diff --git a/src/battle/BattleState.lua b/src/battle/BattleState.lua
index da79b2b7..9be21b9f 100644
--- a/src/battle/BattleState.lua
+++ b/src/battle/BattleState.lua
@@ -1411,6 +1411,26 @@ function BattleState:computeMusicKind()
   return "wild"
 end
 
+-- a mod-set per-trainer battle theme (trainers.battleTheme, an audio.songs
+-- id); nil for vanilla trainers, so the kind default is untouched (#782)
+function BattleState:battleTheme()
+  local trainer = self.trainer
+  if trainer and trainer.battleTheme then return trainer.battleTheme end
+  return nil
+end
+
+-- the battle-theme cue for this battle: the mod-set trainer battleTheme
+-- when the class has one, else the kind default.  The single choke point
+-- both the transition-wipe start (OverworldController:pushBattle) and
+-- enter() route through, so a per-trainer override can't drift between
+-- them.  self.musicKind is set by enter(); pushBattle runs before that,
+-- so compute it here when absent.
+function BattleState:playBattleTheme()
+  require("src.core.Music").playBattle(self.data,
+    self.musicKind or self:computeMusicKind(),
+    self.trainer and self.trainer.id, self:battleTheme())
+end
+
 -- side tables mirror the singles battlers; called before every
 -- battler-switch notification so sides[i].battlers[1] stays honest
 function BattleState:syncSides()
@@ -1462,7 +1482,6 @@ function BattleState:enter()
       .. Strings("%s blacked\nout!", name), blackedOut))
     return
   end
-  local Music = require("src.core.Music")
   self.musicKind = self:computeMusicKind()
   if self.isGymLeader then
     require("src.world.PikachuFollower")
@@ -1472,7 +1491,7 @@ function BattleState:enter()
   -- (audio/play_battle_music.asm runs before the transition, and
   -- Music.play no-ops on the same song); this covers battles pushed
   -- without a transition (link battles, scripted pushes)
-  Music.playBattle(self.data, self.musicKind)
+  self:playBattleTheme()
   -- intro presentation (SlidePlayerAndEnemySilhouettesOnScreen): both
   -- sides slide in; the trainer pics stay up until the send-outs
   -- BATTLE BG "world" drops this battle's opacity so StateStack keeps drawing
diff --git a/src/core/Music.lua b/src/core/Music.lua
index be6ba0e1..745d45a9 100644
--- a/src/core/Music.lua
+++ b/src/core/Music.lua
@@ -368,11 +368,12 @@ function Music.setSurfing(data, surfing)
   if play then Music.play(data, play, nil, { reason = "map" }) end
 end
 
--- battle themes; kind = "wild"|"trainer"|"gym"|"final"
-function Music.playBattle(data, kind, trainerId)
+-- battle themes; kind = "wild"|"trainer"|"gym"|"final".  `song`, when
+-- given, overrides the kind's default -- a mod-set trainer battleTheme.
+function Music.playBattle(data, kind, trainerId, song)
   local b = data.audio and data.audio.battle
   if b then
-    Music.play(data, b[kind] or b.wild, nil,
+    Music.play(data, song or b[kind] or b.wild, nil,
       { reason = "battle", kind = kind, trainerId = trainerId })
   end
 end
diff --git a/src/mods/Schemas.lua b/src/mods/Schemas.lua
index 7ccac8a9..c834ce41 100644
--- a/src/mods/Schemas.lua
+++ b/src/mods/Schemas.lua
@@ -577,6 +577,9 @@ R.trainers = {
     aiMods = f.opt(f.any),
     aiClass = f.opt(f.id("ai_classes")),
     brain = f.opt(f.fn),
+    -- Per-trainer battle theme (an audio.songs id): overrides the
+    -- kind-based default (wild/trainer/gym/final) for this trainer's
+    -- battles.  The victory jingle stays kind-based.
     battleTheme = f.opt(f.id("music")),
   },
   example = 'mod.content.trainers:patch("OPP_BROCK", { baseMoney = 99 })',
diff --git a/src/world/OverworldController.lua b/src/world/OverworldController.lua
index d6fcdb56..19cda81d 100644
--- a/src/world/OverworldController.lua
+++ b/src/world/OverworldController.lua
@@ -760,8 +760,8 @@ function OverworldState:pushBattle(battle)
   local enemyLevel = battle.enemy and battle.enemy.mon and battle.enemy.mon.level or 0
   -- the battle theme starts with the wipe, not after it
   -- (audio/play_battle_music.asm runs before the transition)
-  if battle.computeMusicKind then
-    require("src.core.Music").playBattle(Game.data, battle:computeMusicKind())
+  if battle.playBattleTheme then
+    battle:playBattleTheme()
   end
 
   -- The fade back in from white on the way out is BattleState:finish()'s
diff --git a/tests/engine/trainer_battle_theme_bug945.lua b/tests/engine/trainer_battle_theme_bug945.lua
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..d7a4ce8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/engine/trainer_battle_theme_bug945.lua
@@ -0,0 +1,190 @@
+-- Issue #945: a mod's per-trainer battleTheme (trainers.battleTheme, an
+-- audio.songs id) was validated and merged onto the trainer record but
+-- never read -- battle music came solely from data.audio.battle[kind] where
+-- kind is computeMusicKind()'s final/gym/trainer/wild.  Both battle-theme
+-- start sites (OverworldController:pushBattle's pre-wipe cue and
+-- BattleState:enter) now route through BattleState:playBattleTheme(), which
+-- hands the override to Music.playBattle's new song arg.  A nil override
+-- keeps the kind default, so vanilla trainer fights -- and #782's non-gym
+-- Giovanni -- are unchanged.
+package.path = "./?.lua;./?/init.lua;" .. package.path
+
+local T = require("tests.modkit")
+
+-- ------- love audio stub: file-backed songs only (mod_audio pattern)
+
+local love = _G.love or {}
+_G.love = love
+love.audio = love.audio or {}
+
+local assets = {
+  ["assets/theme.ogg"] = true,
+  ["assets/alt.ogg"] = true,
+}
+
+local sources = {}
+
+local Source = {}
+Source.__index = Source
+function Source:play() end
+function Source:stop() end
+function Source:setLooping() end
+function Source:setVolume() end
+function Source:setFilter() end
+
+love.audio.newSource = function(what, mode)
+  if type(what) == "string" and not assets[what] then
+    error("could not open file " .. what, 0)
+  end
+  local src = setmetatable({ file = what, mode = mode, queueable = false }, Source)
+  sources[#sources + 1] = src
+  return src
+end
+love.audio.newQueueableSource = function()
+  local src = setmetatable({ queueable = true }, Source)
+  sources[#sources + 1] = src
+  return src
+end
+
+local Music = require("src.core.Music")
+local Runtime = require("src.mods.Runtime")
+local Font = require("src.render.Font")
+local TypeChart = require("src.battle.TypeChart")
+local Pokemon = require("src.pokemon.Pokemon")
+local SaveData = require("src.core.SaveData")
+local BattleState = require("src.battle.BattleState")
+
+-- ------- the fix-945 mod: register a song and point a trainer class at it
+
+local MOD = {
+  ["mods/fix_youngster_theme/manifest.json"] = [[{
+    "id": "fix_youngster_theme",
+    "name": "Fix Youngster Theme",
+    "version": "1.0.0",
+    "entry": "main.lua",
+    "api": 2
+  }]],
+  ["mods/fix_youngster_theme/main.lua"] = [[
+    local mod = ...
+    mod.content.music:register("Music_ModTheme", { file = "assets/theme.ogg" })
+    mod.content.trainers:patch("OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER", {
+      battleTheme = "Music_ModTheme",
+    })
+  ]],
+}
+
+local function newGame(data)
+  local save = SaveData.newGame()
+  save.player.name = "RED"
+  save.player.rival = "GARY"
+  save.party = { Pokemon.new(data, "FIXMON_A", 30) }
+  return { data = data, save = save,
+           stack = { top = function() return nil end,
+                     push = function() end, pop = function() end } }
+end
+
+-- record every cue the music.select hook sees
+local function hookRecorder(seen)
+  Runtime.hooks:wrap("music.select", function(nextLink, song, ctx)
+    seen[#seen + 1] = { song = song, kind = ctx.kind,
+                        trainerId = ctx.trainerId }
+    return nextLink(song, ctx)
+  end, nil, "bug945")
+end
+
+-- a playBattle spy that records (kind, trainerId, song) without touching audio
+local function spyPlayBattle()
+  local calls = {}
+  local real = Music.playBattle
+  Music.playBattle = function(data, kind, trainerId, song)
+    calls[#calls + 1] = { kind = kind, trainerId = trainerId, song = song }
+  end
+  return calls, function() Music.playBattle = real end
+end
+
+-- ------- the modded class resolves and the override reaches the cue
+
+local Data = T.fixtures.fresh()
+Font.load(Data)
+TypeChart.load(Data)
+
+local run = T.sdk.loadMods({ "mods/fix_youngster_theme" },
+                           { data = Data, fs = T.sdk.memfs(MOD) })
+T.eq(#run.errors, 0, "the battleTheme mod loads without validation errors")
+T.eq(Data.trainers.OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER.battleTheme, "Music_ModTheme",
+     "the patch lands on the trainer record")
+
+-- give the kind defaults a home so the no-override fallback is observable
+Data.audio = Data.audio or {}
+Data.audio.battle = Data.audio.battle or {
+  wild = "Music_DefaultWild", trainer = "Music_DefaultTrainer",
+}
+Data.audio.songs = Data.audio.songs or {}
+Data.audio.songs.Music_DefaultWild = { file = "assets/alt.ogg" }
+Data.audio.songs.Music_DefaultTrainer = { file = "assets/alt.ogg" }
+
+local battle = BattleState.newTrainer(newGame(Data), "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER", 1)
+T.eq(battle:battleTheme(), "Music_ModTheme",
+     "battleTheme() resolves the per-trainer override")
+T.eq(battle:computeMusicKind(), "trainer",
+     "a plain trainer fight is still trainer-kind")
+
+local calls, restore = spyPlayBattle()
+battle:playBattleTheme()
+T.eq(#calls, 1, "playBattleTheme cues the theme once")
+T.eq(calls[1].kind, "trainer", "the cue carries the computed kind")
+T.eq(calls[1].trainerId, "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER", "the cue carries the trainer id")
+T.eq(calls[1].song, "Music_ModTheme", "the override label wins over the kind default")
+
+-- enter() sets self.musicKind before playing; playBattleTheme honors it
+battle.musicKind = "gym"
+battle:playBattleTheme()
+T.eq(calls[2].kind, "gym", "a pre-set musicKind (the enter path) is used as-is")
+restore()
+
+-- ------- Music.playBattle: override arg wins; nil falls back to the default
+
+local seen = {}
+hookRecorder(seen)
+Music.reload()
+Music.playBattle(Data, "trainer", "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER", "Music_ModTheme")
+T.eq(seen[1].song, "Music_ModTheme", "the override arg is played")
+T.eq(seen[1].kind, "trainer", "the hook sees the battle kind")
+T.eq(seen[1].trainerId, "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER", "the hook sees the trainer id")
+
+Music.reload()
+Music.playBattle(Data, "trainer", "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER")
+T.eq(seen[2].song, "Music_DefaultTrainer",
+     "no override falls back to the kind's default song")
+T.eq(seen[2].trainerId, "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER",
+     "the hook still sees the trainer id on the default path")
+
+-- ------- a vanilla class has no override, so the kind default is untouched
+
+local DataV = T.fixtures.fresh()
+Font.load(DataV)
+TypeChart.load(DataV)
+DataV.audio = {
+  battle = { wild = "Music_DefaultWild", trainer = "Music_DefaultTrainer" },
+  songs = {
+    Music_DefaultWild = { file = "assets/alt.ogg" },
+    Music_DefaultTrainer = { file = "assets/alt.ogg" },
+  },
+}
+
+local battleV = BattleState.newTrainer(newGame(DataV), "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER", 1)
+T.eq(battleV:battleTheme(), nil, "a vanilla trainer class has no override")
+local callsV, restoreV = spyPlayBattle()
+battleV:playBattleTheme()
+T.eq(callsV[1].kind, "trainer", "vanilla cue keeps the trainer kind")
+T.eq(callsV[1].song, nil, "vanilla passes no override, so the default plays (#782)")
+restoreV()
+
+local seenV = {}
+hookRecorder(seenV)
+Music.reload()
+Music.playBattle(DataV, "trainer", "OPP_FIX_YOUNGSTER")
+T.eq(seenV[1].song, "Music_DefaultTrainer",
+     "vanilla battles play the kind default, not a per-trainer theme (#782)")
+
+T.finish("trainer battle theme bug945")