Draco: ...Not gonna lie, if this was a game and I was playing it, I would probably use the Pokémon Home GTS to score a personal team of my choosing, and raise my Rental Pokémon for the express purpose of having them tend to Berries in my stead.
Alright, as the previous chapter was an exploration of Trainer Mode, this chapter will be a tour of what I've designated as "Play Mode"... followed by the intro of "Colosseum Mode". This is where my fantasy fangame idea got REALLY absurd. Everything in Trainer Mode is, you know, optimistic but plausible; most this is just gratuitous.
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo. Virtual Singers of Piapro Studio © Crypton Future Media.
Play Hard, Fight Hard
The next day, Jeanne decided to pay a visit to Sunny Park, and explore what sort of non-battle entertainment Pokétopia had on offer.
No sooner had she reached bounds of the park than she saw a familiar face; it was Jasmine, the girl she'd run into yesterday. Jasmine noticed her, as well, and made to approach. "Oh, hello again," she greeted. "You're, um... the one from yesterday. Jeanne, right?"
"Yeah," Jeanne confirmed. "Good to see you again."
"You, as well," Jasmine returned. "I take it you wanted to explore some of the options here?"
Jeanne nodded. "More or less," she confirmed.
"Um... I could show you around, if you'd like?" Jasmine offered.
"Would you?" Jeanne mused. "That would be great."
+x+x+x+
There was a lot of battle-readiness to be found on Main Street, but there was a lot more fun to be found in Sunny Park. The Super Training Stadium allowed a means for Pokémon to better themselves without being in battle; the Pokémon-Amie Playground was a feel-good environment for bonding with one's team; and the Pokémon Café was just a good place to relax. There was a Contest Hall, with Coordinators and their Pokémon putting on a wonderful show, and a Poffin Bakery for any prospective Coordinators to prepare for the performance; there was also a Pokéathlon Dome, for Trainers and Pokémon who prided themselves on their fitness to compete in an altogether different manner from battle proper.
"Man, there is just everything here," Jeanne observed.
Jasmine led her to the last stop of the tour. "And this is the Game Corner," she introduced. "A lot of the people who come here are those who don't have a Game Corner in their home region." She turned to Jeanne. "I, um... think that's everything, here in Sunny Park."
"No worries," Jeanne assured her. "Thanks for the tour. Where you off to?"
"I participate in the Pokémon Contests sometimes," Jasmine replied. "Maybe I'll see you there?"
Jeanne gave an awkward smile at that; as Jasmine took off, she turned to the Game Corner and pushed the door open. The arcade was full of machines for all sorts of different games, from head-spinning slots to what seemed to be a fighting game. There was also a rest area on one end that had quite the motley crew seated in it; a curious Jeanne made to approach them.
One of them was flipping a coin - a pale fellow with black hair that looked like wings - and he was the first to notice her approach. "Man oh man... so many new people coming by lately. You must've been on the last plane, am I right?"
"Yeah," Jeanne confirmed, "how did you know?"
The man flipped his coin again. "I just called the right face," he mused. "I am Grimsley, of the Unova Elite Four. I do love games of chance, but there are few of them to be found in Unova. So I learned to enjoy myself with risky battles and Wonder Trades - until I heard of this place." He smiled. "The divas in charge of Pokétopia invited me here to offer some of that enjoyment to the Trainers who aren't satisfied with their Rental Pokémon. If you would like, I would be happy to trade Pokémon with you."
"A Wonder Trade?" Jeanne asked.
"Yes," Grimsley confirmed. "I pick a Pokémon, and you pick a Pokémon... and neither of us opens the Ball until after we've traded. No take-backs, no second-guessing."
"I... think I'll pass."
The sound of wheels rolling against the floor drew her attention as someone else came up next to Grimsley - a woman with long blonde hair and Roller Skates on her feet. "You heard her say no, gamer," she preempted, "leave her alone." Skulking, Grimsley stepped away as the skater offered her hand. "My name's Korrina. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise," Jeanne returned.
"I'm from Kalos," Korrina mused. "Gym Leader of Shalour City, in fact." She raised a hand, revealing her glove had a prismatic stone set into the back of it. "The 'Mega Evolution Guru' of Kalos is my granddad."
"Mega Evolution?" Jeanne echoed. "No way!"
Korrina grinned. "Don't get your hopes up. I can't go handing out Key Stones to just anyone. It's gotta be people I know can be trusted with the power." Something in her eyes seemed to change as she looked Jeanne up and down. "Although... hmm. Maybe. There's something about you..."
Jeanne narrowed her gaze. "About me? Like what?"
"Tell you what," Korrina insisted, "you're here for the Colosseum challenge, right? If you make a good impression on Miku, maybe she can vouch for you." She grinned. "Of course, if you don't have a Pokémon with a matching Mega Stone, it would just go to waste anyways."
"Y-Yeah," Jeanne agreed, "fair enough."
A hearty laugh from nearby drew her attention; a rather large man in an Alolan shirt that hung loose was approaching. "You Kalosians are so stingy with your artifacts," he mused.
"Just because Z-Power is a rite of passage doesn't mean you get to scorn me for being careful with something a lot more dangerous," Korrina retorted, rolling away.
The man chuckled, turning to Jeanne. "Greetings," he returned. "I am Hala, the kahuna of Melemele Island in Alola. The ones in charge of Pokétopia came across a surprising bounty of Sparkling Stones, and asked for an expert to come and refine them into Z-Power Rings."
"A power ring?" Jeanne echoed.
"Ah, do you not know?" Hala mused. "Look here." He held an arm before him, showing something bound to his wrist - a rather large bracelet of some description, with a face that did indeed look to be made of stone mounted on the back of his arm. "This is a Z-Power Ring. It is used in tandem with a Z-Crystal..." - here he drew something from his pocket, a small diamond-shaped crystal with a black figure marked on it - "...to allow a Trainer and their Pokémon to harness what we call 'Z-Power' in Alola. With this power, Pokémon can perform mighty and devastating Z-Moves in battle."
"Wow," Jeanne mused. "And what sort of requirements are there for someone to wield Z-Power?"
Hala laughed. "Sparkling Stones are often given by the guardian deities of Alola," he replied, "to Trainers who have just started their journeys! As far as I'm concerned, if you're old enough to fight in Pokétopia, you're old enough to use Z-Power. That is, if you want it?"
"Um..." Jeanne sucked in a breath through her teeth before shaking her head awkwardly. "I... don't know that my Pokémon and I trust each other enough just for battle," she admitted, "let alone any sort of... empowerment."
"I understand," Hala assured her. "Come find me when you're confident in your bonds."
With an approving nod, he made his way towards the game machines. Jeanne looked around in curiosity and found one person she hadn't spoken to, a peach-haired woman wearing an open labcoat. She was tapping on a Rotom Phone, and there was a strange device sitting next to her; as Jeanne approached, she raised her gaze and broke into a smile. "Oh, hello, there! Done getting accosted?"
"I guess," Jeanne chuckled.
"Name's Sonia," the woman greeted. "I'm a Pokémon Professor of Galar." She picked up the device at her side. "Heard people had found Power Spots here in Pokétopia, and thought I should probably make sure they're not signs of something dangerous."
"Power Spots?" Jeanne echoed. "You mean, like, for Dynamax?"
"Yes!" Sonia confirmed. "Exactly! They'd only ever been found in Galar before the Piapro folks got rights to Pokétopia, so I was a little concerned." She held the device before her, letting her Rotom Phone hover at her side as she tapped at its screen. "But the readings are all consistent with the normal state of Power Spots in the Stadiums back in Galar, so it looks like there's nothing to worry about."
She set the device back down and grabbed her Rotom Phone again. "I passed that on to the blokes in charge, which means any Trainer with the means to Dynamax is free to do so without worry." She smiled meaningfully. "Of course, having the means is easier said than done. Even if they are selling Wishing Stars at Dragon's Order, they won't do much if you don't know how to turn them into a Dynamax Band." She tapped her chest meaningfully.
Jeanne giggled. "Good to know."
+x+x+x+
After many more days of training at the Battle Club - interspersed with the occasional trip to Sunny Park for some recreation - Jeanne reckoned she and her team were ready for the good stuff. With some trepidation, and much more excitement, she made her way to Arrival Colosseum, which was situated on the south shore with the airport or the cruise docks a couple minute's walk from the entrance.
The first surprise came right out the gate - or in the gate, rather. Each Colosseum in Pokétopia had a 'tunnel' of sorts encircling it, with the sign-up desk between entrances to the battlefield, and stairways leading into the stands. Viewing screens were lined up along the inner walls, displaying the battlefield so that waiting Trainers didn't need to sprint from the bleachers to the battlefield when their turn came up. For some Colosseums, that was a matter of comfort; Volcano Colosseum, for instance, was exactly what it said on the tin, and not everyone enjoyed the heat. But for the most part, it was little more than a gateway, or a waiting room in extreme cases. It was also divided halfway around, with one side being for the challengers and one side being for the Colosseum's assigned Trainers.
Which made for quite the shock when Jeanne stepped into the challengers' tunnel for Arrival Colosseum and found Hatsune Miku standing there.
A sound somewhere between a yelp and a squeal escaped her lips, drawing the idol's attention; Miku turned around and offered a smile. "Oh, hello!" she greeted. "Are you here for the Colosseum challenge?"
"Y-Yeah," Jeanne confirmed. "I... You're Miku!"
Miku giggled. "Yes, I am," she teased. "And I look forward to watching you battle." Then, when Jeanne's jaw dropped; "I'm the announcer here at Arrival Colosseum. Getting the crowd fired up for the battle is what I do!"
She started towards the battlefield entrance, waving to Jeanne as she left. "Can't wait to see what you can do!"
Draco: I told you this was gratuitous. Super Training for you to grind EVs, and Pokémon-Amie minigames to build friendship quickly (affection being folded into friendship for Generation VIII and all). Contest Spectaculars straight out of Hoenn (now that Sinnoh has Super Contest Shows that are a genuinely distinct thing from the Hoennian Contest Spectacular), and Poffins with which to improve Contest conditions. Jasmine might randomly show up as an opponent for any rank of Contest, not just Master Rank. Pokéathlon for a full-on sporting competition (or ten), and there's an Apricorn seller with an Apricorn Blender in the lobby. The Pokémon Café will provide Poké Beans to fill your Pokémon's bellies (because Fullness and Enjoyment are a thing again if Pokémon-Amie is back), plus sells snack-food items like Lava Cookies, Old Gateau, and Sweet Hearts.
The Game Corner has Veilstone-style slot machines and a Mauville-style roulette table... along with cabinets for Pokkén Tournament, Pokémon Unite, Pokémon Rumble, Pokémon Trozei, and PokéPark Wii. If that didn't make it obvious, let me spell it out: you don't get to play the games in the Game Corner. It serves as a meeting place for a few major Trainers from Generation V+. It wouldn't be one long introductory cutscene; like I said, some of this I'm just writing as a story. Each introduces themselves when spoken to, not all at once. And when spoken to, you are given a dialogue option that lets you choose between a confused response that leads into an explanation of each mechanic, and an excited response that cuts straight to the offer/terms.
Grimsley always assumes you came on the plane, and will react differently if you in fact came on the boat; he offers to Wonder Trade for your Rental Pokémon. You can pick whoever you want, and Grimsley will randomly give you any non-legendary Pokémon in the National Pokédex... that can legally be obtained at the level of the Pokémon you give him, because the two will match. So if you give him a freshly-hatched Pichu, you are not capable of receiving a fully-evolved Tyranitar - but you are perfectly capable of receiving a Larvitar. There is no daily limit, and nor will he provide the same Pokémon all day; you can trade him three Pokémon in a row and receive three completely different Pokémon, then reset without saving and get three more completely different Pokémon for them.
Korrina will provide you with a Key Stone to be used in Pokétopia - if you have a Mega Stone from Dragon's Order, and a Pokémon that could actually use it to Mega Evolve, after having emerged victorious in Arrival Colosseum. (I'd like to imagine that there's a selection of Key Stone accessories that you could choose from, with a unique animation for each.) Hala, on the other hand, will offer you a Z-Power Ring and a complete set of type-based Z-Crystals, unconditionally. And if you buy a Wishing Star from Dragon's Order, and you speak to Sonia, she will offer to fashion it into a Dynamax Band for you.
Yes, that means you could hit a Gigantamax Charizard with a Catastropika and then have your opponent send out a Mega Sceptile. I TOLD you this was gratuitous. That said, a Pokémon holding a Z-Crystal or a Mega Stone cannot Dynamax (or Gigantamax), regardless of whether that Z-Crystal or Mega Stone can actually be used by the Pokémon holding it. So you can't tank an onslaught with a Gigantamax Pokémon and then rain down hell with a Z-Move.
You get an introductory cutscene on entering each Colosseum, featuring a conversation with the Virtual Singer who serves as that Colosseum's announcer. I don't think I would have these cutscenes voice-acted, if only because I feel like some of them should address your Trainer by name and I certainly can't remember the last time someone pronounced "Draconai" right without being told. (And having to tell the game how to pronounce your name is not worth the extra time.) Said Virtual Singer would also serve as the Colosseum Leader of that Colosseum, with one of the others taking over on announcer duties for that battle.