Destiny Colosseum

[unrepentantAuthor]

The sea goddess actually fucking winced. Incredible. Now they were in with a shot... All Brisa had to do was get as many shields down as she could. They'd agreed on this while training together. Brisa was the team shieldbreaker for this fight. Hopefully her Quick Attacks would still be strong enough to burst those barriers...

But she'd figured out the trick to this new synergy between her unlocked power and Astrid's. When they used those specific moves together, they got more powerful... It wasn't quite the same as Arcflare, but it was Blacklight, yes, and it felt damn good, and she couldn't waste the opportunity to let Astrid take her best shot, shields or no shields.

Brisa yowled like the crash of thunder as she shattered a divine protection with a fist like a bolt of living lightning.

When she was done, she landed with three paws on the ground, panting, one fist raised in defiance... Brisa looked to her friends; was Astrid okay? And...

Would Starr be bold enough to reach for this same power, too? Whatever potential was waiting inside the incineroar, Brisa knew it would be a sight to behold. She wanted to see that even more than she wanted to win.

Brisa's Bolt Strike destroyed a barrier! The attack inspired Astrid... [+10, UE, Stab, Guts, Terrain, Charge]
Brisa's Sixfold Strikes destroyed more barriers! [Quick Attacks]
Astrid's Last Wish is meant for Brisa!

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid’s Blacklight Titan is revving up Brisa’s Bolt Strike!
Astrid received two Recurved Shining Inspirations! She was Inspired by Brisa’s and Starr’s valiant strikes!

Astrid pressed A, aiming for one of Lugia’s shields! She was Inspired by Starr’s Brilliant Flarestrike! [Physical; +10, STAB, SE]

Starr’s plan was beginning to reveal itself as Brisa’s chains grabbed ahold of Lugia, slowing her, catching her by surprise. When she fell into a defensive stance, Astrid’s heart soared—barriers or not, they had a shot.

She was about to go down; she knew this feeling well. It was mere seconds away. But far too late to stop their onslaught. Brisa was already airborne; Starr was picking herself up, visibly brimming with power. Astrid allowed herself a smirk, even as her limbs began to fail her. We are the storm.

Astrid used Freeze Shock on Lugia! She was Inspired by Brisa’s Bolt Strike! [+10, UE, STAB, Guts, Terrain]
Astrid used Freeze Shock on Lugia, charging on the first action and landing on the second! [+6, STAB, SE]

Astrid was airborne before Lugia, balancing herself momentarily with streams of Radiance from her paws, and then, finding a blind spot, angling herself just right—

“Forecast this.”

Astrid used Voidbound! It chained into Stored Power, which hit Lugia for CRITICAL damage! [+10, UE, STAB, Guts, Terrain, Critical]
Please pretend Astrid used Explosion! Thank you for your cooperation!

Astrid was KO’d! Her Last Wish coated Brisa in a magical veil!

Totals:
KO’d
Last Wish —> Brisa

Alliance logistics:
- Brisa goes first (7 barriers broken!)
- Starr then does her whole turn aside from Z-Burst (2 barriers broken!)
- Astrid then Inspires them both and then basic attacks (1 barrier broken!)
- Starr then Z-Bursts (1 connected hit!)
- Finally, Astrid finishes (3 connected hits!)

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr squinted through the mist as hail pelted her body. Endless walls of light surrounded their opponent, who was looming over them like a fortress. Yeah, no way in hell were they breaking through all that.

But Astrid thought they could do it. Goddamn madwoman. Alright fine. Time to try it, then.

Starr's Shadowy Attack destroyed a barrier! [+8, SE, STAB]

Shd: 94

Starr's arms and legs and claws and fangs pulsed with Shadows. So close. So close to just letting go control, because she was always holding herself back from just letting everyone know the kind of person she was, and why the hell should she have to? What fucking right did anyone have to judge her? Like they'd have done any better?

Wait.

...What? No, goddamn it what the fuck--

Starr focused!

She clenched her forehead, breathing deeply. Where was she? She was... A painful sting on her back reminded her. The hail raining down from above. The Blizzard-chill seeping into her fur. Her vision refocused. She saw two dark-light shapes dancing in her field of view. Brisa and Astrid. They'd both done the same thing Diyem had. Not the first ones to do it--Owen has turned into that overgrown sparklezard. Astrid was darker than the night sky, with multicolored leylines tracing her form. And Brisa...

Brisa was like Luz now. A Zeraora, standing tall, practically a blur as she tore through walls of light faster than the eye could see and letting off explosive blasts of lightning that shook the ground.

Owen had been stuck in his new form. Would Brisa?

(Would she be... happier being something else?)

Seeing them like that, part of her wanted to believe the three of them could still win. Hell with it. Maybe they could. Maybe there was something she could call upon, like them. This kind of nonsense always spread to everyone before long. No use fighting it. She closed her eyes and reached within her aura, searching for... something. Whatever it was, it wasn't hard to find--it was right there, just under the surface, like it had been waiting for her to grab it.

Diyem had always said that he'd summoned the team because they all had the Hero's Aura. That was bullshit, obviously. What the hell was she doing here, really? Had she really come here just so her friends--the actual heroes--wouldn't have to? They should've been here, but... she didn't want them to go through all this.

You followed a strange voice to hell to save them because that's who you are.

Starr Unleashed her Resolution!

For a moment, she thought she'd gone blind, squinting through the brilliant light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere. Her black fur had turned stark white. The red, a shimmering gold. Her flames, a cool, clear blue. Her entire body thrummed with power. And for a single, endless moment, it was like everything weighing her down had just vanished.

Starr's Brilliant Flarestrike destroyed a barrier! The attack inspired Astrid![+10, SE, STAB]

Stamina: -64
Starr's Resolution let her keep going!

She could feel the Radiance and Shadows coursing through her veins, keeping her body moving long after it should have quit. At the same time, it was too much--she couldn't hold it in any longer. It felt like it was tearing her body apart, begging to be let loose.

Fine then. She'd let it go.

Starr used Blacklight Z-burst on Lugia! [206bp, +12, UE, STAB]

 

[Namohysip]

Starr's Blacklight Z-Burst dealt 2818 damage to Lugia!

Astrid's first Freeze Shock dealt 3069 damage to Lugia!
Astrid's second Freeze Shock dealt 914 damage to Lugia!
Astrid's Stored Power dealt 5195 damage to Lugia!

Starr and Brisa both took 200 damage from the Hail!

"Was that it?" Incineroar said in a low whisper, waiting for the dust to settle. He was being pelted by hail and yet it didn't look like he was bothered at all...

And then, from above, booming thunder smashed into Starr--the attack was so sudden and so overwhelming that she'd been dropped right where she stood.

The Supercell's Thunder dealt 115 damage to Starr! Starr was KOed! Starr's Last Wish fully revitalized Brisa!

"A good effort," Lugia said as her eyes shined with power even as her armor flickered out. "But now you must whether the true onslaught of my storm."

Lugia changed the weather to Rainy!
Lugia used Surf, but Brisa Protected against it!

Lugia changed the weather to Sunny!
Lugia used Weather Ball! Brisa dodged it!

Lugia changed the weather to Sandstorm!
Lugia used Psychic on Brisa, dealing 79 damage!

Brisa will take 200 damage on the end of her turn!

Astrid: KO
Starr: KO
Brisa: 161

Lugia: 2799

Lugia wasn't going to give Brisa time to breathe. Already, it seemed that she was preparing her final onslaught. Owen was shouting something but the winds drowned it out; Incineroar was calling for the cameras to see through the storm.

One way or the other, this would be the end.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

The burn sustaining her wasn't gonna be enough against this kind of environmental beating. Good thing Brisa didn't need to sustain herself. She could finish Lugia off right then and there.

Her allies, her friends – they'd each used the opening she'd created to unleash incredible attacks with the kind of power that could make a god flinch. Astrid had barked a final taunt before going down in a blaze of glory...

​

Astrid's Last wish fully revitalized Brisa!

...and Starr had finally, somehow let loose a phenomenal Z-Burst, using whatever incredible resoluteness she'd just found in herself to do it.

Starr's Last wish fully revitalized Brisa!

She was so proud of them.

She loved them.

Brisa took on her friends' strength! Her Valor is maxed out!

You love them.

Yeah.

Of course she did.

So how could she possibly let them down now?

She set off at a steady run, through the superstorm, picking up speed and power as she closed the distance.

You can't fall short now. Don't lose your head. Y'gotta do this right. Draw on just enough strength . . . and keep hold of yerself in the storm.

Time to make good on her promises.

Brisa focused deeply, and kept her power in check!
[+12, SE, Stab, Guts, Terrain, Link Boost 10%]
Brisa used Umbral Overcharge, and empowered an Electric Facade! It's Super Effective! [140bp, Charge, Crit]
Brisa drew on her Tenacity and used Bolt Strike! It's Super Effective!
Brisa was healed by her Arcflash plasma for 23 hp...

That had to be enough . . . right?

 

[Namohysip]

Brisa's Overcharged Facade dealt 4574 damage to Lugia! It's a KO!

Brisa took 200 damage from the Sandstorm! It's a KO!

A massive thunderclap fried several of the cameras; glass shards and scorch marks littered the sand and dirt that covered the area, despite the water that flooded through the rest of it. Incineroar looked up at the vitality sensors, then down at the sand that finally settled in the arena. "It's... they're all down! Every single one of them is down!"

Owen was already racing through the stands, raising a massive wing to get the attention of one of the referees because apparently, and certainly, he had witnessed the order that everyone had fallen through all the dust. But the referees seemed hesitant to take Owen's verdict at face value, likely due to the natural bias involved. Incineroar, meanwhile, stood and called for the audience to wait while a verdict was made, and then gestured for medics to get onto the scene to evaluate the fighters.

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr had seen the glint of lightning in the midst of the storm clouds above. Even with all the power coursing through her, she knew she wouldn't make it through this. The only thing she could do now was pass on that hope to Brisa.

"Knock 'er dead."

For the first time in what felt like ages, her mind felt totally clear. The stinging Radiance, the numbing Shadow... it'd all been wiped clean in an instant.

The Thunder struck without mercy and everything went white.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

A good effort...

Forecast this.

Knock 'er dead.

Brisa clung to consciousness by a thread within a kind of battle-drunk daze, shedding her corruption just barely faster than she generated it to keep her restorative plasma flowing over her body. She forced herself to her feet, panted for breath, and waited for the rainwater to evaporate, the sand to melt away, the pain to fade just enough. Then she let the Blacklight fade, and she stumbled forward, glancing about for Astrid and Starr...

Oh, to be in two places at once.

But you can be.

Brisa found herself cradling Astrid's head even as her shadow self nudged Starr awake. Sombra – still a luxray, it seemed – looked a little different now... The chains at her limbs were shattered, as if by some titanic hammerblow.

"You were fuckin' spectacular, just like I knew y'would be," she was saying to Astrid.

And some yards away, she was saying to Starr, "I'm glad you're here; I want you beside me."

At the base of her neck, just above her sternum, was a knot of yearning, hope, fear and joy that left her hardly able to breathe.

Oh, hell. She really did love them.

 

[Namohysip]

Despite his enthusiasm, Owen's new size and generally intimidating features only helped to frighten some of the refs, and Owen backed down to let them decide what to do. They were looking over blurry footage and rumbling with one another on what meant what and who fell when. It wasn't until the winds kicked up again that they all turned their attention back to the arena, where Lugia was standing up again. Her scales were chipped and there were electrical marks all along her chest and left wing, but she was standing.

"...What is this," Lugia said, looking toward Incineroar. "You are usually so certain with your calls. Did you not see what happened?"

"Well, the storm made it... difficult to see," Incineroar explained. "We are determining the winner now, so there is no need to--"

"You are having trouble deciding the winner?" Lugia asked. "It was clear to me." She gestured to the trio. "I fell before she'd even planted her feet on the ground. Her final strike landed squarely on my head."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa – flesh and blood, radiant, zeraora Brisa – laid Astrid's head down again, and stood to face the goddess of the seas. With battle-hormones saturating her own body, and Lugia covered in injuries left by her own paws, Brisa couldn't help but shiver with the thrill of having dusted a goddess. And what a goddess. Lugia was magnificent. And honourable. Holy shit, thank goodness for that. (What had she expected?)

"My thanks an' regards t'you fer the battle," she called up, voice raw the way everything felt raw. "It was well-fought, an' the hardest I ever pushed myself. I'll never forget it."

 

[Namohysip]

"I would hope so," Lugia said with a smirk, even as she turned her attention to the stunned audience. Hesitant cheers slowly gave way to more enthusiastic ones as Incineroar rediscovered his rhythm, calling for the match's official end and official result. Meringue looked somehow crushed, but he tried to smile through it as he hopped the stands to greet Lugia, and then the two stepped away and out of the arena.

Meringue's feathers looked like they were transitioning to scales.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa waved Lugia off and then returned to her knees to tend to Astrid. She felt malleable to the touch, a little like an ultra shade, and the coloured lights from before still streaked across the surface, though less often and with less vigour. It remained to be seen whether any of these forms, like Owen's, were permanent...

Did she want her current form to be permanent? She hadn't even seen it yet...

"C'mon, Astrid. Wake up. We won..."

Over where Starr was gradually regaining consciousness, Sombra put her own forehead to Starr's.

"Wait 'til y'see what we can do t'gether. Anythin'. Anythin' at all."

 

[TheGOAT]

Astrid murmured something unintelligible, then adjusted slightly. What had happened? The battle—Lugia—yes, that. Usually it took her longer to remember. That was certainly something.

She sat up and went to pop her shoulder, but there was no need. Her malleable state simply locked it in place for her; with a quick Focus, she reverted back to her usual form (because apparently it was that easy) and…

No pain. None. A distant ache perhaps, plus more or less what she’d come to expect to feel after a good scrap. But this was nothing like her previous chaotic explosions. And her body, while exhausted, was in good shape; and her aura, while strained, was healthy, like it had found some sort of harmony with her decision. Was that what this new form meant? Was this her final form? I’ll take it, she thought with a smile.

Then she opened her eyes. There was Brisa, of course.

“Yeah, we did? ‘Course we did…” Her voice was barely a murmur, but was soft and content, reflecting how her heart felt. “We were pretty great.”

Thanks for giving me strength.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"Pretty great? We were the best that half those 'mon in the crowd have ever seen!"

Brisa laughed, marvelling at how Astrid seemed okay, not half-dead like usual but calm and pleased and satisfied like a 'mon ought to feel after a good fight. And what a fucking fight.

"Hey," she said, with a huge grin creeping onto her face. "Here's the best part: no informary visit fer ya. We can go celebrate t'gether. Y'wanna go get food or somethin'?"

She felt like she could damn well fly.

 

[TheGOAT]

"Hey," she said, with a huge grin creeping onto her face. "Here's the best part: no informary visit fer ya. We can go celebrate t'gether. Y'wanna go get food or somethin'?"

“Yeah,” she said, grinning dumbly. “We deserve this. Time for our victory spoils!” Because they’d just taken out a legendary Pokémon. Oh, how much she’d have given just to see one in her world… like, did that really just happen?

They were still missing one. Astrid cast her head side to side, stumbling awkwardly as she searched for Starr. Under the gradually-fading dust, her glowing form was easier to make out than it had been before—

“Holy crap, she transformed too?!” Astrid said, nudging Brisa along and bounding over to get a better look. The battle-heavy part of her mind was still locked in. That was when she felt like she knew Starr despite so few words exchanged… well, the battle was over, and maybe it was time to change that. Hell with it. They were going to celebrate one way or another. So, grin still firmly in place, she poked the Incineroar gently with a tail. “Heyyy, we won!”

 

[Ambyssin]

Over in the stands there was some smacking of gooey talons against the floor. Perhaps not loud enough for the actual fighters to here, but there was a harsh, raspy laugh accompanying it.

"... this is their love. And it's so very interesting."

But the show was over and it was time to continue spreading the joy of Eternatus. So, the shade hastily departed.

 

[Chibi Pika]

By the time Starr cracked open her eyes, the glow had already started to fade. Weakly, she raised a paw in front of her face. Red and black fur. The last five minutes of the battle would've half-felt like some kind of hallucination if not for the fact that Brisa and Astrid were in front of her now, looking down at her, beaming.

She sat up, cracked her neck, and glanced briefly around the arena, from the fading clouds to the still-energetic crowd to the screen proclaiming their victory. Her gaze returned to Brisa (still glowing with pride) and Astrid (still wearing that hopelessly dorky grin), and she let herself feel a wave of satisfaction.

"Hell yeah, knew we could do it."

Her eyes traced the totally unfamiliar shape Brisa had taken on. "New getup, huh. How long do you think that'll last?"

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa grinned at Starr's satisfaction. One of things she'd deeply hoped for from this fight was for her friends to each get a win, particularly after Starr's and her own drubbing by Team Colada. And here was one hell of a win. Hard-earned, too. She put out a paw to Starr to grab onto and pull her to her feet. Starr was still taller than her, huh. Though . . . not by all that much...

"I don't know if this body'll stick around," she said, honestly. "I ain't had much time t'think about what it means, yet. Let's see if I even can go back..."

Brisa clicked her tongue, wrung her paws out, and closed her eyes... Moments later, in a crackle of Blacklight energy, she was once again standing on all fours as usual. It was almost disappointing, but the fond look of recognition in Starr's eyes melted the feeling away at once.

"Hey," she said, smiling. "Astrid and I were just talkin' 'bout gettin' some food. You hungry, partner?"

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr couldn't help relaxing a bit when she saw Brisa revert back to her old self. But before she could really think about that too much, there was the offer for getting food, the three of them together, fresh off their win.

Her face split into a grin. "Hell yeah, I'm fucking starving."

 

[Namohysip]

Heavy rumbling shook the ground, and it was starting to become a familiar foot pattern again. In came Owen, grinning widely at them. "You guys did great!" he said, flaring his wings triumphantly. "I was really worried at first. That was the closest match I've seen yet!"