Earth's Protectors

Note: In case you're wondering, yes, Skytha is, in fact, Mega Scizor.

Only a few minutes remained until the big match began, the match between Machoke and Lucario. After Machamp and Riolu fought in the twenty-first Hero Olympics, people had wanted to see a match between their kids and they had finally gotten their wish. But would Machoke carry on the family legacy and claim the belt again or would Lucario take the championship title back?

Whatever the case, the crowd was getting restless, wanting to know more and more what the answer to this question would be. They just wanted Nori to hurry up and announce the heroes so the match could begin.

There were more seats than usual and as such, more fans had shown up for this event. Of course, most of Machoke's friends were in the crowd while Clauncher sat away from them feeling neutral right now. With the way Lucario had been acting, she was now contemplating whether or not she should cheer Machoke on. After all, she knew nothing about him but was friends with Lucario.

All the while, Aipom was still in her hospital bed, her legs still not fully recovered. Bisharp and Scrafty had agreed to stay with her while having the match play on the TV. After all, there was no way Aipom was going to miss this match, hospital or not.

Machamp and Riolu were seated next to each-other in the crowd as Riolu asked, "So, where's Kala?" Machamp remarking, "Where's Sarah?" the dog replying, "Touche."

All the while, Greninja, Blastoise, Combusken and Bouffalant were all seated around the ring, dressed in their finest attire with each sitting in front of a corner. After all, they were the special judges for the tournament. They were to make sure no rules were broken therefor it only made sense for one to watch each side like a hawk.

Blaziken smiled and waved to Combusken, her mother smiling and raising her hand to imply a wave. She could not keep it up longer, though, as it would have made her look unprofessional and unfocused. She took this job very seriously and was not going to let her own personal feelings ruin her chance at possibly getting it in the future.

"Well, folks, this is it!" Beedrill exclaimed, "The Olympics have been absolutely amazing so far! The events themselves were a great warmup, but this tournament has truly been the best yet, having the most intense matches ever seen before the finals! We've seen a villain exposed and defeated, we've seen a powerhouse lose the use of her arms."

Some members of the crowd winced at the sound of that second part as the wasp added, "We've seen a suit of armour shattered, a vampire defeated by water, a machine's forearms blown to bits and so much more! But I am willing to bet that none of these events can possibly compare to what is going to happen today as not only is this the final match, it's between Machoke and Lucario, the sons of Machamp and Riolu!"

Beedrill then directed everyone's attention to the two legends in question in the crowd as they looked around, their arms folded. The crowd went wild at the sight of them while the humans sitting close to them bowed their heads, Machamp's look of confusion turning to extreme happiness as he cupped his hands together and waved them over his head, Riolu rolling his eyes and simply keeping his serious look.

"But of course, they are not the only celebrities here," Beedrill stated, "as our special judges are also big-time legends. Combusken, for example, was Machamp's tag-team partner in the very first tag team tournament and has defeated many powerful enemies. She was also third place in the twenty-first Hero Olympics, having won the spot in the tie-breaker match against Greninja!" the crowd going wild as their attention was soon directed toward a jumbotron TV

On the screen was footage of that very match, Greninja using her Tongue Noose to strangle Combusken only for the chicken to grab hold of the tongue, pulling the frog close and using Fire Peck to strike her in the forehead, knocking her unconscious. The crowd cheered at the sight of this, Combusken grinning with pride.

"Speaking of which, Greninja's no pushover despite losing third place to Combusken," Beedrill added, "From the start, she displayed a great deal of power, having defeated many foes as well. Though the most memorable moment in the Hero Olympics to this day was her very first match when she hospitalized the mighty Skytha!"

Scizor, who was sitting in the middle row, gritted her teeth. Skytha was the name of her mother, and this match caused Scizor to develop an extreme grudge against Greninja, and the reason was very clear when everyone saw what was on screen.

Skytha had a look similar to Scizor's only her pincers were square-shaped and serrated, with the lower halves being white as opposed to red, the eye-like circles being blue. She also wore a black three-pointed crest on her face and had black shoulders and thighs.

In the footage shown, Greninja was sitting on the insect's back and pulling on her chin with a camel clutch. Skytha had tried her best to escape but could not as her backbone ended up breaking, the insect's eyes widening as she passed out.

Scizor took a deep breath, trying not to feel angered by this moment anymore. Though it was difficult as not only was the scene painful enough to watch but Skytha had actually died shortly after being escorted to the hospital. She saw Greninja as an enemy after that before losing to her in the quarter-finals of the twenty-second Hero Olympics in which the frog apologized, admitting that she never had any intention of killing her mother.

"And Greninja's partner, Bouffalant, is also here," Beedrill stated, "and needless to say, he is certainly one worth talking about. Once a former villain, but changed when Machoke was the first to ever defeat him, Bouffalant has a stellar reputation, having defeated many with his amazing strength."

The crowd cheered as the wasp added, "And Blastoise here may not have a great track record, but her matches are still legendary for how close they were. The world still hasn't forgotten her first win when she defeated the ferocious Grovyle in a very intense match."

Everyone was rather impressed while watching footage of the tortoise shooting a burst of water from the guns on her shoulders into the face of a lizard. After that, she proceeded to run over to Grovyle, wrapping her arms around him and finishing him off with a fierce powerbomb.

"Anyway, that's enough about the legends," Beedrill said, "You're all here to see the final match, and it will begin as soon as Nori introduces our fighters!" Nori nodding with a big grin on her face, the crowd getting even more restless now.

"Without further ado, let's get this started!" Nori exclaimed as the crowd went wild, Reika gulping and hoping that Machoke's entrance would not be too stupid.

"In the red corner is Japan's representative!" Nori stated, "He has an incredible track record and has defeated some of the mightiest of villains thrown at him! He even prevented one villain from tarnishing the Olympics! Despite odds constantly being stacked against him, he always finds a way to come out on top! Introducing Machoke!"

The crowd was silent as, like Reika, they were expecting a dumb entrance. However, everyone soon stared in shock when the boy approached the ring wearing the bands that Machamp had given him. He had a serious look on his face, no big set-ups or floats or anything along those lines. The only thing that did stand out was a girl no one had ever seen before joining him in walking toward the ring.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Nori uttered, her eyes wide with shock, "Not only is Machoke actually looking serious, but he's wearing the exact same outfit his father wore when he defeated Groudon many years ago!" Machamp grinning as Riolu sighed, "You gave those to him before the match, didn't you?" the man nodding and replying, "I can't believe it, but he looks better with that stuff than I did back in the day."

Aipom's eyes sparkled as she thought, 'Wow, he's really taking this seriously!' Scrafty saying, "Wow, that headband is awesome," Bisharp nodding and adding, "Yes, he looks quite dignified today."

Gardevoir squealed before exclaiming, "MACHOKE, YOU LOOK SO COOL!" the boy smiling and giving a light wave before turning his attention back to the ring, Meisai saying, "Good, a little acknowledgement is fine, but don't let it distract you."

"Wow, he really means business," Blaziken said, Gallade shouting, "You rule, Machoke!" Hitmonchan exclaiming, "You'll wipe the floor with Lucario for sure!"

And of course everyone else was equally impressed, the Japanese fans going wild while Lopunny had a pair of pom-poms out, giving Machoke a motivational cheer while Scyther and Heracross simply gave him thumbs up. Needless to say, the boy had made quite the impression, but would this really be enough?

"Say, who's that with him, anyway?" Weedle asked as Beedrill held up the microphone, announcing, "For those wondering, Machoke has found a substitute for Aipom who will act as his adviser for this match. Her name is Meisai," the audience nodding in understanding as Clauncher had an odd look on her face, thinking, 'That Meisai's hair looks familiar.'

"Have you ever met someone named Meisai?" Reika asked as Blaziken shrugged, replying, "Never seen her before in my life."

Gardevoir smiled softly and replied, "It doesn't matter. I get the feeling we can trust her," Gallade nodding and saying, "Well, that settles that."

Once the applause for Machoke had died down, Nori cleared her throat and exclaimed, "And in the blue corner is the hero representing England! A former villain, he now fights for the side of good, and thank God for that, because he is a nightmare in the ring! When the odds are stacked against him, he surprises everyone with one incredible comeback after another. He has stopped at nothing to make sure this match would happen, even going so far as to almost cripple his last opponent! Introducing Lucario!"

The British fans went wild, Meisai folding her arms as the dog walked toward the ring sporting a leather jacket and a ripped pair of jeans. The crowd stared as he looked so intimidating right now, a murderous look in his eyes. One could only imagine how he would start things off.

However, Machoke simply folded his arms and looked at the dog with confidence, Meisai saying, "Wow, you're not freaking out or anything. I'm impressed," the girl then noticing his legs trembling as she face-palmed, the boy groaning, "I can't help it! He looks so frightening!"

After entering the ring, Lucario proceeded to hurl his jacket out of the ring along with his jeans. Sure, he had no special clothing on himself, but he still looked more than ready for business. Needless to say, this would not be an easy fight.

Beedrill noticed both seemed ready as he said, "I will give each fighter a minute to warm up, then we can begin," Meisai signalling Machoke to bring his head closer to her as he did so, the girl whispering, "As you know, Lucario has great speed and strength, so for the first little while, try to get him to tire himself out. No matter what happens, you will avoid every single move he throws at you. No counterattacks, just dodge."

Machoke nodded as Blaziken blinked, saying, "He's putting all of his faith in her. She must really be something to match up to Aipom."

And on that note, Beedrill exclaimed, "Without further ado, let the match begin!" the crowd getting pumped up as he rang the bell.

Lucario wasted no time heading toward Machoke, but something was off. Lucario was not moving quickly but rather slowly. But why?

Whatever the case, Machoke had to remember Meisai's advice. As such, he waited for the dog to get close before running to the right, keeping his distance. Lucario turned to him with a scowl as the audience stared in silence.

"What was that?" Gallade asked, "Lucario left himself wide open. Machoke should have hit him instead," Blaziken shrugging and replying, "He may have just been intimidated. Lucario is a scary opponent."

Lucario picked up the pace a bit, sending his palm toward the boy as he once again dodged to the right just in time to avoid the move. The dog remained calm and simply headed toward Machoke again, the same thing happening.

At that moment, most of the crowd started booing as one member spat, "WHAT IS THIS!?" another barking, "THIS IS A RIPOFF! SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING!" Meisai gritted her teeth under her mask and thinking, 'Please, for the love of God, don't let them get to you.'

However, it seemed her fears were uncalled for as Machoke remarked, "I don't care what you say! I'm taking Meisai's advice!" when suddenly, he noticed the Japanese fans were also booing him.

Now the girl was even more worried than before as one of them spat, "They're right! God, this is so lame!" another adding, "This is the clown representing us!?"

Machoke gritted his teeth thinking, 'Dammit, they might be right. If this was Aipom, she would tell me to at least counterattack. I thought Meisai would make for a legitimate substitute, but she seems too timid and scared.'

Noticing Lucario closing in on him, Machoke took a deep breath and said, "I'm sorry, Meisai, but they're right. If I don't attack, I'll never win this match!" Meisai's eyes widening as she snapped, "NO, MACHOKE, DON'T!" the boy lifting up his leg and sending a hard kick into Lucario's face, the dog's eyes widening as Machoke sent another kick to his midsection, sending him back, the dog stumbling along the mat.

The Japanese fans went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And with that, Machoke gets an early lead with two impressive kicks!" Machoke taking a deep breath and saying, "I don't know why you thought that wouldn't work. It seems to have had a descent effect."

Meisai shook her head and remarked, "Don't be so sure," the boy then noticing Lucario quickly rise back to his feet, a serious look in his eyes as he said, "Don't expect that to work a second time."

However, Machoke noticed Lucario starting to falter as he smirked, rushing at him as Meisai gritted her teeth, barking, "NO, HE'S FAKING IT!" but it was too late as the boy sent a roundhouse toward Lucario's cheek.

Unfortunately, Meisai's words were correct as the dog proceeded to lift his right arm up with the wrist spike pointed outward, Machoke's ankle running hard into it. As the spike pierced his flesh, the boy cried out in pain, Lucario taking full advantage of this and lifting him up above his head, slamming his back hard against the mat before removing his spike.

The crowd gasped as Nori said, "And as soon as that advantage came, it seems to have left Machoke as Lucario has already managed to draw blood."

"I don't know how, but Meisai knew exactly what was gonna happen," Blaziken said, Gallade nodding and sighing, "Machoke really should have listened to her. I know the crowd was egging him on, but even so," Hitmonchan laughing nervously and adding, "To be fair, we weren't exactly clear on what he was doing either."

"So, Machoke, will you listen to me?" Meisai asked as Machoke got up, grunting, "Not if your strategy involves me running away like a sissy! I'm sorry, Meisai, I'm grateful for all the training, but the best defence is a good offence! Everyone knows that!"

Meisai fumed and folded her arms, retorting, "Fine! Lose for all I care!" the girl sitting cross-legged on the grass and folding her arms.

She could not believe how stubborn Machoke was being. After all, he had a similar issue when facing Bisharp. He had started to lose badly when he stopped listening to Aipom, so why was he repeating that same mistake?

Whatever the case, the boy was not going to let up as he noticed Lucario charging at him now, the boy readying himself. Instead of dodging, he was going to counter this time. Lucario would not see that coming, right?

Just as the dog sent a palm punch toward Machoke, the boy threw his arms forward, grabbing onto his arm. However, Lucario provided additional force, keeping up his momentum and slamming his palm hard into the boy's face.

The British fans went wild as Machoke backed up a bit, still refusing to let this get him down. Meisai continued to sit with her arms folded, a look of spite under her mask. She wanted to give him advice to help him win, but Machoke was being so stubborn right now.

And to make matters worse, Lucario was now willing to take even more advantage of the boy as his paw had a blue aura around it, the dog shouting, "FORCE PALM!" sending his paw toward Machoke's gut.

Once again, the boy attempted to counter only to end up being hit hard in that very spot, his eyes widening as he coughed up blood, backing up toward the ropes and breathing heavily. Meisai glared at Lucario, thinking, 'Finish him off, Lucario. Have your sweet revenge. I don't even care anymore!' Clauncher watching this with concern. She did not know whether to be happy about this or not. Again, Lucario may have been her friend, but a part of her wanted Machoke to win.

Reika was also concerned as she gritted her teeth, barking, "HEY, MACHOKE, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" the boy turning to her, his eyes widening as she added, "MEISAI'S ADVICE HAS BEEN RIGHT! THE ONLY REASON YOU'VE BEEN TAKING IN A BEATING SO FAR IS BECAUSE YOU REFUSE TO FOLLOW IT!"

Meisai turned to her, trying to hold back tears of joy while thinking, 'Thank God. One of them actually gets it,' Machoke twitching as Gardevoir nodded, adding, "She's right, Machoke. I can tell when someone is really worth trusting, and Meisai is definitely someone you'll want to listen to, so don't ignore her."

Machoke blinked, turning toward the girl, Meisai going back to pouting and folding her arms, glaring at him while saying nothing. Machamp simply glanced at his son, hoping the boy would make the right decision. Even with the words of his friends, it was still his choice to make.

All the while, Lucario was about to take advantage of the fact that Machoke's back was now turned to him, but a part of him did not feel like moving in for the attack. It was something about this Meisai girl. He had no idea what it was, but just looking at her eyes gave him an awkward feeling.

Machoke's friends stared at him as Blaziken grumbled, "Come on, you're not this stupid," Machoke taking a deep breath and saying, "I'm sorry, Meisai," the boy bowing his head and adding, "I should have listened to you from the start. If you have any advice to give me, I will gladly take it."

No one could see it, but Meisai was smiling under her mask. With that, the girl put on a more serious look and got up, saying, "It's okay, I forgive you. You're just not used to having someone else as your adviser. But if you decide to go against my wishes again, I will not be so forgiving, so consider this your last chance."

The boy panicked, trembling for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and exclaiming, "Okay, okay, I'll follow you! Just please don't stop with the good advice!"

Meisai was resisting the urge to chuckle in response to this as she said, "Alright, luckily for you, it's still very early in the match. Best of all, that stab to your ankle doesn't seem to be taking too much of a toll on you. It is definitely possible to make up for your blunder."

Unfortunately, before she could continue, Lucario had finally snapped out of his trance, thinking, 'God, what came over me just now?' the dog racing toward Machoke as he spat, "WHAT DO I DO!?" Meisai snapping, "HUG YOURSELF, RIGHT NOW!" the boy retorting, "WHAT!?" before taking a hard karate chop to the face.

Machoke quickly sprinted away from Lucario before the dog could do more, Meisai sighing, "You promised you'd follow my advice," Machoke sighing, "Sorry, it's just, that sounded so weird," Lucario saying, "If you keep ignoring me, you're gonna take in far worse pain than you have so far."

With that, the dog raced toward him again, this time readying another Force Palm as Meisai said, "Hug yourself this time," Machoke blinking and asking, "You mean like this?" before wrapping his arms around himself like a person pretending to make out with someone.

"Yes, now hold that pose," Meisai stated as Machoke closed his eyes, Lucario sending his palm forward.

However, all went silent when Machoke slowly opened his eyes, noticing the palm pressed up against his arms. Yes strangely enough, the boy had felt no pain from it. Not even his arms had taken in pain, and this was one of Lucario's strongest techniques.

In the hospital, Aipom and the others had just witnessed this as Scrafty asked, "What just happened?" Bisharp replying, "Even I am feeling rather stumped by this sudden turn of events."

However, Aipom had a big smile on her face as she said, "I can't believe it. I've heard stories of this technique, but I've heard if takes a long time for someone in Machoke's family to learn it. Yet somehow, Meisai taught it to him in a matter of seconds."

"Are ya gonna tell us more than that?" Scrafty asked as Aipom nodded, replying, "That's not just any ordinary defensive tactic. That's called the Mach Cover, and only members of the Mach family can use it. They say it was developed by a warrior by the name of Mapunch who used it to survive against an army of five-hundred soldiers. He kept up the position for five days and five nights until they finally gave up. It's the greatest defence the family could ever have."

"But how do you supposed Miss Meisai knew about it?" Bisharp asked as Aipom shrugged, replying, "I have no idea. Even I don't completely understand how the technique works."

All the while, the audience was in shock as Nori said, "I don't know how a simple folding of arms managed to protect Machoke so well, but whatever the case, he has just taken in Force Palm without succumbing to any pain whatsoever!" Lucario fuming and sending a series of palm punches toward Machoke, the Mach Cover doing its job and cushioning the blows entirely.

'Not many remember this technique,' Meisai thought, 'however, when not training Machoke, I spent my time studying the Mach family history and came across this gem of a technique last night. It was a long shot to have him use it without any past experience, but it seems he was able to master it.'

Machamp all the while was cheering wildly, exclaiming, "That's my boy! I couldn't use that move until I was twenty-two!" Riolu nodding and saying, "Oh yes, you used that against Groudon. I remember."

Gallade simply blinked and said, "I've used defensive tactics like that before. What makes this one so different?" Gardevoir replying, "Machoke's muscles," the others turning as the girl added, "I saw all of the muscles in his body expand when he wrapped his arms around himself."

This seemed so as Lucario decided to change tactics and attack Machoke's face only to end up with the same results. This Mach Cover was proving to be a major nuisance for him and even kicks aimed at Machoke's shin seemed to have no effect.

After a while, Meisai noticed Lucario starting to breathe more heavily than before as she stated, "Machoke, he's getting tired. It's time to go on the offensive," Machoke smirking and replying, "That's more like it!"

Lucario sent another palm punch toward the boy as he threw his arms outward, smacking the incoming palm to the side. After that, he proceeded to send a palm punch of his own into Lucario's face before grabbing hold of the dog's arm, twisting it just enough to have Lucario fall on his back.

The crowd went wild as Lucario slowly rose to his feet only for Machoke to back up toward the ropes, pushing back and bouncing off of them, sending both his feet into the spot just above Lucario's chest spike. This cause the dog to fly into the turnbuckle while the crowd cheered even louder.

"WOW, WHAT AN AMAZING COMEBACK!" Nori exclaimed, "It seemed like Machoke was doomed, but thanks to that weird defensive technique earlier, he now has the upper hand!" Reika grinning and saying, "That Meisai is a miracle worker," Blaziken holding her fist forward and replying, "No kidding!"

Machoke still looked fully energized as he grinned, saying, "Come on, Lucario, I know you're not done yet," his confidence turning to fear when he noticed a look of rage in the dog's eyes.

This was definitely not the Lucario he knew, the dog shaking the pain off of his head and growling, "So you had something up your sleeve! Big deal! It'll take a lot more than that to take me down!"

 

Despite Machoke having the upper hand, Lucario looked far from finished. It was as if all the pain dealt earlier meant nothing to him as he seemed unfazed and ready for more. However, while Machoke looked terrified, Meisai was calm right now.

"Don't look so surprised," the girl said, "You said it yourself. It was obvious he wasn't done yet," the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, he still scares me though," Meisai thinking, 'Yeah, he scares me too.'

However, while Lucario may have been up with his confidence having not lowered in the slightest, he was still worried about the Mach Cover technique. Clearly it was more effective than it actually looked and there was no doubt Machoke would likely use it again.

The dog's eyes widened as he suddenly realized something that could be done, racing toward Machoke as Meisai nodded, saying, "You know what to do," Machoke replying, "Right," before wrapping his arms around himself, his muscles once again expanding all around. Just like before, he was going to wait for Lucario to exhaust himself before attacking.

However, just as everyone was expecting the dog to attack Machoke directly, he instead ran behind him. Everyone stared in confusion as Lucario proceeded to wrap his arms around the boy's neck, holding tight as everyone stared in silence.

"Well, after direct attacks failed, it seems Lucario is going for internal damage with a sleeper hold," Nori stated as Meisai thought, 'Good luck, but the Mach Cover also prevents him from taking damage from submission holds,' Machoke confirming this as he blinked and asked, "I'm sorry, is this actually supposed to hurt me right now?"

Lucario's eyes went wide as Meisai exclaimed, "NOW, WHILE HIS GUARD IS DROPPED!!!!" Machoke smirking and breaking formation, latching his arms around Lucario's. With that, he leaned forward, hurling the dog over his head and onto his back, the crowd going wild as the boy proceeded to wrap his arms around himself again.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought, 'What am I going to do? Submission holds don't work, punches and kicks don't work,' his eyes then going wide as he thought, 'But wait, there is something even the strongest of skin can't stand up to. It's perfect!'

Meisai did not like the look in Lucario's eyes as she said, "Careful, Machoke. He might have something else planned," the boy then asking, "Just in case he does come up with something, does the Mach Cover have a weakness?"

The girl tapped her chin and replied, "If it does have one, it hasn't yet been discovered," Machoke groaning, "So there's a possibility there might be one?" Meisai biting her lip under her mask, now worried that might just be the case.

Lucario seemed to feel he had found one as he raced toward Machoke, readying his arms. The boy smirked and thought, 'Sweet! He's going back to what he was doing before!' his eyes widening when the dog proceeded to turn his hand around, pointing his wrist spikes forward. The crowd gasped as Lucario proceeded to jab them into Machoke's arms, the spikes piercing his flesh.

Machoke cried out in pain, Meisai's eyes widening with shock. How had she not taken that into consideration? And it did not end there as Lucario proceeded to lift the boy up, leaning backward and planting his back hard against the mat, this seeming to deal pain as well despite him not yet having broken formation.

Machoke quickly rolled away when the spikes were removed, terror in his eyes when he got back up, his arms now bleeding as Reika winced, uttering, "That looked horrible!" Nori stating, "Well, it seems Lucario has found a weakness to Machoke's defensive technique."

"Oh no," Reika uttered, Gardevoir whimpering and squeaking, "It failed! And he was doing so well!" Blaziken replying, "I'd be equally worried about Meisai, if I were you. She looks just as shocked as we do."

Machoke was trembling now as Lucario stated, "I'll admit, that defensive technique of yours is impressive, but it's not without its flaws. While it is an ideal defence against full-frontal attacks and submission holds, all it involves you doing is expanding your muscle size. That's very easy to exploit. For instance, the heaviest of bodies can still take in pain from making fast contact with the floor. Also, the mightiest of flesh can easily be pierced by a sharp blade."

Meisai trembled and thought, 'It's true. That's all common knowledge. How could I overlook something like that?' Machamp all the while thinking, 'Geez, if it was that simple, why did it take so long for someone to come up with that?'

Now Machoke's confidence had left him for good as he had no other ideas. The Mach Cover was a great tactic and with it having been defeated, how could he possibly counter Lucario's attacks? He could try dodging, but at this point, even Meisai felt it might be too late to trick him with such a tactic.

The girl was now rubbing her chin as Aipom watched with distress from the hospital, groaning, "Oh no! She has no idea what to do!" Bisharp replying, "Yes, you must have a solution to that, do you?" the monkey sighing, "It pains me to admit it, but even I'm not sure how to make up for that," Bisharp and Scrafty face-palming.

However, after a few seconds, Meisai took a deep breath and said, "Machoke, don't be discouraged. Even though the Mach Cover failed, you can still win this. Just remember what Lucario's biggest fault is," the boy nodding in understanding.

Yes, while Lucario had amazing skills, there was one major flaw in his fighting style and that was his tendency to stick mainly with two types of moves, submission and direct attacks. Slam moves were rarely ever seen from him, so the slams he had used with his spikes were not likely to be used repeatedly. There was also the fact that Lucario refused to rely on his father's finishing moves meaning he only had two finishers to use against Machoke and the boy knew how both of them worked.

"Okay, I'm back in the zone now," the boy said with a grin, "So what would you suggest I do first?" Meisai replying, "Wait for him to attack, look for an opening and strike. I'll speak up if I feel you're about to do something wrong."

The boy nodded as Lucario raced toward him, shouting, "Let's see how you defeat me without your precious defence!" the dog sending his palm toward the boy only for Machoke to block the incoming punch with one arm, sending a hard kick into the dog's shin.

"MACHOKE, HE'S GOT YOUR ARM!" Meisai spat as the boy's eyes widened, Lucario allowing himself to fall backwards while grasping the boy's arm with both hands. The British fans were going wild as Machoke was lifted over the dog, his back slammed hard against the canvas.

'What's going on?' Meisai thought with a look of shock, 'He shouldn't have done that. That's not how he usually fights,' Riolu raising an eyebrow at this as Machamp said, "Wow, that's something you would have done."

The others winced at the sight of this as Tsuya groaned, "Oh man, Lucario saw that coming a mile away," Gallade sighing, "Machoke's dealt with worse before. I'm sure he can handle this."

Sure, the boy did recover rather quickly, but now he was at a loss of ideas. And to make matters worse, Meisai was not completely sure what he could do either. Was Lucario really starting to rely on more than his usual fighting techniques?

On the other hand, this made sense. After all, Lucario had not been himself during his matches and last week after he defeated Garchomp, he seemed to have suffered a mental breakdown. Perhaps Meisai would have a more difficult time coming up with a strategy than she first thought.

With that in mind, the girl took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machoke, he's clearly fighting differently than I figured he would," the boy sighing, "You think?" Meisai adding, "Still, you've done a good job so far. I know you can beat him. I'll be sure to give you pointers as you go along, alright?" Machoke nodding and replying, "I hope you're right."

Lucario advanced toward Machoke again as the boy examined his movements. He had to find an opening. If he could at least manage that, there was still a chance he could win. The odds were stacked against him now, but he had come all this way and was not turning back.

Before he could think further, the dog proceeded to aim another palm punch toward him. Machoke immediately dodged to the right, avoiding the move. However, Lucario had seen this coming as he sent a karate chop sideways into the boy's neck, Machoke backing up and holding onto that very spot, breathing heavily.

"Machoke just can't get that advantage back," Nori stated, "Without that defensive tactic of his, he can't seem to do a thing, especially with Lucario using a few moves we haven't seen from him before," Meisai getting really nervous now.

Feeling rather frustrated by all of this, Reika got up from her seat and snapped, "Come on, Machoke! You've dealt with so much worse over the past!" the boy turning to face her as Blaziken added, "Yeah! Where's the hero who took an axe blade to the chest and continued to fight as if it meant nothing!?" Machoke's eyes widening at the sound of this.

"Yeah, and where's the guy who got pummelled by rocks and still managed to get up!?" Gallade asked, Gardevoir nodding and squeaking, "I know you can do it, Machoke! You made me into a real hero! You can do anything!"

The boy nodded, a serious look forming in his eyes as he gritted his teeth. With that, he turned to Meisai and said, "Don't worry, Meisai, I think I'll be able to handle myself for the time being. When you see a perfect opportunity for me to follow a different strategy, just let me know, alright?" the girl smiling under her mask.

Machoke was quite a bit of work but his heart was always in the right place when it really counted. Meisai was really starting to warm up to him now.

Even Clauncher felt the sudden urge to rise from her seat and shout, "YEAH, GIVE HIM HELL, MACHOKE!" Lucario shooting the lobster a glare. Even after Amanda had left, Clauncher seemed to still be on his side, and yet now even she had turned against him.

'I guess I don't have any friends left in this world,' the dog thought, 'Oh well, it's a small price to pay for vengeance on the Mach family,' the dog once again racing toward Machoke only for the boy to see something he could take advantage of.

Machoke smirked and rather than dodging to the side or trying to counter the incoming strike, he ducked under it. Lucario's eyes widened as the boy sent six consecutive punches into his midsection before rising up and delivering a fierce uppercut to his chin. The Japanese fans went wild as Lucario backed up, a look of shock on his face.

"Keep it up!" Meisai exclaimed, "He's distracted now!" Machoke nodding and racing toward Lucario, holding out his arm as it rammed into the dog's neck. After that he wrapped the arm around said spot but remained behind Lucario.

"You seem to really like submission holds," Machoke said with a smirk before reaching his right foot back latching it onto Lucario's ankle and pulling hard, using his arm to push up on his chin while asking, "What do you think of this one?"

The audience was even more amazed as Aipom's eyes sparkled, the monkey squealing, "Oh my god! That's Machamp's Ultimate Backbreaker! I didn't even think he knew that move!" Scrafty smirking and saying, "Yeah, ya got yourself an amazing pupil, Aipom."

Of course, Machoke's friends were happy to see him finally get the upper hand back, Meisai nodding her head in approval. She would have never been able to come up with such an incredible strategy. While she may have been knowledgeable about fighting and dodging Lucario's favourite techniques, even she did not have the creative mind that Machoke possessed.

However, Lucario's shock soon turned to an unamused look as he said, "Not bad. You actually managed to catch me off-guard even without your precious defence. But even so, this move is even more flawed than that stupid arm thing," Machoke remarking, "What the hell are you talking about!?"

"Please, it's obvious, isn't it?" the dog remarked, "You're only using one arm and one foot to pull off this move. What's more is that you've only trapped my head and ankle in place. I can easily get out of this," Machoke retorting, "Then why does my dad call it the Ultimate Backbreaker!?" Lucario saying, "I don't know. You should ask him sometime, because to me, that name is incredibly pretentious."

With that, the dog proceeded to lean his arm back, grabbing hold of Machoke's calf and twisting it. The pain was enough for the boy to loosen his hold on the ankle as Lucario flipped his entire body over, placing his arm against Machoke's shoulder and pressing down on it, knocking him hard on his back.

'Dammit, why didn't I see those flaws?' Meisai thought, Riolu all the while turning to Machamp and asking, "Say, why did you decide to call it the Ultimate Backbreaker? Surely you saw the faults with it," Machamp sighing, "Because it was the first submission hold I ever made. I was so excited, I decided to give it the most awesome name I could think of."

As if this was not bad enough, Lucario proceeded to flip Machoke over onto his belly before climbing onto his back. With that, the dog grabbed hold of his wrists and held them back, everyone knowing exactly what was coming as he proceeded to lock Machoke's legs in place. And with all his might, the dog proceeded to lift Machoke over him while rolling onto his back.

"Oh no!" Reika spat, Gallade gulping and uttering, "He's already using it," many others now scared as Lucario spat, "LONDON BRIDGE!" applying pressure to Machoke's back while bringing it closer to his chest spike.

"It's been interesting, but I think it's time I end this!" Lucario exclaimed, completely forgetting about the possibility that Machoke would have learned a way out of this, and it seemed he had when Meisai snapped, "MACHOKE, HAVE YOU ALREADY FORGOTTEN WHAT WE PRACTISED!?"

The boy's eyes widened as he grunted, "That's right!" before twisting his ankles and propping them out of Lucario's grip. The dog's eyes and mouth hung open as the boy proceeded to propel his legs over his gut before sending his feet hard into that very spot.

Lucario's eyes almost popped out of their sockets as he coughed up blood, Machoke leaping away from him and taking a deep breath, grinning at Meisai and giving her thumbs up, the girl returning the gesture. The crowd went wild as Machoke was on fire now. The crowd could only hope this would keep up.

'Dammit,' Lucario thought as he slowly rose back to his feet, 'Why didn't I see that coming? I even thought he might have come up with a counter for that move by now,' the dog then taking a deep breath as his mind added, 'It's okay, though. I have a few moves that I know he and that Meisai girl won't see coming a mile away.'

Before he could think of more, Machoke was on the offensive now as he sprinted toward the dog. Meisai was not completely sure this was a good idea, but with how the boy had been doing, she decided to put at least some faith in him. Unfortunately, Lucario saw an opportunity here as he held up a defensive stance.

When Machoke got close, the dog sent both of his palms forward only for Machoke to once again duck under him, sending another uppercut to his chin as the Japanese fans cheered, Gallade uttering, "I can't believe that worked twice," the others nodding in agreement. To make things even better, Machoke proceeded to get behind the now-distracted Lucario and reach his arms around him, hurling him high into the air and leaping up at him.

The crowd was cheering even louder now as they knew what was coming, Meisai smiling under her mask and feeling that this might just work. After all, unlike during his match with Talonflame, Machoke had made Lucario weak before trying this, so there was a chance the dog would not be able to counter it. And his odds only got higher as he proceeded to grab hold of Lucario's ankles while wrapping his legs around his arms.

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "That position, that form! He's doing it folks, the more effective variation of his family's signature move-" Machoke cutting in and shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!" descending toward the mat as Meisai nodded in approval.

However, Lucario had a look of confidence on his face when suddenly, the blue aura appeared once more and surrounded him. Clauncher saw this as her eyes widened, the lobster uttering, "Oh no. Not the aura. Not now."

"Did you forget who it was who taught Talonflame how to counter this move!?" Lucario asked before bending his forearms just enough to latch his hands onto Machoke's legs. He then proceeded to apply a great deal of muscle while pushing backward, applying just enough force to flip both fighters one-hundred-and-eighty degrees thus putting his opponent on the receiving end.

Machoke had a look of shock in his eyes as his head was soon slammed hard into the canvas, the British fans going wild while everyone else stared with concern. But most of all, Lucario had a point. If simply applying more muscle could counter the original version of the move, what was stopping it from working against this updated version?

Lucario released his hold and backed up, folding his arms and saying, "I'm amazed you'd even try that against me. I didn't think you were that stupid," Meisai trembling and thinking, 'How did I not see that coming?' Machoke twitching and slowly rising to his feet but looking rather beat up after taking in such a move.

"Alright, I admit it, that was a bad move on my part," the boy uttered, "but this means nothing! I can still beat you!"

With that, Machoke ran at Lucario again, the dog sending a karate chop his way only for the boy to grab his arm. Unlike before, he did not give the dog time to counter as he latched his other arm around the shoulder, running Lucario back-first into the turnbuckle. The Japanese fans were cheering again as the boy leapt high above the ring, flipping Lucario over and wrapping his arms and legs around his torso, pointing his head toward the canvas.

The crowd was even more excited now as Nori exclaimed, "Well, after that setback, Machoke is back in the game with his Ultimate Driver! Surely Lucario can't find a way around this!" Meisai gulping and thinking, 'He probably has already,' Gardevoir squeaking, "I hope it works this time!"

However, while Machoke descended toward the mat, Lucario simply grabbed onto his ankles and sighed, "Don't make me laugh. This move is even easier to counter than your precious Muscle Tombstone!" everyone staring in shock as the dog also latched his ankles onto Machoke's neck, once again applying enough pressure to flip him over.

However, to add insult to injury, Lucario released his hold on Machoke before flipping the boy around so he was now facing his back before wrapping his arms around him. Meisai's eyes widened, many members of the audience wincing as well as Lucario had just pierced the boy's back with his chest spike. Up until his match with Garchomp, he had only used that for his London Bridge, never feeling the need to use it as a weapon at any given time. However, as was clear, Lucario was not completely himself right now.

However, when he wrapped his arms around Machoke's waist and his legs around his neck, the audience was even more surprised as he spat, "CANINE HUG SLAM!" sending Machoke's head hard into the mat, the boy's eyes going wide as he coughed up blood, Lucario releasing his hold along with the spike and allowing the boy to collapse.

"I can't believe what I've just seen!" Nori exclaimed, Meisai also staring in absolute shock as the woman continued, "Not only did Lucario counter Machoke's Ultimate Driver but he also used his father's very first signature move and one of his favourites!"

Riolu's eyes were also wide as Machamp said, "Wow, with that spike, his is more effective than yours," the older dog watching in stunned silence.

Meisai, all the while, was trembling as she thought, 'No, this wasn't supposed to happen. Lucario would never rely on his moves. This makes no sense. What can I say?'

"As you can see, I am a different fighter today," Lucario said, folding his arms with a smug grin on his face, "Admittedly, you've done very well to even get this far, Machoke, but not even you can possibly hope to defeat me."

And with that, things were looking really bad as Machoke was barely able to move right now. What else did Lucario have in store?

 

All seemed lost as Beedrill noticed Machoke barely moving at all, turning to his father. Weedle no longer had anything against the boy, but even so, rules were rules, so he knew there was no need to delay the ten count. As such, Beedrill started counting down as everyone stared in stunned silence.

Was it really over? Had that really been the end of it? There was just no way. Machoke had a knack for getting up from heavy beatings and yet this one somehow seemed worse than all the others.

"It's a pity, really," Lucario said with a sigh, "I had so much more that I wanted to use," Beedrill suddenly stopping the count when Machoke slowly rose to his feet, coughing up blood and taking many deep breaths, uttering, "No. You haven't won yet. I can still take you."

Meisai took a deep breath and said, "Alright, Machoke, I have to admit, I was unprepared for that. Clearly Lucario is taking drastic measures," the boy nodding and replying, "Yeah, but it's okay because I know I'll win."

All the while, the Japanese fans along with Machoke's friends were cheering, Reika exclaiming, "ALRIGHT, MACHOKE, SHOW HIM WHAT YOU CAN DO!" Blaziken barking, "YEAH, IT'S NOT OVER YET! I KNOW YOU CAN WIN THIS!"

"Damn straight he can!" came a male voice from the crowd, many turning to see Barbaracle standing there with all four of his arms folded, the barnacle exclaiming, "Come on, Machoke, I beat you around with my rocks and you got up every time! I sent you into the drink and you survived! Don't tell me a couple of fancy moves are enough to take you down!"

Machoke's eyes widened as Gardevoir squeaked, "Wow, Barbaracle's come to cheer him on!" Blaziken nodding and replying, "He seems to have a knack for befriending his enemies, doesn't he?"

People were not quite as surprised, though, when Golduck stood up from a seat with her homemade T-shirt with Machoke's face on it, shouting, "You rule, Machoke! Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!" Lucario rather annoyed when he noticed Chung-Ho, Jae and Hana among the crowd, all raising their fists and shouting, "GO, MACHOKE!" Hana adding in a surprisingly loud tone, "Ninetales wants to let you know you have her full support!" Machoke's eyes sparkling as a big open-mouth smile formed on his face.

"Hey, kid!" came a deeper voice from the crowd as Machoke turned and saw Talonflame standing there, the falcon smirking as Lucario glared at him, asking, "What are you doing out of prison!?" Talonflame remarking, "Relax, I merely came to give my support."

Machoke blinked and asked, "Wait, are you talking about me?" Talonflame nodding and remarking, "Yeah, I am! Listen, kid, anyone who beats me is not allowed to lose, got it!?"

"I agree entirely, hermano!" came another voice from the crowd as Machoke grinned, exclaiming, "I know who that is!" turning his attention toward Hawlucha, the parrot standing tall and proud with his arms by his hips as he exclaimed, "Show Lucario the spirit and drive you used to defeat me!"

Machoke nodded with a look of confidence on his face, Meisai thinking, 'He really is something else, that Machoke.'

Naturally, Heracross, Lopunny and Scyther were also giving him their full support as the boy took a deep breath, smirking and saying, "That's right, Lucario, I'm not going to let myself lose," the dog gritting his teeth, feeling rather annoyed now that no one supported him right now. Clauncher had turned on him, Amanda was nowhere to be seen and none of his earlier opponents in the Olympics had any respect for him. He was truly fighting this battle alone.

Even so, this hardly mattered to him. He did not need others to help him win and as such, he rushed toward Machoke, once again sending his arms forward. However, Machoke simply lifted up his own arms, wrapping them around Lucario's shoulders as the dog's eyes widened, the boy leaning backward and lifting him up over his head before planting his back hard against the mat.

The crowd went wild as the boy proceeded to lift Lucario up by his ankles, swinging him around before sending his head hard into the turnbuckle. The crowd was feeling confident in Machoke as he had once again gotten the upper hand.

Meisai grinned and exclaimed, "Good job, Machoke!" the boy nodding and rushing toward Lucario again while the dog was distracted.

However, there was no way Lucario was just going to let him get in another hit. Thus when Machoke was close enough, the dog grabbed onto the ropes and propelled himself up, sending both his feet hard into the boy's chest.

Machoke's eyes widened as Lucario proceeded to run over to his side, reaching his arms around him and leaping high into the air, everyone staring in shock. Most people knew exactly what was coming, Meisai wincing as she could not believe he was going to use another one of Riolu's techniques.

Once high enough, Lucario leaned backward, aiming Machoke's skull toward the mat and shouting, "HALF-MOON PRESS!" planting the back of his neck hard into the canvas. The British fans once again cheered as Machoke took in great pain from this. Even so, he would not to let himself go down yet as he slowly recovered, but after receiving two of Riolu's best moves, he was starting to feel weak.

However, his friends simply cheered for him some more, Gardevoir squealing, "Come on, Machoke, you're doing great!" the boy's strength seeming to return as he took a deep breath, glaring at Lucario and holding up a defensive stance. Meisai could not help but be impressed by this display, but even so, would this confidence be enough?

"We have seen so many unexpected events in this match," Nori said, "First, Machoke overpowers the London Bridge then his Ultimate Driver and Muscle Tombstone are both beaten! Not only that, but Lucario has used two of his father's signature moves, Canine Hug Slam and Half-Moon Press! Considering Machoke is yet to land a finishing move of his own, Lucario might very well have the advantage here!"

'That's how it seems,' the dog thought, 'but I have to remember, my father had the upper hand when he fought Machamp back in the day. But even with the advantage, he still lost. I'm not going to let Machoke get that kind of miracle against me!'

However, he would certainly need to act fast as Machoke was once again headed toward him. The dog attempted to strike back only for the boy to once again dodge to the side. However, Lucario saw this coming as he sent a karate chop toward his face. Unfortunately for him, Machoke was ready as he grabbed hold of the dog's wrist, not giving him a chance to counter as he lifted Lucario sideways over his shoulder and planted the side of his head into the canvas.

The Japanese fans once again cheered as Machoke proceeded to lift Lucario up by his legs. But rather than flinging him into the turnbuckle again, he instead threw the dog over his head and slammed his back hard against the mat.

"ALRIGHT, YOU CAN DO IT!" Reika exclaimed, the others joining in as Gardevoir squealed, "YOU ROCK!"

However, Lucario was not going to let this go as he quickly wrapped his ankles around Machoke's. The boy blinked in confusion as the dog placed his palms against the mat and used them to propel himself high above the ring, causing Machoke to fall forward before flying into the air along with him.

Once high enough, Lucario leaned forward and spun his body vertically like a wheel before shouting, "FULL MOON TOSS!" releasing his hold after a while and sending Machoke back-first into the mat, the boy coughing up more blood.

The British fans went wild as Meisai twitched, Nori shouting, "And as if those first two moves weren't enough, Lucario has now used a third finishing move from Riolu's arsenal, the Full Moon Toss! This was one of the most difficult moves for Riolu to get right and yet Lucario's learned it in no time flat!"

Machoke was having a bit more trouble getting up this time as he righted himself into a sitting position, breathing heavily while Meisai had now idea what to say to this. It was just as Nori said. Full Moon Toss was a really difficult move to pull off, so for Lucario to get it down so easily was a huge shocker, and needless to say, Riolu was impressed.

"I gotta get there and give him advice!" Aipom screeched when she saw this on the hospital TV, "I actually knew how Machoke could have escaped from that!" Bisharp remarking, "Calm down, Aipom! You are in no condition to be moving!" Scrafty nodding and adding, "Yeah, let us take ya there!"

The monkey's eyes went wide as Bisharp nodded, bowing his head and stating, "It would be our pleasure to escort you to the ring post haste," Aipom letting down light tears with a big smile on her face, the monkey nodding and saying, "Thank you."

While Machoke lay there, Beedrill once again started the count as Lucario said, "Good, now stay there," most of the crowd watching in silence as Talonflame gritted his teeth, barking, "HEY, GET UP RIGHT NOW, YOU BASTARD!" Hawlucha exclaiming, "SI! YOU CAN DO IT!" Scyther raising her fist in the air and chanting, "Machoke! Machoke!" Heracross and Lopunny quickly joining in.

Soon enough, more and more members of the crowd got up and started chanting the boy's name as Beedrill reached eight. But just as he was about to count to nine, Machoke's eyes widened as he quickly propelled himself back to his feet, breathing heavily and saying, "Right, I can't give up now."

The crowd went wild as Nori exclaimed, "And Machoke has made another miraculous recovery!" Lucario gritting his teeth as he grunted, "You should have stayed down! I've seen everything you can do! There's no way you can hope to beat me!"

"Damn, that arrogance of his is getting on my nerves," Clauncher said with a look of anger, "I know Lucario's better than this. I don't know what's happening, but Machoke's the only one who can snap him out of it!"

"You know, Lucario," Machoke said with a smirk, "you're not the only one who can pick up on the finishing moves of others. If my moves won't work on you, maybe some you haven't studied will."

Everyone stared in confusion as Meisai blinked, saying, "Using other people's signature moves to catch him off-guard. That's brilliant," while Machoke proceeded to fly toward the dog with his arm out, stating, "I'll admit, I can't get it quite like the original, but I'm sure I can make due with it!"

"Is he using what I think he is?" Gallade asked, his jaw dropped as Gardevoir flashed a big toothy grin as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, HE IS!" Lucario too shocked to react as Machoke sent his arm hard into the dog's neck, shouting, "MOON HOOK!" knocking him hard onto his back as the crowd went wild.

Gardevoir clapped excitedly and squealed, "YOU MAY NOT THINK THAT WAS AS GOOD AS MINE, BUT I THOUGHT THAT WAS PERFECT!" Reika adding, "YEAH, PUT HIM IN HIS PLACE!" the Japanese fans going wild as Machoke took a deep breath, saying, "Well, I've seen the move used enough times to get it down."

Lucario groaned as he rubbed the back of his head, getting up and shaking the pain off before shouting, "So what!? That's not even a family technique!" Machoke remarking, "There's no harm in borrowing other people's techniques as long as they work, and I'm gonna use another one!" the boy grabbing hold of the dog's ears when he got close enough, everyone staring in shock as he proceeded to propel himself over Lucario's back.

With that, the boy sent his feet hard into the back of his neck, shouting, "BLAZE KICK!" Lucario falling flat on his face while Blaziken whistled in admiration and exclaimed, "Even without the power of fire, my finishers still rule! Use that as many times as you want!"

"And finally, one that I'll admit probably won't be that impressive in my hands but it still effective," the boy leaping at Lucario just as the dog got up, his eyes widening as Machoke swung his arms downward in an X formation, shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!" striking his opponent hard in the chest as the dog coughed up blood, backing away and breathing heavily.

The crowd continued to cheer wildly as Machoke sighed, "They may not be family originals and they might not be on the level of the versions used by their owners, but as I said in my match with Bisharp, it's good to seek help from others when you're stuck," Tsuya turning to Reika and saying, "You know, I take back what I said about Machoke. He's awesome!" Cici whispering, "Don't bother. She's no longer interested in him."

Tsuya shrugged and decided to put all of her focus on the match as Lucario gritted his teeth. He could not believe what had just happened. Not only had Machoke struck him with three very powerful techniques, but these moves were not his own. The dog had trained himself to counter every one of Machoke's signature moves but had not even thought about those of his friends. And one could only imagine what other moves Machoke had learned.

However, just as it looked like Lucario was going to strike back, he started to falter, the crowd gasping as Nori stated, "It seems after that last move, Lucario's become incredibly weak," Machoke grinning and thinking, 'Yes! This is the perfect chance!' his grin replaced by a confused look when he noticed Meisai had not yet spoken the magic word.

He remembered her advice perfectly. He would only use Sunset Slam at the sound of the word 'Daybreak'. But why was the girl not saying it? Lucario was in the perfect state to fall victim to it.

However, Meisai did not seem to think so. While no one else could see it, Amanda noticed the blue aura appear again, this time stronger than before. There was no doubt in her mind that Lucario was playing possum.

Unfortunately, Machoke did not seem to realize this as he thought, 'Good lord, she was the one who came up with the codeword and she's already forgotten it! Guess I'll have to take matters into my own hands again!'

With that, Machoke raced toward the dog while the Japanese fans and his friends cheered wildly. Unfortunately, Meisai had not figured out what he was trying to do until the boy grabbed hold of Lucario's shoulders, allowing himself to fall on his back before planting his foot hard against the dog's gut, sending him high above the ring.

The crowd was even more excited now as Nori exclaimed, "I think we all know what's coming now!"

Meisai's eyes widened as she spat, "WAIT, MACHOKE, IT'S STILL TOO EARLY!" the boy unfortunately too caught up in the moment to listen as he leapt onto the ropes and propelled himself off of them, rolling up into a ball and heading straight for Lucario's back.

"LUCARIO'S FINISHED NOW!" Reika exclaimed as Blaziken shouted, "YEAH, MACHOKE, DO IT!" Gardevoir and Cici, on the other hand, looking uncomfortable. They could see how Meisai had reacted and knew this would not end well.

Unfortunately, it was too late as Machoke got close enough. But just as he was about to run into Lucario's back, the dog threw his arms and legs toward him, the area going silent as those very parts latched onto Machoke, the boy's eyes widening as he returned to his usual state with Lucario still holding onto him.

With that, both descended toward the mat with Machoke's skull facing the canvas, the boy hitting it hard as he coughed up more blood, the crowd gasping. Meisai winced, closing her eyes as she knew it was too late. He had used his Sunset Slam when Lucario was still strong enough to counter.

"What just happened?" Gallade asked, Hitmonchan uttering, "The Sunset Slam just failed," Blaziken gritting her teeth and growling, "Dammit, Lucario was ready for every one of his finishing moves!"

"Nein," Scyther uttered, "It can't be," Talonflame gritting his teeth and grunting, "Damn that Lucario! I've been trying to find a way around that move since I was sent to prison and he discovers one first!" Golduck and Barbaracle now scared.

"The poor lad," Heracross uttered, "All of his best techniques, defeated," Lopunny biting her lip and crying, "Machoke! You can still move, right!?"

Reika nodded and exclaimed, "COME ON, MACHOKE, GET UP! YOU CAN STILL WIN!" Cici and Tsuya getting up and cheering him on as well, Gardevoir cupping her hands together and praying for the boy.

Beedrill simply stared and asked, "Is it over?" Weedle replying, "Let's see. As of now, the match has officially lasted the same amount of time as the match between Machamp and Riolu."

However, thanks to the cheers of his friends, Machoke was once again able to get up. Unfortunately, this time was not good as Lucario noticed how badly weakened the boy was, leaping over to him and latching his legs around his waist. The crowd gasped as the dog proceeded to grab onto his wrists, spreading them out and pulling on them hard, shouting, "RIOLU TORMENT!"

Everyone stared in absolute horror, Meisai now letting down tears and biting her lower lip under her mask. She knew it was over as she simply looked down, the others also looking as if the situation was hopeless.

Machoke on the other hand did not realize this as he spat, "HEY, MEISAI, I KNOW YOU SAID THE BEST THING I COULD DO WAS AVOID THIS MOVE, BUT COME ON, YOU HAVE TO HAVE FOUND A WAY OUT OF IT BY NOW!" Meisai too saddened to say anything as the boy exclaimed, "LOOK, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T WAIT, OKAY!? DON'T GIVE ME THE COLD SHOULDER AGAIN!"

"It's not that," Meisai sniffed, "It's just, well, there's no chance," and this was made clear when all four judges stood up and bowed their heads.

"What are the judges doing?" Reika asked as Blaziken replied, "This is a very rare sight, but judges bow their heads to the fighters when they witness a perfect hold, something that can't be escaped no matter what."

Machoke had a look of sheer terror in his eyes as he tried to wriggle his wrists loose. Unfortunately, all this did was make the pain worse as he cried out in agony. And to top it all off, this was the exact moment Aipom, Bisharp and Scrafty had arrived, all three staring in horror.

Aipom had light tears as Bisharp sighed, "Alas, we are too late," Aipom screeching, "NO!"

Everyone turned to look at the monkey as she leapt out of Bisharp's arms only to end up falling flat on her face. The monkey ignored this and crawled toward the ring, ignoring the pain in her legs. She had to help out her student at all cost even if she had absolutely no idea what to do right now.

Riolu was simply aghast as he said, "I'd heard rumour he had perfected that move but I didn't think it was true," Machamp gulping, "Imagine if you'd used that on me back in the day!" Riolu folding his arms and grumbling, "Yeah, that would have been something."

Machoke's eyes widened when he noticed Aipom reach the side of the ring, the boy smiling, his eyes sparkling as he exclaimed, "Thank God you're here! I need help! What can I do!?" Aipom asking, "Have you tried shifting your wrists?" the boy nodding as she asked, "How about throwing yourself backward and slamming his face into the mat?"

"I don't think that's gonna work!" Machoke retorted as Meisai sighed, "Unfortunately, he's right. There really is no way out of this," Aipom's eyes and mouth wide open as the girl sniffed, "I'm sorry, Aipom. I failed you," the monkey shaking her head and replying, "You did a better job than I probably would have. You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Unfortunately, with everything in mind, Machoke really was doomed as Lucario stretched out his arms, everyone wincing when they heard his bones crack. With that, the dog smirked and said, "If you had stayed down, you could have avoided this," before shifting his body sideways, Machoke's eyes and mouth wide open as everyone heard his backbone snap, the dog releasing his hold on the boy and allowing him to collapse.

The area went silent as Nori uttered, "And after all that hard work, it would appear that Lucario has won the match. We still need to wait for the ten count to make it official, but it doesn't look good for Machoke," everyone staring in utter silence, no one knowing what to say. Even Machoke's friends had a feeling that all the motivation in the world would not be enough to get him back on his feet, not after hearing that horrible sound.

However, everyone stared in shock as the boy slowly rose to his feet, only now it was clear he should not have been moving. He had a look of desperation on his face as he struggled to stay up. Unfortunately, his arms were too wobbly to do anything and with his back badly injured, taking a step forward was a chore.

However, while everyone else could see his weakness, Lucario saw this as an opportunity to dish out one last move as he said, "Well, time to end this for good," Meisai barking, "NO, LUCARIO, HE'S SUFFERED ENOUGH!"

Unfortunately, the dog refused to listen as he took Machoke by the shoulders, propelling himself high above the ring before flipping him upside-down. Everyone stared in shock as he proceeded to place his knees against Machoke's feet, shouting, "NOW SUFFER THE LAST OF MY FATHER'S FINISHERS, COLLAPSING TOWER!" the dog sending the boy's skull hard into the canvas as he coughed up one last bit of blood, finally out for good.

Beedrill did not even need to start the ten count as he gulped, ringing the bell and shouting, "And after a long and intense match, the winner and champion of the Hero Olympics is Lucario!" the British fans going wild as everyone else just stared, no one even knowing how to react to this.

Lucario looked down at Machoke, breathing heavily as thankfully, the boy was still alive. Sure, Lucario may not have been himself during this match, but even so, he knew better than to kill a fellow hero, especially in the Hero Olympics where he knew it would cost him the championship title.

However, it certainly looked like Machoke would spend a long time in the hospital, Meisai glaring at Lucario as Weedle handed Beedrill a belt with a golden medallion in the middle. The wasp nodded and flew over to the ring while carrying it. Lucario noticed this and turned to Beedrill with a serious look in his eyes.

With that, the wasp handed him the belt and said, "Congratulations, Lucario, you've done your family proud," the dog smiling while holding up the belt, the British fans once again applauding him.

"No," Reika groaned, "He didn't deserve that!" Gallade sighing, "There's nothing we can do. Just be grateful it wasn't a villain who defeated him," the boy just as disappointed as the others but trying his best to hide it in the hopes that his sister would not pick up on bad sportsmanship.

Aipom tried to climb into the ring only for Bisharp and Scrafty to run over and help her up, the monkey right next to Machoke now as she asked, "Are you okay?"

The boy's eyes slowly opened as he uttered, "I can't feel my arms or legs. Does that mean I lost?" Aipom nodding as the boy bit his lower lip, tears welling up as Aipom nodded her head, saying, "Go ahead, let it all out."

With that, Machoke let out big waterworks and cried, "I was so close!" Aipom hugging his face and patting the back of his neck with her tail hand, saying, "There, there. It's okay," Gardevoir getting up and running toward the ring, the others soon following close behind.

All stood by the ring as they knew they were now allowed to do so, the judges still standing by. However, what shocked everyone right now was when Lucario looked down at Machoke with a smile on his face, and not a smug one either. This was with genuine respect, Machoke staring at him all the while.

"I have to hand to you, Machoke," Lucario said, "You really are something else. Even though you lost, you made me work the hardest I ever have to achieve this victory. The world may not think so, but I can honestly say you are worthy of your family name."

A smile formed on the boy's face as the dog added, "I know I've been acting like a monster throughout this tournament, and honestly, it was my own selfish desire to overcome you and get revenge on your family that caused it. Now that I have it, I guess I have another major conflict to resolve."

The dog then turned to Meisai and nodded his head, asking, "Isn't that right, Amanda?" the girl snickering before taking off her mask, everyone staring in shock as the girl said, "I was wondering when you'd catch on," Clauncher staring in shock and exclaiming, "OH MY GOD, IT WAS AMANDA THE WHOLE TIME! I DID NOT SEE THAT COMING!"

Machoke's eyes widened as he asked, "Why did you help me?" Reika turning and saying, "That's a good point. Aren't you Lucario's sister?"

Amanda nodded and replied, "I did it because I was worried about my brother. Ever since the tournament started up, he's been acting more malicious than ever before. I was hoping that if you won, he'd learn to deal with failure and return to his old self," Machoke looking down until the girl smiled, adding, "But you know what, Machoke? During my time spent with you, I've developed an admiration for you and I'd like for us to be friends."

The boy blinked and turned to the others who all nodded, Aipom saying, "It's legit," the boy grinning at the girl and saying, "You're always welcome in our group," Lucario taking a deep breath as he asked, "How about me? Am I welcome in your group as well?"

All went silent for a good ten seconds until Machoke grinned and replied, "Sure," Lucario taking his limp hand and shaking it while the crowd went wild, Nori's eyes filling up with tears as she cried, "OH MY GOD, I CAN'T HELP IT! IT'S JUST SO BEAUTIFUL!"

Even Machoke's other supporters were starting to get over his loss. Barbaracle was happy to see the boy taking it like a true warrior while Golduck knew he had done his best. Chung-Ho, Jae and Hana were already good sports, so this was easy enough for them and they knew Ninetales would accept this as well.

Even Talonflame was okay with these results. He tried to hide it by folding his arms and sporting an angry look, but even he could not hold back a grin, the falcon uttering, "Damn you, Machoke. You make me want to start making friends," before flapping his wings and flying out of the area.

Lucario proceeded to climb out of the ring as Amanda stared at him, her smile replaced with a look of shame. However, the dog simply walked over to her and leaned forward before wrapping his arms around her for a hug. Amanda did not even need to hear an apology from him. She could tell from his actions that this was the implication.

Machamp and Riolu both looked at each-other with friendly smiles on their faces, the two shaking hands. After such a brutal match with a devastating result, things were surprisingly turning out for the better.

Even Clauncher ran from the crowd to the fight area and held out her claw to Lucario, the dog turning to face her. She was just about to apologize for turning against him when the dog simply shook her claw with a smile that implied he was okay with it.

And with that, everyone soon cleared out of the area, Machoke of course loaded up onto a stretcher as his friends joined him in his trip to the hospital. Reika gave Scyther a light smile as she knew the insect would be returning to Los Angeles with her allies soon enough. All three gave a wave as the ambulance took off. Hopefully this would be the last time a hero would be escorted there for a while.

All the while, Lucario bowed his head in respect before smiling at Clauncher and Amanda. Both smiled back at him and took their leave, the Tokyo Dome soon cleared out save for Beedrill who stuck around to make sure it would be cleaned up and organized by the staff. Even though Machoke had lost, things had still turned out well in the end.

 

A week had passed since the Hero Olympics had come to a close and things had started to return to normal. Machoke had thankfully made a full recovery in that time, which everyone thought to be a miracle considering it took Garchomp more than that to recover from just the Riolu Torment alone.

Of course, as expected, Scyther and her allies had returned to Los Angeles. After all, with the Hero Olympics now over, all of the participants had to return to their stations. And unfortunately, this included Hitmonchan, though she and Gallade promised to always stay in contact and even visit each-other every now and then.

Though one big question was what Lucario would do. Since he had not undergone the training on Hero Planet, he had no station in question.

Ultimately, he decided to move to London for a while. After all, Clauncher was still protecting the city by herself and could probably use the help and it would give him a chance to further bond with his sister and even spend time with his mother. Though with him now being the champion of the Hero Olympics, he would be seen on the news quite a bit no matter what country he went to.

But right now, all Machoke and his friends wanted to think about was spending time together at their favourite hangout spot, the club downtown. They figured they would set up something big with the owner in celebration of Machoke's recovery. Though they had instructed Machoke to wait for them to come by and invite him along as they wanted it to be a surprise.

While the boy waited at home, Aipom was not putting him to work like she normally did. Instead, she was pampering him like a mother would, constantly giving him shoulder rubs, allowing him to watch as much TV as he wanted and as if that was not strange enough, she had even made him a banana split for breakfast.

Currently, the boy was watching a new animated series, which had been based off of Lucario. A part of Machoke felt like changing the channel and yet for whatever reason, he was unable to bring himself to do so.

In fact, ever since the dog had become champion, many companies were basing creations off of him. Action figures already existed, but now more effort was being put into them now that the world had seen him use his father's techniques. There was already a video game with him as the main character in development and set for release in a year's time and, of course, a manga adaptation of the series Machoke was watching was in the works.

As if that was not enough, a trading card game had been made based around the heroes themselves with Lucario being one of the most powerful cards. Including posters, a theme song dedicated to him and much more, Lucario was truly the talk of not only Tokyo but the entire world right now.

Aipom entered and saw him watching, though she noticed an uncomfortable look on his face as she gasped, "Oh my god, Machoke, are your legs cramping up!?" the boy blinking and replying, "No," the monkey ignoring his words and immediately starting to give him a foot rub, saying, "After all you've been through, I want you to feel relaxed. We'll go back to training next week."

"Actually-" Machoke replied only for Aipom to cut in, gasping, "You're right, that is just unreasonable! We'll start training again next month!"

Months ago, Machoke would have been thrilled to hear these words and yet for some strange reason, he was not fully enjoying the treatment he was getting. Sure, he figured he may as well take advantage of it while he could. Lord knew Aipom would likely never be this light on him again, but right now, a part of him wanted the monkey to train him. He would even be okay with her putting him in headlocks and other uncomfortable positions if it meant he was getting some sort of training from it.

It was not as if he had not let these thoughts slip out a few times. However, every time he did, Aipom would simply pretend she did not hear it. For the most part, he felt like the monkey was taking pity on him and while the younger him may have been okay with that, he was not so comfortable being treated this way now.

His eyes lit up when he heard a knock on the door, the boy about to get up when Aipom said, "Wait here. I'll get it," the boy sighing and folding his arms, his look of disappointment replaced by one of happiness when he saw his friends there, Blaziken smirking and saying, "Hey, boy, we're ready," the boy getting up and exclaiming, "Sweet!"

With that, Machoke quickly put on a pair of slacks and a T-shirt, joined them before turning to Aipom, the monkey smiling at him and staring, signalling him to go with his friends with her tail hand. But just as he was about to do so, the boy asked, "Would you like to come with us this time?"

The monkey's eyes widened as she bit her lip, twitching a bit. A part of her wanted to say yes, but at the same time, she was not sure if Machoke would really want her around. She figured he was just asking her because he knew how much she would have liked to join him and his friends.

With that in mind, she took a deep breath and replied, "Oh no, Machoke, it's okay. You go and have fun," the boy blinking as Gallade patted him on the shoulder, saying, "Well, you heard the girl," the boy shrugging and walking off with the others, Gardevoir looking at him with concern.

While Machoke and the others carried on, Reika, Tsuya and Cici soon approached them as Reika said, "Hey, guys," Tsuya resting a hand on Machoke's shoulder while saying, "Hey there, big guy. How are you today?" the boy's eyes widening as he was not used to Tsuya starting up a conversation with him.

Cici, all the while, smiled sweetly at him and said, "It's nice to hang out at the club again, isn't it?" Machoke nodding and replying, "Yeah. With the Olympics over, we can just hang out and wait for the next villain to show up," the boy smiling and feeling at ease now.

As soon as the group arrived, though, Machoke was surprised when streamers were set off, the owner exclaiming, "Well, if it isn't my favourite guest!" the boy blinking as the man added, "In honour of you being so awesome, Machoke, we've made you a little something," some of the other club members coming out with a big cake, Machoke's eyes widening.

The boy turned to the others as Gardevoir smiled and said, "We figured since you finally got out of the hospital, we should do something special," Machoke smiling and saying, "You guys are the best," getting everyone together for a group hug. At least this did not feel like it was being done out of pity so he was okay with this.

While the people were all enjoying themselves, Blaziken said, "Hey, let's watch a little TV, shall we?" the chicken turning it on, the news currently playing. Currently, a reporter was trying desperately to get an interview with Lucario while the dog was hounded by adoring fans.

Gallade noticed Machoke with a negative look in his eyes as he nudged Blaziken, directing her attention as she said, "Wow, why is it on this channel? Let's change it," only for the boy to hold up his hand, replying, "No, let it run," putting all focus on the screen right now as Lucario was now enjoying lunch with Amanda and Clauncher.

The reporter simply stared at this, saying, "Sometimes it astounds me how even someone famous can have the time for a simple past time like eating out with friends and family," Gallade muttering in a mocking tone, "Yeah, it's almost like they're people or something."

While Machoke continued to watch Lucario soak up all this praise, two girls were standing nearby with hearts in their eyes, one of them sighing, "Oh, wow, that Lucario is so dreamy," another adding, "Oh yeah, I wish he was still in Tokyo so I could get his autograph."

Machoke tried his best not to glare at them right now as one of them looked down at him, laughing nervously and saying, "You're awesome too, Machoke. You're a great guy to have around," another adding, "Yeah, you're number one at our club."

The boy got up and said, "Yeah, thanks," Blaziken asking, "Where are you going?" the boy replying, "I just need to go to the washroom real quick," entering that very room as the chicken shrugged, sitting back down.

After a few seconds, her eyes went wide as she spat, "Oh no, I've seen enough movies to know that's going on, and there's a window in there!" the others freaking out as they rushed over to the bathroom, opening the door and noticing the window open, Machoke nowhere to be found. It was just as they had feared.

Not only had the boy escaped but he was currently running through a forest. All the while, he had a look of anger on his face as he came across a puddle. A vision of Lucario lying down and basking appeared in the water as Machoke gritted his teeth and rose his foot.

He then proceeded to send it hard into the puddle, imagining Lucario taking in pain to his gut as he spat, "YEAH, YOU DON'T LIKE THAT, DO YOU, PRICK!? WHY DON'T YOU STAND UP AND FIGHT!?"

The boy then proceeded to back up when suddenly, he found his shirt caught between two tree branches mainly in the shoulder areas. His eyes widened as he turned and envisioned Lucario there with his arms grasping onto him, the boy crying out in terror and trying to run away.

"OH NO, HE'S GOT ME IN THE RIOLU TORMENT!" the boy spat before the material on his shirt ripped open, the boy stepping forward as he breathed heavily, a big smile on his face as he turned, pointing at the tree and barking, "YEAH! You see that!? I got out of your precious, perfect hold! You've got nothing on me now!"

With that, the boy grabbed hold of the branches and snapped them in half, leaving a little bit so the halves closest to him would hang there as opposed to falling off while saying, "There, now you can't use your arms," the boy then ramming his shoulder into where he could see the dog's face, taking deep breaths when the vision disappeared, falling to his knees.

"What is wrong with me?" the boy asked himself, tears welling up in his eyes, "I told Lucario that I consider him a friend. And I meant it. I'm more than happy to give him another chance!" the boy then turning back to the puddle and seeing an image of himself as a baby before kneeling down and groaning, "So why does his face piss me off so much?"

During this time, everyone else was out looking for him. Blaziken had immediately called up Aipom to inform her while reminding Reika to call up Keiko and have her help as well. Of course, they had all split up to search for their missing friend. One could only imagine what Machoke would do if he was not found soon.

After some time, Gardevoir was the first to spot him as she had wound up running to the airport. Her eyes widened when she noticed the boy showing a boarding pass and heading toward the gate, the girl squeaking, "MACHOKE, WAIT!"

But she was too late as Machoke was long gone, the girl biting her lower lip, tears flowing down her cheeks. As if his departure was not bad enough, Gardevoir had no idea where he was headed. And of course, it did not take her long to inform everyone that more searching would be in vain.

Needless to say, everyone would have a difficult time coping with this, especially Aipom. Her student had just recovered and she had been doing her best to make sure he felt at ease. Why had he taken off? Was she doing something wrong? Right now, that was the main thing going through her head.

During this time, eight cloaked figures were sneaking about on Hero Planet near the Tower of Justice. After a while, they stopped when they noticed an orange dragon with a flame on his tail named Charizard walking around, his eyes darting back and forth.

However, the cloaked figures had managed to stay hidden well enough not to be spotted as they nodded to each-other, one of them spreading out wings against her cloak and taking to the sky, flying up to a window. After that, she pulled out a rope and lowered it, the cloaked figures climbing up one-by-one, all except for one who was bigger than the others and decided to stay behind partly because of this.

However, he had another reason for staying outside, and this was soon to become clear when Charizard spotted him, the dragon releasing smoke from his nostrils and barking, "Hey, what are you doing here!?"

The dragon flapped his wings and soared toward the stranger only for a pair of green hands to come out of the cloak, grabbing onto the dragon's arms as the owner said, "You may have been super tough back in the day, but you're not so great now," the figure then leaning backward and lifting the dragon up, slamming him hard into the wall of the tower.

The dragon winced but tried to ignore the pain as he sent his tail toward the stranger's midsection while shouting, "TAIL TORCH!" only for the figure to grab hold of the tail's tip, ignoring the pain caused by the flame and swinging Charizard around, once again slamming him into the wall.

As if that was not enough, the figure proceeded to grab hold of Charizard's arms before leaning in, revealing a green pointed mouth with rows of sharp teeth and biting into his shoulder. After that, the figure proceeded to lift the dragon up above his head while shouting in a slightly muffled voice, "CRUNCH BRAINBUSTER!" leaning backward and slamming the dragon hard against the ground, knocking him out for good.

But it did not end there as the figure proceeded to lift the dragon up by his head, saying, "You have no place in this world anymore. You fail as a hero and a night watchman. The world would be better off without you," the figure forcing Charizard's head to the right and snapping his neck, the dragon's eyes widening briefly as the figure let him go, allowing his body to collapse as his flame vanished, nothing but a few smoke lines remaining.

During this time, the others had managed to make their way past security. The guards who had spotted them quickly met the same fate as Charizard while the cloaked figures stood before a locked door, one turning to another who nodded and lifted up the side of his cloak to reveal a blade coming from the side of his head. The being then walked over to the door and slid the horn through the keyhole and turned it around before hearing a clicking sound.

With that, he proceeded to open the door as one cloaked figure who had what looked like small purple clouds coming from under his cloak grinned and said, "Good job. We've finally found it," the male entering before seeing a beautiful sight before his eyes.

This was the room where Giratina's mask had been placed for safe keeping. The figure, who seemed to be the leader, laughed insanely and exclaimed, "We have it!" picking up the mask and adding, "With this, the world will have no choice but to fear us!" a female whispering, "Sir, with all due respect, you should probably keep your voice down."

The boy nodded and replied, "Right, sorry. I was just super excited is all," before grinning again as another figure asked, "I have to ask, sir, how do you intend on awakening Giratina? Medicham tried before and it failed. I'm sure you read the article, right?"

The leader nodded and replied, "Yes, but what she didn't realize was that she was missing something very important."

With that, the cloaked figures all made their escape. With Giratina's mask in their hands, there was no doubt things were going to get worse very soon.

The following day, Machoke's friends had gathered together at the club, figuring a little time spent there might help cheer them up. On the contrary, it ended up making things worse. This was where they had been when the boy took his leave. What made them think this would help?

"I just can't figure it out," Reika said with a sigh, "He seemed fine and we made him a cake and everything," Blaziken stating, "Yeah, but I don't think it had anything to do with us. You saw that look in his eyes when watching that news report, right?" Gallade remarking, "True, but he ultimately took his loss well in the end, even declaring a friendship with Lucario. Do those sound like the actions of someone who's butthurt over a loss?"

"Look, getting over something that devastating is not as easy as it may appear," Blaziken explained, "Gallade, how did your first major loss feel?"

The green boy blinked and replied, "You mean my loss to Scrafty?" Blaziken nodding her head as he added, "Well, I felt like I'd failed miserably. I kept up a positive front, but yeah, deep down inside, I felt like I had forced my sister into the ring," Gardevoir staring at him as the boy turned to her, sighing, "I felt like my weakness forced you into that ring. It made me feel like I wasn't doing my job as your big brother," Gardevoir smiling softly and patting him on the shoulder.

"Well, that was a loss to a villain," Tsuya remarked, "Anyone would feel bad about that," Blaziken nodding and asking, "Well, how did you feel when you lost to Scyther, then?"

Gallade's eyes went wide as he uttered, "I was perfectly fine with it. After all, that win was pure luck anyway," everyone staring at him as he groaned, "Alright, fine! When I was rushed to the hospital and regained consciousness, I cried myself into a long nap, okay!?"

Reika snickered a bit as the boy shot her a glare, the girl laughing even louder as Blaziken rolled her eyes, saying, "See? Even though you lost to a hero, you still felt bad about it. And on that note, how long did it take you to get over it?"

Gallade blinked and thought about that before replying, "Well, I was able to stop thinking about it after a day, but not all the time. Every now and then, that defeat would come back to haunt me. It wasn't until I started training again that I truly let it go."

Cici asked, "So how did training help?" the boy replying, "Well, every time I trained, I simply thought about getting stronger and defeating my next opponent."

Blaziken nodded and replied, "Even before I knew Talonflame was evil, I felt the same way after he defeated me. I'm pretty sure Machoke's undergoing the same feelings right now. He'll get over it soon enough and come back, I know it."

The others shrugged and nodded their heads, hoping the chicken was right. After all, it felt lonely not having Machoke around. Sure, they still had each-other, but they were so used to him being there all the time.

As it just so happened, the boy had taken a flight to Hawaii, mainly Maui on the island Kahakuloa, in order to clear his head. As he got off the plane, the boy took a deep breath and chuckled to himself, thinking, 'Isn't this ironic? I got after Dad for doing this on a regular basis,' looking up at the sky and starting to understand why Machamp liked coming here so much. It really was a beautiful place, and he had not even seen a lot of it yet.

The boy then decided to look around when he noticed a familiar figure playing with a group of kids, namely the octopus Octillery who was wearing a one piece swimsuit. The boy's eyes widened as he waved, exclaiming, "Hey, Octillery, I didn't know you were assigned to Maui!" the octopus noticing him and smiling, waving a free tentacle and exclaiming, "Wow, I haven't seen you since the three-legged race! How have you been!?"

Machoke was not sure how to answer this, but luckily for him, the octopus very quickly forgot her question as she was simply stoked to see one of Japan's representatives visiting. And among the two others, she found Machoke to be a lot easier to get along with than Sawk.

"Oh my gosh, you're Machoke!" one of the kids exclaimed as the boy grinned, replying, "Yes, I am," a little girl pointing and squealing, "You're the guy who was beaten by Lucario!" Machoke holding his grin and resisting the urge to lash out at her for that statement.

Octillery simply waved at the kids and said, "Sorry to ditch you all, but my friend here needs a tour guide. I promise we'll play again some other time," the kids nodding and replying, "It's okay, Miss Octillery!"

The octopus decided to show Machoke around as he said, "You know, you didn't have to do this for me," the octopus replying, "Nonsense, Machoke. I couldn't just have you wandering around without any idea where all the hot spots are. But before we get to that, are you hungry?" Machoke hearing his stomach growl as he replied, "Now that you mention it..."

Soon enough, Octillery had taken him to a nearby restaurant to treat him to lunch. While the two sat and waited for their food to arrive, Octillery smiled at Machoke and said, "Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I called up a friend to join us. She really wants to meet you," the boy's eyes widening as he asked, "Really? A girl wants to meet me?" the octopus nodding her head and replying, "But don't get any weird ideas. I'll admit, she actually is a lot prettier than me."

The boy simply blinked, thinking, 'Yeah, because that's not easy to pull off,' the octopus then noticing her friend and waving, shouting, "Hey, over here, girl!"

Machoke turned and was actually rather surprised to see just what kind of friend Octillery was referring to. The young girl standing there had a purple body while her neck and head were covered in a black colour save for her face, which was also purple. Her hair was spiked up to give her head more of a teardrop shape with a white bow-like fixture at the base of the tip. She also had four discs of skin coming from each side of her head resembling bangs. Currently, she was wearing a black T-shirt and shorts.

A light smile formed on her face as she walked over, saying, "So this is the famous Machoke. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Gothitelle," the girl holding out her arm as Machoke blinked, holding out his own hand and shaking hers.

The girl then proceeded to sit down, sighing, "Oh god, I should have brought my umbrella," Octillery sighing, "Gothitelle, we've been through this. If a villain attacks, you won't be allowed to use your umbrella against them," the goth groaning, "I know. I gotta get used to not having it around."

Machoke stared in confusion as the octopus whispered, "Her family is known for having a fear of sunlight. Needless to say, sending her to protect Hawaii of all states was not a smart move on the government's part, though she has spent the last month trying to get over her phobia," Machoke nodding and adding nothing to that.

Gothitelle simply took a deep breath, not wanting her personal matters to ruin things as she asked, "So, what brings you here?" Octillery replying, "Oh yeah, I was gonna ask you that. Didn't you just get out of the hospital?" Machoke nodding and asking, "How did you know that?"

"There was a news article about it," Gothitelle replied, Machoke's eyes sparkling until the girl added, "Though it was a small one posted on the last page," the boy lowering his eyelids, thinking, 'What the hell is it doing in the last section?'

He then took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, I haven't been feeling well since my recovery," Octillery gasping, "Are you muscles still sore!? Do you need a full-body massage!? I'm very good at those!" a smile forming on her face as Gothitelle sighed, "Oh no, it's deeper than that," Machoke staring as she added, "I can read people's auras, though it only works on occasion."

"Well, you're right," Machoke replied, "I told myself I was okay with my loss to Lucario, but I'm really not. Everywhere I go, I keep seeing him giving me this smug look, rubbing the fact that I lost in my face. And I know he's probably not thinking like that now, but I can't stop thinking about it. It's been really stressing me out, so I figured a trip here would help me calm down."

The girls nodded as Octillery said, "Well, we'll be more than happy to show you every attraction, right, Gothitelle?" the goth letting out a sigh, knowing it would mean spending more time in the blazing hot sun but nodding her head and replying, "Yeah, we know a lot about Maui, so you don't have to worry about relaxing."

"Well, that would be all well and good," Machoke replied, "but would you guys be willing to help me train, like, maybe one or two hours a day?" the two staring before turning to one-another, Gothitelle smiling lightly and saying, "You're speaking my language," Octillery nodding and saying, "Well, that's not my idea of relaxation, but if that'll make you feel better, sure."

During this time, the cloaked figures from earlier were at the shrine in Sendai. The leader walked over to the pedestal and said, "Alright, it's time I finally told you what the final ingredient is. I have to thank you all for following me despite me not revealing this very information."

"You're welcome," one member remarked, "You really should have told us from the start," the leader sighing, "I'll admit, the reason I held back on such information was because I was not sure if I could fully trust you, but now I know for a fact that I can."

The other seven figures bowed their heads as thanks for his words, the leader adding, "What Medicham was missing from the equation was this," the boy signalling to another member who had been carrying a bag the whole way and having him hand it over. With that, he pulled out the contents, three big gold half-rings, adding, "After all, what is Giratina without his neck armour?"

"Where did you find that?" one of the figures asked, another adding, "That's a good question. The mask was easily found after the match, but the rings went missing!"

The boy nodded and replied, "Everyone thought they just up and vanished, but no, they ended up flying into the side of a cliff. Unfortunately for the world, I found them," the boy laughing and asking, "So, are you all ready to welcome your new leader?"

 

Things were going to get really bad very soon as the cloaked figures were just moments away from awakening Giratina, one of the most powerful villains who ever lived. One could only imagine how bad things would get with him back in the land of the living.

The leader placed the golden half-rings and the mask on top of each-other on the pedestal as the artifacts started to light up. The figures all watched in total aw as the light started to get brighter before turning to a cloud of darkness, the cloud spreading and covering the area. After a few seconds, a pair of glowing red eyes formed in the cloud as it soon cleared up.

The cloaked figures just stood there, their eyes widening as standing before them was a tall grey dragon with a neck the length of his torso, the three half-rings latched to the back of it. Red and black stripes ran along the front of his body while big bat-like wings came from his back. He had a long tail, two bulky arms and four legs. This was the demon himself, Giratina.

All went silent as the dragon looked upon the group, asking in a booming voice, "CAN EITHER OF YOU TELL ME WHY I AM HERE!?" one figure gulping and uttering, "You go ahead, leader," the boy nodding and removing his cloak to reveal a rather odd figure.

He was not like the other villains as he seemed to be a human with pale skin and dark purple hair. And he was not simply human-like such as Hitmonchan or Machoke but rather he had a completely human look. The only thing that differentiated him from that species was that various parts of his body seemed to be trying to get away from him, forming small purple clouds that looked more like bits of data.

"You appear human but I can tell you're not," Giratina stated before asking, "What is your name, young one?" the boy grinning and replying, "You may call me Missingno."

While he looked fully confident standing before Giratina right now, his allies looked rather frightened. With the dragon being so powerful, they were expecting him to turn on them and likely try to rule without help. However, he ended up surprising the group as he bowed his head, saying, "Thank you for returning me to the land of the living. Whatever it is you wish of me, I will grant it."

The others stared as Missingno smiled, saying, "Glad to see we can count on you," the boy turning to the others and adding, "It's okay, you guys can introduce yourselves now," the others nodding and removing their cloaks.

One of them was a purple butterfly with blue feet, stubby hands and a small muzzle of the same colour with two fangs coming from the bottom. With a pair of red eyes, she introduced herself as Butterfree.

The one who had killed Charizard was a big dinosaur with a green hide covering his body. Spikes went down from the back of his head to just below the shoulders and he had a blue belly that could be seen thanks to a big diamond-shaped hole in his hide. The chest and knee areas also had triangular holes in them. He quickly introduced himself as Tyranitar.

The third ally was a wolf covered in snow-white fur. The only part not covered was his face, which was black. He had a tail shaped like a bat wing and a big horn that resembled a sickle coming from the side of his head and his name was Absol.

The next was a pale yellow girl with skin that resembled a dress. Her arms, feet and hair were black while she had a big alligator-like mouth that resembled a ponytail. Her name was Mawile.

Next up was a green chameleon with a long curled up tail. Going around his midsection was a red zigzag stripe. With yellow markings on his face, his name was Kecleon.

There was also a black zebra on Missingno's team with white stripes on various parts of his body. He had a darker snout and a white mane shaped like a lightning bolt. His name was Blitzle.

Finally, the last member of the team was a golden sword with a white rim around the blade. She was pointed upside-down with a purple eye where the blade met the hilt. She had thin black arms attached to paper-like hands with purple fingers and held a shield in one hand. Her name was Aegislash.

"Now that introductions are out of the way," Missingno said, "it's time to get down to business. See, my plan is to rid the world of its mightiest heroes so that evil can finally rule," Giratina grinning wickedly and replying, "I like the way you think. That is something I will gladly assist in."

However, at that moment, everyone gasped when Giratina started breathing rather heavily, Missingno asking, "Are you okay?" the dragon cursing, "Dammit. It seems all those years stuck in the land of the dead have weakened me," the others staring wide-eyed, their jaws dropped.

"You've gotta be kidding!" Blitzle spat, the zebra placing a hoof against his forehead and sighing, "Alas, it simply wasn't meant to be! World conquest, it was in our grasp, but it has escaped from us!" Aegislash rolling her eye and remarking, "I say, stop being such a drama queen, my good sir. Surely there is a solution to our problem."

Giratina took another deep breath and replied, "Actually, there might be something you can do. Even back in the day, I was always at my most powerful in the Reverse World," the others staring as Butterfree asked, "Reverse World?"

"Yes, that is the realm you were born in, correct?" Missingno asked as Tyranitar asked, "What?" Mawile's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "That sounds so cool! Let's go there right now!"

Giratina nodded and replied, "Yes, the sooner we get there, the better. I simply need to spend a total of eight hours there and all of my power will return. But there is one minor issue that needs to be addressed."

Absol shrugged and replied, "Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it," Missingno cutting in and saying, "Well, luckily for us, I already know where it is," Blitzle gasping, "Why, sir, you are just an encyclopedia of convenient information!" Butterfree asking, "Was that supposed to be a compliment or sarcasm? I seriously couldn't tell."

"I'll take it as a compliment," Missingno said with a shrug before adding, "The portal is located in Tokyo, correct?" Giratina nodding and replying, "Seems your partner there is not exaggerating. I'm actually impressed that you knew that," the dragon then taking a few deep breaths and adding, "Alright, you will keep me hidden until we get there. I do not wish for anyone else to see me this weak. And once we're in the Reverse World, I am counting on you all to keep watch in case someone else discovers the portal and tries to stop me from recuperating."

"You mean you can't just close it once we're in?" Butterfree asked as the dragon sighed, "If only it were that simple. Until my strength returns, the most I'll be able to do is open it," Missingno replying, "Do not worry, sir. To the best of our knowledge, there are only four heroes stationed in Tokyo and, as you can see, there's eight of us. It should be easy to at least keep them busy for eight hours if we don't end up killing them first."

"Excellent," Giratina replied with a smirk, "I admire your enthusiasm," the villains all putting their cloaks back on before putting together one for Giratina and covering him up as well. After all, it was as he said. Things could go wrong if people saw him in a weakened state.

However, just as they were about to leave, they found themselves stopped in their tracks as a turtle and a magnetic cyborg, namely Magnemite and Squirtle stood before them. The group stared silently as Squirtle narrowed her eyelids, asking, "What, pray tell, were you doing in there?"

"It's none of your business," Missingno replied while hidden by his cloak, "but if you must know, we were praying."

Magnemite folded his arms and remarked, "Somehow I find it really hard to believe that," Squirtle nodding and saying, "He detected something was wrong, and his intuition is almost perfect."

Giratina gritted his teeth but said nothing as Absol sighed, "Whatever. These two won't be much of a challenge for us."

Missingno nodded and replied, "You know what? You make a good point," Squirtle gulping and uttering, "Actually, that's true. There's eight of them," Magnemite replying, "Don't worry, with my brains and your strength, I might be able to come up with a way of taking them all out at once."

"That is a bold claim, I must say," Aegislash said as all but Giratina and Missingno removed their cloaks, all seven getting ready for battle as Missingno said, "You guys needn't waste your time battling at once," before pointing at Absol and Blitzle, saying, "You two can take care of them."

Blitzle's eyes sparkled as he exclaimed, "Oh, joy of joys, dream of dreams, he picked me!" Absol rolling his eyes and sighing, "Of all the allies," before shrugging and getting ready for battle, feeling glad to have been picked for this one. The others simply sat on the sidelines, putting their cloaks back on but readying themselves in case they would need to replace their allies.

"It's a shame," Magnemite said, "but hey, taking down two at a time will be fine," Squirtle gulping and uttering, "I really hope this plan of yours is as good as you say," the cyborg replying, "Do not worry, Squirtle, for this plan is one of sheer and utter brilliance, my best yet."

"Oh god, I don't know what's worse," Butterfree groaned, "his bragging or Blitzle's theatrics."

Missingno shook his head and sighed, "Honestly, I don't know either," Giratina really hoping he had made the right decision picking these eight as allies.

"Alright, let's start things off with tactic seven," Magnemite said as Squirtle sighed, "I don't care for that one, but if you're sure," the turtle tucking into her shell and spinning toward the two. The two followed her before she retracted from her shell, grabbing onto Absol's ankle.

"I can see why you don't like this tactic," Absol said before lifting his leg along with Squirtle up and leaping up before sending it forward, flinging the turtle toward Magnemite. The cyborg's eyes widened as the turtle flew hard into his face, knocking him on his back.

"What the hell was that!?" Tyranitar exclaimed, "And this guy's supposed to be a smarty-pants!?" Magnemite sighing, "I miscalculated. At the very least, that wolf is a lot tougher than he looks," Absol sighing, "Or maybe your turtle friend is weaker than you think."

Squirtle gritted her teeth as the cyborg sighed, "Easy does it. He's just trying to get under your skin," the turtle taking a deep breath and replying, "Right. I'm assuming that was supposed to set them up, right?" Magnemite nodding and replying, "Yes, but it looks like we might need a new approach."

With that, the cyborg implied a grin and said, "Initiate tactics twenty-three and seventy at the same time, and then we'll end with tactic one-hundred," Squirtle's eyes sparkling as she grinned, squealing, "Let's do it!"

With that, the turtle and the cyborg both headed toward their opponents, Absol and Blitzle readying themselves only for Squirtle to tuck herself into her shell and spin toward Absol, the wolf sighing, "Seriously? Again?" only to be surprised when the turtle started spinning at an incredible speed around him, creating a dust devil as stones and gravel got in his eyes.

Magnemite all the while looked like he was going to punch Blitzle only to duck down and place a firm grip on his legs before shouting, "SPARK!" sending a course of electricity into him thus providing a good distraction.

With that, both heroes proceeded to wrap their arms around their respective targets and turned their backs to one-another, shouting, "TWO PRONGED SUPLEX!" but just as Absol and Blitzle's heads were about to collide, the two recovered from the inconveniences dealt earlier and threw their arms back, Absol's hands and Blitzle's hooves running into one-another thus stopping the attack.

After that, the two proceeded to latch their legs around each fighter, Blitzle's around Magnemite's waist and Absol's onto Squirtle's head since she was a lot shorter. Both were in too much panic right now to react as the villains applied enough force to shove their backs into one-another, both wincing in pain, Magnemite taking in the most pain as he had just been struck by Squirtle's shell.

With that, Absol lowered his head before swinging it across Squirtle's chest, shouting, "NIGHT SLASH!" thus putting a big gash on her shell as a cut formed on her skin, blood squirting out. This seemed more than enough as the turtle fell hard on her back, out cold from the move.

Blitzle had his own plans as well as his body was covered in electricity, the zebra getting down on all fours and charging toward Magnemite while shouting, "WILD CHARGE!" the tip of his mane becoming like a blade as he drove it straight into the cyborg's heart, sending electricity down his veins and knocking him out cold as well.

Both checked their opponents' heart beats and confirmed that they were no longer beating as Missingno smirked, saying, "Good job, though I'm disappointed it took so long," Absol sighing, "Honestly, I'm disappointed by how easy that was. One hit was all it took to kill them," Mawile laughing and exclaiming, "Guess today's heroes aren't as great as the world thinks they are!"

Giratina took a deep breath and said, "This is a great moment, but let us make haste. I would like to regain my power as soon as possible," the group nodding and carrying on.

After they had left the area for good, Magnemite coughed despite not having a mouth for anything to come out and took a deep breath, sighing, "Oh my god, I thought I was gonna die there!"

Squirtle slowly recovered and groaned, "But don't you think faking our deaths was a little dishonest?" Magnemite sighing, "Tactic Zero was our only option. After feeling that one move, I could tell there was no way we could have won."

"But it's not like you to just give up," Squirtle remarked as Magnemite sighed, "Yes, and it pains me that I had to resort to that, but there's a reason I decided to do so," the turtle asking, "What?" then noticing the cyborg pull out his cellphone and say, "Because with us still alive, we can inform others of their presence."

However, before making the call, he decided to have him and Squirtle follow in secret to see what the group was planning, soon noticing them heading toward the local subway station. Unlike Medicham and her group, they had not decided on taking a freight train, and it seemed logical. After all, the bullet train was significantly faster.

"Okay, so they're taking the bullet train," Squirtle whispered, "but where to? There are a lot of cities going that way," Magnemite nodding and listening in as Tyranitar asked, "So, just to be clear, we're going to Tokyo, right?" Giratina and Missingno nodding as Magnemite and Squirtle gave each-other thumbs up, quickly fleeing the area before they could be spotted.

And of course, during this time, Beedrill along with a number of other staff members had discovered all the dead bodies lying around the Tower of Justice, including the corpse of Charizard. His wife had been called up as she was naturally having a very hard time getting over this, and many others were having just as much trouble dealing with such an event.

And on that note, a meeting was held as panic was filling the area, Beedrill clearing his throat and stating, "As you all have seen, many of our security guards have been, well, killed. And to make matters even worse, one of our top fighters, Charizard, is among those victims."

Riolu nodded and replied, "Don't forget the mask of Giratina," Beedrill nodding as the others stared in confusion, the wasp adding, "Yes, the mask of Giratina has also been stolen, and it's obvious the assailants who took so many lives last night are the culprits."

"Oh, not again!" Jolteon exclaimed, "What are we gonna do!? Who knows what they can do with that in their possession!? We're all gonna die!" Riolu sighing, "Calm down, Jolteon!" the fox staring as he added, "Look, in case you've forgotten, the mask's power didn't work when Medicham used it. With that in mind, I highly doubt it truly has the power to bring Giratina back to life."

"In that case, we only have really threatening villains to deal with," Sandshrew stated as Riolu sighed, "Well, I'm just going with a hunch here. For all I know, they may have discovered a method that can work."

"So what are we gonna do?" a small bear named Teddiursa asked, everyone turning to face Beedrill as he nodded, saying, "Right. Well, we'll call up the heroes on Earth and tell them to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious."

"Of course," Bouffalant said with a shrug, "That should have been obvious," Riolu sighing, "Are you certain that will be enough, sir? This is the highest number of murders commited by villains in ages."

Beedrill frowned and retorted, "Hey, I'm the chairman and I say we leave it to the heroes stationed on Earth!" all going silent as the others nodded, saying nothing more than that.

After all, Beedrill was right. It was clear the heroes of old were no longer good enough to take on powerhouses like these.

However, Beedrill felt a bit of guilt saying something like this. He knew his father wanted him to think for himself now, but he had only suggested this because he knew the caterpillar would say the same thing. A part of him actually wanted to go to Earth right now and become part of the solution since he was still young.

But as chairman, he knew it was not his place to endanger himself even if it was for the right cause and after spending a good amount of time serving evil, he felt like he owed the law an apology and figured following it would suffice. Right now, he was really starting to wonder if he was making the right choice.

During this time, Magnemite, with the help of his computer-like brain, had managed to figure out Aipom's phone number without needing a phone book. As such, he dialled her up, knowing that if anyone could inform the others without him being charged for multiple long-distance calls, it was Machoke's trainer.

Aipom was currently washing dishes, figuring she may as well try not to spend her time worrying about Machoke. After all, it was like Blaziken had said, there was no way Machoke would be gone for too long. She was calm and was not going to think too much about recent events.

It was at this moment that she heard the phone ring, the monkey's eyes widening as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, IS IT MACHOKE!?" running over to the machine and picking it up, clearing her throat and saying, "Hello?"

Unfortunately, it was not Machoke on the other line nor was it good news. After listening to what was said, the monkey simply took a deep breath and replied, "Alright, I understand. I'll let the others know right away," before hanging up and sighing, "Great, nine of them. Now we really need his help."

Seeing as most of her other friends were too far away to make it in time even if they could catch a plane immediately, she decided to call up Throh and Sawk to come and help. After all, they were close by.

And soon enough, Blaziken, Gallade and Gardevoir had all met up at the train station as they knew this was where the cloaked figures would be coming from within the next few hours. Blaziken took a deep breath and said, "Alright, apparently, there's gonna be nine of them," Gallade gulping, "Yeah, I know," Gardevoir biting her lip and whimpering, "We might not be able to take them."

"I hate to say it, but even I can't stand up to nine villains at once," Blaziken replied with a smirk, "but that doesn't mean we can't try. We're heroes, so we'll do our best to make sure we win."

Unfortunately, it seemed their plan would not succeed as the villains had actually gotten off of the train after reaching Niigata and had switched to a bus. Sure, they stood out more, but they were okay with that, Butterfree groaning, "Why are we taking a bus now?"

"Yes, Absol, you seemed very sure of yourself that this was the best course of action," Missingno stated as the wolf replied, "I was hoping you would have sensed it too, but I had a feeling someone with, let's say, connections was watching and listening in on us before we boarded the train. Call it a hunch, but I feel this'll save us some trouble."

Giratina nodded and replied, "That's good thinking. Better safe than sorry," the others turning as he added, "Of course, if I was at full power, I'd have no problem with this," Missingno nodding and replying, "Of course."

He really hoped that Giratina was not bluffing. After all, it was said that only the amazingly powerful Arceus could defeat the dragon back in the day. There was no way those stories could possibly be lies.

Whatever the case, it seemed the heroes of Tokyo would be wasting quite a bit of time. Would they catch on quickly enough or would this new mode of transportation make entrance into the Reverse World inevitable?

 

While the heroes waited for the train to arrive, the bus that the villains were actually taking was on its way to Tokyo. Sure, they stuck out like a sore thumb, but it was not the driver's job to discriminate.

All the while, Throh and Sawk were on their way to Tokyo by train right now. Sure, they knew the villains' train would arrive first, but this was the fastest method they could take. After all, they could not let down the very heroes who helped them save Osaka and even bested the villains who had made fools of them. They felt like they owed them a huge favour and this was their chance.

However, Sawk was looking rather nervous as Throh asked, "What's the matter?" Sawk sighing, "I can't help but fear we might lose this one for sure. After all, Aipom told us there were nine of them, right?" Throh nodding and replying, "Even if we lose, we still have to try. Don't ever forget that," Sawk nodding and smirking at his brother, both bumping their fists together.

After a few hours, the train that was originally carrying the villains arrived at the station. But just as Blaziken, Gallade and Gardevoir were poised for battle, only the usual citizens emerged. No one was wearing a cloak nor was there any sign of someone who was not human.

"Okay, guys, how long does it take to get from Sendai to Tokyo by train?" Gallade asked as Blaziken sighed, "Seven hours," Gardevoir whimpering as the chicken added, "Don't worry. It probably just got delayed."

During this time, the bus had already arrived as the cloaked figures stood before the Tokyo Dome, Butterfree saying, "Wow, the location of the finals match. That seems really convenient," Giratina remarking, "Well, this is definitely here, but I don't remember this building before. I'm really hoping the location hasn't been covered."

"Well, lead the way," Missingno said with a grin as the dragon nodded, going ahead of them while the others followed and said nothing.

And soon enough, the group was standing in the field. With no events going on right now, naturally the place was empty. This was too perfect, Giratina looking around before turning his focus to the middle of the area, saying, "There, this is the place."

With that, the dragon took a deep breath and let out a loud roar, the others watching in total aw as a big black hole appeared in the area. The dragon cleared his throat, saying, "It's not as easy doing that as it used to be," before turning to the others and adding, "Remember, you are all to make sure no one interrupts my recovery."

"Yeah, yeah, you don't need to remind us," Tyranitar remarked as Mawile simply stared at the portal, her hair mouth drooling a bit.

Absol rested an arm on her shoulder and said, "Come on, we're going in," Mawile replying, "But I thought we were keeping watch outside."

"Actually, I only want one of you staying behind," Giratina said, "Trust me, when you're in the Reverse World, it's a lot easier to take advantage of your opponent. I simply want you all to choose your own areas to guard in case someone tries to get through."

Missingno nodded and said, "In that case, I choose to stay close to you so no one can get to you while you're recovering," Giratina nodding and replying, "Very well."

The others then wondered who would stay behind until Blitzle cleared his throat and said, "Fear not, for I will stay behind and guard everyone," Aegislash shrugging and replying, "If that is what you wish, sir Blitzle," the zebra's eyes sparkling as she sighed, "Please don't think too much of that. I simply like to address males as sir every now and then."

"Actually," Missingno replied, "I'd prefer it if Tyranitar stayed behind," everyone staring as the boy added, "I've always thought of him as my best security guard, so I feel he's the best pick."

The others could not help but think there might be another reason for this, but Tyranitar seemed to buy it as he grinned, saying, "You can count on me, sir," the dinosaur holding his thumb claw up while the others entered, Butterfree quickly turning to him and stating, "Only attack any hero who tries to interfere. Humans are not worth your time," the butterfly then joining the others.

However, it was only natural that something this big would likely get the attention of someone, and it did as a news reporter arrived on the scene, saying, "I am now standing in the Tokyo Dome where a black hole has just appeared. Shockingly, it is not trying to suck anyone into it. And it looks like someone is standing in front of it."

At that very moment, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken had started to really wonder if the villains would ever arrive when the broadcast started showing everywhere, including a TV that had recently been added to the subway station to broadcast news reports. When the report in question came on, all three turned, their eyes going wide.

"So, tell me, what is up with this here hole?" the reporter asked, holding her microphone up to Tyranitar's face as the dinosaur gulped, remembering he had been told not to attack any humans.

However, seeing the camera on him caused him to blush slightly as he cleared his throat and explained, "If you have to know, this here is a portal that leads to some kind of other world. I think it was called the Distortion World or the Zero World, I can't remember."

"And how did it appear in this very spot?" the woman asked as Tyranitar replied, "Well, that I can't tell you, but if you know what's good for you, no one out there will even so much as attempt to enter this place!"

The heroes stared in shock before Blaziken gritted her teeth, Tyranitar adding, "And even if by some miracle you do manage to get in there, my buddies will be waiting to tare you limb from limb, so I'd advise you to stay as far away from here as possible!"

The reporter nodded and replied, "Well, this reporter cannot ignore a threat like that. I'll be staying outside!" the dinosaur then blushing again and asking, "How do I look?"

"Dammit!" Gallade cursed, "They tricked us! We gotta hurry!" Blaziken remarking, "You think?" Gardevoir nodding as the trio took off.

During this time, Machoke and Gothitelle were in the middle of a sparring match when Octillery ran out from the house she was staying in and shouting, "COME INSIDE! YOU'LL WANT TO SEE THIS!" the two staring but refusing to question this. After all, it was very uncommon for Octillery to be alarmed by something.

When the two entered, she directed their attention to the news report as Machoke's eyes widened, the boy recognizing the Tokyo Dome right off the bat. As such, the boy groaned, "Oh no! I gotta go and help the others! They're probably already going to try and get through that!"

Octillery blinked and asked, "You sure? We haven't gotten a lot of training in yet," the boy remarking, "I know, but this is urgent! I don't know what's going on with that hole, but I can tell it's something awful!" Gothitelle nodding and saying, "He's got a point," the boy then groaning, "But how am I gonna get there fast enough!?"

Octillery thought about this, her eyes going wide as she placed a tentacle on his shoulder and said, "Worry not, dear Machoke, for I have just the solution."

And during this time, Lucario had seen the report as well while having lunch with his mother and sister, the dog gritting his teeth as Amanda said, "You want to go and help, don't you?" Lucario nodding and replying, "Naturally. This looks really bad," the dog then rubbing his chin and adding, "Now if only I knew a way to get there quickly. A plane would not be fast enough and a boat would be even slower."

Sarah thought about this and said, "Son, I know you and your father don't talk much, but perhaps I could call him up and ask him to swing by and give you a ride," the dog taking a deep breath, his body twitching as Amanda gave him a worried look, the dog sighing, "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

At around this time, Beedrill had seen the announcement as well. After all, it was the government's job to help protect Earth, so it only made sense that they were able to see Earth's news reports.

His eyes were wide open as Weedle entered, exclaiming, "Son, have you seen the news!?" the wasp turning to his father and replying, "Yeah, I have. Do you know what that portal is?" the caterpillar sighing, "As a matter of fact, I do."

Beedrill nodded as Weedle explained, "That's the entrance to the Reverse World," the wasp looking confused as the caterpillar added, "See, that's the world Giratina was created in. Only he can open it, so the fact that it's open right now is a really bad sign."

Beedrill nodded and got up, Weedle asking, "Where are you going?" Beedrill replying, "You told me to start thinking for myself, right? Well, I'm finally going to do that, Dad," the caterpillar's eyes going wide as he spat, "HOLD ON, SON!" only for Beedrill to exit the room.

Weedle stared in shock as he took many deep breaths. A part of him wanted to feel proud of his son for taking such responsibility, but at the same time, he could not help but worry. After all, that was what parents did.

When Beedrill headed outside of the tower, he noticed Riolu getting into a spaceship and asked, "Going somewhere?" the dog nodding and replying, "Yeah, I just got an urgent call from my son," tears welling up in his eyes as he sniffed, "He's actually turning to me for help!"

Beedrill stared awkwardly for a few seconds before asking, "Okay, when did you become such a sap?" before shrugging and getting into a spaceship of his own.

While Lucario waited for his father to arrive, he heard the sound of flapping before turning and noticing a certain falcon land behind him. Talonflame stared for a while until the dog asked, "What do you want?" the falcon smirking and replying, "I heard you were gonna go bust some heads. Figured I might join you."

Lucario narrowed his eyelids as Talonflame sighed, "Okay, I deserve that," before adding, "Look, I admit it, I've done lots of things I'm not proud of. I scammed the government and even commited murder."

The dog took a deep breath and replied, "Well, to be fair, I killed an innocent civilian," the two staring at each-other before the dog asked, "How do I know you're not trying to trick me?" Talonflame remarking, "Please, you think I'd actually try that? After all I've done, there's no way I could pull the wool over your eyes."

These words were more than enough as Lucario smirked and held his arm forward, saying, "Well, I'll admit, fighting alongside you will increase my chances, not that I actually need the help," Talonflame remarking, "I don't really need it either, but I think watching Machoke fight has made me into a bit of a softie," the two shaking hands.

During all of this, Gallade, Gardevoir and Blaziken had arrived at the Tokyo Dome's entrance. Both turned to one-another with serious looks and nodded before sprinting inside. Upon entering the field, they noticed the news crew still there as Tyranitar continued to stand watch over the portal.

It was not long until the reporter spotted them as she exclaimed, "And it seems we are in luck, folks, as Tokyo's very own heroes have arrived at the scene!" Tyranitar gazing at them and shrugging, thinking, 'They don't look too threatening,' as Blaziken smirked, saying, "Alright, guys, you ready for this?" the others nodding.

With that, the reporter ran over and asked, "As obvious as the answer is, I must ask, why is it that you have come here?" Gallade smirking and replying, "We've come to fight for the side of justice!" Blaziken rolling her eyes and saying, "Yeah, that's about the gist of it."

"You're quite clever to have found this portal so soon," Tyranitar said with a menacing smirk as Gallade replied, "Not really. You are on live TV right now. It was only a matter of time," the dinosaur's eyes wide as his jaw dropped, Blaziken uttering, "You seriously didn't take that into account?"

Gardevoir stared at the portal and whispered, "He mentioned something about his allies being in there," Blaziken nodding and replying, "I remember that. One of us will have to distract him," Gallade smirking and replying, "Leave that to me. I've been itching for a fight."

However, just as the group was about agree, a female voice came from behind them, saying, "No, you three should go on ahead," all three turning and seeing a familiar wolf standing there with her arms folded, Gardevoir's eyes sparkling as she squealed, "Auntie!" Gallade asking, "What are you doing here?"

Psyla smiled and said, "I was just about to head back to France when I saw the news and figured you might need some help," Blaziken laughing nervously and replying, "No offence, but you're in your fourties, right?"

"I hate to say it, but she's got a point," Gallade said, "Surely you've heard of how powerful this generation of villains is, right? Even the great Bouffalant is no longer strong enough to stand up to the forces of evil," Psyla simply smiling smugly and remarking, "Oh, trust me, I am far better than you could ever comprehend," waving a hand through her hair as even Gardevoir could not help but stare awkwardly at her.

The wolf then took a deep breath and replied, "Look, trust me on this one. I know I'm not young like you, but I know I can take this guy. I may not know what's going on inside that portal, but whatever it is, it can't be good."

Blaziken nodded, saying, "She's right, guys. If we don't hurry, something really bad might happen," Gallade staring at the wolf and saying, "So you're sure you'll be alright," Psyla rolling her eyes and remarking, "Yes, now go already."

Gardevoir nodded as the trio started advancing toward the portal, Tyranitar holding up his arms defensively and saying, "Hey, if you get any closer, you'll regret it deeply," only for Psyla to leap toward him, performing a series of flips before sending her feet hard into his skull.

This seemed to deal decent enough damage to distract the dinosaur while the other three entered the portal, Tyranitar fuming and grabbing Psyla's ankles. After that, he proceeded to swing her around, letting her fly hard into the wall, feeling beyond peeved right now. He had been trusted to guard the Reverse World and he had already failed to keep three heroes out.

As if that was not enough for him to handle, Throh and Sawk had arrived at this exact moment, Sawk saying, "Good thing we saw that report," Tyranitar turning and gritting his teeth only for Psyla to recover from his attack, propelling herself off the wall and sending her feet into the back of his head.

The brothers simply stared at the wolf as she struck a fighting pose, saying, "Come at me if you're man enough," Tyranitar fuming and remarking, "Alright, whatever, my buddies can take care of these guys anyway! You've managed to piss me off, so I may as well focus on you!"

Throh and Sawk may not have known who this wolf woman was, but it was clear that she had the situation with this dinosaur under control. As such, the two nodded at one-another, gave Psyla thumbs up and ran through the portal.

Even so, Tyranitar's words were not to be taken lightly. After all, he and two others had already shown a great display of power earlier and there were five more to worry about. Would the heroes in the Reverse World truly be enough?

The Reverse World itself was a strange place to say the least. It seemed to compose of various floating fragments of land. Some were faced like normal while others were tilted sideways. There were even waterfalls flowing in directions other than downward.

"Okay, this is officially the weirdest place I've ever been to," Blaziken said as Gardevoir looked on ahead and uttered, "How are we supposed to be able to get anywhere in this world?" the other two soon seeing what she meant as the land form they were standing on was not particularly big and seemed to cut off with no forms close enough to jump to.

That was the moment Throh and Sawk caught up with them, the group turning as Sawk smiled, saying, "Hey, we came to help," Gallade nodding and replying, "Thanks for taking the time, but I'm not sure if we can really do anything here."

The martial artists looked around as well, their eyes wide as even they could see right away how awkward just moving around in this world would be. How did the eight who entered manage to navigate?

And right now, Blaziken was thinking about that as she said, "Okay, there has to be a secret to this. If the others who came in here were able to distance themselves from the entrance, then there is definitely something we're not seeing."

Gallade took a deep breath, rubbing his finger against his temple before his eyes widened, the boy sprinting toward an edge that led to one of the sideways land forms, Gardevoir squeaking, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?" the boy leaping off the edge when suddenly, his entire body was flipped around, the boy landing firmly against the surface.

Blaziken blinked and said, "I see. So the laws of gravity are different here," Gallade's eyes open with shock as he uttered, "I can't believe I just did that," his knees trembling all the while.

"You rule, Gallade!" Throh exclaimed as Gardevoir immediately leapt over to join her brother. She took a deep breath, glad that was not as scary or difficult as it looked and it was not long until the others joined the two.

During this time, Psyla was on the defensive as she knew Tyranitar would not just allow her to hit him again now that he knew she could fight back. However, the dinosaur was not going to wait for an attack as he charged toward her, Psyla smirking as she saw this as a perfect opportunity.

Once he was close enough, she immediately swerved to the right, sending a roundhouse toward his midsection. But much to her surprise, the dinosaur seemed to see this coming as he latched onto her ankle, growling, "Did you think another one of those kicks of yours would work on me!?"

The wolf's eyes widened as Tyranitar added, "I get it. You're like all the others. You take one look at me and instantly assume I'm some kind of brutish moron who can't think straight! Well, I admit there are a lot of things I don't know, but when it comes to combat, I can figure out my opponents pretty quickly, and when you combine that with my strength, well, needless to say, it's a deadly combination!"

With that, the dinosaur lifted Psyla high above his head before ramming her back hard against the ground, her eyes widening as she coughed up blood. Luckily, she did manage to free her ankle and roll away from him, but even so, the two hits she had taken in left her feeling pretty winded as she was already breathing rather heavily.

The sad fact was that Gallade was not completely wrong to assume Psyla's age would be her downfall during this match. As if Tyranitar's strength was not bad enough, the wolf had certainly gotten weaker over the years so even one simple hit from a brute like him would come close to feeling like Gallade's Psycho Cut.

Around this time, Lucario and Talonflame were getting close to Tokyo while Riolu was going as fast as he could without endangering anyone. He had to admit, he was kind of disappointed to be giving someone else a ride right now but even so, he was just glad to finally help his son out with something.

All the while, Talonflame snickered at Lucario as he said, "Oh man, the irony is just wonderful," Lucario lightly ramming his elbow into the falcon's side as Riolu said, "Hey, if you two start a fight back there, I'm turning this shuttle around," the two folding their arms and groaning, "Sorry, sir."

Beedrill was also getting close as he took a deep breath, thinking, 'It's time to do what my father never did. I'm going to make a difference! Maybe then I can be a true hero!'

He then remembered how he had killed a hero by the name of Watchog before sneaking into the academy disguised as him. It was his biggest regret, even bigger than tricking Machoke and trying to add him to the list of murder victims.

But how close had Machoke gotten and what exactly was Octillery's mode of transportation? Whatever it was, it would have to be really fast as Giratina had less than eight hours to rest up and regain full power.

 

Things were not looking so good for Psyla as she needed to find a way to strike Tyranitar without the dinosaur hitting her back. But what could she do? The element of surprise was no longer on her side and that last kick left her wide open for a powerful slam.

The dinosaur planted his fist against his palm and cracked his knuckles, saying, "You made a big mistake challenging me. I'll admit, you're quite pretty, but you'll still meet the same fate as Charizard," Psyla's eyes widening as she asked, "What happened to Charizard?"

Tyranitar smirked and rose one of his claws, holding it in front of his neck and making a slitting motion with it before saying, "Well, it wasn't exactly like that, but it did involve his neck breaking," the wolf trembling. However, there was something else Tyranitar said that had given her an idea.

"Excuse me," she uttered, the dinosaur raising an eyebrow as she asked, "What was that you said before the Charizard thing?"

Tyranitar blinked and scratched his head while asking, "Wait, what did I say?" Psyla blushing lightly and smiling while saying, "You just called me pretty," the dinosaur's eyes going wide as he replied, "Oh yeah, I did, didn't I?"

With that, the wolf held her hands up to the sides of her face and squealed, "Oh, you make me feel young again!" Tyranitar's eyes widening as he asked, "Wait, how old are you?"

Psyla ignored the question and walked over to him, swishing her tail against him while placing an arm around his shoulder and stroking his chin, saying, "I have to admit, I'm a sucker for a big, strong man like you."

Tyranitar's cheeks were turning bright pink as he uttered, "Hold on, I'm still technically a minor," Psyla resting her head against his chest and cooing, "I may be an adult on the outside, but I'm still a teen on the inside," the dinosaur panicking and shouting, "OH GOD, I NEED AN ADULT!"

Once his guard was truly dropped, the wolf proceeded to latch onto the arm attached to the shoulder she had touched earlier. She then proceeded to lift her legs up, grabbing hold of his arm and exclaiming, "I'm flattered you didn't notice my ageing, but you're not my type! Besides, I abide by the law!"

Tyranitar's fear turned to extreme fury as he realized he had been tricked. As if that was not bad enough, he had been caught in a submission hold as his arm was taking in quite a bit of pain. However, the dinosaur knew he could not let Missingno down and as such, he completely ignored the pain as he spread out his legs, swinging the arm Psyla was attached to in a circular motion.

Psyla's eyes widened as she could not believe this. She knew this would only cause the dinosaur more pain and yet he did not seem to care as he flung her hard into the wall a second time, taking a deep breath and saying, "I will admit, you're the only one I've faced who's ever come close to being a real challenge, but that's not good enough."

During this time, the five heroes inside the Reverse World were carrying on, soon getting used to the strange way gravity worked here. But while they moved along, they soon came to a halt when they were standing face-to-face with Blitzle and Aegislash.

"Oh no, whatever shall we do!?" Blitzle spat, placing the back of his hoof against his forehead, "Alas, they have passed Tyranitar's iron build! However did they do it!?" Aegislash sighing, "Whatever the case is, I know they're probably nothing special. After all, there's five of them. They could have easily taken on Tyranitar at the same time."

"Actually, someone else is fighting him right now," Gallade replied, the two staring silently as Blaziken smirked, saying, "He was easily distracted, too, so getting by him wasn't much of a challenge."

Aegislash let out a sigh as Blitzle gasped, "Tyranitar, distracted!?" the sword shrugging and saying, "I would not put that past him for a second. You and I both know he is quite the hothead."

Blaziken took a deep breath and said, "Well, I guess two of us will have to take you on, eh?" Blitztle's eyes sparkling as he gasped, "You would be honourable enough to only face us two-on-two?" Aegislash shrugging and replying, "Methinks we can take all five of you, but if you'd rather take the more noble approach, I'm certainly not one to refuse."

Blitzle simply took a deep breath and said, "Well, I did finish a team match of my own not too long ago, but a true warrior must be willing to face any challenge thrown at him," Blaziken nodding and asking, "So, who wants to take them?"

"Don't you worry about a thing," Throh said as he stepped forward, "My brother and I can take these two no sweat," Sawk nodding and giving the other three thumbs up, saying, "You guys go on ahead. I have a good feeling about this one."

Gardevoir smiled lightly and said, "Good luck," but just as the three were about to advance forward, Aegislash turned to Blitzle and asked, "Do you intend to let them get away?" the zebra shaking his head and remarking, "I will never allow such a thing," before focusing hard as a volt of electricity came from his body, spreading across the ground and covering most of the land form, bars of electricity coming up out of the ground and forming a box around them.

"Impressed?" Blitzle asked while holding his hooves against his sides, "Welcome, on and all, to a type of match I invented myself, the electric cage death match!" Gallade and Gardevoir both scared as Blaziken gritted her teeth, grunting, "Of all the underhanded tactics!"

Aegislash took a deep breath and said, "You were cutting that a tad close, my good sir," Blitzle replying, "Dreadfully sorry. Won't happen again."

All the while, Throh and Sawk struck fighting stances while Sawk said, "Don't you guys worry about a thing. We'll take both of them down quickly and have this cage removed," Throh nodding and asking, "You ready, bro?" Sawk exclaiming, "I was born ready!" planting his fist against his palm.

The others really hoped this would turn out well. After all, with six other villains to worry about, all three would need to be at full strength.

While this was going on, Tyranitar was marching toward Psyla with murderous intent, saying, "It's a shame, really. Those others might have put up a better fight against me."

But just as he was about to end the wolf's life, his eyes widened when he noticed a space shuttle fly into the area. He was feeling very annoyed right now. As if letting five heroes through and being deceived by his opponent was not bad enough, now someone else had come and spoil his plans.

However, his irritation turned to actual panic when he noticed the one who emerged from the spaceship was Lucario alongside Talonflame. Sure, Tyranitar may not have known everything, but he knew full well who these two were, especially since he had been trained in the ways of evil along with them. But most of all, he knew they had turned to the side of good so he could tell their presence was not a good sign.

On that note, Riolu asked, "Would you like me to give you a ride home when this is all over, son?" his eyes sparkling as Lucario face-palmed and sighed, "Well, as long as you're offering it," his father smiling bright as Talonflame whispered, "When did your dad become such a sap?"

Tyranitar, all the while, was trembling and uttering, "What are you two doing here?" Lucario raising an eyebrow and saying, "Never thought I'd see you again," Talonflame asking, "Still a bodyguard, eh? Are you ever gonna be able to think for yourself?"

The dinosaur's eyes twitched as Lucario noticed Psyla unable to move while up against the wall, the dog saying, "Well, looks like I'm going to have to finish what that woman over there started."

Tyranitar took a deep breath and remembered his duty, holding up his fists defensively as Talonflame placed a hand on Lucario's shoulder, saying, "Hey, you got to fight not too long ago. I haven't had an opponent in a long time. I want in on this."

However, while Tyranitar tried his best to look brave, everyone's eyes went wide when they heard a certain female voice grunting, "Don't waste your time on this guy!" Tyranitar turning with his eyes wide with shock, Psyla rising to her feet as she breathed heavily, a purple aura surrounding her paws as she panted, "I challenged him to a fight and I'm going to finish it!"

Talonflame was about to object when Lucario rested a hand on the falcon's shoulder, saying, "She's right. Whatever's happening in there, we should try to stop it as soon as possible," Talonflame rolling his eyes and remarking, "I hate when you're right," the two entering the portal as Tyranitar held out his arm, exclaiming, "Oh, come on, not you too!" before turning to Psyla with fury in his eyes.

"Alright, wolf, this time you're gonna stay down!" the dinosaur spat as he charged toward Psyla with his elbow out. However, the wolf was ready this time as she threw her arms forward, blocking the incoming strike.

"Clearly you've never heard of my family's power," Psyla said with a smirk as Tyranitar stared in shock, applying more force in an attempt to push her back only for the wolf to hold her ground. With that, she lifted up one of her paws and sent it hard into the dinosaur's face, his eyes widening as this sent him skidding back a bit.

The dinosaur was now twitching all over as he slowly rose his hand, rubbing the spot that had been hit. As if his attack being blocked was not bad enough, that palm punch had dealt a considerable amount of pain. But where had this come from?

It was not long, though, until he saw it, the purple glow as he took a deep breath, saying, "You just gave yourself more power, didn't you?" Psyla nodding and replying, "I save it as a last-minute resort as it only lasts me ten minutes. Fortunately for me, that's more than long enough to defeat you," the dinosaur gritting his teeth and retorting, "Alright, prove it!"

During this time, Throh and Sawk were locked in combat, Throh's hands pushing against Blitzle's hooves. The zebra's eyes were wide as he felt himself bending backward by the second, the red fighter clearly stronger than him.

All the while, Sawk was sending a slew of karate chops at Aegislash, the sword blocking each strike with her shield. However, she was unable to find a good opportunity to do anything else so it was only a matter of time until she lowered her guard and left herself open.

"Way to go, guys!" Gallade exclaimed, Blaziken not quite as enthusiastic as she said, "For their sakes, I hope this is good enough."

"Alas, I am not physically strong!" Blitzle exclaimed, "Oh, what a cruel fate, going up against someone clearly superior to me in every way!" Aegislash rolling her eye while Throh smirked, saying, "Well, it takes a true man of honour to admit to something like that, but let me tell you something, if you try hard enough, you can become strong someday."

"Don't give him ideas, bro," Sawk sighed as Blitzle said, "Alas, that day shall never come," a grin then forming on his face as electricity coursed through him, Gardevoir whimpering as Blaziken spat, "THROH, GET AWAY FROM HIM!"

Unfortunately, it was too late as Blitzle exclaimed, "SPARK!" sending a burst of electricity through Throh's veins, the martial artist's eyes widening as he backed up, breathing heavily while his body had a few burns on it now.

Aegislash also seemed confident as she said, "Well, sir, this has been an interesting experience, but I'm afraid I shall have to end this," the sword sending her free arm sideways and grabbing hold of Sawk's wrist, his eyes widening as she spat, "KING'S SHIELD!" ramming her shield hard into the blue fighter's midsection while said object glowed white.

Sawk coughed up a bit of blood, the fighter not believing it. He had only taken in one hit and already, Aegislash had drawn blood. To make matters worse, this was far from over.

Throh attempted to grab Blitzle only for the zebra to get down on all fours and start dodging him every time he got close. The zebra had a joyful look in his eyes as he sighed, "Oh, how glorious it is to be able to outrun so many opponents! I cannot remember the last time I had it so easy!"

"Oh no, they were toying with them," Blaziken groaned, Gardevoir now scared for Throh and Sawk's safety.

Blitzle ran behind Throh after one more attempt at a grab and lifted up his back legs, sending them hard into the fighter's back. This caused enough force to send him flying into the cage, his eyes widening as he took in a powerful shock.

Sawk turned and spat, "BROTHER!" Aegislash saying, "You shouldn't turn your back to your opponent," the sword wrapping her arms around him and leaping backward, Sawk's head slightly above her head while she rammed it hard into the cage.

"I do say, Blitzle, this electric cage of yours is most brilliant!" Aegislash exclaimed as Blitzle's eyes sparkled, the zebra letting down a light tear and sniffing, "It means so much to hear you say that! Thank you!"

Both Throh and Sawk were breathing heavily but were not going to let this take them down as they rushed toward the two, Blitzle gulping as Aegislash backed up toward him, saying, "Let us give them something to remember most fondly," Blitzle nodding and saying, "Of course," before grabbing the sword by her handle and flipping her upside-down.

After that, Aegislash proceeded to attach her shield to her blade while folding her arms behind her back, both villains shouting, "THUNDER SWORD!" Blitzle sending his spark into Aegislash as electricity surrounded her.

Throh and Sawk ignored this as they Sawk sent a karate chop toward the two only for Blitzle to swing Aegislash's blade into his wrist. The boy's eyes widened when not only did this send more electricity through him, but the force of the blade was enough to cut his hand clean off.

Throh's eyes widening as he backed away from the villains, shouting, "SAWK!" the other three staring in absolute horror.

They could not believe what they had seen as Aegislash said, "I dare say, that felt most delightful," Blitzle sighing, "Alas, it is such a cruel fate to befall one so noble as he, but it had to be done."

Sawk was trembling all over as he stared at his wrist, blood dripping from it as Throh gritted his teeth, shouting, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

Blitzle's eyes widened as the red fighter charged toward him, grabbing hold of him and sending him back-first toward the bars. However, Blitzle did not seem the least bit worried as when Throh forced his back up against the cage, the electricity dealt no damage but instead ended up travelling toward Throh.

The fighter's eyes and mouth were wide open as Blitzle released his hold on Aegislash, the sword spreading out her arms along with her shield and grabbing hold of her handle with the hand that was not carrying the defensive object. With that, her blade glowed a light blue colour as she sent it downward across Throh's chest, shouting, "SACRED SWORD!"

The fighter's eyes widened as he coughed up blood, a big gash now going down his chest as he fell hard on his back. Sawk wanted so desperately to go in there and continue fighting but the blood loss was getting to him as he started to feel faint, quickly passing out.

Gardevoir clasped her hands over her mouth and squeaked in terror, Gallade patting her reassuringly on the shoulder but not sure whether or not he could remain calm in this situation. It was clear that neither fighter would be able to continue.

"Oh, what glorious fortune!" Blitzle exclaimed, his eyes sparkling all the while, "We have slain our enemies and become triumphant!" Aegislash sighing, "We have not slain them. We have simply knocked them unconscious," Blaziken gritting her teeth as the sword rolled her eye, sighing, "Worry not, dear fowl, for we have no intention of ending their lives. At least for as long as we know you three are capable of fighting us."

Blaziken cracked her knuckles as Gardevoir gulped, uttering, "I want to fight," Gallade about to volunteer to team up with his sister when the chicken said, "Sorry, Gallade, but I'm gonna take this one! These two have just gotten under my skin, and there's no way I'll let them get away with that!"

Blitzle blinked and said, "She looks serious," Aegislash snickering and saying, "I would not worry too much about these two. They are merely a minor inconvenience, just like the other two who fought us."

With that, both girls were ready to fight, Gardevoir taking a deep breath and thinking, 'I was hoping Machoke would be here to see me use my new power for the first time, but I guess there's no sense holding back.'

Speaking of Machoke, he, Octillery and Gothitelle were currently closing in on Tokyo while riding in a rather fast submarine. To make it obvious it belonged to Octillery, it was designed to look just like her. But while it was certainly amazingly fast, what with how it managed to come all the way from Hawaii to Japan in such a short period of time, the boy wished it would go faster. He felt like he was letting his friends down right now.

Although he was not the only one getting close as Beedrill's spaceship was closing in. Considering Riolu had left around the same time and had to stop to pick up his son from London, the wasp should have definitely arrived first, but while Riolu had been travelling at light-speed, Beedrill had chosen to go at a more steady pace. This was mainly due to Weedle giving him a quick phone call to tell him about how he once crash-landed on Earth when going at that very speed.

As he got closer and closer, the wasp narrowed his eyelids and thought, 'No more am I going to just sit back and give orders! I served these monsters long enough! It's time to fight them and do my family proud!'

Meanwhile, Weedle was in his office as he let out a sigh. He simply could not help but worry about his son right now, let alone the fate of Earth.

With all of this in mind, the caterpillar crawled over to his phone and picked it up, dialling in a new numbers. He waited for a few seconds before someone picked up on the other end, Weedle saying, "Hey, Elebuzz, it's been a long time, hasn't it?"

While all of this was going on, Psyla had truly gotten the upper hand as Tyranitar sent a punch toward her face only for the wolf to block it with her palm, a smirk on her face as she proceeded to tighten her grip on his hand. The dinosaur's eyes widened as the wolf lifted him high above her head, leaning backward and planting his back hard against the ground.

The people watching at home cheered as the reporter exclaimed, "And in a stunning display, this mysterious wolf person has increased her strength exponentially! Now she's strong enough to lift that monster over her head!" the woman then squealing, "Oh my god, did I just sound like Nori!?"

Before Tyranitar could retaliate, Psyla proceeded to climb onto his back, latching onto his ankles and pulling his legs up, the dinosaur roaring in pain as the sound of bones cracking filled the area. He simply could not believe it. Where had all this strength come from?

However, even with all of her strength, Tyranitar could not allow the wolf woman to win. He knew he would let Missingno and the rest of the team down if he did and as such, he gritted his teeth and started to focus hard, his leg muscles beginning to expand.

Psyla blinked, her eyes widening as Tyranitar smirked, saying, "Unfortunately for you, I got a little power of my own, and this is a family move as well! See, what I do is transfer my strongest of bones to any part of my body that I want, and right now, I'm picking my legs!"

Psyla was scared now as it seemed his words were true, the dinosaur throwing his legs back and sending her flying head-first into the wall once more. Thanks to the power she had, she was able to handle the pain more, but it was still alarming that Tyranitar had freed himself from her hold.

"You should feel honoured right now," Tyranitar said with a smirk, "I don't use this ability very often. Most opponents I feel aren't worth it."

Psyla simply gritted her teeth and refused to let this bother her as she charged toward the dinosaur, sending another palm punch only for Tyranitar to bulk up his chest. When the wolf's paw collided, her eyes widened as the dinosaur simply winced in response but nothing more. In fact, it was a miracle that had even dealt a slight bit of pain.

Tyranitar then proceeded to transfer his muscles into his arms as he grabbed hold of Psyla's shoulder with one hand, lifting up the other and balling it up into a fist. With that, he spat, "BIG PULVERIZER!" sending the fist hard into the wolf's face, Psyla coughing up blood and flying backwards and falling hard on her back, skidding across the ground and once again colliding with the wall.

"You must really like that wall," Tyranitar said tauntingly, Psyla too shaken up to be annoyed by these childish words. Even with her power, she was still outmatched.

And of course Blaziken and Gardevoir would not have it easy in their fight against Aegislash and Blitzle. After the way they had defeated Throh and Sawk, the girls could tell this would not be easy.

Although with Beedrill and Machoke getting close and Lucario and Talonflame one their way, perhaps things would look up. Only time would tell and there was not a whole lot of that.

 

Note: If you're wondering why nothing is progressing in one match while another is taking place, it's because when I go to each scene, I'm essentially turning time back in the story to show what was happening during the previously mentioned scene. No one's asked about that yet, but I'm getting this out there for anyone confused by this.

Blitzle and Aegislash were ready as Blaziken took a deep breath, asking, "Are you sure you want to face these two?" Gardevoir nodding and replying, "I trained long and hard for a moment like this. I'm not letting this chance go," Gallade groaning while thinking, 'I should be fighting by her side instead of Blaziken. I'm her brother, for God's sake!'

Aegislash simply folded her arms, saying, "You know, you two can start whenever you are ready," Blitzle smirking and adding, "It matters not, though. We will still be victorious in this duel between teams," his confidence having received a boost after getting two easy victories in a row.

Blaziken shrugged and said, "Well, since you asked so nicely-" only for Gardevoir to grab her shoulder, whispering, "Wait, we need to think about this. These two are really strong."

"Yeah, that's why we gotta overpower them," the chicken remarked as the girl shook her head and said, "No, we need to come up with a way to catch them off-guard," Aegislash folding her arms and sighing, "My patience is waring thin."

Blaziken gritted her teeth, grunting, "Mine too," Gardevoir sighing, "We can't barrel in there without thinking. Remember what your rashness did during your match with Onix," the chicken wincing and groaning, "Okay, you've made your point. What did you have in mind?"

"Now, I've noticed Aegislash seems to be the more physically strong while Blitzle is faster," Gardevoir whispered, "Therefor it would make sense for me to go after Blitzle while you go after Aegislash," Blaziken grinning and replying, "I was thinking that anyway," the girl smiling bright as the two bumped their fists together.

"Are you done talking?" Aegislash asked, rolling her eye as Blitzle grinned, stating, "It matters not what you come up with! We will dominate you in the end and reign supreme!" the sword staring at him and asking, "When did you become so full of yourself?"

Instead of answering the first question, Blaziken figured she would let her actions speak for her as she sprinted toward Aegislash, sending a roundhouse toward her face. However, the sword was ready as she held her shield in front of said spot, blocking the incoming kick. Blaziken ignored this and sent another kick toward her side, her eyes widening when she suddenly realized she would only end up cutting herself if she went through with this.

Aegislash saw a perfect opportunity as she said, "I'll admit, your strategy was sound, but the fact that you didn't factor in such an obvious flaw is laughable," the sword them grabbing onto the chicken's ankle and hurling her face-first into the bars.

Gardevoir, however, seemed to be doing a slightly better job as she rushed at Blitzle, the zebra sending his hoof toward her. The girl easily dodged gracefully to the right before sending the back of her hand hard into the side of his face, his eyes widening as he backed up, rubbing his cheek.

However, it was at this very moment that the girl noticed Blaziken already covered in burn marks from the electricity. Her eyes widening as Blitzle noticed this, sighing and thinking, 'Forgive me for this disgraceful display, family,' the zebra sending hard punch into the girl's gut.

With that, he proceeded to grab hold of her shoulder, leaning backward while lifting her up and sending her flying into the cage as well. The girl squeaked in agony as Gallade spat, "SIS!" now wishing he could take her place.

Psyla, of course, was not having it much better as that punch Tyranitar had dealt really hurt. Terror was running through her veins now as she needed a way to harm him. All the while, the dinosaur simply stood there and smirked, waving his hand menacingly toward himself.

The wolf took a deep breath when suddenly, an idea came to her, her eyes widening as she resisted the urge to start swishing her tail. After all, if she showed too much positivity, the dinosaur might catch onto her strategy. As such, she rushed toward him once more with her palm at the ready.

But just before she could land her attack, the dinosaur puffed up his chest as he said, "You must be really desperate to try that again," only for the wolf to have a different plan as she noticed he had used the muscles in his arms to increase his chest strength. As such, she separated her palms and went straight for his shoulders.

However, Tyranitar quickly returned the muscle mass to his arms to cushion the incoming blow, Psyla's eyes going wide as he latching his arms onto her wrists, the wolf howling in pain. Tyranitar all the while kept his smirk on his face as he stated, "Like I told you, I may not be the brightest bulb out there, but I can read my opponents pretty quickly. I knew you'd catch onto the biggest weakness of my muscle transfer technique, and it took about as long as it normally would."

With that, the dinosaur proceeded to lean backward, lifting the wolf up and slamming her back hard into the ground. With that, the dinosaur laughed wickedly and said, "Again, you've actually managed to provide a descent challenge for me, but it's not enough," before leaning down and pointing his claws at her neck.

But just as it looked like he was about to kill her, a voice entered the area, shouting, "NOT SO FAST, VILLAIN!" the dinosaur turning and noticing Beedrill standing right there with a serious look in his eyes.

"Beedrill?" Tyranitar asked, "And here I thought I had something to worry about," the wasp remarking, "Come on, not even you can be dumb enough not to know why I'm here!"

"Yeah, I know why you're here," the dinosaur stated, "I'm just not the least bit scared of you is all," the wasp's eyes widening as Tyranitar let out a sigh, shrugged his shoulders and added, "I can't say I'm surprised to see you become a lapdog for the government. Honestly, you were always kind of a weakling."

Beedrill's eye twitched as he retorted, "What!?" Tyranitar saying, "We've all heard of your humiliating loss to Machoke. Wasn't he the first hero you ever fought?"

Beedrill scowled and retorted, "So what!? Every villain who's face him has lost to him!" Tyranitar replying, "True, but they lost to him when he actually knew what he was doing. You on the other hand faced him before he had combat experience. There's no reason you should have lost."

Beedrill held up his needles and spat, "SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" only for Psyla to once again recover, breathing heavily and saying, "Look, Mister Chairman, sir, I've got this," Tyranitar slapping his forehead and grumbling, "Note to self. Don't let the next idiot who comes along distract you."

"Are you sure?" Beedrill asked, "You look really beat up," Psyla shaking her head and remarking, "It's much more important you go in there and help out the others right now. I don't know what's going on in there, but there has to be a reason these people are trying to stop us from getting in."

"There is," Beedrill replied, "My father told me this is the world Giratina was born in. Since it's open, I'm guessing he was one of the villains who entered right?"

Tyranitar's eyes and mouth were wide open as the reporter said, "And you've just heard it yourself, folks! Legendary demon Giratina has been revived and is currently taking residence in this world, which is apparently his home! One can only wonder what he is up to in there!"

"In that case, you should definitely hurry," Psyla said as Beedrill took a deep breath, saying, "Of course," flying through the portal as Tyranitar groaned, "Fine! Anyone who wants to enter, be my guest! You're still no match for my buds!"

The dinosaur then turned to Psyla, the wolf panicking and backing up as he smirked, saying, "You know, you're a persistent one. Most opponents would have fallen long before now. You really should just accept the help you're being offered, not that it'll be good enough."

Psyla then looked down at her paws and remembered something that had happened during Machoke's match with Lucario. Machoke had unleashed an amazing defensive manoeuvre called the Mach Cover. It seemed unstoppable until Lucario pierced his flesh with his spikes, rendering it useless.

And the truth was that Psyla had a way of getting around the dinosaur's defence. So why was she not using it? The reason caused horrible memories to flood her mind.

There was a time when the wolf would rely on a set of retractable claws. She came up with quite a few moves involving them and they were her ultimate weapons as she would strike down even the mightiest of foes with them.

However, things took a turn for worse when the twenty-first Hero Olympics came along and the elimination tournaments had started up. The wolf had been pitted up against a boy wearing a round white shirt with pink ball-like attachments on it named Mr. Mime.

This was the first time Psyla had ever fought a fellow hero. Since she was not used to this, she simply treated the boy like any villain she had faced and attacked mercilessly. This was before she could control the family power and as such, she did need to take quite a beating from the mime before it activated.

When it did, she used her claws to shatter an invisible wall that he had formed countless times throughout the match. After that, she spun like a wheel toward him, shouting, "BLADE STEAMROLLER!" striking him hard across the chest.

However, what happened next would scar her for life, her eyes going wide when she noticed just how much damage she had dealt. Not only had she formed a big gash on his chest, not only was blood flying out, but she could actually see one of his organs emerge.

Luckily, it did go back in when he fell on his back and since heroes could sustain worse damage than humans could, he was still alive. However, Psyla was absolutely devastated that she had done so much damage to a hero and as such, she dropped out of the elimination tournament thus costing her a spot in the Olympics. And as a means of redeeming herself, she swore never to use her claws for battle again, even if she was going up against a villain. She never wanted to bring anyone that close to death ever again.

As if that was not bad enough, Blaziken and Gardevoir were both feeling weak as Gardevoir whimpered, "They're so dangerous," Blaziken nodding and replying, "Whatever. We're used to dealing with freaks like this."

But just as the two were about to continue, a familiar British voice entered the area saying, "I figured you guys would already be here," Gardevoir, Blaziken and Gallade all staring when they saw Lucario standing there. Though they were absolutely horrified when they saw Talonflame next to him.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HE DOING HERE!?" Blaziken snapped, pointing at the falcon as Aegislash folded her arms, saying, "That's a very good question," before glaring at Lucario and adding, "You have some nerve showing your face around here, traitor!"

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" Lucario asked as Blitzle gasped, "HE DOES NOT REMEMBER US!" Aegislash sighing, "Well, it is not as if we ever actually spoke to him, but even without that in mind, everyone knows about you and how you just suddenly decided to turn good."

"For your information, I became neutral," Lucario remarked, "but honestly, I don't mind being the good guy. At least now I have real friends," Gallade blinking and saying, "That's wonderful and all, but seriously, what the hell is Talonflame doing with you?"

Talonflame rolled his eyes and remarked, "Look, I can't blame you for being intimidated right now, but mark my words when I say I'm also on the side of good now," the others staring suspiciously until Lucario sighed, "He's telling the truth."

Gardevoir smiled lightly and nodded, saying, "I could see it in his eyes. He's not lying," Gallade shrugging and replying, "Well, that confirms it."

"It matters not," Aegislash said, shaking her head, "This area is surrounded by electricity that cannot be passed through, so you cannot fight in the place of these two," Blitzle gulping nervously, feeling beyond relieved to hear these words as he knew how strong Lucario and Talonflame were.

Talonflame simply folded his arms and asked tauntingly, "What's wrong? Chicken?" Lucario all the while gritting his teeth until Gardevoir gulped, saying, "It's fine, guys," Blaziken nodding and adding, "Look, I get the feeling we won't have much time to end this whole thing, so you guys should go on ahead as long as you're not bound by this cage.

Aegislash's eye widened as she turned to Blitzle and asked, "Can you form another cage around them?" the zebra shaking his head and replying, "I can only form one cage at a time. If I do that, this cage will disappear."

Aegislash simply let out a sigh and remarked, "It's worth it," the zebra nodding before focusing hard.

This caused the cage to sink into the ground as the electricity travelled under Talonflame and Lucario, rising up and forming a cage around them as Talonflame blinked, uttering, "Are you shitting me?"

Gardevoir's eyes widened as Gallade spat, "Oh, come on, that's low!" Lucario and Talonflame both folding their arms as they naturally felt upset about being forced onto the sidelines.

However, Blaziken knew this would make things easier for them as she said, "Well, at least we're not trapped in the cage anymore," the chicken turning to Gallade and saying, "You go on ahead and see what you can do. We'll keep these two busy."

Blitzle gasped and spat, "Oh no you don't, ruffian!" only for Gardevoir to leap at Blitzle, kicking him in the back of the head and distracting him long enough for Gallade to take his leave, Aegislash folding her arms and allowing this.

Gardevoir quickly returned to Blaziken's side as Blitzle turned to Aegislash, asking, "Why didn't you try to stop him!?" Aegislash sighing, "Look, the only reason I kept them busy was because I knew three would be a lot more annoying than one of them. At least with that one boy by himself, he won't be too much of a threat."

"You shouldn't underestimate Gallade," Blaziken said with a smirk, "He might prove more trouble to your plans than you first thought," Talonflame cutting in and asking, "Are we talking about the same guy who barely put up a fight against Scyther?"

The chicken scowled at him and growled, "HEY, ARE YOU REALLY ON OUR SIDE OR NOT!?" the falcon shrugging and remarking, "Hey, I'm just telling it like it is."

Whatever the case, Gardevoir tapped Blaziken on the shoulder and uttered, "I don't normally lose patience, but we're wasting time," the chicken turning to her as she whimpered, "I hate to admit it, but I do worry about my brother. It used to be him protecting me all the time, but ever since I beat Scrafty, it's been the opposite. He might be able to beat one of them, but I don't even think you could handle more than one let alone him."

Blaziken took a deep breath and said, "You're right. Not only do we need to help him out if he gets in a serious bind but we also need to save the strongest fighters here."

Talonflame's eyes widened as the chicken groaned, "Yes, I admit it! You're better than me!" the falcon grinning smugly as Lucario shot him a glare.

Seeing this, Talonflame let out a sigh and said, "Even if that is true, I'm still counting on you, Blaziken. I didn't mean all those terrible things I said about you during our match. I know I said things to make you feel weak, but I was only doing that to drop your guard. The truth is, I think you do have what it takes to carry on your family legacy and maybe even outdo your mom, but seeing you covered in burn marks right now is not helping things."

Blaziken smirked and gave the falcon thumbs up, saying, "Don't you worry about a thing. I'm just getting warmed up."

"Okay, are you done?" Aegislash asked, "I say, it feels like we've spent most of our time standing around talking and not much time at all fighting," Blitzle staring at what appeared to be nothing with a nervous look in his eyes.

With that in mind, Blaziken and Gardevoir nodded at one-another and rushed toward their opponents again. This time Blaziken would not make the stupid mistake of trying to attack the side of Aegislash's blade as she propelled herself up into the air and flipped her body around with her foot on fire.

Aegislash held up her shield, once again blocking Blaziken's foot. However, when her kick collided, the chicken used her foot to stand on top of the shield before kneeling down too quickly for the sword to react. Blaziken then proceeded to lean forward far enough to grab hold of Aegislash's handle thus knocking her on her back.

Talonflame smirked and said, "I never would have come up with that, I have to admit," Aegislash frowning as Blaziken proceeded to unleash another burning axe kick, this time sending it into flat side the sword's blade.

All the while, Blitzle had attempted to strike Gardevoir with his hooves again only this time, she was more alert and not letting anything distract her. And after dodging a few hits, she proceeded to send a hard palm punch into his cheek before laying on a few more slaps, sending a palm uppercut into his chin and getting him to back up a bit.

It did not end there, though, as Blaziken was on her back, wrapping her legs around Aegislash's guard and holding tight with a figure-four leg lock, a smirk on her face as Talonflame nodded, saying, "That's the Blaziken I know," Blitzle seeing this and trembling with fear.

Unfortunately, Psyla still needed a way to start harming Tyranitar again. At the rate she was going, the odds of victory were low and thanks to her vow, she could not bring herself to use her claws.

However, at that very moment, a certain someone had shown up in the area along with two others. Though it was not Machoke, Octillery and Gothitelle but rather Reika, Cici and Tsuya, both having witnessed some of the match on TV.

Tyranitar briefly turned his gaze over but refused to turn away from Psyla and give her another chance to fight back before shrugging and saying, "At least it's not another hero," the wolf staring and saying, "You're Gardevoir's friends."

"Yeah," Reika replied, "We feel we have to support the others as best as we can," Psyla remarking, "No! Even without going in myself, I can guarantee it'll be too dangerous!"

"Even so, we can't just sit around and do nothing all the time," Tsuya remarked as Tyranitar smirked, saying, "I wouldn't go in there if I were you. She's right, humans like you will likely die in there even if my buddies don't catch you."

"In that case, we'll stay here and give our support," Reika stated as she and the others decided to sit on the sidelines, Tyranitar saying, "Good, you can see her lose up-close."

It was around this time that Machoke was starting to get close. But even with the speed of the submarine, it was still likely to take him somewhere between thirty minutes and one hour to get to the Tokyo Dome. Hopefully that would be fast enough for him to be of help.

 

While things were looking up for Blaziken and Gardevoir, the same could not be said for Psyla. Sure, she now had Reika and her friends there to give her support, but was that really good enough? After all, she had no way of hurting Tyranitar, especially since her one logical strategy could easily be countered.

Tyranitar's words had not been mere boasting. He really was surprisingly smart in combat and as such, he was a major threat. What could Psyla possibly do?

While this went on, Blaziken still had Aegislash in her leg lock while Blitzle was trying to find a way to hit Gardevoir without being struck again. All the while, Lucario and Talonflame were hoping this would be over with quickly as they wanted to get out of their cage soon.

However, while Blitzle was trying to find a way to beat Gardevoir, Aegislash had to admit she needed his help to get out of this hold right now as she groaned, "Forget about the girl for a second and assist me, sir!" the zebra turning to face her as he nodded, exclaiming, "Right!"

But just as he was about to sprint over, Gardevoir refused to let him do this as she dashed in front of him, sending her elbow into his neck. Aegislash groaned as Blaziken smirked, saying, "Seems like your ally's tied up."

However, Blitzle could not help but feel useless right now as he frowned, getting down on all fours and exclaiming, "Out of the way, girl!" Gardevoir holding up a defensive stance as the zebra sighed, "Don't say I didn't warn you," before shouting, "WILD CHARGE!"

Electricity surrounded his body as he let out a loud battle cry, charging toward Gardevoir as the girl held out her arms in an attempt to stop him. Unfortunately, when his head made contact with her palms, she ended up taking in a big surge of electricity as she cried out in pain, Blitzle forcing her backward until she ended up colliding with Blaziken.

The chicken's eyes widened as she was sent flying away from Aegislash, Blitzle coming to a halt and allowing Gardevoir to fly away from him as well. However, this ended up being worse as the girl was sent over the edge of the land form they were on.

Seeing, this Blaziken's eyes went even wider as she pushed herself up, shouting, "GARDEVOIR!" before spotting the girl's hand hanging onto the edge, Lucario and Talonflame staring with their eyes wide open. Even they had feared the worst after seeing that.

However, it seemed Gardevoir might not have been saved as Aegislash said, "Blitzle, keep the chicken busy. I'll take care of the girl," the zebra giving an army salute and replying, "You can count on me, for I am the great, mighty, powerful-" Aegislash sighing, "Don't give her time to react."

However, during Blitzle's dramatic speech, Blaziken had already started sprinting over to the edge. Unfortunately, Blitzle was a lot faster than she was and as such, he easily managed to dash in front of her, covering himself in electricity before sending his hoof into her chest.

This kept Blaziken distracted long enough for Aegislash to hop over to Gardevoir's hand, the girl's eyes widening as the sword gazed down at her, saying, "You do realize that drop is endless, right?"

Blaziken's eyes widened as she tried to help out only for Blitzle to once again send his hoof into her chest, the chicken crying out in pain as more electricity coursed through her veins. Lucario groaned while Talonflame wished he could fight in her stead right now.

Meanwhile, Beedrill was flying around the area. Thanks to his flight, he was not bound by the Reverse World's strange gravity and could move freely as much as he wanted. As much as the wasp hated to do this, he was trying to avoid having to face the other villains. His aim was to attack Giratina and possibly take him down, knowing that he would be the biggest threat.

Even so, the Reverse World seemed to be a rather big place as he was drawing a blank. Maybe he should have tried looking for the others and teamed up with them.

Gallade, all the while, was still running through the world, feeling like he would be ready to take on anyone who dared get in his way. At least he hoped that would be the case.

All the while, Psyla's fight with Tyranitar continued as the dinosaur folded his arms, saying, "Go on, try to hit me. I dare you," the wolf gritting her teeth as Reika spat, "Come on, Psyla, you can do it! Remember, even the mightiest of bodies can take in damage from making hard contact with the floor!"

Psyla's eyes widened as she realized she might not need her claws. With that in mind, she proceeded to dash toward Tyranitar with her palm at the ready only for the dinosaur to once again expand his chest, asking, "You're really desperate, aren't you!?"

However, Psyla had another plan as she dashed behind him, his eyes widening as she wrapped her arms around him, smirking and saying, "If I wasn't using my power right now, this wouldn't work, but luckily, I currently have the strength to even lift someone as heavy as you," the wolf then trying her hardest, Tyranitar now frightened when she actually managed to lift him up off of his feet.

With that, she leaned backward as Tyranitar quickly transferred muscles to his head as said spot hit the ground hard. Unfortunately for Psyla, it seemed his strategy had worked as he ended up taking no pain from the Suplex, a smirk on his face as he latched his ankles around her neck, the wolf's eyes widening.

"Oh no!" Cici squeaked as Tyranitar performed a handstand, lifting Psyla above him before sending her head hard into the ground with a frankensteiner. Unlike the wolf's move, this actually worked as she coughed up blood, the dinosaur allowing the rest of her body to collapse.

To make matters worse, the violet glow on Psyla's paws had left her as ten minutes were up. Since her power was still activated when she took in the blow to her head, she had not taken in too much damage, but that hardly mattered. Even with the power, she could not hurt Tyranitar when he was using his muscle transference and with her power gone, there was no way she could stand a chance anymore.

"Well, I'll give you props," Tyranitar said before lifting her up and wrapping his arms around her, expanding his forearms to increase his grip, "You've got spirit! But honestly, you never had a chance of winning! No one has ever beaten me and there's a good reason for that!"

Reika and her friends stared in horror before cheering Psyla on, knowing this was the best they could do for her right now. However, their words were not enough as the wolf grinned weakly, uttering, "Don't waste your breath. I tried my best and failed. That's all there is to it. I try to fake it, but I'm really too old to fight evil."

"NO, THAT'S NOT TRUE!" Cici squeaked, "IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW OLD YOU ARE! THERE WAS ONCE A HUMAN WHO WAS STRONG ENOUGH TO STAND UP TO BEINGS LIKE YOU AT THE SAME AGE! IF A HUMAN CAN PULL THAT OFF, SO CAN YOU!"

Psyla's eyes widened as she knew exactly who Cici was referring to. Hyun was very famous, so it was obvious she was the subject here.

And Cici did make a very good point, and right now, Psyla would need to do everything in her power if she was to at least defeat one of these villains. This meant ignoring her past and no longer holding back. She would need to forget the vow she made to herself and unleash her full potential.

As such, she bared her fangs and planted her paws against Tyranitar's back, the dinosaur asking, "What the hell? Do you seriously think a bear hug would work on me?" his eyes then widening when Psyla's claws came from her fingertips and pierced the dinosaur's back, blood dripping down as not even he could ignore pain like this.

As such, he let out a loud cry of pain, spreading his arms out instinctively as Psyla spat, "MANDABLE CLAW!" throwing her own arms out and scraping her claws along his back, putting deep gashes on it as blood squirted out.

Tyranitar cried even louder now as Psyla backed up, breathing heavily while blood dripped from her claws, her fangs still bared. Reika and the others smiled wide and cheered while the news reporter summarized everything to the viewers at home.

Of course, Psyla's onslaught was only just beginning as she rushed at Tyranitar with her claws at the ready, the dinosaur quickly puffing up his chest while she scratched the spot repeatedly. This put many cuts on him as he cried out in pain, his muscles returning to their original part as he breathed heavily.

Since his body was so tough, these scratches did not deal too serious of damage to him just yet, so why was he in so much pain? Simply put, it was because he was used to never taking in extreme pain during a fight. It was just as he had said. Psyla was the first to provide a good challenge for him and no one had ever come close to drawing blood from him. So right now, he was feeling more pain than he should have been.

"I see now," Psyla said with a smirk before leaping toward him and pointing her claws forward with her hands cupped together, spinning like a drill and exclaiming, "YOU ACT TOUGH, BUT ONCE THINGS ARE TURNED AGAINST YOU, YOU BECOME A TOTAL SOFTIE!"

Tyranitar was too scared to move out of the way as the wolf spat, "WOLF FANG DRILL!" sending her claws hard into his gut as he roared in pain, blood flying while Reika exclaimed, "YOU'RE SO COOL, MISS GARDEVOIR'S AUNT!" Cici smiling softly, glad her words had meant something.

Unfortunately, things were not going so well for Gardevoir and Blaziken, the chicken unable to focus on saving her friend and facing Blitzle at the same time. Because of this, the zebra was sending punch after punch into her while she was too busy trying to save Gardevoir's life to even try countering.

Aegislash laughed wickedly, jumping up slightly before driving the tip of her blade hard into Gardevoir's wrist, the girl just about to cry out in pain before biting her lower lip. Everyone stared in absolute shock as they could not believe it. Even with her strength like it was, Gardevoir was not the type to just ignore pain like that, especially now that her wrist was bleeding.

However, she ended up surprising everyone even more when she smiled cutely, saying, "I was hoping you would do that," Aegislash's eye widening as the girl seemed to use the sword's blade tip for leverage as she flipped her entire body one-hundred-and-eighty degrees and sent her foot hard into the sword's face.

Aegislash was now on her back as Gardevoir breathed heavily, trying her best not to look like she was in intense pain as Blaziken grinned, asking, "Were you really planning that all along?" Gardevoir nodding and saying, "Yeah, watching Machoke has helped me come up with creative ways to get out of tight spots."

"That hardly matters!" Blitzle spat as he was just about to strike Blaziken again only for the chicken to dodge his incoming strike and latch her arm around his. She then allowed herself to fall thus bringing the zebra down with her and sending his chin hard against the ground, how holding tightly onto his arm.

However, Blitzle had other plans as he gritted his teeth, electricity coursing through him and covering Blaziken. However, the chicken chose to ignore it as she exclaimed, "IF GARDEVOIR CAN PULL IT OFF, SO CAN I!"

Strangely enough, this actually seemed quite effective as after a few seconds, Blitzle stopped releasing electricity, his eyes wide with shock. Blaziken smirked and said, "I see now. Your electricity only works for a few seconds at a time," Blitzle letting down tears and groaning, "Why?"

Aegislash of course recovered just in time to see this happen as she fumed, leaping back and performing a handstand with her blade pointed at the chicken. But before she could do a thing, Gardevoir proceeded to grab her by her handle and lift her high above her head, leaning backward and planting her hard into the ground.

Her eyes sparkled as she squealed, "OH MY GOD, I USED A SLAM MOVE THAT WASN'T METEOR BOMB!" Aegislash now actually feeling a twinge of fear. Things had been going so well for them and yet now these two heroes were proving to be incredibly strong opponents.

All the while, Lucario grinned and said, "I knew she had it in her. She just keeps getting stronger all the time," Talonflame nodding and replying, "I have to admit, letting herself get stabbed was really ballsy. I thought she was a wimp."

Gardevoir could not believe she had pulled that off herself. She had not even activated her new power yet and had pulled off two incredible feats a younger her would have never thought of so much as trying. Things were certainly looking up now.

And things were also looking good for Psyla as Tyranitar was breathing heavily, his body covered in cuts now. When the wolf went in to deliver another hit, the dinosaur attempted to transfer his muscles to the targeted spot only for more blood to fly from him when he did so, causing him more pain. He could not believe it. Thanks to all these cuts, his greatest defensive tactic had been rendered useless as he took in two fierce blows to his shoulders, the dinosaur backing up with terror in his eyes.

Psyla smirked and said, "Thank you, girl. You helped me get over a fear I've had for years. I don't know what I would have done without your encouragement."

Cici smiled warmly as Tyranitar gritted his teeth, thinking, 'No! It can't end like this! If I let someone over the age of forty, let alone someone so skinny beat me, I'll have disgraced my team! I can't let them down! They trusted me!"

With that, the dinosaur's fear seemed to leave him as he released steam from his nostrils before letting out a loud roar. Psyla's eyes widened when the he ran over to her, wrapping her arms around her and flipping her upside down for a piledriver.

However, this was no ordinary piledriver as the dinosaur leapt high above the ground, letting out a loud battle cry as he transferred the biggest muscles in his torso to his arms and feet, causing them to expand in size while ignoring the pain it dealt to him. Psyla was now frightened again as he spat, "GIANT PILEDRIVER!" planting his feet against her arms and slamming her head hard into the ground.

All went silent through the area as the wolf coughed up a large amount of blood before passing out. Tyranitar took many deep breaths while glaring down at her, returning his muscles to normal. There was no way he would give her another chance. He was sick and tired of her persistence and just wanted the match to end.

With that, he lifted her up by her head and said, "I was going to come up with something more creative, but I think you deserve to meet the same fate as Charizard," Reika, Tsuya and Cici all in extreme panic when suddenly, things took a shocking turn when Psyla recovered right then and there and sent the claws on her feet into Tyranitar's gut.

The dinosaur's eyes and mouth were wide open as she wrapped her arms around his neck, planting the claws on her paws into the area just below it and spat, "MANDABLE CLAW!" once again spreading her arms out and putting deep gashes on the dinosaur.

However, just as it seemed the scale had tipped in her favour again, her eyes widened when she felt herself getting weak. It seemed after taking in so many fierce moves, she could no longer go on, the others staring with extreme worry in their eyes.

Tyranitar noticed this too as he sighed, "Okay, now I know for sure that I can end this," before placing a firm grip on the wolf's shoulders, opening his mouth wide and pulling her inward, chomping down onto her shoulder before shouting in a muffled voice, "CRUNCH BRAINBUSTER!"

With that, he lifted Psyla high above his head, Reika and Tsuya staring in horror while Cici bit her lower lip, sniffing, "Please, you can do it! I know you can!" Psyla twitching briefly before gritting her fangs together, ignoring the pain and shouting, "YOU WON'T WIN!"

With that, she threw her arms down, planting her claws into the sides of Tyranitar's head before applying all of her might to lower herself forward, the wolf soon back on the ground in the same position she had been in before Tyranitar lifted her. Though it did not end there as she let out a loud battle cry, applying more strength than ever before and shockingly managing enough might to slowly but surely lift the dinosaur high above her head, breathing heavily while keeping him like that, his teeth still digging into her flesh.

"You know what they say," Psyla uttered with a weak smile, "The bigger they are, the harder they fall."

With that, the wolf fell backward while saying, "Wolf Brainbuster," slamming Tyranitar's back hard into the ground as he coughed up blood, the claws adding to the pain as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, the dinosaur finally letting go of Psyla's shoulder and passing out.

All went silent as the reporter waited for a few seconds, soon stating, "And it would seem that this mysterious wolf person, who is apparently related to the hero Gardevoir, though I don't see the resemblance, has defeated this horrible monster," Reika and her friends cheering loudly while Psyla lay there, breathing heavily.

Now that they knew it was safe, the girls ran over to the wolf as Reika said, "Wow, you were so cool," Tsuya nodding and adding, "You are the most awesome adult I have ever met," Cici smiling softly and nodding in agreement.

"Thank you," Psyla said, light tears falling down her cheeks as the girls were now confused, the wolf adding, "Hearing those words certainly makes me happy, though I wish Gardevoir could have been here to see this," Reika shrugging and replying, "It's okay. Maybe you can set up a match with one of your old buddies so she can see you in action."

"I'm afraid that would be impossible," Psyla uttered before smiling bright and adding, "Tell her I'm really proud of her," before slowly closing her eyes, her smile stuck on her face as she stopped breathing, the girls staring in absolute silence as her whole body stopped moving.

"Is she...?" Reika uttered, Tsuya shaking her head and replying, "No, she just needs to rest. I'd probably fall asleep too after all of that," Cici placing her hand against the wolf's chest, biting her lower lip and letting down tears, sniffing, "No, it's hard to believe, but it's true."

The trio stared in absolute shock as the reporter turned to her cameraman and said, "I'm not sure what's going on, but this doesn't look good."

Reika pressed the side of her head up against Psyla's chest and said nothing as she let out a sigh, gritting her teeth and holding tightly onto her pant legs. She had witnessed her friends take in extreme torment from their opponents and come out of a victory in horrible condition, but it had never been this bad before. She hardly knew the wolf and yet she felt so much sadness right now, especially for poor Gardevoir who would have to deal with this if she ever returned from the Reverse World.

And if the other villains were anywhere near as bad as Tyranitar was, that was a definite if. Even if they won, who was to say the heroes would not meet a similar fate?

However, things were starting to look up when at this very moment, Machoke, Octillery and Gothitelle had finally arrived at the entrance to the Tokyo Dome. It had taken them longer than it should have, especially with the trip on land being a lot slower than the submarine ride, but they had finally made it and Machoke wanted more than ever to help his friends right now.

During this time, Aipom had actually been headed to the Tokyo Dome herself. For some strange reason, she could just feel that Machoke had arrived right now and wanted to be there by his side to give him advice again. After he had failed in the Hero Olympics finals, she could not risk letting him fight without her there to give him support again.

 

Things had taken a very unexpected turn and not for the better. Sure, Tyranitar had been beaten, but Psyla was dead. It seemed that last attack of hers was too much to handle, especially seeing as she had overexerted herself to the point where she was able to lift someone as heavy as Tyranitar up without her power activated.

But while Reika and her friends stayed by her corpse, the girls grieving, Reika's eyes widened when she heard someone else enter the area. Her eyes went even wider when the news reporter said, "And now it would seem there is a silver lining to everything that has happened as Machoke has returned!"

The cameraman focused primarily on Machoke now as the boy turned to the camera, Aipom halting her trip to the dome when she saw him on a big TV. Many other citizens stopped what they were doing when they saw him with a serious look on his face.

"I am sorry for missing in action," Machoke stated, "It was selfish of me to leave you all like this, but now I'm here to set everything right. I know I should have returned sooner, but honestly, I feel fortunate that I was able to get back this quickly. And mark my words, everyone, I'm going to help my friends put a stop to this!"

"Don't forget about us!" Octillery exclaimed, placing a tentacle on his shoulder as Gothitelle tried to avoid the camera.

She hated being seen on camera unless it was for a match. At least then the fight would distract her from the pressure of having everyone watch and judge her.

However, while the citizens were cheering, Cici and Tsuya both looking beyond relieved, Reika simply ran over to Machoke and punched him hard in the cheek. Everyone stared as Tsuya blinked, saying, "To be fair, I was actually considering doing that myself."

Machoke groaned, rubbing his cheek, just about to retort to this action before sighing, "Yeah, okay, I totally deserved that," Reika then biting her lower lip and letting down tears before hugging the boy, sniffing, "We were all so worried about you! What were you thinking!?"

"Well, I'll have you know this was not as bad as you think it is," Octillery said, "You wanna know what he wanted to do with us in Hawaii most of all?" the girls staring, Tsuya asking, "He went to Hawaii?" as Gothitelle smiled lightly, saying, "He asked us to help him train."

Machoke nodded and said, "Yeah, I wasn't there for long, but I feel like I'm ready for this," Reika smiling and nodding her head before saying, "Well, don't just stand here talking about it. Go on and prove it," before pointing to the portal, Gothitelle's eyes sparkling at the sight of a dark place being located inside of that hole.

Machoke nodded and said, "Right," before noticing Psyla lying unconscious, asking, "Hey, isn't that Gardevoir's aunt?" then turning to Tyranitar and adding, "Well, looks like she did a good job keeping him at bay," the girls not even bringing up the fact that the wolf had killed herself in the process of winning her match.

However, just as Machoke was about to enter, he heard a familiar high-pitched voice screeching, "MACHOKE! DON'T GO YET!" the boy turning, his eyes widening when he noticed Aipom sprinting over to him with tears in her eyes, the monkey leaping onto his face and embracing it, squeaking, "Why did you run away!? Did I do something wrong!?"

Machoke rolled his eyes and patted her back before prying her off of his face, saying, "I had some issues to work out and now I have. I just wanna go in there and put a stop to whatever's going on. Will you help me, sensei?"

Aipom's eyes sparkled, a big open-mouth smile forming on her face as she nodded her head, bonking the boy over the head with her tail fist and scolding, "Don't do that again, though, okay!? You had everyone worried sick!" Reika laughing nervously and saying, "You didn't have to do that. I already hit him."

With all said and done, Machoke approached the portal with Aipom on his shoulder and Octillery and Gothitelle by his side. There was no way they were going to let him go in there alone. Though what really impressed Aipom was just how seriously the boy was taking this. A week ago, maybe a bit more than that, Machoke would have been terrified of entering a portal to a dark world but luckily, he had grown up so much during his time on Earth.

All the while, Blaziken continued to pull on Blitzle's arm as the zebra cried out in pain, the chicken saying tauntingly, "You know, the opponent I beat to be accepted into the Hero Olympics was a unicorn. You're not that much different from one, are you?" the zebra's eyes widening as he gasped, "YOU DARE COMPARE ME TO A UNICORN!?" before crying out in pain when Blaziken tightened her grip, snapping, "You're in no position to backtalk!"

Aegislash, meanwhile, had managed to rise back up onto the tip of her blade but was still trying to get over what had just happened. She had not detected nearly that much power from Gardevoir and yet she had taken in a powerful slam. Sure, her metal body did cushion the impact a bit, but it still hurt.

Though the worst part about all of this was that she knew that could have been prevented if she had paid more attention. The whole reason Gardevoir had grabbed her so easily was because she had been too focused on trying to save Blitzle from Blaziken and was not focused on the girl.

Right now, she would have to at least find a way to slow Gardevoir down before trying to save her ally from getting a broken arm, Blitzle all the while wishing she would hurry. This was far from the worst pain he had ever felt but it was still horrible.

As such, Aegislash glared at Gardevoir and said, "Alright, you will not be so fortunate again," Gardevoir holding up a defensive stance and feeling pretty good right now with the way things had been going.

As such, she proceeded to rush toward Aegislash, sending a palm punch toward her face only for the sword to hold up her shield this time. However, Gardevoir had seen this coming as she sent her other palm toward the side of Aegislash's head.

Unfortunately, the sword had also predicted something like this as she held up her free arm, saying, "You should have aimed for the other side," grabbing hold of Gardevoir's hand as her eyes widened.

With that, she used her shield to keep Gardevoir's other arm busy before turning her body sideways and flipping herself over a full three-hundred-and-sixty degrees, shouting, "SACRED SWORD!" a dark energy surrounding her blade as she managed to strike Gardevoir across the chest, blood flying out of her while she coughed up some of the substance, her eyes and mouth wide open as she fell hard on her back.

Gardevoir's body twitched as she was in the worst pain she had ever felt in her life. Not even Garchomp's might could compare to being slashed with a blade, Lucario and Talonflame both staring in absolute horror.

To make matters worse, Aegislash was now ready to go after Blaziken as she once again performed a handstand using one finger and started spinning herself around like a pinwheel. Blaziken was too focused on Blitzle to notice as Aegislash felt she had enough momentum, sending herself flying toward the chicken while exclaiming, "SACRED PINWHEEL!"

Blaziken's eyes widened when she was slashed across the back, blood flying from that very spot as she released her hold on Blitzle, the zebra breathing a sigh of relief before getting up and wrapping his arms around her, shouting, "NOW IT'S TIME FOR MY REVENGE, AND LET ME TELL YOU, I AM GOING TO MAKE THIS AS COLD AS ICE!" electricity surrounding him as he spat, "SPARK!"

With that, electricity coursed through the chicken's veins as she cried out in agony. Talonflame could not bare to watch this, the falcon shouting, "ALRIGHT, THAT'S IT! I DON'T CARE HOW MUCH THE ELECTRICITY HURTS!"

Lucario's eyes widened as he spat, "WAIT, DON'T-" only for the falcon to fly beak-first into one of the bars, his body electrocuted. He ignored the pain as he attempted to fly through, but after a few seconds, he came to a startling realization and stopped his assault, backing up and breathing heavily.

"I can't pass through these bars," he uttered, "and I can't break them either," Lucario nodding and sighing, "I had a feeling that would be the case."

After a few seconds, Blitzle's electricity was once again taking a break as the zebra released his hold on Blaziken, the chicken stumbling before falling on her back, her eyes and beak hanging open while Blitzle sighed, "Thank you ever so much, Aegislash," the sword shrugging and replying, "It is merely what allies do."

"Oh, heavens no, I am serious," the zebra remarked before wrapping his arms around Aegislash's head and exclaiming, "I will do anything, anything at all to repay you for this wondrous act! Ask and you shall receive!" Aegislash rolling her eye and groaning, "Seriously, enough with the- wait, did you say anything?"

"It's not over yet," came a familiar voice from behind Aegislash as her eye went wide, the sword slowly turning and staring in absolute horror when she saw Gardevoir standing. Sure, she was still bleeding, but she acted as if this meant nothing.

The sword could not believe what she was seeing. She had faced opponents with far tougher bodies before and even they would be lucky to have gotten up from an attack like that. And as if this could not be more difficult for her, Gardevoir's hands were now glowing violet only now the aura was brighter than it had been before.

"I have to admit, I really should have used this earlier," the girl said through deep breaths, "But I guess it's better I use it late than not get a chance to use it at all."

Blitzle turned to Aegislash and asked, "Do you know what that glow is?" Aegislash shaking her head and replying, "Whatever it is, it does not look good."

During this time, Gallade continued to move along when he started to feel a tad exhausted from all the running and jumping he had done. As such, he decided to take a quick break, but he knew he could not risk taking a long one as he let out a deep breath, holding his knees and saying, "Man, this place goes on forever."

He then decided to take a seat on a nearby rock, saying, "It's a good thing I was able to go ahead. Even if Blaziken and Gardevoir defeat their opponents, which they most certainly will, who's to say even they would make it this far in time?"

He then looked around, thinking, 'Though it's odd. I haven't run into a single villain so far. In fact, it took us a fairly long time just to run into those first two, and there's supposed to be five more here.'

However, his train of thought came to an end when he felt something slimy touching his neck. The boy then looked down and noticed said part started to sink inward, Gallade's eyes nearly popping out of their sockets as he started to gag, his tongue sticking out of his mouth. But what was causing this? Was this a side effect of being in the Reverse World for too long? No, if that was the case, then there would be no need for him and his friends to be here.

It also did not explain why he felt something touching him right now. And this feeling was actually quite familiar as he looked back to his finals match in the Bourges elimination tournament when he faced a squirrel with a long tongue named Lickitung. He remembered being trapped in the squirrel's tongue, the feeling of saliva mixed with a rough texture pressing up against him.

With that, the boy also remembered how he had gotten out of it as he lifted up one of his arms so the blade portion was facing the area just behind his neck, the boy shifting it closer ever-so-slightly before lightly tapping something invisible. At that moment, a tiny drop of blood fell as the source seemed to let go, his neck returning to its normal width as suddenly, a certain green chameleon appeared, yowling in agonizing pain, his tongue rolling up in his mouth with a small cut near the end of it.

"I knew it!" Gallade exclaimed with a frown before turning to face the chameleon, "Well, finally managed to run into one of you! I can't believe it took so long, but Gallade's finally gonna get his chance to shine!"

Kecleon took many deep breaths, thinking, 'Dammit, I should have held on tighter. I gave him too much time to respond. A rookie mistake on my part.'

He then shook his head and ignored the pain to his tongue, folding his arms and saying, "It's most impressive you saw through my camouflage, but no more! I am Kecleon and you will fall to my-" his eyes widening as he ended up whipping out the end of his tongue briefly while talking and bit into his wound, his eyes going wide as he fell on his back, rolling around his pain, crying, "OH GOD, IT HURTS! WHY DID YOU DO THAT, YOU BASTARD!?"

Gallade lowered his eyelids, thinking, 'Why is this loser even associated with those other two? Besides, chameleon teeth are tiny as Hell. That really shouldn't have hurt so much,' before sighing and holding up his arms out defensively, his mind adding, 'No, I can't let my guard down for a second! When I lost to Scrafty and Scyther, it was because I took them lightly and let my guard down! I can't do that! This guy might be significantly more powerful than he looks right now! After all, he almost killed me!'

He then realized he was just about to let go of a perfect chance what with his opponent writhing in pain and ignoring his presence. With that in mind, the boy proceeded to sprint toward the downed chameleon with his arms held back shouting, "YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED HIDDEN!"

But just as he was about to strike, Kecleon finally managed to ignore the pain as he quickly blended in with the ground, Gallade sending one of his blades toward where his neck was. However, when he saw the blade touch against the ground, he knew his opponent had dodged him, Kecleon going to his side and preparing to strike him.

However, just as he was about to do so, Gallade noticed the red stripe on his midsection just floating there and knew right away what that meant. As such, he quickly swung his arm back, striking the side of Kecleon's face with his fist and sending the chameleon flying away from him.

"Some camouflage!" Gallade exclaimed tauntingly, "What's the point if you can't hide your stripe!?" Kecleon recovering from the hit but feeling terrified now as he knew the boy had a point.

All his life, he felt that his camouflage technique would be his greatest asset but for some reason, he was always able to hide every spot except for his stripe. Unless he was able to cover his lower body, there was just no point in using the ability.

All the while, Beedrill was still flying around and looking all over the place, wondering just how big the Reverse World was. And during this time, a certain butterfly was flying around as well, having been sent to patrol the area for anyone who might actually get past the others.

Meanwhile, Gardevoir felt truly ready now as her power had activated. However, like with Psyla, she could only have her new souped-up power activated for ten minutes, so she had to make every one of these minutes really count. Hopefully she would do a better job taking advantage of her powered-up state than her aunt had.

Blitzle looked frightened as Aegislash sighed, "We cannot allow this to get us down. We have a duty to perform," the zebra nodding and replying, "Right," both then nodding to one-another as the zebra took hold of the sword's handle, holding her upside-down and sending electricity through her, the two shouting, "THUNDER SWORD!"

Gardevoir definitely had to be careful now. This was the move they had used to not only knock out Throh but also cut off Sawk's hand. She really hoped she could prevent them from being killed let alone free Talonflame and Lucario from their electric prison.

Luckily, she was truly prepared now as when Blitzle swung Aegislash's blade toward the her, she held out her hand and grabbed it, both villains going wide-eyed as Gardevoir closed her eyes and pursed her lips. When she opened her eyes, she noticed she had actually managed to stop the blade.

Granted, her palm had been cut slightly as blood dripped down the sides of her hand, but compared to what it could have done, this was nothing. Even the electricity coming from the blade seemed to have no effect on her, her eyes sparkling as this new power was even greater than she could have imagined.

With that in mind, the girl proceeded to pry Aegislash out of Blitzle's hooves, the zebra's eyes and mouth wide open as he spat, "ALAS, SHE HAS STOLEN MY WEAPON!" Aegislash groaning, "Good to know that is all I am to you right now," Blitzle uttering, "That's not true. I was just trying to be dramatic," Aegislash rolling her eye and sighing, "I was jesting, you ignoramus."

Their spat came to an end when Gardevoir flipped Aegislash around, now holding her by the handle and shouting, "SACRED SWORD REVERSAL!" swinging the blade sideways across Blitzle's chest, his eyes widening as he coughed up blood, more of the substance coming from his torso while he fell on his back, the zebra suffering the exact same fate the girl had earlier.

However, Gardevoir knew Aegislash was not going to allow her to use her like this any longer and as such, she hurled the sword high into the air and leapt up to her level, grabbing onto her sword guard and lifting her body up above her own head while descending toward the ground. And soon enough, the two collided with the surface as Gardevoir spat, "METEOR BOMB!"

Aegislash's eye was wide open as a small crater formed around the spot. Sure, Gardevoir's Meteor Bomb was powerful, but it had never been this strong before. There was no doubt about it, this new power had been completely worth all the hard work required to obtain it.

'Thank you, Auntie Psyla,' the girl thought with a big smile on her face, 'If only you could have seen all of that.'

However, her eyes widened when Lucario said, "Hate to break up your moment of happiness, but we're still trapped," the girl turning and staring in shock as it was just as he said.

The cage was still up, but why? Was defeating Blitzle not enough to cancel out his electricity? Would she have to resort to killing him?

No, she could not do that. No matter how horrible a person was, she would never end that someone's life. Both she and Machoke believed in this and were proud of it.

Even so, she remembered how much pain her friends were in as she turned to look at them with concern, a light smile forming on her face when she noticed Blaziken slowly starting to move. However, the chicken had not fully recovered and this was certainly a bad thing as Aegislash and Blitzle were still moving as well, only they did not seem to be in nearly as critical of condition as her.

Gardevoir turned, staring in horror at the sight of Blitzle slowly but surely rising to his feet while Aegislash positioned herself onto her sword tip. Still, Gardevoir's fear was not as high as before as both looked absolutely winded after taking in such devastating attacks.

"Oh my god!" Blitzle exclaimed, "That was the most horrifying thing I have ever experienced! I think we should just surrender and hope she shows mercy on our souls!" Aegislash taking a deep breath, sighing, "Blitzle, you knew the risk of joining the side of evil. If you are not ready to handle failure, you should just quit the team," the zebra's eyes widening as he shook his head, saying, "I cannot do that."

"Then cease being an infant," Aegislash remarked, "We will fight to the bitter end even if we end up forfeiting our lives," Blitzle nodding and replying, "Yes, you are right. I lost sight of that and for that I apologize."

The sword simply shook her head as Gardevoir took a deep breath, thinking, 'It's okay. I can do this now,' and this certainly seemed true as her new power had given her an unbelievable boost in strength. There was no way she was going to lose. Even if it meant fighting alone, she would win this.

 

Things were looking much better for Gallade than usual as the boy sent a hard punch to Kecleon's face when the chameleon attempted to sneak up on him. Sure, the chameleon had gotten the drop on him at the start of the fight, but now that Gallade knew he was here and since the villain could not hide his stripe, this was shaping up to be a really easy fight for him.

"You know," Gallade said, "after seeing how powerful Blitzle and Aegislash were, I was expecting all of you guys to be super tough. You, on the other hand only have your camouflage technique to give you an edge and it doesn't even work entirely."

Kecleon let out a sigh and looked down, not even sure if he should keep trying. Gallade was right. What could the chameleon possibly do to hide himself? It was just as the boy had said, if his camouflage could not fool his opponents, how could he win? His physical strength was passable at best and while his speed was pretty good, it seemed Gallade's speed and reaction time were nothing to scoff at either.

Gallade noticed the chameleon looking ashamed of himself as he sighed, "Look, Kecleon, I'd feel bad beating up someone so weak. If you back down, I won't think any less of you," the chameleon staring at him as he added, "I'll even tell the others you were a major challenge to defeat. That way, you won't lose any respect."

Kecleon bit his lower lip before shaking his head, sighing, "I know you have the best of intentions, but if I'm going to let my team down, I'll at least give it my best," the chameleon sprinting toward Gallade only for the boy to send a knee kick toward his face.

However, Kecleon saw this coming and dodged to the side only to receive a hard karate chop to his cheek. Right now, he knew he needed more of a strategy as he whipped out his tongue, latching it onto Gallade's wrist.

The boy's eyes widened as Kecleon proceeded to lock his arms around his neck, reeling his head back and pulling on Gallade's arm. A light smile formed on his face as he had not only managed to get Gallade in a submission hold but a rather impressive and complex one at that.

However, Gallade did not feel too alarmed as after a few seconds, the pain he was feeling started to lessen. It seemed Kecleon really was weak as while his tongue was applying a good, strong grip on his arm, his hands were doing next to nothing to his neck. As such, the boy allowed himself to fall backward, slamming the chameleon's back into the ground as he released his tongue, the part slapping the inside of his mouth and curling up.

Gallade took a deep breath, saying, "Not bad, but you'll have to be better than that to beat me," a grin on his face as he thought, 'I can't believe it! I might actually win this match and without breaking a sweat no less!'

All the while, Blitzle and Aegislash were currently keeping their distance from Gardevoir as they needed to find a way around her new power. They could not believe how much stronger she had gotten just like that. Why had she not used this earlier?

However, while the villains were trying to come up with a strategy, Gardevoir remembered she could not spend a long time in this state. As such, she sprinted toward the two with her hands at the ready, Blitzle gulping as Aegislash dashed in front of him and held out her shield. However, this time it was glowing as she figured she would need to apply more force if she was going to block any incoming blows.

"KING'S SHIELD!" the sword exclaimed, throwing it forward as Gardevoir sent a palm punch hard into it.

Luckily for Aegislash, it seemed the attack had prevented the shield from being overpowered as Gardevoir did take in slight pain to her hand. However, things were still looking alarming when Aegislash noticed small cracks forming on the implement, her eye going wide.

Blitzle gasped at the sight of this and spat, "WORRY NOT, I SHALL RETURN THE FAVOUR!" the zebra leaping over Aegislash and aiming his hoof toward Gardevoir's skull only for the girl to use her other hand to blocking the incoming kick, the girl then applying a strong grip to his hoof.

Blitzle sent electricity along his body before covering the girl in it only for Gardevoir to once again ignore the pain as she swung him sideways, ramming him hard into the side of Aegislash's head. Sure, the girl wanted to win, but there was no way she would use the sword's blade to potentially slice the zebra in half.

Lucario's eyes widened as he uttered, "That power of hers has really improved," Talonflame uttering, "I was starting to think she didn't have it anymore."

Once again, both were down, Blitzle lying atop Aegislash's head as the sword groaned in pain. Sure, this was nowhere near as bad as what Gardevoir had done to them earlier but it was still very effective.

Gardevoir smiled, feeling so confident right now. Sure, she had an impressive win and loss record, but it had never seemed this easy to get a victory before. And to make things better, she still had well over five minutes to take advantage of this new power.

With that in mind, the girl leapt into the air and performed a flip forward before planting both of her feet into the villains. However, while this added to the pain, it did not seem to deal as much as it should have, the girl's eyes widening as she leapt off of them, looking at her hands and staring in shock.

As the two villains slowly rose back to their feet, trying their best to ignore all the pain dealt to them, Gardevoir breathed heavily as for whatever reason, the glowing had stopped. But why? Psyla told her the power would last ten minutes.

However, there was one problem with that. The girl had not tested this theory out, and she could not believe even her aunt had not taken that into consideration. Both had just assumed the power would have the same time limit, and yet it had only been with her for three minutes. This was not good.

Aegislash groaned and uttered, "Perhaps forfeiting is not such a bad idea," Blitzle tapping her on the side of her guard and exclaiming, "Look!" pointing at Gardevoir as the sword looked at her, a wicked look forming in her eye when she noticed the glowing had stopped.

"Excellent," the sword said, "Now we might just be able to stop her after all," Gardevoir trembling when suddenly, she felt rough skin touching her shoulder as she turned, her eyes sparkling at the sight of Blaziken standing right behind her, a smile on her face.

"Thanks for keeping them busy," the chicken said, rubbing the girl's shoulder as she whimpered, "My power's gone, though," Blaziken rolling her eyes and sighing, "You were doing fine even before you used it. Now that I can fight with you again, things will be okay."

Lucario took a deep breath and said, "I have to admit, I was worried there," Talonflame smirking and saying, "Hey, Blaziken's no quitter. I'm just amazed it took her that long to get up."

With that, Blaziken thought hard and said, "Alright, it looks like you managed to do a lot to them, so I have an idea," Gardevoir nodding, feeling up for pretty much anything the chicken had in mind as she smirked and said, "First things first, we gotta destroy that shield. I don't know what you did, but you really pulled a number on it."

Gardevoir nodded, not so sure if another hit would work. Without her power, could either one even hope to make those cracks bigger?

Blaziken seemed to think so as she said, "Alright, you think you can lift me?" Gardevoir nodding with a light smile. Sure, a younger her would have never been able to pull off something like that, but after all of her strength training, she could do this easily, especially since Blaziken was not exactly heavy.

With that in mind, the girl held her hands out as Blaziken leapt on top of them, Aegislash asking, "I say, whatever are you trying to accomplish?" Blitzle uttering, "We might want to be careful."

Blaziken smirked and said, "Now launch me forward," Gardevoir nodding and propelling her arms up thus letting Blaziken fly toward the two villains, her feet bursting into flame.

Blitzle held up his arms defensively when Aegislash got in the way, holding out her shield and saying, "Worry not. My shield may be cracked, but without that girl's power, they have no hope of breaking it."

However, she seemed to be wrong about that as Blaziken's feet collided with the object, the cracks getting bigger before reaching the edges. Aegislash's eye went wide as the shield came open, breaking into many fragments and falling right in front of the sword's tip.

Talonflame grinned and held his fist forward, exclaiming, "YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! YOU ROCK, BLAZIKEN!"

However, Aegislash relinquished her fear in seconds and replaced it with rage as she spat, "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT, YOU HELLSPAWN!" a dark aura once again surrounding her blade as she spat, "SACRED SWORD!" leaping up and spinning toward Blaziken like a wheel.

Gardevoir squeaked in terror when the chicken dodged to the side only to take in a small cut to her shoulder. However, she ignored the pain when Blitzle was about to attack her only for Gardevoir to dash in front of the chicken, taking an electric shock to her chest and wincing in pain.

It seemed as if Aegislash was right. With Gardevoir's power gone, she and Blitzle stood a chance again. Could the heroes still win? Sure, Gardevoir had done a lot of damage, but was it enough?

During this time, Gallade was still on the defensive, feeling really good about himself as Kecleon gulped, thinking, 'What place do I have in this team? He's right, everyone else is so tough and I'm so weak, and with my best skill being so useless, what can I do? I may as well give up right now and let him cut me to shreds.'

The sad fact was that Kecleon had always been a disappointment when it came to his fighting skills. His lack of physical strength had been inherited by his family, but if there was one thing they always had on their side, it was camouflage. They were all able to hide their entire bodies.

Unfortunately, Kecleon had always been slow to learn how to blend in with his surroundings. He was even unable to hide his head until he was eight, four times longer than it had taken his mother and younger sister. It was so embarrassing, and even when he finally gained the ability to blend his entire body with his surroundings, he could never change the colour of his stripe no matter how hard he tried.

It always ate away at him, and to make matters worse, his parents had an alarming definition of what being supportive was. While his father would always scold him for not learning fast enough, his mother would try tirelessly to get him to master the camouflage technique, wanting him to get it down before adulthood.

Unable to tolerate it anymore, Kecleon ran away from home in the hopes that he could figure it out on his own. In fact, the whole reason he had even joined the side of evil was because he figured this would give him more of a reason therefor it would motivate him to finally get it down completely.

Clearly he had still failed to do so. The only reason his allies had not kicked him out was because unlike most villains, Missingno and the others were not heartless and cared about their allies as if they were family. And when they were not performing evil tasks, they gave him the support he wished his parents had given him.

Rather than scolding him or pushing him to the next limit, they simply told him he tried his best and assured him he would master the camouflage some day at his own pace. Not only that, but he was at least able to take out guards and other minor threats with his stealth, so he was still an asset to the team.

But this was not good enough. Unlike all the other assignments, something really major was on the line. With that in mind, Kecleon gritted his teeth and spat, "I'M NOT GOING TO LOSE!" his entire body blending in with the ground, Gallade's eyes widening when he noticed the stripe vanish.

Kecleon looked down at that very spot and noticed this as well, a big smile forming as he quickly got up, a wicked grin on his face. He had finally done it. He had mastered the camouflage technique. Now nothing would stand in his way.

With that in mind, the chameleon sprinted toward Gallade who was unable to figure out he was there. Once he got close enough, he sent a karate chop into Gallade's cheek, the boy's head turning sideways as he rubbed the spot.

After taking another strike to his other cheek, the boy swung his arm sideways only to end up missing as Kecleon sent a roundhouse into the back of his head. Sure, due to his lack of physical strength, these hits were a tad on the weak side, but as long as Gallade was unable to prevent them from hitting him, that hardly mattered.

Blaziken and Gardevoir, all the while, were backing up in order to get away from their opponents and think up a plan. Luckily, Blaziken already seemed to have one as she noticed Gardevoir's fear, saying, "Don't look so discouraged, okay? I got me a plan that'll guarantee us victory."

Gardevoir looked at her with big eyes as the chicken said, "You've done a very good job up to this point. Don't start wimping out on me now. I can't even remember the last time I saw you scared during a match, even in the face of defeat."

While that was certainly true, Gardevoir had only lost to other heroes before so she was okay with that. However, these were two villains who could potentially kill them both and Gardevoir was not sure if she could deal with death just yet.

Lucario could sense this as he let out a sigh, saying, "Gardevoir, trust in Blaziken," the girl biting her lip as the dog added, "She's right. You've done an incredible job. Up to this point, I have not seen you as the type to give up after being struck."

Blaziken nodded and added, "Yeah, and when you lost in the past, you didn't let it get you down. You instead made yourself stronger so such a thing wouldn't happen again."

Gardevoir smiled lightly and nodded, a look of confidence forming. They were both right. After winning her fight against Scrafty, the girl felt motivated to try harder. When she found out about her power, she used it as a reason to toughen herself up so she would not have to rely on it all the time. Where was this sudden lack of confidence coming from? She certainly could not figure it out.

With that in mind, she glanced at Blaziken and asked, "What do you want me to do?" the chicken saying, "We're gonna finish off that sword girl first. She's clearly the strongest of the two, and with her shield gone, we can do it," Gardevoir nodding as the chicken added, "I'm going to need you to throw me again, only this time spin me around and then fling me feet-first toward her. It's a long shot, but if done right, it should be able to finish the job."

Gardevoir would have felt nervous about the idea if not for the fact that Blaziken was rather light in weight. And besides, the girl had managed to lift her up even after the chicken had jumped onto her hands. This could very well work.

"Okay, I am tired of all this talking," Aegislash groaned, Blitzle asking, "Should we just finish them off now? We could have done so while they were talking," the sword nodding when suddenly, she sported a look of confusion when Gardevoir took hold of Blaziken's hands, lifting her up and swinging her around like a spinning top.

Blaziken's feet then caught flame as Blitzle gulped, uttering, "I'm afraid to try hitting them," Aegislash nodding and saying, "Don't bother. You might get hit by that. I'll take care of this," but just as she was about to prepare her own countermeasure, Gardevoir saw this as just the right moment, the girl releasing her hold on Blaziken as she flew toward Aegislash while shouting, "ROARING PHOENIX!"

At that moment, the fire surrounding her feet formed a phoenix head as she rammed hard into the sword's face, her eye wide open and her arms spread out. With that, Aegislash fell backward and hit the ground hard, her eye closing as everyone stared in silence.

Blaziken took a deep breath and stared at her, Blitzle exclaiming, "OH MY GOD! YOU MURDERED HER!" before running to the sword's side and whimpering, "Alas, she was so young!" Blaziken rolling her eyes and grunting, "Please, she's not dead. I just knocked her out," the zebra hearing a small heart beat and blinking before saying, "Oh, yes, of course."

However, before he could do a thing, Gardevoir ran behind him and wrapped her arms around him, saying, "I hate to take advantage of you like this, but we need to get going," the zebra groaning, "I understand, but let it be known we almost defeated you!" Blaziken groaning, "I'm ashamed to admit he's actually right about that."

With that, Gardevoir took a deep breath, looking back to her training with Psyla. One thing the wolf did teach her was a new finishing move that she knew the girl could pull off. It was not exactly a highly advanced technique or anything, but it would still be effective as the girl knelt down, propelling herself gracefully into the air and twirling her body around like a dancer.

Once high enough, she flipped herself over and spat, "TORNADO BUSTER!" spinning toward the ground and sending Blitzle's head hard into the surface, the zebra gritting his teeth as blood tried to escape from his mouth, his eyes wide with shock before the girl released him, allowing him to collapse.

All went silent as it seemed Gardevoir's initial theory had been correct, much to her relief. She would not have to end Blitzle's life as his unconscious state was more than enough for the electricity surrounding Lucario and Talonflame to disappear.

Lucario smiled at the girls as Talonflame exclaimed, "Alright! I knew you could do it!" before sighing, "I had to be rescued by someone," Lucario rolling his eyes and patting him on the shoulder.

Even so, both Gardevoir and Blaziken were relieved as the chicken turned to Talonflame and smiled, saying, "Thanks for the encouragement. I hate to admit it, but your words actually helped."

The falcon blinked and asked, "Really?" the chicken nodding and saying, "Yeah, I already trusted you when Gardevoir saw honesty in you, but now I know for sure that you're not pretending," the chicken holding out her hand as the falcon smirked, shaking it.

At that exact moment, a familiar high-pitched voice entered the area, squealing, "OH MY GOD, WE FINALLY FOUND YOU GUYS!" the others turning to see Aipom running toward them and breathing heavily, Gardevoir squeaking, "Aipom!? What are you doing here!?" the monkey pointing a tail finger behind her and replying, "Looking out for him."

Everyone went wide-eyed when they noticed Machoke along with Octillery and Gothitelle standing there, though their gaze was mainly focused on the boy right now. Gardevoir bit her lower lip, tears welling up in her eyes as she ran over, squealing, "MACHOKE!" running into him and wrapping her arms around him, Machoke wincing as his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, the boy groaning, "Have you gotten stronger?"

The girl released her hug and sniffed, "Sorry," before holding his shoulders and adding, "Why did you run away?" Blaziken folding her arms and sighing, "Yeah, that's a good question. Everyone was worried sick about you."

Machoke laughed nervously and replied, "Sorry about that. It's just-" only for Lucario to cut in, the dog asking, "Was it because of me?"

The boy turned, his eyes going wide. Sure, he had tried to convince himself that he had forgiven Lucario for beating him, that he had accepted the dog as a friend and yet just looking at him at this exact moment filled him up with a great deal of negativity. But why?

However, it seemed to leave as he grinned, fibbing, "Of course not. Glad to have you on the team," Talonflame smirking and saying, "I'm on the team too, kid," Machoke and Aipom both staring in shock as Gardevoir nodded, saying, "Don't worry. He's not tricking us," the boy and monkey both shrugging and saying, "If Gardevoir says so, it must be true."

Blaziken then took a good look at Octillery and Gothitelle, the octopus waving happily as the goth gave a light one, Machoke turning to them and saying, "Oh yeah, this is Octillery and Gothitelle. They helped me get here," Gothitelle nodding and adding, "We're also going to help you fight."

Octillery shook her head and remarked, "That sounds so unenthusiastic!" the goth sighing, "You know I'm not the kind of person who emotes when talking."

Machoke took a deep breath and said, "Anyway, I'm over my personal issues. I'm just here to help my best friends in the whole world out right now," Gardevoir smiling bright as Blaziken rolled her eyes, stating, "We'll forgive you this time, but next time you run out on us without saying anything, we might just consider booting you off the team."

Machoke panicked as Gardevoir squeaked, "Really!?" the chicken chuckling and saying, "Come on, I thought you two had a sense of humour," both narrowing their eyelids and retorting, "I didn't think that was funny."

Either way, the conversation would have to end as Machoke asked, "Hey, where's Gallade?" Gardevoir squeaking, "Oh no, he ran off to fight the bad guys by himself!" all going silent as Aipom screeched, "OH MY GOD, HE'S GONNA GET HIMSELF KILLED!" the group just about to race off when Octillery noticed Throh and Sawk lying there, asking, "Should we leave these two here?"

Blaziken nodded and replied, "That's a good point," the octopus smiling and saying, "Don't you guys worry about a thing. I'll carry them back," Blaziken shaking her head and replying, "Thanks for the offer, but Gardevoir and I just finished a really difficult fight. As much as it pains me to admit it, we might not have enough strength to deal with another one, so I'll take them back."

"Are you sure you don't need me to help out?" Gardevoir asked as Blaziken shook her head, saying, "Oh no, your brother's gonna need all the support he can get," before thinking, 'Not to mention Machoke.'

Gardevoir nodded as the chicken humped the brothers over her shoulders and ran off with them, though she was running slower than usual. Not only was it the extra weight but the damage she had taken in earlier had not been helping things.

Even so, the rest of the group wished her the best of luck before taking off. And Blaziken was right. Gallade would definitely need their help, especially with how things were going for him right now.

 

While things were finally looking up for most of the team, Gallade was still taking in a beating from Kecleon. Now that the chameleon had finally mastered the camouflage technique, the boy had no way to see him.

Gallade gritted his teeth when he ended up taking in a karate chop to his cheek followed by a punch to the forehead. And of course, every time he tried to strike back, Kecleon would quickly change to a different location and deliver another strike.

His attacks were not powerful by any means. His physical strength had always been lacking due to his genetics. But even so, Gallade did not have a particularly muscular build, so they still dealt damage to him and since he could not fight back, he was doomed to go down in due time anyway.

'No,' the boy thought, 'There has to be a way to figure this out. He may be fast, but I'm fast too. I was able to keep up with him easily before,' the boy taking another strike to his cheek.

However, he was so lost in thought now that he ignored the pain, taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Come on, think.'

After taking in a few more strikes, his eyes widened as he thought, 'That's it! It's the most obvious and overused of all tactics! Why didn't I think of it sooner!?' Kecleon all the while filled with more confidence than ever before as he smirked wickedly.

With that, Gallade closed his eyes and blocked out all senses except for hearing. And just as he predicted, he was now able to detect Kecleon while the chameleon ran toward him. With that, he waited for the sound of footsteps to stop before swinging his arm to the right, a smile forming when he actually felt something.

The chameleon's eyes were wide open as he was sent flying into a stone, Gallade grinning and exclaiming, "YEAH! I RULE!" Kecleon thinking, 'Dammit, that was the most obvious trick in the book! How did I not see that coming!?'

Now he needed a new approach. If he kept running at Gallade, he just knew the boy would likely use that tactic again. However, it did not take him long to come up with something new as he smirked wickedly, once again sprinting toward Gallade.

The boy closed his eyes once more, hearing the incoming footsteps coming from in front of him this time as he waited for the sound to stop. When the running did stop, he figured Kecleon had leapt toward him as he crossed his arms only to feel something slimy wrap around his midsection, his eyes widening.

Kecleon returned to his normal colours as he smirked, saying, "You must be stupid if you think I'd fall for such an obvious trick twice!" the chameleon leaning his head back and lifting Gallade high into the air before shouting, "CHAMELEON SUPLEX!" slamming the boy's skull hard into the ground.

Gallade rolled his body around so he was now on his belly before trying to push himself up. However, Kecleon refused to let him do so as he proceeded to latch his tongue on the boy's neck, now pulling on it as he cried out in pain, the chameleon jumping onto his feet in order to hold him in place.

During this time, Beedrill had been flying for some time when suddenly, he caught sight of a certain butterfly scouting the area. For some reason, just the sight of Butterfree sent a surge of anger down his spine, but the wasp shook his head as he needed to be more professional about this. Either way, he had a feeling she was one of the villains who entered and as such, the wasp flew at her with his arm stingers pointed out only for the butterfly to see it coming just in time to dodge to the side, her eyes wide with shock.

"What the hell was that!?" she spat before getting a good look at her attacker, blinking and asking, "Beedrill? Is that you?" tilting her head to the side as the wasp turned toward her and said, "Yeah, it's me."

The butterfly groaned and shook her head, sighing, "I should have known you'd come here, especially now that you're a pawn of the government," Beedrill retorting, "Says the one following orders!"

"I'll have you know that I joined my master by my own free will," Butterfree remarked, "Meanwhile, you simply discovered a family connection and decided to become a goody-two-shoes because of it," Beedrill barking, "I was considering being good before I discovered I was the chairman's son!"

Butterfree shrugging and said, "And where exactly has it gotten you? Throughout the entire Hero Olympics, you did whatever your father told you to do without question."

"Well, I'm not doing that anymore!" Beedrill spat as the butterfly sighed, "Who are you trying to kid? He probably told you to join the heroes and help them beat us, didn't he?" the wasp shaking his head and explaining, "Actually, it's against the rules for really high-status government officials to fight evil. Apparently, we're too valuable to be risking our lives."

Butterfree was now really interested as the wasp continued, "Personally, I don't understand that at all. We're supposed to uphold peace and justice. I still want to be good, but I just can't agree with a rule like that, so I came here on my own free will."

Butterfree blinked and folded her arms, saying, "Well, I'll admit, that is certainly ballsy of you," before shrugging and adding, "Even so, if you were really your own man, you'd return to the side of evil," Beedrill scowling and remarking, "That will never happen! And besides, I know for a fact you wouldn't want me back on your side anyway!"

The butterfly blinked and replied, "You know, now that you mention it, that's true. I guess this is for the best," a wicked smile forming as she added, "Now I finally have an excuse to kill you."

There was a reason for both acting so malicious right now, and it was that both had always been spiteful toward each-other. Butterfree had always hated Beedrill for his superior physical strength while Beedrill despised Butterfree for always outdoing him when it came to movement and grace.

Both always felt that they had been born to fight each-other someday in a battle to the death, and now that they were on different sides, it seemed their assumption might very well have been true. They had hated each-other since their first meeting and now was their chance to put it all to rest.

During this time, Weedle was having lunch with a honeybee with lightning bolt-like stripes along her abdomen and electrical sparks as antennae. She also had purple eyes and was currently enjoying some honey-flavoured tea.

"It's been so long," Weedle said, Elebuzz nodding and replying, "Yes, I have to admit, I was wondering if you'd ever call me up again," before sighing, "Though a part of me was hoping you wouldn't."

Weedle gave her an odd look as she sighed, "I know you're fully aware of the reason," the caterpillar nodding and saying, "Right. I wasn't completely sure you were referring to that," noticing a look of shame on the bee's face as he uttered, "But I'm over it. Don't worry about me. I forgive you."

"But it wasn't right!" Elebuzz exclaimed, "You were clearly drunk and I just saw that as the perfect opportunity!" Weedle shaking his head and saying, "It's thanks to that night I now have a wonderful successor who's currently doing more than any other chairman has ever done before."

"That still doesn't justify my actions!" the bee replied, a light tear running down her cheek as she sniffed, "I'm so proud of him. It's just a shame he had to be evil first, but I'm glad he's doing the right thing now."

Weedle nodded and rose his tail up onto the table before saying, "You know, I think I was a fool. That awkward event could have been avoided if I had just said yes. You are a very nice woman."

Elebuzz's eyes widened, her cheeks turning bright pink. Was he really suggesting what she thought he was? She just wanted to accept his offer right here and now as she held out her right arm, bringing it close to his tail.

However, she stopped herself and shook her head, sighing, "No, I don't deserve you," Weedle remarking, "Are you kidding?"

Then lowering one eyelid, he asked, "You married someone already, didn't you?" Elebuzz shaking her head and sighing, "Actually, no, I never even thought about dating anyone else," Weedle then uttering, "Okay, I'm confused."

"It's not you, okay?" Elebuzz replied, Weedle letting out a sigh as she added, "And I'm not like other girls who just say that to make the guy feel better. It really isn't you," the caterpillar sighing again as he figured she must be blaming herself, the bee stating, "Back then, I would have said it was me, but at this point, I just don't feel that spark anymore. I'm happy with things the way they are now and I know you're doing very well for yourself, so I'd be happy to just be friends."

Weedle shrugged his tail before replying, "Well, I guess that's life," before chuckling a bit and adding, "Though you wouldn't mind if I dropped by to visit every now and then, would you?" Elebuzz nodding and replying, "That would be lovely. I'll make you my special blend of tea when that happens."

The bee then blinked and asked, "You remember where I live, right?" the caterpillar nodding and replying, "I make it my duty to remember the addresses of all my friends and co-workers."

Elebuzz let out a light chuckle as the two were enjoying their time together, Weedle really hoping he would get a chance to pay her a visit. After all, he knew that if Giratina succeeded in whatever he was planning, that would never happen.

All the while, Beedrill and Butterfree had started their fight as Beedrill soared toward Butterfree once again with his stingers out. However, the butterfly gracefully dodged to the side, the wasp distracted as she flew at him, ramming her skull into his back. With that, she proceeded to wrap her arms around him, which was easy with his midsection being thin as a twig.

Beedrill's eyes widened as the butterfly flew backwards, aiming his head toward one of the sideways landforms. Since the world's laws of gravity did not apply to them, Butterfree's direction did not change in the slightest as she rammed Beedrill's head hard against the surface.

The wasp fumed as the butterfly said, "I heard this was the second move you fell victim to in your match with Machoke. I'm amazed you didn't come up with a countermeasure yet," Beedrill retorting, "SHUT UP!" lifting up his legs and getting ready to strike Butterfree's feet. Unfortunately, the butterfly saw this coming a mile away and released her hold on him before flying away.

'Dammit!' Beedrill thought, 'She can't be better than me!' the wasp then sighing as he thought, 'Then again, I haven't exactly fought let alone trained in a while.'

With that in mind, he knew he would need to come up with a good strategy. Butterfree was quicker than he was and more graceful when it came to her movements. That made her difficult to hit, especially when rushing blindly. And unfortunately, Beedrill had always been rash in combat.

During his fight with Machoke, that had been his biggest weakness. As Gallade had pointed out, his form was sloppy. He had relied on the strength of his stingers and the fact that he could fly to win the match for him. He had not really come up with any complex ideas or anything like that and right now, this was costing him the fight.

With that, there was no doubt in the wasp's mind that he would need to change his tactics. As such, he took a deep breath and stopped moving, Butterfree staring blankly at him as he said, "You know what? You're right about me."

The butterfly stared suspiciously as the wasp added, "You've always been superior to me in every way possible. I clearly don't stand a chance. Just end it now. There's no point in me trying," Butterfree smiling with a boastful look in her eyes as she replied, "I have waited so long to hear you admit that."

When it came to competing with Beedrill, Butterfree had always been extremely boastful and full of herself. Whenever she would outdo him at something during training, she would devote at least five minutes to rubbing it in his face. And whenever Beedrill outdid her at something, she claimed to be too good for that sort of thing or blamed it on luck.

Needless to say, hearing Beedrill call her superior to him was music to her. With that in mind, the butterfly backed up a bit while saying, "I'll make this quick and painless," before spinning her body around, a small tornado surrounding her as she exclaimed, "WHIRLWIND!" flying toward Beedrill with her skull pointed toward his midsection.

Beedrill took a deep breath, watching her closely as he thought, 'I'll do as Machoke did and wait for an opening,' Butterfree soon close enough as the wasp sent his stingers toward her head, shouting, "TWIN NEEDLE!"

Just hearing those words was enough for Butterfree to know what was coming as she halted her attack just in time to avoid having her skull pierced. However, she did not react in time to avoid having the tips run straight into her skull, small holes forming as green blood flew out, the butterfly crying out in pain.

"For far too long, I've relied on my natural abilities," Beedrill said, taking a deep breath and adding, "And because of that, I would have definitely lost to you if we fought back in the day," Butterfree trying to rub her forehead only to find that her lack of arms made this difficult, the wasp adding, "But today, I'm gonna use my head for a change. Let's see you deal with that."

While things were certainly looking up for Beedrill, the same could not be said for Gallade as Kecleon continued to whale on him, sending a variety of hits with his tongue while standing still. The boy had managed to escape from his submission hold but it hardly seemed worth it right now.

Sure, Kecleon would move around every now and then so Gallade would not catch onto his position, but the boy could not take advantage of this as every time he readied himself for a counterattack, Kecleon would stop and send an attack his way. As if that was not bad enough, the chameleon was also very quick to whip out these moves, leaving Gallade with very little time to react.

And once again, Kecleon had moved in order to avoid Gallade's detection when the boy leapt at the spot he had been standing in before shouting, "PSYCHO CUT!" sending an X-shaped slash with his arm blades.

Of course, this had failed as Kecleon stopped at a small distance from him before shouting, "TONGUE SPEAR!" letting loose his tongue and sending the tip hard into the boy's cheek. Gallade coughed up a bit of blood as he stumbled, the boy barely managing to stay up right now.

Gallade's eyes were twitching now as he thought, 'Okay, Gallade, think! You're better than this! You can do it! You once beat an opponent with vastly superior strength! This guy is nothing!'

His eyes then went wide when he remembered he had a move that was guaranteed to hit anything that got close to it no matter what direction it came from. And it was one he learned from watching Bisharp and while not an original move, it was still effective nonetheless. With that in mind, the boy took a deep breath and closed his eyes when Kecleon started running again, waiting for the moment where the footsteps stopped.

'He's getting desperate,' the chameleon thought with a smirk, 'He knows that's not gonna work and yet he's trying it anyway! What a moron!'

However, when Kecleon whipped out his tongue again, Gallade stood on his tip-toes and spun like a top with his arm blades pointed out, shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!" Kecleon's tongue running straight into one of the blades, the cut coming open and bleeding as he cried out in pain, the tongue snapping back into his mouth as his camouflage was dropped.

Gallade smirked and thought, 'Perfect!' before leaping at the chameleon, shouting, "THIS ENDS HERE! PSYCHO CUT!" only for the chameleon to ignore the pain to his tongue and lash it out in a spiral formation, binding Gallade's wrists in place.

The boy's eyes and mouth were now hanging open as the chameleon threw his head back, shouting, "CHAMELEON SUPLEX!" sending the boy head-first into a rock, Gallade's eyes swirling as he slid down the side of it, falling on his head.

His lower body collapsed as he was now lying unconscious on his belly, Kecleon rubbing the tip of his tongue and whimpering, "Don't worry, Daddy's here for you."

However, while Kecleon's tongue was in excruciating pain, he still had a good reason to be happy as Gallade was out cold. The chameleon breathed a sigh of relief before peering over the edge of the land form they were on, noticing there was nothing but a swirling vortex below. This meant that if he threw Gallade over the edge, the hero would be gone forever.

But just as he was about to finish the job, he heard a young girl scream, "GALLADE!" the chameleon turning, his eyes and mouth wide open at the sight of the other heroes standing there, save for Blaziken, Throh and Sawk as the chicken was carrying the brothers back.

Machoke's eyes were wide as he said, "Thank god we made it in time," Aipom nodding and uttering, "Yeah, funny how things often seem to work that way for us," Kecleon gulping until he remembered how easy things were now that his camouflage had finally been mastered.

With that in mind, the chameleon smirked and said, "Go ahead, try and stop me. You'll all meet the same fate as this fool soon enough," Gardevoir biting her lip and wanting desperately to avenge her brother right now when Machoke rested a hand on her shoulder, saying, "You've taken in a lot of pain recently."

The girl stared at him when Aipom said, "He's right. If you fought him right now, I'm not sure you'd last," the girl about to retort when she sighed, realizing they were right. Besides, there were five others to take them on, not counting Aipom as the monkey still felt she was not ready to take on a villain for real.

Lucario and Talonflame looked eager to step up when Kecleon noticed them, his jaw dropping as he thought, 'Oh no, I didn't see those two there! What have I gotten myself into!?' before Octillery gave a proud smile, saying, "Don't waste your efforts, guys. I'll take this one," Machoke asking, "You sure?"

The octopus nodded and replied, "It's a well-known fact that you, Lucario and Talonflame are the three most powerful members of our team. As such, it only stands to reason that you should save yourselves for opponents who are at full strength," Gothitelle remarking, "By that logic, I should be the one fighting, but okay," Talonflame shrugging and saying, "Well, I can't argue with that logic."

Lucario nodded and added, "Besides, I remember this guy being a pathetic wimp. He seems the type someone like Gallade should be able to beat. This victory has to have been a fluke," Gardevoir giving him puppy eyes and asking, "Was that supposed to be a compliment or an insult?"

Kecleon took a deep breath, smirking and saying, "I'll have you know I'm no longer the pathetic scrub I used to be, especially now that I've finally mastered my camouflage!" Lucario and Talonflame staring as the falcon uttered, "Wait, you mean you can actually hide that stupid stripe of yours, now?" the chameleon nodding and replying, "That's right."

Lucario and Talonflame then turned toward Gallade, saying, "Now it makes sense," Octillery shrugging and replying, "Oh well, that hardly matters to me," Kecleon remarking, "You'll be eating those words soon enough!"

Gothitelle all the while was thinking that she really should have partaken in this instead, especially if Octillery's opponent could turn invisible. However, Machoke looked fully confident and gave the octopus thumbs up, wishing her the best of results. The others also cheered her on as Kecleon saw it as useless noise.

With all said and done, Octillery struck a fighter's pose when Kecleon vanished, the chameleon sprinting around the area before stopping and whipping out his tongue, wrapping it around Octillery's side. Everyone stared when they noticed her torso shrinking in a bit, all of them staring in horror as they knew what this meant.

However, the octopus did not look in the least bit intimidated as Kecleon attempted to lift her up for his suplex only to find himself unable to. The octopus laughed and said, "I can feel you trying to lift me. That's cute," Machoke blinking and uttering, "He's actually trying to lift her? Is he stupid or something?" Lucario and Talonflame shrugging.

"You'll need to be stronger than that to pull such a feat off," the octopus said before placing her tentacles against where she could feel his tongue.

Kecleon's eyes widened as he lost his focus and turned visible, the octopus standing on the tips of her tentacles and spinning. This caused the tongue to tighten around her while the chameleon was pulled in.

His eyes were wide open as he was sent face-first into her upper tentacles, taking in multiple slaps to the face. After taking in twenty hits, the chameleon unravelled his tongue when Octillery knelt down, saying, "I hate to end this so quickly, but we're in a hurry," expelling ink from her mouth as it covered her entire body.

With that, the octopus propelled herself toward Kecleon with her skull pointed outward, shouting, "OCTAZOOKA!" hitting the chameleon hard in the gut as he coughed up blood, flying back-first into a rock, his eyes closed as he passed out, his tongue sticking out the side of his mouth.

All went silent as no one could believe how easy that had been. Sure, Kecleon had taken in damage from Gallade prior to this, but even so, it really should not have been this simple. Either way, things were at least starting to look up now.

 

Everyone stared at Kecleon's unconscious body as Octillery turned to them, blinking and saying, "Hey, guys, we'd probably better get going now. Who knows how much time we have left?" the group nodding as Machoke uttered, "Yeah, of course," the heroes staring at one-another, still trying to wrap their heads around how quickly the fight had ended.

Gardevoir then squeaked before saying, "Guys, we can't just leave my brother here," Machoke nodding as the girl wasted no time trying to lift Gallade over her shoulders.

However, despite all the strength she had built up over time, she seemed to be struggling as Octillery shook her head, saying, "Don't push yourself. I'll take him back."

"But-" the girl uttered, Aipom saying, "Yeah, no offence to Gardevoir, but you're in far better condition to be fighting than she is," the octopus simply winking at the monkey and whispering, "I know that, but for Machoke's sake, this needs to be done."

The monkey took a while to understand before shrugging and saying, "Well, she is stronger and she just finished a fight," Machoke remarking, "Are you insinuating that Gardevoir's not good enough?" the girl nodding and pouting as Lucario shook his head, saying, "We don't have time to argue, okay? Let's just keep going."

With that in mind, the group shrugged as Aipom and Gothitelle could tell where Octillery was going with this. Just from watching Machoke's fights in the Olympics, she could tell that Gardevoir had this strange, positive influence on the boy that motivated him to fight better. With her around, the boy would certainly stand more of a chance.

And with all said and done, the group was off, now minus five of the heroes who had entered. Even so, with only five villains left and one of them being unable to fight, this still looked favourable for them.

Speaking of which, Butterfree was still trying to shake off the pain to her skull as Beedrill readied himself for another attack. However, the butterfly was not going to give him a chance as she flew toward him, performing aerial ballet as a means of catching him off-guard. However, Beedrill had wanted her to come at him as he watched her pattern.

Just as she got close enough, the wasp threw his arms out and spun like a twister, shouting, "PIN TWISTER!" Butterfree once again flying straight into his arm stingers, her head bleeding even more as she backed up, trying not to release tears as she tried to rub her forehead, once again failing to do so.

"I told you," Beedrill stated with a serious look, "I'm using my head for once. You're not getting the drop on me again, got it?" Butterfree taking a deep breath, now ignoring the pain as she glared at the wasp, saying, "You think ramming my head into you is all I got, don't you?"

"Well, yeah," the wasp remarked, "When we were training, quite literally all you could do was fly into your opponents and use the occasional grappling move. Your speed made it work to your advantage, sure, but you were never able to pull off more than that."

"Actually, I've always had more abilities," Butterfree remarked with a smirk, "It's just that I like to save these techniques for serious battles. After all, you can't just go around showing off every technique you have, and with so many villains turning good, it seems I made a smart choice keeping them hidden."

"Well, if you really have them, why don't you prove it?" Beedrill remarked before flying at Butterfree as she sighed, "If you insist."

Thus she flew toward him while flapping her wings in a rhythmic fashion. She rose herself high enough to soar over the wasp as an orange powder fell from her wings while she said, "Stun Spore," the wasp asking, "That was your plan? To fly over me?"

However, when he was about to turn and pursue the butterfly, his eyes widened when he found himself unable to move. This was more than enough for the butterfly to ram her feet hard into the wasp's back, sending him flying hard into one of the sideways land forms.

Butterfree giggled wickedly as Beedrill turned and glared, asking, "What did you do?" the butterfly replying, "It's quite simple, actually. I covered you in a special powder known as my Stun Spore. It has a paralysing effect that works at random meaning at any given time, it'll stop you from moving, but again, it's random and only lasts a few seconds, so there's no guarantee as to how much it will hinder your performance."

The wasp fumed as he was unsure of how to get this powder off of him. He could not exactly see it meaning it was likely stuck to his skin really badly. Even so, he would have to make due and hope that it would not prevent him from winning.

With that in mind, the wasp flew at the butterfly as she easily dodged it only for Beedrill to swing his arm to the right. But just as he was about to strike Butterfree's side, he grimaced when once again, the spores had taken effect and he found himself unable to move. And of course, Butterfree took full advantage of this as she kicked him once more, sending him careening into another land form.

Beedrill fumed, his body shaking with fury as he thought, 'Okay, this is really annoying!'

Before he could even think of a counter measure, Butterfree was now flying toward him with her skull pointed outward. After her Stun Spore had saved her twice, it seemed she was now convinced that Beedrill would be unable to fight back, the butterfly getting closer as Beedrill took a deep breath, crossing his arm stingers in front of himself. He did not even try coming up with a counterattack in the fear that the spores would stop him from using it.

And soon enough, Butterfree got close as Beedrill tried waving his elbows, his eyes widening as he could still move. With that in mind, the wasp threw his stingers out in an X formation, Butterfree panicking as she barely stopped in time to avoid taking a hit to her skull, positioning herself upright. However, she did not stop fast enough to prevent herself from moving forward, getting close enough to take a small X-shaped cut to her abdomen.

The butterfly backed up and breathed heavily, saying, "Right, I forgot it doesn't always work when I want it to," Beedrill taking a deep breath, thinking, 'Lucky me,' the wasp then resuming his flight but knowing he would need to be careful.

After all, he might not be so lucky a second time. The spores had already hindered him at two crucial moments. Who was to say it would not happen again?

During this time, Missingno was standing before Giratina, the dragon currently in a deep slumber while a dark aura surrounded him. While his appearance had not changed in the slightest, Missingno could certainly detect a change in him, the boy grinning while Absol stood by his side.

The boy then turned to the wolf and asked, "I lost track. How much time do we have left?" Absol tapping his chin while thinking, 'If only there was a sun and a moon in here,' slowly but surely realizing how long Giratina had been asleep before saying, "It has been five hours and thirteen minutes since he fell asleep. That means we have two hours and forty-seven minutes to go," Missingno folding his arms and sighing, "I wish it could happen faster."

As if that was not enough, the boy had been getting very bad feelings as of late, as if he knew his allies were dropping like flies. He really hoped his hunch was untrue as he was not the kind to pick weaklings for his team. And besides, how could any backup heroes possibly arrive in time to help the others?

Of course, his suspicions were correct as the heroes were headed forward, Machoke groaning, "How long does this place go for?" Talonflame sighing, "I hate to say it, but I agree. This is getting really annoying. I just wanna pound someone's head in already," Lucario rolling his eyes.

While the group carried on, they were closing in on the land form Mawile had been assigned to. Currently, the girl was pacing back and forth with her arms behind her back as she sighed, "Who would have guessed guard duty would be so boring?"

The girl then took a deep breath and added, "I guess I should be grateful. I'm willing to bet those heroes will never show up. I could take a nap right now and it wouldn't make any difference. At the very least, it would have been nice to have some company," her hair letting out a growling noise as she blinked, smiling softly and raising her hand, stroking it against the demonic hair and saying, "Sorry, I wasn't thinking when I said that."

Mawile then proceeded to sit down as she asked, "Do you think we made the right decision?" the hair making grunting sounds as she sighed, "I'm wondering if we're really doing the right thing," the hair letting out more grunts as she smiled, saying, "Yeah, you'll never leave my side no matter what."

At that moment, her eyes widened when the group was closing in ahead of her, the hair letting out a series of low growls. Mawile nodded and put on a serious look, saying, "Right," before turning and looking shocked. As if it was not surprising enough that anyone had actually managed to make it past the others but there were six figures heading toward her.

Even so, the girl took a deep breath and figured she may as well keep at least one of them busy. After all, she was the last line of defence keeping the heroes away from Giratina with Absol and Missingno being in that exact vicinity. She could not let them down.

Once the heroes landed on the land form, they stopped dead in their tracks when Mawile put on a serious look before saying, "You've done well to make it this far, but now you have Mawile to deal with!" Machoke's eyes widening when he noticed her ponytail turn to face them, grinning wickedly as the boy exclaimed, "OH MY GOD!" ducking behind Aipom and trembling while uttering, "Scary!"

Aipom would have rolled her eyes but even she was rather frightened by this. She had heard legends of a demon known as a futakuchi-onna, but she would have never believed they were real until now. Though considering Mawile was not a species originating from Earth, it should have made sense.

Even Gardevoir was scared as Lucario asked, "Ever heard of this Mawile?" Talonflame shaking his head and replying, "No, she must have joined after we left," and this seemed to be true as Mawile did not look the least bit intimidated by their presence.

However, it was not long until her eyes widened, the girl pointing at Lucario and shouting, "OH MY GOD, YOUR THE HERO OLYMPICS CHAMPION!" the dog blinking as Talonflame said, "So you do know who he is. What about me?" Mawile tilting her head to the side and replying, "Um, who are you?" the falcon's beak dropped as Machoke smirked.

"Sorry, but you have been out of the spotlight for a while," the boy said as he grinned, Mawile asking, "Wait, who are you supposed to be?" the boy gasping before kneeling down by the edge of the land form, sniffing, "I can usually at least count on the villains to remember my name."

Mawile rolled her eyes and sported a serious look, shouting, "Champion aside, don't think for a minute that I'm just gonna sit back and let you all pass! I'll take you all at once if I have to!" Gothitelle taking a deep breath and thinking about the situation at hand. Unlike Machoke, Gardevoir and Aipom, she was in no way frightened by Mawile's hair.

With that in mind, the goth stepped forward and said, "You guys go on ahead. I'll take this," Machoke turning his head toward her and asking, "Are you sure?" the goth nodding and replying, "I'm willing to bet that the last three of these villains will be the strongest, so it only stands to reason that the strongest should go ahead."

"Once again, she makes a sound point," Talonflame said as Lucario nodded, Machoke thinking, 'I'm still not use to these two acting so buddy-buddy! It's weird!'

The boy then took a deep breath and said, "Do your best," grinning as the goth smiled lightly, directing the group to go on ahead as they did just that, Mawile gulping while thinking, 'Okay, at the very least, I'll take down one of them. That way, I won't end up disappointing Missingno too much.'

Her mouth gave her light growling sounds as she smiled, feeling a tad more confident while Gothitelle took a deep breath, saying nothing and striking a fighter pose. She may not have seemed to care as much as the others, but like Mawile, Gothitelle did not wish to let her friends down and as such, she would do her absolute best to make sure the demon girl lost.

Meanwhile, Beedrill was flying in place, waiting for Butterfree to try making a move as the butterfly examined him. After a few seconds, she noticed Beedrill's wings stop as the wasp uttered, "Oh no," the butterfly thinking, 'Perfect,' before soaring toward him and ramming her head into his abdomen.

The wasp winced, a bit of green blood escaping from his mouth as he thought, 'No, there has to be a way to get rid of these spores,' his movement returning as he flapped his wings vigorously, flying all over the place.

Butterfree stared as this seemed ineffective, the wasp then rubbing his body against a sideways land form, hoping to scrape them off. After a few seconds, the butterfly caught onto his plan and giggled wickedly, saying, "Don't bother. Those spores can't be removed. They'll eventually fade away, but that won't happen for at least nine hours and you'll probably be dead before that happens."

Beedrill's eyes widened as his body once again stopped moving, Butterfree sending a hard kick into his gut. With that, the butterfly proceeded to back up and spin while a small twister formed around her, her head pointed at Beedrill's gut as she flew hard into his abdomen, shouting, "WHIRLWIND!" Beedrill coughed up more blood as a small crack formed on the land form he was pressed up against.

"I'll admit, you put up a descent fight, but that wasn't enough," Butterfree said with a smirk as she turned and was about to resume flying. However, while she was getting ready to patrol some more, she failed to noticed Beedrill still moving, the wasp taking many deep breaths.

He noticed the spores were stunting his movement, but he knew that whenever this happened, they would always take a short break. He knew the minimum amount of time would be more than enough for him to counter, so when his movement returned, he wasted no time flying toward Butterfree with his arm stingers pointed out, the wasp spinning like a drill.

"TWIN NEEDLE DRILL!" Beedrill spat, Butterfree's eyes widening when she felt his stingers hit her back hard, green blood flying from it as she swerved to the right just in time to avoid having the injury become more severe. Now she was starting to fear for her life.

While it was true Beedrill had taken in the most hits, Butterfree had taken in a variety of jabs from his stingers throughout the fight. Combined with the fact that the wasp had always been physically stronger than her, she could not help but wonder if she truly had the advantage or not.

With that in mind, the butterfly knew she had to kick things up a notch as she thought, 'I can't believe this. It's very rare that anyone would bring me to even think of using my other spores, but he's given me no choice.'

She noticed Beedrill flying at her again, using his drill technique a second time. To make things even worse, he seemed to have full control as the spores were not taking effect yet. With that in mind, the butterfly waited for him to get close before swerving to the right, spinning and releasing a blue powder from her wings, shouting, "SLEEP POWDER!"

Beedrill's eyes widened as the name alone told him all he needed to know. With that in mind, he shouted, "SLEEP POWDER!? THAT'S SO... so..." his eyelids getting heavy as he was unable to stop himself from falling asleep, Butterfree thinking, 'Alright, I only have a minute to take advantage of this. Better make it count.'

With that in mind, the butterfly flew over to Beedrill and sent an onslaught of rapid kicks into his abdomen. After delivering a few, she leaned her head back before sending it into his forehead. With that, she proceeded to wrap her arms around his midsection and soared toward one of the floating land forms, ramming Beedrill's skull into it.

The butterfly took many deep breaths and backed up as her minute was up, Beedrill not moving as he started to slide down the side of the land form. Butterfree let out a sigh of relief and thought, 'Thank god. It's finally over.'

However, her relief was replaced by shock and terror when Beedrill opened his eyes, coughing up blood and trying to ignore the pain dealt to him. Unfortunately, Butterfree's fear seemed unfounded as the wasp was struggling to move, and not because of the spores. He had been weakened really badly by her onslaught.

With that, the butterfly smirked and said, "You should have stayed down. I was just gonna knock you out before, but I think I'm going to kill you instead," Beedrill feeling so helpless right now. He had tried to do good and so far, he was not doing a very good job of it.

Butterfree proceeded to back up as Beedrill felt his strength starting to return, the butterfly asking, "So, any last words before I finish you off?" spreading out her wings as a strange wind shaped like a collection of blades came from them, lingering behind her.

Beedrill noticed the stun spores taking effect as he knew he would need to distract her, the wasp asking, "If these powders of yours are so useful, why didn't you just use them from the get-go? That sleeping stuff of yours could have made this easy if you spammed it enough," Butterfree taking a deep breath and sighing, "Well, I'm not exactly above resorting to such tactics, so I would if I could."

Now the wasp was actually curious as she added, "See, my powders are embedded into my wings, and, well, my wings are only big enough to carry so much, right? As such, whenever I use my powder, that's it. I have to wait three whole days, or rather seventy-two hours total for the powders to return, so it's not something I do often."

"So you can't use any of those two powders again," Beedrill stated, nodding his head, his movement having actually returned a few seconds ago as Butterfree soared at him, the wind getting longer as she spat, "THAT KNOWLEDGE WON'T HELP YOU ANYWAY! SILVER WIND!" but just as she was about to send one of her wings into the wasp's neck, he immediately dodged to the side, Butterfree's wing hitting the land form instead.

This caused light pain in her wing as the wasp proceeded to get behind her, sending both of his feet into her back thus forcing her face into the rocky surface. With that, he was just about to pierce her shoulders with Twin Needle only for his arms to stop moving, a look of fear on his face as he thought, 'Not now.'

Butterfree wasted no time taking full advantage of this as she flipped her body backwards at a ninety-degree angle, sending her feet hard into the bottom of Beedrill's abdomen. His eye was twitching now as a light tear came from it, Butterfree then spinning around and sending a roundhouse into the wasp's midsection, sending him away from her before he could even try a counterattack.

"You should have tried to stab me first," Butterfree said with a smirk, "You had a perfect opportunity and used it to kick me. So much for strategy," the wasp narrowing his eyelids and thinking, 'I hate to admit it, but she's right. What was I thinking?'

"Still," Butterfree said, narrowing her eyelids, "It's alarming that you can move right now. All those hits I've dealt throughout this fight should have knocked you out."

Even with that in mind, Beedrill knew he would have to be careful. The hits he had taken in had done a lot of damage to him and it was only a matter of time until Butterfree was able to finish him off. The first thing he would need to do is find a way to work around the spores paralysing him every so often. If he could not get rid of them, he could at least learn to work around the disadvantage of having them on him.

 

While Beedrill and Butterfree were having their fight, Mawile and Gothitelle were getting ready to start theirs, the goth saying, "You can start at any time. I'm going to wait until you do," the girl feeling strangely intimidated by this. As a member of a team of villains, she knew that when a fighter let the opponent go first, it usually meant they had a countermeasure of some kind planned.

With that in mind, she figured maybe she could trick Gothitelle into a false sense of security as she smiled politely, bowing her head and replying, "Oh, thank you ever so much, but I'd prefer it if you had the first move."

The goth shrugged and replied, "Alright," before rushing toward Mawile, a dark aura surrounding her hands.

The girl smirked while thinking, 'Good. Now I can get the drop on her,' her smirk slowly fading when she realized how difficult it was coming up with a counterattack on such short notice.

With that, she ended up taking a hard palm punch to her face, her eyes widening as she backed up a bit, rubbing the spot as Gothitelle asked, "Are you alright?" Mawile growling, seeing this as pity as she snapped, "OF COURSE I AM! YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT YOURSELF! I'M EVIL, REMEMBER!?"

The goth blinked and nodded, replying, "That's right. This is a fight to save the world. I should be more concerned with my own well-being," Mawile thinking, 'She just said the same thing I did with different wording. I hate that.'

The truth was that Gothitelle was not faking any of this. Despite being socially awkward, she was a good sport when it came to fighting, almost too good as she showed a bit of concern and caring for her opponents, even villains. This was of course a result of her ability to sometimes read their auras, and right now she was detecting a great deal of doubt in Mawile, but she knew she would not get an explanation if she simply asked, at least not right now.

However, Mawile seemed to regain some confidence as her mouth started growling quietly, the girl nodding as she rushed toward the goth, saying, "You got a lucky shot, but you're not gonna be so fortunate again!" the girl leaping at Gothitelle and aiming a kick toward her face. However, the goth saw this coming and grabbed the incoming foot, lifting Mawile up and slamming her back hard against the surface.

Mawile grimaced, cursing herself in her mind right now. Sure, it was still early in the fight, but she could tell this Gothitelle was a smart adversary. Simple tactics would not work on her so easily. But what could the young girl try?

An idea came to her when her hair started growling again. The girl nodded, thinking, 'You're right. When I fight, you're always fighting with me,' the girl then sprinting toward Gothitelle as the goth readied for another counterattack.

However, rather than sending another direct attack her way, Mawile ran behind Gothitelle as her hair's jaws opened wide, biting into the goth's right arm as her eyes went wide. Gothitelle was not the kind to make loud mouth noises, so she did not cry out, but there was no doubt she was still feeling intense pain from this.

"You didn't think the mouth on my hair was for decoration, did you?" Mawile asked with a smirk, "I'm afraid this is my ultimate weapon. When push comes to shove, my hair always comes through," the girl then having her hair lift Gothitelle over her head, Mawile grabbing hold of her ankles with her hands and pulling hard, the goth's back bending as she winced in pain.

All the while, Beedrill was trying to come up with some way to finish Butterfree and work around the spores effecting him. Needless to say, coming up with a strategy was not easy as the effects were unpredictable. With that in mind, he would certainly need to keep his distance, but at the same time, he needed to be close to Butterfree in order to attack her.

However, while thinking about this, he noticed his body start to freeze up again, Butterfree smirking and flying at him. The wasp was fuming as he struggled to move his body. He was getting sick and tired of this, and strangely enough, just as Butterfree got close, Beedrill somehow ended up shifting his body to the right, but only slightly. Luckily, this was just enough for the butterfly to miss, her eyes wide.

Beedrill blinked but knew he had to take advantage of the fact that his movement had returned. With that in mind, the wasp sent one of his arm stingers toward Butterfree's back, the butterfly flying away just in time to avoid taking in extreme damage but not fast enough to avoid a light jab.

She was now trembling as Beedrill kept his distance in case the spores took effect again, Butterfree all the while shaking her head and thinking, 'I must have taken too long to get to him. I gotta stay close and go in when his body freezes again.'

With that in mind, the butterfly flew closer to the wasp, but stayed far enough away for him not to potentially strike her. She would not go in for another attack unless he had stopped moving and with her being close enough, there was no way the effects would ware off before she could strike him.

Beedrill, all the while, would have taken advantage of the fact that she was deliberately getting closer to him, but there was the possibility of his body becoming paralysed while he was attacking. He could not take that risk again. He just hoped that Butterfree was not close enough to hit him before the effects wore off.

However, his train of thought ended when his body stopped moving, Butterfree wasting no time flying at him. She knew there was no way she would miss this time and yet Beedrill had somehow managed shift himself to the side again, just barely enough to avoid the butterfly's incoming attack.

She grimaced and spat, "DAMMIT, I THOUGHT I WAS CLOSE ENOUGH!" Beedrill replying, "I hate to admit it, but you were. You reached me in less than three seconds."

The butterfly stared and asked, "Are you sure about that?" Beedrill nodding and replying, "I was counting down in my head to see if I could go five seconds without being hit," Butterfree blinking and asking, "But how are you moving?"

"I don't know," Beedrill replied with a sigh before adding, "Though if it helps, both times actually kind of hurt and barely gave me any movement at all," Butterfree thinking, 'I see now. Somehow, he's managed to overpower the spores. I'll just have to swerve to the side the next time I go after him.'

With that in mind, Butterfree kept the same distance as before while Beedrill was on the defensive. After about half-a-minute, the wasp's body once again froze as Butterfree flew at him. She noticed him trying to move to her right as she swerved in that exact direction only to end up missing, her eyes widening as Beedrill wasted no time swinging his left arm sideways and putting a small gash in her side.

"You weren't able to fight it this time!" Butterfree spat, holding her bleeding side as Beedrill replied, "Actually, I probably could have. I just had a feeling you were going to try and counter it," Butterfree staring in confusion as the wasp sighed, "I would have tried the same thing if I was in your situation."

With that, Butterfree had now lost patience. Both fighters wanted to end this as quickly as possible, and both had something to prove, but Butterfree was feeling the most impatient right now. She wanted more than ever to prove herself superior to him. She had always worked hard to outdo this wasp and now victory was in her grasp and yet she could not acquire it no matter how hard she tried.

"Alright, you've forced me," the butterfly said coldly, Beedrill blinking and uttering, "Oh no, don't tell me-" Butterfree then smirking with a hint of insanity in her eyes as she stated, "You should be honoured. You've gotten me to use all three of my powders in this fight!"

Beedrill's eyes widened as she said in a delicate tone, "Poison Powder," before flapping her wings hard enough to send a green powder toward him.

And like with the sleep powder, Beedrill only needed to hear the name to know what this would do as he spat, "I DON'T THINK SO!"

But just as he was about to dodge, the stun spores once again took effect as he spat, "NO!" trying his hardest to move but only getting slight movement in, not enough to avoid the powder.

But just as it was less than an inch away from him, the wasp closed his eyes and managed to start flapping his wings at an unbelievable speed, emitting wind that only those with big wings had ever managed to generate. Butterfree's eyes widened as the strong gust managed to blow the powder away from him and toward her instead.

Fortunately for her, she was able to react in time to avoid being poisoned by her own move, but right after that, her eyes widened in shock. Since the wind was also blowing against Beedrill's sides, the spores attached to him were starting to fly off. Butterfree could not believe her eyes. She had never seen anything powerful enough to force her stun spores off and yet this gust of wind had done just that.

Since this came as a much bigger shock to her than the poison powder being sent back at her, she was too stunned to move as the spores attached themselves to her. The butterfly's eye twitched as Beedrill opened his eyes to see the poison powder had not touched him and stopped flapping.

"You bastard," Butterfree uttered, the wasp blinking and saying, "Look, I'm sorry I wasted your powder-" the butterfly remarking, "IT'S NOT THE POISON I'M TALKING ABOUT! YOU GOT MY STUN SPORES ON ME!"

She suddenly realized she should not have told him that, Beedrill blinking and asking, "So you mean I'm free to move as much as I want?"

With that, the wasp put on a serious look as Butterfree spat, "IT WON'T HELP YOU ANYWAY!" flying at him only to stop dead in her tracks.

Beedrill, of course, knew the effects would not last long as he flew behind her, saying, "I think it's time to end this."

With that, the wasp proceeded to send his arm stingers through the tips of her wings as opposed to piercing her flesh, the butterfly's eyes wide with shock as he flew high above one of the normal land forms, flipping himself over one-hundred-and-eighty degrees before shouting, "TWIN NEEDLE SUPLEX!" slamming the butterfly's skull hard into the ground.

Her eyes were closed now as she lay there, a big hole in each of her wings thus meaning she would not be able to fly for a while if ever again. Though it seemed that there was not even a possibility as Beedrill knew this was the perfect chance to prevent her from ever committing acts of evil in the future, the wasp flying high above her with the stinger on his abdomen pointed toward her heart.

With that, he started to descend while shouting, "FELL STINGER!" but just as he was about to make contact, he stopped himself, taking a deep breath and moving next to the butterfly, looking down at her.

Butterfree slowly opened her eyes and stared at him with confusion. Luckily, she was unable to move as the suplex had done far too much damage, but she was still conscious.

"Why won't you kill me?" she uttered, "You have a perfect chance. You want to do good for the world now, right? Why don't you just end my life?" Beedrill sighing, "Because killing you would make me no better than a villain."

Butterfree took a deep breath and grunted, "I don't want your charity," before closing her eyes, though secretly, she was happy to have been spared. Sure, she would have trouble letting this humiliating defeat go but at the same time, she valued her life.

During this time, Gothitelle was still in Mawile's clutches as the girl smirked, saying, "Let's see you get out of this. My mouth has an incredible grip!" Gothitelle gritting her teeth as she had to think of some way to escape. If she pulled out, she knew she would only end up losing skin and if she tried anything else, she would end up hurting herself more.

She then took a deep breath and thought, 'Alright, what would mother do in a situation like this?' looking back to when a woman by the name of Gothorita had a talk with her about being a hero at the age of ten.

She was very similar to Gothitelle in terms of appearance only her head was shaped like a ball as opposed to a teardrop and the skin coming from the sides of her head looked more like big pigtails instead of disc-shaped bangs. Like Gothitelle, she did not get out much with the only difference being that during her time as a hero, she only fought evil at night and slept during the day.

Gothorita sat in front of her daughter as Gothitelle looked confused as to why they were having this conversation, the woman saying, "Gothitelle, as you know, villains have not made an appearance in a long time. Most of them are either gone or have turned good," her daughter nodding as she added, "But if there is one thing I know, it's that evil can never be gone from the world forever no matter how much we want it. That is why heroes are needed to combat the threat."

Despite only being ten, Gothitelle could tell where her mother was going with this, her eyes sparkling. Her family had never been known to emote much, but even the slightest of change in their expression said enough about how they felt, and right now, Gothitelle was excited.

"Eager, I see," Gothorita said with a light smile, "You will one day be a hero like me and save the lives of many. But there are a few things you should know that got me through many hard battles. I almost never lost and among all the reasons, there was a major one that made it all possible."

Back in present time, Gothitelle was thinking those exact words she had said. 'Never cave in no matter how bad the situation. Treat pain like a minor inconvenience and not like a major problem.'

With this in mind, the goth took a deep breath and was no longer wincing as she wriggled her arm around, Mawile's eyes wide with shock as she managed to free herself from the mouth. Sure, her arm was now bloody and her sleeve was ripped, but she ignored this and latched her arm around Mawile's neck, squeezing hard enough to cause her to gasp like a fish out of water, the girl releasing her hold on the goth's ankles.

With that, Gothitelle proceeded to send her free palm into Mawile's back before leaping away from her, taking a deep breath and thinking, 'Even if I do ignore pain, it doesn't mean I can't take in damage. I need to avoid that mouth at all cost.'

Mawile on the other hand was looking irritated as she thought, 'Dammit, this girl just keeps getting tougher every second,' the mouth letting out low grunts as the girl nodded, whispering, "Thanks. You're right, I just need to keep my head in the game."

Gothitelle looked rather confused by this. Due to her distance and the way the hair was speaking quietly, she had not noticed it was actually talking to Mawile and as such, she saw this as the girl talking to herself for motivation. The goth shrugged and remembered that she used to do similar things as a child due to her having virtually no social life before meeting Octillery so this did not seem too strange to her.

However, with Mawile's confidence back, Gothitelle would still need to be careful. For all she knew, that backbreaker could have very well been nothing more than a simple warmup. Things had been going well for her up to this point, but could it last? After all, another thing her mother had told her was to never take an opponent lightly, even if the opponent was really weak.

With that in mind, she stayed on the defensive, now keeping a close eye on the hair. After that last attack, she knew better than to get too close to it again.

Seeing as Gothitelle was not moving from her spot, Mawile was just about to take the offensive when the hair let out a series of low, quiet growls. The girl blinked and whispered, "Really?" the hair replying with a few grunts as Mawile replied, "Well, if you're sure you can handle it."

With that, the girl backed up a bit toward a rock about her size located behind her. Gothitelle blinked, curious as to what she was planning. Was she scared or was this an attempt to get the goth to lower her guard? Either way, Gothitelle was not going to let herself fall victim to another attack.

However, this thought process seemed to backfire when Mawile smirked, her mouth opening up before clamping down onto the rock when she was close enough. With that, the hair threw itself forward and flung the rock toward the goth like a catapult, Gothitelle's eyes wide with shock as she quickly threw her arms forward to stop the incoming attack.

Unfortunately, even the powers of darkness were not enough to stop the rock as it ended up forcing the backs of her hands into her face. Combined with the might of the rock itself, this dealt a considerable amount of damage as she fell on her back, just barely managing to push the rock off of her so it would not crush her head.

"OH MY GOD!" Mawile squealed, a big fiendish grin forming as she added, "You're a genius! That was so cool!"

Gothitelle coughed up blood while slowly rising to her feet, now looking weak as she stared in confusion, Mawile still squealing while talking to her hair. This went beyond talking to herself for motivation. Something was definitely up.

The hair let out low grunting as Mawile blinked, saying, "You're right, she is still standing," before taking a deep breath and noticing the goth's bleeding face. This combined with the fact that her body was twitching now was definitely a good sign for her.

"I'll admit, you actually provided a descent challenge for me, but I think it's clear who's going to win this," Mawile said with a big grin on her face as Gothitelle let out a sigh, saying, "You're getting ahead of yourself," spitting out a small drop of blood, Mawile simply laughing and retorting, "Was that supposed to sound intimidating!? Come on, you're in hardly any condition to be talking tough!"

Gothitelle took a deep breath and decided to ignore her words. If Mawile was going to let her ego get the better of her, then so be it. After all, Gothitelle had to win this fight for the sake of the world and could not let her own policies get in the way of that.

With that in mind, the goth decided to take the offensive as there were more rocks in the area. After all, if Mawile used another one, it could likely knock her out. Gothitelle may have had strong hands and been a generally smart fighter, but even she could not sustain lots of pain due to her being so skinny. Unlike Gardevoir when her powers were activated, her muscles did not expand when she used her power of darkness so she could not risk being hit too many times.

Mawile simply waited for her to get close, noticing the goth sending her palm toward her before the girl turned around, Gothitelle's eyes widening when the hair's mouth opened up and clamped down on her wrist. Once again, the goth winced but would not cry out in pain. It was not because of pride but rather it was in her genetics. She just could not let out loud mouth noises even if she wanted to.

With her trapped in place, Mawile laughed and stated, "This match is mine," before shouting, "ALLIGATOR JAW SWING!" spinning her body around before hurling Gothitelle hard into a rock, the goth coughing up more blood as the substance dripped from her wrist.

Gothitelle's eyes widened when she noticed it, the hair actually laughing along with Mawile. So she had not imagined it. The hair was definitely alive and not just a weapon. It was as if she was fighting two opponents at once, and this was not something Gothorita had prepared her for.

However, while she was actually scared now, she also had many questions. Though she knew she would not get a straight answer so easily. She would likely need to beat Mawile first, but with things as they were right now, would she even stand a chance at pulling that off?

 

While Gothitelle was now struggling against Mawile, the others were getting close to where Giratina and the last two of his allies were. Currently, they had two hours to go before the dragon's power would return to him so they would certainly need to hurry. After all, Giratina was infamous for how devastating his power was.

Missingno and Absol continued to stand there, Missingno taking a deep breath and saying, "I'm getting bored," the wolf turning to him as he added, "A part of me is hoping those heroes actually make it here. At least then I'll have someone to fight."

"It's still for the best that they don't show up," Absol remarked as Missingno rolled his eyes, groaning, "I know that, Captain Obvious, but at least it would be exciting if they did!"

Giratina was still sound asleep as the two villains looked at him, Missingno thinking, 'Even so, I have to admit that Absol has a point. I'm strong, sure, but even I'm not good enough to enslave humanity. Only Giratina can help me do that. I wish his recovery would go faster.'

All the while, Gothitelle really needed to come up with a new strategy. It seemed that if she went on the offensive, she would end up getting hit no matter what angle she attacked from. But at the same time, Mawile was now using rocks as a weapon, so if the goth tried to defend herself, she would only end up taking in worse pain. And to make matters worse, her powers of darkness were not strong enough to destroy the rocks, so it was not as if she could block them.

However, she then remembered something Gothorita had told her, and that was to always look for another option. If plan A failed, find a plan B. If the first two plans were hopeless, a third one was in store. Where there was a will, there would always be a way no matter how hopeless things looked.

With that in mind, Gothitelle looked around and got an idea before going on the defensive again, Mawile laughing and saying, "Well, you've realized attacking me is pointless. While I certainly commend you for that, that still won't save you, or have you already forgotten?"

Gothitelle said nothing as the girl leapt over to a rock before picking it up with her hair mouth and flinging it toward the goth. Just as it was about to hit, Gothitelle leapt to the side as the rock ended up flying off the side of the land form, shifting sideways and landing against a sideways one. However, since it had gone so fast from such a long distance, it ended up breaking upon impact.

However, while Gothitelle was fully aware of this, Mawile did not seem to notice as she smirked, saying, "Nice going, but don't expect to dodge that again," the girl picking up another rock and hurling it toward the goth only for her to lean backward, allowing it to pass over her and meet the same fate as the last rock.

'Excellent,' Gothitelle thought with a blank expression so Mawile would not catch on, 'She'll keep throwing those little rocks at me until there are none left. Then she won't be able to attack me from far away again.'

After throwing a third one and missing again, Mawile laughed and exclaimed, "Come on! You're only wasting your energy! I can keep this up all day but you'll only get tired soon enough!" Gothitelle not changing her expression for a second as the girl sighed, "At least try to look scared."

But just as she was about to pick up another rock, the hair kept its mouth shut as she whispered, "What are you doing?" the hair letting out a low growling noise as her eyes widened, the girl growling, "That little witch! I can't believe I almost fell for that!" before asking, "So, if I can't throw rocks, how am I supposed to hit her?"

The hair replied with some grunts as Mawile nodded and said, "You're right. If I make her waste her energy, she won't be able to dodge another rock," the girl then sprinting toward Gothitelle while the hero held up her arms defensively, thinking, 'She's walking into my trap sooner than expected.'

As Mawile goth close enough, Gothitelle sent a palm punch toward her only for the girl to stop her movement thus the goth was unable to reach her with her attack. Gothitelle's eyes widened as the hair opened its mouth, biting into her wrist again as she winced from the pain.

'God bless you,' Mawile thought, 'I never would have thought that up on my own,' the hair then lifting Gothitelle up as Mawile spat, "ALLIGATOR JAW SUPLEX!" slamming the goth's back hard against the ground.

Gothitelle grunted, trying to ignore the pain as she rolled away, breathing heavily. Seeing this, Mawile smirked and sprinted over to the nearest rock. With that, she lifted it up and hurled the projectile toward the Gothitelle, the goth narrowly dodging it as she was looking incredibly weak now, sweat pouring down her face.

'Yes!' Mawile thought with a smirk, 'I got you now!' the girl then lifting up another rock and hurling it toward her. Gothitelle attempted to the dodge only to end up stumbling due to exhaustion, the rock coming for the side of her head as she held out her hand in a desperate attempt to stop it. But just like before, it proved ineffective as the rock forced the back of her hand into her face.

The goth coughed up blood as she fell hard on her back, breathing heavily while Mawile had a wicked smirk on her face, saying, "I'll admit, trying to get rid of all the rocks was definitely a good idea. Unfortunately, you're not the only one who can come up with backup plans."

"Yes," Gothitelle uttered weakly, "That hair of yours is rather smart, isn't it?" Mawile's eyes going wide as the goth nodded, adding, "Yes, I know your hair has a conscience of its own. At first I thought it was just a part of your body, but that hair is its own entity, isn't it?"

Mawile took a deep breath as the hair made low growling noises, the girl nodding and saying, "You're right. There's no sense hiding it when she's so weak," before facing Gothitelle and adding, "Also, my hair is a she, not an it."

Gothitelle blinked as the girl folded her arms, saying, "Anyway, we're both going to kill you now," the goth replying, "I have one last request before you do so, or rather, a question."

Mawile blinked as she turned to face her hair, asking, "Is it okay for villains to grant last requests?" the hair nodding as she shrugged and turned back to Gothitelle, saying, "Alright, ask away, but it better not be complicated."

"I want to know what your connection with that hair is," Gothitelle uttered, "I have a feeling you weren't born with her, were you?" Mawile's eyes widening as it seemed the goth was starting to read the hair's aura and could tell it had not always been there.

Mawile took a deep breath and had a rather nervous look in her eyes as she stated, "You know, I've never actually told anyone about this," before letting out a sigh and adding, "But to be honest, I've wanted a reason to tell someone for a long time, and, well, you're going to die anyway, so I guess there's no harm in it."

Gothitelle continued to lie there as Mawile took a seat and explained, "You're right. I didn't always have this mouth on my hair nor did I have a ponytail, for that matter. My hair used to be incredibly short, the shortest any girl in my family ever had."

Gothitelle's interest was growing more and more as the girl started to talk about her mother. She remembered how as an even smaller child, she and her mother had as great of a relationship as any mother and daughter could possibly have. They had their arguments, they had fun days together, but they were happy, and this was quite an accomplishment considering her mother and father had been divorced when Mawile was only four.

Mawile needed her mother a lot for conversation as she had no friends, but this was mostly her fault for not trying. She had been told time-and-time again to go out and make friends but she was afraid of what the people might think of her what with her being non-human. Sure, everyone seemed okay with her mother living there, but that was simply not enough to convince a paranoid child to throw away her fears just like that.

Of course, because of this, Mawile was never sent to public school. Her mother chose to home-school her until she felt she was ready to finally face the world. But this did not last as long as it should have as one day when walking home from a trip to the grocery store, Mawile's mother noticed a child run across a street and trip on his own shoelace, falling forward and skinning his knee.

As if that was not bad enough, a big truck was speeding toward the boy with the driver unaware of his presence, the other people in the area staring in absolute horror. Naturally, Mawile's mother was the first to take action and dropped her bags, racing over to the kid and picking him up. Unfortunately, she was not fast enough as she ended up being hit by the truck, the kid flying out of her hands.

The kid wound up okay as one of the bystanders caught him before he fell and injured himself more, but the woman who had just saved his life was not so lucky as she lay on the pavement, her body twitching. Many people ran over, including the truck driver who exited his vehicle, guilt all over his face. However, Mawile's mother did not look scared in the slightest. Instead, she had a light smile on her face when she saw that the child was okay.

Unfortunately, that was the only highlight of that day. She was rushed to the hospital immediately with Mawile none-the-wiser. But luckily, the woman did have a lot of friends and all of them knew she had a daughter, a daughter who would certainly want to be by her side.

As such, a couple of them volunteered to drive to her house and pick her up. Of course, due to her fear of strangers, Mawile was not willing to listen to them until they mentioned her mother being in the hospital. The girl did not care if she was going to be taken by a couple of people she did not know. She had to see make sure her mother would be okay.

But despite all of this, it was too late. Mawile's mother was just taking her last breaths with only two minutes to live as she placed her fingers gently against her daughter's face, saying, "Promise me you'll stop isolating yourself and make friends," Mawile sniffing and letting out tears, soon breaking out into heavy waterworks.

"I didn't stop crying for five hours," the girl sniffed, the hair smiling sweetly and letting out a low, soothing growl as Mawile nodded, saying, "Thanks," wiping her tears as Gothitelle said, "I'm so sorry for your loss."

"Actually, there is a bright side to it," Mawile said with a big smile before adding, "No one really knows how it happened, but that night when I had finally managed to cry myself to sleep-" Gothitelle asking, "Where did you sleep?"

The girl blinked as the hair nodded, Mawile saying, "I'll admit, that is actually a good question. See, after Mom told me to trust people, I allowed her friends who took me to the hospital to take me in. They figured without any parents in my life, they would raise me. Though the only reason I agreed was because apparently, Mom requested it before she died."

Gothitelle nodded as Mawile sighed, "Anyway, when I finally managed to sleep, it seemed like a big ponytail grew that night because I woke up with it," a light smile on her face as the mouth grinned wide, the goth staring in shock, asking, "Are you telling me that-?"

"Yes," Mawile replied, "This ponytail is my mom," Gothitelle truly stunned before asking, "Hold on, if you're Mawile's mother, then why do you approve of what she is doing? Doesn't this go against what you were telling her to do?"

The hair seemed taken aback by these words as her mouth opened briefly before she pursed her lips. However, Mawile broke the awkward silence by saying, "I guess I should explain that too seeing as I'm the only one who can understand her, but this is a different matter all in itself."

Gothitelle's interest once again perked as she continued to lie there, Mawile saying, "The day Mom came back into my life was the day I decided to start making friends. Luckily, it was a weekend, so none of the kids were in school."

While talking about this very subject, Mawile could remember every detail of this when the first place she went to was a playground. Her mother gave her all sorts of advice beforehand and, much like now, only Mawile was able to understand her growls and grunts.

With all that in mind, the girl approached the kids and gave them a friendly 'hello'. But when they turned to see her, they immediately freaked out when they saw a big mouth on her ponytail. And as if that was not bad enough, even their parents did not want her coming anywhere near their kids as if they failed to realize Mawile was a child herself.

This did not discourage her too much as her mother assured her she would likely find someone in the city who could be her friend. But unfortunately, this never came to pass as no matter where she went, no matter who she spoke to, nobody wanted to be friends with a freak whose hair looked like an alligator's head.

The only people who were not scared of her were, of course, her mother's friends, and yet they were the ones who ultimately made even Mawile's mother forget how she ever got along with humans in the first place. When they found out about how everyone in the city was terrified of Mawile, they could tell right away that her ponytail was the reason and suggested cutting it off, knowing a samurai who could easily do it without possibly being bitten by the hair.

"No!" Mawile retorted as one of the humans replied, "Mawile, I know it's hard giving up a part of you so easily, but this is for the best," the girl retorting, "NO, I WON'T LET YOU KILL MOMMY!"

The two humans stared at her as the other said, "Mawile, that hair is not your mother," the hair's mouth hanging open as the person added, "We know it's hard to accept. Believe me, we still have trouble getting over it, but your mom is never coming back. That ponytail of yours is an abomination, a mutation of some kind. It's best we get rid of it now."

It was not Mawile but her mother's spirit who lashed out at them after this, growling angrily and nipping at them. With that, both humans were too scared to move as she let out a loud roar, Mawile nodding and saying, "Okay," before exiting the house while the hair growled at the humans, threatening them to stay where they were.

And of course, things did not get any better. Mawile tried desperately to find a new home only for no one to accept her, everyone scared of her ponytail. Though while Mawile needed reassurance to avoid feeling sad, her mother's spirit started to develop a deep hatred toward mankind. She simply could not believe that those she used to consider friends could be so judgemental.

Mawile soon shared her mother's hatred and decided to take up villainy, and with her mother no longer feeling a shred of kindness for the humans she used to trust, she had no problem with her daughter making such a horrible decision. And that brought them to where they were today.

Gothitelle's eyes were wide as she took a deep breath, asking, "I understand your anger, but how were they supposed to recognize you?" the hair turning to face her as she added, "Think about it. You look nothing like the person you used to be and you also can't speak human. How was anyone supposed to know who you were?"

Mawile blinked and said, "She has a point," the hair simply growling and letting out a grunting sound, her daughter gasping, "She was trying to turn me against you!?" Gothitelle rolling her eyes as the girl fumed, shouting, "ALRIGHT, I WAS GOING TO SHOW MERCY ON YOU, BUT YOU ASKED FOR IT!"

With that, the girl leapt high into the air before flipping herself one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, aiming her head toward the goth while her mother opened her jaws wide, Mawile shouting, "ALLIGATOR BITE!"

But just as she was about to make contact, Gothitelle rolled to the side just in time to avoid the attack, the hair running snout-first into the ground, her lower lip hitting the surface as her mouth bent upward. This seemed to get a reaction as Gothitelle took a deep breath, thinking, 'I was right. The hair can feel pain.'

Mawile rubbed her mother's chin and asked, "Are you okay?" the hair letting out soothing grunts as Gothitelle took full advantage of this, sending a palm into Mawile's face and another into the ponytail, causing both intense pain as they coughed up blood. The goth did not feel perfectly good about doing this as she could tell neither were really bad, but they were not listening to reason, so this was necessary.

Mawile's mother gritted her teeth and growled, Mawile barking, "You're supposed to be done for! How are you moving right now!?" Gothitelle sighing, "I managed to recover enough strength to move during your story," the hair even more furious now as Mawile grunted, "So you were taking advantage of us!"

"I assure you, I was genuinely curious," Gothitelle replied, Mawile remarking, "Well, now that you've heard the story, you can die happy then," the girl rushing toward the goth as she took a deep breath, forming a pair of blue blobs of energy around her hands. This was the set-up for her strongest move, a move that took a great deal of energy out of her.

It only made sense to use this now. Sure, she may have been given time to recover, but with her body being so weak, she only had enough energy to deliver a few more hits. If this failed, Mawile would kill her for sure and she not wish to let someone like her continue a life of evil.

Just as Mawile's mother opened up her jaws wide, the daughter turning her body around so she could face their opponent, Gothitelle took a deep breath, waiting for them to get close enough as she spat, "PSYSHOCK!" sending her arms forward and slamming them hard into the ponytail, putting two big indents in her as she coughed up a great deal of blood.

Mawile's eyes widened as her mother went limp, clearly unconscious now. Unfortunately, Gothitelle had put everything she had into that attack, so while the hair was beaten, Mawile was still standing as the goth took many deep breaths, falling to her knees, unable to lift her arms.

Mawile fumed, gritting her teeth as she spat, "HOW DARE YOU!? YOU'RE A MONSTER!" Gothitelle staring blankly at the girl as she added, "You have no idea what it's like to be judged by the world for your appearance! Mom and I suffered abuse and torment just because the world couldn't accept us for who we are! You think you're defending justice, but you're not!" tears welling up in her eyes.

Gothitelle took a deep breath and replied, "Actually, I can," Mawile retorting, "LIAR!"

The goth let out a sigh and explained, "I may have allies now, but for a long time, I didn't have anyone except my mother to talk to. I tried making friends on the days when there was no sun in the sky, but everyone thought I was too weird."

Mawile sniffed and stared, uttering, "Is that true?" the goth nodding and replying, "But even with all of that in mind, I never turned my back on them. I eventually chose to become a hero and made my first friend at Hero School. Since then, my social life has improved to a certain degree. People are no longer afraid of me."

Mawile's eyes widened as the goth added, "It took time, though, so I certainly needed patience. It took the world a while to trust me, but they do now, and I'm sure the same can happen to you. You just need to give people a reason to trust you and give them time. Beings like us can't just expect results right away. Sometimes it can take a few days, maybe even years."

A light smile formed on Gothitelle's face as Mawile fell to her knees, saying, "You've given me a lot to think about," before letting down light tears and adding, "Mom will recover soon, so I'll spare your life. You've beaten me," Gothitelle breathing a sigh of relief and using this time to rest. Now the fate of the world was in Machoke, Talonflame and Lucario's hands.

 

With most of the villains taken care of, there were only two guarding Giratina now. Though it would not be so easy to take these two out as Absol was very powerful and there had to be a reason why Missingno was the leader. Even with Machoke, Talonflame and Lucario being the opposition, would that really be enough?

The answer would be made clear soon as the group was finally getting close, Aipom's eyes widening as she said, "I see something up ahead," the others seeing it too. Giratina's body was eight feet tall and as such, it stuck out, even from a distance.

But just as the group got a little bit closer, Machoke's eyes were wide open as he screeched to a halt, the others turning to him as Gardevoir asked, "Why did you stop?" the boy uttering, "I don't know if I can do this, guys. Maybe Octillery should have gone instead," Talonflame glaring and remarking, "Are you serious!? You came all this way to help us and now you have cold feet!?"

Lucario took a deep breath and folded his arms as he understood entirely and so did Aipom. Machoke had still not completely gotten over his loss in the Olympic finals and was now starting to seriously doubt himself. However, before either of the two could try and cheer him up, Gardevoir shocked everyone when she sported a serious look and smacked him across the face.

Everyone stared silently, Talonflame grinning and saying, "Damn, that girl's got balls after all," Lucario staring awkwardly at him as Gardevoir placed her hands on Machoke's shoulders, glaring into his eyes and squeaking, "Machoke, stop beating yourself up!"

The boy stared at her with a look of both sadness and fear as Gardevoir pursed her lips and said, "It hurts me to see you like this, Machoke," the boy now concerned as she added, "You're not the only one of us who's suffered defeat. We've all lost before, and we've lost more fights in our lives than you have. You have the most impressive number of wins of anyone I've ever seen and you're going to let one loss ruin all of that!?"

"But I had a reputation to uphold," Machoke uttered as Lucario sighed, "So did my father before he lost to yours in the twenty-first Hero Olympics," the others turning to him as the dog added, "When he lost, he took it even worse than you did. Not only did he feel resentment towards your family, but he even became a villain just to get back at your father. But in the end, he realized he was wrong and both forgave each-other and became friends."

Talonflame rolled his eyes, wondering if this mushy moment would end soon as Aipom patted Machoke on the shoulder, saying, "Your dad didn't always win, either," the boy's eyes widening as the monkey added, "It's true. Before the twenty-first Hero Olympics came around, Machamp lost to almost every opponent he ever faced. Many felt his string of wins in the Olympics were flukes. And after he beat Riolu, he took on a psychic named Xatu and lost within seconds."

"Is this all true?" Machoke asked as even the others were not fully aware of this, Aipom nodding and replying, "Mommy told me all about it. It was also Xatu who taught Machoke how to strategize and use his skills to their fullest potential."

Gardevoir nodded and added, "Besides, Machoke, it was you who inspired me to always keep going no matter how bad the odds looked. When I lost, I simply used my losses as a reason to get stronger. Surely, you can do the same," Machoke sighing, "Well, I did go off for training purposes."

With all that in mind, the boy put on a serious look and nodded his head, saying, "You're right. This is for the fate of the world, not my reputation," Talonflame rolling his eyes and groaning, "Finally he gets it! I was wondering if we'd ever get to bust some heads in!" Lucario shaking his head and sighing, "Even when fighting for the side of good, you never change."

With all said and done, the group was finally ready while Absol folded his arms, saying, "Don't look now, boss, but I think your wish is about to come true," Missingno turning around, his eyes going wide as he uttered, "Oh my god, they actually got past the others," a smirk forming on his face as he added, "Oh well, let them come. They're no match for us."

Granted, he was still outnumbered even if Gardevoir was still not in the right state to be fighting, but even so, he had been itching for a chance to take these heroes on. And to make things even better, two of these three were heroes he had always dreamt of fighting.

On that note, the group finally reached the villains as Aipom stared wide-eyed, uttering, "So that's Giratina," Lucario frowning and asking, "But why is he sleeping?" Absol asking, "Are you telling me none of you have any idea why we came here in the first place?"

"Well, no, but we know it can't be good if you're working with that monster," Talonflame remarked, Absol rolling his eyes and saying, "That's rich coming from you," the falcon retorting, "WHAT WAS THAT!?"

Lucario took a deep breath and said, "Whatever it is you're up to, we've come to stop it," Aipom and Gardevoir nodding as Missingno smirked, saying, "Wow, Machoke and Lucario together in the same place while opposing me. It's like a dream come true."

However, while the others seemed rather intimidated by these words, Machoke was staring in silence. Gardevoir clasped her hands over her mouth and squeaked, "Oh no, he's scared again!" Aipom lowering her eyelids and replying, "Actually, I think it's something else."

It seemed the monkey was right as Machoke's mouth was resisting the urge to form a smile. However, it was not long until he caved in, breaking out into hysterics and pointing as Missingno, shouting, "OH MY GOD, THAT GUY'S BUTT NAKED!" Machoke holding onto his sides and falling onto his back, the others staring at him with shame.

"Well, at least he's not scared anymore," Lucario sighed, rolling his eyes as Missingno frowned, remarking, "For your information, my privates are covered!" pointing at the data-like clouds, Machoke taking a deep breath as Aipom whacked him over the head.

"What was that for?" the boy groaned as Aipom sighed, "Focus, Machoke! These guys are evil, remember?" the boy sighing, "You're right. Sorry," Gardevoir looking at Giratina and asking, "What are you doing here, anyway?"

"If you must know, Giratina has been gaining power this whole time," Missingno replied with a smirk, "See, when we revived him, he wasn't exactly his old self, so we needed to escort him to the Reverse World so he could recover his strength. He only has a little over an hour to go before his power has been completely restored."

The group gasped as Aipom said, "Alright, no more stalling. You guys gotta finish this quickly," Absol narrowing his eyelids as Missingno smirked, saying, "We can take all five of you at once."

"Actually, Talonflame and I will take you two," Lucario remarked, Machoke's eyes and mouth wide open as he remarked, "Wait, what!?" Talonflame smirking and saying, "You read my mind, buddy," the boy staring back and forth at both of them while asking, "What is this? I thought you wanted me to save my power for this battle! That's why the others were fighting the previous villains, right!?"

"Actually, you should have full power in case Giratina's power returns," Lucario replied, "We're going to need the best standing for such a case," Machoke staring in confusion as Aipom asked, "What's wrong? I thought you'd be happy with that reason."

Machoke let out a sigh and remarked, "It's flattering, yes, but it's not true," Gardevoir asking, "What are you saying?" the boy replying, "Well, where do you think this is coming from? Lucario's the Hero Olympics champion! That makes him the best!"

Lucario was not sure if he could necessarily make a good counterpoint to that, but he knew of a good excuse he could use as he said, "Something you need to remember is that Talonflame and I used to be allies back when we were both evil. As such, we know how to fight as a team. On the other hand, you and I have no experience fighting side-by-side, so a team-up with the two of us wouldn't work so well."

Talonflame shrugged and remarked, "Hey, I don't care who I end up with. I'm gonna wipe the floor with both these freaks anyway," Absol retorting, "Big words considering the way you lost to Machoke," Talonflame fuming at the sound of that.

Machoke was not sure whether to accept this or not. Even so, he had to admit Lucario had a point. Besides, would the boy even want to fight alongside Lucario? Despite wanting to be Lucario's friend, he was still unsure of this.

Aipom patted him on the shoulder saying, "I'd say you'll get your turn soon, but I think it'd be better if we didn't have to resort to that," Machoke taking a deep breath and sitting down, saying, "Yeah, you're right," all the while thinking, 'I really hope Talonflame and Lucario win in time to stop Giratina.'

However, he then started to get an idea. Sure, it was cheating, but it was also to make sure all of this would end soon. Why not stop Giratina from regaining full power while the villains were distracted?

However, just as he was about to try it, it seemed as if Absol knew what he was planning as he glared, saying, "I wouldn't try anything funny if I were you, Machoke," the boy turning to him as the wolf added, "The boss has placed a magical barrier around Giratina that will send a great deal of pain down the spine of anyone who touches it."

Missingno nodded and replied, "It's just like Absol says. The only way to get rid of it is if I either choose to remove it myself, which I won't do, or I lose consciousness," the boy narrowing his eyelids and groaning, "Great, now I am useless."

Gardevoir patted Machoke on the shoulder, saying, "It was still a good idea," the boy smiling softly as Talonflame and Lucario stepped forward, both getting ready while Absol folded his arms.

"I'll admit, I'm a little disappointed," Missingno said, "I was hoping to face Machoke," the boy's eyes sparkling. After more than a week of self-doubt, hearing a villain acknowledge his reputation in any form was music to his ears.

"Still," the boy added, "I guess taking care of a dirty, rotten traitor is satisfying in its own right," Talonflame smirking and remarking, "I'd like to see you try! Don't forget, it was a long time before I suffered my first defeat!" Absol sighing, "Yes, your pride and fear of heights were your own undoing, if I recall. Seriously, that was undoubtedly the most humiliating defeat anyone dealt with at the hands of the former champion's son."

Machoke blinked and spat, "Hey, what's that supposed to mean!?" Absol sighing, "Admit it, Machoke, you would have lost if Talonflame wasn't such a crybaby. Seriously, you're a fire type and yet you're scared that the sun will burn you if you get too close," the falcon gritting his teeth and fuming, Machoke feeling a tad offended himself.

But just as the falcon was about to flip his lid, Lucario placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "He's just trying to psyche you out," Talonflame sighing, "But he's right, and I still haven't gotten over that stupid fear!" the dog shrugging and replying, "It's okay. There's no sun in this world, remember?"

All went silent as Absol shrugged, saying, "He probably would have figured it out sooner or later, even with his lack of intelligence," Missingno sighing, "Can we just start already? I'm getting bored."

"Yes, we should start as soon as possible," Lucario said, "Don't forget, we have a time limit," Talonflame nodding and saying, "Yeah, let's start this fight already," Lucario not even bothering to point out the fact that the delay was partly the falcon's doing.

During this time, Blaziken and Octillery had both returned to the outside with Throh, Sawk and Gallade now resting in the bleachers. They had heard the news about Psyla from Reika and her friends, and needless to say, they could not help but feel sorry for Gardevoir as they knew she would have to find out at some point.

"How do you think the others are holding up?" Reika asked as Blaziken smirked, replying, "I wouldn't worry too much about them. They're tough, remember?" Tsuya turning to Gallade, Throh and Sawk and sighing, "Though it seems some things never change."

At that moment, all three were starting to awaken, their eyes open as they stretched, Gallade's eyes widening as he exclaimed, "Nice try, Kecleon!" the boy blinking and looking around, noticing he was back in the Tokyo Dome as he sighed, "Oh god, are you serious?"

All the while, Sawk was staring at his wrists, surprised to see both of his hands attached as Throh asked, "Did I just imagine your hand getting cut off?" the brothers then noticing stitching as it seemed they had not imagined it.

They then noticed a doctor in the area as Cici said, "We called a doctor to come over and stitch you up right away," Blaziken nodding and adding, "You're lucky hero limbs can survive longer without blood flow than those of humans," Sawk nodding and bowing his head in respect.

"Still, that Kecleon was really tough," Gallade said, "I hope my sister's alright," the others certain she would be okay. After all, she had Machoke, Lucario and Talonflame helping out. Certainly things would be okay.

Tyranitar, all the while, had already been handcuffed and dragged into a hero planet spaceship parked outside. The officers would have taken him to their prison immediately, but they were waiting to see if any other villains emerged so they could possibly arrest them too. And though Tyranitar had not recovered yet, they were worried about what might happen if he did.

Back in the Reverse World, the fight had finally begun as Lucario turned to Talonflame and said, "Let's give them a little taste of our teamwork, shall we?" the falcon smirking and replying, "You're speaking my language, pal," Machoke still finding it so weird seeing the two get along.

With that, the falcon started flapping his wings and rose up from the ground. Lucario took hold of his ankles as the bird then flew toward the opponents before him, Absol and Missingno readying themselves. Absol could see right off the bat what they were planning as he readied his head black for a counterattack.

However, it seemed his intuition was off when Talonflame flung Lucario high into the air, the dog flipping over Absol before descending and planting his feet hard into the wolf's skull. Absol's eyes widened in shock as Missingno was just about to retaliate only for Talonflame to dive bomb the boy and strike him in the face with his talons.

Missingno fell on his back and grunted in pain while Absol rubbed his skull, Aipom and Machoke staring wide-eyed. Sure, the two may have only delivered one blow each, but already Lucario and Talonflame were proving themselves to be a formidable duo.

"Well, that was a decent warm-up," Talonflame said with a smirk after landing, Lucario nodding and replying, "Indeed. Now it's time to get serious," both of them going wide-eyed when they felt something pressed up against their ankles.

As they lowered their eyes, they noticed a pair of vines bound to them, Gardevoir squeaking, "HOW IS HE DOING THAT!?" Lucario and Talonflame turning in order to see what the girl meant. And it seemed her confusion was justified as Missingno had replaced his arms with vines and had latched them onto the heroes' ankles.

"Surprised?" the boy asked with a wicked smirk as he rose to his feet and thrust his arms back, causing his opponents to fall flat on their faces, Absol just as confused as the others.

"I've never seen you in action before, but I wasn't expecting your powers to be plant-based," the wolf stated as Missingno replied, "There's a lot you don't know about me. In fact, this is just a small sample of what I have in store."

However, it seemed stopping to have this conversation was a bad move on the boy's part as both Talonflame and Lucario used this chance to free their legs from the vines. With that, the two nodded at one-another and grabbed hold of them. Missingno's eyes went wide as he laughed nervously, the two using the vines to swing him sideways into his ally, Absol falling on his side.

"Dammit," the wolf grunted as Lucario and Talonflame charged at Missingno with their arms out, ramming them both into his neck. The boy groaned in response to this as he fell hard on his back, Machoke, Aipom and Gardevoir giving the two heroes a round of applause.

Lucario and Talonflame then nodded at one-another as the dog sprinted over to Absol before he could get up. He then proceeded to mount himself onto the wolf's back while the falcon knelt down and wrapped his arms around Missingno's neck, pulling up on his chin.

Lucario took hold of Absol's wrists and ankles, pulling on them in order to bend the wolf's back. The dog then rolled over one-hundred-and-eighty degrees so now his back was against the ground and Absol's belly was facing the air, Lucario exclaiming, "LONDON BRIDGE!"

"He's already using that?" Machoke asked, Aipom nodding and saying, "I can see your point. It's a little early for him to use this."

Even so, it seemed like it might at least have an effect as Absol's eyes and mouth were wide open, Lucario's spike getting closer and closer to his back. However, just as the wolf was seconds away from having his skin pierced, he smirked and shifted his legs around before propping his feet out of Lucario's hold. The dog's eyes widened as Absol then proceeded to send his feet into his gut, thus freeing his arms and striking Lucario's neck with an elbow drop.

The dog coughed in response to this as his eyes widened, Machoke staring in utter silence. And to make matters worse, it seemed Talonflame received a nasty surprise of his own when Missingno covered his entire body in electricity, the falcon gritting his teeth and doing his best not to release his hold. However, the sparks seemed to be just powerful enough to get him to loosen his hold as Missingno shifted his body sideways, forcing him off of his back.

"Wait, so he's an electric type now?" Aipom asked, scratching her head with her tail hand as Missingno disproved that by encasing his arms in stone and shouting, "ROCK RECKER!" sending both fists into Talonflame's face, the falcon flying backward and landing on his back.

Of course, the falcon was able to ignore this pain. It would take a lot more than that to bring someone as strong as Talonflame down, but even so, he could not believe what he had just seen. Missingno had just used three different elements in a row, something no hero had ever been able to do. Sure, there were some in the world who fell under two different hero categories, but never three.

And it did not seem to end there as just when Talonflame was about to try and strike back, the stone covering Missingno's right arm was replaced by ice, the material reshaping itself into a lance. Before anyone could respond to this, the boy charged at the falcon and pierced his gut with the blade, shouting, "ICE SWORD!"

All went silent as Talonflame tried his best not to cough up blood. After all, it was too early in the fight for someone as tough as him to do such a thing. So why did he feel so much pain from this? Sure, even the toughest of flesh could be harmed greatly when pierced, but even the punch from the stone-encrusted fists earlier had been enough to knock him on his back.

Lucario wished he could help his partner out right now, but he was currently spellbound after Absol had escaped from his most powerful move. The wolf had a smug look on his face as he said, "You know, Lucario, for someone who criticized Machoke for making the same mistake, you're not very smart. Did you honestly believe that none of us have seen that finals match? The whole world witnessed the London Bridge as it was defeated by your opponent."

"So if I hadn't escaped from that hold-" Machoke uttered as Aipom sighed, "Someone else would have figured it out eventually. Don't blame yourself for this," Gardevoir all the while whimpering.

Lucario, on the other hand, gritted his teeth and charged toward Absol, a familiar blue aura surrounding his paw as he spat, "AURA SPHERE!" sending it toward the wolf only for Absol's blade-like horn to have a black aura around it.

The wolf then sent it sideways, blocking Lucario's incoming palm punch and shouting, "NIGHT SLASH!"

Both auras left them as the dog's palm had been cut open, Lucario's eyes and mouth wide open with shock. It took a lot to get him of all heroes to make a face like that, but he could not help it. Absol had just countered both of his signature moves and damaged him both times.

Of course, Talonflame was having it worse as Missingno had turned his arms into steel. With them, he was currently blocking a series of punches. The falcon's fists would have been bleeding if he was not so tough, but even so, he was also dealing no damage and this really got to him.

"Hey, why don't you stop blocking and fight like a man already!?" Talonflame barked as Missingno smirked and remarked, "Well, if you insist," the boy's cheeks puffed up as he unleashed a purple gas from his mouth into the bird's face, shouting, "POISON GAS!"

Talonflame knew exactly what this meant as he covered his beak. There was no way he would breath that in, and this was just the distraction Missingno needed as he sped behind the bird and wrapped his arms around his waist. What happened next was truly shocking as a pair of dark wings made from the the same data-like clouds that covered various parts of his body appeared.

"What the hell!?" Machoke spat, Aipom uttering, "I don't get it. One minute, he's a grass type then he's an ice type and now he's a flying type?"

This seemed so as Missingno took to the sky. Talonflame attempted to shove the boy off of him with his own wings but seemed to have a lot of trouble, and this was of course due to Missingno's new steel arms applying even more pressure to trap him in place.

Once high enough, the boy made a U-turn toward the ground before sending Talonflame head-first into it. Despite only having taken in a few hits, it seemed that stab from the ice blade earlier had done a lot more than it seemed as Talonflame coughed up blood, Missingno releasing his hold on the falcon and allowing him to collapse.

"I can't believe what I'm seeing," Machoke uttered, Gardevoir nodding and whimpering, "The fight's only lasted a few minutes and Talonflame looks like he's about to pass out."

"Hey, don't be so quick to assume," the falcon retorted as he slowly pushed himself back to his feet with a smirk on his face, "This guy may have some fancy tricks up his sleeve, but he's still a joke," Lucario sighing, "True. Both of these fighters have taken us off-guard, but it's too early to count us out."

"Well then, let's see you back up those words," Absol remarked as Machoke really hoped things would take a turn for the better soon. After all, the group only had less than an hour to stop Giratina from regaining full strength. Sure, Missingno was proving to be a royal pain, but there was no doubt that the old dragon would be worse.

 

Things could not have looked more difficult for the duo of Talonflame and Lucario right now. The fight had started off heavily in their favour but quickly took a turn for worse when Missingno revealed a number of different types of abilities. It was unheard of for a hero to have more than two types and yet this boy had already displayed a total of seven.

And of course, Absol could not be taken lightly either. With little to no effort, he had already managed to counter Lucario's strongest techniques. All the while, Machoke was unsure of how this would turn out. Should he fight instead of one of the other two or would that even make a difference?

However, it seemed Lucario and Talonflame were not so easy to give up as Talonflame turned toward his partner and said, "Hey, buddy, I don't feel like I really need this, but let's try giving them another taste of teamwork," the dog nodding and replying, "Yes, we should at least focus on taking one of these two down first."

Absol narrowed his eyelids and remarked, "You think I'm going to allow that?" Missingno smirking as he transformed his fingers into vines again.

But just as the two were about to counter, Talonflame quickly took to the air as Lucario performed a somersault toward him, the falcon using his talons to grab the dog's ankles. When Missingno whipped out his vines toward Lucario, the dog allowed them to bind his hands as he asked, "Think you can handle this?"

"You better believe it!" Talonflame replied with a smirk as he lit his body on fire, soaring high into the air. Missingno's eyes and mouth were wide open now as this provided enough strength to overpower his grip, Lucario and Talonflame lifting him into the air.

Absol's eyes widened as Talonflame flew high enough to make a successful U-turn, Lucario's body shifted far enough for Missingno to be flung over the falcon's talons. With that, the boy was sent crashing into his ally as the two heroes exclaimed, "TOWER FLARE BLITZ!"

Talonflame then proceeded to spin his body vertically thus flinging Lucario toward Missingno's back, the dog crossing his arms in front of his face with his wrist spikes facing the boy. He then pierced Missingno's back as the boy cried out in pain, Lucario shouting, "ROYAL JAVELIN!"

Machoke stared in amazement while Aipom grinned and exclaimed, "Wow, those two are so cool!" Gardevoir sporting a light smile and saying, "They might just be able to win this after all."

"Yeah, they're awesome," Machoke uttered, "I wish I could do something like that someday. I've never fought in a team match before."

"It might happen," Aipom replied with a shrug as Talonflame and Lucario refused to let their opponents get up. As such, both sprinted toward their opponents and set up an elbow drop each, Talonflame aiming at Absol while Lucario was headed toward Missingno.

But while the falcon managed to land a perfect hit on Absol, Lucario's eyes widened when what looked like a purple crater formed on Missingno's back. Before the dog could even figure out what was going on, blue flames spewed out as the boy exclaimed, "BACK VOLCANO!" the fire hitting Lucario hard and sending him high into the air.

With that, Missingno proceeded to propel himself up to the dog's level, Machoke and the others staring in absolute horror as the demonic boy once again encased his arms in steel, latching them onto the dog. However, unlike with Talonflame, Missingno saw no need for wings but instead chose to show off another ability.

Talonflame gritted his teeth and spat, "DON'T WORRY, PAL, I'LL HELP YOU OUT!" but just as he was about to take to the sky, Absol grabbed hold of his ankles and grunted, "Where do you think you're going?"

The falcon smirked and said, "You seem to forget how strong I am," only for the wolf's paws to turn black as he seemed to overpower the falcon, leaning backward and shouting, "DARK SUPLEX!" slamming the falcon's back into the ground.

Once again, Aipom could not have been more confused as small holes formed on Missingno's back, water spewing out and forming a waterfall while the boy flipped Lucario head-first toward the ground. With that, he placed his back against the running water and allowed it to pull him down toward the ground as he spat, "WATERFALL DRIVER!" slamming the dog's head hard into the surface before.

Lucario's eyes were wide with shock as he coughed up blood, Missingno releasing his hold with a wicked grin on his face, the dog's upper body collapsing. Talonflame may have been up now, but Absol's attack had provided just enough of a distraction to prevent him from helping.

Missingno laughed and exclaimed, "Oh man, this is the world champion!? I have to admit, I was expecting much more of a challenge!" Lucario currently feeling too weak to retort as Talonflame fumed, Absol sighing, "Yes, and I'm honestly starting to wonder why it took so long for Talonflame to suffer his first defeat. So far, he seems to be an even bigger weakling."

Machoke gritted his teeth and was about to jump to their defence when Aipom said, "Wait, before you continue, I have to know something, Missingno."

The boy rose an eyebrow and smirked, saying, "Well, I don't see any reason to answer your question, but I don't see any reason not to, so go ahead," the monkey nodding and asking, "How are you using all those powers. All beings like us are usually limited to a maximum of two types of fighter and yet so far, I've seen you use nine different types of abilities. How are you doing that?"

"It's because I'm not exactly what you'd call normal," Missingno replied with a bigger smirk, Absol now curious himself as everyone stared silently, the boy then frowning and adding, "That's all you need to know."

"Geez, that wasn't much of an answer," Machoke uttered as Gardevoir stated, "I get the feeling there's more to it than that."

Even so, Talonflame hardly seemed to care as he cracked his knuckles and grunted, "Look, whatever the case, I couldn't care less if you were every type in existence. The important thing is that you're a pain in the ass and need to be dealt with."

Missingno smirked and remarked, "And how are you going to take both of us when just one was enough to keep you at bay?" the falcon retorting, "Like this!" before taking to the sky.

As much as it pained him to admit it, he needed to use serious strategy right now. And since only Missingno could fly, sticking to one opponent would make it easier for him to do so.

"After all that talk, you take the coward's approach," Missingno said before snickering, "I heard you had too much pride for that. Guess I was wrong."

With that in mind, the boy sprouted dark wings from his back again and took to the sky. However, when he reached Talonflame's height, he was shocked when the falcon seemed to have already flown behind him as he sent a kick with both of his talons into the his back.

Unfortunately, it seemed Missingno hardly felt a thing from this as he once again formed a small volcano on his back. But Talonflame knew what was coming as he flew above its range, the falcon then soaring toward the boy with his arm out, hooking the back of his neck. Unfortunately, this seemed to have hardly any effect as Missingno was prepared this time, the boy having encased his neck in steel.

However, it did not end there as he reached his arms back and grabbed hold of Talonflame's wrist, the falcon's eyes widening as the boy's hands were covered in electricity, a surge going up the bird's spine. But there was no way Talonflame was going to let this get to him again as he propelled his legs up and sent a kick into Missingno's back.

Machoke all the while gritted his teeth and groaned, "I should go in there and help," Gardevoir shaking her head and replying, "Not yet," the boy soon seeing what the girl meant as Lucario had finally recovered from the damage dealt earlier, Absol too focused on watching the aerial battle to notice.

With this in mind, the dog sprinted toward Absol from behind, the wolf picking up on this as he turned and aimed a swipe from his paws toward the side of Lucario's head. However, the dog held up his arm as the wolf wound up hitting the wrist spike, his eyes wide as the spike had pierced his flesh.

"Now who's making the amateurish mistakes?" Lucario asked tauntingly before flinging his arm backward and slamming Absol's back hard against the ground.

During this time, it seemed Talonflame did, in fact, need the dog's help as Missingno had once again encased his arms in ice, only this time he created two blades and had stabbed the falcon's shoulders. But just as it looked like he was about to add to the damage, Lucario propelled himself up to the boy's height and wrapped his arms around him, applying just enough force to pry his ice blades out of Talonflame's shoulders.

The falcon blinked as Missingno gulped, uttering, "Oh, when did you get back up?" Lucario flipping him upside-down and saying, "Clearly too soon for you."

He then proceeded to wrap his legs and arms around his opponent, his chest spike piercing Missingno's flesh as Machoke's eyes widened, the boy uttering, "Is he using what I think he is?" Lucario descending toward the ground and shouting, "CANINE HUG SLAM!"

Machoke and the others watched this in shock. Lucario had declared that his match with Machoke was the only time he would ever use his father's finishing moves and yet here he was using just that.

However, it seemed Missingno was not the least bit bothered by this as he pointed his face toward the ground and puffed up his cheeks. However, rather than unleashing poison gas like before, he let loose a blast of dark-green fire from his mouth.

Lucario's eyes widened as this created enough force to send both back up into the air, Missingno encasing his arms in stone before shouting, "ROCK RECKER!" applying just enough force to overpower Lucario's hold and spread his arms out. Then with that, he balled up his hands into fists and sent them both into Lucario's chest, the dog coughing up blood as he let go of the boy.

"I'll admit, that actually kinda surprised me," Missingno said with a smirk as he ignored the big hole Lucario had put in him, "I thought you said you'd never use that again, but clearly it wasn't good enough."

Seeing this, Talonflame spat, "HOLD ON, BUDDY!" but just as he was about to fly in and help his ally, Missingno flew in front of him with his arms still encased in stone.

Talonflame attempted to strike him with both fists only for the boy to cross his arms in front of his face and block the incoming attack. All the while, Absol leapt up to Lucario's height and grabbed hold of him, saying, "Allow me to help you, 'friend'."

The dog's eyes widened as the wolf leaned backward with Lucario's head now facing the ground, the wolf shouting, "HALF-MOON PRESS!" slamming the back of the dog's neck hard into the surface.

All went silent as Machoke blinked and uttered, "Wait, isn't that Riolu's finishing move?" Aipom nodding and asking, "How does he know it?"

Lucario was wondering this himself as he ignored the pain dealt to him and slowly rose to his feet, taking a deep breath and asking, "How are you able to use that move? It was hard for me to figure that one out and yet you've mastered it as if you were a member of my family."

"Oh, it's nothing like that," Absol remarked, "It's just that, unlike you, I spent a great deal of time trying to figure this move out. I may be ashamed of your father for his decision to return to the side of good, but what I saw from his days as a villain inspired me and I'm still a big fan of the techniques that he developed. Like you, I have taught myself every single one of his finishing moves, only it doesn't pain me to use them."

"So the majority of your special moves were stolen from someone else," Lucario remarked while folding his arms, "Sounds to me like someone can't take the time to be creative," Absol growling and retorting, "At least I was passionate about learning these moves! I know for a fact that the only reason you taught yourself these moves was so you could get revenge on the Mach family!"

"I'd almost forgotten about that," Machoke groaned as Aipom sighed, "Well, that was a pretty big deal."

Lucario's eye twitched, not so much because these words got under his skin but deep down, he knew Absol was right. He even stated that he had no intention of using his father's abilities on villains, only Machoke.

"I could even feel it when you attempted to use that move with the stupid name on Missingno," Absol stated, "The only reason you even attempted to use it was because your own signature moves failed you."

Lucario gritted his teeth while Talonflame and Missingno continued to fight each-other. However, unlike the dog, Talonflame had managed to regain the upper hand as when Missingno tried to block another one of his punches with stone-encrusted arms, the falcon redirected it toward the boy's face and hitting him hard.

With the boy distracted, the falcon proceeded to light his body on fire again as he said, "By the way, I came up with a new special move not too long ago. I hope you like it," as he flew toward the demonic boy with his arms and wings forced backwards thanks to the wind emanated by his speed.

Missingno once again held his arms in front of his face to protect himself as Talonflame spat, "FLAME MISSILE!" his beak running hard into the stone.

Missingno seemed fully confident that his defensive manoeuvre would once again work until he noticed cracks started to form. The falcon smirked as soon enough, his beak shattered the rock as Missingno was forced into a land form floating sideways, Talonflame's beak still pressed up against him.

Machoke let out a loud cheer as Aipom squealed with excitement, Gardevoir still a tad worried. Sure, Talonflame had gotten the upper hand, but Lucario seemed unsure of himself as Absol said, "Look at you. You're not as strong as you think you are," the wolf slowly walking toward him and adding, "Let's face it, without your submission holds and your father's slam techniques, you're nothing."

Lucario seemed spellbound by these words, something no one was used to seeing. No matter what his opponents said to him over the past, the dog would never let mere words get him down. And yet it seemed Absol was right. If Lucario could not rely on his finishing moves, what could he do?

Machoke's eyes were wide open as he exclaimed, "LUCARIO, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? YOU'RE NOT GONNA GIVE UP JUST BECAUSE OF A MINOR INCONVENIENCE, ARE YOU!?" Aipom biting her lower lip and saying, "Yeah, this doesn't make any sense."

However, Gardevoir seemed rather calm as she said, "Actually, I don't think he's quite given up yet. Look at his eyes," Machoke and Aipom then seeing where the monkey was coming from. In Lucario's eyes was that same glimmer that would always appear when he was just about to make a comeback.

Absol failed to see it as he said, "Just to be nice, I'll finish you off with your father's best technique," Talonflame's eyes widening as he exclaimed, "HEY, LUCARIO, FIGHT BACK!"

But just as he was about to rush in and help, Missingno recovered from the pain dealt to him earlier and transformed his fingers into vines, binding them to the falcon's ankles. To make things worse, the boy proceeded to lift his arms up thus forcing Talonflame's back into the spot of land just above him.

With that, Absol took hold of Lucario and said, "This was the hardest move to learn, and it pisses me off that you were able to figure it out so quickly. But what matters if that I'm gonna finish you off with this."

With that in mind, the wolf took hold of the dog's shoulders and leapt high into the air. Once high enough, he proceeded to flip Lucario over and lower the dog just enough so he was underneath the wolf. Absol then placed his knees up against Lucario's feet and descended toward the ground, shouting, "COLLAPSING TOWER!"

Machoke closed his eyes as he remembered this move well. This was the very technique that ended his match with Lucario. Just seeing it in action brought back painful memories, but the boy knew he had to forget about that.

But while Absol and Missingno were both fully confident that this would have the same result, Lucario seemed to have other plans as he waited just for the right moment, lowering his arms just in time to stop his head from colliding with the ground. Absol's eyes widened as Lucario allowed himself to fall backwards thus causing Absol's back to hit the ground hard.

It did not end there as Lucario used his legs to latch onto Absol's thus catching him in a figure-four leg lock. Machoke grinned and exclaimed, "Yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Absol groaning, "Why?"

"You may have figured out how to use my father's techniques, but you forgot one simple thing," Lucario remarked, "Those moves are originally from my family, meaning I know exactly how to counter them. And also, you're wrong when you say Collapsing Tower is my father's strongest move."

"I am?" Absol asked, his eyes and mouth wide open as the dog nodded, Machoke saying, "That's right. Riolu's strongest move was the one he never completed."

"It doesn't matter anyway!" Absol retorted as he turned his legs in the direction Lucario was twisting them thus freeing himself, "I still have a move that you can't counter!"

With that in mind, the wolf proceeded to swing his head blade toward Lucario while shouting, "NIGHT SLASH!" only for the dog to throw his arms inward, catching the blade between his palms. Now Absol was frightened as the dog used the horn to lift himself up, mounting himself onto the wolf's back.

"Oh no," Absol uttered, his eyes wide with terror, "How could I forget this of all moves?" Machoke trembling at the sight of this while Lucario took hold of the wolf's wrists, forcing his arms back and pulling on them.

Gardevoir and Aipom cheered briefly before noticing Machoke's expression, and it made perfect sense. The first step to Machoke's defeat was him succumbing to his move, a move that for a long period of time dislocated his arm bones and broke his spine. Even seeing it used on a different opponent brought back even worse memories than Collapsing Tower did.

Even so, the boy took a deep breath and said, "Right, I have to be supportive right now," before exclaiming, "Yeah, you rule, Lucario!" the dog smirking and thinking, 'Thank you, Machoke. I wasn't sure if you had truly gotten over your defeat, but now I can be happy knowing you have.'

However, Machoke's words had gotten the attention of Missingno, his eyes widening as he thought, 'No, it has to be a temporary setback. There's no way Lucario's going to beat Absol, not yet anyway,' the demonic boy all the while blocking another onslaught from Talonflame.

However, it seemed his worst fears had come true when Lucario exclaimed, "RIOLU TORMENT!" Absol crying out in pain as more pressure was added to his arms.

There was no doubt about it. If he could not escape from this move soon, his arms would be temporarily disabled, and to make matters worse, the Riolu Torment was apparently a perfect hold that could not be escaped.

However, there was no way Missingno would allow this to succeed. Sure, the move was perfect in a one-on-one match, but in a team match, there was a chance that the victim's ally could save him. With that in mind, Missingno put on a serious look, Aipom and Gardevoir's eyes widening when they noticed the boy do something he had not done up to this point.

When Machoke noticed this, even he became more and more frightened of the demonic boy when he not only encased his arms in steel but even managed to emit electricity from it, Talonflame staring in utter silence as he said, "I didn't know you could combine powers like that."

"I was saving this for someone more worthy, but I can't allow myself to waste time on the likes of you!" Missingno retorted as he reached his arms around the spellbound falcon. Talonflame did his best to escape, but just like before, not even he was strong enough to overpower solid steel.

As such, Missingno had him trapped as he flew toward Lucario, the electricity coming from his arms making Talonflame weaker as the boy proceeded to use his wings to spin his body around and form a twister around it. The others stared in stunned silence, Lucario turning to gaze upon the swirling wind surrounded by electricity coming right for him.

"THUNDERSTORM TWISTER!" Missingno exclaimed as he rammed Talonflame's head hard into Lucario's cheek.

An explosion formed as a result as both heroes were sent flying away from Absol and tumbling along the ground, Machoke shouting, "LUCARIO!" Gardevoir clasping her hands over her mouth while Aipom bit her lower lip and trembled.

Talonflame and Lucario were both breathing heavily as they lay on the ground, neither seeming to be able to move. All the while, Absol had a look of sheer terror in his eyes as he had felt his life flash before him while stuck in that hold. Not only did he believe he would be defeated, he thought Lucario was going to kill him.

Missingno could see the fear in his partner's eyes and asked, "Um, Absol, are you okay?" the wolf shaking his head and sighing, "Yes, I'm fine. Thanks for the save."

However, while Absol and Missingno seemed relieved, Machoke and the others were terrified. Could it be true? Had Lucario and Talonflame actually been defeated? It took Machoke so much effort to defeat Talonflame while even with all of his effort, he still lost to Lucario in the Hero Olympics finals, so there was no way they could go down so easily, right?

Aipom's mind, meanwhile, was focused on more than just the possible defeat of the two heroes. Missingno had combined three elements together to make that attack work. Could it be that he could do this with the other types as well? If so, there was a chance that he could very well be more of a threat than even Giratina.

Absol seemed to calm down when he saw the two lying there, asking, "So, do you think it's finally over?" Missingno replying, "Not sure, but if our suspicion is correct, I call Machoke," the lizard boy tensing up at the sound of that. He had almost forgotten that he was the only hero left who had enough strength to fight these two.

Sure, both Missingno and Absol had taken in a lot of damage, but they still seemed more than capable of fighting Machoke, even if it would be one of them fighting alone. But right now, Machoke wished he could stop feeling frightened of the very thought. He had gone off to train for challenges like this. He had come all this way to help his friends and yet right now, all he could think about was fleeing for his life.

However, it seemed his worst fears might not come true just yet, both Missingno and Absol staring in absolute shock as Lucario's body twitched, the dog slowly rising to his feet. He took many deep breaths and spat out a drop of blood before growling, "Don't count me out just yet! I still have more than enough fight in me to finish you off!"

Machoke and the others would have been happy to see this right now except for two problems, and even Absol and Missingno had seen it as their initial shock became smug confidence. Not only was Talonflame out cold, thus making him unable to help Lucario, but the dog in question looked weak beyond compare. Even with him somehow having the strength to stand, it seemed like even the smallest of hits would be enough to knock him out for good.

 

Lucario breathed heavily and glared into Absol and Missingno's eyes as the demonic boy laughed and exclaimed, "Oh my god, this is just precious! Do you seriously think you're in any condition to fight us!?"

Absol took a deep breath and said, "Yes, you should have stayed down," Lucario retorting, "So what!? I've done things I'm not proud of, many things, but now I'm a hero and that means I'll fight to the bitter end no matter what!"

"Lucario, I won't think any less of you if you forfeit," Machoke uttered, a serious look taking over as he added, "I'll take it from here. I can take these two," Missingno smirking and remarking, "Big words coming from the man who lost to Lucario in the finals."

"Look, Machoke," Lucario retorted, "I have no doubt that you can stand up to these two, but as long as I have the energy to continue, I'm not giving up, so wait until I'm finished. I was hoping you could save your energy for Giratina, but you might just be able to stop Missingno before it's too late."

Machoke was about to protest, even Aipom and Gardevoir feeling like the dog should have just given up his pride and let the boy take his place. However, Machoke then saw it, that same glimmer in Lucario's eyes. Perhaps he could at least finish one of them off.

Missingno laughed insanely and exclaimed, "Oh my god, do you seriously think you can take us both!? Come on, Absol, let's finish this!" the wolf holding up his right paw and remarking, "No."

The boy stared at the wolf and remarked, "What do you mean 'no'?" Absol remarking, "I'm sorry, sir, but I want to be the one to finish him off. Lucario has done nothing but piss me off since the moment I saw him fight in the Olympics. I'm going to humiliate him in the worst way possible, by ending his winning streak with one of his father's moves."

Missingno stared silently for a few seconds before a grin formed on his face, the boy nodding and saying nothing. This sounded absolutely fiendish to him, the ultimate end to this intense match.

All the while, Machoke really hoped this would not be in vain. He was not sure if they could risk this, especially since Giratina only had a little less than a half-hour until his full strength returned. Hopefully Lucario would have what it took to make a difference.

With all of this in mind, Absol marched toward Lucario, the dog growling and sending a palm punch toward him only for the wolf to block it and lift his arms up with a smirk on his face. Then, in a taunting voice, he stated, "Look at you. You're pathetic. You can barely stand right now."

Sweat poured down Lucario's head as the wolf added, "You may know how to counter your father's special moves, but in the state you're in, you won't have the strength to do that again. But before I finish you for good, I have something else in mind."

The dog's eyes and mouth went wide, Machoke and the others staring in utter silence as Absol swung his horn downward in front of Lucario's chest, shouting, "NIGHT SLASH!"

And the heroes had the perfect reason to be shocked. Absol had not put a cut in Lucario but rather his chest spike, something the dog had since birth. He had used it as a weapon to finish off his opponents for so long and yet there it was, rolling along the ground as Absol had a maniacal smirk on his face. Now all that remained was a hard white circle on Lucario's chest, the dog breathing heavily.

"Now you can't use that precious London Bridge of yours," the wolf said with a smirk, "but come on, is that really such a big loss? Now that the whole world know how to get out of it, it's not like you would have had a reason to use it."

The dog took a deep breath and refused to dignify that with a response, Absol shrugging his shoulders before taking hold of those very spots on Lucario. He then leapt high into the air as everyone stared in silence, knowing exactly what was coming as the wolf flipped the dog upside down and pressed his knees up against his feet.

"Now to finish what I started earlier," Absol said with a serious look in his eyes, the wolf descending toward the mat while shouting, "COLLAPSING TOWER!"

"LUCARIO!" Machoke and the others exclaimed with terror in their eyes, but just as it looked like the dog was done for, a familiar blue aura covered his body for a few seconds, the dog sporting a serious look while it seemed all of his strength had returned.

Before, this would have been a reason to worry. Whenever this aura appeared during the Hero Olympics, Lucario's entire personality would change and cause him to become mad with power. However, after the way he had hurt Amanda's feelings, he would never allow this to happen again.

As such, the dog managed to keep a level head as he flipped his body upward so he was now facing Absol. The wolf's eyes widened as Lucario grabbed hold of his waist and held Absol over his head, leaning backward and aiming the wolf toward the ground.

"No," Absol uttered, his eyes and mouth wide with shock, "How are you able to pull this off?"

Lucario refused to answer his question and instead stated, "You made a mistake trying that on me. I know how to counter my father's signature moves, but let me ask you something. Do you know how to counter them?"

The wolf went silent as he gulped nervously, Lucario sighing, "I thought so," before driving the side of the wolf's head hard into the rock-hard surface and shouting, "HALF-MOON PRESS!"

All went silent as this seemed to expel most of the dog's energy. Missingno stared in utter silence, thinking, 'No way that ended it. Absol can handle much more damage than what he took in. That move couldn't possibly be enough to defeat him, can it?'

The others could not help but think the same thing. Absol seemed to have plenty of fight left in him before taking in that attack. Surely that one slam was not enough to knock him out.

However, after a few seconds, it seemed Missingno's worst fears were true as Lucario continued to breathe heavily, uttering, "Here's a hint of advice. The next time you decide to face someone, come up with your own finishing moves. I'm going to do just that now that my chest spike is gone," the dog then leaning down and picking up the part that he been separated from him.

"You know, it doesn't have to be gone for good," Aipom uttered as the dog turned to her, the monkey adding, "We could have it reattached. It's actually not that difficult."

Lucario thought about this for a few seconds and shook his head, a light smile on his face as he said, "I've been relying on this for far too long. Besides, Absol's right. Now that everyone knows how to get out of my London Bridge, there's no point holding onto it. Aside from that one move, all it did was make hugging my sister more difficult, and I don't think I want to deal with that anymore."

However, Missingno did not even care about the conversation taking place. Right now, the only thing that mattered to him was that he was the only one left who could take these heroes on. With that in mind, he knew he would need to finish Lucario off sooner than later. After all, Machoke would be next and he was the one the demonic boy wanted to fight the most.

However, since Lucario still had enough strength left, he held up a defensive stance as Machoke said, "Look, Lucario, you've done a great job, but maybe I should take it from here."

The dog then turned, glanced at the boy and realized he might be right. With that in mind, he smiled and nodded his head, saying, "Well, there is only one opponent left. I guess there's no harm in-"

"Not so fast!" Missingno exclaimed, all going silent as the boy once again sprouted his wings and flew toward Lucario from behind while saying, "I'll be glad to face you, Machoke, but I at least want the satisfaction of truly ending this match!"

"Wait, he's taking advantage of Lucario's condition!?" Machoke spat, his eyes wide with shock as Aipom uttered, "I thought only Absol cared about his track record."

However, it seemed Missingno had other intentions as he added, "Make no mistake, I couldn't care less if Lucario has a perfect winning streak or not. The fact is this started off as a match between my team and Talonflame's team, and last I checked, there's still no official winner of this fight. I'm simply giving it closure."

Machoke blinked as Aipom sighed, "I hate to say it, but that's actually a good point," Machoke gritting his teeth and retorting, "I don't care! I should go in there and stop this!"

However, it was too late as Missingno encased his arms in stone and said, "If you thought my Thunderstorm Hurricane was impressive, wait'll you get a load of this," the demonic boy taking to the sky as small holes formed into his back, a big waterfall coming out like a fountain.

However, he had no intention of using his Waterfall Driver like last time as the liquid went upward a bit before slanting backward in an arch, touching the ground behind the two. As such, Missingno held Lucario high above his head as the water pulled them upward, the boy exclaiming, "WATERFALL SUPLEX!"

Once the two reached the top of the water, Machoke closed his eyes in panic as the two were soon tilted one-hundred-and-eighty degrees, their heads now facing the ground. And after a few seconds, Lucario's skull made contact with the surface as his eyes and mouth were both wide open, the dog coughing up blood.

And as soon as Missingno released his hold on the dog and allowed him to collapse, there was no doubt about it. He was down for the count as Missingno lifted his arm in triumph, Machoke and the others staring in stunned silence. Sure, they knew this was going to happen, but it was still a lot to take in. Of all heroes, Lucario had lost. What chance did Machoke have?

Even so, it would not be long before Giratina awoke and thus the Missingno took a deep breath, smirking and saying, "Well, two down, one to go. I have to admit, I'm a little nervous."

However, Machoke could tell the boy was only saying this in the ironic sense. If anything, Machoke himself was feeling much more nervous, especially after seeing Missingno in action. As if being so many different types was not bad enough, he seemed to have a tendency to dish out one surprise after another.

However, just as it looked like the boy would get cold feet, Aipom took a deep breath and said, "Hey, Machoke, you came all this way to help us. You're showing more courage than ever before."

The boy's eyes widened as Gardevoir nodded and said, "You taught me to never give up even when the odds were stacked heavily against me. And you always have a tendency to get right back up even when your opponent is too much to bare."

Machoke took a deep breath and replied, "You're right. Lucario may have beaten me, but no one else has," the boy then grinning childishly and adding, "Besides, after all that damage Talonflame dealt to him, he'll probably be a cinch anyway," Aipom face-palming as she figured this way of thinking was better than remaining scared.

"So, are you finally ready to face me?" Missingno asked with a smirk, "You know, I don't mind waiting. You can just choose to stand around and stare at me for the next twenty-something minutes. After all, that's about how long Giratina has to go until all of his power has returned."

Machoke had now removed all of his fear as he sported a serious expression and retorted, "I'm not letting that happen!" as he stepped forward. However, the boy did not start off on the offensive.

Sure, he was in a hurry to stop Giratina's restoration, but he also knew by now that he would need to think logically if he was to win. Rash thinking was what cost him his match with Lucario, and even with Missingno having taken in a lot of damage, the demonic boy was still able to pack a punch as was shown with both finishing moves he had used earlier.

Missingno, on the other hand, seemed more than eager to start the fight as he asked, "Aw, you're gonna give me the first move? I'm flattered," the boy then sprinting toward Machoke. But just as he got close, Machoke smirked and sent a karate chop toward his face.

Missingno figured he would try something like this as he quickly encased his arms in stone only for Machoke to redirect his karate chop toward the boy's forehead. Missingno's eyes and mouth were wide open as Machoke proceeded to wrap his arms around him and lift him up, leaning his body backwards and planting the boy's skull into the ground with a German Suplex.

Aipom and Gardevoir smiled bright as they cheered heavily. Even with Machoke only having trained for a little while, it seemed to have paid off as this was one of the most impressive starts he had ever displayed. Even Missingno had not seen this coming as he quickly sprang to his feet and breathed heavily, his eyes still wide open.

"You're not the only one full of surprises," Machoke said with a smirk, "Don't think for a minute that I wasn't paying attention to you during your fight with Talonflame and Lucario. You said you were saving your most powerful abilities for later, most likely so I wouldn't know what to expect from you, but you showed off more skills than you thought you had, and that defensive manoeuvre of yours is the most predictable of all your tactics."

Missingno smirked and said, "Well, not bad, but let's see if you can come up with better," the demonic boy's arms still covered in stone as he held them back, shouting, "ROCK RECKER!" ending his fists forward.

However, Machoke wasted no time as he wrapped his arms around him, shouting, "MACH COVER!" and as the stone-encrusted fists collided with his body, they seemed to deal no damage whatsoever as the boy had a smirk on his face.

"Yeah!" Aipom and Gardevoir both squealed, the monkey's eyes sparkling as she sniffed, "I'm so proud of him!"

Unfortunately, it seemed Missingno was not the least bit intimidated as he asked, "Oh, is that all?" Machoke blinking and asking, "You do know how powerful this defence is, right?"

"Of course," Missingno replied, "Everyone saw how easily it caused Lucario to drop his guard during your match with him, but everyone also saw its two biggest weaknesses, and guess which one I'm going to exploit!"

Machoke's eyes and mouth were wide open as Missingno encased his arms in ice, forming lances with them. Seeing this, Aipom knew exactly what was coming as she screeched, "MACHOKE, FORGET THE COVER AND DODGE!" but Missingno was not about to let the boy do that as he immediately sent his ice lances into Machoke's arms, piercing his flesh as he cried out in pain.

Machoke then backed up and pried his arms out of the ice, taking a few deep breaths before shaking his head and sporting a serious look. Right now, he needed to be stronger than ever before, meaning something like this should come off to him as nothing more than a minor setback. After all, the fate of the world depended on this.

"Not bad," Missingno said with a smirk, "You certainly handled this attack better than Talonflame did, but that hardly matters," the lances changing back into regular arms as he added, "You're right when you said I showed off a few too many abilities, so allow me to demonstrate something I didn't use during the fight earlier."

Machoke's eyes went wide as the demonic boy sped behind him and wrapped his ice-encrusted arms around the hero. Machoke started to panic as the cold was almost too much to bare, Missingno stating, "FYI, this isn't even the worst of it."

He then proceeded to blow ice-cold wind from his mouth into the back of Machoke's head before lighting his arms on fire. Aipom and Gardevoir both winced as they knew exactly what feeling extreme heat after being exposed to freezing temperatures could do to someone.

And sure enough, steam emitted from Machoke's body as he cried out in pain, Missingno leaning backward and connecting his own Suplex, slamming the boy's head hard against the ground. Machoke would have at least attempted to get out of this, but due to the extreme heat he was feeling, he was too distracted to try.

As the boy rose back to his feet, Missingno smirked and said, "I may not be in perfect condition right now, but I have a ton of abilities at my disposal. If you haven't caught on yet, I am a master of ten different types of fighting. Grass, fire, electric, water, ice, flying, poison, rock, steel and dragon. I embody all of those, making me the most unique and unpredictable adversary you will ever meet!"

"That's not every type, is it?" Machoke groaned as Aipom replied, "Oh no, there's still plenty left out of the equation, but this is still bad news. It's best you don't let your guard down."

With this in mind, Machoke was once again on the defensive. Sure, Missingno may have taken in a lot of damage earlier, but he was still clearly able to use his skills. The boy would have attempted one of his own finishing moves, but much like the Mach Cover, those abilities had been countered and Machoke was certain that his opponent knew exactly how to counter them. With this in mind, he would not make the same mistake he did against Lucario. He intended to save his finishing moves for when he knew Missingno was weak enough.

With this in mind, he waited for the demonic boy to come at him again as he found just the right moment to send a kick into Missingno's shin. The boy seemed to be caught off-guard by this as Machoke sent a hard punch to his face.

However, it seemed this was not enough as Missingno smirked and shifted his arms into vines, latching onto Machoke's shoulders. The lizard boy's eyes widened as his opponent stated, "By the way, I can use two elements at once with my arms."

Now Machoke was truly frightened as electricity ran along the vines and touched his body. He cried out in pain as the element coursed through his veins, Aipom shouting, "IGNORE THE PAIN AND TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS!"

Machoke gritted his teeth and nodded, trying his best not to let the pain get to him as he grabbed hold of the vines. Missingno's eyes widened as the lizard boy proceeded to pull upward on the vines thus lifting the demonic boy over his head and leaning backward, planting his head into the ground.

Missingno had to admit that he was impressed. Even Talonflame had been unable to resist his electricity and yet Machoke had managed to do just that and even deal damage while doing so. But even so, this was but a minor setback to him as he smirked.

"You know, Machoke, I have heard amazing things about you and yet honestly, I'm a bit disappointed," Missingno said as the lizard boy blinked, a look of confusion on his face while the demonic boy added, "I mean, right now, you're in a hurry to stop Giratina's recovery and yet all you've done so far is hit me with the most basic moves in the book. You've done nothing to differentiate yourself from other fighting types. I mean, if you at least attempted one of your legendary finishers on me, I'd be done for a lot quicker, don't you think?"

Aipom stared silently and groaned, "Oh god, he's not doing what I think he is, is he?" but just as Gardevoir was about to retaliate, it seemed she would not need to as Machoke retorted, "I'm saving my finishing moves for the right moment. Just like how Absol knew how to escape from Lucario's London Bridge thanks to me, you probably know how to counter all of my finishing moves. I can't risk using them when you're in decent fighting condition."

All went silent as Aipom let out a sigh of relief, Gardevoir giving Machoke a sweet smile. It seemed Machoke really had learned from his past mistakes, and even Missingno was impressed. This was certainly sound logic, but it hardly mattered to him as a wicked smirk formed on his face.

"Well, Machoke, it seems you've got me all figured out," the boy said, "or do you?" the lizard boy blinking as the demonic boy added, "Quick heads-up, I actually do have other types of abilities that I haven't shown you yet."

Machoke was taken off-guard when two dark-purple orbs covered his right hand, the boy rushing at Machoke and exclaiming, "SHADOW BALL!" sending a hard punch with that very hand into Machoke's face.

This caused a considerable amount of pain as the boy was already coughing up blood. He could not believe it. He had only taken in a few hits and yet Missingno had already drawn blood from him, Aipom gasping, "So he can use ghost type moves as well!"

"And it only gets better!" the demonic boy exclaimed as he sprouted his wings and let out a loud cry, black rings of energy covering his body and circling him.

With that, he flew toward Machoke and exclaimed, "DARK PULSE!" ramming his skull hard into the boy's gut, sending him flying as he was just a millimetre away from falling off the edge of the land form he and Missingno were fighting on.

Luckily, he had just enough strength to avoid falling as Aipom whimpered, "What type of move was that?" Missingno grinning at her and replying, "Dark, my friend. Dark."

Machoke managed to use this chance to run away from the edge, breathing heavily with terror in his expression, Gardevoir whimpering all the while. Just what else did Missingno have at his disposal? Sure, neither of those moves were quite as devastating as his Thunderstorm Hurricane, but it was still shocking. Did this mean Missingno embodied every single type of fighter in existence?

It was looking more and more likely as the boy proceeded to form a scorpion tail from the data-like clouds covering various parts of his body. He then dove toward Machoke with the spike aimed straight for him and shouted, "POISON TAIL!"

However, Machoke was prepared for this move as he swerved to the right and grabbed hold of the tail, grunting, "Those last two moves were actually impressive! This is predictable as hell!"

However, he soon found himself eating those words as Missingno somehow managed to increase the strength of the tail, flipping his own body over three-hundred-and-sixty degrees thus pulling Machoke up and slamming his back into the ground behind him. Now Aipom and Gardevoir were even more worried, Machoke's confidence lowering by the second.

Missingno laughed insanely and exclaimed, "This is the legendary Machoke!? I'm not even using anything special and yet look at all the damage I've dealt to you! I took in all kinds of pain before this fight started and yet you look more battered than I do!"

Machoke refused to let this get to him, though, as he slowly rose to his feet, his confidence back as he sighed, "You may have some incredible skills, but I can still beat you. Show me what else you got," Aipom all the while counting the number of types he had used with her tail fingers and saying, "So bug type can be added to the list."

With only ten minutes remaining, Machoke would certainly need to pull his act together. It was just as Missingno said. Right now, all he was doing was demonstrating his other abilities. None of the moves he had used were anything special and yet he had already done an insane amount of damage to Machoke. Was this really a futile effort or could Machoke turn this around?

 

Despite starting with a major advantage, it seemed like Machoke could very well lose his fight with Missingno. The demonic boy had already demonstrated thirteen different types of moves that he could use and for all the heroes knew, he probably harnessed all the others as well.

Of course, with only ten minutes left, the boy would need to end this as soon as possible and as such, he charged toward Missingno. The demon encased his arms in stone before sending them forward only for Machoke to see this coming as he dodged to the right and sent a karate chop into the side of Missingno's head.

This caught the demonic boy off-guard just long enough for Machoke to reach his arms around his neck, lifting him up for a brainbuster. But just as he was about to connect it, Missingno smirked and said, "Nice try, but this is easy for me."

With that in mind, the demon proceeded to latch his stone-encrusted hands against Machoke's head before shouting, "NEEDLE ARMS!" small holes forming along the parts as rosebush thorns emerged, piercing Machoke's flesh.

The lizard boy could no longer pretend the pain was not there as he released his hold, Missingno exclaiming, "NOW TO SHOW OFF ANOTHER TYPING I HAVE!" before opening up holes all around his body and spinning around, a torrent of sand shooting out and striking his opponent repeatedly like a row of whips.

"SAND TORRENT!" the boy exclaimed as Aipom gasped, "He can also use ground type moves!" Gardevoir biting her lower lip as the demon added, "I can also use psychic and fairy type moves."

This made it official. There was no ability this villain did not have. Sure, he had not used specifically normal or fighting type moves, but normal and fighting types were the most basic around. If anything, Missingno had more-or-less combined a great deal of his attacks with those types.

And to further prove his words, he continued his onslaught by covering his arms in a dark aura, shouting, "This is a favourite of Alakazam's family, a little something known as Psybeam!" a streak of purple light following him as he rammed his fists hard into Machoke's chest, the boy coughing up blood as he backed up.

With that, Missingno took hold of Machoke and took to the sky. He then released his hold on him and flipped himself upside-down, his skull planted against Machoke's gut as a pink aura surrounded it, the boy shouting, "MOONBLAST DIVE!" the demon and Machoke both careening into the ground, Machoke coughing up even more blood.

Once again, Aipom could not believe this. Machoke had started this fight with a huge advantage. Missingno had taken in all sorts of damage from Talonflame and Lucario's combined efforts and yet despite all of that, even without resorting to his most powerful moves, he had already brought Machoke close to defeat.

Missingno then snickered and said, "I'll be honest, Machoke. I'm not nearly as surprised as I had led on earlier. Against any other opponent, you would have dominated this fight, I'm sure. But you never stood a chance against me, and you know why?"

Aipom and Gardevoir were both trembling as he held up Machoke by his shoulder, the boy barely conscious as the demon added, "It's because your typing is lame. Fighting types are the second-most pathetic types of fighters next to normal. Yes, you can dish out strong physical attacks, but you can't use the elements. Sure, your family is strong and has a knack for overcoming that weakness, but it won't help you against someone who's mastered all of them. Hell, I can use normal and fighting types moves, but so can everyone else. They're just souped up versions of the moves humans use. They're nothing special."

Machoke's body twitched as Aipom bit her lower lip, shouting, "YOU TAKE THAT BACK!" Gardevoir nodding and adding, "Yeah, fighting type moves are plenty strong!"

"Easy for you to say!" Missingno retorted before pointing at Gardevoir and adding, "You used to be a weakling, so anyone can look tough by comparison."

He then pointed at Aipom and stated, "And you're a normal type, the one type more pathetic than a fighting type. You're the worst offender of all."

The monkey was just about to let down tears when Gardevoir frowned and said, "Don't listen to him. He's just being a jerk," Missingno shrugging his shoulders and remarking, "Fine, live in your delusional fantasy world. See if I care."

However, it seemed Machoke was in the same state of mind as Gardevoir as he suddenly propelled his lower body upward, planting his feet hard into the demonic boy's chin. Missingno's eyes widened with shock as Machoke propelled himself onto Missingno's shoulders and rammed his elbows into his skull.

"You know, when I first heard what my type was, I was disappointed," Machoke said with a grimace, "I thought that was the lamest type in existence, but you know what? I have won an incredibly high number of fights since I started my career. I have faced a total of fourteen opponents in my life and out of all of them, I've defeated thirteen! That's not a bad track record if I say so myself!"

He then proceeded to latch his ankles around Missingno's neck before leaning backward and planting his hands against the ground. With that, he lifted up his opponent and slammed his face hard into the surface with a frankensteiner, Gardevoir and Aipom cheering all the while. If only Lucario and Talonflame had been awake to see this.

"As you can see, a fighter's type shouldn't matter in the long run!" Machoke exclaimed, "You may have every type in existence, but the real reason you've done so well is because of your skills! And that's what I need to do! As long as I fight with strategy and skill, I can beat anyone no matter what their typing is!"

However, Missingno did not seem the least bit intimidated as he laughed wickedly and pushed himself up to his feet. He had a look of pure insanity in his eyes as he exclaimed, "OH MY GOD, ARE YOU SERIOUS!?"

Machoke's confidence briefly left him as the demonic boy said, "That is the lamest and most cliched speech I have ever heard! My god, that's like something ripped out of a TV show for children or something like that! Do you get paid to say these sorts of things!?"

"Wait, can people get paid to do that?" Machoke asked as Aipom and Gardevoir shrugged, Missingno sighing, "Well, you're not completely wrong. I mean, it's true, if I didn't use skill, my type advantage wouldn't matter too much in the long run, but you can't deny that my moves pack much more of a punch than yours do. Ultimately, if time doesn't run out first, I'll definitely be the one winning this fight."

Unfortunately, Aipom could not argue against that point. Even before Missingno dished out all of those impressive moves he had used, he had still managed to weaken Machoke considerably and in a very short period of time no less. And with only a little over five minutes remaining until Giratina regained full power, it seemed like Machoke would not be able to end this in time.

With that in mind, Missingno charged at Machoke and encased his arms in stone, grabbing hold of the boy and spreading out his wings. He then took to the air and said, "Here's another combination of elements," the demonic boy spinning while a huge gust of wind surrounded him, small holes forming on his body. Small leaves came out and spun around, putting various cuts on Machoke's body as he cried out in pain.

"I now present to you another combination of three elements," Missingno said with a smirk, "This time, I combine flying, rock and grass to bring you a true masterpiece."

He then flipped his body around one-hundred-and-eighty degrees as he shouted, "RAZOR LEAF TWISTER!" headed toward the ground while Aipom and Gardevoir covered their eyes. They could not bare to watch any more of this.

However, Machoke did not look ready to cave in just yet as he let out a loud battle cry, applying just enough strength to free himself from Missingno's grip. The boy's eyes widened as Machoke righted himself up and grabbed hold of his ankles, resting his legs over Missingno's arms as the two were mere inches from touching the surface.

"Oh my god, is he using what I think he is!?" Gardevoir squealed as Machoke spat, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!" driving Missingno's head hard into the surface, the boy's eyes wide open as he gritted his teeth, trying his hardest to keep blood from escaping his mouth.

As Machoke released his hold on the demon and allowed his body to collapse, he stated, "The world may know how to counter that move now, but that doesn't make it useless. I just needed the right conditions to make it impossible to avoid."

Aipom let down light tears and sniffed, "I'm so proud. Even without my advice, he can still come up with incredible strategies that I would never think of."

Missingno was absolutely spellbound this time. Machoke's strategy had not only worked but it had dealt a lot of pain to him, but how? How had the boy overpowered his rock-encrusted arms? Not even Talonflame, whose physical strength exceeded that of Machoke could get out of that.

Whatever the case, he seemed to have very little time to think about it as Machoke said, "I can tell you're not finished yet, so I think I need to add a nice finishing touch to this," the boy lifting him up and leaping high into the air.

But while Gardevoir and Aipom expected him to switch over to his Ultimate Driver, Machoke seemed to get another idea entirely. Ever since Lucario had countered his Sunset Slam, he knew he would need to come up with a new finishing move and as such, he had spent quite a bit of time working on such a thing. He had not completely gotten an idea of how it would work, but he at least had a general concept in mind.

In fact, this could not have been more perfect to use on an opponent such as Missingno as he latched onto the demonic boy's wrists. He then wrapped his own legs around Missingno's to hold them in place and started to spin his body while saying, "I have to thank you, Missingno. You just gave me a great idea with those two overpowered finishing moves of yours."

"NO!" Missingno exclaimed with fury in his eyes as he tried his hardest to escape.

He tried lighting his arms on fire, turning them into ice and even encasing them in stone and forming the thorns from earlier. However, Machoke was too focused on finishing this to feel his attacks as he asked, "Before I finish you off, I have to know one thing. Why are you doing all of this? With your power, you could be our greatest ally but instead you choose to harm innocent lives."

Missingno closed his eyes and remembered exactly how he was born. As a matter of fact, he had been created in Hero Planet's lab completely by accident. It was a month ago when the head Scientist, a grey cat-like being named Espurr was closing up for the night. However, just as she was about to turn out the lights, she noticed the shelf holding her chemicals was starting to break.

She rushed to grab a special gun she had made that released an adhesive substance that could hold anything in place, but it was too late. The shelf slanted as a total of eighteen vials, each containing a liquid with a different colour, fell on top of her computer as a big cloud of smoke formed, Espurr covering her eyes. And when the smoke cleared, she could see the silhouette of what looked like a young human boy appear.

When she saw her computer had vanished, she could only come to one conclusion. The chemicals must have mutated the machine, her eyes sparkling as the human-like being looked at her with confusion.

She wasted no time welcoming him to the world and introducing him to everything around him. Thanks to him being part-computer, the boy did not need long to process everything and eventually figured out what each object was for and even understood the rules to follow when in the lab.

Espurr decided that the name Missingno would fit the boy perfectly. She was unsure of how she came up with the name, but she felt it had a nice ring to it and the boy seemed perfectly fine with this.

However, when Espurr discovered the many different powers locked inside of him, she just knew he could go on to do great things. As such, she educated him about various different jobs he could perform. Many appealed greatly to him, but the one he wanted to do the most was be a hero on Earth.

Back when Missingno was a computer, Espurr in her free time would surf the net to watch video recordings of matches taking place on Earth. She even downloaded a few superhero-themed video games and as such, Missingno wanted this life more than anything.

As such, Espurr secretly trained him to fight. Though since the Scientist herself was far from a great fighter, she used a combat robot to help him out. And due to Missingno's brain being part-computer, he very quickly caught onto the basics of fighting and even came up with a variety of signature moves he could use.

After a couple of weeks, Espurr decided that Missingno was ready and as such, she introduced him to the council. Of course, Beedrill and most of the staff were off hosting the Hero Olympics during this time, so the people taking the chairman's place were afraid to lose their jobs if they let Weedle and his son down. As such, they refused to allow Missingno to protect Earth under the impression that someone with his power could be too dangerous.

To make matters worse, they also told Espurr to seal him away. Of course the cat had no intention of doing this, but Missingno did not stick around to hear her speak in his defence. He felt that he had heard enough and took off from the building. He then hijacked one of their ships and headed toward Earth, intending to prove them wrong.

However, Missingno was the only alien being who resembled a human and as such, it was hard for him to be accepted by society. Since he did not wear clothes, various parts of him covered with clouds that resembled data, the people of Earth saw him as a mutant. And as a result, no one was willing to give the boy a chance.

Soon enough, much like Mawile, Missingno developed a deep hatred toward mankind. This was a planet where it was now normal for anthropomorphic animals to live and yet a human-like being with odd features was frightening? It was no wonder this race was unable to defend itself against villains. They were all judgemental wimps.

With all of this in mind, Missingno's new goal was to wipe out mankind, and he would do it with the help of a being he knew could assist him. Sure, he had only been alive for a couple of weeks, but since he was part-computer, this was easy for him to process as he found his answer. The only thing that was a challenge was figuring out where Giratina's neck rings were, but that was a minor detail. With the ancient dragon on his side, there was no way he could lose.

Back in present time, Missingno smirked and stated, "Because I hate mankind!" Machoke sighing, "You'll soon learn that way of thinking is wrong."

As such, the boy started to spin just like Missingno had while saying, "You think your elemental attacks are all that, but I'll prove to you that you don't need wind type attributes for this to be strong!" the boy performing a U-turn and shouting, "MUSCLE TORNADO!" the demonic boy's head driven into the hard surface below as his eyes and mouth were wide open.

Missingno coughed up blood as his eyes rolled to the back of his head, Machoke releasing his hold and allowing him to collapse. After a few seconds, it seemed he really was down for the count as Aipom and Gardevoir smiled wide and rose their arms in the air, shouting, "YOU DID IT, MACHOKE!"

The boy could not believe it. Despite everything going in his favour at the start of the match, it truly looked like Missingno would win. If Lucario and Talonflame had not dealt damage to him earlier, Machoke probably would not have won on time if ever. However, right now he was just glad to have won as the barrier surrounding Giratina was finally gone.

But before he could join his friends in celebration, Aipom pointed at Giratina and snapped, "MACHOKE, QUICKLY, FORCE HIM OUT OF THAT SPOT!" the lizard boy nodding until it suddenly dawned on him and the others that they were too late.

Despite all of their best efforts, eight hours had finally passed. As such, Giratina's red eyes flashed as he opened his mouth and revealed his razor sharp teeth, his muscles finally having returned. He then spread out his messy black wings and let out a loud roar, flexing his muscles and shouting, "OH YEAH, I FEEL AMAZING!"

All went silent as Gardevoir trembled, Aipom shaking her head while Machoke fell to his knees. He simply could not believe what he was seeing. He had gone to all that trouble to defeat Missingno. He had barely made it out of the match alive and yet he had failed to stop Giratina from regaining full strength.

However, rather than looking blood-thirsty, the dragon seemed rather intrigued as he noticed Absol and Missingno both lying unconscious. He looked at both Gardevoir and Machoke before asking, "Tell me, who was the one who defeated my cohort?"

Machoke trembled and uttered, "Um, it was her," pointing at Aipom who scowled at him, the dragon saying, "Nice try, but your reaction proves it was you."

"Oh god, strong and smart, the worst of both worlds!" Machoke exclaimed as Giratina smirked and said, "Don't worry. I'm not too upset. He fulfilled his purpose."

The others stared in confusion as Aipom asked, "Wait, what are you talking about?" Giratina letting out a light laugh before saying, "I simply needed him and his allies to distract you before I recovered. Hell, I was planning on doing away with him when this all ended."

Missingno had just barely enough consciousness to hear this as his eyes widened, the demonic boy slowly positioning his head so it was facing the dragon and exclaiming, "WHAT!?" Machoke panicking as Missingno ignored him and added, "You're bluffing, right?"

Giratina shook his head and remarked, "I only needed you before because I needed to regain my strength, but now that it's back, I don't need anyone! I can enslave all of mankind by myself! As it's been said, only Arceus was able to defeat me and he's not around anymore, so I don't need assistance!"

Missingno's eyes and mouth were wide open as he uttered, "No, you can't be serious. Surely you've gotten weaker over the years," Giratina remarking, "If you truly believed that, would you have turned to me for help in enslaving the human race?"

Machoke was still terrified out of his mind as Missingno had no way to respond to that. The sad truth was that Giratina was right. All along, despite his incredible power, Missingno never believed that he alone would be good enough for this. He had hoped to use the dragon to make his dream a reality.

Aipom and Gardevoir gasped in response to what happened next, Machoke even more terrified now as Giratina split his wings into three sections each. Each one was a long strand of shadowy flesh with with a red claw on the end of each as Giratina exclaimed, "SHADOW CLAW!" sending one of them downward and into Missingno's back, the demonic boys eyes and mouth wide open as he coughed up one last bit of blood.

And since the dragon had pierced his heart, there was no doubt about it. Missingno was dead, his body falling to the ground as Giratina folded his arms and pointed a claw at Machoke, saying, "You and your friends will join me in taking my first steps out of this world."

The boy stared in confusion but refused to question this. He failed to understand why Giratina would not just take him and his friends out then and there, but if it meant he could live for even a little bit longer, he would not say a thing. Right now, he was too stunned after witnessing Missingno die before he had a chance to turn his life around.

 

While the fight with Missingno and Absol had been going on, everyone else still in the Reverse World had eventually returned to the outside world. Many were shocked to see Beedrill emerge with a weakened Butterfree humped over his back, the wasp sighing, "Now, you know I can't just let you roam free, right?" the butterfly sighing, "Yeah, I know."

Along the way, he had also noticed Kecleon and though it would be a pain to bring him back as well, there was no way Beedrill would let him remain in the reverse world. Villain or not, he could not just leave him to potentially die in a place like that, even if the Reverse World itself did not seem that dangerous.

Eventually, Blitzle and Aegislash recovered from their fight with Blaziken and Gardevoir and returned, though both were feeling weak and thus were unable to resist being handcuffed and forced into the Hero Planet police ship immediately. And last to arrive were Gothitelle and Mawile.

Of course, Beedrill was ready to have her arrested as well, but Gothitelle managed to talk him out of it. Mawile admitted that she deserved to be punished regardless and as such, Beedrill decided to subject the girl to community service under the watchful eyes of Gothitelle.

Needless to say, Reika was happy to see the others make their return but was still a tad worried as she turned to Octillery and Gothitelle, saying, "Hey, you two went in with Machoke and Aipom. Do you know if they're okay?"

"Unfortunately, we don't," Gothitelle replied with a sigh, "We were each held up with our own little problems," Mawile whimpering, "I'm so sorry!" her mouth making low growling noises as a means of apologizing herself.

Blaziken took a deep breath and shrugged, replying, "Don't worry about them. I'm sure they're all fine," Gallade nodding and replying, "Yeah, my sis is with them. I know they're okay."

All the while, the news reporter was astounded by everything that had happened as she said, "We're seeing more and more people emerging from that portal, but where are Machoke, Lucario, Talonflame and the other two who were with them?"

Suddenly, another portal appeared right next to the main one as all went silent. No one could figure out where this new one came from, but Blaziken, Gallade, Octillery, Gothitelle, Reika, Tsuya and Cici were all beyond relieved to see Machoke step outside of the portal with Lucario and Talonflame humped over his shoulders.

Throh and Sawk rose their fists in the air as Sawk exclaimed, "He did it!" Throh shouting, "Way to go!" the others also cheering.

However, their cheering died down when they noticed Machoke did not seem too happy about all of this. In fact, when Aipom and Gardevoir exited behind him, Gardevoir carrying an unconscious Absol, they looked rather intense as if something was off.

And they soon realized what that something was when a gold-plated foot emerged from the portal, Beedrill shaking his head and uttering, "No," Mawile hiding behind Gothitelle as soon enough, the owner of the foot had completely exited the portal.

"What is that?" the reporter asked as the dragon looked down at her and held his hand out. The woman nodded with a look of terror in her eyes and handed her microphone over to him as the camera was now pointed at his face.

"Is that who I think it is?" Octillery asked, Gallade and Blaziken groaning while Reika asked, "Can someone fill me in on this?"

Before anyone could answer, Gardevoir noticed Psyla lying unconscious on the ground and squeaked, "AUNTIE!" before running over to her and asking, "Did she beat that dinosaur guy?"

"Yeah, she did," Reika replied with a sigh as Tsuya added, "She went down a hero," Gardevoir confused by these words until Cici whimpered, "She expelled all of her energy and her heart stopped. I'm sorry."

Tears welled up in the girl's eyes as Gallade patted his sister on the shoulder, sighing, "I know. I was devastated when I heard the news too."

"Attention, citizens of Earth!" Giratina exclaimed as everyone was watching the report right now, "I am Giratina and I have been resurrected!"

Panic spread throughout the world as the dragon added, "I once tried to enslave all of humanity years ago, but I was thwarted by one known as Arceus! However, he is no longer here to protect you and as such, my rein of terror shall begin! If there's anyone foolish enough to try and stop me, I welcome the challenge, but for your safety, I wouldn't recommend it!"

Aegislash and Blitzle seemed beyond happy until Blitzle asked, "Excuse me, Mister Giratina, sir, but where's Missingno?" the dragon remarking, "He was of no use to me, so I disposed of him."

Machoke gritted his teeth after hearing this as everyone stared in stunned silence, Aegislash asking, "With all due respect, you don't mean you actually killed him, right?"

"That's exactly what I mean," Giratina remarked, "I only needed you to protect me while I regained power. Now that my power has returned, I don't need any of you anymore," Mawile whimpering, "So you were planning to double-cross us all along?"

"If you want to put it that way, yes," the dragon remarked as no one could believe what they had just heard, Blaziken gritting her teeth and growling, "That bastard. He doesn't even have respect for his own allies."

Unfortunately, after all the fighting everyone had done, no one was in good enough condition to challenge Giratina. However, Machoke could not let it end this way, not after everything he and his friends had gone through, so while Giratina continued to talk about how anyone who dared to oppose him would be killed, Machoke walked over to the dragon and tapped him on the shoulder.

Giratina turned and glared, saying, "Since you were the one who put Missingno out of commission, I'll forgive you for touching me without permission. Do it again and I'll treat it as assault," Gallade whispering, "That sounded unbelievably childish."

The dragon turned and shot him a glare as Machoke sighed, "Giratina, I have a proposition for you," all going silent as Aipom uttered, "Are you sure you should be trying this?"

The dragon opened one of his eyes to imply raising an eyebrow as Machoke took a deep breath and pointed at him, shouting, "I challenge you to a fight!" all going silent as the announcer exclaimed, "And like a true hero, Machoke has boldly declared war on Giratina!" Machoke groaning, "A one-on-one match is not the equivalent of a war."

Giratina snickered and asked, "Well, aren't you brave? Fine, I'll kill you here and now," Machoke shaking his head and remarking, "No. Since I defeated your strongest ally, I feel as if I should be the one to set the time, date and location! If you defeat me, your name will be even more well-known as my father was the Hero Olympics champion two years in a row!"

No one knew how to react to this. This was shockingly courageous for Machoke but at the same time, it seemed so foolish. Giratina's power was legendary, and after he had just double-crossed his own allies without batting an eyelid, who was to say he would even agree to these terms?

And deep down, Machoke was terrified of what Giratina would say, but after all he had been through, it was time to grow up. He had taken off to train so he would be ready for such things.

"Interesting," the dragon said with a smirk as everyone stared in shock, the dragon adding, "Okay. I'm not used to fighting in official matches, but it sounds intriguing."

Aipom's eyes sparkled as she could not have been more proud of her student right now, Machoke saying, "We'll face off in exactly two weeks right here in the Tokyo Dome. Until then, you are to leave the people alone. Only if you win this match will you be free to torment the people of Earth! But if you lose, I want you to leave this planet forever!"

Reika was impressed by the fire in his eyes as he said this. Machoke fully intended to save all of mankind when the two weeks were up. And even Giratina's former subjects were truly amazed by how bold Machoke had been. He knew full well how powerful Giratina was and yet here he was striking a deal with that very beast.

And shockingly enough, Giratina seemed to have no problem as he said, "Fine. For the next two weeks, I'll wait. You're free to prepare yourself all you like, but it won't make a difference. The only reason I have agreed to these terms is because I know I can beat you."

Machoke gritted his teeth as Gardevoir whimpered, the boy laughing nervously and saying, "Don't worry, I can do this," the others figuring they may as well help him get ready.

Though a part of Machoke was unsure of whether or not he could possibly defeat such a powerful villain, at least he had bought mankind some time. Besides, he could use the support of Lucario and Talonflame when the two finally recovered.

For the time being, though, Aipom knew Machoke had taken in a lot of damage and would likely need to rest after such an intense match. As such, he and the others decided to hang out at his house. They would have gone to the club instead, but Machoke figured that would have been making too light of the situation.

Aipom had made him and the others dinner as they were all happy, even if it was just rice with a bit of salt. After all, the monkey preferred to keep groceries simple in order to save money. And while the heroes ate, Gardevoir and Aipom both described the move Machoke had used to defeat Missingno.

"That sounds pretty damn awesome," Blaziken said with a smirk, "I wish I'd been there to see that," Gallade nodding and saying, "You know what? I think if you manage to use that move on Giratina, you might be able to beat him. Who knows? Perhaps with the right techniques, someone besides Arceus could pull it off."

Gardevoir nodded and said, "You have a knack for beating villains most people can't. I have faith in you," Machoke sighing, "There's just one problem, guys."

The others listened carefully as the boy let out a nervous laugh and uttered, "I don't actually remember how I used it," his friends face-palming.

"You can't be serious!" Aipom exclaimed, "You mean to tell me you just made it up on the fly!?" Gardevoir equally concerned now as Machoke sighed, "Yeah. In fact, when I pulled it off, it felt incomplete almost like it was missing a step. Honestly, I'm surprised it worked."

The others still had trouble believing this as Aipom sighed, "To be fair, something similar did happen with his father," Gardevoir asking, "Really?" Machoke adding, "Yeah, you're not just saying that to make me feel better, right?"

The monkey nodded and replied, "It was when he invented the Ultimate Driver. See, after Bouffalant found a way to defeat Machamp's Muscle Tombstone, he needed a new technique but had very little time to think of one before the next villain showed up, one by the name Deoxys."

"Oh god, I've heard of that guy," Blaziken said, "If I'm not mistaken, he killed his own ally for losing to Machamp, right?" Machoke trembling and uttering, "Oh god, this is sounding similar to Giratina."

Aipom nodded and said, "Well, Deoxys had an ally by the name of Rayquaza, the one who, as you said, was killed after he lost to Machamp. But the move Machamp used to defeat him was Ultimate Driver. The only problem was that, according to Mommy, he only had a small idea of how he pulled it off. It wasn't incomplete like your move, Machoke..."

The boy narrowed his eyelids as she continued, "but he still wasn't sure how he used it. It wasn't until he almost lost to Deoxys that he finally figured it out."

"So he had to realize it on the spot," Machoke said, "Kinda like my Sunset Slam," Aipom nodding and replying, "Though I'm kind of hoping to avoid that."

The others seemed confused as she added, "So here's the idea. For the first few days, Machoke, I'll have you train normally and then next week, you'll get started on training that Muscle Tornado of yours on a practise dummy. I'm certain with a few attempts, you'll be able to figure it out."

Machoke nodded as Blaziken smirked and said, "Yeah, giving yourself two weeks to prepare for this was definitely a good idea. That'll give you ample time to work on that move and maybe show us how it's done."

However, before the group could even think about doing that, there was one thing the group needed to take care of first, and that was a funeral for Psyla. After all, she was Gardevoir and Gallade's aunt and there was no way the two were going to forget to pay their respects, especially since she died putting a powerful villain into captivity.

Needless to say, everyone arrived for the event. Sure, most of Gardevoir's friends outside of Tokyo did not know Psyla, but there was no way they would not come to show their respects. And of course, Kirlia and Ralts had been given time off from work to attend the funeral as Psyla was, of course, Kirlia's sister.

And needless to say, the funeral was as depressing as any funeral could be. Though Gardevoir was at least grateful that everyone had come. And now she hoped more than before that Machoke would be able to defeat Giratina so hopefully something like this would not happen again.

However, her train of thought would have to end as she and Gallade walked over to Kirlia who was the most heartbroken, the woman sniffing, "I still can't believe it. I should have fought that beast in her place," Ralts sighing, "Yeah, you would have kicked that dinosaur's butt."

Gallade sighed, "Well, at the very least, she died a hero," Gardevoir pursing her lips and saying, "Thank you, Auntie."

And she had all the reason to say this as Psyla was the one who taught her how to control her power. She was just as special to Gardevoir as Machoke was, if not more.

Once the funeral was over and everyone was headed home, Machoke patted Gardevoir on the shoulder and said, "She seemed like a nice lady," the girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, I only knew her for a little while, but I really liked her."

"Don't worry," the boy replied, "I'll make sure something like this never happens again."

"I like you, Machoke," Gardevoir suddenly said with a sweet smile, Machoke's cheeks turning bright pink as she added, "Even when you fight your hardest, you always make sure never to kill your opponent, not even the worst villains out there. I really like that about you. You know just how much force to apply to win a match without it being fatal. You're even willing to spare Giratina's life if you beat him."

"Oh, yeah, of course," Machoke replied before clearing his throat, Reika listening in on the conversation with a warm smile. That was part of the reason she used to be attracted to the boy.

And come the following day, Machoke started to train vigorously with the others. Of course, Octillery and Gothitelle had to return to Hawaii as it was their job to protect that location, so they could not help him out, but it hardly mattered. Machoke felt more comfortable training with his allies in Tokyo anyway.

On the third day of training, Machoke was having a sparring match with Gallade, Blaziken and Gardevoir all at once. Aipom figured if he could handle three opponents at a time, he might stand a much better chance against Giratina. However, the boy did regret asking them not to hold back as he got thrashed quite a bit and was ultimately knocked on his back by Gardevoir's Moon Hook.

Seeing him struggling to get up, the girl gasped and squeaked, "Sorry, Machoke!" Aipom looking at a timer and saying, "Not bad. You lasted three minutes this time," the boy groaning, "I think I'd like to go back to one-on-one matches."

"Hey, you won't beat Giratina with that attitude," Aipom remarked as Reika, who had come by with the other girls to watch, sighed, "I hate to say it, but this does seem a tad excessive. Even two opponents might be good enough."

"No, Aipom's right," Machoke groaned as he finally managed to rise to his feet, "I just gotta keep trying."

"Well, you'll probably need some more opponents to practice on, then," came a familiar British voice, everyone turning in shock to see that Lucario and Talonflame had finally recovered and left the hospital.

"We heard about your challenge to Giratina," Talonflame said with a smirk, "I gotta hand it to you, kid, you got balls."

"Yes, and as much as you don't think so, I believe you might just be the right one for the job," Lucario added as Blaziken grinned, saying, "Well, you two are a sight for sore eyes."

"You recovered quickly," Machoke said as Talonflame remarked, "Hey, don't forget who you're talking about here. A strong finisher may be enough to leave most heroes in the hospital, but not us."

"Well, it's nice to see you guys up and at it again," Gallade said as Aipom stated, "So, judging by your words earlier, I'm guessing you're here to help Machoke train for his match."

"Damn right we are," Talonflame remarked with a smirk as Lucario added, "If he's going to fight the most infamous villain of all time, he'll need as much help as he can possibly get."

The wording did sound a tad insulting, but Machoke knew what he meant as he grinned and said, "Well, I'll be honest, I don't think I could ask for better sparring partners."

And with all said and done, Machoke trained with Talonflame and Lucario for the rest of the day. When night came around, it was time for him to head off to bed as Aipom said, "I'm proud of you, Machoke. Back in the day, it would have taken a lot to get you fired up for something like this, but you're really taking this challenge seriously. I'll admit, I didn't think you knew what you were doing when you issued it."

"Honestly, I didn't," Machoke replied with a nervous laugh, "but it's too late to turn back. I'm the son of the former world champion. I need to do my absolute best to keep the people of Earth safe."

With all said and done, it seemed Machoke might just have what it took to win. But could he also figure out his new finishing move by the time the match rolled around? He certainly had a lot of time to pull it off, so it was a big possibility.