This was looking bad. The match had only just started and Machoke was already on the receiving end of one of the most powerful submission holds in the history of wrestling. How could he possibly get out of this?

Machoke groaned, looking at Aipom with desperation as the monkey groaned, "Sorry, but even I don't know how to get out of this," Reika biting her lower lip and uttering, "It can't be over yet, can it?" the crowd cheering wildly for Heracross.

Gallade and Gardevoir were currently awake, both of them watching the channel showcasing this particular match. Both had looks of terror in their eyes but knew they could do nothing for their friend right now.

Heracross tightened his hold, Machoke crying even louder as the beetle said, "I got no hard feelings against you, Machoke, and I'd hate to end this so early, but like Lopunny, I cannae let my team down."

However, Aipom noticed something off about Heracross. While the crowd cheered for him, he seemed to have this odd look on his face almost like he was not completely focused on the match right now. Perhaps he was the type to soak up praise like a sponge, and this could very well have been the break Machoke needed.

With that in mind, Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, HE'S DISTRACTED! USE THAT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!" Machoke nodding as it suddenly dawned on him that Heracross' grip had indeed weakened. With that in mind, the boy threw his legs back thus flinging Heracross toward the ropes, his horn going right between the top and middle ropes.

The crowd could not believe this miracle as now the horn was caught between them, Heracross saying, "Don't worry, I can get out of this," slowly working on the ropes to make sure he could get out. However, there was no way Machoke would to let this chance go as he rushed toward the beetle, leaping into the air and sending both feet into his back.

Reika breathed a sigh of relief as Keiko asked, "Wow, you were really concerned, weren't you?" Reika blushing and remarking, "Well, of course! He was in danger!"

Heracross ignored the pain to his back and finally managed to pry his horn out only for Machoke to wrap his arms around him, lifting him up and leaning backwards. Heracross laughed and tauntingly exclaimed, "You are funny, Machoke! You already know what's gonna happen!" Machoke smirking and remarking, "Yeah, I do."

And it seemed that the boy did have something else in mind as right after the beetle stopped the Suplex with his horn, Machoke propelled himself up into the air and pushed Heracross even further. The beetle's eyes widened as he soon found his face making a connection with the canvas followed by the rest of his body, the crowd gasping in shock.

"You like that?" Machoke asked with a smirk, "I call it the Reverse of the Reverse Suplex!" all going silent as Aipom sighed, "The move is impressive enough. You don't need to attach a lame title to it."

Even so, the monkey could not have been happier, not only because he had pulled off such a great counter but because no one had ever taught him such a tactic. Machoke may not have been a super genius, but he certainly knew how to learn from his experiences.

However, Heracross was not going to let this discourage him as he rose to his feet, a friendly smile on his face, much to everyone's surprise. Machoke was rather creeped out by this until the beetle laughed, exclaiming, "Wow, that was amazing! First you escape from a Boston Crab, then you pull off a move no one's ever used! Colour me impressed!"

Even Lopunny was giving Machoke a standing ovation, whistling in admiration as the boy blushed lightly, laughing and saying, "Well, I guess it was pretty amazing, wasn't it?"

"Wow, they're really good sports," Cici uttered as Reika nodded, replying, "At first I thought at least Heracross was faking it, but he's really taking this well."

With that, the beetle took a deep breath and sported a defensive stance, saying, "Anyway, I guess we may as well return to our match," Machoke nodding and getting into his own stance.

After a few seconds, Heracross rushed at Machoke, once again not being the kind to wait as Machoke easily dodged this. However, the beetle was prepared this time as he swung his horn to the side, hitting the boy hard in the cheek. All went silent as the hit seemed to cause a great deal of pain, Machoke falling on his side and tumbling a bit before coming to a stop.

The boy quickly rose to his feet, rubbing that very spot and groaning, "Damn, that hurt," Heracross charging at him again only for the boy to dodge to the side once more. And like before, Heracross sent his horn toward Machoke's cheek, only this time the boy saw it coming as he held up his hand to block it.

However, Heracross simply smirked, knowing the boy would do this as he applied twice as much force to his swing, so when it did run into Machoke's palm, it kept going, slamming Machoke's hand into his cheek. As if that was not enough, this dealt more than enough damage to have the exact same effect as before, Machoke using his hand to push himself back up before the tumbling could come to a stop.

'Damn, I knew that horn would be strong, but that was insane,' Machoke thought as Heracross chuckled, asking, "Impressed? My horn has always been my strongest part since I was born, but I've been working on it to make it an even mightier weapon against my foes."

"Wait, you mean you actually made it stronger than it first was?" Machoke asked, Heracross nodding and replying, "That's what I said," Aipom asking, "If you don't mind me asking, how did you pull that off? I didn't think it was possible to just focus on the horn without strengthening the rest of the body as well."

"Yep, it wasn't too hard, though," the beetle replied with a grin, "I just lifted a lot of rocks with it," Reika saying, "I didn't think it worked that way," Tsuya shrugging and replying, "Well, he's not an Earth rhino beetle."

One thing was for certain. Machoke would need to be much more careful now. He had only taken in two hits from that horn and was feeling a lot of pain in his cheek. With that in mind, he raced toward the beetle, Heracross readying himself for this.

However, Machoke now had a plan as he pointed his head out, everyone staring in confusion as Reika asked, "What is he doing?" Tsuya shrugging and replying, "Whatever it is, it looks rash."

As soon as the boy was close enough, Heracross sent his horn down as Machoke took the blow to his skull, his eyes going wide as he fell on his chin, Aipom barking, "WHAT WERE YOU TRYING TO DO!?" Machoke groaning, "I figured maybe the ridges on his head would protect me from his horn," Aipom retorting, "SINCE WHEN HAVE THEY EVER PROTECTED YOUR HEAD!?"

Unfortunately, Machoke had left himself vulnerable as Heracross knelt down, placing a firm grip on him and lifting him up, saying, "Not a bad idea, but you underestimate the power of my horn," Heracross proceeding to lift the boy over his head, flipping him over so his skull was facing the mat. With that, he ended his move by slamming the top of Machoke's back hard in the canvas, the boy's eyes wide.

The beetle then let him go and allowed his body to fall as the crowd cheered heavily for Heracross, Machoke's friends staring at this in absolute horror. However, it did not end there as the beetle proceeded to tuck his horn under Machoke like a shovel picking up snow.

After that, the beetle smirked and shouted, "HORN SHOVEL!" flinging the boy high into the air like a catapult. After that, he leaped up high into the air until he was above Machoke as his horn glowed, the beetle barking, "MEGAHORN!" sending that part of him hard into the boy's gut, Machoke coughing up blood as he fell hard into the mat.

Many cheered for Heracross as he smiled wide, exclaiming, "I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I think it's clear who's more fit to protect the beautiful people of this fine city!" Lopunny hopping in her seat and clapping happily, Weedle nodding and replying, "My thoughts exactly."

The crowd also seemed to be in full agreement as one person stated, "Machoke's done quite a bit, but he's also kind of an embarrassment, wouldn't you say?" another replying, "Yeah, I've seen him chase girls and hang out with friends more than actually help us."

"LET'S WELCOME HERACROSS TO TOKYO, EVERYONE!" a girl in the crowd exclaimed as everyone started to chant the beetle's name, Heracross blushing and chuckling before replying, "Oh, you're all just being nice."

But of course, Machoke's friends were not to happy to see this. The boy seemed to be out cold now, his eyes rolled to the back of his head as he lay there completely still, not a part of him so much as twitching.

"I can't believe it," Reika uttered, Keiko biting her lip and feeling nervous now as Aipom whimpered, "I've been him survive punishment beyond even my wildest dreams, and yet Heracross has managed to defeat him with only a few moves."

Weedle was just about ready to reach the bell when he noticed his mallet had gone missing. It was then he noticed he had dropped it on the ground, the bug leaping out of his seat to pick it up.

While this went on, Heracross laughed and said to himself, "This is the greatest day of my life. Sure, I'll have to protect a bunch of people who should be able to protect themselves, but I've just defeated the former champion's son. This and so many other exploits are guaranteed to make me rich and famous," the beetle talking in a quiet voice in the hopes that no one would hear him.

Weedle crawled back onto his seat when suddenly, he noticed Machoke's body start to twitch. Aipom noticed this too but said nothing, the monkey instead turning to Reika and the others, holding her tail finger up to her mouth and shushing them before they noticed what she meant.

Heracross proceeded to say in his quiet tone, "Yes, I'll have commercial offers, magazine articles dedicated to me, merchandise beyond my wildest dreams. They say the super hero business is free, but when I'm famous, I'll be able to make millions off of royalties alone, and because I'm such a nice guy, they'll be happy to pay me whatever I want. Heck, I may even charge people for my services alone."

The beetle then blinked and asked, "Not to be rude, Mister Weedle sir, but why haven't you rung the bell yet?" the caterpillar sighing, "As much as I'd like to believe this is an illusion, I think you should look behind you."

Heracross noticed Machoke's friends grinning and pointing in said direction as his eyes went wide, the beetle turning around slowly, his jaw dropped when he noticed Machoke was up. But not only was he up, he looked as if all that damage dealt earlier meant nothing.

"Oh, how nice, you still have spirit in you," Heracross said with his friendly smile returning, Machoke remarking, "Can it!" all going silent as he added, "You know, Heracross, as powerful as you are, you also seemed like a good guy. I would have taken defeat hard at first, but I would have accepted Tokyo in your hands eventually. But after what I just heard, I can't believe I thought so highly of you!"

Heracross blinked, the audience staring at him as he uttered, "I dinnae know what you mean," the beetle keeping his friendly look as Machoke remarked, "Come on, tell the people what you said to yourself, about how you care more about fame than protecting them!"

Weedle was now curious as Reika asked, "Is that what he was saying?" one audience member shouting, "That's gotta be a lie! Heracross is a great guy, one of the greatest I've seen!" the beetle nodding and saying, "Clearly you're trying to turn the people against me, lad. That's a sign of poor sportsmanship," the people booing Machoke before throwing pop and beer cans at his head.

"I hate to say it, but I'm with the crowd on this one," Reika said, "Machoke's being really immature right now, even for him," Aipom shaking her head and remarking, "No, you're wrong. I know Machoke isn't completely honest, but he was telling the truth just now. I could see it in his eyes."

The crowd stopped to listen to the monkey as Machoke's eyes sparkled only for Heracross to remark, "Your loyalty to your student is most commendable, but it's clear as rain that loyalty is the only reason you're saying all of this. After all, you knew Machoke and his friends were shirking in their duties and said nothing about it!" the monkey's eyes and mouth wide open as she stood still, her body twitching. As painful as it was to admit, he was right.

The crowd was now shaking their heads in disapproval at the monkey, Aipom trying her absolute hardest not to cry. She truly believe she was right and to have everyone turn against her like this was painful. Even she almost felt like pretending not to believe what she said just so they would stop giving her cold looks.

However, the one member of the audience who shockingly had not shown support for Heracross was Lopunny, the rabbit standing up and shouting, "STOP IT!" everyone staring at her as she took a deep breath, saying, "Heracross, we've been friends for over a month. How could you forget that my ears can pick up on the tiniest of sounds?"

Heracross flinched and remarked, "What are you saying, lass?" Lopunny glaring at him and retorting, "I heard it too! Machoke's not lying! You were talking about using your reputation to get citizens to pay you for your duties! You were talking about being in magazine ads and commercials! You didn't seem to care at all about protecting the citizens of Tokyo!"

Everyone stared as Weedle asked, "Is this true? Hard to side with you when your own ally won't," Heracross letting down nervous sweat as Machoke glared at the beetle, saying, "Tell the truth."

The beetle simply maintained his friendly smile, but found himself having trouble keeping it up as his body twitched rigorously. It was as if smiling alone was physically hurting him right now. It was just as Weedle said, his own ally, let alone an ally whom a lot of people had developed a lot of respect for recently, had just ratted him out. What could he do?

And he soon realized the answer as he exclaimed, "Fine, I admit it!" all going silent as he spat, "I did nae ever want to be a hero! When I was forced into the academy, I had this plan to graduate just so I could run away without being hunted down!" Aipom asking, "Well, if that's the case, why not take this opportunity?" Heracross smirking and replying, "It's quite simple, you wee lass."

Everyone listened closely as the beetle added, "Halfway through the course, I discovered through the newspapers Riolu would give us for motivational purposes that heroes with great track records were extremely popular. They have action figures dedicated to them among many other things! Some have even appeared on TV, and not just on the wrestling channel either!"

The crowd simply could not believe what they were hearing as the beetle added, "I wanted it all for myself! Fame, fortune and, heck, even the idea of getting a girl sounds pretty intriguing too! I could nae care less about the lives of you whelps! As long as I get what I want in exchange for your safety, I'll gladly step in and fight for you, but only if you can pay me!"

Heracross naturally received a number of cold stares, Machoke grunting, "You make me sick! We put up with intense training to prepare us for even worse battles on Earth! We risk our lives to save these people and expect nothing in return, and you know why!? Because that in itself is its own reward!"

Aipom bit her lower lip, a light smile forming as tears rolled down her cheeks, the boy adding, "I didn't want to be a hero at first either! I hear you! I was absolutely terrified of the idea! I wanted to escape from that school, but I stayed because after winning my first fight, I knew how important this was! I knew that my safety is just as important as the safety of every innocent human! When I defeated Rotom and Bisharp, I didn't feel like I had just wasted precious moments of my life that I will never get back! I felt like I was worth something, like I had made a difference in the world! In other words, I felt like a true hero!"

The crowd went wild after that speech, some whistling in admiration as others gave a standing ovation. Even Reika could not help but let down tears as she sniffed, "That was beautiful," Keiko nodding and replying, "The Mach family may not be the most intelligent, but they've got big hearts."

Lopunny took a deep breath and stated, "As much as I want to win the tournament, I want you to put this jerk in his place, Machoke! He's no longer my friend!"

After that, Lopunny pumped her ears in the air chanting, "Machoke! Machoke!" Reika nodding and doing the same, everyone in the area following. It was just like with Gardevoir only Machoke had a lot more people on his side and there was no way any of them would switch back to Heracross' side even if he won.

Machoke grinned before replacing it with a serious look and rushing toward Heracross, the beetle still trying to collect himself and therefor was unable to respond. Machoke proceeded to send a hard blow to his face. However, just as he was about to send another punch the beetle's way, Heracross grabbed hold of his wrist, all going silent.

"SO WHAT IF I WANT A LITTLE FAME!?" Heracross spat before ramming his horn hard into Machoke's forehead, the boy crying out in pain as blood came from his mouth, the beetle adding, "SO WHAT IF I WANT SOME FORTUNE!?" ramming his horn into the boy's face again, this time drawing blood from his forehead.

The crowd gasped as the beetle shouted, "THERE'S NOTHING WRONG WITH WANTING TO BASK IN THE GLORY! AS LONG AS I'M DOING THE RIGHT THING IN THE END, I FEEL THAT MORE THAN JUSTIFIES MY WANTS!"

However, just as the beetle was about to ram his horn into Machoke one last time, the boy lifted up his arm and blocked it, his hand actually managing to hold it back this time. Even with Heracross adding to the pressure, Machoke was still able to keep it from hitting him as the beetle released his hold on him, slowly dropping to his knees with a look of terror on his face, Machoke still pushing on his horn.

"You're right," Machoke replied, "There is nothing wrong with wanting a little respect. But even so, that does not mean you should put that above all else. The important thing is not money or advertizements with your face on them, but the fact that you're doing your duty. It's nice to get a few perks, sure, but that should never be your primary focus otherwise you're fighting for the wrong reasons. The greatest creations come from the heart and not from a lust for wealth."

Heracross was now trembling as the boy added, "And you know, being successful doesn't always guarantee you'll get what you want either. I mean, heck, even after all I've done, it takes people a while to remember my name, and while I act annoyed and self-centred at first, I realize in the end that it really doesn't matter just as long as those people are alive to tell me they don't know who I am."

Heracross stared silently for a few seconds before grimacing and remarking, "THAT IS THE STUPIDEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD!" but just as he was about to fight back, Machoke simply leaned back while still holding onto his horn and kicked him hard in the chest, sending him flying high above the ring.

After that, Machoke leapt high into the air up to his level before flipping him upside-down. The boy then proceeded to wrap his arms around his waistline and his legs around the area just below his arms before shouting, "ULTIMATE DRIVER!"

While the two descended, Heracross laughed and spat, "ARE YOU DAFT!? I'LL JUST HAVE MY HORN STOP THE COLLISION AGAIN!" Machoke exclaiming, "DON'T THINK I FORGOT ABOUT THAT!"

With that, the boy tightened his legs, making it harder for Heracross to breathe. As such, it was more difficult for him to concentrate and lower his horn in time, therefore his head was slammed hard against the canvas, his eyes and mouth wide open from the shock of it all.

When Machoke released the beetle, allowing him to fall, Weedle took a deep breath and rang the bell before announcing, "And so A block's second match of The Next Gen Battle goes to Machoke!" the crowd going wild as one member of the audience spat, "I PROMISE I WON'T FORGET YOUR NAME THE NEXT TIME I SEE YOU!"

Aipom sprinted into the ring and leapt up onto Machoke's shoulder, giving him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek and squealing, "YOU ARE THE BEST STUDENT I COULD EVER ASK FOR!" Machoke groaning, "Please, not in front of Reika."

However, the girl seemed more focused on Weedle right now, the caterpillar having this strange look in his eyes, almost like he was trying to hide positivity. Seeing this, the girl asked, "You wanted Machoke to win in the end, didn't you?" Weedle's eyes widening before he remarked, "Of course not, citizen! I'm supposed to be neutral in all of this!"

However, Machoke looked rather shocked when he heard Heracross utter, "Hey, laddie, lend me an ear," the boy blinking and nodding before leaning down, the beetle sighing, "You know, you're a lot smarter than you look," his eyes then closing for good as the medics came in to help him out of the ring, Machoke smiling and saying, "I think Heracross is gonna be alright."

With that, Weedle noticed the light had not yet come up as he said, "You know what? It's the final match. I guess we may as well watch the rest of it on the big screen," the TV once again brought into the area as the caterpillar turned in on.

What was on the screen was absolutely terrifying, though, as Golurk was using one of the ropes as a lasso and swinging Blaziken around. Upon seeing this, Machoke's positivity instantly faded as he spat, "BLAZIKEN!"