All was silent through the area as Machoke had gotten up despite the horrible beating he had taken in so quickly in the match. Sure, he was already bleeding, but there was no way he was going to let himself be beaten so easily, especially when he had faced stronger opponents before.

Aipom let out a sigh of relief and said, "I was really worried," Hawlucha's sister barking, "You should have stayed down, Machoke! You have only seen a fraction of what mi hermano can do!" Machoke blinking and asking, "Is that your sister?"

Hawlucha nodded and replied, "Isabel took the same plane as me so she could support me," before adding, "My baby sister, Lea, stayed behind to take care of my sick madre," all going silent as he added, "Machoke, I have lots of respect for you as a fighter, but mark my words when I say I'm not going to let you win. I need to work my way to the top for my family's sake!"

The boy's eyes widened as Aipom bit her lip, not sure what to say to this. Hawlucha actually had a good reason for fighting in this tournament whereas Machoke had simply volunteered because he wanted to. And while Machoke may have been childish and even stupid at times, he did have a good heart and could sympathize with someone with good intentions.

Weedle all the while implied a smirk while thinking, 'Excellent. Now that he knows the truth, he likely won't even try to fight back,' until Reika spat, "MACHOKE, DON'T LET THIS GET TO YOU! EVERYONE HAS A REASON FOR ENTERING THE OLYMPICS! YOU GOT A LUCKY BREAK! ARE YOU GOING TO WASTE IT!?"

Machoke's eyes widened as he sported a serious look, gulping and saying, "I don't feel too good about doing this, but I'm not going to sit around and let you wipe the floor with me!" the boy rushing toward the parrot who simply held his feathers in front of his face, asking, "Your attempts to hit me before have all failed. What makes you think this will work?"

Unfortunately for Hawlucha, Machoke certainly remembered this and had come up with a new strategy as he directed a low kick into the parrot's ankle, Hawlucha's eyes widening as he knelt down. His feathers may have been strong, but they were only able to protect his upper body thus leaving his legs defenceless.

However, just as it looked like Machoke had finally gotten the upper hand, Hawlucha ignored the pain and stated, "That's not good enough to take me down, mi amigo," the parrot swinging his arm out and striking Machoke in the side of the face. Before the boy could even respond, Hawlucha proceeded to wrap his left arm around about the boy's right before running around the ring, carrying Machoke with him.

The boy got dizzy from all the spinning as Hawlucha smirked, flinging him hard into the turnbuckle while the crowd went wild for him. In such a short amount of time, he was already becoming popular with the crowd as Weedle had a big smile on his face.

"That motivation, that drive," Beedrill said, "It's so inspiring. It makes me wanna go out and fight for someone," Weedle nodding while reminiscing about his meeting with Hawlucha.

When he discovered the parrot, he noticed him working very hard to support his family. He worked two jobs, one at a construction site and the other at a track for marathon runners, so he had a lot of strength and speed training from his jobs. But what could possibly motivate him to join the Olympics?

As it just so happened, his mother was sick in bed and his family was not even close to being able to afford an operation for her. Seeing how desperate he was, Weedle came to him with his condolences and suggested he join the Hero Olympics, telling the parrot of the popularity and wealth he would likely get from winning the championship belt.

Hawlucha had never considered it. He was shocked when he found out that he could possibly save his mother's life by winning the Hero Olympics. However, it was too late as the Spanish tournaments had already been filled, so Weedle then told him the one place that still had an open spot was Tokyo, suggesting that Hawlucha legally become a Japanese citizen so he could compete.

Of course, this was a lie because plenty of tournaments still had open spots, but Hawlucha did not know of this. Even so, it took him a while to really agree to such a thing because changing nationalities to join a sporting event seemed extreme. But on the other hand, his mother needed the operation more than anything and as such, he reluctantly accepted.

As Machoke slowly recovered from the blow to his face, Hawlucha took a deep breath and folded his arms, saying, "I am terribly sorry, Machoke, but I have to win the Hero Olympics for the sake of mi madre. Not even you will stand in my way!" Machoke about to try and fight back when suddenly a look of absolute terror formed in in his eyes.

Right now, he was not just seeing Hawlucha standing before him but also his siblings and his mother. It was like facing four opponents at once, and with Hawlucha's incredible strength displayed up to this point, Machoke may as well have been fighting his whole family rolled into one.

Aipom could feel this inside of him and even she did not know whether or not he could rob Hawlucha of something so noble. Even so, the monkey knew she had a job to do as she snapped, "Earth to Machoke!" the boy turning to her as she barked, "Come on, don't let him intimidate you! There's only one opponent standing in the ring right now, not four!"

"Yeah, one really amazing opponent who deserves to win," Machoke groaned as Hawlucha smiled, saying, "I must admit, you are a very kind man, Senor Machoke, but unfortunately, that kindness is going to get you in a lot of trouble," the parrot charging toward him once again as Aipom spat, "MACHOKE, FIGHT BACK!"

The boy nodded and dodged Hawlucha before kicking him in the ankle again. This time, though, he sent his foot into the back and applied more force thus causing the parrot to fall on his back. With that, the boy flipped him over and sat on him, lifting up his legs and bending them while tucking them under his arms, the crowd going wild while Hawlucha cried out in pain.

"Just as it seemed Machoke was going to submit to Hawlucha, he gets his head back in the game and catches him in a perfectly executed Boston crab!" Nori exclaimed, Aipom letting out a sigh of relief as Isabel spat, "Senor Machoke, you are wasting your time and energy! Mi hermano can easily escape from that!"

"Sorry, Isabel, but you overestimate me," Hawlucha groaned, gritting his teeth and adding, "Even I do not know how to get out of such a hold," all going silent as Beedrill said, "Leave it to Machoke to pull off a miracle, eh, Dad?" Weedle fuming while thinking, 'Are you seriously telling me this one move is going to get him to submit!?'

However, just as Hawlucha was about to give up for good, Isabel growled and snapped, "COME ON, HERMANO, REMEMBER YOUR PROMISE TO MADRE!" the parrot's eyes widening as his sister continued, "REMEMBER HOW MUCH YOU NEED TO WIN THIS! YOU CAN'T JUST GIVE UP BECAUSE OF ONE TECHNIQUE YOU'RE HAWLUCHA! YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS!"

Hawlucha's eyes widened as he placed his hands firmly against the mat, everyone staring as Nori uttered, "In what I can only assume is an act of desperation, Hawlucha is attempting to get out of the hold," the parrot slowly pushing himself upward.

Machoke's eyes widened when he could actually feel his family members pulling on his arms and forcing him up as a means of loosening his hold on Hawlucha. And sure enough, Hawlucha had managed to push his lower body up so he was now performing a handstand, his back and legs no longer being bent as the crowd gasped.

"I can't believe it, but his tactic actually worked!" Nori exclaimed, "In a truly astounding way, Hawlucha has just forced his way out of a Boston crab!"

It certainly did not end there as Hawlucha took full advantage of the fact that Machoke was still holding his legs. The parrot flipped his body over and rammed his beak hard into the boy's forehead, causing him to lose his grip before grasping onto Machoke's arm and wrapping his legs around his neck, using his weight to force him on his back while holding him in a triangle choke.

Machoke's eyes were wide open as he cried out in pain, gasping for air while Aipom screeched, "MACHOKE, YOU CAN GET OUT OF THIS! LIFT YOUR ARM UP AND SLAM HIS HEAD INTO THE MAT!"

However, the boy shockingly refused to listen to the monkey. Was it pride getting in the way? No, that could not be for Machoke had learned long ago that Aipom's advice was worth following. No, he had another reason.

This very reason was made clear when he wheezed, "Hawlucha deserves to win! He has a good reason to fight in this tournament! I can't stand up to his entire family!" Reika whimpering, "Poor guy. Hawlucha and his sister have rendered him useless," Cici uttering, "I'm not even sure who I want to see win this match in all honesty."

Hawlucha smiled and said, "It is good to see you at least have enough decency to see the truth. You simply joined this tournament for the heck of it, but I am fighting for my family. You cannot defeat spirit like that!" Machoke feeling his sister actually applying extra pressure to his arm and neck even though she was still in the audience.

After a while, Machoke looked about ready to pass out as Hawlucha released his hold on the boy, leaping up onto the turnbuckle and spreading his arms out, saying, "Well, I will commend you for at least putting up a decent effort, but alas, this match must come to an end!"

With that, the parrot leapt off of the turnbuckle and spat, "FLYING PRESS!" once again slamming his body hard into Machoke's chest, the boy now out cold as all went silent, Nori exclaiming, "And once again, Hawlucha performs an incredible feat by using his super powered flying press!"

"Oh, it's nothing special, really," Hawlucha explained with a shrug, "All I do is use my feathers to double the impact," the crowd cheering for him.

Aipom bit her lip, not even sure how to respond as Weedle nodded at Beedrill, the wasp starting to count to ten, Reika getting up and barking, "MACHOKE, GET UP!" everyone staring as she added, "Look, I see why you'd feel bad about defeating Hawlucha! Yes, he's fighting for his family and that is a very good reason to fight, but Machoke, you have people who want to see you win as well!"

Isabel stared in interest as the girl added, "First, you got me and my friends! We are all supporting you and want to see you make it to the top!" Machoke's fingers twitching as she added, "Aipom also wants to see you win, so that's already one more supporter than Hawlucha has!" the parrot's eyes widening as he had to admit that was a good point.

"And what would your father say if he saw you lose the elimination round and not even make it to the Olympics themselves!?" Reika added, "Do you think he'd be happy to see you disgrace the family name like that!? You have a chance to restore that glory!"

Despite this speech certainly being more than ten seconds, Beedrill had actually stopped counting after the first few sentences, Weedle trying desperately to remind his son to keep it up. He remembered how many times Machoke had gotten up because of the bell ringing being delayed and did not wish for that to happen right now.

Reika then added, "My mom also wants to see you win, and you can't forget all of your friends! Gardevoir, Gallade, Blaziken, I'm sure all three would love to compete in the Olympics with you! Are you going to let them down too!?"

With that, Machoke slowly rose to his feet as the entire area went silent, the boy coughing up blood and taking a deep breath, saying, "You're right, Reika," the girl giving him a warm smile as he added, "It's true that Hawlucha has his family to back him up, but I have even more people out there who love and support me."

Hawlucha went wide-eyed as he suddenly saw the spirits of all of Machoke's friends surrounding him, the boy adding, "I've also influenced at least a couple of villains and made them good, so they would feel horrible if I lost today, and that would include Beedrill, am I right?" the wasp blinking and nodding his head, replying, "Actually, yeah, I would have been really disappointed to see you lose the first round," Weedle remarking, "Son, you're supposed to be neutral!"

"When I became a hero, I had no intention of doing so much of the work," Machoke stated, "I admit it, I was scared of this job, but ever since I defeated Rotom, I've taken my work very seriously! I fight not for myself but for the sake of everyone on this planet! That is why I will never back down no matter what, even if I'm fighting a fellow hero! You have a good reason, but I have the burden of every citizen in Tokyo on my shoulders and beyond those limits! I can't lose!"

Hawlucha's fear then turned to anger as he spat, "NO! I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THIS! YOU'RE JUST SPOUTING NONSENSE!" the parrot once again leaping onto the turnbuckle and leaping off before shouting, "FLYING PRESS!"

However, Machoke was actually prepared this time as he ran toward the ropes and propelled himself off of them. After that, he tucked himself into a ball and rolled right into Hawlucha's chest. Everyone stared, wondering just how this would turn out when shockingly enough, Machoke had managed to overpower the attack, Hawlucha's eyes widening as his chest was no longer puffed up.

With that, Machoke retracted into his normal state and turned Hawlucha's body around so both backs faced each-other. He then used his arms and legs to lock Hawlucha's hands and feet in place. And with that, he started to spin both his and his opponent's bodies around, forming a big wheel and heading toward the mat, slamming Hawlucha's belly hard against the mat while shouting, "SUNSET SLAM!" Hawlucha crying out in pain as Machoke placed his hand against his head, slamming his face into the canvas.

All went silent as Beedrill counted up to ten before nodding at Nori, the woman ringing the bell and exclaiming, "AND OUR WINNER IS MACHOKE!" the crowd going wild as Aipom breathed a sigh of relief, Reika letting down a light tear, Weedle all the while trying his hardest to hide his frustration with this result.

However, Machoke's joy soon left him as he turned and looked down at Hawlucha, asking, "Are you okay?" the parrot slowly opening his eyes with a smirk, Isabel letting out a sigh of relief as he said, "Increible! You're the real deal!" the parrot laughing and adding, "You truly deserve your reputation, mi amigo! I've never faced anyone quite like you!"

Machoke then let out a sigh and replied, "Thanks, but I still feel kind of bad," helping the parrot up as Hawlucha shook his head and patted him on the shoulder, exclaiming, "You have nothing to be ashamed of! You were absolutely amazing! Now go on and win the Olympics! Don't you dare let my loss be in vain!" the crowd going wild as Aipom smiled.

At that exact moment, a commercial sponsor walked toward the ring and said, "Excuse me, Senor Hawlucha, I represent the bread factory here and I was wondering if you'd like to sponsor us. You almost defeated Machoke! That's certainly worth something!" Machoke thinking, 'And me defeating Talonflame means nothing?' Hawlucha letting down tears and smiling bright, sniffing, "It would seem all hope is not lost!"

Weedle then took a deep breath and said, "Well, congratulations, Machoke, but don't think you've qualified just yet. You still have to win two more rounds," Machoke letting out a sigh and groaning, "I'd completely forgotten about that," while a staff member was whispering something in the side of Beedrill's head.

"Hold that thought, Dad," Beedrill stated, "I just received word that all of the other participants in the Tokyo tournament couldn't make it!" Weedle's eyes widening as he remarked, "What!?" Beedrill nodding and replying, "See, they all took the same plane here and it crashed. Luckily, they prevented the passengers from getting killed, but they spent too long keeping them safe and knew there was no way to make it here on time," Weedle narrowing his eyelids and remarking, "You have gotta be kidding me."

Beedrill shook his head as Weedle remarked, "So all six of the other participants could not make it because of a plane crash!" Beedrill stating, "Well, Venomoth was struck down by lightning," the caterpillar trying to hide his irritation.

"Wait, so let me get this straight," Machoke uttered, "Are you telling me I have no other opponents to face in this tournament?" Beedrill nodding as he added, "So that means I win by default?" Beedrill nodding again as Weedle grumbled curses under his breath.

With that, a wide grin crossed Machoke's face as he exclaimed, "AW YEAH!" raising his hands in the air and chanting, "I'M NUMBER ONE! I'M GONNA REPRESENT JAPAN IN THE HERO OLYMPICS! I ROCK!" the crowd going wild as Reika and Aipom face-palmed, groaning, "Don't be too humble about it," with sarcasm in their voices.

Hawlucha simply gave him a grin as Isabel ran over to make sure he was really in good enough condition to move, the parrot nodding his head in reassurance. Because of his respect for the parrot, Machoke had chosen to apply a little bit less force into his Sunset Slam. He felt no need to hospitalize someone with a good heart.

Beedrill then noticed Weedle clutching onto a miniature gold trophy as the wasp asked, "Hey, Dad, can you hand that over? I need to present that to the champ," Weedle reluctantly handing it over, feeling a bit better that it was at least someone else handing Machoke the prize.

Still, it would have been unfair for him to horde it just because of his own personal issues anyway. The whole reason he had decided to give the winners of the elimination tournaments trophies was so that when all but one ended up losing in the Olympics, they would at least have something to take pride in. After all, winning a tournament, be it a small one or not, was nothing to scoff at.

Machamp had actually been watching this match on TV back on Hero Planet, a big grin on his face as he laughed, exclaiming, "Hey, honey, Machoke won the Tokyo tournament!" Kala entering and beaming bright, saying, "That's my boy!" before adding, "Now that that's over, you have no excuse to get out of your chores," Machamp sighing, "Yes, dear."

And that was that. While fate had certainly been kind to Machoke, it was his skills and spirit that ultimately earned him the right to represent Japan. But even so, this was only the beginning as his opponents in the Olympics were sure to be a lot tougher than Hawlucha was. But even so, he could not have been happier right now.