Draco: Wrote An's battle last chapter in between playing The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. As I start writing this chapter, I've seen the story mode through. My inspiration comes from the weirdest places.
Pokémon and all related properties © Nintendo. Virtual Singers of Piapro Studio © Crypton Future Media. Characters from Colorful Stage © Craft Egg.
I'm the BAD Guy
Four more battles came and went after An's departure, and another member of Vivid BAD SQUAD emerged for the fifty-first round. Akito's amicable smile was gone as he stepped into position at the red corner, turning a determined glare on Jeanne.
"If you can't go all the way," he warned, brandishing his first Poké Ball, "then you've got no place here."
Jeanne narrowed her gaze at him. "What happened to the nice guy in the lobby?" she muttered.
The two sent out their Pokémon at once; an unassuming figure in pale blue emerged before Akito, and raised his gaze towards a rotund figure in pale purple. "In the blue corner: Goodra! And in the red corner: Palafin! Who's gonna claim the advantage?"
Akito snapped his fingers. "Hit and run!"
"Bring it down hard!" Jeanne commanded.
Palafin surged forward in a rush of water, slamming into Goodra with a Flip Turn and then retreating into Akito's outstretched Poké Ball before Goodra could retaliate. He quickly hurled another Poké Ball out, deploying a bright-feathered Braviary with a blazing Psychic crest upon his brow... who quickly found a blast of Thunder descending upon him. Jeanne pitied the Battle Cry Pokémon for his poor luck, but it wasn't enough to knock him out; with a screech, he soared into an arc, launching Esper Wing blades to lash across Goodra's fore in a dangerously sharp blow.
The Dragon Pokémon elected not to try his luck with another Thunder, instead flinging a Sludge Bomb at the Psychic-type. The impact alone was enough to finish off Braviary; Akito withdrew him and sent out an Incineroar to take his place. The Heel Pokémon gave a ferocious roar before twisting forward, and Goodra had no opportunity to attack before a shadowy blow left him reeling to the side, collapsing to the ground.
"Darkest Lariat leaves them down for the count!" Miku exclaimed as Incineroar whirled away. "The blue corner's lead has already been negated!"
Goodra was withdrawn, and Primarina was sent out to stare down the Fire-type; an undeterred Incineroar only charged forward to meet her head on. A Sparkling Aria scattered against the Heel Pokémon's fur, but wasn't enough to knock him out before he drove a Thunder Punch into Primarina's side, throwing her into the air. She twisted in mid-tumble, finding Incineroar trying to meet her as she landed for another blow; she denied him the opportunity, flinging a Moonblast down at him to finish him off and leave him tumbling away from where she landed.
Akito withdrew the Heel Pokémon, and a Toxtricity of amped yellow voltage was sent. Primarina planted her fins and loosed a note of Hyper Voice, and Toxtricity strummed across his chest to retaliate with an Overdrive; the electricity was too much, and the Soloist Pokémon slumped to the ground, prompting Jeanne to withdraw her. Archeops was sent out to take his place, and brought his talons down to shake the battlefield in an Earthquake - but Toxtricity managed to endure the blow, and a second strumming shocked the First Bird Pokémon with unexpected force, knocking him out in a single blow.
"Taken out when they went into Overdrive!" Miku yelped as Archeops was withdrawn. "The red corner's pulled ahead this time!"
Jeanne sent out Volcarona to take his place, and promptly leapt forward, performing a Fiery Dance in time to the lingering notes. It was enough to knock out the Punk Pokémon at last, and she hopped back to give him room to topple over before he was withdrawn; then Palafin was sent back out - now sporting a much more heroic build of bright indigo after enjoying the privacy of his Poké Ball.
With a grin, Jeanne readied her Tera Orb, and once it had illuminated she threw it forward to burst above Volcarona's head. The Hero Pokémon aimed one hand forward, and in the instant the crystals shattered, his bubble glove was launched forward for a crashing Jet Punch; Volcarona reeled backwards, but the bouquet of her Tera Jewel meant the blow didn't have the impact it should have, and she began to gather light in retaliation. Giving a low cry, Palafin elected to charge forward for the followup, slamming a much more effective Ice Punch into Volcarona and throwing her into the air.
It didn't finish her off, and the Sun Pokémon spread her wings to unleash a Solar Beam to soar skyward and then come down hard on Palafin. The Pelagic Protector managed to endure the blow, however, and Jeanne winced as a second Ice Punch finished off Volcarona and shattered her Tera Jewel; she quickly withdrew her, sending out Lucario to take her place. As she touched her Key Stone, he was wrapped in the light of Mega Evolution, and the instant it shattered found an Aura Sphere flung forward to finish off the Hero Pokémon in turn.
A Hydreigon was deployed in the red corner, and gave a vicious roar before loosing a Flamethrower in Lucario's direction. The Aura Pokémon managed to endure the flames and promptly charged forward, retaliating with a Drain Punch that left Hydreigon soaring backwards and scattered light to soothe the Fighting-type's wounds. With an angry roar, the Brutal Pokémon called down a Draco Meteor bombardment, but Lucario endured the blows and leapt into the air once more, bringing a second Drain Punch down to throw Hydreigon into the ground, unconscious.
Akito withdrew the Dark-type with a growl, seizing his last Poké Ball and holding it forward. "Doesn't matter if you began from on high, or crawled your way up from rock bottom," he proclaimed. "All that matters is how far you're willing to go!"
Particles soared out of a Dynamax Band on his wrist, converging on his Poké Ball and expanding it. The way he was holding it from the side meant it began to fall - at least before he brought his knee up to send it skyward. Then, in a motion that would make a Cinderace proud, he leapt into the air and delivered a bicycle kick, launching the Ball backwards as he flipped backwards and landed on a hand, a knee, and a foot.
In the far end of the red corner emerged a wooden drum set that grew larger and larger until Jeanne could see the Rillaboom sitting atop it; four massive, leafy limbs extended outward, each holding a stick with which to beat on the drums as the Grass-type roared. Lucario gathered an Aura Sphere between his paws, hurling it at the Drummer Pokémon; it ended up soaring through the tunnel of a Max Airstream, and the damage he dealt to Rillaboom meant little in the face of the knockout he was dealt by the Max Move.
Jeanne withdrew him, sweeping out her last Poké Ball for a Dynamax of her own. Froslass emerged in the blue corner, staring down Rillaboom with a glare. The Grass-type beat on his instrument for a G-Max Drum Solo at the same instant as Froslass called down a Max Hailstorm, and a massive vine burst out of the ground to strike the Snow Land Pokémon at the same instant as gargantuan ice chunks descended on Rillaboom. The Drummer Pokémon managed to endure the first bombardment, and raised his sticks to strike his instrument again - but the second Hailstorm put an end to his efforts, and he couldn't stop his Dynamax from blasting as he was knocked out.
"Game, set, match!" Miku exclaimed as Akito withdrew the unconscious Rillaboom. "The blue corner has claimed victory once more!" Froslass gave a triumphant cry as her own Dynamax subsided, though she looked rather more relieved than prideful once she was small enough to hide it from the crowd. "The challenger continues to endure everything our Colosseum can throw at her!"
Jeanne withdrew the Snow Land Pokémon and turned to find Akito approaching. "You've got the crowd going," he observed. "Now you've got to live up to the hype."
"I'm starting to think I lined myself up for failure, to be honest with you," Jeanne confessed.
"Just don't go at it half-hearted," Akito insisted. "If you want to do this, give it everything you've got - and the rest will come naturally."
+x+x+x+
She did indeed give it everything she had in the next four battles - and was rewarded with a couple of flawless wins. Rain was coming down on the backstreet battlefield as the last member of Vivid BAD SQUAD emerged onto the red corner; Toya's expression was almost unreadable, but his body language made his resolve clear enough.
"The crowd seems to love you," he proclaimed, spinning a Poké Ball on one finger. "Let's give them what they want."
"I'd be happy to," Jeanne insisted.
The two sent out their Poké Balls at once; a broad-winged Dragon-type emerged before Toya, staring down a brightly-plumed Rock-type. "In the blue corner: Archeops! And in the red corner: Noivern! Show us what you're made of!"
Toya thrust a hand forward. "Roar at 'em!"
Jeanne aimed a finger in retaliation. "Knock 'em out of the sky!"
The two fliers both cried loudly, wings flapping viciously; Noivern unleashed a forceful Dragon Pulse that slammed into the First Bird Pokémon and threw him backwards, but Archeops only invoked stones of Ancient Power to strike the Sound Wave Pokémon in retaliation. Power rippled up around the Rock-type, and when Noivern made to invoke a Hurricane to batter him amidst the rain, it was - just barely - not enough to knock him out, allowing him to finish off the Dragon-type with a Rock Slide.
He was, however, on his last legs; when Toya withdrew the unconscious and sent out a Roserade to take his place, an Energy Ball was enough to strike Archeops out of the sky. Jeanne withdrew him and deployed Froslass to meet the Bouquet Pokémon; Roserade only twisted into a spin with her flowers raised, and the rain coming down began to subside as a Sunny Day shone down to take its place. Froslass' Blizzard ended up roaring right past the the Grass-type without landing a blow; with a low cry, the Snow Land Pokémon took aim for a more precise Ice Beam even as Roserade invoke a swirl of Toxic in retaliation.
Potent poison took root in Froslass, eating at her from the inside out; Roserade promptly twisted around to follow through with a Venoshock, noxious bolts slamming into Froslass all the more forcefully now that she was envenomed. With a screech, she fired a second Ice Beam to strike the Bouquet Pokémon, and this one was enough to knock her out, leaving Toya to withdraw her and watch as the toxins ate at the Ice-type. Finding the blue corner's Pokémon not yet down for the count, he deployed a Talonflame to take Roserade's place - and flames swirled around the Scorching Pokémon as he soared forward to finish Froslass off.
"Rushed down by Flame Charge!" Miku exclaimed as Jeanne withdrew the Ice-type. "The red corner refuses to fall behind!"
Primarina was deployed in the blue corner; the sunlight shining down had her wincing, but she focused her attention on Talonflame. Giving a loud cry, the Flying-type elected to soar forward, swooping low to slam into the Soloist Pokémon with a Brave Bird; Primarina managed to endure the blow, and retaliated by unleashing a forceful Hydro Pump. The torrent carved a line across the battlefield before slamming into Talonflame, which - combined with the recoil of his own attack - knocked him out of the air.
Toya withdrew the Scorching Pokémon, and - much like his partner had - sent out a Toxtricity to face down the Water-type, this one sporting low-key voltage of pale blue. Primarina glanced back at Jeanne in frustration; this time, Jeanne elected to go all-out, crossing her arms and then thrusting them forward to set off her Z-Power Ring. As she swept her hands to one side and then the other, the Soloist Pokémon turned her attention back to the Electric-type, rising up and letting her hair come undone before she invoked an ocean above her head with the first note. Toxtricity tried to cut the song short with a Poison Jab, but the blow wasn't enough to finish her off; even as the poison seeped into her body, Primarina managed to endure long enough to unleash a second note.
The Oceanic Operetta burst, consuming the Punk Pokémon in water - yet amidst the sunlight, it wasn't enough to knock him out, and the poison brought Primarina low before she could even bask in the shower. Jeanne withdrew her and swept out her next Poké Ball to one side, setting off her Dynamax Band to expand it; as she flung the Ball backwards, a supersized Volcarona emerged in the blue corner, and she spread her wings with an anticipatory cry. Toxtricity began strumming at his chest for a Boomburst against the Dynamaxed Pokémon, but Volcarona took the blow and retaliated with a Max Flare, consuming the Punk Pokémon in flames while the sun was still shining.
It wasn't shining for very long; no sooner had the Electric-type fallen to the ground than the sunlight subsided, and rainfall returned to the Colosseum. Toya withdrew Toxtricity and deployed an Empoleon into the precipitation; the Emperor Pokémon turned his gaze up towards Volcarona, and then brought his fins together to take aim with a vicious torrent even as seeds of Max Overgrowth soared his way. Empowered by the rain, the blast of water was too much, and the Dynamax burst, leaving Volcarona shrinking back to normal size before she collapsed onto the ground.
"Shot down by Hydro Cannon!" Miku observed as Jeanne withdrew the Sun Pokémon. "This battle has been back-and-forth from square one!"
Empoleon was left catching his breath on the newly-sprouted Grassy Terrain; Jeanne promptly deployed Goodra, who took advantage of the Emperor Pokémon's windedness to bring down a blast of Thunder out of the rainstorm. One blast wasn't enough to knock him out, and Empoleon only glared as the voltage wore off; Jeanne elected to take the chance, drawing her Tera Orb and hurling it forward to burst above Goodra's head. Crystals enveloped the Dragon Pokémon as his opponent unleashed a storm of ice, and then shattered to reveal a noxious Tera Jewel resting upon his brow.
The Blizzard soared straight past Goodra, chilling the air around him but failing to deal any damage.
Jeanne hoped that her Pokémon's second blast of Thunder drowned out the curse she uttered when she realized she'd raised Goodra's defenses for nothing. As the Water-type fell to the ground, Toya withdrew him, seizing his last Poké Ball to send out a Beheeyem in his place.
"Fall down six times," he proclaimed, crossing his arms before him and causing a Z-Power Ring on his wrist to gleam. "Stand up seven."
He thrust his arms forward, and Z-Power began to gather around the Cerebral Pokémon as Toya brought his hands up to set a finger on each of his temples. His feet came together as one hand left his brow and thrust forward; Beheeyem reared back in the air, casting a beam of light that ricocheted around the Colosseum seemingly at random. Goodra loosed a Sludge Bomb in the Psychic-type's direction, but the blow neither knocked out his opponent nor struck him with poison before the beam connected with the Dragon Pokémon, throwing him into the air to collide with invisible surfaces, leaving ripples of psychic energy in the wake of every blow.
One such collision had no bounce to it, leaving him pinned against the surface; Beheeyem swept his hands down, and the world seemed to shatter as Goodra tumbled into the darkness. When he reappeared, it was with a vicious impact on the battlefield, his Tera Jewel shattering as he lay prone upon the ground.
Jeanne withdrew the Dragon-type, sending out Lucario to take his place and reaching for her Key Stone to set off his Mega Evolution. A sound came from Toya's end of the battlefield that suggested he had cursed on realizing he'd blown his Z-Move before it would have been really useful; as soon as the light shattered around Lucario, he unleashed a Dark Pulse to strike at Beheeyem. The Cerebral Pokémon made to retaliate with a surge of Psychic, but a single blow wouldn't be enough to knock him out - and he wouldn't have the opportunity to land a second.
Another Dark Pulse knocked Beheeyem out of the air, leaving him falling to the ground.
"And that's the battle!" Miku exclaimed as Toya withdrew the Psychic-type. "The blue corner has pulled through again!" Lucario punched the air a few times and thrust a paw into the air with a triumphant growl. "The challenger's winning streak continues unabated!"
Jeanne withdrew the Aura Pokémon, giving a quiet reprimand for his showboating before raising her gaze to find Toya approaching. "Well-fought," he praised. "Now I believe you can go all the way."
"What," Jeanne retorted, "you didn't believe it before?"
Toya shook his head. "Sometimes you can't see what someone can really do until they show you head-on," he insisted. "But it's an idiot or a jerk who can't accept it once they see it."
He offered his hand, and Jeanne reached forward to shake it.
Draco: Alright, I'm over the halfway point. I feel semi-confident about my ability to see this Colosseum through.