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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The crowd broke out into heavy cheering as Machop had the biggest smile on her face, waving her hands to the adoring public while Torchic breathed a sigh of relief and clapped her talons together. Even Lairon could not help but give her a round of applause, a light tear forming in his eye.

However, the cheering came to a halt when Gyarados forced her hands up against the mat, everyone staring in horror as she slowly pushed herself back up, breathing heavily as the holes on her forehead had expanded a bit, more blood trickling down as a result. She could not accept failure, not after coming so close.

"You are just as annoying as I imagined," she growled as Machop trembled and uttered, "Hey, you heard the announcer! You lose! Even if you beat me up right now, Tokyo's not yours!"

"I don't even care about that!" the serpent retorted as she took hold of the girl's arms, Lairon gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, barking, "The match isn't going anymore! There's nothing stopping me from going in there and helping my pupil!" Torchic rising from her seat and adding, "Don't forget me!"

But just as it seemed like their words meant nothing, a much older voice came from the crowd, barking, "STOP, GYARADOS!" the serpent's eyes and mouth wide open as she slowly turned her head. And soon enough, everyone else turned toward the source and could not believe their eyes either.

Exiting the bleachers and approaching the ring were two particular individuals. One was a tall and lanky red carp with a yellow crest atop his head and another on his chin that resembled a beard. And other was a lovely slender white serpent with a pointed head and two long pink bangs of hair attached to her eyebrows. Her tail was also covered in blue and pink scales as she was truly a sight to behold.

Some stared in shock as Yuki's eyes sparkled, the woman squealing, "I know who that is!" pointing at the serpent who had just entered, "That's Milotic! She's a professional Hollywood actress!" Nori nodding and saying, "Oh yeah, most of the films she stars in are crap, but she always turns out the best performance."

The serpent waved to the cheering crowd as even Machop could not believe her eyes. However, her excitement died when Gyarados tensed up, uttering, "Grandpa, did you come to see me win? I'm so sorry, but I promise, I will kill Machop right here and now!"

The carp folded his arms and pinched his forehead, sighing, "For your information, little lady, I did not come to see you defeat Machop," Gyarados blinking before scowling at Milotic and pointing accusingly at her, barking, "I get it! Mother forced you to come here in her private jet, didn't she!?"

"Wait, Milotic's your mama!?" Machop exclaimed, "So you're, like, the daughter of a celebrity! I mean, okay, technically the majority of us are related to celebrities, but not in that sense!"

Needless to say, the crowd was just as shocked by all of this as Nori stated, "What an astonishing reveal. Turns out the famous actress, Milotic, is Gyarados' mother! But what reason does she have for coming here!?"

"I know why she's here!" Gyarados snapped, "You're here to revert me, aren't you!?" Milotic sighing, "Actually, honey, I have tried for so long to teach you how to live a peaceful existence. The fact is, from what I saw today, fighting seems to be your calling."

"So you're not gonna try and turn me into a pacifist?" Gyarados uttered as Torchic uttered, "That's a good point. I know for a fact that you're good, so why would you allow this?"

"Well, I said I'd allow my daughter the choice to fight, but not to fight for the side of evil," Milotic remarked as she folded her arms, Machop nodding and saying, "You know, it would be pretty awesome to have you one our side. You are really strong."

Gyarados blinked and retorted, "Don't agree with her! I almost killed you! You should fear me!"

"Gyarados, stop!" Magikarp snapped, "The truth is, I asked your mother to bring me here today because I want to tell you something! From what I heard from you on the news, you seem to have it in your head that you're doing me some kind of favour by trying to kill the daughter of my former arch-nemesis."

"Well, isn't this what you wanted all those years back?" Gyarados remarked, "You lost everything when Machamp beat you! I saw your old fight footage! You were actually pretty good, and then after that loss, you spent so much time trying to kill Machamp that you never won another fight!"

Lairon folded his arms and said, "You know, I have done a bit of research on Machamp lately and, yeah, that definitely sounds familiar," Magikarp sighing, "Well, I can't deny that, but honey, there's something else you need to know."

Milotic nodded with a warm smile and said, "Go on, Dad, tell her," Magikarp smiling at Gyarados and explaining, "See, my grudge against Machamp only lasted a year. In fact, shortly after the twenty-first Hero Olympics, I actually gained respect for him and not only that, but, well, an old buddy of mine named Roggenrola teamed up with me as we both combined our efforts to help Machamp deal with a great threat."

"Wait, you helped him?" Gyarados replied, Machop and Torchic both really invested now as the carp continued, "It was when Bouffalant appeared and started wreaking havoc along with his seven allies. After defeating the first two, Machamp was unable to continue and thus his friends were left to deal with the remaining allies. Unfortunately, only Combusken had managed to win her match as the others failed miserably, and Scizor would have lost too if we hadn't come in with a secret weapon to save the day."

Gyarados blinked as Magikarp stated, "After that, I actually became friends with Machamp. In other words, the bad blood between us that formed forty-seven years ago has been gone for forty-six," the carp chuckling as Milotic nodded and added, "It's true."

Machop's eyes sparkled as Gyarados stared awkwardly, Magikarp asking, "What say you leave this ring and come home? I'm sure I can convince Beedrill to let you off with a warning. He's a lot more fair than his father," Lairon sighing, "Ain't that the truth?"

Gyarados thought about this as Milotic gave her daughter a sweet smile and said, "I'll prepare your favourite dish when we get back," only for the blue serpent to fold her arms and say, "Actually, there's something else I'd like to do. But, yeah, I'll definitely need a mode of transportation."

With all said and done, Gyarados climbed out the ring to join her folks when she turned to Machop and said, "Sorry for all the trouble I caused," Machop grinning at her and holding her thumb up, saying, "Hey, Daddy always believed in giving his opponents a second chance! I have faith in you!"

The serpent let down a light tear and smiled, saying, "The next time we meet, it'll certainly be on better terms."

With that, Torchic let down a light tear of her own and thought, 'Is this that Mach family magic I've heard so much about? Machop's such an awesome friend,' as even Yuki could not hold back her emotions. She just found this so sweet.

'Machoke's matches often ended like this,' Nori thought with a big smile, 'It's good to see his daughter could very well carry on that legacy.'

And soon enough, things started to improve. It was unknown exactly what had happened to Gyarados just yet, but ultimately, things had turned out for the best.

Venipede and Mantima had both made a full recovery and were celebrating with Machop and Torchic at the club. The girl had even invited Garchomp and Lairon to join in, and seeing as they had never been here before, this was certainly exciting. And sure enough, they were just as into the simplistic atmosphere as the others.

"Here's to Machop's first victory on Earth!" Venipede exclaimed as he rose a glass, all six clinking them together before taking a sip of their drinks, Mantima sighing, "I really wish I could have seen your match. I'm so ashamed."

"It's fine," Machop replied with a grin, patting her on the shoulder, "You did the best you could. In all fairness, I barely made it out of that match alive."

Lairon took another sip of a cocktail he had ordered before smiling at Machop, saying, "Seriously, good job today. I wasn't even able to give you advice back there yet you used my teachings to help win the match."

"You also did an okay job fighting underwater," Torchic added, "I could see your movement slow down, but not as much as it should have."

Machop nodded and sighed, "But seriously, thanks for everything, Lairon. I look forward to learning more from you later on," the dinosaur nodding and giving the girl a sweet smile. Sure, he may have been too old to fight evil, but to be useful in some way was still rewarding.

Soon enough, the group was tired and ready to head home. Machop waved to her friends as she walked with Lairon and Garchomp, Torchic waving back and sprinting home herself. However, Venipede and Mantima had decided to walk home together, though since the mantis' house was closer, she would not be by the centipede's side for long.

"Thank god that's dealt with," Venipede said with a sigh, "Not gonna lie, I was pretty scared."

"Yeah, Machop shouldn't have had to do that," Mantima replied with a look of disappointment, "I know she said I did my best, but if that's my best, am I really fit to be a hero?"

Venipede stared and remarked, "What are you saying?" as the mantis groaned, "Don't lie, I'm not that good. I was knocked out easily and, well, from what I heard, you were able to keep going. I honestly feel lucky that I survived my fight with Voltorb. Sometimes I wonder if I should have even bothered attending Hero School."

"Don't say that," Venipede retorted with a serious look in his eyes, Mantima about to protest when he held his top right hand up to her mouth and added, "You're a lot better than you think you are. Heck, when you fought Voltorb, I saw great potential in you. You took in all of those electric shocks and continued to stand. You could have died when he bound you in place and started that timer, but no, you managed to overpower him and escape. Though you are right that wasn't the most graceful victory, it was still a victory, and I'm sure if you work harder, one day you can achieve the same level of greatness you did when facing Ninetales, maybe even more."

Mantima's eyes sparkled as the centipede implied a smile with his eyes and said, "And to be fair, I kinda need work too. I'm sure you've already noticed it, but I'm not exactly the most confident when I fight either. I get nervous and scared easily, I'm paranoid at times. But I'm sure if I had someone to toughen me up, I might truly be ready to fight evil."

Mantima nodded with a big smile on her face, her cheeks turning red for a second as Venipede suggested, "I was thinking maybe at least an hour a day, the two of us could get together and train. No outside interference, just the two of us. You could help me build confidence and I'll help you build strength. How does that sound?"

Mantima took a deep breath and looked back to all the training her mothers had put her through. It was tough, even brutal at times, and it had helped her a lot but she still did not feel good enough. If anything, she definitely needed more training if she was to be worthy of her position.

With that in mind, she nodded and held out her hand, saying, "I'd like that a lot," Venipede shaking it and saying, "Together, we'll make it big."