Things seemed to be looking up for the heroes as they all finally had their teams set up. Vaporeon would be sure to register her and Zeraora the following day. But while this went on, it seemed as if Hitmonchan might be in danger.

Palkia smirked when she noticed the boxer all by herself. For a reason she could not quite comprehend, Dialga really wanted to make sure this particular fighter could not compete. With that in mind, Palkia quickly put on a cloak to hide herself and flew toward the boxer with her claws at the ready.

But just as she was about to strike, Hitmonchan gasped and swung her fist around. She managed to plant it right into the dragon's cheek before she growled, "Did you seriously think I'd fall for that!?"

She then proceeded to unload a barrage of punches into Palkia's gut while barking, "Who the hell do you think you are!?" At that moment, Gallade blinked, turned back and called, "Honey, are you okay!?"

Just as Hitmonchan sent another punch forward, Palkia swerved to the right and thought, 'Dammit, he's been alerted. Better make this quick. Dialga wanted me to spare him,' thus she unleashed her claws and covered them in a pink aura.

With that, she swung her claws hard against Hitmonchan's chest. This allowed her to slash open the boxer's tunic as she coughed up blood and passed out, the dragon vacating the area just in time for Gallade to exit the alleyway along with the little boy he had helped and his dog.

The green man panted heavily with a look of terror in his eyes. The boy looked down and asked, "Is she alright?" Gallade kneeling down and whimpering, "Come on, Hitmonchan. You're okay, right? Please tell me you're okay."

Unfortunately, this one slash had knocked her out cold, thus he realized he had no choice but to call for an ambulance. He could not believe it. Similar things had happened to those close to him during the last team tournament, and while this was not nearly as bad as when his friend, Masquerain, received brain damage, this was still awful.

Drizzile and Rillaboom just happened to be nearby as they simply felt the need to look around Tokyo. After all, this was their first time here, so they wanted to experience as much of it as possible before they devoted the rest of the week to training.

Palkia spotted them at that moment, thus she looked at them and thought, 'Wait, didn't Dialga say this whole thing was to prevent those two from fighting together? Why was that again?'

She then looked back to a conversation they had in private after Beedrill closed the sign up booth. Dialga took a deep breath and explained, "Just like that bunny and mermaid, I sense a really strong connection between those two. On top of that, I've finally figured out who they are."

"Wait, you know them?" Palkia enquired, the blue dragon nodding and grunting, "They along with that rabbit are the three heroes of Edmonton who used teamwork to get three gods to surrender roughly three years ago. I can't believe I forgot about that. It was in every one of Hero Planet's newspapers for over a month. If those two fight as a team, they might actually stand a chance against us. I doubt they will, but I can't take my chances."

"So do you want me to take out the gorilla?" Palkia asked only for Dialga to reply, "Hold on. I never said I didn't want a chance to fight them in this tournament. If we can defeat all three of those heroes, it'll feel beyond satisfying, but much like the rabbit, I want that lizard and ape to team up with people they have never fought alongside before. They'd only have a week to come up with combinations and battle tactics, and that's nowhere near long enough."

"Okay, I think I get it," Palkia replied, "So what do you want me to do?" Dialga grinning and replying, "Well, something I discovered online earlier is that green one with sharp forearms, Gallade, is a huge inspiration to that lizard. I imagine if he doesn't have a partner, that lizard will most likely leave the ape's side and join him in the tournament instead, leaving her with no choice but to find someone else herself. I'm not completely sure if this plan will work, but this is the only method I can think of to pull this off."

Palkia felt like there was a lot wrong with this plan, but at the same time, Dialga had a point. If anything, heroes with the power to stand up to gods would likely be a much bigger threat than even the ultra beasts. Although because the newspapers did not mention the full context behind that match and how the gods had deliberately held back and more or less allowed the heroes to come out on top, neither dragon realized that they still probably would have stood a chance anyway.

With that in mind, she cleared her throat and exclaimed in a higher pitch, "Oh my god, did you hear!? Gallade's partner has been badly injured and won't be able to compete in the tournament!" adding in a lower voice, "Man, that sucks. I hope he can find himself a good replacement."

Drizzile's eyes widened as he turned to Rillaboom and uttered, "Did you hear that?" The gorilla nodded and gave him a smile before she asked, "You wanna go check it out?"

The chameleon nodded before he and the gorilla sprinted off, Palkia watching this from a distance and thinking, 'Wow, that actually worked. Well, here's hoping Dialga's right about this.'

Drizzile and Rillaboom both ran toward the scene where an ambulance had just pulled up. Gallade was just about to enter the vehicle when the chameleon approached him and asked, "What happened here?"

Gallade turned and said, "Oh, you're friends with Blaziken's new tag team partner," Rillaboom and Drizzile both turning to one-another in shock. Why had Scorbunny not texted them about this? Whatever the case, they were certainly happy for her, but this did not distract them from the incident that just took place.

Gallade realized that too, thus he sighed, "I don't completely know myself. I heard Hitmonchan yelling words that implied she was in a fight with someone. But by the time I came to check up on her, she was unconscious with big scratches along her chest. I just hope she'll be okay."

Drizzile bit his lower lip and enquired, "I know you don't really know us, but can we come with?" Gallade about to question this. However, right now, he could certainly use the company, thus he nodded and climbed into the back of the ambulance with them. Of course, he also made a conference call to his friends to let them know what just happened.

After the door closed, Drizzile and Rillaboom introduced themselves. And while both of them already knew Gallade, they simply allowed him to introduce himself anyway. Sure, he was well known, so he likely would not have found it too weird for them to know him, but it still felt right.

During this time, Vaporeon walked to a rather small house that Zeraora lived in. The cat smiled and said, "Here we are. It's not much, but it's manageable." He then pulled out a key to unlock the door and allowed the fox to enter.

Vaporeon looked around and noticed something off. There was only one bedroom in this place. On top of that, she saw no one else living here. And when Zeraora noticed her expression, he could tell right away what she was thinking.

"Oh, yeah, probably should have told you earlier," he said, "My folks work in a different part of Japan. They send me a check every month to help pay for living expenses and school, but they never have time to come by and visit. But of course, I imagine with you being a Hero Planet graduate, you've probably been living on your own these last three years, eh?"

"Well, not exactly," Vaporeon replied, "I was supposed to live on my own, but then I got three allies and let them move in," not sure if she should even bother to bring up the fact that all three had proven themselves better than her up to this point.

She then took a deep breath and said, "Well, for the next week, I'll definitely keep you company, and I'm sure that once we're done, you'll be tough enough to stand up for yourself. And heck, you might even find that heroism is the perfect career for you."

Zeraora suddenly remembered his bed had not been made, thus he straightened out the sheets. But just as he was about to take a shower, he took a deep breath and asked, "Do you really think I'm good enough for this?"

Vaporeon shrugged and replied, "Well, maybe not right now, but by the time we're done, I can guarantee you'll be a fighting machine! We'll start with the basics then get to your elemental powers later. As long as we work at it hard enough, you can master even the most advanced of techniques within a week's time."

Zeraora smiled and replied, "Thank you so much, Vaporeon. I'll admit, up until now, I've only been living so my parents wouldn't worry about me. But, well, you've given me more of a purpose in life."

He then grinned and clenched his fists while he thought about how he would get his revenge on the bullies from school tomorrow. He knew better than to just outright injure them unless provoked, but he would at least try to frighten them with his new skills. After all, even the dumbest of humans knew better than to fight a hero, right?

After he entered the bathroom for a shower, Vaporeon smiled and allowed herself to fall backwards onto his bed. She could not have asked for better, though why specifically she wanted someone with little to no combat knowledge on her team was anyone's guess.

Meanwhile, at the hospital, Gallade looked down after it was confirmed that Hitmonchan would be out of commission for at least a week and a half. Thus he let out a sigh and kissed her forehead, saying, "Rest well, sweetie."

It seemed highly unlikely that he would be able to compete, but right now, he was just glad that his darling wife was still alive. At the very least, he would still show up to watch his friends compete. After all, he knew Hitmonchan would want him to be at the stadium to cheer them on.

The green man walked over to Drizzile and Rillaboom, who were seated nearby, and said, "Hey, um, thanks for coming along. This actually made things less painful."

"Hey, it was no problem," Rillaboom replied with a nod, Drizzile unable to find the right words while Gallade sighed, "This is just awful. We were gonna fight together and actually make it past the first round! I know we couldn't possibly win the tournament, but still!"

He then chuckled, "Sorry. Ignore that. I just really had to let off some steam," before returning to Hitmonchan's side just to sit by her.

Drizzile bit his lower lip when Rillaboom stared back and forth between him and Gallade. She then thought hard about this situation before turning toward the chameleon who whimpered, "I really wanted to see him compete. Imagine how amazing it would have been to face him at some point."

After a few seconds, Rillaboom rested a hand on the chameleon's head and sighed, "I know exactly what you're thinking," Drizzile staring at her while she smiled and added, "Go on. This is a golden opportunity. You'd be a fool not to take it."

"But, Rillaboom," Drizzile uttered, "I can't. We're supposed to fight as a team," only for the gorilla to sigh, "Look, Drizzile, I'm fine, okay? If I can't find anyone, then I'll just cheer for you from the stands. There's, like, six of us in the tournament already. I don't think Shaymin needs all of us to take down Palkia and Dialga."

Tears welled up in Drizzile's eyes as he quivered his lip and sniffed, "Oh my god, you are the best!" before he gave the gorilla a tight hug. Rillaboom's eyes widened and nearly popped out of their sockets until he let go and approached Gallade.

"Damn, he really has gotten tough," the gorilla uttered while the chameleon stood next to Gallade and tensed up. He had been surprisingly calm and collective before, but just the idea that he might very well team up with his own idol made him feel tense.

After a few seconds, though, he took a deep breath and asked, "Hey, Gallade, I know now might not be the best time to ask, but have you thought about who you'll team up with?"

The green man thought about this and replied, "Well, now that you mention it, yeah, and right now, my best options might be either Hitmonlee or Hitmontop. But even then, both of them decided that they wanted to stay home for this. They already tried entering before, and after Hoopa cheated and knocked them out of the elimination round, they've decided it's not for them. I don't wanna force them into this, you know?"

He then groaned, "But of course, I don't wanna drop out either. I didn't think about this before, but you know, it just occurred to me. If I drop out of the competition because of this, Hitmonchan will blame herself for it."

The green man clutched onto the sides of his head and whimpered, "She'd beat herself up constantly, saying things like 'Why couldn't I stand up for myself!? I'm a failure of a wife! I don't deserve someone as great and handsome as Gallade!'"

And while the wording may have sounded pompous, Hitmonchan was the kind of person to think all of that stuff. And when Drizzile saw just how desperate Gallade was, he took a deep breath and said, "I'll do it."

Gallade turned to him before he gave him a serious look and added, "I'll be your tag team partner," only for the green man to stare at him, "Oh, and don't worry about Rillaboom. She encouraged me to volunteer."

This certainly made Gallade happy at first, but after a few seconds, he shook his head and remarked, "No, that's insane. I really appreciate that, Drizzile, but you don't want me as your partner. Have you heard about my reputation?" the chameleon replying, "Yes. I've heard about how in your entire career on Earth, you've lost more matches than anyone else who was stationed in Tokyo. And yes, I also know that you've only ever beaten two villains in combat."

"Uh, actually, I've only defeated one," Gallade replied before Drizzile tensed up and remembered that in this time, the green man had not yet faced his final opponent. But right now, that hardly mattered when Gallade sighed, "See? I'm even more pathetic than you think I am. Are you taking pity on me?"

"No," Drizzile remarked before he stood up with a serious look in his eyes, "Gallade, it's been my dream to fight alongside you! Believe you me, there was a time when I was a loser just like you, and I was even worse! I lacked so much confidence that I couldn't even really hurt my opponents!"

Gallade stared in stunned silence while the chameleon added, "But I've gotten a lot better since then. In fact, I'm actually w-" suddenly stopping himself before saying, "I mean, I was first place in a tournament back home. And you saw that big cyborg with me? He was once a villain, and I was the one who defeated him and convinced him to become good."

"Wow, that's incredible," Gallade uttered, "But if you're that amazing, why would you ever dream of teaming up with me?" the chameleon explaining, "Because you were my inspiration. When I finally defeated a villain, I was motivated by your reputation, how even though you've barely won any matches on Earth, you've never given up. You've always fought your best, even when you knew the odds were stacked against you."

As soon as he heard that, Gallade let down a light tear. In all his years as a hero, no one had ever acknowledged that. He had spent so long as the butt of so many jokes. He had even taken multiple jabs at his own lack of success. And yet for the first time, someone other than Gardevoir took the time to acknowledge just how much effort he always put in.

"That's why I want to fight alongside you," Drizzile stated, "You're my hero," turning to face Gallade and noticing the biggest most childish grin on his face. He was even more shocked when the green man rested his hands on his shoulders and exclaimed, "Yes, Drizzile! I'll do it! I'll be your partner!"

Drizzile's eyes sparkled as he could not believe it. As if Scorbunny being Blaziken's partner was not enough, now he was going to fight alongside his idol as well. This all seemed like a dream that he did not wish to end anytime soon.

Rillaboom overheard this and smiled before thinking, 'Still, I'd hate to be left out,' before gasping, "Oh, that's right! Vaporeon! She doesn't have a partner, does she!?"

She then pulled out her phone and called up the fox who answered and said, "Oh, hey, Rillaboom. What's up?"

The gorilla was about to answer before she heard a voice in the background ask Vaporeon who she was talking to. The fox stated that she was talking to a friend before the gorilla enquired, "Who's there with you?"

"Oh, right, I completely forgot to text you guys!" Vaporeon squealed with a big grin, "You'll never guess where I am right now. I'm in the home of my new tag team partner!"

Rillaboom's eyes and mouth widened while the fox continued, "Isn't this great!? We can all compete now!" And while the gorilla was disappointed at first, she was also happy for Vaporeon. As such, she took a deep breath, smiled and said, "Oh, thank god. I'm not gonna lie. When I heard Scorbunny had teamed up with Blaziken, I thought for sure you'd be left out."

The two talked for a little while longer before Vaporeon asked Zeraora if he wanted to talk to her friend. However, he felt a touch nervous, thus she said, "Well, you'll meet him soon. He's a little shy now, but wait'll you see him come tournament day."

After another minute, Rillaboom said a quick goodbye and hung up. She had not even brought up the fact that Drizzile had a new partner. After all, the last thing the gorilla wanted was to guilt-trip any of her friends. It had been her idea for the chameleon to team up with Gallade, anyway.

At that moment, Machoke and the others entered the area. Gardevoir immediately raced to Gallade's side and gave him a tight embrace without warning. The green man's eyes widened briefly before he smiled and reached his hand up, patting his sister on the shoulder.

"I am so sorry!" she sniffed while Gallade sighed, "No, I feel like this wouldn't have happened if I'd been more attentive."

While Scorbunny stood outside with the others, she turned toward Rillaboom and uttered, "Oh, hey, Rillaboom. I didn't think you'd be here," the gorilla chuckling, "Well, it was an urgent situation. Not to mention a certain someone really wanted to comfort his idol."

The rabbit turned toward the entrance to see Drizzile next to Gallade, saying, "Wow, I guess some good came out of this after all," the gorilla nodding and replying, "Yep. They'll make for a great team, I'm sure of it."

The rabbit's eyes widened as she turned to face the chameleon. Blaziken had overheard this, thus she smiled and thought, 'Well, look at that. He's already found himself a new partner. I know that's what Hitmonchan would want.'

With that in mind, she approached Machoke, patted him on the shoulder and whispered what she had just heard to him. Thus he and the chicken entered the room and introduced themselves to the chameleon. And after he told them his name, Gallade smiled wide and stated, "This guy right here wanted me above all others as his partner! He said I'm his hero!"

Gardevoir beamed bright and squealed, "Wow, that's so cool!" Drizzile grinning nervously and uttering, "Yeah. He's a big part of the reason I'm where I am today," thinking, 'Though Allie certainly had a bigger influence, but maybe I shouldn't mention that.'

Needless to say, Machoke and Blaziken were astounded by this. But they were also beyond happy for him. All they could really hope was that Drizzile would make for a good ally, much like how they hoped Scorbunny would be a great partner for Blaziken.

At that moment, Machoke's eyes widened when he heard a high-pitched voice gasp, "Hey, I came as soon as I could!" the reptilian man turning around to spot a short purple monkey with a big white hand on the tip of her tail.

Thus he smiled and said, "Hey, Aipom," the monkey returning the gesture while Rillaboom stared and thought, 'Oh yeah, she was Machoke's mentor for almost a year. When those two met for the first time, she was only ten, yet it was said that she was a total genius when it came to combat. Not only that, but she and Machoke even teamed up for the third round of the Ultimate World Team Tournament back in the day.'

Aipom looked over Hitmonchan's condition and sighed, "This brings back painful memories," the others nodding as Blaziken sighed, "I just hope it wasn't another villain who snuck into the tournament. Seriously, how many times did that happen in the last one?"

Drizzile blinked and thought, 'So it's true. That really was a common thing back then,' before Gallade grinned and said, "Hey, on the upside, check out my awesome new tag team partner!" resting his hand on the chameleon's shoulder and pulling him close.

Drizzile's entire body turned beet red in response to this while Aipom bowed and said, "It's very nice to meet you," the chameleon and Scorbunny soon introduced. While it was certainly odd that Blaziken and Gallade would just allow two strangers to team up with them, the monkey was happy for them.

While Rillaboom waited outside, Drizzile and Gallade explained the whole situation and how the chameleon had essentially left his partner. Drizzile then sighed, "I still feel kinda bad about this. I know for a fact that Rillaboom would love to compete in the tournament, and it just means so much that she would give that up for me. I just hope she can find a new partner before the remaining spots are filled."

Aipom looked out the entrance to the room at the gorilla when Machoke shifted his eyes up toward the ceiling, tapped the monkey on the head and uttered, "You know, I think Aipom here knows a perfect someone to take on that role."

Aipom turned to face him before he winked at her. A big smile formed on her face before she nodded and gave him a thumb up. And when Scorbunny and Drizzile saw this, both were confused until Aipom walked over to Rillaboom and said, "Hey, Rillaboom, was it? I'm Aipom."

She then extended her tail hand forward before Rillaboom shook it and chuckled, "Oh yeah, I know who you are. The greatest trainer in history, right?"

As soon as the monkey heard that, her entire face turned red like a tomato. In all her years, the only one who had ever called her that was Machoke. She did not even realize she was that well-known despite the fact that she had merchandise based off of her.

"Well, I guess is you think so highly of me, you'd be happy to take me as your tag team partner, eh?" Aipom enquired with a cute grin on her face.

Rillaboom's eyes were wide with shock when she heard that. A part of her could not help but feel as if Drizzile had talked her into it, but she could not have been more grateful. If anything, fighting alongside the one who shaped Machoke into one powerful enough to defeat the mighty Giratina was the best thing she could have asked for.

With that in mind, she smiled, cupped her hands together, bowed her head and said, "It would be an honour to fight alongside you."

And with all said and done, it seemed that all of the heroes from the future had tag team partners. Sure, only half of them had chosen to team up with each other, but this was certainly exciting. But would these pairings work out in their favour or was Dialga's hunch right? Only time would tell.