Disclaimer: The song Gardevoir sings is based off of Suguru's theme from Kinnikuman.

Everyone waited in anticipation for Machoke and Gardevoir's match with Bisharp and Scrafty to begin. After all, out of all the day's matches, this was the one everyone looked the most forward to. Four years ago, everyone witnessed the couple become the world tag team champions, though due to various circumstances, they had only seen them fight together in one match. In fact, many hoped this would be the first time Machoke could get through a team tournament without having to replace his partner every single round.

Aipom grinned and squealed, "I just know those two will win!" sighing, "It feels like just yesterday I was training Machoke and giving advice from the sidelines. Now he doesn't need my help anymore."

"Yeah, because you did such a good job," Rillaboom replied only for the monkey to shrug her shoulders and state, "Actually, he came up with a lot of his best strategies on his own."

Scorbunny, Drizzile and Vaporeon could not wait for this. While they knew of the strong reputation of The Glamourous Fighting Machines, they had only seen a few video recordings of their matches. Now they got to witness the duo fight in person, and in their prime no less.

Once the ten minutes were up, Beedrill exclaimed, "Alright, folks, it's finally time for the most highly anticipated match of the first round! It's been a long wait, but I'm sure it'll be worth it!"

Butterfree nodded and stated, "In the red corner, we have the champions of our last Ultimate World Team Tournament! Time and time again, they have won the most matches in Tokyo and have truly made a name for themselves! Give it up for the Glamourous Fighting Machines!"

The crowd went wild when Machoke and Gardevoir rode toward the ring on the back of a huge float with something to represent each of their friends. There were flames for Blaziken and Scorbunny, swords for Gallade and Drizzile, bananas for Aipom and Rillaboom and a motorcycle for Morgrem and Rolycoly. Sure, those two were not exactly awake to see this, but it would have felt wrong to leave them out.

Machoke and Gardevoir themselves wore bright flashy outfits while the white woman held up a microphone and sang, "Never give up! That is the way of the hero! Never give up! Even when things look their worst!"

The crowd cheered wildly while Nori exclaimed, "And we get another musical treat as Gardevoir has chosen to bless us with her wonderful singing voice!" all the while thinking, 'A Machoke entrance and a performance by Gardevoir. This is exactly what I was hoping for.'

Gallade grinned and whistled before he shouted, "Keep it up, sis!" Zeraora saying, "Even though I heard her sing at this club, this is still incredible."

Once the song reached the home stretch, Gardevoir belted, "With power so wonderful, he will always come above all odds! He's the super awesome fighter, the great Machoke!"

She and Machoke leapt into the ring before striking a pose and ripping off their flashy outfits, Gardevoir still having her red jersey and spiked collar on. While the crowd loved this, one member barked, "Hey, you're gonna have to pay for those shirts!" Machoke tensing up and whimpering, "Oh shit, I forgot those were rentals."

Drizzile smiled and thought, 'They have such good chemistry. Maybe I should ask them for wedding tips. I really want Allie to be happy.'

"And in the blue corner are two former villains, both of which have faced their opponents once before!" Beedrill stated, "Both have proven themselves to be quite the team, and I'm sure they'll only continue to impress us today! Give a round of applause for the Gentle Punks!"

The crowd cheered when Bisharp walked toward the ring with his hand in the air. Scrafty held up his skin flap with one hand while forming a 'rock on' sign with the other, a rock melody playing in the background. Both then entered the ring and bowed to their opponents before Gardevoir giggled.

"Wow, so formal," she squeaked before Scrafty chuckled, "What can I say? Bisharp's a good influence," the knight replying, "Indeed. Although do not expect me to be a gentleman during this match. I have prepared for the day I would face you again, Sir Machoke," turning toward the reptilian.

"I can guarantee this'll be just like when we fought five years ago," Machoke remarked with a smirk only for Bisharp to grunt, "You're not the only one who has improved. You saw in the last tournament that Sir Scrafty is willing to fight with his hands now, correct?"

Gardevoir nodded and giggled, "I imagine you'll be a lot more difficult now," Scrafty chuckling, "Well, you're certainly a lot tougher than ya were when we first fought. Honestly, I'll be happy no matter what, but who knows? Maybe today will be my turn to win."

And so, he bumped his fist against the white woman's before Bisharp and Machoke shook hands, the crowd truly amazed while Nori said, "That level of sportsmanship, you don't see it often in these events. But it makes sense for such good friends to be this respectful before a match."

Both teams walked to their own sides of the ring before Butterfree nodded and said, "Well, without further ado, let's begin," Nori ringing the bell before sticking her tongue out at Beedrill who gave her a look of confusion.

Before Machoke and Gardevoir could do a thing, Scrafty immediately leapt toward Machoke and sent a hard knee kick to his forehead, barking, "HIGH JUMP KICK!"

The reptilian grunted in pain and fell on his back before the lizard delivered an axe kick to his gut. Gardevoir gasped only for Bisharp to race toward her with his arm out and shout, "WRIST SWORD!" He then swiped his blade into her side as she let out a loud cry, the crowd cheering wildly.

Scrafty smirked and flipped Machoke over. He then mounted himself onto the reptilian man's back and pulled up on his chin, grunting, "We figured the two of ya would expect us to attack the ones we fought before, so I came up with the idea of attacking ya first, Machoke," Bisharp sending multiple punches into Gardevoir's gut and adding, "And he suggested I go for you, Gardevoir. It seems to have worked."

He then proceeded to wrap his right arm around Gardevoir's neck before leaping into the air and forcing her to fall backward into the canvas. The crowd cheered as Nori stated, "And the Gentle Punks are off to a great start! Using the element of surprised, they've managed to get the drop on the Glamourous Fighting Machines!"

"I'm not gonna lie, I'm a little surprised," Gallade uttered, "Considering how much better Machoke and Gardevoir have gotten since they first fought those two, I figured this would be in the bag. Scrafty really prepared hard for this."

Aipom nodded and replied, "Well, he is a lot smarter than he looks," Bisharp currently on Gardevoir's gut while he unloaded a barrage of palm punched to her face.

However, the white woman would not allow herself to be beaten this easily. Thus she smirked and squealed, "You really think your slaps can compare to mine!?" sending both of her palms upward into Bisharp's chin. The knight's eyes widened as he lowered his guard, thus Gardevoir took hold of his shoulders and threw them backward, causing him to fly toward Scrafty.

The lizard blinked and turned just in time to see this. He let out a cry of terror before Bisharp collided with him and caused him to fall on his side. This allowed Machoke to rise back to his feet before he gave Gardevoir a thumb up and a grin, saying, "Nice one, honey."

Bisharp slowly rose back to his feet and groaned, "My apologies, Sir Scrafty," Scrafty groaning, "No, that was my bad. I should have let go of Machoke and caught you," only for Machoke to grab hold of Bisharp's shoulders, lift him up and slam his back into the mat.

Before Scrafty could retaliate, the reptilian proceeded to grab hold of his legs, lift him up and swing him around. He then released his hold and allowed the lizard to fly toward Gardevoir who leapt toward him with her legs drifting above her head.

Just as Scrafty closed in, Gardevoir took hold of his cheeks and descended toward the mat, squealing, "METEOR BOMB!" The back of Scrafty's head hit the canvas hard before he cried out in pain and rocked back and forth while clutching onto that very spot after Gardevoir released him.

The crowd cheered wildly as Machoke flipped Bisharp over onto his belly, mounted himself onto his back and took hold of his legs. He then pulled back, pulling off a perfect Boston crab as Beedrill happily announced all of this. Needless to say, Vaporeon and her friends were truly amazed by this. They knew Machoke and Gardevoir were good, but it was also said that they also had to deal with just as many close calls throughout their career as she and her friends did.

But just as it seemed like the Glamourous Fighting Machines had this match in the bag now, Bisharp narrowed his eyelids and said, "I'll admit, Machoke, your evolution as a fighter has certainly shown up to this point. Back when we first fought, you were only able to pull off moves like this with Aipom's help. This time, you figured it out all on your own. But even so, I've picked up a few tricks from Sir Scrafty in my time fighting alongside him."

He then let out a loud battle cry and used all his might to throw his legs back. This caused Machoke to let go of him and fly toward Scrafty who had just risen in time to leap up and latch onto Machoke's cheeks. Before Gardevoir could retaliate, the lizard leaned backward and planted his hands up against the canvas. He then threw Machoke over his head and into the white woman's forehead, causing her to gasp in pain and fall along with him.

Bisharp took full advantage of this and leapt atop Scrafty's head, the lizard taking hold of his ankles before he stated, "Machoke, I have only the utmost respect for you. I just want you to know that this is the reason why I've chosen to go all-out against you. If I were to face any of my other friends, I wouldn't be putting in nearly as much effort."

"Why do I feel insulted by that?" Blaziken grumbled, Gallade uttering, "Oh yeah, you did fight him once, didn't you?"

Scrafty grinned and knelt down before boosting himself high into the air. He and Bisharp then proceeded to spin vertically toward Machoke, shouting, "MASSIVE BATTLE AXE!"

The reptilian man tried to get up only to receive Bisharp's axe head to his gut. Thus a big gash formed and blood spewed out, Gardevoir gasping, "Honey!"

Of course, Bisharp knew full well this would not be enough to end it, thus he leapt off of Scrafty's shoulders and planted his feet into Machoke's gut. The lizard leapt toward Gardevoir with his knee out only for her to block it with her hands. Unfortunately for her, it seemed as if he had seen this coming when he swung his head forward and rammed it into her forehead.

This caused her to release her hold and allow him latch onto her neck. He then leaned backward, placed his hands against the mat and boosted himself high into the air, barking, "Hey, Bisharp, ya got Machoke in position!?"

The knight was now on his back as he pulled on Machoke's wrists and ankles with his hands and legs. He had the reptilian man in a bridge formation with his belly facing the sky while he exclaimed, "Ready!" Scrafty flinging Gardevoir upside-down and planting his knees into her back.

But just as it seemed like Machoke would fall victim to their Iron Maiden, he suddenly remembered back when Lucario had him trapped in a similar hold. Back when the dog had a spike on his chest, his main finisher was a move called London Bridge in which he would force his opponents into a bridge position and press said spike up against their backs. However, he ultimately stopped relying on the move as much when Machoke revealed a way to escape from it.

With that in mind, he shifted his ankles and pried them out of Bisharp's hold. Thus the knight gasped before the reptilian sent his feet into his sides. This caused Bisharp to release his hold on the wrists before Machoke leapt into the air with his arms and stopped Gardevoir's descent with his hands.

"What the-!?" Scrafty gasped before Gardevoir smiled sweetly and squeaked, "I knew you could do it, darling!" before Machoke swung her body downward. As such, Scrafty's eyes widened before he slid off of her back and fell hard against the canvas, Bisharp having just gotten up in time to witness this.

"Sir Scrafty, are you alright!?" he gasped before the lizard grunted, "I'll be fine. Not sure about my pride, though," Machoke and Gardevoir landing perfectly against the ring and breathing a simultaneous sigh of relief.

The crowd cheered wildly while Beedrill exclaimed, "Of course Machoke would escape from a hold like that. After all, that is how he defeated the London Bridge!"

"Oh yeah, I heard about that," Vaporeon uttered, "Still, that was a close one," Zeraora nodding and replying, "With their reputation, I had a feeling this match would be theirs no problem, but they've been really struggling up until now. It's nice to finally see one of those miracles Machoke is known for up close like this."

Amanda, all the while, folded her arms with a grin and said boastfully, "I taught him that counter," Veronica retorting, "Yeah, so he could beat Lucario's best move!" the dog laughing nervously and uttering, "We've been through this, sweetheart."

Palkia watched this and uttered, "Okay, that's an impressive counter," Dialga nodding and replying, "Make sure we don't try any holds like that on him when we inevitably fight those two."

Either way, while Bisharp and Scrafty had recovered, both were vulnerable, thus Machoke and Gardevoir nodded at one-another before the reptilian man quipped, "As long as you're not holding back, neither are we! We hate to do this so soon, but we're gonna end this!" both leaping toward their opponents with an arm out each.

"ECLIPSE HOOK!" they barked before they rammed their arms into the Gentle Punks' necks, knocking them on their backs. This left the knight and lizard vulnerable before Machoke and Gardevoir lifted them up and hurled them high above the ring.

The crowd knew exactly what was coming, Scorbunny uttering, "I've heard stories about this," Zeraora enquiring, "Is this that ultimate team move that beat Hoopa?"

It seemed so when Machoke and Gardevoir both ran to separate sets of ropes and bounced off of them. The reptilian rolled up into a ball and rammed into Bisharp's back while the white woman curved her body forward into a quarter moon formation and spun into Scrafty's belly. Machoke reverted to his normal state and threw his arms and legs back before taking hold of Bisharp's chin and ankles while Gardevoir leaned backward into the same moon shape and latched onto Scrafty's shoulders and legs.

With both Gentle Punks pressed up against each other, Machoke and Gardevoir spun like a wheel and descended toward the canvas, the crowd truly ecstatic. Sure enough, both timed their descent just right and rammed the backs of Bisharp and Scrafty's necks into the canvas, shouting, "NIGHT AND DAY MUSCLE PRESS!"

The Gentle Punks coughed up blood and closed their eyes before the Glamourous Fighting Machines released them and allowed them to collapse. Both breathed heavily and smiled at one-another while Nori started the ten count, Beedrill exclaiming, "And it seems as if Machoke and Gardevoir might have very well just won! For those unaware, this was the very move that defeated Hoopa four years ago!"

Gallade, Blaziken and Aipom cheered wildly while the others simply stared in stunned silence. Now Rillaboom felt nervous about the idea of possibly facing these two in combat. She would definitely have to remind herself that they were fellow heroes, but even so, she could tell that was devastating.

And it certainly was as Nori reached ten seconds and rang the bell before she stated, "And as I'm sure many expected, The Glamourous Fighting Machines have won the match and will advance to round two! Thus concludes the first round of the Ultimate World Team Tournament!"

The stadium erupted with heavy cheers and applause while Machoke and Gardevoir rose their arms in the air. They then grinned at Lucario and Clauncher who both folded their arms and nodded. They definitely looked forward to their match with the duo three days from now.

Bisharp and Scrafty slowly sat upright and rubbed the backs of this heads, the lizard sighing, "One of the nice things ya can say about these two, ya can always count on them to use less force on friends."

Bisharp nodded and replied, "Indeed," before he rose to his feet and bowed to Machoke and Gardevoir, "Good show, you two. Just as I expect from the ones who bested us in combat before."

Scrafty followed suit with a bow of his own before they exited the ring, Dialga nodding and saying, "Well, that was pretty good, but those two are fools. They've shown us how their best move works."

Palkia blinked and uttered, "Wait, have you already figured out a way to counter that?" the blue dragon replying, "Indeed. After all, one of the moves that makes that one up is one that Lucario countered years ago, and honestly, Gardevoir's contribution looks easy to exploit. This won't be difficult."

With that in mind, both dragons stood up before Palkia lifted Dialga by the shoulders and carried him over to Beedrill and Butterfree. After all, with her ability to fly, they did not need to pass through the bleachers. And when they met up with their employers, they bowed their heads while the wasp praised them for a good job.

Although deep down, he and Butterfree did feel a little bad for Shaymin. They hoped she would get better soon, though they were unsure why they wanted her to recover more than everyone else who suffered major injuries up to this point. Even though she came off as rude at first, something about her made her seem like someone they could easily get along with.

Rillaboom narrowed her eyelids when she saw Dialga and Palkia acting friendly and thought, 'Fine, even if there's no way to expose them, it doesn't matter. Aipom and I will take care of them and then no one will have to worry about them again,' though she really hoped she could back that up. After all, Melmetal was so far the only villain to ever best her in combat and yet both dragons beat him badly.

Drizzile, all the while, looked at them and thought, 'I really hope Gallade and I could defeat them if given the chance. We might be the ones to face them in the finals,' Vaporeon feeling the same. Though she had to trust Rillaboom to come out on top. After all, the gorilla was the most physically strong member of their group. Surely she could bring major harm to them.

Scorbunny was certain she and Blaziken could defeat them if they were to make it to the finals, though right now, she was looking much more forward to her match with Vaporeon. The fox suddenly remembered that herself before she smiled and bowed her head to the rabbit. Blaziken rested a hand atop Scorbunny's head before nodding at her and giving her a thumb up.

And so, with the day's matches at a close, everyone exited the stadium, though before they headed to the places they were staying at, Machoke suggested visiting all of the friends who had been hospitalized. Needless to say, the heroes of Edmonton were more than up to that as was Zeraora. While he may not have known the others well, he still saw them as friends.

But as they left, Vaporeon blinked and stood still for a few seconds. Zeraora turned to her and enquired, "What's up?" only for the fox to chuckle, "Sorry. I thought I felt something."

But as she joined the group on their trip to the exit, a set of eyes gazed upon her from behind the bleachers. But whose were they? And could this stranger be trusted?

First they checked up on Morgrem and Rolycoly. At the very least, Rolycoly seemed to show a few signs of recovery. Unlike the goblin, who was out like a light, he moved a little bit in his sleep. This was a touch reassuring, but the others still hoped the duo would get better soon.

Either way, Rillaboom still felt the need to approach the two before she patted them on the head and said, "You guys did a good job back there. Don't worry, Drizzile and Gallade will finish what you started," the chameleon nodding with a serious look in his eyes. And after his two victories, Gallade felt as if he could do anything, so he had a look of confidence as well.

The group then checked up on Shaymin and Melmetal. Much like Hitmonchan, the doctors confirmed that they would be out for at least a week's time. As such, Rillaboom frowned and swore that she would defeat Dialga and Palkia. Of course, Aipom was more than happy to help with that, though she had a feeling there was more to this than simply avenging her friends' loss.

With all said and done, everyone was ready to pack it in. Thus they all wished each other a good night and headed their separate ways, each team walking to wherever they were staying. And when Vaporeon reached Zeraora's house, she breathed in through the nose and expelled the air. She then smiled at Zeraora and said, "I gotta admit, you were pretty amazing today. You still got quite a bit of work to do, but you're getting there."

"Yeah," the cat replied with a grin, "When I finally managed to use my electricity, it was such a thrill. I'm still not entirely sure how I pulled it off, but it's a great feeling."

Vaporeon nodded and said, "Anyway, we got a couple of days to work on it. I'm sure you'll master it soon enough," before sighing, "Though honestly, I just hope I'm ready for our next match."

Zeraora blinked and stared with concern before he remembered who they were fighting. While he may not have known that Vaporeon and Scorbunny had fought twice before, he could see that they were certainly very good friends. As such, he figured that must have had something to do with how nervous Vaporeon was.

But just as they were about to head inside, Vaporeon blinked when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to Zeraora and asked, "What?" only for the cat to stare awkwardly and reply, "I didn't say anything."

"Oh, sorry, that was me," came a voice from behind them, Vaporeon turning and replying, "Oh, hello. What can I-?" her eyes and mouth wide open while a light gasp escaped from her mouth. Standing before her was a light tan fox with big brown eyes and matching paws. She had green sprouts growing out of her neck, wrists and ankles and her ears and two tails resembled leaves.

Vaporeon could barely contain herself right now. This fox was none other than her great grandmother, Leafeon. While the blue fox knew there was always a chance this would happen, she still could not believe it.