Destiny Colosseum

[Chibi Pika]

Honestly, any fight that Starr could walk away from without limping felt like a good one. She wasn't that hurt, all things considered. Just bone-crushingly tired. She felt like she could sleep for a week.

At the sound of Reshiram's voice, Starr jerked a thumb toward the thing that Brisa had encased in barriers. "Yeah, so... did you guys know that Kyurem had a piece of the Blacklight stuck in her?"

 

[Namohysip]

"She... she what?"

"Not stuck anymore," Kyurem said with an irritated growl. "Now I feel... empty again..."

"You're just hungry, Kyurem," Zekrom reminded. "You were nervous about the fight and only had some cookies. Remember?"

Kyurem didn't say anything, though the way her jaw moved suggested she was thinking about what to eat.

Reshiram sighed. "Quite dramatic today, aren't you?" he asked.

"The battle got my mood up," Kyurem admitted, eyes dimming. "I've never felt so alive in a while," she added with the exact same intonation as usual.

Perhaps there was some merit to what Kyurem had said. Even without the Blacklight... she still behaved the same.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa smiled, though it was a tight, dry smile. "Glad t'hear it, Kyurem. Thanks fer a . . . challengin' battle."

She passed the remnant off to Owen and Diyem with relief, not caring for anything but a good, long sleep. As soon as fucking possible, at that. Starr and Astrid looked like they could use the same, so Brisa made her way to each of them to rally them to the exit, as if the three of them were a trio of drunk adolescents wandering home from the saloon. Goddamn, what a gruelling fight. Memorable, at least.

But then, every fight with those two was memorable.

<><><><><>​

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa loosened up on the Colosseum sands with an intense dedicaton to the familiar routine of her stretches. There weren't many of these left. She'd appreciate every one of them.

Especially the ones with an emotional weight to them. Dave had done as Brisa had been encouraging him to do and invited Soda, and Flesh was finally going to make good on her invite so long as the two could fight alongside each other. It would be an intimidating prospect, but Brisa liked her chances. Starr and Dave were damn good teammates, after all.

"Pleasure t'finally see what yer made of in the arena, fellas!" she called out, grinning. "Thanks fer comin'!"

Beside her, Dave made one of his faces. What a guy. Hopefully seeing Soda get some cheers would be worthwhile for him, if combat alone wasn't.

 

[Namohysip]

"Tsk." Soda was waiting nearby, sitting on the top corner of Flesh's head. The gargantuan creature looked nervous, and wasn't in any kind of disguise this time. It was really him, the full-sized Guzzlord.

"Taking both of us on at the same time is pretty much asking to be defeated, y'know," Soda pointed out.

"Groooooohhh..."

"Aw, don't be nervous. We got this." Soda hopped off of him and took a few paces to the left as the crowd's cheers got louder and Incineroar hyped them all up.

He held his hand up, clicking his claws. Instantly, the crowd was completely silent--but they still made the motions of cheering. Soda had muted them within the arena.

"Hope you're ready." And then, with a final smirk, he disappeared, and Flesh roared.

Soda's Mischief activated! His Evasion is permanently +12 and he gained True Dodge!
Flesh's Hunger activated! All damage heals him instead!

Flesh: 50,000
Soda: 10,000

 

[Dragonfree]

Here they were. Another pointless fight. Brisa'd eagerly implored him to practice some ridiculous new techniques, and just, what the fuck ever, why not at this point. At least she was hyped for this, and Mia was up in the stands, watching intently, having explained to last night why she should channel different things through their connection this time than usual.

And Soda actually looked like he was having fun, right before he disappeared entirely. That was something.

"All right, let's do this fucking thing."

 

[Dragonfree]

You can power them up now. You should do that.

Of course Mia wanted to show off her new tricks. A strange warmth tickled his throat, lending power to his words. "Brisa, build up speed! Starr, power and agility!"

- Rallying Call Brisa (+4 Speed)
- Rallying Call Starr (+2 Attack/+2 Speed)
- Psych Up Brisa's Speed
Δ Stats: +6 Speed
Δ Stamina: -52
Δ Corruption: -
Δ HP: -
Δ Misc: -

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

The standard setup would do just fine, like she and Starr had practiced countless times. This was Dave's fight, in a way, given his bond with Soda, but it would be fought and won by all three of them. And against opponents like these, she could take no chances.

A growl thrashed inside her throat from the exertion of setting up so aggressively. Top form, that's what she had to be...

Brisa used Substitute!
Brisa used Electric Terrain!
Brisa used Brilliant Paragon!
Brisa was soothed and healed by Starr's Catharsis...
Brisa was rallied by Dave! +4 Spd!

Δ Stats: +2 Atk, +6 Spd
Δ Stamina: -121
Δ Blacklight: +15 Rad
Δ HP: 125%, then -Burn
Δ Misc: +2 Charge, +1 Protect, +Paragon, +1 Action, +Substitute

 

[Chibi Pika]

Starr was used to fighting legends or Omen heroes here in the colosseum, always with Brisa, sometimes with Astrid. But this time it was her, Brisa, and Dave against Soda and his friend the giant alien dragon who she was pretty sure would sometimes show up as a Snorlax. No clue how the hell that guy would fight, but at least they already had some idea of what to expect from Soda, given that they'd fought him before (even if he... wasn't all himself at the time.) At least he seemed to be in a decent mood? Confident, too, the smug bastard. Time to find out if he could put his money where his mouth was...

- Starr used Substitute!
- Starr used Sunny Day!
- Starr used Revitalizing Void Catharsis on Brisa!

Δ Stats: +4 Atk, +4 Spd
Δ Stamina: -180 [+63]
Δ Blacklight: +30 Shd
Δ HP: 100%
Δ Misc: +Sun, +1 Protect, +1 Action

 

[Namohysip]

"Heh heh heh... All right. I think I see your game. But you can't beat what you can't hit! C'mon! Oh, unless you have a plan? Yeah, let's see how that goes!"

Soda's Mischief combined with his Illusion ability, making it impossible to tell what Soda is doing!

Soda performed an attack against Dave, dealing a grazing 188 damage! It felt like a Dark attack!
Soda did something else...!

Flesh used Dual Chop on Dave, dealing 191 damage!
Flesh used Dual Chop on Brisa, striking the barrier and then the Substitute for 87 damage!
Flesh used Wide Guard!

Soda: ???
Flesh: 50,000

As usual, some members of Team Spectrum were watching from the stands. Owen--both Owens, this time--were focused on the fight, but they, too, seemed puzzled by Soda's battle style. From the stands, they couldn't Perceive what was happening within the arena.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa made a low whistle. Sprout's commentary and the giant display screens indicated a horrifying fact: Flesh was immune to their attacks in entirety. Owen hadn't been kidding, huh. Well, better focus on Soda first, then. She'd stop the fucker in his tracks if she could help it.

Dude was fast. She could go fast too.

[+5 Atk, +4 Acc, Guts, vs Soda]
Brisa used Extreme Speed 2!
[Starr's Blue Flare goes here]
[Stab, Terrain, Charge]
Brisa used Bolt Strike! [600 Para]
Brisa used Bolt Strike! [600 Para]
Brisa used Void Arcstrike, which became Fusion Arcflare! [150 bp, TypeEff, 450 Para]

Δ Stats:
Δ Stamina: -243, then *2, =214
Δ Blacklight: +30/+70
Δ HP: +69 Nice
Δ Misc: Net -2 Charge, +2 Protect

 

[Chibi Pika]

Yeah they'd pretty much been expecting him to be a dodgy bastard. Straight-up not being able to see his moves, though--that was new. Whatever, it wasn't a big deal. Brisa could focus on slowing him down. Starr was ready to hit him where it hurt...

Starr unleashed her Resolution!
[+10, STAB, TypEff, LB 1.2]
- Starr used Umbral Insolence! She lost 645 HP.
- Starr used Shadow Blue Flare on Soda! [Dodged!]
- Starr used Brilliant Flarestrike on Soda! Type effectiveness was inherited from Arcstrike! [Blaze, Sun, Reckless]
- Starr used Eterna Z-Burst on Soda! [+12, 169bp]

Δ Stats: +2 Valor
Δ Stamina: 50%
Δ Blacklight: 0/0
Δ HP: 150%
Δ Misc: Blue Flare is being dodged

 

[Dragonfree]

Oh, great. Soda just fucking disappeared.

He had a few hypotheses about how to deal with Flesh. It was kind of an interesting puzzle, almost, a bit more cerebral and scientific than just hitting them hard enough in between doing things to make the hits land harder. He could get behind that. Brisa was charging on towards where Soda was, hopefully, determined to try to paralyze him, slow him down, and she needed some help.

- Dave focused...
- Dave focused...
- Dave used Brilliant Determination on Brisa!
Δ Stats: +2 Protect
Δ Stamina: -72
Δ Corruption: +28/+0
Δ HP: -
Δ Misc: Determination room effect

 

[Namohysip]

What's this? It looks like Brisa's attack struck something despite Soda's evasiveness!
Starr's Blue Flare also struck something!
Brisa's Bolt Strike struck through something, just barely destroying the Substitute!
Brisa's next Bolt Strike missed!

Brisa and Starr's Fusion Arcflare felt like it dealt a painful amount of damage to Soda, but he dodged one of them!
Starr's Eterna Z-Burst was a solid hit!

"Geh...!" There was a brief flash of Soda appearing, looking noticeably injured. "Damn. Guess I'm not at my best after all, huh? Whatever... Guess that just means I'm gonna... give you guys something to worry about." Just as Brisa came in for another swipe, he disappeared, leaving no trace behind. And then, Flesh let out another roar.

Flesh used Dual Chop against Brisa, but it was totally blocked by her barriers!
Flesh used Stomping Tantrum against Starr, dealing 540 damage to the Substitute, destroying it!
Flesh used Dual Chop again on Starr, dealing a grazing 75 damage!

Soda attacked Brisa's Substitute for 217 Dark damage, destroying it!
Soda attacked Dave several times with a Normal attack five times, destroying barriers and dealing a grazing 93 damage!
Soda tried to hit Brisa, but she dodged just in time!

Team Spectrum's evasion and barriers have been exhausted!

Then, Soda used Blinding Illusion!
Brisa, Dave, and Starr lost 5 Accuracy and became Confused!
Soda and Flesh disappeared into darkness... It's impossible to tell what they're doing for now!

Brisa: 940
Dave: 415
Starr: 1,215

Target A: ???
Target B: ???
Target C: ???

Dave sensed that Soda's offenses decreased thanks to his Hex Counter...

"I've been at the bleeding edge for a while. Don't think taking me down a notch or two is gonna stop me! What're you gonna do now?!"

Soda's voice was coming from all three shadowy phantoms at the same time...

The announcer didn't realize it, but there was an illusion of Buneary ears on his head.

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

The world was a blur. Where were the enemy? She couldn't get her bearings. Her skull split open at the thought of using a status move. Her limbs rebelled. Her friends, were they okay? What was the plan? Fuck, fuck, she needed to keep her head, needed to concentrate... She heard Dave shouting to her, felt her vision sharpen again, her aura realign...

"Starr! Starr, if y'can hear me... Keep yer head! Wait to strike until we can see 'em clear! We ain't done yet...!"

Brisa focused...
Brisa focused...
Brisa called out to Starr...
Δ Stats: +2 Acc, +2 Def
Δ Stamina: +236
Δ Blacklight: -20/-20
Δ HP: +69 Nice
Δ Misc: -

 

[Dragonfree]

What the actual fuck was even happening anymore. Soda had a Substitute going, but that was about all they could tell. His head was swimming, the world tilting. Whatever. No way could Soda keep that up for long. They just had to--

"Get ready to defend!" Dave barked into the nothingness.

[Dave was soothed by Starr's Void Catharsis!]
- Dave called Starr! (+4 Def)
- Dave called Brisa! (+2 Def, +2 Acc)
- Dave used Psych Up, copying Starr's Defense!
Δ Stats: +4 Defense
Δ Stamina: -36 +19 (Void Catharsis) = -17
Δ Corruption: -15/+0
Δ HP: -10% (confusion recoil) +25% (Void Catharsis)
Δ Misc: +1 action next turn

 

[Chibi Pika]

Goddamn Flesh hit like a dump truck. And Soda was nearly impossible to land a hit on. Yeah, no way was Starr gonna bother attacking him like this, it'd just be a waste of energy. He couldn't keep that up forever, though. Just had to ride it out. Starr reached for the shadows, healing both herself and Dave. Then she braced herself.

- Starr used Substitute!
- Starr used Revitalizing Void Catharsis on Dave!
- Starr is winding up

Δ Stats: +4 Def
Δ Stamina: -66 [+32]
Δ Blacklight: +50 shd [-20/20, +30/30, -15 rad, +40 shd]
Δ HP: -
Δ Misc: +2 Action

 

[Namohysip]

The illusions faded away, instead revealing two figures standing next to one another, and Flesh back in the open. The Substitute was probably going to guard against the hits to Soda, but perhaps they could still find a way to break through...

"Turtling up?" Soda taunted. "That's hardly your style. But I guess we should probably do something similar, huh?!"

Flesh let out another roar before crouching down, gathering power. It was hard to tell what it would be for...

Flesh used Stockpile, gaining +1 Defense and Resistance!
Flesh used Dual Chop on Dave, then Brisa!
Dave: Partial grazing 89!
Brisa: Partial grazing 70!

Soda struck Brisa with a Dark attack, dealing 200 damage!
He struck again for 209!
A third for 202!
Soda did something else...

Brisa: 328
Dave: 460
Starr: 1215

Soda: ???, Substitute +???
Flesh: 50,000

There was something about Soda's attack that seemed particularly ruthless. It felt almost like he was using Brisa's greater strength to Soda's advantage... was there a Dark technique that used that? Certainly seemed like something Soda would do...

 

[Dragonfree]

All right, time to fucking go. Dave waited for the right opening and then rippled with Mia's Eterna energy as Blacklight oozed out of his pores.

[Dave activated Eterna Intimidate!]
[Dave unleashed, Hexternalizing Flinch!]
- Dave used Rock Smash @ Soda! (+600 flinch, -750 Def)
- Dave used Rock Smash @ Soda! (+600 flinch, -750 Def)
- Dave used Rock Smash @ Soda! (+600 flinch, -750 Def)
- Dave used Rock Smash @ Soda! (+600 flinch, -750 Def)
- Dave used Rock Smash @ Soda! (+600 flinch, -750 Def)
Δ Stats: -
Δ Stamina: -90
Δ Corruption: +30/+30
Δ HP: (recoil)
Δ Misc: -

 

[unrepentantAuthor]

Brisa hyped herself up with rapid, angry breaths. Hyperventilation could act as a mild painkiller, and this was gonna hurt. Goddamn.

She filled her limbs with energy, and made a dash towards Soda.

Brisa used Whiplash Extreme Speed 3! [who cares]
Brisa used Overcharge Extreme Speed 3! [+4, Stab, Guts, Terrain, Charge, Crit, 300 Para]
Brisa used Whiplash Blacklight Z-Burst! [115 bp, +6, Stab, Guts, TypeEff, 300 Para]
Δ Stats: +2 Valour
Δ Stamina: Bust to 50%
Δ Blacklight: Bust to 0/0, then +50/+30
Δ HP: Bust to 50%, then +35 Nice
Δ Misc: -