After a while, Machoke and the others arrived at Deoxys' tower and stood in front of it, the reptilian man glaring. He just wanted to race right in there and sock Deoxys in the face, but he knew he could not afford to be rash. After all, he had almost died when they first fought.

Gardevoir rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled softly, nodding her head while the others gave him their own looks of encouragement. Blaziken held a thumb up, Gallade grinned and Lucario simply nodded his head. He knew there was no way Machoke would lose a second time.

"Come on, Senor Machoke," Hawlucha said with a grin, resting a hand on the man's shoulder, "Your hija is waiting."

Machoke took a deep breath and nodded with a serious look in his eyes. And while the group approached the entrance, Rotom noticed this and floated up to the top floor, using his electric hand to tap on the window. That was just enough to get Deoxys' attention.

Thus the alien opened the window and asked, "What is it, Rotom?" the lightning rod looking nervous as he uttered, "Well, sir, Machoke's friends are already here."

"How strange," Deoxys replied with his eyes narrowed, "I was hoping to have a news crew come here and get their attention first, and yet somehow, they already knew I was here. This gives us very little time to prepare ourselves."

"Well, it's not just that," Rotom uttered, "You see, sir, Machoke is also with them," the alien's eyes wide with horror as he turned and spat, "What!? Are you bullshitting me right now!?"

Sure enough, when the alien peered out the window, he squinted his eyes and saw it clear as day. Machoke was certainly among the nine heroes making their way toward the entrance. As such, he fumed and turned to Rotom, barking, "Alright, you and Medicham have your chance to get your revenge! I already beat him once, so I no longer have anything to prove!"

The lightning rod replaced his nervousness with a grin before he gave an army salute and floated out of the window to relocate to another floor. There was no way Medicham would challenge the reptilian man first. After all, Rotom was the first villain to fall to his might on Earth, so as far as he saw it, he deserved it more.

Due to his speed when in his regular form, he managed to pass right through the door immediately after Machoke opened it. The man blinked in confusion when he floated a small distance from him and turned with a psychotic grin on his face.

"Well, well, well, we meet again," the lightning rod said in an ominous tone, Machoke staring in stunned silence. Gardevoir squeaked in panic, Aipom and Gallade gulping while Blaziken and Lucario frowned.

However, Machoke's fear soon became confidence as he folded his arms and smirked, saying, "Don't worry, guys. It's Rotom. This guy's a joke," the lightning rod's eyes twitching.

"HEY, CAN IT!" he snapped as the heroes all looked at him, "I've been waiting for this moment ever since that awful day! That day when you bested me was the worst experience of my life! No matter what I did, you kept finding various ways around my tactics, but not this time! This time, I shall come out on top!"

"Wow, you're not quite as composed as you used to be," Lucario quipped with his arms folded, "I think you might need to relax a little," Rotom glaring at him and growling, "Don't even get me started on you, you filthy traitor! We used to be teammates, dammit!"

The dog certainly remembered that. Back when he was on the side of evil, Rotom and an orange lizard named Scrafty were his allies. But after both of his allies lost to Machoke and Gardevoir respectively, he ultimately decided the dark side was not right for him and became neutral. It was not until he stopped two bank robbers along with a blue lobster named Clauncher that he finally decided to become a hero.

"You know," the dog sighed, "Scrafty at least learned his lesson and returned to the side of good after his defeat. Why couldn't you do the same?" the lightning rod barking, "Easy, because I know what I want out of life, unlike you!"

Machoke blinked and uttered, "Um, not to be rude or anything, but I thought this was about getting vengeance on me," only for Rotom to retort, "You know what!? You can lose to Deoxys again for all I care! Lucario's really starting to piss me off!"

"Oh, you wanna go, do you?" the dog remarked, cracking his knuckles only for Aipom to step forward and grunt, "No, you guys should save your strength for more worthy opponents."

Rotom felt even more offended by these very words while the monkey continued, "You know as well as I do that Deoxys is far worse, plus Beedrill mentioned that Onix was among them. I'm sure someone like that would be much more worth the time and effort."

"What are you saying?" Gallade enquired before Aipom grinned and stated, "I'm saying I'll take this guy."

Rotom was about to protest this, but then he remembered something else from his match with Machoke. Part of the reason the man had won back then was because despite an agreement forbidding her from doing so, Aipom gave him one piece of advice that ultimately motivated him to keep fighting. With that in mind, a smirk formed on his face while the others stared at him.

"Yes," Rotom said in a sinister tone, "As satisfying as vengeance on either of these two would be, you're the reason Machoke even has his reputation in the first place. Very well. You can all go and fall to my allies. Aipom will make the perfect victim for me."

Gardevoir bit her lower lip while Blaziken asked, "Are you absolutely sure about this?" Machoke adding, "Yeah. If you're fighting him, who's gonna give me-?"

"You don't need my advice," Aipom giggled while holding up a finger with her tail hand, "You haven't needed my advice for a long time. You're the world champion. Most of your victories were brought about by tactics I never would have come up with. And besides, you should be the one to face the one who took your daughter."

The man nodded and held a thumb up before he and the others raced off toward a nearby staircase, Rotom watching them leave with a shrug. He then raced toward Aipom while a jolt of electricity flowed through his fake body.

But when he sent a jab toward Aipom, she simply leapt to the side and balled her tail hand into a fist, swinging it hard into his cheek and sending him careening into the wall. She then grinned and quipped, "Don't think I forgot the biggest weakness of this form! While the fake body is invincible, your real body is weak and vulnerable!"

Rotom snickered wickedly and remarked, "Oh, I was expecting that. I simply wanted to see if you were worth using my other forms on. But they're not as simple and easy to exploit as they were before," the lightning rod morphing into a lawn mower, "I've made some modifications to myself to make me even deadlier," Aipom staring in horror as not only did he have two green rake-like arms coming from under him but two more with buzz saws for hands.

Meanwhile, Machoke and the others were now on the second floor where a wrestling ring five times the width of a normal one and made entirely out of stone, including the ropes, had been set up. Onix was currently standing in it when he spotted the heroes, saying, "I wasn't expecting you guys yet."

He did not even seem to notice Machoke among them when he gazed upon Blaziken. A great anger built up inside of him as he remembered his match with her in Osaka. He had come so close to defeating her only for her to overpower him and knock him out with an uppercut. She had even managed to leave a permanent chip on his horn.

"So it's true," the chicken grunted, "Deoxys did break you out," the rock snake pointing at her and barking, "Yeah, he did, and I want revenge on you!"

Hawlucha blinked and uttered, "What did you do to make him so mad?" Blaziken sighing, "Same thing Machoke did to Rotom, no big deal," but when she was ready to face him, she noticed the snake turn his attention to Lucario.

"Something the matter?" the dog enquired before the snake grumbled, "I know you. You're that traitor, Lucario!"

The dog let out a sigh and groaned, "Weren't you about to get your revenge on Blaziken?" only for Onix to stroke his chin and say, "As much as I've wanted that, taking you down would earn me a far better reputation. Yeah, I'm sure of it!" pointing at him and barking, "I want you, Lucario!"

Machoke blinked and uttered, "Is he for real?" Gardevoir and Gallade equally confused. Blaziken, all the while, looked strangely disappointed, as if she had wanted to fight him.

Scyther, on the other hand, seemed to see an upside to this as she said, "This might be for the best," Hitmonchan remarking, "How?" before the insect explained, "You heard Aipom earlier. Someone like Onix here would be a much better opponent for Lucario to take on."

"She's right," Lucario stated before leaping into the ring, "You've already beaten him once, Blaziken. I'd like a turn," a light smile on his face as Machoke stared in confusion. Blaziken bit the lower half of her beak before sighing and ultimately accepting this. Perhaps this was the best course of action.

"I get the next opponent!" Hitmonchan exclaimed, and thus the group headed off toward another staircase while Lucario struck a fighting pose and Onix let out a deafening roar.

He immediately lunged toward the dog with his mouth open only for Lucario to dodge to the side. Seeing an opening, he formed a blue aura around his paw and shouted, "FORCE PALM!" ramming said part into Onix's cheek.

The snake winced and swung his tail at Lucario. The dog simply leapt over it and rammed his feet hard into it, dealing a surprising amount of pain. So far, things were looking really good for him.

The others soon reached the third floor where Medicham was waiting in a meditative state. When she heard them enter, she opened one of her eyes and said, "So you're here," both eyes wide open when she spotted Machoke among them.

"Oh my god, it's you!" Machoke spat, pointing at Medicham, Gardevoir equally shocked as the grey woman smiled and said, "Seems Deoxys did not rob me of my chance to exact my revenge. But yes, it is I."

Machoke remembered it well. Medicham was the first opponent to ever best him in combat. However, he managed to defeat her in a rematch when he found out her style was not as deadly as it first seemed.

But before either one could challenge the other, Scyther stepped forward and said, "You guys should go on ahead. I'll take this one," only for Hitmonchan to retort, "Not fair! I wanted to challenge her!"

Medicham noticed Hitmonchan and smirked before remarking, "Oh, it's you, the weakling who turned against the dark side after my defeat. As if I'd face someone as unworthy as you in combat," the boxer fuming and clenching her fists, "I also heard you married that weakling, Gallade."

"Hey, I'm standing right here!" Gallade retorted, wanting to fight her himself only to Medicham to state, "Oh no. Scyther seems more like the right opponent for me. You see, Machoke, ever since I lost to you, I have been improving my craft. I admit, it was ineffective before, but now I know it's strong enough to knock down foes instead of just paralysing them, and what better way to prove it than by testing it on someone with actual skill?"

Scyther frowned and turned to Hitmonchan, sighing, "I know you want to take a crack at her, but she's challenged me."

The boxer bit her lower lip and turned to the others, saying, "You all go ahead. I'll stay here in case she's serious about her improvements."

"Are you sure about that?" Gallade enquired only for the boxer to nod with a light smile, thus the green man nodded and gave her a compassionate kiss. Both held it for a solid ten seconds before releasing it, the other heroes heading toward the nearest staircase.

Scyther took a deep breath and said, "You didn't need to do that," only for Hitmonchan to sigh, "Look, when you defeat this bitch, I wanna be here to witness it," a grin on her face as Medicham narrowed her eyelids and remarked, "We shall see about that."

The remaining five heroes sprinted upstairs to the forth floor while Gallade gulped, "I really hope those two will be okay. I would have preferred it if Hitmonchan stayed by my side.

Blaziken patted the green and white man on the shoulder and smiled while Gardevoir squeaked, "I'm pretty sure she wouldn't want you worrying about her."

When the group reached the top of the stairs, it appeared the room was empty. However, that quickly changed when Genesect leapt from the ceiling and landed before the group, a wicked grin on her face as she said, "I'm surprised. I thought I'd have to wait longer for someone to fight."

Machoke panicked and spat, "Oh my god, I just noticed how creepy she is!" the bug looking upon him and stating, "So you survived after all. Shame Rotom and Medicham were unable to get their revenge on you."

Just as the man was prepared for a challenge, he was surprised when Genesect shrugged and added, "Oh well, after seeing you lose so easily to the master, I'm not quite as interested in you. You can go ahead. I'd rather face one of your friends."

The man was rather surprised to hear this while the bug looked over the others and pointed at Gallade, adding, "In fact, I think I'll take you on!" Gallade's eyes wide with shock as he uttered, "Me?"

"Yeah, him?" Blaziken remarked as Genesect nodded and explained, "Yes. I've heard of your reputation, Gallade, how you were considered this great student on Hero Planet and yet since then, you've only proven yourself to be the weak link of Tokyo's team. That's far too intriguing to pass up."

The others looked at Gallade with concern until he frowned and grunted, "Well, don't underestimate me!" holding up his arms like actual blades, "I'll slice you into ribbons!"

The others really hoped he could do this, especially Gardevoir who patted him on the shoulder. Gallade turned and saw how concerned she was, but he ultimately gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. He was certain that he could do this, even if what Genesect said about his reputation was true.

And so the remaining four headed toward yet another staircase while Genesect raced toward Gallade with her claws at the ready. The boy managed to block them with his arm blades, thinking, 'She may look scary, but I will come out on top!'

When the others reached the fifth floor, they all noticed a rectangular tower sitting right in the middle of the room. However, Blaziken immediately noticed arms and legs and said, "Don't look now, but I think this might be our next villain."

Sure enough, she was right when a portion of the tower opened up to reveal Stakataka's blue eye. Machoke blinked and uttered, "Okay, that's a little creepy," before Hawlucha stepped forward and said, "Worry not, mi amigos. This looks like the perfect opponent for me!" flexing his muscles.

Gardevoir nodded with a sweet smile and said, "Do your best," Stakataka frowning as Blaziken sighed, "You know what? I'm kinda with Hitmonchan right now. I want the next villain."

While the group headed toward the exit, Stakataka refused to allow Hawlucha to distract him and shifted in front of them to stop them in their tracks. However, the parrot would not allow this, thus he leapt toward the tower and spread out his arms, using his feathers to speed up his flight toward him and shouting, "FLYING PRESS!"

Seeing this, Stakataka folded his arms in front of his face and managed to block Hawlucha's attack. He then threw his arms out and sent him flying backward. But he was not yet finished, thus he leapt into the air and tucked his arms and legs in, allowing his body to fall on top of the parrot, crushing him underneath.

The others stopped running toward the staircase and turned toward the tower, Machoke shouting, "HAWLUCHA!" Stakataka stood up after ten seconds to reveal that this one hit had managed to knock Hawlucha unconscious, the parrot now bleeding all over while his arms and legs twitched slightly.

"Oh shit," Machoke uttered, trembling while Stakataka turned toward him and the others and marched toward them. However, Blaziken refused to let this go, thus she leapt toward the tower with one foot out, setting it aflame.

Stakataka once again folded his arms, successfully blocking the kick only for Blaziken to smirk and raise her other leg. She then lit that foot on fire and rammed it into the area just below the tower's eye, shouting, "BLAZE KICK JUNIOR!"

Thus Stakataka backed up, rather shocked that the chicken managed to deal that much harm to him. Blaziken smirked and turned to the others, saying, "Don't just stand there. You got a daughter to save, right?"

Machoke smiled and nodded before he and Gardevoir turned toward the stairs and started up them. The green woman breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I just know Blaziken's gonna kick his ass," Machoke grinning with confidence.

And so the couple made it to the sixth floor where Blacephalon was currently in the middle of performing an odd dance routine. He then turned when he heard footsteps and asked, "Well, well, well, who do we have-?" staring blankly at the two standing before him.

"So, it's true," the colourful man said, placing the back of his hand against his forehead, "Deoxys did not manage to kill you after all, Machoke. And to make matters even more awkward, you and your darling wife have managed to make it this far."

"You're damn right we have!" Machoke retorted, "Now if you don't mind, I'd like Machop back!" before Blacephalon sighed, "Oh, you can go ahead. I'm sure Deoxys would love to finish what he started, anyway. Besides, I'm much more interested in what the missus is capable of."

Machoke turned to Gardevoir with slight concern, but when he saw her give him a light smile, he knew there was no way she would fall. As such, the man nodded his head and kissed her on the cheek, saying, "Don't worry, honey. We'll have Machop back in our arms before you know it."

"I know you will," the green woman replied with a nod, and thus the man headed upstairs to finally face Deoxys. While he may have lost the first time, there was no way he would fall, especially now that he knew how the alien fought.