Draco: MORE MORE JUMP! is easily the group in Grand Stage that least appeals to me, conceptually speaking. But damn if these idols trying to overcome their struggles doesn't make me invested in them all the same.
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo. Virtual Singers of Piapro Studio © Crypton Future Media. Characters from Colorful Stage © Craft Egg.
Fighting More and More
Four more battles after her fight with Shiho came and went, and then Jeanne was given another surprise. There didn't seem to be anyone coming out from the other side as she took her position on the blue corner - but then that brilliant light surrounded her once more, and when it faded, the school environment had vanished. Now she seemed to be standing on a battlefield upon a stage, with a brilliant screen at one side and an ephemeral crowd in every other direction; the audience, insubstantial as they were, seemed to be holding glowsticks, and there appeared to be other stages out in the distance... further out than the walls of the school had been.
Jeanne was starting to think that Miku's remark about the Colosseum being 'between worlds' wasn't just crowd-hype.
After a moment, her attention was drawn to the red corner, where Minori was dashing into position; she stumbled for a bit as she stopped, then raised her gaze with a smile. "Alright!" She seized one of her Poké Balls and fist-pumped. "Let's do this! More and more!"
"I guess 'more' does seem to be a thing in this Colosseum," Jeanne teased, readying a Poké Ball of her own.
The two sent out their Pokémon; two gorgeous Pokémon opened their eyes upon the battlefield, and both of them felt confident that they had an advantage. "In the blue corner: Froslass! And in the red corner: Gardevoir! Let's see where this goes!"
"Throw some shade!" Jeanne commanded.
"Heat it up!" Minori cheered.
A Shadow Ball gathered before Froslass... and Mystical Fire whirled before Gardevoir. The Snow Land Pokémon gave a low cry before she flung the spectral orb forward, and Gardevoir loosed the blaze in a high arc before the Shadow Ball left her stumbling backwards; Froslass ended up rather worse off, recoiling viciously from the flames and tumbling across the battlefield. She managed to right herself, bringing her hands together to loose an Ice Beam at the Embrace Pokémon; Gardevoir managed to take the blow, and retaliated with a beam of her own to finish off the Ice-type.
"Psyched out by Psybeam!" Miku proclaimed as Jeanne withdrew Froslass. "The red corner takes an early lead!"
Volcarona was sent out to take her place; the Sun Pokémon loosed a screeching Bug Buzz to finish Gardevoir off. Minori responded by sending out a Politoed, but Jeanne quickly drew her Tera Orb, and once it was replete with Terastal energy, she flung it forward to burst above Volcarona's head while she was gathering sunlight. The Frog Pokémon wound back while the crystals enveloped the Fire-type, and in the same instant they shattered, he loosed a powerful Hydro Pump across the battlefield.
It slammed into Volcarona with full force, pushing her back - but not doing much harm, thanks to the Tera Jewel above her head. With a loud cry, Volcarona spread her wings and launched the gathered sunlight heavensward, and a forceful Solar Beam came down on Politoed in retaliation. It wasn't quite enough to knock him out, and changing tactics, he Bounced into the air; Volcarona decided not to try her luck with catching him on the way down, twisting into a Quiver Dance instead.
The Frog Pokémon came down hard, slamming into Volcarona's wings and then Bouncing off to return to the red corner; Volcarona managed to take the blow, and retaliated with a Bug Buzz to finish him off. Minori withdrew Politoed and sent out a Volcarona of her own; Jeanne found herself in the unfortunate situation of being at a definite disadvantage in a mirror match, but her Volcarona showed no hesitation, leaping forward for a Fiery Dance.
Minori's Volcarona took the blaze almost without reaction, and retaliated with a point-blank Fire Blast. Embers trailed Jeanne's Volcarona as she was launched backwards, her Tera Jewel shattering as she tumbled to a stop; Jeanne withdrew her and sent out Primarina to take her place. The Soloist Pokémon scanned the field and then glanced back at Jeanne, who nodded and promptly crossed her arms before thrusting them forward.
As she swept her arms from one side to the other, Z-Power gathered around Primarina; her hair came unbound as she rose onto her tail, singing a powerful note to gather water above her. Volcarona tried to interrupt, unleashing a hellish twister in the Water-type's direction, but the Hurricane roared past Primarina and Jeanne on their left as the massive orb advanced across the battlefield, coming to a halt above the Sun Pokémon.
Jeanne swept her fingers skyward, Primarina unleashed another powerful note, and the water burst, consuming Volcarona with the Oceanic Operetta.
Minori withdrew the unconscious Sun Pokémon and sent out a Boltund to take her place; the Dog Pokémon quickly sprinted forward, voltage gathering around his maw as he crossed the battlefield at top speed. Primarina tried to leap aside, but the Thunder Fang closed on her tail, and Boltund flung her aside, leaving her tumbling. With an angry cry, she planted her flippers on the ground and unleashed a forceful Hyper Voice to batter the Electric-type, but Boltund only charged through the shockwave, lightning gathering around his body as he collided full-on with the Soloist Pokémon.
"Shocked by Wild Charge!" Miku called as Primarina collapsed on the field. "The red corner refuses to fall behind!"
Jeanne withdrew her and sent out Archeops to take her place; the First Bird Pokémon swiftly drove his talons into the ground to shake the battlefield with an Earthquake, knocking out Boltund in short order. Minori deployed a Lopunny to take his place, and the Rabbit Pokémon promptly hopped forward, leaping into the air to bash Archeops with a Double Kick before his next blow.
Archeops soared after Lopunny as she landed, bombarding her with Acrobatics; Lopunny retaliated with a Drain Punch, leaving the First Bird Pokémon flapping backwards in pain as light scattered in the air around him. Recovering as swiftly as he dared, he brought down a Rock Slide to batter the Rabbit Pokémon, but Lopunny only hopped out of the rockfall with her hands alight in frost, striking the Flying-type with an Ice Punch to finish him off.
Withdrawing Archeops, Jeanne swept out her next Poké Ball to the side, causing power to flow out of her Dynamax Band and supersize it. Flinging it backwards, it burst open to reveal Goodra as his form expanded; Lopunny brought her hands in uncertainly as the Dragon Pokémon roared, but only set her face and started hopping forward all the same. Goodra reared back, flinging a Max Wyrmwind at the Rabbit Pokémon - who still managed to get close enough for an Ice Punch before the draconic energy consumed her and finished her off.
With an angry grumble, Minori withdrew the unconscious Lopunny. "We're not gonna call it quits!"
A Porygon2 was deployed on the red corner; it glanced up at the towering Goodra, and to Jeanne's amazement, descended until it was planted on the ground.
Minori crossed her arms, light gleaming off a Z-Power Ring of her own. "We're gonna keep fighting!" she proclaimed, thrusting her hands forward. "More and more!"
Both hands were brought down to her right side, and then parted to bring her left arm up and across before her; both arms were snapped to horizontal, tracing a Z in the air before Minori as power converged on Porygon2. The Virtual Pokémon's legs began to spin at its sides, and it sprinted forward, moving far faster than it had any right to as it crossed the battlefield with full force; Goodra braced himself, but the impact of the Breakneck Blitz was still enough to forcibly end his Dynamax with a blast, causing his form to recede.
Jeanne withdrew him with a sigh, turning back as Porygon2 returned to Minori's side; then, with a smirk, she seized her last Poké Ball. "Let's see how versatile you really are!"
Lucario was sent onto the battlefield; Minori stumbled back in shock, but Porygon2 only wheeled forward in preparation. With a smirk, Jeanne reached for her Key Stone to set off the Lucarionite, and as the light enveloped him, voltage began to gather before the Virtual Pokémon before it launched a forceful Zap Cannon forward. No sooner had the light shattered around Lucario than the voltage slammed into him full-on, throwing him into the air; the Aura Pokémon only twisted in the air, and power gathered between his hands before he flung an Aura Sphere down at Porygon2.
The projectile struck - but it didn't do the job on its own, and Porygon2 whirled back into place before readying another blast. With a growl, Lucario hit the ground and sprinted forward; the next Zap Cannon launched at him flew a foot to his left, and he closed the distance and drove a Drain Punch into the underside of the Virtual Pokémon's beak.
It flipped in the air around the axis of its legs, slowed to a stop... and then fell to the ground.
"And that's the battle!" Miku's exclamation had Lucario smirking before he started back towards Jeanne, allowing Minori to withdraw Porygon2. "The blue corner has seized victory from the jaws of defeat!" Jeanne high-fived the Aura Pokémon before withdrawing him as well. "Which means our challenger's winning streak continues unabated!"
Minori stepped forward. "You did great!" she encouraged. "Keep it up - keep winning more and more!"
"I plan to," Jeanne promised. "Don't you worry."
+x+x+x+
The next four battles failed to make a liar out of her - none of them even came as close as Minori had. As she stepped onto the field for her sixth battle upon the stage, she found voltage crackling beneath her feet, the sparks of the Electric Terrain shining like a sea of glowsticks; Haruka emerging from the other side, taking her position on the red corner.
"Let's give it our all, shall we?" The idol drew a Poké Ball off her belt and smiled at Jeanne.
Whatever cocky retort Jeanne had prepared, it fainted in the Dazzling Gleam of Haruka's smile. "Um... Yeah."
Haruka sent out her Pokémon, and Jeanne made herself toss her own Poké Ball before her opponent's had opened; a round Normal-type emerged on one side, and a broad Dragon-type emerged on the other. "In the blue corner: Goodra! And in the red corner: Blissey! I wonder how this'll play out?"
"Sing a song!" Haruka called.
"Get out of there!" Jeanne warned, raising Goodra's Poké Ball.
"The blue corner beats a hasty retreat!" Miku observed as the Dragon Pokémon left the field; Lucario was sent out to take his place, and a spotlight shone down on him as the Alluring Voice struck. Jeanne quickly reached for her Key Stone as he assessed the battlefield, and no sooner had the light of Mega Evolution shattered around him than he dashed forward, prompting Blissey to sing another note.
Lucario charged through the second song without hesitation, and then slammed a forceful Drain Punch into the Happiness Pokémon that left her tumbling backwards - with a bounty of light scattering in the air where she had been and patching Lucario's wounds. That blow wasn't enough to knock Blissey out, but it did most of the work; a Soft-Boiled egg wasn't quite enough to stop a second blow from striking her down.
"Drain Punch robs the advantage!" Miku observed as Blissey toppled. "The blue corner pulls ahead!"
Haruka withdrew the Happiness Pokémon and sent out a Misdreavus to take her place - or what looked like a Misdreavus, at first glance. Jeanne double-took when she realized its 'hair' was much more voluminous than a Misdreavus' should be, and then that it looked like an array of wings; Lucario shifted uncertainly, raising his paws in concern as he realized that he was looking at something that shouldn't exist in this world.
Flutter Mane cried out, flames swirling before it and then flung forward to sear Lucario with Mystical Fire. With a growl, the Aura Pokémon charged close, unleashing a Dark Pulse to strike back against the Paradox Pokémon; Flutter Mane took the blow and rolled with it, wings flapping in the air as gathered Fairy light before it and slammed into Lucario in a point-blank Moonblast. A Meteor Mash followed suit, but even that wasn't quite enough to knock out the Paradox Pokémon, and Jeanne decided the uphill struggle wasn't worth the risk, withdrawing Lucario quickly.
The Misdreavus lookalike turned towards the blue corner to see Volcarona sent out to take his place. The Paradox Pokémon flapped backwards, vanishing instantly in a flurry of shadows, and Volcarona elected to twist into a Quiver Dance, biding her time; the moment Flutter Mane reappeared, she leapt forward, taking the Phantom Force and retaliating with the turns of a Fiery Dance to knock out Flutter Mane in retaliation. Haruka withdrew the Paradox Pokémon and sent out a Heliolisk to take its place.
Jeanne's jaw dropped when the Generator Pokémon invoked a wave of water, dashing atop the crest of the tide; Volcarona had no chance to even try to strike before the wave came down on her and knocked her out.
"Surf wipes them out!" Miku proclaimed as the Generator Pokémon touched down. "The red corner has started regaining ground!"
Lucario was sent back onto the field, his Mega Evolution still shining even despite his battered state. He charged at Heliolisk, and light gathered on Lucario's paw as voltage gathered in the air around his opponent; the Drain Punch connected first, but even as the stolen light eased Lucario's wounds, so too did the Parabolic Charge inflict new ones - and sap at them to ease Heliolisk's own wounds. Lucario tried to follow up with an Aura Sphere from point blank, but Heliolisk endured that as well, and retaliated with a Thunderbolt from mid-flight to finish Lucario off, his transformation subsiding.
Goodra was sent out to take his place, and Jeanne was all too aware that the field was even now. It didn't stay that way for long, thankfully, as a Dragon Pulse from Goodra was enough to knock out Heliolisk in return; Haruka withdrew him as well, sending out a Froslass to retaliate. Jeanne, rather than withdraw Goodra once more, only brandished her Tera Orb, and once it was filled with light, she flung it over Goodra's head, letting it burst to envelop the Dragon Pokémon in crystals.
Froslass unleashed a howling Frost Breath as the crystals shattered - and was concerned to see the noxious skull-and-crossbones of the Tera Jewel atop the Dragon Pokémon's head. Even the vicious cold didn't have the bite it would have a moment sooner; Goodra gave a triumphant cry, and poison spewed from his Tera Jewel before he flung a Sludge Bomb at the Snow Land Pokémon in return. The damage was less-than-ideal, but the poison that seeped into Froslass' body made a prolonged battle in Goodra's favour, and she retaliated by unleashing a howling Blizzard at full force.
The ice wasn't enough to finish Goodra off, but it came threateningly close; he tried to retaliate with a blast of Thunder, but the voltage came down a few meters behind Froslass instead. A Shadow Ball from the Snow Land Pokémon finished off the Dragon Pokémon, his Tera Jewel shattering; Jeanne withdrew him and sent out her own Froslass in return, who quickly loosed a Hex that tore through Haruka's Froslass all the more viciously for the poison biting at her.
There was a change in Haruka's expression as she sent out an Arboliva onto the field. Jeanne's Froslass had a cocky look in her eyes as she took aim - and was caught off-guard when Arboliva swept her arms forward and sent voltage ripping across the battlefield, leaving the Snow Land Pokémon reeling. The persisting Electric Terrain had completely slipped Jeanne's mind, and she abruptly realized that Haruka wouldn't have sent out a Pokémon at such an obvious disadvantage if Arboliva didn't have something up her leaves.
With a glare, Froslass righted her aim and loosed an Ice Beam across the battlefield, striking the Olive Pokémon full-on. It wasn't enough to knock her out, though, and Arboliva quickly twisted into a spin before hurling something at the blue corner. It was shrouded in darkness until point-blank range, and Froslass only had time to regret her confidence before a Big Nugget slammed into her and knocked her out.
"Can't take what they Fling!" Miku proclaimed as Jeanne withdrew the Snow Land Pokémon. "The red corner refuses to fall behind!"
Archeops was sent out to take Froslass' place; the First Bird Pokémon quickly dove forward, battering the Olive Pokémon with Acrobatics. That was enough to finish her off; Haruka withdrew Arboliva and sent out a Primarina to take her place. Jeanne cursed her luck at being lined up for a third mirror match with a MORE MORE JUMP! member, though that concern faltered when she saw Haruka brandish a Tera Orb of her own.
"A better tomorrow awaits," she proclaimed. "So long as we have the strength to shine!"
She thrust her orb skyward - and the glowsticks of the crowd turned blue in a single, synchronous motion. Jeanne and Archeops were both starstruck as light converged on the idol's Tera Orb, and she swept it across her body before hurling it forward to burst above Primarina's head. Crystals shot up around her, and then scattered to reveal a fountain of a Tera Jewel upon the Soloist Pokémon's head.
The First Bird Pokémon shook his head, flapping his wings forcefully to invoke stones of Ancient Power; Primarina rose onto her tail, and water surged from her Tera Jewel as she unleashed a powerful note of Sparkling Aria. The buried stones slammed into the Soloist Pokémon a moment before the empowered song knocked Archeops out of the air; Jeanne withdrew him, sending out her own Primarina in return; in a moment, she understood the situation, unleashing a Moonblast across the battlefield.
Haruka's Primarina took the blow and retaliated, flinging an Energy Ball into the blue corner. Jeanne's Primarina took the blow retaliated, throwing herself forward with a glare; the two Soloist Pokémon were at point blank with each other before Jeanne's planted her flippers and unleashed a single, deafening note of Hyper Voice to throw her opponent backwards.
For an instant, as her momentum halted, Haruka's Primarina seemed as though she had another blow ready... but then her Tera Jewel shattered, and her eyes fell closed as she collapsed upon the battlefield.
"There it goes!" Miku exclaimed as Haruka withdrew her Pokémon. "The blue corner has narrowly claimed victory once more!" Jeanne's Primarina was practically limping as she made to return, but Jeanne only whispered a "You did good" before withdrawing her to spare her the trip. "The challenger seems determined to keep going all the way!"
Haruka's footsteps had Jeanne raising her gaze to find the idol approaching her. "That was a great fight," she praised. "Being pushed to my limits is always a joy, no matter the outcome."
Jeanne felt herself taking super-effective damage from the radiance of Haruka's smile. "I-I had fun, too." Anything more elaborate was tangled in her vocal chords.
"And I hope you'll continue to," Haruka encouraged.
Draco: Battle Revolution didn't announce moves, critical hits, or type effectiveness in a standard text box. Stat boosts got a normal text box, but not attacks. The move name would appear as a header, well above all the action, while your Pokémon's attack animation began (or else while panning in front of your Pokémon because your attack missed or otherwise failed); then, as the attack connected, critical hits or type effectiveness would be shown in the same way. If I were making Grand Stage, I would use the same basic principle.
And if the engine allowed it to happen outside of battle, I would 100% have Haruka's smile accompanied by a "Haruka used Dazzling Gleam!" because damn if they don't abuse the particle effects when she's smiling at someone.