Destiny Colosseum

[Namohysip]

"That's just fine," Bean said. "There are a lot of solo entrants that you can be paired up with by the tournament staff. This won't be a problem at all! Though pairs are obviously at a greater advantage, there have been a few unexpectedly strong duos that came from the randomized pair-ups."

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid shrugged. “I’ll try to adapt. What should I do now? Oh, I hope I don’t need to get a physical beforehand…”

 

[Namohysip]

"Head into the lobby. We'll be setting up in a few hours, so find some way to occupy yourself until then. Lots of recreation facilities in there!" Bean waved a paw, smiling.

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid nodded and left the building.

<><><>

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr had been looking forward to tearing up the Colosseum alongside Brisa and Cabot, but it turned out that'd have to wait until next week, seeing as this week was booked for some kinda "Divine Tourney" thing that half the town wouldn't shut up about. Doubles only, so they couldn't just enter as a group. Not much to be done besides waiting.

Then again, there wasn't much harm in getting some practice in a tourney setting in the meantime. She hadn't done much competitive back home, and all the team's missions here were no-holds-barred fighting for their lives. Something a bit lower-stakes could be fun.

...Hell with it. Why not. Wasn't like she cared too much about the outcome of the tournament anyway.

So the Torracat found herself wandering inside the main lobby and approaching the reception counter. Time to see what this was about...

 

[Namohysip]

It didn't take long for the rules to be laid out for Starr: They would be taking on opponents within the Divine Tournament as pairs, but who they got paired up with was seemingly randomized. This was to evaluate performance, after all, and not necessarily how they worked in their ideal teams. They wanted the best fighters! Even if the higher legends had collectively opted not to battle.

When everything was said and done--there were several Pokemon there, even from Team Spectrum, though it was hard to immediately tell who was who--tickets were drawn. The tickets were in pairs.

"Number five!" someone shouted--Starr's number. It was time to enter the arena; the crowd was so large that there was no real way to tell who had her other number.

She'd just have to find out in the arena.

And by some strange coincidence, or perhaps some divine intervention, Starr's partner, the one with the same number as her on the ticket, was...

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr had the distinct feeling that she was being pranked. That's what this was. Just a really stupid prank. That or the universe's idea of a cruel joke. Why the hell else, out of all the people who'd entered, would she get paired up with the one person here who hated her guts for no apparent reason?

Starr stared at Astrid with a look of tired disdain. Well, it wasn't like she'd never fought alongside someone who hated her before. Only question was if the Ninetales had any fucking decency and could keep her mouth shut for five minutes and just focus on the damn fight, then maybe this wouldn't have to be a shitshow.

 

[Namohysip]

On the opposite side of the arena, there were cheers and whoops for their opponents. Two Pokemon, one small but worryingly powerful, and another large but somehow unintimidating.

"You got this, oh my gosh, he's really out there, look!"
"Chin up, Butter! Do your best!"
"Hey, hey! I can't see! I can't see!"
"DON'T TRIP OVER YOURSELF, BUTTER!"
"YOOM-TAH!"

The Bibarel nervously crawled forward and raised his head. "G-gosh... I didn't think the crowd would be this big for a fight like this..."

And just nearby, floating above him, was Jirachi. "Hey, don't sweat it! Let's focus on our opponents, okay?"

"I'm still not used to being this huge... oh, golly, what if I trip?"

"Then live and learn!" Jirachi tapped Butter on the forehead. "Are we ready?"

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid emerged to an impatient crowd, taking careful steps forward.

Immediately, she felt exposed. Walking out with her whole team beside her was one thing, but walking out alone was a totally different gambit. But, her number had been called, and the crowd was waiting, and Starr––

Oh.

Astrid walked up and took her position, glancing at Starr, then at the ground. She’d briefly forgotten her opponents existed.

“Guess we’re teammates…” she managed to say, just barely above the rising thunder of the spectators.

Say something nice, say something nice…

“Nice.”

No, not literally—!

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr raised an eyebrow. And here she'd been expecting some kind of lecture, or the insinuation that she couldn't work on a team (as if), or any number of other things. But instead the Ninetales just looked like she wanted to put her foot in her mouth. Well, whatever--they didn't need to be able to hold a conversation. They needed to be able to win.

Starr turned to face their opponents. Without looking at Astrid, she said, "You're still planning on freezing them, right? That's your thing?"

 

[Namohysip]

"Alll right everybody!" Incineroar said. "It looks like our next match is about to get started! Fighters, are we ready?!"

Team Fire & Ice
Astrid: 412
Starr: 581

--

Team Wishful Thinking
Jirachi: 800
Butter: 400

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid opened her mouth, but her throat was dry. Competing with the crowd for Starr’s attention was difficult when she was this incoherent. “Yeah, that’s… yeah, but, first I need to…”

—And just like that, the announcer had declared the battle underway.

Starr was already speeding up, and Astrid wasted no time extending her tails to do the same. An ethereal energy permeated from her body while her mind raced. Holy shit. We didn’t even have time to—hoooly shit.

Astrid used Psych Up, copying Starr’s Speed!

Starr is my teammate.

Starr hates my guts.

I almost exploded on her. Literally!

Maybe that was the solution here. Surely blowing herself up would wake her from this nightmare.

Astrid used Protect and gained +3 Protect shields!

 

[Chibi Pika]

The battle had started. No chance to talk. No chance to figure out where the hell they stood for this fight.

...It was probably better that way. It didn't matter if Astrid hated Starr. Everything was simpler in a fight.

Starr used Radiant Adrenaline!

Starr winced as the overwhelming Radiance tore through her chest, fighting back the urge to cough. That was fast enough, right? At least, it was on missions. But this wasn't a mission. Here, Starr didn't have a dozen teammates backing her up, enhancing her aura beyond what it normally would be. Just one teammate who hated her. And whose entire strategy revolved around matching her speed.

Damn it all...

Starr used Radiant Adrenaline again!

 

[Namohysip]

"And the battle begins!" Incineroar yelled, stepping back. "And what an opening! It seems like Fire and Ice is starting the way their team loves to, with powering up and preparing to strike! But--what's this?!" Incineroar looked at the strange aura that enveloped Jirachi. "Jirachi is using Trick Room!"

"Some weird Mew and I had a talk a little while ago," Jirachi said as the dimensions twisted around him. "She said that you guys don't like this attack... that she used it as a prank! But it got me thinking... What if I did it for real?"

Butter crouched down. "Yeah, um... y-you aren't all that tough," Butter said to Starr, his words, while ineffective on their own, were laced with a strange aura. "I bet you can't even lay a scratch on us! Ohh, please don't hit me too hard..." He curled up, but when he did, a strange, silvery-gold light enveloped him. The sheen of a green Protect surrounded his body, and he seemed ready to roll...

Butter used Taunt on Starr!
Butter used Divine Cannonball, gaining 2 Protects! His Rollouts will be stronger now!

Jirachi used Trick Room!
Jirachi used Dazzling Gleam on Starr and Astrid!
Astrid: Protect!
Starr: A grazing 30

--

Team Fire & Ice
Astrid: 412 +1 Protect
Starr: 385

--

Team Wishful Thinking
Jirachi: 800
Butter: 400 +1 Protect

Thanks to Trick Room, Starr is at an effective -3 Speed and Astrid is at an effective -2 Speed!

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid tumbled. Suddenly, the open air above the colosseum seemed closer to the floor than the floor itself.

One protect left. I gotta act now, but…

She couldn’t move; her legs refused to answer. Rolling to rest on her haunches as she fought for balance, a sudden warmth spread across her back as Starr made her move. As Astrid glanced over, it dawned on her that neither of them had avoided the Trick Room. And Starr didn’t have a shield. Starr…

“That’s why Iiiiii… want to draw power from Team Spectrum. Maybe even provide them some power. Somehow. Like, hear me out—I can feel their energies sometimes when my Radiance spikes. I think it’s their Radiance I’m feeling? Possibly? If I could just to reach out and grab it…”

Still unable to jump to her feet, Astrid extended a desperate paw towards the Torracat. Starr didn’t see her.

Her limbs went numb. Radiance surged through her in greater volumes than she’d ever felt, or ever expected was possible. Better, or worse?—there was a brand new feeling creeping its way into her head. She couldn’t stop it. It had a mind of its own, and never let up for a single moment. It felt like…

Astrid used Shadow Recurve, chaining into Radiant Inspiration!

She held her head in her paws. “Auugh.”

The feeling continued to spread.

 

[Chibi Pika]

He learned it from fucking Darkwhite. Of course he did. Being on the same side didn't stop her from being a pain in the ass.

Starr grit her teeth, feeling the radiance subside and leaving a sluggish exhaustion in its wake. Every step felt like trudging through mud. She glanced briefly at Astrid, who was cloaked in a shadowy aura. Prepping something for later while they couldn't move. Smart. The Ninetales was a damn good strategist. They'd never had any problems during missions. On the battlefield, everything was simple.

Starr fought back the urge to charge down their opponents in a blazing fireball. Not yet. Not yet.

Starr used a Weather Orb and a Silver Spike!

 

[Namohysip]

Starr's Silver Spike dealt 214 damage to Jirachi!

Jirachi used Psych Up on Starr, copying her Attack!
Jirachi used Dazzling Gleam again!
Astrid: Protect!
Starr: A grazing 30!
Trick Room was reapplied to Starr and Astrid!

Butter used Toxic on Starr, badly poisoning her!
Butter used Rollout on Starr, dealing 70 damage!

Starr lost some HP due to Toxic!

"What's this? It seems like despite being slowed down by Trick Room, Team Fire and Ice is pulling through! But while it seems like they're hurting, they're starting to dish out real damage to Jirachi, too!"

The crowd cheered, even though they weren't certain who was going to win. It seemed like the divine aura was affecting the participants differently; Starr was taking more hits than she should have been, yet she was holding her own. Meanwhile, Butter and Jirachi had grown noticeably stronger to their own right...

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr's limbs still felt like they were in moving slow motion. Everything was just... harder than usual, even something as simple as running. But despite that, she could feel her muscles coursing with barely-contained power. A miniature sun blazed overhead, filling her with its heat. The energy was begging to be let loose.

Astrid hadn't moved yet. What was she waiting for...?

Hell with it. Time to burn.

Starr used Flare Blitz on Jirachi!

 

[Namohysip]

Starr's Flare Blitz dealt a grazing 398 damage to Jirachi! She took 40 damage in recoil!

Astrid's Inspired Blizzard dealt CRITICAL damage to Jirachi and Butter!
Jirachi: Evasive Counter! A grazing 174 damage!
Butter: 1090 damage, a KO!

"Aah! That... they really do hit hard once they get rolling, don't they?!" Jirachi faltered, flaoting back just in time to see that Butter had been nearly frozen over. "Ah! Butter! No, not yet, just a little longer!" He smacked some sense into him, channeling the energy he was planning to use. "It's time for you to shine, big guy! Just once, okay? This was your wish, wasn't it?"

"Golly, Jirachi... You're going through so much trouble for me..."

"Now return the favor, come on! We're gonna lose if you don't!" He spun around and made another blinding flash. By the time the light faded, Butter had disappeared... But where did he--

Jirachi used Baton Pass on Butter, passing on his stat boosts!
Jirachi used Dazzling Gleam on Astrid and Starr!
Trick Room was reapplied to Astrid, Starr, and Butter!
Starr: A grazing 30!
Astrid: 92!

A Tiny Reviver Seed revived Butter!
Butter used Rollout on Starr, then Astrid!
Starr: 221
Astrid: 221

A Tiny Reviver Seed revived Starr!

--

Team Fire & Ice
Astrid: 99
Starr: 1

--

Team Wishful Thinking
Jirachi: 230
Butter: 1

Starr and Butter don't have Reviver Seeds!

 

[TheGOAT]

The bizarre feeling spread to every last extremity, all the way to the tips her tails. It was intoxicating, and it… tickled.

Astrid glanced up, dazed. Her eyes instantly went wide. Starr… Starr was…

Starr was immaculate!

A living fireball! A true renegade! A force charging forth into battle, breaking free of the oppressive chains of Darkwhite’s tutelage and catapulting into a helpless Jirachi, whose attempts to dodge were equally in vain. Astrid marveled at every iota of power that belonged to Starr, soaking up details wherever she could. Her jaw hung slack. The alien sensation she got from watching was so, so incredible! She extended her paw once more, perhaps to see if she could touch the display in front of her to make sure it wasn’t an illusion or a dream. She reached, and reached…

…and then pulled.

Astrid’s Radiant Inspiration activated!

The invisible weight that fell upon her shoulders nearly sent her to the dirt again, threatening to crush her. Starr abruptly forgotten, Astrid now battled for air in her lungs. Her knees wobbled. Suddenly, she couldn’t fight. She needed to get rid of this burden now.

Jirachi was already in the air again and moving out of the way, sporting a few burn marks but nothing debilitating enough to prevent him from reacting. Butter, thanks in part to his stature, was not so fortunate.

Astrid's Inspired Blizzard dealt CRITICAL damage to Jirachi and Butter!
Jirachi: Evasive Counter! A grazing 174 damage!
Butter: 1090 damage, a KO!