Destiny Colosseum ~ Stands

[Namohysip]

Considered to be one of the most energetic places in the world, Destiny Colosseum's stands were constantly buzzing with excitement. Monumental fights seemed to happen every other day, and with Team Spectrum now paying regular visits, it seemed like the Colosseum was becoming even more popular. The food here was simple to eat and easy to hold, and humans would associate it strongly with stadium food of other sports back home. Incineroar's voice echoed with every call he made, and the overhanging screens showed the vitality of the fighters below.

From this high up, it was hard to interact with those fighting, but at least they could watch with a good view. The front row seats, after all, were difficult to reserve, even for Team Spectrum​

 

[Fusion]

Oh thank Arceus Vix wasn't the first match, she had to take longer than usual to quell her shadows and didn't want to risk going into a fight like that. She rushed into the stands, ready to cheer her teammates on, but was confused when she caught a glimpse of Icetales exiting the arena amidst the excitement of the crowd. Wasn't he Cynthian's partner? Did something happen?

Vix floated up to where she felt Puddle was, not exactly sure if it wanted to see her again, or if she was ready to face it either. She didn't go to Puddle's side, instead floating a good bit away from it.

"You're late," Puddle said, arms crossed and shaking its head. Its body was still goopy in nature, so its arms sort of melded into each other. "I thought you weren't going to show up."

"You signed me up for a tournament and only told me half an hour ago, in text," Vix grumbled. "I wasn't even ready, I had to throw everything together on the way here!"

"But you are ready, and you are here. So, no problem," Puddle said. "But you missed the first fight. Cynthian got flattened."

Vix's flame flickered anxiously, turning to the arena again. "W-Wait, really?" She didn't see Cymthian there, and worry started to rise in her. "Where is--"

"Icetales took her off the field. He forfeit once Cynthian was out," the melty familiar clarified. "Which means you have to go to the locker rooms. Like. Now."

"Oh son of a..." Vix paused. "Wait, her? Cynthian?"

"Go, Vix."

"But--"

Puddle threw an arm at the Lampent, much to the surprise of those around it. Vix wiped the ethereal arm off her face, grumbling as she left for the locker rooms.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa watched the match between Starr/Nip & Cynthan/Icetales with rapt attention, though her eyes were continually drawn to Starr and the way she simply blazed with controlled power. The mastery she had over herself, the conviction... The battle was over far too soon.

She spoke to Owen in a breathless wonder. "I knew she'd be a fearsome opponent in doubles, but that was somethin' else. You were right about her drillin' Protect fer doubles. Makes me wonder if I oughta have drilled it harder myself, y'know?"

Brisa had drilled Protect for the tournament, but only enough to get a quick shield off at the beginning of a match as she charged up her Bright Arclight technique, and she had to rely on siphoned power from Luz for it. Luz, who was grinning like a maniac at the fight herself, and who turned to Brisa, Owen and Cal with a playful smirk.

"Well ain't that somethin'?" said the zeraora-shade. "Are ya worried t'go up against Starr?"

Brisa shot Luz a dirty look. "Didn't I tell you I damn-near begged her to fight me? It's like you've forgotten what kinda gal I am."

Luz' smile seemed, impossibly, to get wider. "Sure, but that was when you didn't mind the thought of losin'."

Brisa scowled and returned her attention to Starr, as the torracat returned to the locker rooms. She wouldn't have time to exchange a friendly word. It was time to get ready herself, and out on the field . . . against Astrid and Vix.

 

[Fusion]

Puddle retrieved its arm and went back to its seat, then spotting Luz elsewhere in the stands. It would have been nice to talk to someone, since Puddle took a page from Vix's book of "being social while distressed." As in, it fucked off to think and sulked instead, which actually helped Puddle more than it did Vix.

But it wasn't here to sulk, since the roar of the crowd made that damn near impossible, and being alone here didn't make all that much sense so... Puddle went on over to say hi. Just to make it easier on itself, Puddle melted into a, well, puddle, and oozed on over to Luz.

"Hey, Luz," Puddle said as it reformed, picking out the junk it picked up along the way. Gods, was it too much to ask people to not spill so much damn food? "I'm sort of surprised you hadn't joined the tourney yourself, seeing how hard you went against Vix. Thought the idea of a rematch would have been enough to convince you."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Luz gave Brisa a thumbs-up as she left for her fight, then gave Puddle a curious assessment.

"Well, we lend our hosts our power, don't we? Brisa needs me around to support her for her fight! Maybe I'll fight in another match sometime, who knows. I know all the same techniques, pretty much."

She flashed a cheeky fang. "Rematch aside, how about you? Are ya one fer a good tussle?"

 

[Fusion]

"I... think?" Puddle looked down at its transparent hands. It flexed them a bit, thoughtful. "It's strange... before I got a, uh, body, I didn't really care. I was perfectly fine doing nothing. But now I feel like I miss fighting? Which... doesn't make sense, I think."

Puddle could feel the faintest sensations of hitting things really hard. Like, with its fists. Not anything like Vix would have done... It shook its head, looking out to the arena again, specifically at Vix. She had already brightened up a bit, it seemed. "I wouldn't mind finding out if I like to fight, honestly. But... maybe after this fight. Or maybe during this fight? I... don't really know."

It was clear something was on Puddle's mind. It's not like it was trying to hide it.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

A fight with Puddle? Well, that would certainly be a damn good time! "If you wanna tussle, I'm game any time!"

Luz held out a paw, the pads of which glowed with her silver-blue electric light. "Put 'er there, partner. We'll have it out just as soon as you say the word!"

 

[Fusion]

Puddle's thoughts were interrupted by paw being held before its face. It stared for a moment, forgetting for a moment what to do in this situation. Especially since Luz's paw was like... bigger than its head. Puddle did, eventually, place both of its hands on Luz's. "That would be... fun. Yeah, fun."

The crowd had gotten a bit rowdier, probably a sign that the fight was about to start. Puddle felt a bit of anxiousness rise, slowly starting to have seconds thoughts about signing Vix up so suddenly. If she lost... she'd be devastated... Probably...

Puddle unknowingly held Luz's paw, taking the seat beside her. "It's... starting soon. Oh boy..."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Then yer on!" said Luz, happily. She let Puddle hold her paw. Why not?

The match was a furious spectacle, over sooner than Luz wanted or expected. Goddamn, but those mon sure shone bright!

"Wow! Reckon we can make sparks like that, partner?"

 

[Fusion]

Oh boy that was painful to watch... and probably even more painful to experience. And for Vix... she sure looked like she was fine but, Puddle could feel she wasn't. This had backfired hard. The semi-solid familiar let out a groan, holding Luz's paw a bit tighter as it watched Vix.

"Wow! Reckon we can make sparks like that, partner?"

"Hm?" Puddle blinked, lookin up at Luz. That's right, she was a battle junkie, and more importantly, her host didn't get fucking floored instantly. But honestly, Luz probably wouldn't have been all that upset even if Brisa lost. And it was cool to see, all things considered. "I don't see why not. We're their hosts, right? If anything, we might get even stronger than them."

It was then Puddle realized he still held onto Luz, and let go of her paw. "It could be... fun, yeah."

 

[windskull]

From the stands, Nip watched the opposing teams with narrowed eyes. He'd been working with them for long enough to have a clue how they fought. But it was different when he was facing the in battle. And he knew he should take in as much information as possible.

Owen and Brisa, Astrid and Vix. One of the pairs would soon be his opponent. His claws clinked against a metal railing as he leaned in a bit closer, trying to predict their opening attacks.

"An exciting matchup either way, don't you think?"

Nip jolted slightly at the sound of a voice behind him. Tempest had found him. Nip grunted in agreement, then turned his attention back to the field. If he wanted to win, he couldn't afford to miss a single move.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"It could be... fun, yeah."

Luz smiled at her new friend and gave a thumbs up. "Sure it will!"

She whooped and gave applause with the rest of the crowd as the match ended, but she was already excited for the finals, excited for her throwdown with Puddle, excited for the whole team to face off against Joule!

"Aw, pal," she said, her voice thick with happiness, "this ain't a bad place to be. I'm so proud of my gal, y'know that? She's got a ways to go, but she's growin' all the time. She an' Vix should hang out sometime. Four of us t'gether could have one hell of a shindig!"

She leaned back with her arms crossed behind her head to wait for the final match. Brisa and Owen, versus Starr and Nip! What a fight!

 

[Adamhuarts]

"What do you mean it's the final battle already?! We were gone for less than half an hour!" Cynthian said, eyes wide and mouth slack-jawed after she caught up to speed with events.

She looked down at the battlefield, specifically at Brisa and Owen. Cynthian gulped.

"You know what... I'm glad we're not the ones going up against those two. They're a scary duo..." Cynthian shuddered, and her flowers gave off a minty aroma.

 

[Fusion]

"Aw, pal," she said, her voice thick with happiness, "this ain't a bad place to be. I'm so proud of my gal, y'know that? She's got a ways to go, but she's growin' all the time. She an' Vix should hang out sometime. Four of us t'gether could have one hell of a shindig!"

Puddle let out a chuckle; it felt like it had been ages since it spent time with another lively, energetic, positive presence. It almost felt nostalgic. And if Brisa was anything like Luz, it would do both Puddle and Vix some good. "Hella yeah, Vix and I could use the good company. And she... could really use someone else's company other than mine."

'Like another wannabe hero, or just... literally anyone with self confidence. The lamp reeeeeally needs that.'

---

A slightly darkened Vix floated above the crowds to find a seat. Almost all of them were taken, but there was one close to Cynthian. She figured she might as well take that one, the plant was one of her few friends, after all.

"Hey Cynthian," Vix greeted, lowering next to her. "I heard your fight went out a lot like mines, but it looks like you're still in good spirits."

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Oh hey Vix." Cynthian greeted, poking her flower out of Icetales' silvery fur to wave.

"How are you feeling? How's um... Puddle?" she asked, concern apparent in her tone.

 

[Fusion]

Vix's flame dimmed slightly, and she looked off to the side. "Puddle's fine, actually. You were right, I just had to... stay strong, and believe it'd be fine. We're kinda... not wanting to really see each other? Not that I blame him, really..."

She chose to ignore the first part of the question, and instead turned it back on Cynthian. "How about you? I can't really tell, but... you seem kinda different. And I don't think I ever noticed that minty scent before... I kinda like it," Vix chuckled.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Oh, that just happens... when I'm scared," Cynthian's flowers gave off a vanilla scent briefly when Vix said that, and her cheeks redenned as well.

"Is Puddle mad at you for what happened? I think you two could work things out. Your familiar is a reflection of one side of you, after all," Cynthian said with a hum.

 

[Fusion]

'Mmmmmmmm, vanilla...' Vix inhaled, then realized that she did not have a nose, and was on the track of wondering how the fuck she worked as a living light fixture, when Cynthian spoke again.

"Is Puddle mad at you for what happened? I think you two could work things out. Your familiar is a reflection of one side of you, after all," Cynthian said with a hum.

"I don't really know," Vix darkened a bit further, although only her flame made a noticeable change. "I know it signed me up for this tourney, and didn't tell me until the just before it started, but other than that... we've been sort of avoiding each other.

'It was more like it was avoiding me actually...' Vix groaned, dropping herself in her seat.

"If Puddle's a reflection of some part of me, then I guess I do more self loathing than I thought," Vix chuckled weakly, then sighed.

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, Vix." She extended a vine and awkwardly patted Vix on the head.

"I know how tough it is to feel that way, so take things slow. If there's any way I can cheer you up, just let me know."

 

[Fusion]

"Thanks, Cynthian," Vix said, brightening up a bit. "For some reason... I dunno, I kinda thought... you wouldn't want to? I don't have a reason why you wouldn't, but... it's nice knowing you will." Vix awkwardly patted the vine back, giggling once she notice how stupid that would have looked.