Draco: Two more Colosseums. Come on, Draco, you got this.
NEW EDIT: This chapter has been revised due to a change of heart concerning which battle format would be more appropriate. You may have previously read this chapter as Double Battles. END NEW EDIT
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Give You Chills
The next Colosseum required Jeanne to take a boat out to the destination; it was just off the shore of Pokétopia, on a chain of small islets. The boarding dock was low enough for water to splash under her footsteps, but there were steps leading up to the entrance, ensuring that the water didn't flood the lobby itself. As she stepped in, she found a figure dressed in white bent over to reach into what looked like a freezer unit on the opposite end of the room. It only took a moment before he emerged, revealing a head of blue hair, and he closed the freezer and turned around, revealing there was an ice cream bar on a stick held between his lips.
"Mmm?" Kaito seized the stick and pulled it out of his mouth as he stepped forward. "Hey, there you are! I was wondering when you might come for my challenge."
"Hi," Jeanne returned. "Am I late?"
Kaito shook his head. "Not at all," he assured her. "Was just grabbing something to snack on before we got started. Looking forward to see what you can do on the field!" He waved farewell as he started towards the red corner's access, returning the ice cream to his mouth as he did so.
Jeanne hummed curiously. "Is the sun really bad enough at this hour to merit ice cream?"
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"Good evening, Pokétopia!"
No, the sun was not bad enough to merit ice cream; in fact, the setting sun was largely obscured by the walls of the Colosseum, though the battlefield's own lighting meant that nobody was fighting in the dark. The spectators' cheer had Kaito laughing briefly. "What joy, what wonder! Let us all make sure to show the same enthusiasm for our combatants; today's battles promise to make some waves, and I want to hear your appreciation!"
A single sharp note from the crowd, to assure him that he would.
"That's what I like to see! Come on out, fighters!"
He started towards the red corner as the doors opened; Jeanne stepped out as her opponent, a lean but muscled man whose Battle Pass had named him Jin. As he reached his point on the battlefield, he drew a Poké Ball in each hand and gripped one fiercely before himself. "There's no way I can lose."
Jeanne readied her own Poké Balls. "Promises, promises..."
They both sent out their first fighters; two Ice-types found themselves staring each other down, one accompanied by a Fossil and a Dragon, one accompanied by a Fighting-type and a Steel-type. "Froslass, Archeops, Goodra for the blue corner!" Kaito proclaimed. "Weavile, Machamp, Scizor for the red corner! What sort of challenge will unfold today?"
"Pick your battles!" Jeanne warned.
"Clip its wings!" Jin commanded.
The entire red corner charged at Archeops, who started flapping his wings to call down a Rock Slide. Weavile was knocked out by a particularly heavy stone, but Machamp and Scizor managed to tank the bombardment; a Bullet Punch softened up the First Bird Pokémon enough for Machamp to strike him out of the air with a Heavy Slam. Froslass promptly retaliated with an Ice Beam at Machamp, and as the Superpower Pokémon recoiled, ice rippled across his form to leave him frozen solid.
Goodra loosed a Dragon Pulse at Scizor, trying to get the Pincer Pokémon's attention as Jin and Jeanne both withdrew their unconscious Pokémon. Volcarona hit the field in Archeops' place as an Aegislash emerged to replace Weavile; Scizor lunged at Froslass with a Bullet Punch, but failed to knock her out before she unleashed a Hex to knock out the frozen Machamp. As Jin withdrew him, Volcarona quickly leapt at Scizor's blindside with a Fiery Dance, blazing her fellow Bug-type into oblivion.
A Blastoise was sent out to take Machamp's place, and Jin withdrew Scizor as Aegislash advanced towards Froslass and unsheathed himself. He thrust his shield forward with a metallic clang, leaving the Snow Land Pokémon tumbling backwards... and falling to the ground, unable to stay up any longer.
"Butted back with an Iron Head!" Kaito proclaimed as Jeanne withdrew Froslass. "The red corner pulls ahead once more!"
A bolt of Thunder slammed into Blastoise, leaving the Shellfish Pokémon wracked with paralysis; Jin sent out a Decidueye to take Scizor's place, and Jeanne deployed Lucario and immediately reached for her Key Stone. Aegislash promptly resheathed himself, raising a King's Shield as Lucario was wrapped in the light of Mega Evolution, and the moment the light shattered, the enhanced Aura Pokémon lunged out... and straight towards Decidueye.
An unexpected Dark Pulse slammed into the Arrow Quill Pokémon, leaving him flapping backwards before shooting a Spirit Shackle to pin Lucario in the center of the battlefield. Blastoise managed to fight through the paralysis and loose a Hydro Pump at Volcarona before she could join in the fight, knocking her out. Goodra unleased a Dragon Pulse at the Shellfish Pokémon to finish him off as Jeanne withdrew Volcarona, sending out Primarina to take her place while Jin withdrew Blastoise. Decidueye tried to lunge at the Soloist Pokémon, but was too weak to tank the torrent of water that intercepted him in mid-flight, leaving him tumbling to the ground.
"Hydro Pump cleans their clock!" Kaito exclaimed. "The red corner has its back to the wall now!"
It's tricky to show expression with nothing but a single eye, yet Aegislash pulled it off; the Royal Sword Pokémon clearly had no intention of going down without a fight, glaring at Lucario as he unsheathed himself. Another Hydro Pump from Primarina carved a line past his blade as he charged at the Aura Pokémon, bringing his blade down in a Sacred Sword. Lucario was thrown backwards, though he managed to keep himself from passing out as Goodra tried to blast Aegislash with another Thunder. The bolt slammed into the battlefield barely to the Steel-type's left, and though it did no harm, the aftershocks kept Aegislash distracted long enough for Lucario to loose a Dark Pulse to leave him reeling.
The Royal Sword Pokémon raised its shield... and then dropped it, impaling himself in the battlefield as his plate clattered to the ground.
"And that's the battle!" Kaito proclaimed as Jin withdrew his knocked-out Pokémon. "The blue corner claims victory!" Jeanne breathed a sigh of relief as she withdrew her Pokémon; if Lucario hadn't clutched that knockout, it would've turned into a battle of attrition against Primarina and Goodra, who were left with the choice between strength and accuracy. "Challenger, promise me you'll keep this up!"
"I hope not," Jeanne muttered. "I'd like to be a little more definitive with my next few victories."
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Her opponents had other ideas; Jeanne managed to pull off a winning streak, but by increasingly narrower margins.
"The battle has ended," Kaito proclaimed after her fifth win, "and the blue corner has emerged triumphant!" A very sore-looking Goodra turned around with a weak smile, and Jeanne nodded to assure him before raising his Poké Ball to withdraw and starting back towards the entrance to heal everyone up. "With that, the challenger is set to face their final opponent!"
A glance at the Battle Pass earned a fit of giggles from Jeanne; he'd taken a stick of ice cream to the Battle Pass photo.
"As you will."
"My pleasure," insisted a female voice that Jeanne recognized as Meiko's; she quickly started out onto the battlefield to find rain starting to fall on the battlefield. "Ladies and gentlemen, the time has come! Time for the Colosseum Leader to see the challenger's might for himself!"
Kaito had a grin on his face - but it was a serious grin, one that Jeanne had not been expecting from the freezer-diver she'd met in the lobby, and he thrust a Poké Ball forward in his left hand, leaving light gleaming off his Z-Power Ring. "Brace yourself," he warned. "I'm not holding back!"
"Ohh, this is gonna be good," Jeanne retorted.
The two hurled their Poké Balls forward; the Dragon Pokémon opened his eyes, and found himself in a very unfavourable position. "For the blue corner: Volcarona, Goodra, Primarina! And for the red corner: Vanilluxe, Malamar, Gardevoir!"
"Start with the dragon!" Kaito commanded.
"Crap," Jeanne muttered, raising Goodra's Poké Ball again. "Get back!"
"Oh my!" Meiko exclaimed. "The blue corner beats a hasty retreat!" Lucario was sent out in his place, and though the double-bombardment of a Freeze-Dry and Draining Kiss wasn't the most pleasant thing in the world, it wasn't enough to knock him out. Volcarona loosed a screeching Bug Buzz at Malamar, hitting the Psychic/Dark-type with a hellish blow before he could act; the Overturning Pokémon crumpled to the ground as Jeanne seized her Key Stone, and Lucario lunged out of the light of Mega Evolution, bombarding the Snowstorm Pokémon with a vicious Close Combat.
It wasn't enough to knock him out, but Primarina planted her flippers on the battlefield and unleashed a screaming Hyper Voice, battering Gardevoir and finishing off Vanilluxe. Gardevoir glared at the Soloist Pokémon, but kept her eyes on the prize, hitting Lucario with a pulse of Psychic to finish him off as a Sawsbuck and Ludicolo were sent out to replace the knockouts.
The Season Pokémon was close to Primarina, and Volcarona elected to give another Bug Buzz targeted on the Water/Grass type; with a loud cry, Ludicolo invoked a wave to Surf on, crashing down on Volcarona, Sawsbuck, and the empty battlefield where Lucario had been standing. The Sun Pokémon was knocked out under the tide, but Sawsbuck managed to tank both the wave and Primarina's song - though Gardevoir was not so lucky.
"Sparkling Aria sings them under the table!" Meiko proclaimed. "What a fast-paced battle!"
Jeanne withdrew the unconscious Volcarona, sending out Froslass to take her place and Archeops into Lucario's. Kaito looked rather more confident as he withdrew Gardevoir, brandishing his last Poké Ball expectantly. "You wanna go?" He wound it back and pitched it forward like a baseball player. "Let's dance!"
As the Ball hit the battlefield, a Pokémon emerged that looked like folded paper... and sounded like a tin roof as the rain collided with it. It was an Ultra Beast - an origami figure that looked like it was meant to invoke a Warrior of two blades, and he brandished his swords with a loud cry that drew everyone's attention.
"Oh, man," Jeanne muttered, and her concern was mirrored on her Pokémon's faces.
Sawsbuck took advantage of the distraction, galloping straight at Primarina; the Soloist Pokémon braced herself for Horn Leech, left watching as it restored Sawsbuck's Vitality. An Ice Beam from Froslass quickly undid the healing, finishing off the Season Pokémon, but Kartana swiftly twisted forward to cut Primarina down with a Leaf Blade. Archeops dove at Ludicolo for a bombardment of Acrobatics, but the Carefree Pokémon managed to stay standing long enough to hit the First Bird Pokémon with a vicious Water Pulse, knocking him out of the air.
"Right," Jeanne muttered, withdrawing Archeops and Primarina with one hand as she held out her last Poké Ball in the other. "Let's make it count!"
Power flowed out of her Dynamax Band, converging on Goodra's Poké Ball as Kartana made to carve forward; Froslass intercepted his flight with a Shadow Ball, slamming into the Drawn Sword Pokémon from the side. Ludicolo unleashed a Water Pulse at the Snow Land Pokémon in retaliation, leaving her sliding backwards even as the supersized Dragon Pokémon landed in the blue corner.
Kaito smirked, crossed his arms as his Z-Power Ring shone. "No holding back!" he commanded of the Ultra Beast.
"Brace yourselves!" Meiko proclaimed as he thrust his arms forward. "Our Colosseum Leader is about to light this place up!"
Goodra's Poké Ball expanded in Jeanne's arm even as Kaito swept his arms skyward at his sides, then swung them low as he hunched down before rising up with a fist to the sky; Z-Power converged on Kartana, who angled himself back until he was nearly horizontal before starting to spin. Gales ripped up around him as he ascended heavenward, and as he seemed about to vanish into the storm, he began to descend towards Froslass, connecting hard enough to send shockwaves around the battlefield.
Froslass was knocked out - but so too did Ludicolo shortly follow, finished off by a gush of Max Ooze from Goodra. As the two were withdrawn, the Dragon Pokémon turned his attention to Kartana; the Drawn Sword Pokémon only aimed one sword forward before starting to carve through the air, edges glowing. Goodra reared back, and voltage began to gather in the skies around the battlefield as the Ultra Beast drew nearer for a Sacred Sword...
...and was blasted out of the sky by a bolt of Max Lightning, leaving him tumbling to the ground at Goodra's giant feet.
"And there goes battle!" Meiko exclaimed. "The blue corner narrowly escapes a crushing defeat!" The Dynamax subsided around Goodra, who dashed back to Jeanne for a high-five as Kaito withdrew the fainted Kartana. "Which means that the challenger has conquered Ocean Colosseum!"
Jeanne withdrew Goodra with a chuckle and turned around to find Kaito approaching her. "Well done," he praised, offering his hand. "That was a harder challenge than I was expecting."
"Right back at you," Jeanne retorted, accepting the hand and shaking it.
Draco: Another shameless reference, this time to Pokkén Tournament. I mean, I literally named the dude after a Tekken protagonist, I can't get more obvious than that. No wish-they-could-have-beens on this one, though.
Arena details - Ocean Colosseum may randomly have rain, Camouflage will make your Pokémon a Water-type, Nature Power will turn into Hydro Pump, and Secret Power may lower the opponent's Attack. Colosseum Mode battles take place at sunset, and you need to earn your first win in Triple Battles just to make sure every format's got a representation.
Kaito's team consists of Vanilluxe, Malamar, Gardevoir, Ludicolo, Sawsbuck, and Kartana with a Flyinium-Z. Next round is the big finale!