Earth's Protectors IV

by nld200xy

Scorbunny, Rillaboom and Drizzile all wanted nothing more than revenge on the world that wronged them. But after suffering defeat at the hands of three heroes, they realize that there might just be a new calling for them.

40. Chapter 40

It had been a whole week since Eevee and her friends arrived in Edmonton, which meant it was almost time for the final match to begin. Shaymin had told everyone to gather at the Commonwealth Stadium. After all, it seemed like the perfect spot to hold such a big event.

Of course, during that time, Drizzile had trained hard. While Vaporeon had been unable to help him out, Ben and Rapidight proved very helpful. And while Rillaboom and Scorbunny were unable to leave the hospital, the chameleon had received word that they had thankfully woken up and had enough strength to watch his match on TV.

As much as he would have preferred to have them there to cheer him on, he was just glad to know that all of his friends were conscious. And of course, Grimmsnarl and his friends were all ready to tune in for the big event.

Eevee and Popplio were unable to join Vaporeon at the entrance. After all, they and the others had to arrive three hours before everyone else to get ready for their own contribution. Needless to say, the blue fox could not wait to see what they had in store.

Of course, the others were equally excited when they met up with her, Brian and Wendy having dropped Allie and her friends off. Seeing as this was a really big deal, they had decided to join their daughter in the bleachers today and give Drizzile additional support.

Brian rested a hand on Allie's shoulder and said, "Feel free to take your time. Your mom and I will save you all front row seats," Wendy smirking and adding, "Damn straight. I'll make sure no one claims them before us!"

Thus she signalled her husband to hurry it up. The man chuckled and took off with her, both waving to her daughter and the others. Allie gave a light chuckle and returned the gesture before Geneva said, "I gotta say, your mom's pretty cool."

At that moment, Bailey grinned at Vaporeon and squealed, "Hey, I tried that recipe you taught me yesterday! My dads loved it!" the blue fox smiling sweetly and replying, "Well, that's great to-"

She then blinked and uttered, "Wait, your dads?" Bailey chuckling, "Oh yeah, I guess I should have you guys over sometime. You'd love them," the others turning to each other and shrugging.

Whatever the case, Morgrem grinned and squealed, "Come on, guys! Let's go! I wanna see what this big event they've been building up is!" the others nodding and heading onward. Vaporeon knew full well what the event in question was. They held it before the final match every single time, but she did not wish to spoil the surprise for everyone else. She just wondered if her parents would be involved with it or not.

But while the group headed to the bleachers, Allie said, "Hey, you guys go on ahead," Bailey about to question this when the others simply nodded in understanding and signalled the tan girl to join them. After a few seconds, she gasped, "Oh! Okay, I get it!" giggling and heading off with the group.

Sure enough, Allie headed to a secluded area where Drizzile was hard at work. He had trained his stealth and mastered his best defensive technique. Now all he could do was work on his physical strength, which he did by unloading a barrage of palm punches into a dummy made of iron. He figured if he could deal damage to a substance like this, Melmetal would not stand a chance.

Allie opened the door and gave it a light knock, the chameleon blinking and turning toward her. He smiled and said, "Hey, darling," Allie chuckling, "You know you don't have to give me pet names."

She then approached him and gave him a peck on the cheek before she said, "Anyway, I'm just here to wish you luck. I know you got this in the bag, but it doesn't hurt to get a little boost, eh?"

"Well, it certainly is appreciated," Drizzile replied with a sweet smile, "Anyway, you should probably go and see the big event. You can tell me all about it later," Allie nodding and replying, "Of course, though I'll make sure to record it to just in case I forget all the best details."

Drizzile nodded and gave her a quick hug before she headed off and waved. While the chameleon's spirits were high before, they had reached their peak now. There was no way he could lose.

It was not long until the bleachers were filled, Shaymin squealing, "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, thank you all so much for coming an hour early! While there is a final match coming, we have a special treat for all of you! As is tradition, we will have four contestants from the previous Olympics come in and partake in a tag team exhibition match!"

The crowd's excitement grew while Allie uttered, "Wow, that is so cool," stars forming in Bailey and Geneva's eyes. They could not believe they would be able to see four legends face off in person.

"Oh yeah, I've been looking forward to this," Brian said with a grin, "You think one of those teams will be Eevee and Popplio?" Wendy replying, "I'll bet you twenty five bucks it's gonna be Eevee and Umbreon. After all, those two beat Nihilego, which was a much bigger deal back then."

"Wow, I have so much history to catch up on," Rolycoly uttered, "To think we wouldn't even be here to witness this if we hadn't learned our lesson," Morgrem nodding and replying, "Yeah. This is a momentous occasion."

"In the red corner is a true dream team that defeated a very powerful duo back in the day!" Tori exclaimed, "And while they may have lost a little strength over the years, their spirit and energy is unmatched! Give it up for the Circus Duo!" Wendy's jaw dropped when Eevee entered the area on top of Popplio.

She was currently using him like a surfboard while he slid on his belly across the walkway. Then when the two got close, the brown fox leapt into the air and spun vertically like a wheel onto the mat, performing a handstand. This was followed by Popplio slapping his tail against the floor and propelling himself into the air, balancing his nose on Eevee's feet after she cupped them together.

"Well, well, well, looks like you owe me twenty five bucks," Brian said with a smirk before Wendy sighed and pulled out her wallet, her eyes narrowed.

The crowd went wild while Popplio propelled himself off of the feet and landed perfectly on his tail. He laughed and exclaimed, "That was tres magnifique! Oh, how I missed the thrill!" Eevee nodding and blowing kisses to the crowd.

"That was amazing!" Bailey cried with her mouth and eyes wide open, "Why didn't you tell me your parents were so cool, Vaporeon!?" the blue fox chuckling, "I guess I should have mentioned that sooner."

"And in the blue corner is another incredible duo," Tori stated, "While these two never actually teamed up for a single match, they were partners in Osaka for a long time and, much like our first team, eventually settled down and got married! Presenting the Dynamic Decapods!"

Many were confused by the name but still cheered nonetheless when Umbreon and Crabrawler simply walked toward the ring and waved to the crowd. When the black fox entered, Eevee sighed, "Oh, come on, you couldn't give us a real entrance!? It's been, like, forever since you were in the ring!"

"Yes, and unlike you, I take my entrances seriously," Umbreon sighed only for Crabrawler to utter, "But you always believed in putting on a good show to keep the audience calm and hopeful."

The black fox stood still for a few seconds before sighing, "Dammit, and I can't redo that," Popplio chuckling, "Oh, come on, you looked intimidating enough. What matters is how you do in our match."

"Oh yeah, and I'm gonna beat your ass this time!" Eevee quipped before Umbreon retorted, "As if! I'm gonna show the world why I made it to the finals and not you!"

"Is this normal?" Morgrem uttered, Vaporeon sighing, "You should see them during Christmas," as Shaymin rang the bell. Eevee raced toward Umbreon and aimed a roundhouse toward her face only for the black fox to block it with ease.

Eevee had seen this coming, thus she swung her free leg into Umbreon's face, causing her to back up while the crowd cheered. The brown fox then latched her ankles around Umbreon's neck and leaned backward, planting the back of her head into the canvas with a frankensteiner.

However, before Eevee could release her, Umbreon latched onto her neck and countered with a frankensteiner of her own, the crowd going wild as Shaymin squealed, "And Umbreon gets the upper hand with a reverse frankensteiner! There's that skill she's known for!"

Of course that was not the end, though, as Umbreon leapt toward the turnbuckle and quipped, "Even at my current age, I can still use this perfectly!" leaping onto the top and spinning her body around until it looked like a shuriken.

Eevee immediately leapt backward toward the opposite pole and spun as well, forming a small brown whirlwind around herself. With that, both flung themselves toward one-another, Umbreon shouting, "SWIRLING NIGHT BLADE!" while Eevee squeaked, "SWIRLING MORNING SQUALL!"

Once both pressed up against each other, sparks flew from them. However, Eevee remembered how years ago, Umbreon's move overpowered hers. As such, she used her tail to lift herself above the black fox's head and stopped spinning, ramming her feet hard into her sister's skull.

The crowd went wild as she jumped off of Umbreon and back flipped over to Popplio, asking, "You want a turn, honey?" the seal replying, "Oui, mon amour."

Thus he slapped his flipper against her hand and jumped into the ring before Umbreon smirked, turned to Crabrawler and said, "Guess you deserve a shot too, eh, darling?"

The crab nodded and replied, "If you insist," before giving his wife a high five and climbing over the rope. Needless to say, he and Popplio were more than ready to show off their skills while the audience loved every second of this.

All the while, Melmetal was hard at work in a training facility of his own. Though while Drizzile used a dummy to practice his moves on, the cyborg unleashed all his might on a big metal girder he had taken from a construction site. Luckily, the owner had no intention of using it, so he was able to get away with it.

He narrowed his eye and thought, 'So far, all of Edmonton's heroes have been a good challenge, though Drizzile I can tell is gonna be the most difficult. That ability he used on Sandaconda and Unown will be a pain. But I know I can beat him. He may be stronger than he looks, but not by much. As soon as this match is over, I can finally drop the nice guy act.'

With that in mind, he sent his right hexagonal nut into the middle of the girder and managed to slice it in half, though how he managed to pull that off with a flat end was a mystery. Whatever the case, he was even scarier now than he had been before.

Meanwhile, Crabrawler unloaded an onslaught of punches toward Popplio while the seal blocked them with his flippers. After a while, the crab managed to expand the size of his fist and shouted, "POWER-UP PUNCH!" aiming over the flippers and punching Popplio hard in the forehead.

The seal gasped and rolled backward into the ropes before bouncing off and into the air. He then flipped vertically and rammed his tail into the crab's skull, barking, "BOUNCING BALL STRIKE!"

"Oh, I see," Allie uttered as she looked at Vaporeon, "That's where your Bouncing Ice Ball technique came from," Vaporeon nodding and replying, "Yeah. My fighting style is a combination of Mommy's and Daddy's, though mostly Daddy's since I got his typing."

This was made especially clear when Popplio wrapped his flippers around Crabrawler and bounced into the air. He then leaned backward and shouted, "TRAMPOLINE SUPLEX!" planting the back of his head into the canvas.

At that moment, Tori rang the bell and exclaimed, "That's now two minutes! Thus this match will now become a tornado tag match!" Eevee squealing, "Yes! Now the real fight begins!"

But rather than just entering the ring, the brown fox leapt onto the top rope, bounced off and rolled up into a wheel. She then spun vertically toward Crabrawler and squealed, "FLYING FOX WHEEL!" Bailey gasping, "That's the move Unown used on Drednaw!" the crab folding his arms in front of his face just in time to avoid taking in too much damage from the strike.

Umbreon frowned and leapt next to Crabrawler, saying, "Come on, honey, let's give them a taste of teamwork."

The crab nodded and raced toward Eevee. The brown fox was just about to respond only for him to take hold of her wrists and plant his antennae into her chest. Umbreon, meanwhile, avoided a strike from Popplio and leapt up onto his shoulders, latching her legs around them. She then lifted him high into the air, leaned forward and grabbed his tail, pulling it up so his face was aimed at the canvas.

Crabrawler saw her descend with a black aura all around her and leapt backward himself, pressing Eevee up against Popplio after flipping her upside down. Thus both lovers shouted, "LUNAR BLADE CRASH!" and planted their opponents' skulls into the mat.

The crowd went wild as Eevee and Popplio seemed to be down for the count. But when Crabrawler and Umbreon breathed heavily, both opponents grinned at one-another, flipped themselves into the air and landed behind the black fox and crab.

Both wrapped their arms around their opponents and leapt into the air. Eevee latched her legs and tail to Umbreon to trap her in place while her eyes widened, Popplio curling his tail and bouncing high into the air. Once high enough, both flipped one hundred and eighty degrees, Crabrawler's head soon pressed up against Umbreon's feet. Eevee and Popplio then proceeded to spin and shout, "TRAMPOLINE FOX TWISTER!" the back of Umbreon's head hitting the canvas hard before she and Crabrawler coughed up blood.

The crowd's cheers could not have been louder while Shaymin squealed, "Wow! Not only did Eevee and Popplio come out on top, but we even got to see that infamous team move that beat Solgaleo and Lunala back in the day! I am so glad I got to see this!"

The others could not have agreed more, Bailey squealing, "Wow, Vaporeon, your folks are awesome!" Morgrem nodding and adding, "Seriously, that finisher was sweet!"

The blue fox giggled, "Yeah, they're the best," before whistling to both of them. Thus they turned to face their daughter and waved to her with big smiles on their faces, Umbreon and Crabrawler slowly rising up and sighing.

"Yep, guess your sister's the better fighter after all," Crabrawler groaned before Umbreon chuckled, "I guess so. Oh well, she's earned this moment."

With all said and done, Eevee and Popplio walked over to Umbreon and Crabrawler to make sure they were okay. Both had deliberately weakened their moves just a little bit to make sure neither one took in too much damage, and they were relieved to see their plan had worked. And after that, they all walked out of the ring to rest up, but not before giving Vaporeon a quick wave.

"Damn," Rolycoly uttered, "I can see why both have such a strong reputation," Vaporeon sighing, "Yeah," a look of slight discomfort on her face. Though why her spirits had suddenly dropped like that was anyone's guess.

Once all four older fighters had left the area, Shaymin stated, "Stick around, folks, for we only have a little less than an hour left before the final match of the Hero Olympics tournament. I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it."

Needless to say, the crowd could not wait, but of course, many of them got up to make sure they were ready to watch this. After all, none of them wanted a reason to leave the bleachers during the match.

Drizzile had finished all the training he needed to get in at this exact moment. He wiped sweat off of his forehead and sighed, "Yeah, I'm ready for this," thinking, 'I hope you're watching, Rillaboom, Scorbunny, Mom. I want you all to see me wipe the mat with Melmetal. He may not be a villain, but for some reason, I just don't feel good about the idea of letting him come out on top.'

All the while, the four legends just happened to pass by his room while Eevee laughed, "That was exhilarating. It's a real shame this might be the last time we ever fight in front of a crowd," Umbreon sighing, "You're just saying that 'cause you won."

"Still, I hate to say it, but it might be a good thing Vaporeon didn't advance to the finals," Crabrawler stated, "After all, if she had, she would have had to train instead of watching us fight," before uttering, "Why does it feel so weird to say that?"

"Whatever the case, we'll be sure to give Drizzile plenty of support," Popplio stated, "After all, he is Vaporeon's ami," the others nodding in agreement.

Soon enough, the hour had passed and everyone was ready. They had been patient, but now it was time for what everyone had waited for. But just as all the preparations had been made, most of the audience watched with confusion when Caterpie, Scorchicken, Decidueye and Torracat set up chairs and sat in front of the ring, each one seated on a separate side.

All the while, Lycanroc watched from the crowd and groaned, "I wish I could be down there with my love bug," Eevee and the others taking a seat next to her as the brown fox sighed, "Yeah, you'd think one of them would have been nice enough to give you their spot."

"You know how this works," Umbreon sighed, "Only those chosen by the government can partake in this. Special guests are only entitled to be here and nothing else," Lycanroc biting her lower lip before Eevee stared blankly at the black fox.

"Hey, look on the bright side," Crabrawler said with a nervous chuckle, "At least this way, you get to cheer and be as loud as you want. Those guys sitting down there aren't even allowed to move or turn away from the ring unless they have a reason."

This was made clear to the audience when Shaymin explained, "Some of you may be wondering why our other four representatives are seated around the ring. Simply put, they are there mainly to make sure both opponents adhere to the rules by keeping a super close eye on the ring. If either fighter acts out of line, they'll spot it immediately. And just so you know, they're allowed to use force if necessary."

Shaymin sounded especially excited when she said that last part, thus Tori turned to her and uttered, "You sound like you want them to break the rules," the hedgehog retorting, "I have no idea what you're talking about. Seriously, I'm starting to get real tired of your slander."

Tori was tempted to hit Shaymin for that but chose not to as she knew she had to be professional. As such, she took a deep breath and got ready to announce the fighters, both waiting to enter and dazzle the crowd with their skills. Though of course, each had his own reason for this.

Luckily, just as Drizzile had hoped, both Rillaboom and Scorbunny were awake to watch the event on TV. While the gorilla had enough strength to at least sit upright, Scorbunny was just barely able to face the screen. Either way, both were more than ready to watch Drizzile wipe the canvas with Melmetal.

Grimmsnarl, Samurott and Yanma, who had returned to Transylvania after Vaporeon's loss, were all tuned in to watch the match at the sea lion's house. And among the crowd were Incineroar, Ben, Wurmple and Rapidight with Corviknight a little ways from them. He wanted to sit with Allie and the others, but there were no more free seats when he got there.

And of course, Allie and the others were more than ready. Rolycoly had even teamed up with Geneva to make the best support sign yet, both excited to show it off.

"In the red corner, coming to us from Ireland is a fighter many of us didn't think would make it this far!" Tori exclaimed, "While he started off as the weak link of the Edmonton team, he has truly risen his way up in the world with incredible skill and a shocking amount of strength! He has bested Sandaconda, Incineroar and Unown and now he comes to amaze us again! Give it up for Drizzile!"

The majority of the crowd cheered wildly, including the many people from different countries when Drizzile entered the area. There were no special gimmicks this time, just a simple march toward the ring with a serious look in his eyes. He had heard about how finalists always entered like this no matter what. Even legendary fighters, Machoke and Eevee, both of which were known for their ridiculously over-the-top entrances had treated their biggest matches with this same level of respect.

Once he got close to the ring, he leapt high into the air and landed against the canvas with his arms spread out, Allie squealing, "LOOKING GREAT, HONEY!" the others equally impressed while he tried his best not to blush.

"No doubt Drizzile's gonna give it his all!" Shaymin stated, "After all, his opponent has bested all five of his allies here in Edmonton! I can only imagine the fire burning through him, which is kind of ironic considering he's a water type."

Tori nodded before pointing to the opposite side of the stadium and announcing, "And in the blue corner, representing Russia is a mighty metallic monster who is also respectful to all of his opponents! His abilities have certainly shocked and amazed all of us! With those skills, he has dominated Vaporeon, Rillaboom and Scorbunny! Everyone, give a great big cheer for Melmetal!"

While the Russian fans naturally cheered, even some of the Edmontonian spectators gave him a round of applause. After all, while Drizzile was their favourite to win the match, it was just as Tori said. Melmetal had truly impressed them with his skills.

Sure enough, much like Drizzile, the cyborg marched toward the ring with a serious look in his eye. Once he got close to the ring, he climbed up into it and gazed upon his opponent. He then extended his hand and said, "Here's to a good match."

Drizzile did not wish to look like a bad sport despite feeling just as intimidated by this as the others, so he returned the gesture and walked toward his own side of the ring. Melmetal did the same before both turned to one-another.

"Well, looks like they're both ready," Shaymin stated, "And so, without any further stalling, let's begin!" ringing the bell.