Destiny Colosseum ~ Stands

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa chuckled. "Okay, fair enough. Sure feels like I got one hell of an opportunity, bein' pulled clean outta one world an' into another, given powers to meet or even surpass what I used t'have, an' presented with foes like we've face so far."

She looked up at Joule. Joule was a hero, wasn't he? When he wasn't driven mad by blacklight. She should be careful.

"An' I got courage t'spare," she said, quietly. But there was no running away from Joule.

No running from her own heart and head, either, not for long. Luz was distracted playing with the croconaw girls, putting up her paws for them to hit, like training dummy targets. Now there was a sight which filled her with a slew of feelings. Something to think about another time.

"Thanks fer this," she said to Pepper and Thyme. "I'm . . . really glad we got to hang out again, amidst all th'preparations. I like spendin' time with y'all. Makes me feel stronger fer th'fight ahead."

 

[Namohysip]

"Good on ya," Thyme said, nodding. "You've got a lot of pressure on your back, here and back home, right? But I think you, uh, you know, take it well."

Pepper grinned. "I've got faith that you'll be able to save this place," she said. "And don't worry about us. I heard from here-and-there that an evacuation plan is being set up the moment that barrier goes down. Won't save the planet, but... it'll buy a few seconds if Arceus has to do something drastic for us."

"And chances are, we're going to be trying to find a way to help out, too. You guys just have to buy some time while fighting. And maybe, just maybe, we can find a way to help you guys out..." Thyme rubbed a vine behind his head. "Strong maybe. Hard to get around that energy null thing."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa's eye prickled to hear such encouragement. Gods, what she'd have given to hear this sort of shit from her own parents...

"I sore appreciate it," she replied, smiling. "Whatever it is y'got planned, I'll buy you th'time ya need. Never doubt it."

{We got places t'be, darlin',} sent Luz, who had the girls dangling from her biceps as she spun round, laughing. Ah. Better rescue her shade.

"I'd best be off," she finished. "Y'all take care. I'll see ya after the showdown!"

As Brisa left with a liberated Luz, she was already looking forward to seeing them again.

<><><><><>​

 

[Fusion]

An ethereal Scraggy can be seen jumping from seat to seat, following a Lampent busily jotting down notes in a notebook. Seeing Karat in action felt like it helped Vix understand what a Mewtwo was. In a word, it was powerful. And purple, and a feline. It felt like a lot of strong things here were feline...

"I still don't know what a Mewtwo is, but it's definitely powerful! I wonder if your world has one?" Puddle asked, vaulting over an arm rest and just barely evading a face plant. "I wonder if we can find it and fight it..."

Vix shut her notebook and put it in her satchel, turning to look at Puddle. "It'd be fun to find out. If anything, Castiss and Eera would know about it..." she paused for a moment. "Do you remember them from my memories? I still don't really know how that part of familiars work."

Puddle shrugged. "Vaguely. The fox guy with short hair and no self preservation, and the stoic bisharp with more brain than brawn, and he's super strong. And sharp." It tried to jump two seats at once, but as it was getting ready to, it noticed a black and blue Zeraora a little ways away. "Speaking of strong, there's Luz! Hey Luz!" Puddle called, waving to get her attention. It then slipped off the armrest.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa paced down from the stands towards the colosseum exit, amidst the crowds, wondering if she could get away with simply leaping down to save time. She could handle the fall, she was sure.

"What the fuck, Luz? Arceus? No, I never thought t'bother Arceus with anythin', no."

"Aw, why not? Fella's given th'time of day to just about everyone by now. Y'sure y'don't wanna say hi?"

Hey Luz!

"Let's focus on who's sayin' hi right now, first, huh?"

She waved at a scraggy-shade, not sure who they were exactly. But that was Lampent Vix with them—

"Howdy, Puddle an' Vix!" cried Luz. "How ya been keepin'? Y'all watch the match just now? Those Omen Heroes sure are somethin', huh!"

"Howdy," she said, a little uncertain. She'd barely interacted with Vix, save for absolutely crushing her in the first moments of the tourney semifinals. How would the lampent have taken that...?

 

[Fusion]

"Yeah, that fight was great! I can see why they're called heroes with skill like that!" Puddle snickered as it hopped back to its feet, then paused and crossed its arms. "Wow, I really like fights a lot more than I thought I did, or, would... Awesome," it snickered again.

Vix gave Luz a wave, floating on over to her. "I've been alright, definitely doing better than before. I got Bahamut and Cynthian to thank for that," Vix chuckled, resting an arm on her bag. She looked toward Brisa and flinched slightly. She was just thinking about powerful felines earlier, and wouldn't know it, here was one right now. Vix figured it'd be less awkward to stare and gave a small, shy wave. "H-Hey, Brisa. Fancy meeting y-you here..."

'Oh, right, the tournament. Brisa was the one Vix got walloped by,' Puddle thought, then loudly cleared its throat and leaned between Vix and Brisa. "U-Uh, howdy! I think this counts as both of your first meetings, right? Pleasure finally meeting face to fis-- face!" it said, sporting a friendly smile. That was a good save, right?

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

'Fancy meeting you here' and a stammer. Oh gods. Vix was not keen on talking, evidently. Probably down to Brisa absolutely scrubbing the colosseum floor with the poor gal. Aw hell.

"We've met a few times," Brisa corrected, for want of anything better to say. She winced. That wouldn't help. "Uh, just never had much chance to chat. I, uh, didn't know you were into battles!" she tried, desperately.

Luz laughed. "Yeah, I had a fun scrap with Vix after that business with Charizard Red. She can sure fight!"

"I know she can fight, Luz, I've seen her pull her weight with the team. I meant, like, as a fan of combat sport, y'know?" Ah. Now she was on more familiar ground. "Say, Vix," she said, "are spectacle fights like this a thing in yer homeworld?"

 

[Fusion]

"Uh, just never had much chance to chat. I, uh, didn't know you were into battles!" she tried, desperately.

"Say, Vix," she said, "are spectacle fights like this a thing in yer homeworld?"

Surprisingly, Vix was surprised that she and Brisa shared a common interest. As if them both entering that tournament, although one was entered without her knowledge, joined because they loved the sport. Crazy, right?

"Yeah, me and my friends back home spar all the time as hero training. Or, well, as part of it," Vix explained, nodding. "I've heard stories about this city that places power above all, and guilds from all around the world compete there in yearly competitions! But I haven't been out of my own little village in... I guess forever."

"Surprisingly, Vix isn't anywhere near as powerful home as she is here. Fighting hasn't clicked with her back there I guess," Puddle shrugged. "Strange, right? She's such a natural here, you'd think she was a professional back home."

Vix pouted and crossed her arms, then chuckled. It felt nice not getting all caught up on her fighting skills for once. "I surprised myself here, too. Fighting Luz was awesome! And I've just been getting more into fighting since."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Oh, so Vix was stuck in a small town too? They should talk about that some time...

"Hey, that's no bad thing, partner!" said Brisa, awkwardness forgotten. "I'll spar with you any time! Or watch a good fight. That's one of th'best things about Cibus: the combat sport industry. Nothin' like it back home, 'less y'wanna trek a ways from my town."

Luz nodded in agreement, giving her fanged smile of approval.

Hang on. "Wait, hero trainin'?" asked Brisa. "What's th'deal with that? Is 'hero' a profession in yer world, or somethin'?"

 

[Fusion]

Vix lit up, faint sparkles of radiance rolling off of her. Another sparring partner, and someone interested in hero training? It was almost enough for her to forget that this is the same feline that beat her face in! Not that there was anything wrong with that, strong friends are great friends! And all friends!

The important thing here is that Vix was making friends, alright?

"Yeah! Well, kinda. There are plenty of heroes in my world. Some are spoken of in legend, others work with guilds or make their own..." Her eyes sparkled as she clutched her bag tightly. "I guess most of who I call heroes are just explorers to some people, but I've always wanted to be one and start my own guild! Saving lives, stopping disasters, I might even be able to write my own book!"

"From what I remember about what Vix remembers, though... she's having trouble finding what being a hero really is for her," Puddle said, crossing its arms and humming. "Her two mentors back home are nothing like the heroes here, but they're still heroes, if that makes any sense."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Well, Vix was sure excited about being a hero, or something like that... Brisa could talk about that. Albeit with some discomfort.

"Wait, so when you say 'hero', y'don't rightly know what y'have in mind?" asked Brisa. "Even so, it's . . . admirable, that you'd wanna be one. Even if I ain't sure myself what constitutes heroism. Actually, Pepper just got done tellin' me all a hero is, is a good person with the opportunity t'do some good."

Luz grinned. "I'm th'Wanderin' Light, I'm a born hero! Pepper ain't wrong, but if'n y'wanna be a hero, y'can rush headlong into danger t'find those opportunities! A hero helps the needy, shows bravery in th'face of all adversity, 'an—"

"Y'ain't th'Wanderin' Light, Luz."

 

[Fusion]

...all a hero is, is a good person with the opportunity t'do some good."

"...That basically just means you gotta be at the right place at the right time and be a good person," Vix hummed, then floated to be more eye level with Brisa and crossed her arms. "I guess boiling it down, yeah, that's what it means to be a hero in general, but that's way too generalized of an answer. With heroism, there isn't an 'end all, be all' answer, I think... It's complicated."

Vix closed her eyes, and a warm glow appeared around the lamp as she spoke further. "Not every hero is the same, some are calculated and precise, others are brash and reckless, some are pacifists, others are excessively violent. I already know that if I want to be a hero I have to do good, but I don't know how I'm gonna do it. I don't know the hero I want to be."

"Y'ain't th'Wanderin' Light, Luz."

Puddle shot Brisa a brief glare and went to Luz's side, lightly punching the ethereal feline's arm. "Even if ya aren't the real Wandering Light, you can still try and be it, or better than that in fact! You're definitely strong enough to be one, at least to Vix and me," it said, a wide grin on its face.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa chewed that one over for a second. Certainly all the folks on Team Spectrum, the God Squad, the Luz of myth and the Luz beside her, and her own parents... They were all different. All good fighters, sure, but there wasn't even a single way to do that, as she kept telling Icetales and other supporting fighters.

"Yeah, I guess... I guess yer right," she said. "If I'm any kinda hero, I'm . . . a violent one. That's where my talents lie. I like the idea that there're other paths, though. Why shouldn't someone who helps people in need be called a hero, even if they ain't battlin' anyone t'do it? Hm. Say, Vix, who d'you most admire? Who're yer personal heroes?"

---

Oh, wow, it sure felt pretty good for someone to have that kind of belief in Luz! She didn't need it, it didn't bother her when people didn't like her, but it was something else to be so admired like that!

"Ah, Brisa jus' means the original Luz actually did a buncha heroic deeds an' I only act like I did. I'm hopin' that the challenges ahead of us will give me plenty opportunity to prove myself, though! I got more fightin' spirit than I know what t'do with!"

 

[Fusion]

"My personal heroes?" Despite her lack of a mouth, it wouldn't be hard to tell that Vix was smiling. "My mentors, of course. A Bisharp and Zoroark named Eera and Castiss respectively. They came to my village a few years ago, but everyone in our village shunned them and turned them away. Both of them were, well... covered in blood despite not being injured, so it's not like we didn't have a reason to."

"But even when we did, Eera and Castiss just moved into the nearby dungeon, helped us with our bandit problem, then went on to fix dungeon afterwards. Now... me and my friends are training under them. They saved my village and the only ones to give them thanks were me and my friend. No one else even knows what they did..." Vix chuckled warmly, then looked to Brisa. "What about you? You have any heroes you admire?"

---

Puddle's grin stretched even further. Getting someone to feel good felt good, who'd'a thoughyt? "Hell yeah you do, even managed to give me some that spirit in the process! We should totally go out and do some hero shit together, we'd be unstoppable!" it snickered. "I mean, maybe. I still have no idea how strong I am yet, but still!"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa grinned darkly. Eera and Castiss were bandit-hunters, huh? They sounded rather more deadly than Brisa ever was, but she'd certainly come back from her share of missions covered in outlaws' blood.

"Ah, well... I always admired the Wanderin' Light, Zeraora Luz Escarpa. Grew up hearin' stories 'bout her slayin' monsters, performin' feats of athleticism an' bravery, savin' folks from danger, that kinda thing. Bold, decisive, fearless. My Luz is everythin' I daydreamed about bein', y'know? Turns out that all that stuff don't make a whole person."

She shook her head. "And, uh... There were my parents. Luxray Sierra Escarpa and Delphox Jesse Stranger. They... They saved the world."

---

"You got fightin' spirit from watchin' that fight I had with Vix? Stars above, Puddle! That's a blessin' if I ever heard one! We gotta fight, put 'em up!"

Time to do a bit of play-fighting! Luz put up her paws and let Puddle land hits on them, the way she'd been doing a minute ago with the croconaw gals. All good fun!

 

[Fusion]

"...Bold, decisive, fearless. My Luz is everythin' I daydreamed about bein', y'know? Turns out that all that stuff don't make a whole person."

"You'd be surprised about what makes a whole person... this Luz is basically a cat girl version of Castiss. Except the fact that Luz has more self preservation than him," Vix giggled. Hearing Brisa speak about her parents, Vix lit up. "Y-You're parents are heroes? Geez, no wonder you're so strong! I'm almost willing to bet that one of them was human, too. My friend Ace's dad is a human, and he's a lot stronger than I think he should be for a lazy Chespin."

Come to think of it... Vix had rarely ever thought about parents. She had gotten used to calling Indul "dad," but it felt pretty obvious that her actual father wasn't a Chestnaught. And she hadn't even thought about Ace's mom, or her own... But that didn't seem to bother her. Or rather, she didn't let it bother her.

---

Puddle threw quick little jabs at Luz's paws, making punching sounds with its mouth. They barely hurt, if at all, and everytime Puddle hit Luz, its fists just splatted against her paws. "Damn noodle arms... Just wait until I figure out how to use these properly, then I'll be unstoppable!"

And, uh... There were my parents...

It wasn't paying all that much attention to whatever Brisa and Vix were talking about, but Puddle did cat that little snippet. The ultra stone inside it flickered for a split second, and Puddle widely missed a punch. Its arm went flying past Luz, splatting against the back of one of the chairs. It just sort of... stared, after that.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Gods, she'd hit that target in one, huh. "Uh, yeah. My pa's human. He was brought to my world specifically t'save it an' I guess he stuck around to have me."

She didn't know how to explain how hard that had made her life, or even if she should. Being miserable wasn't a great way to make a friend, when things were going well... But she couldn't leave it totally unsaid, for fear of Vix getting the wrong idea and pressing the topic.

"Havin' parents like Jesse an' Sierra ain't all that, though, Vix."

She left it at that.

---

Puddle was a much less solid shade than Luz, so their little punches weren't exactly haymakers, but Luz still cheered them on and lashed her tail in delight. Then, something went wrong and a punch went wide, the smaller shade's attention totally shattered.

"Woah there, Puddle," she cried. "Y'alright there?"

 

[Fusion]

Vix's flamed dimmed ever so slightly, it sounded like she struck a sore spot. "Oh... your parents aren't the greatest, I take it? The only parent I know is Ace's dad, and... I guess you could count Castiss and Eera. They're about as protective about me and my friends as a parent would be," Vix tittered.

She rested the end of her lamp-hand on Brisa's shoulder, putting on a mouthless smile. "I'd be happy to help any way I can, if I even can. At least, while you spend your time here, you won't have to deal with them, right?"

---

Puddle shook its head, reeling its arm back. A faint headache came on, which felt strange considering the lack of... brain to get a headache with. A stoneache then? "I'm... I'm fine. Just, something came to mind, is all. Nothing to worry about," it chuckled, putting on a small smile.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Jesse and Sierra... They weren't the greatest, no. Not in every measure, anyhow. Vix didn't even know that it was their absence which had been killing Brisa for years, nor that she'd dealt with Jesse after coming to Cibus... Now wasn't the time to explain all that.

"I dunno, Vix. Maybe I'll tell ya about 'em some other time," she said, rubbing her neck, awkwardly. "Look, I gotta get back t'work, but it was a genuine pleasure t'finally make yer acquaintance. Let's talk about hero shit again some time, partner. How about it? An' hey, c'mon, Luz!"

---

"If'n y'sure, partner!" Hmm. What would distract Puddle from whatever was bothering them? "Hey, think fast!"

Luz drew her arm back, and launched a real slugger of a blow towards Puddle's head–!

 

[Fusion]

The idea of parents popped back into Vix's head. It was starting to nag at the back of her mind, why hadn't she tried to think about it before? The more she tried to understand why, the more she didn't like to think about it. It felt like reaching for something that wasn't there, which was a familiar feeling for Vix. Whenever she tried to think too far back, she'd just... hit a mental wall.

But, instead of fighting it, Vix shook it off. There was a better time for that sort of stuff, and that time wasn't now. Joule was a threat, and Vix could feel that the time to fight him was getting way too close for comfort. She could try and battle that wall after they beat some sense back into Maple's light dragon boyfriend.

"Right, we need to get ready too, and it was nice to meet you, you know, not dominating me in battle," Vix chuckled. "It's time to go Puddle, we got shopping to do!"

---

"Wait, hu-" Puddle, still distracted by whatever happened, didn't see the punch until it hit it. It was like punching a water balloon, with Puddle's head warping around Luz's fist. Puddle would have fallen off the chair it was standing on, if it hadn't grabbed onto Luz's fist, basically attaching itself to her.

"H-Hey, cheap shot!" it huffed, then snickered. It was actually kinda fun hanging from Luz's paw, to Puddle's surprise. "You wouldn't have gotten me if I wasn't distracted, just to be clear!"