It had been two months since Kelani had been saved from Gourgeist and Trevenant and needless to say, Eiko and her family had done their absolute best to raise him. Luckily, no villains had appeared in Tokyo lately, which was surprising. If everything Jackalu said was correct, one would have expected more villains to try and kidnap the child, yet for some reason, no one had taken action, almost as if the leaders Gourgeist and Trevenant spoke of did not even know about this.

Whatever the case, Eiko was more than happy that Kelani was safe as she woke up one fine morning with a yawn. But as she turned sideways to look at the baby, her eyes widened when she saw a black doberman with pupil-less eyes, a green muzzle, neck and arm resting next to her. Her eyes widened as she let out a light squeak of panic.

The doberman awoke and turned to face her as she rolled out of her bed, falling on her back. However, she ignored the light pain this caused and sprang upright, pointing at him and shouting, "You're not Kelani! What have you done to him!?"

"What are you talking about, Mommy?" the doberman enquired, "I am K-" his eyes widening as he gasped, "Oh my god, I'm talking!" before feeling his snout and looking at his paws, not really understanding this himself.

Eiko stared for a few seconds before approaching the doberman and asking, "Are you really Kelani?" the doberman nodding and replying, "Yes, I am. I swear. I don't know why I look different, but-"

He stopped talking when he noticed Eiko looking deep into his eyes then at his colours as he sat upright, revealing green hexagons on his chest. After a while, the pink-haired girl breathed a sigh of relief and gave the doberman a hug, squealing, "You may look different, but I can tell it's you!"

Needless to say, Kelani was beyond happy as he wagged his new tail, saying, "Hey, this is kind of fun. I can see why dogs like doing it so much."

Soon enough, he and Eiko were seated for breakfast along with the rest of the family as Isamu said, "So, let me get this straight. Not only has he learned human speak in two months but he's now a dog," Eiko nodded and replying, "Yeah, now he's even cuter," before patting the doberman on the shoulder.

'He is easier to look at, that's for sure,' Isamu thought as Noboru laughed and said, "Well, I guess his kind just develops faster than we do," as Kelani's eyes sparkled, the doberman exclaiming, "Hey, yeah! Maybe I'll be a super genius next month!"

Isamu chuckled and replied, "Genius doesn't always come naturally. You have to go to school for that," as Noboru nodded and replied, "Yeah, I guess he will have to go to school now."

Eiko stared and beamed, squealing, "That's right! You can get an education and make friends!" only for Kelani to tremble and utter, "But won't that mean none of you will be with me?"

Isamu nodded and replied, "Yeah, but I'm sure you can manage, though Summer vacation starts soon, so we'll think about it once that's over."

The doberman blinked as Eiko nodded and said, "Yeah, we take a month off from school in the middle of the year. It'll give you plenty of time to do whatever you want."

With that in mind, Kelani smiled with glee and exclaimed, "Yay! That means I'll get to hang out with you guys!" as Hana nodded and said, "Yes, but if you go to the club, don't let him have any alcohol."

"Don't worry, I know he's not old enough for that yet," Eiko replied, "Besides, alcohol's gross and causes people to do bad things," Isamu patting her on the shoulder and replying, "And to think I was once worried about you trying it."

The family then shared a laugh, though they failed to notice Kelani's hexagons glowing briefly. Though why it happened would not be made clear anytime soon as nothing seemed to happen as a result of it.

Later that day, the heroes were on their way to the club as Torchic asked, "So Eiko and Isamu are already there?" Machop nodding and saying, "Yeah, they said something about a new member joining the group. Probably a friend from school."

"Well, the more the merrier," Rinko replied with a shrug as Meloetta smiled bright. After all, the very idea of making new friends made her happy.

As the group entered and approached the couch, Kelani had a big smile as he wagged his tail, waving and exclaiming, "Hey, guys! How are you doing today!?" the group staring as Vigoroth said, "Wow, another hero. Surprised I haven't heard of this guy."

"Well, he might be new," Machop replied with a shrug, "For all we know, he probably just graduated," Torchic nodding and replying, "Yeah, let's give him a warm welcome."

With that in mind, the heroes took a seat as Machop held out her hand, saying, "Hi there. I'm Machop," the doberman taking her hand with both paws and shaking it, replying, "Oh, you don't need to introduce yourself to me! I already know who you all are!"

He then pointed at each respective hero, stating, "Torchic, Venipede, Rinko, Vigoroth and Meloetta!" a proud grin on his face as Isamu sighed, "You'll never guess how he knows all of that."

Vigoroth blinked and asked, "You mean you didn't just give him a description of each of us?" the boy shaking his head as Meloetta squeaked, "Is he psychic!?"

"What's everyone talking about?" the doberman enquired with a shrug, "I've known you all for two months," Eiko nodding as Isamu sighed, "Honestly, I'm kinda surprised you actually remember who they are considering most people don't remember anything from their infancy."

"Wait, are you telling me that's-?" Machop uttered, staring wide-eyed as the doberman nodded and squealed, "I still remember the time you saved me from those horrible kidnappers, you and that Jack guy!" Eiko replying, "Jackalu. His name is Jackalu."

"Oh my god!" Torchic retorted, pointing a toe at him, "You really are Kelani!" as Eiko squeaked, "Stop pointing! You're being a bad influence!"

All of the heroes stared in stunned silence as Isamu sighed, "I have to ask you guys something. Is it normal for your kind to start off looking like a different species?" Machop shaking her head and replying, "Nope. I looked pretty much the same as a baby as I do now, only much shorter."

"Well, my exoskeleton wasn't quite as bulky, but yeah, same here," Venipede replied as Vigoroth added, "Aside from my eyes being bigger, I wasn't that much different either. I can show you the baby pictures as proof if you want."

"I was more pudgy, but yeah, I was pretty much the same as a baby too," Torchic added as Isamu blinked, Eiko squealing, "I knew it! You're special, Kelani!" hugging the doberman as Isamu sighed, "And I take it none of you learned to speak in only two months."

"Are you kidding?" Machop remarked, "We had to learn it just like your kind," Meloetta nodding and adding, "I didn't know how to talk until I was four. Apparently, I was a late bloomer."

"Wow, so I really do grow faster!" Kelani exclaimed with a big smile, Vigoroth shrugging and replying, "Well, guess that's that," not even bothering to bring up the possibility that this could very well give him a shorter lifespan.

At that moment, the owner brought out beverages for everyone, handing Kelani a cup of juice and saying, "Fresh apple juice for a special special kid," the doberman wagging his tail with a big smile.

"I guess he is still technically a minor, isn't he?" Torchic whispered as Machop replied, "No clue. His voice makes him sound he's at least thirteen."

The dog took a small sip and squealed, "Wow! It's so tasty!" as the others nodded, coming to the conclusion that he was at least a minor on the inside.

While the group enjoyed their time, Eiko noticed Beedrill appear on the big-screen TV, saying, "Hey, it's that guy who beat Magnemite and Squirtle in that team tournament."

"That I didn't know," Machop uttered as Venipede turned to Eiko and explained, "He's also the chairman of Hero Planet."

Eiko and Kelani's eyes sparkled in response to this until the doberman asked, "What's a chairman?" as Isamu looked much more interested.

"Attention, citizens," the wasp said, "First off, I would like to thank all of the heroes on Earth who have done their absolute best to keep the citizens safe. There has not been a single villain sighting in a long time, therefor we feel now is a good time to begin a major event, a time-honoured tradition that is only held by the government of Hero Planet."

Machop's eyes widened as she grinned and squealed, "Oh my god, I think I know where he's going with this!" the others equally interested with Eiko and Kelani slightly confused.

"That's right, folks, after all this time, we are holding the twenty-eighth Hero Olympics!" Beedrill exclaimed as the people in the club were truly excited, the owner saying, "Awesome. I wonder where they'll hold it this time."

"As many of you probably remember, this event was held in Tokyo, the location of the first Olympics, way back in twenty thirteen," Beedrill explained, "Since it's been quite a long time since then, we figured we may as well hold it there again."

Excitement grew in the club as Machop uttered, "Convenient," Beedrill adding, "We will hold three qualification tournaments in each country, thus it only stands to reason that three heroes will represent each one. In order to sign up, each hero must take a plane to his or her home country and sign up in one of the cities listed on our official website."

The link appeared on the screen right below the wasp as he said, "Don't worry about rushing to write that down. That link's gonna stay there for the rest of the announcement. I'm pointing that out because, well, how many other networks actually do that, right?"

He then cleared his throat and continued, "Anyway, all heroes will only have two weeks to sign up, but be quick. Only eight can sign up for a single tournament, meaning twenty-four from each country have a chance to compete in the Olympics. Sign-up locations are also available online, so don't worry too much about that."

With all said and done, the announcement came to a close as Meloetta blinked, asking, "So what exactly is the point of that?" Vigoroth replying, "See, it's to decide who the world champion is. Heroes compete not just for honour but also to represent their countries."

"Yeah, but it's all for sport," Venipede explained, "It's not for the sake of fighting evil, so you might not be interested," the green-haired girl nodding and replying, "Yeah, I hope you guys do a good job, but you can count me out."

"Aw, but I'd love to see you compete!" Eiko whimpered as Isamu sighed, "It's her choice, not yours," Kelani asking, "So it's like a series of games?"

The others laughed nervously as Eiko sighed, "You're not ready for that sort of thing yet. See, this is a big sporting event where the first few rounds consist of things like dangerous races and the like, but then the top sixteen to qualify for the final event face each other in a fighting tournament. I wouldn't want you to get hurt yet."

Kelani nodded with a smile and replied, "Okay, Mommy, I won't do it, then," as Isamu sighed, "Could you call her big sis or something? Seriously, she's not old enough to be a mother yet."

Eiko stuck her tongue out and remarked, "He can call me whatever he wants," Kelani repeating her gesture and reiterating, "Yeah, I can call Mommy whatever I want," Isamu groaning.

"Hey, it's not like it's hurting anyone," Torchic replied with a shrug before rising to her feet and saying, "Anyway, I best head off as soon as possible. Mother never made it to the fighting portion. I intend to do just that."

"Count me in as well!" Vigoroth exclaimed with a grin, "I'm not only gonna qualify, but I'm gonna win it for Algeria!"

Venipede took a deep breath and said, "Well, I do want to show my improvements. I'm in as well," Rinko adding, "It wouldn't be right for a member of the Adler family to back down from this."

Machop took a deep breath and got up, knowing she would join this. She had been waiting for this opportunity ever since she had heard of the Hero Olympics at a very young age. She heard of how Machoke made it to the finals only to lose to Lucario. If anything, Machop wanted to get the family's championship title back, or at least try.

Kelani smiled and clapped as Eiko said, "We'll definitely be there rooting for you guys," Isamu nodding and grinning at Machop, adding, "I just know you're gonna win that qualification tournament."

"You'd better believe it," Machop replied with a big smile as the two pounded their fists together.

Soon enough, the heroes were all assembled at the airport where various planes were set up to head to different countries. Since Machop grew up in Paris, her flight was headed there. Torchic had scheduled a flight to America while Venipede was headed to Hungary. And Rinko was going to Germany with Vigoroth taking a flight to Algeria.

Of course, Meloetta, Eiko, Isamu and Kelani were there to see them off. Machop gave Eiko a hug as she said, "Do an awesome job," Isamu nodding and adding, "Yeah, knock them dead."

"I hope you'll be able to watch my matches," Machop replied, "I'm not sure if they'll actually record the French tournament here."

"Someone will likely upload them online, anyway," Isamu replied with a shrug as Kelani blinked and asked, "What line?"

Eiko chuckled and said, "I'll teach you all about that later," as Isamu sighed, "Tell him which sites are safe. He may actually be able to defend himself, but we don't want him running into suspicious people on the Internet."

Meloetta gave every one of her hero friends a hug before seeing them off. Needless to say, she would certainly miss them during the time they would be gone, though she felt grateful that the Olympics would be held in Tokyo. This way, if all of them qualified, they would still return here.

And just as the heroes boarded their respective planes, Isamu asked, "So you're sure you don't wanna sign up? You were actually born in Japan. You don't have to leave the country."

"I know, but I only fight to protect people," Meloetta replied with a sweet smile, "The others may be okay with fighting each other, but I'd rather not do that."

"I agree," Kelani replied with a nod of his head, "Friends shouldn't fight," as Isamu sighed, "It's not like these are bitter fights to the death."

Of course, in Osaka, Jackalu was getting ready to take off to England. Meanwhile, his ally was ready to board a plane to Switzerland.

She was a tall and slender cyan shrimp with a single black stripe on each of her body segments and another one covering the middle of her face, two small yellow eyes on the sides. She had very skinny legs and three spikes on top of her head. She had two dark-blue claws with her right one being fairly normal in size and similar to lance. Her left claw was five times bigger, so big that it looked more like a costume prop than an actual hand. Coming from its sides were long yellow antennae.

"Well, Clawitzer, guess we won't be seeing each other for a while," Jackalu said with a grin as the shrimp nodded and held out her small claw, saying, "Good luck in London. You'll need it."

"What do you mean I'll need it?" Jackalu retorted with a smirk, "You know I'll win," as the shrimp rolled her eyes and sighed, "Just don't get cocky, okay? I wanna see you make it."

The dog nodded and shook her small claw, saying, "See you in the Olympics," before heading to catch his plane, the shrimp waving and boarding hers.

Meanwhile, in Madrid, Gyarados was about to board a plane of her own. She said a quick goodbye to her allies and grinned, thinking, 'Just wait, Machop. We're gonna see each other again, I just know it.'

As it just so happened, Marshal had been pardoned from prison after promising to only use his powers for good. He had also made up with his parents and was currently headed to Japan to try out for the Tokyo tournament. Much like Gyarados, he wanted to see Machop again, mostly to thank her for helping him see the light.

And naturally, both Sneasel and Gigalith were going to try out as well. Sneasel was headed to Denmark while Gigalith was on a flight to Canada. Needless to say, they were beyond excited to have another shot at the spotlight.

And of course, there were a lot more heroes getting ready for this event, all of them headed back to their home countries to try out for the qualification tournaments. While the Hero Olympics was never meant as a good versus evil struggle, it was still a big deal for many and thus humans from all over the world were just as excited for this as the heroes themselves.

But just who would win the championship belt this year? Would Jackalu keep the championship title for his family or would Machop return it to hers? Perhaps the Torch family would finally win it. Maybe Rinko would be the one to ultimately rise to the top and be the very first human to win the Hero Olympics. Only time would tell.