All was silent through the area as Machoke was out like a light. Despite him having felt so confident about the match before, Bisharp had managed to turn everything in his favour and it had not taken him long to do so. Could the boy possibly recover from this?

Bisharp took a deep breath, saying, "Much like the others before you, you put up a valiant effort. Unfortunately, you were much easier to defeat than those others for one simple reason, and do you want to know what that reason is?"

Aipom held her hands over her mouth, whimpering while Throh and Sawk glared angrily at the knight, Bisharp stating, "I know you won't be able to hear me for much longer, so I'll make it quick. You are a simpleton. Throh and Sawk may not have been a huge challenge, but they were at least capable of coming up with good strategies on their own. Blaziken I think would have stood more of a chance had she the strength to do so."

Aipom could hardly stand to hear this any longer as the knight added, "When you were dominating me, it was because you were using Blaziken's match as a reference, so that wasn't completely you doing the fighting. And when you countered my change in tactics, that was all Aipom's doing. And when you finally decided to fight by yourself, look what happened. You set yourself up for a really obvious trap and guaranteed your failure."

All went silent throughout the area as no one could possibly argue with this. Everything the knight said was correct. Even Aipom could not deny the cold, hard truth. Osaka was doomed and there was no changing this.

Bisharp simply cast Hito a glance and asked, "What are you waiting for? I have won, have I not?" the man nodding and replying, "Quite so. After a devastating Ribcage of Torment, it would seem our winner is-"

However, the man was cut off when he noticed Machoke's body start to twitch, everyone staring in absolute shock. Aipom's eyes widened as Machoke slowly pushed himself up, taking many deep breaths and rising to his feet. Bisharp turned and stared at the boy, trying his best to remain calm. How could this have happened?

"It's gonna take a lot more than that to take out a member of my family," Machoke said with a smirk, Bisharp asking, "What do you mean? No one has ever gotten up after taking in that move before," Aipom nodding and saying, "That's right. The Mach family is known for their tough bodies. It takes a lot to take them down."

With that, the crowd went wild as Machoke grinned, his grin fading as he winced, falling on one knee. Bisharp took a deep breath and said, "I am impressed that you were able to rise, but you are clearly in no condition to keep going. But I am a man of honour, so I will give you a chance to forfeit."

"No way!" Machoke spat, now ignoring the pain as he rose up again, adding, "I'll admit, you had a good point there. By myself, I didn't do so well, but that was merely an error in judgement! I won't let that happen again!"

"So you'll start listening to me again?" Aipom asked, Machoke shaking his head and remarking, "No, Aipom, I still think I should do this on my own. I'm just gonna think smarter now."

The monkey stared blankly before slapping her tail hand against her forehead, pinching it. As if that was not bad enough, the crowd once again cheered Machoke on, telling him that was the right way of thinking. And like before, Throh and Sawk were in complete agreement.

"I don't understand!" Aipom snapped at the two, "You two are a team, right!? How can you say it's best to fight alone!?" Sawk replying, "While it is true that we do work well together, if we relied on each other all the time, we would not be prepared for singles matches. For instance, the matches we won to protect Earth were just that, singles matches."

Throh nodded and added, "Exactly. If we were unprepared to fight alone, we would have lost those matches horribly, but since we've taught ourselves to fight alone when need be, we ended up winning, and as an added bonus, we're also top of the class."

"I still don't think this is right," Aipom whimpered, "It's my job to train him. What can I do if I don't train him?" Sawk suggesting, "Perhaps you could act like an actual ten-year-old kid would," the monkey screeching, "I CAN'T DO THAT!"

With that, the fight resumed as Machoke went on the defensive, thinking, 'Alright, I've gotta think this time,' Bisharp rushing toward him with his spikes out again. Luckily, Machoke was ready this time as he waited for Bisharp to swing his arms, crouching right under them and delivering a sweep kick to his ankles.

The knight's eyes widened as he fell on his back, Machoke latching his legs around Bisharp's right leg, using his hands to tuck the knight's left leg under all three. Bisharp winced in pain as Machoke tightened his hold, using his ankles to pull on those very parts.

"And Machoke catches Bisharp in a figure four leg lock!" Hito exclaimed while the crowd cheered, "It seems he can fight well on his own!"

"Hear that!?" Machoke asked with a confident grin, "Even I can think logically by myself!" Bisharp nodding and saying, "I will admit, this did catch me by surprise, but it is hardly enough to win you this duel."

Machoke sported a look of confusion before asking, "What the hell are you going on about now?" the knight replying, "Simply put, there is a simple way out of this technique."

As such, he pressed the backs of his arms against the mat to roll himself over, flipping Machoke onto his belly and catching the boy in his own move, Hito stating, "And with little to no effort at all, Bisharp has managed to reverse the figure four leg lock!"

"I can't watch," Aipom whimpered, covering her eyes with her tail hand as Machoke cried out in pain. He had no idea how to get out of this.

"Well, now you seem at a loss for ideas," Bisharp said, "Tis a pity. You seemed to be doing so well on your own," Machoke retorting, "SHUT UP! I CAN TOTALLY BEAT YOU BY MYSELF!" the boy trying his best to come up with something only to draw a blank. He tried using the same manoeuvre Bisharp had used to reverse the original but this only ended up adding to the pain.

Suddenly, a thought came to him. He remembered something from the day after he defeated Rotom. Aipom had used her tail hand to get him in a similar hold. It was not the exactly same one, but it did involved him being on his belly while his legs were being twisted. When he had no way to escape, Aipom told him something that could work, but what was it?

After letting out another cry of pain, Machoke remembered as he gritted his teeth, grunting, "I know exactly how to get out of this!" the boy shifting his feet, Aipom's eyes widening when she saw this.

Bisharp blinked and said, "That will only hurt you more," Machoke remarking, "True, but it's the only way I know how to get out of this one!" the boy slowly but surely getting his legs out of the crossed position Bisharp had them in and successfully pried them out from the grip, the boy getting up once again and taking a deep breath.

"How did you even come to such an odd strategy?" Bisharp grunted, getting up himself, "There is another more practical way," Machoke sighing, "Well, I must confess, I didn't come up with that on my own," all going silent as Aipom's eyes sparkled, Machoke grinning and saying, "That's right. My teacher taught me that method and I am not the least bit ashamed to admit that."

Aipom let down tears of joy as Machoke turned to her with a smile and said, "Sorry, Aipom. I got carried away," Bisharp remarking, "Why are you acting like this is a good thing!?"

Machoke shot a glare at the knight, Bisharp feeling strangely intimidated by this look as the boy retorted, "For your information, there is no shame in taking advice from others! It's how people succeed! They get help when they're stuck!"

Throh and Sawk blinked before looking at one-another, then remembered how they prepared themselves for one-on-one combat by sparring with each-other. Many audience members even started to realize how many time in their lives they needed guidance to get where they were. Gallade and Gardevoir nodded after Machoke gave this speech, Gardevoir having recently told Machoke of how much he had influenced her. Even Hito remembered how it was his wife who suggested that he become an announcer.

"That's right, none of us can truly get far in life without seeking wisdom first," Machoke added, "In fact, that leg lock I used on you was something I learned in Hero School. My finishing moves are those of my father, not my own, but they're effective so I have no problem using them!"

Bisharp winced and remarked, "So you admit that you can't come up with any original techniques," Machoke nodding and smiling with confidence, replying, "Neither can you."

All went silent as Bisharp remarked, "I beg your pardon?" Machoke smirking and asking, "Can you honestly tell me you taught yourself every single move you know? I mean, you said it yourself, that reversal you used was a simple method meaning someone else had already come up with it first!"

Bisharp's eyes widened as the boy added, "Also, everyone knows most if not all knights are not self-taught. Most of them need at least one instructor to learn so much as the basics," Bisharp gritting his teeth and remembering how his mother, a knight by the name of Pawniard had taught him the Ribcage of Torment. Every other signature move of his was simply a souped up version of some move his mother had taught him, and she had learned her techniques from a shogun samurai.

"Alright, fine!" Bisharp snapped, now finally losing his patience as everyone stared in shock, the knight barking, "You're right! I learned everything I knew from others! But that's okay! I can still come up with my own techniques! Watch this!"

Machoke braced himself when Pawniard leaped up onto the top rope, spreading his arms out and leaping off of it, shouting, "GOLDEN BATTLE AXE!" spinning vertically toward the boy and slicing him down the middle with his axe head, blood flying from the big gash that formed as a result.

With that, the knight backed away from Machoke, pointed at him and exclaimed, "How do you like that!? Bet you didn't see that coming!?" Machoke taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the pain as he remarked, "Are you kidding? That's the most unoriginal technique I've ever seen. What caught me off-guard was you pretty much admitting that it took you this long to find a use for that axe head of yours."

"YOU LIE!" Bisharp snapped, leaping up onto the top rope again and propelling himself off, spinning toward the boy a second time shouting, "GOLDEN BATTLE AXE!"

This time Machoke was more than ready as he threw his arms out, grabbing hold of the blade and lifting the knight up so his legs were pointed toward the sky, his neck resting up against Machoke's shoulder. With that, the boy leaned back and slammed the back of his helmet hard into the canvas, small cracks forming as the knight quickly rolled away, getting back upright and breathing hard, Hito shouting, "And Machoke hits Bisharp hard with a brainbuster!"

"As I said, that's the most unoriginal technique I've seen," Machoke stated, folding his arms as Aipom exclaimed, "YEAH, KEEP IT UP, MACHOKE!" the crowd going wild as well.

However, the area went quiet again when they heard the sound of laughter, soon realizing that was Bisharp making this sound. After all this time of remaining calm and collected, Machoke seemed to have brought out a part of him even he never believed existed, his inner psycho.

"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU'VE WON!" Bisharp spat, a maniacal grin on his face as he added, "I just came up with another move!" the knight getting up on his tiptoes with his arms spread out, spinning like a top before shouting, "SWORDS DANCE!"

Machoke had to admit, this move definitely looked like it would be hard to dodge as he asked, "Any ideas, Aipom?" the monkey rubbing her chin with her tail hand before snapping its fingers and exclaiming, "I got it! Machoke, aim for his helmet!"

The boy nodded, understanding exactly what the primate meant as he propelled himself up off the mat, leaping over Bisharp's head just as he was about to make contact with him. With that, the boy spread his feet out just far enough so each one was positioned next to the axe head, the boy landing hard against the helmet and leaping off, the cracks getting bigger. Everyone watched in amazement as the protective headgear shattered into small fragments.

Bisharp's eyes were wider than ever before as he watched the remains of his helmet fall to the mat, some girls in the audience screaming in response to the sight of rather long black hair flowing down the knight's head. As a result, he started to twitch as Machoke uttered, "Uh oh," as Bisharp sported another maniacal grin, now chuckling like a madman.

"Aipom, I think I broke him," Machoke murmured, fear filling his body as Aipom shook her head, saying, "Don't let it get to you. You've actually made him the most vulnerable he's ever been. This is the perfect chance to finish him off."

"NO IT'S NOT!" Bisharp snapped, everyone staring in silence as the knight let out an insane laugh before adding, "I CAN STILL WIN THIS! THIS IS BUT A MINOR SETBACK!"

With that, the knight charged toward Machoke, now moving slightly faster now that the weight of his helmet was gone. Machoke attempted to fight back only for Bisharp to swerve to the right, shouting, "WRIST SWORD!" holding out one of his spikes and striking Machoke's side, the boy crying out in pain.

Seeing this, the child in the audience gritted his teeth and got up, shouting, "MACHOKE! MACHOKE!" his mother getting up and chanting Machoke's name as well, the rest of the audience doing the same. Throh and Sawk nodded before doing joining in and while they knew the boy would not be able to hear them, Gallade and Gardevoir did the same thing. Even Aipom found herself joining in as Machoke grinned, acting as if the pain to his side was nothing.

Bisharp fumed and spat, "SHUT UP! YOU'RE ALL MORONS!" Machoke remarking, "Oh, is someone jealous because he doesn't have any support?" Bisharp retorting, "AND YOU SHUT UP TOO! I'VE HAD IT UP TO HERE WITH YOU!"

With that, the knight rushed at Machoke a second time, striking his side again. However, the third time, Machoke had figured out his pattern as he threw his arm out, grabbing hold of Bisharp's wrist as his eyes widened. Because the knight had been running so fast, he ended up slipping, Machoke letting him go and allowing him to fall on his back.

Unfortunately, Bisharp was not going to let this get to him as he got up before Machoke could take advantage of his position, getting behind the boy and wrapping his arms around him, once again planting his rib blades into the boy's skin. Machoke cried out in pain as all went silent, Bisharp taking a deep breath and saying, "You're weak enough now. It may not be an original move, but like your signature moves, it's effective and that's good enough for me."

Aipom gasped as all of her hope had left her. She knew one more hit from this would certainly end it and to make matters worse, even she had no clue how to get out of it.

With that, the knight leapt high above the ring shouting, "RIBCAGE OF TORMENT!" but just as he was about to flip his body around, Machoke spat, "I JUST FOUND A WAY TO ESCAPE FROM THIS ONE!"

"But that's impossible!" Bisharp spat, Machoke remarking, "Yeah, impossible if you're afraid of hurting yourself, but right now, I'm in too much pain to care."

With that, the boy wriggled around and started loosening Bisharp's hold on him, the knight's eyes going wide as he asked, "What are you doing? You're only making the cuts bigger!" Machoke remarking, "Yeah, but this pain doesn't compare to the move it's associated with!"

And soon enough, Machoke was able to pry himself away from the rib blades as he lifted up his arms from between Bisharp's, resting them on his shoulders and pushing himself up while the crowd gasped in amazement. After that, the boy leaned forward, getting behind the knight while upside-down and grabbing his ankles, applying enough force to flip both of them over.

"No," Bisharp uttered when Machoke's ankles were latched to his neck, his arms spread out and locked in place as he struggled to free himself, shouting, "NO!"

Machoke took a deep breath before shouting, "MUSCLE TOMBSTONE!" allowing himself to fall hard and fast into the mat, Bisharp's head rammed into the canvas as all went silent, the knight coughing up blood and passing out, Machoke releasing him and allowing his body to collapse.

All went silent as Hito examined the knight for a few seconds before nodding and ringing the bell, shouting, "And after an intense match, our winner is Machoke!" the crowd going wild as Aipom took a deep breath, wiping sweat from her forehead with her tail hand as Sawk asked, "Were you as scared as we were?" the monkey grinning nervously and fibbing, "Of course not. I knew he'd get out of that. He's my student, after all."

In their suite, Gardevoir squealed with delight and wrapped her arm around Gallade's neck as the boy exclaimed, "Gardevoir, stop squealing! We'll receive complaints!" a voice from next door shouting, "No complaints here! I'm just as happy as you are!"

Bisharp lay on the mat for some time as Machoke walked over to him, the knight slowly opening his eyes and breathing heavily. He scowled at the boy in front of him, not saying a thing. It was bad enough he had lost. The last thing he needed was someone to rub salt in the wound.

However, it seemed his assumption was wrong when Machoke leaned down, taking hold of the knight's hand and shaking it before saying, "Here's to a good match. I thought I was gonna lose for sure."

"How dare you!?" the knight snapped, not having enough strength to strike his hand away as the boy simply removed it, saying, "Bisharp, as far as villains go, you don't seem like such a bad guy. Why do you serve them?"

The knight took a deep breath and said, "It's funny. I went on about how people should do their own things but in reality, I'm not a leader, I'm a follower. I saw how big the league of villains was and how much they were succeeding and felt that being a villain would give me a brighter future."

"There's nothing bright about villainy," Machoke replied, "Being evil is all about being cold and spreading darkness upon the world. What's bright about that?"

The knight then gritted his teeth and remarked, "Why do you care? I've been a beast, the kind that guys like me should be slaying!" Machoke shaking his head and replying, "A true monster would never admit to being one."

Bisharp's eyes widened as he suddenly lost consciousness, closing his eyes and falling asleep, paramedics heading toward the ring as they took him off to get treatment. After he was fully recovered, he would be sent to prison for sure, but Machoke was confident that the knight would improve for the better.

Aipom leaped into the ring and started hugging Machoke's legs, weeping into it as the boy blinked, asking, "Are you crying?" the monkey retorting, "NO, OF COURSE I'M NOT! GENIUSES DON'T CRY!" the boy rolling his eyes and letting her stay there for the next ten seconds before swinging his leg, saying, "That's enough. Get off, you little runt."

By around noon, Blaziken had made enough of a recovery to leave the hospital but still felt a little too weak to get into any fights again. This was hardly a big deal as she had no reason to fight anyone at the moment. Either way, she was really happy to not only be out of the hospital but she was also glad that Machoke had won.

After a quick lunch, Aipom gladly paying for the whole thing as she felt both fighters deserved a reward for their hard work, it was time for the heroes to head to the train station. Throh and Sawk saw them off, expressing their gratitude for all the help. All-in-all, this had truly been a successful visit to Osaka.

Machoke finally decided to take a well-deserved nap seeing as the train ride would take nine hours. Aipom smiled warmly before pulling a small blanket out of her handbag and putting it over the boy's body. Sure, it was only big enough to cover his torso, not even wide enough to get his arms, but it was still helpful. Either way, Aipom was proud of her student and only hoped for more success from him in the days to come.