So far, the match between the Student Teacher Combo and the Elegant Warriors had been back-and-forth. The Elegant Warriors had dealt many powerful blows and yet Aipom and Machoke had made quite a few comebacks. However, now that both members of each team were fighting together, just how would this match play out?
So far, it looked favourable as Machoke and Aipom had managed to deal damage to each opponent's head. But even so, Smeargle and Vespiquen had proven themselves to be formidable as both glared at the two heroes before them.
"I'll admit, this match has been interesting, but I think it's time we show them who the real winners are," Vespiquen stated as Smeargle nodded and asked, "Should I use move number quatre yet?"
The bee implied a smile and replied, "Yes. But use it on Machoke when the time comes. I'll help you set up for that, but don't forget, that Aipom is capable of getting in our way. We'll make sure that doesn't happen, yes?"
"Oui," Smeargle replied with a nod as Aipom tapped her chin, using this time to come up with a strategy, Machoke asking, "So, any ideas?"
"I'd say go on the defensive, but with these two, that's hardly a good idea," Aipom replied, "Each one has at least one move that can easily bypass our defences. I say we catch them off-guard with a little team move, don't you think?"
Machoke nodded with a grin as he noticed Vespiquen and Smeargle had finished their conversation. With that in mind, he wasted no time lifting up Aipom by her tail, the crowd interested as he flung her forward, Vespiquen readying herself to counter. After all, the Queens of Darkness had used a similar move of them before.
However, just as it looked like the monkey was going to use an obvious tactic, the crowd gasped when Machoke leapt toward her, taking hold of her tail again, using the momentum to spin vertically with her, the two forming a big wheel and rolling along the mat. The crowd went wild as the two spat, "BIG MONKEY BOULDER!" striking the bee hard in the chest, causing her to cough up a bit of green blood as she flew backward into the ropes.
As Smeargle readied himself to counter, he was unprepared for what happened next as Aipom leapt out of the formation, spinning vertically into the ropes and bouncing off. Smeargle was too focused on Machoke to notice the monkey fly toward him, ramming into the side of his head as his eyes and mouth widened with shock. And it would only get worse for him as Machoke retracted from his wheel-like state and leapt at him with his arm out, taking hold of his neck and knocking him on his back.
Nori beamed and exclaimed, "And the Student Teacher Combo lands a rather complex yet really effective team move! Though I have to wonder why Machoke had to release Aipom first. Didn't that make the move more difficult to pull off?"
"Yes, but I can see why they did it," Beedrill replied as he pulled a chart out of nowhere, pointing at an example of what would have happened if Machoke had clung to the tail the whole time, saying, "The problem is that due to Aipom's small size and lack of physical strength, had Machoke held onto her, she wouldn't have been able to spin as Machoke would have been too heavy for her. But since she started spinning before he took hold of her tail, she had already built up incredible speed thus both were able to use the momentum to form a living wheel."
Smeargle gritted his teeth and exclaimed, "NON!" before sending all three tails up before Machoke could leap off of him.
However, the boy saw this coming as he reacted just in time to get away from the beagle, Vespiquen glaring at the two. Just from that one move, she could tell that setting them up for whatever move they had planned would not be easy.
But even so, there was no way she would allow them to land another hit as she said, "Alright, Smeargle, we're going to have to hold off on move number four. When the time comes, I'll let you know," the beagle nodding as Vespiquen flew toward Aipom.
The monkey prepared herself as Smeargle rushed at Machoke, the boy preparing himself as well. But just as it looked like the two were ready to counter, the Elegant Warriors both nodded at one-another before shifting around, each one aiming for a different target.
"Wait, what?" Machoke uttered as Vespiquen sent her arm hard into his neck, knocking him on his back while Smeargle leapt sideways toward Aipom, sending all three tails into her skull thus causing her to lose balance and fall on her face.
Smeargle's fans cheered, but the rest of the crowd was dumbfounded as Nori said, "Here's something we haven't seen yet in this tournament. In order to confuse their opponents, the Elegant Warriors switched targets and it seems their tactic worked!"
And it would only get worse from here as Vespiquen proceeded to float above Machoke, releasing the big orange stinger from her abdomen and shouting, "NOW STAY DOWN!" descending toward him and adding, "FELL STINGER!"
Machoke found himself unable to dodge in time as he took the stinger to his gut, coughing up blood as the crowd gasped. Reika trembled and uttered, "No, they were doing so well," as Keiko took a deep breath, replying, "I'm sure he'll get up from this. He's dealt with worse before."
However, he would certainly need to get up soon as Aipom was currently overwhelmed. She had miraculously recovered and sprung to her feet before Smeargle could strike her while she was down, but now she was once again dodging his Triple Tail Pen Barrage, having even more trouble than before as the damage dealt to her caused her to lose a bit of energy.
Just as she had built up a slight momentum, Vespiquen immediately flew at her from the side, striking her shoulder before she could respond. With that, the monkey whimpered as she found herself unable to avoid taking in more stabs, what originally started as small wounds opening up and becoming worse.
Even Smeargle's fans were having trouble watching this. Sure, they wanted him to win, and they knew full-well how brutal these matches could be, but seeing him deal this kind of damage to the only participants not in her teens was painful. Aipom may have been a hero and knew what she had gotten herself into, but this still seemed extreme.
'I knew he was going to be a challenge, but I thought for sure my fights with the wise simians would prepare me for this,' Aipom thought while trying her hardest to resist the pain, 'Those three can't even compare to Smeargle right now!'
Luckily for Aipom, though, Smeargle eventually stopped his assault. But it seemed this was merely so Vespiquen could wrap her arms around the monkey, lifting her up and leaning backward thus planting her head into the canvas.
As if this was not enough, that hit seemed to have knocked Aipom out cold, though most of the crowd was not too surprised. After all, it was a miracle she had even resisted as much damage as she had up to this point.
Gardevoir bit her lip while watching this, whimpering, "Please get up, Machoke!" the others hoping for the same thing.
And just as Nori was about to start the ten count, it seemed their wish came true as Machoke opened his eyes and propelled himself back up. However, no sooner after his recovery did he notice the horrifying sight of his trainer passed out, Vespiquen and Smeargle both turning to face him with maniacal looks in their eyes.
"Aipom certainly surprised us, but as far as partners go, she was by far the worst you could have asked for," Vespiquen stated, Machoke gritting his teeth as Smeargle could tell she was only saying this to get under the boy's skin.
Though unlike the bee who had seen Aipom's true potential before, the beagle wondered if she was correct or not. After all, both Hawlucha and Golduck had sustained far more damage and still remained standing for the most part.
Even so, Machoke was determined to end this, with or without the monkey. He turned to her and thought, 'You rest now. I'll finish these two for us.'
With that, the boy rushed toward the two with fire in his eyes, Vespiquen thinking, 'This is too perfect,' but just as she was about to retaliate, the boy leapt high above her head, planting both of her feet into her skull.
The crowd cheered as Smeargle tried to retaliate only for Machoke to propel himself off of Vespiquen's face, sending a roundhouse into the beagle's forehead. Then with both distracted, he proceeded to take them by the arms and spin around, flinging each one into a turnbuckle.
"And it seems Machoke fully intends to make up for the damage dealt earlier!" Nori exclaimed, "Just like how Golduck held her own when he was knocked out during the match with the Transforming Terrors, Machoke is doing his absolute best to take these two all by himself!"
Reika breathed a sigh of relief and sighed, "That's our Machoke, always worrying us and making comebacks," Keiko nodding and replying, "Yep, just like his father."
However, it seemed his moves had not had nearly the kind of impact that Golduck's had as Vespiquen and Smeargle easily recovered, nodding at one-another. With that, Vespiquen flew toward Machoke as the boy readied himself.
However, he was shocked when Smeargle started darting back and forth, the boy trying to follow his movements. As a result, he lost focus on Vespiquen as the bee used her claws to slash him in the back.
The boy cried out in pain as Blaziken groaned, "Oh no," Machoke unable to respond now as Smeargle got behind him, locking his arms in place and saying, "I could just as easily use one of your more famous techniques, but you probably know how to counter both of them. Non, I intend to use the one move no one has found a counter for yet."
Panic filled Machoke's friends as Cici whimpered, "He doesn't mean that move, does he?" Tsuya groaning, "I think he does!"
Back in the hospital, Gallade and Hitmonchan were both terrified as they knew what was coming. And of course, Gardevoir was just as scared as she whimpered, "Please, Smeargle, don't do it!"
With that, the beagle leapt high above the ring, latching his legs onto Machoke's ankles and pulling back, spinning like a twister. He then proceeded to lean backward so both of their heads were facing the mat, Machoke terrified out of his mind. And to make it worse, the world had only seen him land the completed version of this, so this was the one Smeargle had sketched as he pulled extra hard, bending the boy's back.
The two fell toward the canvas Smeargle exclaimed, "MUSCLE TORNADO!" slamming the boy's face hard against the surface.
All went silent as Machoke's nostrils were bleeding horribly, Smeargle releasing his hold on the boy and allowing him to collapse. His eyes were now rolled to the back of his head as even Smeargle's fans were unsure of how to react to this.
"And after that amazing recovery, Machoke has just taken in his most recent finishing move," Beedrill stated, "He may not be able to get up from this one, folks," Nori starting the ten count.
Vespiquen implied a proud smile with her eyes and said, "Excellent job, Smeargle. You've truly proven yourself the ultimate ally," Hoopa staring at this and nodding, saying, "You know what? As much as I wanted that match, seeing him fall to his own finishing move is pretty satisfying," Diancie breathing a sigh of relief. She was worried the genie might very well turn on Vespiquen for this.
Seeing this, Gardevoir stared in horror and squeaked, "MACHOKE! GET UP!" Gallade patting her on the head and uttering, "He can't hear you," before groaning, "But seriously, pull off another miracle, man. You have a knack for that."
And just as Nori was about to reach ten, it was not Machoke but Aipom who had made a shocking recovery, the crowd gasping as the monkey slowly rose to her feet, breathing heavily. She then looked over at Machoke with a look of concern, screeching, "Machoke!"
"He put up a valiant effort, but ultimately, he couldn't handle the two of us," Vespiquen stated with a look of annoyance, "Take my advice and just give up right now, Aipom. You can't handle the two of us by yourself and you know it."
The monkey stared silently, biting her lower lip and starting to consider it. However, she also knew that she could not let Machoke down and as such, she sported a more serious look and retorted, "You can tare me limb from limb, but I will never run from a fight!"
The bee let out a sigh as she said, "Smeargle, you can take her yourself," Reika gritting her teeth and growling, "I wish that was me in the ring! I'd show that smug bitch a thing or two about respect!" Blaziken nodding and replying, "You and me both."
Smeargle raced toward Aipom as the monkey scowled and thought, 'Alright, good, Vespiquen's over-confident. If I just focus on one of them, I can at least stall them until Machoke recovers.'
With that, she waited for the beagle to get close before leaping over his head, flipping vertically and shouting, "TAIL HAMMER!" ramming her fist hard into his skull.
She then wrapped her tail around his neck, landing on all fours before lifting the beagle up, the crowd cheering as she started to swing him around. Seeing this, Vespiquen gasped as she thought, 'This isn't possible! How can she still have so much energy!?'
But before Vespiquen could move in and help, Aipom flung the beagle hard into her gut, the bee falling on her back while the crowd went wild, Nori stating, "It's almost like all that pain from earlier meant nothing! Aipom's managed to pull off two incredible moves! Clearly she intends to carry this team by herself, just like Machoke tried to do when she was unconscious!"
"Way to go, Aipom!" Reika exclaimed, "She's so cool!" Keiko nodding and replying, "Ambipom would be proud."
However, the monkey was still worried as Machoke had not moved an inch during that time. As impressive as that had been, she was unsure whether or not she could possibly keep that up. Not only that, but she had no idea how much pain she could handle at this point.
Even so, she could not allow Smeargle and Vespiquen to have their way as she lunged at them before they could make a full recovery, sending a hard punch into Smeargle's forehead. She then leapt back right before the beagle could respond, the Elegant Warriors rising and glaring at her.
Aipom tried her best not to look scared as Gardevoir closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and thinking, 'That's right, Auntie taught me how communicate to Machoke without being there. I think it is time to help him out once more.'
Hitmonchan stared at the girl, uttering, "What's your sister doing?" Gallade staring and asking, "Wait, is this that thing Psyla taught you to do?"
Since Gardevoir needed full focus, she could not answer the question. Sure, this would be more difficult as when she used this ability before, Psyla had been there to give her a boost in power. Despite this, she placed her hands together, sticking each pointing finger up as suddenly, her eyes shot open, only now they were purple as Hitmonchan yelped, falling off of her chair and on her back.
Gallade gasped, "You okay, honey!?" helping her up before turning to Gardevoir and thinking, 'I really hope this will work.'
And Aipom would certainly need it to as she had lost her advantage, Smeargle binding her while Vespiquen sent a barrage of punches into her face. Sure, they could have switched and had the beagle pierce Aipom instead, but after all the wounds she had sustained earlier, that could potentially kill her, and doing that would have the duo disqualified thus their victory would not count as one.
After a while, the bee nodded and said, "I think it's time to finish her for good. But to be ironic, let's do it with move number one, only use the updated version."
"Oui!" Smeargle replied, knowing Aipom lacked the strength to counter this move like Lucario and Talonflame had done in the past.
With that in mind, Smeargle flipped Aipom upside-down and leapt high above the ring. He then took hold of her legs, wrapping his legs around her arms. Aipom used this moment to ball her tail up into a fist, ramming it repeatedly into the beagle's back but to no avail.
She then let down a light tear, thinking, 'Sorry, Machoke. I hope I was good enough,' her eyes widening when she noticed what looked like Gardevoir standing right next to Machoke, only her body was bright and almost transparent. It was just like when Machoke almost lost to Ninetales.
And much like before, no one else in the crowd could see Gardevoir's spirit there as she looked down at Machoke with concern, asking, "Are you okay, Machoke?" the boy hearing her voice and slowly opening his eyes, much to everyone's shock.
His eyes sparkled as he asked, "When did you get here?" the girl giving him a sweet smile and replying, "I'm not really here right now, but I figured I'd help you to the best of my abilities."
Beedrill blinked and uttered, "What's Machoke looking at?" Nori shrugging and replying, "This happened in the Olympic semi-finals too, and it made about as much sense back then."
With that, Gardevoir turned and said, "I'd love to stay and talk some more, but right now, Aipom needs your help," Machoke turning his gaze as Vespiquen failed to notice he had regained consciousness, the boy's eyes wide as Smeargle started to descend toward the mat.
With that, he bowed his head toward Gardevoir's spirit and sprang to his feet, the crowd going wild as Nori exclaimed, "And Machoke makes a shocking recovery!" Vespiquen's eyes wide with terror as she turned just in time for Machoke to leap toward her with his arm out, striking her hard in the neck and knocking her on her back.
Reika let down light tears as Smeargle paid the boy no mind, shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE MACH TWO!" but just as he was about send Aipom into the canvas, Machoke leapt up and sent a roundhouse into his side.
"YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!" Blaziken exclaimed as Smeargle released his hold on Aipom, flying sideways into the turnbuckle while Machoke took hold of the monkey's tail, asking, "Ready for another team move?"
Aipom smiled wide, light tears rolling down her cheeks as she nodded, Machoke tossing her slightly above his head as she opened up her tail hand, pointing it toward the boy's back. Machoke then proceeded to send both of his feet hard into the downed Vespiquen's gut, shouting, "ANVIL KICK!"
As if that was not enough, Aipom landed atop Machoke's head with her tail hand pushing down, adding even more pressure to the bee as she cried out in pain. Smeargle growled and charged toward the two, ready for vengeance when Aipom took hold of Machoke's right hand, swinging him around as he held his left arm out, the two shouting, "MONKEY-GO-ROUND!" the boy's arm striking the beagle hard in the cheek when he was close enough.
The crowd cheered even louder as Smeargle flew sideways, a bit of blood escaping from his mouth as he fell on his side, tumbling along the mat before ramming back-first into the turnbuckle. Needless to say, this was a huge comeback as even Nori and Beedrill were cheering despite the fact that they were supposed to be neutral.
Gardevoir gave Machoke a sweet smile and blew him a kiss, her spirit vanishing as the boy nodded with a warm smile of his own, thinking, 'Thank you, Gardevoir. You may not realize it, but you helped more than you could ever imagine.'
"This is truly incredible!" Beedrill exclaimed as Nori nodded and said, "Both of those moves were so simple yet they packed an incredible punch!"
Vespiquen slowly recovered, growling, "Yes, that is a good point. How can such basic moves be so powerful?" Smeargle rubbing his cheek and rising to his feet, Machoke saying, "It's because of the speed and strength added by Aipom and I working together. Aipom's body may not be that strong, but her tail certainly is. When the force of her tail is combined with my strength, it results in a force more powerful than you could imagine."
Aipom blushed lightly and uttered, "I didn't think I could add that much force, but yeah," Vespiquen narrowing her eyelids and saying, "I see then. I suppose we'll have to kick things up a notch."
However, Smeargle was much more distracted by something else. Due to his bond with Gardevoir, he had briefly seen her spirit before it vanished. He knew that she had helped Machoke rise to his feet, and despite him supposedly having stopped caring about his friendship with her, this seemed to anger him greatly.
As much as he wanted to beat Machoke, a big part of him also wanted to kill the boy. In fact, he was currently devising a plan that after sending him to the hospital, he would pay him a visit and murder him right there. At the very least, he could not kill Machoke here without being disqualified, not to mention Vespiquen would not approve, but if he did it after the match without being caught, it would be the perfect revenge.
"I don't like the way he's looking at me," Machoke uttered with a look of fear, Aipom nodding and saying, "Something tells me there's more on his mind than winning this match now."
"Oui," Smeargle replied as Vespiquen implied a smile, saying, "Yes, he and I have been more serious about this match than any other. See, when we found out you were in this tournament, Machoke, you were our biggest target," the beagle turning to her and saying, "Actually, I have another reason, and it's that Machoke sickens moi!"
Everyone stared in stunned silence, Machoke groaning, "Oh, great, another opponent with a personal vendetta against me!" Smeargle retorting, "This is not petty hatred like the others! Non, you have always sickened moi ever since the day I met you! The way you were the one who made Gardevoir stronger than moi, the way you became her boyfriend! She was the only one I could truly relate to, a loser like moi, but you ruined everything!"
"What!?" Machoke spat as no one knew what to think of this, Aipom uttering, "Wait, are you jealous?"
Smeargle said nothing more as Gardevoir gasped upon hearing this in the hospital, Gallade uttering, "Wait, what? Is that what this is about?"
Gardevoir put on a more serious look and grunted, "That does it. I need to be there," the girl trying to rise only to feel pain in the rest of her body, wincing as Gallade exclaimed, "Sis, don't put pressure on yourself! You're still recovering!"
"But-" Gardevoir remarked as Hitmonchan nodded and replied, "Yeah, we'll gladly help you out," turning around and signalling Gallade to place Gardevoir on her back, the boy nodding and gently helping her up, a light smile forming on the girl's face as light tears rolled down her cheeks.
After all, Florges had failed to bring Smeargle to his senses while Machoke and Aipom had trouble doing so. If anyone could talk some sense into him, it was Gardevoir.
Back at the Tokyo Dome, Smeargle still had a look of fury as he said, "You've been a pain on our side so far, Monsieur Machoke, but mark my words! You will pay for taking my meilleur ami away!" Vespiquen noticing his green aura appear once again, nodding her head and thinking, 'This is good. His envy is giving him even more strength.'
Aipom bit her lower lip and looked up at Machoke with concern, the boy looking more terrified than before. Could he and Aipom possibly keep up their advantage when Smeargle had become this powerful?
