The ten minutes had passed as it was finally time for Crabrawler's match. And since he was a member of the Adair family, his was one of the most highly anticipated matches. After all, while Jackalu had only made it to round two, his father, Lucario was the world champion back in his prime and his grandfather, Riolu, won the Hero Olympics three times in a row. No one even cared that the newest generation was not a dog like all the others. They all expected great things from him.
All the while, Clawitzer and Jackalu sat in the middle row with the other British fans as the dog wagged his tail and exclaimed, "This is so exciting! Our boy's gonna kick so much tail again!" Clawitzer nodding and handing him a bag of popcorn. Thus his eyes sparkled while he immediately dove into it, saying, "Thank you, honey."
All the while, Umbreon was the most focused since she wanted to see Crabrawler win more than even his parents did. He was her partner and she would have loved for a chance to face him in the finals.
With the crowd's excitement high, Metapod tapped the microphone and stated, "Alright, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it's finally time for the forth match of the Hero Olympics! It's been super exciting so far, but let's just see how much better it'll get!"
Yukiko nodded and pointed to the right, stating, "In the red corner, hailing from England is the heir the Adair family! And while he isn't quite like those before him, he still shows amazing promise with a perfect track record just like his ally in Osaka! Sure to shock and amaze all of us, Crabrawler!"
The British fans along with every member of the crowd who was not on Bewear's side cheered wildly when Crabrawler appeared from a puff of smoke. Many were amazed as he had a leather jacket on, his antennae died black to represent spiky hair. Umbreon had to admit she was intrigued while he made his way down the runway and entered the ring.
He then threw his jacket off and rose his arms in the air, the crowd's excitement rising as Umbreon nodded and thought, 'That has to be his most intimidating entrance yet. He's showing more spirit than ever before. I'm impressed.'
However, she was shocked when she noticed Eevee and her friends cheering, the brown fox squealing, "You look so cool, Crabrawler! You're gonna kick so much ass!"
The crab turned to her and chuckled before thinking, 'Yeah. I was nervous before, but I have a feeling this'll be my best match to date. Up until now, none of my victories have felt truly earned, but that's gonna change today.'
"And in the blue corner," Metapod announced, "He was born and raised right here in Japan, and while he may have an adorable exterior, he has a deadly, vicious side underneath! With incredible strength, it is my pleasure to introduce Bewear!"
For some reason, very few Japanese viewers had moved to the top row as many of them actually wanted to see Crabrawler win. But even so, many of them still gave a round of applause to be polite but stopped when they heard upbeat J-pop music in the background. And it only got weirder when Bewear skipped merrily toward the ring with a big smile on his face and a balloon in his hand.
Bewear himself was a rather odd specimen. He looked just like a big teddy bear with a pink head and a white muzzle. Along the front side of his head was white fur in the shape of a headband with two tufts on each side that resembled ears. His entire front side was black while his back matched his head. But the strangest thing of all was that his tail was that of a raccoon as opposed to what one would expect from a bear.
Crabrawler stared as Bewear smiled and held out his balloon, saying, "Hello. It's very nice to meet you. I hope we can have a nice, fun match but still be friends when it's all over."
At that moment, hearts formed in place of the eyes of every teenaged girl in the audience, all of them letting out a collective, "Aw!" And while Crabrawler found this strange, he smiled lightly and reached for the balloon.
But just as he was about to grab it by the string, Bewear smirked and lashed out a claw from under his fur, popping the object right in the crab's face. Now the audience feared him while he smirked wickedly and said, "That's gonna be your face soon enough."
"Wow, that was unexpected," Caterpie uttered as Lycanroc asked, "He can talk?"
Umbreon, all the while, folded her arms and thought, 'Don't let that intimidate you, Crabrawler. You had so much spirit when you entered the ring. Don't lose it,' the crab trembling briefly until he took a deep breath and retorted, "No, that's gonna be you! I can guarantee it!"
The British crowd was more excited as Jackalu barked, "Yeah! You tell him, lad! No one messes with an Adair and gets away with it!"
Umbreon breathed a sigh of relief, but kept it light enough so no one could hear it. And with that, both fighters stood on separate sides of the ring while Bewear gave Crabrawler a menacing look. Needless to say, the crab could not underestimate such an opponent.
"Well, folks, both fighters are more than ready for this," Yukiko stated, "So without further ado, let us begin," as she rang the bell.
Before Crabrawler could even make a move, his eyes widened when Bewear raced toward him. The crab could not even react as the bear leapt toward him and sent his knee into his face. And it did not end there when he lashed out his claws, the crowd fascinated now as a dark aura surrounded them. This allowed Bewear to curl his claws inward just like fists.
"KERATIN KNUCKLE!" he shouted before sending an onslaught of punches into Crabrawler's face, the crowd staring in horror while Eevee uttered, "Damn. And I thought he was scary before."
Crabrawler's face already had a few bruises on it as he groaned and sent a palm toward Bewear's face. Unfortunately, Bewear saw this coming a mile away and shifted his head to the side, reverting his claws to normal and piercing the crab's shoulders.
Umbreon could not hide her concern when Bewear smirked and rammed his forehead into Crabrawler's face. But just as he was about to do more, the crab frowned and lifted up his arms, taking hold of the bear's. Bewear looked shocked as he received the same move he had just used to his chin.
The crowd cheered while the bear backed up, giving Crabrawler a chance to deliver an onslaught of palm punches while shouting, "FORCE PALM!" Jackalu clapping and shouting, "YEAH! WAY TO GO, SONNY BOY! SHOW HIM THE MIGHT OF MY FAMILY'S GREATEST TALENTS!"
Clawitzer nodded as Lycanroc said, "It's amazing how often these look like they're gonna be one-sided, isn't it?"
But while Crabrawler had gotten the upper hand, he felt strange. Much like every other time he used one of these tactics, he felt himself exert more energy than he should have. As such, his assault started to slow down, and Bewear could see this as he grinned wickedly and blocked the incoming palms. He then used them as leverage to lift himself up and plant his feet into the crab's gut.
Crabrawler took a few deep breaths before regaining his composure, Bewear smirking and thinking, 'I see now! I know exactly how to defeat you!'
As such, he lashed out his claws again and raced toward the crab, shouting, "Just try and hit me again!"
However, Umbreon could see something off right away as she exclaimed, "His form is sloppier than before! Take advantage of that!" Crabrawler nodding before he lifted his arm up and shouted, "CRABHAMMER!" sending his fist into the bear's head.
This seemed to put a slight strain on his arm as he winced, but he ignored this and crawled behind Bewear, wrapping his arms around him. The crowd went wild while he leapt high into the air and flipped the bear upside-down, holding him in a tight embrace.
"CANINE HUG SLAM!" he shouted as he descended toward the canvas, the back of Bewear's head making contact while his eyes widened, the crowd cheering insanely.
But once Crabrawler released his hold and allowed the bear to collapse, Popplio noticed him breathing more than before and asked, "Hey, do any of you guys see that?" Lycanroc nodding and replying, "Yeah. He hasn't used many moves yet, but so far, everything he's done seems to have exhausted him."
"But how can that be?" Eevee remarked, "His track record is just as perfect as my sister's. Though he did need my help to make it into the top fifteen." Now she could not help but feel worried. What if Crabrawler was not as great as he seemed?
However, things looked up when the crab shook his head and patted the sides of his face. He then turned toward Bewear who rose to his feet and thought, 'Not quite.'
With that in mind, he smirked and said, "Not bad. I have admit, those moves your parents passed down to you are pretty strong, but they got nothing on me," lashing out his claws.
"Don't listen to him!" Jackalu barked, "He's just trying to psyche you out!" the crab nodding as he noticed the bear racing toward him. But just like before, he had left himself wide open for a counterattack. It was as if the skilled fighter from before had been replaced by a less intimidating clone.
As such, Crabrawler waited for him to get close before rushing toward him like a Rugby player. He then tackled the bear and threw him off guard before lifting him up so his belly was up against his shoulder. And with that, the crab leapt high above the ring and leaned backward.
The crowd cheered wildly as he shouted, "HALF-MOON-" only for his eyes to widen when he felt a strain in his back. The cheers stopped as the area went silent, Crabrawler loosening his hold just enough for Bewear to slide out of his grip. And it did not end there when he lashed out his claws and curved them inward like before in order to lock the two legs on each side together.
"KARATIN PILEDRIVER!" Bewear exclaimed as he fell toward the ring and the back of Crabrawler's head made contact. Thus he coughed up a bit of blue blood before Umbreon got up and gasped, "CRABRAWLER!"
Eevee stared briefly as she could not believe her sister had shown this much concern. But just as quickly as her shock came, it left her since she was much more focused on the crab's predicament. As if that was not enough, things only got worse when Bewear flipped him onto his belly and climbed onto his back.
"For some reason, the Adair family's infamous Half-Moon Press has failed," Metapod stated as Jackalu was too mortified to speak, Clawitzer equally surprised. Even she thought for sure that would work.
Bewear proceeded to wrap his arms around Crabrawler's chin as he unleashed claws from his hands and feet, piercing both sides and pulling upward while shouting, "KARATIN SUBMISSION!"
Crabrawler would have struggled to free himself had he not felt so tired right now. As such, Bewear smirked and cooed, "Aw, you look so sad! I'm so sorry, but don't feel too bad yet!"
Umbreon did not like the sound of that as she snapped, "What do you mean by 'yet'!? He can still win! He always does!" Bewear sighing, "Honestly, I'm starting to question that. You're his partner, right?"
The black fox blinked and replied, "Yes," everyone turning to her with interest.
"Good, because you'll need to hear this too," the bear quipped, "You see, while that onslaught of palm punches may have caught me off guard, everything your ally here used afterwards was all me."
No one could believe what they had just heard as he added, "The truth is, I deliberately lowered my guard so Crabrawler could unleash his best moves on me. Why? Because I knew doing so would cause him to exhaust himself more quickly."
Crabrawler had a look of shame as at this moment, he finally realized where Bewear was coming from. Deep down, he always knew this, but he did not wish to accept it. And even Clawitzer had a feeling this might be the case, but she never imagined it was this bad.
"Well, why specifically did it work on him so well?" Eevee retorted as Popplio nodded and added, "Oui. You could have used that on any other opponent and it would have been risky no matter what."
"Well, I'm not sure why this is the case for Crabrawler here," Bewear remarked, "It was something I noticed after he used those palm punches. I wasn't able to fight back until he slowed down significantly, and that was when I saw it. Whenever Crabrawler uses one of his family's best moves, he uses a great deal of energy and puts a strain on himself. I just knew if I could draw out enough of those attacks, I could get him to weaken himself to the point where he would be easy pickings."
Fear spread through the area as Jackalu blinked and uttered, "Is that true, son?" Crabrawler looking up at him and sighing, "I think he might be right."
Umbreon tensed up as the crab added, "Thanks for all the encouragement all this time, but I'll be honest, Umbreon. I can't believe my track record is as good as it is. I don't feel like I've ever earned a victory in my entire life. Even my win on Hero Planet felt unearned, like it shouldn't have been that easy. It's true. Every time I use one of my dad's signature moves, I feel tired, and while I can handle Mom's moves better, they also make me feel weak."
"So you finally realized it," Bewear said with a smirk as Eevee gritted her teeth and growled, "God, he pisses me off! Does he have to be so smug about it!?"
Clawitzer tensed up and uttered, "Do you think maybe our son isn't fit for this line of work? I'm glad he's done such a good job so far, but if it really hurts him this much to use an attack-"
"NO!" Eevee squeaked before Crabrawler turned to her, Umbreon once again surprised as she added, "I refuse to believe you're this weak! Surely there must be one really powerful move you've used that didn't require a boatload of energy to pull off! Just think about it!"
The crab's eyes widened when he suddenly remembered that one moment during the marathon. One opponent he took out to regain the advantage was Abra, and he had done it with a move he had never used before. None of the members of his family were able to pull it off as they did not have enough legs to do so.
But the main thing that stood out to him was how he felt after using it. For some reason, he did not feel tired in the slightest. He kept running and did not slow down for even a second.
Now he finally knew what he had done wrong all this time. As such, he refused to allow Bewear to defeat him and lifted up both of his arms, sending his fists inward and planting them into his sides.
The bear cried out in pain as he released his hold and rolled off of his back. And with him rocking back and forth in pain, the crab rose to his feet and leapt into the air, ramming his feet rapidly into his gut while shouting, "CRAB KICKS!"
The crowd stared silently before breaking out into heavy cheers, Yukiko exclaiming, "And in a shocking turn of events, Crabrawler breaks free with two moves no one has ever seen from him!"
After dealing enough kicks, Crabrawler knew this would not be enough to defeat Bewear. As such, he lifted him up and proceeded to sent an onslaught of punches into his face with one fist while winding up the other.
"I've finally figured it out," he grunted as Jackalu and Clawitzer stared in shock, "It makes little sense, but all this time, I wasn't built to handle either of my parents' tactics! I should have spent the first few years of my life coming up with my own style! Well, now I'm finally ready to dish it out!"
The crowd was even more amazed, Eevee and the others cheering heavily. And all the while, Umbreon nodded and thought, 'Of course. Why didn't I see it before? Despite having the genetics, he doesn't have the structure to handle signature moves from the Adair or Craw family. Thank god he realized that before it was too late, because I don't think anyone else would have caught onto that.'
She then eyed Eevee as her mind added, 'Though I'm really surprised she was the one who helped him come to that realization. Why would she care so much? I know she helped him get into the top fifteen, but why would she even do that?'
After delivering thirty punches, the crowd was amazed when Crabrawler managed to expand the size of his other fist, sending it hard into Bewear's face and shouting, "POWER-UP PUNCH!"
This caused the bear was cough up blood and back up before holding his paw out and catching it. And yet he looked more intrigued than shocked while he smirked and said, "Well, good. You've finally become a challenge. Unfortunately for you, it's far too late."
"What are you talking about!?" Crabrawler retorted as the bear raced toward him.
When Bewear closed in, the crab sent a punch toward him only for the bear to dodge to the side and send a roundhouse into his ribcage. He then got behind Crabrawler and lashed out his claws, wrapping his arms around him and piercing his chest.
"You used up way too much energy earlier," he explained with a grin, "If you had just relied on your own style sooner, you may have actually stood a real chance."
With that, a dark energy surrounded him as he leapt into the air. However, the crowd was shocked when he spun his tail around like a propeller and used it to lift himself even higher. And with that, he flipped one hundred and eighty degrees and said, "You were a fine warmup for what's to come, but I've faced better."
The crowd stared in shock as Yukiko stated, "Crabrawler's comeback was impressive, but now it would seem Bewear has him in a tight spot!" Umbreon and Eevee both standing and snapping, "FIGHT IT, CRABRAWLER!" before staring at one-another.
The crab growled and rammed his legs backward into Bewear's shins. However, this seemed to have little effect as the bear used his tail to increase the speed of his descent, shouting, "KARATIN SUPLEX!"
And sure enough, the back of the crab's head hit the canvas hard as he coughed up blood and his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Umbreon tensed up while Caterpie and Wishiwashi panicked. Popplio and Eevee's jaws dropped, Lycanroc covering her mouth.
But the ones taking this the worst of all were Jackalu and Clawitzer, both praying that their son would rise. Unfortunately, Yukiko managed to reach the ten count as she rang the bell and exclaimed, "Crabrawler may have managed to turn things around near the end, but ultimately, this match goes to Bewear as he moves onto the second round!"
The crowd was unsure how to respond to this until one member of the Japanese crowd said, "Hey, you know what? That Bewear guy is pretty cool."
Another nodded and added, "Yeah. He just beat a member of the Adair family like it was nothing," one more shouting, "I wish I knew we had such an awesome representative!"
Bewear smiled and rose a fist in the air as the teenaged girls from earlier once again seemed to fall for him, only this time it was more due to how deceptive his physical appearance was. It was just as Yukiko said. He may have looked cute, but he was also very strong. Needless to say, Popplio would have his work cut out for him.
When Crabrawler was carried out of the area, Eevee watched with concern as Metapod stated, "Well, folks, that concludes the forth match. Therefor everyone will have an hour to move here for the next match," pointing to a park called Shinjuku Gyoen.
Popplio patted Eevee on the shoulder and nodded, saying, "Don't forget, you're up next," the fox taking a deep breath and replying, "Right," as she got up to leave. But before exiting the area for good, she took one last look at Crabrawler while he was carried out on a stretcher and soon to be taken to the hospital. Now Eevee really hoped that would not be her by the end of her match.
