Draco: As I mentioned in the 'base game' chapters, a Pokémon holding a Mega Stone or Z-Crystal would not be able to Dynamax; I would have the same principle apply to Terastallization. This has precedent in the core series; Rayquaza does not need a Mega Stone in order to Mega-Evolve, it only needs to know Dragon Ascent, and yet it cannot Mega-Evolve when holding a Z-Crystal in Alola (where Mega Evolution is still possible). For the same reasons, I would make it so that once a Pokémon has been Dynamaxed or Terrastallized, it would not be able to do the other in the same battle, if the first empowerment should wear off.
But I would not have it so that the Gigantmax Factor stops a Pokémon from being able to Terastallize. Tactically speaking, Gigantamax isn't always better than Dynamax; it's just different. And if you have one Pokémon on your team with the Gigantamax Factor, and the opponent's party is such that spending a Dynamax on that Pokémon would do more harm than good, I do not want anything to stop someone from deciding to Dynamax a different Pokémon than usual, if they deem that the better option. Thus Jeanne's tendencies throughout SEKAI Colosseum.
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo. Virtual Singers of Piapro Studio © Crypton Future Media. Characters from Colorful Stage © Craft Egg.
Through the Eye of a needLe
Jeanne fought her way to four more victories after her battle with Saki, by increasingly wider margins. As she had anticipated, the next round after that found another member of Leo/need stepping onto the field; Honami had a warm smile on her face as she took position, though it didn't take long before her brow furrowed with determination.
"Right," she proclaimed, readying a Poké Ball. "Ready when you are!"
"Give me a beat to march to!" Jeanne taunted, brandishing one of her own.
Both of them threw their Balls forward; an elderly Dragon-type emerged before Honami, and found himself staring down a haughty Fairy-type. "In the blue corner: Primarina! And in the red corner: Drampa! How will this play out?"
"Shine bright!" Jeanne commanded.
Honami raised Drampa's Ball once more. "Get back!"
"The red corner beats a hasty retreat!" Miku observed as Honami pulled Drampa out of the battlefield.
Fairy light had already gathered between Primarina's flippers, and she held it just long enough for Honami to throw her next Ball before letting it fly. An Archaludon emerged to take the Moonblast, and though it had enough to leave him stumbling, the Alloy Pokémon glared in retaliation. With a roar, Archaludon extended itself outward, and voltage began to gather in its body; Primarina was about to go for another Moonblast while he was charging, but Jeanne's "Don't risk it!" warned her off, and she let herself be withdrawn.
"The blue corner withdraws as well!" Miku exclaimed. "Looks like no one's willing to risk being at a disadvantage!"
Archaludon's voltage was still gathering as Archeops hit the battlefield; Jeanne quickly drew out her Tera Orb, letting the light gather around it for not a moment longer than necessary before the threw it forward. It burst, crystals rose up around Archeops, and Archaludon fired, the Electro Shot soaring across the battlefield and into the scattering of crystal shards in order to slam into the First Bird Pokémon.
Against whom it did absolutely nothing.
Archeops squawked triumphantly, and dirt scattered from the multilayered Tera Jewel atop his head before he dug his talons into the ground. Tremors shook the battlefield, shaking Archaludon viciously; the Alloy Pokémon managed to stay standing, however, and extended once more to unleash a Dragon Pulse, which had a much more noticeable effect on Archeops. Fortunately for Jeanne, Archeops wasn't down from one hard blow, either, and a second tremor was enough to knock Archaludon out.
"Earthquake shakes them off!" Miku proclaimed as Honami withdrew the Steel-type. "The blue corner has pulled ahead for now!"
A Leavanny was sent out to take Archaludon's place, and promptly lunged forward. Before Archeops could try to exploit his offensive advantage, Leavanny's arms illuminated with a Leaf Blade that lashed three harsh blows that devastated the First Bird Pokémon. His Terastallization shattered, and Archeops reeled backwards before falling to the ground, prompting Jeanne to withdrew him as well.
Volcarona was sent out to take his place; Leavanny seemed unfazed, twisting into a Rain Dance to summon storm clouds above the battlefield. That wasn't enough to offset the massive type disadvantage, as the Fire-type leapt forward and twisted into a Fiery Dance, blazing Leavanny until she was thrown back towards Honami, but Leo/need's drummer only withdrew the Nurturing Pokémon and sent Drampa back onto the field.
The Sun Pokémon spread her wings, unleashing a screeching Bug Buzz to batter the Dragon-type. Drampa, however, showed not so much as concern, rearing his head back to unleash a hellish twister of gales that battered Volcarona and knocked her out in short order.
"Blown away by Hurricane!" Miku exclaimed as Jeanne withdrew Volcarona. "The red corner has evened the field once more!"
"Set the stage for me, why don't you," Jeanne muttered, sending out Primarina once more. Drampa made to call down a blast of Thunder, but Primarina was able to loose her Moonblast first, and the Placid Pokémon found it couldn't stand up under the supereffective blow after his earlier damage. Honami looked like she was desperate at this point, sending out an Alcremie with a Caramel Swirl decked in Star Sweets as soon as Drampa was off the field; the rain clouds began to fade as the Cream Pokémon twisted into a dance of her own, and though Primarina loosed a Hydro Pump to try and knock her out first, it missed by millimeters as the Sunny Day began to shine.
Jeanne blinked as the incongruity struck. Wait, Alcremie can't-! "Shine bright!" she commanded, and Primarina brought her fins together to gather Fairy light between them. The Alcremie's face fell as she realized what was happening, and as the Moonblast soared forward she raising her hands before her defensively.
That didn't stop the magical impact from throwing Zoroark backwards; the Tricky Fox Pokémon bounced off the ground once before slamming her claws into the ground to stop her momentum. With an angry growl, she flung a Sludge Bomb at Primarina, the impact leaving her reeling - and before the Soloist Pokémon could even suggest a retaliation, Zoroark sunk into the shadows, emerging from behind Primarina and knocking her out.
"Shadow Sneak stabs them in the back!" Miku exclaimed as Zoroark retook her position. "The blue corner can't keep up a lead!"
"I don't need to keep up a lead!" Jeanne insisted as she withdrew Primarina. "I just need to pull ahead at the last!"
Lucario was sent out, and promptly wreathed in the light of Mega Evolution; Zoroark was in the middle of inhaling for a Flamethrower before an Aura Sphere slammed into him to finish him off. Honami withdrew him, sending out a rocky Arcanine to take his place without hesitation; Jeanne withdrew Lucario in turn, sending out Goodra to tank the first Flare Blitz that came their way.
The Dragon Pokémon retaliated with a Sludge Bomb of his own, and this one had the good fortune to seep its poison into Arcanine. With an angry howl, the Fire-type lashed out with a Rock Slide, battering Goodra with a bombardment of stones, but a Dragon Pulse was enough to knock out the red corner's hound, leaving Honami to withdraw him with a sigh.
"Alright," she insisted, sweeping her last Poké Ball to the side. "If it's come down to this!"
A Dynamax Band on her right wrist illuminated, particles pouring into the Poké Ball; it expanded in her grip, and she seized it in two hands and braced it over her head as she turned around to throw it. This time it really was Alcremie - as evidenced by the five-layered Gigantamax that extended heavensward from the red corner, something no Illusion could replicate. The Cream Pokémon screeched, and a hail of comets emerged from the starry skies above, descending on Goodra before his next Sludge Bomb could fly and consuming him in a twister of cream and sweets.
Jeanne withdrew him with a curse, readying her next Poké Ball to set off her own Dynamax Band. "Clash of the titans, then!"
Froslass emerged in the blue corner, supersizing for herself until she was at least as tall as Alcremie - though neither wanted to get close enough for a concrete comparison, for both Pokémon and their Trainers knew full well how irrelevant size was in the vast majority of combat situations. Froslass spread her arms with an echoing cry, calling down a Max Hailstorm even as Alcremie called down a second G-Max Finale, blasting her in return and soothing the wounds the Cream Pokémon had taken.
A Max Phantasm converged on the Alcremie, but that still was not enough to knock her out. The same could not be said for the third G-Max Finale that came down on Froslass; the Snow Pokémon cried out as her Dynamax blast, form receding as she was knocked out, and Jeanne withdrew her with a sigh. Turning around, she noticed Alcremie's Gigantamax receding as well, out of time, and with a grin she threw her last Poké Ball forward.
Honami started as Lucario emerged, still wreathed in his Mega Evolution, and Alcremie mirrored her Trainer's expression as she realized the battle wasn't won yet.
Jeanne thrust her finger forward. "Let's wrap this up!"
With a grin, Lucario charged forward; Alcremie hit him with a Draining Kiss in mid-sprint, desperately hoping it would be enough, but the Aura Pokémon kept charging and drove a Meteor Mash into the Fairy-type to finish her off.
"There it goes!" Miku exclaimed as Cream Pokémon tumbled to a stop at Honami's feet. "The blue corner managed to come through!" Lucario dashed back to Jeanne with a grin, the two high-fiving before Jeanne withdrew him. "Our challenger's winning streak is still going strong!"
Honami approached Jeanne as she slung Lucario's Ball onto her belt. "Keep up this rhythm," she encouraged. "After battling you for myself... I want to see how far you can go!"
"All the way," Jeanne promised, "if I've got anything to say about it!"
+x+x+x+
The next four battles did little to deny her anything to say about it; Round 13, in fact, was won without any of her Pokémon taking a knockout. When she stepped onto the battlefield for the sixteenth round, she found the last Leo/need representative waiting for her, and Shiho had a determined expression as she stepped into place at the red corner.
"Don't expect me to pull any punches," she warned, pulling a Poké Ball off her belt.
Jeanne raised one of her own before her. "As long as you don't expect me to take them!"
Both of them threw their Balls forward; two Steel-types emerged onto the field, one brandishing a massive hammer. "In the blue corner: Lucario! And in the red corner: Tinkaton! This one's gonna be good!"
Shiho swept an arm out at her side. "Break him down!"
"Don't hold back!" Jeanne commanded, reaching for her Key Stone.
The light of Mega Evolution wrapped Lucario as Tinkaton charged forward; when it shattered, he was already holding an Aura Sphere that he flung at the incoming Hammer Pokémon. Tinkaton took the blow and kept charging, swinging her weapon into a round blow so that the narrow end of the hammerhead slammed into Lucario with a vicious Rock Smash that left him shaking. Lucario rolled with the blow, halting his momentum before he was out of swinging range and leaping forth to get inside the arc of Tinkaton's swing.
A forceful Drain Punch flung Tinkaton backwards, undoing most of the damage her hit had done, but she drove the back of her hammer into the ground before she was thrown too far. Lucario was caught off-guard when she flung herself down the shaft of the hammer, connecting fist-first and bombarding him in a Play Rough, then kicking off his chest on either side of his spike to knock him over and grabbing the pommel as she descended. She wrenched the hammer out of the ground and propped it over her shoulder with a grin.
That didn't last long when she realized Lucario was still standing; he lunged forward before she could finish him off and brought a steel fist down on her brow to knock her out.
"Fallen under a Meteor Mash!" Miku exclaimed, and Shiho withdrew Tinkaton before her hammer had even gone level on the ground. "The blue corner is off to a strong start!"
An Alakazam was sent out to take her place, and Lucario had no opportunity to even get close enough for a Dark Pulse before psychic power ripped up around him to finish him off. Jeanne withdrew him as his Mega Evolution subsided, sending out Volcarona instead; the Sun Pokémon promptly screeched with a Bug Buzz, leaving the Psy Pokémon writhing in pain. He tried to retaliate with a Hyper Beam, but it missed the Bug-type by half a meter, leaving him wide open to be finished off with another screech.
Shiho withdrew Alakazam, deploying a Kleavor instead; the Axe Pokémon swiftly brought his axes into the ground, causing a vicious Stone Edge to rip up around Volcarona and knock her out in a single blow. Jeanne took no chances, withdrawing Volcarona and sending out Primarina in her stead, and as soon as the Soloist Pokémon was one the field, Jeanne crossed her arms and thrust them forward to set off her Z-Power Ring.
Primarina rose onto her tail, hair coming undone as Jeanne swept her arms to one side and then the other; the first note ripped up water around her, forming a massive orb above the battlefield. Kleavor charged forward, grass ripping up under his feet as he tried to Trailblaze to the blue corner before she could finish the song, but Primarina only thrust her fins forward so the storm could meet him halfway, and then loosed a second note to let the Oceanic Operetta consume him.
Shiho had a sharp glare on her face as she withdrew the Axe Pokémon before the flood had subsided; a Trevenant was sent out to take his place, and promptly fired a Seed Bomb at Primarina. She managed to endure the blow and shot a Moonblast back at him before Jeanne withdrew her, deploying Archeops in her stead; the two Pokémon charged at one another, and Trevenant managed to connect with a Horn Leech an instant before Archeops' Acrobatics bombarded him. The sapped vitality was enough to keep Trevenant standing, though only barely, and the Elder Tree Pokémon's entire body glowed with a floral light as he slammed down on Archeops.
"Wood Hammer slams down!" Miku exclaimed as Archeops collapsed - and Trevenant swiftly followed. "But that blow was a double-edged sword - both corners' Pokémon are down for the count!"
Jeanne and Shiho both withdrew their Pokémon; Froslass was deployed, and found herself staring down a Kommo-o who looked a lot more enthusiastic about his chances than he should've been. Jeanne reckoned she knew the reason for his confidence, and grabbed her Tera Orb to negate it - sure enough, flames began to gather around the Scaly Pokémon's maw as Froslass braced herself for the Terastallization, and the crystals were still shining around her as he let the Flamethrower fly.
The crystals shattered, and the blaze washed over Froslass - and the spectral figure rising from her Tera Jewel meant that she took much less damage than she would have a moment ago. She promptly retaliated with an Ice Beam, hitting Kommo-o dead center, and the Scaly Pokémon had no chance to try and land another blow before ice rippled across his form, leaving him stiff as a board.
Shiho bit back a curse, withdrawing Kommo-o and sending out a Houndoom to take his place - one wearing a collar that sported a Mega Stone. Then she drew something from her pocket; it looked like a guitar pick, but embedded in it was a prismatic figure that Jeanne realized was a Key Stone.
"Give it everything you've got!"
Her grip shifted on the pick, and the Houndoominite reacted with her touch on the Key Stone. The Dark Pokémon threw her head back and howled as the light of Mega Evolution consumed her; when it shattered, she was clad in what looked to be armour made of bones, her horns pointed heavensward and her tail now forked.
Froslass' Tera Jewel loosed a scattering of spectral light as she flung a Shadow Ball forth, knowing it would make little difference but not daring to back down. Sure enough, Houndoom tanked the blow and unleashed a roaring Dark Pulse that ripped across the battlefield and slammed into the Snow Land Pokémon ruthlessly, shattering her Terastallization and leaving her collapsing onto the field.
Jeanne withdrew Froslass in one hand and swept her last Poké Ball out to her side with the other, letting her Dynamax Band supersize it before she flung it backwards. Goodra emerged in the blue corner, towering over the battlefield with a roar; Houndoom seemed undeterred, charging at the massive Dragon Pokémon with a shroud of darkness. Goodra loosed a Max Wyrmwind to intercept her, but Houndoom sprinted straight through the bombardment, leaping at her Dynamaxed opponent and drawing on his own might to strike him with a Foul Play.
Goodra managed to endure, trying to retaliate with a Max Ooze, but another Dark Pulse hit before the poison could surge, and the Dynamax blast as the Dragon Pokémon was knocked out. Jeanne swore under her breath as she withdrew him, and Houndoom turned to glare at her before retreating to the blue corner; she quickly sent out Primarina, who was already well battered, knowing it would come down to the first blow.
Houndoom took aim, poison welling up around her.
Primaria rose on her tail, hair coming unfurled.
A piercing note of Sparkling Aria sent a surge of water flying, and Houndoom's Sludge Bomb faltered as the shower knocked her out, causing her Mega Evolution to subside.
"What a close match!" Miku exclaimed as Primarina slumped to the ground, exhausted but grinning. "The blue corner narrowly seized victory!" Jeanne approached her with a smile, setting an assuring hand on the Soloist Pokémon's shoulder before withdrawing her. "Seems like our challenger has no intention of calling it quits yet!"
Shiho approached the blue corner with a sigh. "That was sloppy of me," she admitted. "Just goes to show you're the better Trainer."
"Your standards are too hard on yourself," Jeanne retorted. "You had me on edge the whole time!"
"If you say so," Shiho conceded, though there was a smile on her face all the same.
Draco: Back in Gen III, little Draco had no understanding of why ANYONE would pick a single-type Pokémon over a dual-type Pokémon, unless they were building a team and wanted to avoid redundancy. If he had played Paldea, with how many MORE different type combinations there are, he would have put twelve types on a team of six Pokémon and NEVER TOUCHED his Tera Orb until the Stellar type came out. Jeanne using Terastallization to effectively take away one of her Pokémon's types, and having a tactical advantage in so doing, would have blown his frickin' mind.
With my writing tendencies - especially the ones I've shown for Grand Stage - I am not going to pretend that I have any confidence in my ability to write ten chapters of six-on-six battles with any speed. You have my apologies for any and all delays.
