"After a miraculous recovery, it seems Machoke's comeback did not last long," the announcer uttered with fear in her eyes, "He's now been stuffed into a giant oven with no way to escape."

Everything the woman had said was true. Machoke was likely to burn to a crisp and there was nothing his friends could do to stop this, Aipom letting down tears.

"I never even got to train him, not even once," the monkey sniffed, the cloaked figure next to her remarking, "Cheer up. You can work for us instead," the being then turning to face Rotom shouting, "I was disappointed before, but now I'm loving this! BURN, BABY, BURN!"

Machoke's friends watched in terror as Rotom said, "You've been such a pain in the ass, I think I'll turn up the heat in case you come across some sort of last-minute solution," the oven doing just that, Machoke slamming his fists against the cage only for the intense heat to weaken him every second.

Sweat was pouring down his face as he was certain his muscles were dropping as a result. It would not be long until he was baked lizard and served on a silver platter to the villains. Now all he could do was pray they chose a good seasoning to go with him.

"People of Tokyo, I want you to remember this day!" Rotom boasted, "Let it be known that I, Rotom, singlehandedly ended the Mach family for good! Never again will they stop us from conquering the world!"

Gardevoir let down tears, trying her best not to cry. Gallade patted her on the shoulder and shook his head. Even Blaziken was resisting the urge to break out into waterworks. She had only known the boy for a little over a month and yet she already considered him her best friend.

But just as all seemed lost, Rotom's eyes widened when he noticed smoke coming from inside of him. His eyes widened as he opened the lid shouting, "OH MY GOD, I'M BURNING!" Machoke falling out and letting out a loud cry of pain, his skin beet red from the extreme heat.

Rotom all the while was digging through his inside, wondering what had caused this before pulling out a rather large grey substance, holding it toward Lucario and asking, "Can you tell me what this is?"

The dog sniffed it and held his nose, remarking, "Whatever it is, it smells rancid!" Machoke blushing and uttering, "Oops, sorry."

Rotom looked confused until he managed to put two and two together, a look of disgust on his face as he tossed the dry substance onto the mat, breaking it into tiny pieces and shouting, "THAT'S DISGUSTING!"

The audience stared in shock for a few seconds before cheering heavily, all of them beyond thrilled to see Machoke once again escape from death's door. Sure, his method was unorthodox and juvenile, but it was still effective.

Aipom still had tears in her eyes, a smile on her face as she sighed, "Idiot, don't scare me like that," Gardevoir hugging Gallade tightly, the boy's eyes widening as he wheezed, "Can't breathe!"

Machoke took a deep breath and glared at Rotom, exclaiming, "Alright, that's it! You're out of tricks now, buddy! Once I'm able to ignore this massive burn, you're in for it!" Rotom taking a deep breath and remarking, "You're forgetting something, Machoke. I still have one last form!"

With that, his eyes and aura turned purple, his hands becoming more like metal spatulas. The crowd watched with intent, curious as to what this final form was. And soon enough, Rotom taking the shape of a refrigerator with double doors.

"This is my Frost Form!" the machine stated, "You've done well to get me to use all six, but it ends here!"

Machoke blinked and said, "Actually, that doesn't look too bad. It might help with my burn," Rotom smirking and asking, "Wanna try it out?" opening the double doors, Machoke striking a defensive stance and retorting, "As if!"

"Even after all that, he still needs to be super careful," Gardevoir said, Blaziken nodding and adding, "If he gets caught, he could wind up frozen like a popsicle," Gallade replying, "Who knows? Maybe Rotom has an ice cream maker built into him. Machoke could become the next big flavor."

All three cringed at the thought of this, Machoke narrowing his eyelids before turning to them and barking, "FOR YOUR INFORMATION, I'D PROBABLY BE VERY TASTY!"

"Even if I could make ice cream, I don't think anyone would want Machoke flavor," Rotom chimed in, Machoke turning back to him and retorting, "DON'T YOU START TOO!"

Rotom simply ignored his statement and said, "Well, if you won't crawl into me, I guess I'll take you down another way," the fridge opening up the door closest to the top of him, revealing the freezer. Machoke narrowed his eyelids and asked, "Do you think I'd be stupid enough to enter the freezer? There's not even much room in there."

Rotom simply laughed as he rose his spatula-like hands, resting them against the icicles forming on the roof of the freezer before cutting them all loose. After they fell off, he proceeded to position his hands behind them, applying enough force to launch the ice straight into Machoke, two of them piercing his shoulders, one going into his midsection and the last two getting his chest.

As if the stab wounds were not bad enough, the cold mixed with the extreme heat he was feeling only added to the pain as Machoke cried out in intense pain, falling to his knees and trying his best not to cry. This may not have been as brutal as when Beedrill pierced him with his stingers, but the pain was far worse. He felt like his heart was going to stop at any moment.

"MACHOKE!" Gardevoir cried out, Aipom gritting her teeth before barking, "IGNORE THE PAIN! IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD! IF THAT'S TRULY THE BEST HE'S GOT, THEN ROTOM TRULY HAS RUN OUT OF TRICKS!" Machoke's eyes going wide, Aipom receiving a roundhouse to the face courtesy of the cloaked figure.

Machoke took a deep breath and nodded, saying, "She's right," the boy suddenly ignoring the cold chill going down his spine as he took a deep breath, saying, "That's right, I just gotta think of a nice mild day, not too hot or too cold."

Rotom was actually trembling in fear now as he slowly backed up toward the ropes, shouting, "DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! I'LL SEND MORE ICICLES AT YOU!" Machoke cracking his knuckles and remarking, "How are you gonna do that when you have none left?" the machine's eyes widening when he remembered he had used up every single one that had been in his freezer.

There was no way he would let it end like this. As such, he simply waited for Machoke to get close before locking his arms in place, attempting to stuff the boy into his freezer as everyone stared in shock.

But just as it looked like all was lost, the area went silent when Rotom came to a startling realization: his freezer was way too small for Machoke, and the boy realized this too. With that in mind, he placed a firm grip against the fridge and pried his head out, his face back to its regular colour as he spat, "ALRIGHT, I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR TRICKS!"

With that, Machoke placed a firm grip against Rotom's arms, Rotom in absolute panic as the boy allowed himself to fall on his back, pulling the machine over him. Once Rotom was in the perfect position, Machoke used his feet to propel him high into the air, leaping up to his level and grabbing hold of him, flipping him upside down.

The audience went wild as Machoke proceeded to spread Rotom's arms out, locking them in place before wrapping his legs around the top of the fridge, shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" falling toward the mat as Rotom's head was slammed hard against the surface.

"And with his family's most famous finisher, Machoke seems to have finally knocked out Rotom!" the announcer exclaimed, Rotom's head sputtering as he slowly returned to normal, the head lying there and twitching.

His body shrunk down in size so now it was only a pair of hands, the cloaked figure and Lucario knowing exactly what this meant. Rotom truly had been defeated.

Eventually, the head stopped twitching and the sparks came to a stop, all going silent for a while until the announcer rang the bell, exclaiming, "And my prediction was correct! The winner is Machoke!" the crowd going wild as Machoke breathed heavily, looking around at all the cheers and applause. There was just such a strange thrill from it all.

Gardevoir had tears in her eyes, biting her lower lip with a cute smile while Gallade exclaimed, "That's how it's done, Machoke!" Blaziken taking a deep breath and saying, "Good thing he's not stupid all the time."

Machoke then remembered Aipom, turning to face the monkey who had a big bruise on her face. She did not seem to mind this though as she grinned at the boy, clenching her tail hand into a fist and sticking the finger on the right into the air to make it look like she was giving him a thumb up.

However, all went silent again when Machoke's eyes went wide, the boy falling to his knees, his upper body collapsing as he fell hard against the mat. But it made perfect sense. The boy had suffered so much pain and injury during the fight that it only made sense he would have trouble standing.

"Aw man, come on!" the cloaked figure exclaimed, "First he doesn't even have the decency to defeat Machoke then he ends up dealing too much damage!?"

However, while his partner seemed beyond disappointed, Lucario actually looked scared. But why? Why would he care so much?

The announcer stared in horror and fiddled with her microphone, uttering, "After taking in too much damage, Machoke is now unconscious. Does this mean all hope for Tokyo is lost?"

Blaziken rose up from her seat exclaiming, "THERE'S MORE THAN ONE HERO GUARDING TOKYO!" the crowd turning to her, Gallade nodding and shouting, "That's right! What kind of victory would you have if you didn't take at least another one of us out!?"

"They have a point," Lucario said, his partner turning to him and retorting, "Are ya nuts!? We already made a deal!" Lucario sighing, "Alright, I guess we'll both have to settle for being known as the cowards who won by default."

The cloaked figure folded his arms, nodding his head and sighing, "Alright, I see your point, but I'm going next!" Lucario shrugging his shoulders as the figure leapt into the ring, removing his cloak to reveal the lizard who had attacked Infernape a month and two days ago.

Gallade and Gardevoir had carried Machoke out of the ring to let him rest on a bench, both of them relieved that he was okay. Lucario did the same with Rotom, quickly exiting the ring.

"Good," the lizard said, "With that out of the way, I can finally make my big introduction," the lizard then striking a cool fighter's stance, shouting, "I am Scrafty, your worst nightmare!"

He then turned to Lucario and asked, "Was that threatening enough?" the area going silent as Lucario stared at him with a neutral look, Scrafty letting down nervous sweat and whimpering, "Please, give me an answer! I need to know!"

The dog rolled his eyes and uttered, "Yes, it was really badass," Scrafty's grin returning as he said, "Thanks, man."

All three of Machoke's friends were now standing next to the ring as the lizard cleared his throat, turning to them and stating, "Now, since Machoke picked his opponent, I feel it only fair that I get a turn," Blaziken nodding before exclaiming, "Well, if you want an easy pick, choose me! I'm itching for a fight!"

"That's a tempting offer, I'll admit," Scrafty replied with a nod, "Your family has a very impressive reputation, but no. I already knew from the moment I entered the ring who I wish to face."

Blaziken blinked, feeling rather offended by this but also curious as to who he meant. Gardevoir was praying it would not be her while Scrafty lifted a finger, pointing it at Gallade, the boy blinking and pointing at himself, Scrafty nodding his head.

"Alright!" Gallade exclaimed with a grin on his face, "I must admit, you have a good eye!" Blaziken folding her arms and sighing, a smile forming as she said, "Kick his ass, Gallade."

Gallade nodded with confidence before entering the ring and holding his blade arms out on both sides of him. The crowd clapped as clearly his attempt to look cool had worked.

"In the red corner, representing the villains, we have Scrafty!" the announcer exclaimed, the lizard holding his hands above his head together and waving them while the audience booed him, the announcer adding, "And in the blue corner, representing the heroes, Gallade!"

The boy smirked and said, "Enjoy the attention while it lasts. I'll cut you into mincemeat," Scrafty blinking and remarking, "Ya know mincemeat is actually fruit, right?"

All went silent as Gallade's eyes went wide, the boy clutching onto the sides of his head and exclaiming, "OH NO, HE'S RIGHT! HOW COULD I MAKE SUCH A NOVICE MISTAKE!?" Blaziken face-palming and groaning, "Is that really important?"

Gallade blinked, sporting a more normal look now as he replied, "No, no it isn't," the boy regaining his composure and returning to his fighting stance, Scrafty saying, "I thought it was kind of important."

With that, the bell rang as Gallade charged toward Scrafty with his arms out like those of a man carrying sickles. If he could get a clear hit, he could possibly end this in one strike, though Scrafty would not make things so easy.

Just as Gallade sent his blades forward, Scrafty held tightly onto his lower skin, crouching before propelling himself off the mat. Gallade stopped his attack, looking around in a state of panic as Blaziken snapped, "GALLADE, LOOK OUT!" the boy unable to look up in time to notice Scrafty falling toward him, planting his feet hard into the boy's skull.

The lizard leapt off, performing a flip before landing firmly against the mat, a proud grin on his face as Gallade scowled, grunting, "Don't look so full of yourself! That was a lucky shot!" Gardevoir whimpering, hoping her brother would be okay.

Scrafty simply rushed toward Gallade with his head out, but now the boy was ready as he held out his arms, blocking the incoming headbutt. This would have caused Scrafty to start bleeding if it weren't for the crest atop his head, but this still gave Gallade an upper hand.

With that in mind, the boy forced Scrafty's head back before sending his own headbutt into the lizard's chin. This distracted Scrafty just long enough for Gallade to race behind him, reaching his arms around his shoulders and lifting the lizard high above his head, leaning backward and slamming the back of his head hard into the mat.

Scrafty cried out in pain, rubbing said area while the crowd cheered for Gallade, the boy turning toward the lizard and knowing this was far from over. With that in mind, he took full advantage of the lizard's state and lunged toward him, blades raised.

However, Scrafty saw a huge opening and wasted no time, propelling himself off the mat with his knee raised. Gallade noticed this as the lizard spat, "HIGH JUMP KICK!" the boy quickly shifting his arms into an X formation, blocking the incoming kick aimed at his midsection before spreading his arms back out, sending Scrafty careening into the mat.

He landed gracefully against the mat, a bit disappointed his Psycho Cut had been interrupted but still felt fully confident. The start had been a rocky one, but he had the advantage now, and the announcer said just that while the crowd applauded the boy.

"Your brother's amazing," Blaziken said, turning to Gardevoir as the girl nodded, a light smile on her face as she replied, "He's always been my hero ever since I was three."

As if things were not already hard for Scrafty, Gallade's arms had actually caused the lizard's knee a bit of pain as he held onto it, rocking back and forth for a few seconds before it subsided. After the pain had left, Scrafty rose to his feet and took a deep breath, firmly pulling up his skin and barking, "That was a lucky shot, ya jerk!" sticking out his tongue.

"And to think, I was expecting a challenge," Gallade said with a confident smile, Scrafty taking a deep breath and remarking, "Oh, ya'll get your wish. I'm just getting started."

With that said, the lizard proceeded to race toward Gallade again, the boy holding his arms in front of his face, ready to counter once again only for Scrafty to propel himself off the mat, jumping over Gallade's head. The boy blinked in confusion as Blaziken spat, "BEHIND YOU!" Gallade once again unable to respond in time when Scrafty planted his feet into the ropes, shouting, "HEAD SMASH!" shooting off of them like a rocket and planting his crest hard into the boy's back.

Gallade's eyes went wide as he flew into the ropes, bouncing off and flying back toward his opponent. Scrafty waited for just the right moment when the boy got close enough for the lizard to send a hard kick to his back.

Gallade fell hard against the mat while Gardevoir whimpered in fear, Blaziken patting her on the shoulder and saying, "It's okay, he'll be fine," only to wince when Scrafty flipped toward the boy, planting a drop kick into his back.

"Ya wanted a challenge, right?" Scrafty asked tauntingly while releasing one hand from his skin and lifting the boy up by the spike on his head while adding, "Ya got it," the lizard ramming his head into the boy's face.

The crowd gasped when Scrafty continued to pummel Gallade with his forehead, the boy's face starting to bleed now as Gardevoir squeaked, "GALLADE, DO SOMETHING!" the boy's eyes widening when he took another blow to the face, a look of anger forming as he took in another. Clearly Scrafty was not willing to give him time to recover.

However, the one second between each headbutt was more than enough for Gallade to work with as he slowly lifted his arms up, once again wrapping them around Scrafty's shoulders. The lizard froze, a nervous grin on his face as Gallade smirked, a more serious look forming as he once again leaned back, setting the lizard up for another Suplex.

However, Scrafty was prepared this time, the crowd gasping when the lizard leaned his head back just enough for his crest to stop his head from colliding with the mat, the announcer stating, "In a last-ditch effort to save himself, Scrafty has used the strongest part of his body to lighten the blow."

"Thank ya, Captain Obvious," Scrafty muttered, rolling his eyes before taking full advantage of this. Gallade was unable to respond as the lizard wrapped his ankles around his neck, pulling him downward and slamming the back of his own head into the mat.

Gardevoir was back to whimpering as Blaziken was not even sure how this would turn out. That blow to the head had done quite a lot to Gallade due to the damage dealt to the front earlier, so he was having trouble recovering from this.

"I'll admit, ya fight the good fight, but you're nowhere near as tough as I figured ya'd be," Scrafty stated before backing away from Gallade a bit, propelling himself off the mat and aiming his knee toward the boy's midsection shouting, "HIGH JUMP KICK!" planting his knee hard into the boy's chest.

All went silent as Gallade's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, the boy coughing up blood and passing out. Everyone stared in silence, hardly believing what they had just seen as the announcer rang the bell, shouting, "The winner is Scrafty!"

Panic spread throughout the area as the lizard grinned wickedly, laughing maniacally and flashing a peace sign to the crowd. Was this it? Had the villains won?

"Good job defeating Gallade," Lucario said, "but we still haven't technically beaten Machoke yet," Scrafty blinking and saying, "You're right," looking over at the boy who finally starting to stir a bit, his eyes slowly opening.

"I'm awake!" the boy exclaimed, bolting upright as Blaziken breathed a sigh of relief, Scrafty smirking and saying, "Oh, goody, I was worried I wouldn't get a chance to fight you."

Machoke blinked, his eyes going wide as he suddenly remembered why he had been unconscious in the first place, the boy then noticing Gallade lying in the ring, his forehead covered in blood stains. Just what had happened while he was out?

Lucario let out a sigh and said, "You should probably recover before you fight him, Scrafty," the lizard shrugging and replying, "Nah, I'll be fine. That Gallade didn't do too much to me. Besides, Machoke's still in far worse condition."

This was not too far from the truth, either. Machoke still had a few burn marks and bruises on him from his fight with Rotom. Sure, he was conscious now, but was he truly ready for another match.

"Hold it!" came a squeak from the crowd, everyone turning toward the source to notice Gardevoir standing up with a look of anger on her face as she snapped, "Scrafty, you just beat up my brother! I can't stand by and let that go unpunished, so I challenge you to a fight!"

The area fell silent, Blaziken asking, "Are you sure about this?" Gardevoir gulping, feeling terrified beyond belief but keeping her composure as she replied, "Yes. My brother would want me to be strong in his stead."

Scrafty let out a sigh and pinched his forehead, groaning, "Look, kid, the offer's nice, but we've already broken the terms of our own agreement once! What kind of example would we be setting if we did it again!?" Lucario sighing, "If someone dear to me was badly hurt, I would want vengeance too," Scrafty barking, "WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON!?"

The lizard took a deep breath and sighed, "Well, alright. But I need some time to recover, so let's agree to an hour of preparation time," Lucario rolling his eyes as he did not even want to respond to this display of hypocrisy.

Gardevoir took a deep breath, bowing her head in respect and saying, "Thank you, Scrafty," the lizard retorting, "I DON'T WANT YOUR THANKS!"

While Gardevoir headed toward a training facility located within the arena, Machoke stood before her and rested an arm on her shoulder saying, "Gardevoir, you don't have to do this. I'll fight him. I may be a little beat up, but I'm sure I can hold my own," Gardevoir smiling lightly and shaking her head, replying, "That's very kind of you, but I want to do this. I need to overcome my fear of fighting."

Aipom turned to Lucario and asked, "Can I go now?" the dog sighing, "The agreement was that we only let you go if we're all defeated. Scrafty and I are still standing, so try putting two and two together," the monkey letting out a disappointed sigh, praying this would end soon.

Blaziken stared as Gallade had regained just enough consciousness to see her heading toward the exit of the area but not enough to get up, the boy whining, "Can someone carry me off the mat?" his friends nodding and doing just that.

Machoke and Gallade both watched Gardevoir exit the general area, Gallade proud of his sister for mustering up the courage to challenge Scrafty. Machoke on the other hand was scared for her safety. It really should have been him fighting the lizard, not someone like her, or at least that was what he figured.