Destiny Colosseum

[Virgil134]

Pleo watched as Meringue struck Cabot's barrier, before turning back to Lugia.

"You're right. The weather at sea can sometimes change very quickly, but... Cabot knows how to sail through a storm. He's a sailor in the navy after all. Even if I don't feel the same way about the Empire as he does, I know they're not to be underestimated and won't go down all that easy."

 

[Namohysip]

Lugia nodded at Pleo. "Indeed. He is familiar with storms. He knew what he was doing a great deal, even if the storm seemed to catch him off guard at first. Perhaps that... Mm. No. I shall not speak until it is over."

Meringue seemed lucid, at least a little. He looked to his left, at Lugia, those eyes still glowing and without any pupil or expression to them. And Lugia stared back; even she, it seemed, was transfixed by this awakening--an awakening for everyone to see.

"...That's it," Lugia said softly. "He's... found it. He's found his instinct. Oh, Meringue..." And then, she laughed a little. A small, single laugh. The laugh of a proud teacher, though in some ways, no matter how much Meringue tried to distance himself from the imagery, perhaps like a mother realizing her son had finally grown up.

Meringue turned his head back to Cabot, who was finally regaining his strength. The Protect barrier was starting to fade... but not yet. Meringue did not attack. He watched and brought his head down, and then brought his wings together. The air swirled. The storm was quiet. Something was building, and a new barrier formed around Meringue.

Lugia's mouth opened just slightly, and she didn't seem to realize it herself. "One way or the other," she said gently, "this battle is over."

Stormkeeper used Calm Mind!
Stormkeeper used Protect+5!

Cabot's Protect shield faded by 1 once more...

Cabot: 177/360 +1 Protect
Meringue: 425/636 +5 Protect

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot stared blankly as Meringue formed another Protect barrier. The one thing he had hoped he wouldn't do...

"... Damn," he muttered.

The Cranidos noticed his own barrier was starting to weaken and looked down with a tired smile. He'd hoped to finish the fight right here with another Head Smash or two, but he knew couldn't take down Meringue's barrier fast enough for that. Maybe at full strength he'd be able to endure another Thunder, but between his injuries and Meringue's current state, he knew he wouldn't be able to.

Still, losing now wasn't that bad he supposed. He had fun during the battle, and he was sure Meringue felt the same way. Not to mention he'd helped his friend awaken his true powers while giving everyone a great show at the same time. So in that case, the best thing he could do was to go down giving Meringue everything he got. Just like he'd asked him at the start of the fight.

Cabot looked up charged forward one last time, aiming to strike at Meringue's barrier as many times as he could before the Lugia would eventually take him down.

Cabot used two Basic Attacks!

 

[Namohysip]

The first thunderous boom shattered Cabot's barrier, sending filaments of green flying in all directions, quickly evaporating. At the same time, Meringue's barrier faded from its bright sheen to only a thin shell. Then, he raised his wing, calling on the sky's energy once again... And that was all.

Stormkeeper's Thunder dealt 240 damage to Cabot, knocking him out!

The thunder deafened everything. The crowd, the rain, all of that seemed to stop from before to after the strike. The indicator showed Cabot's vitality reach its bottom, and then the skies cleared up. The sand and the rain faded out, and the sun shined once again over the arena.

Meringue's wings dropped to his sides and he exhaled, falling to his belly. His feathers softened out, new plumage returning. The glow faded, and Incineroar announced the winner while wiping his head of sand and water.

"Shall we go?" Lugia asked Pleo.

 

[Virgil134]

Pleo looked somewhat disappointed at Cabot's loss, before turning towards Lugia with a nod.

"Yeah, let's go."

 

[Namohysip]

Meringue was back to his senses, though he was a little weak on his feet. He leaned on Lugia as they walked through the lobby, and then over to Cabot, who was being helped along.

"Oh, he's coming to," Lugia remarked, perhaps just as Cabot's senses would return to him. "Hello, Cabot. Do you remember what happened?"

They were in one of the side-rooms, resting while the arena was cleared and dried. There were quite a few refreshments and free food to enjoy after their hard fighting, as well as what appeared to be showers to the left. Meringue had gone there to wash up, and was returning around the time Cabot awoke, looking fluffy once more.

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot groaned slightly as he sat up, before looking around the room.

"Yeah, Meringue and I were fighting, and... I lost." He nursed his head and looked over at Meringue with a small smile. "You sure did great out there."

Pleo took a Sitrus Berry from the table and offered it to Cabot, who gratefully accepted it.

"Heh, thanks Pleo," he said, before taking a bite.

 

[Namohysip]

"You did, but you were strong enough to awaken Meringue's true power. Isn't that right, Meringue?"

"It was like I knew exactly what to do," Meringue said, looking at his wings. "I felt like my power was finally tuned with my spirit, if that makes sense. For a long time, it was like I wasn't really in the right body... I mean, duh. Wasn't always a Lugia. But now... it feels like I really am a Lugia."

"Indeed you are," Lugia replied, her smile still small, but definitely wider than usual. "Now your training will be to be able to awaken that voluntarily."

 

[Virgil134]

"I'm glad I managed to awaken your true powers, Meringue," Cabot said. "Of course I really wanted to win, but... it's not that important. Me and my teammates, we came here to save Cibus. Obviously that means taking on any threats related to the Blacklight crisis, but once that's taken care of... we'll be gone. I mean, I won't even remember any of this unless I happen to be visiting Diyem's dimension."

He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I guess my point is that this is much better for Cibus' future. I'm sure this world will face other problems eventually, ones where others will need Pokémon like you, Meringue. A... Protector. Knowing I got to be part of helping you awaken the powers you'll need for that makes me proud."

 

[Namohysip]

Lugia smiled. "Noble indeed," she commented to herself. "Yes. I think your patron, strange as his origins may be... made some wise decisions with who he ended up picking. At least some of the time."

"It's really too bad you guys can't stay for longer than you need to," Meringue added. "Aside from your powers, it doesn't seem like you guys are all that unstable..."

"Ah, but they still have homes to return to," Lugia added. "From what I understand, most of the Pokemon that were summoned here have an important role in the homes they are from, one way or another."

 

[Virgil134]

Cabot nodded. "Yeah, there's definitely some important stuff back home I need to take care of, and of course I do wanna see my friends again." He glanced over towards Pleo, before looking back at Meringue and Lugia. "It would be nice to visit again sometime, though! Even if I'm not sure how practical it would be, since Diyem would have to create another body..."

The Cranidos shook his head. "Either way, best to make the most of the time I have here. Though you should try to gain control over your full powers as soon as you can, Meringue." Cabot shot him a teasing smirk, just like he did before the start of their fight. "Unless you're too afraid to make it a best out of three, of course."

 

[Namohysip]

"Hmph, what's that supposed to mean?" Meringue asked.

Lugia brought a wing over her mouth and chuckled lightly. "Cabot intends to take advantage of his body's quick-burn properties," she said. "How is it that the Fires say it... They have little fuel, but the flame burns bright." Lugia nodded.

"I guess we'll see," Meringue said, shrugging. "Now that I've awakened my power once, maybe I can start co-trianing with Brulee..."

"I wouldn't be against it."

 

[Virgil134]

"Heh, I wouldn't mind taking you and Brulee on in a 2 vs 2," Cabot said. "Maybe we can have a rematch once I evolve and look like myself again!"

Cabot's badge buzzed and he looked at a notification he received. It appeared 'Sourdough' had left a new message in the group chat, specifically a picture of him when Meringue dealt his finishing blow with '#rekt' written underneath. He frowned. Had Esper seriously stolen Bahamut’s badge again?

The Cranidos paused. Even if the message was a little mean-spirited, it did give him an idea.

"Actually, did you guys wanna take a picture?" Cabot asked. "Maybe I can't stay around forever, but at least it will give you guys something to remember this moment."

"Oh! I think that's a great idea!" Pleo cheered.

 

[Namohysip]

"A picture?" Lugia asked. "Well... I don't see why not. Here. I'll set up a picture for us." Lugia tossed her badge, where a Psychic hold levitated it in place. She gestured for Pleo, Cabot, and Meringue to come in close, crouching down so she could properly get into frame.

"All right. Smile, for the memories..." She wondered if Cabot preferred looking scuffed up after the fight. It certainly told a story, at least, and once the picture was taken, she chuckled a little and said, "Well. Here's to more moments like these."

<><><>​

 

[TheGOAT]

Destiny Colosseum’s next big tournament was not envisioned by many to be this way, with the end of their lives suspended above their heads. Surely, Giovanni and Joule could not see them now, moving at the relative pace they were. Yet, few of the audience members dared to look up. Looking up was worse than peering down from the tallest cliff.

But still. It wasn’t like it was going anywhere. Mutually understood among most of the audience was that this was, in fact, the closest thing they had to a demonstration of their resolve: an all-out assertion of power underneath their true challengers.

It certainly resonated in Incineroar’s tone. “All right folks! Are! You! Ready! For the very first Spectrum Showcase?!”

From the locker room, Astrid felt it—the crowd’s roaring was vibrating throughout the building, giving her goosebumps. Her heart was beating so fast just watching; she could only imagine how her allies felt…

“I said are you ready?!”

The crowd responded in kind, prompting Incineroar to grin and stomp his foot. “That’s what I want to hear! In that case… first! It’s the icy rogue Nip and the blazing fireball Starr—” He puffed out his chest and swept his arm towards them, and then to the other side “—testing their mettle against Cynthian’s grassy assault and Icetales’ misty tactics! Best of luck, everyone!

“You may… begin!”

Starr:
808 HP
229 Stamina

Nip:
592 HP
265 Stamina


Cynthian:
622 HP
222 Stamina

Icetales:
520 HP
258 Stamina

 

[Adamhuarts]

Cynthian took a deep breath, keeping close to Icetales as they prepared to leave the locker rooms and head to the battlefield.

She kept close to him and tried not to look overwhelmed both by the excitement and anxiety making her heart race.

"So, it's just you and me again, huh?" Cynthian said, followed by a nervous chuckle. She nudged his leg with her flower gently. "Best of luck to both of us, partner."

 

[Cresselia92]

Breath in. Breath out. Yes. They could do it.

The light shone on both his and Cynthian’s faces as they walked through the corridor connecting the locker room with the arena. The cheering crowd filled him with a cocktail of emotions: thrill, anxiety, determination, hesitation, power.

Though, he felt that was necessary: he needed some distraction from the constant and turbulent thoughts of the deadly beam hanging over their heads 24/7, as well as letting out some steam and training further for when they needed to confront Joule in a few days.

Then, he spotted their opponents: Starr and Nip. While he never got the chance to talk with them much, he was fully aware of their battle abilities. They were among the toughest and fiercest fighters, and that made him frown. Did he really stand a chance against such talented battlers? He wasn’t sure about that…

"So, it's just you and me again, huh?" Cynthian said, followed by a nervous chuckle. She nudged his leg with her flower gently. "Best of luck to both of us, partner."

“It is us, indeed, my good comrade,” replied Icetales simply, keeping his cool composure. “Let us… do our best, shall we?”

He nodded at Incineroar to acknowledge the introduction, before bowing at his opponents with respect.

“Greetings, our good opponents. May this duel be the ideal chance to unleash our true power and show to all these Cibean folks that they can rest assured, as long as we are around.”

 

[Adamhuarts]

"Hey Icetales, um... You wouldn't mind it if I stay on your back while we fight, right?" Cynthian asked a bit shyly, with her flowers covering her face.

"Just like when we were fighting the radiant machine. I'm a bit... small, so I'd struggle to keep up with your strides. That'd probably make me easier to get picked off."

 

[Cresselia92]

"Hey Icetales, um... You wouldn't mind it if I stay on your back while we fight, right?" Cynthian asked a bit shyly, with her flowers covering her face.

"Just like when we were fighting the radiant machine. I'm a bit... small, so I'd struggle to keep up with your strides. That'd probably make me easier to get picked off."

Icetales tilted his head curiously. Hm… It’s not like Cynthian weighed much — he probably could have kept his comrade on his head without even breaking a sweat — and it would have been better to stay closer as they fought. The Ninetales was bulkier and bigger, he could have tanked heavier hits and protected Cynthian better from incoming attacks.

After a few seconds, he nodded. “I do not see why not.”

As such, he laid on the ground and held a tail by his side, to make it easier to Cynthian to climb on him.

“Just make sure to not fall off, yes?”

 

[Adamhuarts]

As such, he laid on the ground and held a tail by his side, to make it easier to Cynthian to climb on him.

“Just make sure to not fall off, yes?”

Cynthian's expression brightened up. Within seconds she scooted her way up Icetales' and poked her head out from between his mane.

"I like it up here," she said with a giggle.