Fanfiction Earth's Protectors II

Disclaimer: I do not own the Pokémon franchise or the creatures associated with it. It's also worth note that this is a sequel to a fic I wrote with the same opening title and posted here quite some time ago. Now, this one can be understood if you didn't read the first one, but if you're curious, I recommend checking it out anyway. Some Pokémon will have their designs altered for story-related purposes as well. (Like any Pokémon that walks on more than four legs is going to use those extra legs as arms. Also, most flying types will be given arms) Also, much like before, this is heavily inspired by Kinnikuman, or as it's known in North America, Ultimate Muscle.

It had been many years since evil had been defeated. Many remembered that day when the world champion, Machoke and his wife, Gardevoir defeated the mighty genie, Hoopa and saved the world. But the peace was simply not meant to last.

Just as it seemed like the citizens of Earth were safe, new villains had risen up and once again, the heroes of old no longer had the youth needed to face them. As such, the torch was to be passed down to a new generation, a generation that would be trained in a school located on Hero Planet.

The one running the operation was a wasp known as Beedrill. Unlike his father, a caterpillar named Weedle, he had decided to allow potential heroes a choice on whether or not to join Hero School as opposed to forcing them to join just because of how desperate situations were.

He had also decided it would make more sense to train students longer, giving them half a year to prepare for the challenges on Earth as opposed to a month. While it was true that heroes could develop skills and build up strength faster than humans, Beedrill thought it unfair to send teens to fight evil on Earth with only a month of experience. And to make sure every area would be well protected within that time frame, he had decided to give as many students as possible the option to join as opposed to mere thirty to fifty.

Six months had passed and Earth could not wait any longer for protection. As such, all of the students were ready for the final exam that would decide whether or not they were ready to protect Earth.

Multiple fighting rings had been set up for the students. Each one was to fight a hero of the previous generation and whoever won his or her match would be deemed worthy of fighting on Earth.

And one of the first to go up was was a blue lizard-like girl named Machop. She had a slender build and three ridges atop her head. She also had a pair of bright red eyes and was the first member of her family to have a tail.

Currently, she was in the midst of a fight with a barnacle with a skinny orange torso, a brown hand for a head and rocks covering his upper and lower body named Barbaracle. He currently stood on the tips of his toes and headed toward the girl with his arms folded, shouting, “STONE EDGE!”

Seeing this coming, Machop smirked and thought, 'I'm not letting this hit me like Daddy did,' before holding out her arms and allowing the top stone to run into her hands.

The other heroes stared in amazement as an orange chicken with no arms smirked and exclaimed, “YEAH! THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!”

This chicken was Machop's childhood friend, Torchic. Along with her orange feathers was a yellow crest atop her head and bushy yellow feathers covering her shoulders.

Next to her, cheering Machop on was one the girl had made friends with in her second month of Hero School. He was a rather bulky centipede with a magenta head and thorax. His shoulders had black ring-like markings on them and an upside-down Y marking was on his neck. He had two stubby legs, six short arms and a green striped abdomen. With two tails, this was Venipede.

Barbaracle's rocks scraped up against Machop's hands for a few seconds, a bit of blood squirting out. But after a while, the spinning stopped as the barnacle breathed heavily, the girl smirking. She had him right where she wanted him as she forced him to turn his back to her and took hold of his arms, leaping high above the mat.

Many stared in anticipation, a blue dog named Lucario thinking, 'Is she going to use it?' and it seemed his suspicions may have been correct as Machop used her ankles to lock Barbaracle's legs in place, spinning around and forming a small twister while flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.

The area erupted into heavy cheers as Machop got closer to the mat, shouting, “MUSCLE TORNADO!” pulling just hard enough to bend Barbaracle's back. Thus he found himself unable to open his hand to save himself as his skull hit the mat hard, his eyes wide open.

After a few seconds, Machop released her hold on him and propelled herself into the air. She then performed a vertical flip and landed on her feet as Barbaracle collapsed, shooting him a peace sign with a big grin on her face.

The people all cheered as Lucario looked at a stop watch, thinking, 'Wow, she beat him in three minutes and twenty seconds. That's a new record. If only Machoke could have seen that,' Machop bowing to all the other heroes.

Barbaracle slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his skull as he uttered, “Damn, that smarts. And I thought your father was awesome,” Machop nodding and replying, “Yeah, he was, but watch out, cause I'm ever better than Daddy ever was!”

Torchic placed two toes in her mouth and whistled in admiration, exclaiming, “Damn straight!” Venipede sighing, “She's so cool. It must be nice having the genetics of the world champ.”

And sure enough, Machop's friends went up shortly after for their final exam. Torchic went up against a purple cobra named Arbok while Venipede's opponent was a red martial artist named Throh.

Since Torchic was the first in her family to have no arms, she ended up having to use her legs for her fight. Luckily, she seemed to fare well as after a few minutes, she managed to catch Arbok in a figure-four headlock, pinning him to the mat and holding tight. And after roughly a minute, Arbok patted his hand against the mat and grunted, “Uncle.”

Venipede seemed to struggle a tad more as Throh had managed to take hold of his top left arm, swinging him into the turnbuckle. But just as the red fighter advanced toward him for more, the centipede narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'Thanks for the help.'

With that, he moved toward the rope and pushed back on it while rolling up into a ball. Throh blinked and stopped his attack, knowing what was coming next as he held his arms out. And sure enough, after a few seconds, Venipede launched himself off of the ropes while spinning at an incredible speed, shouting, “CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!”

With that, he rammed hard into Throh's face as the red fighter coughed up blood. He had actually planned on taking advantage of this and grabbing Venipede, but thanks to the force of the centipede's attack, he was unable to pull this off as he fell hard on his back, Venipede retracting from his ball-like state and blinking while uttering, “Did I just do that?”

'Not quite as impressive as when Scolipede used it back in the day, but still effective,' Lucario thought as many other students cheered, Machop shouting, “YEAH, YOU RULE, VENIPEDE!”

With that, the centipede suddenly remembered his opponent and reached his arm out toward him, Throh taking it with a grin and bowing his head. His grin widened as he said, “You are definitely worthy of this victory,” a light smile implied with Venipede's eyes.

With that, the centipede exited the ring as Torchic held up a talon and said, “You did a mighty fine job back there,” Venipede nodding and replying, “Yeah, I did, didn't I?” before pounding his middle left arm against the talon.

“Why didn't you tell me you were such a badass?” Machop jokingly asked with a smirk while resting an arm on Venipede's shoulder, both laughing.

Many other students went up and while some failed to defeat their opponents thus resulting in them having to stay another month, the vast majority won their matches. And soon enough, there was only one match to go, which so far had been the longest one.

The student partaking in this match was one even the staff barely knew a thing about. She appeared to be a silver praying mantis only her arms and legs were not as thin as one would expect and her hands were more like those of a human. She also had big red gem-like eyes and was known as Mantima.

Her opponent was a white kitsune named Ninetales and despite her age, she had dominated this new student throughout most of the fight. Currently, she had the mantis trapped in her tails as she spun her around, saying, “It's been interesting, but it would seem you are not yet ready to fight on Earth.”

“No!” Mantima growled as she tried to fight the tails. But unfortunately, the kitsune seemed too strong as she exclaimed, “KITSUNE BOWGUN!” sending her flying toward the turnbuckle.

However, Mantima's eyes widened as she thought, 'That's it! I know how to counter this!' and just as she was about to hit the turnbuckle, she threw out her arms and took hold of the top of it.

With that, she used her hands to propel herself upward, performing a handstand while the others cheered and applauded her, the mantis thinking, 'Don't worry, Moms. I promised I would win this for you and I'm gonna do just that.'

With that in mind, she leaned backward before launching herself toward Ninetales, the kitsune unable to respond as she took a two-legged kick to her forehead. And after landing in front of her, Mantima wrapped her arms around her and lifted her up, resting her up against her shoulder.

She then jumped just high enough to lean backward as she exclaimed, “FLYING HAMMER!” planting the back of the kitsune's head into the mat. Sure, she had not provided enough force to draw blood, but it seemed to have dealt enough damage as Ninetales closed her eyes, Mantima allowing her to collapse.

And after a few seconds, Lucario nodded and exclaimed, “Excellent work, Mantima! You are the last student to graduate from Hero Planet!” the mantis raising her arms in the air while the other students applauded her.

But while none of the students noticed it, all of the instructors were rather curious about the move Mantima had used to end the match. As it just so happened, this was a technique used by an older hero named Scyther, only her version involved her leaping high above the ring thus adding some additional force when the opponent hit the mat. How did Mantima know it?

Whatever the case, she was ecstatic as some of the other heroes gathered around her to congratulate her. Some even hoped they would be assigned to the same area as her while Lucario already had an idea of where to send her.

But before graduation could come around, Machop went to a bench where she had placed a handbag. This was originally Gardevoir's but she wanted her daughter to have it with her just in case.

With that, Machop pulled out a cellphone as Torchic walked over, asking, “Gonna call your family?” the girl nodding and replying, “Yeah. Lord knows how Mama's gonna act if I don't tell her how I did.”

With that, she dialled a few numbers. And after a few seconds, she got a response as a male voice said, “Hey there, Machop. Hold on, I'll get your mother.”

Machop let out a light sigh and rolled her eyes, though she was actually quite happy that he had taken that into consideration. And after a few seconds, the male said, “Hey, I'm gonna turn on facetime,” Machop nodding and replying, “Right,” before turning on that function herself.

And sure enough, a grey lizard-like man with a head similar to that of Machop appeared on her phone's screen. And joining him was a woman with a white head and short green hair. These two were Machop's parents, Machoke and Gardevoir.

Currently, Gardevoir had a big smile on her face as she squealed, “Hey there, Machop! How's it going!?” the girl grinning and replying, “It's going great. I just passed the final test, and according to Lucario, I broke the old record!”

Machoke's eyes widened as he uttered, “You mean you won your match more quickly than Scyther and her friends did?” Machop nodding as Gardevoir exclaimed, “Wow! I knew you'd be awesome, but not that awesome! We are so proud of you!”

Machoke nodded before sporting a more serious look and asking, “You know the odds of you being sent to protect Paris are very slim, yes?” Machop nodding and replying, “Don't worry, Daddy. I know I'm more than ready to live on my own. Hell, I'm so awesome, I don't even need a trainer.”

Machoke gave his daughter an awkward look as Gardevoir giggled nervously and replied, “Honey, you know she didn't mean it like that,” the man sighing, “Right,” before grinning and adding, “Great job, Machop. Earth is in good hands with you on the job.”

With that, all three gave their goodbyes before hanging up. Needless to say, Machop's excitement was rising by the second. She could not wait to put her skills to good use. Sure, defeating an old hero was one thing, but saving someone from a villain was a whole other thing entirely.

Soon enough, it was time for the students to assemble to a hall where they would be assigned to their respective areas. While Machop headed off with the other graduates, Lucario nodded and thought, 'I have to admit, she is a lot more dignified than Machoke was. I heard he wasn't that much different from his father, but she has more drive and commitment. She just might have what it takes to surpass him.'

Once the students arrived in the hall, Beedrill stood on a stage where maps of different countries were projected behind him. And once he had the students' full attention, he cleared his throat and said, “Congratulations, each and every one of you. Out of the one-hundred-and-seventy-six students who joined us, one-hundred-and-fifty-three of you have graduated. Needless to say, I feel that Earth will truly be in good hands with all of you at the ready.”

Torchic grinned and thought, 'I'll make you proud, Mother,' while Venipede looked a tad nervous.

“Based on your performances, each of you has been chosen for a specific area,” Beedrill added, “Of course, with so many of you, plenty of locations will have more than one hero. After all, as great as you are, we can't just depend on one hero to protect an entire city, right?”

Many students nodded while some were unwilling to admit that the wasp had a point. But for the most part, many students were hoping to be paired up with their best friends, and they had heard that over the past, some decisions had been based off of how well certain heroes got along.

With that, Beedrill was ready to begin as he stated, “Venipede,” the centipede trembling as his eyes widened, all the while thinking, 'Why am I first?'

Beedrill stated, “You surprised the staff a lot, and thus Lucario has deemed you worthy of protecting Tokyo, Japan,” Venipede's eyes even wider as he uttered, “Really?” many congratulating him. After all, not just any hero could be assigned to Tokyo.

Beedrill then listed a few more students before coming to Torchic, saying, “Torchic, due to your incredible skills, you have been assigned to Tokyo, Japan,” Venipede giving the chicken a big implied smile as she grinned and said, “Well, this should be fun, eh, partner?”

Machop smiled at the two before thinking, 'I wonder if I'll get to join them. I probably won't, but it would be so awesome.'

And shockingly, it seemed her wish had come true when Beedrill stated, “Machop, you have also been assigned to Tokyo,” many clapping as she and her friends had the widest smiles, all three sharing a big group hug.

Beedrill gave an implied smile of his own as he thought, 'Wow, reminds me so much of Machoke and his friends. He'd have been so happy to see this,' before calling more names and locations.

Some students were just as lucky as Machop and her friends while others would be separated from the friends they had made at Hero School. But all-in-all, they took this very seriously and were just happy to be able to fight for the safety of Earth's citizens.

And once one-hundred-and-fifty-two had been called, it was finally time for the last graduate as Beedrill stated, “And Mantima, you have been assigned to Tokyo, Japan.”

“Wait, what?” Mantima uttered, her eyes wide with shock. Sure, this was a big honour, but even so, she did not feel like she had earned that right.

Of all the graduates, she had struggled the most with her training and had taken the longest to defeat her opponent. She could not have been that good, could she?

Either way, she was more than happy to accept this as she bowed her head, Machop turning to her and whispering, “We should probably welcome her to the group,” Torchic nodding in agreement. After all, Mantima was the only student in Hero School who had not made a friend during all six months.

But before they could do that, Beedrill stated, “Well, I just gotta say, you've all earned this. There are spaceships stationed outside to bring you to your respective locations. Best of luck to all of you.”

With that, the wasp gave an army salute as the students all bowed their heads, walking toward the exit. All of them were excited to see their new homes, but most of all, the fact that they would soon follow in their parents' footsteps was certainly a big deal.

And soon enough, many students were flying toward Earth in space shuttles, Machop approaching Mantima and saying, “Hey there, Mantima. I just wanna say it's great to have you on our team,” a big grin on her face as the mantis turned to face her, holding up her arms defensively.

However, once Machop's words sunk in, she lowered her arms and nodded, saying, “Yes. It'll be a pleasure working alongside you,” before holding up her right hand.

Machop's grin widened as she placed both hands firmly against Mantima's, shaking it with excitement. However, before she could take it too far, Venipede walked over to her and patted her on the shoulder, saying, “I think that's good enough.”

“Oh yeah, of course,” Machop replied with a light chuckle as Mantima stared wide-eyed, thinking, 'She's a lot stronger than I imagined.'

Soon enough, Venipede and Torchic had shook her hand as well, only they were a lot more gentle. Either way, this certainly helped ease Mantima's conscience, though she really hoped she would be good enough to help out her team. After all, she still found it weird that she of all graduates had been assigned to such an important area.

And it would not be long until the heroes reached Earth, all of them wondering what their homes would be like. Each already had a house assigned to him or her paid in full by Hero Planet's government and to make things easier, they would also send the heroes a weekly allowance so they could pay for food among other things. One would even say this was more like their salary.

But most of all, Machop really hoped that she could live up to her family's name. Sure, she had done well against an old hero, but she knew the villains on Earth would be a lot tougher.

 

It had been a few hours since the Hero Planet graduates had been sent off to their new homes on Earth. Needless to say, this was both an exciting and scary experience. After all, not only would these heroes face evil for the first time, but they would all have to provide for themselves. It was a good thing Hero Planet's government had already covered rent and would even give them money to spend on food.

As a certain vessel flew over Tokyo, Machop's eyes sparkled as she squealed, “I wonder what kind of house I'll live in! Maybe they'll give me a big mansion since I was number one in the class!” a big grin on her face as Torchic rolled her eyes and sighed, “Or maybe the government won't discriminate and will just give each of us a simple house to live in.”

“I hope I get to live with one of you gals, honestly,” Venipede uttered as he trembled and hugged himself, “I can't stand the thought of living alone,” Torchic taking a deep breath and replying, “There, there. You're a big boy now. I'm sure you can handle it.”

“You really think so?” the centipede asked as Machop flashed him a grin, replying, “Yeah. You're a lot more badass than you think you are,” the girl holding her thumb up.

Mantima, meanwhile, had a serious look in her eyes as she thought, 'I don't care where I live. I just hope I can protect all of these people. After all, that's what Mom trained me for.'

And soon enough, the heroes were all dropped off at their respective homes. Torchic had a simple house, just the kind she had imagined. And while Venipede was rather scared to live on his own, he felt a touch relieved when he wound up being assigned to a condominium. At the very least, there would be others to give him company if need be.

And while Mantima had also received a simple house of her own, Machop could not even describe the feelings she had when she saw her new home. As it just so happened, she had wound up with a small shack with her grandfather, Machamp's face painted on it, the door located in the middle of an open mouth.

As much as Machop should have felt disappointed by the size of this place, she was more confused and disturbed by the fact that someone had actually made this many years ago. Not to mention the placement of the door made it feel like if she were to enter, it would be like being eaten by her grandfather. That alone was a scary thought.

Even so, she shrugged and sighed, “It's just a house,” before approaching it and pulling a key out of her hand bag. She then unlocked the door and opened it. And once inside, she looked around with a hint of wonder.

While the interior was nothing too special, she noticed a lot of photos of Machoke back when he was in his teens hanging on the wall. Some showed him spending time with Gardevoir while others featured him with a purple monkey.

“That must be Aipom,” Machop said with a grin as she looked it over, “Daddy told me she was an awesome trainer. Though man, was she ever short?” the girl looking around some more and adding, “This must be where Daddy used to live before he moved to Paris.”

She then scratched the side of her head, asking herself, “Why wouldn't he take these photos with him?” before noticing one in particular that she had seen another copy of at her house back in Paris.

This was taken thirteen years before Machop's birth. It was a photo of Machoke along with all of his friends at what appeared to be the interior of a club. And Machop was aware of this place's existence as Machoke and Gardevoir had told her about it plenty of times, right down to the fact that this was where the man had proposed to his darling wife.

'I wonder if I should give that place a shot,' Machop thought, 'They always made it sound like fun,' before shaking her head as her mind added, 'No, I should probably look for evil to fight first. I'm gonna be the first of my friends to take down a villain in Tokyo just like Daddy.'

With that in mind, the girl immediately exited her shack and locked up, a grin on her face as she said, “Hello, Tokyo, you've got yourself a new hero,” before marching along the street.

The girl was not too surprised to find that barely anyone gave her so much as a quick glance. Unlike Machoke, she grew up on Earth and thus she was well aware of the fact that humans knew of the existence of her kind and often treated them like normal people. But once she defeated her first villain, they would know her name for sure.

While walking along, Machop noticed Torchic going for a stroll of her own as she smiled and waved to her. The chicken perked up and turned, giving her a big open-beak smile before running over and saying, “Well, wasn't expecting to run into you so quickly. So, what do you think of Tokyo so far?”

“Well, I haven't seen much yet,” Machop replied, “I've only been out for about ten minutes. Besides, I got no time to enjoy the sights. I wanna find myself a villain to defeat!” as Torchic shook her head and replied, “Hey, try to enjoy the peace while it lasts. I'm sure we'll know if someone's in trouble, alright?”

Machop bit her lower lip before sighing, “Well, okay,” before grinning and adding, “But if we see a news report or something like that, I got the first fight, got it?”

Torchic shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Well, if you insist. Just as long as you let your friends get a little glory too, right?” Machop nodding and replying, “Of course. It's not like I'm the only hero in Tokyo, right?”

She then slugged her friend on the shoulder as the chicken chuckled and returned the gesture with a talon. And deep down, Machop figured that Torchic could very well be right about this. If evil did emerge, they would likely hear about it, so there was no harm in exploring their new home.

And yet despite this, Machop was still on high alert the whole time. After all, her father had been the first to defeat a villain in Tokyo as had her grandfather. She wanted to live up to that legacy. If she could pull that off, she would feel satisfied.

Torchic had lost sight of this as she spotted a particular building, saying, “Hey, I think I know what that is,” Machop turning and asking, “A building?”

“Not just any building,” the chicken remarked, “Look,” pointing at a sign that said 'Tokyo Day Club'.

Machop blinked and nodded, saying, “You don't suppose-” as Torchic nodded with a smirk and replied, “Exactly. There's no doubt in my mind that this is the same club my Mom and your Dad used to hang out in. Come on, what say we go in for a look?”

Machop bit her lower lip as she uttered, “We probably shouldn't enter without the others around,” as Torchic sighed, “Well, I kind of agree, but at the same time, it's right there. Look, I'll call them up right now and if they wanna join us, they can do so after we're inside, alright?”

Machop nodded as she knew she had no argument against this. As much as she wanted to agree with Torchic's idea of having a little downtime, her mind was still fixated on looking for evil to fight. In fact, with the rise in crime since the heroes of old had been overpowered, she was surprised not to have run into anyone yet.

Even so, once Torchic was done with her phone call, Machop soon found herself in the club as an elderly man was cleaning up a mess. However, upon hearing the door open, he perked up and turned, saying, “Oh, hello. Welcome to the Tokyo Day Club.”

“Howdy,” Torchic replied with a grin as Machop bit her lip, uttering, “Uh... hi?”

The man's eyes widened briefly as he walked over to the girl, saying, “You look very familiar. I mean, okay, you kind of lack the muscle, but those ridges and that face definitely look like him,” Machop not sure whether to feel offended or not as he asked, “Are you, by chance, related to Machoke?”

Torchic smirked and said, “Well, you got yourself an admirer,” Machop grinning and replying, “Yeah, I'm his daughter, Machop. Pleased to meet you.”

“Oh, the pleasure is all mine!” the man replied with a grin as he shook her hand, “Your father and his friends were my favourite members! Oh, how I wish they'd come back and visit! Everything was always much more lively when they were around!”

“Wow, he must have spent more time here than I thought,” Machop whispered as Torchic nodded and stated, “By the way, my mom's named is Blaziken. You remember her, right?” the man gasping, “Wow! So the old girl did get married in the end! How's she been?”

Torchic smirked and replied, “She's doing alright,” as the man nodded and said, “Please, have a seat. I'll get you two some drinks on the house.”

As he walked off, Machop uttered, “Wow, and just think, if we make a name for ourselves, we could get treatment like this from everyone,” as Torchic nodded and replied, “Yeah, this is pretty nice. I hope the others get here soon.”

After a minute, the owner returned with a fruit punch and a bottle of whisky, saying, “Here you go,” handing each one to Machop and Torchic respectively, both staring as he asked, “Is this to your liking?”

“Sorry, but I don't drink,” Torchic uttered as the man blinked and replied, “Sorry. It's just, well, your mother used to get that a lot here. Figured her tastes must have rubbed off on you. Do you want something else, Machop?”

“Oh, I'm fine,” Machop replied with a grin, “I'm not too keen on alcohol, so this is my cup of tea, figuratively speaking,” the man taking the bottle of whisky away before saying, “I'll be back with a drink more suitable for your tastes,” giving Torchic a wink.

“How old were our folks when they used to come here?” Torchic asked as Machop snickered and said, “Wow, your mama drank when she was fourteen. That's pretty hardcore,” before taking a sip of her fruit punch.

But before she could consume more, Torchic noticed something on a small TV in front of them, nudging her friend on the side and pointing her talon toward it. And soon Machop noticed it as it showed a news report of a pair of villains threatening the lives of two police officers.

One was a cluster of orbs combined together to form a single body. Each was red on the top and white on the bottom, a pair of eyes on the upper-most orb.

The other was a tall white sloth with two black claws on each paw. On her forehead was a red tuft of fur that resembled a flame as her nose matched the colour. She also had a light-brown ring around each of her eyes and a muzzle of the same colour.

The orb cluster turned to the camera as she stated, “Alright, Tokyo, as you can see, your loyal police force is useless against us! Surrender the city and they won't be harmed! You have an hour to comply!”

Torchic was mortified to see this while Machop had a light smile on her face. However, she very quickly replaced it with a serious look as she said, “Alright, Torchic, let's go,” the chicken nodding as the two got up.

The owner entered with Torchic's beverage as he noticed the report, saying, “Oh yeah, you two had better hurry,” a grin on his face as he added, “To think Tokyo will be saved by the kids of Machoke and Blaziken! It's so exciting!”

Machop nodded with a light smile as she and Torchic exited the club. All the while, the chicken hoped that the others had seen the report as well. While there may have only been two villains, one could only imagine how tough they would be.

Luckily, both were on their way to the club when they saw the report on a big-screen TV attached to the top of a building. If they hurried, they could make it in time to help their friends and thus they raced toward the area.

Mantima, especially, wanted a shot at this. She wanted to prove that she was ready to take on the evil threatening Earth even if she had to die trying. Though it was not so much the citizens of Earth or even her folks but herself that she wanted to prove her worth to.

All the while, the officer being held by the orb cluster trembled and uttered, “Please let me go, sir. I'll let you commit all the crimes you want. I can't let my wife take care of my children by herself, I just can't!”

“That's very commendable,” the cluster replied, “But unfortunately for you, I don't give a shit! As long as the mayor of this city decrees us the new rulers, we'll let you live!” the sloth nodding as she covered up her hostage's mouth with one hand, saying, “You should seriously try this. They don't give you lip.”

However, at that moment, the villains' eyes widened when a voice entered the area, shouting, “PUT THOSE NICE PEOPLE DOWN RIGHT NOW!” both turning to see Machop standing there with her finger pointed at them, the girl adding, “You're not taking control of Tokyo on our watch!”

The sloth's eyes and mouth were wide open as she dropped her officer, the woman fleeing for her life as she uttered, “Oh my god, since when does Tokyo have anyone protecting it?”

The cluster remarked, “I don't care,” before deliberately releasing his hostage and allowing him to escape, adding, “If we take down these two, then Tokyo will have no choice but to give into our demands and we'll be recognized as the awesome villains who defeated Tokyo's heroes.”

“Hey, are you listening to me!?” Machop snapped as Torchic added, “Yeah, we're standing right here!”

“Sorry about that,” the orb cluster replied with an implied smirk, “We were just discussing our next course of action here,” the sloth nodding and saying, “Yes, but first, we should probably introduce ourselves. After all, we'd love for you to know the names of the ones who bested you in combat today.”

Machop frowned as the cluster folded his arms and said, “I am Voltorb, the master of electricity!” the sloth adding, “And I'm Vigoroth! You made a big mistake challenging us!”

Torchic smirked and retorted, “Don't underestimate us,” as Vigoroth retorted, “Says the one with no arms.”

The chicken's eyes and beak widened in response to this. While she often tried to keep a positive attitude even in the worst of situations, something about these very words got under her skin.

Machop saw this as Torchic twitched and said, “I'll give you the first opponent, but make sure it's that Voltorb guy. I want a crack at that sloth bitch!” Machop uttering, “Whoa, I rarely ever hear you swear,” before thinking, 'Was it the no arms crack? I thought she was comfortable with that.'

However, before either could start a fight, Voltorb stated, “However, I suggest we fight somewhere more fitting,” Machop retorting, “Wait, what!?”

“Oh yeah, that's right,” Torchic uttered, now starting to calm down as she explained, “Most disputes between heroes and villains are settled in the ring. I guess what he's suggesting is that we take this to an actual fighting ring.”

“Wait, you mean we fight villains in matches like we did with the Hero Planet teachers?” Machop uttered, “That's just weird,” as the chicken shrugged her shoulders and remarked, “True, but it's also tradition.”

“Exactly,” Voltorb replied with a nod, “As such, I request a challenge in the local fighting arena,” pointing in the direction of it, “Meet us there within the hour. We'll give you a bit of time to prepare yourselves.”

Machop was unsure of this, but even so, she would have much rather made her debut in front of hundreds or even thousands. After all, a match in a ring would certainly garner a lot more attention and thus she nodded and said, “Alright, we'll be there, right, Torchic?” the chicken nodding.

With that, the two villains left the area as Venipede and Mantima just happened to arrive, the centipede looking around nervously and uttering, “Oh, hey guys, where are those villains from the news?” Mantima sighing, “Looks like they're not here.”

“Oh, thank goodness,” the centipede replied as Machop stated, “Yeah, they took off to get ready for our fight,” Venipede trembling and uttering, “You mean you didn't already deal with them?”

“Nope,” Torchic replied before shaking her head, “We're gonna face them in an official match in the local arena. That's how heroes and villains have settled disputes on Earth for years.”

“Really?” Venipede uttered as Machop shrugged and replied, “Yeah, it sounds weird to me, too, but now that I think about it, every one of Daddy's recorded fights did take place in a ring,” Venipede nodding and replying, “Oh yeah, it was the same for my mom too.”

Even so, Mantima felt a tad disappointed as she sighed, “And I'm guessing since you've already challenged them, they'll specifically fight you, right?” Torchic nodding and replying, “Yeah, but Machop's getting the first match. She wants to follow in her father's footsteps and get the first win in Tokyo. I figure why not.”

Mantima felt rather annoyed by this but tried her hardest not to show it. After all, these were her new friends here. If anything, it would have been selfish to demand that they give her the first shot, especially when Tokyo's freedom was on the line.

And deep down, Venipede was quite happy to hear this. In fact, a part of him was really hoping his friends would do all the work for him, but why? Surely he was just as focused on saving people as the others.

Soon enough, the group arrived at the arena as Machop grinned and said, “We're gonna kick so much ass today, aren't we?” Torchic nodding and replying, “Yeah. So far, only one person knows who we are, but soon everyone will know our names.”

With all said and done, all four friends entered, Mantima thinking, 'Why am I even here with them? They clearly don't need me. There might be another villain elsewhere and we're only focusing on these two. What am I thinking?'

After a small walk down the hallway, the group entered the fight area where both Voltorb and Vigoroth were waiting. The two villains smirked at them as all of the bleachers were filled with spectators, a fifty-year-old woman with short black hair and her twenty-year-old daughter with longer hair of the same colour sitting in the announcer's booth.

“Wow, look at all the people,” Machop said with stars in her eyes, the older announcer exclaiming, “Alright, people of Tokyo, the challengers who will fight for our freedom are here! I am Nori and joining me is-”

“Mom, don't!” the younger woman retorted, “I told you, I'm not becoming an announcer. I only came because you wanted me to see what it was like,” Nori sighing, “Right. Sorry, Yuki.”

Despite this little dispute, the audience cheered wildly as Machop waved to the crowd, Voltorb raising an eyebrow and asking, “Hey, who are those two with you?”

Mantima scowled and retorted, “For your information, we're Tokyo's other heroes! If you'd rather fight me instead, I'll gladly take you!” fire in her eyes as Nori stated, “Whoa, someone's fired up!” only for her daughter to face-palm and grumble, “Please don't talk like that.”

Voltorb laughed and replied, “I like your spirit, but we've already agreed to face your friends here,” Vigoroth nodding and adding, “Yes, if you wanted a piece of us so badly, you should have come sooner, then we might have actually considered it.”

Machop gave Mantima an awkward look as Nori said, “Hey, you, girl,” pointing at Machop as she turned and uttered, “Me?”

“Yeah,” Nori replied with a nod, Yuki shaking her head as the woman asked, “You look very familiar, like someone I've seen in the ring many times. Are you, by chance, related to Machoke?”

Machop nodded with a grin and replied, “Yeah, I'm his daughter, Machop,” as the crowd immediately went wild upon hearing this, Voltorb and Vigoroth's eyes widening as the sloth uttered, “How did we not see that? It should have been obvious,” the orb cluster sighing, “I'm ashamed of myself.”

“And she's not the only one related to someone famous!” Torchic exclaimed, “I'm Torchic, Blaziken's daughter!” the crowd even more excited as Nori exclaimed, “You heard it yourself, folks! We have the kids of three legends fighting for us now! I feel in good hands, that's for sure!” Yuki grumbling, “You're giving them too much credit,” folding her arms.

However, Machop did not seem to think so as she held her hand up to the side of her head, saying, “Wow, so this is what it's like to have people cheer you on. I can see why Daddy liked it so much,” Torchic nodding and replying, “But remember, if we fall, we won't hear those cheers anymore.”

With that in mind, Machop nodded as Mantima sighed, thinking, 'And of course, no one even knows who my moms are. I wish I could reveal that information, but they probably wouldn't even let me fight evil if I did.'

With that, Machop cleared her throat and stated, “By the way, you, orbs guy, I want you as my first opponent on Earth,” pointing at Voltorb as the cluster folded his arms and nodded his head, saying, “Alright, I'm fine with that. I feel honoured to be chosen by the legendary Machoke's kid.”

Vigoroth seemed to feel the same as she frowned, grumbling, “You're lucky. Just think, if you can defeat her, your name will go down in history,” Voltorb nodding and replying, “Don't forget, your opponent is Blaziken's daughter. That's nothing to scoff at either.”

With that, the cluster pointed an arm toward Machop and said, “I look forward to our match, but because I feel so generous, I will give you ten minutes to ready yourself,” Nori's eyes sparkling as she squealed, “I wonder if she's going to set up an elaborate entrance like her father always did!”

Yuki stared awkwardly and uttered, “That's all you care about?” before folding her arms and pouting. She just wanted this all to end so she could go home and plan out her future.

And with all said and done, Machop headed toward a changing area to prepare herself, a grin on her face as she thought, 'This is gonna be great. I hope you're watching, Mama and Daddy, because I want you to see this.'

 

This was it. Machop was finally going to get her first victory on Earth and help save the people of Tokyo just like her father had done so before. She remembered watching a recording of his first match in her youth, when Machoke went up against an orange cybernetic lightning rod named Rotom.

It had been a very tough fight with Rotom constantly changing form. There was even a point where he became an oven and almost baked Machoke to a crisp, but ultimately, the hero managed to escape and the rest was history.

Machop wanted to do just that as she had the biggest smile on her face. And she would at least make a good first impression by giving the audience a show before the match could begin. After all, while this was a fight between a hero and a villain, it also doubled as a wrestling match.

The others took a seat in the crowd as Mantima folded her arms. While it would have been for the best to see Machop win, a part of her wanted to see her lose, but why? Why would she think something so horrible about her own ally?

Venipede and Torchic, on the other hand, were fully supportive of their friend as the chicken grinned and said, “I can't wait to see her in action again,” only for Mantima to sigh, “We saw her fight this morning. It hasn't been a long time.”

Both friends stared at her briefly before shrugging their shoulders, figuring she probably meant nothing malicious by this. After all, she had a point. It was not as if the group had gone a week let alone twenty-four hours without seeing Machop in action.

While Machop had been preparing for the match, Voltorb decided to stay in the ring and wait while he leaned up against a turnbuckle. Vigoroth stood by the side of the ring as she saw no need to leave her spot either, her arms folded as the ten minutes had passed.

“Alright, folks, it's finally time for this match to begin!” Nori exclaimed as Yuki sighed, “Finally is an understatement,” the older woman giving her an odd look before shaking her head and smiling once more.

“In the red corner, representing the villains is an odd-looking being whose entire body is made out of spheres! I am of course referring to Voltorb!” Nori stated as the crowd booed, the cluster of orbs holding his arm up to the side of his head, exclaiming, “Yeah, keep em coming! I love it!”

“Wow, a villain getting a thrill from being booed,” Yuki groaned, “How cliche. It's like something out of a bad kid's TV show,” as Nori let out a sigh.

Once the crowd calmed down, the woman cleared her throat and added, “And in the blue corner, representing Tokyo's heroes, the daughter of the mighty Machoke, Machop!”

The crowd went wild as the girl stood by the entrance with a gymnastics outfit on. She then held her arms up before leaning forward and planting her hands firmly against the floor. That soon escalated into a somersault toward the ring as she propelled herself high into the air, performing a vertical flip and landing on her feet with her arms spread out.

She had a big grin on her face as she pointed at Voltorb and exclaimed, “YOU'RE GOING DOWN!” the crowd cheering even louder as Torchic held her toes up to her beak and whistled, shouting, “Yeah, tell it like it is, sister!” Venipede clapping as well.

Mantima was not even sure how to react to this. On one hand, putting together a spectacle like this seemed unnecessary, but then again, her mother used to do this all the time before her matches, so at the very least, this was common. But even so, it still felt a tad unnecessary.

Yuki saw it as a waste of time as she sighed, “It's like she doesn't even take this seriously,” only for Nori to shake her head and think, 'Actually, I'm a tad disappointed. Machoke almost always had these over-the-top, creative entrances. This was pretty straight-forward. It was effective, but it lacked the Mach family flare.'

Even so, she knew she had to be professional as Voltorb implied a wicked smirk with his eyes, saying, “Good to know you take this as seriously as you let on before. I heard your dad had a tendency to get cold feet before a big fight. Are you like that?”

'Wait, Daddy was a coward?' Machop thought before shaking her head and sporting a more serious look, remarking, “I'm nothing like that! I've been waiting for this since I came here and there's no way I'm backing down!”

With all said and done, the two fighters stood on separate sides of the ring as Nori said, “Well, if you two are ready, I guess it's time to start this match!” before ringing the bell as Machop wasted no time charging toward Voltorb.

The crowd was beyond excited as Nori stated, “And Machop's already on the offensive while Voltorb just stands there and does nothing!” and it seemed so as the cluster of orbs did not even so much as move.

“He does know the match has started, right?” Venipede uttered as Yuki groaned, “Oh, come on, he's so obviously planning to move to the right at the last second so her head rams into the pole. It's the oldest trick in the-”

However, the younger woman was cut off when Voltorb did something else. Rather than moving to the side, he shifted his right foot forward and said, “Electric Grenade,” as the orb representing his foot detached itself from the leg and rolled forward.

“MACHOP, LOOK OUT!” Torchic spat, but it was too late as electricity shot from the orb, creating a sphere that covered the general area, Machop failing to notice this as she took in a shock to her leg.

The crowd gasped as the girl cried out in pain, Voltorb using this opportunity to race toward the girl with his arm out. And before she could even respond, she took the arm to her neck, letting out a hacking sound before falling on her back.

Everyone stared in shock as Nori stated, “Just as it looked like Machop would get the first hit for sure, Voltorb surprises us all with a booby trap,” Yuki nodding and thinking, 'I hate to admit it, but she's right. If these were two humans fighting, he definitely wouldn't have been able to pull that off.'

However, Machop was far from done as she rose to her feet, gritting her teeth and growling, “That was a lucky shot!” before wrapping her arms around Voltorb.

With that, she proceeded to lift the cluster up while leaning backward, planting his head hard against the mat. Voltorb's eyes widened as the crowd went wild, Nori exclaiming, “And just like that, Machop makes up for the damage dealt earlier with a perfectly executed suplex!”

“Yeah, way to go!” Torchic shouted with excitement, Venipede saying, “I knew there was no way that would keep her down.”

However, before Machop could release her hold, Voltorb implied a smirk as he said, “Not bad, but this is nothing,” before separating his feet from his legs again, shouting, “ELECTRIC GRENADE!” electricity forming around the orbs.

With that, Machop took a shock to her chest as she cried out in pain, releasing her hold on Voltorb as she started to fall backward. And as she landed against the cluster, he immediately wrapped his legs around her head, tightening the hold as her neck started to cave in.

The crowd was truly scared now as Mantima stared wide-eyed, thinking, 'Is she actually going to lose?'

Machop cried out in pain as Nori said, “And thanks to Voltorb's Electric Grenade, Machop's advantage has left her as she is now trapped in a headlock.”

Machop placed her hands up against the legs and gritted her teeth, growling, “No, I'm strong enough to get out of this!” only for Voltorb to plant his hands against the mat. He then lifted himself up along with Machop as he leaned backward, planting her skull hard against the mat with a frankensteiner, the girl trying her hardest to ignore the pain.

“I have to admit, I'm actually kind of disappointed right now,” Voltorb said with an implied smirk as Torchic spat, “COME ON, MACHOP, GET UP! THIS IS NOTHING!”

As she struggled to rise to her feet, Voltorb proceeded to leap high above the ring, shouting, “Can't let you do that!” before tucking his body in. Soon, all of the orbs came together to form a giant one as he descended toward Machop, shouting, “ELECTRO METEOR!” his body covered in electricity as he landed hard against the girl's back.

Machop cried out in pain as for the first time in the match, she coughed up blood. The crowd winced at the sight of this as Nori uttered, “And with that, Machop has taken in even more pain,” Yuki genuinely concerned now. After all, if Machop and Torchic lost, Tokyo would have to cave into the villains' demands.

Mantima stared wide-eyed as Venipede spat, “COME ON, MACHOP, GET UP! YOU'RE SO MUCH BETTER THAN THIS!”

Even so, it seemed that everyone's fears were true as Voltorb reverted to normal, leaping off of her as Vigoroth smirked and said, “Kind of pathetic for the daughter of Machoke, eh?”

No one could believe it as Machop's eyes were rolled to the back of her head, the girl not moving an inch. And after half a minute, Nori gulped and rang the bell, saying, “And in a rather short period of time, it seems that Voltorb has won this match.”

An uproar started among the crowd as the people panicked, Torchic's eyes and beak wide open as she trembled, uttering, “No, it can't be.”

Mantima looked around, staring at all the frightened faces and thought, 'Oh my god, what have I done? I caused this, didn't I?'

While the very notion was ridiculous and highly unlikely, Mantima could not help but feel that her small desire to see Machop lose had caused this. Deep down, she simply wanted a chance to face one of these two, but seeing just how serious this was made her think otherwise. This was not right. Machop should have won this match.

But it seemed the girl was not completely finished as her eyes shot open. She struggled to get up and grunted, “No! I-I haven't lost yet, Nori! Retract your verdict!” the woman blinking as she thought, 'Is this that same resistance Machoke always showed in his matches?'

However, it seemed this was not the case as just as soon as Machop rose to her feet, she was back on the ground, having fallen forward on her face. Her eyes were closed now as there was no denying it. Machop needed a good rest.

“Guys, I'm starting to wonder if I can take on that Vigoroth girl,” Torchic uttered, “Voltorb's significantly more powerful than the teachers on Hero Planet,” Venipede nodding and adding, “I knew they'd be tougher, but not that much tougher. Now I'm starting to wonder why I even chose to attend Hero School.”

Right now, Mantima was the most scared out of all of them. She thought she knew what she was getting into, but deep down, she did not.

However, her fear only heightened when Voltorb glared down at Machop, saying, “You know, that was really disappointing. Vigoroth, do you mind if I take on one of these other heroes before you have your match with Torchic? I feel like fighting someone else.”

Venipede trembled, his eyes wide with terror as Mantima closed her eyes, thinking, 'Please don't say yes,' as the sloth smirked and replied, “You know what? I don't see why not. Besides, if we can defeat all of these heroes instead of just two, we'll be even more famous.”

The orb cluster nodded as the crowd was interested to see who he would pick, though their hope had certainly dropped. If the daughter of the world champion could not defeat this guy, how could any of her friends even hope to stand a chance?

After a few seconds, Voltorb pointed at Mantima and said, “I pick you,” the mantis' eyes wide with shock as the crowd stared, Venipede breathing a sigh of relief.

However, his relief turned to concern when he noticed Mantima tense up, her body trembling as she uttered, “Are-are you sure you want to fight me?” Voltorb nodding and replying, “Yeah. I'm at least familiar with Blaziken and I assume that bug next to you is related to the mighty Scolipede, but I've never heard of a praying mantis hero before. As such, I wanna see what you have in store for me.”

Mantima was unsure how to react to this as Torchic gave her a smile and nodded, saying, “I'm sure you can do it. After all, you wanted a crack at this, right?”

The mantis took a deep breath and replied, “Right, of course,” before rising to her feet as Nori stated, “And there you have it, folks. This newcomer to the world of heroes will now fight in her ally's place. Let's hope she has what it takes to finish what Machop started.”

'I really hope so,' Yuki thought as she trembled, 'That was just painful to watch. I never knew these fights could be so brutal.'

As Mantima headed off to prepare for her match, she started to breathe heavily as she pulled out a cellphone seemingly out of nowhere. She then dialled a few numbers and thought, 'Mother did say only to do this during an emergency, and this is definitely an emergency.'

With that in mind, the mantis pressed the phone up to the side of her head and waited until she got an answer, a woman's voice saying, “Hello, or rather guten nachmittag,” Mantima chuckling and replying, “Mom, it's fine. You don't need to speak German when addressing me. I stopped using it regularly months ago.”

“Sorry about that,” the woman on the other line replied as Mantima asked, “Hey, is Mother there?” the woman replying, “No, she's working the late shift tonight. Why? Do you need both of us?”

“Nothing like that,” Mantima replied with a sigh, “It's just, well, I graduated earlier today and I'm just about to start my debut match on Earth.”

For the next few seconds, the mantis received nothing but silence. She started to wonder if her mom was still there until she said, “Sorry, it's just, that is a lot to take in. Heck, your other mom didn't fight her first villain until a few days after graduation.”

“You mean the one who snuck into that tournament, right?” Mantima asked as the woman replied, “Exactly. Though at least you know your opponent is a villain and hopefully you won't meet the same fate as her. Or do you think you will?”

“That's just it,” Mantima replied with a sigh, “First off, out of all the graduates on Hero Planet, it took me the longest to defeat my opponent. As you know, my strength isn't quite on the level of that of the others for, well, obvious reasons, but also, the one I'm just about to fight beat Machop really easily.”

“Wait, what!?” her mother retorted as Mantima could hear heavy breathing. Just like the audience, she was having just as much trouble taking this in as she uttered, “Oh god, I'm not sure whether I should tell Machoke and Gardevoir about this or not. They'd probably flip.”

“Be honest, do you think I'm ready for this?” Mantima asked as the woman took a deep breath and stated, “From the skills you showed me before you left for Hero School, the fact that you trained really hard for five years prior combined with the fact that you graduated tells me that you are, but whether or not you choose to enter that ring today is your choice.”

Mantima's eyes widened as the woman added, “Your grandma always gave your other mom the choice to follow her own path if she ever wanted to. Heck, when she revealed that she was a lesbian and, well, that she fell in love with me, it took Grandma a mere second to ultimately accept it. And, well, I want you to have your own choices in life as well.”

“But if I run away, it'll be disgraceful!” Mantima retorted, “That villain wants to fight me and no one else!” as her mother sighed, “Wait, how many of you are protecting your respective area? I mean, you told me about Machop already, and from what you've told me, she's in no condition to continue, right?”

“Yeah, that's true,” Mantima replied, “There's four of us. The others are Venipede and Torchic,” the woman replying, “So Blaziken's daughter is one of them. Well, do you think those two might be capable of stopping this threat?”

“Well, there are two villains in total,” Mantima replied, “I'm sure Torchic could probably hold her own, but I'm not so sure about Venipede. He strikes me as a nervous wreck.”

The woman understood perfectly as she sighed, “Yeah, I hate to say it, but fighting this opponent might be the best option. Or maybe you could give that Venipede a pep talk to help him out. Either way, if you wish to drop out, there is no shame in that. After all, your other mom only fought alongside two other heroes and they were all fine.”

Mantima took a deep breath and said, “You know what? I'll try this. I'm gonna go into that ring and do my best. If I don't feel like this was the right choice, I'll quit and call you up, okay?” her mom replying, “Alright. No matter what you do, always remember, your moms are proud of you.”

Mantima felt at ease now as she said, “I love you, Mom. Danke,” before hanging up and putting on a more serious look. She knew this would be much harder than her fight with Ninetales but there was no way she would back down, not when she had come this far.

During this time, Machop was resting on a bench with a blanket covering her up, Torchic and Venipede now seated next to her as her chicken friend smiled and said, “Don't worry, Machop. Mantima will win this for us, I just know it.”

And with that, the waiting time was up as Nori turned to Yuki, asking, “Do you wanna head home now? This might not end any time soon.”

“Actually,” Yuki replied, “I wanna see how this plays out. We're talking about the fate of Tokyo here,” her mother nodding and sporting a neutral look, though deep down, she was really happy to hear this.

With that in mind, Nori cleared her throat and exclaimed, “Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is up and it's finally time for the second match of the day! Can this newcomer make up for her ally's fall or can she rise up and finish what she started?”

Voltorb implied a smirk with his eyes and said, “I'm looking forward to this,” Vigoroth nodding and replying, “Don't forget, I still get the chicken,” the cluster of orbs rolling his eyes and remarking, “Yeah, yeah, I know. Don't get your fur in a knot.”

With that, Nori stated, “Once again in the red corner, representing the villains is an electric monster in the ring! He has barely shown us a thing and has already made it known just how much of a threat he is! I once again bring you Voltorb!” the crowd not even sure whether to boo him at this point or not. They were too scared of what he might do if they tried.

“And in the blue corner is a mysterious fighter with no known background,” Nori stated, “Hopefully, she'll bring just the right skills to the table. I introduce Mantima!”

The crowd cheered as the mantis stood by the entrance and took a deep breath. She figured perhaps giving an entrance similar to that of her mother would help motivate her to try harder. As such, she sprinted toward the ring before leaping high into the air, aiming to land on the top rope.

However, she found herself unable to get enough height as her ankles bumped into the material. As such, she wound up tripping and falling forward, landing flat on her face while the crowd could not help but laugh.

Mantima looked beyond embarrassed as Nori thought, 'That was more like something Machoke would have done,' as Torchic uttered, “You okay?”

Mantima had a nervous look on her face but decided this meant nothing as she took a deep breath, pushing herself up and saying, “Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for your concern.”

Voltorb and Vigoroth applauded her, the orb cluster exclaiming, “Oh, that was great! Upon first glance, you seemed like a boring person, but it's good to know you have a sense of humour.”

“That wasn't intentional!” the mantis growled as she clenched her fists, “Look, just focus on the fight! By the time we're done, you'll regret ever coming to this city!” the crowd now fully invested as their laughter came to a halt. Despite that missed opportunity for a cool entrance, Mantima was completely serious about this.

“Is she gonna be okay?” Venipede uttered, “It looks like that mishap has gotten to her more than she's letting on,” as Torchic sighed, “You saw how she handled herself against Ninetales. I'm sure she can do this.”

“Have you already forgotten what happened to Machop?” the centipede retorted before turning his gaze toward the unconscious girl, “If she's not careful, the same thing will happen to her.”

“That's why we gotta give her our full support,” Torchic replied with a serious look in her eyes, “This isn't like training anymore. If we back down, we'll have failed as heroes. But if Mantima loses, you'll have to take her place. You know that, right?”

Venipede nodded and gulped, “Yeah, I know,” though deep down, he was praying that it would not go that far.

And with all said and done, Voltorb and Mantima stood on their own sides of the ring as Nori said, “Well, it seems the fighters are ready. As such, I say we get this match underway!” before ringing the bell thus signalling the start of the match.

 

This was it. Mantima was finally going to prove herself or at least go down trying. She was not even completely sure if she could win this match, but after coming so far, she could not back down, not when actual lives were at stake.

As such, she held up a defensive stance and thought, 'Mother would have thought more logically about this. If I want to stand a chance against this guy, I'll need to avoid that Electric Grenade ability of his.'

However, Voltorb saw this as a perfect opportunity as he implied a wicked smirk and asked, “So, you just gonna stand there for the whole match? I thought you said you were going to take me down,” the mantis staring in confusion as he continued, “At the very least, Machop had the balls to come at me. You, however, seem unwilling to so much as try.”

Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, “Is he doing what I think he's doing?” as Venipede gulped, “I hope she doesn't fall for that.”

Unfortunately, it was just as they feared as Mantima frowned and said, “Alright, but don't forget, you asked for this,” the mantis charging toward the cluster of orbs.

As long as she used strategy, she could still land the first hit and thus she leapt forward, figuring Voltorb might try his Electric Grenade again. However, it seemed he had other plans in mind as he said, “Gotcha,” as his hand orbs separated from his arms, planting themselves hard into Mantima's chest.

She seemed to feel even worse pain from this than any hero would have as Voltorb exclaimed, “ELECTRIC BOMB!” electricity shooting from the orbs and surrounding them as Mantima took in a big electric shock, crying out in pain as she coughed up smoke.

The crowd stared in horror as she fell hard on her back, breathing heavily and thinking, 'Oh my god, I'm still alive! I should probably just quit now! I've gone way over my head!' but it seemed Voltorb had more planned as he said, “You're an even bigger disappointment than Machop.”

With that, the cluster leapt high above the ring and rolled up into a ball, forming the giant orb that had defeated Machop as Torchic spat, “OH MY GOD! MANTIMA, MOVE!” Nori exclaiming, “And it would seem this could very well be the shortest match in ages! From just one hit, Mantima's suffered horrible pain and is already set up for Voltorb's strongest technique!”

“Come on, don't let this be it!” Venipede cried out, tears welling up in his eyes as Voltorb's body was covered in electricity, the cluster shouting, “ELECTRO METEOR!”

But as he descended, Mantima's eyes widened as she thought, 'No, I can't let it end like this!' mustering up just enough strength to roll out of the way, Voltorb hitting the mat hard as a big explosion surrounded the area.

Luckily, Mantima had avoided the move just in time as Voltorb reverted back to his normal state, turning and noticing her slowly rising to her feet. She breathed heavily as she thought, 'That's right. I didn't train for five years and build up a resistance to things like lightning just to be taken down so easily! This isn't some practice match that I can get out of if I please! This is serious!'

The crowd went wild as Yuki breathed a sigh of relief, Nori saying, “And while it seemed to take a lot to pull it off, Mantima has evaded defeat, but just barely. Hopefully she can make up for the damage dealt earlier.”

“I fully intend to!” the mantis replied with a serious look in her eyes, Voltorb staring at her with fear in his eyes.

This was the first time he had ever felt this way during a match. This opponent had done nothing to him so far and had only been in the ring for a minute and yet she already gave off an intimidating vibe.

Before he could snap out of his trance, Mantima charged toward him and sent a hard punch into his forehead. The crowd went wild as she followed it up with a roundhouse to the cluster's side. And to top it all off, she proceeded to wrap her arms around Voltorb and lean backward, planting his skull hard into the mat, quickly releasing her hold and allowing him to collapse.

The cheers were even louder as Torchic exclaimed, “YEAH! YOU GO, GIRL!” Venipede breathing a sigh of relief as Nori stated, “And Mantima makes up for the damage dealt earlier with a couple of good hits followed by a German suplex!”

Vigoroth stared at this with her eyes and mouth wide open as she slapped her paws against the side of the mat, barking, “What are you doing, Voltorb!? You just let her hit you back there!” the cluster groaning and rubbing his head, grunting, “You're right. I don't know what came over me.”

He would need to act fast, though, as Mantima refused to give him a chance to hit her again. Unfortunately, he was ready this time as he allowed his left foot to roll toward the mantis.

Before it could form electricity, Mantima leapt over it as Voltorb unleashed his hands again. Luckily, she was ready this time as she held her hands out, grabbing the incoming orbs with the intent of throwing them into their owner before they could spark.

But before she could do that, Voltorb seemed ready for this as he said, “When plan B fails, always have a plan C,” crouching down as electricity surrounded his head. And before Mantima could respond, the cluster of orbs propelled himself up toward her, ramming his skull into her gut and shouting, “ELECTRO BALL!”

The crowd was truly terrified now as the hand and foot orbs released sparks of electricity, adding to the pain. Mantima cried out in pain and felt lucky that her heart had not stopped as a result of this. As if that was not enough, Voltorb refused to let it end there as he latched onto the mantis, flipping her upside-down and holding her head in place with his knees, sending her skull hard into the mat with a tombstone piledriver.

Torchic and Venipede stared in stunned silence as Voltorb released his hold, allowing the mantis to collapse. Needless to say, after taking in an onslaught like that, it would take a true miracle for her to recover as Nori stated what had just happened to the crowd.

All went silent among the crowd as Voltorb looked down at his opponent, sighing, “You were barely worth my time and energy. I expected a challenge, but you know what? For as disappointing as Machop was, she was able to handle the worst of pain and that suplex actually hurt.”

Everyone stared in confusion as Torchic uttered, “Is he implying-” as the cluster continued, “When I saw you, I thought you had potential, but those three hits you dealt to me were weak. Sure, they had an effect, but they were nowhere near as powerful as they could have been. Come to think of it-”

With that, the crowd gasped when Voltorb knelt down and reached for Mantima's face, Vigoroth asking, “What are you doing?” the cluster replying, “I'm checking out a theory of mine. If I'm right, chances are she's probably dead right now anyway.”

But just as his hand orb was about to touch Mantima, her eyes widened as she quickly threw her arms up, clasping Voltorb's wrist with her hands. Before the cluster could even respond, the mantis threw her legs upward, latching them onto his shoulder. The crowd could not believe what they were seeing as she leaning her head back against the mat and used it to propel herself upward, pulling Voltorb with her.

The cluster's eyes widened, Vigoroth's jaw dropped as Mantima slammed Voltorb hard on his back. However, she knew she could not maintain her hold on his arm as she knew what would likely happen and thus, she released her hold and planted her elbow hard into his chest.

Like before, Voltorb did not feel as much pain from this as he should have, but it still had an effect as the mantis lifted him up. She would not give him another chance to fight back and thus she placed his back up against her shoulder as the crowd stared in wonder, though it did seem to cause her a bit of strain to pull this off.

'Dammit, he's a lot heavier than Ninetales,' she thought as Torchic clapped her talons together, shouting, “YEAH! THAT'S HOW IT'S DONE!” Venipede adding, “Come on, don't give him time to recover!”

'But how-?' Vigoroth thought, 'I don't know how, but I can tell his theory is correct, so how is she able to pull this off?'

The crowd cheered even louder as Mantima took a deep breath and leapt up slightly, leaning backward and shouting, “FLYING HAMMER!” planting Voltorb's head hard against the mat.

“Oh my god!” Nori exclaimed, Yuki truly amazed, “Not only has Mantima made an incredible recovery, but she just landed Scyther's legendary Flying Hammer! Granted, she didn't leap as high off the mat as the German insect normally would, but that was definitely the same move!”

“Wait, that move was invented by the Scyther?” Venipede uttered as Torchic tapped her chin with a talon and replied, “You'd think I would have known that, especially since my mother and Scyther are really good friends.”

She then thought, 'Though there's no way Mantima could be who I think she is. Is she?'

All the while, the mantis breathed heavily and thought, 'It was tough, but I did it. I won my first fight on Earth. And I even managed to resist multiple electric shocks. Maybe I do have what it takes to fight evil.'

But just as Nori was about to announce the mantis' victory, her eyes widened along with those of the rest of the crowd when Voltorb's body started to twitch, the cluster of orbs rising to his feet. He let out many deep breaths with a look of irritation in his eyes, Vigoroth sighing with relief and smirking. She should have known that would not be enough to finish him off.

Mantima slowly turned with fear in her eyes, thinking, 'No! Why couldn't you stay down!?' as Voltorb stated, “Well, there's no doubt in my mind that you are definitely what you appear to be! But don't think for a minute that I'm gonna fall so easily!”

With that in mind, the cluster proceeded to throw a punch at the mantis only for her to dodge the incoming strike, latching onto his arm with one hand and ramming her free elbow into his face. Voltorb grimaced and attempted to strike her with a kick only for Mantima to act first and kick him in the shin, stopping his attack.

Just as he was about to attempt his Electric Grenade, the mantis saw this coming and leapt backward. And when he fired his hands toward her a third time, she took hold of them and immediately threw them into the cluster's face. Needless to say, she was on her A game now and did not wish to let herself succumb to another move.

Voltorb rubbed his face and growled, “How are you doing this!?” as Mantima took a deep breath and remarked, “I was taught how to strategize by a tactical expert. After seeing enough of your moves in action, I now know how to avoid them! You were a major threat before, but now you're nothing more than target practice, which is fitting because your colours match that of a target.”

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, “Mantima's not kidding, folks! After a horrible first impression, she is on a roll and does not seem to show any signs of stopping!” Yuki uttering, “She's so cool. Her moves are so much more simple and yet she's doing an amazing job.”

“Yeah, those are heroes for you,” Nori replied with a light smile, “Human wrestlers can be pretty amazing, but they don't hold a candle to those who fight evil for a living.”

However, it seemed that Voltorb would not accept this as he sighed, “Vigoroth, I hope you have what it takes to defeat those last two on your own,” the sloth retorting, “What do you mean!?”

The cluster implied a smile with his eyes and replied, “I'm gonna make the ultimate sacrifice just to even the playing field,” Vigoroth's eyes and mouth wide open as she spat, “Wait, you can't!”

The cluster shook his head and remarked, “Don't be so over-dramatic. You know this move doesn't actually kill me. It just leaves me out of commission for a day or two.”

“Wait, what's he talking about?” Torchic uttered, but she did not wish to know as she snapped, “MANTIMA, LOOK OUT!”

The mantis nodded as she held her ground, waiting for the cluster to strike. And as he lunged at her, she immediately dodged to the right only for Voltorb to stop himself from moving further. He then quickly shifted behind the mantis and leapt up onto her back, latching his arms and legs around her with an implied smirk.

“What!?” Mantima gasped, her eyes wide with fear as Voltorb said, “I can see electricity isn't quite going to cut it with you, and if I can't beat you normally, I'll just have to settle for this match ending in a tie.”

“Wait, what?” Mantima reiterated as Venipede trembled and uttered, “I don't like the sound of that.”

And it seemed the centipede's fears were justified as Voltorb said, “Explosion,” the halves of his head separating from one-another, now attached to what looked like a big digital clock with the number twenty on it.

“Wait, what's going on?” Mantima uttered as the number lowered to nineteen, Torchic shouting, “HE'S GOING TO EXPLODE!” Vigoroth blinking and saying, “Well, that saves me a whole explanation.”

Nori gasped as she uttered, “It seems that Voltorb has turned himself into a bomb. We might want to evacuate,” only for Vigoroth to hold out her arm and say, “No, it's okay. The explosion is small enough that it can only effect the area closest to him, meaning only Mantima can possibly take in damage from this. The rest of you will be fine.”

While the people felt a bit safer, there was no doubt Mantima would need to get out of this hold as soon as possible, but Voltorb's grip was tight. In fact, it was so strong that the mantis could not even struggle as she breathed heavily, the counter now down to ten.

Torchic was unsure of what to say at this point while the rest of the crowd braced themselves. But just as all seemed lost, Mantima had an idea as she took a deep breath, gritting her teeth as a serious look formed in her eyes.

With only five seconds left, she would need to make this count as she used all her might to leap as high as she could into the air, leaning backward. She then headed toward the turnbuckle as the counter went down to three, the mantis now close enough to ram the back of Voltorb's head hard against the pole. This managed to deal just enough damage as he loosened his hold, Mantima leaping away from him just as the counter reached zero.

With that, all of the orbs glowed before a big explosion surrounded Voltorb. Everyone stared as it was just as Vigoroth said. The explosion may have been big, but it was only enough to cover the cluster's general area.

Mantima turned and stared in stunned silence, breathing heavily as Voltorb had a blank look in his eyes, falling hard on his back with his arms and legs spread out, his body now pitch-black. No one even knew how to react to this, Vigoroth clutching onto the sides of her head with a look of discontent. She knew this was a bad idea yet he seemed so sure of himself.

There was no doubt, though, that the match was over as Nori rang the bell, exclaiming, “And after a very intense match, our winner is Mantima!” the crowd going wild as the mantis continued to stare blankly at her opponent, gulping hard.

She could not accept this applause. As much as it pained her, she did not earn this victory. Voltorb had defeated himself.

Even so, Vigoroth was more than ready to finish what he had started as she pointed at Mantima, grunting, “You got lucky, but mark my words, after I defeat your friend over there, you're next!” the mantis trembling all over.

However, Torchic and Venipede did not seem to share their ally's thoughts as they applauded her, Torchic exclaiming, “WAY TO GO, MANTIMA! YOU'RE AMAZING!” Venipede nodding and adding, “I knew you could do it!”

Mantima took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, I did survive the match. Maybe if I keep training, I can earn my next victory. The fact that my training has allowed me the strength to resist electric shocks is proof that I'm ready for this.'

With that in mind, the mantis turned toward the Torchic and uttered, “Alright, Torchic, you're up. I can't handle another fight of that magnitude,” the chicken smirking and nodding her head, replying, “Yeah. I'll make sure to end this for good.”

Vigoroth frowned and grunted, “Yeah, right! Your friend's victory was a fluke! You won't be so lucky! There's no way in Hell I'm gonna lose to someone with no arms!”

Just like before, hearing these words filled Torchic with rage that she hardly ever felt, the chicken fuming at the head. But just as she was tempted to start the match right here and now before the two entered the ring, Venipede spoke up and said, “Do your best, Torchic,” the chicken calming down and replying, “Yeah, I will.”

With all said and done, the chicken headed to the back to prepare herself, Vigoroth frowning and thinking, 'I may as well do the same. If a weakling like Mantima can bring Voltorb to such extremes, who's to say she won't be a major threat as well?'

Though Torchic would certainly need to win this. Neither Machoke nor Mantima were in any condition to face anyone else today and Venipede was still not sure if he was ready to take on a true villain yet.

With that in mind, the chicken was in the back readying herself. She sat on a bench in the back room and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Alright, Mom, I'm gonna do you proud. If you can defeat a golem snake six times your size, I can defeat a sloth easily.'

However, she then looked down at her right shoulder, staring at it for quite some time. As much as she tried to convince herself otherwise, Vigoroth's words were really starting to get to her. Hopefully this would not hinder her performance.

Meanwhile, Vigoroth was lifting up weights, growling, “Don't you worry, Voltorb! Once I'm done, Tokyo will be ours and the world will know our names!” before taking a deep breath and thinking, 'And that includes him.'

With all said and done, the wait was finally over as Yuki was now fully invested in this, uttering, “I really hope Torchic wins,” Nori nodding and replying, “Me too, honey. Me too,” patting her on the shoulder.

Venipede took a deep breath and said, “I'm sure Torchic can do this,” Mantima nodding while thinking, 'Yes, she has to win this,' before looking at Machop with concern.

“Well, I hope you're all ready for another exciting match!” Nori exclaimed as the crowd's excitement grew, the woman adding, “In the red corner, representing the villains and having every intention of avenging her fallen comrade, Vigoroth!”

The sloth barrelled toward the ring with fury in her expression as she leapt high into the air, landing hard against the canvas and beating her chest like a gorilla. She then let out a loud roar as the crowd trembled in horror, even Yuki unable to hide her fear.

Nori then pointed toward the Eastern entrance, exclaiming, “And in the blue corner, the daughter of Blaziken who is sure to set our hearts ablaze! Hopefully the new Texas Phoenix, Torchic!” the crowd going wild as Torchic sprinted toward the ring much like a horse would.

All the while, she thought, 'Texas Phoenix. I like the sound of that,' before leaping high into the air and landing firmly against the canvas, letting out a big battle cry and running in place.

“I'm impressed,” Vigoroth stated with a smirk, “You almost look threatening,” the chicken glaring at her as Venipede clapped and exclaimed, “Good show, Torchic! You're gonna be awesome, I just know it!”

The chicken turned toward her friend and gave him a light smile. She fully intended on winning this match as Vigoroth gave her a serious look. Needless to say, this would not be easy.

 

Torchic and Vigoroth were both more than ready for their match as Nori nodded and said, “Well, it seems the combatants are set. As such, I think it's time to begin-” only for Yuki to cut in and ask, “Hey, Mom, may I ring the bell this time?”

The older woman turned and stared at her daughter, her eyes sparkling as the younger woman groaned, “Please don't give me that look,” as Nori chuckled and said, “Here you go,” handing her the mallet.

Torchic stared Vigoroth down as the sloth smirked and waved her hand toward herself as is to tell the chicken to come at her. And soon enough, the bell was rung as Torchic raced toward her opponent.

Vigoroth felt more than ready until Torchic leapt high above her, planting a talon into her forehead before sending the other into the same spot. This caused the sloth quite a bit of pain as the chicken leapt back with a grin, the crowd going wild.

Before Vigoroth could respond, Torchic propelled herself off the mat toward her with her foot out. She then spun around and sent it hard into her cheek while the crowd cheered even louder, the sloth backing up and rubbing that very spot.

“And Torchic is off to a good start!” Nori exclaimed with a grin, “She has already managed to land three powerful kicks while Vigoroth is unable to respond!”

The sloth growled and thought, 'Don't think for a minute that you've got the drop on me just yet. I'll show you just how strong I can be,' as Torchic hopped back and forth on one foot, asking, “What is this? I came into this match expecting a challenge.”

'Oh, you'll get it soon enough,' Vigoroth thought as Venipede took a deep breath and said, “Well, so far so good, eh?”

Mantima narrowed her eyelids and replied, “Don't count your chickens before they hatch. I get the feeling there's more to this than meets the eye.”

This would be made clear soon when Vigoroth let out a loud roar and charged toward Torchic, the chicken readying herself to counter. But just as she was about to do so, the sloth dodged to the right and swung her arm out, using her claws to put two cuts in her side. Torchic winced in pain but tried her best to ignore this as blood flew out of that very spot.

“And with a fierce scratch, Vigoroth has managed to draw blood,” Nori stated as the sloth proceeded to spin toward Torchic from behind, shouting, “FURY SWIPES!” sending an onslaught of scratches into her back.

Now the chicken could no longer pretend this did not hurt as she cried out in pain, Venipede shouting, “TORCHIC!” as Mantima trembled.

However, the chicken refused to allow this to continue as after ten slashes, she noticed a half-second time gap between each strike. Thus after taking in the eleventh, she proceeded to leap up with her legs spread out and latched them onto the incoming arm.

“What!?” Vigoroth grunted as Torchic used all her might to pull her down, slamming her on her back while still clinging to her arm.

The crowd went wild as the chicken started to twist that very spot as well, Yuki uttering, “Wow, she managed to catch her off guard just like that,” Nori nodding and replying, “Yeah, these fights can be very unpredictable. But you've already seen the proof of that so far, haven't you?” the daughter nodding.

But while Vigoroth clearly felt pain at first, it seemed to fade as she smirked and asked, “You call this a submission hold?”

Torchic blinked and retorted, “What!?” as the sloth chuckled and added, “I can barely feel a thing right now. If anything, it feels more like a massage.”

After a few seconds, Torchic seemed to calm down as she smirked and remarked, “You're just saying that to get under my skin. Well, it's not gonna work,” as Venipede breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “For the second there, I thought Vigoroth was telling the truth,” Mantima uttering, “I don't think that was a complete lie.”

The centipede gave his friend an awkward look when Vigoroth sighed and stated, “Just keep telling yourself that, but let's face it, this is nothing to write home about. It would probably have some kind of an effect if you had arms, but since all you can use are your legs, it barely even qualifies as a hold.”

Just like before, this seemed to strike a nerve as Torchic gritted her teeth, a vein forming on the side of her head. Venipede stared at this with concern as Mantima thought, 'Oh no, I think I know what Vigoroth is trying to do.'

With that in mind, the mantis rose to her feet and spat, “TORCHIC, DON'T LISTEN TO HER!” Vigoroth retorting, “Yeah, don't listen to logic and reason! Your mother was amazing, but she had arms to help her use her best moves! Without those, you're nothing more than a pale imitation!”

Torchic was fuming now, steam shooting out of her beak. It seemed that it was just as Mantima and Venipede feared as the chicken snapped, “I'LL SHOW YOU THAT I DON'T NEED ARMS! I CAN BE JUST AS AWESOME AS MY MOM!”

With that, she opened her beak and leaned her head forward, attempting to bite down onto Vigoroth's claws. However, it seemed she was unable to get close enough, thus she attempted to shift her feet upward so she could bend her body forward.

Unfortunately, all this did was loosen her hold as Vigoroth smirked and said, “Gotcha,” before lifting her arm up and slamming the chicken's back hard against the mat. This was just enough to cause Torchic to release her hold as the sloth rose to her feet, the crowd mortified as she proceeded to sit on top of the chicken, raising her right paw, clenching her claws into a fist and sending them hard into her opponent's forehead.

“Oh no, this is horrible!” Venipede groaned, “Why did she have to let that get to her!?” as Machop's fingers started to twitch. It seemed the girl was finally starting to recover, but not enough to make a full recovery.

It did not end there as Vigoroth proceeded to send even more punches to Torchic's face, shouting, “YEAH, YOU SEE HOW GREAT ARMS ARE!? IF I DIDN'T HAVE THESE BABIES, I WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO THIS!” Torchic attempting to free herself but to no avail as her forehead started to come open.

“And Torchic is a sitting duck while Vigoroth unleashes an onslaught of punches upon her,” Nori stated, “If she can't get out of this predicament soon, she'll end up meeting the same fate of Machop.”

This was too painful to watch as Torchic continued to take in more and more punches, Vigoroth grunting, “You may as well just give up! Admit it, you never stood a chance!” the chicken now attempting to nip at her paws each time they came close but failing to do so as the sloth saw this coming a mile away.

But just as all seemed lost, Torchic's eyes shot wide open when a familiar voice snapped, “HEY, TORCHIC, WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?” the chicken slowly turning her head to see that Machop had finally woken up, though right now she only had enough strength to sit.

Venipede and Mantima were equally shocked as they had been too focused on the match to notice until now. The rest of the crowd seemed shocked as well, Vigoroth raising an eyebrow and thinking, 'Well, she recovered faster than expected.'

“Machop?” Torchic uttered as the girl exclaimed, “I finally wake up to see you getting your ass kicked!? What the hell!? I thought you were better than that!”

Vigoroth gritted her teeth and thought, 'Alright, I'd better knock her out before she gets any advice,' sending another hard punch to the chicken's forehead. However, upon hearing Machop's words, it seemed that Torchic was now able to ignore the pain as she sighed, “I appreciate the sentiment, Machop, but I can't win this. Vigoroth's right. My mom was awesome back in the day, but she had arms. Without those, I'm a loser.”

Upon hearing this, Vigoroth smirked and said, “Good to know you've realized the truth,” before getting up and picking Torchic up by her crest, “I guess I may as well finish you off in a dignified manner.”

But just as the sloth was ready to do so, Machop spat, “Where is this bullshit coming from!?” Torchic staring as even Venipede and Mantima were unsure whether Machop was right or not, “Did you forget what you told me shortly after we first met!?”

The chicken's eyes widened as she remembered it clear as day now, the first day in hero school. She and Machop had immediately formed a connection due to their parents being such good friends themselves. And shortly after their first day of training, the two had a conversation with each other.

“I still can't believe your dad was the one who saved the world twice,” Torchic said as Machop grinned and replied, “Yeah, one day that's gonna be me,” before flexing her muscles.

Torchic chuckled as the girl then took a good look at her shoulders and asked, “Say, I hope you don't mind me asking, but is there a reason you don't have arms?” Torchic blinking and replying, “Yeah. I lost them in an accident. I prefer not to go into detail on that.”

Machop nodded as she said, “And yet you still want to be a hero,” Torchic nodding and grinning as she replied, “You bet! Even without arms, I can still be awesome!”

Back in present time, Torchic took a deep breath and replied, “You're right,” as Machop added, “Besides, have you forgotten the stories about your mom and how she won her matches!? Almost every single victory was obtained with her feet!”

Torchic's eyes widened as she uttered, “That's right,” Vigoroth growling, “Are you done with your smalltalk!?” before swinging her body around, pulling Torchic with her and adding, “What can you possibly do to defeat me!?”

“This!” Torchic retorted before lifting up her feet as they caught flame, the crowd staring in wonder as the chicken sent them both hard into Vigoroth's side, shouting, “BLAZE KICK!”

The crowd went wild as Vigoroth coughed up blood, her eyes and mouth wide open as she released her hold on Torchic. She then fell hard on his side as the chicken leapt away from her, breathing heavily before turning to face Machop and shooting her a grin. The girl nodded and gave her a thumb up while Mantima and Venipede both breathed simultaneous sighs of relief.

“There's something we haven't seen in ages!” Nori exclaimed as Yuki nodded and uttered, “That was so cool,” the older woman adding, “Torchic has just used the legendary Blaze Kick to take her opponent down. For those who don't know, this is a staple of her family and one that Blaziken used to end many of her matches. Let's see if it'll have the same effect on Vigoroth.”

However, while it had certainly been effective, it seemed it had not quite finished the job as Vigoroth planted her paws against the mat and slowly pushed herself up. The crowd gasped as Venipede rubbed the sides of his head, groaning, “Aw, come on! Why couldn't that have been enough!?”

“Relax,” Mantima replied with a light smile, “Now that her head's back in the game, I'm sure she can make up for the damage dealt earlier,” Machop nodding and saying, “Damn straight. Torchic's awesome.”

The mantis then turned to her and said, “By the way, sorry, but I fought Voltorb while you were out cold,” Machop blinking as Venipede added, “She also won,” as Mantima uttered, “Well, technically-”

However, she was cut off when Machop grinned and squealed, “That's awesome!” as the mantis blinked and asked, “You mean you're not mad that I took the victory you wanted?” the girl shrugging and asking, “Why would I be mad?”

But while she was not mad, a part of her was certainly envious. She had been so certain that she could defeat Voltorb just like her father had done to Rotom and yet not only had she lost, but an ally she knew was physically weaker than her had managed the exact opposite.

Vigoroth breathed heavily and thought, 'So that's the legendary Blaze Kick. I have to admit, it's as powerful as I thought, but there's no way I'll let it get me down.'

With that in mind, the sloth charged toward Torchic with her arms folded only for the chicken to leap to the right, sending a roundhouse into her opponent's cheek. The crowd cheered wildly as she then landed and swept her leg under Vigoroth's ankle, causing her to fall on her back. She then performed a vertical flip toward the sloth and sent an axe kick into her gut.

The crowd cheered even louder as Nori exclaimed, “It seems after escaping from Vigoroth's onslaught earlier, Torchic is on the roll!” but that would soon change when Vigoroth took hold of her ankle, grunting, “Big mistake!”

Torchic's eyes widened as Vigoroth pulled on her ankle, causing her to fall on her back. The sloth then proceeded to rise up to her feet, using enough force to flip Torchic onto her belly before twisting her ankle, grunting, “This is a real submission hold!”

Torchic cried out in pain as Machop spat, “COME ON, TORCHIC, FIGHT IT!” the chicken nodding as she lifted up her free leg, sending her talon into Vigoroth's shin.

However, she ignored this until Torchic bound her toes around her ankle, her eyes widening as the chicken provided enough force to cause her to trip. As a result, the sloth released her hold on the chicken's ankle and fell on her back, the crowd cheering as Torchic rose to her feet.

“No!” Vigoroth grunted with her teeth gritted, “How are you so strong!?” Torchic smirking and remarking, “It's because I was raised in a barn! I've spent many a day doing hard, physical labour and as such, I've been able to build up all kinds of muscle! And without arms to worry about, I was able to put an incredible amount of focus into strengthening my legs, so I wouldn't be surprised if they were actually stronger than my mom's!”

“Yeah, tell it like it is!” Machop exclaimed as Vigoroth's eye twitched, the sloth barking, “YOU WON'T BE SO SMUG WHEN I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!”

With that, she rose to her feet and lunged at Torchic with her arms spread out only for the chicken to light her right foot on fire, sending it hard into her midsection and shouting, “BLAZE KICK JUNIOR!”

This cause Vigoroth to fall on her back while the crowd went wild, Nori saying, “And Torchic just continues to counter Vigoroth as she has now used a different version of her family's signature move.”

Unfortunately, Vigoroth was not done for yet as she quickly rose to her feet, charging toward Torchic once more. But just as the chicken felt ready, she was shocked when the sloth leapt over her head, landing behind her. She then swung her arm back and sent it into the side of her head. And it did not end there as Vigoroth reached her arms out, taking hold of Torchic's shoulders, piercing her flesh with her claws.

The crowd winced at the sight of this as Venipede groaned, “Come on!” Mantima and Machop cheering for Torchic only for Vigoroth to lift her up and lean backward, shouting, “SLOTH SUPLEX!” slamming her skull hard into the canvas.

Torchic coughed up blood as Vigoroth allowed her to collapse. And thus the chicken no longer seemed to be able to move as Nori uttered, “It would seem as if Torchic may have finally met her limit.”

“NO!” Machop spat, “COME ON, GET UP!” Venipede whimpering, “Please! I don't wanna face this psycho!” as Mantima cupped her hands together and prayed for the best.

Vigoroth stared down at Torchic, breathing heavily before smirking and asking, “Did you see that, Dad? You always told me my whole life that we sloths were never meant to fight, but I just proved you wrong. You and everyone else in the family, you're all losers, but I'm a winner.”

At that moment, Torchic slowly recovered as she opened her eyes and uttered, “What are you talking about?” Vigoroth slowly turning as the chicken added, “Are you telling me your whole reason for joining the side of evil was because of a petty grudge against your father?”

The sloth stared briefly before gritting her teeth and barking, “THAT IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!” before sending a punch toward her. But just as it was about to hit, Torchic lifted her legs up and took hold of her wrist, grunting, “If you wanted to prove yourself to your dad, why not use your abilities for the side of good!?”

“I always wanted to, but my dad would never allow it,” Vigoroth retorted as she gritted her teeth, looking back to her childhood.

As it so happened, Vigoroth was the princess of a tribe of sloths. Her father, Slaking, was twice her size and looked more like a gorilla, even possessing fingers. Most of his fur was brown save for that around his neck and on his head, which was white. His nose was also more like that of a pig than a sloth.

One day, he was lying in a hammock while reading a newspaper, Vigoroth approaching him and exclaiming, “Dad, it's horrible! Some thieves just snuck into our garden and stole all our crops!”

Slaking blinked and replied, “Well, that's not good,” slowly closing his book before adding, “Unfortunately, none of us can really stop this threat, so I'll be sure to send a message to our neighbours in Libya and see if they have someone who can help us.”

“What!?” Vigoroth retorted, “You mean you're just gonna sit back and let someone else deal with those thieves!?” Slaking nodding and replying, “Yes, that is the sloth way, my dear. We do not stress ourselves or rush into things,” Vigoroth shaking her head as he added, “I know that with your surprisingly high amount of energy, you wouldn't understand, but that is how we do things. If we fight back, others might fear us and we don't want that.”

Vigoroth pulled down on her cheeks and groaned, “Fine, whatever. I'll go and take care of them myself!” only for Slaking to frown and remark, “No, honey. You will stay here and let those who are willing to fight handle it. You may be a princess, but I'm the king, and what I say goes.”

Vigoroth shook her head and gritted her teeth, storming out of her house and retorting, “Whatever! It's your loss!” Slaking saying, “You'd better not be thinking of going off to fight those bandits.”

Vigoroth turned to him and retorted, “And what are you gonna do about it, slowly pursue me!?” before turning and storming off as the king's eyes widened.

And sure enough, Vigoroth defeated the thieves with her Fury Swipes, getting back the stolen crops. But when she returned and told of her accomplishment, Slaking shook his head and sighed, “Honey, I know you meant well, but you deliberately disobeyed me. Therefor you are to spend the next few hours in your room.”

Back in present time, Vigoroth gritted her teeth and used all her might to lift Torchic up, shouting, “YOU'LL NEVER UNDERSTAND WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE FROWNED UPON FOR DOING THE RIGHT THING! YOUR PARENTS WEREN'T IDIOTS LIKE MINE!”

She then flung the chicken toward the turnbuckle as Torchic flipped her body over, planting her talons into it. The crowd and her friends cheered heavily as she leaned back, growling, “I'll admit that it was wrong for your father to stop you from doing such a thing, but that doesn't mean you should just join the side of evil! If you fight for good and help stop evil, maybe he'll see just how wrong he was!”

With that, she propelled herself off of the turnbuckle as her beak caught flame, Vigoroth throwing her arms out and striking her in the sides. However, this proved ineffective as Torchic planted her beak hard into the sloth's forehead, shouting, “FIRE PECK!”

Vigoroth's eyes and mouth were wide open as the spot that had been hit opened it, a light trickle of blood flying out. The sloth then fell on her back with her eyes rolled to the back of her head, all going silent as the crowd watched in anticipation.

“Was that it?” Venipede uttered as Mantima replied, “We'll see,” Machop thinking, 'That looked good enough to me, but who knows?'

After a few more seconds, Nori nodded as she asked, “Care to do the honours, Yuki?” her daughter returning the gesture and ringing the bell, exclaiming, “And after a long and intense match, our winner is Torchic therefor Tokyo is saved!” the crowd going wild as Nori beamed and said, “Well done.”

Machop took a deep breath and clapped for her friend while Venipede cheered as loud as he could, Mantima sighing with relief. Despite the odds constantly stacked against them, she and her friends had ultimately won, and while it was a close call, it still felt satisfying to receive all these cheers.

Torchic was just about to join her friends when suddenly, a voice came from behind her, grunting, “I can't believe it,” the chicken slowly turning to see Vigoroth with her eyes open, though luckily she was too weak to move the rest of her body.

“Even with all my strength, even with your handicap, you still beat me,” Vigoroth uttered, “It's so unfair. I wanted Dad to see me win so I could prove that my way of thinking was correct,” Torchic letting out a sigh and shaking her head.

Machop slowly rose to her feet, the others surprised to see her standing already as she approached the side of the ring, asking, “Vigoroth, do you hate your dad? Was it really as bad as you said it was?” the sloth sighing, “Yes. All I wanted to do was help the kingdom. When a group of bandits stole from us, I defeated them and brought back what they took, but dad sent me to my room because, apparently, by acting violently, I ruined our kingdom's reputation.”

“Your kingdom?” Machop uttered, “Are you royalty?” the sloth chuckling and replying, “Well, I certainly don't act it, do I?”

Torchic let out a sigh and replied, “You know, I'm not gonna lie, I think you have a point when you say your dad was wrong to scold you like that. If he was just worried about your safety, that would be one thing, but just because he's afraid of how others will view the kingdom? I'm not sure what I could suggest for something like that.”

“Well, I still feel like I should apologize for my outburst,” Vigoroth replied, “Though I don't think I'm gonna stay in the kingdom. Maybe after some time in prison, I can start fighting for the side of good instead.”

With that, she closed her eyes as soon enough, police officers entered the area and bound her and the still unconscious Voltorb up with handcuffs. However, they knew better than to lock them up in a human prison and thus called up Hero Planet to take them into custody as soon as possible.

And with that, the first major problem had finally been resolved and Tokyo would be at peace for another day. Needless to say, Mantima and Torchic were both beyond satisfied to have defeated their first foes on Earth while Venipede was just glad they were alright. But just what would the future hold?

 

Note: For those wondering why Lairon doesn't have his helmet, this is actually explained in the first story.

With Voltorb and Vigoroth having been defeated, Machop and her friends could enjoy the rest of their evening in peace. As such, Torchic invited Venipede and Mantima to celebrate with them at the club. And while Mantima was initially hesitant, she felt she could use a rest from work after her match.

The group soon arrived as there were a lot more people than before, the owner giving them a round of drinks. Though this time, he made sure to ask them what they wanted, Mantima being the only one who wanted something alcoholic, specifically beer.

“You gals did an amazing job,” the owner said with a grin, “If you ever wanna stop by again, drinks are always on me,” Venipede nodding and replying, “Thank you, Mister, um...”

“Hansuke,” the man replied, “but you can just call me owner. I'm used to people not calling me by my real name.”

Machop rose an eyebrow as Torchic wanted to ask how that did not bother him in the slightest, but neither wanted to bring up anymore drama after all they had been through today. All that mattered right now was some rest and relaxation.

“So, you sure you're okay with Mantima and I doing all the work for you?” Torchic asked, “You really wanted that first victory,” as Machop let out a sigh and replied, “It's alright. I just wasn't completely ready for that fight, that's all. You guys are friends. If you're gonna get the spotlight before me, so be it.”

Torchic gave her friend a smile and patted her on the shoulder, saying, “Next time you get in a fight, I just know you'll win,” as Venipede rose his glass and issued a toast.

With that, the friends all clinked their glasses together and took a sip of their drinks, though Machop was not completely sure how much she meant what she said. On one hand, she was happy that Torchic and Mantima had gotten their first victories on Earth. But at the same time, the fact that she lost to her first opponent was still eating away at her, like she had just brought dishonour to the family.

She then remembered that Machoke had lost one official match in his entire career. If he could suffer one loss and still keep going, so could Machop. There was no way this would get her down.

With all said and done, the group exited the club as Venipede yawned and said, “Well, I'm ready for a good night's rest. How about you?” Torchic nodding and saying, “Yeah, I'm still exhausted after that match. See you all tomorrow.”

“Same here,” Mantima replied as Machop nodded and waved. But once the others were headed home, the girl blinked and uttered, “Funny, I don't feel all that tired. Must be from all that rest I got after Voltorb knocked me out.”

As such, she decided to go for a little stroll through Tokyo just to see some more sights. But while walking, she started to think deeply about her loss, and it was starting to sour her mood toward the whole thing again. While she had convinced herself that she was okay with this before, she was now starting to question that mentality.

Losing was one thing, but she barely stood a chance. And while she may not have seen how much damage Mantima managed to resist during her match, she got a good idea of the kind of beating Torchic endured before she won. If anything, Machop had sustained the least damage of all three heroes and yet she was the one who lost.

The girl took a deep breath and flexed her right arm only to notice that her muscles were not that impressive compared to those of her father and grandfather. Could that have been the reason? Considering the fact that Torchic and Mantima were both skinnier than her, that could not possibly be the case, could it?

With that in mind, she pulled her cellphone out of her handbag and took a deep breath, saying, “Maybe Daddy will know what's up with me,” before biting her lower lip and adding, “On second thought, it's probably better that he doesn't know,” putting the phone back in the bag.

Suddenly, she heard a voice come from behind her, saying, “You'd rather give him some good news, right?” the girl's eyes widening as she turned toward a man lingering in the shadows and frowned, barking, “Hey, do you mind!? I'm having a very serious conversation with myself!”

At that moment, the one who had spoken exited the shadows and entered the light, Machop's eyes going wide as she uttered, “I've heard of you.”

This man was actually a dark-grey dinosaur made entirely out of steel. Along his back was silver armour that resembled small stegosaurus bones. Each of his feet and hands was rounded with three claws. He had blue eyes and a rounded scalp along with a few scars on his face.

“You're Lairon,” Machop uttered, “You were Garchomp's first opponent in the twenty-second Hero Olympics,” the dinosaur nodding and replying, “It's amazing how many actually remember that. I fought a lot of villains in my time, yet the match everyone remembers me for is one that I lost.”

“Oh, sorry, was that personal?” Machop asked as Lairon shook his head and replied, “Oh no. That loss changed my life for the better.”

He then walked over and asked, “You don't look particularly happy right now. Could it possibly be your match with Voltorb today?” Machop about to question this until he added, “Your match was broadcast everywhere. Something you'll realize is that heroes fighting villains is not something the world's gonna ignore.”

“Oh, so everyone in Tokyo saw that,” Machop groaned as Lairon shrugged and replied, “Maybe. I'm sure there are some people who didn't tune in for that.”

“Still, it feels so unfair!” Machop groaned, folding her arms, “I've trained so hard for this moment! I've waited for this my whole life and yet not only did I lose, I lost easily! My family is known for its incredible resistance to pain and yet I lost in five minutes!”

“Yeah, that is a little strange,” Lairon replied with a shrug, “But still, even if you were able to resist more pain, you still would have lost.”

“What the hell are you talking about!?” Machop retorted, “Did you draw my attention just so you could insult me!?”

“No,” Lairon replied, shaking his head, “I'm just speaking the truth. I could tell right from the moment that match began and you charged toward Voltorb without a second thought. That is exactly the kind of approach I used to take before I created my armour.”

“Really?” Machop asked as the dinosaur nodded and explained, “I would always got into matches with the mentality that I was physically strong and that was all I needed. I faced a grand total of five opponents, and do you know how those matches ended?”

Machop shook her head and replied, “I only know about your fight with Garchomp,” Lairon nodding and explaining, “Well, those matches gave me these battle scars. I lost each and every one of those matches in less than five minutes. Probably the worst was when I fought Ferrothorn.”

Lairon looked back to a time many years ago when he found a cyborg with a disc-shaped head covered in spikes. Coming out of the top were three vines with green spiked balls attached to the ends. And ultimately, this was what he used to defeat the dinosaur, spinning around and smacking him multiple times in the face with an attack he called Power Whip.

And of course, all his partners could do was stand there and wait for his loss to become official so they could finish what he started. Though this was how every other match played out as well, so he was used to that.

“I lasted two minutes before suffering defeat at his hands,” Lairon replied, “And it wasn't that these villains were too tough for my body to handle. No, I've always had a high resistance to pain due to my steel build.”

“So how come you weren't able to beat them?” Machop asked as the dinosaur replied, “The same reason you lost today. It's because all I did was barrel into danger without thinking. It wasn't until I studied footage of my dad's old fights that I was able to see how he won so many matches. Do you know how he pulled that off?”

“How?” Machop asked as Lairon replied, “Strategy. Despite his bruiser exterior, he was a tactical genius in battle, and when I found out about that, I wanted to be just like him. And from that moment on, I seldom ever lost. And my strength had little to do with it. It was my brain that helped me in the end.”

Machop's eyes sparkled as the dinosaur folded his arms and said, “Anyway, I need to head home. The missus is probably wondering why I'm not back yet.”

But just as he turned, Machop held out her hand and squeaked, “Wait!” the dinosaur turning his head toward her as she sighed, “Look, I know this is probably really selfish, but I remember that my daddy had a trainer to help him improve as a fighter. I was wondering if maybe, well...”

Lairon rose an eyebrow and enquired, “Wondering what? Wondering if I have some cash? Wondering if I'll hang out with you?”

Machop took a deep breath and asked, “Will you help train me so that maybe I could be a better fighter?” Lairon grinning and replying, “I thought you'd never ask.”

With that, he agreed to start the following day when both were fully rested, but for now he figured he may as well invite her into his house. Machop was not sure why she agreed to go with him as she probably should have gone to her shack first, but then again, she would have much rather spent the night in a real house than that tiny space.

And soon enough, she was led to Lairon's house as the dinosaur approached the front door and said, “Luckily for you, it's not too late, so the missus will still be up. And let me tell you, she'll be happy to meet you,” Machop asking, “Really? Like, was she a big fan of Daddy?”

“Well, not a big fan, but she is an admirer of his work,” Lairon replied, “In fact, she often told me that she wished she could have met him during the Hero Olympics at least once. After all, she does know his rival quite well.”

Now Machop was really confused as Lairon opened the door, leading her inside. At that moment, barking could be heard as a small black collie sprinted into the room and started sniffing the dinosaur. Machop's eyes sparkled as Lairon laughed and pet the collie, saying, “Yes, Eri, it's nice to see you too,” before smiling as Machop and adding, “Go on, pet her.”

The girl nodded with a big smile and squealed, “Oh, I love dogs!” before kneeling down and stroking the collie, a voice with a Russian accent coming from the living room and asking, “Honey, is that you?” Lairon calling back, “Yeah! We got us a guest tonight!”

“It's not one of your drinking buddies again, is it?” the wife remarked as Lairon signalled Machop to follow him to the living room while saying, “Oh no, not this time.”

With that, the two entered the room as Machop gasped at the sight of a tall dark-blue dragon with a red underbelly sitting on the couch with a book in hand. Said hands were claws as she had a long fin coming from each arm and another one on her back. Her head resembled a plane engine with a yellow star on her nose and two motor-like formations on the sides.

Machop stared in stunned silence as Lairon said, “Honey, I'd like you to meet Machop, the daughter of Machoke,” the dragon grinning and saying, “Wow, I never thought I'd get to meet a member of the Mach family face-to-face.”

She then noticed Machop's expression and blinked, asking, “You alright?” as the girl uttered, “Oh my god, you're Garchomp.”

The dragon grinned and replied, “Always nice to meet an admirer,” Machop saying, “Wow, I've heard that you two gained a friendship after your match, but I didn't think you'd be married.”

Garchomp and Lairon both chuckled as the dinosaur replied, “Well, it's like that eighties song goes, what started out as friendship grew stronger,” before walking over to the dragon as the two shared a brief kiss.

Soon enough, Machop was seated on an easy chair across from the couch while enjoying small talk. Garchomp decided to brew up some tea for the occasion and after a while, Machop felt right at home. Something about having a civilized conversation with two fighting legends was nice.

Currently, Eri was lying on the couch next to Garchomp as she scratched her back, Machop saying, “Wow, I think you're the only people I know who would actually allow their dog to sit on their furniture,” Garchomp chuckling and replying, “Yeah, she's like our little princess. She sits wherever she wants.”

Machop giggled before asking, “So what made you decide to live in Tokyo, anyway?” Lairon replying, “It was hard leaving our homes, but, well, Tokyo was where we first met. We figured spending our lives here just made sense, especially since it's such a nice place.”

He then placed a hand on Garchomp's shoulder as the dragon rested her head on his, saying, “Yeah, this seemed like the perfect place to raise a child. You'd like our little Aron.”

“Aron...” Machop uttered, tapping her chin and nodding, saying, “Yeah, I met him in school,” Lairon blinking and asking, “Right, I already forgot how many students there were for the first semester. How's he doing?”

“I wasn't paying too much attention, but I think he was assigned to protect some place in Chile,” Machop replied while scratching her head, Garchomp grinning and saying, “Well, Chile's in good hands, then,” Lairon nodding.

The dinosaur then turned to his wife and said, “By the way, I hope you don't mind Machop staying in the guestroom for a while, maybe a few months, possibly a year,” Machop's eyes wide with shock as Garchomp grinned and replied, “That would be perfectly fine. That room's not used for much anyway.”

Machop looked back and forth at the two of them before asking, “Wait, what?” Lairon grinning and replying, “Hey, I figure if I'm gonna train you, you might as well live here. That way you won't have to walk all the way here everyday. It'll save you lots of time.”

“You didn't tell me you were going to train her,” Garchomp chuckled before nudging him, “Wow, my husband training a member of the Mach family. It's like being married to a male Aipom,” the dragon then giving her husband a noogie as he laughed and replied, “Yeah, you always did wanna catch up with her, didn't you?”

“You knew Daddy's trainer?” Machop enquired as Garchomp nodded and replied, “Not only did she help me out in the three-legged race, but she saved my life. Everyone told me how she selflessly put herself in harm's way just to stop me from becoming a cripple or worse.”

Machop tapped her chin and nodded, saying, “Oh yeah. That's right. After Lucario beat you in the semi-finals, he threw you over the edge of the ring,” Garchomp nodding and adding, “That's right, but Aipom caught me and used all her might to hold me up. I never did get to thank her for that.”

The dragon then looked down as Lairon patted her on the shoulder and sighed, Machop gasping, “Wait, I might be able to get her number! Hold on, I'll call up Daddy right now!” the girl pulling out her cellphone as Garchomp's eyes sparkled.

After a few seconds, she got a response as she spoke with Machoke for a while. Luckily, he did not bring up her embarrassing loss today and Machop would have much rather not gone into that herself. She might bring it up one day, but that was not the purpose of her call.

After a couple of minutes, she asked, “Hey, Daddy, what's Aipom's number?” as Machoke replied, “I'll need to check my contacts for that, but I'm not sure if I can do that while we're talking. I'll send you a text,” Machop nodding and replying, “Oh yeah, that's a much better idea.”

With that, she hung up as Garchomp asked, “Did you get it?” Lairon rubbing her shoulder and replying, “Patience, honey. I know this is exciting, but still.”

After roughly a minute, Machop received her father's text and looked it over, nodding her head and saying, “Here you go,” handing the phone over to Garchomp as she looked it over, nodding her head and writing it down on a sheet of paper.

With that, she bowed her head and said, “Thank you so much. You've really made my night,” Machop bowing back as Lairon said, “Well, no doubt you'll want to talk to her in peace, so how's about I show our guest to her new room?”

Garchomp nodded and said, “Yes, it is getting rather late anyway, isn't it?” Lairon rising from his seat and signalling Machop to follow him upstairs.

The girl did so as Garchomp took a deep breath, dialling a few numbers on her cellphone. She wondered if Aipom even remembered her. After all, it had been just a little over fifteen years since the two met, and it had not exactly been under good circumstances. After all, when they did meet, Garchomp had forced the monkey to be her partner in a three-legged race.

During this time, Lairon led Machop to a simple room. In it was a nice bed, a cupboard and a chest of drawers. There was also a window pointed at the front of the house thus giving Machop a nice view of the area.

“So you're really okay with me just moving in like this?” Machop uttered as Lairon nodded and said, “Just as long as you don't enter our room late at night, if you know what I mean,” winking at her as she tensed up, her cheeks bright pink.

All the while, Garchomp had been having a very nice chat with Aipom. She could not believe just how happy the monkey was to hear from her. And to think that she of all heroes had become a mother was very surprising to hear as she used to always consider herself too busy for romance.

“Well, it was very nice talking to you,” Garchomp said, Aipom replying, “Same here,” before suggesting, “I got an idea. Maybe the next time we're on holidays, we can meet up. It doesn't take long to get from Osaka to Tokyo by bullet train.”

“You mean you'd rather be the one to come here?” Garchomp replied as the monkey said, “Yeah. If you come here, I won't have a chance to see Machop. I wanna see how she's doing. I haven't seen her since she was only one. She probably doesn't even remember me.”

Garchomp nodded and asked, “So you're perfectly fine with my darling training her?” as Aipom replied, “Yeah. I'd have sent my daughter to do it like how I volunteered to train Machoke, but she's not as into that sort of thing as I am and I respect that.”

“I see,” Garchomp replied, “Well, I look forward to it. At the very least, I'm glad I finally got to thank you for saving my life. That really meant a lot to me.”

“That's great,” the monkey replied before hearing the sound of something breaking and groaning, “Oh, great, Aipa broke another vase. I need to deal with this. Thanks so much for calling,” Garchomp nodding and replying, “It was my pleasure,” before hanging up and chuckling.

And with all said and done, it was finally time for Machop to get some much needed sleep as she crawled under the covers of her new bed, folding her hands behind her head. She had a big smile on her face as she thought, 'Next time a villain shows up, I'll be ready.'

 

It was a fine day in Tokyo as Machop had woken up early. It was not so much for training purposes but rather so she could head to her shack and pick up what she wanted to have with her. After all, since she would live with Lairon for some time, she would need to feel at home, and while she had not brought a whole lot to the shack herself, she would have at least liked to have the old photos and a few other things with her.

Because of this, Lairon had given her a big duffel bag to carry everything in, the girl breathing in the morning air as she walked along the avenue. Sure, it would have been faster to take the bus, but she figured any excuse to exercise her feet was a good one. At the very least, it was not as if she had a reason to rush anywhere.

Upon arriving at the shack, she blinked when she noticed her friends standing there, Mantima knocking on the door and sighing, “I'm telling you, she's not home,” as Venipede groaned, “But look how early in the day it is! She's not exactly the type to wake up early and go for morning jogs or something like that.”

Just as Torchic was about to suggest something else, Machop laughed nervously and said, “Oh, yeah, I probably should have messaged you guys about this, huh?” the others turning and breathing sighs of relief.

“There you are!” Torchic snapped with a look of slight annoyance, “I was beginning to think you'd run away from home without telling us!” the others staring at her as Mantima uttered, “Why would she do that?”

“Look, I'm not letting my loss yesterday get to me if that's what you're thinking,” Machop said reassuringly as Torchic breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “So, are you the kind of person who goes for morning jogs? Because most people don't carry bags when they jog.”

“Actually, this was given to me by someone whose house I spent the night in,” Machop replied with a light chuckle as the others nodded in understanding.

However, while Mantima and Venipede seemed to accept this, Torchic had a big smile on her face as her eyes sparkled, the chicken gasping, “You mean you spent the night at a boy's house!?” all going silent as Machop's cheeks turned beet red at the thought of that.

“What's his name!?” Torchic exclaimed as she raced over to her, “Is he super handsome!?” as Machop let out a sigh and placed her hand against the chicken's forehead, pushing her back a bit before saying, “It's not what you think. I'll explain everything inside.”

And once inside the shack, Machop packed her bag while explaining the whole situation, the others helping her out while listening. And needless to say, this was certainly unexpected news.

“Wow, so you're gonna live with two living legends,” Torchic said with a grin as Venipede uttered, “I'm so jealous! It's like you're moving in with an aunt and uncle or something like that.”

Machop nodded and squealed, “Yeah, I'm so excited!”

She then blinked and added, “You know, if any of you wanna move in, I'm sure Lairon and Garchomp will be okay with that,” as Torchic shook her head and replied, “Nah, you're doing this to improve as a fighter. I wouldn't want to impose on that.”

Mantima, on the other hand, was considering it. After all, she was the most physically weak member of the team, but at the same time, she had a feeling Lairon's training probably would not have compared to what her parents did to prepare her for combat. Perhaps applying their methods to herself was still the better option.

Either way, Machop had packed everything she wanted to bring with her as she sighed, “Well, I guess this is it. At the very least, do you guys wanna come over and check the place out?” Venipede's eyes wide with shock as he uttered, “You mean we'll actually get to meet them?”

Mantima was about to bring up the fact that they had all met a variety of legendary heroes in school, but she did not wish to sour the moment. After all, she wanted to meet Lairon and Garchomp as well, especially since one of her new friends would be living with them.

With that in mind, the group walked with Machop as quite a few people turned to look at them, though most of the attention was geared toward Mantima and Torchic. Machop did feel a tad disappointed not to get a few looks herself but chose not to let it get to her. After all, the other two girls had earned this.

And soon enough, the group arrived as Machop knocked on the door. The others waited in anticipation until Garchomp opened the door and said, “Well, good to see you decided to return after all,” Machop giving her an odd look as she chuckled and added, “Not that I didn't expect you to.”

The others stared in stunned silence as the dragon blinked and grinned, saying, “These must be your friends. Always nice to have company.”

Torchic snapped out of her trance and held her leg out, saying, “It's a pleasure to meet you, Garchomp,” the dragon shaking her talon and saying, “The pleasure's all mine. Meeting the daughter of the great Blaziken is certainly nice.”

Venipede stared and said, “You're taller than I imagined,” as Mantima nudged him and whispered, “That's kinda rude.”

However, it seemed she did not need to say that as Garchomp chuckled and replied, “It's perfectly fine. I'm used to people being intimidated by my size,” before backing up, “Come inside. I'll make you all some tea.”

As the group entered, a certain black collie sprinted into the area to sniff the newcomers along with Machop as the girl knelt down and petted her atop the head, saying, “Hello, Eri. How are you today?” as Torchic smiled and used a talon to stroke her back.

Mantima, on the other hand, looked intimidated by the dog's presence, but why? What could she possibly have against Eri? She looked even more frightened than when she was about to face Voltorb.

Whatever the reason, she decided to change the subject as she looked around and asked, “So, where's Lairon?” Machop blinking and saying, “That's a good question.”

Garchomp nodded and replied, “He's at work. He'll be back sometime after four, but until then, make yourselves at home.”

The others shrugged and took a seat on the couch, figuring they may as well take Garchomp's offer. However, the others could not stay that long, especially Mantima who still looked uncomfortable around Eri. As such, it was not long until Torchic suggested, “So, guys, wanna go to the club later?”

“Aw, but you'll miss out on your chance to meet Lairon,” Machop said pleadingly as Venipede shook his head and replied, “You heard Garchomp. He won't be back until after four, so if we return by then, we'll be okay.”

Machop tapped her chin and nodded before saying, “Yeah, you got a point there,” as Garchomp entered the room with their teacups and asked, “Would you like anything else?”

“No thanks,” Mantima replied, happily accepting the cup while staring intensely at Eri, who was looking at her with her tongue out and her tail wagging, Torchic saying, “Actually, we're gonna take off in a few minutes to hang out. We'll come back early in the afternoon, though.”

“I might not return,” Mantima uttered as the others turned to her, the mantis adding, “I just remembered I haven't trained once today, so I think I'll head home and do that after the club.”

Venipede nodded and replied, “That makes sense,” as Torchic sighed, “It's alright. Maybe you could meet Lairon some other time.”

Mantima nodded and uttered, “Yeah, some other time,” noticing the dog starting to approach her as she scooted over to the side a bit.

After a few seconds, Venipede felt like he may have understood as he nodded and quickly gulped down his tea, trying his best to ignore how much this burned his tongue as he said, “Well, that was delicious. I think I'll head off with Mantima right now and you guys can catch up with us. How does that sound?”

The mantis stared at him briefly and thought, 'Thank god,' before putting down her cup and saying, “Now that you mention it, I'm not exactly thirsty,” as Torchic shrugged her shoulders and replied, “Alright. Save us a spot on the couch, alright?”

The two nodded and got up, Garchomp sighing, “Well, have fun,” watching them leave as Eri whimpered. However that came to a halt when Machop scratched her behind the ears with a warm smile.

While Venipede and Mantima headed to the club, the centipede scratched the back of his head and asked, “Are you afraid of dogs?”

The mantis turned toward him with her eyes wide open as he noticed the tension he had just caused, quickly waving his hands in front of his face and adding, “It's okay if you are! Lots of people are scared of dogs! It's nothing to be ashamed of!”

“That's not it,” Mantima replied with a sigh, “You're gonna laugh at me for what I'm about to say, I just know it.”

“Why would I laugh at you?” Venipede remarked with confusion in his eyes, “I would never laugh at a friend. That's just rude.”

“Promise?” the mantis asked as the centipede nodded and replied, “Cross my heart.”

With that in mind, Mantima took a deep breath and explained, “The truth is, I've always wanted a dog. I love dogs, so much so that I can't control myself around them. If I started petting Eri, I wouldn't be able to stop. You'd need a crowbar to get me away from him.”

Venipede nodded in understanding as the mantis added, “As for why I never freaked out around Lucario, well, that's because he could talk, so it was easy to be around him.”

Venipede's body started to shake as his eyes twitched. Mantima stared with concern until he held onto his sides and broke out into hysterics, the mantis groaning, “I knew it! You just couldn't resist, could you!? Miss serious fighter has a weakness for dogs!”

“No, that's not why I'm laughing,” Venipede replied through wheezes, “I just find it funny that you wouldn't share something like that! It's adorable!”

“Adorable?” Mantima remarked, her cheeks turning pink as the centipede nodded and replied, “Yeah, I don't think that's anything to be ashamed of. So you like cute things. So what? Lots of people do.”

The mantis blinked and said, “Wow, I never thought of it that way,” a light smile forming on her face, “Thanks, Venipede, for everything. Not just for bailing me out back there but for listening. I never really thought about making friends until just recently, and, well, I'm glad I met you guys.”

Venipede gave her a bright implied smile and replied, “It's no problem at all. If you ever need to share a secret with anyone, I'm your man.”

At that moment, Machop and Torchic finished off their tea as the chicken grinned and said, “Well, we best head off, eh?” Machop nodding and saying, “See you later, Garchomp.”

The dragon nodded and replied, “Have fun, you two,” as they got up and exited the house, the dragon sighing, “To be young again.”

Venipede and Mantima were just moments away from entering the club when suddenly, a tall figure wearing a big trench coat stood before them. However, the strange thing was that this stranger was not wearing pants. Instead, what looked like a blue tail was there as Mantima held Venipede's arm, scowling and saying, “Careful, I get the feeling this isn't a civilian.”

“I don't know who you are,” the stranger said in a deep feminine voice while looking at Venipede, “but I recognize your friend from the news. You're the one who defeated Voltorb, correct?”

“Um, well,” Mantima uttered as the stranger removed her cloak to reveal a bright-blue serpent with a head like that of a Chinese dragon. She had a yellow underbelly and various spots of the same colour along her sides. Over her eyes was a dark-blue crest with three points that resembled a uni-brow. Down her back were four white coral-like fins and her lips were the same colour as her spots and underbelly. Her barbels were also white and she had two bulky arms that matched the width of her body.

Venipede's eyes widened as he trembled, uttering, “Oh my god, who is that?” Mantima holding up a defensive stance as the serpent frowned and said, “I'll admit, you're not exactly who I'm looking for, but I could use some target practice.”

“For someone who saw my match on TV, you underestimate me,” Mantima growled before turning to Venipede and noticing his fear. The mantis then let out a sigh and patted him on the shoulder, a light smile on her face.

The centipede blinked as she said, “It's okay, Venipede. If we fight her together, there's no way she can possibly beat us,” all the while wondering if she could truly back up those words.

Venipede nodded his head and replied, “Right,” forcing a more serious look and thinking, 'I joined Hero School because I wanted to follow in my mom's footsteps and fight evil. Now that I've graduated, I have no excuse to back out! I've come too far to just sit back and let my friends do all the work for me!'

With that in mind, his serious look went from forced to sincere as he nodded at Mantima, saying, “Alright, let's do this,” the mantis nodding and pointing at the serpent, barking, “Alright, villainous scum, you're dealing with Mantima and Venipede now!”

“Villainous scum?” the serpent retorted, “What is this, a Saturday Morning cartoon?” before shrugging her shoulders and adding, “Either way, I guess I may as well let you know who's going to beat you today. My name is Gyarados.”

“Good to know,” Mantima replied as she held up a defensive stance, remembering what charging forward had done to Machop when she fought Voltorb.

Venipede noticed this and did the same, figuring a more cautious approach might be a better idea. Gyarados, on the other hand, did not seem to think this way as she propelled herself off the ground, flying toward both heroes with her arms out. Mantima and Venipede both nodded and ducked down only for the serpent to whip out her tail, striking both in the face.

This caused both to lean back as she landed in front of them, proceeding forward and hooking their necks. However, she did not end her attack there as rather than knocking them down, she applied just enough force to harm them while still keeping them standing. With that, she bent her forearms inward thus latching onto the very spots she had hit before standing up on the tip of her tail and spinning around.

Mantima started to get dizzy as Venipede was terrified out of his mind, a small blue twister surrounding them as Gyarados leapt high into the air, flipping herself and the others one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. She then descended toward the concrete below and exclaimed, “HURRICANE HOOK!” slamming both of her opponents hard against the surface.

Mantima's eyes and mouth were wide with shock. Despite having taken in electricity and survived, this one slam felt far worse. And while Venipede showed more resistance due to his strong upper body, this still hurt as Gyarados released her hold and allowed them to collapse.

Despite having only taken in three hits, Mantima seemed to be out cold as she was barely breathing, Gyarados sighing, “Pathetic. I expected better from the one who defeated Voltorb,” only to feel slightly intrigued when Venipede slowly rose to his feet, breathing heavily.

He then looked down at Mantima and trembled, Gyarados folding her arms and saying, “So you survived, but it seems as if you can't take in much more. Perhaps you should just give up. I wouldn't blame you.”

However, Venipede could not let this serpent get away with hurting his friend this badly, especially when he was also in this fight. As such, he scowled and retorted, “Who said I'm giving up!?”

With that, he charged toward Gyarados as she sent a punch toward him. The centipede saw this coming as he dodged to the right, taking hold of her wrist. The serpent's eyes widened as he pulled up on her arm, forcing her to lose her balance and fall on her chin.

With that, he proceeded to crawl onto her back and latch his legs along with his lower and middle arms around her torso. He then wrapped his upper arms around her neck and pulled up, shouting, “CENTIPEDE SUBMISSION!”

Gyarados had to admit, she was not only impressed that he pulled this off but that this hold hurt so much. With all eight of his parts applying pressure, this dealt considerable pain, more so than most submission holds.

But even so, Gyarados would not go down so easily as she struggled to free herself, Venipede shouting, “I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU GO UNLESS YOU GIVE UP AND SWEAR TO LEAVE TOKYO FOREVER!” the serpent letting out a loud roar.

Torchic and Machop were getting close when they heard this, the chicken asking, “Should we go and see what that is?” Machop nodding as they picked up the pace.

While Venipede's confidence had risen, he was terrified of what the serpent might do if she escaped. After all, there was no way she would allow herself to fall to this move twice. As a result, nervous sweat poured down him, some of it falling on top of Gyarados as she noticed this.

'I can feel it,' she thought, 'That fear he showed earlier, it's still there. I know what I need to do.'

With that in mind, she squirmed and forced herself forward. This caused her more pain, but it was all she could come up with as she inched her way over to Mantima, growling, “If you don't release your hold on me right now, I'm going to bite your friend's head off!”

“What!?” Venipede spat as the serpent opened her jaws, the centipede wasting no time letting go of her as he backed up, trembling with fear as the serpent rose back up.

“Wow, you are so gullible,” the serpent said with a smirk.

Venipede scowled and retorted, “You mean you were lying!?” as Gyarados sighed, “I'm even more amazed by the fact that this actually surprises you.”

With this in mind, the centipede rolled up into a ball and sprang toward her, shouting, “I CAN BEAT YOU WITHOUT THAT HOLD! CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!” but just as he was about to run into the serpent, she instinctively threw her arms out and stopped him in his tracks.

The force of his attack caused her to back up slightly, but that was all it managed to do as the spinning eventually came to a halt. And once Venipede retracted out of his ball-like state, Gyarados wrapped her arms around him just as Torchic and Machop showed up, both staring in horror.

“VENIPEDE!” Machop cried as Gyarados turned and smirked, saying, “Good, the one I actually wanted to see is here,” before leaping toward a nearby lamppost and shouting, “DRAGON DIVE!” ramming Venipede's skull into it.

With that, the centipede coughed up a bit of green blood as his eyes were closed, Gyarados releasing her hold and allowing him to collapse. She then took a deep breath and asked, “These are the jokers protecting Tokyo? Pathetic.”

Machop gritted her teeth and snapped, “Who do you think you are!? Those are my friends you're insulting!” Gyarados sighing, “Then you need stronger friends.”

She then lifted up Venipede, holding him up by his neck as Machop spat, “YOU PUT HIM DOWN!” Torchic nodding as both sprinted toward the serpent.

However, Gyarados saw this coming and leapt over their heads, landing behind them as they gasped, turning around with anger in their expressions. However, it seemed as if Venipede might not be in too much danger as Gyarados said, “As much as I'd love to take you down right here and now, Machop, I would much rather face you fairly in a one-on-one match. Only then will I feel truly satisfied.”

Machop blinked and uttered, “What are you talking about?” Gyarados remarking, “Among the heroes chosen to defend Tokyo, you are the only one I truly care about. If you want me to release your friend, you will agree to fight me in the local arena tomorrow at noon, and only you. If I win, you and your friends will agree to let me rule over Tokyo. Have we got a deal?”

With that, she proceeded to placed both of her hands firmly against Venipede's head like she was just about to snap his neck, Torchic gasping as Machop squeaked, “WAIT!” Gyarados staring as she sighed, “Alright, I accept your challenge. Just please let him go.”

The serpent smirked and released her hold on the centipede, allowing him to collapse and taking her leave as Machop fell to her knees, uttering, “Oh no,” Torchic asking, “What's wrong?”

The girl trembled and thought, 'I haven't even gotten any training in yet. I'm not ready for this. Why did she challenge me!? Is it because of my family's reputation!? Daddy had a lot of enemies because of that.'

Whatever the case, she only had only a little over twenty-four hours to prepare herself. Could she possibly be ready in time?

 

Things had certainly taken a bad turn. Not only were Venipede and Mantima out cold but Machop had to face the villain who was responsible tomorrow. As if that was not enough, she could not start training with Lairon until four, giving her very little time.

Currently, she and Torchic were in the waiting room in a hospital as Machop had her hands on her head, wondering what she could do. The chicken patted her on the shoulder with one of her talons as a nurse entered the area, telling them their friends would recover within two days. The one good thing to come out of all of this was that their injuries were not too severe, though Mantima's had been shockingly worse than Venipede's despite her having taken in less hits.

Both girls thanked the nurse for the good news before Machop sighed, “Do you honestly think I can do it?”

“Of course you can!” Torchic replied with a look of confusion, “Where's this coming from? You've always been really confident in yourself! Where's that upbeat, positive girl I met in school?”

“Before my match with Voltorb, I honestly believed I could handle anyone,” Machop replied with a look of uncertainty, “but you saw how easily I lost. Mantima managed to defeat him when I was only able to hit him once. Lairon told me it's because I'm not ready yet, and he's right. I don't know how to come up with strategies.”

“Wait, is that why you lost?” Torchic asked as Machop sighed, “Don't pretend you didn't see it. You and Mantima won because you used your heads when facing your opponents. I didn't.”

The chicken nodded and shrugged her shoulders, replying, “Well, if that's all, I could help you until Lairon gets back. If that's the only issue, that's not too hard to fix. I'm sure you can do it. You just need to get in a little practice, maybe use what you saw from your opponent today to come up with some way to beat her.”

“But I only saw one move from her,” Machop groaned as Torchic shrugged and replied, “Well, you can at least figure out how to avoid that move. I'm not a complete tactical genius, but I do know a few things about strategizing.”

Machop took a deep breath and gave her friend a light smile, replying, “Thanks. You're a real pal,” Torchic grinning and saying, “Any time, buddy,” rubbing her shoulder.

With that in mind, Machop took a deep breath and rose to her feet, saying, “I'm sure Venipede and Mantima would much rather I prepare for my match than worry about them, so let's get this started as soon as possible,” Torchic nodding as the duo exited the hospital.

During this time, Gyarados was in front of the local arena with a news crew nearby but keeping their distance as a woman stood before the camera and said, “We are reporting live where the serpent, Gyarados, has revealed that she and Machop will face off in this very arena to decide the fate of Tokyo. Only one day since the defeat of Vigoroth and Voltorb and we are already in danger again.”

One camera zoomed in on the serpent as the reporter continued, “When we asked why specifically she chose Machop as her opponent, she gave us no answer, just a glare, one that has certainly convinced us to stay as far away from her as possible.”

All the while, Gyarados had a serious look in her eyes as she thought, 'You'd better show up tomorrow, Machop. I'm gonna make you pay for what your family put mine through.'

During this time, Machop and Torchic had returned to Lairon and Garchomp's house as they were in the back yard having a sparring match. Torchic leapt at Machop only for the girl to grab hold of her ankles and swing her around, flinging her toward a tree. However, Torchic was prepared as she flipped her body around just in time for her talons to press up against the plant. She launched herself off of it, sending a hard peck into Machop's gut.

The girl grunted in pain and knelt down, Torchic sighing, “Damn, you were actually doing pretty good there,” Machop groaning, “I know I told you not to hold back, but this is really hurting my self-esteem!”

Garchomp entered the area and said, “You know, just cause I'm in my forties doesn't mean I can't still kick ass. How's about I have a round, eh?” a grin on her face as Machop tapped her chin and said, “You know, that might be a good idea.”

With that in mind, Machop spent the next little while fighting Garchomp. However, she proved to be even more of a challenge as the girl had trouble keeping up with her fighting style, falling victim to almost every move she dished out.

It was at this moment that Lairon arrived home and sighed, “Alright, after a nice rest, I can get started on Machop's-” only to hear noise coming from the back.

And when he looked outside, sure enough, Garchomp had Machop pinned to the ground with her claws raised. The dinosaur grinned and opened the door, clapping and saying, “Bravo, honey. Still tough as you were the day we met.”

Garchomp grinned and said, “Welcome home, darling,” Machop groaning, “Tell me he didn't see all of that.”

Torchic immediately bowed her head and said, “It's an honour to meet you, sir,” Lairon sighing, “Please, you treat me like I'm the Hero Olympics champion. I didn't even make it past the first round, remember?”

Soon enough, all was explained to him as he nodded and said, “That's what I figured was going on. I saw a news report talking about that on the way home,” Machop replying, “Good, so you know how important it is that we start on this training of yours right away.”

Torchic nodded and sighed, “I hate to admit it, but your wife and I aren't exactly making headway here. Machop's able to put up an okay fight against us, but it hasn't gone past the point of just okay.”

“Yeah, and this opponent seems really tough,” Machop added, “She beat Venipede and Mantima at the same time. I'm not sure I can face a villain like that.”

Lairon took a deep breath and replied, “Well, that is bad. I could tell from looking at her that she's bad news, but mark my words, if you follow my lead, you'll be able to win this match for sure.”

Machop beamed and nodded, asking, “So, what are we gonna start on?” Lairon replying, “Strength training.”

All went silent as the girl uttered, “What?” the dinosaur nodding his head and replying, “Look, in order to know how to defeat your opponent, you'll need to know what her abilities are. I could show you every countermeasure I know, I could teach you how to avoid all of my techniques, but that won't teach you how to overcome Gyarados. So my recommendation for now is to build up your strength.”

Machop bit her lower lip as Garchomp shrugged and said, “No offence, honey, but does she need that? Surely she must have inherited Gardevoir's hidden power,” Torchic blinking and uttering, “Hidden power?”

Machop nodded and explained, “Yeah, it's a power passed down to every female in her family. When one of us in trouble, her hands glow and she takes on unimaginable power for a brief period of time. But, well, let's just say I've managed to master an ability Mama used when she fought Hitmontop back in the day.”

She remembered being told of this fight and how Gardevoir prayed that the power would help her without her having to take in extreme damage. As a result, she wound up merging with it so while she lost the state that made her three times stronger, her normal strength had doubled, so while she lost an amazing power up, she also lost the need for said power for a while.

“That's why I'm able to pack more of a punch than my lack of muscles would have you believe,” Machop replied with a grin as she flexed her arms, Lairon nodding and saying, “Impressive. I still think it would be a good idea to improve upon your strength, but it's good to know you could very well be just as strong as your father, if not stronger. Just think, if you can learn how to strategize, you'll be unstoppable.”

Machop still failed to understand why she needed to do strength training first, but either way, Lairon seemed to know what he was talking about. As such, she agreed to go along with this, hoping that it would help her in the long run. Though Torchic headed home first as she did not wish to distract her friend during all of this.

After a couple of hours of weight-lifting, Machop had herself a short break for dinner. And once that was out of the way, it was finally time to get into strategic thinking. This was what Machop had been waiting for as this was what she knew she needed.

“Alright, so at the very least, we know one of Gyarados' abilities,” Lairon stated, “And it sounds like a tricky one. I'd even go so far as to say your best bet is not to be caught by it at all,” Machop lowering her eyelids and groaning, “Are you really a master tactician?”

“Look, there are moves in this world that are near impossible to dodge,” Lairon remarked, “But it might still be possible to get out of that move. Tell you what. I will have Garchomp reenact that Dragon Dive Attack and you will try and come up with a way out of it.”

Machop stared and uttered, “You're not gonna suggest anything first?” as Lairon shook his head and replied, “Nope. You need to learn how to strategize, and the best way to do that is to at least try doing it yourself. If you can learn how to avoid one move without relying on brute strength alone, you can learn how to avoid many others.”

Soon enough, Garchomp was outside as she had her arms wrapped around Machop, saying, “I hope I don't hurt you too hard,” a big grin on her face as Machop narrowed her eyelids and uttered, “You seem way too happy about doing this.”

“That's a good grip, honey,” Lairon said before asking, “So, Machop, how did this move work? Describe it exactly the way you saw it.”

Machop took a deep breath and said, “It wasn't anything too complicated, but after binding Venipede in place, Gyarados leapt toward a lamppost like a diver descending toward a pool and rammed his skull into it. You think you can replicate that, Garchomp?”

The dragon nodded and said, “That's easy for me,” before taking to the air and flying toward a tree, Machop's eyes widening as she spat, “HEY, I'M NOT READY YET!” her face hitting the plant hard.

Garchomp released her hold and blinked, uttering, “Sorry about that,” as Machop rubbed his face, grumbling, “That wasn't fair. You didn't give me any warning.”

“Just like Gyarados won't give you any warning,” Lairon retorted with a stern look, “This training exercise isn't just to teach you how to dodge this one move. It's to help you get ready for a real match. Gyarados isn't just going to delay the dive just so you can ready yourself.”

“Won't it be easy to just dodge when she tries to grab me?” Machop groaned as Lairon sighed, “That is ideal, but even you noticed the problem with that strategy right away. You can't rule out the possibility that Gyarados can still catch you with it, even if you were at your most alert.”

“True, but I'm starting to wonder about that,” Machop sighed, “This moves involves her binding my arms in place while my legs would also be kind of useless in this situation. How can I stop my head from making contact with the turnbuckle?”

“There you go again,” Lairon sighed, “Thinking with your muscles instead of your brain. While throwing your arms forward and stopping your trip with your hands is ideal, you're right, it can't work in this situation, not even with your strength. But at the same time, it is possible to escape from the hold before it's too late. You need to figure out what that method is.”

Machop took a deep breath and replied, “Well, if you're not gonna tell me what to do, I guess I have no choice,” Garchomp resting a claw on her shoulder with a supportive smile on her face.

With all said and done, Machop allowed herself to be bound by Garchomp again as the dragon wasted no time flying toward the tree. The girl tried her hardest to find a way out but could not as her head once again made contact with the tree.

The third time Garchomp bound her, she tried to shake herself free from the hold before the dragon could take off only for the grip to prove too much. And thus the girl once again found herself making contact with the tree as she grumbled curses, Lairon folding his arms and shaking his head.

“I can't get this!” she groaned, “Can't you teach me how to avoid some basic techniques? It's not like this is the only move she has,” Lairon shrugging and replying, “Well, you have a point there. Maybe we'll take a break from the Dragon Dive so you don't strain yourself too much.”

Machop looked down as Garchomp patted her on the shoulders, saying, “Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll figure something out when the time comes. From what I saw, your father had a knack for that sort of thing.”

'Yeah, that's what I've heard too,' Machop thought with a serious look, 'I'm not gonna let you down, Daddy. I'll make this my first victory on Earth, just you wait!'

And for the next hour, Lairon guided Machop through a variety of basic techniques. He used a lot of submission holds on her, giving her time to think of ways out of them. At first the girl struggled as she attempted to pry him off of her in some vain attempt at getting out of these holds, but she soon realized that was only making things worse and thus had to come up with more complex methods.

While she certainly struggled with this too, Lairon saw her making quick progress here as he grinned and said, “Alright, I'm only gonna have you try and avoid one last technique. Seeing as your opponent has a tail, there's no doubt in my mind she'll probably try to use it.”

Machop blinked and nodded, replying, “Yeah, that makes sense,” as Lairon's tail glowed, the dinosaur saying, “I'm about to use my best technique against you. Are you ready for this?”

The girl nodded with a serious look and remarked, “Bring it.”

With that, Lairon leapt high above her head and swung his tail toward her, shouting, “IRON TAIL!” only for Machop to lift up her arms and block the incoming part. A big grin formed on her face as she easily prevented it from hitting her, tightening her trip on the part she had just caught and slamming Lairon's back into the ground.

“Very good,” the dinosaur said with a grin, “but I'm not sure if I can honestly say that's the best idea against Gyarados.”

“What!?” Machop spat, her eyes and mouth wide open as Lairon rose to his feet, Garchomp sighing, “What he's saying is that due to his age, his strength has deteriorated, so while blocking the tail may work on him, there is a chance it might not work on Gyarados.”

“But there's a chance it might?” Machop asked with hope in her eyes as Lairon nodded and replied, “Well, I can't argue with that. Yes, that is still a possibility,” Machop breathing a sigh of relief as he added, “Still, always remember that blocking the tail isn't the only option.”

Machop nodded as Lairon suggested, “Well, now that that's out of the way, what say we try that Dragon Dive one more time?” Machop biting her lower lip.

Lairon and Garchomp saw the look on her face as Garchomp sighed, “Come on, Machop, you're making progress. I know you can do this if you set your mind to it.”

Machop tensed up and whimpered, “But what if I can't? This really seems like a move that would require high physical strength, and if I can't fight your grip, how can I possibly fight Gyarados'?” Garchomp taking a deep breath and replying, “You'll never know if you don't try.”

Unfortunately, despite all of their best efforts, Machop still could not figure out a way out of this move. And sure enough, she eventually exhausted herself as Lairon sighed, “What time is it?” Garchomp replying, “Eleven. If she wants full strength for her match, she'll need her rest.”

Lairon took a deep breath as Machop slowly opened her eyes, groaning, “No, I can still do this,” only for the dinosaur to shake his head and pick her up, saying, “No, you need to sleep. If you're too tired, you won't be able to do anything in your match tomorrow. You've made some progress in other areas today.”

“But what if I forget everything?” Machop whimpered as Lairon carried her up to her room and replied, “It's alright. Tomorrow's my day off, so I'll be able to give you advice from the sidelines.”

Machop's eyes sparkled as she wrapped her arms around the dinosaur's neck, squealing, “Thank you so much!” the dinosaur laughing nervously and thinking, 'Maybe she's not that much different from her father.'

With that, the dinosaur set her down in her bed and took a deep breath, turning off the light and thinking, 'I really hope you're ready for this. You're our last hope right now.'

Soon enough, morning came as Machop woke up bright and early to have a nice breakfast. And luckily for her, Garchomp had woken up before her to prepare such a meal, having made eggs, bacon and toast.

Machop scarfed down the eggs and toast at an incredible pace as Lairon blinked and said, “Someone's full of spirit,” the girl nodding and replying, “Yeah. It's just that, well, I have a feeling that with you by my side, I can do this. I may have lost my first match on Earth, but that just means I need to do much better for my next one, right?”

“Exactly,” Lairon replied as he took a sip of coffee, smiling and saying, “You make the best mocha, honey,” Garchomp grinning and replying, “Anything for my beloved.”

Eri sat next to Machop just as she was about to eat her bacon, panting happily and wagging his tail. The girl blinked and looked at her plate before giving him a warm smile and saying, “Here,” setting her plate in front of him and allowing him to eat her meat.

The others stared as the girl rose to her feet and said, “I don't need bacon. Eggs are good enough for me,” Lairon not sure what to make of that. Though for all he knew, this could possibly help her perform better, so he chose not to argue with her about this.

Shortly after breakfast, Machop called up Torchic as the chicken had just finished her own meal. Needless to say, she was happy to hear her friend sounding so spirited this morning. After all, Machop would need all the confidence she could get if she was to stand a chance against such a tough adversary.

“So, are you gonna be there?” Machop asked as Torchic replied, “Of course I'm gonna be there. There's no way I'm gonna miss this match,” before sighing, “Unfortunately, though, neither Venipede nor Mantima will be there. Venipede's regained consciousness but can't move and Mantima still hasn't woken up.”

“I had a feeling,” Machop sighed, “I'm just glad at least one of them has recovered. Just knowing that he can watch my match on TV is good enough.”

Torchic grinned and replied, “I look forward to seeing your new skills in action. Imagine just how surprised the crowd's gonna be to see the legendary Lairon walk with you toward the ring.”

Machop grinned and squealed, “Yeah! It's gonna be so cool getting instructions from a veteran! I hope Daddy gets to see my match! I just know he'll be impressed!”

After a bit more talking, the two said their goodbyes and hung up. Needless to say, Machop was certain she could win this and keep up her family's reputation. One loss would not ruin that.

During this time, Gyarados was already at the arena, readying herself for the match. She was currently practising her moves on a blue dummy with a face similar to that of Machoke only with fish lips painted on it. This was to resemble Machamp, Machop's grandfather, as the serpent placed a firm grip on the dummy and bit into the face.

She then tore it off and tossed it to the side, taking many deep breaths and thinking, 'I may never get to face you in combat, but mark my words, I'll make your granddaughter pay for what you did to my grandpa! I hope you're able to see these matches on Hero Planet because I want you to see me wipe the floor with her!'

And once noon rolled around, the seats were all filled as Tokyo had anticipated this since the news report the previous day. Nori sat behind her usual desk while, surprisingly, Yuki had joined her voluntarily. As it just so happened, the matches that took place two days ago had inspired her to follow in her mother's footsteps.

“Can I give the opening statement?” she pleaded as her mother nodded and replied, “You most certainly can.”

Thus Yuki held up her own microphone and exclaimed, “The bleachers are full today as we await the match between Machop and Gyarados! As was the agreement, if Machop loses this match, Tokyo will have no choice but to bow down to evil!”

While she continued her speech, Machop was in the back readying herself while Lairon watched her train, saying, “Remember, don't go overboard. You still need energy for your match,” the girl nodding and replying, “Right.”

With all said and done, Lairon took a deep breath and thought, 'I hope you're watching, Machoke. I've only just begun, but I feel like I may have shaped your daughter into a real fighter. I just hope this doesn't turn out like your match with Lucario.”

He looked back to that fateful day in the Hero Olympics finals when Aipom had injured herself saving Garchomp and thus was replaced by Lucario's sister, a human girl named Amanda. Though at the time, she had dawned a disguise and went under the alias Meisai. While Machoke had performed well, he ultimately suffered defeat when he got carried away and stopped taking the British girl's advice.

All Lairon could hope for was that the same thing did not happen to Machop. As long as she followed his advice, there was no doubt in the his mind that she could win this.

Soon enough, it was almost time as Lairon grinned and said, “By the way, I set up a special entrance for you. You may not like it too much, but this sort of thing always helped your father before his matches.”

Back in the fight area, Yuki tapped on her microphone to get the people's attention again, exclaiming, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for the main event!” the crowd cheering as Torchic grinned and thought, 'You're gonna kick so much ass today.'

Venipede, meanwhile, watched this on a small TV in the hospital as he thought, 'Be careful, Machop. She's really tough.'

“In the red corner, a monstrous serpent who is sure to be a major threat!” Yuki stated, “She has hospitalized both Mantima and Venipede, but she might just meet her match today! Introducing Gyarados!” Nori nodding and saying, “Good job.”

With that, the serpent slithered toward the ring with her arms folded. For whatever reason, she had a yellow crown made entirely out of painted coral atop her head as she glared at a nearby camera, thinking, 'You'd better be watching, you bastard.'

Meanwhile, Machamp was actually tuning in along with his wife, a human woman named Kala. After all, they wanted to see if their granddaughter had what it took. Though currently, Machamp was focused on that crown Gyarados was wearing. It looked familiar, but he could not put his finger on where he had seen it.

Once the serpent entered the ring, she picked the crown up off of her head and set it atop a turnbuckle. The crowd was truly frightened as she looked even more menacing up close than she did on TV.

“And in the blue corner,” Yuki exclaimed, “the daughter of the mighty Machoke! While she left a less-than-stellar impression in her first match, she is determined to make up for that today! With incredible strength for one seemingly lacking in muscle, Machop!”

The crowd went wild but were soon confused as Machop rode toward the ring atop a float with water shooting up out of little fountains on the edges. Torchic blinked and uttered, “What the hell is that?” as Lairon pulled the float, asking, “How you doing up there?”

Machop had a look of embarrassment on her face as she was dressed in a tutu, standing on one foot and making a heart formation with her hands over her head. She also used her toe to spin around like an actual fountain statue. Gyarados' eyes were wide as her jaw dropped, the serpent feeling more irritated than amused. It was as if Machop did not take this match seriously at all.

And it seemed the audience had the same idea as they pointed and laughed, Nori thinking, 'That's more what I expect from the Mach family,' as soon enough, Lairon set down the float as Machop propelled herself off of it, twirling in midair while throwing off her tutu and landing gracefully against the ring, giving a bow with the most uncomfortable look on her face.

Steam shot out of the sides of Gyarados' head as Machop sighed, “Sorry about that. That was my trainer's idea,” Lairon clapping and shouting, “Don't feel too ashamed! You actually pulled off the entire routine! Your dad was usually so bad at the finale!”

At that moment, everyone's attention soon turned to the dinosaur as Nori exclaimed, “Oh my god, folks, we are seeing a real legend here! This is the great Lairon who almost defeated Garchomp!” the woman then handed a sheet of paper as she looked over it and said, “And it turns out he's Machop's second for this match!”

The crowd was now fully invested in the match again as they cheered wildly, Gyarados folding her arms and saying, “So, you called upon the help of a veteran. I guess you do take me seriously after all,” Torchic sighing, “Well, we could have done without the ridiculous entrance, but at least her head's still in the game.”

With that, it was just about time for the match to begin as the girl and the serpent stared each other down. There was no way Machop would lose, not after all she had done to prepare herself.

 

With the match between Machop and Gyarados underway, excitement had risen to an all-time high among the crowd. Sure, the girl's entrance was certainly unexpected to say the least, but she was still serious about this match and with a veteran fighter now guiding her, there was no doubt she would perform much better than when she fought Voltorb.

Before the match could begin, Gyarados took a deep breath and said, “Mark my words, Machop, those friends of yours were just a warmup for me. You'd better not be a disappointment,” the girl frowning and nodding her head. At the very least, it seemed as if the serpent had not seen her first match on Earth.

Lairon grinned, gave Machop a thumb up and said, “Remember what we discussed,” the girl looking back to a conversation the two had on the way to the arena.

While walking, Lairon turned to Machop and said, “Now, as tempting as getting the first move in might seem, there is a low chance of you actually getting it if you race toward your opponent like a maniac. As such, you will let Gyarados have the first move.”

“What!?” Machop retorted, her eyes wide as the dinosaur nodded and said, “I know it might not sound ideal, but trust me, it is. Not only will Gyarados reveal another ability, but if your timing is just right, you can dodge whatever she tries to dish out and catch her off-guard. That is when you will deliver the first strike.”

Back in present time, Machop nodded her head and smiled with confidence, Gyarados frowning. She was going to wipe that look off the girl's face no matter what.

With that, both fighters stood on opposite sides of the ring as Nori said, “Well, it seems like the fighters are ready. So without further ado, let's begin!” Yuki ringing the bell as Machop held up a defensive stance, Torchic thinking, 'Well, that's different.'

Gyarados frowned when Machop gave her a smug look, saying, “You know what? I'm so awesome, I'll let you have the first hit,” Lairon thinking, 'Perfect.'

And it seemed these words certainly struck a nerve with Gyarados as she scowled and snapped, “You asked for it!” before leaping toward Machop with her arm stretched out for a clothesline.

Machop was tempted to raised up her arms and block it, Venipede watching this and thinking, 'Don't make the same mistake I did!'

However, it seemed she might very well not as Lairon exclaimed, “Now, leap to the left!” Machop taking a deep breath and doing just that. And it seemed to work as due to Gyarados' right arm not sticking out, Machop easily avoided the attack.

The serpent scowled and threw that very arm toward the girl as Lairon spat, “Now you can counter!” as Machop smirked and took hold of Gyarados' wrist.

The crowd cheered as the serpent's eyes widened, Machop throwing her forward as her face connected with the turnbuckle. Torchic had a big smile on her face as Nori exclaimed, “Well, we are certainly seeing a different Machop today! Not only did she evade Gyarados' clothesline, but she even managed to ram her into the turnbuckle!”

Yuki had a big grin on her face as she was about to cheer only for Nori to shake her head, saying, “Something you need to realize is that we announcers are neutral during matches,” the younger woman nodding as her mother smiled and thought, 'Still, it's hard to resist applauding a member of the Mach family.'

It seemed Gyarados was not going to let that go as she was still able to focus. As such, she lifted up her tail and aimed for Machop's face. But just as the girl was about to raise her arms in an attempt to block it, Lairon spat, “Leap away from it!”

The girl bit her lower lip, but seeing as his strategy earlier had helped, she saw no reason not to follow his advice. As such, she leapt back just in time to avoid having the tail hit her in the skull, Gyarados growling and turning toward her.

“Well, good to see you are at least a challenge,” the serpent grunted, “But don't think for a minute that a few impressive tricks are going to win you this match.”

Machop nodded and held up her arms defensively, waiting for the serpent's next move. Lairon grinned and folded his arms, feeling proud of his student. Despite only having been under his wing for a day, she was already taking his advice very well. If she could keep this up, there was no doubt she would win.

Even so, Gyarados was just as determined to win this match as she slithered toward Machop. Lairon watched her closely before noticing her start to pick up the pace, the dinosaur barking, “NOW, MACHOP!”

Machop nodded as Gyarados lunged at her, the girl leaping over the serpent's head before planting her feet into the back of her neck. Gyarados winced from the pain and fell on her chin while the crowd cheered, Machop propelling herself away from her and landing a solid distance from where she was.

Torchic had a big smile on her face as she clapped her talons together, thinking, 'Wow, Lairon's amazing!' And all the while, Venipede implied his own smile with his eyes, thinking, 'She's so cool.'

“And Machop continues to avoid damage while pulling off an incredible counter!” Nori stated as Yuki nodded and replied, “I'll say. Gyarados seemed like such a major threat at first, but now she's not quite as intimidating.”

Gyarados turned her gaze toward Machop with her teeth gritted when she noticed the girl and her trainer giving each other a thumb up. Suddenly, her anger turned to understanding as she knew exactly what to do. It was a long shot, but if she could pull this off, she would have the advantage.

The serpent slowly rose back up and said, “I'll admit, you've done a good job so far. It's a good thing you have someone like Lairon to help you out with that, isn't it?” Machop blinking and uttering, “Uh, yeah. It is, isn't it?” the dinosaur frowning and thinking, 'This better not go where I think it will.'

“Yes, in fact, one could argue that he's the one doing all the work,” Gyarados added as Machop retorted, “Wait, what!?” as the dinosaur retorted, “Don't listen to her! She's trying to turn you against me!”

Machop blinked and uttered, “Seriously?” only for Gyarados to shake her head and remark, “Let me ask you something. Those tactics you used earlier, did they feel real? Were those the kind of techniques you would have used if you didn't have Lairon giving you advice?”

Even the crowd was unsure what to think of this as Machop sighed, “Admittedly, no. I probably would have just raced toward you only to run face-first into a fist. If anything, following Lairon's advice is the best thing I can do,” the dinosaur grinning.

But just as he was about to praise her, Gyarados sighed, “Just as I thought. You know, your father may have taken some advice back in the day, but it's also gone on record that his trainer didn't have to give him a whole lot of tips. No, he was able to come up with brilliant strategies on his own.”

“Really?” Machop asked as Lairon gritted his teeth and thought, 'Oh no, she's actually right about that. Aipom may have trained him a lot, but she rarely ever gave him advice during matches. Most of his victories truly felt like his own.'

Seeing as the dinosaur did not even try to deny these words, Machop had a look of disbelief as Gyarados added, “Let's face it, if you were truly worthy of the family name, you wouldn't have to listen to Lairon's advice during this match. If you were a true Mach, you would be able to defeat me with your own tactics.”

All went silent as Torchic gritted her teeth, growling, “Don't listen to her,” Lairon all the while hoping for the same thing.

And back at home, Garchomp was watching this with Eri as the collie whimpered. The dragon sighed and scratched him lightly behind the ear, saying, “Yeah, I hope she doesn't listen to her too.”

Unfortunately, it seemed like Gyarados' plan had worked as Machop took a deep breath and sighed, “Thanks for all the help, Lairon, but I can take it from here,” one member of the crowd shouting, “YEAH! GYARADOS IS RIGHT! A MEMBER OF THE MACH FAMILY SHOULD BE ABLE TO STAND UP FOR HERSELF!”

'No, don't encourage her!' Lairon thought with his teeth clenched as a woman in the crowd exclaimed, “Yeah, give her a taste of girl power!” many other audience members cheering.

Torchic wanted to speak up against this, yet she was unsure of whether or not she could side with Lairon on this one. After all, she and Mantima had won both of their debut matches without any advice whatsoever, and if they could pull it off, certainly Machop could.

Lairon slapped his forehead and thought, 'It's just as I feared, but what can I do?' before nodding as his mind added, 'If she's not going to listen, then I'll just wait and see where this goes.'

With that in mind, the dinosaur took a seat as Yuki blinked, uttering, “Did he just give up on his student?” Nori shrugging and replying, “Seems that way.”

Machop took a deep breath and thought, 'I'm really sorry, Lairon, but I gotta prove myself worthy of the family name,' though she still chose to go on the defensive. At the very least, she knew this was good advice, and Lairon was a bit happy to see her at least doing that much.

However, Gyarados felt this was good enough as she sprang off the mat, shouting, “ALRIGHT, TRY TO DODGE THIS!” flipping herself vertically like a wheel and aiming her tail toward Machop's skull.

Unlike before, Machop had a feeling that countering would be a much better option as she lifted her arms up, applying force to the tail to keep it from hitting her. However, it seemed this did not have the result she wanted as Gyarados applied some extra force of her own, Machop's eyes wide open as the backs of her hands were forced into her skull, the girl falling on her back with the tail crushing her under its weight.

The crowd stared in horror as Gyarados proceeded to turn her tail sideways, keeping it on Machop's midsection to prevent her from moving. She then knelt down and sent an onslaught of punches into her face, Torchic staring in horror as Lairon winced at the sight of this. He wanted to give her advice right now, but at the same time, he needed to know that she was willing to listen.

“Machop was off to a good start, but Gyarados has managed to overpower her,” Yuki stated, “That tail to the face has really put her in a bad spot,” Nori nodding and adding, “While the Mach family does have some incredible strength, it would seem Gyarados' tail was much stronger than her muscles.”

“That can't be true!” a member of the crowd exclaimed as another added, “Maybe it is. Machop clearly has smaller muscles than those of Machoke. Maybe she's not as strong as he is.”

Whatever the case, Gyarados had sent a total of fifteen punches into Machop's face thus drawing blood from her nostrils as she was just barely awake. The crowd could not help but feel disappointed as the serpent lifted her up, a smirk on her face as she said, “So much for the ultimate genes. You're nowhere near as good as your grandfather was.”

'Grandpa?' Machop thought with a look of confusion, 'Why did she bring him up? Most people compare me to Daddy, not Grandpa.'

However, that thought soon came to an end when Gyarados wrapped her arms around the girl, Lairon's eyes widening as he thought, 'This must be the move. We never found a way out of it,' as Gyarados leapt toward the nearest turnbuckle like a fish diving toward its pray.

And soon enough, the back of Machop's head made contact with the pole as her eyes widened, Gyarados shouting, “DRAGON DIVE!” as the girl coughed up blood.

And with that, the serpent released her hold and allowed her to collapse, folding her arms and sighing, “I expected a bit more of a challenge, but this is satisfying enough.”

The crowd stared in horror as Torchic spat, “MACHOP!” Nori saying, “It would seem as if Machop is down for the count. Gyarados' attack was certainly devastating.”

Lairon, all the while, shook his head and thought, 'Please tell me she still has the strength to carry on. I wanted her to learn her lesson, but not like this.'

“Oh my god!” Machamp spat while seeing this on the TV, “That can't be it, can it!?” Kala patting the man on the shoulder and sighing, “It might be too early to assume, honey. After all, you and your kind are known for resisting a lot of pain. I'm sure she can get up from this.”

Unfortunately, it seemed this might not be the case as Gyarados smirked and said, “Your grandfather may have been a pain in the ass, but you're nowhere near his level,” before turning toward a camera and shouting, “Do you see me what I've done for you, Grandpa!? I've gotten revenge on the Mach family, just like you always wanted!”

The crowd stared in confusion as Lairon rose an eyebrow, Torchic blinking and asking, “What's she talking about?” as Nori stated, “Well, it would seem there's more to this match than just a struggle between good and evil. Gyarados has a motive for targeting Machop, but what connection does her family have to hers?”

“Of course the world wouldn't remember,” Gyarados remarked with a sigh, “But I do. I've heard this story enough times and have even found the footage of that time forty-seven years ago when the mighty Machamp fought my grandfather and earned his first victory! It left a stain on my family tree for ages, but now I've come to restore its former glory, which my mother was too much of a sap to do!”

At that moment, the crowd gasped when Machop slowly opened her eyes and pushed herself up, breathing heavily and grunting, “I've heard a brief mention of that from Daddy,” Gyarados' eyes wide open as Nori stated, “Well, it would seem Machop might very well have her father's genes after all as despite all that damage, she has managed to rise to her feet.”

Gyarados gritted her teeth as Machop asked, “Is your grandpa Magikarp?” Gyarados taking a deep breath and replying, “Yes, he is. It's good to know at least someone in this day and age is aware of history.”

Hearing this, Machamp blinked and nodded, saying, “Magikarp. That's right, that crown is the same one he used to wear back in the day to make himself feel superior.”

Kala blinked and said, “But I don't understand. You and him were on good terms after a year, right? Why would a member of his family want revenge on you for something that's water under the bridge?”

“I'm not sure,” Machamp replied, “But I hope Machop can overcome her desire for vengeance.”

Back in the ring, Gyarados gritted her teeth and growled, “Grandpa was feared and respected, but then your grandfather came along and ruined his life! He became a sad sack, a loser, a total weakling and all because of him! But I intend to carry on his legacy! After I defeat you, I'll go on and take control of other areas of the world! I'll be worshipped as the greatest villain who ever lived!”

Torchic blinked and uttered, “So all of this is due to a petty grudge?” as Machop seemed to think the same thing, frowning and remarking, “Look, I'm sorry for what happened to your grandpa, but that doesn't mean I'm just gonna sit back and let you harm innocent people!”

The crowd grinned in excitement as she seemed to ignore all the pain dealt earlier, adding, “You may be tough, but my family has a spirit unmatched by many!”

With that, she proceeded to leap toward Gyarados with her arm out, shouting, “I've never been able to learn most of Mama's moves, but this is the exception! MOON HOOK!” sending the arm hard into Gyarados' neck as her eyes and mouth widened, the crowd going wild as she fell on her back.

“And after that big beating earlier, Machop has gotten the advantage back with Gardevoir's first ever finishing move!” Nori exclaimed with a big grin, “The Moon Hook hasn't been seen in years, and while it looks simple on the surface, it requires a great deal of speed and skill for it to deal as much damage as it has over the past!”

With that, Machop leapt atop Gyarados' belly as Lairon's eyes widened, the dinosaur shouting, “HOLD ON, MACHOP, IT'S STILL TOO EARLY TO TRY THAT!” but it was too late as the girl sent her fists forward, Gyarados opening her mouth and biting into her wrists.

Torchic gasped at the sight of this as Gyarados rose back up with Machop's wrist still in her mouth. She then threw her head up, tossing the girl into the air before leaping up to her level, wrapping her arms around her. The crowd watched in terror as the serpent flipped herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, descending toward the mat and planting Machop's skull hard against the canvas.

“And just as quickly as Machop's advantage returned, it has once again left her as she walked right into a powerful suplex!” Yuki exclaimed, “Can she recover from this or is this the move that will put her out of commission!?”

“I'll admit, I'm impressed that you were able to get up after taking in my Dragon Dive, but now there's nothing you can do,” Gyarados grunted as Lairon stared in horror and asked, “Are you okay?”

Luckily, unlike before, Machop seemed to have taken less damage as she slowly but surely rose to her feet, breathing heavily and patting her cheeks. Gyarados stared at her with irritation and gritted her teeth. She just wanted to end it right there.

But before Machop could continue the match, she took a deep breath and turned her gaze to Lairon, sighing, “I'm sorry, Lairon,” the dinosaur blinking as she added, “I got carried away. As much as I would love to win a fight on my own, I have to admit I'm not quite ready for that yet. So if you still have some great advice for me, I'd love to hear it,” a light smile on her face.

Lairon grinned and folded his arms, breathing a sigh of relief and saying, “That's all I wanted to hear,” before thinking, 'Well, it wasn't like I wasn't prepared for this. I knew she would be a handful, but did she have to cut it so close?'

The crowd was rather confused until the girl turned to Gyarados and sighed, “Gyarados, I may be related to my father, but that doesn't mean I have to fight like him right away. The best thing I can do for myself is take the help that's been offered to me. With Lairon's help, I will stop you and make this my first victory on Earth!”

Torchic smiled and sighed, “Why didn't I realize it sooner? All this time, I thought Machop was just as good as me and the others, but her family has always needed guidance. We all treated this like something to be ashamed of, but it's not. When people are stuck with a problem and have no idea how to overcome it, the best thing they can do is ask for help.”

Needless to say, Gyarados was not the least bit happy to hear this as she gritted her teeth, growling, “So you've decided to take his advice again! Big deal! I'll just use something even he can't figure out a way around!”

All went silent among the crowd as Lairon stared in confusion. Everything was made clear soon enough when the tip of Gyarados' tail expanded. However, that expansion soon travelled up toward her head as it started to inflate, more and more added to it as if she was being pumped full of air.

Unfortunately, air was not what was entering her head as once it had expanded to three times its original size, she opened her mouth and unleashed a huge burst of water. Machop's eyes widened as she had no time to react to this, taking the water to her face as it seemed to stop flowing when it reached the edge of the ring.

Everyone stared in confusion as the water rose up, slowly forming a cube that was five times the size of the ring. And with both fighters now submerged, Machop panicked as she puffed up her cheeks, holding her hands up to her mouth and waving her legs in a vain attempt at surfacing. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she tried, this would not work.

Torchic blinked and uttered, “What just happened?” as Nori stated, “In a shocking turn of events, Gyarados has covered the fight area in water. If Machop doesn't surface soon, she might just drown.”

'No!' Lairon thought with his teeth gritted, 'Members of the Mach family can't swim! Dammit, she's right! I can't think of a way around this no matter how hard I try!'

Needless to say, it seemed like Machop truly was doomed now. Could she possibly get out of this?

 

Just as it seemed things would finally pick up, Machop was now in her worst element after having been submerged in a cube of water. For most land-dwellers, this was already a bad situation to be in, but the Mach family was known for its members being terrible swimmers, so the girl could not have been in a worse spot.

“It would seem Gyarados has decided to use an old tactic to defeat Machop,” Nori stated with a look of concern, “During the twenty-second Hero Olympics quarter-finals, Machoke was trapped in a bubble created by Golduck and almost drowned, but he managed to escape. I wonder if his daughter can do the same.”

The crowd was uncertain about this as this cube was not exactly like the bubble Golduck formed. And it seemed even Machop had no idea what to do as she panicked and tried waving her arms while facing the surface. Unfortunately, she was barely able to move as Gyarados grinned wickedly.

'This is perfect,' she thought, 'I could just sit back and let her drown, but I want to enjoy my victory and if I let natural causes win this match for me, I won't feel satisfied.'

With that in mind, she swam toward Machop with her mouth wide open and bit into her arm. Machop opened her mouth to let out a cry but only managed to release bubbles, the crowd gasping as Gyarados swam toward the water's surface and emerged from it. Before Lairon could even think of a way out of this, the serpent leaned backward and shouted through clenched teeth, “SHARK TOOTH SUPLEX!” diving back into the water and quickly moving toward the turnbuckle.

Lairon closed his eyes and winced when the back of Machop's neck made contact with the pole, Gyarados removing her teeth as blood flew from the arm she had bitten. Needless to say, the crowd had trouble watching this as the serpent saw that her move had not quite finished the job.

With that in mind, she proceeded to wrap her tail around Machop before sending a hard punch into her face. Yuki bit her lower lip and uttered, “And it would seem this new water ring has only made things worse as Machop's a sitting duck,” Gyarados striking the girl with another punch as the woman added, “Not only has she taken a powerful suplex, but now she's taking in an onslaught of punches and can't do a thing about it.”

'Oh god, she finally decides to listen to me and I can't think of anything!' Lairon thought with a look of irritation on his face, 'Why didn't I take this into consideration!? If only I knew she had an ability like this!'

However, his train of thought came to an end when he noticed a serious look on Machop's face. Not only was she still conscious despite everything going against her, but she still seemed to have fight in her.

This was made even more clear when Gyarados sent a third punch forward only for the girl to lean her head back, causing the fist to miss her completely. Gyarados' eyes widened as Machop remembered her training the previous day.

During that time, Lairon had her caught in a hold similar to this. Sure, his was nowhere near as strong, but it was similar. When Machop tried to fight his grip, she only ended up making things worse. But then Lairon gave her a hint on how to escape from it and ultimately, she found a way out of the hold.

With that in mind, the girl gritted her teeth and shifting her body back and forth. Gyarados gasped and readied another punch only for Machop to slide upward, freeing herself from the tail. The crowd went wild as Gyarados stared in shock, Machop taking full advantage of this and sending a roundhouse into her cheek.

“WAY TO GO!” Torchic exclaimed with a big grin as Venipede took a deep breath while watching this from the hospital. This felt like a true miracle.

“Excellent work!” Lairon exclaimed with a grin as Machop took full advantage of Gyarados' state, planting her feet into her skull and propelling herself just high enough to reach the surface.

Sure, she was having trouble staying afloat, but at least she was able to catch her breath. But it was not meant to last when Gyarados ignored the pain to her head and gritted her teeth, swimming up toward the girl like a rocket.

“MACHOP, LOOK OUT!” Torchic spat, but Machop was unable to attempt to dodge the serpent as she took hold of her legs, leaping high above the water with the girl still in her grip.

Just as it looked like Gyarados would use another standard slam move, it seemed she had much more planned as she lowered Machop, wrapping her arms around her and growling, “This water ring should have rendered you useless! But even so, I'm gonna make sure this next hit kills you!”

Before Lairon could think of an idea for an escape, he noticed exactly where Gyarados' body was facing as he exclaimed, “OH NO!” the serpent smirking and lowering her body toward the turnbuckle she had tossed her crown onto and said, “Well, it seems your trainer knows exactly what I have in mind.”

With that, she dove toward it and shouted, “DRAGON DIVE!” as the crowd stared in horror, Torchic gritting her teeth and cursing, “Dammit! That crown was never removed from that spot!”

Gyarados and Machop soon made contact with the water as they headed toward the crown, Lairon taking a deep breath and looking down. But just as all seemed lost, Machop suddenly realized something she could do. If anything, the hold Gyarados had on her was much more similar to the one Lairon used during training.

With that in mind, she gritted her teeth and mustered up enough strength to spin her body around, Gyarados' eyes widening as the girl loosened herself. As a result, the serpent released her hold on the girl and was too spellbound to stop herself. Thus she ran face-first into the crown, her eyes and mouth wide open as her forehead made contact with the two points closest to that spot.

Small bits of blood trickled out as suddenly, the cube of water started to shake. And sure enough, it seemed the water could no longer stay upright as it soon separated, most of it falling out of the ring and onto the ground surrounding it.

“That's right,” Gyarados grunted, “My water ring is only temporary,” as Machop grinned and took full advantage of this, racing toward the serpent and binding her arms in place.

The crowd went wild as Lairon stared in shock, uttering, “She actually found a way around it,” Machop giving him a warm smile and saying, “Thanks for giving me the idea, Lairon. You're an awesome teacher.”

“Not only did Machop escape from certain death, but with the water finally gone, she plans to take full advantage of this moment!” Yuki exclaimed, Nori nodding and adding, “And it looks like she might just have him set up for that amazing finishing move Machoke thought up to make up for the world knowing how to escape from the others!”

It seemed Nori's assumption was correct as Machop leapt high above the ring, Gyarados shouting, “NO! I CAN'T LOSE THIS MATCH!” only for the girl to sigh, “Like I said before, it sucks what happened to your grandpa, but I can't let you take over Tokyo or anywhere else for that matter. It's my job as a hero to stop you.”

With that, she proceeded to latch her ankles around the serpent's tail, spinning her body around and flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees. The crowd went wild as Torchic's eyes sparkled, Lairon saying, “So she does know that ability.”

Machop descended toward the mat with Gyarados' face pointed downward, the girl shouting, “MUSCLE TORNADO!” and planting that very spot hard into it.

Gyarados had a look of both shock and agony on her face as she slowly closed her eyes. And with that, Machop released her hold and allowed the serpent to collapse, all going silent as everyone prayed this was it. After all, Machop had come so close to losing.

Venipede had his top hands cupped together while Machamp and Kala watched with anticipation. Garchomp and Eri both stared at the TV screen with intensity while even Lairon was praying for Nori to ring the bell and make this an official win.

And after just the right amount of time, Yuki turned to her mother who nodded her head, the younger woman beaming and ringing the bell. And with that, she exclaimed, “And after a long and intense match, we have us a winner! Congratulations, Machop!”

The crowd broke out into heavy cheering as Machop had the biggest smile on her face, waving her hands to the adoring public while Torchic breathed a sigh of relief and clapped her talons together. Even Lairon could not help but give her a round of applause, a light tear forming in his eye.

However, the cheering came to a halt when Gyarados forced her hands up against the mat, everyone staring in horror as she slowly pushed herself back up, breathing heavily as the holes on her forehead had expanded a bit, more blood trickling down as a result. She could not accept failure, not after coming so close.

“You are just as annoying as I imagined,” she growled as Machop trembled and uttered, “Hey, you heard the announcer! You lose! Even if you beat me up right now, Tokyo's not yours!”

“I don't even care about that!” the serpent retorted as she took hold of the girl's arms, Lairon gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, barking, “The match isn't going anymore! There's nothing stopping me from going in there and helping my pupil!” Torchic rising from her seat and adding, “Don't forget me!”

But just as it seemed like their words meant nothing, a much older voice came from the crowd, barking, “STOP, GYARADOS!” the serpent's eyes and mouth wide open as she slowly turned her head. And soon enough, everyone else turned toward the source and could not believe their eyes either.

Exiting the bleachers and approaching the ring were two particular individuals. One was a tall and lanky red carp with a yellow crest atop his head and another on his chin that resembled a beard. And other was a lovely slender white serpent with a pointed head and two long pink bangs of hair attached to her eyebrows. Her tail was also covered in blue and pink scales as she was truly a sight to behold.

Some stared in shock as Yuki's eyes sparkled, the woman squealing, “I know who that is!” pointing at the serpent who had just entered, “That's Milotic! She's a professional Hollywood actress!” Nori nodding and saying, “Oh yeah, most of the films she stars in are crap, but she always turns out the best performance.”

The serpent waved to the cheering crowd as even Machop could not believe her eyes. However, her excitement died when Gyarados tensed up, uttering, “Grandpa, did you come to see me win? I'm so sorry, but I promise, I will kill Machop right here and now!”

The carp folded his arms and pinched his forehead, sighing, “For your information, little lady, I did not come to see you defeat Machop,” Gyarados blinking before scowling at Milotic and pointing accusingly at her, barking, “I get it! Mother forced you to come here in her private jet, didn't she!?”

“Wait, Milotic's your mama!?” Machop exclaimed, “So you're, like, the daughter of a celebrity! I mean, okay, technically the majority of us are related to celebrities, but not in that sense!”

Needless to say, the crowd was just as shocked by all of this as Nori stated, “What an astonishing reveal. Turns out the famous actress, Milotic, is Gyarados' mother! But what reason does she have for coming here!?”

“I know why she's here!” Gyarados snapped, “You're here to revert me, aren't you!?” Milotic sighing, “Actually, honey, I have tried for so long to teach you how to live a peaceful existence. The fact is, from what I saw today, fighting seems to be your calling.”

“So you're not gonna try and turn me into a pacifist?” Gyarados uttered as Torchic uttered, “That's a good point. I know for a fact that you're good, so why would you allow this?”

“Well, I said I'd allow my daughter the choice to fight, but not to fight for the side of evil,” Milotic remarked as she folded her arms, Machop nodding and saying, “You know, it would be pretty awesome to have you one our side. You are really strong.”

Gyarados blinked and retorted, “Don't agree with her! I almost killed you! You should fear me!”

“Gyarados, stop!” Magikarp snapped, “The truth is, I asked your mother to bring me here today because I want to tell you something! From what I heard from you on the news, you seem to have it in your head that you're doing me some kind of favour by trying to kill the daughter of my former arch-nemesis.”

“Well, isn't this what you wanted all those years back?” Gyarados remarked, “You lost everything when Machamp beat you! I saw your old fight footage! You were actually pretty good, and then after that loss, you spent so much time trying to kill Machamp that you never won another fight!”

Lairon folded his arms and said, “You know, I have done a bit of research on Machamp lately and, yeah, that definitely sounds familiar,” Magikarp sighing, “Well, I can't deny that, but honey, there's something else you need to know.”

Milotic nodded with a warm smile and said, “Go on, Dad, tell her,” Magikarp smiling at Gyarados and explaining, “See, my grudge against Machamp only lasted a year. In fact, shortly after the twenty-first Hero Olympics, I actually gained respect for him and not only that, but, well, an old buddy of mine named Roggenrola teamed up with me as we both combined our efforts to help Machamp deal with a great threat.”

“Wait, you helped him?” Gyarados replied, Machop and Torchic both really invested now as the carp continued, “It was when Bouffalant appeared and started wreaking havoc along with his seven allies. After defeating the first two, Machamp was unable to continue and thus his friends were left to deal with the remaining allies. Unfortunately, only Combusken had managed to win her match as the others failed miserably, and Scizor would have lost too if we hadn't come in with a secret weapon to save the day.”

Gyarados blinked as Magikarp stated, “After that, I actually became friends with Machamp. In other words, the bad blood between us that formed forty-seven years ago has been gone for forty-six,” the carp chuckling as Milotic nodded and added, “It's true.”

Machop's eyes sparkled as Gyarados stared awkwardly, Magikarp asking, “What say you leave this ring and come home? I'm sure I can convince Beedrill to let you off with a warning. He's a lot more fair than his father,” Lairon sighing, “Ain't that the truth?”

Gyarados thought about this as Milotic gave her daughter a sweet smile and said, “I'll prepare your favourite dish when we get back,” only for the blue serpent to fold her arms and say, “Actually, there's something else I'd like to do. But, yeah, I'll definitely need a mode of transportation.”

With all said and done, Gyarados climbed out the ring to join her folks when she turned to Machop and said, “Sorry for all the trouble I caused,” Machop grinning at her and holding her thumb up, saying, “Hey, Daddy always believed in giving his opponents a second chance! I have faith in you!”

The serpent let down a light tear and smiled, saying, “The next time we meet, it'll certainly be on better terms.”

With that, Torchic let down a light tear of her own and thought, 'Is this that Mach family magic I've heard so much about? Machop's such an awesome friend,' as even Yuki could not hold back her emotions. She just found this so sweet.

'Machoke's matches often ended like this,' Nori thought with a big smile, 'It's good to see his daughter could very well carry on that legacy.'

And soon enough, things started to improve. It was unknown exactly what had happened to Gyarados just yet, but ultimately, things had turned out for the best.

Venipede and Mantima had both made a full recovery and were celebrating with Machop and Torchic at the club. The girl had even invited Garchomp and Lairon to join in, and seeing as they had never been here before, this was certainly exciting. And sure enough, they were just as into the simplistic atmosphere as the others.

“Here's to Machop's first victory on Earth!” Venipede exclaimed as he rose a glass, all six clinking them together before taking a sip of their drinks, Mantima sighing, “I really wish I could have seen your match. I'm so ashamed.”

“It's fine,” Machop replied with a grin, patting her on the shoulder, “You did the best you could. In all fairness, I barely made it out of that match alive.”

Lairon took another sip of a cocktail he had ordered before smiling at Machop, saying, “Seriously, good job today. I wasn't even able to give you advice back there yet you used my teachings to help win the match.”

“You also did an okay job fighting underwater,” Torchic added, “I could see your movement slow down, but not as much as it should have.”

Machop nodded and sighed, “But seriously, thanks for everything, Lairon. I look forward to learning more from you later on,” the dinosaur nodding and giving the girl a sweet smile. Sure, he may have been too old to fight evil, but to be useful in some way was still rewarding.

Soon enough, the group was tired and ready to head home. Machop waved to her friends as she walked with Lairon and Garchomp, Torchic waving back and sprinting home herself. However, Venipede and Mantima had decided to walk home together, though since the mantis' house was closer, she would not be by the centipede's side for long.

“Thank god that's dealt with,” Venipede said with a sigh, “Not gonna lie, I was pretty scared.”

“Yeah, Machop shouldn't have had to do that,” Mantima replied with a look of disappointment, “I know she said I did my best, but if that's my best, am I really fit to be a hero?”

Venipede stared and remarked, “What are you saying?” as the mantis groaned, “Don't lie, I'm not that good. I was knocked out easily and, well, from what I heard, you were able to keep going. I honestly feel lucky that I survived my fight with Voltorb. Sometimes I wonder if I should have even bothered attending Hero School.”

“Don't say that,” Venipede retorted with a serious look in his eyes, Mantima about to protest when he held his top right hand up to her mouth and added, “You're a lot better than you think you are. Heck, when you fought Voltorb, I saw great potential in you. You took in all of those electric shocks and continued to stand. You could have died when he bound you in place and started that timer, but no, you managed to overpower him and escape. Though you are right that wasn't the most graceful victory, it was still a victory, and I'm sure if you work harder, one day you can achieve the same level of greatness you did when facing Ninetales, maybe even more.”

Mantima's eyes sparkled as the centipede implied a smile with his eyes and said, “And to be fair, I kinda need work too. I'm sure you've already noticed it, but I'm not exactly the most confident when I fight either. I get nervous and scared easily, I'm paranoid at times. But I'm sure if I had someone to toughen me up, I might truly be ready to fight evil.”

Mantima nodded with a big smile on her face, her cheeks turning red for a second as Venipede suggested, “I was thinking maybe at least an hour a day, the two of us could get together and train. No outside interference, just the two of us. You could help me build confidence and I'll help you build strength. How does that sound?”

Mantima took a deep breath and looked back to all the training her mothers had put her through. It was tough, even brutal at times, and it had helped her a lot but she still did not feel good enough. If anything, she definitely needed more training if she was to be worthy of her position.

With that in mind, she nodded and held out her hand, saying, “I'd like that a lot,” Venipede shaking it and saying, “Together, we'll make it big.”

 

A week had past since the defeat of Gyarados. Needless to say, the citizens of Tokyo were happy to enjoy some peace for a change. And since it would be a while until Lairon could return home and train Machop, the girl decided to use this time to hang out with her friends. After all, now that she had a set schedule, she no longer had a problem with taking a breather every now and then.

Since the group felt like they had spent enough time at the club, they decided to go to a local mall today. Machop was currently looking around when she noticed a clothing store and said, “Hey, guys, I just thought of something.”

“What's up?” Venipede asked as the girl replied, “Well, something I noticed from all those photos Daddy took with his friends was that they always wore clothing whenever they hung out. I know it's kind of trivial, especially since we have nothing to cover up like humans do, but I was thinking maybe we could try looking stylish when we hang out.”

Mantima blinked and replied, “I probably won't buy anything, but I'll help you guys pick out clothes if you want,” the others giving her a confused look as she laughed nervously and added, “See, my mom's a bit of a fashion expert, and her ability to pick out clothing kind of rubbed off on me over the years.”

Machop nodded and gave her friend a big grin, replying, “Sweet. Well, come on, gals and guy, let's buy ourselves some clothes,” Torchic saying, “A pair of pants would be nice.”

But as the chicken and girl walked quickly toward the entrance, Venipede and Mantima took their time as the centipede turned to the mantis. He was just about to point out how nervous she sounded when she gave her explanation but decided not to question it. Not only would it likely ruin their good time but he did not wish to prod his friend for information, especially since they were now training partners.

With that, all four were now in the clothing store as Machop looked around at various different T-shirts. All of them looked so ordinary to her, so she was having a lot of trouble. If anything, she wanted something cool as that sports outfit she had worn for her fight with Voltorb was all she had.

Mantima was looking at another section and signalled her friends over. Machop walked over to the area as the mantis picked up a black T-shirt with a skull on it.

“Is this to your liking?” she asked as Machop's eyes sparkled, the girl squealing, “You really do have an eye for fashion!” before holding the shirt up to her front side and saying, “Well, better try it out.”

She then picked up a matching pair of shorts on her way to the changing room without actually looking at it. After all, the shirt was all she really cared about.

Venipede looked over various different shirts and sighed, “I just realized, they don't make shirts for centipedes, do they?” as Mantima tapped her chin and said, “I'll pick something that'll suit you perfectly, but I'm gonna make it a surprise for later, alright? So no peaking.”

The centipede nodded and implied a smile with his eyes, saying, “Thanks, Mantima,” as the mantis headed off to pick something out.

Torchic, meanwhile, found herself a nice pair of cargo pants and tried them on, saying, “Perfect fit,” when Machop exited the changing room and asked, “How do I look?” posing like a supermodel.

“You look awesome,” Torchic replied with a big grin as Machop said, “I think I'll just wear these while I pay for them.”

However, it seemed it might not be as simple as she first thought when Torchic sighed, “It just occurred to me, you might wanna get more than one shirt. If we're gonna get more casual days like this, you'll need at least five.”

“What's the big deal?” Machop remarked, “I'll just wear this shirt everyday,” as Torchic narrowed her eyes and shook her head, saying, “Come on, we're gonna find you some more shirts.”

And soon enough, the heroes were ready to pay as they came to a counter, many shirts laid out as a young girl with pink hair in a ponytail smiled and asked, “Will that be everything?”

Machop nodded as the pink-haired girl's eyes and mouth widened, the heroes staring at her as Torchic asked, “Are you okay, Miss?”

“Oh my god!” the pink-haired girl exclaimed as she stared at the group, all of them confused until a big grin formed on her face as she squealed, “Oh my god, you're Machop! You are so cool!”

Machop blinked as a grin of her own formed, the girl rubbing the back of her head and saying, “Nice to meet a fan,” only for the pink-haired girl to cut in, exclaiming, “I saw you beat up Gyarados last week! That was awesome! It looked like you were gonna die, but then-”

“Enough, Eiko,” came a masculine voice as a boy who looked to be around Machop's age entered the area and sighed, “Do you want Izumi to yell at you again?”

This boy had a slightly bulky build to him but was still thin. His hair was brown and messy and he had a scar on his right cheek. The boy scratched the back of his head and sighed, “Sorry about my sister. She can be a bit of a chatterbox.”

“You're just jealous that I don't give you this much attention, Isamu!” Eiko retorted before sticking out her tongue, the boy groaning, “Oh god, if you're gonna work part-time with me, you may as well try to grow up.”

“In all honestly, we don't have a problem with her,” Torchic replied as the boy blinked and said, “Oh, you're those non-humans I keep hearing about.”

“Yeah, and that's Machop!” Eiko squealed as she pointed at the reptilian girl, Machop grinning and giving a light wave as Isamu blinked and asked, “Who was that again?”

“Wait, what!?” Machop retorted with a look of confusion, the boy not seeming to know who the others were either as Eiko sighed, “Sorry about my brother. He's out of touch with reality.”

“No, I just don't have time to watch the same things you do,” Isamu retorted as Torchic uttered, “Still, you must have heard of us at some point. We're all over the news.”

Venipede twiddled his hands and uttered, “Well, he probably doesn't know who I am. I don't think many do,” Eiko replying, “No way, everyone knows about how you bravely stood up to Gyarados,” the centipede's eyes wide open as he asked, “Is that how they're putting it?”

Mantima rolled her eyes and sighed, “Can we just finish this purchase already?” Isamu groaning, “Thank you, someone who actually agrees that this conversation is a waste of time!”

“Wait, that's not what I implied at all,” the mantis retorted as Machop held her hands against her hips, asking, “And how have you not heard of us? Even if you don't watch TV, surely you've read a newspaper at some point.”

“Yeah, but I don't read about things like that,” Isamu remarked, “Everyone says I should because it's life and death, but how many of these supposed villains have ever actually succeeded in taking over the areas they attack? Every one of these stories is the same thing. Villain attacks and gets beaten. Maybe when the heroes finally lose, then I'll actually give a shit.”

Machop gritted her teeth as Eiko sighed, “Like I said, he doesn't care about real life,” the boy retorting, “I care about real life! I just couldn't care less about wrestling!”

He then cleared his throat and sighed, “Sorry, that was unprofessional. Eiko, scan their clothes and let them be on their way,” as the pink-haired girl pouted and grumbled, “Fine,” the boy headed into the back as Machop folded her arms and growled, “That was so rude.”

Mantima nodded and replied, “I understand trying to help run a business and all that, but he treated us like we were imposing on him or something,” Eiko sighing, “Yeah. I keep trying to get him to watch one of these matches and see just how exciting they can be, but he always refuses.”

“Wait, you mean he's never seen a match in his life?” Torchic asked, “He should at least try it before he trashes it,” Venipede uttering, “Who cares what one person thinks?”

The others went silent before nodding and deciding this was no longer worth talking about. However, Machop would not forget about this any time soon. The fact that this guy treated good versus evil struggles like a typical, everyday sporting event really got under her skin.

Either way, it seemed the group had at least hit it off well with Eiko as Torchic asked, “Hey, when are you and your brother off work?” the girl replying, “I get off at one. Why do you ask?”

“You seem cool, so we'd like you to hang out with us,” Machop replied with a grin as the pink-haired girl's eyes sparkled. Thus she squealed with delight and exclaimed, “A million times yes!” as Isamu retorted, “Quiet, sis! I'm trying to organize the new shipments!”

And soon enough, the group was done exploring the mall when Eiko's shift ended, the biggest grin on her face as she squealed, “I still can't believe I'm gonna hang out with my heroes!” the others chuckling before joining the pink-haired girl on a trip out of the mall.

But just as they reached the exit, a certain boy approached them from behind and said, “Hold on, I'm coming with you,” the group turning to see Isamu standing there and folding his arms, adding, “Don't get the wrong idea. I really couldn't care less about being seen with a group of heroes. I just wanna make sure you're good company for my sister.”

Machop frowned until Venipede nodded and whispered, “He's a good brother, I'll give him that.”

And sure enough, the boy was now walking with the group as Machop said, “Well, I got three hours until training. What do you guys wanna do until then?” all of them turning to Eiko who held her hands behind her back and said, “Hey, I'm up for whatever you wanna do.”

“Well, we were trying to avoid this today, but then again, you've probably never been to the Tokyo Day Club before,” Machop said with a grin as Isamu quickly dashed in front of them with his arms out, the boy barking, “Before you even think of taking my sister to a club, I need to know what kind of place it is!”

“For god's sake, it's a day club, not a nightclub!” Eiko retorted as Torchic nodded and said, “Yes, if you're worried about your sister drinking alcohol, don't worry. They have a wide assortment of fruit punch flavors on their menu as well.”

Isamu nodded and said, “Alright, but if any of you try to spike her drink, I don't care if you have powers or not. I will kick your asses.”

“Geez, extreme much?” Machop uttered with a look of discomfort as Eiko folded her arms and remarked, “I'm sure they wouldn't do that, Isamu. Stop being such a worrywart.”

And soon enough, the group was seated at the club as the owner came by and said, “Here you go, for my favourite visitors and their friends,” handing each hero fruit punch save for Mantima's usual beer.

Before Eiko could take a sip of her drink, Isamu took hold of it and sniffed it before nodding and saying, “No drugs in there,” handing it to her as Machop uttered, “He can smell drugs? Even the ones that are supposed to be odourless?”

Eiko nodded and sighed, “He gets carried away with it sometimes,” the boy taking a sip of his own drink and nodding, saying, “That's good fruit punch. I'll admit, this was actually a good idea.”

Machop folded her arms as Torchic asked, “What's wrong? He just said something nice,” the girl remarking, “Yeah, but he said it with surprise and disdain,” Venipede and Mantima not even bothering to bring up the fact that Machop should have seen that coming.

Eiko then looked around at all the pool tables, Isamu shaking his head and sighing, “You know I'd never let you play pool, right?” Mantima giving him an awkward look as Eiko sighed, “He thinks the pool cue will take my eye out,” the group even more confused.

Either way, Machop turned toward the karaoke machine and said, “Surely you don't have a problem with that,” Isamu's eyes widening as he replaced his look with a light smile, saying, “Now that I can get behind.”

Machop breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Thank god. For a second there, I thought he'd get up and ask the owner if there are songs with swear words on it,” as Eiko shook her head and replied, “I'm sixteen. He's okay with me saying swear words. It's just anything that'll hurt me that worries him.”

Machop blinked and shrugged her shoulders, saying, “So he is just a responsible older brother. I thought maybe he just hated us and was looking for any excuse in the book to keep us away from you,” Mantima adding, “Honestly, I was leaning more toward him being a stick in the mud.”

Soon enough, Isamu was in front of the karaoke machine as he uttered, “I haven't done this in a while, so forgive me if I'm a little rusty,” as he picked out a popular song known as 'Ii Yu Da Na'.

Machop noticed this and said, “I never would have imagined a boy picking that song,” Eiko nodding and saying, “He's kinda weird that way. He acts all grumpy a lot of the time, but he really likes upbeat and happy songs.”

As the song started up, Isamu started to sing along with it as Machop smiled and said, “I'm just glad he's finally having fun.”

However, her smile turned to sheer amazement when she took the time to really listen to him. While his speaking voice was low and gruff, it worked really well when he was singing. A part of her was tempted to get up and join him, her cheeks turning pink as she bit her lower lip, thinking, 'What's wrong with me!? This guy's boring!'

However, she could not take her eyes off him right now. He was not exactly handsome and he had given off so many bad impressions in less than an hour, yet seeing him enjoy himself and hearing him sing gave Machop a very odd feeling, one she could not describe.

Once he was finished, the group applauded him, Machop saying, “I have to admit, you have some serious chops.”

“Uh, thanks, I guess,” Isamu replied while scratching the side of his head and blushing lightly, Eiko laughing and saying, “He doesn't handle praise very well.”

However, during all of this, the group failed to notice a pair of eyes gazing upon them from the window. However, they did not remain there for long as the owner of the eyes ducked down before anyone could look in that direction.

And after an hour, the group decided it was time to head off as Machop said, “I should probably head home early so I can be there before Lairon,” Eiko smiling and saying, “That was a lot of fun. We should try this again.”

“Yes, I actually approve of this place,” Isamu replied with his arms folded, Machop smiling and asking, “So does that mean we can hang out with your sister without you having to watch over her?”

“I'll need to maybe join her a few more times just to be sure,” Isamu remarked as Eiko groaned, “Dammit, Isamu, just admit they're good people!”

Torchic chuckled nervously and said, “Well, we'll see you guys around,” Venipede nodding and adding, “Yeah, Mantima and I have some training to do.”

With that, the rest of the heroes left the area as the eyes from earlier peered out from behind a bush, the owner thinking, 'Perfect. Now her friends can't help her.'

Eiko bowed her head and asked, “Same time tomorrow?” Machop nodding and replying, “If we're not busy. This peace probably won't last forever.”

But just as Isamu and Eiko were about to take their leave, the owner of the eyes leapt out from behind the bush and headed toward the pink-haired girl. Isamu noticed this and stood in front of her, shouting, “EIKO, RUN!” only for a giant lobster claw to take hold of him, the boy wincing in pain.

Eiko let out a terrified scream and fell on her rear end, backing away as she trembled, Machop gritting her teeth and growling, “Who do you think you are, you bastard!?”

The creature turned toward her to reveal himself to be a big red lobster with small eyeballs set in sockets that were twice as big. He had a large star attached to his forehead and two blue V-shaped stripes on his throat. Along with the regular set of claws, he also had two small claws located on his lower body along and big feet that resembled that of a dinosaur.

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Machop!” the lobster stated with a fiendish grin, “My name is Crawdaunt! I've wanted to face you for some time, but I needed the right hostage to motivate you!”

“Hey, put him down!” the girl retorted, “Your quarrel is with me!” only for the lobster to smirk and remark, “No, I think I'll make this more interesting. If you can beat me in a fight, I'll spare his life, but lose and I'll add his head to my collection,” the lobster snapping his free claw threateningly.

“NO, PLEASE DON'T KILL MY BROTHER!” Eiko pleaded with tears in her eyes as Crawdaunt retorted, “I won't kill him if Machop wins,” the boy gritting his teeth and growling, “How are you gonna fight with only one free arm!?”

“That's easy,” Crawdaunt replied as he dropped what looked like a miniature ring in front of his feet. He then reached behind his back and pulled out a small vial of water, applying one drop to the ring as it started to expand in size, nearby citizens stopping their business to look at this.

One of the turnbuckles was a big cross, Crawdaunt placing Isamu up against it as two shackles locked him in place, the boy gritting his teeth and struggling to free himself. Eiko was truly frightened until Machop gave her a reassuring smile, saying, “Don't worry, I'll free your brother. You can count on it.”

Eiko's eyes sparkled as she let down more light tears, sniffing, “Please do. I know we don't always get along, but I don't know what I'd do if he died.”

While Isamu was happy to see his sister okay, he still felt like he needed to be there for her. As such, he gave Machop a serious look and said, “You'd better win this match, got it!?” the girl sticking her tongue out at him and retorting, “Who do you think you're talking to?” though a part of her was nervous about fighting without Lairon there to give her advice.

Even so, she had to do this for Eiko and Isamu's sake. Not only that, but one could only guess what else Crawdaunt could do if he was allowed to escape. There was no way Machop could risk failure.

 

With Isamu bound to the upper-left turnbuckle, things had certainly gotten intense as Crawdaunt gazed upon Machop with his claws at the ready. The girl glared angrily at him as the citizens in the area gathered around to watch the fight unfold. After all, it was not particularly common for people to witness a match outside of an arena.

Eiko smiled and said, “I know you can save my brother, Machop,” the girl grinning and giving the pink-haired girl a thumb up.

Crawdaunt took full advantage of this as he charged toward the girl, Isamu shouting, “MACHOP, PAY ATTENTION!” only for Crawdaunt to swing the blunt side of his left claw into the back of her head.

The girl gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the pain only for Crawdaunt to latch onto her shoulders, saying, “Word to the wise, never turn you back to your opponent,” the lobster lifting her up over his head with his tail raised.

Isamu gritted his teeth when Machop's face was slammed against the tail, Crawdaunt shouting, “LOBSTER TAIL SUPLEX!” the girl grunting in pain as threw his arms forward, sending her flying into the turnbuckle.

The people all gasped as Machop rubbed her head, groaning, “That was so unfair,” before thinking, 'This is what Lairon told me about. Of course a villain wouldn't care if I'm prepared or not. What was I thinking!?'

Isamu's eye twitched as he snapped, “Dammit, Machop, you did that on purpose, didn't you!?” the girl turning toward him and retorting, “WHAT!?” as Crawdaunt once again took advantage of the distraction, bending down and charging toward her with his star aimed at her cheek.

Eiko spat, “MACHOP, LOOK OUT!” only for the girl to receive a fierce headbutt to the spot Crawdaunt had aimed for, the lobster shouting, “SHOOTING STAR BULLET!”

The girl fell hard on her side, coughing up a small amount of blood as the people gasped, Isamu gritting his teeth and barking, “Is this to teach me a lesson, not to be so carefree about your line of work or something like that!?”

“No, I'm not doing this on purpose!” Machop snapped, “Why would I!? The only reason I've taken in damage is because of-” only for Crawdaunt to cut her off by striking her on the back of the head with his right claw.

He then proceeded to turn around, saying, “I have to say, this is disappointingly easy,” before slapping her repeatedly across the face with his tail, shouting, “LOBSTER TAIL WHIP!”

Machop coughed up more blood as she took in one hit after another, the people all concerned as Eiko gritted her teeth. She wanted to scold her brother right now, but at the same time, she knew she was just as much to blame for this as he was. She had distracted Machop first, and the last thing she needed was for more distractions.

Unfortunately, it seemed that even if Machop had complete focus, she could still very well lose as Crawdaunt lifted her up by the middle ridge on her head. He had a big grin on his face as he said, “I can't believe you actually managed to defeat Gyarados. Your father may have been something, but you're just a pale imitation. Hell, I should have known just from looking at you how weak you'd be. After all, every other member of your family has big muscles and you don't.”

With that, the lobster hurled her toward the turnbuckle as Machop thought, 'Dammit, what would Lairon do!?' the girl suddenly remembering a training exercise involving him setting up a pole in the back yard to represent a turnbuckle and hurling her toward it.

Machop's eyes widened as she thought, 'Right,' Isamu quite impressed when she threw her right arm forward and took hold of the pole. She then proceeded to swing herself around it before releasing her hold and flying toward Crawdaunt, sending a hard kick into his chest.

Crawdaunt backed up and smirked, saying, “Well, finally you start to put up a fight,” Isamu breathing a sigh of relief and saying, “Thank god, you're taking this seriously now.”

Unfortunately, this seemed to get on Machop's nerves as she was just about to chew him out. But just as she was about to do so, Isamu sighed, “Okay, okay, sorry.”

The girl's eyes widened as the boy added, “Look, I realize that hit you took in earlier was my fault. I distracted you when my life was on the line, and I really shouldn't have done that. And seeing Crawdaunt in action, I realize just how threatening these villains can be.”

“So, you finally take my line of work seriously?” Machop asked with a smirk, “You realize just how difficult it is?” Isamu nodding and saying, “Yeah, and I have to admit, that counter you just used was pretty cool,” a light grin on his face as he added, “Go on, show me some more miracles.”

Eiko's eyes sparkled as Crawdaunt charged toward Machop, saying, “There you go, ignoring me again.”

With that, he once again latched onto her shoulders and said, “You really need to stop looking away,” before lifting her up with his tail raised and shouting, “LOBSTER TAIL SUPLEX!”

But just as Machop's face was about to make contact, she gritted her teeth and spat, “I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH THIS HURTS ME! IT'S BETTER THAN TAKING YOUR TAIL TO THE FACE AGAIN!” throwing her arms outward as they made contact with that very spot, preventing her face from hitting it.

Moving her arms certainly caused her shoulders to bleed a bit, but as long as her arms were still intact, she could keep going. And with that in mind, the girl latched her legs around Crawdaunt's neck and used all her might to flip him over her, sending the back of his head into the turnbuckle. This caused him to wince in pain as he released his hold on the girl, Machop breathing a sigh of relief and keeping her distance, remembering exactly what happened when she tried to take advantage of Gyarados when she was on her back.

Isamu's eyes and mouth were wide open, but when Machop turned to face him, he cleared his throat and put on a more serious look, nodding his head in approval. This was good enough for the girl as she gave him a thumb up, Crawdaunt rubbing the back of his head and scowling at her.

“Okay, now I can see that you might just be worthy of the family name after all,” he grunted before racing toward Machop. However, she was ready this time as when he got close, she took hold of his wrists and leaned backward, using both feet to propel him high above the ring.

Isamu stared in shock as he thought, 'Are all heroes able to do that? This defies gravity itself!' as Machop raced toward the rope and leapt atop it, bouncing off of it and flying toward the lobster.

Eiko's eyes sparkled as she squealed, “OH MY GOD, I'VE HEARD STORIES ABOUT THIS!” as Machop tucked herself into a ball, thinking, 'Some may know how to counter this move, but out of all of Daddy's finishers, this one's my favourite.'

With that, she spun vertically into Crawdaunt's back before retracting to a more normal state. She then reached her arms and legs back, taking hold of Crawdaunt's wrists and ankles before pulling hard enough for both to be in an arch formation.

The lobster's eyes went wide with terror as Machop started to spin, forming a red and blue wheel in the air before descending toward the mat, thinking, 'I gotta get the timing just right. Daddy always managed to pull this off,' as soon enough, the two were close enough for Crawdaunt's belly to hit the mat hard.

His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as Machop placed a firm grip on the back of his head, slamming his face against the canvas and shouting, “SUNSET SLAM!”

With that, Crawdaunt's eyes rolled to the side of his head as is arms and legs were spread out. And thus it seemed he was down for the count as the citizens cheered and applauded Machop, the girl raising her arms high in the air with a big open-mouth smile, thinking, 'I can't believe it! I fought logically and won without Lairon's advice!'

Isamu was truly amazed now. He had never seen anything like this before. The only wrestling matches he had ever witnessed were those between humans, where all of the moves were normal and no one could defy gravity. And just from this one match, he could tell that these hero battles were a lot more intense and much more entertaining, but most of all, they were more serious.

And with Crawdaunt defeated, his shackles came open as he fell. Luckily, Eiko was nearby as she climbed into the ring and caught him, tears welling up in her eyes as she bit her lower lip and cried, “I was so scared, Isamu! I thought you were gonna die!”

Isamu rolled his eyes as the pink-haired girl set him down, the boy giving her a light hug and reassuringly saying, “There, there, I'm fine now,” before turning his gaze toward Machop and adding, “And it's all thanks to her.”

Machop blushed lightly, though she was unsure why as she laughed nervously, Isamu grinning and saying, “You know what? You guys are alright.”

“So you mean we can hang out with your sister without you worrying about her?” Machop asked as the boy shrugged and replied, “Well, I'm still gonna tag along, but only because I want to, not because I feel like I have to.”

This response was even better than the girls could have asked for as they grinned and squealed with excitement, Eiko exclaiming, “This is so cool! Wait'll I tell all my friends at school that I'm hanging out with the heroes of Tokyo!”

And with all said and done, Machop was ready to head home. The ring had been shrunken back to size as authorities from Hero Planet were called up to apprehend Crawdaunt.

Needless to say, Isamu was beyond grateful as he bowed his head, saying, “I'll see you again soon, eh, Machop?” the girl giving him a light smile and nodding as she replied, “Yeah. See you later.”

The girl then turned around to head back home. As impressive as defeating an enemy on her own was, she had still come close to failure and would certainly need to train harder if she was to avoid close calls like that.

During this time, Venipede and Mantima had just finished a sparring match in Mantima's back yard as both breathed heavily, the mantis saying, “I have to admit, Venipede, you're really strong. But unfortunately, you still seem to hold back.”

The centipede let out a sigh and replied, “It's because I don't wanna hurt you. I know you're okay with me doing so, but-” Mantima shaking her head and remarking, “Look, I need to toughen up, and part of that involves me developing a higher resistance to pain. I can't do that if you're afraid of hurting me.”

“Right,” Venipede replied as the two started another sparring match, the centipede charging toward the mantis only for her to easily dodge, sending a roundhouse into his side.

She then frowned and thought, 'Wait, I know,' before barking, “YOU CALL THAT TRYING, YOU WORTHLESS MAGGOT!?”

Venipede stared with his eyes wide open as she spat, “Yeah, you heard me! I don't even know why I asked you to train with me! You're nothing but a loser and a coward who will never get anywhere in life! I heard your mother was amazing, but you're nothing more than a grotesque stain on your family tree! You may as well give up and go home!”

She knew her words were harsh, but she really hoped this would work. And it seemed this was the case as Venipede narrowed his eyelids and spat, “I AM NOT A LOSER!” before rolling up into a ball and flying toward Mantima, shouting, “CENTIPEDE STEAMROLLER!”

The mantis was ready to dodge when he stuck an arm out, hooking her neck and knocking her on her back. He then retracted from his ball-like state and flipped her over, crawling onto her back and wrapping his arms and legs around her, pulling on her chin like he did to Gyarados.

After a few seconds, he blinked and gasped, “Oh my god, are you okay!?” as Mantima nodded and grunted, “I'm fine! Don't loosen this hold for a second!” the centipede nodding and asking, “Oh, you were trying to motivate me, weren't you?”

“Yeah,” the mantis replied, “Be honest, did I go too far?” Venipede sighing, “Well, it did hurt, but it helped,” as he tightened his hold, Mantima smiling and grunting, “Happy to be of service!”

During this time, a group of cloaked figures were headed into a cave on the outskirts of Tokyo, namely Nippara Limestone Cave. There were four in total and whatever they were up to could not be good.

“So, you're sure it's somewhere in this cave,” one of them asked as one with tentacles under her cloak replied, “Yes, it's somewhere in here. We just need to look hard enough.”

As such, the group entered the cave and looked through various places. And after a half-hour, one of the figures noticed a single stone that stood out from all the others. This one glowed green briefly before changing orange, switching back and forth every few seconds.

“I think we've found it,” the figure with the tentacles stated before turning to another who grinned and unleashed a set of claws from under her cloak, saying “Leave this to me.”

With that, she planted them hard into the sides of the stone formation and shifted them around to form a circle. Then when she felt the material start to loosen, she pried it out of the wall and said, “I hope they don't mind us removing this from Japan's loveliest cave.”

At that moment, another reached out what appeared to be a green leaf from under her cloak and took hold of the stone, asking, “Where were we supposed to take it again?” the one with the tentacles replying, “We don't need to take it anywhere. Just place it on the ground.”

The leafy figure nodded and set the stone down as a tall one nodded and lifted his foot up, revealing it to be made of blue stone with red gems representing a toe. And after a few seconds, he sent the foot crashing down on the stone but made sure not to apply too much pressure. After all, he did not wish to crush it.

With that, small cracks formed along the stone as the others stared in wonder. Strangely enough, music seemed to come from the cracks as they all touched each other, the stone falling into small pieces as what appeared to be a tiny girl stood there with her hands cupped together and held up to her heart. It seemed the music came from her as she was currently singing.

“This is supposed to be the legendary demon girl?” the clawed figure uttered when suddenly, a bright light surrounded the girl and thus her body grew until she was five feet and six inches tall.

This girl was a real sight to behold. Her long green hair flowed and had streaks that resembled sheet music with blue dots representing musical notes. She had bright blue eyes that resembled whole notes while atop her head was a matching jewel on her forehead. Her torso was black with a green belt-like formation on her midsection and resembled a short blouse. Her arms were shaped just like quarter notes and on the side of her head was a black headpiece that resembled a treble cleft. Her head and legs were white as her feet were more like tips.

While she was taller now, the others were still not sure about this until the figure with the tentacles bowed her head and said, “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Meloetta,” before signalling the others to follow her example, all of them taking a bow as well, though they were unsure of why they were doing this in the first place.

It seemed the girl before them did not realize this either as she asked, “Where am I?” looking around with confusion, “It's so dark in here. I don't like the dark.”

“She's scared of the dark,” the clawed figure grumbled only for the one with the tentacles to smack the back of her head before rising up and saying, “Miss Meloetta, you have been trapped in this cave for hundreds of years, but do not fret for my associates and I have freed you from your prison.”

Meloetta's eyes widened as she squeaked, “Oh yeah, now I remember! Those mean people chased me out of town and had a wizard cast a spell on me!” the green-haired girl holding onto the sides of her head and whimpering, “They thought I was a monster.”

“Well, she certainly has the motivation,” the leafy figure whispered as the one with tentacles nodded and replied, “That's why I figured she could help us with our goal.”

With that, she placed a tentacle against her shoulder and said, “We know what it's like to be judged for being different. We are not human either, as you can see,” the figure flashing her left tentacle in front of Meloetta's face, the girl nodding as she stared.

“You see, we hide ourselves in these cloaks because if we revealed our true forms, people would attack us without hesitation,” the figure explained, “Humans are so judgemental and horrible, and that is why we need your help. We have heard that you possess great power. Is this true?”

“Well, I was always told that growing up,” Meloetta said before biting her lower lip, “But are you asking me to hurt people?”

“Well, hopefully we won't have to resort to that,” the figure replied, “See, our wish is to create a world where humans and creatures like us can get along, and I'm sure you would love to help us form such a reality, yes?”

Meloetta's eyes sparkled as she nodded with a wide smile on her face, squealing, “I would love that more than anything,” the other figures grinning in response to this.

“But I won't have to hurt anyone, will I?” the girl added as the figure sighed, “There are no guarantees. Ideally, you shouldn't have to, but there might be circumstances that will leave you with little choice. See, things have changed a little bit as humans no longer fear our kind but instead see us as tools.”

“Tools?” Meloetta uttered as the clawed figure nodded and sighed, “Yeah, see, government officials recognize the powers we have been given, abilities humans do not possess, and have decided to take advantage of that. As such, they buy members of our kind for a hefty price and in exchange, they have to fight against us with free will to prevent us from overthrowing them. Each area has at least a couple of them fighting to protect the humans who made you suffer so much, but let me tell you, their work is not appreciated.”

“It's not?” Meloetta squeaked as the leafy figure sighed, “See, they turn it into a sporting event. They host these fights live for the world to see and hold them in arenas for people to gather around and watch, just like cockfights only much more brutal.”

“That's horrible!” Meloetta whimpered, “Why doesn't anyone speak up against this!?” the figure with the tentacles explaining, “It's because they have these chips planted into their brains that will shock and kill them if they ever so much as think about turning on the humans that purchased them. We won't be able to remove the chips, but if we take control, we can make sure those devices that were built to shock them are never used.”

“There is a chance you might have to fight some of these beings in order to stop them,” the clawed figure explained, “Are you willing to do that? It will result in you having to use violence.”

Meloetta bit her lower lip and took a deep breath, nodding and putting on a more serious look. She wanted more than anything to end the conflict between humans and other-worldly creatures and with that in mind, she stated, “I don't want to fight, but if it's necessary, I will. I'll stand by you every step of the way.”

“Well, you heard her,” the figure with the tentacles said, “What say we introduce ourselves?” and thus all four removed their cloaks.

The one with the tentacles had a grand total of fourteen. Six were used for her feet while the rest she used for arms. She had a tall black torso and the top of her head was blue and shaped like a jellyfish. She had two large red crystal spheres on the sides of her head and a smaller one in the center. With two blue beak-like appendages coming from the front and back of her neck, this jellyfish introduced herself as Tentacruel.

The big one was a blue golem with a torso that resembled a half-diamond with a more rounded bottom. His feet were shaped like cones and were attached to grey arms. His arms and hands were very similar, only he had four red gems coming out of the ends for fingers. On the sides of his head were two gems that resembled ears with a long, pointy one going along the middle of his head. With yellow eyelids and red eyes in the middle, this golem was known as Gigalith.

The one with the big white claws was a slender bluish-black weasel-like cat. She had one normal ear and red one that was five times bigger and also happened to be a feather. She had a yellow oval-shaped gem on her forehead and another one her chest, two claws on her feet and three long pink tail feathers. She quickly introduced herself as Sneasel.

The final figure was plant-like girl with a scarlet flower on the left side of her head. In the middle of the flower were golden filaments that resembled a crown. Under the flower were dark-green leaves with light-green ones under those that represented her hair. Two hung from the sides of her head to resemble locks while a long leaf flowed down the back of her head. Her head and midsection were white and she had a lovely pair of orange eyes shaped like droplets. She had two long leaves for arms and a golden sepal around her neck. She also had a dress made up of tulip-shaped leaves and her feet looked more like pointy golden shoes. Her name was Lilligant.

After the introductions were out of the way, Meloetta bowed her head and said, “It's very nice to meet you,” as Tentacruel grinned wickedly and said, “It's wonderful to have you on our side, Miss Meloetta.”

And with that, the group was ready to exit the cave and head back to Tokyo. Needless to say, the people were in trouble.

 

It seemed the humans would have a little bit longer to enjoy some peace and quiet as Tentacruel had chosen not to initiate her plan just yet. Instead, she decided to show Meloetta around and let her know what the world was like after hundreds of years. But at the same time, she fully intended to make all advancements seem like a bad thing.

“Wow, these buildings are so big,” the girl uttered as she looked around the city, now dressed in a cloak like the others, Sneasel nodding and saying, “Yeah, humans decided to make their houses bigger so they could feel superior to everyone else. In fact, creatures like us are forced to live in smaller homes, like that one,” walking by the Mach family shack and pointing at it.

“Funny, that shack looks familiar,” Lilligant whispered as Gigalith shrugged, the flower girl nodding and saying, “Yeah, it's probably not important.”

Meloetta stretched her hand out and whimpered, “That's horrible. Whoever lives there should be allowed to live somewhere nicer.”

They walked by a local arena later as Tentacruel pointed at it and said, “This is where they host those barbaric fights. Luckily, we've set up our own fight area, so if we ever come across those being manipulated, we won't have to fight in such a horrible location.”

Meloetta nodded and uttered, “I still really hope we won't have to do that,” as Sneasel replied, “Even if we do, we've heard there are only four in this area like us. As such, we'll make sure you won't have to lift a finger, but if any of us is defeated, well...”

“I understand,” Meloetta replied with a nod and a serious look in her eyes, Sneasel turning to Tentacruel and whispering, “Is she really just a last-minute resort if we can't beat the heroes of Tokyo?”

“No,” the jellyfish replied, “Trust me, she has an amazing power that I intend to draw out. If we can make her angry enough with the world, she won't be able to control herself and will likely unleash it. It's a devastating power that can destroy entire cities and bring buildings to ruin. The people will have no choice but to give us control over everything.”

As the group carried on, Meloetta looked at the many stores and said, “There's certainly a lot of neat things. If only we were allowed to purchase these,” before noticing a store that sold electronics. And when she peered through the window, she noticed a display of headsets.

“You see those?” Tentacruel asked, “Humans saw yours and decided to duplicate it,” Meloetta's eyes sparkling as she asked, “So they like something about me?”

Sneasel shook her head and replied, “No, they just saw it was a useful tool and made it so if a human sees a creature like us that hasn't been manipulated, it'll release sound waves that will render the citizen powerless for a few seconds.”

“That sounds awful,” Meloetta whimpered, “They should try to be friends with us. I really hope your plan works, Tentacruel,” the jellyfish nodding and replying, “I'm sure it will.”

During this time, the group walked by the fence next to Garchomp and Lairon's back yard. Meloetta heard sounds coming from there as she peered over the edge, her eyes wide open as she squeaked, “What are those two doing!?”

Sure enough, Machop and Lairon were currently training as the girl was caught in a figure-four leg lock, Tentacruel resting a tentacle on Meloetta's shoulder and shaking her head. She then let out a sigh and said, “That's just disgusting. In order to make sure those being controlled can beat us, the government forces them to fight each other so they can build up strength and dexterity. In theory, it sounds like they're doing us a favour, but they're only doing it for their own benefit.”

Sneasel, Gigalith and Lilligant simply stared at this with curiosity. Like most villains, they new full well who Machop was and thus it was a bit surprising to see her sparring with someone as well known as Lairon.

Tentacruel tapped them all on the shoulders and signalled them to carry on, Meloetta frowning and saying, “You're right about everything, Tentacruel. I'll do everything I can to make sure you succeed. Even if it means fighting one of my own, I'll tough it out.”

“I knew you'd see things our way,” Tentacruel replied with a big smile, “Because we're gonna have to gain the attention of the citizens if they're to take us seriously. Unfortunately, we do have to resort to something a bit underhanded to make sure they notice us.”

“We don't have to kill anyone, do we?” Meloetta whimpered as Sneasel just about lost her cool only for Tentacruel to sigh, “Hopefully, we won't have to go that far, but it will involve us threatening children.”

Meloetta's eyes and mouth were wide with shock as she gulped, realizing she would have to swallow her pride. As such, she took a deep breath and nodded, saying, “As long as you don't hurt them, I'll do it,” the others shocked by how easy that was.

Soon enough, Lairon was finished training as he breathed heavily, saying, “I have to say, Machop, I'm really proud of you. To think you actually beat a villain by yourself today. You're already getting close to your father's level.”

“You think so?” Machop asked as her eyes sparkled, the dinosaur nodding and saying, “Keep this up and you'll be winning championships just like he did.”

The girl nodded as Garchomp opened the door and said, “Hey, you two, dinner's ready,” Lairon and Machop grinning before heading inside. At the very least, today felt like a success for the girl.

Unfortunately, it seemed as if this would not last as Tentacruel and the others stood before an orphanage, the jellyfish saying, “Now remember, we'll each take one kid hostage, but don't hurt any of them,” Meloetta nodding with big, sparkly eyes.

Sneasel rubbed her temple and groaned, “If she wasn't with us, we probably wouldn't have to hold back,” Gigalith shaking his head at her as she growled, “I heard that.”

Meloetta turned to look at them as Tentacruel sighed, “Stop arguing, you two. We have a job right now,” though she also gave them a look that said 'Keep it down' while directing her eyes toward Meloetta.

With that out of the way, Tentacruel walked over to the door and knocked on it. After half-a-minute, a middle-aged woman opened the door and said, “Hello. What can I do for you?”

“You can let us in for starters,” Sneasel said with a smirk as she lashed out her claws, all five creatures removing their cloaks as the woman threw her arms outward, taking hold of the sides of the doorway and barking, “I won't let you harm a hair on the children!”

Meloetta was starting to feel a touch guilty as Sneasel leapt over the woman, landed behind her and held her left claws up to her neck, using the other set to hold the top of her head in place. With the caretaker unable to defend herself, she had no choice but to allow the others to pass as Sneasel said, “Good girl.”

And after ten minutes, a news crew had arrived as a woman stood before a camera and exclaimed, “We are now in front of the local orphanage where villains have shown up to threaten the lives of the poor children!”

Meloetta was confused by all of this as Lilligant explained, “That thing they're pointing at us is a video camera. That's what they use to record those barbaric fights so people all over the world can watch them on TV as if it's meant to be entertainment.”

“How awful,” Meloetta uttered as Lilligant nodded and grunted, “And to think, they call us villains,” the children squirming to free themselves from their arms.

At this moment, Machop and her friends were watching this on the news, Machop gritting her teeth and cursing, “Dammit! First one of those monsters tries to harm my new friend and now they're threatening orphans!” Lairon nodding and sighing, “Yeah, they'll do whatever they can to get what they want.”

Torchic gritted her teeth and growled, “Dammit! I knew the peace couldn't last!” as Venipede and Mantima saw this on their own televisions, the mantis frowning while the centipede tried to ignore his fear.

Tentacruel gaze at the camera and stated, “Let this be a warning! We will release these kids but only if those assigned to protect Tokyo challenge us!” Meloetta gasping and turning toward her as Lilligant added, “That's right. And if we manage to defeat all four, you must give control of Tokyo over to us.”

“I thought-” Meloetta uttered as Tentacruel sighed, “They would have been sent to attack us anyway. If we take care of them, then nothing will be able to stop us from creating our world free from prejudice. You said you were willing to fight them if it meant freedom, yes?”

The green-haired girl nodded and replied, “Yes, I did. You're right. Sorry about that.”

Machop rose from her seat and said, “I'm going,” Lairon nodding and adding, “I'll go with you. You may still need my guidance.”

Garchomp nodded as Eri whimpered, Machop stroking the side of her head and saying, “It's okay. I'm just gonna protect Tokyo again, alright?” the dog licking her chin as she grinned and ruffled the fur atop her head.

All the while, Isamu and Eiko saw this along with their mother, the boy taking a deep breath and saying, “I'm not worried. I just know Machop and the others can handle this,” Eiko nodding with a big smile.

And soon enough, all of the heroes were headed toward the orphanage as Tentacruel and the others stood idly by, still holding their hostages. Meloetta felt so uncomfortable holding a squirming baby, but to the best of her knowledge, this was right. At the very least, she was going to help her new friends succeed no matter what.

And luckily, the heroes managed to arrive a lot sooner than anticipated as Garchomp agreed to drive them there in her car. Needless to say, Torchic and Venipede felt honoured to get a ride from the famous dragon while Mantima tried not to think too much of this. All that mattered to her was seeing if her new training had prepared her for the challenges on Earth.

And once the group exited the vehicle, Tentacruel smirked and thought, 'Perfect,' as Meloetta bit her lower lip and thought, 'Don't worry, I'll free you. I know you're only doing this so you can stay alive. I can't blame you. If you let the government kill you, it'll only make things worse.'

“Are you ready for this?” Sneasel asked as the green-haired girl nodded and replied, “Yes. If I ever have to fight one of these four, I won't hold back.”

“Alright, we came as you requested!” Machop snapped, “Now let the kids go!” Tentacruel nodding and saying, “Well, you heard the girl,” all four villains dropping their hostages and allowing them to flee while Meloetta set hers down gently, whispering, “Sorry, but I'm doing this for a good cause.”

The child did not understand as he instinctively ran back into the orphanage for comfort, Torchic saying, “Well, at least they kept their end of the bargain,” as Lairon stepped forward and asked, “So let me guess, you're gonna fight all four of these heroes and if you win, we have to hand over Tokyo, right?”

“But of course,” Tentacruel replied with a shrug, “However, we will not fight in the local arena.”

'So this happens a lot,' Meloetta thought, 'The fact that no one's succeeded yet tells me they're not going to hold back against their kin. The government's control over them is even worse than I thought.'

The heroes, however, were interested in what Tentacruel had said as the jellyfish had Lilligant present a map, the flower girl opening it up as the camera zoomed in on it. Tentacruel then proceeded to explain, “On this map are the locations we wish to fight in. In each area is a ring that we have set up ourselves. And seeing as you humans love to watch these fights live, we have also added bleachers so you may watch your precious heroes fall,” the jellyfish making air quotes when saying 'heroes'.

“You won't kill them, right?” Meloetta whimpered as Tentacruel whispered, “Only if we have to. Hopefully we won't need to resort to that.”

“So wait, are all the matches taking place at once?” Mantima asked as Tentacruel nodded and replied, “Of course. We have even chosen which among you each of us would like to fight.”

“Are you telling me we get no say!?” Machop retorted as Lairon rested a hand on her shoulder, sighing, “It doesn't matter which one you get. You need to be ready for any of these villains.”

Meloetta found it strange that one of the girls cared so deeply about the fact that Tentacruel was making this choice, but she figured it did not matter. Though seeing Lairon talking to the girl in a tone too quiet for the villains to hear made her curious.

“First up is Gigalith,” Tentacruel stated, pointing at the golem who nodded and pointed at Torchic, the chicken blinking as her eyes widened.

However, her shock turned to confidence as she smirked and said, “Piece of cake,” as Meloetta thought, 'That must be an act.'

“Sneasel, who was it you wished to face again?” Tentacruel asked as the cat smirked and said, “I wanna face the mantis. She intrigues me,” Mantima narrowing her eyelids. At the very least, Sneasel looked physically weaker than the others, so perhaps the mantis' lack of muscle would not hinder her too much.

“Next to choose is Lilligant,” Tentacruel stated as the flower girl nodded and stated, “I challenge Machop,” the others going wide-eyed and staring at her, Meloetta asking, “Why is that so important?”

“What are you doing?” Tentacruel grumbled as Machop smirked and sent her fist into her palm with confidence, Lilligant sighing, “I'm sorry, Tentacruel. I know you wanted to fight Machop, but I've actually wanted to face her ever since I heard of her fight with Gyarados. And with her lineage-”

“Say no more,” Tentacruel replied while holding up a tentacle, “I understand,” before turning back toward the heroes and saying, “I guess that leaves me with the centipede. What's your name again?”

“Venipede!” the centipede replied with a hint of fear in his voice as Mantima rested a hand on his shoulder. Thus he took a deep breath and nodded, replacing his terror with a look of confidence.

The rest were even more confident right now as Machop had a feeling she could handle this. After her fights with Gyarados and Crawdaunt, her self-esteem had risen immensely. Thus she saw this group as nothing more than another threat to take care of.

Tentacruel then pointed to the various locations on a map, pointing to an image of mountains and saying, “Here is where Gigalith and his opponent will fight,” Torchic remarking, “The name's Torchic,” before frowning.

“Right,” the jellyfish replied before pointing at an area downtown where construction just happened to be taking place and adding, “Sneasel will face her opponent here,” the cat folding her arms and grinning as Mantima narrowed her eyelids.

Tentacruel then directed everyone's attention to a pond in a local park and stated, “I will fight Venipede here,” the centipede taking a deep breath as the jellyfish pointing at an image of a local park and added, “And Lilligant will face Machop in this spot right here.”

Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief, glad that she did not have to fight as she had full confidence in her allies. But even so, she had to remember to be prepared if even one of them failed.

However, something came to mind as she asked, “Wait, what about those two?” pointing at Lairon and Garchomp as Tentacruel whispered, “The government only depends on teens and young adults to fight their battles for them. Those two are middle-aged, so they're no longer deemed good enough and are now forced to serve as emotional support,” as Meloetta frowned.

On one hand, she was glad that Lairon and Garchomp were no longer forced to fight, but the fact that they still had to assist in this mindless struggle was enough to make her feel sick. Now she truly felt like she had made the right choice.

“Well, we've heard all we needed to know,” Garchomp said with a shrug, “Come on, I'll take you all to your locations in no time flat,” only for Tentacruel to shake her head and reply, “Oh no, it is much too late for this. We will have these fights take place tomorrow at ten.”

Meloetta blinked as Tentacruel whispered, “We're a lot more tired than you might think. We'll need some much-needed rest,” the green-haired girl nodding as Machop sighed, “Well, I did finish a match earlier today. Alright, you got yourselves a deal.”

Lairon nodded and said, “Smart thinking,” patting her on the shoulder as she gave him a bright grin, Torchic sitting down while cracking her talons like knuckles while Venipede breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, this would give him more time to ready himself.

And with all said and done, the heroes were ready to return home as they entered the vehicle, Meloetta taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Don't worry. You won't be forced to do this much longer. I promise that I'll be the one to free your from your chains.'

However, she was rather surprised by how much Sneasel and Lilligant were looking forward to their matches. After all, this was something they had to do, not something they wanted. At least that was what Tentacruel had told her, and the jellyfish truly seemed sincere.

While riding back, Machop asked, “Hey, Lairon, will you be available tomorrow?” the dinosaur sighing, “I'll try to book some time off, maybe switch shifts with someone else, but I can't make any guarantees. If I can't, just try to remember what I've taught you so far and I'm sure you'll be okay.”

Machop nodded with a light smile and replied, “Thanks,” as Garchomp grinned and said, “I'm sure you'll do a great job.”

“Yeah,” Torchic replied with a grin, “We're all gonna beat our opponents tomorrow, no doubt about that,” Venipede and Mantima smiling at one-another and nodding.

And soon enough, Machop's friends had been dropped off before Garchomp drove back to her and Lairon's house, Machop exiting the car and saying, “I think I'll get in an early bed tonight. I'll need all the strength I can get.”

“Good call,” Lairon replied as Machop entered the house and headed to her room.

But upon entering, she remembered one last thing as she pulled out her cellphone, looking through her contacts. She then noticed a number she had just recently added, that being Eiko's cell number as she pressed the icon for it, holding the phone up to the side of her head.

Eiko soon answered and squealed, “Oh my god, I can't believe Machop is calling me!” as the girl could hear Isamu's voice shouting, “Can you not be so loud!? I'm trying to finish my homework!”

Machop chuckled as Eiko asked, “So, what's up?” the girl replying, “Have you seen the news recently?”

“Oh, I know what you're talking about,” Eiko replied, “Don't worry, I know you can win your match tomorrow,” Machop nodding and replying, “I'm sure I can. I was just wondering if you and your brother were gonna be there.”

“Luckily, it is Saturday, so of course,” Eiko replied, “I know Isamu will be there too. He claims to have been doing homework in his room all day, but like me, he has nothing for the weekend. He's actually been binge-watching old fight footage, but don't tell him I said that. He doesn't know I caught him in the act.”

Machop chuckled and replied, “Wow, I knew I made him rethink his views on our matches, but I didn't think I'd turn him into a fanboy in just one day,” before sighing, “But seriously, I really hope to see you there. I'll need all the emotional support, especially since the others won't be in the bleachers to cheer me on.”

“You can count on us,” Eiko replied, “And hey, you'll also get to meet Mom and Dad. They're gonna take us,” Machop replying, “Sweet. I can't wait.”

With that, the two chatted for a few more minutes before saying goodbye and hanging up. But as positive as Machop had been during the conversation, a part of her really hoped that she would not let Eiko and Isamu, let alone the rest of Tokyo down. After all, the number of villains appearing at a time up to this point had been small. This time, they were dealing with five, so not even one of them could afford failure.

 

The following morning, Machop and her friends had woken up extra early to ready themselves for their matches. Needless to say, today would not be an easy one, but there was no way they would lose. Machop and Torchic had both come very far while Venipede and Mantima had worked hard to overcome their biggest weaknesses. They were ready for this.

All the while, the villains had all prepared themselves for the day and were waiting in their respective rings for ten o'clock to roll around. They had all been looking forward to facing their respective heroes, though a part of Tentacruel could not help but wish for Machop to defeat Lilligant. After all, she wanted to fight her just as much as the flower girl did.

Since Meloetta did not have an opponent, she was told to sit back and watch Tentacruel's match. After all, the jellyfish wanted to make sure she would not switch sides.

Big televisions had been set up to show footage from the other matches. That way, if one match ended sooner than the others, the audience would have something to watch.

Seeing this made Meloetta mad. While in theory, it sounded fair, to her, all this did was further emphasize how much people treated these fights like sporting events. It was like they did not take it seriously in the slightest.

Even so, while she had not yet seen her companions in combat, she had full confidence that they could win their matches. There was just no way their opponents could be that much of a threat, right?

Just like they had promised, Isamu and Eiko had arrived at the park for Machop's match along with their parents. Their mother, Hana, was a slender woman with long brown hair while their father, Noboru, was a slightly muscular man with messy pink hair.

“I have to admit, son,” Noboru said with a big smile, “I never thought you would take interest in this sort of thing,” Isamu nodding and replying, “Yeah. I never knew what I was missing.”

“Still, why specifically did you choose this match to watch?” Hana asked as Eiko grinned and said menacingly, “I know why. It's cause he only cares about Machop's match,” the boy retorting, “DO NOT!” his cheeks flushed pink as he folded his arms, his family laughing in response.

He then took a deep breath and thought, 'Come on, Machop, show me more miracles today. I know you can do it.'

Lilligant was standing nearby as she thought, 'I know Tentacruel would love to face you, Machop, but unfortunately for her, I'm gonna be the one to end you today. Voltorb may have done an okay job, but his victory was nowhere near as impressive as mine will be.'

Gigalith waited by a mountainous region with his arms folded. Though while he looked confident, a part of him was nervous about fighting Torchic. But why? Surely she could not have been strong enough to deal massive damage to a being made of stone, right?

Sneasel was beyond excited as she grinned and scratched her claws up against a girder in order to sharpen them. After seeing Mantima's match with Voltorb online, she just knew this was the opponent for her.

Tentacruel, all the while, folded her tentacles and thought, 'This Venipede better be worth my time. The only thing I know about him is that he apparently lost to Gyarados. I don't know how close he came or anything like that because no one caught that on film.'

Even so, she would have to see this as just a new challenge, an opponent she knew nothing about. When she became a villain, she knew she would have to face adversaries like this, so she would view this as a chance to really show her skills.

Meloetta noticed many people arrive to watch the event as she frowned, thinking, 'It's like they don't even know they're going to lose their power over us today,' before giving Tentacruel a light smile and saying, “Do your best.”

The jellyfish gave her a light nod and a smile as she looked at a nearby clock, thinking, 'Just one more hour. It's good to know these kind people are just as excited to see their heroes lose as I am.'

And sure enough, the heroes were on their way right now. Machop was being driven by Garchomp with Lairon unfortunately being too busy to give her advice during the match. But as much as Garchomp wished his boss could be more lenient, Machop was fine with this.

It was just as Lairon said. As long as she remembered her lessons, she would be fine.

Torchic used her incredible speed to sprint all the way to the mountainous region. She saw this as a good way to exercise her feet before the match, and she knew she would need as much strength in that area as possible to defeat someone made of stone.

Venipede had taken the bus to the pond he would fight at. After all, he felt that he would need all of his energy for this.

Mantima had booked a cab so she would be there as soon as possible. It was not so much that she wanted to preserve energy as much as she wanted to be there early. She would get all the training she needed after arriving at the construction site.

Of course, with only two announcers, it would be rather difficult for all four matches to have someone narrate the events to the audience. As such, Nori and Yuki had decided to draw straws to decide which match they would commentate. Nori ended up with Mantima's match while Yuki got Machop's, the older woman feeling a tad envious.

But even so, they could not back out of their selected matches as Yuki sat behind a desk in the park while Nori sat behind one at the construction site. She personally would have chosen the mountainous region over this as at least that would be a more pleasant place to be in, but she had a job to do and she was not yet ready for retirement.

And sure enough, the heroes arrived. Machop made it fifty minutes ahead of schedule, Garchomp purposely choosing such an early time. As it so happened, Lairon had mapped out an entire entrance for his wife to set up, Machop really wishing he had not.

Mantima arrived with forty-five minutes to spare, and this suited her just fine. It gave her more than enough time to practice her skills, and she would use this opportunity to build her muscles.

Venipede, having taken a mode of transportation with a schedule, arrived thirty minutes early, much later than the other two. But he was fine with this. If anything, a longer wait would only increase the odds of him getting cold feet and that was the last thing he wanted.

And since Torchic had to travel the longest distance and had chosen the slowest mode of transportation, she arrived with only fifteen minutes to spare. This hardly mattered as she saw her run as perfect training for this match, Gigalith turning to face her as she gave him a cold stare.

The time seemed to pass by quickly with each hero preparing in his or her own way. Though the villains refused to relax during this time either. They had heard stories of villains so full of themselves, they refused to train before a match and more often than not, this ended in failure. Tentacruel, at the very least, was much smarter than that, not to mention she knew Meloetta would likely view her as a bad influence if she did not at least try to ready herself.

And once ten o'clock finally rolled around, the construction site was full of excitement as Nori exclaimed, “Alright, everyone, it's finally time for the main event! Will Mantima surprise us again or will this be her first official loss on Earth? We'll just have to wait and find out!”

Meloetta noticed this on the TV and read the subtitles, scowling. It really did seem like the humans did not care at all about the lives of these creatures who were fighting for them.

Yuki, meanwhile, looked over the crowd in the park and exclaimed, “Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for Machop's forth match on Earth! Will she continue to impress us like when she fought Gyarados or will today mark her second loss!?”

“Second loss?” Isamu uttered as Eiko replied, “I thought you watched all of her matches. You know she lost her first match, right?” the boy genuinely surprised as he uttered, “I must not have found that one.”

After having seen her fight with Crawdaunt, this certainly surprised him. As it just so happened, he had only watched the matches involving heroes winning. Now that he knew failure was possible, all he could do was hope that Machop could win this match.

All the while, Venipede and Tentacruel were already in the ring as there was no one there to announce either one's presence. The centipede glared at the jellyfish and thought, 'I'm not gonna be afraid this time. My fear and paranoia got the best of me when I fought Gyarados. Never again!'

It was a similar deal with Torchic and Gigalith as the two seemed more than ready to go, Torchic especially. For whatever reason, she was feeling really confident about this, more so than ever before.

Meanwhile, at the construction site, Nori pointed at the Western side and exclaimed, “In the red corner, representing the villains is a ferocious feline with mustelidae DNA! With her razor sharp claws, she is certain to be a major threat! Introducing Sneasel!”

The cat got down on all fours and sprinted toward the ring. Once close enough, she dug her claws into the ground and used them to propel herself into the air, performing a vertical flip onto the ring. And like felines were known for, she landed perfectly on her feet as she spread her arms out, waving to the boos and hisses of the crowd.

Meloetta watched this on the screen and frowned, thinking, 'Soon they'll be cheering for her and everyone else. They'll see just how wrong they were.'

“And in the blue corner,” Nori exclaimed, “we got us a surprising fighter who didn't show much promise at first but proved herself capable of so much more! While she's unable to jump as high as most heroes and doesn't quite have the physical strength that her friends possess, she makes up for it with incredible speed and resistance! It is my pleasure to welcome Mantima!”

The crowd went wild as the mantis performed a somersault toward the ring. She then leapt high into the air and landed on one hand, holding the other out while the cheers got louder. As serious as she was about this match, her older mother had always told her to open up with a spectacle. It often helped to relieve stress.

Sneasel grinned and said, “Not bad,” as Mantima took a deep breath and thought, 'At least this one worked,' her eyes widening as her mind added, 'That's right, I actually jumped over the rope this time! I'm starting to jump higher! This is great!'

All the while, the crowd was pumped up in the park as Yuki exclaimed, “In the red corner, a lovely flower who is probably not as delicate as she seems! No one knows what to expect, but I'm sure her opponent will need to watch out for Lilligant!”

The crowd was about to give her the same reaction the other audience members gave Sneasel, but it was hard to bring themselves to boo the flower girl as she slowly and elegantly made her way toward the ring. She swayed her hips back and forth with one hand on the side of her head and another on her waist. At the very least, this was certainly unexpected for a fight entrance.

She then winked to the crowd as some of the boys had trouble looking away, the flower then climbing into the ring and resting against the turnbuckle. To end her entrance, she humped her arms over the ropes and pointed her chin up with her eyes closed.

“Well, that was quite the spectacle,” Yuki uttered before clearing her throat and exclaiming, “Anyway, in the blue corner comes the hero who saved us from Gyarados and was recently caught beating the daylights out of Crawdaunt by our trusty news crew! While her career had a rough start, it seems to have picked up, and therefor it is my pleasure to announce the presence of Machop!”

With that, her eyes sparkled as she thought, 'I sounded just like a professional!' Isamu and Eiko both cheering louder than the rest of the crowd.

However, all but Eiko's cheers came to a halt when Machop entered with hedge clippers strapped to her back and an angry look in her eyes. She also had a Mohawk wig and tribal markings on the sides of her face.

As she entered the ring, she pulled out her trimmers and clamped them twice, saying, “This is gonna be you,” in the most threatening voice she could muster.

While one would have expected a living plant to be intimidated by this, Lilligant held her arm up to her mouth and stifled a laugh, asking, “I'm sorry, was that supposed to be scary? Because you look like you're trying too hard!”

Machop's eyes and mouth widened as the rest of the crowd laughed save for Eiko and Isamu. The boy face-palmed while the pink-haired girl folded her arms with a sour look in her eyes, grumbling, “Well, I think she looks awesome.”

Isamu simply shook his head and groaned, “Oh god, don't encourage that! She looks ridiculous!”

Machop gritted her teeth and pried her wig and sheath off, tossing them out of the ring and using her spit to wipe the markings off. She then took a deep breath and sighed, “Fine, whatever! All that matters is that I'm gonna wipe the floor with your smug face!” Lilligant nodding and saying, “Right. I just about forgot we had a match right now.”

Meloetta stared at this and thought, 'Maybe she did this on purpose to relieve Lilligant of any tension. And because it looked like she was trying to intimidate her, the government can't view this as a form of treason. It's good to know one of them is trying to make things easier,' a light smile on her face.

However, with Tentacruel's match just about to begin, she shifted her attention back to the ring. Right now, she wanted to make sure the jellyfish defeated her opponent.

And with that, neither hesitated any longer as Tentacruel raced toward Venipede, the centipede preparing himself. The jellyfish folded all of her arms and was prepared to send them into his face when he saw this coming and leapt high above her head.

Tentacruel's eyes widened as the centipede sent a kick into her skull. The crowd cheered as he landed behind her, binding her in place and leaping backward, planting her head into the mat as her eyes widened with shock.

Meloetta watched in horror, looking around at the cheering crowd and gritting her teeth, thinking, 'This is horrible! I can only imagine how much it pained that poor centipede to do that!'

However, the green-haired girl could not have been more wrong as Venipede released his hold on Tentacruel, allowing her to collapse. He had a serious look in his eyes as he thought, 'Yeah, today, I become a true winner! Sorry, Tentacruel, but you're not taking control of Tokyo!'

All the while, Torchic raced toward Gigalith as the golem rose his arm and sent his right fist toward her. The chicken smirked and leapt into the air, throwing her legs forward and latching them onto the golem's arm. His eyes widened as she proceeded to lean her head forward, biting his finger and pulling back thus causing the arm even more pain.

The crowd went wild as Gigalith winced in response to this, Torchic thinking, 'My mother's first opponent on Earth was a giant snake made of rocks named Onix. Despite the odds constantly stacked against her, she still won! You're a lot smaller than Onix, so I'm certain I can beat you!'

However, her tune would soon change when Gigalith spread out his right leg, Torchic too caught up in the moment to notice. And soon enough, the crowd gasped when Gigalith lowered his arm, ramming her back into his knee as she released her hold, crying out in pain. She then rolled off of his knee and fell on her belly, the golem lifting up his foot and planting it into her back, shifting it back and forth like he was squishing a fly.

Torchic cried even louder as Meloetta watched this, thinking, 'I'm sure deep down, she's happy to be losing. It's a shame we have to do this, but it's necessary.'

During this time, Mantima and Sneasel's match started up as the cat wasted no time racing toward the mantis. Her eyes widened as the cat shifted back and forth during her run, moving so quickly that it looked like she was teleporting. And once she was close enough, she proceeded to latch onto the mantis' shoulders, leaping backward and planting the back of her head into the turnbuckle.

The crowd winced as Nori stated, “And in no time at all, Sneasel catches Mantima off-guard and sets her up for a powerful suplex!” and it did not end there as the cat leaned forward, planting her claws against the mat before propelling herself into the air just like she had leapt off the ground earlier.

The only difference was that this time, she had more than just an entrance in mind as she planted both of her feet into Mantima's face, the mantis gritting her teeth and thinking, 'No!'

And with that, she lifted her arms up and took hold of Sneasel's ankles, the cat's eyes and mouth wide open as Mantima lifted her up briefly. She then swung her arms downward, slamming the cat's back into the canvas. The mantis then took many deep breaths, thinking, 'Today, I will finally earn a victory on Earth! When I beat Voltorb, that was a fluke! Not this time!'

All the while, Machop and Lilligant stared each other down as Yuki said, “Well, the combatants are set! Let's begin!” ringing the bell as Machop held up a defensive stance, waiting for her opponent to make the first move just like she knew Lairon would want.

Unfortunately, Lilligant saw right through this as she smirked and thought, 'Oh, like I'm gonna fall for such an amateurish move. My patience in battle outweighs that of most heroes. But if there's one thing I know about your family, it's that they lack patience. Let's see you try to resist getting in the first move without your beloved trainer telling you otherwise.'

The flower girl then gave Machop a sweet smile and said, “I am a woman of honour, therefor I will give you the first hit,” winking at the girl as she shuddered and remarked, “What are you playing at?”

“Nothing,” Lilligant replied as she placed her arms up against her sides, “See? I will let you hit me first and I won't even bother trying to fight back,” Yuki unsure how to react to this as Isamu growled, “Don't take her offer.”

However, Eiko did not seem to detect anything wrong as she squealed, “Come on, Machop, she's giving you a perfect opportunity! Take it!” Isamu retorting, “NO, DON'T!” Noboru and Hana not sure who to side with or whether or not they should take sides.

Unfortunately, Machop saw a great deal of sincerity in Lilligant's eyes as she smirked and said, “Oh well, if you go down in one hit, it's totally your fault!” as she raced forward, Garchomp's eyes widening as she spat, “WAIT, THE BOY IS RIGHT!”

Unfortunately, it was too late as when Machop was close enough, Lilligant stood on the tips of her toes and twirled gracefully to the side. Machop's eyes widened as the flower girl held her arms out, continuing to twirl as Machop took a slap to her cheek.

More followed quickly enough as while the first slap showed little effect, the fifth one started to reveal results as her cheek had already turned red, Isamu barking, “HEY, STOP LETTING HER HIT YOU!”

Machop gritted her teeth and took hold of Lilligant's wrist only for her to continue twirling, the crowd gasping as she managed to overpower the girl. No one could believe this was even possible as Lilligant released her hold, sending Machop flying face-first into the turnbuckle.

“Well, it would seem Lilligant is a lot tougher than she looks,” Yuki stated, “Not only were those slaps of hers very effective, but she has even managed to overpower Machop's grip and send her flying. Not sure how she pulled that off, but one thing's for certain. We can't take her lightly.”

Machop's eyes swirled as Eiko uttered, “How did she pull that off? She really doesn't look that strong,” Noboru nodding and replying, “It was because of her momentum.”

Eiko and Hana stared at the man as Isamu explained, “I could see that. Because she was already twirling at an incredible speed, Machop was unable to stop her from moving. Thus she was unable to prevent herself from being picked up and thrown like that,” Noboru nodding and saying, “That's my boy.”

Garchomp stared at the male humans in admiration and thought, 'Wow, they could see Lilligant's counter coming a mile away. From what Machop told me, the boy wasn't interested in fights before, so I wonder how he knew that would happen.'

Whatever the case, Machop would certainly need to think as she rubbed her face, growling, “You'll pay for that!” Lilligant laughing and exclaiming, “Oh my god, this is just precious!”

Unfortunately, Meloetta was now completely focused on Tentacruel's match and thus did not see how angry Machop was to have taken in that blow to the head. And it seemed Tentacruel might just get the upper hand after all as she had her top eight tentacles locked against Venipede's arms, using all her might to force him back.

But just as it seemed like she would overpower him, Venipede implied a smirk with his eyes and thought, 'Unfortunately for you, I know how to get out of this,' before allowing the jellyfish to force him onto his back. He then planted his feet into her gut and flipped backward, forcing her off of him and onto her belly.

The crowd went wild as Venipede's eyes sparkled, the centipede unable to believe he had just pulled that off. However, he then realized he could not give his opponent the time to recover and thus jumped onto her back, latching his arms and legs around her, pulling on her chin while shouting, “CENTIPEDE BACKBREAKER!”

Meloetta's eyes widened as she thought, 'Oh no, Tentacruel hasn't hit him once. He's been trained too well, and he has to pretend that he's enjoying it too. This is just awful.'

“Today, everyone's gonna see a new Venipede,” the centipede growled as Tentacruel chuckled and replied, “So this is the infamous Centipede Backbreaker your mother was known for. I have to admit, it's effective, but not against someone like me.”

Venipede's eyes widened as the jellyfish shifted her tentacles, binding them to his arms. It was at this moment he suddenly realized he had not managed to bind them, and since Tentacruel still had six free tentacles to use as legs, she used them to lift herself up. The crowd gasped as the jellyfish proceeded to pry the centipede's arms off of her, keeping his legs attached so she could lean backward and plant his back into the mat.

Meloetta's eyes lit up as Venipede grunted in pain. But it would not end there as Tentacruel leapt over him, sending an onslaught of rapid kicks into his gut while shouting, “JELLYFISH BOMBARDMENT!”

The centipede took in a few hits before folding his arms in an attempt to block her tentacles. However, Tentacruel saw this coming as she wrapped her legs around six of his arms, leaning backward and placing her arm tentacles against the mat. She then pushed herself up, lifting Venipede with her and leaned backward, planting his skull into the canvas with a frankensteiner, the crowd in deep panic now.

Despite his hard exoskeleton, this hit had still drawn a bit of green blood from Venipede's head as he rolled away from the jellyfish. His eyes were wide with shock as he breathed heavily, thinking, 'Okay, I need to be more careful! Why didn't I see that coming!?'

Meloetta, all the while, figured he was only pretending to look scared. Deep down, she still believed that he and all of his friends secretly wanted to be defeated, and if Venipede did not think of something else soon, that might very well happen.

 

Note: Something worth note is that most of the time when I switch between matches, I'm essentially turning back time to show what was happening during the previously mentioned match. That's why sometimes, nothing seems to progress at all in other areas while the other matches take place. I did pretty much the same in the Reverse World arc in the first story. Just thought I'd clear that up.

While Venipede was currently struggling against Tentacruel, Mantima seemed to have gotten the upper hand as she sent a flying roundhouse into the side of Sneasel's head. The crowd went wild as even she could not believe she had just pulled that off. But of course her onslaught would not end there as she held up her arm, taking a deep breath while Sneasel tried desperately to recover.

'It seems my strength building has worked,' she thought, 'I know I can't make this move nearly as strong as when you use it, Mother, but I'm sure I can still show results.'

With that in mind, she raced toward Sneasel with her arm folded inward. And once close enough, she threw it outward, sending a hard karate chop into the cat's midsection. The crowd was truly shocked as not only was Sneasel unable to respond, but this karate chop had enough force to send her flying into the air as she fell hard on her back.

“And you saw it yourself, folks!” Nori exclaimed, “Mantima has just used a karate chop so strong, it could potentially crack stone! Although that form is certainly familiar,” the crowd not really seeing what Nori meant by the last statement but still cheering all the same.

'I hope you saw that, Mother,' Mantima thought with a light smile, 'If I knew it would be this powerful, I would have named it after your version. I think I'll do that from now on.'

However, it seemed as if Sneasel was far from done as she slowly pushed herself back up, gritting her teeth and hissing, “I was having fun at first, but now I can see you're a bigger pain in the ass than anticipated. I guess I have no reason not to use these now,” the cat holding up her claws menacingly as Mantima narrowed her eyelids, thinking, 'Bring it on,' her self-esteem now at an all-time high.

All the while, Torchic was still on the receiving end of Gigalith's foot as the crowd stared in horror. However, there was no way the chicken would lose. She fully intended on winning this and doing Tokyo and her mother proud.

With that in mind, she threw her legs upward and latched her talons onto the golem's ankle. He was truly astounded when she managed to apply more than enough strength to lift him up, causing him to fall on his back. Thus she was finally able to rise as she leapt high above him, her talons catching flame.

“BLAZE KICK ANVIL!” the chicken exclaimed as she landed hard against Gigalith's chest, his eyes wide with shock as she leapt off of him and kept her distance. She would not allow herself to fall victim to another counterattack.

And while all of these matches took place, Machop was ready to make up for the damage Lilligant had just dealt. With that, she sprinted toward her as Isamu really hoped this was not too rash.

Lilligant let out a sigh and said, “So reckless,” before folding her arms and readying herself for a counterattack. But just as Machop got close enough, she smirked and said, “Should have covered your head,” before sending a karate chop into that very spot.

Lilligant winced but ignored the pain and threw her arms up, latching them onto the girl's wrist. She then smirked and said, “You'll need to hit me harder than that to take advantage of me,” before sending a knee kick into the girl's midsection.

The crowd gasped as Lilligant proceeded to lift her foot up like a ballerina, her hands placed together over her head as she twirled. Machop was unable to respond as she received multiple kicks to her gut, Lilligant adding force to the tenth one thus sending her flying away from her.

“You may have power, but you lack grace and dignity,” Lilligant said with an elegant smile, “I think I see why Gyarados fell to you. She may have been strong, but she was hard-headed and rash, just like you. That's the only reason you were able to take advantage of her.”

Machop gritted her teeth as Isamu gulped and uttered, “Do you think she might be right?” Eiko retorting, “No way! Machop's amazing! She just needs an opportunity to show it!”

'You may be right, sis, but for a different reason,' Isamu thought, 'I saw the way she got the upper hand against Crawdaunt after such a horrible start. I know she has the potential to turn this match in her favour. She just needs to think straight. She had the right idea aiming for the head, but she should have gone farther than that.'

Machop seemed to think the same thing as she frowned, thinking, 'Alright, Lilligant, you've had your fun, but it's high time I turn this around,' the girl then rubbing her temple as her mind added, 'Now, what would Lairon do in this situation?'

“Oh, how cute, it's trying to think,” Lilligant said tauntingly before standing up on the tip of her foot again, twirling toward the girl and adding, “Well, if you're not going to attack me, I guess I may as well whale on you some more.”

But just as she got close, Machop smirked and thought, 'Big mistake,' before sending a roundhouse into her ankle. She knew grabbing it would probably not have the desired result and it seemed her theory was correct. By applying just enough pressure and force, she managed to stop the incoming leg as Lilligant's eyes widened.

With that, Machop raced behind the spellbound flower girl and took hold of her arms, crossing them and locking them in place. The crowd went wild as she then leaned backward, lifting up Lilligant and aiming her head toward the mat.

“Yeah, that's more like it!” Eiko squealed as Hana and Noboru applauded this comeback, Isamu breathing a sigh of relief and thinking, 'There's that miracle I've been waiting for.'

Unfortunately, it seemed as if the boy had not quite gotten his wish as right when Lilligant's head was about to make contact with the mat, she released a bright orange cloud from the middle of her flower. Shockingly, it was thick enough to soften the blow to her head as she smirked and said, “That was much more impressive but still nothing I can't handle.”

The crowd gasped as Yuki stated, “And in a shocking turn of events, Lilligant has created a cloud with the density of a pillow to reduce the amount of damage Machop's suplex dealt!” and it would only get worse as Lilligant sent her feet into Machop's face, causing her to release her hold on the flower girl and fall on her back.

Isamu's eyes went wide with shock as he uttered, “Oh, right, this isn't like human wrestling. These people are capable of abilities like this,” Hana nodding and sighing, “That's right. I don't think any of us could have seen that coming.”

“What the hell was that!?” Machop snapped as she slowly rose to her feet and distanced herself, Lilligant explaining, “That was my pollen cloud. On the surface, it doesn't look like much, but it's the ultimate defensive manoeuvre against moves like the one you just used.”

“Wait, I thought only male flowers produced pollen,” Noboru said as Eiko asked, “Really?”

Isamu nodded and replied, “Yeah, he's right. They use it to fertilize female flowers to produce a seed,” Hana shrugging and replying, “Well, Lilligant's not exactly a regular flower. Maybe she's different,” the others nodding. That explanation was the only one they could think of that made sense.

Machop gritted her teeth as she could not believe this. Lilligant looked so weak and yet she was proving to be such a nuisance. Now what could the girl possibly do?

During this time, Venipede was in a state of panic. He had started the match strong and yet now it seemed as if he could not hit Tentacruel anymore. Could it be that all of his training was meaningless?

The centipede shook his head and thought, 'No, I need to do this! Tentacruel is just another opponent! She's not that scary!' and with that in mind, he proceeded to race forward with his head out only for the jellyfish to easily dodge to the right.

Luckily, Venipede had seen this coming as he sent his three right arms sideways, striking Tentacruel hard in that very spot. He then pointed his feelers forward and spat, “VENOSHOCK!” charging into the distracted jellyfish and jabbing them into her shoulders.

But while this dealt paint, they did not do anymore than that as Tentacruel frowned, wrapped her tentacles around him and asked, “Was that really your mother's legendary Venoshock?”

Venipede's eyes widened as he asked, “What?” the jellyfish nodding and explaining, “In order to prepare myself for this match, I did a little research on your mother last night. I didn't see a whole lot as I was too tired to research that much, but I saw quite a few impressive moves on her record. My two personal favourites and the ones I was most afraid to take in were Venoshock and Centipede Steamroller.”

Venipede narrowed his eyelids and remarked, “So why are you acting so calm after taking in one of those?” as Tentacruel remarked, “It's because whenever your mother used this technique, her antennae would turn into hardened acid with the power to burn through an opponent's flesh! Your version just felt like a typical jab to the shoulders, not even deserving of its own special name.”

“Well, yeah, I've never been able to do that,” Venipede uttered as Tentacruel smirked and stroked his chin, Meloetta wondering why she was acting so malicious right now as she asked, “Let me guess, you can't even use her version of the Centipede Steamroller, can you?”

Venipede had a look of terror in his eyes as he uttered, “You're right. Whenever my mother used it, she was able to form saw blades made entirely out of energy on her shoulders. I can't do that,” Tentacruel sighing, “Well, I guess that's not your fault, but it's clear to me that if your mother fought me even at her age, she would have stood much more of a chance than you did.'

Meloetta bit her lower lip before whimpering, “Tentacruel, why are you being so mean?” the jellyfish blinking and replying, “Right, sorry, I got carried away.”

Venipede was rather curious about Meloetta's reaction to Tentacruel's taunting. Surely she was aware of the fact that villains often talked down to heroes.

Even so, this did not change the fact that Tentacruel still had him trapped as she took to the sky, the crowd staring in horror as she tucked her lower body in so her beak-like appendages were pressed up against his back. Two legs were bound to his chin while two more were latched onto his tail, causing his back to bend slightly as green blood trickled out.

“You're such a disappointment,” Tentacruel sighed as she descended toward the mat, shouting, “TUSK BUSTER!”

And with that, Venipede's belly hit the mat hard as he let out a loud cry of pain, coughing up a bit of blood. And with that, his eyes closed as his chin fell against the canvas, the crowd staring in horror as Tentacruel lifted up a single tentacle, shouting, “As you can see, people of Tokyo, your hero has fallen!”

Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, 'At least it's over,' though it still pained her that her allies had to resort to such extremes.

But at the same time, she could not help but wonder if Venipede wanted to lose or not after all of that. He seemed fully intent on winning that match, but there was no way. To the best of her knowledge, he was being controlled, nothing more.

Tentacruel took a deep breath as medics rushed in to carry Venipede out of the ring, the jellyfish saying, “Well, let's check out some of the other matches, shall we?” as she turned toward the TV showing Torchic's match, her eyes widening at the sight of Gigalith on his back with the chicken in high spirits.

Gigalith slowly rose to his feet and glared at the chicken as Torchic smirked and asked, “You want some more, huh? Alright, I'm game, but not that kind of game.”

However, she then noticed a light blinking on the TV showing the footage from the pond. Now that the match was over, the cameramen no longer felt the need to record this and as such, all that was showing now was a replay of Venipede's loss.

'Dammit, I can't believe it,' the chicken thought only to immediately regret looking at the screen when Gigalith walked behind her and sent a punch into the back of her head.

The crowd winced at the sight of this as Torchic fell flat on her face, Gigalith placing a firm grip on her head and lifting her up. He then sent another punch into her face as blood came from her nostrils, the golem releasing his hold and allowing her to fall on her back.

“Torchic, get up!” one member of the crowd exclaimed as the chicken struggled to rise only for Gigalith to walk over to her, lifting up his foot and sending it hard into her gut. This caused the chicken to cough up blood as she gritted her teeth, thinking, 'No, I need to fight back! If I allow him to whale on me, Venipede's loss will be in vain!'

As such, once the foot came toward her again, she held up her talons as it ran into them instead. Thus she once again managed to force the foot away from her, though unlike last time, Gigalith was prepared and spread his other leg back far enough to prevent himself from falling.

This still provided the distraction Torchic needed as she rose back to her feet. However, just those few hits alone made her feel weak as she breathed heavily, bending down on one knee and thinking, 'How did Mom deal with this? This guy's power is insane!'

During this time, Sneasel was now racing around the ring with Mantima on high alert, her arms raised. She looked around and thought, 'Dammit, she's so hard to follow,' as after a few more seconds, the cat raced by her, Mantima stepping to the side just in time to avoid taking in a slash.

The crowd looked relieved as Nori said, “And with some quick thinking, Mantima has managed to avoid Sneasel's attack, but can she keep this up?” the cat smirking and remarking, “I doubt it. That was nothing but pure luck.”

Mantima scowled and charged at Sneasel only for the cat's smirk to widen as she thought, 'You're making this too easy!' and thus she raced forward and moved to the right with her claws out, this time striking the mantis on the side.

Mantima's eyes were wide with shock as Nori said, “And it seems this was not meant to last as Mantima takes a hard scratch to her side. Though why isn't she bleeding?” everyone soon noticing what the woman meant.

That scratch should have drawn blood and yet for whatever reason, only the claw marks were there. However, Sneasel noticed something the others did not. Not only was the mantis not bleeding, but it appeared she had a layer of flesh underneath her exoskeleton, one that was looked human.

It was then that Sneasel held up the claws that had struck Mantima and noticed that her suspicions were correct. Hanging down from the tips were two strips of the mantis' exoskeleton, only the way they hung made them look more like bits of skin or even fabric.

'Of course,' Sneasel thought with a grimace, 'She shouldn't even be in this ring right now. You've done well to keep this secret, Mantima, but now the whole world will know what you've been hiding.'

Mantima noticed the cat had lost focus on the fight and leapt toward her, sending a roundhouse into the back of her head and shouting, “HEY, NEVER DROP YOUR GUARD DURING A FIGHT!” the crowd cheering as Sneasel smirked and rubbed the spot that had been hit, turning toward the mantis and saying, “And you should try a better attack when given the opportunity.”

With that, she leapt backward toward the ropes and stretched them back with her feet. She then flung herself forward with her claws pointed outward and exclaimed, “FELINE FRENZY!” swinging them up and down while putting various cuts all over Mantima's face.

The mantis winced as the crowd stared in shock. Rather than actually trying to deal damage, it seemed Sneasel had more in mind as she used her claws to effectively peel off the material making up the head. And soon enough, the crowd was truly astounded as in place of the mantis head was that of a human girl. She had a very pretty face with short brown hair and lovely green eyes.

All went silent as Sneasel leapt away from her and bowed her head, saying, “I bring you Mantima's true identity,” the crowd unable to look away from this. Even Nori was at a loss for words as all this time, Mantima was a human.

Meloetta immediately turned her gaze to this, Tentacruel ignoring Torchic's fight to view this as well, thinking, 'Interesting.'

'They're training humans to stand up to us now?' Meloetta thought as she trembled, 'If they gain enough power, Tentacruel's plan might not work and we'll never get the freedom we deserve.'

The human known as Mantima looked around, absolutely mortified as she breathed heavily. However, after a few second, she stopped and put on a more serious look, stating, “People, what you see here is the one who you knew as Mantima! That is not my real name!”

The crowd was truly invested in this now as she added, “My real name is Rinko, and I am the adopted daughter of Reika and Scyther!” everyone truly shocked to hear this, Nori exclaiming, “I heard that those two adopted a little girl many years ago, but I never would have guessed she was posing as an insect this whole time!”

Sneasel smirked and folded her arms, asking, “So, why did you lie to the public? Sounds pretty disgraceful to me,” as Rinko took a deep breath and replied, “It's because I was afraid of what Hero Planet's government might do if they found out I was human. I have trained since I was five to carry on the Adler family legacy! I wanted to follow in Mother Scyther's footsteps! I learned the moves that I could pick up from her and trained myself to resist what most humans could not, but I just knew that if I continued to look like a human, there was no way they would allow me to fight evil! I bet all of you would much rather have me leave the ring right now, wouldn't you!?”

However, she was shocked when one member of the crowd exclaimed, “YOU ROCK, RINKO!” another adding, “You'll always be the badass Mantima who defeated Voltorb to me!” many others joining in and cheering for her as her eyes and mouth widened.

She was also shocked to hear Nori state, “As it just so happens, humans are not forbidden from fighting villains. It's just not recommended as most can't handle the kind of stuff you can. I'm sure Hero Planet's government would have been fine with a human training under them as long as you could prove your worth, which you definitely have.”

Rinko was truly spellbound as Sneasel hissed, “What are you saying!? You're promoting deception! She could easily die!” Nori smirking and saying, “You know, Rinko's not exactly the first hero capable of standing up to you.”

Now many members of the crowd were interested until an older member stated, “That's right, there was a Korean woman named Hyun who had the strength of a hero. She was the one who taught Ninetales how to fight,” Rinko thinking, 'My opponent on Hero Planet was taught by a human?'

Needless to say, this filled her up with more confidence than ever before as a big smile formed on her face, the brunette sighing, “Well, guess there's no need for this disguise anymore,” but just as she was about to take the mantis costume off, she blinked and said, “Oh yeah, I'm not wearing anything else underneath.”

Sneasel frowned and thought, 'That didn't quite have the result I wanted, but I'll still beat her anyway. Even if she's strong enough to qualify as a hero, she's still human and no human can ever hope to defeat me!'

Needless to say, things were not looking good for the heroes. Machop had barely landed a hit on Lilligant while taking in significantly more damage, Torchic had succumbed to extreme pain herself, Venipede had lost and Rinko was exposed. Could the remaining heroes of Tokyo possibly win their matches when their opponents were this powerful? Did Tentacruel even need Meloetta to accomplish her goal?

 

Currently, Machop was beyond irritated. While Torchic and Rinko had trouble with their opponents, she had it the absolute worst. So far, the best she had dealt was a single karate chop and a weakened suplex. No matter how anyone tried to look at it, Lilligant had practically been in full control of this match since the beginning.

'I can't do this, can I?' the girl thought while biting her lower lip, 'I may have beaten Crawdaunt, but his fighting style wasn't anywhere near as difficult to figure out. I need Lairon's advice and he's not here.'

But just as it seemed all was lost, Garchomp heard her cellphone ring as she blinked, pulling it out and noticing the number displayed on-screen was that of her husband. Thus she hit the icon that allowed her to answer the call and held it up to the side of her head, asking, “Hey, honey. What's up?”

“I'm on break right now,” Lairon stated while seated in the lounge in front of a TV, “The TV I'm watching is on the station showing Machop's fight. I was hoping she could do this by herself, but it doesn't seem like she's ready yet.”

Garchomp blinked and replied, “You don't know that. She is a member of the Mach family,” only for Lairon to remark, “Look at her eyes, honey. What do you see?”

The dragon squinted her eyes before getting a clear look. She now noticed exactly what her husband had, the face of defeat. As hard as it was to believe, she knew that look more than anyone.

It was after she graduated from Hero School. Not even a day after she arrived on Earth, she had already been challenged by a blue bat named Golbat.

Logically, Garchomp should have been more than capable of winning this match. She had the strength and the skills. It also helped that she had size on her side. And yet despite this, Golbat proved to be a huge pain.

As the dragon had not yet revealed her ability to fly to the world, she had trouble standing up to the bat. She landed a few hits here and there, but for the most part, Golbat had the advantage. And after ten minutes, the bat managed to catch Garchomp off-guard as he planted his feet into her back, sinking his fangs into her shoulder thus using a move he called Poison Fang.

Garchomp had that exact same look that Machop showed today and ultimately gave up, knowing exactly what would happen if she allowed the bat to keep his fangs planted in her for too long. Before facing Lucario, she never lost another match since, but she still knew what it was like to feel helpless.

With that in mind, she asked, “You want me to pass on some advice, right?” Lairon nodding and replying, “Yeah, she's gonna need it.”

With that, the dragon listened to him and nodded, exclaiming, “Hey, Machop!” the girl turning toward her as she added, “Don't give up hope just yet! You can still win this match!” many turning to face her as she added, “I have Lairon on the phone right now! He's got some advice for you!”

Machop's eyes sparkled as a big open-mouth smile formed, Lilligant scowling and thinking, 'Oh, I don't think so,' as she once again struck her ballerina pose and twirled toward the girl with her leg out.

Garchomp grinned and called out, “Send a roundhouse backwards right now!” Machop nodding and throwing her leg back, planting it hard into Lilligant's side before her leg could connect with hers.

Isamu smiled and said, “Now that's the Machop I saw in action yesterday,” Eiko clapping and squealing, “Yeah! That's more like it!”

It did not end there as Garchomp stated, “Alright, now hit her with the strongest direct attack you can think of!” Machop grinning and saying, “I've been waiting for a chance to do this.”

Lilligant's eyes were wide with shock as Machop leapt at her with her arm out, shouting, “MOON HOOK!” and sending that spot hard into her neck. As a result, the flower girl coughed up a bit of blood and fell hard on her back, the crowd going wild.

“Not completely sure what's going on,” Yuki stated, “but it seems Machop has finally caught Lilligant off-guard! Not only has she landed a powerful roundhouse, but she has even connected her mother's famous Moon Hook!”

Lairon grinned while watching this and sighed, “She's good, but it's like Machoke said when he fought Bisharp all those years back. When you're stuck, the best thing you can do is get advice.”

Suddenly, an intercom came on, saying, “Alright, guys, your fifteen minute break is over. Back to work,” the dinosaur taking a deep breath and asking, “You think Machop will be okay on her own?”

Garchomp grinned and saw the girl's confidence build immensely as she nodded and said, “I think she'll be fine,” before giving her husband a quick goodbye and hanging up.

Seeing her put the phone away, Machop could tell that Lairon was no longer able to give her advice. But even so, she felt as if even that one minute he dedicated to helping her was more than enough as now she had a clear idea of how to bypass Lilligant's tactics, or it at least seemed that way.

During this time, Torchic was trying to ignore all the pain Gigalith had already dealt. Sure, he was tough, but the chicken was strong as well. There was no way she could let him walk all over her.

With that in mind, she once again raced toward the golem. But just as he was about to strike back, she dodged to the right and sent a roundhouse into the side of his leg.

Gigalith winced as due to his legs being thin, they were his weakest parts. But even so, he did his best to tough it out as he threw his fist sideways toward the chicken. Luckily, Torchic saw this coming as she ducked under it, lighting her beak on fire and sending it into Gigalith's leg, shouting, “FIRE PECK!” the crowd going wild as the golem knelt down.

However, due to the hard blow she took to her beak earlier, this actually caused her a bit of pain as well as she winced. Gigalith noticed this as he chose to ignore the pain to his leg, lifting up his arm and lowering his hand as it crashed down onto the chicken's skull.

The crowd was once again in panic as Torchic groaned in pain, trying her hardest not to let it get to her. However, after taking in stone-powered attacks as many times as she had, it was hard for her to ignore this as Gigalith leapt into the air with his legs spread out in a splits formation. And before Torchic could even try to respond, the golem landed on top of her thus crushing her under his weight, all going silent as everyone stared in horror.

Tentacruel briefly turned to the screen to witness this, smiling wickedly and thinking, 'Looks like we got ourselves another victory,' before turning her attention back to Rinko's match. Now that the human had been exposed, the jellyfish was much more interested to see how she would do from here on in.

Rinko took a deep breath and held up a fighter stance, saying, “I have to thank you, Sneasel. You've removed a large burden from me,” the cat scowling and hissing, “I don't want your thanks!”

With that, she lunged toward Rinko as the brunette took a deep breath and waited for her to get close. And at just the right open, she threw her arms out and took hold of Sneasel's wrists, her eyes wide with shock. Once again, Rinko managed to overcome her speed, but how?

Whatever the case, Rinko would not let this opportunity go as she held Sneasel up against her shoulder, leaping into the air and leaning backward while shouting, “FLYING HAMMER!” And with that, the back of the cat's neck hit the mat hard as her eyes and mouth were even wider.

However, she very quickly broke free from the girl's hold and leapt away from her, breathing heavily and thinking, 'I know she's trained for a long time, but no human should be this goddamn strong! Alright, that's enough playing around! I need to end this as quickly as possible!'

With that in mind, the cat's ear feather started to glow as she once again raced toward Rinko. The brunette felt prepared for this until Sneasel screeched to a halt and leapt over her head, landing behind her. She then sprinted toward Rinko's side while going down on all fours, shouting, “FEATHER SWORD!” sending the ear into that very spot.

Rinko's eyes were wide with shock as not only did this rip open the material in her mantis suit, but it also put a huge gash on her side. Luckily, the material used to make the costume was strong enough to prevent this from being too fatal, but at the same time, she felt unbelievably weak as she fell to her knees, her hand up against her side.

“I was right,” Sneasel said with a wicked grin, “You shouldn't be in this ring right now.”

Seeing as Rinko was now too weak to fight back, the cat knew it was finally time to end this. With that in mind, she leapt toward he brunette and wrapped her arms and legs around her, planting the claws on her paws into the area just below her neck while digging the claws on her feet into her lower back.

The crowd gasped as Nori exclaimed, “Rinko managed a great comeback with her mother's infamous Flying Hammer, but it seems as if she has met her match!”

Rinko tried to struggle free, but each time she shifted her body, it only caused more pain to her back. There was no doubt in her mind that she could not get out of this.

With that in mind, Sneasel smirked wickedly and leapt backwards into the air, flipping her body vertically. And after a few seconds, she slammed the back of Rinko's head hard into the canvas and exclaimed, “YARN BALL!”

All went silent through the area as Rinko coughed up blood. Her eyes then rolled to the back of her head as Sneasel removed her claws and leapt away from her, allowing her to collapse. And after a few seconds, Nori could tell she would not rise any time soon.

With that in mind, the woman rang the bell and exclaimed, “Despite all of Rinko's best efforts, the winner of this match is Sneasel!” the crowd mortified by this as Sneasel rose her arms in the air with a big grin on her face, exclaiming, “Yeah! I rule!”

And much like before, the others were now only able to see the replay of the match's results as Tentacruel grinned. Meloetta breathed a sigh of relief and said, “I'm sorry, human girl, but when we achieve equality, you'll see why your loss was necessary.”

But while things were looking bad for the others, Machop's situation had at least improved as Lilligant slowly rose to her feet, rubbing her neck and grunting, “Don't act so confident. You got a couple of lucky shots in. That's it.”

“If you think that's all I have in store, you got another thing coming!” Machop remarked as she leapt toward the flower girl, sending a two-legged kick into her face before she could even think of a countermeasure.

Lilligant backed up, rubbing her face and thinking, 'Dammit, everything was going so well. It may still be too early to try this, but I want to win at all cost. It's time to bring in the big guns.'

Everyone else felt confident that Machop would win this as Isamu gave her a thumb up, exclaiming, “Good job, Machop!” Eiko squealing, “You're amazing!”

However all went silent when Lilligant lifted up her arms to the right, waving them in place while thrusting her body repeatedly to the left. And it only got more confusing she she started to sway left and right, shifting each part accordingly.

“What's she doing?” Noboru uttered as Hana shrugged and replied, “Looks like she's dancing.”

“Well, so far, every one of her attacks has involved her dancing,” Eiko said with a shrug as Isamu narrowed his eyelids, saying, “True, but she's not even advancing toward Machop this time. What's this supposed to accomplish?”

Yuki had no comment on all of this as Machop stared awkwardly, uttering, “What is this?” when suddenly, she found herself strangely compelled to join in. The crowd was now really confused as Machop started swaying back and forth just like Lilligant.

While most of the people were confused by this, Isamu and Garchomp both caught on as they spat, “MACHOP, STOP WATCHING HER DANCE!” only for Lilligant to chuckle and reply, “Hate to burst your bubble, but it's too late. Once my opponent watches my Teeter Dance long enough, she'll fall under my spell and there's no way to escape from it.”

“Oh, I get it,” Yuki said with a nod of her head, “It would seem Lilligant has used a form of hypnosis on Machop.”

And soon enough, the effect got even worse as Machop's eyes started to swirl, Lilligant bringing her dance to a halt. And it was just as it seemed. Despite the flower girl having ended her dance, Machop was still doing it, no longer focused on the match.

Now the crowd was truly afraid as Garchomp uttered, “This shouldn't last too long, right? Machoke was able to resist dizziness. Surely Machop can do the same,” but this did not seem to be the case as Lilligant took full advantage of this, leaping toward the girl and planting a hard kick in her face.

Machop then fell on her back and groaned, rubbing her face and slowly rising to her feet. She then glared at Lilligant and spat, “Hey, that was cheap!” only for the flower girl to start up her dance again.

“HIT HER BEFORE IT TAKES EFFECT!” Eiko squeaked as Isamu spat, “Wait a minute!” but it was too late as Machop raced toward the flower girl only to stop in her tracks after two seconds.

And just like before, she could not resist dancing along with Lilligant as Isamu groaned, “Oh no, this is terrible,” Machop's eyes spinning once again as the flower girl stopped her dance.

With her opponent still under her spell, Lilligant could not have been more thrilled as she propelled herself high into the air with her arms out. She then twirled toward Machop's forehead with her feet together, shouting, “BALLET STOMP!” ramming them hard into that very spot.

Machop's eyes widened as she coughed up blood, once again falling on her back. However, unlike before, she did not seem to be moving as Lilligant gave a bow, saying, “Thank you all for coming. This is truly my most grand performance yet.”

The crowd stared in horror as Eiko trembled, whimpering, “She'll get up from that, right?” Noboru and Hana unsure of how to respond to this while Isamu gritted his teeth, barking, “HEY, MACHOP, ARE YOU REALLY GONNA LET YOURSELF LOSE THAT EASILY!?”

The others stared awkwardly at him as he added, “When I saw you beat Crawdaunt yesterday, you were amazing! It looked like you were gonna lose, but you pulled off a true miracle and dominated the rest of the fight! And I saw your match with Gyarados! You came very close to losing that match but still pulled through! So are you really gonna let some stupid dance routine finish you off!? Because the Machop I know wouldn't do that!”

“Stupid!?” Lilligant retorted with her hands on her hips, “How dare you!? Once my victory is made official, I'll make you pay for that comment, you prick!”

However, it seemed his speech had inspired a member of the crowd as she pumped her hand up and down, saying, “Machop. Machop,” others joining in and chanting, “Machop! Machop!”

Garchomp nodded and rose to her feet, shouting, “Machop! Machop!” as Eiko, Noboru, Hana and especially Isamu joined in. Even Yuki was resisting the urge to join the audience, but her job as an announcer was to be neutral, thus she held back, hoping the chants would be enough to wake the girl up.

“How rude!” Lilligant growled with a look of irritation, “I'm the one giving the Tony-worthy performance and no one's cheering for me! Well, whatever, they're all wasting their breath anyway!”

However, it seemed as if the crowd's chanting worked as Machop slowly shifted her fingers, pressing her hands firmly against the mat and slowly pushing herself back up. Lilligant's eyes widened as she stared in shock, backing up with her arm against her chest and thinking, 'No, she can't get up! That should have been more than enough to finish her off!'

“What's wrong?” Machop asked with a grin, “You didn't honestly think that would be enough to finish me off, did you? You've clearly never faced a member of my family.”

Lilligant's shock turned to absolute fury as she gritted her teeth and retorted, “Whatever! I'll just knock you out again!” before swaying her body left and right.

Unfortunately for her, Machop knew what to expect now as she closed her eyes, Isamu smiling as he thought, 'That's right. Don't watch her dance and you'll be okay.'

Before Lilligant could even respond, Machop raced toward her, knowing she had not moved from her spot yet. And once close enough, she opened her eyes and sent a hard punch into the flower girl's forehead. This caused her to back up as the crowd cheered wildly, and since the girl's eyes had not been open nearly long enough, it made sense that she did not fall victim to the Teeter Dance this time.

“After a very close call, it would seem Machop has found a way to avoid the Teeter Dance's effects,” Yuki stated as Machop proceeded to send her elbow into the spellbound Lilligant.

“Yeah, that's the kind of thing I expect from you, Machop!” Isamu exclaimed while giving her a thumb up, the girl looking at him and nodding with a big smile on her face. Needless to say, she was beyond grateful for his words of encouragement earlier.

But while Machop had finally gotten the upper hand back, Torchic seemed down for the count as Gigalith continued to sit on her to make sure she would not get up. But when he was certain that she could not possibly do so, he rose to his feet and stepped to the side, the crowd now really concerned as the chicken lay there. Her legs were both separated far from each other as they appeared to be a bloody, mangled mess.

Though a part of Gigalith really hoped that did not kill her. After all, Meloetta would have likely turned against him if he had gone so far as to do that, though the look in his eyes gave off the implication that this was not the only reason. But why else would he hope for Torchic to recover?

But just as it seemed he had officially won, his wish had come true far too soon as despite all the damage dealt earlier, Torchic's body started to twitch. The crowd stared in shock as she shifted her legs up, pointing the lower halves downward so her feet were touching the canvas. And with that, she slowly but surely managed to push herself back up, breathing heavily, her eyes wide open. It was as if she was just as surprised by her recovery as the crowd was.

And needless to say, Gigalith could not believe it either as his eyes were wide with terror. And of course, Torchic would not let this opportunity go as she took a deep breath, doing her hardest to ignore the pain coursing through her veins. She only had enough energy to use one more attack, so she had to make this count.

With that in mind, she sprinted toward the ropes and leapt face-first toward them. The crowd was confused as she bit the top rope, stretching it out as her feet caught flame.

'This is a move my mother used to defeat a really powerful adversary,' the chicken thought, 'She needed assistance to pull it off, but I think with the right amount of force, I can probably use it to. This is the only move I can think of that can possibly win me this match.'

However, Gigalith was prepared for this as he knelt down, his gem horn glowing briefly. It then expanded forward, forming a blade as he charged toward the chicken.

It was at this moment that the rope retracted, Torchic launching herself off of it as the flames on her feet formed into a phoenix head. And with that, she spat, “ROARING PHOENIX!” as her heels rammed into Gigalith's horn.

The golem closed his eyes and tried to advance forward, doing his absolute best to overpower the chicken. But after a few seconds, it seemed Torchic's attack was much stronger as cracks formed in the gem, the material soon shattering as her feet hit the golem's skull hard.

With that, Gigalith moaned in pain and fell hard on his back, Torchic's flames dying out as she landed on her own back behind him. She breathed heavily and tilted her head back so she could face her opponent and make sure this really was good enough.

Tentacruel stared at this and thought, 'That can't be good enough. Gigalith is too strong for that,' Meloetta hoping for the same thing. Even Sneasel could not believe that Torchic was strong enough to knock out someone so heavy.

But seeing as the chicken was still breathing and Gigalith had not regained consciousness, it seemed that this victory really was hers as she grinned. And with that, the crowd cheered wildly as Torchic turned her gaze back to the golem.

“You know, it's a crying shame you decided to serve evil,” Torchic said with a sigh, “With your power, you would make for a great hero,” and while she did not actually realize this herself, Gigalith had heard every word.

At that moment, memories regarding why he joined the side of evil returned. For whatever reason, Gigalith's development was slow. Because of this, he never learned to talk no matter how many times his family would try. And because he was a mute, his classmates made fun of him.

One day, Tentacruel discovered him and very quickly picked up on his predicament. She figured that if his peers could not accept him, he may as well get revenge on the world that wronged him. And as a result, he went on to become Tentacruel's strongest ally.

But during all of that time, a part of him still felt that this was wrong, that his reasoning for becoming evil was petty beyond compare. And this was a part of the reason he had hoped his attack did not kill Torchic.

What if maybe he had been too rash? Perhaps people would respect him if he used his abilities to help them instead of hurt them. He would certainly need to think about Torchic's suggestion as both fighters continued to lie in the ring.

And with one victory and Machop's amazing comeback, it seemed as if the tide of the battle had shifted in the heroes' favour. But would Machop really be able to defeat Lilligant or was she only delaying the inevitable?

 

Things were finally starting to look up as while it had been a very close call, Torchic had still been victorious over Gigalith. This only left Machop's match, and with things going so well, hopefully she could make up for Rinko and Venipede's losses.

However, Lilligant had no intention of losing, not when things had started so well for her. With that in mind, the flower girl glared at Machop and growled, “I have to admit, you definitely live up to the family name. You have that annoying persistence that your father was known for and while you don't look it, you certainly possess his strength. But even so, I know for a fact that you lost once, so there's no doubt in my mind that I can still beat you!”

“Just try it,” Machop retorted, “Admit it, you're out of tricks. I've now found a way around your best technique.”

“Oh, did you honestly believe Teeter Dance was the best that I had to offer?” Lilligant asked with a smirk as Machop's eyes widened, Garchomp asking, “It wasn't?”

“Oh no, that doesn't sound good,” Isamu growled, “I really hope she's ready for whatever Lilligant has planned.”

Lilligant held up her leg and started to twirl toward Machop as the girl blinked and uttered, “You're seriously trying that again?” but just as she was about to counter, the flower girl picked up the pace and exclaimed, “QUIVER DANCE!”

Machop's eyes widened as she had no time to respond, the girl taking an onslaught of kicks to her midsection. And after a few good hits, Lilligant sent a high kick into the her chin, causing her to cough up blood as she flew back a bit.

“And now for the piece de resistance,” Lilligant said before leaping at Machop and sending one last kick into her gut, the girl coughing up more blood as she flew into the turnbuckle, groaning in pain as her head lowered.

She was barely able to stay upright as she rested her arms over the ropes, breathing heavily. Yuki stared in shock and said, “It would seem that Lilligant's increase in speed has given her the upper hand back as Machop is once again a sitting duck.”

Lilligant frowned and said, “Looks like that didn't finish you, but no matter. You're in no condition to fight back anyway. But on the upside, you should be proud. You brought out all of my abilities, something no opponent has ever done before.”

Isamu gritted his teeth and grunted, “Come on, Machop, you can do it!” as Eiko trembled and whimpered, “Please tell me you can still win this.”

Hearing Isamu's words was all Machop needed to ignore the pain dealt to her when Lilligant leapt at her with her feet pointed outward, the flower girl twirling during her descent. It was clear that she was setting up for her Ballet Stomp and there was no way Machop would allow her to land it. And it seemed she might just be able to prevent this as Lilligant's Quiver Dance had clearly taken a lot out of her, sweat pouring down the sides of her head now.

With that in mind, Machop leapt up to the flower girl's level as her eyes widened, though she was shocked when the girl flew over her. Her shock turned to horror as the exact second Machop was high enough, she latched her ankles around the flower girl's neck.

The crowd stared in shock as Machop pushed down, forcing Lilligant's entire body to flip upside-down. She then took hold of her legs and thought, 'I can't believe it! I actually pulled off another one of Mama's finishers!'

While the crowd went wild, Isamu blinked and uttered, “Is that really such a good idea?” Noboru and Hana both nodding as they remembered what happened the last time Machop tried to slam Lilligant into the canvas.

And just like before, Lilligant released a cloud of pollen from the flower atop her head, a smug grin on her face. But just as it seemed like she had prevented herself from being knocked out, she was once again terrified when her head passed straight through the cloud before it could thicken.

With that, Machop managed to slam her skull hard into the mat, shouting, “METEOR WARHEAD!” Lilligant coughing up blood as the girl released her hold, allowing her to collapse.

Everyone stared as Lilligant was out cold, Yuki ringing the bell and exclaiming, “And after a long and intense match, our winner is Machop!” the crowd going wild while Eiko hugged Isamu, squealing, “I KNEW SHE COULD DO IT!”

'Yeah,' Isamu thought with a light smile, 'Machop really is something else, isn't she?'

Tentacruel stared at this with fury as she growled, “Dammit, I could have accepted Torchic's victory if she was the only one still standing in our way,” as Meloetta uttered, “Are you saying we don't stand a chance?”

The jellyfish took a deep breath and replied, “No, not at all. These two may have beaten Lilligant and Gigalith, but I'm certain Sneasel and I can finish what they started.”

“And if things get really bad, I can just step in,” Meloetta replied with a light smile, Tentacruel nodding and saying, “Yes, of course. Good to know you remembered.”

Suddenly, Meloetta noticed something on the screen showing the footage from the park. After Machop's victory, a human girl with pink hair, namely Eiko, got up from the crowd and ran into the ring just to give the hero a hug. Meloetta's eyes widened at the sight of this as Tentacruel could see it.

“It is kind of a shame, really,” the jellyfish sighed, “Some of the humans are unaware of what the government is doing and honestly believe that these so-called heroes of theirs actually enjoy what they're doing. That girl is one of those ignorant people.”

Meloetta gasped and nodded, saying, “That's awful. Someone should tell her the truth,” Tentacruel shrugging and sighing, “She might not believe you, but at the same time, it does show that at least some humans are opposed to stripping us of our freedom. It's just a shame they're not aware of the fact that their trusted government is doing just that.”

However, just as quickly as Machop's happiness over her victory came, it turned to shock when she looked at the other screens and saw the devastating results of the other matches. While Torchic had won, she looked to be in horrible condition, and of course, seeing footage of Venipede's loss being replayed did not lift her spirits. Though she was rather curious when she saw a human head where Mantima's used to be.

Even so, this did not change the fact that she might very well end up facing the last three villains alone. With that, she tensed up and uttered, “Oh no,” Isamu staring at this and growling, “Dammit, I didn't think it would be this bad.”

“Well, as you all can see,” Yuki stated, “the other matches have come to a close, and so far, it's a tie between the heroes and villains. While Torchic appears to have been defeated, replayed footage has confirmed that she did, in fact, defeat Gigalith. So if she manages to recover, she can still help out in this struggle for survival.”

Nori had said this to the crowd at the construction site as well while those watching in other areas read the subtitles onscreen. And while that sounded promising, Machop was still unsure whether or not Torchic could recover in time.

Either way, Sneasel did not seem to mind the fact that Machop and Torchic had won as much as Tentacruel did. She had a smirk on her face as she folded her arms and said, “Bring it. That Rinko felt like nothing more than a warmup. I want a real challenge.”

But just as it seemed like the matches for the day were done, Tentacruel's eyes widened when a deep female voice entered the area, shouting, “You know, five against four is a little unfair, don't you think!?”

Meloetta squeaked in panic when she noticed a white sloth bounding toward the ring, leaping up and landing firmly against the canvas. Seeing this, the cameramen wasted no time recording this as the TV screens showed this as opposed to the same replay footage of Venipede's loss.

Machop's eyes widened as she uttered, “Vigoroth?” Isamu blinking and asking, “Who's that?”

“That was the villain Torchic beat up,” Eiko replied, “She's not here to help the villains, is she?”

Machop folded her arms and replied, “I seriously doubt that,” a grin on her face as she added, “After the match, Vigoroth swore she would change her ways. If anything, I'm almost one-hundred percent certain she's here to help.”

Those operating each TV decided to turn the volume on now that the audio could no longer distract audiences from the matches taking place in their respective areas. And thus, everyone could now hear the conversation.

And it seemed Machop's assumption was correct as Vigoroth growled, “I can't just sit back and let you take over Tokyo without at least fighting fair! Currently, you've lost two allies, but now that number's gonna go up to three!”

'Why's she doing this?' Meloetta thought with confusion, 'Doesn't she know she's only making things worse for her kind?' as Tentacruel folded her arms and sighed, “You know, I would like to see what Meloetta's skills are like, so I'll allow this,” the crowd cheering as they now felt more at ease knowing they would have a fifth hero to protect them.

“Me!?” Meloetta squeaked with a look of terror, Tentacruel sighing, “You said you were ready for this if need be. Besides, I just finished a fight not too long ago. You can't expect me to fight this new opponent after taking in so many injuries, can you?”

“You're right,” Meloetta replied with a serious look as Vigoroth cracked her knuckles and smirked, saying, “I don't care who I fight. I just wanna aid those who helped me see the light.”

“Yeah, tell is like it is!” Machop squealed with a big grin as Isamu nodded and said, “She seems cool. Good to know you were right.”

The girl turned to him and retorted, “Did you think I was wrong?” giving him a cold look as he laughed nervously.

The other audience members were certainly excited to see Vigoroth fight for the side of good as Torchic turned toward the screen while being loaded up onto a stretcher, a grin on her face. She then let out a sigh of relief and said, “Nice to have you on our side, buddy.”

Sneasel was also quite interested, but not for the same reason as the crowd. She wanted to know just what kind of fighter Meloetta was. If she won this match, there would be no more doubt in the cat's mind that this green-haired girl was worth recruiting.

However, before this could begin, Machop realized something. And it seemed Garchomp was on the same wavelength as she said, “Come on, Machop. I'll take you there so you can support your friend.”

“Thanks!” Machop squealed as Isamu and Eiko turned to their parents, Noboru nodding and saying, “Yeah, you can go. Be home by dinner time, eh?” both teens nodding as Eiko's eyes sparkled.

Back at the pond, Meloetta took a deep breath and asked, “Miss Vigoroth, would you like to prepare for this fight or should we start right away?” the sloth folding her arms and saying, “I'd rather start as soon as possible, thank you very much.”

“Very well,” Meloetta replied with a curtsy as the crowd grinned, the green-haired girl at least glad that neither would have to put on an entrance show for the humans. The last thing Meloetta wanted was to cave into their desires. If anything, she could not help but wonder why both Sneasel and Lilligant would join into such a thing themselves when their leader seemed so opposed to it.

And with that in mind, Vigoroth walked to a far side of the ring while Meloetta did the same. And with that, Tentacruel, who was by the side of the ring now, rose her tentacle in the air and exclaimed, “You may begin!”

With that, Vigoroth wasted no time bounding toward Meloetta. The green-haired girl's eyes widened as she tried to fight back only to receive an elbow to her chest. Before she could even respond, Vigoroth followed it up with an onslaught of punches to her face before reaching her arms out and piercing her shoulders with her claws.

Meloetta cried out in pain, Tentacruel frowning and thinking, 'Oh no, she held back, didn't she?' as Vigoroth lifted the green-haired girl up and shouted, “SLOTH SUPLEX!” slamming her skull hard into the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Vigoroth released her hold and smirked, folding her arms and saying, “So much for your ultimate weapon,” as Tentacruel narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Okay, maybe it's too early to assume the worst. Surely after seeing how aggressive her opponent is, she'll realize that there's no point in holding back.'

Sneasel, meanwhile, watched this in stunned silence and uttered, “Seriously? That's the one who's gonna lead us to glory?” before sighing, “You really picked yourself a winner, Tentacruel.”

Vigoroth grinned and thought, 'Thank you for letting me help my friends, Dad.'

She remembered it just like it was yesterday. Shortly after her match with Torchic, she took a flight back home and apologized to her father for acting out like she had. However, Slaking did not look as angry as she felt he would. If anything, he figured that such amazing skills could benefit those being terrorized by the forces of evil.

The only catch was that she had to pretend not to be the princess of the sloth kingdom for as long as she remained a hero. After all, Slaking still would much rather not have others associate his empire with violence. And Vigoroth was perfectly fine with this.

Back in present time, Meloetta slowly rose to her feet and rubbed her head, a look of sheer terror in her eyes. She knew they could be aggressive, she knew those assisting the humans would not back down for what she believed to be a horrible reason, but she never realized it was this bad. To think one would voluntarily jump in to assist those protecting another area and even go all-out against their own kind, the kind Meloetta believed was still being oppressed and judged for being a different species, was too much to take in.

“I hope you realize just how serious this really is,” Tentacruel said with a serious look on her face, “If you want to make sure our plan succeeds, you'll need to stop whatever threat gets in our way. As you can see, they're not going to hold back, so you shouldn't either.”

“Yes, I get it now,” Meloetta replied with a nod of her head, “That's why you and your friends were so aggressive during your fights. You had no choice.”

“What the hell are you babbling about!?” Vigoroth retorted before charging toward the green-haired girl while swinging her arms around, shouting, “FURY SWIPES!”

But just as she was about to get close enough to hit Meloetta with her onslaught, the green-haired girl whipped her hair around, sending it forward as it elongated and bound itself to the sloth's arms. Her eyes were wide with shock as she could no longer move them, Meloetta sighing, “Please forgive me.”

She then whipped her hair to the side, sending Vigoroth flying face-first into the turnbuckle. But before she could retaliate, Meloetta tapped her headset as an ancient musical score came from it. It was so loud that the sound waves came out of the device, flying toward the sloth.

And once close enough, Vigoroth could not only feel ringing in her ears, but these sound waves were actually hurting her. As such, she cried out in pain and held her hands up to the sides of her head, doing her best to stand her ground. And after a few seconds, the sound wore off as she took a deep breath, saying, “Interesting power, but you'll need to do better than that to best the likes of me.”

Sneasel stared at this and said, “Still seems kinda lame. I mean, really, singing? Sure, Lilligant fights by dancing, but at least that involves her physically harming her opponent.”

Tentacruel, however, had a feeling there was more to Meloetta as she said, “You have something better in your arsenal, right?” the green-haired girl nodding and sighing, “I was hoping to avoid using this, but if it's necessary to end all of these fights for now, I'll do it.”

“AS IF I'D LET YOU!” Vigoroth retorted as she charged toward the green-haired girl once more.

But before she could get close, Meloetta took a deep breath and exclaimed, “HYPER VOICE!” letting out a loud musical sound from her mouth. The crowd stared in shock as rings burst from that very spot, hitting Vigoroth hard as she gritted her teeth, trying her best to fight it. This was rather difficult as the rings were forcing her from advancing forward while at the same time putting small cuts all over her body.

Now Sneasel was intrigued as Nori stared in utter shock, saying, “Well, folks, it would seem this Meloetta's voice is quite deadly,” the crowd rather frightened by this themselves.

However, Tentacruel could see that this move would have to work when sweat poured down Meloetta's face. It seemed just using this was taking a great deal out of her, the jellyfish thinking, 'Perhaps I had her use it too soon. I hope it doesn't hinder her performance too much.'

Luckily, it seemed as if her Hyper Voice was strong enough as after a few more seconds, Vigoroth lost her balance and flew into the turnbuckle, coughing up blood as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. The crowd stared in shock as Garchomp's van arrived, Machop, Eiko and Isamu wasting no time exiting and sprinting toward the side of the ring.

Their eyes widened as they spat, “VIGOROTH!” Machop slapping her hand against the mat and barking, “Hey, what the hell is this!? You were so strong when you fought Torchic! Surely you can get up from this, right!?”

However, it seemed Vigoroth was unable to move as her tongue stuck out of the side of her mouth, Tentacruel shrugging and saying, “Sorry to burst your bubble, but she's lost this fight. She put up a valiant effort, but it was not good enough for Meloetta here.”

Meloetta could see just how mortified Machop was by this, but why? Was this all an act or did she genuinely want to see the sloth win this match? That could not possibly be the case, could it?

Even so, the important thing was that the fighting could at least be put on hold for a while. And with that, Tentacruel smirked and said, “Either way, Machop, I guess I may as well congratulate you and Torchic for winning your matches. I look forward to facing one of you tomorrow.”

Meloetta had a feeling she was only saying that to be polite as Machop frowned and said, “Yeah, you won't know what hit you, I can assure you of that.”

Isamu took a deep breath and said, “Guess there was no reason to come after all,” only for Eiko to give him an awkward look as Garchomp signalled the others to enter the van.

Machop decided she may as well carry Vigoroth into the van as well. Sure, they could have just as easily called for an ambulance, but they figured as long as they had the means, they may as well take her to the hospital themselves.

But as the group walked toward the vehicle, Machop turned and scowled at both Meloetta and Tentacruel one last time. Meloetta felt so confused by this. While she still believed this was an act, she could detect a hint of sincerity in the girl's eyes, like she really was passionate about defeating her new friends.

But Tentacruel quickly remedied that by resting a tentacle on her shoulder and saying, “Good job. It's not easy doing this. Believe you me, I'd rather have not been so rough on that darling centipede, but it had to be done.”

Meloetta nodded and replied, “Right,” a light smile on her face as she thought, 'Once it's all over, it'll be worth it. We'll never have to resort to such extremes again.'

 

With the matches finally at a close for the day, Machop and her friends had taken Vigoroth to the hospital. They carefully carried her in as medics immediately had her rushed to a room to rest up. But while it was nice to know the sloth was in good hands, Machop still wanted to check up on the others.

The first she went to check up on was Torchic. And since the chicken was still conscious, she smiled upon seeing her friend and said, “Hey, I saw your victory. Good job.”

Machop took a deep breath and said, “I saw the replay of yours. That was a very close call, wasn't it?” Torchic nodding and saying, “I know what you're thinking, and don't worry about it. We heroes can recover faster than humans, so I should be able to fight tomorrow.”

“Thank god,” Machop replied with a sigh of relief, “For a second there, I thought I was gonna be alone tomorrow,” as the chicken grinned and replied, “No way am I gonna let you face all three of those girls alone. They may be tough, but we're tougher.”

Machop had a big grin as she replied, “Ain't that the truth?” as she gave the chicken a thumb up. She would have slugged her on the shoulder, but with Torchic in her current state, that was not a good idea.

Isamu and Eiko watched this from the entrance as Eiko sighed, “They're such good friends, aren't they?” Isamu nodding and saying, “I still can't believe that just two days ago, I was completely uninterested in people like them.”

When the group moved onto Venipede and Rinko's room, Machop stared at the brunette. When she saw the ripped costume on her, she immediately put two-and-two together and said, “So Mantima was human this whole time.”

“You mean it's possible for a human to be as strong as one of you?” Isamu asked as Machop nodded and replied, “Daddy told me about this human woman named Hyun who apparently trained Ninetales until she was ten. Yeah, it's definitely possible, but still practically unheard of.”

“That is so cool!” Eiko exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as Isamu shot her a cold glance and retorted, “No!” the pink-haired girl pouting and looking down.

“Still, I wonder why she never told anyone,” Machop replied as Isamu gave her a look of concern. However, it seemed he had no reason to worry as the girl shrugged and added, “Whatever. She probably had her own personal reasons.”

With that, the group figured they may as well head off. Not only did Machop need to rest after her match, but she also needed to get some training in later for her match tomorrow. She had no idea which villain she would go up against, but she knew neither one would be easy.

And with that, she soon returned to Garchomp's van along with the others. She had a serious look in her eyes and thought, 'Don't worry, guys. Torchic and I will make sure Tokyo's safe. You can count on it.'

Seeing as it was not even one o'clock yet, Lairon had not yet returned home. But Machop was okay with this. She would rest up until he got home, after which she would spend the rest of her free time training. After all, she had come alarmingly close to failure today. There was no way she would allow that to happen again.

Seeing as she had three hours to spare, she and Garchomp both agreed that they would be okay with Eiko and Isamu spending some time at their house. However, Isamu declined the offer as he would have much rather given Machop space so she could ready herself, Eiko feeling a touch disappointed but ultimately agreeing with her brother.

And with all said and done, Machop took a deep breath and sat on the couch, Garchomp grinning and saying, “You did a very good job today. I think if Lairon saw how you got past Lilligant's pollen, he would have been very impressed.”

“Yeah, but I couldn't have done that without that little bit of advice he gave me,” Machop replied with a light smile, “I should totally thank him later,” as Garchomp looked at the clock and said, “You know, I think he might still be on his half-hour break. Why not give him a call?”

The girl's eyes sparkled as she squealed, “I'll do that right now!” before whipping out her cellphone and dialling him up.

During this time, Venipede and Rinko had managed to regain consciousness. With the beating they had taken in, no one would have expected either one to recover this quickly, and yet through what could only be described as a miracle, they somehow managed to overpower their comas.

The two had been talking for a few minutes as Venipede asked, “So, I get why you didn't tell the authorities on Hero Planet, but why didn't you tell any of us that you were human?”

“I don't really know,” Rinko replied with a sigh, “I guess in a sense, I kind of convinced myself that being Mantima and never acknowledging my true identity would make me stronger, but all it did was make me feel less confident in battle. Now that I no longer have to dawn that disguise, I feel more comfortable, like I really do have what it takes to carry on my family legacy.”

“Well, you'll always be awesome in my books,” Venipede replied with an implied smile as Rinko sighed, “Be honest, you're mad at me, aren't you? You're thinking of excluding me from the group.”

“Why would you assume something like that?” Venipede retorted with a serious look in his eyes, “I don't care that you lied to us about your identity. You're an awesome friend and that's all that matters.”

Rinko's eyes widened, her cheeks light pink as the centipede added, “Besides, I think it's awesome that you're a human. You're able to stand up to the same kinds of enemies we are. That's amazing,” the brunette tensing up even more as he added, “The way you took in all those electric shocks when you faced Voltorb and continued to stand. To think a human was able to handle that. You're incredible!”

Rinko had a big smile and asked, “Even though I still lost today?” Venipede nodding and replying, “Hey, knowing you, I'm sure you at least put up a good fight. Besides, I lost my match too, so it's not like you're the only one.”

Rinko nodded and sighed, “If I could move the rest of my body right now, I would give you the biggest hug,” Venipede chuckling and saying, “I didn't think you were the huggy type.”

During this time, Tentacruel, Sneasel and Meloetta were headed to a cave where the villains had been hiding up to this point. Meloetta gave them a light smile and said, “I'm sure that come tomorrow, you won't have to live here anymore.”

“Yeah, with you by our side, I believe it,” Sneasel said with a grin, resting a hand on her shoulder, “Seriously, for someone who looks so weak, you were incredible.”

“No, I wasn't,” Meloetta uttered with a sad look, “It still pains me that I had to resort to that,” Tentacruel sighing, “Still, you did a very good job keeping that sloth from ruining our plan. She may not have wanted to, but she had no choice. Once this is all over, you'll never have to resort to such extremes again.”

Unlike Tentacruel, Sneasel felt annoyed by Meloetta's response. While it was great to have such a surprisingly strong ally on their team, it pained the cat that she had to be such a goody-goody at the same time. A part of her just wanted to be honest and act like herself around all of her allies as opposed to pretending to be good because of one.

Once the trio entered the cave, Meloetta sighed, “I also hope we can free the others,” Tentacruel nodding while folding her arms, saying, “Yes. It's one thing for them to lose, but to have the government lock them up and take them away to prison without a second thought just because they lost makes me sick.”

Sneasel nodded and growled, “The worst part is that even we can't access their prison. If I could find out where they were keeping them, I'd bust them out myself.”

“Yeah, they must be suffering already,” Meloetta whimpered as Tentacruel rested a tentacle on her shoulder and replied, “It's okay. There's three of us and two of them. From what I saw today, I have no doubt in my mind that we will get our wish. And if the government still refuses even after we defeat their servants, there's something you can do to change their minds, correct?”

“You don't mean-” Meloetta uttered as Tentacruel nodded and replied, “Exactly,” the green-haired girl looking down until the jellyfish added, “Though it will only be used as a bartering chip. I have no intention of having you use it for its intended purpose.”

Meloetta nodded and replied, “That's good to know,” a light smile on her face as Sneasel gritted her teeth, resisting the urge to strike the girl with the back of her paw. Someone really needed to knock some sense into her.

Once four o'clock came around, Lairon returned home and decided to get some rest in before training Machop. While he did so, both the girl and Garchomp told him about how the rest of the match went, the dinosaur laughing and saying, “I'm really impressed, Machop. Overpowering a villain's best defensive manoeuvre is no small feat.”

Machop then took a deep breath and said, “I just wish I could have seen the other matches, though. I don't know which one I'm going to face tomorrow, but even if I did, I haven't seen any of them in action.”

“Yes, that could very well be a problem,” Lairon sighed, “And I have to work again,” Machop nodding and replying, “Yeah, that's important.”

Garchomp looked worried until the girl smiled and said, “But you know what? After today, I actually feel a bit more prepared, like I might actually be able to win without needing your direction. I was lucky to get even some advice today, but I feel like I shouldn't have to rely on it all the time, you know?”

Lairon nodded and grinned, saying, “That's a good attitude to have, and as long as you never forget your training, you'll do fine,” Machop nodding as Eri suddenly jumped up onto her lap, licking her face as she giggled. And sure enough, both Lairon and Garchomp joined into the laughter. While things may have been stressful at the moment, it was best that Machop not let such things eat away at her.

Once Lairon was ready, he and Machop once again went into the back to train with Garchomp and Eri watching from the entrance. After today, the dragon had a lot of hope for her. She was certain that no matter who Machop faced, she would be victorious.

And soon enough, nightfall came around as Machop lay in bed, hoping that Torchic really could join her tomorrow. As confident as she was, the girl still did not believe that she had what it took to take on three more villains all by herself. Even if they did fight her one-by-one, it would still be very difficult.

Torchic, meanwhile, decided to get in as much rest as she could. There was no way she would let Machop down, not when she was still allowed to fight. But after taking in such a heavy beating from Gigalith, would she really stand that much of a chance?

Either way, she and Machop were determined to finish what they started. There was no way all of their hard work would be in vain. They at least wanted to teach these remaining villains a lesson for what they did to their allies.

And while Tentacruel and Sneasel had managed to get to sleep while covered with blankets, Meloetta was wide awake. After all, she was nervous about the upcoming fights tomorrow. She just really hoped that both of her allies succeeded so that she would never have to repeat what she had done to Vigoroth.

After a few minutes, she let out a yawn and thought, 'Yeah, we're gonna make history tomorrow. No more will anyone have to deal with the treatment I did. Besides, some of these humans seem like good people. Maybe I can be friends with them when this is all over.'

And with that, she closed her eyes and finally drifted off to sleep. As long as she kept a positive attitude, she was certain she could succeed.

The night went by quickly as morning came along. Machop awoke bright and early just like she had the previous day. After all, she wanted to be ready for this match as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Torchic had made enough of a recovery to move her legs. But just as she was about to leave, the doctor held up his hand and said, “Hold on, Torchic.”

The chicken blinked as he stated, “You can move, but I wouldn't recommend entering the ring today.”

Torchic stared wide-eyed and retorted, “What!?” as the man sighed, “I know how much you want to help your friend, but it's not a good idea. While your legs are fine, Gigalith's weight dealt considerable damage to the rest of your body. In fact, it's a miracle that you were able to get up from that. If you fight today, I can guarantee that one or two hits will likely be enough to send you back here.”

Torchic shook her head as the doctor added, “Not only that, but I can't even recommend running. As such, it is for the best that you spend this week taking things slow and avoiding as much movement as possible.”

The chicken took many deep breaths and uttered, “Are you certain about this?” the doctor nodding and replying, “I've never been more sure of anything in my life. You can watch Machop's match, but that's all I can recommend today.”

Torchic gritted her teeth before sighing, “Okay,” the doctor smiling and saying, “Good. I'm glad you understand.”

The chicken exited the room and slowly headed toward the door, thinking, 'No, I'm gonna help Machop. I told her I'd be able to fight and I'm keeping my word. She may be tough, but not even she can handle three villains by herself.'

During this time, Machop was seated for breakfast when a news report came on. Tentacruel stood before the camera with a ring set up behind her, Sneasel posing for the viewers while Meloetta lingered in the background.

“So, what are your plans for today?” a reporter asked as he held his microphone in front of the jellyfish, Machop blinking and uttering, “Oh yeah, she never told us when or where my match will take place, did she?” Garchomp saying, “I'm surprised I didn't pick up on that.”

“We will hold the event at ten o'clock like yesterday,” the jellyfish replied, “but we will have two one-on-one matches today. Therefor, I would like for both Machop and Torchic to come to the park. I feel like it'll be the nicest location to fight in.”

Torchic saw this on a big-screen TV while walking along the sidewalk, narrowing her eyelids and thinking, 'That's fine by me.'

“Why only two matches?” the reporter asked as Tentacruel replied, “Well, it's only fair, what with there only being two of Tokyo's representatives left. Besides, I feel fully confident that we can beat them anyway, even if they did manage to defeat our cohorts.”

Meloetta, all the while, sighed and thought, 'I like that she's being fair, but we need to end this conflict as soon as possible. She's giving them too much of an advantage. This isn't good at all.'

Either way, she had to remember that she could trust Tentacruel's words. As such, she chose not to question this out loud as the reporter stated, “There you have it, folks. Anyone who wants to see these ladies fight up-close had better come to the same park where Machop fought Lilligant yesterday.”

Machop nodded and grinned, saying, “Well, at least it's an area that's easy to get to,” Garchomp nodding and replying, “Yeah. I can get you there an hour early if you'd like.”

The girl grinned and replied, “Thanks. I could use as much time to prepare as possible.”

But just as she was about to head for the van, Garchomp grinned and said, “By the way, Lairon left me with another entrance plan,” Machop lowering her eyelids and groaning, “Great.”

With all said and done, Machop and Garchomp exited the van as Machop called up Torchic on her cellphone. The chicken heard it and pulled it out of her backpack with her right foot, holding it up to the side of her head and saying, “Hey, what's up?”

“Just checking up on you,” Machop replied as Torchic said, “Well, that's mighty kind of you. I'm out of the hospital right now and on my way to the park.”

“So you saw the report too?” the girl asked as Torchic replied, “You bet,” Garchomp whispering something into Machop's ear, the girl nodding.

“Where are you right now?” she asked, “Garchomp's driving me to the park. We could swing by and pick you up,” Torchic not wanting to burden them with such a thing. But remembering her condition and how she could not risk straining herself before the match, she realized this was probably the best idea.

As such, she turned to the nearest sign and gave the street number listed on it. And it was not long until Garchomp arrived at that location to pick her up, Machop grinning as the chicken sat in the back seat.

All the while, Venipede and Rinko were still in their beds, watching the TV to make sure their friends succeeded today. While they may have woken from their comas much sooner than expected, it did not change the fact that they could barely move their bodies. But all the same, they were just glad they could witness the two matches taking place today.

And soon enough, the group arrived at the park as Machop exited the van and stretched, grinning and squealing, “We're gonna kick so much ass today!” Torchic nodding and replying, “Hell yeah we are.”

However, Machop noticed a slight look of pain on her face after she said this and asked, “Are you okay?” the chicken nodding and replying, “Of course. I'm a member of the Torch family. We got the strength and resilience of an ox.”

“Okay,” Machop replied with a shrug of her shoulders, “But look, Torchic, I know how serious things are, but if you don't feel up to fighting today, it's okay. I don't wanna have to fight alone, but I will if I have to. It's my responsibility as a hero.”

'Same here,' Torchic thought with a serious look in her eyes, 'I may not be in the right state for this, but my job as a hero is to fight to the bitter end for the sake of the people. As long as I have the strength to move, I will fight.'

With that in mind, she nodded with a grin and replied, “You needn't worry about me. I'll be fine,” Machop nodding and saying, “Right,” lifting up her fist as Torchic formed one with her right talon, pounding it against her friend's.

At that moment, Eiko and Isamu were dropped off by Noboru, the man waving to them and saying, “Now don't stay out too late, alright?” Eiko replying, “Don't worry, we won't.”

Machop smiled wide and waved as Noboru gave the heroes a quick wave of his own. Isamu and Eiko walked over with light smiles as Isamu asked, “So, you gonna kick ass today, Machop?”

“You better believe it,” the girl replied with a grin as Eiko said, “And you're gonna be awesome too, eh, Torchic?” the chicken nodding and replying, “Yeah.”

With that, Noboru took off as Machop asked, “So, your parents can't watch today?” as Isamu nodded and replied, “Yeah. Yesterday was their last day off this week, so they can't really join us today,” the heroes nodding.

“Well, come on,” Garchomp said with a grin, “We gotta get ready for the match, though we may as well find out who's fighting who first,” the girls and Isamu nodding as they joined the dragon.

During this time, Tentacruel, Sneasel and Meloetta were already by the ring, awaiting their opponents. A few people had already arrived to get front-row seats, Meloetta still saddened by how much everyone treated these fights like shows made strictly for their amusement. She could not wait to get all of this over with.

And sure enough, Machop and Torchic entered the area as Isamu, Eiko and Garchomp headed to the bleachers to get front-row seats. Nori and Yuki had also arrived at this moment as the younger woman asked, “Am I presentable enough?”

“You look lovely, dear,” Nori said with a light smile as the two headed toward their desk.

“Nice to see you arrived ahead of schedule again,” Tentacruel said with her tentacles folded, Sneasel smirking and adding, “Yeah, it's good to know you still take us seriously.”

Machop folded her arms and retorted, “Yeah, yeah, can you just tell us which one of us is facing you?” pointing at Tentacruel as the jellyfish shrugged and replied, “You're mistaken. I'm actually not fighting today.”

Sneasel and Meloetta stared in shock as Sneasel whispered, “Didn't you initially want to fight Machop?” Tentacruel nodding and replying, “I did, but I think that would be unfair to you, wouldn't it?”

The cat's eyes sparkled as she whispered, “You are the best boss ever,” the jellyfish nodding as Meloetta whimpered, “Does that mean you want me to fight today?”

Torchic stared at her and thought, 'She's not like the others. I have a funny feeling she doesn't even want to do this. If I end up facing her, I could probably win without even having to fight her for real, then I won't have to strain myself.'

And it seemed she would get her chance as Tentacruel stated, “For today's matches, Machop will go up against Sneasel and Torchic will face Meloetta,” the green-haired girl biting her lower lip and sighing, “Okay,” remembering that she could not break the vow she made no matter what.

Machop glared at Sneasel who grinned and lifted up her arm, making a neck-slitting motion with her claws. But just as she was about to get ready, Tentacruel added, “And by the way, I've decided to have Meloetta's match first.”

“What!?” Sneasel retorted as Meloetta tensed up, squeaking, “You want me to go first!?”

Torchic narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'No, she can't know about my current state, can she? Is she doing this to make sure I lose?' before shaking her head and realizing how silly that sounded. After all, it was not as if Tentacruel was in the hospital to hear what the doctor had said and right now, the chicken truly believed that she was doing a good job hiding her condition.

With that in mind, she smirked and said, “I look forward to our match, Meloetta,” the green-haired girl sighing and bowing her head, saying, “I'm so sorry I have to fight you.”

With that, she headed off to prepare herself as Torchic nodded and thought, 'Just as I thought. She really doesn't want to do this,' and thus the chicken walked toward a secluded area, saying, “I'm gonna train. You go sit with the others.”

Machop nodded and gave her a thumb up, saying, “Kick her ass, Torchic,” the chicken grinning and giving her friend a toe up.

Needless to say, this would not be easy for Torchic. In her state, she knew that fighting was a bad idea, but she was certain that she could win this. There was no way she would back down, not after coming this far.

 

Unbeknownst to everyone, neither Meloetta nor Torchic were training for their match. With the chicken feeling too weak, she was using this time to rest her muscles. Sure, it might not help her too much, but she would surely need all the strength she could get if she was to even stand a chance. And having been on her way to the hospital during Meloetta's match with Vigoroth, she had no idea what to expect.

However, she then remembered one thing she at least planned to do for this match. Thus she pulled two objects out of her backpack and thought, 'If I can't use a lot of energy, I can at least do something to show Venipede and Rinko how much I care.'

The green-haired girl, meanwhile, was trying to clear her head. As long as she had to fight one of the two remaining heroes, she would have much rather started the match immediately just so it could all end more quickly. At the very least, she figured this would likely be the last time she would have to fight, so she would just have to endure it for now.

And once ten o'clock rolled around, the crowd's excitement had risen as Nori exclaimed, “Alright, everyone, it's now time for the second set of matches to begin! Many seem to be looking forward to this first match!”

“I honestly can't blame them,” Yuki replied, “We barely saw a thing from Meloetta yesterday, but perhaps Torchic will draw out more of her attacks. Though hopefully, the musical fighter won't get a chance to, what with Torchic's incredible speed and skill.”

Torchic took a deep breath as she waited, thinking, 'The doctor said my legs or okay. As long as I don't move my body too much, I might be okay.'

Meloetta, meanwhile, cupped her hands together and thought, 'Please forgive me, Miss Torchic. I'm only doing this to help you.'

“In the red corner,” Nori stated, “representing the villains is a melodious warrior who proved herself surprisingly powerful when going up against Vigoroth! With a voice that can literally shatter bones, Meloetta!”

The crowd watched in silence as the green-haired girl approached the ring calmly. Deep down, the people were a touch disappointed not to at least see her dance toward the ring or something along those lines, even if they did want to see her lose. But all-in-all, Meloetta saw no point in putting on a show before a serious fight.

“And in the blue corner,” Yuki stated, “fighting for Japan, despite taking in a very heavy beating, she still managed to defeat Gigalith! Presenting the new Texas Phoenix, Torchic!” the crowd going wild as the chicken slowly made her way toward the ring with a serious look in her eyes.

The crowd was truly astounded to see the German Flag tied to her right leg while the Hungarian flag was bound to the other. Needless to say, this was more than enough to make up for the chicken's slow walk toward the ring as even Machop and the others could not help but whistle in admiration.

“It would seem that Torchic has decided to honour her fallen comrades by wearing the respective flags of their countries!” Nori exclaimed, “Germany for Rinko and Hungary for Venipede!”

Isamu blinked and uttered, “Venipede's Hungarian? I never would have guessed,” Machop nodding and saying, “Yeah, I was surprised when he told me back in school.”

The mention of Rinko's name would have surprised the others if not for the fact that the information had not only been featured in the morning's newspaper but had also been leaked online. And much like Machop, the others saw no need to question why their friend would keep something like that a secret. They figured whatever reason she had could not have been anything too serious.

Seeing the flags and just how serious Torchic looked naturally threw Meloetta off-guard. She had seen enough to know that no one had given her the flags, so there was no doubt in her mind that this tribute to her fallen comrades was a conscious choice. Was this just a front to make the government think she wanted to do this or was she really compassionate about winning this fight?

The green-haired girl shook her head and thought, 'It has to be an act. Deep down, she's probably happy that those other two lost and is hoping that I'm good enough to beat her. Well, don't worry, Torchic, I will not disappoint.'

With that, Torchic slowly entered the ring, though as she could not jump and only had her feet and her beak, it was difficult. But despite that, she still managed to make her entrance look dignified as Eiko's eyes sparkled, the pink-haired girl saying, “Wow, she made that really simple entrance look really cool.”

“Yeah,” Machop replied with a grin, “You can just tell she's ready for this.”

Torchic stared at Meloetta and asked, “Why are you doing this?” the green-haired girl staring in confusion as she added, “Why are you helping Tentacruel? I can tell that you don't want to do this.”

“I don't,” Meloetta replied with a sigh, “You're right about that. But the truth is, I have to help them. I'm sure you understand.”

“No, I don't understand,” the chicken remarked as Meloetta stared in confusion, thinking, 'She must be pretending not to understand so the government doesn't hear her? But in that case, why would she bring up the subject at all? Surely she'd try to avoid it. Or maybe this is her own way of asking me for help.'

With that in mind, the green-haired girl struck a fighter's stance and said, “I'm not going to hold back. I promise that I will do my absolute best to win this fight,” the chicken taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Oh well, I wouldn't have felt too good about a free victory anyway.'

With all said and done, Torchic stood on her own side of the ring while Meloetta did the same. The chicken narrowed her eyelids and thought, 'Only move your legs. Try not to shift your upper body in any way.'

Nori rang the bell as Torchic raced toward Meloetta, moving her feet as quickly as she could while keeping her body perfectly straight. She would make sure to defeat the green-haired girl with her feet only while also moving quickly enough to avoid taking in damage.

Meloetta readied herself to counter only for the chicken to propel herself into the air, sending an onslaught of rapid kicks into her forehead. The crowd went wild as Meloetta was unable to defend herself, Sneasel feeling alarmed by this. However, Tentacruel looked strangely calm, but why?

This was made clear when Meloetta ignored the pain and reached her arms up toward Torchic's ankles. However, the chicken saw this coming as she delivered one last kick thus forcing herself away from the green-haired girl. And she had managed all of this without moving her upper body, only her legs.

The crowd cheered wildly as Yuki said, “It would seem Torchic is on her A game as she unleashes an onslaught and avoids taking in damage from her opponent!”

And it seemed she was not yet finished as she raced toward Meloetta again. But before the girl could even respond, the chicken sped to the right with the full intent on getting behind her.

But when she noticed Meloetta started to shift her hair back, Torchic could not help but feel intimidated as she instinctively sent a roundhouse into her cheek. The green-haired girl winced in pain as Sneasel groaned, “Come on! Where's all that power you displayed yesterday!?”

However, Tentacruel was once again not the least bit alarmed as she said, “Don't be so quick to judge, Sneasel,” and the cat soon saw it as Torchic winced, her body twitching as she thought, 'Dammit, I moved my upper body sideways! I shouldn't do that!'

Isamu blinked and uttered, “Hey, anyone else notice that seemed to have hurt Torchic more than Meloetta?” as Eiko, Machop and Garchomp gave him an odd look, Machop tapping her chin and saying, “Now that you mention it-”

However, Torchic did not wish to let Machop down and thus she ignored the pain and thought, 'No, I will win this!' only to notice Meloetta once again spreading her hair out, said part getting longer.

'I was right, it is a weapon!' Torchic thought as right when Meloetta was about to strike her with it, she propelled herself up into the air again, flying over the green-haired girl's head as her talons caught flame.

“BLAZE KICK ANVIL!” the chicken shouted as she descended toward that very spot, planting both feet hard into it as Meloetta's eyes and mouth were wide with terror.

However, upon landing, Torchic's upper body sunk inward just a little bit as a result of the force of her descent. As such, she tried her best not to cry out in pain as she leapt away from her opponent, breathing heavily with her eyes wide open.

“What's going on?” Yuki uttered, “She looks like she's suffering,” as Nori shrugged and replied, “I don't know. Meloetta's the one who's been taking in all the damage so far.”

“Okay, I can definitely see it now!” Machop exclaimed, “There's something going on!” Eiko trembling as Isamu groaned, “Oh no, she hasn't fully recovered from her match yesterday, has she?”

Machop gasped as she uttered, “It all makes sense now! That's why her entrance was so simple! She didn't have the strength to make a more impressive one!”

But just as the crowd was horrified for what would happen next, Meloetta had a look of concern as she said, “You don't have to continue. I'm sure if you give up, everything will be okay,” Torchic about to retort when Machop exclaimed, “I think you should take her offer!”

Torchic's eyes and beak were wide with shock as even Meloetta could not believe she had heard Machop say this. Perhaps giving up was not frowned upon by the government, but now that Meloetta thought about it, such an idea made little sense.

“Machop, I can't-” Torchic remarked only for Machop to bark, “I told you before! I don't want to have to face all three of these people by myself, but I will if I have to! I don't want you to wind up back in the hospital for my sake!”

Isamu had to admit, hearing those words from Machop truly amazed him as his cheeks flushed pink. However, he very quickly returned to a more serious look and said, “She's right. If you had told us you weren't in good enough condition for this match, we would have stopped you from entering the ring!”

'So Tentacruel was right,' Meloetta thought, 'Those humans actually care about our kind. But surely that Machop girl knew about this ahead of time, right?'

However, just as it seemed like she might finally catch onto Tentacruel's lies, the jellyfish folded her tentacles and sighed, “Isn't that just deplorable? To think the government would actually make her fight in her condition,” Meloetta nodding and saying, “Right.”

'Wait, what?' Torchic thought as she shook her head, figuring this meant nothing as she snapped, “I admit it, I am in no condition to win this match! I realize that now, but I'm not going to quit! My mother never quit against any villain no matter what and I'm not gonna quit either!”

'Villain?' Meloetta thought as Sneasel sighed, “Look at that, still calling us villains just because the government wants them to,” the green-haired girl nodding and saying, “Right.”

Torchic ignored these words as she raced toward Meloetta again. However, after having strained her body twice, she was feeling incredibly weak as she found herself struggling to continue forward. And as much as it pained Meloetta to do this, she knew that she would have to take advantage as she thought, 'I'll use one of my less powerful techniques to finish you off.'

With that in mind, she once again expanded the length of her hair and whipped it toward Torchic, wrapping it around her. She then proceeded to stand on one foot, spinning while shouting, “PIROUETTE SWING!”

Thus she sent the chicken flying backwards into the turnbuckle, her eyes and beak wide open as the crowd stared in horror. And just as the others feared, Torchic was down for the count as this one hit had taken a serious toll on her upper body.

“I would have liked to have seen Meloetta beat her when she was at her best, but a win's a win, I guess,” Sneasel sighed as Tentacruel smirked, saying, “You may be disappointed, but I'm honestly amazed Torchic lasted as long as she did.”

Meloetta gasped and turned to face her as the jellyfish sighed, “I admit it, I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was in no condition to fight. That was why I chose to have her fight first. I couldn't allow her to regain any strength. For all we knew, she could have been a genuine threat if I did that.”

The crowd gasped as Nori said, “It would seem that Gigalith's efforts against Torchic were not wasted as that slam she took in made her too weak to sustain more than one hit from Meloetta. Thus the musical warrior has won this match,” Yuki ringing the bell as everyone was truly mortified.

“So you took advantage of her?” Meloetta whimpered as Tentacruel sighed, “I know it's dishonest, but it had to be done. You knew that we would have to resort to such extremes to get what we want, right?” the green-haired girl nodding and sighing, “Right.”

Machop gritted her teeth and growled, “Mark my words, Torchic. After I wipe the floor with Sneasel, I'll make sure Tentacruel pays for that setup!” Eiko nodding with a light smile.

However, Garchomp had something else in mind as she asked, “Hey, have any of you noticed that Meloetta doesn't seem happy with Tentacruel's decision?” Machop and Eiko turning to face her.

“Yeah, I noticed it,” Isamu replied with a frown, “In fact, I noticed before the match that she didn't even want to fight Torchic. Hell, she offered her a chance to avoid further injury.”

“Yeah, that does seem strange for a villain,” Machop said as Isamu rested his hand against his chin and stated, “I get the feeling this girl's more than just an ally for Tentacruel.”

However, before Machop could think further about that, there was one last thing she needed to take care of as she got up from her seat and sprinted toward the ring. And once she was close enough, she climbed into it and ran over to Torchic, asking, “Are you okay?” the chicken mustering up enough strength to utter, “I know it's scary, but do your best to defeat them,” closing her eyes and losing all consciousness.

“Dammit!” Machop cursed as she gritted her teeth, “I wish you'd said something!” as Meloetta watched this with curiosity.

But just as she was about to think that maybe Machop and Torchic wanted to win, she remembered that this could very well be an act. After all, the cameras were still focused on them meaning the government could have been watching their actions at this very moment.

Machop then took a deep breath and said, “I'll make sure to defeat all three if I have to. Don't you worry about a thing, Torchic. By the time I'm done, Tentacruel will wish she never chose to mess with us.”

With all said and done, the girl got up and walked toward the preparation area, Tentacruel saying, “Good, she's got the right idea,” Sneasel nodding and walking off to her own side. She had no idea why Tentacruel chose not to face Machop, but the cat could not have been more excited to fight her instead.

Meloetta smiled at Sneasel and said, “Good luck,” the cat smirking and saying, “I don't need it, but thanks for your concern,” before thinking, 'God, I can't wait until we stop working with that airhead!'

Garchomp went to join Machop as she had to help set up the entrance Lairon thought up, Isamu gulping and groaning, “I really hope she can do this. There's still three of them and only one hero left.”

Eiko nodded and replied, “Machop's awesome, but now I'm starting to wonder if she can pull this off.”

All the while, Meloetta bit her lower lip and asked, “Tentacruel, if you don't mind me asking, why specifically did you choose me to fight Torchic? I wasn't going to say anything before, but, well, I'm sure you could have won against her easily.”

“I'm flattered that you acknowledge this, but this was a test of your loyalty to me,” Tentacruel replied as the green-haired girl stared in confusion, the jellyfish adding, “You've done plenty of prove that you are, in fact, up to this task, but I really had to make sure that you would truly do anything for our cause. The fact that you were willing to harm her further despite her condition proves that you really are devoted this.”

Meloetta had a light smile on her face now as she nodded and replied, “Glad I could help,” though she really hoped that she would never have to do that again.

All the while, Garchomp was currently dressing Machop up for her entrance as she uttered, “Is this really necessary?” the dragon nodding and replying, “Your father did something very similar in preparation for his first match in the Next Gen Battle. When Gardevoir and Gallade lost their matches, he did something extra special to show that he was fighting for their sake. The audience may not have understood what he was trying to get across, but it was still very creative.”

“Well, if you say so,” Machop replied with a shrug of her shoulders.

And once ten minutes had passed, Yuki sported a serious look and stated, “Well, ladies and gentlemen, it's time for the final match of the day! With only one hero left to protect Tokyo, we will certainly need to give our full support to make sure she doesn't meet the same fate as her comrades!”

The crowd was truly pumped for the event as Isamu sighed, “Please, Machop, show me more miracles,” as Eiko nodded and said, “I'm sure she can do this.”

“In the red corner,” Nori stated, “representing the villains is the fierce feline who exposed Rinko and put her out of commission! With razor sharp claws and speed that can put even the legendary Jolteon to shame, Sneasel!”

The crowd watched in silence as the cat performed a somersault toward the ring. Once close enough, she propelled herself high into the air and flipped vertically, landing on her feet with her arms out and shouting, “BOW DOWN TO US, TOKYO!” the people booing and hissing her in response to this statement.

The cat bowed her head and blew them kisses as Meloetta stared in confusion, uttering, “Why is she enjoying that reaction?” Tentacruel fibbing, “She's only pretending to. The truth is, those boos are eating away at her, but if she lets that get to her, she won't be able to concentrate.”

“Oh, okay,” Meloetta replied with a nod of her head, “That makes sense.”

“And in the blue corner,” Yuki stated, “a mighty warrior who recently defeated Lilligant! Harnessing the ultimate genes, Machop!”

The crowd stared in silence as Machop walked toward the ring wearing a traditional Hungarian dress while a giant German sausage was strapped to her back. And the crowd could tell it was real as its smell emanated through the air, the girl trying not to look as embarrassed as she actually was.

Though while the audience was confused by this, Meloetta was intrigued. While Torchic's entrance was a good way to communicate her desire to fight for her friends, Machop had gone all the way, wearing something related to Venipede's culture while carrying Rinko's favourite food.

Currently, the brunette was staring at this on the screen and uttering, “Oh god, I wish I was there right now,” Venipede all the while tapping his chin and saying, “She actually looks really good in a dress.”

However, while they may have liked Machop's look for the correct reasons, everyone else broke out into hysterics while one spat, “OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK RIDICULOUS!” another asking, “WHAT'S WITH THE GIANT SAUSAGE!?”

“For your information, sausages are Rinko's favourite foods!” Machop retorted as the crowd nodded, one shrugging and saying, “You know, it's a pretty bad sign when you have to explain it.”

Machop fumed as Meloetta was really confused. For a supposed act to trick the government, this was very convincing. However, rather than realizing the truth, the green-haired girl smiled and thought, 'Once this is over, I'll help her become a stage performer. She was made for that.'

Machop took a deep breath and pulled out the sausage, tossing it over to Garchomp, saying, “You can eat this if you'd like,” the dragon blinking as the girl removed her dress, throwing it out of the ring.

Sneasel, meanwhile, grinned and said, “Well, that was a rather amusing entrance,” Machop retorting, “Can it! Just focus on the match!”

With that, it was finally time for the fight to begin. Isamu and Eiko both gave Machop a thumb up as they were certain she could win this.

 

It was finally time to begin the final match of the day as Yuki stated, “Well, the combatants are set. So without further ado, let's begin!” ringing the bell.

All the while, Garchomp, Isamu and Eiko were enjoying the big sausage thanks to a set of utensils brought by the dragon as the boy asked, “Wouldn't it have been easier to use a fake sausage?” Garchomp shrugging and replying, “Lairon wanted authenticity.”

Machop held up her hands defensively, thinking, 'Lilligant forced me into a false sense of security before. I'm not falling for that again,' as Sneasel smirked and asked, “You're giving little old me the first strike? Oh, I'm flattered.”

The girl tried her best not to let this get to her as the cat raced toward her with her claws at the ready. Machop could not believe how fast she was, but she could not afford to make any mistakes as she watched her like a hawk. And once Sneasel was close enough, Machop sent a jab into her gut as her eyes widened.

The crowd cheered as Machop took hold of the cat's wrists, leaning backward and planting her skull hard into the mat. Nori grinned at the sight of this and exclaimed, “And Machop is off to a good start as she slams Sneasel hard into the mat! Let's see what else she has in store!”

And it only got better when the girl leapt toward her downed opponent, flipping vertically and sending an axe kick into her gut. The cheers were even louder as Isamu breathed a sigh of relief, saying, “Not gonna lie, I was a little worried this would start like yesterday's match.”

Meloetta stared in horror as even Tentacruel was surprised that Machop had gotten such a good start, the girl gritting her teeth and barking, “This is for all the pain and suffering my friends have dealt with! Venipede, Rinko, Torchic, I know you probably can't hear me, but I'm gonna make these monsters pay for what they did to you!”

“Wow, she's so awesome,” Eiko uttered as Isamu nodded and grinned, saying, “That she is,” taking a bite of the sausage.

Garchomp, meanwhile, had the biggest grin on her face. If only Lairon could have seen that. He would have been so proud of the girl.

Meloetta, however, could not believe what she had just heard. Once again, this all seemed sincere, like Machop was not faking this in the slightest. Now she was really starting to wonder if Tentacruel could be trusted.

Sneasel slowly rose to her feet and hissed, saying, “Good to know you're just as much of a threat as I figured you'd be. I'd have been disappointed if defeating you was easy, but don't think for a second that you've won!”

Machop rolled her eyes and remarked, “Yeah, yeah, I've heard that song and dance before. Come up with something more original and I might actually feel intimidated.”

Meloetta blinked and uttered, “But she wasn't singing, was she?” Tentacruel sighing, “It's an expression.”

Sneasel smirked and said, “You won't be so smug after you see this,” before vanishing. The crowd gasped as Machop stared silently, uttering, “Where'd she-?”

She was cut off when she received a cut to her side, crying out in pain as blood flew out of that very spot. And it only got worse when she took in another one to her other side. After a few more seconds, Sneasel leapt at the girl and latched her arms and legs around her, planting her claws into her flesh.

The crowd stared in horror as Isamu spat, “MACHOP!” Sneasel leaping high into the air and flipping backwards, shouting, “YARN BALL!” planting the girl's skull hard against the canvas.

Machop's eyes and mouth were wide open as she coughed up blood. Yuki stared in shock as Nori stated, “And with a couple of good slashes followed by the move that finished on Rinko, Sneasel has already drawn blood. Could this match be even shorter than when Machop fought Voltorb?”

It seemed like that might be the case as Sneasel removed her claws and allowed Machop to collapse. However, she did not believe that for a second. While her easy loss to Voltorb was infamous, the amount of damage she sustained while fighting Gyarados and how she was able to survive all of it was even more well known.

As such, Sneasel leapt high into the air and flipped herself upside-down over Machop, saying, “I may not have used too much on Rinko, but I'm not taking my chances with the likes of you!”

With that, she started to spin like a drill as she descended toward the girl, shouting, “FELINE POWER DRILL!” as Isamu got up and spat, “COME ON, MACHOP, YOU CAN HANDLE MUCH MORE THAN THAT!”

Hearing this, the girl's eyes shot wide open as she immediately rolled to the side, Sneasel unable to stop herself as she planted her claws into the canvas. Though while everyone expected her to get stuck in the material, she managed to shred enough of it to create a small hole, thus once the spinning stopped, she leapt backward and landed on her feet, glaring at Machop who had risen back up.

The crowd looked relieved as Yuki stated, “It was a close call, but Machop has managed to avoid possible death,” Meloetta uttering, “She wasn't really going to kill her, was she?”

“Of course not,” Tentacruel replied, “That announcer is just being judgemental all because we're not fighting for the humans,” Meloetta folding her arms and sighing, “I really hope this ends soon.”

But while Machop had escaped, she was frightened out of her mind. She had started off strong, but already she was bleeding and it was all thanks to Sneasel's claws. What could she possibly do?

Seeing her fear all over her face, Sneasel smirked and said, “Well, I'm impressed that you avoided that, but it looks like all that talk of revenge was nothing more than mere words,” as her ear feather started to glow. The crowd gasped as Nori stated, “And Sneasel sets up for her Feather Sword.”

'Okay, that does not sound good!' Machop thought as the cat got down on all fours, sprinting toward the girl while shouting, “FEATHER SWORD!”

Rinko's eyes widened as she spat, “COME ON, MACHOP, DODGE IT!” only for Venipede to utter, “You know she can't hear us, right?”

However, it seemed Machop intended to do just that, remembering exactly what Lairon would do in this situation. As such, the girl leapt up just in time to avoid the incoming feather, the crowd cheering as she landed perfectly on her feet, breathing heavily with sweat pouring down her face. While she may have dodged the move, she could not deny that was way too close for comfort.

And to make matters worse, she was once again unable to attack Sneasel after dodging. If this kept up, it would only be a matter of time until the cat managed to hit her again.

Sneasel seemed to think the same thing as she smirked and said, “You know you can't keep that up forever, right?” turning around while still on all fours, Machop trembling until she suddenly thought of something. She had actually come up with an idea, and it did not take her too long to come up with it.

With that in mind, she gulped and uttered, “You're right,” the others staring in shock as the girl sighed, “I'm simply not fast enough to beat someone as amazing as you. You may as well just finish me off right now,” before holding out her arms.

“What's she doing!?” Eiko squeaked in panic as Isamu turned his gaze toward a certain spot on the mat, saying, “I think I get it. Not too long ago, I watched Machoke's match against Talonflame where he tried something very similar. However, it failed when he did it, but Machop's plan is much simpler. It might actually work.”

Garchomp nodded and said, “I think I might know what you're referring to,” as Sneasel went down on all fours, smirking and saying, “Finally, you're talking sense.”

However, Meloetta was not so sure about this. Machop was talking about quitting, allowing Tentacruel and her allies to win and take over Tokyo. If she truly had a microchip in her brain set to electrocute her under such circumstances, how was she still standing?

Whatever the case, Sneasel was ready as her feather once again glowed, the cat saying, “Since you admit that I'm superior to you, I won't cut you in half with this,” before racing toward her and shouting, “FEATHER SWORD!”

But just as she was less than a second away, Machop smirked and leapt over her as she once again passed her by. But before she could stop herself from running, her eyes widened when the claws on her right foot ended up running into the hole she had created with the ones on her paws earlier. And due to her incredible speed, she wound up tripping and flying forward, falling flat on her chin.

The crowd soon realized what had just happened as they cheered, Machop leaping toward Sneasel with her arm raised and ramming her elbow into her back. Isamu grinned and said, “I knew it,” Eiko clapping and squealing, “WOW! I NEVER WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT!”

Meloetta blinked as Tentacruel folded and tentacles and said, “Just think, if she was actually planning on giving up there, she would have been electrocuted,” the green-haired girl questioning this mentally. It was not as if the government was giving the heroes instructions on what fighting tactics they should use, so how would they know what she was planning?

Either way, she still trusted Tentacruel's words and thus all she could do was hope that Sneasel would be able to make up for this. And the cat would certainly need to act soon as Machop sat on her back and took hold of her chin, pulling up on it for a camel clutch.

The crowd went wild as Nori stated, “And just when we thought Machop couldn't possibly get the advantage back, not only did she catch Sneasel off-guard with the hole she put in the mat but she has even managed to catch her in a devastating submission hold! Let's see Sneasel get out of this!”

However, the crowd was shocked to see that the cat did not look the least bit frightened. Instead, she had a wicked smirk on her face as she said, “Oh, come on. Of all the submission holds you could have gone with, you choose one that I can easily escape from.”

With that in mind, she planted her claws into the mat and used them to push her body backward, sliding her head out of Machop's hold. The girl's eyes widened as Eiko uttered, “How did she do that?”

Garchomp frowned and said, “I should have seen that sooner. Cats have unbelievably flexible spines, so it's easy for them to ignore having their backs bent. That also made it easy for her to slide her chin out of Machop's hands.”

Sneasel took full advantage of this, wrapping her arms around Machop and saying, “You've certainly been a pain so far, but honestly, your friend was a much tougher opponent. I expected better from a member of the Mach family.”

With that, the cat leapt backward and planted the back of Machop's neck hard against the canvas. The girl gasped in pain as Sneasel released her hold, allowing the rest of her body to fall. Needless to say, the crowd was worried now as Yuki said, “And just as quickly as Machop got the upper hand back, she seems to have lost it as Sneasel escapes from her camel clutch and lands a mighty suplex.”

But just like before, Sneasel knew better than to allow Machop a chance to recover. As such, she decided to take a simpler approach as she leapt onto the girl's back, shouting, “CARPET CLAWING!” and scraping the claws on her feet against that very spot.

Machop cried out in pain as blood flew from the gashes forming in her back, Isamu in absolute panic now as he had no idea how Machop could avoid this. Any movement would only make the damage dealt to her worse.

While it pained Meloetta to see her ally have to resort to this, she noticed something about Sneasel. She had suspicions before, but now she could not help but feel like they had to have been true. Just from the look in her eyes and the big grin on her face, it was plain as day that the cat was enjoying every second of this. She liked dealing all of this pain to Machop.

“Tentacruel, I think Sneasel's actually trying to kill Machop,” Meloetta whimpered as the jellyfish shook her head and replied, “No, she won't do that, but it is true that she enjoys fighting to be a certain degree. Surely you've heard that some people do this for entertainment purposes, right? Our kind has folks like that too, and while Sneasel knows how serious this situation is, she still gets a slight kick out of it every now and then.”

“Oh, okay,” Meloetta replied, “So that's why she felt the need to put on a show before the match,” Tentacruel nodding and explaining, “Exactly. Even under the worst of circumstances, it's hard to take the showman out of her.”

While Sneasel continued to tare away at Machop's flesh, she let out a maniacal laugh before shouting, “COME ON, JUST GIVE UP! UNLIKE ME, YOU LACK THE SKILLS TO GET OUT OF A SITUATION LIKE THIS!”

Machop gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the pain as Isamu groaned, “I'm starting to think maybe she should,” as Eiko retorted, “But if she does, evil will have control over us!”

However, Garchomp had something in mind as she stood up and exclaimed, “HEY, MACHOP!” the girl turning to face her as she added, “Surely you're aware of a certain defensive tactic your family is known for, right!? Why don't you try it!?”

Machop's eyes widened as she thought, 'That's right. It's not something we use often as it takes a lot of energy to pull off, but right now, it's my only option.'

With that in mind, the girl gritted her teeth as she started to push herself up only for Sneasel's feet to keep her from rising, the cat laughing and shouting, “Wow, you must be really stupid if you think that's gonna work!”

Her eyes went wide as seconds after she said this, Machop pushed her back up in an arch formation, her muscles expanding just a little bit. However, this small increase in size was just enough to cause Sneasel to lose balance as she tripped and fell on her back.

The crowd went wild as Garchomp breathed a sigh of relief, Isamu asking, “How did you know about that?” the dragon replying, “It was long ago during the Ultimate World Team Tournament. Machoke took in the diamond of a former villain named Diancie to his back. The only way to avoid succumbing to the move was to expand his muscles and force it out. I figured with his genetics, Machop could probably do the same thing.”

However, the girl was unsure of how she had pulled that off. But even so, she would not let this opportunity for a comeback go as she leapt toward Sneasel, sending another axe kick to her gut.

The crowd went wild as Machop decided to take this a step further, getting behind Sneasel and wrapping her arm around her neck. The cheers got even louder as she charged toward the turnbuckle, forcing the cat's skull into it.

“And just as all seemed lost, Machop has managed to escape with her family's famous muscle expansion technique!” Nori exclaimed, “It's a great defence but requires a lot of energy, so it's not used often, but when it is, it can be very effective!”

Sneasel groaned as she rubbed her feet, hissing and turning toward Machop. She had been annoyed by the girl's early lead, but now she was actually mad. She could not believe that such a simple defensive tactic was enough to turn the tides against her.

With that in mind, the cat knelt down and growled, “Alright, I'll admit, this match has been fun so far, but now I just wanna end this as soon as possible!” Meloetta blinking and uttering, “Is she okay?”

Tentacruel blinked and replied, “You probably won't wanna watch this. It's hard for Sneasel to control herself when she gets this mad.”

At that moment, a dark aura started to emit from Sneasel as Machop held up a defensive stance, uttering, “What's she doing?”

With that, the cat vanished once more as she exclaimed, “FELINE FRENZY!” appearing in front of Machop and sending a barrage of rapid-paced scratches to her chest.

Blood flew from that very spot as the girl cried out in pain. However, it seemed the cat had more planned as she stopped her assault, sending a hard two-legged kick into Machop's face, causing her to back up slightly.

Sneasel then landed against the canvas before leaping toward Machop with both claws raised, a dark aura surrounding them. The crowd gasped, Isamu wanting so badly to get up and run into the ring while Eiko covered her eyes, the cat swinging her arms downward and shouting, “PURRNISHMENT!”

While many found the name of the move lacking in creativity, it did not change the fact that it was still very effective as two big cuts formed on Machop's torso. Thus she coughed up blood as more of the substance squirted out of her, the girl's eyes rolling to the back of her head as she fell on her back.

Sneasel finally started to calm down as her aura left her, the cat grinning at her handiwork and saying, “And that's how it's done,” folding her arms and asking, “Well, announcer ladies, how's about you confirm my victory right now?”

No one could believe what had just happened. Sneasel had only used that dark power for half-a-minute and yet it looked like this was more than enough to finish off Machop.

“Come on,” Isamu groaned with a look of terror in his eyes, “Tell me this isn't the end. She can get up from this, right?” Eiko nodding and giving Garchomp puppy dog eyes.

The dragon took a deep breath and stated, “It is true that Machoke had a knack for getting up from beatings like this, but I don't know if Machop's the same. For all we know, this might be it.”

Meloetta took a deep breath and thought, 'At least she's still breathing. Once Sneasel's victory is confirmed, it'll all be over. We'll finally be able to live in peace with the humans who up until now have mistreated us for being different.'

“COME ON!” Rinko spat as Venipede tried to shush her, the girl glaring and retorting, “This is hardly the time for hospital etiquette! Seriously, I refuse to let this be the end!”

“But we can't do anything about it,” Venipede groaned, “I wish we could, though. This is just painful.”

It truly seemed like the end as Nori took a deep breath and nodded at Yuki, the younger woman saying, “It would seem that despite all of her best efforts, Machop can no longer stand. Thus the winner of this match is-”

“HEY, DON'T COUNT ME OUT JUST YET!” came a familiar voice as everyone gasped, Machop slowly pushing herself upright and breathing heavily. The crowd was truly amazed as the girl managed to rise all the way up to her feet, grunting, “I'm not done yet!”

Sneasel's eyes and mouth widened as she shook her head slowly, uttering, “Why can't you stay down?” Tentacruel frowning as Meloetta trembled.

What if Machop was too powerful to defeat? What if she alone could prevent them from fulfilling their goal? But more so, why did she not at least pretend that all the damage dealt was enough?

Either way, the crowd broke out into heavy cheering and applause as Nori exclaimed, “After a very close call, Machop has pulled off that famous Mach family miracle and risen to fight some more! But can she make up for all the damage dealt to her by Sneasel's onslaught or is she only delaying the inevitable?”

Isamu gave the girl a serious look and thought, 'I really hope this is worth it. You have an opportunity to turn this around. Use it. Show me those miracles.'

All the while, Rinko and Venipede breathed simultaneous sighs of relief. But even so, they were hoping for the same thing as Isamu. Machop had truly earned herself another chance and there was no way she could afford to waste it.