Draco: So, one thing I completely forgot about until I checked my notes for this Colosseum - and apparently even forgot about during the gameplay-ramble chapters. Key Stone accessories. Z-Power Rings and Dynamax Bands are set items, but it seems like everyone with a Key Stone in Generation VI wears their Key Stone in a different place, including Brendan and May in their Contest outfits. So I feel like I should respect that.
For Grand Stage, I would offer a variety of Key Stone accessories that can be bought at Dragon's Order Jewelers - and the Virtual Singers with Key Stones would wear them in one of the same accessories. Options include a finger-mounted Mega Ring like Lysandre has, a Mega Bracelet that should probably be worn closer to the hand than the Dynamax Band, a Mega Anklet like Zinnia's (though maybe not with a Rayquaza design), a Mega Charm necklace like Diantha's, a Mega Pin affixed to the shirt, and a Mega Dec hair clip. There is also the option to not wear the Key Stone on your person, with your Trainer simply drawing it out like I had Jeanne doing in the past two chapters.
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo. Virtual Singers of Piapro Studio © Crypton Future Media.
To What Colour Am I Dyed?
After visiting Dragon's Order and picking up a hair dec she could wear her Key Stone in, Jeanne made her way to Canyon Colosseum. Just getting there was a bit of a trek from Main Street - the Colosseum was stationed between rocky cliffs that surrounded the mountain towering in the middle of Pokétopia. Eventually, however, Jeanne managed to arrive at the point where the canyon widened around a Power Spot; the lobby's structure at the chokepoint suggested that the audience's seating was built into the canyon walls.
When Jeanne stepped into the lobby, she found a pink-haired woman surrounded by baby Pokémon - a Pichu was perched atop her head, a Toxel and Mantyke were clinging to her arms, and Tyrogue, Smoochum, and Azurill were bouncing around her feet. On seeing the challenger step in, Luka turned to her with a smile. "Oh, hello again. It was Jeanne, right?"
"Um..." Jeanne looked at the crowd of Pokémon surrounding her. "Did I interrupt something?"
"Not exactly," Luka replied. "I was training these little ones earlier and made the mistake of saying goodbye to everyone at once when I got back for challenge hour." She carefully started towards one of the accesses. "Let me put them to bed, and we can get started. I look forward to seeing you battle!"
Jeanne gave an awkward laugh as Luka left. "As far as first impressions go, 'being nice to too many Pokémon at once' is on the better end of the scale."
+x+x+x+
"Goooood morning, Pokétopia!"
Luka's greeting earned an enthusiastic cheer from the waiting crowd, despite the early hour. As suspected, the bleachers were set into the canyon walls, but so were the gates for the red and blue corners; this allowed the eastern wall of the Colosseum to be largely transparent, leaving the morning sun largely unobstructed from lighting up the canyon in gorgeous golden hues.
"Seems everyone is wide awake for the battles to come!" Luka observed. "At this most auspicious hour, we are set for a few exceptional battles. I trust that you will give our combatants the same enthusiasm?"
The crowd cheered in approval.
Luka swept into a spin, arms outstretched at her sides. "In that case, let the battles begin!"
She started towards the red corner as the gates opened; Jeanne stepped out with her team at the ready, reaching the marker in the blue corner almost simultaneously with her opponent - a girl whose Battle Pass had named her Yumi - reaching hers.
The girl thrust both hands forward so her arms were crossed at the wrists, then brought them down at her sides with fists clenched. "Let's see what you got!"
Jeanne grinned, seizing a Poké Ball and holding it forward. "Right back at you!"
They each threw a Ball into the arena; two Fire-types hit the battlefield, one with two wings and one with six. "Volcarona in the blue corner; Charizard in the red corner!" The Flame Pokémon had a confident grin on his face as he eyed up his opponent. "What a heated opening!"
"Cut 'em down!" Yumi yelled.
"Get back!" Jeanne proclaimed, raising the Sun Pokémon's Ball again.
"Oh!" Luka sounded surprised; Charizard had already sent an Air Slash flying as Volcarona vanished. "The blue corner suddenly opts for a change!" Primarina was on the field in time to take the blows before they hit Jeanne, and Charizard looked displeased to see her; the Soloist Pokémon planted her flippers on the earth and unleashed a Hydro Pump that carved a line across the Colosseum and slammed into the brute in short order.
The wash wasn't enough to knock him out; with a huff, Primarina pulled back, loosing a loud note of Hyper Voice - and failing entirely to notice Yumi withdrawing Charizard as well. "The red corner recalls their as well!" Luka exclaimed as an Ampharos appeared to take his place. "Who's going to slip up first in this back and forth!" The Light Pokémon quickly planted her feet and screeched as she unleashed a Discharge, voltage coursing across the battlefield and leaving Primarina shuddering with paralysis.
Jeanne raised her Poké Ball to withdraw the Water-type before Ampharos could follow through; Archeops appeared on the battlefield, and a bolt of Thunder came down... ten feet to his left. The First Bird Pokémon quickly dropped to ground and dug his talons into the sand to send an Earthquake shaking across the battlefield, and Ampharos stumbled quickly as she was battered by the tremors, thrown about with terrible force.
It wasn't enough to knock out the Electric-type; Archeops lifted back into the air, and ancient stones ripped out of the ground around him in the process. Yumi quickly withdrew Ampharos, sending out a Gyarados as the Ancient Power connected; a surge of energy coursed through Archeops, but that was a small comfort when the Atrocious Pokémon gave a furious roar, twisting forward and slamming a powerful Aqua Tail into the Rock-type to leave him twisting back.
Relief washed over Jeanne when she saw the First Bird Pokémon was still conscious. "One more blow!"
With a loud cry, Archeops swept his wings forward, calling down a Rock Slide to batter Gyarados more forcefully. Both Jeanne and her Pokémon's hearts sank when that turned out to not be enough, and in fact seemed to just anger the Atrocious Pokémon. Dragon mist surged up around him as he closed the distance once more, jaws closing on Archeops' wing and then slamming him to the ground; he beat the Rock-type back towards the center of the battlefield with his tail, then lunged forward and slammed his brow into the already-knocked-out Pokémon to throw him earthward.
"Brutalized in an Outrage!" Luka observed as Jeanne withdrew the First Bird Pokémon, managing to get him before he hit the ground. "The red corner claims the first knockout of this battle!" Gyarados roared in the center of the Colosseum, still steaming with dragon mist; Jeanne quickly sent out Primarina, who took assessment of the situation and grinned. Her sweeping forward drew the Atrocious Pokémon's attention, and Gyarados charged forward, striking Primarina with the full of his body - and finding the dragon mist dispersing ineffectively around the Fairy-type.
The rage subsided, and confusion took its place; Primarina unleashed a point-blank Hyper Voice, throwing Gyarados backwards before he could even comprehend his situation. Yumi withdrew him with a growl, sending out Ampharos again - and as the Light Pokémon made to attack with another Discharge, Jeanne withdrew Primarina in turn, sending out Volcarona into the voltage. As soon as she could see through the shocks, the Sun Pokémon leapt forward in a Fiery Dance, blazing the already-battered Ampharos into unconsciousness.
The Electric-type was withdrawn, and with a growl, Yumi sent out Charizard to take her place. Volcarona turned back to Jeanne, and the Trainer realized what her intention was; this time, when Charizard attacked with an Air Slash, the Sun Pokémon took the hit for herself, enduring it long enough to hit him with another Fiery Dance. It had a lot less impact on a fellow Fire-type, but the already-weakened Blaze Pokémon wouldn't be able to take a second; he promptly swept his wing up to finish the Bug-type off, sending her skidding back.
"Carved up with Air Slash!" Luka warned, as Jeanne withdrew Volcarona. "Both corners are down to their last Pokémon!"
"Let's do this!" Jeanne commanded, sending out Primarina.
Charizard growled, sweeping his claws up as flames started to blaze out the corners of his mouth.
Primarina rose onto her tail, crossing her arms as her hair came loose and water bubbled around her.
A single long note was sung, and water surged out from above Primarina, gushing forth and washing over Charizard before his Blast Burn could sear forward.
"Checkmate!" Luka proclaimed as the Blaze Pokémon toppled. "The blue corner claimed victory where defeat seemed certain!" Yumi withdrew Charizard with an impressed smirk in Jeanne's direction, starting back towards the red corner; Primarina had an exhausted look on her face as Jeanne stepped up to her, and she ruffled the Soloist Pokémon's hair with a smile before withdrawing her. "And after a showing like that, our challenger has set some big precedent to live up to!"
"Trust me," Jeanne mused as she started towards the gate, "I plan to."
+x+x+x+
Whether or not she did live up to the precedent was a matter of perspective. The battles that followed were increasingly less even, culminating in Froslass completely sweeping an opponent who had the poor fortune to bring a Vileplume, Mudsdale, and Mr. Rime into battle. As much as Jeanne was satisfied by the win, she did feel kind of bad for the spectators - even for those who might have been cheering her on, crushing an opponent isn't nearly as entertaining to watch as a close battle.
"Game, set, match!" Luka proclaimed as Froslass started to dance on the battlefield. "The blue corner pulls off a definitive victory!" Jeanne quickly scolded the Snow Land Pokémon for rubbing it in before withdrawing her, heading back towards the gate to patch her up (she hadn't taken any threatening hits, but the Vileplume had managed to poison her). "With five wins under her belt, it's time for the challenger's final battle in Canyon Colosseum!"
As she checked her opponent's Battle Pass, Jeanne really hoped there was a visual glitch on the screen.
"If you don't mind?"
"Not at all!" Miku's voice echoed over the loudspeaker as Jeanne stepped out of the gate, finding Luka stepping out as well. "Let's hear some noise, guys! Our challenger, who's taken down all comers, is ready to face your Colosseum Leader!"
Luka had a terrifying cold look on her face as she drew a Poké Ball in her left hand, holding it before her - and Jeanne's fears were confirmed when she saw the Key Stone gleaming off a ring mounted on one finger. "There's two sides to every coin," she warned.
Jeanne reached for her head, confirming that her hair dec was still there before she drew a Poké Ball for herself. "...Right."
"And this matchup promises to be a good one!"
The two threw out their Poké Balls at once; two Water-types found themselves eyeing each other down, one in blue and white and the other in bright red. "In the blue corner: Primarina! And in the red corner: Octillery! Let's see what the challenger brings to this clash!"
"Strike them down!" Luka howled.
"Don't give an inch!" Jeanne warned.
A phantasmal moon appeared above Primarina, and she stood up upon her tail and swept her arms together before hurling a Moonblast at Octillery; the Jet Pokémon took a low stance, loosing a Charge Beam that soared under the attack and slammed into Primarina. As the Fairy attack blast and scattered, a power surged up around Octillery, readying her to empower her next blow.
Jeanne swore under her breath, raising the Soloist Pokémon's Poké Ball in her left hand before the next attack could launch. "Get out of there!" As Primarina withdrew, Jeanne held out her next Poké Ball in her right hand - and her Dynamax Band started to shine. "Let's make this count!" The Ball was filled with energy until it expanded in her grip, and Jeanne seized it in both hands and hurled it backwards.
Goodra hit the ground with the force of a Dynamax, and Luka glared, thrusting her hand forward. "Freeze them to their souls!" Octillery gave a loud cry, slamming her tentacles to the earth around her and unleashing a surge of ice to howl forward; the frozen storm surged forward as the Dragon Pokémon reared back, and clouds gathered above the red corner before the Blizzard closed in on Goodra...
...and passed ineffectively between his feet.
How do you miss a Dynamax Pokémon? Jeanne wondered, and immediately reprimanded herself for complaining.
Octillery didn't have the same fortune; the Max Lightning came down full-force, blasting the Jet Pokémon with enough voltage to knock her into next week. Luka withdrew her with a growl, sending out a Magnezone to take her place and commanding, "Shut it down!" The Magnet Area Pokémon was promptly surrounded by multicoloured orbs, launching a Tri Attack at the Dragon Pokémon.
This one hit its mark and then some; the triple blast left Goodra stumbling, and then froze him solid for good measure (a Dynamaxed Pokémon covered in ice is an intimidating sight). Jeanne swore, weighing her options - ultimately, she decided there was little to be gained from withdrawing Goodra right now, instead crossing her fingers as energy started to gather between Magnezone's magnets.
Goodra did end up thawing at about the same time as the Flash Cannon struck; he quickly lunged his head forward, unleashing a Max Wyrmwind to howl around Magnezone. That was as much as he could do before the Dynamax started to subside; Magnezone promptly blasted him with another blast of light, and this was enough to knock him out.
"Flared out by Flash Cannon!" Miku proclaimed. "The red corner has evened things up!"
Jeanne withdrew the Dragon Pokémon, sending out Lucario to take his place. "Right, then!" She reached for her Mega Dec, setting a finger on her Key Stone. "First come, first served!"
"Stop them!" Luka commanded as the light of Mega Evolution shattered around Lucario. "Full force!" Voltage gathered around Magnezone in preparation for a Discharge, but the Aura Pokémon was up close too quickly, bombarding the Steel-type with punches and kicks before the electricity could strike.
"Close Combat delivers a savage beatdown!" Miku observed. "The blue corner claims the lead once more!"
Luka seethed as she withdrew Magnezone, sending out her next Pokémon as Lucario leapt away; a Banette appeared upon the battlefield, wearing a band around the tail of her head that had a Mega Stone mounted on the buckle. "Fine," she insisted, closing her left hand into a fist. "You asked for it!"
"Here it comes!" Miku proclaimed; Luka brought her hands together before her, setting one finger of her right hand on the Key Stone mounted on her left hand. "Our Colosseum Leader is breaking limits!"
Banette laughed sinisterly as her body was consumed in the same powerful light as had draped Lucario. When it shattered, the Marionette Pokémon was covered in zippers, some of which were open to reveal splitting purple flesh, and she howled in laughter as she brought her hands together before her, forming a Shadow Ball to hurl at Lucario. The Aura Pokémon braced himself as the projectile connected; then he roared in retaliation, slamming one paw into the ground as a Dark Pulse rippled out around him.
The sinister aura struck Banette, but failed to knock her out; before a follow-up attack could come her way, the Marionette Pokémon was consumed again, this time with shadows that seemed to blacken her body until it vanished into the air. Lucario growled, closing his eyes as his aura sensors started to rise up behind him, trying to sense his opponent coming. He saw the attack only a moment before it connected; with a yell, the Aura Pokémon leapt into the air, and Banette's shadow seemed to rise out of the ground beneath him, the Ghost-type solidifying as she chased him skyward and connected with a tendril-flailing uppercut.
The attack struck with more force than anyone expected, and Lucario's Mega Evolution subsided as he was thrown backwards; Jeanne withdrew him before he struck the ground, raising her last Poké Ball with a sigh. "You again, huh?"
Primarina seemed to share the sentiment as she emerged, eyeing up a grinning Banette with an exhausted sigh. After a moment, the two Pokémon made to attack at once; Banette hurled a Will-O-Wisp forward with blinding speed, searing a burn onto Primarina's body before the Soloist Pokémon could act. Growling, the Water-type loosed a petrifying note as a raging Hydro Pump gushed forward; shadows of Hex were starting to manifest around Primarina before the Marionette Pokémon was struck with enough force to send her flying.
The Ghost-type's Mega Evolution subsided as she tumbled across the battlefield, and she had phased right through Luka's legs before her momentum faded out.
"And that's the battle!" Miku proclaimed. "It was a close match, but the blue corner has claimed victory!" Jeanne stepped up and gave Primarina a hug before withdrawing her. "Which means our challenger has dominated Canyon Colosseum!"
Luka stepped forward, and for a moment Jeanne was worried the diva was going to start raging... but then a warm smile appeared on her face. "Well done," she praised, offering her hand. "Should've known you'd manage to match me blow for blow."
Jeanne breathed a shaky sigh before accepting the hand. "Trust me," she admitted, "you made me earn every hit."
Draco: Shamelessly reflecting one of my own Pokétopia experiences with Jeanne's victory progression in this chapter. Sunset Colosseum's Select Battle is luck of the draw incarnate, and I was once handed a Smeargle with Spore, Lock-On, and Sheer Cold for battles 2, 3, 4, 5, and the second go at battle 6 (Perfect Points let me do that without starting over). Battle 1 was a close win (and followed several losses), but the next four were curb-stomps.
Arena details - Canyon Colosseum may randomly have a sandstorm raging when the battle starts. Camouflage will make your Pokémon a Ground-type, Nature Power will turn into Earth Power, and Secret Power may lower the opponent's accuracy. Colosseum Mode battles take place at dawn; the canyon is oriented so that daybreak is shining through it at golden hour like Manhattan. Your first victory here is earned in Single Battles.
Luka's team consists of Octillery, Furfrou, Hisuian Lilligant, Incineroar, Magnezone, and a Banette with a Mega Stone.