benefactor.

He wasn’t going to make it easy on us, Primal, Weed answered. Hiro and Howl may have the innocence of a newborn when coming into this Season but the others have the experience. The reminder that Aurochs had once been their best hope only to be poached before the Season even began…

“I know. Pot is brutal.”

The memory of that day was still quite raw especially for Weed who had severely misjudged Anthony and Aurochs. As a psychologist, that was a grievous error that he had yet to recover from.

Do you think we rushed into this? Should we have waited until Howl and Hiro were better in synch?

“You’ve been watching him since you realised he was a West. You know him better than he knows himself. It was only a matter of time that he be brought into the fray. Remember, you were the one that arranged for him to bunk with Broderick so our resident stag could keep an eye on him and potentially bring him to us.”

Weed sighed and ran a hand down his face.

If that were to ever get out, I fear Howl would turn on us just like Anthony did.

“Then don’t let it. We’ve got a lot riding on this, remember.”

He nodded slowly.

West can’t succeed. Just a little hard considering I’m pretty sure he suspects us and that’s why he’s making it hard for us to win.

“We’ll just have to trust our team and one another. We can do this, Avery.”

He smiled at Primal using his real name. Not the name that had been forced upon him the moment he joined this so-called revolution.

Thanks Primal. I needed that.

“I’m always here for you. You can never doubt that.”

******

After dinner and some dessert, the duo packed and cleaned up before settling down on the big couch to enjoy a television series produced exclusively amongst the Psyches and Manifestos not readily available to the general public. Grounds told Howl that it was essentially ‘furry TV’ which was fairly cheap to produce since they didn’t have to spend a lot of money on CGI for fur-covered characters. That and there was a lot more nudity and on-screen sex.

“It’s like HBO but with more fur,” Howl observed, utterly stunned at the mount. He inclined his head to the side as the big, burly courage fucked another guy on screen over a spilled drink. “What’s this series called again?”

“Daddy’s a Dick,” Grounds snickered. His thick, furry arm was wrapped around the back of the couch behind Howl. It was rather adorable how the wolf was quite new to this entire world and absorbing every titbit of information he was offering. He imagined this was how raising a child would be if the child had skipped the pooping, crying and vulnerable stage of their lives. “It’s a romantic comedy.”

“Where the protagonist goes around fucking people.”

“That’s society under the Gyms. If you’ve got to settle a dispute, you fuck-fight.”

The wolf glanced at him with a look of disbelief on his face. “Is that what it’s really called? Fuck-fight?”

“Engagement is the official term,” Grounds chuckled. “But people just call it ‘fuck-fight’ because that’s exactly what it is. It’s a fight where we fuck.”

Howl glanced out the window. Even from a distance, the lights from the crater illuminated the skyline line like a constant yellowish glow on the horizon. “How do you keep the order if everyone can just punch anyone on the street and fuck it out? Don’t you get territorial or something?”

Memories of darker times were brought to the forefront of his mind. “The Gyms weren’t always so structured as you see it now. There were times when things were just starting that it was no better than streets owned by gangs. Remnants of the Clans or groups of like-species Psyches who wanted to curry favour with their Gym would try to take over districts in other Gyms.”

The wolf gave him a concerned look. There was something rather endearing about how Howl’s features were so animated. Grounds found himself paying attention to every twitch of his whispers, the slightest curls on his lips and the way his ears roved around like radar dishes. There was a hypnotic quality to it that that made him faintly aware of how his heart was beating loudly in his ears.

What was this odd feeling?

“I think we’re growing infatuated with this pup, Con,” Clay admitted. “Fuck he’s cute when he looks at us like that.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” Howl said, breaking Grounds from his introspection.

He turned away from those bright, crimson eyes lest he fall deeper into their spell.

“You know about the Wolf Wars. Wolves tried to creep into the Gyms and instigate these fights. They were playing the long game. They’d get other species to play their patsies while the Gyms were weakened. That’s why when they finally did strike out, it almost destroyed us.”

From the corner of his eye, he could see Howl ducked his head in shame. “I’m sorry for my species…”

Grounds lowered his arm around the golden wolf’s shoulders. He closed his eyes as he felt a strange energy crawl up his limb, causing his heart to race further and his mind to become fuzzy with a bizarre feeling. A strong compulsion to comfort Howl, to wrap him in his arms and hold him tightly, banged at the doors of his mental defences. Thankfully, he and Clay were well practiced in mental manipulation.

“Don’t be. It was a long time ago. And if it’s any consolation, I think I figured out your ability.”

“Really? What is it?”

The sight of Howl’s ears perking and the excitement in his ruby eyes sent a jolt of pride and pleasure through Grounds’ body. It was almost too much and he had to pull his arm away from Howl which confused the wolf.

Grounds coughed softly, mentally asking Clay if he was able to hold the fort. His Psyche said that they would be fine so long as he didn’t may physical contact with Howl while he shored up their defences.

“I’m going to call it ‘Hysteria’,” he said. “I do believe that just being around you causes people to experience the extremes of their emotions, their personalities.”

“Huh?”

The man mulled the thought for a moment, pushing his tongue against his cheek as he thought about how he would explain it. “Have you noticed how people around you tend to… I don’t know… fly off the handle a bit? Go through mood swings?”

Howl frowned at him. “I’m not sure… Taser has always been sort of aggressive. I mean my team at the Challenge did sort of give up suddenly…”

“I think that’s because of your ability,” explained Grounds. “You exude this… psychic aura, for lack of a better term. You fuel whatever they’re feeling and push it to the extreme. This would explain why people would immediately blame you for something that they clearly did themselves like the Challenge for instance or attack you on sight like that lion did.”

The young Psyche looked horrified. “Wait! I did that? You’re telling me that just being me will make people pissed at me!?”

Grounds held up his paws. “No. Not at all. Unless they’re already aggravated. You amplify whatever they’re currently feeling. And I fear physical contact only accelerates the process.” He shuffled a few inches away from Howl. “Sorry. But I can feel your power actually driving into my skull right now.”

Howl let out a soft whimper and shuffled away in turn. “Sorry… I didn’t know.” He gave Grounds a grimace. “Are you sure that’s my ability?”

“Unless you know some sort of emotionally charged spell?” His young guest shook his head. “Didn’t think so. So yes, I believe that is your ability.” He took a deep breath and let out slowly. “I had an inkling the first time I met you but after spending these past few hours together, I’m fairly sure about it.”

The wolf glanced away and let out a resigned sigh. “Great. So I get to make people mad. I was hoping for something a little more… I dunno… Tangible. I mean Buck has legs that can kick through walls and Brodie gets and eidetic memory for spells. Tim’s arms can crush a man’s spine with a single hug and Taser gets stronger the more damage he takes. Gabe can charm people and Galahad has ‘Synchronise’ which can amplify other’s powers.”

At the mention of that last power, Grounds went rigid. “Wait… He can do that?”

“Yeah. Can apparently take a watered-down copy of other powers too.”

His mind raced and then he laughed heartily, tears welling in his eyes as relief washed over his body. Howl demanded to know what he was laughing about but Grounds had to laugh for a little longer before he wiped away a tear and sighed. “I’m just happy that you two are with the Gyms and not some rogue Psyche or working for Armistice.”

“What? Why? My power is lame.”

“Oh contraire.” Grounds wagged a finger at him. “Think about it, Howl. Hiro can observe the weaknesses in people, even down to what they did nearly a day ago. With that information, Gabe could plant a suggestion in someone’s mind. Using your ability, you could amplify whatever that person is feeling and compounded by Galahad’s ability, you could completely overload someone’s emotions in an instant. Hell, remember how we Psyches basically expel EXP in our cum? With just a touch, you could make someone cum wildly with the proper training. If they don’t feel aroused, just get them mad enough and they’ll be a wild beast!”

He slapped his forehead and leaned back with relief. “God… You boys could clean up!”

He felt more than saw Howl’s little smile. “You’re just being nice.”

“I’m not saying you’re there yet. Your aura is wild. Erratic. I only get it in waves and distance affects it greatly. Only when I physically touch you will I feel its full force and trust me, a lesser trained mind would be on their knees right now and sucking your cock while spraying you with their seed if they were so inclined.”

Howl blushed, averting his gaze.

“Awww, he’s so cute when he blushes.”

Yeah…

Grounds quickly snapped out of the insidious influence and mentally kicked Clay.

Guard the goddamn door, Clay.

“Ow… Damnit. Sorry. Jesus…”

“Thanks for the encouraging words,” Howl sighed. “But I guess I would’ve preferred to be out there on the field fighting instead of… I dunno… subtly trying to influence people’s thoughts. I want to flex my muscles! Show of my pecs!” For emphasis, he curled his arm and puffed out his chest. Grounds licked his lips lustily.

“Con!”

Clay’s mental shout brought him back to reality. “Right. Well unfortunately we don’t all get the powers we want. The world is pretty shitty like that.” He leaned back and slapped a paw against his chest, hard. The gesture was predominantly to gesture at himself but the pain also helped him snap out of Howl’s powerful aura. Though he was tempted to get up and put some distance between himself and the wolf, that would’ve been rude. “Look at me. Do you want to know what my pappy’s ability was?”

Howl met his gaze. “What?”

Goddamn are his eyes cute…

“Jesus Con! If you’re not going to focus, let me talk to him and you hold the goddamn door.”

I got this.

“Sand. His ability was to control sand.”

Howl scoffed. “What? To make sandcastles? Sounds pretty lame to me.”

He was once again reminded of Howl’s relative youth and ignorance. That helped him switch from admiring father-figure with incestuous notions to friendly teacher who was focused on the job of educating his student. “You’d think so but imagine being buried under twenty tonnes of sand. Imagine getting all that sand to spin so fast and to rub against one another so quickly that it generated enough heat to create molten glass. Imagine Shooting a single grain of sand so fast that it could cut right through flesh and bone.”

The golden wolf gulped loudly. “Oh…”

“It’s not your ability, it’s how you use it,” recited Grounds. “One of the teachings of the Battle Circle.” He reached forward and poked Howl’s bare chest. “Take it to heart.”

He realised all too late his mistake as his finger sank in between the wolf’s thick pectorals.

“Damn… It’s like our finger is in a vice… Imagine our dick in there… or our dick between another set of muscles…”

Grounds almost couldn’t pull his finger away. “Anyway, continuing my story,” he coughed with an additional mental kick to a disgruntled Clay. “When I learned my power was ‘Magnetise’ you can imagine I was a little peeved.” He rolled his eyes and spun a finger through the air in a circle. “Whoop-de-fucking-do, I can make rocks stick to other rocks.”

“That’s still a pretty powerful technique.”

The sudden harsh tone surprised the bear and he noted that Howl’s eyes had turned blue. He was talking to Hiro again. The pressure on his emotions faded with it but that didn’t stop the strange, tingling sensation he had in his chest that wanted more from the wolf than just being friends. Even knowing it was a powerful, innate ability of the Psyche didn’t stop how it made him feel. He realised just how dangerous it was.

The effects are permanent. They don’t fade with time.

“And only Howl can use it. When he’s in control. When Hiro is in the driver’s seat, it’s not active.”

“I’ve read the articles on you,” Hiro said. His voice was calmer, more even and less emotional than Howl’s. With the Psyche, it was easy to tell what he was feeling based on what he was saying but Hiro… it was like he was wearing a mask over not only his face but his voice as well. “You cause rocks to stick to people, slowing them down and sometimes even completely ‘petrifying’ them and taking them out of the battle.”

Grounds nodded, impressed at Hiro’s knowledge of him. “Right but at first, all I thought I could do was just get rocks to stick together. But eventually, I evolved that technique. I could even create statues and use the attraction between them and my target to home in on them. Any ability can be utilised in creative ways if you have the mind for it.”

Hiro’s eyes shifted back to red and Grounds immediately braced himself for the emotional onslaught. The wave hit him like a tsunami and as Howl’s expression turned sombre, he had to fight the urge to pull the pup against his chest and stroke his golden hair.

“Easy for you to say given you’ve got all these powers.” Howl shook his head and regarded Ground quizzically. “How did you inherit your powers anyway? To become Sensei, did you have to fuck everyone ten times over or something? Is it inherited?”

He shook his head, glad that his mind was going back to topics of his family and rise to becoming Sensei of this Gym. “No. It’s not inherited. It’s not a democracy either. When the previous Sensei either resigns or is no longer deemed to be worthy, there’s a special Gym Season held for only the members of that Gym. They go through four tougher trials.” He began counting them off, remembering taking them what seemed not too long ago. “A Trial of Speed, a Trial of Endurance, a Trial of Strength and a Trial of Intelligence. They’re the same and don’t change unlike the regular Season but they’re overseen by the Battle Circle themselves. Then, if a candidate passes all Trials, they must then face off against the current Sensei. I had to fight him for four days straight!”

Howl balked. “You’re kidding me!”

“Nope.” Grounds shook his head, remembering the battle bitterly. “Clay and I were put in this… I guess ‘stone forest’ would be the best way of describing it. A special Battleground chosen by the previous Sensei. Had these huge spires of rock taller than a redwood and with edges so sharp that they’d cut your skin. The ground was filled with shards of the rock as well so even walking was a pain. The Sensei and I played a game of hide and seek throughout those days. When we found each other, we’d fight, trying to get the other to cum themselves into submission but we’d always get away. I eventually won but still…”

He ran a paw down his face and grinned faintly. “Then came the fun part. The ‘Inheritance’.”

“What’s that?”

“It’s when I become the Sensei’s dick.”

Howl leapt out of his side of the sofa, his tail fluffing out in surprise. “Wait… What!?”

Enjoying the wolf’s surprise and how the shift in his emotions pulled Howl’s influence away from infatuation, Grounds said, “How do you think Trainers and those who win at Gyms inherit the powers of the Sensei?”

He could see the thousand thoughts speeding through the wolf’s mind and probably the thousand more that were rushing through Hiro’s. The two were probably having a very animated discussion. However, as with other Manifesto/Psyche discussions, the conversation was brief, barely a second.

“So… Wait. Huh?”

That was a surprisingly intelligible series of words from someone who just learned that if he were to win the Gym, he would get turned into a massive dick.

“Passing powers from a Sensei to others isn’t as easy as fucking someone or sucking them off,” Grounds explained, finding a comfortable position as an educator that rendered him somewhat immune to Howl’s ability. “If that was the case, every time we fucked someone, we’d gain their powers.”

He shook his head and lounged back. Now that Howl had abandoned the sofa, he was free to prop up his legs. “A little like the Sensei Trials, inheritance comes in steps.” Holding up three fingers, he began to list them off. “First is what we call the Connection phase. If you were to win against me, you and I would get into a sixty-nine and basically pump our cum into each other until we gained a full understanding of one another.”

Hiro suddenly took over. “How does getting into a sexually explicit position and squirting our seed into one another a form of ‘understanding one another’!?”

Howl took control back and growled at his Manifesto. “Sorry. He’s really deep in the closet.” He pressed his paws together. “Please explain.”

Grounds chuckled softy and explained that in the moment of Connection, they were no Sensei and student but equals. They would enter the position, cum into one another, take a break, converse, exchange stories and learn more about one another before once again taking the position. They would do this over and over again until both felt a suitable connection with one another, one that would make the subsequent stages much easier.

“The Connection phase is all about building trust for what is to come next.”

“That’s when I become your dick?” Howl asked, his voice cracking slightly. There was no denying that his cock was starting to fill with blood and Grounds smirked at the effect this conversation had.

“Hey Con. Focus now.”

Right. Right. Sorry.

“Actually, that’s the third phase. The second phase is the Union phase. That’s when we go into you. Both Clay and I. We go into your mind, your little world in there.” He pointed at Howl’s forehead. “And meet on a deeper, more personal level. We carve out a little place for us in your world, a place where our power can rest and then you can use it whenever you want. It’s the last phase, the Merger phase when I spear you with my dick and you physically become part of me. You then enter my world, take a bit of my power and then bring it back into yours for storage.”

Hiro took over again and shook his head wildly. Emotion was oozing out of him, his eyes wide in panic and fear. “How is this even possible!? How… I mean… what kind of magic –?”

Howl wrenched control from him again. “Shut up, Hiro! He’s explaining!”

He was reminded just how immature and young the two were. That they had some degree of mastery over mentally talking to one another was a wonder. “Remember, as a Manifesto and Psyche, your bodies are now rather malleable. Yes, you’re stuck as a wolf but remember, just a bit of EXP and you grow bigger.” Grounds gestured at himself. “Look at me. You think over a century of being a Sensei just got me this? I’ve purposefully reforged myself to make sure I’m not as tall as a skyscraper. By that same principle, you can become my dick. And that’s how Inheritance occurs as well. I became my Sensei’s dick and I inherited his power just like how he inherited his power from those before him.”

That made Howl start in surprise. “So… wait. That means you’ve got the powers of all the Sensei before you!?”

Grounds chuckled. The pup was easily startled and very excitable. That was cute. “No. A Psyche and Manifesto’s ability is unique only to them. But some of it is carried in the genes. My pappy was an earth-based Psyche and so am I. It’s just how it works. So when you become my dick and inherit some of my powers, you sort of become part of my family. I become your dad!”

“You just had to slip that in, didn’t you, Con?”

You love it when people call us daddy.

Howl puffed out his cheeks and sat on the armrest of the sofa. “That’s… That’s a lot to take in. I mean… Wow. I just thought that after defeating you I’d have to drink some of your sacred cum or maybe we’d jump into some sort of crazy harem fuck fest for seven days straight. Maybe swim in a pool of bear cum or something. But that… I mean, don’t get me wrong. I’d love to be your dick.” Howl backpedalled. “I mean – I’d love you in me! No! Wait!”

Hiro slipped in. “And you wonder why I don’t prefer social interactions.”

Back to Howl again. “Quiet you.” He grinned sheepishly at Grounds. “Sorry. What I meant to say is that I find you really hot and I’m itching to have sex with you but I don’t want to make it seem that I’m using this as an excuse to get your abilities or jump the line in this Gym Season.” He puffed out his chest again proudly. “I want to win this fair and square and when I turn into your cock, I want it to be because I earned it!”

Grounds laughed brightly. “That’s comforting.”

“He’s an honest guy, isn’t he?”

Yeah. Wears his heart on his sleeve.

“I like him. Hiro too. He’s funny.”

I know. And this has nothing to do with Howl’s power.

Grounds stretched out his arm and patted the seat beside him. “Come on, pup. Let’s finish the show. Then let’s get some practice in for when you finally do manage to beat me. I’m pretty thick you know and unless you’ve had a marathon sex session in the four days since you emerged, I’m willing to wager you’re still pretty tight.”

Howl grinned brightly and sat down right next to the big man. The contact send shivers down Grounds’ spine and elevated the friendly affection into an intense desire.

“Yes sir,” rumbled the wolf with a mischievous grin.

That pushed the remaining buttons for Grounds. A feral growl rose up from the Big Bear’s throat. The earth itself shook with his animalistic rumble. Fear flashed before Howl’s eyes. Grounds immediately identified the golden furred wolf as prey and he licked his lips, sampling the air with a sniff and taking in the scent before him. Howl’s ears folded back and like a pair of flags giving him the ‘go’ signal, Grounds rushed forward and scooped Howl up in his mighty arms.

“Whoa! Hey!” Howl cried but further protests were muted by Grounds shoving his tongue deep into the wolf’s throat and thrashing it about as if he was desperate to paint every inch of him in his saliva. The contact sent jolts of sensations crawling from where their lips were locked and straight into Grounds’ very being.

Within their own personal world, Clay could not control himself. His cock filled completely with blood and he let out a loud primal roar, one filled with need and desire. He toppled to his paws and knees like the weight of his cock was pulling him down. The sensations radiating from the contact with Howl reached through Cornelius and to him. No part of him wanted to resist it and he seized his cock with his huge paw. Precum splashed out from the hose-like length.

With his free hand, he reached out and tried to seize his partner, trying to take his place so that he could take his place and have that addictive energy flow straight into him unfiltered. But Grounds was stubborn as a rock and kept himself firmly in place. Clay growled in frustration but knew of another way he could experience these euphoric sensations unhindered.

He pushed his entire essence through their shared body but purposefully avoided the brain. His partner could stay in control but there was one place he wanted to himself. He crawled across their chest, sliding his very being through their rough, hairy abdominals and straight to their crotch. There, he pooled himself in their rising member. He gasped as his member began to quickly transform the first inch emerging from their furry sheath and forcing its way through the fabric of their pants as it grew larger and larger. Within a matter of moments it tore through his pants, not as a human cock, but as a thick, ebony coloured rod that throbbed with need as it began to brush against Howls leg. Their sensitive tip blasted him directly with the ecstatic energy into him. He rushed out to have more, taking the form of their huge, two and a half-foot long dick that came springing out of their sheath. He drooped in anticipation and in turn, the cock poured precum madly all over Howl’s back.

Grounds threw Howl roughly onto the couch. Every inch of his body craved for the wolf. This was beyond mere infatuation or obsession. It was a physical need to be one with the Psyche. He was already panting and heaving, his chest rising and falling as an animalistic lust drove him wild. Howl, despite his side, looked so weak to him and all he could think of was the wolf being his prey.

A loud but brief roar rose from his throat and he lunged forward, taking his own member into his mouth and eagerly working the pole so that he could really begin the fun. Howl watched on, grabbing his own red rocket and working it franticly as Grounds entire body swelled in size. With a master’s skill and experience it wasn’t long until he was shooting his load down his gullet and his eyes flashed the dark brown he sported whenever Clay was in control. However, that moment was fleeting, as his eyes snapped back to their normal shade, but the man’s lusty grunts started to become more and more feral. The fur that laid underneath his shirt spread across his entire body at a breakneck pace. Turning every extremity into a forest of pitch black fur while his chest remained a slightly darker brown. It was almost impossible to tell the difference between the two shades of fur, but that was soon remedied as the buttons of his shirt came flying off and revealed his growing chest.

Grounds had been a large man by default, but when he had emerged with Clay he bordered on the herculean. The thin collared shirt could barely hold together before it was ripped to shreds under his growing bulk. Arms like tree trucks now wore the tattered remains around his arm pits and his two legs tore through his pants like massive concrete pillars. Soon the rest of him finished changing as each hand grew to meet the size of his massive arms before being topped off with a set of wicked claws. Just as his muzzle began to form however, with fangs bared he lunged forward and sank his teeth into Howl’s shoulder, claiming the wolf and bringing a cry of euphoria and pain from the male beneath him. Howl tried to break free, his paws pushing back against Grounds’ shoulders. But the big bear seized his wrist and pinned them to the couch.

The Big Bear growl roughly, shaking his head slightly from side to side and tugging at Howl’s hide. He took a deep breath of the wolf’s scent. It was light, musky and also spicy like a blend of lilacs with a mix of chilli. At first, the sudden heat made him pull his muzzle away from Howl and shake his head. But the moment that scent had gone from his nostrils, he found himself craving for more. He dove back down, burying his nose into Howl’s neck, his tongue running through the soft, silky fur to bring louder and louder moans from the wolf.

“Call me your daddy,” he pleaded.

“Wh – what…?” Howl murmured softly, a dazed smile on his face.

Slightly angered at having to repeat himself, Grounds seized the Howl’s hair roughly and pulled the lupine’s head towards him so that his muzzle was directly next to those big, triangular ears.

“Call me your fucking daddy.”

Howl’s smile turned a little shaky. “Y – Yes, daddy…”

That send a whole new spark of arousal through Grounds and he thrust his hips hard into the wolf, his cock brushing up against Howl’s washboard abdominals right beside the wolf’s own throbbing member.

Primal need rose up from Grounds’ body and he lifted one of his arms. He shoved Howl’s muzzle into his armpit, purposefully rubbing the younger Psyche’s nose right into his thick, hairy pits so that the pup would remember his scent, infuse it into his very mind and make it part of himself. Howl was resistant a first but Grounds let out a deep, reverberating growl that shook the entire house and the pup became obedient again. Howl even began licking his armpits.

“Yeah, that’s a good pup,” Grounds rumbled, his cock pouring so much precum that it was soaking Howl’s chest and seeping into the couch. “Clean daddy’s pits like a good boy.”

The weight and responsibilities of being a Sensei vanished from his mind. Right now, he was just a very horny, very needy bear with his cub. He lifted both his arms over his head, knowing full well that he was beyond the point of Howl resisting him. He flexed both arms. Thick veins like fleshy anacondas crawled up his arms and Howl’s eyes traced the trail they made across the mountains of his biceps. Howl buried his muzzle between the crook of his elbow and he flexed a little more as the lupines long, supple tongue shifted through his fur and over the hard muscles there.

Grounds grunted, shifting his pose so that he had his arm raised beside him. He flexed and relaxed the arm, watching Howl’s eyes become hypnotised by the rise and fall of his biceps. Some part of his recognised the irony in how the golden Psyche’s ability drove him wild with desire while his body had a similar spellbinding effect on the wolf.

“Touch it, pup,” he ordered.

He could see Howl’s throat was dry as the wolf swallowed hard and gingerly ran his paws over the huge lump of muscle that was twice the size of his head. A shot of precum erupted from Howl’s dick every time Grounds flexed. The Big Bear enjoyed having his pup under his power. Every flex of his arm was like he was pumping the precum right out of Howl’s dick.

Licking his lips, Grounds lathered the precum that covered him all over his chest and fur. Though he could do little about the dense, black hairs over his body, the shorter brown fur he managed to slick back so that his muscles were more highly accentuated. Howl leaned forward, peppering kisses all over his arms before rolling his tongue over his broad, scalloped shoulders. His tongue worked its way to the cleft of his pectorals where he buried himself there, taking in his scent with tail wagging excitedly.

Grounds grinned and tensed his left pectoral. The muscle bounced and Howl pulled back in surprise at the motion.

“The pup likes that?”

“Oh fuck yeah,” Howl moaned. “Teach me how to do that, daddy.”

Fuck me that’s hot…

Grounds grinned and grabbed Howl’s shoulders. He turned the wolf around, pulling him back until both of them were both lying down on the couch with Howl lying atop him. Given the size difference, his dick stretched up from beneath Howl’s own sizeable furry balls. In some way, it seemed like Howl was ‘riding atop’ his cock.

Riding atop daddy’s dick…

Clay was itching for more and more contact and Howl seemed to sense this one of his paws reached down and seized the throbbing member. Deep inside Grounds, Clay roared in ecstasy. Grounds translated that into a moan and his paws went towards Howl’s pectorals.

“First we need to get some blood flow in here,” he growled right into Howl’s ear. His paws squeezed down on Howl’s chest, feeling the taut muscles beneath the dense, gold and white fur. A swell of pride filled him at the size of those mounds and his cock spewed more precum as he touched his pup’s flesh in such an intimate way. At the same time, Howl stroked his cock in tandem with his impromptu chest massage.

“Feel how my paws are moving?” rumbled Grounds softly. “Tense your chest. Tense it in my paws.”

Howl moaned and obeyed. The hard orbs in the Big Bear’s paws tightened. Each individual sinew pressed up against his paws and he couldn’t help but be filled with joy and pride, both of which came shooting out physically as more cum. Howl was enjoying the moment as well as his legs tightened around the bear’s cock and his paw began stroking the meat between them more and more.

All pretence of a lesson was quickly dropped as Howl’s other paw grabbed his own cock and began stroking madly, his tongue rolling off out of his muzzle as he began to pant madly. The wolf’s body began to rise in body heat and he couldn’t help but start thrusting wildly into the air. Each pump also send waves of arousal and pleasure through both Grounds and Clay and the two could only squeeze down onto Howl’s chest, urging the pup to continue.

Grounds buried his nose into Howl’s neck again, tongue lashing out and tasting the strong, hard muscled beneath that fur and flesh. His own body responded to each of Howl’s movements with his own thrusts. The moments when they were momentarily pulled apart by their gyrations only left a craving in him to be once more pressed up against his pup. When their sweaty, muscled flesh once more collided, it was like a series of fireworks erupted all over Grounds’ body as a celebration of the momentous occasion.

Burst of clear liquid poured out of their two cocks like twin skyscrapers pouring water from their tips. Some precum, he wasn’t sure whose, splashed onto his face, momentarily blinding him but he couldn’t stand to pull his paws away from Howl’s gyrating pectorals. He just shut his eyes and let the aromatic, salty, musky scent of that fluid seep into his nostrils.

The couch beneath them began to groan and squeal in protests as their thrusts grew harder, rougher. Deep growls rose from Grounds’ throat. All attention was divided into two place – where Howl lay atop him and the throbbing need between his legs. Within their world, Clay was not holding back and constantly orgasmed, spraying his seed everywhere. In reality, it felt like every time came, the seed piled into his balls, making them swell and beg for release. It took all his effort to keep the floodgates closed but Clay just kept roaring and kept sending more and more cum his way. His Psyche had full control of his balls and he was forcing them to work into overdrive to produce more and more cum.

Assaulted by the two sensations of Howl’s proximity and his own feral Psyche demanding release, Grounds had to use every ounce of his training to keep himself from blowing.

“Oh daddy…” Howl moaned. “Fuck daddy! I’m gonna blow!”

Each word Howl uttered was ambrosia. He could feel his cum bubbling up from his balls, pooling into the base of his cock. Each squirt of precum became thicker and thicker as more and more of his seed slipped between the cracks of his defences.

“Fucking shit…” Grounds hollered, his voice rising.

The entire house was shaking madly. Somewhere, glass shattered. The flat screen TV dropped from its mount and smashed on the ground. Lightbulbs went out in a shower of sparks. The rattling of cutlery and plates could be heard from the kitchen and a window cracked.

Grounds squeezed his eyes shut. The pressure in his dick was too much! It was going to explode!

“Holy shit!”

Howl threw his head back, ears folded back. “Oh god, daddy! Oh god! Oh my goooooooood!” His last world turned into a howl, true to his name. The wolf’s entire body went rigid and his paw slid down Grounds’ dick in one last squeeze. That was the last straw for the Big Bear.

“FUCKING HEEEEELL!”

Grounds own dick erupted with the might of a geyser. His hips launched into the air, forcing both himself and Howl’s backs into an arc. Hot seed came pouring out of their dicks in tandem, sailing high over their heads. With their position, their members ran parallel to the shaking ground, almost completely horizontal. Their bodies heaved with the first blast of seed but the second came rushing out a second later in a rocket. Given the lengths of their dicks, the flow of molten, white goo didn’t seemed to have any gaps and they constantly poured cum with a continuous flow like twin firehoses.

“Aaaaaaaaah!” Grounds roared and clamped his fangs down once more on Howl’s shoulder, eyes squeezed shut mightily. All his senses became dulled save for the burning sensation of relief that came pouring out of his dick as that pressure was finally relieved. He only saw the blackness with his eyes shut. His ears rang and he stopped breathing. His heart even seemed to stop as his entire body diverted all its resources to pumping out every last drop of seed from his dick.

That same hot seed came splashing down on his face as that pressure subsided and exhaustion quickly came crashing down upon him. His body began to relax even though more and more of his cum came pouring out. He collapsed back onto the couch, now soaked with his and Howl’s seed, with a loud squishing noise. A series of shakes and quakes his body as if it was going into shock over having lost so much fluid. Pins and needles rolled up from his crotch, up his chest, down his legs and down his arms. He hadn’t even noticed that he was hugging Howl tightly like one would a particularly sexy pillow.

The last drops of cum squirted out of his cock. The warmth of afterglow washed through him and he relaxed. He no longer kept his eyes shut so tightly and he relaxed his jaws around where he had clamped down hard on Howl’s shoulder. There was a bit of blood there and he instantly felt remorse. Unable to formulate words, he could only lick at the wounds as he relaxed his grip around Howl. Still he held onto the wolf Psyche tenderly like he would were he his own son.

“Oh fuck me…” Clay whispered, barely audible to Grounds. “… We’ve been beaten in the arena before but… fuck if that wasn’t the most powerful orgasm I’ve ever had…”

Just… I don’t want to talk right now, Clay… I just… want to enjoy this.

“Yeah… Okay. I get that…”

Grounds closed his eyes, drifting off into a light slumber that was helped along by the his and Howl’s rhythmic breathing.

“Urgh…”

Howl’s soft moan kept him from truly falling asleep.

Reluctant as he was to move, he said, “You alright…?

“I’m sticky…” Howl muttered. “And I feel like every part of my body is made of soggy spaghetti…”

“Spaghetti covered in a hell of a lot of white sauce…” Clay snickered.

Go to sleep, Clay.

“Can’t.”

Grounds ignored him and gently pushed Howl off him so that they could both stand. He looked around in the darkness. Already he could tell that he had caused considerable damage to his own home from what had been a mind-blowing orgasm.

“Let’s take a shower,” he muttered. “Then let’s go to bed. I’ll clean this up tomorrow.”

“Mhm… okay,” Howl grunted. “Just give me a moment… Still… still… wow…”

Grounds smiled at the pup and noticed the little dash of cum on the wolf’s muzzle. He leaned down and gently licked it off, a little too dazed to lift his arms. Howl giggled and moved away but instead caused their lips to meet.

A jolt of electricity shot through Grounds and strange but familiar emotions began sparking up again. Suddenly, Clay let out a deep, primal growl and began moving towards his cock again in the hopes of inhabiting it again. It took a second for the Sensei to realise his mistake – a second spend lip-locked with Howl whose ability was already intensifying his desires to not only be a father but also to fuck his son blind.

He broke the kiss, eyes wide in horror.

“Uh-oh…” he rumbled.

Howl gave him a puzzled look. “What?”

Grounds’ entire body was shaking again. In his weakened state, he couldn’t fight the sensations that were burning inside of him.

“Daddy’s going to fuck you again, pup,” he growled lustily. Then as an aside, he said, “Sorry.”

Howl’s ears folded back. “Oh hell…”

*******

Taser woke up to an empty bed smelling of cum. The feline part of him was quickly disgusted at the thought but the male part of him was rather proud that he had made Weed’s bed smell like him at least until the Professor cleaned up. He roused from the bed and absently licked his paws, brushing the slick fur against the cum-stained parts of his hard body. He nimbly leapt out of bed, his footpaws landing on the floorboards without a sound. Despite his size, he was still a feline and could be stealthy if the need arose.

Deep within his own miniature world, Timothy woke up from his own slumber. The vast desert with the strange, golden sand that glimmered, glistened and undulated like the seas looked shone with the blazing hot sun. Of course, Tim wasn’t affected by it. He quite liked the heat and where he sat in the lush greenery of the oasis in the sea of infinite sands was rather cool. Tim leaned against the edge of the pool of crystal clear water, looking down into still surface. Whatever Taser saw was show on the pool.

Morning T, greeted the ebony skilled Manifesto.

For a brief moment, Taser retreated into their private world where he scooped up Tim in his big, meaty arms and gave him a tender kiss. He affectionately purred and rubbed his fluffy cheeks against Tim’s neck.

“Morning lover.”

He quickly retreated before Tim could wrap his arms around him and crush him into oblivion making his Manifesto and partner laugh.

Scaredy cat.

“Any man would be a fool to let themselves get caught by your bear hug.”

Speaking of which. Don’t we have another Challenge at ten today?

Taser growled in aggravation. “Yeah… and that lazy ass Howl hasn’t been back yet. Fuck me this is going to be another humiliating year…”

The sing-song tone of the doorbell caught his attention, his rounded ears perking. From the smells in the air, Buck and coupled with Galahad again and if that was the case, Buck was not going to get up until later and would drag the Clydesdale down with him. Taser owed too much to Weed to let him do something as minor as answering a door. He licked his paws and swept his hair back before scrambling down the steps just as the doorbell rang again.

“Yeah, yeah! I’m fucking coming!” he roared. The bell rang again. “Bitch, what did I just say!? Ring that doorbell one more time and I’m gonna make you fucking cry and use your pussy tears as lube to fuck your shithole until it’s bloody and raw!”

Ding-dong.

He seized the doorknob and flung it open, face already set in a scowl and prepared with an arsenal of profanities that could strip a cow down to its bones within seconds. His muzzle was already halfway open and fangs bared when he realised there was a big pillar of brown, muscled fur standing behind the golden wolf wearing a smug smile.

Holy shit! Tim shouted_. Is that…?_

“Cornelius Grounds!?” Taser exclaimed.

Howl, wearing a challenging grin, arms folded and red eyes filled with infinite mirth said, “What was that about making us your bitch?”

Taser’s jaw dropped open as he realised Grounds was the one that had pressed the button that rang the doorbell.

“I… I… Erm… Uh…”

“I think that’s braindead for ‘Please, come in’.”

Howl shouldered past a stunned Taser, paving the way for Grounds to duck beneath the low doorframe and into the house.

T! Call everyone!

Taser shook his head and turned towards the house. “Buck! Galahad! Get your motherfucking asses down here! Weed! Quit smoking or whatever the fuck you’re doing! We’ve got guests!”

Grounds grimaced, offering Taser a lopsided grin. “My, you’ve got quite the voice for a little guy, don’t you?”

“He noticed me!” Taser squealed inwardly. “Sempai noticed me!”

Tim similarly squealed, pleading to be let out but Taser was going to milk this moment for everything it was worth.

Weed was the first into the foyer with a cigarette in his mouth and that immediately dropped from his lips the moment he saw the hulking eleven foot height of Cornelius Grounds.

“Oh my god!” Weed blinked several times. He bolted to the left then froze and shot towards the right before freezing again. He spun towards Grounds. “Let me just fix up the place to be better suited to your size, sir.”

Grounds laughed brightly, a surprisingly boyish sound coming from someone with such a thick neck. “No, no. Please. I’d rather keep a low profile. God knows, it took a lot to get here without being seen.” With his head down and his shoulders hunched, Grounds made his way towards the sitting area. “Please, don’t trouble yourselves. I’d rather not make a scene until we make it to the Challenge.”

“We?”

“Yes.” Grounds clapped Howl’s back which sent the wolf tumbling forward a little. “Young Howl here has found one of the many loopholes that I’ve purposefully designed into this Challenge.”

Loopholes? Tim asked. But the challenge was impossible!

“You see, the Challenge specifically said that anyone can be called upon to help with the Challenge,” Grounds said. “In theory, it was meant to build a sense of community amongst Teams. Even encourage Sponsors to jump into the track and lend their physical bodies to task. But Howl… Well…” He grinned brightly at the golden wolf who was returning the smile. “He managed to muster up the courage to ask me to help.”

“And you accepted!?” Taser stammered.

“Of course!” Grounds laughed. “I’d expected someone to come to that conclusion a little later in the month to be honest but if there’s anything I’ve noticed, it’s that people don’t like being copycats. Once I step onto the stadium and make my appearance, only a few teams will have the same courage Howl showed and ask me to help them.”

“I’ll say!” Taser flung his paws into the air in frustration. “That’s like throwing in the towel! You’re not even bothering with the Challenge itself and just… just… It’s like asking the guy who made the game for help! Hell, that’s exactly what it is!”

“Are you complaining?” challenged Howl.

“Yes!” Taser roared. “You’re not playing the game! You’re… you’re cheating!”

Grounds turned and gently placed his paws on both Psyches’ shoulders. “Howl. Remember what we said about your Hysteria Ability.”

Wait. He discovered his ability?

“Hysteria?” Taser repeated. “That’s your ability? What’s it do? Find ways to fucking cheat?”

Showing infinite patience, Grounds said, “We decided to call it Hysteria because it can cause massive swings in emotion as long as even a smidge of emotion exists.” He squeezed lightly on the two men’s shoulders. “Just being around him amplifies that emotion. Physical contact is even more dangerous.” He drew the two together and Howl immediately reached out and touched Taser’s shoulder.

Fierce, blinding rage immediately burst out from behind Taser’s eyes and he only saw red. It took everything Tim had to seized him and reel him back. Taser was hurled back into the vast desert while Tim dove into the pool of water and took over.

“Whoa…” Tim exclaimed, shaking his head. “Taser nearly ripped you to shreds.” He immediately took a step back away from Howl. “That’s insane…”

“And I can’t really control it,” Howl said with an absent shrug. “It’s sort of always active whenever I’m in control. Same with Hiro’s Focus ability. But apparently, if you cum, all that emotion just gets reset.”

Tim inclined his head to the side. “How’d you figure that out?”

Howl’s eyes briefly switched to Grounds and the big bear coughed.

“Oh…” Tim snickered. “I see.”

“Things became quite heated last night,” laughed the Sensei. “It was certainly a… learning experience.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…” Grounds’ expression turned distant and a coy little smile crossed his features. “Over the course of six amazing hours, my mind rode a rollercoaster of passion. With my dick in this pup r each second, I went from casual fling, to fuck buddy, lover and then hopelessly in love over and over again.” He let out a soft grunt until Howl gently pulled his paw away from his shoulder.

“Yeah and my ass is still sore from it today…” Howl rumbled. “Took me a whole hour this morning to get feeling back in my legs.”

“Sorry pup.” The big bear sighed. “Damn… You know I’m going to have to fuck you again later, right?”

There was some degree of satisfaction from Taser to see Howl’s ears fold back in fear.

“Can’t you just rub one off?” whimpered the wolf. “I’m pretty sure I have enough of your cum in me that I’m genetically your son.”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Grounds said, licking his lips lustily. Then the bear straightened and shook his head. “Sorry, sorry. I’ve spent the last twelve hours with him and even the few that we spent after the last orgasm is enough for his influence to cloud my judgement. Lesser men would’ve given in to their emotions by now.”

Tim frowned curiously.

Huh… Taser, do you think…?

“No. No way. I don’t fucking hate him because of his power.”

Then why? I mean he found a way for us to win the Challenge right?

“By cheating!”

Is it really cheating though? Grounds himself admitted that it’s legal and one of the avenues that he was anticipating teams would take…

“But it’s not right!”

Tim took a moment to dive back into the desert and stand in front of his Psyche. Crossing his arms, he stared directly into Taser’s bright green eyes.

“Don’t give me that look!” Taser shouted, flinging his paws into the air. “You know I’m right!”

Further conversation was interrupted when both Buck and Galahad came stomping down from the second floor. From the smell coming off them and the fresh drops of cum dripping from between Buck’s ass cheeks, they had managed to squeeze one in before they headed down. Both, however, stopped in mid-step the moment they saw Grounds standing a few feet away.

“Holy sheeeet!” Buck cried. “It’s Cornelius-fucking-Grounds and Clay!” His eyes flicked towards Howl. “Goddamn, bro! What the hell did you get up to last night!?”

“How about we explain it over breakfast?” Howl suggested. “I’m starved.”

Still stunned at the turn of events, Weed quickly began making breakfast. Tim remained in control for fear that Howl’s influence would start aggravating Taser again. Grounds explained the wolf and his partner’s abilities. Hiro’s Focus ability granted him a sort of ‘supernatural tunnel vision’ on whatever he was focus on, giving him extensive knowledge of it not only based on sight but on all his senses as well. Its downfall was that he was focused just on the single target and was thus vulnerable to being sideswiped. Conversely, Howl’s ability was far reaching – a reason while he was sort of exiled to the far end of the table away from everyone else while they ate a hearty breakfast.

“We figured out that Hysteria generally has about a range of 5 yards,” Grounds explained. “Anything beyond that is unaffected though if I had to wager, as he grew, so would his range. The closer you are to him, the more your emotions may go haywire. As I mentioned before, physical contact is like a direct shot in the arm of mood enhancers.”

“Damn…” Galahad rumbled. “That’s probably why we were so easily depressed yesterday an’ how we quickly jumped on the bandwagon when Howl started making suggestions.”

“That’s also what makes it so dangerous,” warned Grounds. He nodded to Howl who was munching down on some bagels. “I’m not going to ban him from competing. You can’t help what ability you get. But you all need to work together to figure out how to control Hysteria.” He nodded towards Galahad. “From what I hear, your Synthesise ability grants you a weakened copy of the ability and enhances the original. Imagine what would happen if Howl’s Hysteria were applied to an entire Arena full of fans.”

Everyone on the table, even Taser, went rigid.

“Fuck! He’s a menace to fucking society!”

Taser, don’t be so melodramatic. He can’t help it.

“But you just heard what Grounds said!”

You were sitting right next to him yesterday, Taser. You’re probably still bearing the grudge.

“I came last night, Tim. I’ve got it out of my system!”

“Is there any lasting effects?” Tim asked. “I mean, you said if you cum it all sort of goes away but I don’t think you could easily forget that for a brief instant, you were madly in love with him.”

Grounds chuckled softly and gave the tiger a nod. “Unfortunately, that’s the truth. Reaching orgasm doesn’t remove those memories of having those feelings. For me, it felt… odd. I’m a solitary sort of guy and when I encountered Howl, I fell in love with him for no reason just because I was starting to like him.”

“He fell in love over liking the asshole? The fuck?”

“How’d you end up loving him after liking him?” asked Buck. “I mean, I’m all up for a fuck buddy but bro… Gotta be boundaries, right?”

“That’s the thing,” Grounds answered. “Emotions tend to be volatile and in Howl’s presence, they are even more so. Even the smallest emotion can launch you down a path you’d never expect. So I ended up falling in love with Howl but after I came, I couldn’t understand what made me fall in love with him or really how that emotion built up. I guess you could say I came down from my high.” He glanced over to Howl. “And you should be careful too, pup. Sex is great but there are a lot of kinky guys out there that’ll want to do things with you that they’d never do with anyone else even their own boyfriends. Your presence lowers inhibitions and lets the raw emotion out.”

Howl lifted a paw. “Yeah, yeah. You told me this before, dad. I’m good.”

Grounds growled lustfully and the entire house shook a little with his arousal. “I told you to stop calling me that, pup. You know what it does to me.”

For some reason, Tim got this horrible image of Grounds going full-on emotional over Howl, fucking him madly and unleashing his powers all around them. An image of volcanoes erupting from the ground in tandem with the big bear’s orgasms was both horrifying and kind of funny. It was a wonder that they hadn’t experienced any earthquakes overnight.

It occurred to him that with Hiro discerning their opponent’s vulnerabilities and then Howl exploiting them, the two made for a rather deadly combination. They were a solid solo act but just off the top of his head, he could come up with a number of people who could topple the two with ease. Grounds was amongst them now that he knew about their abilities.

“Anyway,” said the big bear. “Your Challenge is at ten, right?” Weed nodded in confirmation. “I’ll take you there personally. It’s going to be a big media scramble when I make my appearance.”

Tim swallowed hard and lowered his gaze.

Great… just what we need. More exposure.

“Fuck. I hadn’t thought about that. Goddamnit Howl…”

He couldn’t have known, Taser. We didn’t tell him. Tim sighed softly and steeled himself. Maybe we’ll be lucky and we’ll go by unnoticed.

“Doubt it.”

After breakfast, they all packed up with Howl relinquishing control to Hiro since in that mode, Hysteria was not active. Once they were showered, cleaned and ready, they grabbed their belongings and followed the Sensei quickly and quietly to park not too far away. Grounds snuck them into a maintenance shed which actually had a flight of stairs leading down into an extensive tram system that Grounds mentioned he used to move around quietly without being detected.

As Tim knew all too well, popularity led to unwanted attention. The tram took them to the same stadium that they had attended the previous day. They emerged beneath the tunnels of the stadium itself and when they emerged out into the open, there were already a few teams gathered there. It seemed that the competition for the day had already started.

Heads turned the moment Grounds was visible.

“Right on time,” rumbled the big bear as he took the lead and strode towards the group of Trainers performing the administration. Tim hung back, a little nervous at being seen in the presence of a popular figure like the Sensei.

Hiro noticed immediately and hung back as well.

“What’s going on, Tim?” asked the wolf. “You’ve put a good twenty feet between you and Grounds like you don’t want to be associated with him.”

“Oh it’s nothing!” Tim replied, laughing heartily. “Just conserving my energy.”

“You’ve always been a terrible liar.”

Hiro didn’t buy it. “What’s wrong? Really. Also why isn’t Taser the one in control. Don’t you usually like him taking over for battles and fights?”

“Yeah just…” He gave Hiro a sheepish grin. “He’s a little pissed at Howl and you right now and if he were to come out, I’m afraid he might do something rash.”

“What’s he got against us?”

“They’re both arrogant, stubborn lone wolves that will likely get us hurt than anything else. Howl’s a fucking child who just got big fucking guns and Hiro doesn’t even want to be part of the team!”

Tim shrugged absently. “He didn’t like the fact that we put our trust in you yesterday and then you go off and disappear on us.”

“No offence, but you guys did just leave me at the stadium by myself. You could’ve at least stayed.”

“Fair point.” He sighed heavily. “Look, it’s really nothing personal…”

“Oh yes it is!”

“… just it takes some time for Taser to warm up to people. As far as he’s concerned, you’re the omega wolf and you need to follow orders. Don’t go boasting about your abilities and thinking your top dog or anything.”

Hiro made a face that was a little hard to read on his lupine features. It was like half of his muzzle was twisted upwards while the other half was curled in a zigzag pattern. One eyebrow was also raised while the other was lowered and the eye beneath it half-closed. If Tim didn’t know any better, he would’ve thought Hiro just had a stroke.

“Fair enough, I guess. But you’ve just brought me to a tangent. You didn’t answer my question. Why are you staying away from Grounds?”

Damn. He really is observant.

“Don’t you fucking tell him, Tim! Don’t you fucking dare!”

We’re part of a team, Taser. Everyone else knows. Why shouldn’t he?

“Because we’ve know him for five fucking days! How can we trust him!?”

We’ll just have to.

Quickly glancing around, Tim gestured that Hiro followed him away from the rest of the team. Grounds was speaking with the Trainers who were staring at their Sensei in disbelief. The other teams in the stands were also gawking and likely making calls. That brought all attention to the racetrack and not the two of them.

In a low whisper, he said, “You know I come from money, right?”

“You’re rich, yeah. I know. Why?”

“Well… that money isn’t what you think.”

Hiro gave him that same look again. “It’s not… illegal, is it?”

“No. No. Nothing like that.” He shook his paws. “My real name isn’t Timothy Thomson.” He grimaced softly. “It’s Timothy Cooper.”

He got a blank look from Hiro.

“Right… New guy…” Tim grimaced. “The Coopers are actually one of the few families outside of the Gyms that actually have holdings in both the world of the Manifestos and Psyches and humans. We trade in both sides. The Coopers have business dealings in all the Gyms and we provide resources through our people’s powers to other areas in the human world in exchange for currency, tech, favours and whatever else you need. We use our influence to get our people out there, get an education and then come back in to contribute to the Gyms.”

Hiro frowned – at last a clear expression. “Why is that something to be ashamed of? Seems legitimate.”

“It is. It’s just that…” Tim sighed softly and in that moment when he let his guard down, Taser jumped out and took over.

“It’s that I ain’t one of the contestant Coopers,” Taser growled, straightening. His posture became stronger, more dominant and he crossed his arms fiercely against his chest. This was not only a gesture to make himself look more imposing but also to keep his claws from gouging out Howl’s eyes. “It ain’t something that’s really accepted these days but my fucking family has castes. Only those in the Contestant Caste are allowed to compete in the Gym Season.”

A look of realisation crossed Hiro’s expression.

“Now you fucking get it.” Taser turned his back to the wolf, a growl rising form his throat. “I hate being part of the fucking caste system. I wasn’t allowed to pick what I wanted to be. They just wanted me to be a fucking breeder because of my ‘outstanding genes’. Fuckers. Poor Tim. Always expected to be polite, to smile and never show any fucking emotion. They don’t even fucking care about me. They just want Tim to fuck a girl, get her pregnant, move on and then fuck another so that another Cooper can be born into the castes. The more manpower, the better.”

“That’s horrifying!”

He shot a fierce stare over his shoulder. “That’s life under the Gyms, dickwad. Sure we can come up with all the resources we want with our powers but it’s not like we’re even really in the world, are we? The stars we look up at night aren’t really there. It’s just part of the world of the fucking Sensei. We Psyches are too busy fucking one another to make any real advancements. We’re dependent on humans. They’re the ones that make all the technological breakthroughs and shit. We need people to go out there, learn what they can and come back.”

Taser glanced off to the side where Grounds let out a bellowing laugh. “But the Coopers don’t see it like that. My family thinks we’re fucking superior to humans. They’re our slaves. They work for us. Make things for us. We’re their gods and we live in our own little alternate universe ruling over them. I know some Sensei and Trainers feel the same.” His eyes darted back to Hiro. “Why do you think all the Sensei keep these Gyms open perpetually throughout the year?”

Hiro shook his head. “I really don’t know.” His brow furrowed. “So you ran away from home?”

“Yes I fucking ran away from home!” Taser growled. “I was not gonna be part of that damn cult.” He glanced angrily back at Grounds. “Been keeping my head down all this time. But any sort of media exposure would likely get my family bearing down on him.”

A loud growl came from Hiro and Taser suddenly felt a jab of fear that exploded out from his chest and filled his veins like ice. He turned back to Hiro only to find a pair of red eyes looking back at him.

“Is that why you’re blaming me?” sneered Howl. “Why you’ve been pissed at me? Because that’s utter bullshit. You know competing would bring attention to you. Why even bother joining the Season if you want to keep your head down?”

Taser fought hard to keep that fear from spreading but at such close proximity to Howl, it was overwhelming. His knees were shaking and he was breaking out into a cold sweat. Thankfully, Howl realised what he was doing and quickly switched out with Hiro again. Taser let out a breath, never realising he had actually stopped breathing for a short duration.

“Look, it ain’t perfect,” he growled, turning away again. “All my life, I’ve always wanted to join the Battle Circle. It’s been my dream. I know it’s fucking stupid. I’m being a hypocrite. I want to stay low away from my family but I’m joining the most widely known competition in all the Psyche-world. But I never wanted to be a Breeder. I wanted to be a contestant.”

A paw fell on his shoulder and he flinched. The fear in his veins didn’t expand any further.

“I know that feeling,” Hiro said softly. “It was a risk for me to quick the RRC and go to college. Especially so close to Manhattan. I know they have feelers out there. They’re good at retrieving their assets, after all. But I wanted to make a future for myself and I wasn’t going to live in fear of them.”

He looked into Hiro’s eyes still glancing over his shoulder. “You really do, don’t you?”

“I’ve been where you are,” Hiro answered. “I stopped looking over my shoulder and jumping at shadows a while ago. The more I looked back, the less attention I was paying to where I was going.” He offered Taser a lopsided, awkward smile like he didn’t really know how to look happy. “Walking backwards isn’t a good way to make progress.”

Taser shrugged off the wolf’s paw. “You need to work on your one-liners.” He nodded slowly, his dreadlocks shaking with the gesture. “I get what you’re saying though. I’ve tried to forget. Just…” Once again, he looked to Grounds who was just finalising their activities. “… I guess I’m just being paranoid. I don’t want to give this up.”

“As cheesy as it sounds, if the Coopers come chasing after you, you’ll have the rest of us to back you up.”

Suddenly, the golden wolf’s eyes turned red. “Hell, just stick me in the middle of them and I’m pretty sure I can get them hot and heavy after a few seconds.”

Taser froze, eyes wide as he braced himself for another jolt of fear. Strangely enough, he didn’t feel the freezing stabs of fear turning his blood to ice. Instead, he felt a warmth swelling up in his chest that got his heart beating once again.

He growled and gave Howl a rough shove away. “Fuck you and fuck your ability,” he muttered with a mocking growl. He turned and stormed towards Grounds and the others.

You’re actually starting to like him, aren’t you? Tim asked.

“We both are…”

I’ve always like him. From the very first moment that I hugged him.

“Yeah, yeah.”

He reached the rest of Baramon where one of the Trainers, still in shock, began moving towards the microphone. The bear cleared his throat. The mutterings and whispers from the audience faded as they all stood in anticipation for an explanation of the presence of the Gym’s Sensei in such a small stadium amongst low-level teams.

“Ladies and Gentlemen,” began the Trainer. “Our next team comes from New York. Please welcome Baramon.” There was no applause. “Today, they will… uh… They will be assisted by none other than our prestigious Sensei, Cornelius Grounds.”

The stunned silence was deafening.

An iguana from near the front immediately got to his feet. “That can’t be fair!”

Grounds stepped forward and took the microphone. “Actually, young man, if you read the rules of this Challenge closely, you’ll know that you can ask anyone who assist you in completing the task at hand. I believe some teams have already taken advantage of this by either allying themselves with other teams or even using their Sponsor to run interference. On that same vein, I am lending my assistance to Baramon. Because they asked.”

Before there could be a very public outcry against this action, Grounds continued. “There is nothing stopping any of you from asking the very same thing of me and I am very willing to assist you all. Such is the rules of the game.” He waved his spare paw towards the large arena. “Remember, the Challenges are not just a competition. They are designed to bring people together. All too often we are isolated within the boundaries of this Gym. With each Season, we open our doors to the world beyond our walls and welcome our brothers from other Gyms and the human world into our homes.”

A practiced speech about unity and the spirit of the competition followed but Taser wasn’t really paying attention. His eyes constantly roved the crowd. Almost everyone had their phones out and snapping pictures or taking videos of Grounds’ speech. The insides of his ears flushed red when he felt those cameras angle towards him and he hoped to God no one would recognise him. When he and Tim left the Coopers, he hadn’t been wearing dreadlocks and he wasn’t nearly as big. Still, when millions of eyes were on him, there was the off chance that someone would draw a connection. He only hoped that he’d just be seen as ‘another Tiger Clan Psyche’ instead of Taser Cooper the Runaway.

“So in that spirit,” Grounds concluded. “Let us get this Challenge underway.”

There was a cheer from the crowd. Sensei had to be both charming and apt politicians. They were essentials the kings of their little nations, after all. That he could turn a crowd from uproarious frustration to cheering loudly for him was a testament to his skills as an orator.

Taser kept his head down as he followed the rest of the team to the giant boulder that was their greatest obstacle.

“So what’re you going to do?” he rumbled. “You going to just kick the damn thing around the place until we’re done? Do we actually do anything?”

Galahad elbowed him but he just scowled back.

“I don’t want to make it look like I’m doing all the work or favouring you guys,” Grounds said with a coy smile. “But before we start, how about you tell us what you’ve learned, Hiro?”

Taser flinched a little the gold wolf came up beside him.

Dude, stop being so jumpy. It’s Hiro. Hysteria isn’t active.

“Yeah but they can switch just as easily as anyone. Fuck…”

Are you afraid that he’ll make you do something you’ll regret or are you scared that you might actually like him?

Ignoring his partner, Taser looked to Hiro expectantly.

“The Trainers will only become active every seven and a half minutes,” answered Hiro. “The guys at the stating line actually manipulate the boulder as well with their powers to not only maintain its shape but also offer some resistance. The Trainers become active in a counter-clockwise direction. Trainers will go out of their way to avoid the teams unless they’re active. They also expend some of their strength to make sure the track is smooth so the boulder doesn’t follow a set path.”

“Excellent!” Grounds laughed, placing his paws on his hips. “That’s everything I really had set for this Challenge!” He waved at the Trainer on the stands. “So let’s get this started!”

The timer began and just as it did, the earth shifted beneath them. Taser staggered a little as ground rose up beneath him as a large pillar. The hard-packed earth gently eased him to the top of the boulder alongside everyone else.

“We’re going to start running,” Grounds said with a bright grin. “Try to keep up!”

Taser’s hackles rose. “Wait –!”

Then Grounds began to run and beneath him, the boulder shifted as easily as if he was just running on a large, inflatable ball.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuck!” Taser howled as he desperately scrambled along the moving surface.

Buck laughed jovially. With all his strength in his legs, the stag could keep up very easily and as a horse, Galahad was at home over running. But Taser was a bodybuilder and running was, at best, a cardio workout and not a full on exercise. He was winded within a few minutes of the boulder rolling easily across the track.

“We’re turning guys!” shouted Grounds. The boulder shifted slightly beneath them and a string of expletives sprang from Taser’s muzzle as he fought to catch up.

His foot twisted in an odd angle and he stumbled.

“Shit!” he shouted.

A pair of strong paws seized him and hauled him back to his feet even while the owner continued to run.

“I got ya!” Howl exclaimed.

Taser sighed in relief. “Thanks.” Then he quickly detached himself from the wolf, realising that he was physically touching the maddening lupine. “Just keep yer distance!” he growled.

Taser…

“I’m not going to let him mess with my head!”

Or your heart?

“Fuck you, Tim!”

Howl blinked and his eyes went blue again indicating that Hiro had taken control. Those same eyes flicked away from Taser. “Grounds! First one incoming! He’s going to make a pretty big pothole!”

Taser glanced over his shoulder to find one of the Trainers was bolting towards them. The big bear swept his arms forward and the earth beneath his feet launched upwards in the shape of a wave. The wave carried the Trainer speedily towards them, a look of determination in the ursine’s eyes. The crowd was suddenly became very invested and already there were reporters and people from the media rushing to the stadium ready to capture every moment.

“Fucking parasites…” he growled. Turning towards the Sensei, he said, “Hey Grounds! What’re we gonna fucking do!?”

The Sensei shrugged and grinned. “You tell me boys! I’m just here to help! I can’t hold your paws the whole way!”

“Fuck!” Taser roared. “Galahad! What’s the plan!?”

The horse looked to Hiro even as they continued to run atop the boulder. “Hiro, ya mentioned a pothole?”

“Yeah!” answered the wolf. The bear was rapidly closing on them. “It might just launch us off-course and knock some us off!”

“Then we strike pre-emptively. Where ‘bout is he gonna stop?”

Hiro nodded to their right. “Just about there.”

“Good. Buck?”

The stag grinned brightly. “On it, bro!”

The big buck suddenly stomped both feet against the boulder. The blow caused the entire sphere to shudder a little and Taser cursed loudly as he lost his balance for a moment but regained it again with a few staggering steps. He was glad his claws were sharp enough to dig into the rock. Buck was launched high into the air, disappearing into the blue sky. He eyed the rapidly approaching bear, determination burning in those brown eyes.

“Shit…” he grumbled. “Galahad! What the fuck is your plan!?”

The equine grinned. “Just watch mate.”

Despite the speed that they were running, the bear came to ‘surf’ on the wave of earth beside them. The Trainer lifted his paws into the air –

WHAM!

Only for a big, brown figure to come crashing down from above, slamming hard into his back and sending the bear crashing into the ground with a loud ‘gah!’

The crowd suddenly leapt to their feet, gasping while reporters flashed their cameras and began narrating the events rapidly. With the Trainer’s head buried solidly into the ground, Buck quickly kicked off the ground, using his powerful legs to leap high into the air and land right beside Taser, resuming his run with a big, broad grin on his face. Other Trainers quickly went to the aid of their downed comrade who was dizzy but still conscious.

“Ha!” Taser cried. “Take that, fucker!”

A strange sound came from the stands. It was a mixture of woops, excited hollers and loud hollers.

People were cheering for them.

Within ten minutes, they had made it across the entire track, the boulder coming to a grinding halt at Grounds’ command. Earthen stairs rose up from the ground to allow them to step off safely. Howl, being the immature child that he was, raced down them, raising his paws into the air and soaking up the attention like it was a drug. Taser disproved but he could not keep the grin from his face as the audience which had grown two twice the size since they celebrated their victory.

Weed raced up from the sidelines towards them, beaming brightly and, for once, without a cigarette in his mouth. He gave Grounds a respectful bow.

“Thank you for aiding us. We really appreciate it.”

Grounds laughed softly and waved away the thanks. “No need for thanks. Like I said, I expected someone to come and ask me for help. One of the reasons I kept to myself this entire time. I just didn’t expect someone to ask me so soon.”

“Still. Thank you.”

The big brown bear nodded and glanced up to the crowd. “I suspect I’ll be getting similar requests soon. Variations. People won’t want to do exactly what you did but they’ll want to fit me into their strategy.” He stretched and rolled his big, broad shoulders. “It’s good to get out and move about.”

Grounds called Howl over and Team Baramon gathered around the Sensei.

“Well boys,” announced Grounds, “You’ve officially qualified for a second half of the competition and that’s to fight me and three others trainers in a four-on-four battle.” He nodded towards Weed. “Be sure to set up when you’ll have the fight. Train up and I’ll see you in the Arena.” He winked at Howl. “Don’t expect me to go easy on you.”

Howl grinned brightly with a glint in his eyes. “Looking forward to it.”

With that, Grounds turned towards the rest of the crowd. Media representatives swarmed him and began piling on the questions and demanding for interviews. Taser was glad that the bear took all the attention away from them.

Maybe this wasn’t such a bad idea.

“How do you figure?”

If we had won the Challenge without him, we’d be where Grounds is now. More exposure. This way, the Sensei can soak up all the attention.

“I suppose...”

He glanced over to Howl who was being congratulated by both Galahad and Buck.

The faintest ghost of a smile touched his lips.