Draco: Alright, let's get these fights started! Polite reminder that I am writing Colosseum battles for the spectacle, not necessarily for gameplay accuracy; please forgive any improbable scenes. First set of battles are in School SEKAI.
(If you are looking for Jeanne's bout in Ocean Colosseum as Triple Battles, it has been relocated to Chapter 13 after some encouragement from my readers.)
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo. Virtual Singers of Piapro Studio © Crypton Future Media. Characters from Colorful Stage © Craft Egg.
Under the Litleonids
"Hello, people of Pokétopia, and welcome to SEKAI!"
The white void of the lobby, scattered with triangles of colour, seemed to be replicated in the Colosseum proper; small prismatic patterns, like marked the doors in the lobby, also marked the red and blue corners, as well as their respective doors. Jeanne couldn't see the crowd that Miku was addressing from the center of the battlefield, but she could definitely hear them cheering in response to her greeting.
"This is a place between worlds," Miku proclaimed, "where many feelings gather. The feelings of our guests and defenders have formed the worlds in which they will fight today. The feelings of our fighters will give birth to the beautiful music of battle. And it is my hope that the feelings of you, our audience, will give them the courage to play their parts to perfection!"
Another chorus of cheers from the unseen crowd.
Miku set a hand over her heart. "Then without further ado, let the battles begin!"
A wave of coloured triangles seemed to wash across Miku, and she vanished amidst the flurry; the doors opened to the battlefield and a baffled Jeanne stepped out into the Colosseum. As she took position on the blue corner, a brilliant light seemed to surround her - and when it faded, the white void had vanished. Her surroundings now seemed to be those of a school, though it looked like a much more exciting learning environment than the Trainer's School on Main Street; desks were scattered just outside the battlefield, near blackboards covered in drawings and stellar charts, and a brilliant night sky seemed to be shining above.
Jeanne swore it was midmorning when she entered the elevator.
After a moment, her attention was drawn to the red corner, where Ichika was stepping into position with a confident smile. "You ready for this?" she greeted, drawing a Poké Ball off her belt. "No turning back now!"
"Who said I would?" Jeanne retorted, drawing a Poké Ball of her own. "Bring it on!"
Both of them threw their Balls forward; a seraphic Fire-type opened her eyes, and found herself staring down a floating meteor. "In the blue corner: Volcarona! And in the red corner: Minior! Show us what you're made of!"
Ichika thrust a finger forward. "Rain down!"
"Get back!" Jeannne warned, raising Volcarona's Poké Ball.
"The blue corner makes a tactical withdrawal!" Miku observed as stones of Ancient Power appeared around Minior; the Meteor Pokémon directed them to fly out as Lucario was sent out, immediately raising his arms to meet the blows. A power rippled around the attacker as Jeanne reached for her hair dec, touching her Key Stone to set off the Lucarionite bound around her Pokémon's midsection; the light of Mega Evolution enveloped Lucario, and as soon as it shattered, he hurled an Aura Sphere forward.
A Protect barrier manifested before Minior, halting the blast before it could connect; then another set of ancient stones appeared around it, even as Lucario lunged forward. The second Ancient Power bombardment had Lucario stumbling, but couldn't stop his advance as he closed the distance and slammed a Drain Punch into the Meteor Pokémon, leaving it tumbling backwards even as another ripple of power surrounded it.
Its rocky outer coating cracked, exposing a brilliant blue core and a pair of eyes that promptly narrowed at Lucario. Before the Aura Pokémon could react, it twisted about, much faster this time; a blast of Earth Power ripped up around the Aura Pokémon, throwing him into the air. It wasn't enough to knock him out, at least not after his recovery; a burst of aura rippled out around his feet as he lunged forward, bringing down a Meteor Mash. Minior, too, managed to endure a forceful blow, but only barely; Lucario quickly followed it up with a burst of shadowy aura before another Earth Power could finish him off.
"Dark Pulse makes them feel despair!" Miku proclaimed as Ichika withdrew the Meteor Pokémon. "The blue corner pulls ahead!"
A Pyroar was sent out to take its place; Jeanne elected to not try her luck, withdrawing Lucario in turn and sending out Archeops. The Royal Pokémon seemed to smirk before she lunged forward; Archeops dropped to the ground to send out a pulse of Earthquake, but Pyroar only charged straight through the tremors before slamming into the First Bird Pokémon with a Wild Charge to leave him reeling.
Jeanne cursed herself for assuming a lack of coverage; Archeops, fortunately, was largely undeterred. Even as the Fire-type charged at him for another Wild Charge, a flurry of his own ancient stones appeared around him, and no sooner had Pyroar connected with the voltage than an Ancient Power slammed into her, leaving her tumbling unconscious across the battlefield. Ichika withdrew her and sent out a Mawile; Archeops tried to descend for another Earthquake, but the Deceiver Pokémon slammed into him with a hair-whipping blow to the beak before he could touch down.
"Iron Head gives them an ache!" Miku exclaimed as Jeanne withdrew Archeops. "The red corner tries to catch up!"
Volcarona was sent back onto the field to face down the Steel-type - but Ichika withdrew her in turn, sending out an Ursaluna to take her place. Not to be dissuaded, the Sun Pokémon started absorbing light; Jeanne took that as her cue to draw her Tera Orb, raising it over her head as it began to shine with Terastal energy. Ursaluna seemed to realize what was happening, charging forward with dirt ripping up from her every move, but Jeanne only flung the Orb forward so that it burst above Volcarona's head, causing crystals to shoot up around her.
When they shattered, Volcarona's body was a beautiful array of green crystal, and a bouquet rested atop her head as a Tera Jewel. Ursaluna collided with a vicious Headlong Rush, but though the impact left Volcarona skidding backwards, the blow itself had little effect on a Grass-type. A sheepish grin appeared on the Peat Pokémon's face before Volcarona loosed the sunlight heavensward; a Thrash knocked the Sun Pokémon aside, but that wasn't enough to stop a pillar of sunlight from descending mercilessly onto Ursaluna.
"Solar Beam shines down!" Miku called as the Peat Pokémon slumped to the ground. "The blue corner is holding nothing back!"
Ichika withdrew the Ground-type, sending out an Obstagoon to take her place; the Blocking Pokémon gave a slathering grin before charging forward on all fours. Volcarona loosed a vicious Screech, but Obstagoon only barrelled through it, rising up on his hind legs to strike the Sun Pokémon with a Fire Punch from one set of claws and an Ice Punch from the other.
The Terastallization shattered around Volcarona, and Jeanne withdrew her before sending out Lucario to take her place, his Mega Evolution still shining. The Aura Pokémon promptly lunged forward; Obstagoon tried to meet him halfway with a Fire Punch, but Lucario's Drain Punch connected first, knocking him clear off his feet and throwing him back towards Ichika.
Light scattered in the air where he had been, converging on Lucario to ease his wounds from earlier as Obstagoon was withdrawn, and she sent out Mawile to take his place. With a cocky growl, Lucario lunged forward, metallic light gleaming around his paws as he closed in. Mawile only turned round to face him, ducking under his Meteor Mash, and her fist shone with a brilliant light before she drove it into his stomach.
And detonations ripped up around him, striking him from every angle before the impact of the Dynamic Punch threw Lucario back.
The Aura Pokémon tumbled across the Colosseum, drove one claw into the ground as he tried to right himself, stumbled to the side as he tried to rise, and then continued tumbling until he stopped a few meters from Jeanne. Ichika thrust a finger forward, and Mawile grinned as she sprinted after Lucario, who was very unsteady as he tried to get to his feet; he could see straight enough to register Mawile charging at him, and he raised his arms before him defensively. The Deceiver Pokémon only leapt into the air with a spin, psychic power dancing around her jaws before she closed them on his arms and dragged him into the ground.
"Chewed up by Psychic Fangs!" Miku cried out as Mawile retreated to Ichika's side. "The red corner is regaining ground!"
With a glare, Jeanne withdrew Lucario; she didn't have anyone left with a favourable matchup, but she wasn't about to give up now. Primarina was sent out to the battlefield, and the Soloist Pokémon quickly glanced back and nodded, prompting Jeanne to cross her arms and then thrust them forward.
Her Z-Power Ring shone, and Mawile panicked, charging forward even as Jeanne swept her arms to one side and then the other. Z-Power converged on Primarina, and her hair came loose as she unleashed a forceful note to gather what looked like a sea's worth of water above her. Thrusting her fins forward had the massive orb advancing forward to meet Mawile halfway across the field, and the Deceiver Pokémon panicked, looking up in terror before Jeanne signalled Primarina to let it loose.
With a powerful note, the water burst, consuming Mawile in a wave and showering down across the battlefield. Primarina bowed, looking at Mawile with a smirk... only to be caught off-guard when she realized the Steel-type was still standing, if only barely. She resumed her sprint with desperation in her eyes, and the Soloist Pokémon glared, standing on her tail and taking a deep breath for another note.
Mawile didn't give her the chance, hitting her with a Throat Chop to cut off her song before driving a Thunder Fang into one fin. Paralysis wracked Primarina's body, but she refused to be deterred, knocking off Mawile's jaws with the other fin and loosing a hellish torrent of water to throw her the way she'd come.
"Washed out by Hydro Pump!" Miku proclaimed, and Ichika withdrew the Deceiver Pokémon before she could be struck. "The red corner has their backs to the wall!"
Ichika glared across the field at Jeanne. "Don't think we're down for the count!"
A Goodra emerged in the red corner - though a different form than Jeanne was familiar with, sporting a heavy spiral shell upon her back. Primarina tried to ready a Moonblast, but the paralysis hindered her; Goodra charged forward, and the Soloist Pokémon had no chance to react before a Heavy Slam left her toppling. With a low growl, Jeanne withdrew her, seizing her next Poké Ball and sending out Froslass to take her place.
A smirk rose on Ichika's face, and she drew out a Tera Orb of her own. "Sorry," she warned, "but we're not afraid to shine for ourselves!"
Terastal energy gathered around the device, and she flung it forward, letting it burst over Goodra and cause crystals to rise up around her. Froslass loosed an Ice Beam at the Shell Bunker Pokémon before the crystals had shattered - and was startled when they revealed the Tera Jewel atop Goodra's head to be a radiant snowflake that looked for all the world like a starburst. The cold barely bothered Goodra, around whom light gathered before Froslass could try to follow up; a brilliant Flash Cannon soared forward, leaving her reeling.
The Snow Land Pokémon skidded to a stop a few meters to Jeanne's left, throwing a Shadow Ball back in retaliation; Goodra took the blow without issue, following through with a blast of draconic energy to finish Froslass off.
"Roared down by Dragon Pulse!" Miku exclaimed as Jeanne withdrew her. "The red corner has evened the field!"
Jeanne seized her last Poké Ball and thrust it out at her side, causing her Dynamax Band to shine. "We'll see how long that lasts!" Particles converged on the Ball, and she seized it in two hands as it supersized before flinging it backwards; her own Goodra emerged and rapidly enlarged, landing with a forceful tremor and giving a triumphant roar.
Ichika's Goodra glared, her Tera Jewel scattering snow before she unleashed a hellish snowstorm towards the blue corner; Jeanne's Goodra retorted with a ferocious stomp, and sludge welled up around the red corner. The Max Ooze burst at the same time as the Blizzard slammed into the Dynamaxed Dragon Pokémon - and though Jeanne's Goodra stumbled back, it wasn't enough to finish him off, letting him follow one Max Move with another.
Cracks of light converged below Ichika's Goodra, and she had no chance to retaliate before the light shone heavensward - taking her Terastallization with it.
"An exceptional battle!" Miku exclaimed as Ichika withdrew the Shell Bunker Pokémon. "The blue corner managed to clutch the victory!" Goodra's Dynamax subsided, and Jeanne turned to the Dragon Pokémon with a smile before withdrawing him as well. "Our challenger is off to a strong start for this endurance challenge!"
As Jeanne turned back around, she found the Leo/need guitarist approaching. "That was quite the fight," Ichika admitted. "Looks like we've still got a long way to go."
"Says who?" Jeanne exclaimed. "I had a Mega and a Z-Move and a Dynamax up on you, and you still brought it down to the wire with just a Tera Orb!"
Ichika smiled at that.
+x+x+x+
The next four Trainers didn't give Jeanne quite as much trouble as Ichika did - which was good, because the endurance part of an endurance challenge meant that she couldn't afford to top up her team after every battle. Literally, couldn't afford it; healing in SEKAI Colosseum depended entirely on how many Poké Coupons a challenger was willing to spend on curatives, and while Jeanne wouldn't exactly call herself broke, she certainly didn't have enough to spring for a Full Heal, five Revives, six Max Potions, and six Elixirs after each of one hundred battles.
As she emerged into the Colosseum for the sixth round, she found hail coming down from the starry sky above; the way each hailstone shattered when it hit the ground made her think of falling stars. Another member of Leo/need emerging from the red corner, and Saki had an excited grin on her face as she took position, brandishing a Poké Ball. "This is gonna be fun!" she exclaimed, thrusting it forward. "Let's make it happen!"
"What is it about enjoying a fight that's always so contagious?" Jeanne mused, brandishing a Ball of her own.
Both of them hurled their Balls forward; a sticky Dragon-type opened his eyes, and found himself staring down a ten-pointed star. "In the blue corner: Goodra! And in the red corner: Starmie! Let's see how this turns out!"
Saki did a double fist-pump. "Freeze 'em!"
"Blast 'em!" Jeanne commanded.
Starmie began to spin, cold converging around her jewel as Goodra reared back; an Ice Beam soared straight forward and slammed into the Dragon Pokémon an instant before a blast of Thunder came down on the Mysterious Pokémon from the skies above. Starmie was knocked out by the voltage, but an undeterred Saki quickly withdrew her, sending out a Sneasler to take her place. The Free Climb Pokémon promptly crossed the battlefield, and before Goodra could attack again, brought her claws in a cross-blow that left the Dragon Pokémon tumbling backwards.
"Ripped up by Dire Claw!" Miku exclaimed as Jeanne withdrew Goodra. "The blue corner's lead didn't last long!"
Archeops was sent out to take his place, and promptly lunged forward; Sneasler raised a Protect barrier to ward off the flurry of Acrobatics, though it wasn't enough to ward off the falling hail, and as soon as the First Bird Pokémon had stopped moving, she leapt up and brought one claw down with a Brick Break. The blow threw him backwards at an earthward angle, but the First Bird Pokémon dug his talons into the ground to avoid tumbling... and send a tremor of Earthquake shaking through the battlefield to batter Sneasler in retaliation.
With a hiss, the Free Climb Pokémon lunged forward, making to strike with another Dire Claw; Archeops soared over this one, leaving the blow whiffing on air, and this time his nimble blows went undefended, leaving Sneasler falling to the ground. Saki withdrew her and sent out a Dragonite to take her place; Archeops ripped up a flurry of Ancient Power stones to strike him, but the Dragon Pokémon only soared straight through the bombardment and lashed his tail across the Rock-type like a crashing wave.
"Aqua Tail washes them out!" Miku called as Archeops tumbled to the ground. "The red corner is determined to keep this even!"
Jeanne withdrew him and sent out Froslass; the Snow Land Pokémon glanced around at the falling hail and shot Dragonite a sinister smirk. With a glare, Dragonite soared forward, one hand ablaze, but Froslass only swept her arms out to the sides, unleashing a howling Blizzard that intercepted the Dragon Pokémon in mid-flight and knocked him out of the sky.
Saki was undeterred, withdrawing Dragonite and sending out a Darmanitan to take his place; the Blazing Pokémon gave a triumphant laugh before barrelling forward, flames converging upon his figure. Jeanne only smirked, brandishing her Tera Orb, and light gathered around it before she hurled it forward to burst above Froslass' head; crystals ripped up around her as Darmanitan got near, and as they shattered, he shoulder-tackled Froslass with a ferocious Flare Blitz.
The blow sent her skidding backwards... but it didn't knock her out; the cause of the failure became clear when Darmanitan saw the spectral figure of her Tera Jewel. A Shadow Ball converged between the Snow Land Pokémon's hands, and the Tera Jewel shone with a sinister light before she flung it at Darmanitan, leaving him reeling. Between the recoil of his own blow and the Tera-empowered projectile, Jeanne was expecting it to knock him out - and was caught off-guard when he instead illuminated, his figure condensing.
When the light faded, Darmanitan more resembled a statue, with a focused stare upon his face replacing the manic grin. Froslass had no chance to react before a forceful Psychic ripped up around her, throwing her into the air and causing her Tera Jewel to shatter. Jeanne withdrew her with a glare; then she seized her next Poké Ball and held it out at her side, and her Dynamax Band illuminated, particles flowing from her Wishing Star to her Poké Ball. Saki's jaw fell open as the Ball supersized, and Jeanne seized it in two hands and flung it backwards.
Volcarona emerged from the Ball, form expanding until she touched down with a tremor, and screeched. Darmanitan seemed like he was weighing his options before ephemeral wings converged on him, and the Max Flutterby burst around him, knocking him out at last. With a growl, Saki withdrew the Zen Charm Pokémon and sent out a Conkeldurr to take his place; the Fighting-type promptly hoisted one concrete pillar and slammed it to the ground, and spiked stones ripped up from beneath Volcarona, dealing devastating damage and causing a blast to rip up around her.
"Stone Edge cuts through them!" Miku yelped as the Dynamax subsided. "How much longer can this go on!?"
Jeanne withdrew Volcarona, and then turned back around to send out Primarina. Conkeldurr proceeded to charge forward, dragging his pillars behind him, and Primarina took aim with a Moonblast, trying to shoot him down in mid-charge. To Jeanne's concern, Conkeldurr took the blow and kept charging, yelling ferociously as his pillars took on a metallic gleam, and Primarina braced herself as he brought them together in a painful Hard Press.
The moment the impact wore off, the Soloist Pokémon forced herself out from between the pillars and braced her flippers on the ground. Conkeldurr tried to close the distance for a second blow, only to find himself and his pillars thrown backward by a single, bone-shaking note. As the Muscular Pokémon hit the ground, his grip on the concrete faltered, and though he tried to rise once more, the descending hail made it an exercise in futility.
"Hyper Voice shouts them down!" Miku cheered as Saki withdrew him. "The red corner is down to their last Pokémon!"
Saki grinned at Jeanne. "This is where it gets interesting!"
She seized her last Ball and threw it forward, and a Mabosstiff emerged on the red corner; he broke into a grin, and Jeanne saw he was wearing a collar with a Z-Crystal upon it. Primarina glanced back at her Trainer, and they both nodded; as Saki directed the Boss Pokémon to dash forward, Jeanne crossed her arms and then thrust them forward. Z-Power gathered around Primarina as she swept her arms to one side and then the other, and the Soloist Pokémon loosed a note to send water surging skyward.
The orb had yet to form before Mabosstiff slammed a Thunder Fang into Primarina's tail - and Jeanne gasped in shock when the Z-Power dispersed, water scattering in a harmless shower amidst the hailstorm. The Soloist Pokémon collapsed to the ground as Mabosstiff leapt back, and Jeanne quickly withdrew her and sent out Lucario to take her place.
"Okay, that's it!" Jeanne snapped, reaching for her Key Stone. "You're gonna eat it for that one!"
"Nuh-uh!" Saki retorted, crossing her arms - and a Z-Power Ring of her own gleamed as she thrust them forward. "We're not going down that easy!"
The light of Mega Evolution consumed Lucario and then shattered, and Z-Power converged around Mabosstiff as Saki lowered herself down, reared back with her arms wide, and roared. A sphere of pure darkness manifested before Mabosstiff, and he barked triumphantly to fling it forward; Lucario couldn't even try to strike first before it centered above his head and expanded, becoming a massive black hole. Triangles of colour were ripped out of the Colosseum as the Aura Pokémon was dragged into the air, and once he had vanished into the void, it condensed to a single point, and then burst in a scattering of vicious darkness.
Lucario was left tumbling in the air, battered by the black force until it finally dispersed; with a roar of his own, he righted himself in the air, and a burst of aura rippled out from his feet as he propelled himself forward. Mabosstiff grinned in anticipation before a Drain Punch slammed into him, leaving him skidding backwards, and light scattered around the impact to soothe Lucario's wounds. Then a different light circled around Mabosstiff, a light drawing power from his own wounds, and he charged forward and drove his forepaws into Lucario's chest, flinging him backwards with the Reversal.
The Aura Pokémon drove one spike into the ground to halt his momentum; aura welled in the other paw, and he flung the Aura Sphere forward before Mabosstiff could follow up, letting it detonate against the Dark-type's side.
"And that's the battle!" Miku yelled as Mabosstiff hit the ground. "The blue corner claims victory!" Saki withdrew the Boss Pokémon with a sigh, and Lucario forced himself to his feet, offering Jeanne a weary smile before she withdrew him as well. "Looks like our challenger isn't going down any time soon!"
Saki crossed the battlefield, a grin on her face as she approached Jeanne. "You really showed us our place," she observed. "Tell me you're not gonna stop yet!"
"No way," Jeanne assured her. "After a fight as close as that, I just wanna see how much further we can go!"
"That's the spirit!" Saki encouraged.
Draco: Hailstones on Paldeans, a Z-Move from dog Boss / Hisuians, Megas, and star-showered rock stars / Hatsune Miku and her friends who sing~ / A fangame with all of my favourite things!