Destiny Colosseum

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa shot an alarmed glance at Starr, and clenched her jaw as she clamped down on her billowing corruption. They were gonna be tough to get effective type matchups on, now, covering for each other so closely. That was half their goddamn strategy, too. Shit.

"Plan B?" she asked, with a wild grin, as she put up another substitute and braced for the staggering effort of puttiing up a full array of shields. The fight would be a tough one... But with the soothing effects of another Catharsis invigorating her, it was easy to keep pressing on.

Brisa's Eternal Spirit is burning! She expects Team Gyro to not hold back!
Brisa focused!
Brisa used Substitute!
Brisa used Bolt Strike! [+6, Stab, Guts, Terrain, Charge, +400 Para]
Brisa used Protect 5!

Δ Stamina: -
Δ Blacklight: +10/-5
Δ HP: +50%, then +65
Δ Misc: +Sub, +5 Protect, +1 Action

 

[Chibi Pika]

Alright, she'd been expecting those two to mega evolve, but this? This was new. With them covering each other's weaknesses, this was gonna take forever. Ugh. Well, no sense burning out too fast and not being able to keep up. Starr let the shadows restore her strength as she settled in for the long haul.

- Starr used Brilliant Flarestrike! [+11, STAB, SE, Sun, Reckless, 120bp]
- Starr used Void Catharsis!
- Starr focused. [Exit Unleashed]

Δ Stamina: -138 [+72 SW]
Δ Blacklight: +5 Rad, +20 Shd
Δ HP: Recoil to ??, then +75%
Δ Misc: Exit Renegade, +1 Action

 

[Namohysip]

Brisa's Bolt Strike dealt 612 damage!
Starr's Flarestrike dealt 833 damage! She took 83 recoil!
Pita and Nutmeg look close to Paralyzed!

"They're both even stronger than when they started," Nutmeg said. "I think we need to blast through everything they've got."

"Then let's do it..."

Pita and Nutmeg set out a coordinated set of attacks!

Bone Rush got rid of all of Brisa's Protects!
Pita used Helping Hand toward Nutmeg, who immediately followed up with Rock Slide!
Brisa's Substitute: 137
Starr: 136

"Damn, not enough," Nutmeg snarled.

"I'll get through next time," Pita said, feeling his muscles limber up against. He landed on her back once more. There was a growl to his voice that hadn't been present when a normal Lucario; must have come with the form shift, just as Nutmeg's voice had become just slightly higher. "Hit 'em with the good one."

"Not wasting it in a damn Substitute," Nutmeg growled, but then eyed Starr.

Nutmeg's Sunny Helped Adaptable Flare Blitz struck Starr for 407 damage!
Starr is Staggered!

Nutmeg and Pita's Speed and defenses went up by 1!

Brisa: 884, +46 Substitute
Starr: 747

Pita&Nutmeg: 10,555

 

[Chibi Pika]

A hail of rocks rained down on Starr. Even with her defensive position, they still slowed her down, and in the time it took her to get her bearings, that raging fireball crashed into her headlong. All things considered it wasn't that bad. Fire was her own element, after all. But man, her muscles didn't want to move. She tried to call on any sort of energy, but nothing would respond.

"Fine, go ahead and hit me, I'm wide open," Starr growled, staring up at them in pure defiance.

Starr unleashed her Resolution!
- Starr used Substitute!
- Starr is winding up.

Δ Stamina: -12
Δ Blacklight: +30/30
Δ HP: -25%
Δ Misc: +1 Action

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa chuckled as Team Gyro's combo landed its finisher on a resistant target. The opponents she and Starr faced together might be far stronger than them, but they sure were inflexible sometimes. Beside her, Starr was angling for a better onslaught. In the meantime, Brisa had to either brake hard before she crashed into her own corruption limits, or do what she always did and push past them, whatever came next. She rolled her shoulders and popped her neck with a sizzling crack. Time to do some damage.

[Stab, Guts, UE]
Brisa used Umbral Overcharge, and chose critical damage! Brisa used Blacklight Bolt Strike! [+6, Crit, +300 Para]
Brisa focused...
Brisa used Blacklight Bolt Strike! [+6, +300 Para]
Brisa used Umbral Overcharge, and chose critical damage! Brisa used Blacklight Z-Burst! [226 bp, +8, Crit]

Δ Stamina: Z-Busted
Δ Blacklight: Z-Busted, then +30/+50
Δ HP: Z-Busted, then +35
Δ Misc: -

 

[Namohysip]

Brisa's Bolt Strikes dealt partial-CRITICAL 1865 damage!
Brisa's Blacklight Z-Burst dealt 2756 damage!

Nutmeg&Pita are Paralyzed and lost 1 action and 2 Speed this turn!

"There it is," Nutmeg grunted. "Fuckin' burst attackers, I swear--"

"They're open. Now or never," Pita said, tapping her shoulder. His movements felt stalled, but he could still get a few exchanges, only faltering slightly. "Let's go."

"Which one do you think is gonna go on a last stand against us? I bet both."

"Doesn't matter. We have to take them both out..."

Fighting through the paralysis and finally able to get a moment in, they went with their volley the best they could.

Extreme Speed! The first hit Brisa's Substitute, and the two remaining ones struck her for 362 damage!
Rock Slide!
Brisa: 76, KO!
Starr: 110 against the Substitute!

"And now, to finish things--Ngh!" Nutmeg winced. No, she couldn't... Her power wasn't doing it for her. She couldn't Flare Blitz like this! "Fuck that--defense time..."

Her wings flared again, fire against fire. Two on one. They surely had the upper hand, now. And it didn't look like Brisa was able to get up this time... They still didn't know for Starr. But just to make things difficult, they had to last a little longer...

Nutmeg took on a different stance, an alert one, with an odd sheen around her. Pita looked ready to fight back with anything she tried...

Nutmeg used Counter! Physical damage will be reflected back by 20%!

Starr: 532, Substitute+115

Nutmeg&Pita: 5934, Counter!
Their Speed and defenses increased by 1!

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr was alone. In a way, she'd known it would come down to just her against the two of them. Brisa was the real threat--of course they'd go for her first.

"Yeah, I know she's the one who's good at this shit, not me," Starr said in a low voice. "I don't have her eyes that can see weak points, or whatever the hell." She cracked her knuckles and let her claws drip with Shadow.

"Guess I'll just try to dish out as much hurt as I can, huh?"

- Starr antifocused Shadow.
- Starr used Brilliant Flarestrike! [+11, STAB, SE, Sun, Reckless, 120bp]
- Starr used Blacklight Power Trip! [+11, STAB, UE, 41 stages]
[Starr's Resolution let her keep going!]
- Starr used Blacklight Z-Burst! [+11, STAB, UE, 227bp]

Δ Stamina: Z-bust
Δ Blacklight: 30/30
Δ HP: Z-bust

 

[Namohysip]

Starr's onslaught dealt a total of 2774 damage!

Counter reflected 554 damage back! The Substitute was destroyed!

Pita leaned forward once Starr had left herself open. "It isn't that you're weaker," he said, "it's that she was a little more open to us! And you're both strong when you're working as a team!"

Pita used Bone Rush on Starr, dealing a partial-grazing 293 damage!

"Takes one to know one," Nutmeg went after Pita. "Because that's how fighting works here on Cibus. And that's how it works in your human world, too, isn't it?"

Pita used Helping Hand on Nutmeg!

"For both of us, the team is stronger than the sum of the units apart. We've developed our strategies around making sure that can't happen!" Flames wrapped around Nutmeg's body and she went high into the air. Pita crouched down. She cried out, "And that's why we know all of you, together, saved the world!"

Flare Blitz! Starr took 360 damage, KO!

 

[Chibi Pika]

Battered by relentless strikes, slammed into the ground, Starr got back on her feet yet again. She stared up at her opponents as they loomed over her. From a certain angle, Pita would've been indistinguishable from a human trainer.

"Yeah. Can't do shit without my team back home." She wiped a bit of the blood from her lip and let her flames turn gold once again.

"Same thing here, really."

- Starr used Shining Renegade! [295 dmg]
- Starr dispelled Shining Renegade and used it again! [295 dmg]
- Starr used Radiant Blue Flare! [+12, STAB, SE]
- Final Rush! Starr dispelled Renegade and used Radiant Power Trip! [+12, STAB, SE, 56 stages]
- The Radiance is overwhelming--Starr used Blinding Meltdown! [+12, STAB, SE]

 

[Namohysip]

Starr's Power Surge Meltdown dealt a total of 2505 damage!

Incineroar stepped a little closer to see how it all turned out, through the indigo flames of Blue Flare and the shockwaves of every hit that Starr had landed. But this time, the outcome was clearer. Pita was barely hanging onto Nutmeg's back, held up only because of the way Nutmeg held out her wings. She was standing, barely, over the downed Incineroar, breathing heavily.

She slowly stepped back and nodded, trying to verify once and for all whether or not they were truly down. The seconds passed, slowly, and Incineroar felt it safe enough to call the match's result.

"And the winners are... Team Gyro!" Whatever else he said was, as usual, drowned out by the crowd. Pita hopped off of Nutmeg and stumbled forward, while Nutmeg herself drifted to Brisa to help her up first. Prismatic lights evaporated off of them both and they returned to their normal forms.

"You fought damn hard," she said. "If y'ever want a rematch before you go, don't think we'll fight the same. We'll try to mix it up... Pretty sure you're gonna do the same thing." Though, of course, the core strategy was probably still going to be there.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa laughed sharply, pulling herself up by Nutmeg's paw. She gave out a few red coughs, too, battered as she was.

"You know it," she said, voice thick with effort. "We don't give up when we fall short."

She looked over at their human teammates, and felt a pang of desire for Starr to get to shine as well as she deserved. Was there anything she could do in aid of that...?

"You two are pretty fuckin' standout, even as human-'mon pairs go," she growled softly to Nutmeg. "How d'you get t'that degree of excellence?"

 

[Namohysip]

Nutmeg smiled slightly at that, looking at Pita, then back at Brisa. "He saved my life a few times, is all," she said. "Fighting as a pair... in a way that our spirits resonated with each other... It's why I'm still standing. Maybe some of that made it possible to fight as one even in battle..."

Pita was on his back, catching his breath.

"That, and time. You guys are crazy in sync, sure... but you only had half a year or so of it, huh? Pita and I, y'know, we've been partners for over a decade now. I guess, you know, that's something to consider."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa grinned wistfully. "Wish I could have that kinda time with her," she said, quietly. "But I'll take that as a mark of success that we're doin' so hot as this after less'n a year."

She shook Nutmeg's paw firmly, and stood at brittle ease until Starr and Pita were on their feet.

"Damn good fight."

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr didn't really want to pick herself up from the ground, and would have been fine with just waiting to get carried off, but everyone was talking and congratulating each other and... fiiiine. She slowly staggered to her feet, every inch of her body protesting. Yeah, she'd probably overdone it at the end there. Would've been worth it to win the fight, but since it hadn't worked, she was sorely regretting it.

"Yeah. Good fight." She forced a smile through the pain. "Guess we'll have to kick your asses next time."

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

"We will," said Brisa, believing it.

Another pawshake and a couple words of respect to Pita, and she, too, was eager to get some rest. But it looked good for the crowds, and she did want to leave a good impression on Team Gyro.

Starr clearly needed a break, though. She'd done her shining best as always, and more than deserved it. Brisa put an adoring paw on Starr's shoulder.

"C'mon, darlin'. Let's get home."

<><><><><>​

 

[Namohysip]

The crowd was large like usual, though not overfilled. This was a strange match, apparently, and it wasn't any of the crowd favorites--Owen rarely attended battles at the Colosseum thanks to his stage fright. But Brisa's encouragements had led him to giving it a shot.

And so, the giant Charizard, after what might have been weeks of research and planning, entered the arena with Cal by his side. Opposite of him was Pine and Nanab.

"Here again, huh. And this time just you."

"Just me?" Owen repeated, frowning.

Pine shrugged.

"Hey, I'm here, too, y'know!" Cal pointed. "I'm fighting side by side with Owen! No projecting power from me!"

"Okay." Pine nodded. "I guess that means it's a fair two on two."

"Um, good luck!" Nanab added.

"It looks like the combatants are ready!" Incineroar said. "If that's the case... then let the battle begin!"

Nanab's Paradise activated!
Nanab gained the Paradise terrain, which relaxes everyone who interacts with her! Defense, Resistance, and Accuracy gains 100 in debuffs per turn under its effect!

Pine's Grapple activated!
Damage dealt and received is cut in half until he's hurt enough!

Owen: 876

Nanab: 6000
Pine: 5000

Owen just had to keep it together. He had his friends to remind him of that during important fights... He knew to stay serious then. But in the Colosseum, it was hard to stay sane. The excitement would seize him. He wouldn't think straight. He couldn't let that happen again.

Cal gave Owen a firm nod, even if his eyes were closed, and she spread her wings, running forward to meet Pine and Nanab head-on. Thanks, Cal, Owen thought. I need time to build up my strength. I need to stay calm, even against impossible odds.

He held a breath. Cal shouted something and slammed into Pine first, most of her body losing its shape easily. Nanab blasted her to the side with a Leaf Storm, but she didn't let that stop her for long.

Guide me, he said to nobody in particular. In a Radiant vapor, the Charizard's body dissolved. A luminous, prismatic tree the same color as his front scales took his place, and a wispy Charizard drifted around it, tending to the bare branches with careful, deliberate motions. Some of the branches grew leaves and sprouted two spherical fruits that glimmered with power.

Pine and Nanab skidded to a stop, eyes wide. "Whoa," Pine said. "Did we win?"

"No! That's his main attack!" Nanab shouted, firing a Leaf Storm at the tree when it was vulnerable.

"Uh? Oh. I mean, I guess so." Pine didn't seem to be taking it seriously, but he shoved past Cal--who was hanging onto his tail fruitlessly--and slammed his fists into the tree. It clanged against a barrier

Owen used Brilliant Aether, transferring all but 1 HP to the Tree! Owen gained +2 Defense!
Owen used Umbral Storage Overheat!
Owen used Protect+5, but his Tirelessness allowed him to press on!

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa had got herself and Luz front row seats to this one. It wasn't just unmissable, it was a challenge she'd pushed Owen into taking on. She was goddamn invested. And at power levels like these, it'd be a spectacle!

She didn't call out or cheer, she knew better than to contribute to the tide of stimuli. Besides, she'd said enough to him beforehand.

"Yer fightin' style is a good match fer theirs. Waitin' to strike will play well fer ya, considerin' Pine don't get stuck in until he gets worried. Just anchor yerself in the plan. You got this. Okay? You got this."

She clenched a fist over and over, cracking the knuckles each time. Beside her, Luz munched on popcorn with her recently-firmed-up teeth.

"Who're you bettin' on?" she drawled, through a mouthful.

"Owen, naturally."

"Nah, I mean, which of the Coladas gets the better showin' afore he trounces 'em. Say, a couple thousand of mine says Pine goes down second an' gets more hits in."

Brisa chuckled. "I'll take that action."

 

[Namohysip]

The first volley came as usual. By now, everyone knew how they opened...

Pine used First Impression x3 on Owen, destroying three barriers! Pine used Dual Chop on Owen, destroying the rest of the barriers!
Nanab used Leaf Storm on Owen, dealing 22 damage!
Nanab used Light Screen, protecting the team!
Nanab used Leaf Storm again, dealing 30 damage!

Nanab's Paradise has no effect on Owen! He's immune to Defense and Resistance debuffs, and Owen's Perceive ignores Accuracy!

"Hey, HEY!" Cal shouted. "Quit ignoring me! I'm RIGHT HERE!"

Owen glanced down, nodding. Keep distracting them. I need time...

They're too smart for that, Dad!

Slow them down! You're already doing it!

Fine, fine...

"Hey, uh," Pine pointed at the tree, specifically where Nanab had fired. "Is it just me or is the tree getting healthier?"

"Um--attack again!" Nanab said firmly. "He could counter at any time... I'm going to keep a barrier up!"

Owen's Usurper activated! He took the Leaf Storm and healed the Tree for 130 HP!
Owen Focused twice! With one Focus, he gained 1 Defense!
Owen used Umbral Storage ~ Overheat!

Pine used Stone Edge on Owen, dealing 60 damage!
Pine used Dual Chop on Owen, dealing 61 damage total!

Nanab used Leaf Storm, then Twister, and then Light Screen, dealing a total of 72 damage!

--

Owen Focused twice, gaining another Defense! Usurper healed the tree for 130 HP!
Owen used Protect+5!

Pine used Dual Chop twice, taking out four Protects!
Nanab used Leaf Storm twice, then Light Screen, dealing a total of 49 damage after breaking the shield!

"Okay, he's definitely getting stronger," Pine said.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" Cal shouted, getting in Pine's face to throw several hard punches. Each one bounced off of his scales; her fist splashed against him like water, dealing practically nothing in damage against the Haxorus. Nanab weaved past Cal and aimed another well-timed Leaf Storm, but it didn't look like they could even so much as stagger Owen...

Owen healed for 130 again!
Owen focused twice, gaining another Defense!
Owen stored more Overheats!

Pine used Dual Chop on Owen, dealing 49 damage total!

Nanab used Leaf Storm and then Light Screen for 41 damage total!

"Okay." Pine let out a low huff. "He's not attacking. How did this guy fight again?"

Nanab puzzled this, glancing at Pine, whose claws were twitching. He was doing an analysis in the middle of battle. His eyes darted across from left to right as if reading something. Did Owen count as an ally, or was he just reviewing his mental notes?

"Pine!" Nanab called.

"Oh. Huh." Pine squeezed his claws, leaving his headspace. "Okay. Gonna take this serious now."

"O-oh. So will I!"

Pine used Divine Seriousness early!
Nanab used Divine Optimism early! Pine gained +3 Protects! Nanab gained Endure!

Owen's ethereal form seize dup with fear. That wasn't supposed to happen. Cal was supposed to distract them so they wouldn't think to get serious early. They usually took time or adrenaline to really get into their battle tempo. What now?!

Uhh--try distracting them more?! Owen said helplessly, drifting around the trees more frantically.

Owen healed for 130 HP!
Owen Focused twice and gained one last Defense!
Owen used Protect+5!

"Yeah, that's not gonna work this time," Pine said.

Pine's Shield Breaker smashed through Owen's barriers! Pine used Dual Chop again, removing the last shield! Pine's Stone Edge and final Chop dealt a total of 137 damage!

Nanab's triple Leaf Storm dealt 140 damage!

--

Owen healed for 130 HP!
Owen focused twice, gaining 1 Resistance!
Owen stored more Overheats!

"Tch. Still not enough, huh...?" Pine narrowed his eyes, then nodded to himself. "Okay."

"Please be gentle," Owen begged.

Pine tapped a claw to his chin, and even with Owen's Perceive he couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.

Pine used Dual Chop twice, dealing 185 damage!

"Nah."

"Aww..."

Pine used Swords Dance!

Nanab used Leaf Storm thrice, dealing 110 damage!

Owen: 1, + 439 Aether

Pine: 5,000
Nanab: 6,000

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa leaned forward in her seat and tightened her fist further.

"They're worried," she muttered. "They normally take longer t'warm up."

"Losin' confidence?" asked Luz, cocking her head. Her grin didn't fade.

"Nah. He's still got this. Fella's full of surprises enough t'last a lifetime."

In between replies to Luz and avid analysis of the fight, Brisa took the occasional moment to appreciate just how goddamn strong these 'mon were.

"'S'a fuckin' privilege," she murmured, feeling a shiver down her back.

 

[Namohysip]

Despite everything, the great barrage that they were dealing against him, the Tree was holding strong. It seemed like all of that restorative property was making up for a lot of the damage being made.

But Owen could see the puzzled look on Pine's face, and Owen could only hope he wouldn't figure it out. He glanced worriedly at the tree, whose branches were now nearly in full, ethereal bloom, and then at the wood, which looked like it was starting to chip away.

"Nanab, hang on," Pine said. "Don't use Leaf Storm."

"Huh?!"

"He's absorbing it. Look." He pointed at one of the fruits, which briefly had a green glow before fading to a gentle white.

"But...!"

"Break the shields with weaker attacks. He grabs our strongest attack..."

He figured it out! Owen whined, glancing at Cal.

Hope you're ready, because you're out of time, buddy!

"Wait--he's going for a big hit. We gotta take him down now." Pine nodded. "Never mind. Leaf Storm time."

Owen Usurped another Leaf Storm!
Owen Focused twice, gaining 1 Resistance!
Owen used Sunny Day!

Nanab used Leaf Storm three times, dealing 111 damage!
Pine used Dual Chop three times, dealing a total of 393 damage!
The Aether Tree is barely standing with 65 HP!

That's it! That's my limit!

Then do it! NOW!

The tree shook. The ground rumbled. All of the lights swirled around the trunk and up to the treetops. All of the leaves fell away into a flurry of prismatic cherry blossoms, and Owen spread his wings above the whole display. His arms went up; the fruits fell and drifted over him even as Pine and Nanab struck the tree with all their might.

But, in the end, it wasn't enough to stop the attack.

Owen usurped a Leaf Storm for 130 HP!
Owen Focused twice, gaining 1 more Resistance!
Owen used Void Demon on Nanab, gaining 3 Resistance for a maximum of +12 before attacking!
Owen's 8 Overheats and raw 910 Usurper Beam struck the enemy!
Nanab took the Demon and 7 Sunny Blaze Overheats for a total of 6180 damage! KO!
The final Overheat struck Pine for a Persistent 1303 damage!
The Usurper Beam struck Pine for 3889 damage! KO!

It was like a beam of raw energy had carved through the stadium. Swirls of fire and a rainbow energy left multicolored sparks across the glassed sand; the tree was bare once more, but standing, and Owen was panting heavily near the tree's roots. Cal, gathering her limbs from around the battlefield, checked with a glance to see if they were still standing.

But that had been it. Owen looked like he could have gone on just a little longer in a blaze of glory if he truly needed it... but the battle was over.

The crowd cheered and the tree dissolved away; Owen reformed on one knee, wings completely drooped, as Cal helped him stand to face the cheers. Pine was plucking himself out of the ground, Nanab shortly after, though with every movement came a small wince.