Earth's Protectors

This was it. Machoke and Lopunny were finally going to face each-other. Everyone waited in anticipation to see who would win, the audience not quite sure who to root for just yet.

When the match started, Lopunny immediately raced toward Machoke, the boy holding his ground as the rabbit sent her ears toward him like fists. Machoke took a deep breath and allowed the ears to get close before lifting up his arms and wrapping them around them, a smirk on his face.

"Don't think I forgot how this actually worked when Gardevoir used it against you," Machoke said before leaning backward, Aipom smiling bright when he lifted Lopunny up over his head. He was using his brain and he had only just started.

However, Lopunny did not look the least bit scared as she quickly flipped her body around, her feet landing against the mat and stopping her from taking in damage. Machoke's eyes widened when it was now him being lifted up when Lopunny threw her head forward and pulled on him. Before the boy could even respond, he found himself making a collision with the canvas, the boy rolling around and clutching onto his head while the crowd cheered for Lopunny.

"And in a stunning turn of events, Lopunny has turned Machoke's own counter against him!" Nori exclaimed, Machoke rubbing his head as Lopunny took a deep breath, saying, "Just like you, I learned from watching your match with Heracross. I believe you called this the reverse of the reverse Suplex."

The boy's jaw dropped as he thought, 'Why did I not take that into consideration?' Lopunny bouncing back and forth on one foot at a time, pointing her hand at the boy like a shotgun and shouting, "BANG-BANG!"

"Oh god, she's even copying Gardevoir's entrance," Reika groaned, Cici whimpering in fear. It seemed Lopunny was even better at learning from other matches than Machoke, and this was not a good sign.

However, Machoke's confidence quickly returned when the rabbit sent her ears at him again, the boy leaping up and landing on top of one. However, unlike Gardevoir, he was unable to stand on top of it as the ear ended up dropping under his weight, Lopunny taking full advantage of this and having her other ear strike him on the side.

The boy winced in pain, holding onto the spot as Lopunny smiled, saying, "I already had a countermeasure planned for that, but clearly you're nowhere near as light on your feet as Gardevoir, so that strategy wouldn't have worked for you anyway."

Machoke then trembled and uttered, "Okay, Aipom, clearly my strategies are not working. Do you have something in mind?" Aipom replying, "Actually, those counterattacks were exactly what I had in mind," the boy face-palming. Of all the times for Aipom not to have advice, it had to be now.

Before he could think up something else, Lopunny proceeded to send more attacks the boy's way. Machoke tried his best to avoid them but eventually took a hard blow to his chest. However, he then saw an opportunity as he grinned, grabbing hold of the ear before Lopunny could retract it.

The rabbit's eyes went wide with shock as Machoke exclaimed, "No offence, Lopunny, but you're going down now!"

With that, the boy proceeded to pull on the ear as Lopunny was once again lifted up. However, the rabbit simply grinned, expecting him to try the Suplex again. But this time, Machoke had something different in mind as he swung her ear around like a lasso and released his hold on her, sending her flying hard into the turnbuckle.

Fiarrow's eyes went wide as he spat, "HEY, HE STOLE MY TECHNIQUE!" Machoke lowering his eyelid and sticking his tongue out at the falcon, remarking, "Yeah, that's right, I did!" the boy thinking, 'Although I didn't break the rules when using it myself.'

Fiarrow seemed to remember him almost being punished for it and was about to protest when Weedle remarked, "He's didn't use the ropes to do it, so it's perfectly legal," the falcon grumbling curses under his breath while Scyther said nothing to this.

Aipom gave Machoke thumbs up with her tail hand, exclaiming, "Wow, that was really smart!" before groaning, "I can't believe I didn't come up with that," Reika and her friends cheering as well.

However, one portion of the crowd aside from Fiarrow was not particularly happy to see this, Machoke's eyes widening when he felt an ominous presence behind him. The boy slowly turned and saw a colony of rabbits behind him shooting him death glares.

"Sorry, little guys, it's just, you know, I kinda have to do this," Machoke said with light laughter as Lopunny blinked and nodded, saying, "He's right, my little bunny friends. This is a match and we're both fighting each-other. It's not a fight to the death, so don't worry," the rabbits calming down a bit but still shooting Machoke death glares, one particular rabbit wearing an army helmet, everyone wondering where it got that from.

With that, the match resumed as Lopunny decided to ease up on the ears a bit now that Machoke had found a way to counter her ear punches. With that in mind, the rabbit bounded toward him, bouncing left and right to confuse him before sending a two legged kick his way from a right angle.

"MACHOKE, YOUR RIGHT!" Aipom spat, the boy nodding and turning to said angle before throwing out his arms, grabbing hold of the rabbit's ankles as she gasped in shock. Before she could even respond, Machoke leaned backwards, slamming her face hard into the canvas.

The crowd cheered for Machoke again as Nori stated, "After a rough start, it seems Machoke now has the upper hand as he's managed to counter two powerful attacks in a row!"

However, the rabbits were once again giving Machoke cold stares, the boy trembling as Lopunny got up, holding her hands out to them and saying, "Easy does it. He's not breaking any rules, okay?" the rabbits once again backing up, the one with the army helmet pointing its paw toward its eyes before directing it at Machoke, the boy thinking, 'What is wrong with them?'

Even his friends were worried right now, Cici whimpering, "Those rabbits scare me," Tsuya sighing, "Great, now she's afraid of rabbits," Aipom wondering what was up with them as well. Earth rabbits did not normally act this violent even when their own kind was being harmed.

However, Machoke decided to ignore this as Lopunny sent her ears toward him again. Machoke simply blocked one with one hand, using the other hand to block another before thinking, 'I remember this. Gardevoir was able to block one when using both hands but left herself exposed. I'm not making that mistake.'

However, it seemed Lopunny had a different plan as she said, "I figured you'd counter that," the rabbit using the ears as vaults to leap over Machoke's head, shouting, "BUNNY BOUNCE!" and planting her feet hard into his skull, the boy's eyes going wide as he fell down, the rabbits now becoming much more calm and less angry.

Aipom bit her lip and said, "Okay, I did not see that coming," Lopunny preparing to go in for the attack again, this time aiming for his back. Aipom could not stand to see that happen as she exclaimed, "MACHOKE, SHE'S USING IT AGAIN!" the boy's eyes widening as he quickly rolled to the side just in time to avoid it.

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "Despite all the pain Machoke's head must have been in, he still mustered up the strength to avoid another Bunny Bounce!" Lopunny's eyes going wide when the boy reached his arms around her waist, lifting her up.

Lopunny simply held her ears back, figuring she could stop a collision with the mat by using Heracross' method only for Machoke to end up faking her out as he shifted the direction of his attack sideways, slamming her on her side. The crowd once again applauded this as Machoke sighed, "I knew she was gonna try that," Aipom clapping happily and squealing, "He's doing so well, and I've barely said a thing!"

Machoke noticed Lopunny would not be getting up soon as he decided to take full advantage of this, climbing up onto the rope and saying, "Sorry, Lopunny, but I promised I'd win the tournament for everyone else," the boy leaping up with his elbow at the ready only for a white streak to race toward him, ramming hard into his gut as he was knocked sideways. The boy fell on his back as he groaned in pain, noticing the one who had hit him was one of the rabbits, the lagomorph now standing in the ring and glaring menacingly at him.

As if that was not bad enough, the rabbit with the army helmet immediately pointed forward, letting out a high pitched noise as the other rabbits bounded into the ring, Machoke's eyes widening in absolute terror. After this, the rabbit bounced onto him, some biting into him while others started kicking various parts of him, one even kicking him square below the belt as the boy's eyes widened.

"Hey!" Aipom spat, turning to Weedle, "You're the authority here! Do something about this!" Weedle remarking, "Sorry, Aipom, but it's only illegal for other people to come in and assist a wrestler. Animals are not as capable of following our rules, so it's okay for them to be in the ring no matter what they do."

Reika stared blankly at the caterpillar and retorted, "WHAT KIND OF BACKWARDS LOGIC IS THAT!?" Tsuya nodding and remarking, "Yeah, this is really unfair for Machoke! This is supposed to be a one-on-one fight!" Keiko adding, "How can there not be a rule forbidding this!?" Weedle fuming, a vein forming on his forehead as he spat, "IT'S LEGAL, END OF STORY!"

Fiarrow was rather enjoying the spectacle while Scyther looked annoyed. As much as she wanted to win the tournament, she did not wish to win it in such a stupid manner, and she knew Lopunny would not approve of this either. As for the rest of the crowd, they were too afraid to even speak up against this.

"WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO!?" Machoke spat as Aipom shouted, "TRY-" only for one lone rabbit to sneak up behind her, holding its paw over her mouth and pulling out a switchblade, holding it up for the monkey's cheek was she trembled in absolute horror.

"These rabbits aren't normal," Reika uttered, Weedle nodding and replying, "Yeah, it's recommended that tourists use extreme caution when walking through this park. The rabbits here are extremely aggressive and attack anyone who threatens their own kind."

Reika scowled at the caterpillar and retorted, "That's why you chose this area to have the match, isn't it!?" the caterpillar remarking, "Of course not. I don't play favourites."

It was painfully obvious Weedle was lying, but even so, this hardly mattered. The point was that Machoke was now getting a major beat-down and no one could help him. Or perhaps someone could, and that someone had finally recovered from the attack she had received as she slowly rose up into a sitting position, her eyes going wide at the sight of the rabbits whaling on Machoke.

"STOP!" Lopunny spat, the rabbits stopping and looking at her, the bunny stomping her feet against the mat and barking, "YOU LAY OFF HIM RIGHT NOW!"

The rabbits backed up as Lopunny then turned to the one threatening Aipom and adding, "AND YOU RELEASE THAT NICE MONKEY!" the rabbit gulping and putting the switchblade away, quickly stepping away as Aipom took deep breaths, holding her tail hand against her heart.

"This is a one-on-one match!" Lopunny snapped, "He was just following the rules! I'm ashamed of each and every one of you!" the rabbit noticing Machoke was now in terrible condition as she took a deep breath, sighing, "I'm sorry, Machoke, I wanted this to be fair."

"It's okay, you didn't cause this," the boy replied as the rabbit walked toward the side of the ring, saying, "Still, as much as I want to win, it would be unfair to win in this manner. As such, I'm going to forfeit," Machoke's eyes widening as he smiled warmly, saying, "Maybe we can fight again someday but under fair conditions," the rabbit smiling and replying, "I'd like that."

However, just as Lopunny was about to exit, Fiarrow spat, "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?" all going silent as the bird snapped, "YOU GOT AN EASY VICTORY HANDED TO YOU ON A SILVER PLATTER AND YOU'RE JUST GOING TO TOSS IT ASIDE!?"

Scyther stared in disbelief at the falcon as he spat, "Lopunny, you've been saying constantly that you can't let the team down! You went all-out in your match with Gardevoir, even putting her in the hospital because you knew it was necessary to guarantee us a spot here in Tokyo, and you're gonna give that all up because of THIS!?"

Lopunny bit her lip, about to protest when the falcon added, "And don't tell me this is wrong! Think about what Machoke did to Heracross! Think about him lying in bed in the hospital right now!" Lopunny remarking, "But he deserved it!" Fiarrow remarking, "So what!? He learned his lesson, so everything should be okay between you now! Are you gonna let his sacrifice go to waste!?"

However, Scyther could not stay silent anymore as she spat, "LOPUNNY, HE'S TRYING TO MESS WITH YOUR HEAD! DON'T LISTEN TO HIM!" Fiarrow retorting, "Are you saying you want us to lose the tournament!?" Scyther retorting, "That's not what I meant!" Fiarrow remarking sarcastically, "Oh, sure it isn't!"

However, while the two argued, Lopunny was now completely still. Machoke stared in confusion as the rabbit bit her lip, uttering, "He's right," the argument stopping as both stared at her.

"Did I hear that correctly?" Aipom asked as Lopunny let out a sigh, turning to Machoke with a serious look on her face and saying, "I made a promise that during the tournament, I would put my team above all else, that I would never give up or stop trying to win no matter what the circumstances were!" Reika groaning, "Oh god, is this going where I think it is?"

'Heracross is counting on the rest of us,' Lopunny thought, placing her hand against her chest, 'If I back out now, unfair advantage or not, I'll be letting everyone down. Sure, Scyther seems not to approve right now, but if I win, she'll be happy with my decision in the end, I'm sure of it.'

With that, the rabbit folded her arms and sighed, "Forgive me, Machoke," Machoke staring awkwardly at her and whimpering, "Oh no," Lopunny tucking her ears in while thinking, 'He might have a counterattack in mind, so I can't let him do that,' the rabbit then shouting, "DIZZY PUNCH!" sending both her ears hard into the boy's face.

Machoke stumbled back a bit, blood coming from his nostrils as his eyes were swirling, all going silent. No one could believe what they had seen. Lopunny, the best sportsman on her team, had just taken advantage of Machoke's weakened state with her best punching technique.

"MACHOKE!" Aipom screeched, "TRY TO OVERCOME THIS!" the boy trying desperately to stay up now as Lopunny took a deep breath, knowing it was time to end this as she charged toward the boy, the rabbits next to the ring applauding her.

However, just as the rabbit got close, Machoke immediately shook his head, snapping back to reality just in time to see her aiming a two-legged jump kick toward his chest. Seeing this, the boy instinctively grabbed her ankles and pulled upward, causing her to fall on the back of her head.

Then taking a deep breath, he gulped and said, "Sorry," Aipom remarking, "Don't apologize! This match is still going!" everyone else just confused by how quickly the boy had managed to overcome his dizziness.

Machoke simply nodded, just about to take advantage of his attack only for Lopunny to quickly send another ear punch into his face, shouting, "DIZZY PUNCH!" Machoke's eyes once again swirling. This time the rabbit was not going to hesitate as she wrapped her ears around the boy and bounced high above the ring.

When she flipped him upside down, everyone knew what was going to happen next as Weedle thought, 'I'm sure this is the result most people would have wanted anyway,' one audience member barking, "THIS IS WRONG!" another adding, "YEAH, LOPUNNY WOULDN'T DO SOMETHING SO DISGRACEFUL!"

Lopunny's eyes widened as she had just mounted her ears on Machoke's feet, the rabbit thinking, 'Disgraceful?' one child crying out, "Why, bunny lady!? I thought you were good!"

Fiarrow simply rolled his eyes and remarked, "She's putting her friends first for the tournament! Once it's all over, she'll be back to her goodie-two-shoes nature, okay!?"

However, Lopunny ignored the words of the falcon as the protests from the crowd got to her the most. They were right. The actions she was taking right now were completely against her nature. There was no way she could accept an unearned victory like this.

With that in mind, the rabbit did not add to her attack when she noticed both she and Machoke were falling toward the canvas, Fiarrow smirking and thinking, 'Well, I'm kinda disappointed, but it looks like we're gonna win this either way,' only for Lopunny to shock everyone when she wrapped her ears around Machoke's ankles. Was she still going to use her Bunny Tornado?

It seemed that was not the case as the threw her ears upward so Machoke was now over her head, the rabbit allowing him to land on top of her when she made contact with the mat, cushioning the blow. Machoke quickly regained consciousness when this happened and blinked, his eyes wide with shock when he noticed he was now lying on top of Lopunny.

The boy quickly got up and exclaimed, "Sorry!" the rabbit smiling and replying, "It's okay, Machoke. I meant to do that," the crowd giving a slow clap before breaking out into heavy cheering, Fiarrow and Scyther both staring in absolute shock. Scyther was happy to see Lopunny do this, but it was still surprising.

Machoke's friends both had wide smiles on their faces as Machoke held out his hand to help Lopunny up. However, the rabbit shook her head and said, "No, we should end this like a true wrestling match," all going silent as Machoke winced, remarking, "What are you suggesting!?" the rabbit sitting upright and adding, "I want you to finish me off like any other opponent. If I'm going to let down my team, I may as well do it with grace and dignity."

Some audience members had tears in their eyes when they heard this, Machoke taking a deep breath and asking, "You're sure about this, right?" the rabbit nodding as Fiarrow gritted his teeth, barking, "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING!?"

Lopunny simply rolled her eyes and remarked, "Shut up, Fiarrow," all going silent as the falcon's eye twitched, Fiarrow not believing what he had just heard.

Lopunny then took a deep breath and dded, "I'm not listening to you anymore. Honestly, I hope Scyther wipes the floor with you," the insect smiling and folding her arms, Fiarrow sticking his tongue out at her.

With that, Machoke walked over to the rabbit and took a deep breath, saying, "This is gonna hurt a lot, okay?" the rabbit nodding and replying, "I know."

With that, the boy grabbed her by the shoulders and used all his might to send her flying high into the air. He then proceeded to leap up to her level, flipping her upside-down and grabbing hold of not her arms but her ears this time. After that, he spread them out, locking them in place and shouted, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" sending her head hard into the canvas, however, he applied slightly less force than usual as he did not want to hurt her too much.

Either way, the rabbit found this satisfying enough as Machoke released her, allowing her body to collapse as Weedle took a deep breath, Nori ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND ON THAT NOTE, MACHOKE WINS AND ADVANCES TO THE NEXT GEN BATTLE FINALS!" the crowd going wild as Machoke rose one fist in the air, a big smile on his face.

Even the rabbits, rather than being upset, simply gave Lopunny an army salute out of respect. Sure, they were the ones who complicated things in the first place, but they could not help but admire a rabbit who was willing to let herself lose for the sake of remaining good.

However, Machoke's concern for Lopunny quickly returned as he asked, "Are you okay?" the rabbit taking a deep breath and smiling before saying, "You went easy on me. Of course I'm okay," both laughing as the boy helped the rabbit up, Lopunny now being the first hero not to end up in a hospital after losing.

Fiarrow simply gritted his teeth but said nothing as right now, he was more focused on his match with Scyther. Despite being her teammate, he was not going to hold back and neither was she. Whatever the reason, the two were feeling rather cold toward each-other right now.

Even so, Aipom felt very relieved as she gave Machoke thumbs up with her tail hand, everyone else in the crowd really happy to see everything turn out so well. While the other matches so far had ended surprisingly bitter for fights between heroes, this one ended happily with both sides gladly accepting the results.

At the hospital, Gardevoir was watching this with light tears in her eyes, thinking, 'I knew you could fight the pressure, Lopunny,' Machoke helping the rabbit exit the ring as Scyther smiled, walking over to her and saying, "You did the right thing."

"Oh, god, enough with the mushy crap already!" Fiarrow groaned, everyone turning to him as Scyther frowned, the falcon adding, "You just got done with a match, a really important one at that! You shouldn't be acting so casually about this!"

The falcon then pointed at Machoke, saying, "The way you treat your victory like nothing makes me sick," before redirecting his finger toward Lopunny and adding, "And the way you handed him victory is even worse," Scyther retorting, "Schweigen!"

All went silent as the bug added, "Focus on our match, kollege," Scyther exiting the area as Fiarrow simply folded his arms, grumbling curses while exiting the area himself. The bug did have a point as their match was only four hours from now.

With that, Lopunny sighed, "I'm really starting to reconsider being on their team," Machoke nodding as Aipom asked, "Hey, Machoke, there's something I wanna know. How did you snap out of your dizziness so quickly?"

Machoke blinked and replied, "Oh, it's because I got dizzy a lot when I was a kid, so I'm used to it," all going silent until Aipom sighed, "Why did I expect anything else?"

And with that, the friends headed off toward the location of the next match, Lopunny feeling like she had enough strength to join them. While the fight between Machoke and Lopunny had gone well, no one knew what to expect from a match between Scyther and Fiarrow, especially with the two feeling so bitter right now.

 

With four hours to spare before Scyther and Fiarrow were to square off, everyone decided to make the best with the time they had. In fact, this was an especially good time for a break as this match was taking place in a theme park that had come to Tokyo. The owner of the park had agreed to make this a special event in an area specifically preserved for live shows such as clown acts and the like.

Aipom decided to let Machoke have a little fun as a reward for his two victories. She also figured she may as well take a break from trying to nurture him as well, the monkey actually acting like a real kid. Sure, she tried to think about important matters and stick to her guns, but after a few minutes in the theme park, she was having fun.

The first thing she did was buy herself banana flavoured cotton candy, munching it down without any concern for how much of it got on her face. Afterwards, she decided to try her hand at the hammer machine, of course using her tail hand to hold the object in question. Despite her short stature, that tail hand of hers was tough and as a result, she managed to get to the bell with ease, winning herself a stuffed toy of her self. Needless to say, seeing that she was popular enough to have merchandise based off of her was much more exciting than winning the prize.

After that, she simply took a seat on a bench, hugging her new plush toy and squealing, "Alright, Aipom Two, what would you like to do today!?" the monkey then using only one half of her mouth to reply, "I suggest coming up with new ways to train Machoke," before adding, "Oh, that's what I was thinking!"

"Oh my god, this is just precious," came a familiar voice from behind Aipom, her eyes going wide as she turned and noticed Keiko there, her eyes darting back and forth before she whistled innocently, Keiko laughing and saying, "Oh, come on, you're ten. There's nothing wrong with acting like it."

"I know," Aipom replied with a sigh before adding, "It's just that, well, I've always been mature for my age," Keiko shrugging and replying, "If it helps, this day and age is different. Nowadays, it's considered acceptable for people in their thirties to collect toys," Aipom's eyes widening.

Keiko then proceeded to take a seat next to the monkey, saying, "You know, I think you've done a good job training Machoke. He's certainly doing a good job," Aipom saying, "Thanks, but I did next to nothing in the matches so far."

Keiko simply shrugged and replied, "You still gave him some useful advice. At least that's something."

Aipom nodded before saying, "Still, I really hope Scyther ends up being his opponent in the finals," Keiko raising an eyebrow as the monkey added, "I don't know what it is, but there's something about Fiarrow that really rubs me the wrong way. It's normal for Machoke to be scared of an opponent, but that guy even terrifies me. After seeing his match with Blaziken, I'm not even sure if I know a surefire way to beat him."

"Well, I'm sure even if you can't think of something, he might," Keiko replied, rubbing the monkey's head and adding, "Just because you can't give him advice all the time doesn't mean you're helpless," Aipom smiling and replying, "Thank you so much, Keiko."

All the while, Machoke was walking around the park looking for Reika, sighing, "Well, great, I'm in a theme park and have no one to enjoy it with," Lopunny noticing him and waving with a big smile, Machoke walking over and asking, "Hey, Lopunny, have you seen Reika?"

"Can't say I have," the rabbit replied as Machoke groaned, "Aw, man, I wanted to invite her on a ride through the tunnel of love," Lopunny staring silently as she asked, "Oh my god, you have a crush on Reika?" Machoke nodding.

With that, the rabbit put on a serious look before exclaiming, "Alright, I now have my mission for the next hour! I will help you and Reika hook up!" Machoke smiling and replying, "Thanks. You're a real pal," the two pounding their fists together.

During this time, Fiarrow was looking around, thinking, 'Scyther and her mommy have probably gone off to train somewhere. Well, I'm not wasting this opportunity,' the falcon noticing a big elevator ride as he spied a couple of girls standing in line, figuring this might be a good opportunity to earn himself some popularity.

"Hey there, ladies," he said as the girls turned, one of them saying, "Oh, you're that guy who beat Blaziken yesterday, right?"

Fiarrow nodded and asked, "Do you girls wanna go on that ride?" the two blinking as he added, "Cause I got some extra tickets and I don't think it would be fair to let you waste yours like that."

Needless to say, this was more than enough to get the girls to come with him as he paid for all three to go on, the owner saying, "I am required to warn you that despite the simple concept, this has been regarded as the scariest ride in the park," Fiarrow laughing and remarking, "Please, I laugh at fear!" the man shrugging and letting them on.

The elevator very slowly rose to the very top, which was one-hundred-and-ninety feet above the ground, Fiarrow gulping a bit as the elevator dropped, the falcon actually more terrified than the others riding with him, which was especially strange seeing as he could fly. However, when the elevator finally stopped, he had his look of pride back on, exclaiming, "You call that scary!?" one of the girls whispering, "He was totally freaked out of his mind," the other replying, "So I wasn't the only one who saw it."

However, while Fiarrow walked off to do something else, a certain dog wearing street clothes was standing next to a wall, watching the falcon who seemed completely oblivious to him being there. Just what was it about this guy that made Lucario act like he did around him?

Machoke and Lopunny had been searching for a while when they finally noticed Reika with her friends, Lopunny smiling and bounding over before saying, "Hey, guys!" the three turning as Cici said, "Oh, hi Lopunny," Machoke walking over and asking, "What are you gals up to?"

"We're gonna try our hands at the dart game," Reika replied, "Cici really wants that stuffed panda," Machoke seeing an opportunity as he grinned, thinking, 'Darts? This should be easy for a guy as awesome as me. I'll win the prize and Reika will love me,' the boy volunteering as they decided to give him the first go.

The owner of the stand happily thanked him for his ticket as the boy sent his first dart forward only for it to miss. The second one ended up missing as well as he fumed, thinking, 'Alright, I'm totally going to hit one of these targets, or so help me God!' the boy actually managing to hit one as the girls clapped, Machoke raising his arms in the air and shouting, "I DID IT!"

"Congratulations," the owner replied with a big smile before handing him a plush toy of Aipom, the boy blinking and asking, "Wait, Aipom's popular?" the man nodding as the boy barked, "Hey, wait a minute! Aren't I supposed to be able to pick my own prize!?" the man pointing at a sign next to him stating that only those who hit three targets could choose. One or two resulted in an Aipom plush.

Reika patted Machoke on the shoulder saying, "There, there," before stepping up and hitting three targets with ease, Cici and Tsuya applauding her as she gave Cici the panda she wanted.

Machoke held his Aipom plush up to his cheek and asked, "What do you think of those rules?" before saying in a bad attempt at a female voice, "Well, I think he's an honest man doing his job," then sighing, "You're such a goody-two-shoes," Lopunny snickering at this.

After that, Machoke was about to suggest the tunnel of love when Reika noticed a big roller coaster, her eyes sparkling as she exclaimed, "Let's all go on that!" Cici trembling as Tsuya sighed, "I think Cici would rather sit this one out."

Reika nodded and replied, "Okay, but who's gonna use the extra ticket?" Lopunny bounding over and squealing, "Me!" then looking at Machoke, she added, "He's coming too."

With that, Lopunny and Tsuya were in the back seat, Tsuya asking, "So, any reason you specifically chose to sit next to me?" Lopunny hushing her and pointing at Machoke and Reika next to each other, Machoke saying, "This is gonna be so much fun. I love roller coasters."

Shortly after the boy said this, he thought, 'Oh god, I'm totally going to die!' the car slowly rising up the ramp as his mind added, 'Hey, this actually isn't so bad. Maybe I should go on these more-' only for his train of thought to end when the car reached the top and started going down the railway, Machoke crying out in terror.

The others were screaming with delight as a swarm of flies just happened to come by and fly into Machoke's mouth, the boy quickly spitting them out only for them to fly back in. Needless to say, this was not a fun experience for him, but hopefully this would help him win Reika's heart.

After that, the group headed off to find more rides seeing as they still had time to enjoy themselves, Aipom noticing them along the way while Machoke tried his best to hide how terrified he was after going on so many. The monkey waved happily with her tail hand, still holding her plush as the others came over to her.

"Oh, you got an Aipom plush too?" Machoke asked, holding his up as the monkey blushed, asking, "What did I do to get so famous?" Machoke remarking, "You said it, not me."

"We've been going on rides for the last little while," Reika said, Cici uttering, "Except me."

Reika rolled her eyes and asked, "You wanna join us, Aipom?" the monkey's eyes sparkling before she looked at a pocket watch she had brought with her and sighed, "Can't. We only got an hour left," Machoke replying, "That sounds like plenty of time."

"Well, I don't know about you, but I want me some good seats," Reika said as Tsuya and Cici nodded, Machoke sighing and following close behind, disappointed not to have gone with Reika through the tunnel of love, though a part of him felt like she would have declined anyway.

With all said and done, the group headed to the area where all the shows took place, luckily being the first to show up. It seemed Reika and Aipom had the right idea for as soon as they entered, more people arrived.

The person taking tickets smiled when he noticed Aipom, Machoke and Lopunny before saying, "I know who you three are. You and a total of three guests of your choice get free admission and front-row seats," Machoke blinking and saying, "Wow, that's convenient," Lopunny shrugging and gladly accepting the offer.

While heading to the area where the seats were, Lopunny briefly noticed Scyther training in an area usually meant for performers to rehearse, the rabbit smiling and waving as the insect briefly turned to her and gave her a quick smile. However, she was too focused on her training to do much else while Scizor was giving instructions.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are you and Scyther friends?" Reika asked, Lopunny turning to her with confusion as the girl added, "She hardly ever talks to you or even spends time with you," the rabbit replying, "Well, it's because we both helped each-other out once."

Lopunny remembered a time when she was not much of a fighter. Despite all her best efforts, she could not do a thing. Because of this, she felt like she would never graduate and would be stuck taking the same lessons for the rest of her life. In fact, the only one who ever talked to her was Heracross and every now and then, he would try to help her improve, but unfortunately, he was not particularly good at this so it was not as helpful as both would have liked.

All the while, Scyther was performing excellently and was the envy of the class. Even Fiarrow, back when going under the alias of Golurk, saw her as an equal and even challenged her to sparring matches, the insect seeing him as the only other student who could give her a decent workout.

However, one night when it was very late, Scyther broke her leg while practising on her own. While this was nowhere near final exam time, she did not wish for the other students to see her in this state. And that was when Lopunny just happened to be in that very area, the rabbit quietly sobbing.

Scyther overheard this and tried to slink away undetected only for her leg to let out as she fell hard on her face, Lopunny looking up and blinking. The rabbit turned and asked, "Who's there?" wiping her tears away with her ears to hide the fact that she had been crying.

Scyther's eyes were wide open as Lopunny ran over, immediately asking her what was wrong. It took a while, but the insect came to trust the rabbit when she promised not to breathe a word of her injury to anyone. And as it just so happened, the rabbit knew of a way to mend a broken leg as she simply snapped the bones back into place.

After that, the two were seated together on a bench as Scyther said, "I notice you've been struggling a lot in class," Lopunny sighing, "Yeah, I think the academy made a mistake when they picked me for this job."

The insect shook her head and replied, "Nein. I've seen those ears of yours in action and I think they could make for a very useful weapon," the rabbit's eyes going wide as the insect added, "I normally try to focus on my training only, but you saved me from embarrassment, so I owe you one."

"She trained me during free time," Lopunny explained with a small smile on her face, "She was a very good teacher, and now I know why she knew so much," Aipom nodding, knowing exactly what the rabbit meant as she added, "In no time at all, I was a pro, actually able to fight on her level. I felt honoured to be her first real friend."

"So how is she friends with the others?" Tsuya added, the rabbit replying, "I think I had some sort of influence on her because she became much more social after spending time with me," Machoke smiling and stating, "And all this time, I thought Scyther was a robot," Reika smacking him on the back of the head.

"Still, I find it odd that Scyther would be so mad at Fiarrow," Reika said, Machoke suggesting, "Probably because he lied, right?"

Lopunny shook her head and replied, "I don't think she's really made at him. I think she's just focused on the match," Machoke remarking, "Better tell that to Fiarrow, because after that outburst of his, I don't think he feels the same."

Lopunny shook her head and explained, "Even when he was known as Golurk, he's always been kind of hot-headed. I think he was just serious about the match too. He just doesn't know how to express it, you know?" Aipom replying, "Well, if you say so," the monkey still getting bad vibes from the falcon.

Soon enough, the group came to the event location as the seats were filled. Lucario was among the crowd this time around, only he was seated way in the back in the hopes that no one would see him there. But if he knew something important about Fiarrow, why did he not tell anyone yet?

Whatever the reason was, it would have to wait as Nori was once again seated, only since this was a theme park, she was announcing from an area high above the ring protected by a big glass window, the woman exclaiming, "Welcome, everyone, to B block's second round of The Next Gen Battle! This time, both competitors are representing Team Next Gen, and whoever wins this match will face Machoke in the finals!"

The crowd was restless now as the woman exclaimed, "In the red corner, weight fifty-six kilograms and hailing from Germany, the strong and fast daughter of Scizor, Scyther!" the crowd going wild when the insect once again performed some aerial ballet with the help her her wings and landed against the ring with one knee down, a fierce look in her eyes.

Scizor stood on the side of the ring with her arms folded, a smile on her face. She was truly confident that her daughter could win this.

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "a very surprising opponent indeed! We once thought he was a slow but powerful golem, but now he's a fast and ferocious falcon! Having lost a lot of weight from removing his disguise and now weighing at twenty-four-and-a-half kilograms, Fiarrow!"

All went silent when they noticed a silhouette of the falcon high above the ring and flapping in front of the sun's gaze. This was good timing as it would only be an hour or so until the sun started to set, Fiarrow spinning like a drill while flying down toward the ring. After some more impressive stunts, he landed gracefully on the turnbuckle with only one foot, the crowd applauding him while some girls in the crowd squealed excitedly at such a cool entrance.

"Well, I'm glad you at least decided to show up," Fiarrow said with a smirk, Scyther giving him a cold look while saying nothing, Fiarrow adding, "Oh, by the way, I thought it would be fun to add a little something to up the stakes a bit," then turning to Weedle and adding, "that is if it's alright with you, Oldie McOldstein."

"I wish you'd stop calling me that," Weedle grumbled, "but fine, as long as it's not another violation of the rules," the falcon smirking and replying, "Oh, don't you worry, Pops. I actually studied the rulebook prior to this match and I know for a fact that this sort of thing is allowed."

At that moment, everyone stared in confusion as a group of mechanics entered the area, Fiarrow saying, "That's right, boys, remove all the turnbuckles," all going silent as Scyther asked, "What are you doing?" the falcon remarking, "Oh, you'll see soon enough. It's a surprise so incredible, it's shocking."

"Is it just me or did he just make a bad foreshadowing pun?" Machoke asked, Aipom replying, "That's the impression I got too," Lopunny uttering, "Surely it can't be anything too extreme. I mean, this is a fight between friends, right?"

After the mechanics removed the turnbuckles, they left the ropes in the ring before bringing in four replacements. However, these poles were blue and had what looked like big light bulbs on the tops of them, the mechanics attaching the ropes to these new ones. Fiarrow grinned as one man pressed a button, the bulbs lighting up as a sound entered the area, the sound of electricity flowing to be exact.

"Wait, I don't get it," Machoke uttered, "All of this was for a light show?" Scyther blinking and saying, "I know you're big on theatrics, but I find it hard to believe even you would go this far," the falcon chuckling and remarking, "Do you honestly believe that's it?" before pointing at one of the mechanics and saying, "You, touch it," pointing at the rope as the man gulped.

"Remember, I'm paying you guys to do whatever I want, so go on!" the falcon exclaimed, the man turning to his co-workers, all of them shaking their heads and signalling him to do it as he slowly made his way over to the side of the ring.

The man took a deep breath and slowly reached for the rope, gently touching it with his finger when suddenly, a burst of electricity came out, the man backing up and breathing heavily as he felt lucky to be alive, his entire hand now covered in burn marks. Fiarrow simply laughed, more amused than anything else as he scoffed, "Some people will do anything for money! It's priceless!"

Now the crowd was actually shocked and even a bit frightened. Machoke just about wet himself as he whimpered, "This guy's a monster!" Lopunny barking, "Fiarrow, why would you endanger your own ally like that!?" the falcon remarking, "Relax, we heroes can handle this sort of thing better than humans."

While that was certainly true, this was still going too far. Even Scyther looked scared, though she quickly covered it up by making it look like she was okay with it. However, her look of confidence faded when she heard the sound of someone whimpering behind her.

The insect turned, her eyes going wide when she noticed that someone was Scizor. The insect was trembling all over, Scyther asking, "Lehrer, what's wrong?" Aipom's eyes widening as she gasped, "Oh my god, I think I just figured out Fiarrow's plan!" Lopunny asking, "What?"

The monkey took a deep breath and explained, "See, long ago, before Scizor and Greninja became allies, the two of them fought in a legendary match. The gimmick was that the ropes were releasing electricity so whoever touched them would get a bad electric shock through her veins. Scizor did her best, pulling out all the stops, but just as it looked like she was going to win, Greninja managed to force her into the ropes. At that moment, it was all over. Scizor could do nothing while Greninja wiped the floor with her."

"So Fiarrow knew that Scizor would get scared," Reika uttered, "thus rendering her unable to give advice."

"FIARROW, WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS!?" Lopunny snapped, "I THOUGHT YOU WERE OUR FRIEND!" Fiarrow remarking, "Just cause I'm your friend doesn't mean I'm not gonna take this match seriously! I wanna be the one to face Machoke in the finals, and if I have to resort to dirty tactics to do it, I will!"

Even the girls he had treated to a free ride earlier looked absolutely offended by this as the falcon added, "There's a reason I fight so aggressively, and it's because villains fight aggressively. If we weren't willing to fight dirty every now and then, they would walk all over us! They wouldn't stop to think about the rules and how their tactics are wrong! They'd go through with it because it's getting them results!"

The crowd was now at a crossroads. On one hand, such a tactic really was deplorable, especially with the way this seemed like a method of which to bully Scizor, but on the other hand, he was right. Most villains did not fight fair and heroes had to do whatever it took to beat them.

Even so, Lopunny was still angry at the bird right now. She may have forgiven Heracross for his selfish views earlier, but she could not forgive Fiarrow for something so mean-spirited, so evil. She could no longer regard him as a friend no matter what happened.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought, shaking in his seat, 'Is there any level you won't sink to, you bastard?'

Even so, Weedle simply cleared his throat and stated, "Well, I already gave my approval, and like he said, this is not against the rules! As such, this shall be an electric ring match!" Scyther taking a deep breath as Scizor was still trembling, her student smiling and saying, "Don't worry, lehrer. I can hold my own."

With that, the bell rang as Scizor immediately sprinted toward Fiarrow without a moment's hesitation. The falcon's eyes went wide as the insect proceeded to tackle him hard, trying to shove him into the rope as he laughed, saying, "Oh, you don't mess around, do you?"

With that in mind, Fiarrow simply spread out his legs, holding his ground before adding, "Unfortunately for you, I'm a lot tougher than my weight would have you believe," the bird then gripping Scyther's shoulders and flapping his wings, taking to the air and carrying her toward the ropes on the other side.

However, Scyther was ready for this as the two closed in, the insect quickly twisting her own arms, freeing herself from Fiarrow's hold. The falcon's eyes went wide as she grabbed onto his shoulder, propelling herself over him and getting behind him. With that, the bug kicked him hard in the back and sent him flying belly-first into the ropes, a burst of electricity covering his body as he cried out in pain.

The crowd went wild as Nori spat, "FIARROW SET UP THE ELECTRIC RING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SCYTHER, BUT IT SEEMS HIS SECRET WEAPON HAS ALREADY BEEN USED AGAINST HIM!" Machoke shouting, "WAY TO GO, SCYTHER!" Lopunny adding, "SHOW HIM WHO'S BOSS!"

Fiarrow fell forward onto the mat when Scyther proceeded to crawl onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling hard on him. So far, things were looking really good. It was just as Nori said. In no time at all, Fiarrow's secret weapon was already being turned against him.

 

This was truly an outstanding turn of events. Not even two minutes into the match and Fiarrow was already on the receiving end of his own dirty tactics. Not only that, but Scyther now had him in a powerful submission hold. Had her victory already been guaranteed?

"You will pay for hurting my lehrer like that!" Scyther grunted, tightening the hold as Fiarrow simply chuckled wickedly, asking, "You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you?"

The insect's eyes went wide as the falcon proceeded to propel his wings up against her. It took a few seconds, but he eventually managed to force her off of his back as he took a deep breath, getting up and saying, "I'll admit, I'm actually impressed. I didn't think a goody-two-shoes like you would have the guts to use the electric ring against me."

All went silent until the falcon added, "Unfortunately, that won't be enough to save you!" as he spread out his wings, taking to the sky. Scyther scowled and readied herself, holding up a defensive stance. Whatever he had planned, she would have to be ready.

After a few seconds, Fiarrow flew down toward her with his talons pointed outward. The insect simply held up her hands in front of her face to block it only for the falcon to propel himself forward just enough to strike the top of her head, Scyther's eyes going wide.

After that, Fiarrow flapped behind her and lit his foot on fire asking, "Alright, now what was it Blaziken called this attack again?" tapping his chin before shrugging and adding, "Oh, whatever, that attack name was lame anyway," before shouting, "ROUNDHOUSE INFERNO!"

With that, he spun his body around just as Scyther was about to recover and sent his burning foot into the back of her head. Everyone stared in shock as Machoke asked, "How did he do that?" Aipom replying, "Don't forget, he's a fire type too. There are quite a number of fire types capable of lighting themselves on fire."

"It's kind of funny when you think about it," Fiarrow said, landing on the mat while folding his arms, "People treat that Blaze Kick like it can only be used by Blaziken's family, but there are plenty of fire type heroes and villains out there who are able to use it too. This is nothing special."

Scyther shook the pain off of her head and turned toward the falcon who smirked and added, "Though personally, I prefer my own moves to those of that has-been," Fiarrow then charging at Scyther before she could attempt a counterattack and ramming his elbow hard into her gut, sending her back as she was just inches away from hitting the ropes.

All went silent as the insect just barely managed to screech to a halt in time to avoid taking in an electric shock. She breathed a sigh of relief, the insect actually having been legitimately frightened back there.

And all the while, Scizor was still terrified beyond compare and down on her knees, looking at the ground. Right now, it seemed that Scyther needed guidance but was unable to get it and it was all Fiarrow's fault. The insect was always taught not to seek vengeance, but right now she really wanted to make Fiarrow pay for his actions.

With that, the insect took a deep breath and charged toward the falcon once again. Fiarrow simply chuckled and said, "You're being awful rash, Scyther," before flapping his wings and lifting himself off the mat. But just as he was about to do something else, Scyther upped her speed just enough to catch up to him and grab onto his ankles, the falcon's eyes going wide as she threw her arms downward, slamming his back hard into the canvas.

The crowd went wild as Scyther grunted, "Your viewpoint is wrong!" the insect then latching onto his arm, wrapping her legs around his neck for a triangle hold, the crowd cheering even louder.

"YEAH, GO SCYTHER!" Lopunny squealed from the crowd before sighing, "I swore I wouldn't play favourites, but right now, I really want Scyther to knock that smug look off of Fiarrow's face," Reika patting her on the shoulder and replying, "Don't worry, we all do."

However, Fiarrow did not look the least bit intimidated by the position he was in. Everyone was in absolute shock as the falcon spread out the wing closest to Scyther while saying, "Scyther, you may be fast, but do you honestly think those scrawny little twigs you call arms are enough to hurt me!?"

"SCYTHER, LET GO OF HIM!" Machoke spat, but it was too late as Fiarrow whacked the insect in the back of the head with his wing, her eyes widening. However, she simply ignored the pain and tightened her hold, shouting, "NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, I'M NOT LETTING GO!"

"You're either really gutsy or incredibly stupid," Fiarrow remarked, once again ignoring the pain as he used his wings to push himself back up, the crowd staring in absolute shock, Nori wincing and uttering, "Under most circumstances, a move like that would cause the victim even more pain."

"That's true, lady, but I'm not exactly normal," Fiarrow stated with a smirk as he slowly headed toward the ropes, all going silent again when the falcon positioned the arm Scyther was clinging to so her back was now facing the electrified props.

"SCYTHER, I'M SERIOUS, LET GO!" Machoke spat, Aipom adding, "He's not kidding, Scyther!" the insect ignoring them and barking, "SHUT UP! I ONLY LISTEN TO THE ADVICE OF MY LEHRER!"

Unfortunately, this proved to be a huge mistake as Fiarrow sent his arm downward, slamming Scyther hard into the ropes. Electricity coursed through her veins as her eyes widened, the insect crying out in absolute pain. Even with her spirit, she could not hold on any longer as she released her hold on Fiarrow and quickly shifted away from the ropes, taking many deep breaths, now having a few burn marks on her.

When Fiarrow noticed Machoke and his friends in panic, he laughed and asked, "Hey, Machoke, why do you care so much about Scyther's health!? In case you've forgotten, whoever wins this match is going to be your opponent, and neither of us would ever dare go easy on you!"

"He is right about that," Aipom uttered, Machoke remarking, "I don't care. I at least have respect for Scyther."

"I WILL BE THE ONE TO FACE HIM IN THE FINALS!" Scyther spat from behind Fiarrow, the falcon's eyes widening as she managed to charge behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist with a look of fury in her eyes. She no longer saw this as a match between heroes and now looked at Fiarrow as though he was a villain to protect the people from.

With that in mind, the insect lifted the falcon up for a German Suplex, the crowd cheering wildly. But just as the move was about to connect, Fiarrow smirked and said, "Nice try, but that's not gonna work on me!" the falcon then stretching his wings out and placing the back ends firmly against the mat thus stopping himself from making contact with it.

Scyther was caught off-guard as she loosened her grip just enough for Fiarrow to pry himself out of her hold. But it did not end there as he latched his ankles around her neck, placing his hands firmly against the mat. With that, the falcon lifted Scyther up, sending her hard into the mat with a frankensteiner.

Just as she insect was about to get up, Fiarrow took to the skies and laughed wickedly, the falcon saying, "I hate to take advantage of you like this, but I've known how to defeat you since that one day in Hero School, and I think you know which one!" all going silent as Scyther gritted her teeth.

Both remembered that day during the third week. While still known as Golurk, Fiarrow had just finished a sparring match with Scyther as he asked, "Say, Scyther, old buddy, I gotta ask you something?" the insect raising an eyebrow as the falcon added, "How come you never use your wings in battle? You hardly use them as it is."

Scyther took a deep breath and replied, "It was something my mother taught me. She told me that a true fighter should not need to rely on the power of flight to defeat the enemy. I'm strong enough that I don't need them."

Back in present time, Fiarrow laughed wickedly and said, "Bet you wish you hadn't stuck with that belief now, eh? Admit it, unless you can bring yourself to fly, you'll never be able to fight me on common ground."

However, Scyther did not seem the least bit fazed as she retorted, "That's what you think!" crouching down before propelling herself high off of the mat, Fiarrow rather shocked when the insect actually managed to reach his level without using her wings.

With that, the proceeded to kick him hard in the chest before flipping him so his back was facing her, the crowd cheering wildly. After that, the insect wrapped her arms around him before leaning backward and shouting, "FLYING HAMMER!"

The crowd's cheers died down when they noticed Scyther had failed to pull Fiarrow back with her, the falcon simply flapping his wings while saying, "Nice try, Scyther, but there's one problem with a move like this being used on me," before turning his head and flashing her a creepy grin, stating, "My muscles are much bigger than yours!"

Scyther's eyes went wide as Fiarrow proceeded to grab hold of her wrists. Afterwards, he soared backward, flipping his body over just enough for Scyther's skull to face the ropes. The insect tried her hardest to let go, but thanks to Fiarrow's grip, she could not and thus was sent head-first into the top rope, electricity coursing through her veins as she cried out in pain.

"SCYTHER!" Machoke spat, his eyes and mouth wide open while Lopunny closed her eyes. However, Scizor had a different reaction to this. Seeing her student, no, her daughter in this much pain because of a lack of guidance was too much for her to bare as she took a deep breath and put on a serious look, rising to her feet much to everyone's surprise.

"SCYTHER!" the bug snapped, "IGNORE THE PAIN AND KICK HIM IN THE BACK!" Scyther nodding before bending her knees and sending her feet hard into Fiarrow's back, his eyes widening as he flew forward a bit, letting go of Scyther and dropping her on the mat.

Everyone was still in shock as Scizor said, "Sorry for not helping you sooner, mein daughter, but rest assured, I am now over my fear and will help you win this match!" Fiarrow gritting his teeth and thinking, 'Damn, there goes that plan. Oh well, even with that old bat's advice, she can't possibly beat me.'

Scyther had a big smile on her face, the insect beyond relieved right now. Hopefully, Scizor's advice could be of use because she needed it right now.

With that, the falcon flew toward Scyther again as Scizor exclaimed, "His form is sloppy! Dodge to the right!" Scyther doing just that as Fiarrow's eyes widened, the falcon flying face-first into the ropes as electricity coursed through him.

"Now he should be weak enough for a Suplex to work!" Scizor stated as Scyther nodded and ran behind the bird, wrapping her arms around him and lifting him up. Just as Scizor had predicted, Fiarrow was too shaken up from the electric shock to respond as the back of his neck hit the canvas hard.

The crowd went wild once more, Machoke shouting, "Wow! Scizor is so boss!" Aipom nodding and replying, "It's like you once said, people move forward by seeking guidance when they're stuck."

Fiarrow rose back to his feet, breathing a bit as he thought, 'Damn, I underestimated these two. Scizor helps Scyther think more logically and this makes it easier for her to get the better of me. I need to find another way to break them apart,' his eyes then going wide as he had the perfect plan.

"I'll admit, Scyther, your mom's a good teacher," Fiarrow said with a smirk, "but do you really think she's trying to help you?" all going silent as Reika asked, "What's he trying to do?"

Strangely enough, this actually got Scyther thinking as she had no idea how to respond to this, Scizor slapping her pincers against the side of the ring and shouting, "Of course I am! What kind of mother doesn't take care of her own daughter!?" Scyther nodding and saying, "Exactly."

"Oh, come on, you just let her do the talking for you," Fiarrow remarked with a laugh before adding, "That's all you are, Scyther. You're a puppet living in your mom's shadow," Scyther remarking, "Nein! That's not true!"

"Oh, come on, you were a failure when you fought on your own!" Fiarrow retorted, "Once Scizor started pulling your strings, you were able to get out of that bind, and you know what? I think that's exactly what she sees you as," Scyther blinking and asking, "What do you mean?"

Scizor gritted her teeth as the falcon stated, "Think about it. While your mom may have been famous, she lost all purpose when evil was vanquished. She had no other skills until your father entered her life, and after he died, she lost everything and was back to square one."

Scyther stared as Scizor bit her lower lip, actually having trouble arguing with this while Fiarrow added, "However, she was also pregnant at the time, so she saw an opportunity to get back into the spotlight."

All went silent until Machoke uttered, "Is he implying what I think he is?" Lopunny gritting her teeth and grumbling, "He's despicable! I can't believe I used to call him a friend!"

Scyther simply stared in absolute shock as Fiarrow explained, "The day you were born, she immediately realized she could use you to get back the fame that she had lost. You would become an awesome hero while she would get the credit for training you. It was a brilliant plan, and because you're so naive, she knew you would never catch onto it!"

Scyther trembled as Scizor snapped, "DON'T LISTEN TO HIM! HE'S LYING! I ALWAYS GAVE YOU THE OPTION TO CHOOSE A DIFFERENT COURSE, REMEMBER!?" Scyther nodding and replying, "Ja, that is true," Fiarrow letting out a big laugh before retorting, "That was to trick you into thinking she actually cared about your well-being! She knew deep down inside, you would never say no, so she simply told you it would be okay so you'd never catch onto the fact that she was using you!"

Scizor glared at Fiarrow and spat, "Are you going to believe every word that comes from his beak!?" Scyther retorting, "ACH TUNG!"

The crowd gasped when the insect turned to her mother and retorted, "Everything he has just told me makes sense, mother! Every time I'd fail to do something, you always scolded me!"

"I was giving you constructive criticism to help you get better!" Scizor remarked, Scyther barking, "Then why did you always raise your voice, huh!? You've always been telling me what to do and how to fight, never allowing me my own style! I always had to follow yours!"

"ENOUGH!" Lopunny snapped, Scyther turning to face her as she exclaimed, "Scyther, think about what you're saying! You're talking about your own mother here, the one who shaped you into such a great fighter!" Scyther retorting, "ACH TUNG! YOU'RE JUST TAKING HER SIDE!"

"What can we do?" Machoke asked, Aipom replying, "I'm not sure. Scyther looks really lost right now," Fiarrow grinning and saying, "That's right, stop following her and fight like you wanna."

"I don't even know if I can trust you after the way you lied to us for so long!" Scyther retorted, Fiarrow's eyes widening as she lashed out her blade from the bottom of her right arm. However, much to the crowd's surprise, another one emerged from her left arm.

With that, the insect sprinted toward Fiarrow and spat, "ARM SCHWERT!" sending both blades across his chest in an X formation as the crowd cheered wildly, Nori exclaiming, "And Scyther's advantage continues as she lands her most powerful attack into Fiarrow's chest! How can he possibly move after that!?"

"Well, at least things are looking favourable," Machoke uttered, "somewhat," only for Scizor to shout, "THAT WAS BAD FORM!"

All went silent as Scizor sighed, "The attack hit, sure, but it did not do as well as it could have. You need to take more care," Scyther retorting, "I'm not listening to you anymore! From now on, I'm fighting my own way! I'm going to become the famous hero, not you!"

Scizor's eyes widened as Fiarrow chuckled wickedly, everyone gasping. How could he still move after such a devastating attack? Perhaps there was something to what Scizor had said. That should have knocked him out.

The falcon continued to chuckle before saying, "Well said, Scyther, well said. Perhaps I had you pegged all wrong. You're not the puppet I thought you were," no one even knowing how to react to this as Fiarrow added, "Even so, that precious Arm Schwert of yours isn't as strong as you think it is."

Scyther stared in confusion as Fiarrow placed his claws against the top edges of the cuts, pulling on them as the audience winced in disgust, Nori stating, "Unbelievable. Fiarrow is stretching out his cuts and acting as if it means nothing. Is he a monster?"

Scyther simply fumed and spat, "FINE, I'LL JUST FINISH YOU OFF WITH THIS NEXT ONE!" charging at the falcon and shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!"

However, this time Fiarrow was ready as he knelt backward, using his wings to hold himself up as he sent his feet into the insect's arms, locking them in place. Everyone stared in absolute shock as the falcon snickered, saying, "Scyther, I'll admit, you are a good fighter, but let's face it, you're not even close to my level. The only reason you ever did so good when we were sparring was because I wasn't using my full power. I was holding back to keep up my guise, but now that the world knows who I am, I have no need to hold back."

With that, the falcon leaned back and lifted Scyther up, delivering a different kind of frankensteiner and slamming her head against the mat. Afterwards, he said, "Your biggest problem isn't that your style is weak, it's that you always hold back. You never use your wings and like everyone else, you're afraid to fight dirty! I've been using all kinds of underhanded tactics while still not breaking a single rule and look where it's gotten me!"

"You're wrong!" Scyther spat as Fiarrow took full advantage of this and grabbed her tongue, pulling on it and laughing maniacally. Machoke stuck out his own tongue with a disturbed look on his face, shouting, "That's just cruel!" Weedle sighing, "I agree, but he's right, he still hasn't broken the rules."

To make matters worse, Fiarrow actually lifted Scyther up with her tongue and hurled her toward the ropes, the insect once again hitting them and taking in the electricity. The crowd was not sure what to think as the falcon slowly approached Scyther. After all the damage she had taken in up to this point, she could no longer continue as Fiarrow lifted her up, wrapping his arms around her.

"SCYTHER, NO!" Scizor spat, tears filling up her eyes as Scyther's own eyes widened, the insect thinking, 'Tears?'

"You have to believe me!" Scizor exclaimed, "I have never thought of you as a puppet! You're my daughter, and that's all that matters to me! I gave you the option to pursue a new path so you wouldn't grow up like I did! I didn't want you thinking that fighting was the only thing you were good at, but I kept training you because you wanted to be a hero and fight for justice! I just wanted you to follow your own path, and since you wanted to be a hero, I was willing to do anything to help you achieve that!"

Scyther's eyes widened as Lopunny exclaimed, "She's telling the truth, Scyther!" Aipom nodding and adding, "Yeah! She told me all about this two days ago! She always cared about you and your well-being! Her training was not for her own selfish benefit!"

At that moment, Scyther gave a warm smile, tears coming from her eyes as she sniffed, "I'm sorry for doubting you, Lehrer, I mean Mother."

"Aw, how touching!" Fiarrow exclaimed, taking to the sky and adding, "Unfortunately for you, you learned the truth way too late!" his body now bursting into flame as panic filled the area, Scyther closing her eyes and thinking, 'I guess this is punishment for being so foolish. At least my mother has forgiven me.'

Reika shouted, "SCYTHER, YOU GOTTA GET OUT OF THAT!" Aipom screeching, "THERE'S GOTTA BE A WAY!" Lopunny and Machoke not even sure what to say as Tsuya, Cici and Keiko all had their hands clasped over their mouths.

Unfortunately, it was too late as Fiarrow performed a U-turn, descending head-first toward the mat and shouting, "FLARE BLITZ!" sending Scyther's skull into the ring as a big smoke cloud formed around the two.

Everyone stared in absolute horror as the smoke slowly cleared, Scyther lying unconscious as green blood came from her head and mouth, her eyes closed as she lay there. To make matters worse, her right leg and left arm had been twisted so much that it did not take a medical expert to tell that both those parts of her had been dislocated. Sure, Scyther was strong, but she was still very skinny and because of this, it was hard for her to avoid taking in too much pain from a move like this.

Weedle took a deep breath and rang the bell, exclaiming, "And B block's second round of The Next Gen Battle goes to Fiarrow!" the crowd once again not sure how to feel as one person exclaimed, "Fiarrow was right! Fighting dirty helped him win!"

Machoke stared at the crowd with absolute horror as half the audience actually agreed with this statement. Sure, not everyone seemed to approve of Fiarrow's tactics, but it was sickening to think that even this many people could be so easily manipulated.

Scizor did not care about that, though. Right now, she was watching in absolute horror as her daughter was carried to a hospital truck now that the electricity had been shut down, the insect running after the medics, hoping she could stay by her daughter's side for the rest of the day. The medics agreed to this as she entered the back of the truck with them, taking off from the area.

Weedle then cleared his throat and explained, "Tomorrow, we'll hold a social gathering in honour of the two who have advanced to the finals. Anyone can come along. The final match will take place three days from now at noon, and it will take place in Tokyo Stadium."

During this whole thing, Lucario had been fidgeting constantly in his seat. He was still hiding something, but what was it? Why could he not say this? Either way, he had to see the match between Fiarrow and Machoke no matter what.

"Well, that's that!" Fiarrow exclaimed with a big grin as Lopunny gritted her teeth, breathing heavily as Machoke was trembling all over, trying his best not to run for his life right here and now. Fiarrow simply cast him a wicked smirk and said, "You're next, pal!" Machoke jumping back before hitting his head against the seat behind him.

As the boy rubbed the back of his head, Lopunny gave him a serious look and said, "Promise me you'll make him pay," Machoke blinking as the rabbit added, "I know him losing will get us kicked out of Tokyo, but I don't even care about that anymore! He may be on the side of justice, but his way of thinking is disgraceful! I want to see him suffer, especially after what he did to Scyther!"

The others stared at the boy until he gulped, uttering, "Y-Yeah, I can do that," the boy not even sure if he could stand up to someone so powerful and scary. Even so, he had to try, and not just for Lopunny either, but for his friends. Fiarrow may have been a hero, but he was more like a villain, not just with his tactics but his way of thinking. Machoke definitely had his work cut out for him.

 

It was the day after the semi-finals had come to a close and needless to say, it was unsettling. Scizor had been by Scyther's side since her loss to Fiarrow and refused to leave the hospital. Because of this, the nurse had been bringing her food so she would not go hungry. A few times, Scizor had been tempted to share it with Scyther before remembering her daughter could not eat in her current state.

And of course, Machoke's friends were still hospitalized, though it had been made apparent that they should have been up and moving again the next day. Though with his match with Fiarrow coming up soon, it was still looking bad.

The evening came soon enough as at the very least, Machoke was going to attend the social gathering Weedle had set up. This time, he was extra prepared as he was dressed in a fancy black suit. Lopunny decided to try something fancy as well and wore a white sleeveless dress with a gold rim across the top, the dress going up to the top half of her chest.

Even Fiarrow had shown up in a suit of his own, a tuxedo to be exact. Though with his wings, it was rather hard to wear it as it was, so he ended up having to put holes in it. Not being one to care that much about fashion, he did not feel the least bit guilty about doing something like this.

Of course, Aipom was dressed in her own little tuxedo and bow-tie with Reika and her friends dressed fancy as well, only Reika was wearing a different dress this time. All-in-all, everyone was clearly prepared for the social gathering, even Weedle who had at least gotten hold of a tie for the occasion.

Lopunny looked rather nervous, especially since she had no teammates to chat with. However, her attitude improved a bit when Machoke walked by, saying, "Wow, that's a really nice dress," before walking off and calling out, "Oh, Reika, where are you!?" Lopunny smiling lightly and finding the courage to mingle with the human guests.

With Fiarrow now having fans, he had quite a few girls sitting with him at a table as a waitress came by, asking, "May I offer you a drink?" the falcon replying, "Bring me a watermelon."

The woman blinked and asked, "Excuse me, but did you say a watermelon?" Fiarrow nodding as the woman shrugged, heading to the back to get him one from storage.

All the while, Reika was talking amongst her friends while Cici squeaked, "You look so pretty in that, Reika," Tsuya saying, "Yeah, I'm totally jelly right now."

Reika simply smiled and replied, "Thanks. I just hope Machoke likes it."

"Wait, what?" Tsuya asked, "Is there something you're not telling us?" Reika's cheeks turning pink as she remarked, "No, of course not! It's just, well, he hasn't seen it yet, that's all!"

Machoke then approached her from behind with a childish grin on his face and placed his hands over her eyes, saying, "Guess who," Reika taking hold of his hands and flipping him over, slamming him hard against his back as the others stared in shock, Reika gasping, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry! I didn't know it was you!" Machoke's eyes swirling.

'At least his spirits seem to be back up,' Aipom thought while watching this scene. She could feel his terror at the thought of facing Fiarrow yesterday and as such, she could not help but worry about him during that time.

Keiko approached her and tapped her on the head, Aipom turning and saying, "Hi, Keiko," the woman saying, "I know you're worried about him, and I'm not gonna lie, that Fiarrow is going to be a scary opponent for him. But I feel confident. After all, his family has a knack for getting out of tight spots when it really counts," Aipom sighing, "I know, but I still worry about him."

At that moment, a watermelon was brought over to Fiarrow, the falcon saying, "Thanks, lady," giving her a seductive wink as her cheeks turned red, one of the girls sitting at the table asking, "So, how are you going to beat Machoke two days from now?"

"It's quite simple," Fiarrow replied as he held the watermelon up over a glass before pushing both hands against the sides and adding, "I'm gonna hold him and break him open just like this!" the falcon having applied just enough force to create a hole in the bottom of the watermelon as the juice poured out into the glass, the girls applauding him as he poured them all glasses as well. Even the waitress could not help but admire this display.

When Fiarrow took a sip of the juice, a waiter approached his table and said, "Excuse me, Fiarrow, sir, but we have something special prepared for you," the falcon smirking and replying, "I like the sound of that," the waiter adding, "Right this way," pointing toward a door on the Northern side of the wall as Fiarrow nodded, saying, "Wait right here, girls," all of them nodding.

However, just as the two were about to head off, Machoke immediately dashed in front of them and spat, "Hey, what about me!? I'm a finalist too!" the waiter replying, "Sorry, sir, but you're not important enough."

Machoke's jaw was dropped as he retorted, "Not important enough!? I'll show you not important!" Aipom, Lopunny, Reika and Keiko using all their might to hold him back while he and Fiarrow headed toward the door, the falcon chuckling and replying, "Some people are just better than others, I guess."

With that, both people were walking down a hallway as Fiarrow asked, "So, where is this special something? I don't wanna make my fangirls wait for too long. I may be mean, but I'm not cruel."

However, the waiter had a brief glimmer in his eye as he remarked, "Oh, don't worry, it won't be long at all," the man removing his outfit and head to reveal that he had been Lucario all along. Before Fiarrow could even respond, the dog grabbed hold of his wrists and knelt down, creating a bridge formation with his body and placing the falcon's back against his spike.

"What the hell are you doing here!?" the dog spat, "I should have taken you down long ago, and now I'm finally going to set things right, Talonflame!"

Fiarrow gritted his teeth and retorted, "Lucario!? I should ask you the same thing! I thought you were on our side!" the dog remarking, "Shut up, I don't serve evil anymore! I guess I shouldn't have expected you to know that since you don't read newspapers!"

"Well, go ahead, take me out with that precious London Bridge of yours," Fiarrow said, "but if you do, I'll still have enough strength to tell everyone your secret," Lucario's eyes going wide as the falcon added, "I also don't appreciate you using my real name like that. I can't have anyone finding out who I really am, at least not yet."

The dog growled and released his hold on Fiarrow, the bird chuckling and saying, "Good boy. Now run along home and let me go about my business in peace," Lucario gritting his teeth and pointing at him, retorting, "Mark my words! Machoke will defeat you!" the dog taking his leave.

At that moment, some of the staff members ran into the area, one asking, "We heard a noise. Is everything okay?" Fiarrow replying, "Yeah, don't worry about it. Some punk tried to take me out, but I chased him off easily," another staff member asking, "Should we pursue him?"

"Don't bother," the falcon replied, "He's not worth your time. And trust me, after what I did to him, he's not coming back," before thinking, 'He'd better not if he knows what's good for him.'

The rest of the evening went okay as Machoke actually started to calm down. The evening had been peaceful. Fiarrow had not done anything drastic to ruin it nor had he sent the boy any more threats. Aipom was quite glad to see Machoke calming down as she wanted him to at least have some positivity before his big match.

With all said and done, the guests all headed off to return home. While walking to Keiko's car, Reika turned to Lopunny and said, "I really like your dress. Where did you get it?" the rabbit replying, "It was a gift from my mother before I left Egypt. She knew that if I graduated, I'd likely be located somewhere else, so she wanted me to have this with me. Apparently, she wore it the day she and my father met."

And on that note, Reika and her friends entered the car as Keiko started up the motor, taking off from the area. Machoke and Aipom knew they would have to bus home, but they were used to this so it hardly mattered.

Along the way, Machoke looked out the window with a serious look in his eyes. Aipom noticed this and rested a hand gently against his shoulder, the boy smiling. He was no longer scared of Fiarrow and was willing to do his absolute best to win. There was no way he was going to let all his progress mean nothing.

With that, the boy trained hard the next couple of days, harder than ever before. Aipom was naturally really happy to see him taking everything so seriously as she did her best to help him. She was still hoping she could find a good way to help him avoid the Flare Blitz, though, as she knew that was likely to finish him off if Fiarrow used it.

Soon enough, the big day came. As was predicted, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken were finally out of the hospital and had been for a whole day. Needless to say, Machoke was relieved that he would have their support as he knew he would need it.

The seats in Tokyo Stadium were naturally filled. This was the match everyone had been anticipating and there was no way they were going to miss it. Big companies had closed up for the day, including grocery stores and those who could not attend were tuned in at home to watch the match. The only operation still running was, of course, the hospital as they still had patients.

Heracross was wide awake and able to watch the TV there to see the outcome. Unlike Lopunny, he was not sure whether or not he wanted Fiarrow to win. On one hand, he agreed that what he had seen from the falcon on TV was terrible, but at the same time, he really wanted to protect Tokyo with his friends.

Scyther also still felt loyal to the team and had even told Scizor to go to the ring and pass on a message she managed to whisper to her in the hospital the previous day. As it just so happened, she had woken up around noon just enough to be able to speak and not much else.

Scizor wandered the halls toward the bleachers as there was still an hour to go before the match, remembering that time, how Scyther had finally opened her eyes a little bit and whispered, "Mother, come here," the older insect walking over and lending her the side of her head and biting her lower lip, letting down tears and sniffing, "Gott sei dank, you're okay."

"I want you to go and watch the match in person tomorrow," Scyther uttered, Scizor nodding and replying, "Of course," the insect adding, "On last thing. Tell Fiarrow to do all he can to defeat Machoke. I may not like him, but I still want him to win."

Scizor still could not believe her daughter had told her to do that. On one hand, she knew it would have been very disrespectful not to do as Scyther said, but on the other hand, she did not want such words coming from her mouth. Besides, she knew how Fiarrow would have responded anyway. Instead of appreciating these words and considering Scyther a true friend, he would likely act smug and call her stupid for even thinking he would need words of encouragement.

Even so, while she walked down the hall, she noticed Fiarrow in a training room getting ready for the match as she took a deep breath, about to let the falcon know she was there. However, she hesitated but ultimately went along with it anyway, knocking on the door even though it was already open.

Fiarrow turned to face her and said, "Oh, it's you," Scizor walking over and sighing, "I have a message from my daughter," the falcon blinking and replying, "Alright, make this quick."

Scizor then proceeded to say, "Do all you can to defeat Machoke and never give up no matter how hard things get. That's what she told me to say," Fiarrow shrugging his shoulders and replying, "I wasn't expecting that, but she has no reason to worry because I already know I'm gonna wipe the floor with that moron's face," a wicked smirk on his face as Scizor took a deep breath, exiting the room.

It was just as she figured it would be. Granted, his response was nowhere near as harsh as she had expected, but he still had a smug attitude to him. The fact that she had even said something encouraging to him made her feel dirty inside like she had just given advice to a villain.

All the while, Machoke was preparing himself as well and much harder than Fiarrow was. As usual, the falcon was not really training as much as he was just resting so he would be fully energized. Machoke planned to use that against him as he trained rigorously.

All the while, his friends sat in the crowd, Reika, Keiko, Tsuya and Cici taking front row seats while the others sat in the row just behind them. Reika simply smiled at them and said, "It's still so good to see you guys here," Blaziken replying, "As if we'd miss this. I wanna see that Fiarrow bastard get his comeuppance."

Gardevoir and Gallade nodded as Gallade said, "That guy just rubs me the wrong way, especially after the way he's been treating his own teammates," Gardevoir simply nodding in agreement.

Lucario all the while once again sat in the back row, his blood filled with anger. It was not so much anger geared toward Fiarrow but at himself for not saying anything. He wanted so badly to reveal whatever secret it was he had, but as Fiarrow had stated the previous night, there was something he knew about Lucario that could very well damage his image. But what were these two secrets that both were hiding from the world and would the people ever know?

Whatever it was would have to wait as tensions rose, Weedle taking a seat next to Nori, the woman exclaiming, "Welcome, everyone, to Tokyo Stadium! I am your host, Nori Takanawa, and this is the final round of The Next Gen Battle, and what an exciting match this is going to be! Despite Team Jinroku losing all but one member, that member managed to rise to the top and fight his way to the finals, so this match really will decide who will remain stationed in Tokyo! Needless to say, the tension is high, folks!"

Weedle nodded and added, "This match will also be fair, no cheap gimmicks or anything like that. This means that the electric rope will not be used again. Though I must admit, I am rather happy with how this tournament has gone with each match being more exciting than the last. Despite these being fights between heroes, everyone has been taking this very seriously and that makes for a truly wonderful spectacle, wouldn't you agree?"

The crowd cheered and applauded that statement, clearly agreeing with it as Lucario thought, 'He doesn't realize just how serious this is. Talonflame has everyone fooled. I wish I could just expose him right now for the liar he is.'

Of course, as always, Aipom waited by the ringside for the match to start. Things were certainly going to be interesting today, there was no doubt about that.

"Now without further ado," Weedle stated, "it's time to introduce our finalists," Nori nodding and exclaiming, "In the blue corner, having made his way through A block, the son of Machamp and the last representative of Team Jinroku, Machoke!"

All went silent as everyone was wondering what stupid entrance the boy had come up with this time. However, Machoke approached the ring with a serious look on his face. Aipom's eyes went wide as even she had expected something childish and over-the-top.

It seemed he was taking this more seriously than any other match before as he walked down the aisle, entering the ring without anything embarrassing happening. Aipom smiled and gave the boy thumbs up with her tail hand, Machoke simply giving her a brief smile before redirecting his focus toward the match at hand.

The crowd went wild as Nori shouted, "Wow, I can't believe it! After so many stupid entrances, Machoke actually looks quite dignified! I have no idea where this came from, but he's really focused on the match!" Weedle nodding and thinking, 'Perhaps he's not the embarrassment I thought he was.'

With that, Nori quickly nudged the caterpillar as he nodded, stating, "In the red corner, having made his way through the challenge of the B Block, the last representative of Team Next Gen, Fiarrow!"

At that moment, the falcon flew out from the entrance, performing a somersault in the air before landing firmly against the ring, half the audience cheering wildly for him. Sure, this was nowhere near as intricate as his last entrance, but it was still a spectacle as he smirked, saying, "Figured I'd go for a more simple approach. Don't wanna waste too much energy before such an important match."

Lopunny frowned and repeated his words in a mocking tone, Keiko saying, "Well, that is certainly a logical way of thinking."

Gardevoir smiled lightly and said, "True, but look at Machoke. It's like he's not scared at all," Blaziken nodding and replying, "I know. He looks so calm and collective, the exact opposite of what he's usually like. We could be seeing him at his absolute best right now."

However, while everyone was certainly impressed by this, Fiarrow seemed to notice something about Machoke's eyes. Surprisingly, it was not fear, but what else could it possibly be?

Either way, the falcon smirked and said, "I'll admit, I was expecting you to run home to Mommy. I guess you got more guts than I gave you credit for," Machoke glaring into his eyes and saying nothing, everyone amazed by just how cool and confident he was. The old Machoke would have at least been openly offended by such a statement, but right now, he seemed unfazed by it.

With all said and done, Nori rang the bell, shouting, "Let the final match begin!" Fiarrow wasting no time rushing toward Machoke. However, before Aipom could even give a bit of advice, Machoke immediately dodged to the right when the falcon got close enough and sent a high kick into his cheek.

The crowd went wild as Machoke smirked, saying, "Nice try, but that's so predictable," Reika exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, MACHOKE, GIVE HIM HELL!"

Before Fiarrow could even respond, Machoke immediately rushed at him and sent a karate chop just below his neck. The falcon responded by grabbing onto Machoke's sides only for the boy to send two karate chops hard into his shoulders, the crowd even more impressed when this actually proved enough to get Fiarrow to let go.

"This is unlike anything I've seen from Machoke before!" Nori exclaimed, "Sure, I've seen him get an early lead, but it's never been this impressive!" Weedle nodding and replying, "I have to admit, he's doing a really good job so far."

"You're the best, Machoke!" Gardevoir squealed as Lopunny jumped up and down with excitement, Machoke not stopping after that last move.

Before Fiarrow could even attempt a counterattack, Machoke got behind him and wrapped his arms around the bird, leaning backward for a German Suplex. Everyone expected him to get out of it just like he had with Scyther, but Machoke managed to add just enough extra speed that the falcon did not have enough time to use his wings, his head hitting the mat hard.

As Fiarrow slowly rose to his feet, rubbing his head, Aipom exclaimed, "NOW, MACHOKE, HIT HIM WHILE HE'S STILL RECOVERING!" only for Machoke to stand perfectly still.

All went silent as Blaziken asked, "Why isn't he attacking?"

"Yeah, knowing him, he'd jump at a chance to take advantage of something like this," Gallade replied, Gardevoir trembling and whimpering, "Guys, look," everyone then noticing what she meant as Machoke clearly struggled to keep his eyes open, his arms dropped as his legs barely supported him.

"Are you okay?" Aipom asked as Machoke groaned, "I was really hoping this wouldn't effect me this much," the monkey's eyes going wide as she asked, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm gonna be perfectly honest," Machoke uttered in a rather weak tone, "I was terrified of the thought of facing Fiarrow today," the boy then letting out a yawn before adding, "As such, I was only able to get four hours of sleep."

All went silent as Reika uttered, "Is he kidding?" Tsuya replying, "He's gotta be," Blaziken groaning, "Oh no, and after he was so serious."

Machoke had a look of disappointment on his face as he thought, 'Dammit, it's because of my lack of sleep that I decided not to go with a big, grand entrance like I usually do. I figured as long as I didn't try something like that, I'd have enough energy to go on,' Lopunny asking, "Is he going to be okay?"

Fiarrow laughed and said, "Yeah, as soon as I looked you straight in the eyes, I could see the fatigue and knew something was up. I figured if you were taking things slow and cautiously, you might actually be able to do some damage, so I let you whale on me and exhaust yourself."

"This is certainly a huge upset," Nori said, "Just as it seemed Machoke was doing better than ever before, his energy has nearly left him," Weedle sighing, "It figures."

Lucario gritted his teeth, a vein on his forehead as he muttered, "That idiot! What is wrong with him?" Scizor, who was also seated in the back row, looking over at the dog, noticing that he was more distressed by Machoke's fatigue than anyone else.

With that in mind, Fiarrow flew toward Machoke with both feet out as he shouted, "Now it's my turn to shine!" the falcon hitting the boy hard in the face and knocking him on his back. After that, he took to the sky and held his feet together, the talons pointing down at Machoke's belly like a giant spike.

"I hate to end the match so early, but you gave me no choice in the matter," the falcon then spinning around, flames surrounding his body as he spat, "SPINNING TOP INFERNO!" the falcon dropping down hard against Machoke's gut, the boy's eyes widening as blood flew out of him like a spinning fountain.

After a few seconds, Fiarrow stopped his attack and leapt back, saying, "Well, it's a little anticlimactic, but it's obvious who the winner is," Weedle taking a deep breath, secretly glad Machoke had been defeated so quickly as he nodded to Nori, the girl gulping and raising her mallet.

Aipom stared at this, her body trembling as she pleaded, "Please, Machoke, get up! Tell me you were kidding when you said that!"

Everyone else stared in absolute shock, Reika trembling and uttering, "Is this really how it's going to end?"

Gallade lowered his eyelids and groaned, "That was it?" Gardevoir whimpering, "Get up, Machoke," Blaziken frowning and remarking, "Don't count him out just yet."

All went silent as Machoke started coughing, Fiarrow's eyes widening as he slowly turned, asking, "Are you serious?" Nori stopping herself from hitting the bell and quickly taking the mic before exclaiming, "And in a shocking turn of events, Machoke has recovered from that devastating blow!"

As if this was not surprising enough, Machoke looked wide awake as he very quickly leapt back to his feet and released steam from his nostrils. The crowd cheered wildly as Aipom took deep breaths, asking, "Are you okay, Machoke?" the boy grinning and giving her thumbs up while replying, "I've never felt better!"

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?" Fiarrow barked with a look of irritation in his eyes, "SERIOUSLY, YOU'RE TOTALLY BLUFFING, AREN'T YOU!?" Lopunny saying, "He's got a point. How can Machoke have so much energy after taking in an attack like that?"

Machoke simply laughed and said, "Normally something like that would have left me feeling weak, but this time, I needed something to really wake me up, and that was more than enough! Now I don't feel tired in the slightest, and it's all thanks to you!"

The crowd still did not completely understand this but cheered all the same, Nori stating, "Well, it would seem that Fiarrow has unintentionally helped Machoke overcome his fatigue with his amazingly powerful attack," Weedle staring in disbelief while thinking, 'What is with this family and miracles?'

Fiarrow then took a deep breath and smirked, saying, "Oh well. I would have felt bad beating you so easily anyway. There would have been no real satisfaction in that, so I welcome this change."

"Man, you really had us worried, you jerk!" Blaziken snapped, Gardevoir letting down light tears of happiness and sniffing, "Don't scare us like that again."

Machoke smiled nervously and replied, "Don't worry, I'll never do anything this stupid in the future, that's for sure. I'll take sleeping pills if I have to."

Lucario all the while breathed a sigh of relief while thinking, 'Well, at least he dodged that one, though considering how powerful Talonflame is, he probably should have stayed down.'

It looked like Machoke was going to lose at first, but it seemed that now he really stood a chance. But would this truly be enough to defeat Fiarrow?

 

Now that Machoke was wide awake, he could finally fight to the best of his abilities. But on the other hand, Fiarrow was no longer going to let the boy hit him. It was still uncertain who could possibly win this match but at least Machoke's spirits were high now.

With that in mind, the boy sprinted toward Fiarrow, the falcon getting ready to counter only for Machoke to swerve to the right, sending a roundhouse into his side. Fiarrow's eyes widened as the boy proceeded to send a hard elbow to his cheek, the falcon moving away from him a bit while the crowd cheered. It seemed Machoke had gotten his advantage back.

"I'll admit, you have skills, kid," Fiarrow said, rubbing his cheek with a smirk, "but don't think for a minute that I can't beat you, even with you fully awake. This is just a minor setback."

With that, the falcon once again spread his wings and took to the skies, Machoke attempting to grab him only to miss his legs. With Fiarrow airborne, it was anyone's guess how this could possibly end as Machoke gulped.

However, his confidence returned a bit when Aipom exclaimed, "Machoke, remember how Blaziken used the ropes in this situation!" Machoke blinking and replying, "That's right," the boy nodding his head before charging toward the ropes.

He leapt into the air and planted his feet firmly against the top one before launching himself off. Afterwards, he performed a flip in the air as Fiarrow readied himself for a counterattack only for the boy to send an axe kick into his skull, the crowd going wild.

Machoke smirked and said, "Oh yeah, how do you like that!?" only to panic when he noticed his kick seemed to have little to no effect. Fiarrow was still flapping his wings and looked completely unfazed as he held up his arm and grabbed hold of the boy's ankle.

"I'll admit, your strategy was at least better than Blaziken and Scyther's were," Fiarrow stated with a smirk, "Instead of wasting your energy on a special move, you used a simple but effective one. Even so, you forget how strong I am."

With that said, Fiarrow lifted the boy up by his ankle and hurled him back-first into the mat, the falcon's fanclub now cheering him on. He then proceeded to dive down with his heels pointed outward, ramming them hard into Machoke's gut, the boy once again taking in extreme pain, especially now that he had a pretty bad wound in this spot from earlier.

"I'll also let you all in on something else," Fiarrow stated, folding his arms and landing against the canvas, "I'm even stronger when I'm flying, so it'll take a great deal of muscle to ground me."

Blaziken's eyes were wide with fear as she uttered, "He's got a point. Both Scyther and I had the most trouble taking him down when he was in the air like that," Aipom screeching, "Come on, Machoke, get up! You've taken in worse than this!"

"Yeah, I have," Machoke uttered, slowly rising to his feet and breathing heavily. However, now he really was scared again. Fiarrow was such a frightening opponent and so far, it seemed no one could beat him. But no matter what, Machoke had to find a way.

His train of thought was quickly interrupted when Fiarrow flew toward him with his arm out, Aipom exclaiming, "Machoke, you can either duck under that or counter it!" the boy ducking under it in fear of being overpowered if he tried to counter. Unfortunately, Fiarrow would not him go that easily and sent his arm downward into the boy's skull when it was close enough.

Machoke groaned from the pain as Fiarrow proceeded to stop his flight and wrap his arms around the boy's neck. Machoke quickly rose his foot back and kicked the falcon in the shin only for him to ignore the pain and lift the boy up, ramming him face-first into the turnbuckle.

Fiarrow's fans were once again ecstatic as Nori said, "Just as things were finally looking up for Machoke, Fiarrow's strength starts getting the better of him," Machoke's friends all in panic, Lucario taking a deep breath as Scizor once again eyed the dog. She could tell he was hiding something.

Fiarrow laughed and said, "This is the champion's son? Man, I'm kinda disappointed. I was expecting so much better from you," Machoke fuming and retorting, "Don't count your chickens before they've hatched!"

Aipom, all the while, bit her lip, wishing she knew of some sort of advice she could give to help him back up those words. With Fiarrow, it was difficult to tell just what would work. He seemed to have either a counterattack or high resistance to just about everything. What could Machoke possibly do to defeat him?

In fact, Machoke seemed to think just that as he let out a sigh, groaning, "Oh, what's the use?" spreading out his arms and falling on his back, everyone staring in shock as Gardevoir whimpered, "Machoke?"

Reika fumed and barked, "WHAT THE HELL, MAN!? AFTER ALL THAT BACKTALK, YOU'RE JUST GIVING UP!?" Machoke uttering, "Yeah, that's pretty much the case."

This definitely caused a huge upset in the crowd as Machoke sighed, "I can't possibly beat you. Just make this quick," Fiarrow blinking and smirking before saying, "Now there's a request I can fulfil. I must say, you're a lot smarter than I thought you were," everyone else staring in utter silence.

However, the only one not looking distressed right now, shockingly enough, was Lucario. But why? He had been so scared for Machoke's safety up to this point and now he did not look worried in the slightest.

"MACHOKE, STOP JOKING AROUND!" Aipom screeched, slapping her tail hand against the side of the ring, "YOU CAN STILL BEAT HIM! WE'LL COME UP WITH SOMETHING TOGETHER! IT'S POSSIBLE!"

The rest of the crowd broke out into an uproar as well, one of Machoke's fans shouting, "Come on, man, you can still fight him!" another adding, "Come on, rise to your feet!" Lopunny barking, "REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE!"

"No," Gardevoir remarked, everyone staring at her as Reika retorted, "Are you crazy!?"

Gardevoir shushing her and squeaked, "I can see it in his eyes," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Me too. He's got something planned, something big."

With that, Fiarrow rose high above the ring, getting himself ready for his Spinning Top Inferno again. However, Machoke simply grimaced and asked, "That's how high you're gonna go? Really?" Fiarrow looking up, a scared look forming in his eyes briefly as he quickly wiped it from his face and said, "You're right, an attack from higher up would create more of a spectacle, wouldn't it?"

All went silent as the falcon rose a bit higher, Machoke smirking and thinking, 'Perfect,' before quickly getting into a bridge formation and propelling himself high off the canvas, everyone staring in absolute shock. After that, the boy proceeded turn himself upside-down and grab hold of Fiarrow, applying all of his might to flip both him and the falcon one-hundred-and-eighty degrees.

With that, the crowd went wild as Gallade asked, "All of that was to set him up for the Muscle Tombstone?" Gardevoir nodding as Tsuya said, "Wow, Machoke's a genius. I can't believe I just said that."

And it seemed they were right as Machoke wrapped his ankles around the falcon's neck, pulling on his arms and locking them in place. Best of all, though, he was right up against Fiarrow's back. Because of this, the bird could not use his wings to stop his descent.

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "What a shocker! Machoke wasn't giving up at all! It was all a ruse to drop Fiarrow's guard!" Weedle saying, "I didn't think he was capable of something that smart."

"I also needed you just high enough," Machoke stated with a smirk, "I want to make sure this move takes you down, and while normally it would do that anyway, the extra height will help for sure," Aipom's eyes sparkling as she thought, 'I never would have come up with that,' before squealing, "COME ON, FINISH HIM OFF, MACHOKE!"

However, while the boy started his descent toward the mat, Fiarrow smirked and said, "You're not as clever as you think you are," all going silent as Machoke remarked, "Are you kidding?" only for the falcon to state, "I knew you'd try something like this, so I let you set me up for it, because I know how to counter this move."

The people in the audience looked shocked as Machoke retorted, "You're a liar! Even with the lack of an extra pair of arms, this move is perfect and can't be defeated, right, Aipom!?"

The monkey simply stared in absolute silence, Machoke reiterating, "Right, Aipom!?"

"Figures the daughter of Ambipom would know what I'm talking about," Fiarrow said before shifting his weight back, everyone staring in absolute shock as the falcon added, "The only downside is it takes a considerable amount of muscle to pull it off, but it's still possible," now pushing even harder as soon enough, he had managed to flip himself over so now it was back to square one with Machoke's head now facing the mat, the falcon turning himself around so he was facing the boy.

Everyone stared in absolute horror as the bird wrapped his arms around Machoke, ramming his head hard into the canvas while Lucario winced at the sight of this. Why had he not seen this coming?

"What just happened?" Reika asked, Keiko saying, "I think the Muscle Tombstone was just defeated," the audience not even sure how to take this. Machoke had used that move to defeat the majority of his opponents and no one had been able to get out of it, and yet Fiarrow had pulled it off with so much ease.

"That was a lucky shot," Machoke grunted, slowly pushing himself back up as everyone stared silently, the boy coughing a bit and adding, "Clearly, I must have done something wrong, that's all. I can get it right, though, so it's okay."

"No," Aipom remarked, "It's best not to try it again, at least not until Fiarrow's weak enough," Machoke turning to her and asking, "What do you mean?" Fiarrow raising an eyebrow and asking, "Yeah, are you saying you actually know how I pulled that off?"

The monkey nodded and sighed, "Yes, my mommy told me all about it. See, back when Bouffalant was still evil, he and Machamp fought, and during that match he had been set up for the Muscle Tombstone. However, Bouffalant managed to counter the attack by applying a massive amount of strength and using it to flip himself and Machamp. It was truly devastating."

Machoke's eye twitched as Weedle added, "But I don't understand. All records of that fight were disposed of in case villains tried to get their hands on it. How did you acquire that information?" the falcon replying, "Let's just say a little birdy told me and leave it at that."

The crowd could not believe such a thing was true, Machoke having even more trouble believing it as Fiarrow added, "Though to be perfectly honest, your version's much easier to avoid. I could have easily just used my feet to escape from it and save me the trouble, but I wanted you to know exactly how it was beaten when your daddy used it."

Machoke stood silently as Gallade groaned, "Oh no, his spirits have been crushed," Blaziken sighing, "I can't blame him. That strategy of his was really good."

However, it seemed Machoke's spirits had not left him as he spat, "NO, YOU'RE WRONG! I CAN BEAT YOU WITH THE MUSCLE TOMBSTONE AND I WILL PROVE IT!" the boy charging at Fiarrow and ramming his shoulders hard into him, getting behind him and latching his arms onto his shoulders, leaping high above the ring and flipping him upside-down for the attack again.

"MACHOKE, NO!" Aipom spat, Machoke not listening as he spat, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" heading toward the ring and adding, "I made no mistakes this time!"

Fiarrow laughed and retorted, "It's not a matter of you messing up the attack! It's that this move is ancient by today's standards!"

With that, the bird decided to prove his theory correct by spreading out his legs, bend then back and latching them onto Machoke's neck. After that, he used the feet to pull forward, once again switching places with Machoke. After that, he quickly grabbed hold of Machoke's ankles thus slamming his face hard into the canvas, his fanclub going wild while everyone else was mortified.

Machoke slowly rose back to his feet, coughing up blood now as more was dripping from his nostrils. Lucario all the while gritted his teeth, Scizor now really concerned about him and tempted to ask him what was going on. She could tell this was something he was not willing to talk about, but even so, she wanted to know what he was hiding.

"Alright, I've had my fun now," Fiarrow said with a smirk as Gardevoir let down tears, sniffing, "Is Machoke going to lose?" Gallade patting her on the shoulder and saying, "There, there," Lopunny praying for his safety.

Fiarrow immediately walked over to Machoke, saying, "You should have stayed down," wrapping his arms around the boy and adding, "It would have saved you a world of torment, though because you've suffered enough seeing your precious Muscle Tombstone defeated, I'll apply only half the force I usually do when using this. I don't think you could handle much else in your state."

With that, the falcon's body burst into flame as he took off high into the air, performing a U-turn and shouting, "FLARE BLITZ!" slamming Machoke's head hard into the mat, a smoke cloud forming around them.

Soon enough, the smoke cleared as Fiarrow released his hold on Machoke, shouting, "YEAH, I JUST DEFEATED THE SON OF THAT OVERRATED HACK!" his fans once again cheering while everyone else was simply stunned.

"No," Blaziken uttered, Gardevoir biting her lip and whimpering. Not only was she going to be separated from her friends, but Machoke looked like he would be hospitalized for a long time after taking in so much punishment. Sure, he had dealt with great challenges, but not one opponent was worse than Fiarrow.

"This can't be happening," Reika uttered, "Mom, Machoke will get up, right?" Keiko nodding and replying, "He has to. He's a member of the Mach family. They always get up no matter how bad the pain," Cici and Tsuya hugging each other.

"He put up a valiant effort," Gallade sighed, "I just can't believe he of all people would lose," Lopunny scowling at Fiarrow and growling, "I was really hoping that smug jerk would get his comeuppance."

However, the one feeling the most torn up by all of this was Aipom, the monkey looking down with light tears and sniffing, "This is my fault. I wasn't able to give him any good advice," Fiarrow shrugging his shoulders and remarking, "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself, kid. I'm not exactly an easy fighter to figure out."

Lucario all the while struggled to stay seated now when suddenly, Scizor took him by the wrist and said, "Lucario, if you have something you need to say, say it now before it's too late!" the dog taking a deep breath and replying, "You're right," the dog getting up and running down the steps along with Scizor.

He no longer cared about whatever dirt Fiarrow had on him. He just wanted things to turn out right.

Weedle took a deep breath as he nodded at Nori, the woman reaching for her mallet. This was it. Machoke really had lost.

But just as Nori was about to ring the bell, Lucario came close enough for everyone to hear as he snapped, "STOP!" all going silent as the crowd turned to face him, Fiarrow glaring at him and thinking, 'What are you doing, Lucario? You'd better not be thinking of tattling on me.'

"Listen, there is something you all need to know about Fiarrow," Lucario stated, "He's not who you think he is. Before coming to Hero School, he and I once trained together back when I was on the side of evil! In other words, Fiarrow is actually a villain!"

Everyone gasped as Weedle asked, "Is what you're saying true?" Lucario nodding and replying, "One last thing to note, his real name is Talonflame!"

All went silent as Weedle uttered, "I've heard that name before," Nori asking, "You have?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "It was right after the graduates had been sent to Earth. I was investigating the campus late at night when I noticed one of the assigned students, Swanna, had been badly beaten with only a few seconds left to live. With her last ounce of strength, she told me someone by the name of Talonflame had done it."

Fiarrow's eye twitched as everyone glared at him, the falcon taking a deep breath and replacing his irritation with a smirk. After that, he looked at Weedle and stated, "Yeah, that was me alright, though personally I think you did a better job taking me in as her replacement. She was pathetic!"

Everyone panicked, Fiarrow, or rather Talonflame's fans all gasping in shock, those with merchandise related to him tossing it. They could not believe they had supported someone so cruel and deceitful.

"If you knew this, why didn't you tell anyone!?" Aipom spat, Weedle sighing, "It's shameful to admit, but, well, I was afraid, okay?" everyone staring as he added, "Right after Swanna had told me this news, a paper crane flew at my head with a message inside saying I would be killed if I breathed a word of this to anyone."

"So you kept this important news a secret for your own benefit!?" Reika snapped, the rest of the crowd shouting insults and curses toward the bug as he sighed, "Yes, that's exactly the case. I don't deserve to be chairman."

Lucario took a deep breath and added, "I have another thing to say," Talonflame asking, "What would that be? You've already ratted me out," the dog remarking, "You know what it is!" the falcon's eyes widening as he uttered, "You wouldn't."

Lucario simply frowned and stated, "I also knew the secret to countering the Muscle Tombstone! My father told me about it back when I still had a good relationship with him," everyone even more interested as he added, "I told Talonflame this very secret," the crowd gasping, Scizor nodding and saying, "It took a lot of courage to say that, Lucario."

'Lucario, you bastard!' Talonflame thought while gritting his teeth, 'Not only do you tattle on me, but you even have the balls to rob me of the satisfaction of revealing your own secret to the world! Once my victory is made official, I'm coming for you next!'

Meanwhile, in the hospital, Scyther was crying out in agony, tears rolling down her cheeks. Scizor had tears of her own as she knew this was happening right now, and she understood entirely. After all, Scyther's ally whom she had sent her mother to help encourage was now revealed to be on the side of evil. It would be a long time until the insect could forgive herself for fighting alongside someone like that.

"I know it's my job to be neutral, but there is something you can do about this," Nori said to Weedle, the caterpillar nodding and glaring at Talonflame before barking, "Talonflame, you have violated a major rule! Going under another alias during the tournament may not have been against the rules, but being a villain in a tournament for heroes is! As chairman, I hereby disqualify you from The Next Gen Battle and yield the victory over to Team Jinroku!"

Talonflame simply glared at him as the bug trembled, uttering, "You can't intimidate me anymore! Now leave before I'm forced to take drastic measures!"

A group of security guards ran into the area as Talonflame shrugged, saying, "Okay, fine, I'm going. I don't even care about this tournament. I just wanted to beat up Machoke. I don't even care if this counts as an official victory, because it technically is."

The crowd glared at the falcon, feeling that Weedle was being far too kind even giving him the right to leave as Talonflame walked toward the ropes while saying, "Let me give you a few parting words," pointing at the unconscious Machoke and adding, "If this is the best that mankind has to combat our forces, you guys are majorly screwed! You may as well give up right now!"

But just as the falcon was about to take his leave, a voice came from behind him grunting, "Hold it!" Talonflame's eyes going wide as everyone stared in absolute shock, Machoke slowly rising back to his feet and breathing heavily, Aipom biting her lower lip and letting down tears of joy.

"I THOUGHT FOR SURE YOU WERE DONE FOR!" the monkey screeched, Gardevoir taking a deep breath and squeaking, "That terrified me!" the others in full agreement.

"If Scyther and I had fought in this ring today," Machoke said through breaths, "either one of us would have gladly accepted the outcome no matter what. Sure, I would have been upset, maybe even thrown a tantrum if I'd lost, but I would have eventually accepted it."

Talonflame rose an eyebrow, Lucario wondering where he was going as well, the boy adding, "But now that I know you're a villain, I can't let you walk out of here!" turning to Weedle and saying, "I would like to finish this match if that's alright with you!"

Weedle had a serious look in his eyes, confused as to what he should do now as Nori asked, "Sir, is that alright?" the caterpillar taking a deep breath and replying, "Yes, as I said before, if the opponent is okay with the rule violation, the match will be allowed to continue."

With that, everyone in the area cheered wildly for Machoke, all of them truly amazed by his spirit. Even after having his best move shattered, even after having taken in such a horrible beating, he was still willing to fight to the bitter end if it meant saving the world from Talonflame's might. Aipom was more proud than ever before. Machoke had truly grown from what he once was.

"I'm impressed," Talonflame said with a light chuckle, "Most people would have accepted a free victory like that, but you got guts, even more than Blaziken," the falcon then turning to face him before adding, "I think I actually might have some real respect for you now, but don't think I'm not gonna wipe the floor with you, buddy! I'm not so easy to take down, but you already knew that!"

And on that note, tensions had risen greatly. Sure, Machoke had made a miraculous recovery, but was this really enough or was Talonflame simply too strong to be beaten?

 

Disclaimer: The Boy Who Flew Too High is a famous story in Greek mythology and is not something I made up.

Just as everyone thought the match had ended, things had changed, but whether or not it was for the better was anyone's guess. On one hand, Machoke looked more confident in himself than ever before, but on the other hand, he had taken in a huge beating. To make matters worse, he had just rejected a free victory meaning if he lost this match, he and his friends would still be relocated and separated from each other as per agreement.

Talonflame wasted no time charging toward Machoke as the boy simply dodged to the side, sending a karate chop into the falcon's cheek. Unlike last time, though, Talonflame had not allowed the boy to hit him. And to make things better, Machoke was not going to waste this chance as he sent more karate chops, blows to the cheek being delivered by his right hand while his left hand dealt damage to the ribs.

The crowd went wild as Talonflame grunted, "That barely hurts!" sending his fist sideways toward Machoke only for the boy to duck under it, grabbing onto the falcon's arm before he could attempt another blow to the head like before. After that, the boy turned so his back to facing Talonflame's side and threw his arms forward, hurling the falcon over his head and sending him sideways into the mat.

The crowd was cheering even louder now as Gardevoir squeaked, "It's like he's a whole new person!" Gallade exclaiming, "Yeah, I don't know where all this power is coming from, but he's doing an amazing job!"

Keiko simply smiled as Reika said, "It's just like you said, Mom. The Mach family has a knack for coming out of the toughest scrapes."

"Well, I may not be able to give him the advice he needs, but at least he's doing a good job," Aipom said before thinking, 'That and that move he just used was one I taught him once, so I can take some credit for that.'

Just as Talonflame was tried to get up, Machoke quickly grabbed him by the head and lifted him up above his shoulders before exclaiming, "I may not be able to use my Muscle Tombstone on you, but I can still use other techniques!" Nori exclaiming, "And with little to no effort, Machoke had set up Talonflame for a brainbuster!"

But as the boy leaned back to deliver the move, Talonflame smirked and spread out his wings, placing them against the mat and stopping himself from making contact. All went silent in the crowd as the falcon proceeded to push himself up and out of Machoke's grip, the boy losing his balance and falling on his back.

Talonflame saw a perfect opportunity as he landed hard against Machoke's gut with his heels, the boy's eyes widening as he coughed up more blood. It seemed he had not yet fully recovered from all of the damage he had been dealt earlier.

"Oh no, don't tell me he's already lost his advantage," Blaziken groaned as Talonflame took to the skies again, only this time rising higher and stopping at a certain point, the highest he had ever gone and said, "It's been fun, Machoke, but I think I'll end this now."

Machoke blinked and thought, 'Why is he so hesitant to fly higher than that? When I challenged him to fly higher earlier, he actually looked scared,' Aipom shouting, "MACHOKE, GET UP BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE!"

It seemed like it might have been just that as Talonflame pointed his talons toward the boy's gut, spinning with flames surrounding his body as he spat, "SPINNING TOP INTERNO!" heading down toward the boy. But just as it seemed his attack was going to hit, Machoke quickly rolled to the side as Talonflame ended up digging his talons into the canvas, his flames leaving him as he eventually stopped spinning, now stuck in the material.

"How could I fall for something so stupid!?" he spat as the crowd resumed cheering, Lopunny smiling and saying, "Fiarrow may be strong, but he's not the smartest fighter in the world. Sure, he can come up with good strategies, but he's still full of himself and that could very well be his biggest weakness."

Gardevoir blinked and replied, "Um, you know his name is Talonflame, right?" Lopunny shrugging and saying, "He'll always be Fiarrow the liar to me."

Scizor simply held her arm out and spat, "MACHOKE, DON'T LET THIS ADVANTAGE LEAVE YOU!" the boy remarking, "As if I'd do something like that!" before sending a hard kick into the back of Talonflame's head.

The falcon grunted, trying desperately to free his talons when Machoke said, "Allow me," wrapping his arms around him and leaning backward, the falcon having been too focused on getting his feet out from the canvas to think straight, his talons soon free as his head hit the mat hard.

Machoke took a deep breath and got up, backing away from Talonflame a bit while holding up a fighter's stance and saying, "Come on, have at me!" Aipom smiling wide, so happy to see her student performing so well.

However, Talonflame laughed as he slowly rose back to his feet, saying, "I gotta hand it to you, Machoke, you really have surprised me. After all that pain and suffering, you actually managed to get a few really good hits on me, but none of this is good enough to take me down!" everyone staring as Lucario sighed, "He's right," Machoke asking, "What do you mean?"

"As you've seen, Talonflame is really strong," Lucario replied, "So much so that only a really powerful move could possibly knock him out. You could keep connecting suplexes and brainbusters all you like, but it will never be enough to keep him down. He'll just keep getting up until he finds a way around your moves."

"But then how could I possibly beat him?" Machoke asked, his fear returning as he uttered, "The Muscle Tombstone is useless against him," Aipom nodding and replying, "There is a way you can beat him."

"She's right," Blaziken stated with a smile, "and while this method may be easier said than done, I think you can do it."

Gallade and Gardevoir nodded as Gardevoir said, "I think I know what you mean," Lopunny replying, "Me too," Reika saying, "Yeah, it could work."

"What's everyone talking about?" Machoke asked as Aipom replied, "It's simple. I hate to say it, but Talonflame's right. The Muscle Tombstone is an old family move that has been seen many times. It's an easy attack to overcome for those with the right amount of power and skill, which Talonflame definitely possesses."

"So what can I do?" Machoke remarked as Aipom stated, "You have to come up with something new, your own original signature move," Machoke's eyes widening. But how could he possibly do that? He had relied on techniques he had learned from others all his life. Could he really pull such a task off?

"Are you two done talking already?" Talonflame asked, folding his arms, "Seriously, it's rude to leave your opponent waiting," the falcon then flying toward Machoke, the boy attempting to counter with a karate chop only for Talonflame to grab his wrist, grunting, "I'm not falling for that one again, kid!"

With that, the falcon proceeded to lift the boy above his head, hurling him hard into the turnbuckle. After that, he soared toward Machoke with his talons out and spun while flames surrounded his body, shouting, "SPINNING TOP INFERNO!" sending them hard into Machoke's gut as blood flew from him just like before.

However, while this attack had helped Machoke a little bit before, now that he no longer needed a wake-up call, this was one of the worst things that he could endure at the moment. And to make matters worse, Lucario was right. Talonflame had now figured out Machoke's strategy. He would need to come up with something new, but what? What could he use that was not passed down from his family tree?

He would certainly need to think up something fast as Talonflame wrapped his arms around the boy, saying, "I've had it up to here with you and your inability to stay down! I'm gonna take you down for good!" the bird taking to the air, yet strangely enough, he was not setting up for his Flare Blitz as his body had not burst into flame. Was he planning to humiliate Machoke by taking him down with a more simple move?

Whatever the case, Machoke was not going to let himself take in another devastating attack and as such, the boy shook off the pain from the Spinning Top Inferno and held his head back before reeling it forward into Talonflame's neck. This actually caused just enough pain for the bird to loosen his hold on Machoke as he proceeded to flip him upside-down.

"What are you doing, you moron?" Talonflame asked tauntingly, "You know this attack won't work, right!?" Machoke remarking, "I'm not using an ordinary Muscle Tombstone! I figured out a new signature move that I can use!"

Everyone stared in amazement as Machoke grabbed hold of Talonflame's ankles, spreading his legs over the falcon's arms and wrapping them around them, Talonflame's eyes widening as Machoke smirked, saying, "Try getting out of this one!"

With that, the boy shouted, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!" sending the falcon's head hard into the mat as the crowd went wild, the boy dropping him and taking many deep breaths, shouting, "I did it!"

"Wow, why didn't I think of that?" Aipom asked, "He sacrificed locking the head in place so he could ensure that Talonflame wouldn't be able to use his legs to escape."

But just as all was looking hopeful, Talonflame slowly recovered and rose to his feet, saying, "You didn't come up with anything new or creative!" everyone staring in shock as the falcon added, "Honestly, I'm astounded it took you this long to come up with something so obvious. That's the only reason I was unable to respond was because I was shocked by how slow you were to come up with such a tactic."

Machoke trembled, his eyes wide as his mouth hung open, Talonflame smirking and saying, "If I'd been more ready, I could have easily countered that the same way I countered the original Muscle Tombstone. This is just a minor setback and mark my words, I won't let you land that attack again!"

Machoke was now trembling again as he uttered, "Oh no, that was all I could come up with in such a short time," Aipom now concerned as she rubbed her head, groaning, "I wish I could think of something!"

"What's left for Machoke to try?" Reika asked, Gallade suggesting, "How about the Ultimate Driver? He hasn't used that yet."

Blaziken shook her head and remarked, "True, but for all we know, Talonflame probably has some kind of counter for that as well. If he can't come up with something truly original and effective, he might be doomed."

As much as it hurt the others to hear these words, Blaziken did have a point. Of course everyone wanted Machoke to win, but what could he possibly do?

Even Lucario was having trouble coming up with someone as Scizor asked, "Lucario, do you know of any weaknesses Talonflame might have? Maybe a part of him that was badly injured or a deep fear or something like that?" Lucario shaking his head and replying, "I'm sorry, but I don't. I trained with him for a long time, but even in that time, I never discovered any major weaknesses."

"None whatsoever?" Scizor asked, Lucario nodding and adding, "From what I've seen, Talonflame is the closest to a perfect fighter. So far, nothing has penetrated his mighty defence. I really hope Machoke can come up with something."

Talonflame flew toward Machoke and grabbed him by his shoulders, ramming him back-first into the turnbuckle when the boy then looked up, thinking, 'I'm sorry, Dad. I couldn't beat him. I guess I've shamed the family name,' before looking very closely at the sun. His eyes widened when he started to get an idea.

With that in mind, the boy gritted his teeth, ignoring the paint to his back and spat, "I'M NOT GOING TO LET YOU BEAT ME!" before grabbing hold of Talonflame's shoulders and sending him high into the air. After that, he waited for just the right angle, everyone wondering what was up as the boy grinned, leaping up onto the ropes and launching himself upward toward the bird. With that, he proceeded to tuck himself in, spinning vertically before hitting Talonflame's back.

He then returned to his usual formation with his arms and legs reaching back to grab hold of Talonflame's wrists and ankles. Unfortunately, the falcon was too low for this to work as he asked, "What the hell was that?" grabbing hold of Machoke's ankle and hurling him hard against the mat.

"That's a good question," Reika uttered, "What was Machoke trying to do?" Gardevoir smiling lightly and replying, "He was about to use a new finishing move. He almost got it to work, too," Gallade sighing, "No offence, sis, but almost is hardly something to smile about when the opponent's this powerful."

Despite taking in quite a bit of pain from the hit, Machoke did not seem the least bit fazed as he said to himself, "Damn, I almost got that," before looking up at the sun and thinking, 'Alright, the angle was a bit off with my timing. I'll have to lower it just the little bit when I launch myself at him again. I also should work on the timing of my arms and legs to make sure I'm not taking too long with phase two.'

"Hey, don't ignore me!" Talonflame spat before diving toward Machoke's back, hitting him hard with the heels of his feet. However, Machoke acted as if this pain meant nothing as he was so focused on getting his new move right that nothing else mattered right now.

"Got it!" Machoke exclaimed before getting back up, Talonflame barking, "ARE YOU GONNA PAY ATTENTION TO OUR FIGHT AGAIN!?" Machoke nodding as the falcon got close, the boy leaning backward and using his feet to send him flying into the air.

After that Machoke waited a bit more before launching himself off the ropes again, once again spinning like a rubber ball into Talonflame's back. Afterwards, he once again sent out his arms and legs only to just barely miss, the crowd still a bit confused as to what he was attempting. Talonflame responded by latching his legs onto Machoke's side and flipping him over, ramming his head hard into the mat for a frankensteiner.

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "I have no idea what Machoke was trying to accomplish there, but it seems it was in vain as he takes in a devastating frankensteiner from high above the mat," Weedle thinking, 'I know what you're trying to do, and I see potential there, but you'd better make it work just like your father would have.'

Machoke's face was bleeding again, but like before, the boy hardly seemed to care. All the while, he thought, 'Okay, now I see what the real problem is. It wasn't the angle but my timing. I need to launch myself just a little bit earlier, but how much earlier?' the boy's eyes widening as he finally came to the answer.

Unfortunately, it was too late to try it out as Talonflame got behind him, wrapping his arms around the boy and shouting, "I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR CHILDISH GAMES!" everyone gasping as Aipom squeaked, "Oh no! He was so close!"

When everyone saw Talonflame's body burst into flame, they knew what was coming as he added, "I was merciful last time, but seeing as the rules no longer apply to this match, I'll make sure this next one kills you!" the falcon raising the height he had used for both Blaziken and Scyther.

Lucario winced and uttered, "It really is over, isn't it?" Scizor taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Scyther, stay strong. No matter what happens, try not to let it upset you too much.'

Everyone else was silent, Machoke's friends staring in absolute terror. Was this actually the end now? If this attack hit, would even Machoke be able to get up from it?

"Hang in there, Machoke!" came a sophisticated British voice as everyone turned and noticed, of all beings, Bisharp standing among the crowd with another standing next to him, namely Scrafty, the lizard sporting a pair of shades.

"Man, we both get an early pardon from prison for good behaviour, and this is what we come back to!?" Scrafty snapped, Talonflame stopping his attack and groaning, "Oh god, not more traitors. What are they doing here?"

Machoke's eyes widened as Gardevoir smiled wide at Scrafty, the lizard grinning and giving the girl a wave before Bisharp sighed, "Please, Sir Scrafty, focus on the matter at hand," the lizard nodding and saying, "Machoke, ya may not have been the one who defeated me, but I know how tough ya can be under the right circumstances. Talonflame is a tough one, believe me, we know, but I'm sure he has some sort of weakness ya can exploit!"

Bisharp nodded and added, "Sir Machoke, you are the greatest fighter I have met, a true miracle worker! You inspired me to join the side of good, and for that, I am grateful to you! I know you are not the kind to lose to a villain!"

The audience was shocked as Nori said, "And in a surprising turn, Scrafty and Bisharp seemed to have been released from Hero Planet's prison early and now they're trying to help Machoke! It just goes to show that the world is not completely black-and-white."

Hearing these words made Machoke want to win even more now. And just when it seemed hopeless, his eyes went wide when he remembered the sun. Not only had it inspired the idea for his new finisher, but it also helped him remember something he could try.

"Are you guys done talking yet!?" Talonflame grunted, "Because I don't wanna feel like I'm interrupting something!" the falcon just about to perform his U-turn when Machoke asked, "Why don't you go higher?"

All went silent as Blaziken asked, "Did he just suggest what I think he did?" Machoke adding, "I notice this is the highest you've ever allowed yourself to fly, but you know you can go higher than this. Why not take advantage of that? You know, really make sure your attack kills me."

"Shut up!" Reika snapped, "Don't give him ideas!" Keiko replying, "I don't think that's what's happening at all."

Lucario actually understood Machoke's words as well as he thought, 'I can't believe it. It's been staring me in the face yet it took Machoke to help me realize it, Talonflame's one weakness.'

And it showed as Talonflame looked completely unwilling to fly higher before remarking, "I'm sure I don't need to!" Machoke asking in a taunting voice, "What are you, chicken? You say Blaziken doesn't deserve the Texas Phoenix title, but you're even worse. I'm sure if she could fly, she'd be willing to take full advantage of it."

The others turned to the chicken who shrugged and replied, "Actually, he's right. I wouldn't be afraid of flying any distance," Talonflame fuming and retorting, "FINE, YOU GOT YOUR WISH, BUDDY, BUT DON'T FORGET IT WAS YOU WHO SIGNED YOUR OWN DEATH WARRANT!"

With that, the bird flew even higher into the air, but just as he was about to perform a U-turn, sweat started to run down his face as he looked down at how low the mat was to his position. His eyes were wide open as he then remembered a story he had been told as a child, 'The Boy Who Flew Too High'. He remembered how in the story, Icarus was given wings made by his father out of wax so that the two could escape from prison. However, Icarus flew too close to the sun and his wings burned.

Talonflame always wished this was not true about himself, but that story had scarred him for life when he read it. Whenever he flew, he would always stick with a certain maximum height and never exceed it in the fear that his wings might burn up as well, even though they were not made of wax and he was a fire type and probably would have handled it. He had hoped that with time, this fear would have left him but it never did.

As such, his flame stopped as he released his hold on Machoke while shouting, "NO!" his wings coming to halt as he had now convinced himself they should not have worked and started to descend shortly after Machoke did.

"I see now," Lucario said, "Machoke noticed something we didn't, and who would have guessed? All these years, Talonflame was scared of heights."

"That's right," a female in the audience said, "When we went on the elevator ride with him, he was absolutely terrified when we got to the top and started descending. I thought it was just the high momentum that scared him, not the height itself."

"No, it's more than a fear of heights," Gardevoir uttered with a light smile, "He's afraid of something else entirely, but it is connected to extreme heights."

And Machoke knew just how to take further advantage of this as he smirked, shifting his weight so he was now headed quickly toward the ropes. He could not let this chance leave him, especially with Talonflame still in complete shock, clearly unable to bring himself to retaliate just yet.

With that, Machoke managed to get to the ropes, getting the angle just right as he launched himself off and rolled up into a ball, spinning vertically toward Talonflame and hitting him hard in the back. The crowd watched in silence as the boy reverted to his regular state and finally managed to lock Talonflame's ankles and wrists in placed with his arms and legs, both fighters' backs facing each other.

With that, Machoke applied just enough force to start spinning Talonflame around, both looking like a floating wheel now as Machoke thought, 'I gotta get the timing just right,' finding the perfect moment to descend toward the mat, everyone staring as he shouted, "SUNSET SLAM!" Talonflame's belly colliding with the canvas, his eyes wide open as he coughed up blood, Machoke ending the move by releasing the falcon's legs and grabbing hold of his head, slamming it hard into the mat.

Everyone stared in silence as Aipom bit her lower lip, letting down tears and thinking, 'I can't believe it! He actually did it! He actually thought up his own finishing move!'

The audience broke out into heavy cheers as Gardevoir and Lopunny squealed with excitement, both of them hugging Gallade tightly as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, the boy groaning, "Can't breathe!" Blaziken whistling and shouting, "YOU'RE THE MAN, MACHOKE!"

Scrafty and Bisharp both nodded, Scrafty with a big grin on his face as he said, "Ya did it, kid," Reika and her friends along with her mother cheering the loudest of everyone.

However, everyone panicked when Talonflame slowly rose to his feet, blood coming down his face as he grinned, laughing maniacally and exclaiming, "Wow, you just never give up, do you!?" Machoke trembling as he added, "You always get back up no matter what happens! You're incredible! I want to fight you for all eternity," the falcon coughing up one last bit of blood and adding, "Unfortunately, I can't," before finally losing all consciousness and falling forward.

After a few seconds of silence, Weedle took a deep breath and nodded at Nori, the woman smiling and ringing the bell before shouting, "OUR WINNER AND CHAMPION OF THE NEXT GEN BATTLE IS MACHOKE, THEREFOR HE AND HIS FRIENDS WILL REMAIN STATIONED IN TOKYO!" the crowd bursting out into heavy cheers and applause, Machoke raising his arms in the air with a big smile on his face.

This was the most satisfied he had ever felt after winning a match, and it made sense. This was the toughest battle he had ever fought and not only had he come out on top, he had also created his own finishing move thus adding a new one to the family tree.

Aipom leapt into the ring before jumping onto Machoke's head, hugging it while squeaking, "I am so proud of you, Machoke! You're the greatest student a monkey could ever ask for!"

Reika waved her arms in the air, shouting, "YOU'RE AWESOME, MACHOKE!" Gardevoir adding, "YOU ROCK!" before turning to Gallade and asking, "It's still considered cool to say that, right?" Gallade nodding and shouting the same thing.

Blaziken also held her fist out and exclaimed, "Way to go, Machoke!" Lopunny all the while letting down light tears and sniffing, "Thank you for fulfilling your promise."

Scizor also let out a sigh of relief, knowing Scyther could no longer feel bad about having worked alongside Talonflame. Lucario also had a light smile on his face but quickly hid it as he got up from his seat, exiting the area while everyone was too distracted by the results of the fight to notice.

Of course, Weedle wasted no time calling in a group of officers from Hero Planet to bind Talonflame in chains and place him in the back of a spaceship to be sent to prison. There was no way they would give someone so dangerous a chance to escape.

Aipom eventually let go of Machoke's face when her hug had started to make him suffocate, Weedle crawling into the ring while holding a trophy with his tail. Machoke stared wide-eyed as the caterpillar said, "It's hard for me to say this, but thank you, Machoke," the boy grinning and asking, "What was that? I couldn't quite hear that."

Weedle rolled his eyes and grumbled curses before stating, "You have done a wonderful thing for the world. I was too much of a coward to even make an effort, but you singlehandedly brought one of the most dangerous criminals in the galaxy to justice. And because you're our champion, well, please accept this," the caterpillar holding out the trophy as Machoke took a hold of it with a grin.

However, Weedle held onto it tightly as the boy started applying more force. Eventually, the two started a tug of war with the trophy, Weedle still not caring enough for Machoke's family to just hand a trophy over to one of them.

Scrafty simply chuckled and said, "That guy really is something else," Gardevoir running over to him and giving him a hug, the lizard's eyes widening as he asked, "What's all this about?" Gardevoir squeaking, "You came to give your support! You really have joined the side of good!" the lizard sighing, "Are you implying that you doubted me?" the two laughing as Bisharp said, "Yes, he and I will make a good team fighting for the side of good."

And with the tournament finally having come to a close, it was time for Scyther, Lopunny and Heracross to be relocated. Since they worked together well enough, Weedle agreed to let them remain as a team and had assigned them to Los Angeles, Machoke all the while envious that they got to live in LA of all places.

"It's been really nice meeting you guys," Lopunny said, giving Gardevoir a hug and saying, "Sorry for being so rough on you," the girl giggling and replying, "That's okay. You were just doing what you had to."

"Thank you for showing me the light, Machoke," Heracross said before bowing his head, Scyther all the while apologizing for everything she had done, especially giving Gallade a permanent scar across his torso as he simply laughed and said, "Don't worry. If anything, this makes me look more badass."

And with that, the trio said their goodbyes and took off, Talonflame of course not with them now that he was behind bars and unable to bother anyone. And with that, everything was right again as Machoke and his friends would be fighting alongside each-other always and nothing would come between them again.

 

It had been a week since The Next Gen Battle had ended and things were rather peaceful in Tokyo again. As such, Machoke and his friends once again decided to meet up downtown for some free time, though they did swear never to skip out on the Hero Planet sparring matches again. They knew what would happen and did not want a repeat.

However, Gardevoir had something important she needed to tell the group today, so when the group headed to the club, they figured that was the right time for her to say what she needed to. After all, the club was always their most comfortable there.

"So, Gallade, any idea what this news is?" Blaziken asked, Gallade shrugging and replying, "Honestly, she hasn't told me anything about this yet," Machoke turning to Gardevoir and saying, "It must be pretty big if you need all of us together before telling your brother."

"It is," Gardevoir said with a sigh, "I'm going to be taking a trip to Paris," everyone staring in shock as Gallade asked, "You mean Paris as in back home?"

The girl nodded, pursing her lower lip as Blaziken asked, "What's the occasion?" Gardevoir replying, "I want to speak to Mommy," Gallade replying, "I understand that, but I think a long-distance call would be less expensive than a flight back to France."

"Let her finish," Machoke said as Gallade stared, the boy shrugging and adding, "Yeah, I can tell there's more to this than we think," Gardevoir smiling lightly at Machoke before adding, "The reason I'm going back is to ask her about my power. I feel like she might know something about it."

"What do you need to know that you don't already know?" Gallade asked, "You know it's powerful and that it only comes out under dire circumstances," Gardevoir replying, "I want to learn how to control it."

Everyone stared silently and slowly nodded in understanding. That made perfect sense. After all, the power worked on its own, not with her influence. If she could control it, one could only imagine how much it could help her.

Soon enough, the girl was at the airport, her flight only minutes away. Of course everyone came to see her off, Aipom and Reika wishing her the best of luck. Gallade asked if she was certain of going off on her own without him to watch her as the girl stated that she figured maybe being more independent and not relying so much on others to help her would be a step in the right direction.

After giving everyone a hug, the girl boarded the plane and took off for Paris. It was the first time she would do anything without her brother by her side and while it scared her, it just seemed like the right thing to do. If she was going to be stronger, she needed to act stronger.

Gardevoir took a seat next to the window, trying to act calm. Having always had someone by her side her whole life, she would need some time to get used to being alone. This was a new and scary experience for her but she was certain she would get through it.

She even put on a light smile when she noticed a middle-aged man take the seat next to her, the girl deciding to at least try to make the best of the situation. With that in mind, the girl simply squeaked, "Hi, I'm Gardevoir."

The man looked at her, the girl trying her best not to act scared when he did. The man barely looked human with his stocky build and his long raven hair that did not cover his forehead. He also had this menacing look in his eyes, bags underneath them as if this person had not slept in a long time.

However, just as Gardevoir was about to regret getting on the plane, the man simply held out his hand and said, "Hello, I'm Kuro. Nice to meet you," Gardevoir blinking before her smile returned, the girl taking his hand as he closed his own, being surprisingly gentle with his grip as the two lightly shook them.

The two actually hit it off rather well, having a very nice conversation with each-other. Kuro proved to be a very nice and friendly man as Gardevoir truly felt at ease. There was no doubt that she would certainly enjoy her flight to Paris. And because Kuro was so nice, Gardevoir had no problem sharing her purpose for going on this trip.

"I thought you looked familiar," the man said, "I've seen you on TV. You and your friends have done a lot of good for Tokyo," Gardevoir smiling sweetly and replying, "Thanks," the man then saying, "Though honestly, I never caught onto the problems you have with that power of yours. I always thought you just chose to save it for the right moments, you know, catch the opponent off-guard."

Gardevoir shook her head and replied, "No, it's pretty much a random thing," the girl then looking out the window and adding, "If Mommy can't tell me how to control it, I don't think anyone can," Kuro patting the girl on the shoulder and replying, "I'm certain she can. After all, you had to have gotten that power from someone in the family."

Eight hours into the flight, it was midnight in Tokyo, Gardevoir trying to remember what time it would be in France. During her time in Japan, she had not once looked into the difference in time, so she did not know whether or not it would still be bedtime when she arrived. Either way, since it was that late in Tokyo, the girl naturally felt tired as she fell asleep, Kuro drifting off as well.

After four hours, the intercom came on as the pilot's voice entered the area, saying, "We are now approaching Paris, France. We will be land shortly," Gardevoir yawning and groaning, "But I'm still tired," Kuro simply smiling and replying, "Well, you best not let that get the better of you. After all, you still have something to do, right?"

The girl nodded and replied, "That's right. Thanks for reminding me, Mister Kuro, sir," the two shaking hands as the plane landed. Shockingly enough, it was actually eight in the morning here as opposed to Tokyo where it was, of course, four.

The two said their goodbyes before taking off on their own journey. Gardevoir took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, here I am, back in Paris all by myself,' the girl then putting on a serious look, adding in her mind, 'But that's okay. If I'm going to become stronger, I need to be more independent.'

With that, the girl walked through the area with a big smile on her face. Whether she was alone or not, it was certainly nice to be back. She wondered if anyone even remembered her.

While walking along, her eyes widened when she noticed a white beagle with a tail like a paintbrush. His ears were brown, the top of his head was shaped just like a beret and he had a green paw print on his back, which was the same colour on the tip of his tail, which he was currently using to paint a portrait.

Gardevoir walked behind him with her hands behind her back, smiling while looking at his picture and noticing it was of the area right in front of him. It looked so expertly done and he had managed to paint it really quickly, so one could only imagine just how amazing of a painter he was.

"Bonjour, Smeargle!" Gardevoir squeaked as the dog's eyes widened, his tail slipping as he ended up putting a streak across his painting, his jaw dropped as he groaned, "Zut alors! Look what you've done to my wonderful painting, you crazy-" only to stop when he turned and noticed her.

At that very moment, his eyes sparkled as he gave the girl a hug, kissing her on both cheeks as Gardevoir giggled, saying, "I almost forgot that's how we greet each-other here," the girl then kissing him on the cheeks as well.

"It is so nice to see you, mon amis," the beagle stated with a big smile, "I've seen your matches and you are tres magnifique!" Gardevoir blushing a bit before replying, "Merci beaucoup," Smeargle then blinking and asking, "But, um, where is your brother? You never go anywhere without him."

"I decided to come alone," Gardevoir replied with a sigh before adding, "I'm surprised to see you here, though. Aren't you attending hero school?" the dog grinning and replying, "Oui, I graduated with flying colours!" the girl blinking as he sighed, "You got me. I barely made it out alive."

"So are you just visiting Paris too?" Gardevoir asked as Smeargle shook his head, replying, "Non. I feel so lucky. They actually assigned me to protect Paris," the girl's eyes widening as she replied, "Wow, that is lucky. No one who graduated from my class got that kind of result."

The girl then bit her lip and asked, "Are you the only one who remembers me?" Smeargle remarking, "Why would you even think that? Everyone remembers you. Every now and then, we get together and talk about you and how much you've impressed everyone with your fighting skills."

"Actually, that's kind of why I came here-" Gardevoir stated as Smeargle cut in, exclaiming, "We should get together for brunch! Have you eaten yet today?"

The girl blinked and replied, "Actually, no I haven't," Smeargle laughing and suggesting, "Well, come along, mon amis. It's my treat," the girl saying, "You've always been so kind," giving Smeargle a hug as he groaned, "And your hugs have always been surprisingly deadly."

While the two walked toward a nearby restaurant, Smeargle having called up his friends, Gardevoir asked, "So, are you protecting Paris alone?" Smeargle remarking, "Are you crazy? You know there's no way I could pull that off," Gardevoir giggling as he added, "I mean, I have someone here to help me out, but only when I really need it."

Gardevoir turned to him and asked, "Who is it?" the beagle replying, "You'll meet her soon enough."

And with that, the two arrived at the restaurant, a group of humans, two girls and one boy, approaching and waving to Smeargle as he signalled them over, all three of them noticing Gardevoir and immediately greeting her. The girls kissed Gardevoir on one cheek each as the boy knelt down and kissed her on the hand, saying, "I have longed for your return, fair Gardevoir."

The girl giggled and squeaked, "You've always been so dramatic with your greetings, Henri," before smiling sweetly at the girls and adding, "And it's nice to see you two again," the girls names being Holly and Clare.

"Where is Gallade?" Holly asked as Smeargle replied, "Gardevoir has courageously come here on her own! I know, it's shocking, oui?" Clare gasping, "Oh my god! You really are getting stronger!" Gardevoir giggling again as the group entered the restaurant.

As they took a seat, Gardevoir looked around and asked, "So, where's your ally?" Smeargle replying, "She's in the building. You just need to wait," Henri nodding and replying, "Oui, she works here part time," Gardevoir asking, "Oh, is she a waiter?"

The question was soon answered when a man stepped up onto a stage and exclaimed, "Bonjour, ladies and gentlemen! I am pleased to welcome Mademoiselle Florges!" the people clapping when a curtain rose up, a young humanoid flower standing there.

Naturally, her lower body was green like a stem. Her upper body was snow white, her head round with a point representing her nose and two long ears shaped like teardrops. Her eyes were frames with lengthy green eyelashes as her lower body actually resembled a mermaid's tail with two big leaves coming up from the sides. Resting behind her head was a big bouquet of red flowers as she wore a necklace made from flowers with the same colour.

Gardevoir's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "She's pretty," the others nodding as the girl cleared her throat, holding up a microphone and singing, "The skies are blue, the flowers bloom in the wonderful city of Paris," some boys in the audience whistling at her as she added, "Birds, they sing, wedding bells ring in the beautiful city of Paris."

The girl then replaced her red necklace with a blue one, her bouquet actually turning the same colour as Gardevoir stared in shock, Florges stepping off the stage and adding, "Paris is a wonderful place, it's the one place I adore," the girl then winking at one of the boys as he started panting like a puppy while she continued, "It's full of wonder and magic! It's the city of amour!"

Everyone continued to watch her walk around and sing more of the song, Gardevoir feeling so envious right now. She wished she could find the courage to get up on stage and sing someday, but she was not even sure if she had the voice for it.

As the song went on, the tone shifted many times, and each time this happened, Florges would change her flower necklace to fit the tone. And every time this happened, her bouquet would change to that exact colour, Smeargle whispering to Gardevoir that this was one of her special powers. It was not exactly useful in combat, but it was still interesting.

When the song was mellow and slow, she would change her bouquet white. When it got faster in tone, she would change to yellow. And during the final moments where it got louder and more intense, she changed her bouquet to orange, ultimately ending with the red bouquet as the audience clapped and cheered.

After that, the girl took a deep breath and walked over, saying, "Bonjour, Smeargle," the beagle replying, "Bonjour to you too, Mademoiselle," kissing her hand and adding, "You were tres magnifique as always."

Gardevoir was still staring at her as the flower girl noticed her and said, "This must be your friend, Gardevoir. I've heard great things about you. I would have seen you on TV, but I get quite a number of shifts here when I'm not fighting evil."

"That's okay," Gardevoir replied before sighing, "You're such a good singer. I wish I could be like that," Florges blinking and asking, "How about you try in front of me in a little bit? My shift ends in a few minutes."

"Oui, you should take that," Henri said, Clare and Holly nodding as Gardevoir sighed, "I'd love to, but I can't. I have somewhere I need to be right now," Smeargle asking, "Wait, you came here on business?"

"I tried to tell you earlier," Gardevoir stated, "See, I came here to see Mommy because I figure she would know about my powers," Florges asking, "Powers?" Smeargle replying, "I told you about that, remember? Her hands glow and she becomes super strong," Clare nodding and saying, "It's so cool."

"Yeah, but I can't really control it," Gardevoir replied, "It only comes when I need it. On one hand, it's nice that my power doesn't take control of me when it activates, but at the same time, I don't want to have to take in a heavy beating before being able to use it."

The others looked at her as she added, "Before, I was trying to avoid having to use it, but this power is a blessing that's supposed to help me. I feel there's no need to fear using something so helpful, especially since it is my power."

"What exactly are you saying?" Holly asked as Gardevoir replied, "I want to learn how to control it and I think Mommy might know how."

Florges nodded and replied, "Well, it's only ten. I'm sure your mother will still be home and awake by the time you get back," Gardevoir unsure or whether or not to take the offer when Smeargle said, "It's up to you, mon amis. Don't feel like you have to," the beagle then shooting a glance at the others and adding, "Oui, guys?"

The others nodded as Florges sighed, "He's right. You should be allowed to choose," Gardevoir looking at the time and smiling lightly before saying, "You know what? I think I can afford to take a little break."

Once Florges' shift had ended, Gardevoir headed backstage where the flower girl was waiting for her. Her friends decided to stick around for moral support as Florges handed Gardevoir some sheet music while telling her to sing the song written on it. To help her out, she provided musical accompaniment with a piano.

Gardevoir took a deep breath and sang a few notes in a perfect tone of voice before stopping herself, holding her hands against her mouth and blushing brightly. She whimpered as the others stared, Florges asking, "Why did you stop?"

"Because I'm not very good," the girl whimpered as Florges replied, "Are you kidding? That was beautiful," Gardevoir turning to the others as they nodded.

"No, you're just saying that," Gardevoir said in a quiet voice as Clare rolled her eyes, remarking, "Non, we mean it. That was really good. Keep going."

The girl bit her lip and nodded lightly, Florges starting up the piano as Gardevoir sang again. This time, she sang the entire song as she knew her friends wanted her to. She managed to hit all the right notes with a tone that rivalled that of Florges.

Soon, the song ended as she sighed, "How was that?" her friends applauding her as Florges said, "Trust moi, girl, you should try going onstage sometime. I think you're made for it," Gardevoir smiling and replying, "I'll take your word for it, but I have other plans on how I'm going to use my singing voice in the future, and it will be in front of millions."

With all said and done, Gardevoir took her leave, waving to her friends, Smeargle saying, "Well, that was certainly nice, seeing her again," Clare replying, "Yeah, I hope she decides to come visit again someday."

Soon enough, Gardevoir was standing before a beautiful white house with a lovely garden. She bit her lower lip and sighed, thinking, 'Okay, you can do this,' before walking toward the house.

However, when she got to the door, a big smile crossed her face as she squealed with excitement, pressing her finger five times against the button for the doorbell. Despite her initial nervousness, she was actually really excited to see her parents again after well over a month.

After a few seconds, the doorknob opened as Gardevoir's smile got bigger, a man Gardevoir's height standing there. He had green leaf-like hair covering his eyes but was still able to see through it. His spikes were rounded and sticking out the front and back of his head. His entire body resembled a white nightgown and his arms had no actual hands on the end of them.

"DADDY!" Gardevoir squealed, the man's eyes widening as he smiled, exclaiming, "Gardevoir, you're back!" the two giving each other a hug as he asked, "What are you doing here?" Gardevoir replying, "I came for a visit," a big smile on her face as she asked, "Is Mommy home?"

The man nodded and called out, "Kirlia, honey! Come quick! You won't believe who's here!" a feminine voice entering the area and asking, "Who is it, Ralts, dear?"

The man, Ralts, let out a sigh and exclaimed, "I'm calling you in here because it's a surprise!" the woman asking, "Oh, why didn't you say so?" before entering, her eyes widening as she gasped.

Kirlia was a beautiful young woman. Like Gardevoir and Ralts, her body was a mix of white and green. However, unlike Gardevoir, her upper body was more like a tutu than a gown. Like Ralts, her spikes were on top of her head only these ones were located on the sides. Her hair was more similar to that of Gardevoir only the sides were long and went past her shoulders. And unlike Gardevoir who had more human-like hands, Kirlia only had two fingers on each of hers. Her lower body was also green with her feet resembling ballet shoes.

A warm smile formed on her face as she said, "I thought I wouldn't see you again for a while, Gardevoir," the two giving each other a big hug as Ralts asked, "Want me to put the kettle on, dear?" Kirlia nodding and replying, "Yes. I'm sure our daughter would love some tea," Gardevoir nodding with a sweet smile.

Once the tea was ready, Kirlia brought out a rich cake with vanilla frosting for the family to enjoy with their drink. While the family enjoyed their treats, Gardevoir told her parents about many recent events. Of course her parents already knew about her matches, but many other things were different.

"So you came all the way out here without Gallade by your side," Ralts said, "I still can't believe it," Kirlia looking at Gardevoir and saying, "You know, that collar really suits you," Gardevoir blinking and saying, "Yeah, it's a reminder of my first victory here on Earth."

"Well, whatever the case, that Machoke has good taste," Ralts said, Kirlia then crossing her legs and asking, "By the way, Gardevoir, is there another reason you came here?"

Gardevoir blinked and took a deep breath before nodding her head. She had come all this way to learn about her power and she could not forget about that no matter how much she was enjoying herself right now.

"Mommy," Gardevoir said, "I found out some time ago that I have a power hidden deep inside of me," Kirlia's eyes going wide as the girl added, "Whenever I'm in serious trouble, my hands glow violet and I become stronger."

"I guess I should have told you about this long ago," Kirlia replied with a smile, "Yes, that power has been passed down through our family for generations, though for some reason, only the girls have it, never the guys," Ralts remarking, "Yeah, I'd be envious except I'm not related to your mother by blood."

Gardevoir nodded and said, "I was hoping maybe you could teach me how to control it," Kirlia blinking, her daughter looking so hopeful right now as the woman sighed, "I'm sorry, honey, but I can't."

Gardevoir's eyes went wide, a mortified look on her face as her mother took a deep breath, explaining, "The truth is, I never learned to control the power either. I simply tried to fight as well as I could without it and relied on it whenever I could. I never learned how to bring it out at any given time. I tried to learn to control it, I really did, but I found out it's impossible to activate it whenever I want."

Gardevoir looked down and nodded with a sigh, Ralts turning to Kirlia as the woman took a deep breath, saying, "But honey, don't let that discourage you. I can tell just by looking at you that you've been increasing your strength, so I can only assume you've been training to win matches without relying on the power, right?"

Gardevoir nodded as Kirlia added, "Well, I say keep at it. Maybe someday you will win a match without relying on the power, and if you find yourself always needing it, there's no shame in that. It's meant to help you in battle and that's what it should do, right?" Gardevoir smiling lightly and nodding her head.

And with all said and done, Gardevoir was about to take her leave so she could catch the next plane back to Tokyo. She gave her parents one last hug before saying goodbye and headed off, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. Sure, she did not get what she wanted, but she felt like it hardly mattered. After all, her power was nothing to fear and if it only worked when she needed it to, then so be it. She would just try her best without the power and use it to the best of her abilities when needed.

 

A few days after Gardevoir's trip to Paris, something was up in Japan, mainly Osaka. Somewhere in the middle of the city, four strangers dressed in cloaks were standing around in an alleyway. But who were these people and what were they up to?

This would soon become clear when a young boy entered the alleyway and said, "Alright, I'm here," one of them nodding and asking in a masculine tone, "Did you bring it?" the boy nodding and replying, "Yes, but it wasn't easy. I could get in huge trouble if my dad found out I took this from his museum."

With that, the boy pulled out a golden mask with two long points sticking out of its sides. Wherever this had come from originally, it certainly looked valuable and even a bit intimidating. But what could these strangers possibly want with it?

"Thank you," said another stranger with a low feminine voice saying, "You have served us very well and for that, we shall give you what we promised."

The third cloaked figure stepped forward with a box and said in a slightly higher feminine tone, "This should more than make up for the mask," the boy smiling and saying, "Yeah, this makes it all worth it."

However, when he opened it up, all that was inside was a letter saying, 'You've been bamboozled', the boy's eyes going wide as he dropped the box, shouting, "GIVE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW!" only for the forth figure to strike him on the back of the head with a karate chop, knocking him out cold.

"I am sorry, but this was necessary," the figure stated before dropping him a coin for one-hundred yen and adding, "This should at least make up for it to a certain degree."

"You're far too generous, master," one of the strangers said as forth figure sighed, "I may be a criminal, but I'm not heartless," another figure shrugging and saying, "Whatever. We got what we came for, so let's just get going already."

On that note, all four headed off into the night. But at this exact same moment, Throh and Sawk were walking by, the two headed home from a late night showing of a new action movie. Both were feeling very positive about it knowing they would have awesome dreams tonight.

However, Sawk stopped in the middle of the walk when they passed by the alleyway, the blue boy tapping his brother's shoulder as Throh turned, his eyes going wide. With that, both ran over to the human boy as he slowly regained consciousness, rubbing the back of his head while both heroes helped him up.

"Are you okay?" Throh asked as the boy nodded and replied, "Yeah. I'm glad you two are here," Sawk asking, "Who did this to you?"

"Three girls and one boy, all wearing cloaks," the boy replied, "They said they'd pay me an awesome sum if I could bring them something from the museum. See, my dad's the owner, so I know how to break in," Throh frowning and shaking his head, replying, "You should never commit illegal actions, especially if it's for money."

"I know," the boy groaned, rubbing the back of his head, "but you guys should hurry and go after them. What they had me steal was no small find."

Sawk blinked and asked, "Then what is it?" the human replying, "The mask of Giratina."

Their eyes widened as Sawk turned to his brother, saying, "I've heard about that. Giratina was a horrible monster who terrorized the world all by himself. The only one who ever managed to beat him was the great hero Arceus," Throh nodding and saying, "We can't let them get away with something so precious. For all we know, this could be more than just a simple theft."

With that, both heroes knelt down, folding their legs and cupping their hands together, the human boy blinking and asking, "What are you doing?" Sawk holding up a hand to shush him before opening his eyes and saying, "I know where they went," Throh nodding and getting up, saying, "Let's go," the two taking off from the alleyway.

As it just so happened, Throh and Sawk had somewhat of a spiritual connection to the world around them. However, it was limited to whatever was close and they could only focus on one thing at a time. In fact, they were simply following the energy patterns of one of the perpetrators, going in with the assumption that the other three were with her. It was fortunate that their assumption was correct.

As for where the cloaked figures had gone, they were currently at a local train station. Not a subway station where the bullet trains ran but the kind for freight trains. Why they chose this particular means of travel was anyone's guess, though it could have been due to the fact that subways were much more popular these days making them less likely to get caught here.

"Where is he?" one of them whined, starting to move her body as a means of overpowering her impatience.

Another simply shrugged and replied, "He'll get here when he gets here. Calm down," the one who had knocked out the boy adding, "She is correct. We need to be patient. After all, that boy has no clue where we went, so even if he does find help, he won't be of much use."

Soon enough, a freight train came by, the criminals smiling under their cloaks. It seemed their ride was finally here.

The conductor poked his head out and said, "Hey, guys, your ride is here, though don't forget how much you owe me. I feel like I shouldn't be doing this," the cloaked girls simply nodding and handing him a box, this one with actual money in it instead of just another trick before getting onto the train.

However, as the vehicle started up, Throh and Sawk had arrived just in time as the two nodded at each-other and leaped onto one of the box cars. Luckily, trains started up slowly enough for this not to be too dangerous, though now they would surely have to be careful.

"Well, we're in the clear," one of the cloaked figures said as another took a deep breath, sighing, "Finally. I don't have to wear this cloak anymore," the strangers all removing them to reveal their true forms, and sure enough, they were not human.

One was a tan-coloured boxer with five blunt protrusions coming out of her head. She wore a purple tunic and kilt. Her shoulders had pieces of skin that resembled shoulder pads covering them. Her name was Hitmonchan.

The second one had more of an ovoid body and no visible mouth. His head actually blended with his body quite well. His body was mostly brown but his arms and legs were white and slightly resembled human spines. With three fingers on each hand and three claws on his feet, this was Hitmonlee.

The third looked a tad more human-like than Hitmonlee but not quite as much as Hitmonchan. Her torso was shaped more like a perfect sphere and her eyes were black dots with little white ones in the middle. Her legs were incredibly skinny and her feet and hands were also spheres, though her feet had flat spots on the bottom so she could stand. Each foot had two claws on the front and one claw on the back. She also had a long tail with a blue sphere on the end of it with a spike sticking up out of it. She had a spike atop her head and flaps of skin hanging off the sides that resembled hair. Her name was Hitmontop.

The last member of the group looked a lot different from the other three. She looked more like a yoga instructor than a fighter as she wore puffy red pants with yellow dots on the knee areas. The rest of her body was grey and skinny save for the top of her head which had a red head piece on it with three bulb-like extensions coming out. With small pink lips that seemed to be permanently puckered, her name was Medicham.

"I never thought we'd get to take those off," Hitmontop sighed, using her tail like a stool and using the spike to stay balanced, Hitmonchan nodding and saying, "I hate to say it, but I agree. It was very hot in those things," Hitmonlee remarking, "If you ask me, you two are just a couple of babies."

The two glared at him as Hitmonchan pointed her fist at his face, saying, "Just because you're our brother doesn't mean we'll let you talk about us that way!"

Hitmonlee narrowed his eyelids and struck a fighting pose only for Hitmontop to spread her legs out. She then spun like a top and got between the two, sending both back a little bit by kicking them each in the gut.

"Stop it!" the girl snapped, "Why do you always have to fight when we're not under cover!?" the two sighing, "I'm sorry."

Medicham rolled her eyes and said, "Thank you, Hitmontop. We need to cooperate if we're going to pull this off," the woman holding up the mask and adding, "We'll be renowned far and wide once we pull this off. We could be regarded as the greatest villains of the new generation."

"Damn straight," Hitmonlee said with a chuckle, "This is gonna be awesome," Medicham's eyes widening as she held up her hand, saying, "Wait, I feel something."

"Is it a bowel movement?" Hitmonchan asked, Hitmontop saying, "Nice," the two giving each-other a high five as Medicham sighed, "No, there's someone else on this train, and they're on top of the cars. I want two of you to go and see who it is."

Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan looked at one-another and nodded, Hitmonlee poking his head out of an open window and grabbing onto the wall of the train. Hitmonchan then grabbed his legs as her brother flipped upward, propelling her onto the roof before landing against it.

However, it appeared no one was here as Hitmonchan suggested, "They're probably on one of the other cars."

The two ran along the roof and leaped into one of basket cars, the ones that did not have walls or doors for their cargo. Since the train was not being used to transport goods, it was empty so they could walk around on it.

Once again, it appeared no one was here as the two were about to head for another one only for Sawk to suddenly come up from behind one of the sides and send a hard kick into Hitmonchan's cheek, sending her flying off of the train. Before Hitmonlee could respond, Throh came out of hiding as well as he wrapped his arms around the boy from behind and tossed him backwards, sending him careening off the side.

"That was a little too easy," Throh said with a sigh before shrugging and adding, "but at least we took care of two of them. Let's find the others."

But just as the brothers were about to do so, their eyes widened when Hitmonlee performed an incredible jump that was strong enough to help him catch up with the train while holding Hitmonchan's arm. However, while the two had easily gotten back on, they still breathed a sigh of relief after doing so. Clearly, despite their cool attitude, they were a tad frightened after being sent off of a moving train like that.

"I have no idea who you two are, but you are going to pay for that!" Hitmonlee spat, Hitmonchan nodding and adding, "Yeah, you have no idea who you're messing with," before smiling at Sawk and adding, "Though I'll admit, that foot of yours does have a nice roughness to it," Sawk and Hitmonlee staring at the girl as her brother uttered, "I wish I could unhear that."

"Oh, shut up!" Hitmonchan retorted, "You're just jealous!" Hitmonlee remarking, "What are you implying!?" the girl blinking and uttering, "I just realized how awkward that sounded. Sorry," Throh and Sawk staring silently as the two villains regained focus and turned their attention back to them.

"State your names!" Sawk exclaimed, holding a fighter's stance, "I prefer to know the names of my opponents before I face them in a true fight."

Hitmonlee shrugged and replied, "He may not have asked nicely, but I like that he at least thought about it, so I think they deserve to know," the boy then sending a few high kicks to the air before stating, "I am Hitmonlee!"

Hitmonchan proceeded to punch the air a couple of times before striking a cute pose and winking at Sawk, adding, "I'm Hitmonchan."

Sawk winced as Throh nudged him, laughing deviously and whispering, "She's totally coming onto you, bro," the blue fighter groaning, "Thanks, but I already caught onto that."

Even so, the karate master shook his head and said, "We are twin brothers. I am Sawk," Throh adding, "And I am Throh!" both stating together, "And with our combined powers, we will stop whatever it is you're planning!"

Hitmonchan simply blew a kiss at Sawk before adding, "I love a man of action," Hitmonlee remarking, "Seriously, stop it! You're freaking me out!" Hitmonchan sighing, "Alas, you are right. I'll take the red one instead," the brother sighing, "Thank you."

With that, the two rushed at Throh and Sawk only for the brothers to unleash their counterattacks. However, when Sawk sent out a karate chop, Hitmonlee easily blocked it with his leg, the leg taking in no pain whatsoever almost as if it really was made of bones. In fact, the force of his leg was so strong that it was enough to knock Sawk on his back.

Throh attempted to grab Hitmonchan only for the girl to back away when he closed his arms inward, taking full advantage of this and sending a hard punch to his face. She did not let it end there as she sent multiple punches at an incredible speed.

However, there was no way the twin brothers were going to allow themselves to let the criminals get away. With that in mind, Sawk simply ignored the pain dealt by Hitmonlee's kick and rolled to the side, lowering himself into a crouching position. After that, he hit Hitmonlee's ankle with a sweep kick. Due to the strength of Hitmonlee's leg, this was not enough to knock him down but it was certainly painful enough to distract him.

Sawk took full advantage of this as cupped his hands together and sent a hard karate chop to his midsection with both hands, shouting, "BRICK BREAK!" Hitmonlee flying back a bit with his eyes wide open.

All the while, Throh eventually caught onto Hitmonchan's pattern and blocked two incoming punches before holding her close. With that, he leaped into the air, spinning himself like a ball before shouting, "ROLLING DROP!" sending the girl's head hard into the surface.

However, just as it seemed the two had won, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan easily recovered as the brother took a deep breath, saying, "Not bad, but I've faced better," Hitmonchan groaning, "That disgusting red thing touched me."

Throh felt rather offended by this as Hitmonlee sighed, "And if the blue guy had done it, you would have enjoyed it, right?" the girl batting her eyelashes innocently at her brother as he face-palmed.

However, he quickly returned his focus to the fight before leaping toward Sawk. Once again, the boy prepared himself to counter as instead of trying to block him, knowing what happened last time, he swerved to the right. However, Hitmonlee saw this coming as he sent a roundhouse kick into the side of his head before wrapping his legs around the boy's head, leaning backward and slamming his skull hard into the surface with a frankensteiner.

Throh all the while rushed at Hitmonchan with his arms at the ready only for the girl to block his hands with her fists, her gloves bursting into flame as she spat, "FIRE PUNCH!" This burned Throh's hands as he reeled them back, blowing on them as the girl took full advantage of this, punching him hard in the face with her burning fists and sending him back.

After that, Hitmonlee's foot was now covered in a blue aura as he said, "Time to deal with these pests," Hitmonchan nodding as she focused her energy, increasing the size of her fist to twice the size of her head, saying, "I'll miss you, Sawk," blowing him a kiss with her other hand.

With that, Hitmonlee leapt at Sawk, shouting, "MEGA KICK!" Hitmonchan barking, "MACH PUNCH!" and sending her fist at Throh, both brothers quickly finding themselves on the receiving end of each attack. Needless to say, this was more than enough to send them careening them off the side of the train, both falling hard against the ground while the transportation vessel was soon out of their point of view.

It would not have mattered if it was still close, though, as the two were too weak to pursue them. Luckily, they still had enough strength to move a little bit, and Sawk took full advantage of this as he whipped out a cellphone, taking a deep breath. He knew he could only make long-distance calls for emergencies, and this was certainly one of those.

The call in question was geared toward Hero Planet, mainly the office of Weedle. As it just so happened, Riolu had given everyone his number before sending them off in case they needed to contact him about something, and this was certainly one of those cases. Unfortunately, Throh and Sawk were among the few who actually kept the piece of paper they were given as most students just assumed a folded up sheet from a teacher was something to remind them of their duties.

It was rather fortunate that Weedle was just finishing up some paperwork at the moment. One second sooner and he would have been headed home already. But since he was here, he quickly answered the call, asking, "Who is this?"

"Mister Weedle, sir, it's Sawk," the boy replied as Weedle replied, "Oh, one of the top students from the first semester. What's the good word?" Sawk sighing, "I wish it was good. Unfortunately, a band of criminals just escaped from Osaka after stealing something precious from the museum," the boy not wanting to rat out the human who had handed it over.

"Well, why should that matter to me?" Weedle asked as Sawk replied, "Because it was something a hero donated there ages ago, the mask of Giratina," the caterpillar's eyes widening as he went silent, Sawk asking, "Are you still there?" Weedle shaking his head and replying, "Yes, yes I am. Do you know where they're headed?"

Sawk nodded and replied, "From what I can tell, it looks like they took the tracks leading to Tokyo, and from my research, they should be there by morning."

Weedle let out a sigh and thought, 'Great, I have to call upon them again,' before replying, "Don't worry about a thing. I'll handle this. You and your brother have done a good thing telling me."

With that, the caterpillar hung up and took a deep breath, thinking, 'Alright, you can do this. You finally have a chance to do something right as chairman. Don't let your resentment toward the Mach family ruin that.'

And with that, he sent a phone message to Aipom telling her of this, hoping she would get the message soon. Not only that, though, but he also arranged a meeting the following morning about this. After all, to have the mask of Giratina stolen was not something to take lightly, but why? How could the forces of evil benefit from having the mask of someone who was dead? Whatever the case, this could only spell trouble.

 

After Throh and Sawk had failed the previous night, they had at least done the right thing and let Hero Planet's government know what was happening. Normally, a villain running loose would not be something the government would get involved with as their kids were clearly more fit to fight these battles, but to have Giratina's mask stolen was a whole other issue, but why? What could one possibly do with an old mask? It was not as if anyone who wore it got super powers or anything like that.

Even so, this was certainly urgent enough for Weedle to wake everyone working in the school up early for a meeting. While everyone was filled in on the mask being stolen, no one could imagine how this was possible.

"Apparently, a group of criminals broke into the Osaka museum and stole the mask," Weedle stated as Riolu rose his hand, asking, "Where did you just say they got it from?" the caterpillar replying, "The Osaka Museum. Sorry, did I say that too quietly?"

"Well, no," Infernape replied, "We just wanted to make sure we heard that correctly. Why would it have been in an Earth museum?" Weedle blinking and looking around, noticing more looks of confusion and asking, "Wait, are you telling me nobody here knew the mask of Giratina of all demons was in the Osaka Museum?"

Everyone shrugged as the pangolin, Sandshrew rose his hand and asked, "But why would it be in a museum?" Weedle replying, "Geez, I thought everyone had heard this story. Look, when Giratina was destroyed, the government took the mask and decided to preserve it in memory of the demon's defeat at the hands of Arceus. So they had it displayed in a museum, and Osaka just happened to want it the most."

"So let me get this straight," a scorpion named Drapion said, "Instead of locking it away on Hero Planet or, say, trying to destroy the mask, they put it up for display in a building lots of people go to," Weedle nodding before sighing, "Now that you mention it, that sounds unbelievably stupid."

"Yeah, no kidding," a panda named Pangoro said while folding her arms, "I'm just amazed no one stole it beforehand," Greninja nodding and replying, "Indeed, that is a very sound point."

Everyone in the area now talked amongst themselves about this as Weedle sighed, "Well, I'm just hoping Tokyo's heroes can stop this. For the time being, though, I want a paper sent all around the world to let people know of this threat. If these criminals can find something to do with that mask, we'll need the citizens to be ready."

A magnetic cyborg named Magnezone and a vulture named Mandibuzz both gave Weedle an army salute before taking off to take care of their business. However, Riolu did not feel completely comfortable with this as he asked, "Are you sure we shouldn't go and help them?"

Weedle let out a sigh and replied, "You know we have to make sure the new generation is ready," the dog taking a deep breath and replying, "I hope you really know what you're doing, sir," before getting up and taking his leave.

After he did so, the caterpillar sighed once more and grumbled, "Me too, Riolu, me too," before pulling out a phone book and thinking, 'What would you do in this situation, Ambipom? I could use your advice right now.'

Once the sun started to rise, the train was getting close to Tokyo, a little less than an hour away in fact. They of course had no intention of stopping here, though where they were headed was anyone's guess.

Luckily, this was around the time Aipom had received the phone message regarding this, her eyes going wide as she quickly woke up Machoke and called up Gardevoir, Gallade and Blaziken. Thankfully, the message did include what time the train was likely to arrive at, so Aipom knew just when to get there.

And with that, they had gotten Keiko to come around and pick them up, Aipom rushing into the car while Machoke was trying to get his clothes on fast enough to keep up. It was not long until they were off, Aipom sighing, "I hope the others can catch up with us," Machoke laughing nervously and replying, "You know, they don't have cars either."

Luckily, all three were generally faster than Machoke, so it was easier for them to just run to the station. Granted, they were no match for a car but they did have distance on their side as their homes were a lot closer. And as luck would have it, they all managed to make it just five minutes before the hour was up.

All four heroes were breathing heavily as Blaziken turned to Machoke, asking, "Why are you exhausted? You got a ride," Machoke remarking, "I was restless the whole trip!" Gallade saying, "Honestly, I can't blame him."

With that, the four stood there as Aipom said, "Alright, the train should be coming by any time now. You guys ready?" Machoke nodding and saying, "Yeah, when it comes by, we all jump," Blaziken asking, "You sure you can handle that?" Gardevoir trembling and whimpering, "I'm not so sure I can."

"It's okay," Machoke replied with a warm smile, placing an arm on the girl's shoulder and adding, "We've dealt with far worse here on Earth, and your movements are among the most graceful I've seen. I know you can handle it."

The girl smiled lightly and blushed before nodding her head, saying, "Right, thank you, Machoke," Aipom tapping them each on the shoulder and saying, "Focus. For all we know, it might come early."

As soon as she said that, Gallade's eyes widened as he asked, "What if it already came early?" all going silent as the group gulped, really hoping Gallade's assumption was wrong. That was certainly a possibility. After all, they had cut it really close with their arrival time.

Right now, they could not just assume something like that had happened and try to pursue the train. With less than four minutes left before its scheduled arrival, all they could do was wait and see if it would show.

Thankfully, the train had not yet arrived as the four fighters awoke from a good night's sleep, Hitmonchan asking, "Are we there yet?" Hitmonlee rolling his eyes and remarking, "You know it's gonna be a while," Medicham nodding and saying, "That's right. We need to be patient."

"Besides, who's gonna stop us?" Hitmontop added with a grin, "Those guys from yesterday were a joke!" Hitmonchan letting out a sigh and resting her chin against her palm, a dream-like smile on her face.

"Oh my god, are you STILL thinking about him?" Hitmonlee asked as Hitmonchan glared at him, remarking, "So what if I am!? What's wrong with being in love!"

Her brother fumed and retorted, "First of all, that's not love! It's infatuation! Secondly, he's the enemy!" Hitmonchan snapping, "You wouldn't understand love if it bit you in the face because all you ever care about is bashing people's heads in!"

Just as the two were about to battle it out, Hitmontop leapt between them and held out her feet, shouting, "No, you are not going to start another fight!" Medicham trying her best to remain calm. Now she was really starting to wonder if allying herself with these three was worth it.

At this moment, the train was finally approaching the station as Aipom pointed her tail finger at it stating, "Guys, it's here," Blaziken squinting her eyes at it and saying, "Well, it's not transporting cargo, so it might be the right train."

Either way, the five had no time to contemplate whether or not this was the train the criminals were riding as they leapt toward it once it was close enough. It was frightening jumping at a speeding train, but they managed to pull it off all the same as they managed to grab hold of a ladder, climbing onto the roof.

"Well, that wasn't too bad," Blaziken said, turning to the others before her eyes widened, Gardevoir blinking and squeaking, "What's wrong!?" Gallade looking around and asking, "Um, where's Machoke?"

"What do you mean?" Aipom asked before noticing he was gone, everyone gasping as Machoke had missed the ladder and ended up being hit by the boxcar behind it. Luckily, he had not been sent flying off of it as he barely managed to grab onto the side, now holding on for dear life, a few signs scraping up against his back as he winced in pain.

Soon enough, the boy was on the roof with his friends as Aipom bonked him over the head, saying, "Don't scare us like that," Machoke rubbing his head and grumbling curses under his breath. At the very least, phase one was complete.

Of course, just like when Throh and Sawk had arrived, Medicham almost instantly detected it as Hitmonchan asked, "Oh my god, did someone actually find us?" Medicham replying, "Five this time. We might all need to get involved," Hitmonlee sighing, "It just couldn't be easy for us, could it?"

With that, all four exited their boxcar so they could get onto the roof, and just like Throh and Sawk, the heroes were currently on one of the boxcars that did not have walls or a roof. Though unlike the two fighters, they were not hiding in wait.

"Well, at least they're not going for the element of surprise," Hitmonchan whispered to the others, Hitmontop replying, "and only four of them look like actual fighters," Medicham sighing, "We should just hurry up and strike while they're unaware of our presence."

However, before they could try the element of surprise themselves, Blaziken spotted them and pointed, shouting, "THERE THEY ARE!" the others turning as the four villains simply leapt onto the current boxcar, Medicham saying, "You did a good job spotting us."

Machoke simply blinked and said, "Hey, they're mostly girls," Gallade asking, "Is there a problem with that?" the boy shaking his head and replying, "No. It's just that every villain we've faced up to this point has been a guy. I was just surprised."

Hitmonchan's eyes then widened when she gazed upon Gallade. Suddenly, all feelings she had for Sawk were gone as now she was imagining running through a field of flowers with Gallade. A big heavenly smile and blush marks formed on her face as Hitmonlee face-palmed.

During this time, Weedle had just finished a call with Ambipom as the monkey said, "Just have faith in them. I'm sure everything will turn out okay. After all, my daughter is training one of them," Weedle sighing, "Yes, I know," both saying their goodbyes before hanging up.

The caterpillar let out a sigh and thought, 'Please don't let me down, guys,' when suddenly, his phone started ringing. The bug blinked and picked it up, saying, "Hello, Weedle's office."

"I want you to tell me something," came a familiar voice as Weedle asked, "Is that you, Tyrogue? Wow, someone else actually kept my phone number on them."

Tyrogue, who was currently stationed in Sapporo, took a deep breath and asked, "I have to know if this news article I just read is true," Weedle asking, "You mean the one about the mask?" the fighter replying, "Yeah, that one. It says two of the culprits have been identified at Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee, right?"

"Oh yeah," Weedle replied, "I've been so stressed by the news I haven't had time to check. Should I know who they are?"

Tyrogue let out a sigh and remarked, "No, never mind, it's none of your concern. I just wanted to be certain of this," the caterpillar blinking before replying, "Okay," Tyrogue hanging up.

Next to the boy was a kiwi bird with three heads and two long green feathers atop each one that resembled leaves. The bird looked at Tyrogue while the right head asked in a female voice, "So, is it them?" Tyrogue nodding and sighing, "I still can't believe my own siblings would be responsible for this. I just hope Hitmontop hasn't turned to the dark side too."

The left head replied in a slightly deeper feminine voice, "Do you think we should go after them?" the middle head replying in a male voice, "I'm up to the challenge," Tyrogue taking a deep breath and asking, "How fast can you three run again?"

Back on the train, Aipom frowned at the villains before her and spat, "What do you plan on doing with Giratina's mask!? Explain yourselves!" Medicham taking a deep breath and replying, "We do not have to answer to you."

"I guess it doesn't really matter cause we're gonna take it back!" Blaziken exclaimed, racing forward only for Hitmonlee to leap at her, sending his leg forward for a roundhouse. The chicken immediately sent her own foot forward to block the incoming hit, her eyes widening when she actually felt a light pain from it, almost like his leg was actually made of solid bones.

Gardevoir bit her lip, hoping for the best only for Hitmonlee to take full advantage of Blaziken's pain. He lowered the leg he had used for his attack and lifted up the other one, sending it into the side of the chicken's head.

Blaziken grunted, rubbing her cheek and growling, "Alright, you asked for it, buddy!" sending a series of punches toward Hitmonlee as the fighter stood on his hands while blocking the incoming fists with his feet.

While this went on, Gallade rushed toward the others, exclaiming, "I don't care if you're girls or not! I'm not going easy on you!" Hitmonchan wincing, too afraid to attack the boy as Hitmontop got in the way, now balancing on her head spike and spinning herself around, shouting, "TRIPLE KICK!" sending an onslaught of kicks into his midsection and sending him flying backwards, the boy groaning as he skidded across the surface.

Gardevoir gasped and squeaked, "I won't let you get away with that!" the girl rushing toward Hitmontop as she started spinning again. Gardevoir attempted to dodge but ended up taking a hard kick to her side, backing up and holding the spot when Hitmonchan sent a hard punch into her face while she was distracted.

Machoke growled and spat, "HEY, DON'T FORGET ABOUT ME!" Medicham racing toward him and saying, "I haven't," Aipom shouting, "MACHOKE, LOOK OUT!" the boy holding up a defensive stance only to receive a hard karate chop to his side.

His eyes widened as Medicham got behind him, sending a hard palm punch into his back. Machoke could not believe how much these two hits hurt. He had dealt with far worse and yet Medicham was already making him feel weak, and it did not stop there as the woman proceeded to hit him more in various different parts, this time using her finger like a fist.

And to make matters worse, the others were not fairing any better. Blaziken's punches eventually stopped when Hitmonlee wrapped his arms around her wrists, lifting her high into the air before repositioning his legs so they were wrapped around her waist. After that, he flipped her upside-down and slammed her head into the canvas. The chicken could not believe that she was losing so easily to a guy who only used his feet for combat.

Gardevoir was now fighting Hitmonchan and not fairing particularly well. Every time she blocked one of the girl's punches, she would receive a hook punch to her cheek. She could not believe this. Up until now, her training had made her better in combat and yet she was performing horribly right now.

Hitmontop was back to fighting Gallade as she spun toward him, Gallade sighing, "Alright, time to use a move I picked up from watching Bisharp. I don't know if it's as good, but I know I can pull it off," the boy standing on one tip-toe and spinning around with his arms folded, shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!"

With that, he actually managed to counter Hitmontop's attack as the might of his blades was enough to send her flying. However, she quickly stopped herself from taking in pain by once again using her tail as a stool, the girl spinning once again only now she was right-side-up.

Unfortunately, Gallade did not seem ready to use this new technique of his as he became dizzy after a few more seconds, leaving him wide open for another onslaught of kicks. Needless to say, this did not look good.

Aipom stared at this in horror as Machoke fumed, grunting, "Don't you worry, Aipom! I'm gonna make sure these convicts don't win!" only to receive another hit from Medicham's finger as he coughed up blood, falling to his knees as she sighed, "I'm hitting all of your pressure points. It is going to be hard to ignore that."

However, Machoke gritted his teeth and as she sent another finger punch forward, this time grabbing her wrist as she gasped in shock, the boy shouting, "I SAID I'M GONNA MAKE SURE YOU CONVICTS DON'T WIN!" the boy flinging her toward Hitmonchan, the girl too busy punching Gardevoir to notice this as her eyes widened, Medicham hitting the back of her head.

Hitmonlee noticed this and spat, "HITMONCHAN!" only for Blaziken to take full advantage of this, the chicken grabbing hold of his ankle and pulling on it. This caused him to fall on his face as she wrapped her arms and legs around his leg, twisting it as he cried out in pain.

Even Hitmontop was distracted long enough for Gallade to force her back with his blade arms, sending her spinning into the side of the car and causing her to stop as her eyes started to swirl. Things may have looked bad at first, but thanks to Machoke, things were finally starting to look up.

Even Gardevoir took full advantage of this chance, the girl sending a series of smacks to Hitmonchan as the girl backed up, rubbing her face and groaning, "Wow, who knew slaps could hurt so much?"

Medicham took a deep breath, glaring at Machoke and saying, "You are not the average hero. Not many can just recover from that many finger punches so easily. Who are you?"

The boy folded his arms and smirked before remarking, "Wow, you're the first non-human not to recognize me upon first glance," the three villains staring in shock, Hitmonlee too surprised by these words to care about the pain he was taking in now.

Aipom nodded and stated, "For your information, this boy you see before you is Machoke, son of Machamp!" all going silent as Medicham uttered, "I can't believe I didn't see it, the family resemblance," Hitmonchan adding, "That's right, the ridges on his head," Hitmonlee adding, "That build," Hitmontop saying, "All that's missing is the extra arms and the fish lips, but yes, I see it now."

However, while every other villain up to this point had actually wanted to fight Machoke, these four gave rather mixed reactions. Hitmonchan looked terrified to go up against him while Hitmontop was unsure of whether to consider this a great honour or a huge hindrance. Hitmonlee was still on the receiving end of Blaziken's attack, but even if he could fight back, he was unsure of what would happen.

However, the only one who did not seem frightened was Medicham, the woman taking a deep breath and saying, "I never dreamt I would face someone of your calibre. I will not hold back anymore," Machoke remarking, "YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE YOU WERE HOLDING BACK BEFORE!?"

Seeing Medicham feeling so confident gave Hitmonlee a burst of confidence as well as he rose his free leg, ignoring the extra pain this dealt as Blaziken's eyes widened. She was unable to respond as the boy sent his foot into her ribcage, the chicken crying out in pain and releasing her hold when Hitmonlee stood on his hands again, this time wrapping his legs around her neck and shouting, "HITMONCHAN, I'M GETTING READY FOR OUR ULTIMATE FINISHER!"

The boxer nodded and replied, "Of course!" Gardevoir frowning and squeaking, "NO!" dodging an incoming punch only to receive a hook to her side, Hitmonchan wrapping her arms around her and saying, "Now, I don't normally use moves like this, but I need to for this attack to work."

Before Gallade could rush in and help his sister, Hitmontop used her tail to propel herself over his head, latching her legs around his neck and planting her tail spike into his back, shouting, "SCORPION ROLLER!" spinning her body around thus doing the same to Gallade's, the girl slamming his face hard into the mat multiple times before he was out cold.

Gardevoir and Blaziken's eyes widened, but their shock did not last long. Hitmonlee lifted Blaziken up for a frankensteiner while Hitmonchan set up Gardevoir for a Suplex, the two siblings shouting, "JUDO BOXING!" slamming both their heads into one-another and dealing incredible pain as both coughed up blood.

Machoke wanted to rush in and help but Medicham was currently keeping him busy as she sent a palm punch into his face. However, the boy refused to let this get to him as he ignored the pain, grabbing her wrist and twisting it. Medicham winced in pain but did her best to ignore this, ramming her free palm into his chest and causing him to cough up a small amount of blood.

"I must admit, your endurance is admirable, but I still expected better from the son of the greatest fighter of his time," Medicham stated before leaping at him with her foot out, sending a hard kick into his gut. She kept her foot there and latched her other leg around his right arm before placing a firm grip with both hands on his left arm.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as the martial artist leaned backward, pulling on his arms and shouting, "TURNOVER SLAM!" placing her back against the floor while lifting Machoke over her head, twisting his arms before slamming his head hard into the surface.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as Aipom screeched, "YOU'VE DEALT WITH WORSE! GET UP, MACHOKE!"

However, none of the four heroes were able to get up. In a shocking turn of events, everyone, even Machoke had lost to these four strangers.

With that, Aipom bit her lower lip as Hitmonchan smiled, asking, "What should we do with the monkey?" the monkey getting on the defensive and forming a fist with her tail, Medicham taking a deep breath and running her finger into her back. This was more than enough for Aipom to cough up blood and fall hard on her face, now out cold.

With that, Machoke and the others were tossed off of the side of the train, all of them still too hurt to move. Unfortunately, Aipom had not joined them. She had been taken as a prisoner, Medicham saying, "Just think of how famous we'll be when everyone discovers the mighty Machoke lost to us," all four criminals laughing wickedly while the train was long gone now.

 

This was truly a dark day for the world. Despite their best efforts, the heroes of Tokyo had actually failed to defeat someone. Worst of all, Aipom had been kidnapped yet again only this time, it did not look like Machoke would be able to save her.

However, not all hope was lost as Tyrogue was currently riding on his kiwi friend, Dodrio, as they were sprinting toward the opposite direction that the train was headed. Dodrio was shockingly fast, actually having travelled a really long distance in less than an hour. They were currently closing in on Aomori and showed no signs of stopping.

Tyrogue took a deep breath and said, "Apparently, they passed by Tokyo quite some time ago. How long do you think it'll take us to run into them?" Dodrio's right head replying, "It should only take a little over an hour I think," the middle head remarking, "Are you underestimating our speed? We can get there faster than that!" the left head sighing, "Brother, you're getting ahead of yourself," the middle head retorting, "Oy! I heard that!"

"Actually, I am hoping you three can go faster," Tyrogue replied, "I need to talk to my siblings about this. This makes no sense."

"Hey, not every family member's on the same page," the right head replied, "After all, Lucario was originally a bad guy, remember?" Tyrogue remarking, "You don't understand, Dodrio. We may not have taken classes together, but I know for a fact that my older siblings would never dream of going down this route."

He started telling the kiwi of a time when Tyrogue was four. His siblings always looked out for him and loved him like older siblings should have. They had conflicts and arguments every now and then, but those were always resolved quickly. One could say their family was more manageable than most families of six.

One day, just before Tyrogue's birthday, Hitmontop, still the most reasonable of the siblings even back then at the age of five, called her brothers and sister together for a meeting. Whenever she called a meeting, it was always for something important, such as making their parents nice birthday cards or other such things, but this time the subject was what Tyrogue considered the most important of all.

"As you know, our mommy and daddy used to be big heroes," Hitmontop stated, "I think we should be like them and help people," Hitmonlee nodding and replying, "Yeah, heroes get to do all sorts of cool stuff like saving damsels in distress," everyone looking at him as he asked, "What is a damsel in distress anyway?"

Hitmonchan simply smiled and said, "Well, I like helping people, so that sounds like fun," Tyrogue's eyes sparkling as he nodded and replied, "Yeah, we'll be important just like Mommy and Daddy and the world will love us."

Hitmontop nodded and replied, "It's settled, then! When we grow up, we will be heroes!" the kids bumping their fists together with big smiles on their faces.

This probably would not have meant quite as much to Tyrogue if not for the fact that they kept that vow for years to come. Every so often, they would repeat this vow to each-other, even taking steps to becoming heroes.

Hitmonlee, for instance, often protected first graders from bullies at the age of eight, some of these bullies being in grade six no less. Hitmonchan signed up to be a crossing guard at the age of nine. But the most hard-working of them all was Hitmontop who not only helped out students in any way she could but, at the young age of seven, volunteered to help out at old folks homes.

Tyrogue always felt so inspired that he would do a variety of helpful activities as well, mostly trying to follow in his brother's footsteps. All-in-all, the Hitmon family seemed like perfect aspiring heroes, always putting others ahead of themselves and even training hard. And they would always repeat the same vow that they would all one day follow in the footsteps of their parents.

"Oh my god, that is so sweet," the right head sniffed, tears in her eyes as the left head smiled, saying, "Sounds like you guys were just the most wonderful children, aye?" the middle head adding, "Your brother's cool."

"That's why I can't wrap my head around this," Tyrogue replied, "Why after sticking to such a vow for so many years would they turn evil? And to think Hitmontop is working with them! She was always the voice of reason! This pisses me off so much!"

"Well," the left head enquired, "were they acting weird before you started your training on Hero Planet?" Tyrogue shaking his head and replying, "No. In fact, they were jealous that I was the only one in my family going. They wished they could have been accepted for the first semester too."

"It sounds to me like something's up," the middle head stated, "People that good don't turn rogue overnight if you know what I mean," Tyrogue nodding and replying, "That's why I need to see them as soon as possible. I need to get to the bottom of this."

During this time, Machoke and the others had finally recovered as Machoke said, "Hey, the pain's gone," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Yeah, it's almost like we didn't just get beaten," Gallade sighing, "But it doesn't change the fact that we did," Gardevoir letting down tears and sniffing, feeling so helpless right now.

Machoke panicked and protested, "Don't cry, Gardevoir! We can still do this, right, Aipom?" the boy looking around and noticing Aipom was not there, a look of sheer terror in his eyes as he spat, "OH, SHIT, THEY TOOK AIPOM!"

The others were in total panic as well. Worst of all, they were not even sure how they could catch up now. There was no form of travel they could rely on for fast transportation and they had no clue where the quartet was headed. What could they possibly do?

"Well, maybe someone else can stop them," Blaziken replied as Machoke groaned, "I wanna be the one to save Aipom, though," tears in his eyes as Gardevoir whimpered, "I didn't even get to use my power. They actually took me out before it activated."

Gallade patted his sister on the shoulder before noticing just how torn up Machoke was. It was truly astounding. He was initially so scared of running into danger and yet now he wanted to be the one challenging the villains to a fight. He really had developed into a true hero.

With that in mind, the boy blinked and said, "Wait, I may not have any ideas, but I think I know who might," whipping out his cellphone and picking someone from his contacts list as he held the phone up to the side of his head.

All the while, Reika was in class when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Her eyes widened as she quickly got up and exclaimed, "I really need to go to the bathroom! It's an emergency!" the teacher blinking and replying, "If it's that bad, you'd better hurry," Reika nodding and taking her leave before whipping out her phone and answering it.

"Hello," Reika said as Machoke took a deep breath, saying, "Thank god. It's so good hearing your voice right now," the girl groaning, "Machoke, seriously? I'm in the middle of class. What if someone walks by and sees me talking on my cellphone right now?"

"I'm sorry, but this is really bad," Machoke replied before explaining the whole situation, Reika's eyes wide with shock as she asked, "Wait, back up, did you say you of all people lost?" Machoke letting out a sigh and replying, "Yes."

"Wow, this is serious," Reika replied as Machoke said, "Yeah, but now we know how they fight. We figure we could probably take them if we fought them again but, well, they took off on a train. I have no idea how we could possibly catch up with them."

The girl thought about this and replied, "Unfortunately, I'm not sure either," the others groaning as the girl fidgeted and uttered, "Don't think that means it's hopeless or anything. Don't want you guys losing faith," laughing nervously.

Blaziken thought about a method and noticed they had been knocked off while passing by a farm, her eyes going wide as she tapped Machoke on the shoulder, saying, "I just found us a solution to our problem."

Soon enough, all four were riding on the backs of horses with Machoke's deliberately running too fast for him as he struggled to stay on, shouting, "ARE YOU SURE THIS IS THE BEST METHOD!?" Gardevoir squealing, "I KEEP FORGETTING YOU USED TO BE A FARM GIRL!" Blaziken laughing, "I know! Isn't this great!?"

All the while, the train had gotten rather far as Hitmonlee took a deep breath, sighing, "As fun as it is busting heads in and all that, I'm really hoping no one else tries to stop us. I was kinda hoping for a safer trip, you know?" Medicham replying, "Well, let's hope no one else knows about us and our plan."

All the while, Hitmonchan was looking out the window and sighing as Hitmonlee groaned, "Oh god, here she goes again," the boxer saying in a dream-like tone, "Oh, Gallade, someday we'll meet again and run away into the sunset."

Hitmontop rolled her eyes and said, "Still, that was kind of disappointing. I thought for sure Machoke and his allies would put up a better fight. I mean, I heard Machoke defeated Talonflame," Medicham nodding and sighing, "Honestly, I'm not too surprised. Talonflame may be strong, but he's also hardheaded. It was only a matter of time until someone defeated him. This just further proves that brute strength has nothing on actual strategy."

"Yeah, we're smart and know how to use our strength, right?" Hitmonlee replied with a thumb up as Hitmontop replied, "You said it, bro," the two giving each-other a high five.

However, Medicham noticed yet another presence nearby, only this one was not on the train. But who could it be? They were not set to come to another station for another three hours, so no one could have jumped on, right?

Well, as it just so happened, Dodrio had managed to exceed their limit as they had covered more ground than initially predicted and yet somehow had barely broken a sweat from all the running. This was made possible by the fact that Tyrogue had bought them a soda pop cap and put water bottles in the pouches, giving the birds easy access to a big water supply for the trip. It seemed that was more than enough to keep them from running out of energy.

"You think that's the train?" Tyrogue asked as the middle head smirked, saying, "Only one way to find out," the kiwi leaping high into the air before landing on top of the front car, the conductor panicking as he accidentally slammed on the break, the train screeching to a halt.

Medicham glared at the man as he laughed nervously, saying, "Sorry, my bad," Hitmonchan groaning, "Dammit. Guess we may as well see who it is."

The conductor took a deep breath and asked, "Should I start up the train again?" Hitmontop replying, "It's okay. You just had a big scare. You take it easy for a few minutes," the man's eyes sparkling as he replied, "You're an angel."

With that, he decided to take a short nap when the group was just about to climb up onto the roof again. However, Tyrogue decided to spare them the trouble as he took advantage of the train having stopped, leaping off of the train and climbing into the car through the open window, Dodrio joining him.

The members of the Hitmon family were naturally shocked to see their little brother there. Seeing as they had no idea what area he had been assigned to protect, he was the last person they had expected to see. A part of them figured he would have been sent to a different country, especially what with Japan being the one he grew up in.

"You are a miracle worker," Tyrogue said with a grin, giving Dodrio thumbs up as the right head smiled sweetly, replying, "Oh, you're too kind."

Hitmonchan smiled and exclaimed, "Tyrogue! What are you doing here!?" Hitmontop smacking her on the back of the head and remarking, "Come on, it's obvious why he's here," Hitmonlee not wanting to believe it himself.

Tyrogue nodded and took a deep breath, saying, "Well, your assumption is correct as always, Hitmontop. I've come to stop you," the boy striking a fighter's pose as Medicham asked, "Wait, is he your brother?" the other three nodding as Hitmonlee asked, "How could you tell?" Hitmontop replying, "Honestly, it's not that hard. He does kind of resemble all of us."

Dodrio then turned to him as the left head said, "Ask them your question first," Tyrogue nodding and replying, "Right, I can't believe I almost forgot," the boy sighing, "I need to know something. Why did you join the forces of evil? We spent most of our lives swearing to become heroes, preparing ourselves for the day it would finally happen. What would possess you to toss that aside?"

Hitmonchan gulped and bit her lower lip, rubbing the back of her head and saying, "You know, guys, he has a point. I actually feel kind of bad now," Hitmontop remarking, "Don't let him get to you!"

Tyrogue growled and barked, "And you, Hitmontop! I'm ashamed of you! You were always the most logical thinker in the family! Why the hell would you choose to be evil!?"

Hitmonlee took a deep breath and replied, "You see, Tyrogue, after you were chosen to attend Hero School first while we were left to wait, we got to thinking," Hitmonchan nodding and adding, "Yeah, we grew up thinking heroes would have the right to do all the good things they wanted to, but to see them only select a few certain students for a semester while leaving others out seems kind of unfair."

Hitmontop nodded and stated, "We don't think it's right for them to just decide we can't be heroes without graduating first, and we wanted to fight alongside you!" Tyrogue's eyes widening as the girl added, "It's just, well, if this is considered justice, if this is considered good for mankind, well, I'm not sure if I want a part of that."

Medicham nodded and replied, "That's right. They saw the light and followed it," Tyrogue growling and retorting, "I BET YOU HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS! I'VE NEVER MET YOU BEFORE! I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF YOU WERE THE ONE RESPONSIBLE!" Dodrio's eyes widening as the female heads said, "Whoa, take it easy," the male head remarking, "No, you guys put a sock in it. He's right and you know it," the two sighing, "Yeah, we know."

"You're wrong, Tyrogue," Hitmonchan remarked, "Medicham here had nothing to do with our choice. She simply volunteered to help us as we all had a common goal," Hitmontop sighing, "I'm sorry, Tyrogue, but this is the path we've chosen and if you're going to stand in our way, we will not hesitate to stop you, even if you are our baby brother."

Tyrogue gritted his teeth, growling angrily when Dodrio's right head suddenly noticed a still unconscious Aipom tied up and tucked away in a corner, the kiwi whispering, "Is that who I think it is?" Tyrogue re-directing his attention to the monkey and asking, "What's Aipom doing here?"

"Is that her name?" Hitmonchan asked, Medicham replying, "She came here with Machoke. I could detect an intelligent mind from this one, so I took her with us."

"Wait, so Machoke was here?" Tyrogue asked, Hitmonlee nodding and replying, "Wasn't too much of a challenge, though. He had his allies with him too and we still beat them," Tyrogue's eyes going wide as he took deep breaths. He already knew there was no way for him to win a fight against all three of his siblings, but now it definitely seemed like a lost cause.

However, of all four fighters, Medicham was the one who stepped forward, saying, "You three have already proven your loyalty to me," the rest of the Hitmon family staring at her as she added, "I will face him one-on-one," all three siblings looking at one-another.

Hitmonchan let out a sigh and replied, "Honestly, I would feel a little bad beating on our baby brother," Hitmontop nodding and saying, "Yeah, he's always been so sweet. I felt a little guilty just telling him all that stuff," Hitmonlee saying nothing as Medicham took a deep breath and sported a fighter's stance, saying, "Alright, Tyrogue, show me what you can do."

The boy looked a little relieved now that he only had one opponent. Even if this woman had defeated Machoke, it certainly gave him more of a chance. And with that in mind, he wasted no time rushing toward her.

Before Medicham could even respond, Tyrogue sent a hard punch into her midsection. Sure, it was not quite on the level of one of Hitmonchan's punches, but it still hurt pretty badly as Medicham was distracted.

Tyrogue took full advantage of this by sending a fierce roundhouse kick into her side, thinking, 'While my siblings rely on one fighting style each, I have learned all three from them,' the boy even managing to use Hitmontop's style of fighting by balancing on one foot to spin like a top while delivering multiple kicks with his other foot.

The last kick he dealt sent Medicham back a bit as she barely managed to maintain her balance. Clearly Tyrogue was a lot stronger than she believed. He was not quite as physically strong as his siblings, but he was still tough and knew all of their fighting styles. This certainly made him dangerous.

Dodrio cheered with all three heads, the male shouting, "You rock, Tyrogue!" the boy maintaining his serious look and not letting his current advantage get to his head. Even his siblings had to admit that they were impressed. This was actually the first time they had seen him in a real fight and they had not seen him use all three of their techniques before, not even during sparring matches. Back home, he would normally train by himself so he could focus more.

However, Medicham was not going to let this get her down as she took a deep breath, saying, "I'm impressed, boy, but that's not good enough!" sprinting toward him at a very fast speed. Tyrogue tried to retaliate but did not have enough time as she sent a fierce knee kick into his gut.

The woman did not give him any time to respond to this as she sent an onslaught of finger punches into his chest, his eyes going wide, the boy unable to respond as she shouted, "ACUPRESSURE!" sending one extra powerful finger punch into his gut, causing the boy to cough up blood.

Tyrogue could not believe this. After only a couple of attacks, he was already down on his knees. But there was no way he would let himself be beaten so easily. With that in mind, the boy growled when Medicham grabbed him by the neck, holding him up and glaring into his eyes.

"Medicham," Hitmonchan said with a look of concern, "whatever you do, don't kill him, okay?" the woman taking a deep breath and replying, "I had no intention of doing so," Tyrogue taking full advantage of this distraction as he held up his arms shouting, "FAKE OUT!" clapping his hands in front of her face.

This sent a shock wave powerful enough to cause her ears to ring briefly, the woman letting him go as he proceeded to shout, "TRIPLE FIGHTING STYLE BARRAGE!"

Before she could retaliate, Tyrogue proceeded to leap into the air, spinning vertically before sending a hard kick to Medicham's head followed by a roundhouse with his other foot and a hard punch to her skull. Unfortunately, despite all of this, Medicham ignored the pain and grabbed hold of his neck once more.

With that, the woman lifted him up and shouted, "ACUPRESSURE CHOKESLAM!" shifting her hand quickly enough so only her finger was pressed up against his neck, slamming him hard into the floor, the conductor springing awake and shouting, "Okay, I'm up!"

Dodrio stared in absolute horror as Tyrogue lay there, unconscious. His siblings did feel a little bad seeing him lying there unconscious, but they knew this was beneficial to their plan. After all, he was their enemy now, so this only felt right.

However, Dodrio was not going to stand around and let this fly as they sprinted toward Medicham, sending a series of rapid pecks toward the woman while shouting, "FURY ATTACK!"

Medicham looked perfectly calm as she nodded to the Hitmon siblings, all three dashing in front of the kiwi as Hitmonlee sent a high kick into the middle one's chin. Hitmonchan delivered an uppercut to the right head while Hitmontop used a fierce roundhouse on the left one's cheek.

With all three heads in terrible pain, the siblings nodded at one-another and spat in unison, "TRIPLE FIGHTING STYLE BARRAGE MACH TWO!" Hitmonlee sending his Mega Kick into the bird's midsection, Hitmonchan using her Mach Punch on the same spot while Hitmontop used Triple kick to end the attack, sending the kiwi flying out the window.

And when Dodrio landed outside, there was no doubt they were out cold. Medicham figured it would be hard for the siblings to do the same to Tyrogue, so they decided to toss him out for them, telling the conductor to start up the train. The man took a deep breath and said, "At least I got a break," starting up the train again as it took off.

However, it seemed it had remained still just long enough for Machoke and the others to finally catch up to it, Blaziken exclaiming, "LOOK, GUYS, THE TRAIN!" all four feeling excited before noticing Tyrogue and Dodrio lying unconscious, screeching to a halt as Machoke flew off of his horse head-first into a tree.

Sure, they knew they had just wasted a perfectly good chance there, but right now two of their fellow heroes were lying injured in the middle of nowhere. They could not just ignore this? But could they possibly catch up to the train again now that they wasted their best chance? Clearly they were going to spend quite a bit of time making sure Tyrogue and Dodrio were okay.

 

Just as Machoke and his friends had finally caught up with the train, another matter had shown itself. Tyrogue and Dodrio were out cold with no hospitals nearby. On one hand, the group could have just continued to follow the train but on the other hand, they could not just leave someone in the middle of nowhere.

As such, Blaziken picked up Tyrogue on her back while Machoke did the same with Dodrio, the boy groaning, "Why do I have to carry the three-headed bird!?" the middle head sticking out his tongue as it slapped Machoke in the face, the boy shuddering.

With that, they mounted themselves back onto the horses as Blaziken sighed, "As much as I want to hunt those criminals down, we should take these guys to a hospital first," the others nodding and taking off. However, it was not long before Tyrogue and Dodrio were already starting to recover. It was just like Machoke and his friends. Despite taking in extreme pain, they had recovered shockingly quickly.

"Ow, my head," Tyrogue groaned as Blaziken blinked, saying, "You're awake," Gardevoir smiling and squeaking, "That's wonderful!"

Dodrio also woke up, the male head smacking his lips and asking, "Oy, why does my tongue taste like ass?"

Machoke narrowed his eyelids as Gallade asked, "How are you guys already awake? You looked like you took in a horrible beating," Machoke thinking about these words as Tyrogue replied, "Well, yeah, we did. That Medicham was tough."

"Try dealing with your siblings," Dodrio's right head remarked, "They're freaking ruthless," Gardevoir squeaking, "Siblings!?"

Tyrogue let out a sigh and replied, "Yeah, Hitmonchan, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop are my older siblings. They mentioned fighting you, but how did you catch up so quickly?" Gallade directing his gaze down at his own horse, Tyrogue quickly getting the idea.

"Yeah, I knew horses were fast, but man, these guys are miracle workers," Machoke stated with a grin as the horse he was riding let down a light tear, having now developed respect for the boy.

"But wait, we're not following the tracks anymore," Tyrogue stated as Gardevoir replied, "Yeah, we were going to take you to the hospital," Tyrogue shaking his head and retorting, "No, you can't!"

The others gasped as he snapped, "Guys, this is really serious! They have Aipom and the mask of Giratina, but what's more, it pains me that my own flesh and blood is doing this! We have to stop them!"

"But you're too hurt to do anything," Gallade remarked as Dodrio's middle head retorted, "Oy, we're plenty strong!" the sisters conking themselves up against his cheeks before remarking, "Don't be arrogant!"

"Even so, I still want to be there to make sure," Tyrogue replied with a sigh, "I appreciate the ride, but please let me come with you. I know my siblings. It makes no sense that they would do this."

The others looked at one-another as Blaziken nodded, saying, "Well, he is right about one thing. Saving the whole world is more important than taking two injured people to a hospital, as heartless as that probably sounds."

With that, the group took off back toward the tracks and followed them. Hopefully the horses would still be able to catch up even with the train moving again.

During this time, Medicham was taking it easy as she said, "Well, I can safely say there's nothing standing in our way now," Hitmonchan all the while looking out the window with a sigh, Hitmonlee groaning, "You're not still thinking about that Gallade guy, are you?"

The boxer shook her head and replied, "No. I know it's wrong to think this way, but I feel kind of bad," Hitmontop raising an eyebrow, knowing exactly what her sister meant but said nothing.

"We made our decision and did what needed to be done," Hitmonlee replied, "It's not our fault he refuses to see eye-to-eye with us," Medicham nodding and saying, "Exactly. It's like you said, this is a choice that you made, and if even your own brother stands in your way, you will not hesitate to stop him."

Hitmontop took a deep breath and said, "She's right. I did say that," Hitmonchan taking a deep breath and replying, "Yes, you're right," a serious look in her eyes as she added, "Thanks. I needed that," the girl still unsure of whether or not they were doing the right thing now.

And of course, none of them had forgotten their vow that they kept up over the years. Even now, those words had stuck with them. 'When we grow up, we will be heroes'. They had bumped their fists in honour of that very declaration.

In order to avoid thinking about this further, Hitmonlee asked, "So, Medicham, we're headed to Sendai, right?" the woman nodding and replying, "That's right. There's a famous shrine there that contains a power no one knows about," the other three nodding as Hitmontop cut in, saying, "Yeah, and that power is supposed to be able to give life to the mask and bring Giratina back from the dead."

"That's right," Medicham replied as Hitmonchan took a deep breath, saying, "I have nothing but respect for this plan. I think it's great what you're trying to do, but let's think for a minute," the others turning to face her as she asked, "What if Giratina refuses to work with us?"

The others sported a confused look as she stated, "Think about it. Giratina was said to have had unbelievable power, so much that he had no need for servants. He just did all his dirty work himself. How do we know he'd be grateful enough to serve us if we manage to resurrect him?"

"Well, what else can we do with the mask?" Hitmonlee remarked with a shrug, Hitmonchan suggesting, "We could threaten to bring him back. Yeah, we'll have a camera crew record us saying it and then we can tell everyone to bow down to the forces of evil, and in exchange, we don't use the mask's power."

"That isn't exactly a bad idea," Medicham replied, the others surprised to hear that until she added, "but I don't think it can work. There will be heroes who won't feel intimidated by our words and will probably call our bluff. I say we stick with the original plan."

Hitmonchan had nothing to say to this as her siblings shrugged, the boxer nodding and saying, "You're right. Sorry," Medicham replying, "Don't apologize. Again, that plan did have some merit to it."

All the while, the others continued to ride as Dodrio's middle head said, "Hey, I think I've regained feeling in my legs," Machoke groaning, "Please tell me you're not just saying that to sound tough again," the sister heads sighing, "Unfortunately, he is," the middle head remarking, "Oy, would you quit pointing that out!?"

"That's enough, Dodrio," Tyrogue remarked, "Let's just focus on the situation at hand. Besides, it's more beneficial for us to fight this battle together," the kiwi and Machoke both sighing in unison.

Blaziken then asked, "Say, anyone know where we're headed right now?" Gallade looking at his cellphone's GPS function and saying, "We should be hitting Sendai soon. I think at this speed, it should take us a couple of hours," Machoke groaning, "Two whole hours!?"

Gardevoir gave him a sweet smile and replied, "There, there, it'll be okay," Tyrogue saying, "Considering the speed that train was going at, we might be able to catch up with them."

Machoke smiled with light tears in his eyes as he sniffed, "So these horses really are faster than the train!" the boy hugging his horse's head and saying, "You're a good horsey," rubbing his fingers against its chin as it whinnied happily.

Unfortunately, it seemed their speed was not quite good enough. They may have been moving faster than the train, but this did not change the fact that the train was a lot closer to Sendai. As such, a half-hour before the heroes were believed to arrive, the train had already parked at the Sendai station.

"Finally, it's over!" Hitmonchan exclaimed, stretching and yawning as Medicham replied, "Do not forget we still have to get to the shrine," Hitmonlee asking, "Is it close?" the other siblings sighing as he groaned, "Of course it isn't."

With that, the four sported their cloaks again before exiting the train. After all, they could not have anyone seeing their true identities when walking around in a public place.

It was at this time that Aipom finally woke up, the monkey's eyes going wide as she was just about to cry for help. However, tape was quickly put over her mouth as the villains stuffed her into a bag. After all, they could not have her pointing out their position, especially since they knew Sendai would likely have at least one hero stationed there.

To avoid suspicion, they took their time getting to the shrine with a slow walk. They would have probably gone faster if not for Medicham's overconfidence. She was so certain that none of the heroes who fought them would be able to catch up in time that she figured there was no way they would need to rush.

And a half-hour after the villains had left the station, the heroes had arrived as Tyrogue said, "Thank you," Dodrio's middle head saying, "Okay, now I do have feeling back in my legs," the others staring as the sisters nodded, the left head saying, "He's telling the truth this time."

"Excellent," Tyrogue replied, "Listen, Dodrio, since none of us can catch up with you, I want you to find Sendai's heroes and tell them that my siblings and Medicham are here. We could use all the help we can get," Machoke remarking, "Are you insinuating we're not good enough?" Gardevoir and Gallade laughing nervously as Gallade said, "No, of course he isn't. This is just a precaution."

With that, Dodrio took off, and just as everyone assumed, there were a couple of heroes taking care of Sendai. One was a blue turtle with a squirrel's tail named Squirtle and the other was the magnetic cyborg, Magnemite. Though where they were right now would be unknown for a while.

Unfortunately, it seemed even with the Hitmon family and Medicham moving at a more steady pace than Machoke and his friends, they had arrived at the shrine first. Medicham smiled underneath her cloak, the first time she had smiled since their mission had started. After all, victory was in the palm of their hands now.

However, just as they were about to enter, a certain blue turtle lunged at Hitmonlee from behind and spat, "SKULL BASH!" ramming her head hard into his back, his eyes going wide as he fell forward on his face.

The others turned as Squirtle took a deep breath, saying, "You were right, Magnemite," the cyborg of that very name entering the area calmly and replying, "I told you my built-in sensors picked up evil lifeforms in the area."

Of course, he also knew that six other heroes had just arrived, but he knew revealing such information would be a bad idea when the villains would hear him say it. The last thing he wanted was for evil to be prepared for everything.

"Who the hell are you!?" Hitmonlee grunted, slowly rising to his feet as Hitmontop barked, "GODDAMMIT, THE CLOAKS WERE SUPPOSED TO HIDE US!" all four removing their cloaks now that they knew it was too late.

"My word, the report was actually true," Magnemite stated, "Tyrogue's own siblings have sided with evil. What a predicament, indeed," Hitmonchan blinking and asking, "Wait, why are you the first one to know we're members of Tyrogue's family?"

Squirtle grinned and replied, "Magnemite's a genius, like a super computer with a body!" the cyborg sporting a smug look and replying, "I don't like to brag, but yes, that is true."

"Oh well, it's of no consequence to us," Medicham stated with a shrug, "The point is they're getting in our way and we need to make quick work of them," Hitmonchan pounding her fists together and saying, "I'll take them. Now, who wants to be my partner?"

Hitmonlee was about to agree to this when Hitmontop sighed, "I'll take this," joining her sister as the boy grumbled curses under his breath.

"I was thinking four on two to speed things up, but if you'd rather settle this the honourable way, I guess I can't stop you," Medicham said with a shrug as Dodrio came by and noticed this, quickly racing back to where they figured the others would be. At the very least, this could certainly buy them more time.

Squirtle and Magnemite nodded at one-another as Squirtle asked, "Alright, what do you think we should do?" the cyborg replying, "I can tell these two are very strong. I recommend tactic eighty-seven," Squirtle smiling and replying, "Oh, I like that one!"

With that, the turtle rushed toward Hitmonchan who simply slammed her fists into one-another again, only this time she rubbed them together before electricity formed around each one. Squirtle ignored this and leapt at Hitmonchan as the boxer spat, "THUNDER PUNCH!" sending her fist forward only for Squirtle to tuck herself into her shell.

Unfortunately, the turtle's plan failed her as the electricity from Hitmonchan's fist coursed right through the shell. This seemed to cause intense pain as Squirtle poked her arms, legs and head out of the shell and cried out in pain, flying backwards as Hitmontop stood atop her head and spun toward her opponent.

Seeing that the tactic had failed, Magnemite panicked before rushing right in front of Squirtle while Hitmontop spat, "TRIPLE KICK!" sending an onslaught of kicks into the cyborg's midsection before sending him reeling back.

Squirtle slowly recovered from the electric shock before turning toward her partner with a look of terror. She could not believe that Magnemite's strategy would fail so early in the match. Clearly these two opponents were not to be taken lightly.

"Magnemite, are you okay?" Squirtle asked as the cyborg slowly recovered, shaking the pain off of his head and replying, "Don't worry, the only thing that's been damaged is my pride."

The turtle let out a sigh and replied, "It's okay, I know from experience your knowledge isn't perfect. It's just really close to perfection," Magnemite replying, "That wording could have been more offensive, so I'll take that as a compliment."

Hitmonchan and Hitmontop were of course not going to wait as they rushed toward the two, Magnemite shouting, "NOW, INITIATE TACTIC NUMBER FIFTY-NINE!" Squirtle nodding and tucking herself into her shell again, only this time she started spinning around the two fighters.

Hitmontop simply sighed and asked, "You really think that's gonna confuse us?" before getting back onto her head and spinning while following Squirtle, Magnemite thinking, 'No, but that has left Hitmonchan without backup.'

With that, the cyborg rushed at Hitmonchan, the boxer sighing, "I feel bad hitting a nerd, but you asked for it," the girl sending her fist forward only for Magnemite to block it with his hands, saying, "You're not the only one with the power of electricity, only mine comes naturally."

With that, the cyborg placed his free hand against her wrist knowing her boxing glove would absorb electricity as his magnets sparked, the cyborg sending a surge of the very element up the boxer's spine. With Hitmonchan weakened and Hitmontop distracted, Magnemite saw this as a perfect chance as he said, "Now for tactic number twelve," the cyborg shifting his magnets downward and shouting, "SONIC BOOM!"

With that, the magnets released a powerful shock wave thus launching him high above the ground while holding onto Hitmonchan. After that, he used this chance to flip her upside-down, sending more electricity through her body and shouting, "MAGNET BOMB!" resting her head between his knees and sending her hard into the surface.

However, things were not looking so good for Squirtle as Hitmontop finally caught up with her, slamming her feet hard into her shoulder and sending her spinning faster thus causing her to make herself dizzy. However, just as Hitmontop was about to take full advantage of this, Squirtle saw an opening and leapt up, using her tail to grab onto the fighter's.

Hitmontop's eyes widened as Squirtle leapt high above the ground herself, Hitmonlee groaning, "Am I really seeing this right now?" Squirtle focusing hard as water surrounded her tail, the turtle flipping herself vertically before shouting, "AQUA TAIL!" thus sending Hitmontop back-first into the ground.

With that, both fighters seemed to look rather weak as they struggled to get back up, Squirtle coming to Magnemite's side and grinning at him, the two giving each-other a high five. After that, Hitmonlee actually looked worried, wishing he had been fighting instead of his younger sister. Sure, Magnemite and Squirtle did not quite match the physical strength of the two fighters, but they had Magnemite's brain on their side and while not flawless, it certainly proved effective.

Medicham took a deep breath and said, "Come on, girls, I know you're much better than this," Hitmonchan and Hitmontop turning to face her as she added, "You're really strong. I've seen more than enough evidence proving that. They may use strategy to help them out, but so do we! Study what they do and think up countermeasures!"

"She's right," Hitmonchan stated with a serious look in her eyes, Hitmontop nodding and saying, "Yeah, we can still do this."

Hearing this, Magnemite held up a defensive stance and said, "Be prepared for anything, Squirtle," the turtle nodding and replying, "Of course," taking the defensive as well. After all, they may have done a lot of damage earlier, but that was far from enough to take care of these two.

Now Magnemite really had to think. After all, he already knew Squirtle could still be harmed while in her shell and there was no way they were going to fall for the same trick twice. However, before he could think up anything, Hitmontop stood up on her tail, using the spike to balance herself as Hitmonchan leapt up into the air.

After that, Hitmontop grabbed onto her sister's legs and started spinning, Hitmonchan's boxing gloves now bursting into flame as Magnemite stared in shock, asking, "What are they doing?" Squirtle remarking, "You don't know!? We're doomed!"

However, it did not take long for him to catch on as he said, "Alright, let's try tactic number thirty," Squirtle nodding as she tucked herself into her shell, Magnemite shouting, "SHELL SPIN SOCCER KICK!" sending his foot hard into the shell and sending her spinning toward the two.

This seemed like the worst strategy possible, but Magnemite had specifically aimed Squirtle toward Hitmontop's head. Sure, it was difficult to hit that spot with Hitmonchan's fists so high up, but it was still possible.

Unfortunately, it seemed these two fighters were a lot smarter than they seemed as Hitmontop actually saw this coming. As such, the girl lifted up Hitmonchan high enough for her fists to run right into the spinning shell, sending Squirtle flying into Magnemite.

While the two had not taken in all that much damage yet, Squirtle's shell was painful and Magnemite's body was not as strong as it looked. As such, he found himself taking in a lot of pain from this as the two sisters shouted, "FIRE TWISTER!" the two getting close enough for Hitmonchan's burning boxing gloves to hit them hard multiple times, Squirtle now coughing up blood as both were out cold.

Hitmonchan took a deep breath and wiped sweat off of her forehead, saying, "Man, they were more trouble than I thought they'd be," Hitmonlee nodding and saying, "Well, it's good that you won. Now no one can get in our way."

"Yes, your brother is right," Medicham replied, "Let's hurry on inside," the three nodding before heading toward the entrance to the shrine. But just as they were about to enter, all four were shocked to hear a familiar voice shout, "NOT SO FAST!"

Medicham gritted her teeth, slowly turning with fury in her expression when she saw Machoke and the others standing there with serious looks in their eyes, Machoke smirking and saying, "Well, looks like we finally caught up with you, and we're fully recovered, so we're ready for a rematch!"

Upon hearing Machoke's voice, Aipom's eyes widened as she immediately started moving in the bag, the boy noticing this as he snapped, "Hey, let her go! She has nothing to do with your plans!" Hitmonchan turning to Medicham and saying, "You know, he has a point. Why did we kidnap her again?"

The woman blinked before taking a deep breath and replying, "It was a safety precaution in case Machoke and his friends did catch up with us. By having her gagged, she is unable to give him advice," the members of the Hitmon family nodding in understanding save for Tyrogue who sighed, "You just made that up, didn't you?"

Medicham shot him a glare and remarked, "I have no idea what you're talking about," the woman all the while fidgeting with her hands as Tyrogue sighed, "My god, you're a horrible liar," Machoke barking, "I don't care what the reason is! I just want you to let her go!"

"Don't forget handing over the mask, too," Blaziken replied, Machoke nodding and saying, "Yeah, that too. We need that back as well."

Hitmonchan briefly turned her attention away from the plan to look at Gallade as she smiled and winked at him, saying, "Hi, Gallade," the boy wincing as a chill went up his spine. He was never going to get used to this. Of course, Squirtle and Magnemite lying there was also quite intimidating.

Medicham no longer had the patience for this. Back on the train, she was calm and collective even when the team was attacked because, hey, they were on a moving train, so even while being distracted by heroes, they were still moving forward. But now they were not, so this seemed like nothing more than a major inconvenience.

Dodrio turned to Tyrogue as the middle head whispered, "I know you said we were just here to watch the magic the unfold, but I'm able to fight again," the right head nodding and replying, "And he's not just blowing smoke this time," Tyrogue letting out a sigh and replying, "Me too, but honestly, I have much more faith in these guys. We'll join in if we have to, but you know from experience how tough my siblings are."

However, it seemed Medicham had different plans than the heroes as she said in a forced calm voice, "You three keep them busy for me while I activate the mask from inside," Hitmonchan nodding and replying, "Yes, ma'am!" before striking a fighting pose, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop doing the same.

Machoke gritted his teeth as Gardevoir placed a hand delicately against his shoulder and squeaked, "We'll handle these three! You take care of Medicham," Machoke nodding with a warm smile and replying, "Thanks, you're the best."

However, the Hitmon family was not going to make this easy for him as all three rushed at him, attempting to stop him in his tracks. But just as they were about to do so, Blaziken rushed in Hitmonlee's way and sent a roundhouse toward him only for him to block the incoming kick and once again overpower her attack, knocking her on her back.

Gardevoir got in Hitmontop's way and attempted to stop her attack by grabbing onto her ankles. The other girl took full advantage of this and spun her body around, picking up Gardevoir and swinging her like she had Hitmonchan, only much faster as a means of making her dizzy.

Gallade, on the other hand, had stopped Hitmonchan by blocking her boxing glove with his arm blades, holding them in an X formation. However, the girl already had a countermeasure in mind as she saw an opening and swung her other glove just slightly above the belt as she believed in playing fair.

However, while Machoke's allies may have been losing right now, this certainly provided enough of a distraction for him to pass by them and run inside the shrine after Medicham, all three glad that he could at least pull that off. Now they had one less thing to worry about, or at least they hoped they did. After all, Machoke had lost rather easily to her, and for his first loss in his entire life to be so quick was certainly not something that could be brushed off and forgotten.

When the boy caught up with Medicham, he pointed at her and snapped, "Stop right there! I have a score to settle with you!" Medicham's eye twitching as she quickly resumed her calm look, sighing, "You just don't give up. I admire your fighting spirit, but that alone will not be enough to save you," the woman then setting Aipom and the mask down behind her and striking a battle pose with both arms lifted up, her hands pointed away from her head as she lifted one foot.

But just as Machoke was ready to fight, Medicham smirked, another rare look from her and shifted her leg forward before sending it backward into the mask, sending it flying right atop a pedestal in the middle of the shrine. Machoke's eyes widened in sheer terror as the mask started to glow, his jaw dropped as it was too late now. Whatever the villains had planned for that mask they had pulled off.

Or at least that was how it seemed. Just as quickly as Medicham's confidence returned, it quickly faded. The light vanished as her eyes widened with shock, the mask falling off the pedestal, landing on its side before repositioning itself upright, what with its side being too pointed for the mask to stay like that.

"No, this makes no sense," Medicham uttered, "Giratina was supposed to awaken! It says so in the scriptures!" Machoke shrugging and remarking, "Maybe the scriptures were wrong. You can't believe everything you read," Medicham gritting her teeth and fuming before retorting, "WELL, I'M STILL NOT GOING TO PRISON!"

Machoke panicked and remarked, "Geez, where did all that calmness go!?" the woman taking a deep breath and replying, "Well, I guess I am no longer in a rush, so I have no need to break character. The others can lose and be sent to prison for all I care, but there is no way you are taking me in. If I defeat you twice, reviving Giratina will seem like a small feat in comparison."

Aipom all the while just looked relieved that their plan had failed. Still, she really hoped Machoke could win after the way he had lost earlier. After all, there was no denying that Medicham was a force to be reckoned with, even if her initial plan had just failed miserably.

However, Machoke was not so calm right now as he gritted his teeth, remarking, "What the hell kind of ally are you!?" Medicham's eyes going wide as the boy added, "Seriously, they turned to you because you had a common goal! You were something they trusted, and now you're talking about how you're okay with them being beaten and arrested!? You guys may be evil, but at the very least, other villains I've met have had a sense of honour! Rotom and Scrafty, while not the best of friends, still seemed to care about each-other and, well, Onix and Bisharp actually made for a really good team!"

"That is because they were weak," Medicham remarked with a sigh, "Look what happened to them. They all lost eventually. That will never happen to me because I do not let petty things like friendship distract me from what is truly important."

Machoke fumed more but figured this was getting him nowhere as he readied himself for the fight. There was no way he would lose, not after coming so far.

Unfortunately, it seemed the Hitmon family might just win as the others were still getting beaten rather badly. Hitmonlee was standing on his hands while sending various kicks toward Blaziken, the chicken holding up her arms in an X formation to block them only for a few to still end up hitting her. Hitmontop had sent Gardevoir flying into a pillar with her last move and was coming back for more. And of course, Gallade was still being overpowered by Hitmonchan's boxing gloves, Tyrogue and Dodrio now wondering if they should get involved.

However, just as Hitmontop got close to Gardevoir, the girl took a deep breath and prayed quietly, "Look, inner power. I know I've been trying to make myself good enough not to need your help, but this opponent is far too powerful. I was so badly beaten that I did not even have a chance to bring you out last time. I can't afford to have extreme pain be the only means of bringing you out, so please, help me right now before it's too late."

Right after she said this, her hands actually started to glow violet once more. Her eyes sparkled until the light faded, the girl staring at her palms in disappointment as Hitmontop spat, "YOU SHOULD PAY MORE ATTENTION!" Gardevoir panicking and sending her arms forward as a last ditch effort to block another strike.

Strangely enough, when Hitmontop's feet rammed into her hands, they actually stopped in their tracks while Hitmontop could no longer move forward. Gardevoir's eyes went wide as she took full advantage of this, lifting the opponent up and swinging her head-first into the pillar she had just been knocked into. After that, Gardevoir noticed that her muscles had become slightly more noticeable. Sure, she was still skinny as could be, but it was showing more and her chest even expanded just a tiny bit.

It seemed the glow fading was not a sign that her power had left her but that it had become a permanent part of her. In a shocking turn of events, Gardevoir's regular self had merged with her powerful self so her strength was now in-between the two states, stronger than her old self but not quite as strong as when the power was activated.

Things were starting to look up for Blaziken as well as like when Bouffalant had her in a similar spot, the chicken noticed Hitmonlee start to slow down after a few kicks. With that in mind, she spread her arms out, letting the boy's feet get close to her before latching her arms around his ankles. Hitmonlee's eyes widened as she pulled back on them, causing the boy to land on his back.

She wasted no time getting onto his back and setting him up for a Boston crab, Hitmonlee's eyes widening. Blaziken would have used her family's famous submission hold, but she could not take the risk and knew this particular hold was much more difficult to get out of even if it was less painful.

Unfortunately, Gallade was not doing so well. While the girls had gotten the upper hand for the time being, he was still struggling as Hitmonchan continued to hit him with a variety of punches. Currently, she was tapping him multiple times with the top of her right glove while pumping up her other fist, the girl sending a fierce uppercut to his chin.

Gallade coughed up blood as he fell hard on his back, Hitmonchan gasping, "Are you okay!? I didn't ruin your handsome face, did I?" Dodrio's right head asking, "What the hell? First she's going all-out in trying to beat him then she flirts with him?" Tyrogue sighing, "Yeah, she's been like this ever since she hit puberty. She puts business ahead of hormonal issues, but the flirtatiousness never truly leaves."

However, Gallade gritted his teeth and slowly pushed himself back up, taking deep breaths and uttering, "Alright, that's it," as Hitmonchan backed up, both scared and impressed as the boy grunted, "I am sick and tired of losing! Seriously, ever since I came to Earth, I've been getting my ass kicked, but not anymore! I can't call myself worthy of my position if I can't defeat one villain!"

Hitmonchan's heart raced when he said this as a big smile crossed her face, the girl batting her eyelashes. Gallade stared as she blushed, saying, "I have to admit, I easily fall for attractive men like you," the boy blinking and asking, "Attractive? Um, well..." the girl adding, "But now I know for sure that this is true love I'm feeling."

The girl then turned away and added, "Oh, but it can't work. We are on opposite sides," her eyes widening as she grinned, asking, "How about a deal? If I win, you have to join the forces of evil and go on a date with me!"

Gallade's eyes widened as he sighed, "Look, I'm flattered you feel like you do about me, really I am, but I can't agree to such a thing. If I become evil, it'll mean leaving my sister without me around to help her get through life. I can't do that," Hitmonchan smirking and remarking, "In other words, you're afraid I'll win."

Gallade gritted his teeth as she added, "I don't mind that. That answer made you even more attractive, but come on, after all that talk of winning, it sounds like you're not even sure anymore," the boy taking a deep breath and grumbling, "Alright, fine! If I lose, I'll strip myself of my hero title and go out with you!"

The boy panicked briefly before noticing both Gardevoir and Blaziken were too busy with their matches to hear him say this, letting out a sigh of relief. He could only imagine how his sister would react to him agreeing to such a thing because of pride.

While all of these events were going on, Machoke and Medicham's match had started with Machoke rushing toward his opponent. The woman simply waited for him to close in before sending her finger toward his chest.

Unfortunately for her, Machoke had seen enough of her technique to know this was coming. As such he very quickly grabbed hold of her wrist before hurling her hard into the wall. Medicham grunted in pain, feeling ashamed of herself for not seeing that coming. After all, he had done something similar before.

It did not end there as the boy proceeded rush at the weakened Medicham, sending a hard punch to her face. However, the woman ignored the pain as she rammed her palm hard into the boy's gut, his eyes going wide as she proceeded to send more palm punches into him.

"I'll give you some credit, you do seem capable of thinking from time to time," Medicham stated, "but you're still far too rash to defeat me. You should have seen this coming."

To make matters worse, Medicham quickly shifted from using her palms to her fingers, Machoke's eyes now even wider as he was starting to feel incredibly weak, just like before. After all, her finger punches were far stronger than any of her other regular moves, especially with the way she new exactly which parts to hit.

With that, Medicham ended her assault by striking him hard in the chest, shouting, "ACUPRESSURE!" applying three times as much force this time as Machoke coughed up blood. This was the same move she had used on Tyrogue and it had come very close to being the one finisher that could beat him.

It was so strong, in fact, that it actually left what looked like a burn on the very spot it had hit, Machoke falling hard on his back. Aipom had tears in her eyes, the monkey wishing she could have helped. It seemed even with Machoke knowing Medicham's style, he still could not stand up to her.

"Some champion fighter," she said with a look of disappointment in her eyes, "Even if he was a dunce, I still would have expected the one who defeated Talonflame to put up much more of a fight. You were actually better the first time we fought. You have learned nothing."

"Actually, there is something I have learned," Machoke grunted, Medicham's eyes wide with shock as he rubbed the light burn mark on his chest and added, "It's that you're not as strong as you seem."

"What are you talking about!?" Medicham retorted, gritting her teeth, "Look at how much damage I've dealt to you! It's a miracle you're still standing!" Machoke replying, "Actually, no, it isn't."

Medicham growled and rushed at him, sending an onslaught of finger punches into him before he could say more. However, Machoke ignored every hit and grabbed hold of her wrists, her eyes widening as he smirked, twisting them as she tried her best not to cry out in pain.

Afterwards, the boy lifted her high above his head while still holding her wrists, leaning backwards and slamming her head hard into the floor. Medicham groaned in pain and fell on her back, trying her best not to let this get to her.

"When I lost to you, I felt like I had taken in the worst pain ever, like nothing could be any worse than what I had just felt," Machoke stated as Medicham stared blankly at him, the boy adding, "But after the fight was over and we all woke up, I felt as if I had not taken in any damage whatsoever. It was almost as if your finger punches had actually done nothing to me."

"Well, it's only natural!" Medicham remarked, "You had time to rest up!" Machoke remarking, "We were only out for five minutes! Talonflame and his team mates had my friends hospitalized for a week and even Scrafty and Rotom had left Gallade and I feeling rather weak after our matches with them! You call them weaklings, but at least they had more of an effect on us than you did on me!"

Medicham gritted her teeth, fuming and barking, "ALRIGHT, FINE! SO I'M NOT POWERFUL ENOUGH TO KEEP OPPONENTS DOWN FOR A LONG TIME!" the woman taking a deep breath and adding, "But at the very least, I was able to keep you out long enough to make my escape, and that's good enough for me."

With that, Medicham readied herself once more as Machoke was feeling a bit more confident. And once again, Aipom was just so happy to see Machoke taking this as seriously as he was.

During this time, Gardevoir was on the defensive as Hitmontop had recovered from the pain dealt to her earlier, spinning toward the hero and hoping to take her by surprise. However, Gardevoir was once again ready, feeling more confident than ever before as she simply sent out a low kick when Hitmontop got close, causing her to lose her balance and fall flat on her face.

But just as Gardevoir was about to take full advantage of this, Hitmontop quickly rose up her tail and sent the spike hard into her shin. Gardevoir squeaked in pain as Hitmontop removed the spike, righting herself so she was balancing on her head spike yet again and spinning with her legs out. Gardevoir was unable to react in time as Hitmontop proceeded to kick her multiple time in the face, sending her flying back a bit.

Blaziken, on the other hand, was still doing a fairly good job keeping Hitmonlee in place, the chicken saying, "Come on, just give up," Hitmonlee retorting, "NO! THIS MOVE FOR ANYONE ELSE IS ALMOST INESCAPABLE, BUT I'M TOO STRONG TO BE BEATEN BY IT!" the boy applying extra force to his legs as Blaziken smirked, retorting, "You overestimate yourself!"

"Not quite," Hitmonlee remarked as after a few seconds, he had actually managed to overpower the chicken as he threw his feet back, Blaziken now flying away from him with her head facing the ground. Just as she was about to position herself upright to avoid taking in pain, Hitmonlee used his hands to propel himself toward her, wrapping his ankles around her neck and lifting her up just a little bit before sending her head hard into the concrete.

All the while, Hitmonchan started to send more punches toward Gallade. However, the boy was more determined than ever as he blocked each incoming punch with his arm blades. Eventually he saw an opening and took full advantage of this, the boy sending a fierce chop with his hand into Hitmonchan's forehead.

The girl winced in pain as he proceeded to send another chop, this one to her gut before sending a fierce roundhouse into her cheek. After that, he leapt at her from behind and grabbed hold of her arms, leaning backward and planting the back of her neck hard into the ground. While the others were not looking so good, Gallade had shockingly gotten the upper hand, the boy taking a deep breath.

Unfortunately, his focus was directed elsewhere when he noticed Gardevoir taking in a rather fierce beating from Hitmontop, his eyes going wide as Hitmonchan slowly rose back to her feet. She rubbed the back of her neck, her cheeks pink as she thought, 'Oh my god, he touched me!' before noticing his guard was down.

Hitmontop continued to wail on Gardevoir, sending various kicks into her before springing into the air and sending a drop kick into her skull, the girl whimpering in pain and rubbing her forehead. Gallade wanted to go in and help but was stopped dead in his tracks when Hitmonchan crept up behind him, latching her arms around his shoulders as his eyes widened.

"A word of advice, never turn your back to your opponent, handsome," Hitmonchan said with a wink, tightening her hold on him as the boy's eyes widened, his cheeks turning a bit pink when he felt her chest pressed up against him. However, that thought soon left him when the girl lifted him up, delivering her own Suplex. As if that was not bad enough, this one was much more effective than Gallade's had been.

Now his advantage was gone while Gardevoir was now trying to find a way to get hers back. All the while, Hitmonlee had wrapped his legs around the downed Blaziken's neck, pulling hard with a figure-four headlock while the chicken cried out in agony. Things were not looking up now.

All the while, Medicham was attempting to strike Machoke with a series of finger punches. However, Machoke had actually managed to keep his distance, the woman grunting, "HOLD STILL!" only for Machoke to once again grab her wrists, twisting them.

Medicham fumed and spat, "NO, LET GO!" only for Machoke to lean back again, saying, "If that's really all you got, you can't possibly beat me!"

But just as it seemed Medicham was going to take in the same move from before, she was ready this time, a smirk forming on her face. With that, she shifted her legs downward, lifting them up before sending her feet hard into the boy's chest. This proved just effective enough for Machoke to stop his attack, falling hard against the floor and releasing his hold on the girl.

After that, Medicham proceeded to flip herself sideways, ramming her elbow hard into the boy's gut. With him now distracted, the woman proceeded to turn herself onto her back before reaching her arms up, grabbing hold of Machoke's wrists. Then then proceeded to wrap her ankles around his before pulling upward, shifting her back into an arch position while having a similar effect on Machoke.

The boy's eyes widened in agony as his back was now being bent horribly, Medicham smirking and saying, "You seem surprised, but yes, head-on attacks are not the only moves I know. I do have a few submission moves in my arsenal, and this is one of the best ones I know."

Machoke was now trapped in this hold as Aipom wished she could tell him what to do. Could he possibly get out of this?

 

While Machoke's back was being bent by Medicham, the others were still having it rough. Hitmonlee had Blaziken trapped in his figure-four headlock while Gardevoir was now trying to avoid being hit by Hitmontop and desperately looking for an opening to exploit. But of course, the one having the worst luck was Gallade as he was on his back, Hitmonchan sitting on him and raising her fist.

However, she was not setting up for another normal punch as this time, she focused hard as blue wind covered her boxing glove, the girl shouting, "ICE PUNCH!!" about to strike when the boy uttered, "Wow, you're incredible."

Hitmonchan stopped her attack, her eyes wide open as Gallade continued, "I mean it. You have to be the greatest fighter I've ever faced," the girl blushing with a big smile on her face as she asked, "You really think so?" the cold wind leaving her glove as he added, "Yeah, in fact, forget the whole deal thing you were talking about."

Gardevoir and Blaziken actually heard him this time, Hitmonlee and Hitmontop as well as they all directed their attention away from their fights toward this. Of course, they were wondering what deal he was talking about since none of them had heard that conversation.

"What do you mean?" Hitmonchan asked as Gallade replie, "I mean I'm in love with you," the boy gazing into her eyes as Hitmonlee and Gardevoir both freaked out, their eyes wide with shock. However, both Hitmontop and Blaziken could tell he was planning something but said nothing, Hitmontop wanting this to be a good lesson for her sister.

Hitmonchan clearly did not pick up on this as she got back to her feet, holding her hand out toward Gallade as he took hold of it. All the boxer could think about now was skipping through a field of flowers with Gallade, though because the deal involved him becoming evil, he was also using his blade arms to mow down rabbits and birds.

Gardevoir let down tears, sniffing, "Tell me this isn't true! Why is my brother joining the dark side!?" Hitmonlee barking, "FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, HITMONCHAN, THERE ARE BETTER MEN OUT THERE!" Tyrogue and Dodrio simply letting down big sweat drops while letting out simultaneous sighs.

However, once Gallade's hand made contact with Hitmonchan's glove, the boy smirked and quickly got up, getting behind the boxer while still holding her hand, now trapping it behind her back as she winced in pain. The boy then proceeded to lift her up, holding out his knee and slamming the spot between her legs into it for an atomic drop.

The girl groaned and rubbed her rear end, asking, "What was that for, honey?" Gardevoir and Hitmonlee staring silently as Gallade sighed, "Look, Hitmonchan, I'm not gonna lie. You're hot, very hot, but someone who serves evil can never be beautiful," the boy taking a deep breath and adding, "Even if I were to lose and uphold my end of the bargain, I can never truly love you. I'm saving my heart for someone on the side of good."

Hitmonchan's eyes widened, her jaw dropped as she felt her heart snap in two, Gardevoir taking a deep breath and saying, "Oh, okay, he was just tricking her," Hitmontop blinking and asking, "You seriously didn't catch onto that?"

Hitmonlee simply folded his arms and nodded, saying, "Hopefully she's learned a valuable lesson after this," Blaziken now standing upright with Hitmonlee's legs still on her head as she held onto them, the chicken saying, "I hope you've learned a lesson too. Never drop your guard during a fight!" the chicken leaning backward and slamming his back hard into the concrete.

Gardevoir and Hitmontop also remembered their fight as Hitmontop started spinning at Gardevoir again, the girl now back on the defensive. However, Hitmonchan simply bit her lip as she was now torn up between what side to fight for. On one hand, Gallade's commitment to his sister and all things good were such attractive qualities and Hitmonchan was not lying when she said she felt true love after witnessing such things earlier. But on the other hand, she felt that her decision to turn evil was the right one.

With that in mind, she took a deep breath and stated, "I guess some sacrifices have to be made if one is to succeed," before focusing hard on her boxing glove and applying enough energy to make it and her fist twice the size of her head, sending it toward Gallade and shouting, "MACH PUNCH!"

However, Gallade simply held up his arms and blocked the incoming punch with his blades, the boy spreading out his legs and doing his best to hold his ground much like he had done against Scyther. The truth was that due to the power of this attack, he was taking in quite a bit of pain to his arms while holding back the glove. However, he knew that he would have to ignore this if he was to succeed, Hitmonchan's eyes going wide as he threw his arms out, sending her arm toward her as the back of the fist flew hard into her face.

This gave Gallade just the opportunity he needed as he crossed his arms, rushing toward the boxer and shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!" sending an X-shaped slash into her chest and cutting it open, Hitmonchan's eyes going wide, her mouth hanging open as she fell on her back, the girl laying there, barely breathing now.

'I did it,' Gallade thought while Blaziken now had Hitmonlee in an arm lock, the green boy taking a deep breath and smiling, thinking, 'I finally got my first victory on Earth.'

During this time, Machoke was trying to find a way out of Medicham's technique as she laughed, saying, "Struggle all you like, boy. It's not going to help," the girl then shifting her weight, causing her and Machoke to roll like a wheel before Medicham slammed the boy's face into the floor.

Medicham continued to hold the boy as Aipom struggled to free herself from her bindings. She wished she could at least remove the tape from her mouth so she could help. Things had been looking well at first, but now she was not so sure Machoke would win this.

However, Machoke's eyes widened after a while as he thought, 'Wait, I can get out of this,' before twisting his wrists and ankles a bit, propping his wrists out at the very least. Medicham's eyes went wide as he allowed himself to fall with his elbow pointed downward, ramming them into her shoulders as she winced in pain and released her hold on his ankles.

The boy would not let such an advantage go as he rolled the girl onto her belly and wrapped his arms around her neck. He also used his right ankle to lift up her leg, applying pressure to that while bending it. Medicham's eyes were wide as she tried desperately to find a way out of this.

Machoke breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I must admit, that actually scared me. I'd forgotten how to get out of something like that for a while," Medicham growling and trying desperately to get out of the hold. She tried shifting her weight but that did not seem to work.

However, she then realized something she could do to get out of this as she spread her arms sideways, pointing her fingers down and placing them against the floor. Machoke and Aipom's eyes widened at the sight of this as the woman shouted, "ACUPRESSURE!" using the finger punch to push herself up so all but those parts were touching the mat.

With that, she lowered her one free leg and used it to propel herself back upward, applying just enough force to get Machoke off of her as both were back on their feet. Medicham growled as she was no longer going to give Machoke a chance like that, the woman sending her finger into his neck and shouting, "ACUPRESSURE CHOKESLAM!" lifting up Machoke with her finger before slamming him hard against the mat with it still in his neck.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as he lay there in pain. Sure, a chokeslam was not quite enough to keep him down, but add the pressure being applied to his neck and it caused much more damage. Aipom was now terrified as it looked like Machoke would get up any time soon.

During this time, Gallade walked over to Tyrogue and Dodrio, taking a seat with a deep breath as Tyrogue gave him thumbs up, saying, "Good job," Dodrio's middle head adding, "Well, I can't say I approve of such a tactic, but yeah, good job, mate."

"I wasn't completely lying, though," Gallade replied with a grin, "If your sister decides to become good again, I wouldn't mind going out with her," Tyrogue blinking as he added, "That is if it's okay with you."

Tyrogue shrugged and replied, "You are probably the best guy she's fallen for, but don't get your hopes up."

Of course, right now Gardevoir was going to need his support as Hitmontop was back to kicking her, Gallade shouting, "GARDEVOIR, YOU CAN DO THIS!" the girl's eyes widening as she turned toward her brother, the boy adding, "That's right, sis! I won! I finally won a match here on Earth!" her eyes going wider as he added, "If I can beat someone like Hitmonchan, you can win this easily! Find a way!" Gardevoir nodding with a big smile on her face, now ignoring the pain dealt by Hitmontop's kicks and grabbing hold of her ankles.

Hitmontop's eyes widened as the girl squeaked, "My power has now become a permanent part of me. There is no excuse for me to be beaten so easily, not anymore!" the girl then hurling her opponent into the air, leaping up after her.

Once she was close enough, she latched into the sides of Hitmontop's head and flipped her upside-down, tilting her head forward a bit so her spike would not be facing the concrete. With that, Gardevoir descended toward the ground with her lower body up just slightly above her head as she squealed, "METEOR BOMB!" slamming Hitmontop's head hard into the concrete, the villain coughing up blood before passing out, Tyrogue cheering for Gardevoir and whistling at her.

Gallade gave him an awkward look as he sighed, "It wasn't that kind of whistle," the green boy nodding and replying, "Just making sure," before exclaiming, "YOU ROCK, SIS!" Gardevoir smiling bright but feeling too weak to fight any longer.

But it hardly seemed to matter as Blaziken was now on Hitmonlee's back. She sent various punches to the back of his head as he tried desperately to block them with his hands, as well as he could seeing as his eyes were facing the ground.

However, after a few more hits, Hitmonlee started thinking of a strategy, something he did not always do. Suddenly, a plan of action came to him as he lifted up his legs, bending them back and sending them at Blaziken's back. One ended up hitting her back but the other ended up missing, thus the chicken ignored the pain to her back and wrapped her arm around his ankle.

Hitmonlee's eyes widened with shock as Blaziken smirked, saying, "Nice try, but you'd be better off giving up!" the boy growling before remarking, "NO!"

And just like before with the Boston Crab, Hitmonlee ended up throwing his leg back hard enough to send Blaziken flying off of him. However, the chicken was ready this time for when he leapt at her with the intent of wrapping his ankles around her neck, she simply held her arms up against each side as his ankles ended up hitting them instead.

Hitmonlee's eyes widened as Blaziken grabbed hold of both ankles, slamming the boy hard against the mat before propelling herself above him. With that, flames surrounded her feet as she spat, "BLAZE KICK!" sending both hard into Hitmonlee's back, finally knocking him out and breathing a sigh of relief.

Her friends applauded her as Dodrio's right head said, "Wow, you guys are awesome," Blaziken sighing, "I just hope Machoke's having it as good as we are. After all, his fight is the most important one."

Machoke continued to lie on the floor, his body completely still as Medicham took a deep breath, saying, "I'll admit, Machoke, you did put up a good fight. You do seem to at least have some intelligence in you, but that semblance of strategy was not enough to save you."

However, when Medicham proceeded to walk toward the door leading outside, her eyes widened when she felt something grab her ankle. Aipom's hope returned as Machoke smirked, uttering, "I told you, you're not strong enough to knock me out for good," the woman gritting her teeth and snapping, "SHUT UP AND STAY DOWN!" raising her other foot and ramming it hard into the boy's skull.

However, Machoke simply ignored this and grabbed her other ankle before pulling on both of them, causing Medicham to fall on her face. Afterwards, the boy proceeded to lift her up, leaning backwards and slamming her back hard against the floor.

However, Medicham was not going to let this stop her as she ignored the pain to her back, springing back upright while Machoke still held her ankles and sent her palms hard into his cheeks. The boy simply ignored the pain this dealt and leaned his head forward, sending it back and striking Medicham in the gut.

After that, the woman released her hold on him and leapt back, taking a deep breath with a look of irritation on her face. She knew Machoke was supposed to be a threat, but she could not believe how persistent he was.

But there was no way she was going to stop now, her teeth gritted as she sprinted toward the boy. Her patience had been shattered now as she was not even going to attempt the defensive strategy. She just wanted to make sure Machoke would not get up again.

As such, she sent a hard palm punch toward him only for the boy to block it with his arm, the woman grabbing his wrist. After that, she used said wrist like a pole and swung herself behind Machoke's back, pulling the arm while wrapping her legs around his waist, bending Machoke's back as he cried out in pain.

"You see this!?" the woman barked with a smirk, "This is another one of my submission holds, and this is one I don't think many people use!" Aipom whimpering as Machoke could not think of a good way out of this.

Medicham laughed and exclaimed, "Finally! It seems I've found a move that you can't get out of!" Machoke all the while thinking of what Aipom would suggest in a situation like this.

He could fall backwards and slam Medicham's back into the floor, but that would have likely caused him much more pain and might even snap his backbone. He could try using his other arms in an attempt to get her off, but that would have had a similar effect.

But then he felt something odd, and it was not long before he realized what that something was. Medicham's grip on his arm was starting to weaken and even her legs felt like they were starting to give out. It seemed after all her efforts, Medicham had started to run out of energy.

This must have been why she always aimed for the pressure points, because she had neither the strength nor the energy to last more than a certain amount of time fighting someone. No wonder she had lost patience despite the fact that she no longer had a reason to rush.

With that, Machoke pretended the hold did not hurt anymore, the boy gulping and asking, "Is this really the best you can do!?" Medicham's eyes widening as she spat, "You're bluffing!" the boy remarking, "No, I'm not! Seriously, I was simply shocked to fall into such a move before, but yeah, the more I think about it, the more I realize it's not that powerful of a hold!"

Medicham fumed and spat, "ALRIGHT, FINE, I'LL PULL EVEN HARDER!" the woman doing just that as Machoke's back was being bent a bit more, Aipom's eyes widening. She could tell the boy had been bluffing when he said that, that he had tried to get the woman to use more force, but why?

The answer became clear as this one big effort had Medicham trying her best not to breathe heavily as sweat poured down her entire body now. Machoke smirked as he finally pulled out of the hold, throwing his other arm back and ramming his elbow hard into her face. Medicham could not believe this as she backed up, unable to avoid breathing heavily.

"I see it now," Machoke said, "You dish out a lot of fancy attacks and aim for weak spots because you yourself are not as strong as you let on. You try to end fights as quickly as possible because you can't handle more than a certain amount of time, can you?"

Medicham gritted her teeth before sighing, "You're right," Aipom and Machoke both shocked to hear her flat-out admit it as she spat, "THERE, IS SAID IT! YOU'RE RIGHT!"

Medicham then looked down and sighed, "The truth is, my family has never been accustomed to fighting. We spend our days learning how to relax and empty our minds of the world's problems. But I simply could not do that. I thought the ways of my family were stupid. I mean, how can you just kick back and act like the world doesn't have problems, especially when these problems are everywhere? You can't do that, that's how!"

'Geez, I didn't think this would end up being family-related,' Machoke thought as Medicham added, "When I was growing up, my father constantly tried to teach me to be relaxed in even the worst of situations, but I thought that was the dumbest thing I had ever heard. As such, I became a villain and taught myself to fight just so I could teach my family a lesson, show them that the only way to become successful in this world is with brute force."

Machoke and Aipom looked at each-other as if they were listening to the ramblings of a madman while Medicham continued, "But as you've deducted, my body was never meant to be all that strong. As such, I formed a new method of fighting, using my father's teachings and combining them with Kung Fu. It was then I learned how to pinpoint a person's pressure points and take full advantage of those. Even the lightest of strikes to such a spot could render a person useless, even if it was only for a few seconds."

The woman then smirked and added, "That is how I developed what I like to call The Acupressure Technique. Normal acupressure is used for relaxing other people's muscles by massaging the body, but I found a way to make it deadly by using just my fingers as opposed to the whole hand."

All went silent as Machoke uttered, "So you thought turning a massage technique into a weapon would make you deadly in combat," Medicham fuming as she leapt at Machoke, shouting, "WELL, I AT LEAST KNOW A TECHNIQUE THAT CAN DEFEAT YOU!" her foot pointed toward his gut.

However, Machoke was all too familiar with this technique as he simply grabbed her by the leg, saying, "I think this has gone on long enough," before hurling her high into the air, her head facing the floor as he leapt up to her level, wrapping his arms and legs around her. Medicham's eyes went wide as she was far too weak to get out of this hold, Machoke shouting, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!"

With that, the boy slammed her head hard into the floor as her eyes and mouth were both wide open. He then released his hold on her as her body collapsed, the woman down for the count as Machoke took a deep breath, saying, "Geez, that was really annoying."

Aipom bounced up and down while still tied up as Machoke nodded, running over and untying her, removing her tape as well. The monkey had a big smile on her face as she let down light tears, leaping onto Machoke's head and hugging him tightly, Machoke's eyes going wide as he once again had trouble breathing.

"Thank you so much!" the monkey screeched, "You saved me again!" Machoke rolling his eyes and deciding not to make a big deal out of this.

The others were still waiting outside when they noticed Machoke and Aipom exit, Aipom holding the mask as the Hitmon family had just regained enough consciousness to see this very sight. They could not exactly move the rest of their bodies as they were too badly injured, but their senses were still working.

"Guess we lost," Hitmonchan groaned as Hitmonlee sighed, "We really did choose the wrong path," Hitmontop letting down tears and sniffing, "I feel so ashamed!"

"MACHOKE, YOU DID IT!" Gardevoir squealed, running over to the boy and giving him a hug as Blaziken replied, "Was there ever any doubt?"

Machoke simply chuckled and said, "Honestly, Medicham was all talk," Tyrogue staring in confusion as he added, "She was actually a big weakling hiding behind fancy tricks. I don't know why your siblings chose to follow her."

"I can think of other reasons to question that," Tyrogue remarked before glaring at the three, adding, "Seriously, all of this just because you couldn't wait a little longer? Do you have any idea how immature that sounds?"

"Now I do," Hitmontop replied with a sigh, "and to be honest, I, no, we all should have known better. I bet Mom and Dad are so disappointed in us now," Hitmonchan replying, "No kidding. I don't even know if the world will forgive us for this."

"I'm sure they will," Machoke said with a warm smile as Aipom nodded and added, "And he's not just saying that. Remember Bisharp and Scrafty?"

Hitmonlee simply blinked and replied, "Oh yeah, what about them?" Gallade explaining, "It's quite amazing. After being released from prison, the two became heroes. It took a while, but the world has actually learned to trust them. After all, villains turning good happened quite a bit back in the day."

"So there's hope for us?" Hitmonchan asked as Gardevoir nodded, replying, "It's never too late to start over," Tyrogue folding his arms and saying, "Come on, I think it's time we all live the dream as opposed to just me," Dodrio's heads all nodding.

With that, Hitmonchan let down tears and sniffed, "I'm so sorry, Tyrogue! We were so selfish!" Hitmontop adding, "Can you ever forgive us!?" Tyrogue sighing, "Well, as long as you can admit it, how can I not forgive you?" all four family members happy as could be.

Medicham was of course taken into custody immediately and the mask was returned, though everyone was shocked when Aipom told them the altar in the shrine had no effect on it. Whatever the reason was, this was at least good news, so there was no need to question it further.

The Hitmon family turned themselves in shortly after making amends with their parents. Tyrogue volunteered to go with them to ease the pain. Weedle was going to sentence them to time in prison of which all three were prepared to accept, but Tyrogue pleaded they be given a second chance.

Weedle was hesitant to go along with this at first as he had already made enough mistakes as chairman over the past, but Tyrogue seemed really sure of himself. As such, the caterpillar immediately enrolled them in hero school, only as a form of punishment, he made sure all three were watched by security guards at all times, even during bedtime to make sure they did not have a 'sudden change of heart'.

All-in-all, things had turned out for the best. And to make matters even better, Giratina's mask had been sealed away in a vault on Hero Planet with a security system so tough, it would be near impossible to break into it. There was no way they would keep it on display to the public again, not after these events.

 

The month had passed and the rest of the Hitmon family had graduated easily. All three were stationed together as they were a good team, but they had not been stationed in the same area as Tyrogue. Instead they had been assigned to protect Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. They did send Tyrogue emails every now and then and he of course did the same so it was all well and good in the end.

As if the good news could not end, every hero had finally graduated from Hero School. This meant the whole world was now in good hands. No area was short on heroes or in desperate need of help. Things could not be going better right now.

However, there was one figure who was not too happy about this, and of all people, he should have been happiest of all. That someone was Weedle as now that evil was truly at bay, there was something else bothering him, but what could it possibly be?

"Dammit!" the caterpillar cursed to himself, "I don't get it! Even with Earth so well-protected, we're not making much!" before taking a deep breath and grumbling, "It's like now that the students have all been trained, people don't feel the need to send us funding anymore."

Weedle then crawled onto a chair and tapped his tail against the table in front of it. What could he possibly do? After all, without financial backing, there was no way to keep the academy around for future generations. There could no longer exist a Tower of Justice. What could he possibly do?

The caterpillar then looked around in panic, but whatever he was looking for clearly was not there as he let out a disappointed sigh. This was something he knew even Ambipom's advice could not get him out of. She may have been a fighting expert, but she was no financial genius.

However, his thought process ended when the door to the area opened, his eyes going wide as the one who entered was a wasp who stood there nervously and said, "Um, hi, you're Weedle, correct?"

"Oh, god, I told security I don't want any guests right now, no matter how important they might be," Weedle groaned before turning, his eyes widening.

"Are you alright?" the wasp asked as Weedle snapped, "I've seen the records regarding you! I've seen your photo and everything!"

The wasp stared in confusion as the caterpillar added, "Yes, you're Beedrill! You killed Watchog so you could sneak into the academy and kill Machoke!"

Beedrill let out a sigh and replied, "It's true, I did some terrible, unforgivable things and I'm mad at myself for doing them," Weedle glaring at him to make sure this was not simply an act as Beedrill added, "But I can assure you, I am good. See, when I was sent to prison, I really got to thinking and realized how horrible my actions were, so I swore I would be reformed as a hero."

"Are you telling me the warden let you out because of that?" the caterpillar remarked as the wasp remarked, "Oh no, in fact, there are officers poised outside in case I try to make a getaway. They escorted me here," Weedle remarking, "And why the hell would they do that!? That makes even less sense!"

"Well, it's because they came across a shocking discovery that even I didn't know of until recently," Beedrill replied, "They didn't tell me about this until I promised that I'd be good."

He then took a deep breath and asked, "You know how blood samples and fingerprints are taken of convicts to keep on record, right?" Weedle nodding and replying, "Yes, and then they're sent to Scientists to be analyzed so that way, we can always tell exactly whose DNA it is no matter what kind of obstruction gets in the way."

"Yes, well, the Scientists came to a realization when analyzing mine," Beedrill stated before asking, "Do you remember the night you were made chairman of Hero Planet?"

Weedle blinked and replied, "Oh yes, but are you saying you know the details?" the wasp replying, "No, but someone you know does, and from what I've learned, let's just say that night is related to this."

"Well," the caterpillar sighed, trying to put this all into place before adding, "that was both the happiest and most embarrassing night of my life," Beedrill looking even more interested as the caterpillar decided he may as well continue.

"Back in the day, I would always keep a flask of whisky handy for when I got nervous, and that night was the most nervous I had ever been. So much responsibility was just so much to take in. Sure, I had wanted this my whole life. I'd worked tirelessly toward it, but even so, it was still a lot to take in, so I drank more than ever before. I don't really remember the rest of the night, probably because I was too drunk."

Beedrill nodded and sighed, "Well, that brings me to my next point. Do you remember your old assistant?" Weedle nodding and replying, "Oh, yes, Elebuzz. She was nice, always got me through tough times with her optimism, but was always flirting with me. I've never been interested in romance, so I'd always turn down her advances."

"Well, not that night you didn't," Beedrill replied, Weedle's eyes going wide as he uttered, "What are you talking about?" Beedrill replying, "Well, from what she told me, you started advancing on her that night."

Weedle stared silently before asking, "Wait, you know Elebuzz?" the wasp replying, "I'll get to that in a bit, but yeah, according to her, you invited her to your house for a, ahem, 'good time'," Weedle's eyes going wide as he shook his head.

"It's true," Beedrill replied, Weedle staring some more before asking, "Do you have proof of this?"

Beedrill nodded before pulling out a documentation of the results, Weedle groaning, "Oh god, so that's why she quit the following day. She must have felt guilty. She didn't tell me why she quit. I bet it was so I wouldn't feel responsible."

Beedrill nodded as the caterpillar groaned, "Don't tell me, you know her because you're her son, aren't you?" the wasp nodding as all went silent.

"Look, I don't want this to be any more awkward than it already is," Beedrill stated as Weedle remarked, "Well, it certainly can't get any more awkward! Why are you here!?" Beedrill letting down light tears and sniffing, "Well, I wanna get to know you more, Dad, make a connection, be an actual son to you."

Weedle glared at him and said, "Well, you don't seem to be lying, but look, don't expect me to take care of you. I'm suffering some serious financial problems right now."

"Oh, is that so?" Beedrill asked as Weedle nodded, the wasp's eyes sparkling as he exclaimed, "I know a way you can make money again!"

"Are you suggesting I steal money from people!?" Weedle retorted as the wasp remarked, "No, I'm past that point, remember!? No, I know of a method so simple, I'm certain you would have come up with it eventually!" the caterpillar blinking and asking, "Oh, so this is actually legal?" Beedrill nodding.

Weedle then shrugged and said, "Well, I'm open to anything at this point," Beedrill nodding again and replying, "Well, there's a certain event that has not been held in a long time, twenty years to be exact. Machamp won it twice and then for whatever reason, it was never seen again. You know what I'm talking about, right?"

Weedle's eyes went wide as he nodded in understanding, saying, "That's right. You're talking about the Hero Olympics, aren't you?" Beedrill nodding and replying, "Yes, an event where heroes compete for the honour of not only representing their countries but also the honour of their families. But you know what else happens as a result of it?" Weedle nodding and replying, "That's right, proceeds go to Hero Planet, and many would pay a fortune to see this event in person."

"Exactly!" Beedrill replied, "And with crime going down by the day, this is a perfect time to hold it!" Weedle's eyes sparkling as he let down light tears and sniffed, "Give me a hug, son!" the wasp embracing him as both shared a nice laugh with each other.

The following day, no one else was really thinking about such things, but what was on Machoke's mind especially was that today was Gardevoir's birthday. Gallade had told him about it while Machoke suggested throwing a surprise party before he could. Today was the day they would throw it, and it was located at their usual club. They even got the owner and all the guests to play along.

Gardevoir did not even think of this and was simply happy to be with her friends as they all walked toward the building. Reika was also with them and wearing a cute sleeveless shirt. Aipom was also with them this time wearing a baseball cap and a T-shirt, feeling happy to finally join the group.

Machoke had dressed in a more casual outfit than usual for the occasion while Gallade wore a pair of shorts as always. Blaziken wore a cowboy vest and a pair of slacks while Gardevoir was dressed in her jersey, Gallade trying his best not to question this. Heck, her whole reason for wearing it was because he had told her, without revealing too much, to wear something special today, and this jersey was a symbol of the first time she ever felt confident during a fight, so she considered it very special.

The group soon came to the club and entered, all of the guests giving Gardevoir a quick glance before going back to what they were doing, keeping up their charade. Gardevoir was none-the-wiser as she squealed, "What are we gonna do first!?" Machoke grinning and exclaiming, "Gallade, you wanted to give the karaoke machine a shot first, right!?"

Gallade nodded and replied, "You got it, buddy!" the boy walking over to the machine and picking up a microphone, the owner grinning as the machine started up.

At that moment, rock music started to come from it as Gallade and everyone else in the club belted, "Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!" Gardevoir gasping and looking around while everyone continued to sing, "Happy birthday, Gardevoir, happy birthday to you!"

At that moment, the people in the area pulled streamers out of their pockets and threw them into the air. Gardevoir blushed uncontrollably now as a big vanilla mousse cake was brought over to the table and placed in front of her. Everyone applauded the girl as Machoke and the others gave her thumbs up.

"Gallade, you're the best brother in the world!" Gardevoir squeaked, "You went all the way this year!" Gallade shaking his head and replying, "Don't look at me. This was all Machoke's idea," Machoke smiling and nodding as Gardevoir gave him a big hug, squealing, "Thank you all so much!"

"Well, better blow out the candles," Reika said with a smile, Gardevoir replying, "They look so pretty, but we don't want to get wax in the cake I guess," the girl then blowing on them, one remaining lit as Reika smirked, stating, "Oh, look at that, Gardevoir has a boyfriend," Gardevoir's cheeks turning pink as she squeaked, "Do not!" giggling all the while.

Gallade was just relieved to see her so happy even though by this point, he knew that her standards were not particularly high when it came to birthday parties. Ever since her birth, she had always been taught that it was the thought that counted, so she never really had standards. Even if everyone forgot, she would have been fine with it.

After Gardevoir quickly blew out the last candle, everyone was ready for cake, all planning to bring out their presents for her afterwards. However, while the group was eating, a news article came up on the TV, everyone surprised to see Weedle in front of the screen.

"Oh no, it's that asshole again," Machoke groaned as Aipom smacked him, grunting, "Don't be rude!" Machoke sighing, "I should have seen that coming."

"People of Earth, Hero Planet has already been informed of this, but I have some unsettling news," Weedle stated, everyone gasping, thinking this might have been another villain attack or something along those lines while the caterpillar added, "I have been chairman of Hero Planet for many years, and it has been a great honour, and yet now as the still relatively young age of forty-seven, I am retiring from my position."

All went silent as Machoke shrugged, saying, "Good riddance. That guy was a jerk," Aipom remarking, "Look, I can understand why you'd say that, but Mister Weedle has been chairman of Hero Planet for many years! This is sad news! Right, guys?" the others looking at each-other, even Gardevoir having trouble agreeing with the monkey on this one.

"But don't be too sad," Weedle added, "It's been an honour serving Hero Planet for all these years, but I think it's finally time to hand the torch to someone else. Everyone, I would like to introduce my son, Beedrill!"

Blaziken, Gallade and Gardevoir all freaked out at the mention of this name, Machoke tilting his head to the side, asking, "Who's that?" the wasp standing in front of the mic as the boy spat, "THAT'S THE GUY WHO TRIED TO MURDER ME IN HERO SCHOOL!"

"Hello, citizens of Earth. Yes, I am indeed Weedle's son," Beedrill stated, "I only found this out some time ago and, well, it's such a high honour to be chairman, especially at such a young age," all going silent in the area, the wasp adding, "I hope you can all accept me as the new chairman. I used to be a villain, but I can assure you I have learned my lesson and only wish to serve the side of justice now. That is the truth."

People still had no idea how to react as the wasp added, "This is not the only subject of this announcement. Oh no, my dad and I have something exciting planned for everyone."

Weedle nodded and stepped in front of the camera, saying, "Thank you, son," before continuing, "We are going to hold an event that has not been held for a long time, too long in fact. It's a time-honoured tradition that has gone on for ages and is only sponsored by the government of Hero Planet," everyone rather curious about what this was. After all, it had been so long that the world had practically forgotten its existence.

"I of course speak of the Hero Olympics," Weedle added as Aipom's eyes widened, Blaziken exclaiming, "Wow, I did not see that coming!" Machoke simply picking his right nostril with his pinky finger, Aipom face-palming as once again, the boy seemed clueless.

"It is a great event where heroes from around the world compete for the grand prize but also for the honour of their families and home countries," Weedle explained, "There is only one way to qualify, and that is to return to your home country and compete in an elimination wrestling tournament. There are a total of three tournaments consisting of three matches in each country, each tournament being held in a different city. Details will be sent to you if you sign up, and trust me, you'll be given instructions on how to do that by going to one of these various locations," pointing out a variety of sign-up spots on his world map.

Beedrill nodded and stated, "I can guarantee this will be exciting, but you only have two weeks to sign up and what's more, you must be in your home country to sign up. That means if you're assigned to protect a different area, in which most of you are, you must find a way to make it there in time. Just show them your hero IDs and whatever mode of transportation you choose is free of charge."

"Hero ID?" Machoke asked as the others looked at each-other, Aipom sighing, "You all should have gotten an ID card from the government when you graduated."

Gallade nodded and replied, "Oh yeah, our ID cards," the boy pulling his out of his wallet as the others did as well, Machoke saying, "I thought this was just to confirm us as citizens. I didn't know it was specifically linked to being a hero."

With that, the broadcast ended as Machoke sighed, "That sounds like a waste of time, right, guys?" Blaziken smirking and remarking, "Are you kidding!? Once this party is over, I'm on the first flight back to Texas!"

Machoke turned to Gallade and Gardevoir as Gallade shrugged, replying, "Sorry, Machoke, but I agree. This sounds like a great opportunity," Machoke then gazing at Gardevoir and saying, "Surely you don't feel up to it."

"Well, the old me wouldn't have, that's for sure," Gardevoir replied, smiling softly and adding, "But ever since you helped me gain the confidence I needed to fight, I really feel like I could stand a chance in this, so I'm going to try out too," Machoke's eyes going wide as Aipom said, "And you're going to compete too, right, Machoke?" the boy retorting, "ARE YOU CRAZY!?"

However, the owner of the club simply grinned at Gardevoir and exclaimed, "We're all proud of you, Gardevoir! Three cheers for the birthday girl!" everyone chanting her name three times as Machoke said nothing more, not wanting to spoil the mood.

After the party was done, everyone was getting ready to set off as Gallade asked Machoke, "So, are you sure you don't wanna sign up? I mean, you represent Japan. You don't actually have to leave the country," Machoke replying, "Yeah, you guys have fun. I'm just gonna relax here and maybe catch you guys on TV."

Gardevoir gave the boy a hug and said, "Try not to be too lonely," Reika sighing, "Don't worry, we're still around," directing a gaze at Aipom who gave her thumbs up with her tail hand as Blaziken grinned at Machoke and said, "Maybe I can get my family the first place spot they've been needing."

And with that, Gardevoir and Gallade took a plane to France while Blaziken took off toward another airport where a plane to Texas would come by within the hour. Machoke took a deep breath as Reika patted him on the shoulder, asking, "Are you really sure you don't want to try out?" Machoke remarking, "I'm certain," Aipom all the while trying her best to respect his decision but having a very hard time doing it.

Most of this stemmed from just how much Machoke had grown. He had become such a serious fighter, so devoted to his job as a hero that to see him scared of friendly competition made no sense to her. There was no use holding it back, she was going to have a talk with him later.

One week and six days later, Machoke was watching TV to pass the time, looking bored out of his skull. Aipom saw this as the perfect opportunity to try and convince him to join.

However, the monkey knew how Machoke would respond if she tried to just straight-up tell him to join or ask him why he was so hesitant. He would take it the wrong way and lash out at her for 'bothering him' about it. She had to take a more subtle and friendly approach.

As such, she sat down next to him and asked, "So, what's on?" Machoke sighing, "Nothing but news reports related to that stupid event," Aipom remarking, "But it's not stupid! It's a grand competition to see who the greatest hero in the world is, and what's more, the winner wears the championship belt, a symbol of power and courage!"

"Yeah, risk my health for a sweaty belt," Machoke remarked, "Sounds like time well spent to me," Aipom taking a deep breath and asking, "Do you even know anything about the Hero Olympics," Machoke nodding and replying, "Yeah, I know my dad won it twice."

Aipom's eyes were wide as she uttered, "Wow, I can't believe you actually know that," Machoke sighing, "Yeah, he liked to brag about it a lot to guests. He never specifically talked to me about it, though, mainly because he didn't want to pressure me into following in his footsteps."

"Or maybe he just thought you weren't worthy of performing such a task," Aipom replied with a smirk, clearly bluffing but hoping Machoke would not catch on as the boy asked, "Do you really think so?" the monkey nodding and adding, "I bet he thought you'd be too weak to win the belt, so he never felt the need to motivate you."

"Well, he was right," Machoke replied, getting up and adding, "I wouldn't say I'm too weak, but I definitely don't care enough," the boy exiting the house as Aipom let out a sigh, shaking her head in disappointment. Knowing Machoke's temper, she was certain those words would likely get under his skin.

However, as the day went by, Machoke continued to feel more lonely. He went to the club to try and calm down, but despite having gotten to know everyone there, there was something keeping him from having conversations with them without his friends there to join him. He later decided to catch a movie but, once again, nothing good was playing, the boy beyond disappointed.

His next stop was the arcade where he actually performed quite well with a fighting game he had played before that was based off of various heroes protecting Earth. It had even been updated with an even larger roster, so he was simply ploughing through characters while playing as himself.

"Aw yeah, did you see that!?" the boy exclaimed, turning to notice no one was there to congratulate him or even challenge him to a two-player game.

With that, the boy exited and noticed many people standing around and watching a big-screen TV attached to the side of a building talking more about the event. However, this time it was different as the station was showing footage of previous Hero Olympics.

One such clip was of Machamp using the Muscle Tombstone to defeat a silver cyborg named Registeel. In fact, that was the very day the man had actually developed the technique and surprised the entire world. Up to that point, he had always relied on any finisher he could think of to win his matches, even if they were not that impressive.

Machoke then saw footage of Blaziken's mother, Combusken, facing off against a steel bird named Scarmory in the first round of the twenty-first Hero Olympics. Scarmory had been dominating her during that match, but just as all seemed lost, the chicken seized victory with a Blaze Kick to the back, only unlike Blaziken's version, this one only had her using one foot making the victory even more impressive.

There was even footage of Kirlia going up against an opponent much bigger than her, a stone head with stubby arms and legs named Nosepass. Despite him being slow, Kirlia found herself having a lot of trouble standing up to him due to his incredible body strength. There was even a moment where it seemed like Kirlia would lose for sure when Nosepass proceeded to deliver a body slam to her, crushing her under his weight.

But Kirlia had just enough strength left for her family's power to kick in, using said power to lift Nosepass high above her head and finish him off with a perfectly executed brainbuster. Machoke winced a bit at the sight of Nosepass chipping in various places as a result, but it was a still a very impressive victory.

Then Machoke saw the footage of Machamp going up against Riolu in the finals of the twenty-first Hero Olympics. It was an intense match, but at the end of it all, Machamp defeated Riolu. This was an especially crushing blow to the dog's family as he had a perfect winning streak up to that point, one that Machamp had robbed him of.

If Machoke's father could pull that off, who was to say he could not? With that in mind, the boy gulped and ran over to the nearest sign-up station and flashed his ID card, exclaiming, "Hello, sir, I would like to try out for the honour of representing Japan in the Hero Olympics!"

The man simply blinked and replied, "Oh, sorry, Mister Machoke, but you're too late. All the positions for the Tokyo tournament have been filled," Machoke asking, "What about the ones taking place in Osaka and Sapporo?" the man replying, "Those were filled up last week."

Machoke's eyes widened as now it seemed far too late. What could he possibly do? If only he had signed up sooner. If only Aipom had not waited so long to try and convince him.

 

Things had certainly taken a turn for worse. Just as Machoke had finally decided to represent Japan in the Hero Olympics, it was already too late. But he simply could not accept this. After all, he had a knack for turning the tides in his favour. But he had to face facts, this was not a match but rather an issue with the rules. This was something he as a hero could not overcome.

As such, he simply groaned while slowly walking toward his house with a look of disappointment on his face. It was not so much the rules he was disappointed with but rather himself, which was certainly rare what with his inability to take responsibility for his own actions.

Reika noticed him headed home and asked, "Machoke, is something wrong?" the boy turning to face her and forcing a grin before fibbing, "Of course not! I've never felt better!" Reika shrugging and replying, "If you say so."

Soon enough, he walked to his house and thought, 'I just know what Aipom will say if I tell her the truth. She'll scold me for taking this long,' the boy then forcing a more natural look while adding in his mind, 'I'll just pretend I still have no interest in the Olympics. At the very least, I can watch the tournament tomorrow and see who will represent Japan instead of me.'

And with that, he managed to hide everything that had happened this day. Aipom was still convinced that her words had done nothing and she had given up as she knew it would be too late what with the day of the tournament being tomorrow.

However, while Machoke mentally beat himself up, Gallade and Gardevoir had spent their time in Paris training vigorously for the tournament. With Gardevoir's power now a permanent part of her, she was finally able to lift the really heavy weights. And to make things even better, their friends decided to help them out.

Smeargle and Florges would spar with the two every now and then, though this was also for their own benefit as they were going to compete as well. Smeargle did not feel that he could truly get through the elimination tournament, but he was not the kind of surrender no matter how bad things looked, so he was going to try anyway.

Of course Clare and Henri had helped to support all four. They had provided training equipment for them and helped them perform situps and other exercises like that.

The one thing that was on everyone's mind, though, was how Gallade and Gardevoir would avoid facing each-other in the elimination tournament as both wanted desperately to at least qualify together. Because of this, Gallade had specifically chosen to sign up for the tournament in Bourges while Gardevoir was fighting in the Grenoble tournament.

Smeargle was also in the Grenoble tournament and felt rather nervous about the idea of fighting his own childhood friend but knew he would have to suck it up. Florges, on the other hand, had signed up for the tournament taking place in Paris meaning she would be the only one not to change locations.

Blaziken had been training extra hard on her old farm. However, irony seemed rather strange as only her father was around to help her out. Combusken had gone off on a business trip and for whatever reason, Blaziken's father refused to reveal what that reason was. The chicken simply shrugged it off and decided that worrying about this would only hinder her training. Needless to say, she was ready.

And this was going on with many of the others as well. Throh and Sawk were both competing in the Osaka tournament, meaning both would likely have to fight each-other at some point.

As for Scyther and her friends, Scyther was fighting in the Berlin tournament. All the while, Heracross would be competing in Elgin while Lopunny was ready for the tournament in Cairo. Talonflame was of course not competing as he was still in prison, and even if he was not, he still would not have been interested.

Scrafty had returned to his home country of Poland to compete in Warsaw while Bisharp was partaking in the Manchester tournament. Lucario was of course competing in his hometown of London. He simply felt it was right.

Tyrogue and his siblings had returned to China to compete in their own tournaments, though the big challenge was making sure they would all make it. Of course, in the end, that would be impossible as there were four of them and only three tournaments. As such, Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan decided they would much rather face each-other in the tournament than the other two. As such, the two had signed up for the Beijing tournament.

Tyrogue decided to compete in Hong Kong while Hitmontop was going to fight in Yinchuan. The two felt very confident that they would make it, especially after all the training they had done to ready themselves.

Clauncher would also partake as she took a flight to Florida where another American tournament would take place. She really hoped she would win as she wanted to compete against Lucario.

And finally there was Dodrio, who had of course returned to their home country of Australia. They were to compete in Melbourne for the right to qualify.

Needless to say, everyone was truly ready for the elimination tournaments except for Machoke. He just hoped that all of his friends would at least make it. There was no way he would.

And as such, Machoke had gone to a local fighting arena the following day to check out the first round. Aipom had gotten front row seats as she said, "I'm glad you at least decided to watch the tournament," Machoke folding his arms and trying to hide his annoyance as he smiled and said, "Hey, as long as it's not me in the ring, right?"

Of course, Reika and her friends were also there as Tsuya sighed, "I wish I could go to France and watch Gallade instead," Reika remarking, "I know none of our friends are competing in this one, but you know how much a flight to France costs."

Strangely enough, the judge for the Tokyo tournament was Beedrill. Of all the tournaments for him to judge, this just happened to be the one he had chosen to partake in.

Actually, this was not his choice. Since he was new to being chairman, he had turned to Weedle for help and as such, the caterpillar had made this suggestion, though he had mainly done it to rub the fact that Machoke would never make it to the Olympics in the boy's face. This was made possible by the fact that Beedrill had agreed to let his father accompany him throughout the tournament and guide him through the rules and regulations and what sort of judgement to make under the right circumstances.

"Welcome, one and all, to the first round of the Tokyo elimination tournament!" Beedrill announced as everyone clapped, the wasp adding, "I am your host, Beedrill, the new chairman of Hero Planet," Weedle nodding his head and patting his son on the shoulder with his tail, saying, "Good job, my boy. Keep it up."

While Beedrill continued his speech, Weedle looked around and noticed Machoke in the audience. Sure, he was forcing a smile, but the caterpillar could tell he was feeling extremely negative right now. While he may have been grateful for the way Machoke defeated Talonflame, he still considered his family an embarrassment, so the fact that the boy was not competing made him extremely happy.

"Announcing this match will be none other than Nori," Beedrill stated as the woman entered the announcer's booth and bowed her head, saying, "Thank you," before exclaiming, "And now to introduce the fighters for the first round!"

The crowd was ready as Nori exclaimed, "In the red corner, originally from Spain but having recently become an official Japanese citizen, weighing at twenty-one-and-a-half kilograms, Hawlucha!"

The audience went wild as a humanoid parrot performed a series of flips toward the ring, propelling himself high above the floor before landing firmly against the mat, letting out a big laugh. This was a rather odd-looking parrot as his head actually looked more like a lucha libre mask, what with his eyes being pitch black. He had big green wings that looked more like a cape on the backsides of his arms and small clawed hands. His chest was covered in red feathers while his entire lower body was white save for his small yellow feet. His face had green feathers with an orange stripe going across the middle. His beak was small and red, but his actual mouth was located underneath it, attached to a white patch under said beak. He also had two orange tassel-like appendages coming out of the back of his head.

Nori was then about to announce the next fighter when suddenly, a staff member ran into the area and handed her a letter, her eyes going wide as she exclaimed, "Everyone, we have bad news!"

"What would that be?" Beedrill asked, Nori replying, "Well, according to this letter, Hawlucha's opponent, Venomoth, was unable to get here," Weedle remarking, "What is the meaning of this!?"

Nori let out a sigh and replied, "Well, there was a thunderstorm last night and Venomoth was out getting last-minute training in, and this included her flight. And while she was practising, a bolt of lightning came down and struck her, so now she's in the hospital recovering and won't be able to make it."

The audience looked beyond disappointed as Aipom blinked, uttering, "Wow, that's really bad luck," Reika retorting, "Bad luck? A result of stupidity is more like it! Who flies during a thunderstorm!?" Cici whimpering, "I just hope she's okay."

"Wow, that is certainly bad news," Beedrill replied before adding, "Well, then, the event must to on, right? If there are any heroes in the audience right now who have not signed up, you can officially take Venomoth's place in the elimination tournament and face Hawlucha right now!"

Weedle's eyes widened as Machoke sprang up out of his seat, exclaiming, "ME!" Aipom and the others staring at him in absolute shock, the boy running toward the ring and shouting, "I'll do it! I'll fight Hawlucha and compete for the right to represent Japan!"

Weedle was shaking his head at his son as Beedrill did not turn to see this and said, "Oh, hi Machoke," the boy freaking out when he suddenly remembered who the host was, the wasp adding, "I am so glad you've decided to compete after all, even if it is a little too late. I was hoping to see you in the Olympics."

"Uh, why?" Machoke asked as the wasp replied, "Well, I would like to personally thank you," all going silent as Weedle was slamming his head against the desk in front of the two, his son adding, "You're part of the reason I discovered my father. If you hadn't defeated me and had me sent to prison, I don't think this ever would have happened," light tears coming from his eyes as Hawlucha laughed, exclaiming, "That is muy bueno right there! Truly a touching moment!"

Machoke blinked and said, "Wow, you really have changed now," a big grin on his face as Weedle cut in, barking, "No, son! You didn't run this decision by me first! Personally, I don't approve of this official replacement idea of yours!"

Beedrill turned and blinked, asking, "What's wrong with it?" Weedle sighing, "If we implement a rule like this, everyone can just take advantage of a mishap and take the place of another hero," all going silent as Machoke sighed, "How many other heroes are here in this area right now?"

The wasp, however, did not seem to think this way as he replied, "Well, if my dad doesn't approve, then I'm afraid Machoke can't take Venomoth's place," the audience starting a huge uproar as one hurled an empty pop can into Weedle's forehead, the caterpillar barking, "WHO DID THAT!?" more following.

With that, the entire audience started to chant, "LET HIM FIGHT! LET HIM FIGHT!" Aipom's eyes sparkling as she smiled at the display, Reika and her friends joining in, even Cici looking legitimately furious in response to Weedle's declaration.

"Well, Dad, they seem to really want this," Beedrill stated as Hawlucha folded his arms with a smile, saying, "Si, we should give him a chance. After all, I would feel honoured to face the son of the great Machamp!"

"ALRIGHT, FINE!" Weedle snapped, everyone calming down as Beedrill nodded and stated, "Well, folks, it seems Machoke can legally replace Venomoth now," the audience going wild as Reika took a deep breath, sighing, "That boy has the strangest luck on his side."

Aipom had said nothing, though. She was absolutely speechless. Had Machoke been hiding a desire to enter the tournament this whole time? Well, of course he had, but no one besides Machoke had really been aware of this fact.

While Nori, as an announcer, was supposed to be neutral when it came to matches, even she was beyond happy to see him be accepted as the replacement fighter. While she never showed it, she had secretly become a die-hard fan of his from watching his matches over the past. At the very least, his fights were always interesting.

"By the way, Machoke," Beedrill stated, "you'll need to work on an entrance too, so I'll give you five minutes to prepare one," Weedle shaking his head while his son failed to notice this. It was bad enough Machoke had been allowed to participate but now he was given a chance to come up with one of his embarrassing entrances.

Even Aipom felt a tad against this idea but said nothing. She was just thrilled to see the boy taking this so seriously even if he had been accepted into the tournament because of really convenient happenstance.

Hawlucha patiently waited for the next five minutes, Aipom waiting by the side of the ring as she had been given permission to give Machoke advice, the boy getting himself ready. Time was soon up as Nori got the signal to announce his entrance, the woman nodding and exclaiming, "And in the blue corner, hailing from Hero Planet but having become an official Japanese citizen, weighing at seventy kilograms and having defeated many powerful opponents, Machoke!"

The crowd stared silently as Machoke rode toward the ring on a tiny unicycle, no one understanding where he was going with this as the boy smirked, thinking, 'When I leap off of this, I'm going to make my most grand entrance ever," only for his weight to eventually crush the transportation device, all going silent.

"What exactly were you trying to do?" Aipom asked as Machoke laughed nervously, replying, "Sorry, I didn't have as much time as I normally do, so I did the best with what I had."

Hawlucha laughed and exclaimed, "Oh, you are a funny man, Machoke!" the boy's eyes sparkling as he squealed, "Did you hear that, Aipom!? He called me a MAN!" the monkey face-palming.

"Oh god, he's not taking this seriously at all," Reika groaned, Tsuya asking, "What do you see in him?" Reika retorting, "I have no feelings for him whatsoever!"

Her eyes then widened when Machoke climbed into the ring and turned to her, exclaiming, "OH, REIKA, LOOK! I'M IN THE RING RIGHT NOW!" the boy then blowing her kisses as the girl ducked under them, all of the kisses running into a big man sitting behind her, the man snarling in irritation.

"Sorry, sir," Reika uttered with a nervous grin, Cici and Tsuya simply shaking their heads. She was definitely hiding her true feelings and Machoke could feel it too.

Weedle let out a sigh and thought, 'Well, it should be fine. Hawlucha should be more than enough of a match for Machoke. After all, the whole reason he's in the Tokyo tournament instead of one of the Spanish ones is because of me.'

With all said and done, Machoke and Hawlucha waited on their own sides of the ring as the excitement in the audience grew. Sure, this may not have been a match in the Olympics themselves, but it was still a big deal.

With that, Nori rang the bell as Machoke immediately sprinted toward Hawlucha. The boy was not going to hesitate for a second. He was going to blast his way through the tournament and make his way into the Olympics.

Hawlucha readied himself to counter only for Machoke to swerve to the right, the crowd cheering as Aipom thought, 'Good, he's already using his brain,' but just as Machoke was about ready to strike the parrot, it seemed Hawlucha had seen this coming as he threw his arm in front of his side, having his feathers block a roundhouse kick.

Machoke's eyes widened as Hawlucha proceeded to grab hold of his ankle, turning it sideways as the boy fell on his side. Machoke attempted to grab his ankles only for the bird to leap high into the air before sending his feet hard into the boy's cheek.

Everyone stared in shock as just from these two moves, Machoke already had blood coming from his nostrils. This was not a good sign.

However, Machoke simply ignored this and spat, "Alright, that was a lucky shot!" the boy quickly getting up and attempting to grab Hawlucha. However, the bird seemed more than ready for this as he simply grabbed the boy's wrists, saying, "Senor Machoke, you are a very strong fighter, but I have been preparing for opponents like you for a long time even before I knew I would have a chance to face you!"

Machoke's eyes widened as the parrot proceeded to ram his beak hard into the boy's face, once again drawing blood as the Machoke released his hold. Hawlucha then proceeded to flip back onto the turnbuckle, exclaiming, "I know it is a lot to expect when going up against one of your stature, but you will be the first stepping stone I cross toward becoming champion!"

"Was that supposed to sound cool?" Reika asked, Tsuya replying, "That's what that was? I didn't even get it," but this hardly mattered as Hawlucha leapt off of the turnbuckle, flying toward Machoke with his arms spread out.

Machoke stared at this with shock as Hawlucha shouted, "FLYING PRESS!" slamming his belly hard into the boy's chest, all going silent as Machoke coughed up quite a bit of blood. How could such a simple-looking attack be so powerful? This was not even a new technique. This was something lots of wrestlers could use and yet Hawlucha's harnessed the strength of an advanced slam technique.

Whatever the reason, this was certainly enough to knock Machoke onto his back as the audience started to cheer wildly for Hawlucha. Sure, this was their first time seeing him in action, but they had seen Machoke in combat many times and knew that knocking him down this easily was no small feat.

"Oh my god," Aipom uttered, her eyes wide with shock as Nori stated, "Who could have ever guessed a flying press could deal so much damage? It seems using one of the oldest techniques in the book, Hawlucha has already managed to knock Machoke on his back, and it doesn't look like he'll be getting up anytime soon either."

Cici whimpered while Reika groaned, "Oh my god, you can't be serious," Tsuya simply staring and asking, "Is it really over already?"

Hawlucha rose his hands in the air, exclaiming, "MUCHOS GRACIAS, SENORS AND SENORITAS! I LOVE YOU ALL!" Beedrill staring and saying, "Wow, that Hawlucha guy is really something," Weedle nodding and replying, "He sure is, son."

'Of course he is,' Weedle thought with a fiendish look in his eyes, 'I had a feeling Machoke would find some way or another to weasel his way into the tournament. His family has a knack for pulling off things like this. That's why I searched hard for someone who could defeat him under such circumstances, and that was when I discovered Hawlucha. While Machoke is definitely better when it comes to physical strength, Hawlucha has something that kid lacks, and that's a fighting spirit outmatched by many.'

While Hawlucha continued to bask in the cheers, one member of the crowd got up and exclaimed, "GOOD JOB, HERMANO!" Hawlucha waving and replying, "I'm living the dream, Isabel!" Reika staring at this and saying, "Wow, his sister came all the way here to watch him fight."

However, all went silent when Hawlucha could hear coughing behind him, the parrot turning and noticing Machoke slowly rise to his feet. The boy took a deep breath and spat a bit of blood out of his mouth, stating, "Hey, this match is far from over. Don't celebrate just yet."

 

All was silent through the area as Machoke had gotten up despite the horrible beating he had taken in so quickly in the match. Sure, he was already bleeding, but there was no way he was going to let himself be beaten so easily, especially when he had faced stronger opponents before.

Aipom let out a sigh of relief and said, "I was really worried," Hawlucha's sister barking, "You should have stayed down, Machoke! You have only seen a fraction of what mi hermano can do!" Machoke blinking and asking, "Is that your sister?"

Hawlucha nodded and replied, "Isabel took the same plane as me so she could support me," before adding, "My baby sister, Lea, stayed behind to take care of my sick madre," all going silent as he added, "Machoke, I have lots of respect for you as a fighter, but mark my words when I say I'm not going to let you win. I need to work my way to the top for my family's sake!"

The boy's eyes widened as Aipom bit her lip, not sure what to say to this. Hawlucha actually had a good reason for fighting in this tournament whereas Machoke had simply volunteered because he wanted to. And while Machoke may have been childish and even stupid at times, he did have a good heart and could sympathize with someone with good intentions.

Weedle all the while implied a smirk while thinking, 'Excellent. Now that he knows the truth, he likely won't even try to fight back,' until Reika spat, "MACHOKE, DON'T LET THIS GET TO YOU! EVERYONE HAS A REASON FOR ENTERING THE OLYMPICS! YOU GOT A LUCKY BREAK! ARE YOU GOING TO WASTE IT!?"

Machoke's eyes widened as he sported a serious look, gulping and saying, "I don't feel too good about doing this, but I'm not going to sit around and let you wipe the floor with me!" the boy rushing toward the parrot who simply held his feathers in front of his face, asking, "Your attempts to hit me before have all failed. What makes you think this will work?"

Unfortunately for Hawlucha, Machoke certainly remembered this and had come up with a new strategy as he directed a low kick into the parrot's ankle, Hawlucha's eyes widening as he knelt down. His feathers may have been strong, but they were only able to protect his upper body thus leaving his legs defenceless.

However, just as it looked like Machoke had finally gotten the upper hand, Hawlucha ignored the pain and stated, "That's not good enough to take me down, mi amigo," the parrot swinging his arm out and striking Machoke in the side of the face. Before the boy could even respond, Hawlucha proceeded to wrap his left arm around about the boy's right before running around the ring, carrying Machoke with him.

The boy got dizzy from all the spinning as Hawlucha smirked, flinging him hard into the turnbuckle while the crowd went wild for him. In such a short amount of time, he was already becoming popular with the crowd as Weedle had a big smile on his face.

"That motivation, that drive," Beedrill said, "It's so inspiring. It makes me wanna go out and fight for someone," Weedle nodding while reminiscing about his meeting with Hawlucha.

When he discovered the parrot, he noticed him working very hard to support his family. He worked two jobs, one at a construction site and the other at a track for marathon runners, so he had a lot of strength and speed training from his jobs. But what could possibly motivate him to join the Olympics?

As it just so happened, his mother was sick in bed and his family was not even close to being able to afford an operation for her. Seeing how desperate he was, Weedle came to him with his condolences and suggested he join the Hero Olympics, telling the parrot of the popularity and wealth he would likely get from winning the championship belt.

Hawlucha had never considered it. He was shocked when he found out that he could possibly save his mother's life by winning the Hero Olympics. However, it was too late as the Spanish tournaments had already been filled, so Weedle then told him the one place that still had an open spot was Tokyo, suggesting that Hawlucha legally become a Japanese citizen so he could compete.

Of course, this was a lie because plenty of tournaments still had open spots, but Hawlucha did not know of this. Even so, it took him a while to really agree to such a thing because changing nationalities to join a sporting event seemed extreme. But on the other hand, his mother needed the operation more than anything and as such, he reluctantly accepted.

As Machoke slowly recovered from the blow to his face, Hawlucha took a deep breath and folded his arms, saying, "I am terribly sorry, Machoke, but I have to win the Hero Olympics for the sake of mi madre. Not even you will stand in my way!" Machoke about to try and fight back when suddenly a look of absolute terror formed in in his eyes.

Right now, he was not just seeing Hawlucha standing before him but also his siblings and his mother. It was like facing four opponents at once, and with Hawlucha's incredible strength displayed up to this point, Machoke may as well have been fighting his whole family rolled into one.

Aipom could feel this inside of him and even she did not know whether or not he could rob Hawlucha of something so noble. Even so, the monkey knew she had a job to do as she snapped, "Earth to Machoke!" the boy turning to her as she barked, "Come on, don't let him intimidate you! There's only one opponent standing in the ring right now, not four!"

"Yeah, one really amazing opponent who deserves to win," Machoke groaned as Hawlucha smiled, saying, "I must admit, you are a very kind man, Senor Machoke, but unfortunately, that kindness is going to get you in a lot of trouble," the parrot charging toward him once again as Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, FIGHT BACK!"

The boy nodded and dodged Hawlucha before kicking him in the ankle again. This time, though, he sent his foot into the back and applied more force thus causing the parrot to fall on his back. With that, the boy flipped him over and sat on him, lifting up his legs and bending them while tucking them under his arms, the crowd going wild while Hawlucha cried out in pain.

"Just as it seemed Machoke was going to submit to Hawlucha, he gets his head back in the game and catches him in a perfectly executed Boston crab!" Nori exclaimed, Aipom letting out a sigh of relief as Isabel spat, "Senor Machoke, you are wasting your time and energy! Mi hermano can easily escape from that!"

"Sorry, Isabel, but you overestimate me," Hawlucha groaned, gritting his teeth and adding, "Even I do not know how to get out of such a hold," all going silent as Beedrill said, "Leave it to Machoke to pull off a miracle, eh, Dad?" Weedle fuming while thinking, 'Are you seriously telling me this one move is going to get him to submit!?'

However, just as Hawlucha was about to give up for good, Isabel growled and snapped, "COME ON, HERMANO, REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO MADRE!" the parrot's eyes widening as his sister continued, "REMEMBER HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO WIN THIS! YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP BECAUSE OF ONE TECHNIQUE YOU'RE HAWLUCHA! YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS!"

Hawlucha's eyes widened as he placed his hands firmly against the mat, everyone staring as Nori uttered, "In what I can only assume is an act of desperation, Hawlucha is attempting to get out of the hold," the parrot slowly pushing himself upward.

Machoke's eyes widened when he could actually feel his family members pulling on his arms and forcing him up as a means of loosening his hold on Hawlucha. And sure enough, Hawlucha had managed to push his lower body up so he was now performing a handstand, his back and legs no longer being bent as the crowd gasped.

"I can't believe it, but his tactic actually worked!" Nori exclaimed, "In a truly astounding way, Hawlucha has just forced his way out of a Boston crab!"

It certainly did not end there as Hawlucha took full advantage of the fact that Machoke was still holding his legs. The parrot flipped his body over and rammed his beak hard into the boy's forehead, causing him to lose his grip before grasping onto Machoke's arm and wrapping his legs around his neck, using his weight to force him on his back while holding him in a triangle choke.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as he cried out in pain, gasping for air while Aipom screeched, "MACHOKE, YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS! LIFT YOUR ARM UP AND SLAM HIS HEAD INTO THE MAT!"

However, the boy shockingly refused to listen to the monkey. Was it pride getting in the way? No, that could not be for Machoke had learned long ago that Aipom's advice was worth following. No, he had another reason.

This very reason was made clear when he wheezed, "Hawlucha deserves to win! He has a good reason to fight in this tournament! I can't stand up to his entire family!" Reika whimpering, "Poor guy. Hawlucha and his sister have rendered him useless," Cici uttering, "I'm not even sure who I want to see win this match in all honesty."

Hawlucha smiled and said, "It is good to see you at least have enough decency to see the truth. You simply joined this tournament for the heck of it, but I am fighting for my family. You cannot defeat spirit like that!" Machoke feeling his sister actually applying extra pressure to his arm and neck even though she was still in the audience.

After a while, Machoke looked about ready to pass out as Hawlucha released his hold on the boy, leaping up onto the turnbuckle and spreading his arms out, saying, "Well, I will commend you for at least putting up a decent effort, but alas, this match must come to an end!"

With that, the parrot leapt off of the turnbuckle and spat, "FLYING PRESS!" once again slamming his body hard into Machoke's chest, the boy now out cold as all went silent, Nori exclaiming, "And once again, Hawlucha performs an incredible feat by using his super powered flying press!"

"Oh, it's nothing special, really," Hawlucha explained with a shrug, "All I do is use my feathers to double the impact," the crowd cheering for him.

Aipom bit her lip, not even sure how to respond as Weedle nodded at Beedrill, the wasp starting to count to ten, Reika getting up and barking, "MACHOKE, GET UP!" everyone staring as she added, "Look, I see why you'd feel bad about defeating Hawlucha! Yes, he's fighting for his family and that is a very good reason to fight, but Machoke, you have people who want to see you win as well!"

Isabel stared in interest as the girl added, "First, you got me and my friends! We are all supporting you and want to see you make it to the top!" Machoke's fingers twitching as she added, "Aipom also wants to see you win, so that's already one more supporter than Hawlucha has!" the parrot's eyes widening as he had to admit that was a good point.

"And what would your father say if he saw you lose the elimination round and not even make it to the Olympics themselves!?" Reika added, "Do you think he'd be happy to see you disgrace the family name like that!? You have a chance to restore that glory!"

Despite this speech certainly being more than ten seconds, Beedrill had actually stopped counting after the first few sentences, Weedle trying desperately to remind his son to keep it up. He remembered how many times Machoke had gotten up because of the bell ringing being delayed and did not wish for that to happen right now.

Reika then added, "My mom also wants to see you win, and you can't forget all of your friends! Gardevoir, Gallade, Blaziken, I'm sure all three would love to compete in the Olympics with you! Are you going to let them down too!?"

With that, Machoke slowly rose to his feet as the entire area went silent, the boy coughing up blood and taking a deep breath, saying, "You're right, Reika," the girl giving him a warm smile as he added, "It's true that Hawlucha has his family to back him up, but I have even more people out there who love and support me."

Hawlucha went wide-eyed as he suddenly saw the spirits of all of Machoke's friends surrounding him, the boy adding, "I've also influenced at least a couple of villains and made them good, so they would feel horrible if I lost today, and that would include Beedrill, am I right?" the wasp blinking and nodding his head, replying, "Actually, yeah, I would have been really disappointed to see you lose the first round," Weedle remarking, "Son, you're supposed to be neutral!"

"When I became a hero, I had no intention of doing so much of the work," Machoke stated, "I admit it, I was scared of this job, but ever since I defeated Rotom, I've taken my work very seriously! I fight not for myself but for the sake of everyone on this planet! That is why I will never back down no matter what, even if I'm fighting a fellow hero! You have a good reason, but I have the burden of every citizen in Tokyo on my shoulders and beyond those limits! I can't lose!"

Hawlucha's fear then turned to anger as he spat, "NO! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! YOU'RE JUST SPOUTING NONSENSE!" the parrot once again leaping onto the turnbuckle and leaping off before shouting, "FLYING PRESS!"

However, Machoke was actually prepared this time as he ran toward the ropes and propelled himself off of them. After that, he tucked himself into a ball and rolled right into Hawlucha's chest. Everyone stared, wondering just how this would turn out when shockingly enough, Machoke had managed to overpower the attack, Hawlucha's eyes widening as his chest was no longer puffed up.

With that, Machoke retracted into his normal state and turned Hawlucha's body around so both backs faced each-other. He then used his arms and legs to lock Hawlucha's hands and feet in place. And with that, he started to spin both his and his opponent's bodies around, forming a big wheel and heading toward the mat, slamming Hawlucha's belly hard against the mat while shouting, "SUNSET SLAM!" Hawlucha crying out in pain as Machoke placed his hand against his head, slamming his face into the canvas.

All went silent as Beedrill counted up to ten before nodding at Nori, the woman ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND OUR WINNER IS MACHOKE!" the crowd going wild as Aipom breathed a sigh of relief, Reika letting down a light tear, Weedle all the while trying his hardest to hide his frustration with this result.

However, Machoke's joy soon left him as he turned and looked down at Hawlucha, asking, "Are you okay?" the parrot slowly opening his eyes with a smirk, Isabel letting out a sigh of relief as he said, "Increible! You're the real deal!" the parrot laughing and adding, "You truly deserve your reputation, mi amigo! I've never faced anyone quite like you!"

Machoke then let out a sigh and replied, "Thanks, but I still feel kind of bad," helping the parrot up as Hawlucha shook his head and patted him on the shoulder, exclaiming, "You have nothing to be ashamed of! You were absolutely amazing! Now go on and win the Olympics! Don't you dare let my loss be in vain!" the crowd going wild as Aipom smiled.

At that exact moment, a commercial sponsor walked toward the ring and said, "Excuse me, Senor Hawlucha, I represent the bread factory here and I was wondering if you'd like to sponsor us. You almost defeated Machoke! That's certainly worth something!" Machoke thinking, 'And me defeating Talonflame means nothing?' Hawlucha letting down tears and smiling bright, sniffing, "It would seem all hope is not lost!"

Weedle then took a deep breath and said, "Well, congratulations, Machoke, but don't think you've qualified just yet. You still have to win two more rounds," Machoke letting out a sigh and groaning, "I'd completely forgotten about that," while a staff member was whispering something in the side of Beedrill's head.

"Hold that thought, Dad," Beedrill stated, "I just received word that all of the other participants in the Tokyo tournament couldn't make it!" Weedle's eyes widening as he remarked, "What!?" Beedrill nodding and replying, "See, they all took the same plane here and it crashed. Luckily, they prevented the passengers from getting killed, but they spent too long keeping them safe and knew there was no way to make it here on time," Weedle narrowing his eyelids and remarking, "You have gotta be kidding me."

Beedrill shook his head as Weedle remarked, "So all six of the other participants could not make it because of a plane crash!" Beedrill stating, "Well, Venomoth was struck down by lightning," the caterpillar trying to hide his irritation.

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Machoke uttered, "Are you telling me I have no other opponents to face in this tournament?" Beedrill nodding as he added, "So that means I win by default?" Beedrill nodding again as Weedle grumbled curses under his breath.

With that, a wide grin crossed Machoke's face as he exclaimed, "AW YEAH!" raising his hands in the air and chanting, "I'M NUMBER ONE! I'M GONNA REPRESENT JAPAN IN THE HERO OLYMPICS! I ROCK!" the crowd going wild as Reika and Aipom face-palmed, groaning, "Don't be too humble about it," with sarcasm in their voices.

Hawlucha simply gave him a grin as Isabel ran over to make sure he was really in good enough condition to move, the parrot nodding his head in reassurance. Because of his respect for the parrot, Machoke had chosen to apply a little bit less force into his Sunset Slam. He felt no need to hospitalize someone with a good heart.

Beedrill then noticed Weedle clutching onto a miniature gold trophy as the wasp asked, "Hey, Dad, can you hand that over? I need to present that to the champ," Weedle reluctantly handing it over, feeling a bit better that it was at least someone else handing Machoke the prize.

Still, it would have been unfair for him to horde it just because of his own personal issues anyway. The whole reason he had decided to give the winners of the elimination tournaments trophies was so that when all but one ended up losing in the Olympics, they would at least have something to take pride in. After all, winning a tournament, be it a small one or not, was nothing to scoff at.

Machamp had actually been watching this match on TV back on Hero Planet, a big grin on his face as he laughed, exclaiming, "Hey, honey, Machoke won the Tokyo tournament!" Kala entering and beaming bright, saying, "That's my boy!" before adding, "Now that that's over, you have no excuse to get out of your chores," Machamp sighing, "Yes, dear."

And that was that. While fate had certainly been kind to Machoke, it was his skills and spirit that ultimately earned him the right to represent Japan. But even so, this was only the beginning as his opponents in the Olympics were sure to be a lot tougher than Hawlucha was. But even so, he could not have been happier right now.

 

While Machoke had won his way to the Olympics by default, his friends were not so lucky as they did have to go through all three rounds. But this was okay because they had actually managed to do a good job, all of them making it to the final round. However, Smeargle had actually lost the first round of the Grenoble tournament and did not even get a chance to fight Gardevoir, something he was actually hoping he would get a chance to do.

Luckily, thanks to her new power and the fact that she could come up with good strategies on her own now, Gardevoir had made it to the finals and was currently facing off against a blue mouse with her ears and body perfectly round. She also had a blue sphere on the end of her tail, which resembled a squiggly line. Her name was Marill.

Currently, Gardevoir was having a tough time as Marill swung her tail at her, using her sphere as a weapon while the girl simply held up her arms to block the onslaught. However, her arms were starting to bruise as a woman in the announcer's booth stated, "This is looking quite terrible for Mademoiselle Gardevoir as Marill has her backed into a corner."

"Just give it up," Marill said with a smirk, "You may have defeated a few opponents in your time, but none of them were a match for me," Smeargle shouting, "DON'T LISTEN TO HER, MON AMIS!"

Gardevoir turned toward the bleachers where the beagle had a front row seat, Smeargle adding, "I've seen your matches on TV and Marill is nothing compared to Monsieur Scrafty!" Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "He's right!"

With that in mind, the girl saw an easy way to exploit Marill's attack and grabbed hold of her tail the next time it came around, the rodent's eyes widening as Gardevoir proceeded to hurl her into the turnbuckle. However, Marill ignored the pain and stood on her tail with a smirk on her face, using the sphere like a bouncing ball and propelling herself high above the mat and over Gardevoir's head.

"BOUNCING AQUA TAIL!" she spat, a blue aura surrounding her tail as she spun around, aiming the very part toward Gardevoir's head. However, the girl simply stepped to the side, easily avoiding the attack as Marill cried out in pain, the mouse having actually damaged her tail from the collision, said part now turning red on the spot that had hit the mat.

Gardevoir took full advantage of this as she grabbed Marill by her tail again, this time hurling her into the air and leaping up before grabbing onto her, flipping her upside-down and shouting, "METEOR BOMB!" sending the mouse's head hard into the mat with her upper body high enough not to make contact with the mat until the move was over.

Marill lay unconscious, her eyes swirling as the bell was rung, the announcer exclaiming, "And the champion of the Grenoble elimination tournament is Mademoiselle Gardevoir!" the crowd going wild as the girl waved her hands in the air, jumping up and down while squealing with excitement. This was one of the greatest moments of her life.

It seemed his last victory had given him a bit of an edge now as Gallade had managed to fight his way to the finals of the Bourges tournament. Currently he was fighting a pink squirrel with nostrils but no nose or even visible ears for that matter, curved yellow lines on his belly and a long tongue that he simply could not keep in his mouth. His name was Lickitung.

Gallade tried hitting him only for the squirrel to rub his slimy tongue along his skin every time, the boy wincing and groaning, "THAT'S DISGUSTING!" backing up as the squirrel smirked, saying, "You should not fear the tongue, boy. It'll make things much more difficult for you."

Gallade fumed and attempted to strike the squirrel only for the tongue to come at him again, the boy hesitating as Lickitung balled it up into a fist and sent it into the boy's face. After that, he wrapped his tongue around him, shouting, "TONGUE BIND!" holding the boy in place and applying lots of pressure while the crowd stared in horror.

However, Gallade knew he had to win this match at all cost. If he failed, he could not compete in the Olympics and he had promised that he would qualify along with his sister, so he could not afford failure.

With that in mind, the boy took a deep breath and shifted his arms against the tongue, the squirrel's eyes widening as he released his hold on the boy, crying out in pain as Gallade had used his arm blades to put two light cuts on his tongue. With Lickitung now distracted, Gallade stood on his tip-toes and spun toward him, shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!"

Lickitung cried out in agony as Gallade spun into him, scraping him with his arm blades multiple times. The crowd went wild as the squirrel passed out, the bell ringing as a male announcer exclaimed, "And our champion of the Bourges elimination tournament is Monsieur Gallade!" Gallade taking a deep breath before holding out his hand.

Lickitung slowly regained consciousness when he noticed this, his eyes sparkling as Gallade said, "That was a great match. Maybe we can face each-other again someday," Lickitung letting down a light tear and sniffing, "You're a really nice guy," the squirrel then licking the boy's face as he groaned, trying his best to ignore the moisture covering his face.

Blaziken was in the midst of a match against a white horse with a mane made entirely out of fire named Rapidash. Both were trading off punches right now as a male announcer exclaimed, "HOO-WHEE! This is truly something, folks! These two don't let up for a second!" the two leaping away from one-another after a few punches and breathing heavily.

"I gotta hand it to you, Blaziken," Rapidash said with a smirk, "You got some skills!" the chicken smirking and replying, "I'm flattered, but you're not my type," the horse shaking his head and saying, "You won't be joking when I'm finished!"

The horse then proceeded to bend down, his mane touching his horn as it burst into flame. After that, he proceeded to gallop toward Blaziken despite only having two feet to do it with and shouting, "HORN FROM HELL!"

Blaziken saw this coming a mile away as she waited for him to get close, dodging to the side when the moment came and wrapped her arms around his neck. Rapidash's eyes went wide as he tried to struggle free, Blaziken tightening her hold. Rapidash desperately resorted to ramming his chin against the mat in some vain attempt to shake himself loose but this only ended up causing him more pain.

With that, the chicken charged toward the turnbuckle, everyone cheering as the announcer exclaimed, "YEE-HAW, LOOK AT BLAZIKEN TAKE FULL CONTROL OF THAT BUCKING BRONCO!" Rapidash's face soon rammed hard into the pole, Blaziken shifting his body around and climbing onto his back.

Afterwards, the chicken proceeded to propel herself above his head shouting, "BLAZE KICK!" her feet catching flame as she rammed them into the back of his neck. The horse's eyes widened as he fell forward, his chin slamming against the mat as he was out cold, the bell ringing while the crowd cheered even louder, those with cowboy hats in the crowd waving them around above their heads while whistling in admiration.

"And on that note, we now have a new representative of America, the Texas tournament champion, Blaziken!" the announcer exclaimed as Blaziken rose one fist in the air, a big smirk on her face as she said, "Ain't nobody messing with the Texas Phoenix!"

In Paris, Florges was charging toward her opponent, a blue frog with a spherical body, a big swirl on his chest and a pair of white boxing gloves named Poliwhirl. He looked as if he had already taken in a pretty big beating earlier as Florges had petals surrounding her body, the girl gracefully spinning on her tip-toes before sending her palm into his face, saying, "Pedal blizzard."

The pedals around her body travelled toward her wrist, flying out and covering Poliwhirl in cuts as he groaned in pain, falling hard on his back. The bell was rung as Florges was declared the winner, the crowd going wild.

Meanwhile, in Berlin, Scyther was facing off against grey rhino named Rhydon. He had the insect's arms trapped in place while his horn spun like a drill, the rhino shouting, "HORN DRILL!"

But just as he was about to run it into her chest, Scizor, who was standing on the sidelines, snapped, "NOW, SCYTHER!" Scyther nodding and released her arm blades, Rhydon crying out in pain and releasing his hold on her, his hands now bleeding.

Scyther took full advantage of this by shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" sending each blade sideways, her right one going downward at a left angle and her left one going upward at a right angle. Two big gashes formed on Rhydon's chest as he cried out in pain, falling hard on his back while the bell was rung, Scyther's victory official while the crowd cheered.

In Elgin, Heracross was facing off against a slim terrier with brown fur on his body and most of his head. White fur went across the middle of his face, spreading out to form a moustache on the bottom while along his back was blue fur in the form of a cape. His name was Herdier.

Currently he was clinging to the beetle and biting into his shoulder only for Heracross to ignore the pain, placing a firm grip on the dog's arms and smirking. After that, he reeled his head back and rammed his horn hard into Herdier's face before leaning down and shouting, "HORN SHOVEL!" scooping the dog up with his horn and hurling him high above the ring.

After that, he leapt up above the dog's level and spat, "MEGAHORN!" his horn glowing as he sent it hard into the dog's belly. Herdier coughed up blood and fell hard against the mat, out cold as the bell was rung, the crowd going wild as Heracross' victory was announced.

In Cairo, Lopunny was facing off against a white cat with a red gemstone on her forehead named Persian. The cat was swiping her claws at Lopunny, hissing, "FURY SWIPES!" only for the rabbit to easily block them with her ears, ignoring the pain the claws were dealing to them.

When she saw an opening, she used her ears to hold herself up before sending her feet hard into the cat's gut, leaving her weak before before using her ears to send the cat high above the ring. After that, she bounced up to Persian's height before wrapping her ears around her ankles and flipping herself over so both their heads were facing the mat. Lopunny then proceeded to spin around, shouting, "BUNNY TORNADO!" sending Persian's head hard into the canvas while the crowd went wild.

There was no doubt about it. Lopunny had won, the rabbit squealing excitedly and bouncing up and down with her hands in the air.

All the while, Scrafty had used his High Jump Kick to defeat his opponent, a blue seal with a big white moustache named Sealeo. Needless to say, he was happy to be representing Poland in the Olympics.

Bisharp was currently up against a tall dragon with yellow scales that resembled armour covering all but his chest area and the fronts of his legs, which were black. He had two big axe heads on the sides of his face and his name was Haxorus.

Both looked like they had partaken in quite an intense match as they were breathing heavily, both covered in wounds. Bisharp took a deep breath and said, "Sir Haxorus, this next move shall decide whether or not the knight or the dragon shall walk out of this fight," Haxorus bowing his head and replying, "It has been quite the honour facing you, but I assure you, the dragon will win the day in this story."

With that, Haxorus charged toward the knight while shouting, "GUILLOTINE JAW!" his axe head aimed at his side as Bisharp spat, "WRIST SWORD!" racing toward the dragon with his wrist spike at the ready.

Both streaked by one-another, their sharp body parts clashing as the two stopped in their tracks. Haxorus coughed up blood and passed out as his cheek was cut open by the attack, a small cut forming on Bisharp's shoulder.

The crowd went wild as the bell was rung, a female announcer exclaiming, "And it would seem that once again, the knight dominates the dragon! Though rather than winning a fair princess, this one has won the right to compete in the Hero Olympics!" Bisharp bowing his head to Haxorus and saying, "It was an honour to have you as my final opponent."

All the while, Lucario was facing a mole with tribal markings on the side of his white face. The rest of his body looked more like a costume made of black fur with red markings on it. Each of his arms had long blade-like claws with the middle ones having saw-like formations on top. He had a horn similar in design but much bigger protruding from his forehead. His name was Excadrill.

It looked like Lucario was actually having quite a bit of trouble taking this guy as he was repeatedly striking the dog with his claws. When Lucario looked very weak, the mole proceeded to run backwards toward the ropes, shouting, "Well, Lucario, you fought the good fight, but you're going to lose today!" the mole then propelling himself off of the ropes and spinning toward him with his claws pointed out, his body looking more like a drill as he exclaimed, "DRILL RUN!"

However, when the horn and claws hit Lucario hard, the dog ignored the pain and wrapped his arms around the mole. Sure, blood was now flying from them but the dog continued to ignore the pain as Excadrill eventually stopped spinning, his eyes going wide as Lucario flipped him over and rammed his skull hard into the mat.

After that, the dog proceeded to lift Excadrill up, pressing his back up against his spike and leaning backward, locking the mole's arms in place and shouting, "LONDON BRIDGE!" the mole crying out in pain as he spat, "ALRIGHT, I GIVE UP!"

The dog took a deep breath and released his hold on Excadrill, the bell ringing while the crowd cheered, Lucario smirking and raising his arm in the air. Sure, he was bleeding all over thanks to Excadrill's brutal attacks, but he refused to let this get him down.

All the while, Clauncher was up against what appeared to be three brown moles with cylindrical bodies, rounded heads, beady black eyes and pink egg-shaped noses. The reason this was not illegal, though, was because these three moles were actually the heads of a single opponent named Dugtrio. In fact, they had been given a hard dirt ring to fight in due to the fact that, for whatever reason, they were not allowed to reveal their actual body to the world if they could help it.

Since Clauncher was strong enough not to need to lift her opponent up, this was hardly an issue for her as she leapt at the triplets, shouting, "CRABHAMMER!" her claw expanding in size as she rammed it hard into the middle one's skull.

However, the other two refused to let this go as they spat, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!" shifting themselves back and forth while barking, "MUD BOMB!"

This caused large clods of dirt to shoot up and buffet Clauncher repeatedly. However, after a few hits, the lobster ignored this and held her claws in front of her face, blocking the rest.

She then proceeded to leap in front of the moles, taking hold of the middle one and saying, "I know there's some law with your people forbidding you from rising up out of the ground, but there's nothing against someone else forcing you out, right?" the moles letting down nervous sweat as all three heads shook in response.

"Good, because I'd feel bad if I broke the law right now," Clauncher replied with a big smile before trying to lift the middle head up.

The crowd gasped as despite her small size, Clauncher had managed to pry the mole out of the ground, revealing a big muscular torso, much like that of a muscle-bound human. She then leaned backward, slamming all three heads hard against the dirt with a brainbuster, their eyes spinning as they passed out, Clauncher allowing their body to hit the mat hard.

The bell rang as a woman exclaimed, "And with an incredible display of strength, Clauncher has not only exposed Dugtrio's body but has even managed to win the match!" the crowd going wild as the lobster held her arms high into the air.

Hitmontop had managed to defeat a red orangutan with eyebrows like flames aptly named Darmanitan with her Triple Kick. Though judging by the number of wounds on her, it looked like a very close shave. Even so, that did not stop her from raising her arms in triumph, a big open-mouth smile on her face as she just knew the winners of the other tournaments would be two of her siblings.

And as it turned out, both Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan had made it to the finals, Hitmonchan's Mach Punch clashing against Hitmonlee's Mega Kick. After a lot of effort, Hitmonchan had managed to overpower her brother and send him flying into the turnbuckle, the boy out for ten seconds exactly as the bell rang.

Hitmonchan took a deep breath and walked over to Hitmonlee, kneeling down and asking, "You okay?" the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, I'll be fine," the two shaking hands as the boy added, "Kick ass in the Olympics for me, alright?" the sister nodding her head as the crowd cheered.

All the while, the announcer let down tears, sniffing, "That is just so touching! Even after fighting in the tournament finals, their love for each other can never fade! That is the power of family, folks!" the man releasing waterfalls from his eyes.

And just as Hitmontop had expected, Tyrogue managed to defeat his opponent as well. This fighter was an eel with arms, legs and sharp jaws around her hose-like mouth named Eelektross. Tyrogue had knocked her out with his Triple Fighting Style Barrage.

When the bell rang and the crowd cheered, the boy took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, guys, I made it and I just know you did as well,' a confident smile on his face. And he would be even happier to know that Dodrio had defeated their opponent, a yellow gila monster with a black head named Heliolisk with their Fury Attack, all three heads letting out fierce battle cries while the crowd went wild.

But of course, one match just about everyone was hoping would happen was a match between Throh and Sawk in the Osaka tournament, and as fate would have it, both were going head-to-head in the finals. The two had been fighting for some time, neither letting up despite both of them having a bond stronger than that of other brothers in the world.

Sawk had sent two karate chops toward Throh's shoulders only for the boy to grab his wrists, twisting them as the blue fighter cried out in pain. After that, Throh proceeded to grab him by the shoulders and roll backward, planting his foot against Sawk's gut and kicking him off of him, the boy flying behind him.

However, just as Sawk's head was about to hit the mat, he stretched out his arms just in time for them to hit the canvas, allowing the blue boy to propel himself upward and onto his feet. Clearly, both were giving it their all.

However, just as Sawk was about to prepare a retaliation, his eyes widened when he noticed Throh headed toward him. The blue boy simply dodged to the side only for the red fighter to grab him by his collar, lifting him up and slapping him hard against the mat with a chokeslam.

The crowd went wild as the announcer stated, "Wow! After a miraculous save, Sawk still ends up falling victim to his brother's powerful chokeslam! Let's see how he gets out of this!"

Throh lifted up Sawk and was just about to finish him off when Sawk smirked, saying, "Don't count me out just yet, brother," before sending a knee kick to his gut, Throh wincing and loosening his hold.

With that, Sawk, proceeded to send an onslaught of palm punches to his face while shouting, "CLOSE COMBAT!"

After taking in a few hits to the face, Throh eventually saw through his pattern and grabbed his wrists and applied a large amount of force to lift him up, swinging him around while shouting, "STORM THROW!" soon tossing the now dizzy blue fighter sideways, slamming him head-first into the canvas as he skidded into the turnbuckle.

The crowd cheered wildly for Throh as he took a deep breath, saying, "Sorry, Sawk, but I simply did what needed to be done," his eyes wide with shock when Sawk managed to recover, shaking the pain off of his head and saying, "Again, don't me out, Throh."

With that, Sawk raced toward the red fighter who readied his hands for another counterattack. However, Sawk was ready this time as he swerved to the right, sending a two-handed karate chop into the red boy's neck, shouting, "BRICK BREAK!"

Throh's eyes went wide as he fell on his side, lying on the mat for ten seconds as the bell rang, the announcer exclaiming, "And the winner and champion of the Osaka tournament is Sawk!" the audience going wild as Sawk knelt down, helping his brother up as Throh took a deep breath, saying, "Well, I guess we know who the better brother is."

"Don't say that," Sawk remarked, shaking his head, "It was a very close match. I feel lucky to have beaten you with that," Throh chuckling as the two slapped their palms together, Throh saying, "Give them Hell, Sawk!" Sawk nodding his head with a confident smile on his face.

And soon enough, every tournament in the world had been completed and the participants had been chosen, three representing each country. This was certainly an exciting time for everyone and the world could not wait for the Olympics themselves to begin.

After all the competitors were confirmed, a broadcast was shown all across the world as Beedrill stated, "Well, this is it, folks! Our champions have finally been chosen as has a location for the Hero Olympics themselves! Now, for those unaware, the very first Hero Olympics were held in Tokyo, and let's just say there's a reason I chose to be the host of the Tokyo elimination tournament!"

Weedle nodded and stated, "That's right, it wasn't just because Tokyo is such a nice place but because we have decided to hold the Hero Olympics in that very city! Preparations will take a while to set up, so the competitors will all have two weeks to prepare themselves! Once again, planes, boats, buses, trains, any mode of transportation you choose has been reserved for the competitors! All you have to do is flash your ID and you get a free ride!"

Machoke heard this and grinned, exclaiming, "Sweet, I don't have to go anywhere!" Aipom nodding and replying, "I'm actually kind of surprised. Like he said, it's been a really long time since Tokyo was chosen as the location for the Olympics."

Even so, there was no doubt he would be ready for this, but most of all, the boy was stoked to finally see his friends again. After all, they had been gone for quite a while and he had certainly missed them but he was also happy to have seen them win their matches on TV.

 

Two weeks had passed and it was finally time for the opening ceremony of the Hero Olympics, which of course was being held in the Tokyo Dome. The seats were filled as the people were all beyond excited. Reika, Cici, Tsuya and Keiko had booked themselves front-row seats as they wanted to see the Japanese representatives as close up as possible.

"This is certainly exciting, isn't it?" Keiko asked with a big smile as Reika nodded, saying, "I can see why you were so into this stuff when you were young, Mom. I can't believe how big this sort of thing can be."

With that, Beedrill took the stand with Weedle once again by his side as he cleared his throat, exclaiming, "Welcome one and all to the opening ceremony of the twenty-third Hero Olympics!" the crowd going wild as he added, "In less than fifteen minutes, those who qualified for this event will be walking down the runway!"

At this moment, Machoke and Aipom had just arrived at the building as Machoke spat, "CRAP, WHY DID I HAVE TO SLEEP IN TODAY!?" Aipom groaning, "That's what I get for forgetting to set the alarm!"

Unfortunately, the two were still in their pyjamas as Aipom grumbled, "Great, everyone's gonna see me this way," a familiar voice entering the area and saying, "Hi there, guys."

Machoke turned and noticed Sawk standing there with a big smile on his face, the boy waving and saying, "Hey, Sawk, so you made it to the Olympics," Aipom nodding and sighing, "Sorry your brother couldn't join you," Sawk shaking his head and replying, "It's okay. We both knew what we were getting into. I'm just happy he was my final opponent."

"So you're the other Japanese participants," said an octopus standing before them with her tentacles by her side, the others staring as she added, "Name's Octillery. It's an honour to meet you two in person."

With that, the octopus held out three of her tentacles as Machoke, Sawk and Aipom shook them, Aipom uttering, "This is great and all, but we don't have a long time before we have to be on the runway," Machoke nodding and replying, "Worry, not, I came prepared," the boy removing his pyjamas only to find there was nothing underneath, the boy shouting, "OH NO, I FORGOT TO PUT MY SPECIAL OUTFIT ON LAST NIGHT!"

Aipom stared as he let down tears, sniffing, "I spent so long working on it! It was going to be great!" the monkey sighing, "As much as I hate to indulge your entrances, we certainly can't have you walking out there without your speedo at least," Sawk and Octillery both shielding their eyes, Octillery sneaking a quick peak.

However, Machoke then noticed a group of female dancers heading out from a change room, his eyes going wide as he uttered, "I am brilliant!" Aipom and Sawk staring at him with distraught looks while Octillery looked confused.

With that, fifteen minutes had passed as Beedrill exclaimed, "And now watch as those who qualified come down the runway! Starting us off are the representatives of France!"

The crowd cheered as Gallade, Gardevoir and Florges entered the area with a young woman holding the flag of France in her hand. Every country had a flag girl to help carry the banner, so to speak.

Gardevoir had a big smile on her face as she waved to the cheering crowd while Gallade had a more dignified look, Tsuya waving excitedly at him. Of course Florges was elegant as always, though a part of her really wanted to sing for the fans right now.

"Wow, Gardevoir looks so enthusiastic," Reika stated as Tsuya blew Gallade a kiss, exclaiming, "HEY, GALLADE, IT'S ME! LOOK AT ME!" Gallade turning to face her as her cheeks turned red before she squealed excitedly, her hands up against her cheeks.

Beedrill continued to announce the countries as Ireland was next followed by Africa and then Poland. Scrafty was happily waving to the crowd along with a ferret named Furret and an orange pig named Pignite.

Next up was Russia, with Ursaring being one of its representatives, Brazil following close behind. Next up were the Peruvian participants followed Scotland, Heracross waving happily to the crowd while accompanied by a beaver named Bibarel and a dinosaur-like dragon named Bagon.

Next up was India, Lopunny waving ecstatically while accompanied by a stag beetle named Pinsir and a coffin with a face and shadowy arms named Cofagrigus. After that was Australia with Dodrio walking down the runway with a dinosaur with a pouch named Kangaskhan and an anteater named Heatmor.

When the German division came down, Scyther was joined by a metal ant named Durant and a yellow fox named Braixen. And soon enough, America entered and was represented by Blaziken, a lion named Pyroar and Clauncher.

And of course, more and more countries came, China soon entering while Hitmonlee waved at Hitmonchan, the girl waving at him while being joined by her other siblings. All three were happy to walk down the runway together. Behind them was England, Lucario and Bisharp walking tall and proud while a skunk named Skuntank joined them.

And soon, almost every country had entered, Beedrill announcing, "And now for the final country, Japan!" the crowd getting ready to cheer before breaking out into hysterics as not only was Machoke wearing a woman's dancing outfit while performing tip-toe steps with his arms spread out like a swan's wings but he had also convinced the others to play along.

Aipom sported a small tutu while strumming a harp, a look of pain on her face while Sawk was also dressed like a ballerina, sweat pouring down his face as he thought, 'Oh god, please don't let Throh see me.'

He turned toward the crowd and noticed his brother waving at him, shouting, "LOOKING GOOD!" Sawk's face turning into Throh's colour. Octillery did not seem to mind this though as she danced gracefully while saying, "I feel like a super model," placing her tentacles against her cheeks, her eyes closed and a big smile on her hose-like mouth.

"Who else but Machoke?" Reika groaned, Keiko chuckling and saying, "His dad did some weird things back in the day, but he could never top this," Weedle all the while fuming while thinking, 'He just keeps finding new ways to embarrass Hero Planet.'

Hitmonchan simply stared at Sawk and groaned, "I can't believe I used to have the hots for that guy," Sawk hearing this and thinking, 'Okay, there is an upside to this,' Machoke suddenly whipping out his speedo from behind his back and saying, "Well, that was fun," Aipom remarking, "YOU MEAN YOU HAD THOSE WITH YOU THIS WHOLE TIME!?"

"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?" the boy asked, getting out of the dancing outfit and into his speedo fast enough for no one to see what was underneath as the monkey retorted, "Why did you have us wear these stupid outfits, then!?"

Machoke laughed and replied, "Well, what kind of entrance would we have had if I simply came in my regular clothes?"

Keiko simply snickered as Reika asked, "And you say his father was very much like this?" the woman nodding as Sawk ripped off the ballet outfit he was wearing to reveal his karate gi underneath, the dancer he had borrowed it from shouting, "HEY, YOU'LL HAVE TO PAY FOR THAT!" Sawk groaning, "I just couldn't have my dignity today, could I?"

"I don't see what the big deal is," Octillery replied, posing like a supermodel and winking at the crowd, people shielding their eyes at the sight of this. Weedle simply shook his head and groaned, "They're not helping things."

Even so, Octillery eventually handed the dancing outfit back to the woman she had borrow it from along with Machoke, the boy bowing his head and saying, "Thank you for lending us the outfits," the woman smiling and saying, "No problem," before putting it back on only to notice Machoke's muscular build had stretched it out in size, the dancer sighing, "Now I just need to find a way to shrink this."

Aipom was about to get out of the tutu even though hers was actually given to her since there was no one in the group small enough to wear it when Keiko exclaimed, "YOU LOOK ADORABLE, AIPOM!" the monkey blinking, now wondering if she should take it off.

Either way, things had finally calmed down as Blaziken walked over to Machoke, patting him on the shoulder and saying, "When you told me you were participating, I had a little trouble believing it, but here you are," Gardevoir giving him a hug and squealing, "Now we all get to compete together! Yay!"

Gallade nodded as Machoke stared, asking, "Wait, you actually won three matches?" the boy smirking and replying, "Yeah, get used to it because I'm gonna be winning a lot more from now on!"

Hitmonchan suddenly ran over to the group, Hitmontop and Tyrogue slowly walking over to them as the boxer smiled at Gallade, asking, "Hi, Gallade, how are you?" the boy blinking and replying, "Fine," Tsuya staring at this, wondering if this was going where she thought it was.

Machoke then noticed Lucario simply standing around with his arms folded. He seemed uninterested in talking to anyone until Clauncher ran over to him, saying, "Hey, Lucario!" the dog turning and blinking before replying, "Sup?" Machoke's eyes widening as Blaziken asked, "Did Lucario just say what I think he did?"

"Guess we're gonna be competing, eh?" Clauncher stated with a grin, "Don't expect me to go easy on you, buddy!" the dog smirking and remarking, "I'd be insulted if you did," Aipom saying, "Wow, he actually made a friend."

However, the friendly chatter would have to end as Beedrill stated, "Alright, everyone, since the audience came all the way here, it wouldn't be right to end everything after the opening ceremony! As such, we're going to take care of all the sporting events today! The remaining participants will face off in a fighting tournament starting next week!"

"Wait, so we don't get time to prepare ourselves?" Machoke asked when Weedle directed everyone's attention to a big screen, everyone staring and wondering exactly what kind of event they would start with.

After a while, a picture of three heroes, namely Graveler, a pile of sludge named Muk and Scizor appeared on screen with the words 'Extreme Rock, Paper, Scissors' written over it as everyone stared in silence. Blaziken tilted her head to the side, uttering, "This is a joke, right?"

Everyone else nodded, wondering if Beedrill and Weedle were off their rockers for choosing this as a sporting event until Weedle barked, "I'll have you all know that this is not a joke!" everyone staring as Reika asked, "It's not?"

Beedrill shook his head and replied, "Quite the opposite. This has been the first event of the Hero Olympics ever since the beginning. See, while skill, speed and strength are certainly the most important aspects of being a hero, luck does play a role, so it's not out of the question to base an event around that."

Most of the heroes nodded their heads in understanding, but Machoke and Blaziken both thought this was incredibly stupid. The Hero Olympics was supposed to be a measure of skill and yet they were starting with something humans did to solve disputes on a regular basis.

Either way, the event went by quickly as everyone simply turned to a random fighter nearby and started the game. Machoke, what with his incredible luck, naturally won this event with ease, the boy breathing a sigh of relief, and the same went for most of the others. Even Dodrio defeated their opponent by using their feet. Thankfully they did have more than enough toes to pull it off.

Unfortunately, there was the fact that half the heroes participating had lost, so the odds of everyone Machoke knew succeeding was not all that favourable. And it seemed one of his friends had lost as he heard sniffing from behind him, the boy turning to see Gallade on the ground and hugging his knees.

"I can't believe it," the boy uttered, his eyes wide with absolute shock, "I lost!" Machoke laughing nervously, not knowing what to say as Gardevoir walked over and gave him a hug, saying, "It's okay, Gallade. You made it as far as the Olympics themselves. I think that's something to be proud of."

Gallade wiped a tear and nodded, a grin on his face as he replied, "I shouldn't be crying anyway! That's poor sportsmanship!" Hitmonchan walking over and saying, "Besides, everyone loses every now and then, right?"

"I'm guessing you lost, too?" Gallade asked as Hitmonchan laughed and remarked, "No way! My opponent got super nervous and used scissors!" a big grin on her face as Gallade looked down again, the boxer patting him on the shoulder and saying, "It's okay, don't let it get you down."

However, Lucario noticed that Clauncher had not been so lucky. Due to her having claws, all she could use was scissors and this made her easy pickings. However, before the dog could try and console his friend, he noticed she was rather positive, the lobster letting out a laugh and exclaiming, "Oh well, it was just awesome getting this far!" shrugging her shoulders as Lucario smiled lightly.

The other two to fail were Hitmontop and Heracross, both letting out disappointed sighs as Lopunny gave Heracross a sympathetic look, saying, "It's okay, you did your best," the beetle grinning and giving the rabbit thumbs up before exiting the area.

Hitmontop simply gave Tyrogue and Hitmonchan pats on the shoulder when her sister was done fawning over Gallade for the time being, the girl saying, "Do your best to make sure at least one of us makes it, eh, guys?" the two nodding and giving their sister a hug before she headed out of the area.

With that, everyone readied themselves for the next event as Beedrill stated, "Well, we're now down to half the contestants, so it's time for the next event!" the wasp then pointing toward the screen as everyone waited for a title to come up. Soon enough, a picture of a man grabbing a falling woman appeared on screen as the next title was 'Save the Damsel in Distress'.

"Wait, we have to do what!?" Machoke spat as Weedle explained, "It's quite simple. Your jobs as heroes is to protect the innocent, so we've based an event around that."

At that moment, part of the floor opened up as a giant dragon head statue appeared, a girl hanging from the top tooth by her collar. Everyone stared in absolute horror as the head was risen up high above the ground, the girl screaming in absolute panic. The worst part was that this was not even scripted or anything. This girl was in genuine peril.

As the audience and the heroes themselves were seriously questioning the government's judgement on this one, even Beedrill had to agree as he asked, "Don't you think this is going too far, Dad?" Weedle replying, "Don't worry, son, there's a safety mat in front of the statue," the caterpillar pointing at a big mat that had just been placed in that exact spot by the staff, asking, "See?"

"Oh, okay," the wasp replied, nodding his head, "I shouldn't have doubted someone as brilliant as you," Weedle replying, "That's fine, son. Your reaction shows that you care about the citizens and that makes me proud."

While the girl tried her best to stay calm, Weedle gave Beedrill a paper with the concept written on it as the wasp stated, "In this event, two heroes will go head-to-head and race to the finish while the damsel is dropped from the statue's tooth. Whoever catches the falling human first will advance to the next event. But if the damsel hits the ground, or in this case the safety mat, both heroes lose and will be eliminated from the Hero Olympics."

"Even with the mat, this still seems insane," Machoke muttered as Gardevoir nodded, saying, "I don't even care if I win or lose the race. I just hope whoever they use for my race will be okay."

Beedrill called up the first two contestants, Dodrio and Furret. Before they could start, Beedrill stated, "One last thing before we begin. You can use any means necessary to ensure that you make it to the finish line first, including using your powers to slow down your opponent," Furret smirking at Dodrio as the middle head exclaimed, "SWEET! THIS'LL BE EASY!" the right head sighing, "We could just play fair anyway."

With that, a button was pressed as the statue vibrated, the girl's collar shaken off of the tooth as she started to fall, Dodrio and Furret taking off. Furret grinned before rolling up into a ball and shouting, "WEASEL BALL!" Dodrio's heads nodding at one-another before the kiwi picked up the pace, catching up with the ferret as the right head said, "I would have liked to play fair, but since you're resorting to cheap tactics-"

The middle head barked, "DON'T WASTE TIME!" the right head rolling her eyes and shifting sideways while barking, "WRECKING BALL!"

With that, the head slammed hard into Furret's side as the ferret rolled out of the race area and into the wall, Dodrio taking full advantage of this and leaping onto the safety mat, allowing the girl to fall on their back. The crowd cheered as Beedrill announced the kiwi's victory, the girl hugging all three necks while kissing the middle head, feeling beyond grateful to have been saved.

And sure enough, more and more heroes came up, all of them feeling more confident about this. Not all the damsels were young girls or women either. Some of them were middle-aged businessmen, elderly people and bums who had snuck into the stadium to watch the Olympics. The only people not being used as damsels were children as even with the safety mat, Weedle did consider that too extreme.

And like with the previous event, some of Machoke's friends had failed. Tyrogue ended up losing to an elephant with armour going from his trunk to his back named Donphan, the elephant using a rolling technique of his own to outrun him. Same went for Florges who lost to a purple cat named Liepard, the cat scratching her side with her claws as a means of slowing her down.

Gardevoir whimpered when she saw this, Florges sauntering back and wincing in pain while the girl squeaked, "Are you okay?" the flower girl nodding and saying, "I'm fine."

Gardevoir was up next as her opponent was Cofagrigus, the coffin turning to her with a big grin and saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you," his face becoming extremely creepy while he wiggled his arms around in a menacing fashion.

But strangely enough, Gardevoir did not feel the least bit intimidated by this as she gave him a sweet smile, saying, "Nice to meet you too," the coffin blinking and shaking her hand, really hoping his scare tactics would have worked.

Thankfully, Gardevoir had learned not to be intimidated by scary-looking people after meeting Kuro on her ride to Paris. To her, Cofagrigus was just another hero and nothing more.

In fact, Kuro was currently seated in the crowd, holding up a little French flag and waving it with a light smile on his face, though he was not really saying anything. Gardevoir noticed this and flashed him a sweet smile.

"Wow, Gardevoir's so cool," Cici uttered, "I wish I could look at someone like Cofagrigus and not be scared," Reika patting her on the shoulder and replying, "It might happen someday."

With that, the race started up as Cofagrigus used his bottom hands to lift himself up, using them as feet to make his way toward the finish line. Unfortunately for him, Gardevoir was way too quick on her feet.

The coffin grimaced and thought, 'Alright, time to play dirty,' before sending one of his hands toward her spiked collar in an attempt to grab it. However, Gardevoir was moving way too fast, so his hand was unable to reach her as he stopped paying attention to his movement, losing his balance and falling flat on his face.

Needless to say, this was an easy win for Gardevoir as she caught a falling man in his forties, the man sighing with relief and saying, "Thanks, Gardevoir, you're amazing," the girl blushing and squeaking, "Thanks!"

The crowd cheered as she made her way back to her friends, Blaziken giving her a high five when suddenly, her name was announced. The chicken was more than ready before she heard Beedrill state that her opponent would be Scyther.

Both stared at one-another before slowly making their way to the starting point, Scyther saying, "Sorry to have to face you so early," Blaziken shrugging and replying, "We probably would have had to face each-other eventually. May as well take care of it now, eh?"

Scyther nodded and held out her hand, saying, "Here's to a good, clean race without any dirty tactics," Blaziken nodding and shaking her hand.

"Blaziken is dead-set on winning this," Beedrill stated, "Her mother failed before making it to the tournament portion in the twenty-second Olympics, so this is a really big deal to her."

Their damsel was a woman in her late thirties, the statue vibrating as she was dropped, crying out in terror. Blaziken and Scyther took off as both seemed equal in speed. After all, both had trained really hard in that category and were going neck-and-neck. Blaziken would not let Scyther off so easy, even if she was a friend, so she picked up the pace a bit.

However, just as it looked like the chicken was likely to win, her eyes widened when she noticed a child in the front row walking along the railing, everyone in the area too distracted to notice this. Blaziken sighed and turned to Scyther, saying, "Promise me you'll make it to the tournament," before sprinting away from the runway. And this was certainly good timing as the kid had just lost his balance, his mother noticing this and crying out for help.

Everyone gasped as Aipom noticed this, thinking, 'So that's why she gave up,' Scyther catching the woman while Blaziken managed to save the boy, Scyther then turning and noticing this, her eyes widening. She figured Blaziken had a good reason to give up a win like this, but she did not think it was this serious of a situation.

"Wow, Blaziken's awesome!" Machoke exclaimed, light tears in his eyes as the mother of the child sprinted from her seat and onto the field, Blaziken handing over the kid. The woman cradled him and sniffed, "Thank you so much, Miss Blaziken! I won't take my eyes off of my little Muto again!"

"Don't mention it," Blaziken replied with a smirk, but deep down, she was hurting.

She had just sacrificed a victory, which meant she had suffered the same fate as her mother. Sure, it was for a good cause, but she still did not feel so good about giving up her spot like that.

Scyther saw the chicken slowly make her way to the exit, saying, "You did a great thing, Blaziken. You deserve this win more than I do," Blaziken letting out a sigh and saying nothing, the others watching as Gardevoir asked, "Do you think she's going to be okay?" Machoke and Aipom not so sure how to answer that.

However, while Blaziken was headed out of the area, she noticed another chicken standing there folding her arms. This one looked a lot closer to what an Earth chicken looked like only instead of a crest atop her head, she had three orange feathers. Her upper body consisted of yellow feathers while her lower body was made up of orange feathers. With three claws on each hand representing her fingers, this was Blaziken's mother, Combusken.

"Mother," Blaziken uttered, her eyes wide open as the older chicken took a deep breath, sporting a warm smile and saying, "I came here to see how you'd do in your first Hero Olympics."

"And I failed," Blaziken replied with a sigh, "You're probably ashamed of me, aren't you?" Combusken shaking her head and replying, "On the contrary, I'm mighty proud of you," Blaziken's eyes widening as her mother continued, "You want to know why I failed the twenty-second Hero Olympics during the elimination rounds?"

Blaziken listened closely as her mother added, "It was during an event in which I had to hurl to big rock as far as I could. I actually had just the right distance set up to earn me in a spot in the tournament portion when I detected a puppy walking right in front of where my stone was going to land. I immediately sprung into action and got there just in time to stop my stone from flattening the poor creature."

Blaziken simply could not believe what she had just heard as Combusken sighed, "I lost my chance at advancing, but I saved a life, and honestly, that meant more to me than winning the Hero Olympics ever would have," her daughter letting down tears and smiling, giving Combusken a hug.

Scrafty and Bisharp were facing off against each-other soon, and while the two of them were friends, both had agreed not to hold back. Scrafty came very close to making it to the finish line by kicking himself off the ground repeatedly to increase speed.

However, Bisharp simply ended up being quicker as he caught a young girl just before she could hit the safety mat, the knight striking a cool pose and saying, "You are safe, my fair lady," the girl giggling and replying, "And I thought chivalry was dead," a seductive look in her eyes as Scrafty smirked, saying, "She's all yours, buddy," Bisharp's eyes widening.

While Bisharp was now fleeing for dear life from his new fangirl, Lucario was facing off against a bull named Tauros. Tauros was about to dominate when the dog leapt high into the air, planting his feet hard into the bull's skull and knocking him flat on his face, easily claiming victory.

And finally, after all that, it was Machoke's turn as he took to the starting line, his opponent standing next to him. This creature was a round chipmunk just tall enough to reach the boy's thighs. He had green armour around his upper body along with the tops of his arms and two long pointed ears with a red tip on the end of each one. His face was covered in light brown fur but the rest of him that could be seen outside of his armour was dark brown. His name was Quilladin.

"I gotta say, it's an honour to face you, Machoke," the chipmunk said with a smile as Machoke smiled and replied, "Thanks. It's nice to meet you too," Quilladin then smirking wickedly and adding coldly, "But don't think I'm gonna go easy on you!"

Machoke gulped while thinking, 'He looks like a pathetic shrimp but he's probably really hardcore. I can't let down my guard,' Weedle all the while thinking, 'Please, Quilladin, don't let me down.'

With that, it was time to reveal the damsel, Machoke all the while grinning while thinking, 'I wonder who I'll get. Maybe an intelligent blond with sexy glasses or a brunette in a bikini! Oh, the possibilities are endless!" his eyes widening when he noticed his damsel was a middle-aged man with sweat all over him. His entire face was lumpy and deformed and his nose was four times the size of a normal one.

"OH MY GOD, WHAT AM I DOING UP HERE!?" he spat, trembling for dear life as Weedle noticed Machoke's expression and asked, "Is something wrong?" the boy blinking as the caterpillar added, "Again, your job as heroes is to protect the innocent, and evil does not discriminate! They will attack anyone to get what they want, even the physically unattractive!" Beedrill nodding and replying, "Take it from an ex-villain. He's not lying."

Machoke took a deep breath and replied, "Okay, fine, you're right," Aipom shaking her head and sighing, "At this point, I'm ashamed of him for even thinking like that."

With that, the statue was shaken as the man fell, the race starting up. However, before Machoke could even try to outrun Quilladin, the chipmunk smirked and rolled up into a ball like Furret and Donphan had before shouting, "ROLLING PINATA!"

Machoke panicked as the chipmunk dug his claws into the dirt, sending it flying sideways and into the boy's eyes. Machoke tried his best to ignore this only to end up tripping on his own feet and falling forward, Quilladin smirking while Weedle looked hopeful.

However, just as all looked lost, Machoke remembered something. During his training with Aipom, the monkey had taught him how to defend himself when he could not see. She told him to think about what direction a possible attack would come from and use that to his advantage, and Machoke did just that by throwing his arms out and placing his hands firmly against the ground, stopping his fall and propelling himself forward.

Everyone stared in shock as Machoke soared right past Quilladin, Weedle asking, "How did someone so stupid pull off something like that!?" Beedrill turning as the caterpillar cleared his throat and uttered, "I mean, wow, what an impressive feat," Machoke landing on the safety mat as the deformed man fell on him.

The crowd went wild as Beedrill exclaimed, "And thus Machoke is the last participant to advance to the third event!" Weedle letting out a sigh as Quilladin looked down, slowly making his way toward the exit. Things were certainly looking up as Machoke had made it past the first two events, but what would the third one have in store?

 

It was time for the third event of the Hero Olympics, the one that would decide who would make it to the main event, that being the fighting tournament. But what kind kind of event would narrow down the still rather high numbers to a small one?

However, before that could start up, Machoke was looking really uncomfortable as the deformed man he had just saved clung to him, saying, "Thank you so much, good sir! You are incredible!" the man then looking into his eyes as Machoke was trembling all over.

He then proceeded to set the man down, saying, "Uh, yeah, you're safe now. May your future be bright or something like that," the man's eyes sparkling as he uttered, "No one's ever said anything so encouraging to me before!" Machoke in absolute panic as the man started clinging to him again, Weedle watching this while thinking, 'That kid's suffering almost makes this all worth it.'

With that, Beedrill informed everyone that the final event would take place in a forest. The people were rather confused by this, but thankfully, the government had provided a free ride for them with the help of thirty big buses. Even the heroes would get this as well.

However, Weedle had one of the seats removed as the driver said, "Oh, sorry, Machoke, but there's not enough seats for you," Machoke retorting, "ARE YOU SAYING I HAVE TO RUN ALL THE WAY THERE!?" the man replying, "Not exactly," before pointing to a special seat tied to the back of the bus, Machoke groaning as Aipom laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her head with her tail hand.

"It's fine, Machoke," came a familiar voice, Machoke turning to see Sawk standing there, the boy giving him thumbs up and adding, "I've lost enough dignity today. I don't see the harm in losing more," all going silent until the blue boy added, "You can have my seat. That's what I'm saying."

Machoke's eyes sparkled until the driver remarked, "Oh, sorry, you're actually not allowed to switch seats. This rule was recently added, like, at the last minute," Machoke frowning while thinking, 'I knew it, that geezer IS out to get me,' Sawk shrugging and saying, "Oh well, I tried."

And soon enough, the buses had all taken off, Reika looking out the window of hers and noticing Machoke trying desperately to stay in his own seat. She just really hoped he would not fall, especially considering that the rope itself did not look that secure.

Soon enough, all of the buses had arrived outside of a big forest as the audience took their seats in bleachers that had been set up there. Whatever was coming up must have been exciting for a change of location to be required.

Beedrill and Weedle once again sat behind a booth, Beedrill stating, "Alright, folks, this is it, the final event to decide who will advance to the fighting tournament!" Machoke groaning and rubbing his rear end, said spot hurting rather badly after such an uncomfortable ride.

Aipom was in the audience this time sitting next to Keiko as she sighed, "I hope Machoke's ready for this," Keiko replying, "Hey, you should know as well as I do that his family can often be counted on to make such things work out."

Weedle took the mic this time and stated, "Before we start the main event, we would like the heroes to pick a volunteer from the audience each," everyone rather confused by this statement, Machoke grinning and saying, "Hey, this actually sounds rather nice, a little downtime with the fans. We could use a break like this."

With that in mind, Hitmonchan immediately beamed before noticing Gallade in the crowd and pointed at him, exclaiming, "I pick you, Gallade!" the boy blinking in confusion as Beedrill added, "In this case, the hero's decision is absolute," the wasp blinking and uttering, "If it were up to me, I'd give the volunteers a right to refuse."

And soon enough, many others were chosen to go with various other heroes. Dodrio had ended up with a pair of conjoined twins while Octillery got a teenaged girl who said, "All my friends are afraid of you, but I don't know why. I think you're pretty cool," the octopus laughing and replying, "Thanks. It's always nice to meet a fan."

Machoke was about to pick someone when he noticed Lucario choose a girl around his age from the crowd. The boy stared in interest as he thought, 'Must be Lucario's girlfriend,' said girl actually being Amanda.

Lucario took a deep breath and asked, "Does Mom know you're here?" Amanda nodding and replying, "Yes. She actually gave me the money for the trip as a reward for getting one-hundred percent on everything in school," a big smile on her face as the dog snickered, "I figured you'd pull that off."

The two then gave each-other a hug, Lucario making sure to lean forward and only hug with the parts above his spike so he could avoid accidentally stabbing her. Machoke took a while to figure out what was going on before thinking, 'Oh, I didn't know he had a sister, and a human one no less.'

Gardevoir had picked Kuro from the crowd, the man saying, "It's certainly nice to see you again," Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "Likewise!" Aipom all the while thinking no one would want to spend time with her until suddenly, she felt something grab her tail hand.

Her eyes widened as she looked behind her to notice a dark blue dragon holding her hand with an intimidating grin on her face. Her hands were actually big claws with long flaps of skin resembling wings coming from the forearms. Her head looked more like the tail of a plane with two skin protrusions that resembled motors coming from the sides and a gold star on her forehead. Her belly was red with a bit of yellow in the belt area, her tail like that of a shark, though the tail fin looked more like the motor of a submarine. With a big fin that resembled a blade coming from her back, this was Garchomp.

Aipom blinked as the dragon said in a thick Russian accent, "I want you to be my partner, and as the rules say, you can't refuse," the monkey whimpering and biting her lower lip, trying her best not to show how scared she was right now.

Machoke all the while desperately tried to get one of the remaining girls to go with him only for them to run in terror, Reika all the while looking around and thinking, 'I guess I should volunteer to go with Machoke,' Machoke then realizing he could just as easily pick her.

However, just as he was about to do so, he heard a familiar German voice state, "I would like you as my partner!" both Machoke and Reika in shock when they noticed Scyther pointing at the girl, inviting her over.

Reika was rather confused by this but walked over anyway, knowing she had little choice as she asked, "Are you serious?" Scyther nodding and replying, "Ja, I'm certain of it."

Machoke noticed this and fumed before shouting, "Alright, that's it! I'm picking someone right now!" before pointing toward a random spot in the bleachers, his eyes widening when he noticed the one he had pointed at was the deformed man he had saved, the man smiling bright and exclaiming, "Wow! No one's ever picked me for anything before!"

The boy panicked when the man ran over to him, hugging his arm and saying, "You're the best, Machoke!" the boy then blinking and thinking, 'Well, it's not often I hear that.'

With all said and done, Beedrill stated, "Alright, now to reveal the reason why you had to choose partners," everyone staring as Weedle added, "My idea not to tell you until now," the others nodding as this made perfect sense, the wasp adding, "You see, this is going to be the setup for the next event."

All went silent as a picture of two people running side by side appeared, words forming over the image and saying 'Three-Legged Race'. The heroes all went wide-eyed, most of them looking beyond irritated by this.

"Are you kidding!?" one of them spat, clutching his head and groaning, "If I knew this, I would have picked a tough man!" the girl next to him remarking, "You know I can hear you, right?" another sighing, "I was not prepared for this."

Even Lucario had to admit he was a little worried right now as he turned to Amanda, the girl smiling sweetly and saying, "Don't worry, Lucario, I can handle myself," the dog taking a deep breath and replying, "Right, sometimes I forget you're on the track team."

Scyther simply smiled and said, "I had a feeling it was going to come to something like this," Reika asking, "So you chose me? Are you sure you want me as your partner?" the insect nodding and replying, "Ja. The first time I saw you, I could tell that you must have athletic abilities."

Reika smiled and replied, "Well, it is true that I have been training to become a pro wrestler when I grow up, but I always do that in secret. You could really tell all that by looking at me?" Scyther nodding.

Kuro and Gardevoir did not look the least bit disappointed as both simply gave each-other thumbs up. The same could easily be said for Gallade and Hitmonchan, what with both of them being heroes.

At that moment, the pairs were bound together with metal shackles, Machoke looking beyond uncomfortable as his partner was now hugging him. He wanted so desperately to trade with someone but knew he could not.

"Like Scyther, I had a feeling this would happen," Garchomp stated with a smirk, "That's why I chose you, Aipom. You're one of the smartest people in the universe, so I know you can guide me to victory."

Aipom blushed slightly and replied, "Well, I don't mean to brag, but that is true," the monkey smiling bright and adding, "Well, I do feel bad helping out the competition, but if we're to be a team, I'll do my best," the dragon grinning and replying, "Thank you for being unbiased about this."

"Alright, so as you have already figured out judging by your reactions," Beedrill stated, "this last event is a three-legged race through this forest. There are obstacles along the way, so it's not always going to be an easy path, but there are signs telling you exactly what directions you're to go in. The first sixteen heroes to cross the finish line will partake in the fighting tournament while the rest will be eliminated."

"So this really is the event to decide everything," Machoke uttered before groaning, "Why, God, why!?" the man next to him not completely sure what the boy meant by that.

With that, everyone looked focused as Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, on your mark, get set, go!" the wasp ringing a bell as the heroes were off, all of them hoping to do the best they could.

However, while most of them had a relatively good start, Machoke was not looking so well as his partner seemed to have trouble running, the man uttering, "I must tell you I'm not really much of a runner," Machoke groaning, "Why?"

The others were not having too much trouble as they had not yet reached an obstacle. However, that soon changed when they came to a big pond of water in front of them, some people looking terrified to even attempt something like this. As if the large body of water that they could not walk around without breaking the rules was not enough, it looked like this water was badly polluted.

However, while most looked terrified, Octillery had no problem with the idea of diving in, but not before offering to let her partner ride on top of her. The girl smiled bright and said, "Thank you, Miss Octillery!" the octopus replying, "That's what teammates do, right? They look out for each-other!"

With that, the girl climbed onto the octopus' back as Octillery dove in, swimming across the water while wrapping two of her tentacles around her partner to keep her from falling off. The others saw this as one of them spat, "ALRIGHT, SCREW CLEANLINESS! I WANNA WIN THIS!" all of the heroes getting into the water.

Unfortunately, it really was as deep as Octillery had made it look and some of the humans and even a couple of the heroes could not swim. But before they could potentially drown, Beedrill happened to be flying overhead to check up on everyone saying, "You there! Since you cannot advance, I'm afraid you have been disqualified! I'll be down to fish you out right now!" the wasp flying down and fishing each one out of the water one-by-one, all of them taking a seat as he called for a helicopter to bring them to the finish line so they could at least see who the winners were.

Lucario and Amanda, however, were not two of these people as they were swimming quite expertly, both of them picking up enough speed to pass by every water type Hero in the Olympics, including Octillery despite her early lead. Scyther and Reika were also doing quite well as both were descent swimmers, Scyther of course sticking to her 'no flying' code.

"I hate getting wet," Garchomp grumbled, scowling at the water as Aipom sighed, "Honestly, I'm kind of on the same boat, but luckily, I know a legal way around this," Garchomp listening carefully as Aipom pointed at a bunch of lily pads floating on the water's surface while saying, "If you're fast enough, even someone as big as you can leap from pad to pad without falling in."

Garchomp nodded and smirked, saying, "Alright, let's do this," the dragon leaping up and placing one foot against a pad before quickly sprinting off. It was just as Aipom had stated. Despite her size and weight, the speed of her jump prevented her from going under and soon enough, both had made it to the other side without once touching so much as a drop of water.

Sawk had chosen Throh as his partner, said hero having been in the audience today as both easily made their way to the other end, giving each-other a high five before carrying on. And Gardevoir and Kuro did a very good job, the man being shockingly fast considering his size.

Gallade and Hitmonchan made it to the end rather easily too with both grinning at one-another before carrying on. And close behind was Lopunny and a thin boy she had chosen as her partner.

Unfortunately, Dodrio was not so lucky as they could not swim particularly well. It was not as if kiwi birds were incapable of swimming but rather they had never practised swimming before and as such, they did not even know how to use their legs to their advantage.

After being fished out along with some of the others, the male head groaned, "DAMMIT, THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING!" the females sighing, "For once I agree."

The right head then turned to their partners and said, "I'm so sorry, guys," the two conjoined twins shrugging as one head replied, "It's okay. I just think it's awesome I got to race alongside you," the other head adding, "Conjoined siblings for life!" the bird lifting up their foot and pounding it against the twins' fist.

However, when it finally came time for Machoke and his partner to get there, Machoke gulped and uttered, "Oh no, not swimming," looking for a way around before remembering he could not stray from the path without being disqualified and he was certain Weedle had a way of knowing if he did.

However, his partner looked more than confident as he exclaimed, "This is great!" Machoke turning in confusion as the man added, "I may not be much of a runner, but I am an excellent swimmer!"

The boy simply prayed this was not a lie as both dove into the water, Machoke not even doing much as his partner was pulling him along at an incredible speed. Heck, he was so fast that he had actually outdone Lucario's speed from before, getting to the other side in only five seconds. Machoke could not believe how easy that had been but refused to stop and question this as the two carried on, his partner actually starting to pick up the pace a bit.

However, during this time, the other heroes were starting to resort to any means necessary of getting ahead. Just like in the damsel rescue race, they were allowed to use their abilities to slow down their opponents.

A dinosaur with a skull helmet named Cubone had his sights set on Lucario as he pulled out a bone and hurled it at the dog, shouting, "BONEMERANG!"

Amanda heard it coming and spat, "BROTHER, BEHIND YOU!" Lucario nodding and saying, "Spin with me in three, two, one," the two spinning their bodies around as Lucario used his palm to send the bone flying back at Cubone, hitting him hard in the pelvis and knocking him on his back as his partner stared at him and asked, "Are you okay?"

A blue alligator by the name of Feraligatr was pursuing Scyther, looking ready to strike her when Scyther noticed this, saying, "Reika, can you use a backward kick?" Reika nodding and replying, "That's one of the easiest moves out there," both of them sending their legs back and hitting Feraligatr hard in the gut.

After that, the two proceeded to lean one arm back each, using their combined efforts to lift the alligator over their heads and slam in on his back, his partner going down with him as Reika said, "Sorry, but we really want to win this," Scyther smiling and saying, "You have a strong hand, Reika," the girl flexing her muscles with a smirk.

Hitmonchan and Gallade were both doing a descent job fighting their way past a few opponents with Hitmonchan sending Braixen flying into a tree while Gallade used his right arm blade to strike down a sentient garbage bag named Trubbish. However, the two were then attacked by Pinsir and a bulldog named Granbull, each one coming from behind.

Gallade was unable to react in time as Hitmonchan immediately got in the way, taking in Pinsir's horns, the girl crying out in pain and falling to her knees. Gallade noticed Granbull about to add to the pain with his fists only to dash in front of the attack, taking in a hard blow to the face, both now feeling weak as the opponents carried on.

"You protected me," Hitmonchan uttered, her eyes sparkling as Gallade smirked, adding, "You protected me too," the two then getting close and pressing their lips up against one-another, one more opponent stomping over them and knocking them unconscious.

All the while, many opponents were trying to take Bisharp down, but the knight refused to let this get him down as he went all-out, blocking any incoming attack with his arm blades. However, he then noticed that all of his quick movements were actually causing him to unintentionally injure his partner, an eight-year-old boy wearing a T-shirt with a picture of the knight's head on it.

"Are you okay, Yuma?" Bisharp asked as the boy groaned, "I'm so sorry, Mister Bisharp, sir! I'm a huge fan of yours and I wanted to meet you! You should have gotten a better partner!"

The knight simply shook his head and replied, "No, you were a fine ally for me, but you are now wounded, therefore I shall take it upon myself to bring you to safety," Bisharp using his wrist spike to unlock the shackles, Beedrill stating, "And Bisharp has sacrificed his spot in the Olympics to keep his partner safe!" the wasp letting down tears and sniffing, "I want to do something like that someday."

Gardevoir refused to resort to injuring opponents as a means of getting ahead. It simply was not in her nature, and of course, many heroes chose to take full advantage of this and try to knock her out. However, whenever they got close, Kuro would instantly keep them away by swinging his fists at them. Sure, he may have been a human, but he was tough and could hold his own even when facing a powerful creature.

"Thanks for the help," Gardevoir said with a smile, "though I'm not sure if I condone that sort of thing during a race," Kuro replying, "I am merely doing it to protect you, not to slow them down."

Lopunny had been doing very well, the rabbit easily keeping ahead. Unfortunately, her luck ran out when a being wrapped in blue vines named Tangela used her vines to trap her and her partner in place, the creature laughing and saying, "That's right, squirm, but it won't do you any good!" the rabbit gritting her teeth as she then thought of something, biting into the vine closest to her mouth as Tangela released her hold, her partner sighing, "I thought you were tougher than that."

Garchomp was easily ploughing through opponents, Aipom letting her know when an opponent was sneaking up behind her, the dragon greatly appreciating the help. Suddenly, Ursaring got behind her and grabbed her by her right shoulder, saying, "There's only room for one Russian in the tournament!" Aipom exclaiming, "GARCHOMP, USE YOUR BACK FIN TO KEEP HIM AWAY!" the dragon nodding and swinging her blade-like fin to the right, smacking Ursaring on the side and causing him to let go.

All the while, Machoke and his partner were starting to catch up a bit as the human started to get the hang of running. It seemed his poor running at the start was simply due to a lack of experience and all of this exercise was giving him much-needed practice.

"You hanging in there?" Machoke asked as the man nodded, replying, "Don't worry about me! I'll do my absolute best to make sure you're among the top sixteen!"

Numbers started to dwindle more when the leading heroes came to the next major obstacle, an area filled with big cobwebs. However, Sawk refused to let this get to him as he smirked, saying, "Just because the webs are big doesn't mean the spiders themselves are!" he and Throh attempting to burst right through one only to find it was a lot tougher than most webs were, the two stuck in it when a whole family of spiders came out, all of them putting on bibs and pulling out forks and knives.

The brothers cried out in terror as Beedrill flew in, cutting them loose and saying, "Well, you two have been caught in the webs and needed saving. Therefore you have been disqualified from the race," the two sighing in disappointment as Throh said, "Well, you made it this far," the red boy shrugging as his brother nodded.

The others realized how serious this was as Lucario said, "Stick close to me, Amanda. This is going to get ugly," the dog racing toward a string of webs and shouting, "FORCE PALM!" sending his palm hard into the first one and blasting a hole in it.

Scyther nodded and used her blades for the same purpose, many others feeling bad about taking this approach but simply decided to follow behind Lucario and Scyther, letting those two take care of the webs for them. Sure, it meant they would have to hold off on trying to get ahead of them, but it was worth it.

By the time Machoke and his partner had gotten there, they were actually catching up and all of the webs had been taken care of, making for easy passage as Machoke noticed more opponents up ahead. However, while they were starting to catch up, the competition was not looking too happy about this, especially one particular opponent, a green snake named Serperior.

The snake folded her arms and said, "That Machoke has been soaking up the glory for far too long. I shall see to it that he fails miserably today," her partner, a smug businessman stroking his moustache and saying, "I must say, I like the way you think, Lady Serperior."

With that, the snake had the man climb onto her back as she exclaimed, "TAIL BLADE!" propelling herself off of the ground and spinning toward Machoke with a green blade forming on the tip of her tail. However, she was not so much aiming for the boy himself as much as she was aiming for his shackles as she knew separating him from his partner would get him disqualified. She had already done this with three other opponents prior to this, so she knew this was an effective strategy.

However, while Machoke had been unaware of this, the man's ears twitched as he spat, "MACHOKE, BEHIND YOU!" Machoke turning around just in time to see his partner grab Serperior by the tail.

He was about to be knocked out when Machoke quickly placed his own grip against the tail, noticing two trees side by side and smirking, saying, "Thanks, snake lady, you just gave me a great idea!"

With that, the boy ran over to the trees as he and his partner tied Serperior around both of them, her partner gasping, "Good heavens, stop handling this fair maiden so violently!" Machoke and his partner both giving each-other annoyed looks before barking, "SHUT UP!"

With that, both placed themselves against Serperior's body and pushed back, the snake groaning, "OH GOD, THIS IS PAINFUL!" as the two used her like a slingshot to send them flying forward, the two actually managing to fly a really long distance, passing over the heads of many contestants.

However, one hero, a fox-like man with a long moustache named Alakazam detected the two of them coming as he held out two spoons, the girl next to him asking, "Oh, are you going to use your psychic powers?" Alakazam nodding and replying, "Yes I am," before closing his eyes and causing the spoons to bend with his mind, shouting, "PSYCHIC SPOONS!"

This trapped Machoke and the human in a magical bubble as the hero groaned, "OH NO, WE WERE SO CLOSE!" his partner gritting his teeth and remarking, "WE CAN'T JUST LET IT END AFTER WE CAME SO FAR!" Machoke nodding as the two started beating against the bubble.

"Simpletons," Alakazam muttered, "You can't just break through a magical field with brute strength," his eyes widening when he heard the sound of a crack forming on the bubble.

The fox turned and uttered, "That makes no sense!" as he was too spellbound to keep running when Machoke and his partner both managed to shatter the bubble.

With that, the two flew toward him, grinning at one-another and nodding before holding their arms out. Alakazam tried fleeing for his life only for the two to hook both his and his partner's necks, knocking them both down before running forward. Nothing was going to stop them now.

Finally, after all that running, it was time for the contestants to reach the finish line as those sitting by the entrance could see all of this on a big-screen TV. They all cheered wildly when they noticed Lucario and Amanda cross the finish line first followed closely by Scyther and Reika, the two breathing heavily as Reika smiled, saying, "Wow, we're actually in second," Scyther nodding and replying, "Danke schoen, Reika."

Garchomp and Aipom were close in third as Garchomp said, "Third place, huh? Not bad, kid," a grin on the dragon's face as Aipom smiled, replying, "You're a really good listener."

Gardevoir and Kuro were in forth, the two of them looking beyond relieved as following close behind was a monkey with a pig snout named Primape. Sixth place went to a purple starfish named Starmie while seventh was a red and black rottweiler named Houndoom. A dinosaur named Lairon was in eighth and ninth place went to Lopunny and her partner.

Now Aipom was staring to worry as he uttered, "Oh no, I hope Machoke is at least getting close," when she noticed a cyborg named Metang come in tenth, Lopunny nodding and replying, "Yeah, I want a chance to face him under better circumstances than last time."

It was looking less likely as eleventh place went to a rose girl named Roserade. A tan-coloured hippo named Hippowdon was in twelfth followed by a white fox with nine tails aptly named Ninetales in thirteenth.

And it was starting to look even worse as fourteenth place went to an odd Pokémon with a giant hand for a head and rocks as clothing named Barbaracle, fifteenth going to a blue duck named Golduck. This meant if Machoke and his partner did not pass next, it was all over.

Weedle saw this on screen and thought, 'Excellent,' Keiko and Reika's friends looking just as worried as the others. And it looked even worse when it appeared that an orange crab named Kingler was going to take the sixteenth spot.

However, just as he was about to cross the finish line, Machoke and his partner came racing in, both now going faster than ever before and speeding right past the crab, Kingler and his partner both spellbound. With that, the boy and the man crossed the finish line, taking many deep breaths as Machoke asked, "How did we do?" Aipom smacking the back of his head and remarking, "You barely made it! Don't scare me like that!"

Reika nodded and replied, "Yeah, you cut it really close," Machoke taking a deep breath before suddenly realizing his shackles had been undone when he was not looking and his partner had already left.

"Where'd that guy go?" Machoke asked, blinking, "I need to thank him for his help," before noticing the man being taken to a car as a shockingly attractive woman was leading him to the vehicle, sighing, "So this is where you've been all day, honey. I've been worried sick," Machoke's eyes widening as Aipom said, "Even I'm a little surprised."

Just as the car was about to take off, the man turned to face Machoke one last time before waving with a smile on his face, the man leaving the area as Beedrill exclaimed, "And with that, the sixteen moving onto the fighting tournament have been decided! Join us next week as we begin the main event, but before that, we'll decide on the order tomorrow back at the Tokyo Dome, so be sure to stop on by there at noon!"

And with that, the elimination rounds were finally over and it was time for the main event to begin. This would certainly be exciting.

 

The following day, everyone was once again gathered at the Tokyo Dome to see the tournament lineup. Sure, it was not a big event and would be over with quickly, but this was still important to everyone anyway. They did not even care if they were to come all this way just for a two minute speech regarding the lineup just as long as they knew who was facing who.

However, some people were wondering about this big thing that was covered up by a cloth in the middle of the field. Why was that there? Whatever the reason, people would soon find out.

Beedrill and Weedle once again took their seats, but this time Nori had actually joined them. As it just so happened, since the tournament was taking place in Tokyo, she had been chosen to be the main announcer for the event. They simply could not think of anyone else for the task.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Beedrill exclaimed, "boys and girls, it's time for us to decide what order the tournament matches will take place in! But what you're probably wondering is how we're going to decide on this order!"

The audience shrugged as Reika said, "I just figured they were going to make a random draw out of a hat," Keiko shaking her head and replying, "When you've actually been to a couple of these, you don't expect something so simple," Reika and her friends now even more curious as Aipom nodded, saying, "I remember Mommy telling me how everything in the Olympics is a grand-scale event, even the drawing of the names."

"Allow me to direct your attention to this big object covered by a cloth!" Beedrill exclaimed, everyone now even more curious as to what it was, the wasp adding, "This was another genius idea pitched by my dad! Now, remove the curtain!"

At that moment, a man piloting a helicopter nodded and used a hook attachment to grab the cloth and pull it off, revealing a big board with targets on it. Everyone was curious as to what this meant, but of course an explanation was not far away.

"This will decide on the order the matches will take place in," Weedle explained, "Our heroes will be launched from a giant crossbow that will randomly select a spot," everyone now in panic as Beedrill added, "Oh, but they won't actually be in any harm."

At that moment, he revealed giant arrows with clear plastic balls instead of points on the ends of them. Inside these balls were the heroes themselves, each containing one of course. However, Machoke's friends were rather worried when they noticed his ball had dents in it.

"Hey, why's mine practically broken!?" the boy spat as Weedle replied, "Oh, sorry, there must have a problem when transporting it," Machoke really hoping his ball would stay intact as the middle portion that held the top and bottom halves together was caving in.

Lucario took a deep breath as everyone felt tense. And soon enough, the first hero was set up on a giant crossbow, this hero being Scyther. The arrow was fired as it hit the fifth target to the left, the stick detaching from the ball so as not to cover the insect from view.

And this kept up with everyone else as Roserade was sent into the second target from the right, Garchomp fired into the forth. Golduck had hit the second from the left with Houndoom being shot right next to her. Hippowdon had landed next to Scyther while Lucario had been shot into the sixth target to the right.

More and more were fired until finally, it was Machoke's turn, the boy now grumbling about how he was last. However, his cursing came to an end when he was fired into the last spot, namely the forth spot to the left, his eyes widening when the two halves of his ball separated while flying, the boy crushed against the target by the end of the arrow's stick.

The others winced at the sight of this, Aipom groaning, "Weedle just can't let that grudge go, can he?" Reika and her friends turning to the monkey as she asked, "Isn't it obvious he's setting these things up?"

"And the order has been decided!" Beedrill exclaimed as Machoke groaned, sitting in his spot on the target board.

In the first match, Lopunny was set to take on Ninetales, the rabbit simply stoked to be first. Hippowdon would face Scyther in the second followed by Machoke and Barbaracle facing off in the third. Golduck was scheduled to fight Houndoom in the forth match with Gardevoir and Roserade in the fifth. Lairon and Garchomp were set to have the sixth match with Primeape and Lucario being the seventh to go up while Metang and Starmie would take the final match.

"And that's it for today!" Beedrill exclaimed, "Remember, only six more days until the tournament actually starts up, so I strongly recommend our fighters start preparing for the matches to come!" the crowd clapping before everyone left the area.

And needless to say, this was a big deal. This was the event everyone had been waiting for, the true highlight of the Hero Olympics. And because of this, people from around the world were booking flights to Tokyo so they could attend the matches in person with each group planning to root for their country's representative.

Before this, though, Machoke and the others had taken Beedrill's advice and were training really hard for the event. Even Machoke was actually putting some effort into this, though this was mostly due to his fight with Barbaracle. He looked absolutely terrifying and this made Machoke want to try extra hard to make sure he could win.

All of Machoke's friends had come over to spar in his back yard, Scyther and Blaziken going at it as Scyther said, "We may not be able to fight in an official match, but this will do for now," the chicken replying, "Yeah, but maybe someday, we can fight in a real match."

Gardevoir sparred with Gallade as usual, the brother smiling and saying, "This is great! I may not have made it, but it's awesome one of us did!" Gardevoir blocking a few strikes from him and replying, "I'll make sure to do the best I can for both of us," Gallade replying, "I wouldn't expect anything less."

Machoke was sparring with Lopunny, the rabbit saying, "Hey, if we both win our first two matches, we'll get to fight each-other!" Machoke nodding and replying, "We'd better make sure that happens, eh?" the two shaking hands and nodding.

Aipom was rather happy to see this. Machoke was taking this very seriously and that made the monkey proud. Still, both getting through the first two rounds to face each-other would be a difficult task.

Reika had stopped by to watch with her friends, Tsuya turning to the girl and asking, "Hey, Reika, do you think Gallade and that Hitmonchan lady have something going on?" Reika and Cici turning to her before pretending not to know what she was talking about when in truth, they had detected that as well.

Of course Machoke and the others were not the only ones getting ready. Everyone was preparing extra hard for the matches yet to come. After all, this was a really big deal.

Scyther and Lopunny were both training very hard with Heracross helping them out. He figured he may as well be useful if he was not going to compete in the fighting tournament.

Lucario, meanwhile, had gone off to train on his own. By this point, Amanda was a lot more understanding and as such, she was okay with him being away from her for a longer period of time. She just hoped whatever training he was doing would help him greatly.

And the six days passed by quickly as it was finally time for the fighting tournament to begin. People were all gathered at the designated location, though surprisingly, this location was not the Tokyo Dome again but rather the roof of a local shopping mall. Sure, this was a strange location, but people still came to see the event unfold nonetheless.

Beedrill and Weedle were of course standing by to judge with Nori behind the announcer's booth. The woman was beyond excited to take part in such a major event.

All the while, Lopunny was getting ready for the match when Machoke and Aipom were headed toward the roof. The rabbit spotted them and waved with a big smile on her face, Machoke noticing this and waving back.

Lopunny then ran over and exclaimed, "Thank God I ran into you!" Aipom blinking and asking, "Are you getting cold feet?" Lopunny laughing and remarking, "How could I get cold feet? They're covered in fur!"

All went silent until Machoke slapped his knee, laughing hysterically and replying, "Good one!" Aipom face-palming while thinking, 'He's a bad influence,' Lopunny then saying, "Machoke, I was hoping you could help me with my entrance," the boy grinning and replying, "You can count on me!"

Soon enough, everyone was ready as Machoke joined his friends in the bleachers, Reika saving him a seat. However, just as he was approaching, she noticed Scyther wanting to sit next to her. She was unsure why, but she actually allowed Scyther to do so.

Machoke noticed this and groaned, thinking, 'She didn't save me a seat?' before shrugging and sitting next to Scyther, the insect saying, "Hey, Machoke, here to study the competition?" the boy replying, "Well, I already know how Lopunny fights and I have no doubt she's going to win this match. I just wanna show my support for as long as I'm not fighting her."

Aipom blinked, rather relieved to see him being a good sport when Beedrill took hold of a microphone and exclaimed, "Welcome, everyone, to the first round of the Hero Olympics fighting tournament!" the crowd going wild as the fans had been divided based off of which hero they supported.

Nori then added, "Today, we are going to be showing you eight matches that are sure to be exciting! Though it is worth note that the location will change for every couple of matches, so expect to move around a lot," Machoke groaning, "And we have to get this all done in one day? Are you serious?"

Aipom shrugged and replied, "Well, according to Mommy, the location of the matches never changed before. Guess they decided to spice things up a bit."

"So without further ado," the announcer added, "it's time to introduce the fighters for the first match!" the woman then pointing toward the left entrance and saying, "In the red corner, representing India and possessing a very strong fighting spirit, having been the first one to defeat Gardevoir, Lopunny!" Gardevoir looking rather calm as Machoke asked, "That statement didn't upset you?" the girl shaking her head as she replied, "Lopunny's a friend, so I'm okay with losing to her."

With that, Lopunny entered the area sporting a fancy Indian dress, a look of sophistication on her face. Aipom's jaw dropped, her eyes wide open as she turned to Machoke. Was this the entrance he had chosen for her? Judging by the happy look on his face, it had to have been, but why now had he decided to actually give a serious entrance for a change?

All became clear soon enough when the rabbit proceeded to leap high into the air, spinning while throwing off her dress to unveil a revealing dancer's outfit, the rabbit performing of all things a snake dance. Machoke figured it would be a clever way of showing she was fearless enough to mimic a rabbit's natural predator. However, this still looked dignified enough until she threw her arms in the air, streamers shooting from a pair of golden bracelets on her wrists.

However, even for an idea of Machoke's, this was shockingly appropriate and not too far off from what someone else wanting to give the audience a show would have tried. As such, the Indian fans were absolutely thrilled by what they had seen and showered Lopunny in heavy applause.

"I gotta say, that's quite the entrance!" Nori exclaimed, Beedrill nodding and replying, "Yeah, that was really cool," Lopunny all the while thinking, 'Thanks, Machoke. I never would have come up with this.'

Soon, the applause died down as Nori exclaimed, "And in the blue corner, representing North Korea, a fox with a fiery passion for what she does. Descended from a long line of kitsunes, I would like to introduce Ninetales!" the Korean fans going wild as the nine-tailed fox ran toward the ring, leaping high into the air. She then spun vertically to form a beautiful wheel in the air, landing gracefully against the mat and striking two peace signs, a serious look on her face.

She was quite a beautiful creature to say the least. Her fur was golden white and her eyes were ruby red with no pupils. The tips of her long, elegant tails were covered in pale orange fur and the fur atop her head resembled a long ponytail blowing in the wind.

After that, Ninetales smiled at Lopunny and bowed her head before saying, "It is an honour to meet you, Miss Lopunny," the rabbit grinning and replying, "Same here!" the fox then holding out her hand as the two shared a friendly handshake, Nori stating, "It's always nice to see fighters show respect before a match."

The two then headed to their own separate sides of the ring as Beedrill rose his arm, ramming his stinger against the bell to signal the start of the match. Despite her looking rather calm after her entrance, Ninetales wasted no time rushing toward Lopunny.

The rabbit threw her ears out like fists in an attempt to stop the fox only for Ninetales to duck under them, running into the rabbit for a tackle. However, Lopunny refused to let this get her down as she held her ground, wrapping her ears around the fox.

Ninetales' eyes widened as Lopunny bounced high above the ring, flipping her downward so the fox's head was facing the mat, the rabbit binding her ankles with her ears and spinning toward the canvas, shouting, "BUNNY TORNADO!" Ninetales hitting the mat hard.

The crowd went wild as Machoke exclaimed, "YEAH, YOU GO, GIRL!" Nori exclaiming, "And already Lopunny has managed to hit Ninetales with her strongest move! Sure, it's a little early in the match, but could it already be over?"

It seemed not as Ninetales rolled around, clutching her head before getting up and taking a deep breath. As Nori had stated, it was very early in the match and Ninetales had not taken in a whole lot of pain prior to its use, so it made sense that the kitsune was still able to get up. Even so, she would need to be more careful now.

With that in mind, she once again rushed toward Lopunny, as the rabbit got on the defensive, sending her ears toward her. When she noticed Ninetales dodge once again, she reeled her ears back and stood on them, preparing to kick the fox when she got close. However, Ninetales saw this coming as she swerved to the right, sending a karate chop into Lopunny's cheek.

However, Lopunny ignored the pain and placed her feet back on the canvas before wrapping her ear around Ninetales' wrist. The kitsune's eyes widened as she tried to escape only for Lopunny to take full advantage of this, once again propelling her feet off the mat and sending them into the fox's gut.

The Indian fans were loving every second of this as Lopunny finally managed to punch Ninetales with one of her ears. However, Ninetales simply grabbed hold of the ear after it hit, attempting to pull on the rabbit. Fortunately, Lopunny managed to overcome this by sending her other ear into the kitsune's midsection, Ninetales now looking too weak to counter anything.

The Indian fans along with Lopunny's friends were beyond happy to see her perform so well. It looked like there was nothing Ninetales could possibly do to her as Nori exclaimed, "Lopunny's on fire today! She's only taken in one hit so far and it didn't seem to have done much!"

However, while the Indian fans along with Machoke and his friends continued to cheer, the Korean fans looked strangely calm. It was as if they knew something that the others did not. Did Ninetales have something planned for Lopunny?

Whatever the case, Lopunny saw this as a perfect opportunity to end the match super quick as she said, "I was hoping for more of a challenge, but I intend to win and face Machoke at some point, so I can't let this chance go!" the rabbit tucking her ears in before sending them toward Ninetales' face, shouting, "DIZZY PUNCH!"

But just as the attack was about to hit, Ninetales suddenly recovered as if all that pain dealt earlier meant nothing. It certainly did not stop there as she easily leapt over the ears, landing delicately against them, standing perfectly atop them.

"Hey, how's she doing that!?" Machoke spat, "When I tried that, I ended up being too heavy!" Aipom rubbing her chin with her tail hand and replying, "While I can tell from looking at Ninetales that she's much lighter than you, I get the impression there's more to it."

Either way, Lopunny was absolutely shocked as Ninetales sprinted across the ears, leaping up and flipping toward the rabbit, planting her feet hard into Lopunny's face. The rabbit groaned in pain before falling hard on her back, Ninetales proceeding to lift her up, turning both Lopunny and herself around so their backs were facing each-other. After that, the kitsune wrapped two of her tails around Lopunny's wrists, two more against her ankles. Two were then used to hold onto her torso, two more trapping her ears in place while the top one was wrapped around her neck.

"KITSUNE BACKBREAKER!" Ninetales exclaimed before pressing Lopunny hard against her back, applying extreme pressure to the rabbit's.

Lopunny cried out in pain as her friends stared in shock, Reika uttering, "Where did that come from?"

Scyther simply gritted her teeth, barking, "COME ON, LOPUNNY, YOU'VE DEALT WITH WORSE!" Heracross getting up from his own seat and adding, "AYE, I KNOW YOU CAN GET OUTTA THIS!"

However, neither of the two knew exactly how tough this hold was. The truth was that this was the worst submission hold Lopunny had ever dealt with. Whatever the reason for this was, Ninetales' tails had an incredible amount of strength, more so than the rest of her body.

"Did you honestly believe that you could defeat me so easily?" Ninetales asked, "That I was really just a simple opponent for you to show off your abilities on? Trust me, all that damage you dealt to me earlier was not you."

The Korean fans were smiling. They were not cheering, just smiling. It was as if they knew this was coming. All the while, everyone else was wondering what Ninetales meant.

"Wait, are you saying you let me hit you?" Lopunny grunted as Ninetales nodded, replying, "Yes, I was merely studying your technique. You definitely possess a strong spirit, but your abilities are nothing special. Once they're seen in action, it's very easy to figure them out. In other words, you lack variety."

Lopunny's eyes widened as tears rolled down her cheeks. All this time, she truly believed that she was worthy to fight alongside Heracross and Scyther, but now she was unsure of this. After all, she had taken the longest to find her fighting spirit and ultimately needed Scyther's help to shape her into a descent fighter. Sure, she had won the first match, but after that, Machoke had found ways to exploit quite a few of her abilities. The only time she came close to beating him was when the rabbits weakened him.

But just as she was about to give up, Scyther gritted her teeth and spat, "NEIN!" everyone turning to stare at her including the Korean fans, the insect adding, "DON'T LISTEN TO ANOTHER WORD, LOPUNNY!"

The rabbit was not even sure what to think about this. Was Scyther just being nice?

"She's right, lassie!" Heracross barked, "Look, Lopunny, if you weren't fit to be a member of our team, you wouldn't have passed your final exam at the same time we did! You wouldn't have advanced to the second round of The Next Gen Battle! I lost the first round but you advanced! I failed to make it to the fighting tournament and yet you succeeded!"

"But you lost at Rock, Paper, Scissors," the rabbit uttered in response as Machoke spat, "HEY, LOPUNNY!"

Lopunny then turned to face him as he added, "Where's that spirited firebrand who almost defeated me, huh!? I must be looking at her twin sister, because the Lopunny I know is no quitter! You only gave up against me because the conditions were unfair! But right now, the conditions are perfectly fair, so you have no excuse to back out!"

"He's right!" Reika exclaimed, Gardevoir nodding and squealing, "YOU CAN DO IT, LOPUNNY! YOU BEAT ME WHEN I HAD MY POWER ACTIVATED! NO ONE ELSE HAS MANAGED TO PULL THAT OFF!" and this would have been a lie if not for the fact that Hitmonchan defeated her before she could use her power.

With that, Lopunny's friends rose their arms in the air, chanting, "Lopunny! Lopunny!" many others joining in as soon enough, all of the Indian fans were cheering her on. A tear rolled down the rabbit's cheek as she bit her lower lip, a cute smile forming as she sniffed, "Thank you! You're all wonderful!"

Ninetales smiled and said, "Well, at the very least, you certainly have a lot of loving fans," Lopunny nodding and gritting her teeth before growling, "YEAH, AND I'M NOT GONNA LET THEM DOWN!" the rabbit applying three times as much muscle as usual before breaking free from the hold, Ninetales' eyes widening, the kitsune legitimately surprised by this.

However, this had taken a lot out of Lopunny as she took a deep breath, thinking, 'I only have enough strength for one more move, so I'd better make this count,' the rabbit smacking the kitsune's face to have her spin around and face her, Lopunny wrapping her ears around her and bouncing high above the ring.

However, while everyone was cheering wildly, Ninetales had other plans in mind as she smiled, saying, "Perfect," before shouting, "KITSUNE CANDLE!" everyone gasping as small flames formed on the tips of her tails.

The heat from the fire caused Lopunny to release her hold, crying out in pain as Ninetales then proceeded to turn her body around, wrapping tails around the rabbit again, this time using them to flip her upside-down. All went silent, the Korean fans once again smiling without making any noise as the kitsune descended toward the mat, shouting, "KITSUNE DRIVER!"

With that, Lopunny's head was slammed hard into the canvas, her eyes wide open from both pain and shock as Ninetales released her, the rabbit's body collapsing. All went silent as Nori counted to ten before ringing the bell, the Korean fans finally making sound as their side of the bleachers erupted in wild cheers, the Indian fans looking absolutely mortified.

"Just as it looked like Lopunny was going to turn everything around, it seems the victory still goes to Ninetales!" Nori exclaimed as Beedrill took a deep breath, saying, "Man, that was an intense first match! I hope the others are this good if not better!"

Machoke was now trembling as his teeth chattered, the boy uttering, "Oh god, I don't wanna face that monster in combat!" Scyther taking a deep breath before remarking, "Worry not, my friend. I fully intend to win my first match and then avenge my comrade."

"Geez, you make it sound like she's dead or something," Heracross remarked with a disturbed look as Aipom sighed, "Well, we certainly can't take Ninetales lightly, that's for sure."

However, just as it seemed Ninetales would be a scary opponent for anyone to face, the kitsune knelt down with a smile on her face and took Lopunny's hand, helping her up and carrying her over to a stretcher that had been brought into the area just in case someone had been hospitalized. The Korean fans applauded her as Blaziken said, "Well, at least she's nice," Gardevoir and Cici both biting their lips.

For some reason, they did not buy this. It was very rare for these two especially to get a feeling like that about someone, let alone a hero, so one could only guess if Ninetales was hiding something or not.

Even so, Scyther knew her match was next and as such, she got up and exited the area to ready herself. She knew she only had a small amount of time to prepare as Beedrill stated, "Scyther there certainly has the right idea. I should have mentioned this earlier, but after a match, the next contestants are only given five minutes to get themselves ready for theirs."

"Five minutes!?" Hippowdon spat before getting up and quickly running to the other exit to get ready himself. Would Scyther be able to win and get her chance to face the one who defeated her partner?

 

With Lopunny's match with Ninetales out of the way, it was just about time for Scyther's match. Hopefully she would not meet the same fate as her friend had.

Before the match could start, Scizor stood next to the ring to give Scyther advice when she needed it. After all, the insect would never go into a match without her help.

During this time, the Indian and Korean fans had gone from their own separate bleachers to the ones in the middle, switching places with the fans of the two fighters replacing the opponents. After all, the rules indicated that the opposing fanbases must be separated in order to avoid getting into fights with each-other.

After five minutes, Beedrill nodded at Nori who beamed and exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's time for the second match of the Hero Olympics fighting tournament to begin!" the crowd getting excited as the woman added, "In the red corner, hailing from Africa, an absolute beast in the ring who can give anyone a run for their money, Hippowdon!"

The African fans went wild as Hippowdon burst into the area, shooting sand of all things out of his nostrils and wearing a cape. He was truly an intimidating sight as his big mouth and large lower teeth were not the only dangerous-looking features he had. His muzzle was covered with a dark-grey armour with three holes on each of the sides, two big ones for his nostrils. He had four blunt claws on each of his hands and feet and all four were clad in armour as well. This armour also covered his backside all the way up to his skull, blood-shot eyes showing through two holes near the top, his back armour having holes the same size as those given to his nostrils. But what could they possibly be for?

The hippo charged toward the ring before leaping into it, taking off the cape and tossing it to the side before letting out a loud battle cry, shouting, "YOU'RE GOING DOWN, SCYTHER!" the African fans going wild as Machoke winced, uttering, "Oh god, I wouldn't want to fight that guy either."

Gallade simply patted the boy on the shoulder and replied, "I'm sure Scyther will be fine," Machoke sighing, "Yeah, you're right. She's very strong."

"And in the blue corner," Nori stated, "representing Germany, an insect with a lot of spirit and dedication to her duty, Scyther!" the German fans along with Machoke and the others cheering wildly as the insect flew toward the ring, performing a few aerial flips before landing firmly against the mat. As always, she only used her wings for her entrances and nothing else.

"I have been looking forward to this," Hippowdon said with a serious look in his eyes, "Oh yes, of all the participants in this tournament, you are the one I wanted to fight the most! I can't help but think this is all fate!"

Scyther blinked as Gardevoir asked, "What could he possibly have against Scyther? Does he know her personally?" Gallade blinking and replying, "Maybe he's seen her on TV and become jealous of her skills," Aipom saying, "That is a possibility."

Reika simply hoped Scyther would win, even more than she usually supported Machoke and his friends. But why? She barely knew Scyther. That three-legged race was the most she had ever interacted with the insect, so what was going on here?

Before the match could start, Scizor was in the midst of giving Scyther a little bit of advice as she whispered, "Alright, Scyther, just from seeing him run, this Hippowdon is not very fast. How he managed to make the top sixteen winners of the race is beyond me, but you can easily exploit that lack of speed. As soon as the bell rings, rush him and hit him with everything you have."

"But what sorts of moves should I use?" Scyther replied as her mother thought about this before replying, "His body is likely tough, including the parts without that armour of his. Don't hold back with your strength and you should be fine."

Before exiting the ring, though, Scizor added, "Also, be sure to aim away from his armour and be careful about those holes on his back. I get the feeling those are more than just decoration," Scyther nodding in understanding.

Once Scizor was out of the ring, Nori rang the bell, Scyther immediately sprinting toward Hippowdon. The hippo frowned and lifted up his right arm, sending his palm forward. However, the insect easily dodged this as Scizor nodded her head. Of course the insect did not let it end there as she sent a roundhouse kick into Hippowdon's side.

This seemed to cause some pain as the hippo winced in response, Scyther sending another kick before leaping back to avoid another attempt at a palm punch. She would have raced around the hippo's back in an attempt to strike him again, but Scizor had warned her about the holes and she too believed something was up with them, especially with the way sand had come from his nostrils prior for the beginning of the match.

"Scyther's off to a good start!" Nori exclaimed, "Hippowdon may be strong, but his speed is simply no match for Scyther's!" the German fans going wild.

Hippowdon simply grunted, more sand coming from his nostrils as he took the offensive this time, rushing toward Scyther as the insect easily sidestepped the attack, sending two more roundhouse kicks into his side. After that, she proceeded to leap sideways onto his arm, latching her legs around it before wrapping her arms around his neck, once again doing her best to avoid the holes on his back.

"Excellent work, Scyther!" Scizor exclaimed as the insect continued to hold onto the hippo. Sure, hurting him externally was not too effective, but even the heaviest and strongest of opponents could be beaten internally.

The German fans were still going wild as the African fans were in panic, Hippowdon noticing their faces and thinking, 'Don't worry, I'll turn this around! That Scizor made one fatal miscalculation when giving her precious 'schuler' advice.'

And with that, the hippo clenched his claws together before putting on a more serious expression, blood pumping through him when suddenly, the muscles in his arm expanded greatly, everyone gasping when this proved more than enough to force Scyther's legs off of that very spot. Beedrill simply blinked and asked, "How did he do that?" Nori exclaiming, "Just as it seemed Scyther had Hippowdon, he managed to expand his arm muscles!"

With that, the hippo proceeded to move his head in a circular motion, Scyther still clinging to it as now she was swinging around and around. After a few seconds, though, Hippowdon had managed to loosen her hold before applying just a little bit more pressure to his swing, sending her flying head-first into the turnbuckle.

The African fans went wild as the hippo took a deep breath, saying, "I didn't think I'd get a chance to use something like that against you, but I'm glad I did!" Reika frowning before grumbling, "Look how smug he's acting after only hitting her once," Cici and Tsuya staring at her. She had never been this mad after seeing a wrestler she liked take in a fierce blow no matter how bad it was.

Scizor simply stared at this in shock before asking, "Are you okay?" Scyther taking a deep breath and shaking the pain off of her head, replying, "I'm fine, lehrer," the mother taking a deep breath.

And of course Scyther would not simply let something like this go as she sprinted toward the hippo again, Hippowdon smirking and saying, "You know, Scyther, you were smart to avoid the holes on my back. You see, my armour is not so much meant for protection as much as it is to help control a special power I have had ever since birth," all going silent, Scyther stopping dead in her tracks as sand started spewing from the holes.

'I knew it!' Scizor thought with an intense look, but this was actually worse than even she could have comprehended as the sand very quickly covered the entire ring.

Scyther simply took a deep breath and asked, "Is this supposed to scare me? Because it doesn't!" the insect running again, Hippowdon smirking before shouting, "SANDSTORM!" taking in a deep breath before shooting a huge gust of wind from his mouth.

All went silent as the wind created a small twister that picked up the sand, Hippowdon adding, "Something worth note is that when my sand is in the air, it's pretty strong!"

Scyther's eyes widened as Scizor snapped, "SCYTHER, FIND A WAY AROUND IT!" but it was too late as the twister soon surrounded the insect, the sand pelting her, some of it getting in her eyes. As if that was not strange enough, the sand that hit her actually put light bruises on her, proving that Hippowdon was not exaggerating when he said his sand was tough.

After a few seconds, the wind died down as the sand had finally been blown away. Unfortunately, Scyther still had sand in her eyes as she groaned, trying to wipe it out as Scizor gasped, the others equally worried.

Of course Hippowdon wasted no time as he took full advantage of this, the hippo charging toward Scyther and slamming his palm hard into her face, the African fans now going wild. With the insect blinded, she had not seen this coming as he continued to send more and more palm punches to her.

To make matters worse, Scizor was not sure what to do about this. She felt so helpless as Scyther took in many fierce blows, the bug soon coughing up blood as she held her arms in front of her face only for Hippowdon to switch tactics, now kicking her in the shins.

Machoke's eyes widened as he spat, "HEY, SCIZOR, I GOT AN IDEA! YOU COULD BE SCYTHER'S SEEING-EYE DOG!" Scizor turning and staring at him as she asked, "What?"

The others stared at him as well, Reika actually understanding what he meant as she sent her fist down into her palm, saying, "He's got a point. You could simply tell Scyther where the attacks are coming from."

Scyther continued to take in more hits until Scizor nodded, getting the message before exclaiming, "Scyther, your right shoulder!" the insect dodging an incoming palm punch aimed at that very spot, Hippowdon blinking before sending a palm punch toward more spots only for Scizor to direct Scyther through it, the insect now managing to dodge each attack.

Hippowdon lost patience and said, "Alright, let's see you dodge this," sending his palm toward her midsection as Scizor spat, "SCYTHER, CLAP YOUR HANDS TOGETHER!" Scyther finding this to be an odd command but doing so anyway, her hands clasping onto the hippo's wrist.

The insect did not need more advice to know what to do next as she rammed her shoulder hard into Hippowdon's chin, the hippo's head going up. Sure, his skin was tough, but Scyther had applied enough force for it to have a strong effect.

With that, the insect took full advantage of this, wiping the sand off of her eyes and taking a deep breath, saying, "That was very inconvenient, but I'm ready now," Hippowdon releasing sand from his nostrils as he grunted, "You're persistent, but that's not good enough!"

The others cheered as Heracross said, "Hey, Machoke, that was a great idea," Machoke grinning and replying, "I know," Aipom feeling rather ashamed of herself for not coming up with it first, especially since it was such an obvious idea.

In fact, she found it strange that Scizor had not thought of it what with her knowledge of fighting. Whatever the case, Scizor was beyond grateful as she whispered to herself, "Danke schoen, Machoke."

Hippowdon figured with Scizor's advice, whipping up another sandstorm might not help too much. As such, he simply rushed at Scyther, figuring the insect must have taken in too much damage to do much else. If he could at least get her to expel her energy, she would be an easy target.

Unfortunately for him, Scyther had a very strong spirit, one that could not be broken so easily. As such, she easily dodged more incoming palm punches before sending more kicks to Hippowdon's side. She would have attempted to slam him at this point, but she knew the hippo would be too heavy for even her to lift up without straining herself at the very least.

Hippowdon fumed and attempted to strike her even more, Scyther once again dodging and sending various hits into him, the German fans going wild while the African fans were worried. Hippowdon's best strategy had been beaten thanks to Scizor's advice. What could he do now?

However, he remembered something he could do as he smirked, saying, "That's it, I had completely forgotten about this," the hippo releasing sand from his back and once again covering the ring. Scyther frowned and said, "I can overcome another sandstorm," Hippowdon remarking, "Oh, I'm not planning on using Sandstorm again!"

At that moment, all went silent, Nori's eyes widening as the hippo proceeded to release a large amount of drool from his mouth. Even the African fans looked rather disgusted by this, Machoke shrugging and saying, "I don't see what the big deal is. He's probably thinking about food right now," Aipom sighing, "In the middle of a match?"

However, Scyther very quickly realized what he was doing as she tried to back up toward the turnbuckle only for her feet to end up stuck in the sand, Hippowdon shouting, "QUICKSAND!" everyone staring as Scizor exclaimed, "Of course! He was making the sand thick so Scyther couldn't move in it!" everyone gasping as Nori said, "Well, it was rather disgusting to look at, but it certainly did its job."

Hippowdon chuckled while wiping the remaining drool from his lower lip, saying, "Now you can't dodge me anymore!" the hippo walking over to her and placing his hands against his hips, saying, "You pretty much brought this upon yourself. If you simply dashed your pride and tried flying during a match, you wouldn't be stuck right now."

All went silent among the crowd as the hippo added, "Now, I could buffet you with an onslaught of palm punches, but quite frankly, I want to make this victory even more impressive."

With that in mind, the hippo turned his back to Scyther and shot a burst of sand from his back, but this was different as rather than just shooting straight out, it moved in a very artistic pattern, kind of like a series of ropes. Soon enough, Scyther was trapped in an orb made of sand as Hippowdon shouted, "SAND TOMB!" everyone gasping as a string of sand was added.

"IT'S JUST SAND, YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS!" Scizor spat but was soon proven wrong when Hippowdon allowed three drops of drool to fall onto the sand thus thickening it enough so even with her best efforts, Scyther could not break through.

The hippo then took hold of the sand rope attached to the capsule and threw his arm up, lifting the capsule high above his head, spinning it around. After a few seconds, he proceeded to slam it hard against the mat and with Scyther inside of it, she naturally took in pain from this.

Hippowdon kept this up as Nori stated, "It seems Hippowdon's Sand Tomb technique has certainly turned things back in his favour. With no way of moving, what can Scyther possibly do?"

However, Scizor knew what to do this time as she gritted her teeth and snapped, "SCYTHER, USE THE ARM SCHWERT TO CUT YOUR WAY OUT OF THAT CAPSULE!" Hippowdon remarking, "Don't waste your breath! This tomb is so thick that she can barely hear a thing from inside of it!" the African fans cheering wildly.

However, unbeknownst to everyone, Scyther had heard her mother's words. As such, the insect took a deep breath and allowed her blades to grow out of the bottoms of her arms.

Hippowdon was back to spinning her, feeling beyond confident until he noticed a blade sticking out of the side of the capsule. His eyes went wide as a second one came from the other side, the blades then spinning around like propellers before the entire capsule came open, Scyther now free.

The crowd went wild as Blaziken exclaimed, "THAT'S HOW YOU DO IT!" Reika taking a deep breath as Scizor smirked, saying, "Never underestimate the bond between a schuler and lehrer."

Hippowdon stared in absolute shock, unable to respond as Scyther crossed her arms, headed straight for the hippo and shouting, "ARM SCHWERT!" the insect swinging her blades outward when she got close enough, a big X forming on the hippo's chest as his eyes widened, Hippowdon falling hard against the ring as his body caused it to shake, all the wet sand flying out of the ring as a result.

All went silent as Nori counted to ten before ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND THE WINNER OF THE SECOND MATCH IS SCYTHER!" the German fans going wild while the African fans stared in horror at the sight of their representative now bleeding and unconscious.

Scizor took a deep breath and nodded at Scyther, the daughter nodding back and leaping out of the ring to exit along with her mother. Reika watched the two leave with a smile, glad that Scyther had won in the end.

"That was a close one," Machoke said with a sigh, Aipom replying, "Don't forget, you might have to face her at some point," the boy groaning, "Thanks for the reminder."

Ninetales all the while simply watched Scyther leave with interest. The kitsune certainly could not take her lightly especially with her skills as good as they were.

"Alright, with that out of the way, we will take a two-hour break, but keep in mind this is only to change locations," Beedrill explained, "The next two matches will take place in the local aquarium, mainly the area usually reserved for shows. Be sure to get there in time for these matches are certain to be very exciting."

Aipom turned to Machoke and said, "We'd better hurry. Your match is next," the boy nodding before noticing the heroes were actually being given rides to their next locations. One vehicle had been chosen for Machoke and Golduck while another had been reserved for Barbaracle and Houndoom.

However, this soon seemed inconvenient for Machoke as he and Golduck were given a run-down jalopy with its roof broken off, Aipom groaning, "Weedle must really hate you," Machoke replying, "No kidding," Golduck simply folding her arms and napping, not really caring too much about this.

And of course Houndoom and Barbaracle had been given first-class service, the two being driven in a nice comfortable car. Needless to say, the two enjoyed this a lot.

Everyone else had found their own way of getting to the aquarium, Reika and her friends deciding to do a little sight-seeing first. The group looked at a variety of sea creatures in tanks when they noticed Gallade and Gardevoir looking around as well.

The siblings were admiring the sea creatures as Gardevoir asked, "Do you think they might have a mermaid here?" Gallade laughing nervously before replying, "I don't think people would want to put a mermaid in a fish tank," Reika overhearing this and finding Gallade's response rather cute.

"He's such a good brother," Tsuya said with her eyes sparkling, "I wish I had a brother like that," Cici uttering, "But you don't have a brother."

Tsuya looked down and sighed, "I guess having a brother would be nice, too," Cici patting her on the shoulder and squeaking, "There, there."

"By the way, I have some good news," Gallade said with a grin as Gardevoir blinked, asking, "What is it?" Tsuya uttering, "Oh no, it's not what I think it is, is it?"

Gallade confirmed her suspicions as he added, "I'm gonna tell the others later, too, but Hitmonchan and I are going on a date the next time the Olympics go on break," Tsuya's jaw dropped, Reika uttering, "Oh my god, I had my suspicions, but damn."

She and Cici looked at Tsuya with concern as the girl took a deep breath before saying, "It's fine. I'll just find someone else to spend my life with," Reika shrugging and sighing, "Only you would say something like that and actually mean it."

Scyther was looking around as well. She had originally intended on going off to train seeing as she already knew what her opponent was like, but Machoke was a friend and the insect wanted to see how his match would go. She would simply head off on her own when it was time for Golduck and Houndoom to fight. Heracross would have joined her but he had agreed to stay with Lopunny in the hospital.

Either way, the two hours had passed soon as crowds were gathered for the next match, the bleachers once again filled as it turned out the ring was actually right in the middle of the pool used for dolphin shows and the like. This was certainly different.

"Welcome, everyone, to the location of the third match of the Hero Olympics!" Beedrill exclaimed, "As you can see, the ring is located right in the middle of the pool, which means anyone knocked out of the ring will end up taking a dip!"

Nori nodded and stated, "Anyway, it's time to introduce our fighters! In the red corner, representing Japan and having defeated many opponents since he arrived on Earth, Machoke!" everyone staring as the boy strutted toward the ring wearing a rubber ducky life preserver, a pair of flippers and a lifeguard outfit, the boy exclaiming, "LIFEGUARD MACHOKE ON DUTY!" the people all laughing at this.

Machoke looked around as one of the audience members spat, "OH MY GOD, YOU LOOK SO STUPID!" another adding, "I'M SORRY, WAS THIS SUPPOSED TO LOOK COOL!?" Machoke letting out a sigh as Gardevoir uttered, "I hate to admit it, but I agree with everyone else this time," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Yeah, he's not even trying."

Weedle all the while closed his eyes tight and thought, 'For the love of God, can't he take this seriously just once!? His last entrance was actually good, and he wasn't even the one doing it!'

Once the boy removed all of his swim gear, Nori proceeded to say, "And in the blue corner, representing Greece is a rather scary-looking fighter that's sure to bring a lot to the table, Barbaracle!"

The Greek fans cheered wildly as Barbaracle entered the area, folding all four of his arms. He really was quite a sight to behold. His torso was orange while his arms and legs had brown stripes on them. His head was a giant hand with orange flesh and eyes on the palm, his regular hands themselves having single eyeballs on their palms along with razor sharp claws that represented fingers. Covering his chest area was a long grey rock with a smaller one covering his privates.

Machoke still felt intimidated by this guy as Barbaracle took a good long look at him before saying, "I had hoped I would one day get the chance to face you. I can't help but feel fortunate," Machoke now trembling as Aipom took a deep breath, saying, "Remember, this is a tournament for heroes," the boy nodding and replying, "Right."

Tensions rose as the match was finally about to begin. Could Machoke beat this opponent?